This is a prologue I wrote this night for my crossover. It deals with origins of spells used in Grail War and appearance of *the spring of drowned Medusa*
I would like to note that:
-English is my second language.
-I'm really new at this.
-I couldn't think of any names, so if you have ideas, i'll be glad to see them.
The summoner, an old man dressed in red robes with intricate symbols made from golden threads, sat in his brightly lit and book filled cabinet and read an ancient manuscript recently bought for a hefty sum from a gang of tomb raiders. Maybe, a few years ago he would’ve never accepted their offer or even called guards to arrest them but that was in the past.
Now, when he clearly felt his age and knew that he would be forgotten as soon as died, he was desperate to accomplish a deed that would make him a legend, thus making his name and knowledge widely famous and sought after.
The door to his cabinet opened and somebody light stepped in. Expertly finding his way through the maze of book-made columns on the floor, a short boy wearing same red robes as the mage himself bowed and said.
”Master, the map you requested was delivered. It seems to be real this time.”
Glancing at the magical construct before him, one of the many artificial servants in his mansion, the old man commanded.
“Bring it to my spell chamber. And bring the reagents that arrived a week earlier.”
The golem bowed once again and asked “It’ll be done. But may I ask you when the dinner should be served?”
“I don’t have time for food! I almost completed the basis of my spell! Now do as I said!”
“Yes, master” was the answer before the summoner became alone once more.
“Oh, how I wish for an apprentice or a worthy son.” sighed the old man, rubbing his tired blood-shot eyes.
‘Those fools!*A mage needs only a basic knowledge of summoning or he might become an almost useless money drain as well * How dare they laugh at what I spent my whole life on and what I am about to create!’
‘Soon I’ll make them all eat their words. And if they try to hide their shame by killing me, well… I could use several more statues here.’ thought the mage, returning to the scroll that described a legendary Greek monster, Medusa, who turned anyone into a stone with as much as a glance.
Soon he rose from the floor and went to his spell chamber, accompanied by servants that were waiting for him outside of his room, with reagents, books or food.
Entering a large round room that multiple niches in the walls, some occupied by bookcases but most empty, he ordered everyone to place the reagents in the right places and went to the nearest bookcase.
Inside was a scroll that held a map to all places in China that were charged with magical power and if he wanted to complete his spell without dying or sacrificing several of his fellow mages, he needed an external power source.
Unfortunately, his prior attempts at buying that map failed because *The mage association* refused his requests and merchants that had it were less then respectable.
He chuckled as he remembered one of them taking a female construct hostage, believing that she was his daughter.
Unrolling the map, his gaze almost immediately caught two marks being quite close.
He drew an imaginary symbol on the map imagining something and smile. They were close enough to use them for bipolar focus, instead of a single as he originally intended. That would immensely ease the strain of casting such spell.
“Bayankala mountain range? Hmm, two settlements are mage friendly so there should be no interference from them. And it’s far enough to finish the spell and recover after.”
Turning away from the map, the summoner inspected the symbol on the floor and placing of reagents before he ordered everyone to step into the niches behind them.
“Everything flawless.” He smiled. “Now to test that part of the spell before I leave to Jusenkyo and Jusendo.”
-
About a week later, the summoner came to the village of the Amazons, accompanied by a dozen of constructs that carried all of needed spell ingredients, books and his notes.
“I greet you, Elder. I a mage and came here to study.” he said when he saw a tall middle-aged woman in rich clothes. Scanning him and his servants she asked.
“Study what, stranger?”
“I wanted to buy information about the land between Jusenkyo Valley and Jusendo Mountain. I plan on casting a powerful spell there”
“I might sell you that information, but only if you take one of our warriors and explain the spell to her” She waved off mage’s objection that it would take too much time and continued.
“There is no need to teach her everything you know. Only enough to estimate how dangerous your spell would be is needed.”
Amazon signaled to one of the younger guards to come to her and said to the young warrior.
“Lotion, go and learn from him. I’ll visit you tomorrow and bring the needed information.”
-
Far away, in the town the summoner left behind, several mages gathered to discuss the news.
“You heard what the summoner is up to now?” asked one of them, middle aged man with tanned skin, short black hair and dressed in the robes with images of five elements sewn on them.
“Yes, he went on the journey. Most probably to try whatever he was preparing all these years.” answered another, older mage, whose robes carried arcane symbols.
“He bought a scroll about a monster from Greek legends.” a young man cut in their talk, dressed in everyday clothes, and threw the said scroll on the table between mages.
Arcane arts follower turned to him “How many times I must tell you, if you want to spy, use the knowledge you’ve been taught! Breaking in, like a common thief is unfit for a mage!”
The young man shrugged and answered. “He’s a master mage. None of my items can penetrate his house defenses. Also, I learned from an acquaintance of mine, that he went to the area where setting a bipolar focus is possible.”
Oldest mage frowned again when the young one reminded what people he usually met with due to his magic tied with items of power rather than his own.
“Do you suggest that he went there to cast his spell?”
“But the spell of such magnitude will cause a disaster if it misfires! We must stop him!”
Arcane mage winced from the loud shout and lifted his hand to bring silence.
“Master elementalist, have you forgotten that summoning spells carry no destructive power unlike yours? And as much as I don’t like that crazed, narrow-minded old man, I must admit that his spells never fail. We must depart and learn more about this before taking any rash actions.”
-
“Is he out of his mind!?” yelled the master elementalist, when they arrived to the Amazon village and learnt more than enough about the summoning that will be done that day.
“We must hurry to him.” Said arcane master and they almost ran outside.
-
The summoner stood at the eye shaped magic symbol he spent days to create and correct. Looking over everything from one end to the other, he called the young Amazon he helped to create her magic circuit and taught some of the basics. When he said it was time for her leave, she hugged the old man and ran towards the village.
Watching her leave, he smiled knowing that at least in that village he’ll be forever remembered and checking everything again, he started the incantation.
When he said the last words, lines of white glowing power shot from both poles of the focus and his solar plexus. The symbol near him glowed with power as intricate and powerful magic searched in beyond the world, each second of failure costing him dearly.
When the arcane hook found its target, the summoner felt the very life being ripped out of him by the recoil and fell down screaming in agony.
Even though he was spent, the spell continued to work, the white streams of power coalescing in the middle of pentagram, forming a vague humanoid shape.
Soon, the light dimmed and the figure slowly turned into a young purple haired girl, dressed into very revealing clothing and wearing a blindfold.
With thoughts that gained the weight of boulders, the mage tried to understand if the spell got the right spirit. The girl was as far from the legendary monster as he could think of. Shaking away the traitorous thoughts that he might’ve failed, he lifted himself on an elbow and asked.
“Are you Medusa, the legendary monster of Greece?”
She stopped looking around with interest and, tilting her head, answered “Yes I am.”
She slowly walked to the mage and materialized a chain, with spikes on both ends, in her hands.
“And I think that you should explain yourself. Where am I? And why am I here?”
Panting from amount of effort his last action took, the summoner answered.
“I’m a mage skilled in summoning from The Mage Association. I brought you here, to China, so you would protect me until the spell I cast today makes me a legend amongst other mages.”
Medusa looked at him curiously and started to play with chain, smirking.
“A living legend? Tell me mage, what is keeping me in this world? That magic symbol or your life?”
The summoner gasped in shock and tried to crawl away, but he was too tired to move.
“I’ve never asked to be brought here, you know. Now dissolve the spell so I can return to blankness I came from.” said the girl, when she entered the magic symbol and turned to face the mage. ”Or I’ll see what happens when you die.”
The summoner driven to tears by the effort required to even lift a hand and draw a simple figure in the midair, whispered. “By the power of the command spell, I order you to obey me.”
Medusa’s face tensed and for a minute she fought the spell, her chain dancing in her hands as if it tried to fly towards him. Finally she succumbed to the A rank spell and spat.
“Fine. What do you want from me?”
“I want you to protect me from any harm at all costs.” said the mage and fell into the darkness and his breathing became shallow.
-
“We’re too late.” said the young mage, when he saw the magic symbol, the purple haired girl in blindfold and what is more important, a limp body of their wayward colleague. “He already summoned Medusa and I don’t think he’s breathing.”
“Are you sure?” asked other, their old eyes unable to see that far in that much detail.
“Yes.”
Arcane mage sighed and turned to elementalist. “Can you take her out from here?”
“Easily.”
-
Medusa cursed as she saw a torrent of fireballs flying towards them. She would’ve happily left that accursed mage to die and forced those three to break whatever spell summoned her here, but the command spell prohibited such action.
Knowing that she will not be able to carry him out of the danger zone on her back without at least some burns, she cursed again and summoned her Pegasus, whose wings stopped the orbs of fire.
She quickly draped him over the horses back and flew off before the second wave of fireballs arrived.
Unfortunately for her, even her steed couldn’t outrun a lightning that threw weakened Medusa and her master off Pegasus’s back and into the springs below.
Much later, Einzberg family researchers find notes about this incident in Mages' Association archives and after buying them from the Amazons they use that spell in their Grail War system.
When the Fifth war was about to start, Ranma and his father came to Jusenkyo and the boy fell right into the Medusa's spring