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Rise Of The Immaterial Man Undercity
Sophia strode through the park with purpose and I struggled to keep up with her. When I had been human I hadn’t spent much if any time at the park, but walking through it now with the sun beginning its descent into the evening I found myself wishing that I had. It was a beautiful location, running alongside the River Thames itself, one of the rare few big green areas in the city of London. The location we were headed toward was the Old English Garden, a sort of park within a park. Where most of the park was wide open green spaces that were curated but mainly left to nature, the Old English Garden was a heavily looked-after space with a small podium at its centre. And everything about it felt… off. Clearly, the other people who were walking through the garden didn’t feel anything, it was likely only because I was an Immateria now, but I could intensely feel that something was strange about the podium and the sculpture on the top of it. “That’s the entranceway,” Sophia said, as i
Rise Of The Immaterial Man Waiting Room
The undercity was a marvel. I had been expecting a dingy and disgusting place, with leaking walls and rumbles from trains passing overhead, but I couldn’t have been further from the truth. Magic, it turned out, was just as magical in reality as it had been in all the storybooks. While my scientific mind was having trouble understanding everything my eyes were seeing, the little boy in the back of my head was whooping with unbridled joy. The ceilings were high and had been charmed in some way to display what was essentially a holographic display of the outdoor sky. Though unlike my technology there weren’t any telltale signs that what I was seeing was fake. I’d never managed to eliminate the slight shimmer that occurred whenever an image updated itself, kind of like scanlines on an old CRT, there was nothing like that present in the illusory sky. Alongside that were all the different types of people that I was seeing. It was hard not to want to run away screaming the first time
Rise Of The Immaterial Man Council
Sophia and I waited for what felt like hours, in reality, it probably couldn’t have been anything more than thirty minutes. In the short time that I’d known her, I’d never seen Sophia flustered or worried. She’d always been the peak of British femininity and grace, holding herself resolutely in the face of any potential problem. The way she was pacing back and forth now, her heels clacking against the flagstone floor of the room, betrayed how nervous she was really feeling. “It’s going to be okay, Sophia,” I said, “I’m sure you’ll be able to convince them of the worth of my creation.” Her head snapped toward me so fast that if she had been human her neck probably would have severed and allowed the skull on top to bounce away to a corner of the room. “It’s not just your life on the line,” She all but snarled, “If they find that I’ve broken the rules it’ll be my head on the block just as much as yours, understand?” I was cowed into silence by the outburst by that primal connection
Rise Of The Immaterial Man Success
Sophia shot me an ugly glare as I stepped forward to speak, but she didn’t order me back in line so I felt free to continue in my course of action. “While you may be safe hiding down here now, I know through first-hand experience how easily all of that could come tumbling down,” I said, “And while the Immateria are the strongest thing in the world right now that may not always be the case.” “Preposterous!” The Immateria at the centre of the table said, “Not even their nuclear bombs could threaten us, in centuries or millennia in the future that won’t change!” I crossed my hands behind my back and shook my head, I needed to play this just like I was trying to explain technology to some tech inept businessman back in London… because that was basically my entire plan. “What do you know of technology, sir?” I asked the man, “I imagine in this world of magic that you have crafted for yourselves the mere notion of mundane human technology is something that barely even crosses your mind,
Rise Of The Immaterial Man Plan
“That was a foolish and dangerous move you made in there,” Sophia said as she walked out of the council building and back onto the flagstone street of the undercity. I rolled my eyes and stuffed my hands in my pockets. “It worked though, didn’t it?” I asked rhetorically, “We’ve got free rein to do what we want now, the council are going to be off our backs, and neither of us is dead.” “It worked by the skin of your fangs,” She said with a short sigh, “If I’d known you were going to be this reckless I would have left you to bleed out on the steps of that club.” I grinned at her, she was talking a big talk but there wasn’t any heat behind her words. It seemed like she was more relieved than anything else. “Yeah right, I bet you’ve loved having me around so far,” I said cheekily, “So, come on, what’s the plan now? We’ve dealt with the immediate crisis, we’ve fed on some humans so the thirst is gone, what are we doing next?” Sophia was silent for a moment as she considered my questi
Rise Of The Immaterial Man Workspace
After explaining my plans to Sophia I explained that I would need a space in the Immateria undercity to work on my experiments and technology making. I could, of course, have had a lab up in London, but if we had taken that route I would have needed to constantly be zipping up and down between the overworld and the underworld, and that sounded like an awful lot of effort. It had taken the better part of an hour, but after calling in a few favours from some imps that Sophia knew she had managed to sort me out with the perfect space. Or at least it would be the perfect space in the future. At the moment it was little more than a dusty basement tucked away underneath a tavern that one of Sophia’s friends owned. Nevertheless, the space was big. It had good ventilation thanks to a few high-up windows. It was in a spot that was well-connected with the rest of the city. When you consider the fact that I had started my original tech company with nothing more than a dream and some spare p
Rise Of The Immaterial Man Base
After Sophia handed my list off to one of her imp helpers, she informed me that we were going to be getting straight on with the rogue case that she had been handed by the council of the Immateria.While I had gone through the process of being registered with the council and being allowed to live, rogue Immateria were Immateria who had been created without any kind of permission and were running amok in the overcity.There were other types of rogue Immateria too, like Immateria who had decided that living under the rules of the council didn’t suit them anymore. They were usually more dangerous since they knew a thing or two about magic themselves.Fortunately enough, the Immateria that we were going to be hunting was still hanging about in London, according to Sophia’s network of spies.We wouldn’t need to travel anywhere to get the job done, and in my mind, we had the home-field advantage considering I’d been living in the city for my whole life.“So, this is my place,” Sophia said,
Rise Of The Immaterial Man The Hunt Begins
Sophia and I stepped back into the warp gate that funnelled the citizens of the Immateria City to and from the city of London above. The bright lights and bustling energy of the underground city gave way to the greenery and open sky of the Old English Garden. The Battersea Power station loomed in the distance, silhouetted by the low afternoon sun."I can't believe all of this has happened in just a day," I remarked, taking in the view. "Most of it still doesn't even seem possible.""You'll get used to it, Parker," Sophia said, patting me on the shoulder. Her words were gruff, but there was a hint of compassion in her eyes. Maybe having been properly registered by the Immateria Council had relieved some of the stress she was feeling now that neither of us was set to be executed."So, what's the plan?" I asked, as we made our way out of the park. "Do you have some kind of Immateria tracking spell that we can use to track this guy down?""Please," She snorted, "Spells like that are stric
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- Rise Of The Immaterial Man
Council Report
As Sophia and I huddled together over the massive oak table in the heart of our lab, we meticulously compiled our findings on the ominous runes and the Cloaks' sinister intentions. Our research painted a terrifying picture: a plan to bring about the end of the world. I could feel the weight of the knowledge in the binder we carefully assembled, its pages brimming with secrets that could tip the fragile balance between the Immateria and human realms. Our hearts raced with the urgency of the situation, and we knew we had no time to waste.The moment we finished, we rushed out into the labyrinthine underground old city, our feet pounding against the cobblestones as we wove our way through its ancient passages. We exchanged glances, our expressions a mixture of determination and fear, fully aware of the importance of our mission.As we raced through the city, the shadows around us seemed to dance and flicker, as if they were alive. The air was thick with the scent of centuries-old stone a
- Rise Of The Immaterial Man
Research
Standing amidst the remnants of the chaotic battle, I hesitantly approached Sophia to offer my condolences for the loss of her friend. The words caught in my throat, my voice wavering with the weight of what we had just experienced."I'm sorry about Marcus," I finally managed to say, my gaze lingering on the table where he had met his gruesome end.Sophia's expression remained stoic, her eyes betraying no hint of the pain she must have been feeling. "It's okay," she replied, her voice strong and resolute. "I know we'll avenge him in the long run. I just wish I could have killed him myself."I couldn't quite grasp the complexity of her relationship with Marcus, but I knew better than to pry. Instead, I decided to shift the focus to the task at hand. We needed to unravel the mystery of the runic symbols and the ritual Marcus had mentioned before his death.Together, we approached the table, our eyes drawn to the intricate runes carved into its surface. Neither of us recognized the symbo
- Rise Of The Immaterial Man
The Final Cloaks
As Sophia regained her composure and launched herself back into the fray against the remaining Cloaks, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. With her renewed vigor, I could now focus on providing her with much-needed support. The adrenaline coursed through my veins, and my mind raced with the possibilities of spells that could turn the tide of battle in our favor.Deciding on a strategy, I drew upon my magical reserves and cast a wide-range frost spell, chilling the air and coating the floor with a treacherous layer of ice. The temperature in the room plummeted, and our breaths fogged in the frigid air. Sophia, ever the agile fighter, vaulted into the air just as the icy surface began to solidify beneath her, avoiding the frosty trap.The Cloaks, caught off guard by the sudden change in their environment, found their feet frozen to the ground. Their attention momentarily diverted from Sophia, she seized the opportunity to eliminate several of them with swift, brutal efficiency. The f
- Rise Of The Immaterial Man
Take Down
As I continued to face off against the Cloak, it became increasingly clear that they were an exceptionally formidable opponent. Their raw power and proficiency in magic far exceeded what I would have expected from someone who was supposedly just a member of a random gang. I couldn't help but wonder if this was simply due to my own lack of magical experience, or if there was more to the Cloak than met the eye.My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a barrage of ice shards, each as thick as my arm, hurtling through the air towards me. Reacting on instinct, I managed to narrowly avoid the freezing projectiles, feeling the icy wind that accompanied them as they whizzed past. Had any of them struck me, I had no doubt that I would have been incapacitated, if not worse.Seizing the opportunity to retaliate, I drew upon my eidetic memory to replicate the Cloak's own spell. With a swift motion of my wand, I sent a flurry of ice shards back at my adversary, hoping to catch the
- Rise Of The Immaterial Man
One on One
My eyes remained glued to the fierce battle unfolding before me, the sheer ferocity of the combatants sending waves of trepidation coursing through my veins. Sophia and the demon were locked in a dance of death, each striving to gain the upper hand and deliver the killing blow. The brutality of their exchange was both terrifying and mesmerizing, a testament to the deadly forces at play.Sophia's movements were fluid and agile, her lithe form gracefully weaving through the demon's lumbering attacks. The creature's strikes were powerful, sending tremors rippling through the ground with each devastating blow. Even as an Immateria, I knew that if Sophia were to suffer the full brunt of the demon's strength, it could very well be the end of her. To make matters worse, she had to contend with the sporadic potshots from the remaining Cloaks, their spells merely adding to the chaos and danger of the situation.Despite her agility and prowess, it was clear that Sophia's lightning-infused claws
- Rise Of The Immaterial Man
Demon
I groaned, the pain radiating through my body as I gradually regained consciousness. My head throbbed, a dull ache pulsing in time with my racing heartbeat. I hadn't anticipated the intensity of the spell I'd crafted, and the lingering disorientation was a testament to its potency.Shaking my head in an attempt to dispel the discombobulation, I squinted through the hazy aftermath of the magical explosion, straining to make sense of the situation. Though my ears still rang, muffled and distant, I could perceive the sounds of battle continuing to rage around me. It seemed that my desperate gamble had not been in vain.As my vision slowly cleared, I could see that my rudimentary spellwork had provided the opening Sophia needed. Some of the Cloaks were beginning to recover from the disorienting effects of the flashbang, their expressions contorted in a mixture of rage and confusion. But they were no match for Sophia's raw power and finesse.With the grace of a skilled dancer, Sophia had w
- Rise Of The Immaterial Man
Flashbang
“We don’t have time to plan, Parker,” Sophia hissed. “You’re new to magic, but I’m strong and you can hold your own. We have to do this, or Marcus is going to die… and gods know what will take his place.” Sophia, who I had previously known as someone who couldn’t ever be unnerved, someone who laughed in the face of danger and stayed cool no matter what… was practically beside herself with worry. I could tell she knew we needed a plan, she didn’t want to run in half-cocked, but she was also quickly running out of time and patience. “Fine then, the plan is we go in hard and fast. Take them by surprise and try to overwhelm them with superior force,” I said with a sigh. It wasn’t much, it wasn’t even really the beginnings of a plan, but given the circumstances, it was all we had and it’d have to do. The air was thick with the stench of blood and the smell of burning incense. Sophia and I broke cover and smashed through the door together, finally alerting the cloaks to our presence. T
- Rise Of The Immaterial Man
Hive
I walked through the darkened halls, my heart pounding in my chest. The air was thick with the stench of mildew and decay. The walls were covered in peeling wallpaper, and the floorboards creaked under our feet. I held my wand tightly, ready for anything that might come our way.Sophia walked beside me, her claws extended and at the ready. Her sharp eyes scanned our surroundings, searching for any signs of danger. She was the best partner I could ask for on this mission. She was fierce, smart, and unwavering in her determination to stop the Cloaks.We had received intel that the Cloaks were planning something big. Something that could spell doom for the entire Immateria City. We couldn't let that happen. We had to stop them at all costs.As we walked, the sound of chanting grew louder and more distinct. It was coming from downstairs. We shared a look of concern and horror, knowing that we were getting closer to the heart of the Cloaks' operation."Sophia, do you hear that?" I whispere
- Rise Of The Immaterial Man
Stakeout
I studied the map intently, feeling the rough texture of the aged parchment under my fingertips. My eyes traced over the faded ink lines, marking the location of the Cloak’s hidden lair. Sophia stood beside me, her intense gaze fixed on the same spot. I looked up at Sophia, and saw that her expression mirrored my own determination. "We have to be careful," I said, my voice low and urgent. "Who knows what they're up to in there." Sophia nodded, her jaw set. "I agree. We need to gather as much information as we can before we make a move." I bit my lip, thinking. "Perhaps we could stake out the hideout for a little while, observe their movements. That way, we'll have a better idea of what we're up against." Sophia's eyes brightened at the suggestion. "Yes, that's a good idea. We could hide on a nearby rooftop and keep an eye on things." I grinned. "I'm glad you agree. I've got a feeling this is going to be dangerous, but I'm ready for it. We need to put a stop to whatever the Cloa
