The Arcane Uprising is a story initially started by user Firehammer2004, who has now left it to be remastered by Pax Orderia. For more details, see Project Remastered Uprising.
Characters: Apeiro, Apothicus, Ogeritase
Prelude[]
"What the... who are you? And what's with the spying?" One of the students yelled in surprise, shocked by the sudden appearance of a young boy, sporting several bruises, who had fallen directly out of the tree above.
The boy grinned sheepishly in response "I just wanted to learn the ways of the Magikill, you know, they're so cool, and they have these staffs that can blow up and kill things too!"
"Err...what?" Several of the students glanced around at each other in complete confusion at this eccentric child, before turning to their master, a wizened old man wielding a staff and sporting a hunched back and long beard. "Master, what are we supposed to do with him?"
After a moment of stroking his beard, the senior Magikill spoke in a croaky voice "He is an outsider - he knows nothing about our arcane ways, and we cannot simply train him just because he has interest."
The boy immediately blurted out in protest "Wait, sir, I know about your arcane ways - I know what the word arcane means...and I...I know how to summon a blast, with the incantation 'Fulminate' and 'Lavitas Elek-Tosus' to summon those electric walls, and all of the corresponding staff movements, and they can make things blow up or die! I know that some Magikill are working on cool things like potions and stuff, which I also really want to join, and I...I know how you used to capture Dirvishes and turn them into minions, which I don't really like, but-"
"How did you find that out kid?" One Magikill interrupted.
"I've been watching for weeks, watching all of you train to fight with magic, and I just like magic and fighting a lot, and I have this cool idea that you can combine weapons and magic, so could I please join you?" He replied instantly and rapidly, breathing heavily as he stopped, while he widened his eyes, begging the Magikill to allow him to join.
"What's your name?" Another of the Magikill inquired.
"Apeiro," the boy smiled. "Can I join?"
The senior Magikill spoke up "You know that all your training will take 7 years to become a good Magikill, and probably widen your vocabulary to more than just 'cool'. We are quite an arcane order and you will require a lot of training, away from your family."
"Arcane means mysterious or understood by few, and I want to become one of those few. My family would be fine with it. Is that a yes then?" Apeiro grinned.
The Magikill master searched the faces of his fellow Magikill. Most of them seemed impressed with Apeiro's confidence, his knowledge and enthusiasm. "Well...I suppose we could always spare a space for another student. In that case, we shall consider it. Expect a letter to be delivered in approximately a week's time to your house, wherever it is."
Apeiro smiled.
Chapter 1[]
"Ancient Alchemy? Alchemy... I'd have sworn this wasn't covered in our syllabus." Apeiro scratched his head, craning his neck sideways in order to inspect the seemingly pristine book lodged in the shelf in front of him. Yet, the book's ornate cover, with archaic runes carefully etched on, made it evident that this book was not anything published recently.
"Of course it's not in our syllabus," his companion snorted with disdain, "Some idiot who is most likely going to be a slave to all the trivial courts of Inamorta probably misplaced in this section, thinking they learnt something valuable from transmutation of lead into gold. I'm glad we don't have to waste our time on that." Peering at the other book Apeiro had in his hand, he added, "and I'm even more satisfied we don't have to learn about your rubbish on combining weapons with magic. That's called using magic."
Enthusiastic regardless, Apeiro continued, "Oh come on Saharun, this is Ancient Alchemy - you know, all those elixirs of immortality, ultra-medicines and universal solvents, and they're all pretty cool." He grinned mischievously as he uttered the last word.
Saharun rolled his eyes, glanced around furtively for any librarians that could apprehend him, and gently elbowed his fellow Magikill student in the stomach. "You've been at this Magic Academy for six years and yet we still haven't eliminated that word from your vocabulary," he muttered, smiling as he remembered a diminutive Apeiro stumbling into the classroom with his woefully inadequate range of vocabulary. "Besides, all of those things are just scams, and they're irrelevant. The last time an elixir of immortality was made, it was used as a flamethrower. I'd like to see an emperor drink that."
"Alright, alright," Apeiro replied jokingly, "says the guy who literally just spends his free time reading stories that are solely about authors spitting on each other."
"Hey, those spitting authors are legendary!" Saharun retorted with an air of satire, "Anyway, I'll be off to read some high-grade literature while you waste time on learning how to be a scammer." The student plodded away with the typical awkwardness of a teenage hunchback, gripping a book firmly in his left hand, and leaving Apeiro in peace.
Without Saharun's constant but entertaining criticisms, Apeiro slowly plodded towards a nearby chair, engrossed in the book as he sped through its pages. The three alchemical requirements for harnessing the elements: mind ☿, the body 🜔, the spirit 🜍; the mystical elements of alchemy; immortality, the alchemical magnum opus; true gnosis... his mind absorbed the information like a sponge, plunged into a sea of new knowledge. "Maybe I could even outsmart Saharun with this," he muttered with a smirk, eyeing a particular extract, "And by next year, maybe I'll be the smartest out of the graduating lot..."
Chapter 2[]
"Sir, our scout party has returned. They report those bizarre creatures are still out there doing... well, they couldn't really tell. Regardless, their night watch seems substantial enough where we wouldn't gain the element of surprise from attacking at the moment with tired conscripts," a captain saluted his commander. The Order Military insignia glinted brightly on his shoulder plate.
"Thank you Captain Apothicus, prepare your troops to march out at any time," the commander nodded in acknowledgement. "I can't believe we're losing this war," he sighed in frustration, "in all the great might of the Order Empire, it is losing to this pathetic nation. And now we have to draft people." With a brief moment of silence, he remembered Apothicus, still bound by his customs as a newly-promoted captain, who would not leave until dismissed. "You may leave now," the commander spoke with his withered voice, and turned around, marching back to his tent.
"Underst…," Apothicus' voice trailed off as his commander walked away, disinterested in any recognition the captain had to display. "I suppose it's time to check on the troops," he mumbled to himself, stumbling into the main sections of the camp, wielding an oil lamp while being careful not to crash into any dark tents or the trees, all of which were intended to help with concealment. Few sounds could be heard other than the crunching of leaves beneath his boots as the evident lack of sunlight prompted most of the conscripts to fall asleep. And yet, one of the tents still had a lamp on within, or perhaps several candles. "Isn't that the one with the barmy mage?" he puzzled as he recalled speaking with the logistics officer. Surely it would be fine if he simply asked him to sleep.
At the tent opening, Apothicus could see that the mage was silent as he sat there with a seemingly-ancient and ornately decorated book on his lap, ignoring how blatant his own peculiarity was as he was not concealed one bit. "Ahem," Apothicus coughed, "Excuse me sir, but what are you doing? Surely it would be wi-"
The mage's eyes opened, staring straight at Apothicus with intent. "Why do you need to know what I am doing, Apothicus?" At the last word, the mage's face morphed into a mischievous grin.
"How did you know my name?" Apothicus peered at the mage curiously, while being slightly disturbed at his peculiarity.
"I just do, like how I, Apeiro the Arcane Alchemist as I have nicknamed myself, know almost everything there is to know," the mage spoke with an air of wisdom, before sniggering at the captain's confused face. "I'm not that insane, don't worry. I've just studied alchemy a substantial amount, so I can do some cool things that will probably help you on the battlefield."
Hesitantly, Apothicus replied, "Alright then." With Apeiro's disturbing attention still fixated on him, he recalled the purpose of his visit: "Whatever, we need rest for tomorrow, and the day after. If we get attacked, or Commander what's-his-name calls us, we need to be ready." Without a further delay, the captain span round on his heels and paced away, not heeding Apeiro's reminder of the commander's name.
***
The spindly, ossified fingers of moonlight gently touched the forest, illuminating the forest and providing the few still awake with a slight sense of comfort. A sense of comfort a certain mage, still meditating, brushed aside.
Instead, his mind was a blur, a flurry of arcane symbols and whirring images that painted themselves into a comprehensive scene. "The future," his mental voice boomed with satisfaction as he inspected his vision. The dark chamber he was in was full of shadows, bizarre shapes and constantly melting objects. And one mysterious figure, who seemed to emit a sinister aura, a red glow accompanying its form. He gripped his fists tight, whispering an incantation to himself. Its voice, just as Apeiro expected, was echoing and full of malice: "Hello young one."
Apeiro screamed. Something had gone wrong.
Without warning, Apeiro's hands, steadily building up energy to extract himself from the vision, exploded in an inferno as pulses of his magic reverberated throughout his body. Then everything imploded, and every atom in his body that had been ripped apart came together, coming into a single crunch.
All he could sense was a violent storm of colourful darkness and agony that was permeated with brief flecks of burning runes, all with the comparatively comforting sound of his horrific screaming.
***
Apeiro gasped as he felt his face return into a single shape, bruised by a hand that had vehemently attempted to wake him up from his meditation. As he opened his eyelids, the world around him gradually lightened up as his pupils dilated to alleviate him from the darkness, leaving a slight red tint in one eye, and a green tint in the other. It took a few seconds before he could identify the figure crouching in front of him.
"What were you doing!" the figure roared, sending a wave of shock down Apeiro's spine.
"I was... I was trying to predict... ahead of time?" the mage spoke fearfully in reply, his voice shaky from the torment, and he was surprised to find how hoarse his voice was, sore from-
"Your screaming and fireworks display could've just given away our location! Or maybe your magic insanity would have gotten to us as well or something like that!" The man continued, exasperated at having had to knock out a screaming glowing mage at the dead of night. "Just don't ever meditate at night ever again." He finished, gulping as fear crept into the last syllable.
Glancing up at the man, Apeiro nodded slowly, only capable of uttering a trembling "okay" before he found it impossible to voice anything else. Instead, he sat in his tent entrance, silent.
"Ogeritase" - the name of the man formed in his head as his senses returned to him: the arcane whispers and the idea for a new weapon. At least tomorrow, he would return to indulging in magic, but this time something less risky: the Blade of Moyura, another weapon capable of transmitting spells in the form of a sword. Apeiro smiled as his ribcage ceased its thundering.
Already, he could envision the process: he would wake up and grab several handfuls of dirt, and then in a few hours, he could churn out a new blade. Apothicus would enter with some questions, and Apeiro would answer tersely. Then Apothicus would make a statement about how they were to be deployed immediately, and they would be on the battlefield, with Ogeritase at his side. Then... his vision faded to nothingness as the jaws of sleep engulfed him.
Chapter 3[]
Just before battle Apeiro made some odd drinks that gave enhanced something. Apeiro gave one of each type of drink to each of his teammates. When they got there, they saw these monsters that were doing weird things to people. Along the lines of changing people into these same creatures. They were different shades of vomit, but being the magikill Apeiro was he shot a fireball at these creatures and they burned and fled. More of them came until one of our magikill shot a meteor out of the sky to do a massive explosion of fire and killed all of them. "This battle has been won with a simple meteor" Apeiro said. On their way back to camp they saw some their elite people enslaving Archidons. So naturally being the good person Apeiro is he walks up to the elites and asks them why they are enslaving these archidons. They respond with "We were told to, what you wanna be enslaved too" in a salty tone. "Why are you so salty?" Apeiro says. The elite people respond with "take him now!". Apeiro uses self defense magic and makes a explosion of very lethal gas that burned, paralyzed, deformed, electrocuted, and frostburned. Then Apeiro speaks "Try that one more time, you insignificant lifeforms". Then the other people that were under the command of the elites either went to attack Apeiro or release slaves. Apeiro zapped those who went to attack him.
Chapter 4[]
On their way back Apeiro had thought of starting a uprising because of the fact that the Order Empire's "Holy ways" were slavery and torture. When they get back Apeiro ask Apothicus and Ogeritase "Did y'all know that the Order Empire were enslaving people?" Apothicus said "No, I always thought that they had negotiated with the other tribes" Ogeritase says "I didn't know either". Apeiro says "Slavery is inhumane and needs to end now! Order Empire we need to have a talk". So Apeiro tries to convince Apothicus and Ogeritase to start a uprising.
Chapter 5[]
15 years later Apeiro has made his uprising known and made magical weapons for everyone to use. Apeiro calls it "The Arcane Uprising" simply because he is arcane and making everyone else have arcane weapons. Also Apeiro gives them alchemical drinks which Apeiro calls "Potions". Apeiro using spells and potions significantly increased the strength and power of everyone that was in the Arcane Uprising. The goal of the Arcane Uprising was to get rid of slavery. So they first send a shadowrath that managed to join in with of course enhanced strength and also invisibility to look ahead and find slave camps. Wherever this shadowrath named "Likutre" told us there was a slave camp we went there and freed the slaves. This action brought down the Order Empire a lot when they found out that their slave camps were being destroyed and the slaves were being set free.
Chapter 6[]
Another 4 years passes by and they grow in numbers by a huge amount in both people and power. When they finally make it to a magikill camp is when they struggle the most. They struggles in trying to get into the camp because of magic gaurds.