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Along with Bank City's ever growing scientific community, there is still a large portion of people who still believe in the mystic arts. Theses people are the strongest of will, and the purest of heart. Even the crooked and evil. After all, being pure of heart doesn't mean pure evil.
Dorian Holmwood climbs out of a cab into Bank City's Chinatown district. Home, he thought. He stands in front of a burnt down building. The charred stone walls still crumble and wreak of smoke, despite the fire taking place months before. Dorian steps over to the ruin, and drops his bags. He raises his arms, revealing tattoos detailing veins and bones. The His eyes begin to glow, along with the tattoos. Energy erupts from the palms of his hands, and the energy envelops the crumbled structure.
Chunks of concrete, glass, and other materials used to construct buildings fly at the ruin, and begin recreating the fallen building. All the pieces fall into place, and a red door slams into place. His body art's glow fades away as he bends down and picks up his bags. He climbs the steps leading to the front door, and the door swings open. He steps inside, and into a large atrium.
The atrium is decorated with gothic furniture and art. There are large wooden double doors leading into another room on the far side of the atrium. Dorian walks to the doors and they creak open, revealing an almost tower-like room. Books are flying from shelf to shelf, organizing themselves, gargoyles line the walls, sometimes flying down and eating any creature that enters the structure. Stairs swivel around from door to door, and other creatures fly around the tower. There is a small stone golem statue standing in the wall opposite the doors.
Dorian steps over to the staircase, and steps onto the first step. The stone around the golem cracks, and dust flies out. The eyes of the golem begin to glow yellow. The arms of the golem burst out of the walls, and leaps towards Dorian. He drops his bags and raises his arms. The golem stops in mid-air.
"What the hell are you?" Dorian shouts.
"I am the guardian of this tower! Who are you?" replies the golem.
"I'm Dorian Holmwood! I built this place, like five minutes ago!" Dorian shouts back.
"You? You are the Dorian Holmwood?" the golem asks. "Now, if you may, can you put me down now please?" the golem asks. Dorian lowers his arms, bringing the golem with them.
"So, who, or what, exactly are you?" Dorian asks.
"I am Dorst, the guardian of this tower, and your humble servant." Dorst announces. "Allow me to show you around, Master Holmwood." Dorst flies down to pick up Dorian's bags. He picks them up and flies up the stairs. Dorian follows Dorst up the stairs, then through a door.
Dorst tosses Dorian's bags onto a large bed in the room. The room, like the rest of the tower, is decorated with gothic furniture. A large four poster bed, cabinets, dressers, and other bedroom furnishings. Dorst walks to the center of the room.
"This is your bedroom, obviously. You can decorate it however you'd like. Or you already decorated, in which case... I love what you've done with the place." Dorst chuckles. Dorst then walks over to the door, and turns a knob next to the door. "Each floor has one of these next to the doors. They control the stairs. Just turn it and the staircases will lead you to the rooms in the tower you wish to go to. The only staircase that isn't effected by these is the main staircase leading up to your bedroom. Allow me to show you to the library."
"Is there a swimming pool in there?" Dorian asks.
"Your reference to pop culture humors me, but sadly no. There is no swimming pool in the library." Dorst responds. He turns the knob next to the door until the word LIBRARY lights up above the knob. The sound of grinding stone is audible even through the heavy wooden doors, then they come to a stop with a loud boom. Dorst opens the door, and there is a staircase leading up to a door near the top of the tower. Dorst flies up the tower, while Dorian climbs the many steps by foot.
When Dorian finally reaches the door that Dorst stands out front of, he is nearly out of breath. "I really wish I had the rooms move. Or put in an elevator," he wheezes. Dorst opens the door.
"The library is fully stocked with spellbooks, tomes, and other materials to further your sorcery. There is even a small vault to contain some materials you wish to keep locked up." Dorst explains. Dorian steps into the library, and looks at the bookshelves.
"I'd probably keep the hardcore dangerous stuff in the big vault underneath the tower," Dorian announces.
"Would you like to see the vault?" Dorst asks.
"Yes, I would. But I'm not taking the stairs." Dorian says. Dorian raises his arms and a portal erupts out of nothing. Dorian steps through, and is downstairs in the main room of the tower. Dorst jumps from the library door and hits the ground.
"You realize you must perform a specific incantation to open the vault," Dorst explains.
"I know. I built the place literally fifteen minutes ago," Dorian replies. He raises his arms, and his eyes, along with his tattoos, begin to glow. Dorian floats off the floor, the hairs on his head and arms raising. Shapes matching those on the floor of the tower form out of Dorian's hands. He throws the mystically formed shapes into the center of the room. The shapes combined into one large shape, exactly matching the one on the floor. Dorian flips the shape into its side, and pushes it down to the floor. The floor begins to raise and the stone bricks form a spiraling staircase leading down below the ground. "I swear, I didn't know there'd be this many stairs."
"Hey, you built the place," Dorst says.
"Thank you so much for teaching us how to enter your vault. We'll be taking our master back from you now," shouts a woman in black robes. Standing behind her are other men and women wearing the same getup.
"Your master isn't here. I don't even know who your master is!" Dorian shouts at the woman. She gestures towards Dorian and Dorst, then her soldiers leap into the air and attack Dorian and Dorst. Dorian raises his hands, conjuring a large shield around Dorst and himself.
"Bring me the Casket of Arvandus!" the woman shouts at her soldiers. The soldiers conjure weapons, as does Dorian. Dorian lunges at a soldier, stabbing him through the chest. He then conjures a whip, wrapping it around a soldier's neck, throwing him down the stairs into the vault. Dorst grabs a soldier by the ankle and throws him at another, then using his magic to vaporize them, leaving only the woman in charge of the soldiers alone without any army.
"Now look, lady. We don't have the Casket of Arvandus here. It's back at the temple where I came from. I didn't bring any artifacts or relics, or anything with me besides my clothes," Dorian explains.
"The Casket of Arvandus does not stand in one specific place. It moves around from temple to temple in your order. My order has tracked the movements of our master's resting place here, your tower. Now relinquish the Casket to me, or die a most gruesome death," the woman snarls.
"I think you tracked the Casket to the wrong place. I just built this place twenty minutes ago. There is no way I already have something in my vault as dangerous as the Casket of Arvandus," Dorian explains.
"Sir, she's telling the truth. The Casket of Arvandus is the most dangerous object in the universe. If Arvandus is resurrected, then it could mean the death of all goodness in the universe. That's why when Arvandus' remains were put in the casket, the masters put an enchantment on the casket so that when a temple or any home to our order is under attack, it would be moved to a safer one," Dorst explains.
"So it's gone now?" Dorian asks.
"No, it isn't. Since your vault is one of the safest and most secure places in the universe, it would take more than a couple of Arvandus' acolytes to make it move. It would have to be something far worse," Dorst explains.
"So, what you're saying is, the acolytes of the Dark Sorcerer Supreme Arvandus aren't a sufficient threat to the box holding the remains of their master? What is a sufficient threat?" Dorian asks.
"I'm guessing if that gets downstairs," Dorst replies, pointing at the acolyte of Arvandus raising her fallen comrades from the dead.
"A necromancer? Aren't they the common followers of Arvandus?" Dorian asks.
"She is not a regular necromancer. See that locket around her neck?" Dorst begins. "That must be an artifact holding the power of Arvandus. I should have noticed, I'm sorry sir."
"It's all good, Dorst. I have something that'll deal with these guys. Especially her," Dorian says as he opens a portal into the library. He reaches through the portal, then pulls his hand back out, holding a rock.
"A rock? Do you think that will stop me?" the acolyte asks, with a slight demonic voice intertwining with hers.
"Not the stone alone." Dorian smirks. The etchings on the stone begin to glow yellow, and so do Dorian's tattoos. The glowing finally reaches his eyes, making them glow a bright yellow. His coat begins to morph into a cape, his shirt into an armored chestpiece. His sleeves morph into the armored armguards with the chestpiece. His jeans grow armor, and his shoes become boots. The etchings in this new armor match the tattoos on his arms, and they too begin to glow yellow.
"That's impossible. Nobody can access the Stone of Magick!" shouts the acolyte.
"I've had years of practice." Dorian smirks.
"Who are you?!" asks the acolyte. Dorian ponders the question, and comes with an answer.
"I'm Doctor Magick," he replies. He pushes his arms out towards the acolyte, and a white energy blasts out, hitting the acolyte and disintegrating her, along with her undead compatriots. He lowers his arms, and the glowing subsides. Dorst walks over to Dorian.
"Doctor Magick?" Dorst asks.
"My name at the temple was Franklin Magick. And since I'm a doctor... Doctor Magick," Dorian explains.
"Well, it fits. Now, what are we going to do about the Casket of Arvandus?"
"We're gonna find it a secure place. Make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. And I have a feeling that this place isn't the safest place for him."
Doctor Magick's story will be continued in Doctor Magick #1 on Comixology.com soon.
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Dorian Holmwood/Doctor Magick and Dorst
About the Creator
Aidan O'Kane
I'm just a writer trying to get my stories out. They're probably going to be related to superheroes, Dungeons & Dragons, or anything I'm into at the time of writing. I hope you enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy writing them!
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