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Post by Hitotsumami on Dec 31, 2013 12:56:58 GMT -5
It was mid morning in the town of Elm. As the sun sat low in the sky, long shadows stretched across the town. People were out and busy. The Harvest Festival had finished two weeks prior, and there was much to do. Bakers baked their goods, fishmongers had fresh catch hanging at their stands, criers sang the news while they ringed their bells, and the kids were outside playing. It seemed like the most ordinary, peaceful day for the small town.
However, a terrible racket was going on up on the hill, on the cliff, where the Renascence Guild sat.
Elrond was in the kitchen where he oversaw a number of mages, dozens. After the Harvest Festival, their members had quadrupled, and now they just barely had enough space in the Guild to hold them all. However, it came with perks too: A lot of them were great cooks. Through the whole of the Guild, the savory scent of sizzling bacon and fried eggs, along with freshly baked biscuits and a number of other delicious breakfast items could be smelled.
"This looks... DELICIOUS!" yelled Elrond as a chef mage walked past him carrying a platter of french toast. He entered into the main room, where multiple tables were lined up. Already a huge bunch of mages were gathered, sitting with their forks and knives ready.
"If I knew I could get food like this just for being a member I would have joined ages ago!" said a particular girl, Miranda Grimes. She wore a tank top and short red shorts, propping her legs up on the table as she munched on some toast. As a cook walked by, she said, "Hey hun, mind if you bring me a bit extra?" at which point the cook smiled and hurried.
Elsewhere, other mages could be heard talking together.
"S-so... you're a bird?" asked the shy Celeste Chase, who preferred a small bowl of oatmeal.
Sitting next to her was Felipe the Bird, a rather extravagant mage. He preferred... worms. "KAW! KAW! KAW! IT IS TRUE! A HAWK WAS MY MOTHER." He then squealed an unearthly squawk before downing another fistful of worms which he pulled from a pouch on his side. Celeste's face turned green at the sight.
Elrond then spotted another mage on his hands and knees, tears running down his face. "What's the matter?" asked Elrond. "You do know where we are, right? There's only happy faces allowed here!"
"Master Elrond," muttered the mage, quivering. "You... Your feet... THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY REVOLTING!" At which point the mage grabbed Elrond's foot and began brushing it with his hand, which had transformed into a sudsy brush.
"Tha-That's alright! No need for that!" yelled Elrond, pulling away.
"Truly, I have made a mistake," said the mage. "IT WILL TAKE ME YEARS TO CLEAN THIS GUILD TO PERFECTION! Especially with... all that food... sweat... saliva.... It's everywhere. There is no peace in this world." He then continued scrubbing the floor. "But, I feel this is where I am most needed."
Elrond chuckled, slapping the man on the back. "Keep it up, McClean!"
"WATCH OUT!" yelled another mage.
Elrond felt a vibration behind him and spun around. He grabbed a huge horn, which was connected to a rather bulky, muscly man. Using all his strength, Elrond tossed the man across the Guild where he crashed into a table.
Elrond walked over to the man and laughed. "Haha, Groundhorn! That's another loss for you! What is it now, 364 to 0?"
Groundhorn grunted, but then cracked a smile. He was a huge guy in grey armor with a fake horn strapped on his head. "You have won this day, Elrond! But my power is ever growing! One day, I will be the victor!"
For some peculiar reason, this caused all around to raise their mugs in a cheering toast. Elrond grabbed a glass and did the same, laughing. But before he took a sip, someone else caught his eye.
Sitting alone, as far away as possible from all the other mages, was a girl. She wore black and leather, and her purple hair was pulled back in a pony tail. Her arms were tightly crossed. Sitting in front of her was a tiny dish with a half-eaten toaster pastry.
"Azealya Thorn," said Elrond, approaching the mage.
Azealya raised an eyebrow as the Guild Master approached. "Yo," she muttered. She never understood how Elrond could remember everyone's name. She hardly knew the names of a fraction of the Guild.
Elrond titled his head. "Why are you way over here?" he asked. "You're missing all the action and fun! To be quite honest, I don't think I've ever seen you participate in one of our friendly fighting matches."
"Not interested," said Azealya flatly.
Elrond frowned and sat in front of the mage. "Why did you join my Guild?"
Azealya's eyes met Elrond's. Slyly, she said, "Are you saying I'm not allowed to be here."
There was an eerie silence between the two mages before Elrond burst out laughing. "Of course you're allowed to stay! Everyone is a member of my Guild!" And at the same time, he slapped Azealya on her back, sending her face into the table where it smooshed against her pastry.
Azealya's face turned red with anger. Tiny black spikes began poking through her clothing. But before she could go overboard, another mage approached Elrond.
"Elrond," said Asmoday,smiling. "We've prepared breakfast for you, you know. You really should come eat before it's all gone!"
Elrond chuckled and nodded. He gave a small wave to Azealya. "Well, if you want to join in, feel free, Azealya!" And with that, they left the mage with red cherry pastry covering her face.
Muttering to herself, she whispered, "Stupid Guild. Stupid Elrond. Stupid mages. Astral Lance better know what he's doing, sending me to this ratty place. I think it's pretty clear they don't know anything about an 'Asmoday'. Hrumph." And she crossed her arms in silence once more.
"Go on and eat," said Elrond to Asmoday. "There's some others I want to see."
"Sure," said Asmoday, going back to the kitchen to help serve more food.
Elrond was interested in a certain table. It was the first table he had sat at, a table the original, founding members of Renascence sat at. Although it technically wasn't reserved and anyone could sit there, it was kind of expected to leave the seats empty for those founding members.
Elrond listed them in his mind. Alden. Qi. Jupiter. Dofun. That's all that was left. There were others, others he truly missed, but they had gone on their own adventures. For now, those four, plus Elrond, had reserved seats there at that table.
And that's the table Elrond went to, hoping to see his dear friends gathered around.
---
Far away, there sat the Crystal Cave. It was a magical place, teeming with power, and it was here that one of the most powerful mages that ever existed was once trapped. But now she was gone, and Astral Lance, the leader of the Oracion Seis, wanted her back.
As the sun peeked over the horizon, light shown in the cave, highlight the crystals and creating a beautiful show. Astral Lance stood at the entrance of the cave. Behind him should be the members of the Oracion Seis. Everyone except Azealya Thorn, who was off on a separate mission.
"Today is the day," said Astral Lance. "The day we invade the Magical Council."
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Post by Kyubey on Dec 31, 2013 15:10:08 GMT -5
On the cliff, on the road to the guild, walked a solitary, well-dressed woman. A homburg covered her eyes from the morning sun, and she kept her eyes downcast as she walked, peering at a ragged map in her hands. As the guild came into view, she blinked once, relieved she had found the right place. At least, she thought she did, but how many cliff-based guilds could there possibly be in Elm? As she drew nearer to her destination, her pace quickened with excitement, and a strange anxiety came over her. Her target may or may not have been in that building, but, after months of careful examining, she had confirmation that, at the very least, he had been there once. Already this was the best lead she had in months. Beside her, the long sword she kept at her hip clattered as she walked.
As she got nearer still, she noted the loud noises coming from the guild. Renascence wasn't a peaceful guild, it seemed. Then again, most of the guilds she dealt with in the past usually weren't. Mages, she thought to herself, Always the same... At this point, doubt began to fill her mind. With such rowdy company, could the man she was looking for really have been there? Were her leads lying to her? Should she have done more thorough checking before making the trip all the way to Elm? Regardless, she came too far now to have second thoughts. She at least had to investigate.
Once the woman reached the guild, a gloved hand knocked, hard, on the door. The bursts of knocking would resound in fast, sharp, impatient intervals every few seconds or so, until somebody opened the door.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Dec 31, 2013 16:30:41 GMT -5
Amidst the chaos of breakfast, a lovely girl in a sun dress sat on the center stage in the main hall, filling the place with an even lovelier melody from her guitar. A half-eaten place of bacon and eggs sitting next to her, Maisie McClellan was one of the new members, fairly famous in her own right as a prodigious musician. She had found the guild life to be difficult to adjust to at first, but after two weeks she was starting to get the hang of things, and certainly she was certainly happy at joining up. Plenty of others were happier still to have her, for her musical talent was both a welcome and comforting presence in the guild.
Meanwhile, helping with transporting food and plates to and from the kitchen was a fellow with a leather jacket and a motorcycle helmet, able to help by magically animating carts to move on their own. Stanley Stillman was a fairly terse figure, and while it was clear he was intent on helping and being a part of the guild, he never said much and often only responded in single word answers. Any questions towards who he was or the details of his past were always met simply with the response, "I drive."
And of course who could forget the giant block of water off to the side, at least far enough away from anyone so as to not drown them. Of course the cause was the personage within, a strange figure in an old diving suit, who had trouble interacting or communicating with anyone. At any rate though, they had joined the guild and seemed content at least enough to stay. They weren't taking part in breakfast though, at least eating, as there seemed to be no way to actually get the food to them through the water. With much difficulty, people might have been able to discern that the individuals name (or at least, what they responded to) was Fathom, but beyond that it was hard to tell.
---
Walking up the hill to the entrance of the guild, Alden carried a bag of what appeared to be groceries, with a loaf of bread hanging from his mouth. In truth, he didn't trust food that he hadn't made himself, let alone mages to make it, even if they were in the same guild. So every once in awhile he ducked out and headed to town to get some general goods to hold him over up in the clock tower.
This was one of those times, and he reached the guild entrance, noticing the new arrival standing there and knocking. Without hesitating, he moved past her to open the door with a foot (since his hands were full), and standing inside held it open with the same foot. As well, he nodded into the guild, since he couldn't exactly gesture with his hands.
"Cohm ohn ihn ihf youh hwhant."
~~~
Darn it, how did I get mixed up in all of this mess...
Behind Astral in the cave on one of the lower protruding crystals, sat Elly, the one who didn't belong. Bouncing one of her knees as she chewed her fingernails, she had developed something of a nervous twitch from her time spent with the sinister group of mages. At hearing their leader speak, she looked out of the cave after him, but had to shield her eyes from the light of the sunrise.
"So how are we g-getting there? I've been to Era before, it's a pretty heavily guarded p-place. Especially the council building, it's up on a b-big hill."
Of course, she knew of a way to get there, she had her own way. She just hoped that wasn't the way they'd be going.
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Post by RubySoho on Dec 31, 2013 18:06:55 GMT -5
There was little expressed while Elizabeth stumbled out of her front door. She fumbled with her keys as she locked up, forgetting which one was for what before finding the right one by chance. The young woman swept her cloak over her shoulders, and her bag across her chest, her face locked upon the ground in front of her as she navigated her way out of the dilapidated portion of the town. Elizabeth kept her arms folded in front of her, even though she wasn't that cold. Her eyes had grey bags under them that contrasted against her youthful face but not her quiet disposition.
She mumbled to herself as she continued, noting several things around her and making aside comments. The physician knew most of the town's pathways better than it's people, so she rarely needed to look up to see where she was going. A rock in a particular place or the shape of an alley told her more than the buildings around it.
The cloaked girl eventually reached the entrance of the Renascence Guild, which was a fairly popular source of discussion for her clients, second only to the necessities of wearing shoes. It's recent fame within the area was never much of a thought for Elizabeth, and until recently she had never given them much consideration, unlike many others of magical potential in Elm. Walking up towards the door, she began to look up in order to knock, but it was premature. She bumped against someone, her concentration frazzled and her mind strewn as she backed away clumsily. She saw that she had impacted with the back of woman in much better clothes than her own, her eyes then darting to the long sword at the woman's hip. Elizabeth nervously stared at her, unsure of what to do or say. "I-I'm s-so sorry miss, I wasn't looking where I was--" she managed to squeak out before noticing the gruff-sounding man next to her holding the door open for the woman. "U-um... sir! I'm d-deathly sorry, I meant no offense to y-you or your wife, I was just looking for the Renascence Guild entrance..." she sputtered, her eyes immediately shooting downward and her hand clutching the side of her tote bag tightly. Her face was scarlet as her mind was flush with repetitions of 'stupid, stupid!'.
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Post by Mise™ on Jan 1, 2014 14:35:37 GMT -5
Elrond couldn't find Jupiter around the senior members' table, in fact no one could find him inside the guild house. He hadn't said where he had went to and apparently he had left the house early in the morning. He wasn't the social type anyway so he wouldn't enjoy all the hassle going on in the guild at the moment. The ever so gloomy Atre could have been seen in the guild house however as he had just appeared out of thin air just a moment ago, as usual. He was looking at the people preparing breakfast and the foods themselves. ”These look delicious. Too bad I ate at home... Life is so cruel at times... All the time....” --- Among the rest of the jolly Oracion Seis gang hanging out in the crystal caves was the immortal Aether, probably the weirdest and most useless member of the group. As usual Aether had no care in the world and had just eating sweets, with the occasional bad pun and attempt to whack Spider Thighs every now and then. Astral talking about attacking the magic council didn't seem to have any effect on Aether who just kept on enjoying his delicious pudding.
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Post by CJ on Jan 1, 2014 16:02:05 GMT -5
"You're so cute!"
"I'm so cute!"
"You're so fluffy!"
"I'm so fluffy!"
"Heecheecheechee!"
"Mmmmmeeeeeaaaaaah!"
Qi rode into the hall from the dorms on top of a large, fluffy sheep with tiny little bat wings. She clutched onto the summon like she was a stuffed animal. Burying her face in her wool, it seemed Qi and Sheep were quite comfortable with each other and already fast friends. When Alden gave her the summoning keys to Dragon and Sheep, her turmoil over Achlys's Sand seemed to vanish. She squeaked in glee and jumped in the air, which had never been witnessed by any mage in Renanscence before, understandably, considering her bad leg. She had been searching for since she found her first summoning keys.
Sheep was near therapy for her, with her cute voice and features. Gone was the want for more of Achlys's Sand. Instead, she heeded Elrond's words and worked hard to improve her magic on her own, focused on summoning two spirits at the same time, all from the comfort of riding on top of the adorable Sheep.
As Qi rode about the hall, smiling and laughing with her new friends, she accidentally bumped into Azealya. Remember what happened before at the Harvest Festival, Sheep's wool stuck out in fear.
"I'M SO SORRY! MEEEEAAAAHHHHH!"
"Oh dear," Qi smiled in empathy, "your poor face! I know the others can be rowdy. I'm sorry if any of them did that to you. Borrow my handkerchief and mirror."
It was Azealya's choice to take the small handkerchief and make up mirror. Although Qi mostly kept to herself, she was kind to any mage who talked to her, even ones she was intimidated by, like Azealya.
"Elrond!" Qi exclaimed as Sheep half pranced half fled over to the oldest table. "Good morning!"
The summon knelt on the ground, allowing Qi to slide onto the bench opposite Elrond. Her smile was beaming.
"I can't believe how many members you've obtained, Elrond! If only I was as good as cooking as Asmoday is! I'm afraid I'm only good at calligraphy, but that doesn't contribute to much at all."
Elrond might have remembered Qi's cursive in her notes from the incident of the Harvest Festival. Indeed, there wasn't much the summoner could do to help Renanscence in its day to day life, but the more powerful she became in her magic, the more confident she felt that she could help them finanically in quests otherwise.
---
Cinder was also absent. At this time of the day, she was likely in her room, pampering herself with make up and other beauty products. She usually didn't emerge until some time in the afternoon, where she would sit and laugh with Qi over tea.
Meanwhile, Beauty, a doll faced hunter who had joined the guild some days after the Harvest Festial, tore into her breakfast with her bare hands. Egg yolk dripped between her fingers and hash brown stuck to her face. She growled quietly at the sight of the newcomers, Elizabeth and the other woman, but it wasn't clear why.
Briar stood alone in the corner of the hall. He looked rather tired, as he always had, from his inability to sleep. Had Jupiter been present, he would have stalked him for the entire day in hopes he would take a nap, having not learned his lesson previously from being thrown from his window. Jupiter wasn't the only one who suffered from Briar's inseant curiosity for watching people sleep. Several guild member already caught him more than once, sneaking in Elrond's office as he slept. It was getting annoying at this point and the magic spindle user was looking to be more of a nuisance than a friend at this point.
---
From the sleek dark of the cave, came a dazzling figure. The siren of the Oracion Seis had returned and slept in the cave that previous night, but looked as though he had just emerged from the party of his life. Sequines and glitter fell off his coat and matching pants as he situated himself amongst his new associates.
Apollo crept up behind the misfit Elly. He lifted his finger as though he wanted to say something but held off. Instead, he wrote a series of words with a ballpoint pen on a sparkling blue covered notebook.
Good morning, it said. I am sure Astral Lance knows what he is doing. Do you mean you "walked" to Era before, Miss Elly?
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Post by Kuro on Jan 3, 2014 13:13:31 GMT -5
"Woo! Woo! Woo hoo hoo!"
While Dofun was supposed to be at the founding member's table, he was currently dancing on top of the heads of some of the more drunk members, all of whom chanted and sang nonsensical verse with him as he fabulously stepped across their craniums.
He had looooooooved the influx of new members and it showed. It seemed that at every hour, Dofun made quite the bit of noise partying and laughing uproariously with some of the members, any of the members as he tried to make guild life enjoyable for all, even more enjoyable than it was now.
A large blur came in his direction and he jumped into the air as Groundhorn crashed into the table behind him.
"Ah ha ha ha ha! Good one, Groundhorn. Almost got it there! Maybe another few years of trying, huh?" Another burst of laughter from some of the mages around as he wiped a fake tear from his mask. He looked over in the direction of the founding member's table and dramatically sighed. "Ah, but my duty calls. We will all talk later, yes? Drink, drink, drink! You might even be able to beat my record of 40 mugs! Ah ha ha ha ha!"
One impressive leap later and he landed onto the founding member's table with a loud thud, standing tall and proud in the center. "Sorry for such an excrrrrruciating wait of hm, what, five minutes? Nah, whatever, oh well, no matter, it is alllllll okay! Dofun is here and he is ready to make you all happy! What tricks shall I perform this time? Whose magic should I use, hm? Maybe the thorns? Or the water? Or ooh, ooh! Maybe the magic of the people walking through out front door! Hello, new people!", he shouted across the room at a volume that somehow managed to be loud and clear above all of the din. A few heads may have turned here and there to look at just who the loud clown was talking about.
"Ah, maybe even more new members! What a lovely sight." He bent over backwards to look at Elrond, his spine bending in a way it should not have. "So, Elrond! How are YOU today? Happy? Excited? Hungry? Hunnnnnnngry?! I bet it's hungry isn't it? Ah, of course it's hungry, you're always hungry! Have you eaten yet? I've heard that they've got quite the assortment today!"
And so, it would be another beautiful, fun, happy day.
"i dON'T lIke tHe liGHT dO we HAvE tO go ouTSide tOdAY"
With the sound of multiple ticks and tacks, the long and spindly legs of Arachnoid Aegis could be heard as it twitched in place, eager to move.
"i HoPE fOod iS gOoD fOod iS nICE wIll wE hAVe nIce fOoD mOmmY"
The eyes bulging out of the spider's gray, fleshy head looked this way and that, twitching here to there and looking in all directions. The gaping maw of the rotting child dangling from the spider's mouth never moved as it spoke, the child's distorted voice coming out as if it was from a malfunctioning loudspeaker or some sort.
"aRe wE rEADy tO go aRe wE reAdY cAn wE go nOW"
The spider's long legs reached out and touched each of the members to confirm their position, the thin hairs on the ends of its limbs brushing against their skin or clothing. If it noticed Aether smacking it, it did not react and simply allowed the child to go on, with one of the spider legs touching the boy's face at one point.
"cAn wE gO cAn wE gO cAn wE gO
im hUngRY"
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Post by Kyubey on Jan 4, 2014 3:40:45 GMT -5
The woman spun her head around as she heard Alden approaching, then smiled when she realized that he was one of the mages that belonged to this guild. At first glance, at least, he seemed affable enough, and she stepped aside for him to go on ahead. When Alden opened the door to let her in, a smile appeared on her lips. At least one of these mages was polite. And, as what Alden did technically could have been considered an invitation, nobody could blame her later for invading the guild.
"Thank you very much, sir!" she said to Alden, using the sweetest voice she had. "Perhaps you could be so kind as to help me out, actually. You see, I've been looking for a man named... ACK!"
It was at this moment that the woman felt the impact of someone smaller than herself walking straight into her. She stumbled forward a little, almost running right into Alden, before catching her balance and turning around to see who it was that crashed into her. Elizabeth, upon first looking straight at this woman, might have noticed an expression of pure unforgiving irritation, that quickly changed to that of welcoming kindness.
"Wife? Oh no, you must be mistaken, this gentleman and I have only just met! This is my first time at Renascence as well. What a coincidence, isn't it?"
She chuckled awkwardly, and adjusted the glasses on her face. Alden or Elizabeth might have noticed that she kept glancing into the crowds of the guild itself, as she scanned the main hall for the sight of someone specific, and failed to find him. But of course, finding him wouldn't be so easy. The years she spent futilely searching were proof enough of that. Her target, even in his own element, was always the elusive sort.
"I suppose I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? You both may call me Beowulf." She turned directly to Alden, and flashed him another grin. "Would you happen to know if there's anywhere special for us newcomers to go? I would hate to simply intrude upon your guild like this."
Beowulf looked into the hall again, this time only to take in the atmosphere of the room. The place was so full of noise, smells, people, and life in general, it was a bit much to absorb at first. It was a good place to blend in, which, her her typical line of work, often served as both an upside and an obstacle to her goals. Still, given how filled with cheer this place was, it was a little hard to imagine that he would be hiding there. Were her contacts lying to her? They hadn't lied before. No matter what was going on, there was something wrong, and until she could identify it, she would not feel comfortable.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Jan 5, 2014 1:42:24 GMT -5
Elrond was happy to see Qi at the table, for her feared at first none of the founding members would be there. He greeted her kindly with a nod, digging in to some breakfast on his plate. "You just need to be a member to be helpful to me!" he said to Qi with a big smile, bacon sticking out from between his teeth. "Speaking of your magic, how goes it? Improving any? You know, there are stories in my family of a very powerful Celestial Spirit mage! Perhaps I could tell you of her, and it would help in some way!"
While speaking with Qi, he saw Dofun suddenly show up, playing his usual humorous antics. "Great to see you, Dofun! You sure got lucky and missed out on some troubling affairs a few weeks back!" As for what trick Dofun could play, Elrond suggested, "Could you copy my magic? Controlling the earth? Oh, maybe that would be too dangerous inside, haha!"
And still, while conversing, Elrond heard the door open. He had kind of trained himself to hear the door open, because every open door was more chance at new members. Looking at the doorway, he saw Alden, and two mages he did not recognize.
"Oi, Alden, good to see ya!" called out Elrond, waving. "Saved ya a seat, like usual!"
And to the two new mages, Elizabeth and Beowful, he gave an especially loud welcoming. "Come in, take a seat, have breakfast with us! As far as I'm concerned, you're now a mage of Renascence! Everyone, give a big cheer for our new members!"
At which point a vast majority of the mages would raise their mugs and give three deafening cheers.
---
"I'm getting real tired of this," muttered Azealya Thorn, still sitting by herself with her fingers in her ears.
---
Asmoday had noticed Alden's return and quickly stood up and rushed over to the doorway.
"Alden, you're back," she said softly, a slight pink appearing on her cheeks. Over the weeks of living up in the attic with Alden, Asmoday had developed feeling even she wasn't sure about. "I know you don't trust the cook mages in your food, but I made you something special." She pulled a wrapped bock from behind her back and held it out for him to take. "Rice with a meat sauce. A lunch, if you want."
At the same time, Asmoday gave a small wave to the two mages at the door. "As our Guild Master said, you're free to come in. It's good to see more girls around too."
---
Far, far away, in the crystal cave, Astral Lance turned to the gathered members.
He looked to the young Elly. He still wasn't sure how she got a part of this, but he left it to fate to decide if it would be for the best. "Oh, I've also lived in Era. If you do not know, I was once one of the Council Members we seek out." He chuckled. "And being a Council Member, you learn a lot of... secrets."
He looked to the other mages. "There are hidden passageways in the Magical Council HQ. Some lead into the town of Era, and others lead outside the walls. They were put in place thousands of years ago by some of the founding members. They're used as escape routes in case the Magical Council is attacked. However, they are foolish to not expect one of their own to one day turn against them."
He continued. "The first thing we must do is destroy the tunnels that lead outside the city, all except one, which we will use to gain direct access to the Magical Council HQ. That way, the Council's options will be limited if they try to escape. There are three known tunnel exits, and I know the two we must destroy. After that, we will take the remaining tunnel."
He turned around, clenching his lance, slamming the bottom into the ground. "Once inside, we will be going to where the Magical Council usually gather to discuss daily babble. Though I would like to stay stealthy until we get to that room, if a little trouble is caused on the way, it can't be helped. Once inside the room, we will blockade it from all sides and interrogate. There is one man in particular who is vital to my plan."
Astral Lance formed electricity in his hands which became a rough arcing shape of a face. An angry man with whites for eyes. "His name is Mark Nightingale, and he is Rank 1 of the Magical Council. I was Rank 3 and I was not allowed at certain information, but Rank 1 has all available to him. He must know something about Asmoday. Why she isn't in this cave, where she's gone. He must know, and we will force that information out of him, even if it costs him his life."
He turned back to the group. "Though this is not the group I originally planned, I expect all of you to work with me as a team. We will do this, and your rewards for helping will be vast. If there are any questions, it is best to ask now before we're in the middle of Era."
If there weren't any questions, Astral Lance would lead the group out of the cave and they would begin their trip to Era.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jan 6, 2014 4:06:57 GMT -5
Alden made note of the new person, but the other new person already answered for him well enough. Both prospective new members it seemed, he figured he'd spare them some of the gory details.
"Would you happen to know if there's anywhere special for us newcomers to go? I would hate to simply intrude upon your guild like this."
"That's pretty much the way the guild master wants it. It's a madhouse in there though, it's breakfast right now. If you don't want to dive headfirst into that, I'm headed up to the tower if you want to tag along."
He said it about as plainly as one could, for he honestly was not going to mingle amongst the chaos. This is what many guilds were, and he understood that, but it didn't mean he enjoyed it. Simply too many new faces and too much noise; it was impossible to tell if any one of them were in fact a spy or some sort of other intruder. Impossible to tell, if any of them were there to cause trouble or kill someone, so he didn't risk it.
The newcomers were free to do as they liked though, as he understood some people enjoyed being amongst their kind.
"Oi, Alden, good to see ya! Saved ya a seat, like usual!"
Shortly thereafter, he was assaulted by a blast of cheering mages in the face.
"That's a good one, you're a regular comedian, aren't 'cha?"
It wasn't of particular importance whether or not his response reached anyone, he merely made his way for the stairs. Along the way he noticed Azealya looking miserable, and addressed her in passing.
"Headed somewhere quieter, if you want out."
He didn't make it ten paces past, before Asmoday was before him. It seemed whether he liked it or not, he was the focus of at least some attention today.
"I know you don't trust the cook mages in your food, but I made you something special. Rice with a meat sauce. A lunch, if you want."
Honestly surprised by her gesture, Alden took his helmet off when she presented her creation to him, holding it under the arm he was carrying the groceries with. Scratching his head for a moment, he shifted his grip so that now he had all the bags in one hand, while with his free one he carefully took the box from her. Holding it aloft, he looked it over as a small but unmistakable smile crossed his face.
"Well... thank you. Don't think I could turn down something as nice as this, but I appreciate it. Truly."
He didn't notice any of the subtleties about her person, but he was thankful for the gesture. It had been a very long time since someone had made something for him, and he could not remember the last time he trusted anyone enough to eat such a something. While he was not aware of any feelings she might have had, overtime he at least did not mind her staying up in the clock tower as well.
He felt that, he could go with his mind and as logic dictated, not trust her. He felt that if he did though, he would be a poorer person for it, and went with his gut which said she had made some good food and it was worth eating. At the very least, he seemed livelier than normal.
"As our Guild Master said, you're free to come in. It's good to see more girls around too."
Thinking about someone else other than himself for a moment, he slowly realized that, the newcomers would probably rather join the rest of the commotion than just hide up in a clock tower. He wasn't at that point of realization about himself though, and didn't want to bring anyone down with his usually standoffish nature and dour mood.
He figured Asmoday could take it from here, and she would do a fine job helping the newcomers get acquainted, and have a good time. Nodding to Asmoday and then the others, he responded earnestly.
"Well, I'll leave you to it then! I'm sure you'll want the whole tour, so I won't keep you."
With that he made for the stairs, hefting the bags and his helmet once more, taking care with Asmoday's lunch.
---
With Apollo's approach, there was a noticeable change in Elly's demeanor. She stopped fidgeting and generally seemed more at ease, bringing her hands to her lap as she responded.
"Ah, good morning! And yes, I have uh... walked there, before. I remember the way to get back, but I've never really had to before..."
Of course, the giant spider dashed whatever feelings of normalcy Elly may have attained. By now she was slightly more used to the creature, to the point where her body didn't just walk on it's own out of self-preservation, and she could somewhat stand to at least be around it. That didn't mean she liked it or was unafraid however, and she closed her eyes very hard and tried to think of nicer things and places when it approached and started... touching.
"Th-That sounds like a good plan but, won't the m-magic council be there? Aren't they p-pretty strong? It might be h-hard to... also how are we g-getting there?"
Back to square one, as she continued chewing her nails, her legs shaking aside.
I guess these guys are serious... maybe if I help them with this they'll just let me go...
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Post by Mise™ on Jan 6, 2014 11:12:44 GMT -5
The stories of Jupiter's incredible brawling skills had spread across the town and while that might have not made him popular among the common folk or his fellow Renascence members, many of the thugs of Elm had taken a liking of him and he was revered as one of the toughest guys in the town. Now that the guild had grown so big Jupiter wished for some privacy for himself, especially from Briar, and was now looking for a house for himself. There was but a one problem Jupiter was broke, as usual. He couldn't afford to rent a house, let alone buy one. So he had went to the one house that he could get. The house wasn't very far away from the Renascence guild house and it was located within the woods nearby. The house wasn't in a very good condition and it looked quite old. And that was an understatement; it looked like no one had been living here for at least the last fifty to sixty years, probably longer as all sorts of fungi and other weird things were growing there. As well as a tree growing right in the middle of the house. In front of the house was a nameplate, but it was impossible to read by this point. "What the hell gramps? Why can't ya leave me anythin'? It's just damn mold everywhere and it smells like crap in there." Jupiter looked very agitated as he left the building, after his very brief visit. No way he would live there, even having to daily fix his window due to Briar sounded better than this. There was nothing to see here anymore so Jupiter was ready to go back to the guild house. Even from his face it was easy to tell that he was very frustrated; he looked like if someone were to look at him funny they might get a taste of his, now legendary, street fighting skills. And so it happened an unlucky bear happened to walk nearby and roar at Jupiter as if he had entered it's territory. "What the hell ya want?!!" --- While touching Aether, Spider Thighs might notice that he was a bit different from the others as he obviously wasn't human. That was if Spider Thighs could reach him as any attempts to touch him would be met with swift slapping. Not that the slaps were very strong, Aether was as weak as ever. For once it seemed like Aether did listen to Astral as he explained their plan on assaulting the magic council headquarters. Whether he really understood the plan or not was another subject, probably not. "U-oh I'm out of donuts. Better go buy more before I'm going anywhere."
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Post by crocoduck on Jan 6, 2014 12:29:50 GMT -5
Ok so, I've joined the guild. Officially, right? Or, close enough to officially. So that's step 1. Then I have to make them give me free reign to do whatever I want. Then, I do my studies, I examine all their magic and if they're strong enough, I use them to help me gain some political influence so we can start making the safe havens. Ok. Right. Yea.
So... step 2 would be getting to know them?
"Ugh." Druid grunted with disdain at the idea of having to exert effort talking to people. And it was only as he did so that he realized the entire time he had been thinking, he'd also been walking and he'd walked right into the middle of this extremely and obnoxiously loud party.
Extremely and obnoxiously loud party full of mages with different magic!
Mingling time!
"Ahem, hello, my name is Richard Darwin, but you can call me dr- is that a sentient bird?" Druid had abruptly inserted himself into the conversation of two nearby mages, and just as abruptly, he extracted himself.
There was some creature sitting at the table, eating worms and looking very much like a bird. Druid, unable to resist his curiosity, made a straight b-line towards them and overheard the question he was also about to ask.
"Was the hawk mother particularly large? Do you know if your egg was the same as your siblings eggs? I can't quite recall how large a hawk's clutch is, but surely you had siblings. Although, I guess judging by your size,
Druid walked around the table so that he could approach the bird named Felipe, sizing him up with his eyes and growing increasingly skeptical. "You certainly would have drained her of all the nutrition she'd need to make any other offspring. But... if my assumption is correct.. "
With no sense of personal space, boundaries or respect, Druid reached out to touch the birdman's feathers and discover that they were in fact, fake.
"Tch. That's disappointing. You're not really a bird, which means you should seriously reconsider a diet of just worms. You'll get a lot of protein, but you're going to be extremely lacking in other essential vitamins that your human body needs to function."
His voice reeked of disappointment and disdain as he continued to examine the creature before him. It wasn't as interesting as he'd hope, but the situation could be salvaged. The man clearly believed he was an actual bird, which led Druid to wonder what kind of intriguing psychological disorder he might have.
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Post by RubySoho on Jan 6, 2014 12:38:22 GMT -5
Elizabeth felt a particular twinge of stupidity as her assumption about the other two was wrong. Her gut instinct in this sort of situation was to scurry off in embarrassment and chide herself endlessly. That instinct was being suppressed furiously at the moment, while she listened attentively to Alden and Beowulf. When she felt like there was enough room, she shakily spoke. "It's n-nice to meet you, Ms. Beowulf." she said. Although she had heard Alden's name shouted as well, she glanced at him and decided that it was rude to refer to his name without permission.
The young woman's face flashed a bright red as there were three loud cheers for her and Beowulf coming from inside the building. Craning her neck just a bit, she saw that the tables were packed with all sorts of... revelry? That was probably the word. She felt excessively awkward, just casually walking in on everyone eating. She knew that most of them were probably casual enough to not care, but still. It was against all social protocol!
Alden spoke to them again and offered for them to tag along with him, if they felt uncomfortable amongst the breakfast bonanza. Elizabeth considered this, and decided that she had better press her luck while she still can. She couldn't rudely bump into everyone while she was there, could she? Elizabeth made a small, nervous bow towards Alden and Beowulf, and raised up her hood again. "Thank you for the offer, but, um... I'm really hungry, I should probably eat while I still can..." she said, although she wasn't hungry at all and didn't feel like being a tag along to anyone. She alternately looked at them for a second before hesitantly stepping inside of the room, looking around to see if there was anywhere to sit.
There wasn't, oh no. Don't be misled, there were places to sit, but they were next to more than one person. More than one person, as in, surrounded by others on the table. Drinking and eating and... talking. Her senses felt on the verge of exploding as she navigated her way, looking for an open space to sit alone maybe and recollect herself. She felt as if a thousand eyes pricked with needles were constantly jabbing at her, although in reality very few cared to glance out of the corner of their eyes at her.
Clutching her cloak, she spied Alden as he was moving on his way, stopping to talk with a particular lonely corner of the area. Wait, not a corner, but a girl just uncovering her ears. She was siting by herself again as Alden was engaged by someone else.
Elizabeth crept around the tables until she was close, promptly zooming in and slowing down abruptly as she sat in a pathetic attempt to make herself look naturally choosing to sit there and not seeking it as a last bastion of semi-solitary refuge. Her eyes initially focuses on her hands folded on her lap, she sat for several seconds awkwardly, not knowing if she should speak or just crawl underneath the floorboards and die. She tried to calm herself by mentally repeating her own notes on parasites, which didn't really work at all since it brought back memories of when she dragged a tapeworm out of a conscious patient's body little less than a week ago and she really wanted to forget about that.
Finally turning her head to Azealya, her body shook as she dared to speak. "U-um... hi!" She was desperately trying to not sound dejected but all her mind could focus on was how many guild members here were harboring tapeworms in their intestines, which she thought wasn't really a good conversation starter. "I'm uh... Elizabeth, i-it's nice to meet you. I'm... um, n-new here."
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Post by CJ on Jan 7, 2014 22:02:56 GMT -5
OOC: Colors absent due to phone post.
"I've been able to summon Snake and Sheep for a few moments," Qi reported to Elrond, patting the fluffy summon next to her. "Do you mean my great aunt, Joan Ruby? She was a guild master for Fable long ago. Or did you mean someone else? Any information you have would mean so much to me. I'm the only living mage in my family."
Her last statement might have seemed sad, but she was apparently happy about it. She only mentioned briefly that Joan had been the last one since her. Her emergence into the world of magic was an exciting one.
Seeing Dofun brought a bright smile to Qi's face. She was a bit apprehensive of him when they first met but she learned to trust him, like Asmoday and the other strange members of their guild. For once, she felt like she had a family and a home.
"I bet you could copy any magic you wanted, Dofun," Qi said in brief wonder. "Did you inherit your abilities? They are incredible."
---
"Back off the food," a voice snarled at Beowulf, Elizabeth and other newcomers.
Beauty picked pieces of breakfast off her face. She had been very protective of her plates during meal times. The hunter growled at Alden merely mentioning the possibility of not eating Asmoday's food, as she picked up her silverware and stomped across the hall.
"I see any of y'all wastin' a single drop or chunk of meat, I'll waste you."
Tiny black horns grew out of her brown curls as her teeth formed into fangs. Her nails formed into claws, but strangely enough, they didn't harm the plate she held. She glared at Felipe and others, watching to detect any mishaps.
---
Far off, Briar sighed, peering into Jupiter's empty room. The spindle user shared a bigger room with three other mages, much to his roommates' dismay. If he only he could be honest about his feelings, that he truly thought Jupiter was the best sleeper he had ever seen. He wanted to sleep too and dream of the stars surrounding the celestial being Jupiter was named for.
---
Even with his masquerade mask covering his eyes, Apollo's genuine admiration for Elly was easy to see. It was all too obvious she didn't belong with the group, but he liked her more for it. She was innocent and pure, unlike the other scum. He couldn't see himself hanging her from some rafters like he had with many like her before.
He froze up again when Spider Thighs entered the scene. Not even a mass murderer like him could ignore the horrific monster. He covered his mouth and tried not to make any sort of sound out of fear for it.
Glancing briefly at Aether, he tried not to give him too much attention. He wanted to know more about what made him immortal, but knew it was dangerous. He'd figure it out, but first he'd get his dues from Astral.
Apollo handed over another note to Elly. He smiled in his usual charm.
You'll be fine with us. Don't worry. Use these and you won't have a problem.
He handed her a pair of simple earplugs.
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Post by newb23 on Jan 9, 2014 14:00:20 GMT -5
Ian and Lakin had somehow managed to get lost on the way to the guild. So lost they had actually walked for several days before realizing their mistake.
“Also how did we get lost Lakin? Just how?” “I dunno but that lady told us where to go and it was on a cliff.”
As they walked they were suddenly hit by the smell of food. Delicious food.
There in front of them on a cliff sat the guild they were looking for. Placing his hand in his face Ian sighed. “We are so damn dumb.”
The smell of food cut off Ian's train of thought before he could say anything. He was sure he could smell something coming from the building in front of them. Ian stopped and took a deep breath. Turning towards the door Ian brought his hand up and knocked three times and then waited.
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