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Post by Shark a' Pult on Feb 26, 2014 1:00:30 GMT -5
"You know the building is just going to reform within like, five minutes of us returning, right? Doesn't matter if they blew it up, it does it anyway."
Alden addressed Groundhorn in passing, as he made his way across the deck past the collection of now useless non-mages. He had hoped to reach the front of the ship and get a clear view of this new world, now that he wasn't inside a guild building with his vision largely obscured. Unfortunately, he was intercepted by Qi. Or, this Qi, at least.
"Now, Alden, Captain of the 2nd Branch of the Caelus Rebllion Army, mind explaining what exactly is going on?"
"Don't call me that. This place is Edolas, right? Whatever it may look or seem like, we're not from here. Some other world, that's what she said." He pointed to Celeste, "There, that one. Her name's Celeste. Talk to her about it if you're curious, because she knows more than I do."
With that he pushed past and continued towards the front of the ship, to get that look he was after. If they were being hunted in Edolas, the first thing to know was the lay of the land. To know, where they could go to hide or hold out.
---
Fathom seemed to be having an impossible time dealing with not being surrounded in water, and was occupied trying to keep alive the fish which normally would have been swimming in the water surrounding the mage, but were now being held in several buckets of water brought from the guild building to house them.
Stanley of course was trying to make better sense of what was going on, and kept attempting to utilize his powers again, with no luck. This bothered him, but the helmet prevented any emotions from being discerned.
It was Maisie that seemed to be adjusting the best out of the three ironically enough, and though everything that was going on was quite a lot for the young mage to process, she seemed to be handling it well enough. With wide eyes, she glanced out at the sky around them, what little she could see from her position amidst the crowd of mages.
"So... where are we going again?" she asked, no one in particular.
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Post by CJ on Feb 26, 2014 16:35:33 GMT -5
"Xin Qi?" Cinder gasped. "Not Xing Qi, but still very close. What an odd coincidence. You look just like my friend Xing Qi if she had not had her accident. Well, I am not sure if she would have been as tall. I have to look up to you. Goodness."
When Qi called Alden "Captain," her glass mage's eyebrows narrowed. Her face wrinkled again in frustration.
"Alden, you're telling us everything you know about this situation?" she asked carefully, wanting to get information without putting her safety in jeopardy.
---
Beauty panicked as Groundhorn took her and Briar onto the airship. She didn't expect him to act so abruptly, though was still glad he made it out with the others. She fought for her breath, witnessing the guild disappear for what could have been forever.
"My stuffed animal collection," she muttered sadly, thought caught herself and looked about, hoping no one heard her.
Setting down Briar, she shook him on the deck floor, trying to get him to wake up.
"Get up, Briar. Come on, this is serious."
The sickly mage's eyes opened up, though only slightly. He put his hand on his face.
"My eyes... are heavy... did we teleport...?"
"No," Beauty said sharply. "Groundhorn carried us to this weird contraption thing. Focus, Briar. I don't care about your dumb curse. You need to stay awake if... Hey! Wake up, you lazy weirdo!"
Briar had already fallen back asleep. It seemed he would sleep, even on a hard wood deck. Beauty growled and kicked her legs out, placing Briar's head on her ankles. She wasn't about to give him the comfort of lying on her lap, but she couldn't abandon him either.
"I have no idea," she responded to Maisie, shaking her head. "This pisses me off. I had a mission lined up for tomorrow. But that's the least of my problems. What if we really are in a different world, like Celeste said?"
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Post by Hitotsumami on Feb 26, 2014 23:18:40 GMT -5
As Qi's airship sailed away from the scene of the explosion, the sounds of the yelling mob grew quieter and quieter until they couldn't be heard at all. Soon, the ship would pass through a large cloud, and once by that, the open blue sky appeared and Edolas could be seen in all of its glory.
A large continent sat below them, stretching to the horizon. Anyone could see the coastline and the wavy blue-green ocean. Floating in the skies were hundreds of masses of rocky islands. Some were barren, but others had buildings, even castles perched upon them.
However, though the view may have been quite something to the newcomers, Qi paid no attention. She was locked on to Alden.
"Is this some kind of joke, Alden? Of course this is Edolas! Where else would we be? Some other world...?"
It appeared something snapped in Qi's mind, as if she had just realized something. She looked over at Celeste. "You say you're from another world? But... how is that possible?" She walked over to Celeste and gripped her arms, staring her in the eye. "Tell me, what is the name of that other world?"
Celeste looked horrified, but she mumbled a response anyway. "Earth Land."
Qi pushed Celeste away and walked back to the railing of the airship. She leaned against it, looking over the wide ocean. She was silent for quite some time until she stood back up straight and faced Alden and the rest of the Renascence refugees. "If what you say is true," she said, "then we must make haste. I know someone who would very much like to meet you and find out just how true your story is."
Qi yelled the crew members of the ship to change course and so the airship titled upwards, gaining altitude. Meanwhile, Qi couldn't take her eyes off Alden.
"I can't believe this," she muttered. "You're really not Alden? You're not the Alden I know? The one I grew up with? The one who..." She paused. "Well, whatever is the case, we will find out exactly what's going on soon enough."
Jackson, who had been trying to blend into the crowd, finally spoke out. "Uhm, where exactly are we going? Are you going to get us back home? To our world?"
Qi raised an eyebrow at Jackson. "You lot are no longer my concern. If you're not going to become soldiers, then for all I care you could jump off this ship right now." She glanced at Alden. "That's what I would say if you hadn't of told me such a story... That you're from.. that other place. It'll be up to her if we'll assist you or not. But it won't be free, if we do."
Qi then went silent, keeping her eyes on the sky.
---
As the ship continued to sail, Celeste took a chance to speak with Beauty. "I wanted to thank you," she said shyly, edging her way to the mage. "If it weren't for you, Groundhorn might still be in the Guild and who knows what would have happened then.." Of course, Celeste was still devastated that the Guild was gone. It was up to them to protect it and it had appeared that they had failed that job. She glanced at Groundhorn. "He still hasn't appeared to have recovered, though..."
Groundhorn sat on his own, near the railing of the airship, sitting cross legged. In his hand he held the small piece of the Guild he had managed to take before it all went away. There, he sat in silence as the airship flew higher and higher and faster and faster.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Feb 28, 2014 23:10:14 GMT -5
"Alden, you're telling us everything you know about this situation?"
"That's what I said. I've never even heard of this place, so relying on the people here seems our best bet for now."
Speaking plainly to Cinder, Alden kept an eye on the world below, and already was starting to get a good idea of things as well as notable locations. Just because this Qi had helped them escape the guild hall, didn't mean they were all safe. He wouldn't be able to navigate this land as well as a native, but he certainly wouldn't be caught lost in the woods, if they needed to flee for whatever reason.
---
"What if we really are in a different world, like Celeste said?"
"Well, if we are... we'll have to find a way back then. But... how?"
While Maisie had a fairly good grip of the situation, she found herself wondering the obvious. It seemed that the most sensible answer to their predicament would be magic, since that was her guess as to how they got here in the first place. The problem was how exactly, in a land where magic didn't work or even seem to exist, and if it could even be done.
Her magic wasn't nearly so impressive as being able to cross between worlds, so she was having a hard time comprehending just who or what could even go about causing this mess in the first place.
---
"That's what I would say if you hadn't of told me such a story... That you're from.. that other place. It'll be up to her if we'll assist you or not. But it won't be free, if we do."
Alden didn't like being the center of attention, but everyone and their mum seemed to want to talk to him today. Why him and not Celeste though, remained a mystery to him.
"Listen, as far as I'm concerned, we've all been kidnapped. Someone brought us to this place, against our will, to a hostile welcome. At this rate I don't really care what their reasons were, but I aim to return the favor, before we return to where we came from."
He took a break from marking a tattered piece of paper with some charcoal to meet Qi's gaze dead-on. It seemed he was already making a crude map, but it could wait.
"We appreciate the help getting out of that mess back at the building, so if we can help in some way, we'll try to do whatever we can. We're not here to stay though, just making that clear."
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Post by CJ on Mar 3, 2014 17:10:21 GMT -5
Unlike the others, Cinder seemed oddly excited about the prospects of being in a new world.
"Wait, if there is another Xing Qi and Alden in this place... then, there must be another Cinder Ellington! Oh my! I could have a duplicate! If dear Xing Qi is this beautiful in this realm, think of what I must look like!"
Her big lashed eyes sparkled at the prospect. Her dreams were soon shattered when Qi became distant and cold. After a few minutes, she crossed her arms again, blowing a blonde curl out of her face.
"My Xing Qi would help anyone in need, regardless if there was a reward. What is the problem here? Why the attitude change?"
---
"Whatever," Beauty said back at Celeste, looking away in embarrassment. "Anyone could have helped the dumb rhino with the right words. It wasn't anything, really."
She looked where Celeste gestured, seeing the mage in question looking quite mopey.
"Hey, Groundhorn!" she barked. "Get over the dumb guild house already! It's not there was anything important in there... nothing at all..."
Beauty quickly wiped a tear forming in her eye. She wouldn't dare tell Celeste or anyone else about her precious stuffed animal collection.
Meanwhile, Briar snorted, rolling slightly on Beauty's ankles in his sleep.
"Jooptah," he muttered as he began to drool.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Mar 3, 2014 19:10:00 GMT -5
Qi looked at Maisie. "I'm more interested in how you got here than how you get back," she said. "Though, I'm still not totally convinced you even came from... that other world. You see, here in Edolas, we.... Well, we don't believe that such a world exists. We've heard stories, especially in childhood, of a place called Earth Land, a place where you'd get sent to if you were a bad boy or girl."
She wasn't sure if a similar story was told in Earth Land, but she really didn't care either. Her uncaring appearance seemed to have been picked up by Cinder. In response to her questions, she said, "You're saying there's another Qi? Another one of me? Hah! I'd like to see that. I'm sure I'm the better Qi, though."
But why the change of attitude? To answer that, she said, "You'll find out more once we reach the HQ. Ah, here it is now."
Over the next few minutes the airship went through a small layer of clouds. Emerging above the cloud cover one would be able to see a huge rocky island floating in the sky. Trees dotted the outside and snow capped mountains made the interior. From the outside, there didn't appear to be any sign of human life.
The airship began floating towards a small clearing near the edge of the floating island.
"Usually I would never let any outsiders learn of our HQ," said Qi, leaning over the railings and looking at the grassy plain below. The airship hovered over that area and then started lowering. "However, considering I don't see any apparent weapons on you, and considering you're surrounded by my men and floating five thousand feet in the air, I don't think I have much to worry about. Still, don't make any funny movements and we will all be happy."
With a small thud, the airship landed onto the grassy area. Some of Qi's crew threw out some large sand bags to keep it stabilized. A walking plank was lowered onto the ground and Qi was the first to step down.
"Alright, you guys. We'll be walking in a single file line to the HQ. We'll be there soon enough, then you can talk to the General."
If there were no complaints, then the group would start walking with Qi in the lead. While they walk, Qi mentioned, "If you guys are really from Earth Land... do you have any proof? It would be best to start thinking up some proof, otherwise you might not have a nice welcome."
The group would then start to walk through a rough winding trail through the forest.
Celeste was definitely worried. She still had her wands visibly on her belt, but it didn't appear as if Qi had noticed, or perhaps because of their natural appearance she didn't consider them weapons. Nevertheless, if she had to use them, she could. She also knew Alden had magical items, but she wasn't sure if he still had them on him.
She then smacked herself in the head. She felt so worried, but she didn't know why. They couldn't attack Qi, even if things got really bad. They would end up being stranded on an island so far off the ground it would be impossible to get down. Not only that, but if what Qi said was true, that this was the HQ, she was sure it was crawling with more soldiers like her.
She'd just have to stay calm and trust that things would work out.
Jackson seemed actually happy to be off the Guild and was chatting with some of the soldiers about how nice everything looked on the island, obviously trying to get on their good side, while the soldiers said nothing in return.
Felipe and Groundhorn stuck together in the back of the group. Groundhorn hadn't responded to Beauty's remarks about the Guild, unfortunately.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Mar 5, 2014 5:22:08 GMT -5
Alden stifled a smirk when it was made clear they were supposed to be unarmed when they went into this place. Maybe the Edolas natives were dumber than they looked, as his armaments were usually plain as day, most obviously of all the long rifle across his back. Then again, perhaps weapons were vastly different in this world.
Either way, he waited towards the back till the other mages were off the vessel, intending to bring up the rear. He heard a question of proof, and though he had a fairly solid case, he waited in case the others had their own means of showing the truth.
---
Fathom proceeded off the ship, carrying water buckets for the fish, and kindly enough Stanley was helping with the rest that the diver could not carry. Almost immediately upon leaving the vessel, Maisie however broke line and ran to the nearest edge of the floating island, dropping to her knees as she crawled to the precipice. She had to hold onto her hat as she looked down, feelings of vertigo already kicking in.
"Wooow..."
Being crammed towards the center of the group of mages back on the ship, she hadn't really gotten a good look at the scenescape yet, but was thoroughly impressed.
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Post by CJ on Mar 6, 2014 19:53:50 GMT -5
Cinder didn't help any of her fellow crew members out. Not a single bucket of fishy water was in her hand, nor did she lend a shoulder to any in need. Her glass slippers lost their usual click against the grass, but her arrogance was still strong. She held her delicate nose high.
Her long eyelashes batted when Qi asked if they had something to prove they were from Earth.
"Oh!" she said, raising her hand as if she were in a classroom. "Xing Qi told me that sleepy one has a map tattooed on his back! Not you Xing Qi, but my good friend back at Earth Land, as you call it. She said something about seeing him sleep walking in his boxers or something."
Creeping up in the single file line, she grabbed onto Briar's jacket in an attempt to get his shirt off to see what was underneath. Instead, she received a swipe in retaliation from the mage carrying him on her back.
"Hands off, princess," Beauty barked. "Leave him alone."
The two stopped at a standstill, maybe blocking the way for the others to continue. Unlike Cinder, Maisie and some of the others, she refused to look at the edge of the island. She was clearly distressed and scared by the whole experience. She tried not to show her emotions, but ultimately failed after staying quiet up until now.
"What is your problem?" Cinder lamented. "I am only trying to see if the map is of Earth Land or something to prove who we are."
Spitting on the ground, Beauty glared at the glass mage like a vicious beast. She couldn't assume her beast shifting magic here, but her presence was still monstrous.
"It's creepy. Let the freak decide whether or not he wants to take his shirt off."
"But we do not have time for such a thing! What if he does not wake before we are put on trial for whatever crime these people accuse us of."
"I don't care. You're not touching him."
"Why should me touching him make a difference to you?" Cinder asked with a teasing smile. "Unless you care about who touches your little boyfriend..."
Beauty's face shifted into a bright red color. Was it anger? Embarrassment? Maybe both.
"I'll kill you!"
Barely holding onto Briar with one hand, Beauty lashed out at Cinder, trying to swipe at her with nonexistent claws. Cinder held her arms up, effectively blocking every attack. Despite her effective defense, the mage cried dramatically.
"Help! She is attacking me! Get her away!"
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Post by Hitotsumami on Mar 7, 2014 20:01:55 GMT -5
Celeste, being near Beauty and Cinder, was the first to try and calm the duo. "Please!" she called out. "We're in enough trouble as it is! We can't be fighting amongst ourselves! We'll never get home!"
Jackson agreed with Celeste. "Don't get her mad!" he whispered, pointing in Qi's direction.
Felipe attempted to fly in the air to get to Cinder and Beauty faster but instead he fell face first onto the ground.
It was too late to break up the fight, for Qi had heard the chaos and was marching towards the girls, a guard on either side of her.
"What in Edolas are you two doing!?" she yelled, her hand on her sword. "You're not making your case any better by fighting! If the General was here, why, she'd--!"
"She'd what?" asked a voice behind Qi.
Qi gasped and spun around. There stood a tall woman with black spiky hair and purple eyes. She wore a long black cloak and upon the cloak were many buttons and stars. She stared at Qi with a serious look before scanning the Renascence Guild members.
"What's the meaning of this?" asked the woman. "Who are these people?"
"I-I can explain, General Asmoday!" sputtered Qi.
"You know very well that we do not allow outsiders onto the HQ island. If they're recruits then they should have been sent to one of the lesser bases."
"Well, they're not exactly recruits," said Qi.
"Then who are they!? Out with it or else I'll throw you off this island right now!"
Qi took a deep breath then explained, "I found them upon one of our balloons that was being attacked. I thought I saw Alden, that guy," she pointed to Alden, "but apparently... it's not the Alden I thought. After I saved these guys, I was told they're, well, don't laugh, they claim they're from Earth Land."
General Asmoday's face seemed to fade from anger to confusion, but the anger quickly returned. "Earth Land? EARTH LAND? Is this some type of joke Vice Captain Qi? You know as well as I do that Earth Land is a fairy tale! Do you know who you have here? Traitors! Spies from the main land! You almost let them into our HQ? Do you realize what that would mean? It would ruin everything! Our cause would be over!"
"I-I'm sorry," muttered Qi, lowering her head. "I didn't realize. It was just that Alden looked so similar to the Alden we know."
"Imoposter!" shouted General Asmoday. "It is obviously some type of holder magic that is affecting his appearance! If you are fooled so easily then what use do I have for you?"
"Forgive me!" said Qi back. "Please! I'll do whatever you need of me!"
General Asmoday sneered. "Then take these people to the prisons and arrange their executions. I don't ever want to see their faces again."
"Execution?" muttered Qi, obviously surprised. "But can't we..?"
"Let them go? Not now that you've shown them our location! There is nothing left for us to do but give them death."
Celeste was paralyzed where she stood. She didn't know what to do or say. Everything was happening so fast and going down hill with every second. "Alden," she said, her lip quivering. "You're the senior member... What do we do?"
OOC: If you wish to introduce some of your own Edolas characters, now is a good time.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Mar 11, 2014 11:49:47 GMT -5
The entire conversation played out before Alden, concerning many thing, such as their very lives. He had only one reaction though.
"HA HA HA OH WOW!" making the effort to actually say the words exactly rather than simply laughing, and facepalming while he was at it, "The Edolas version of Asmoday is some stern serious General!"
Some of the others didn't find it so funny at least. When she heard talk of execution, Maisie became rather worried, retuning her attention to the rest of the group as she tried to think of a way to avoid such an outcome. Fathom dropped some of the buckets (though the landed upright, barely) in surprise, causing some sloshing, but otherwise didn't act out of the ordinary. Stanley meanwhile, thought about driving.
"Alden, you're the senior member... What do we do?"
"Well I don't know about you all, but I know what I'm going to do." having serious'd up more, the mage hunter grabbed ahold the sword at his side and went to reach for the shield on his back. It seemed he was pretty intent on fighting his way out, and was obviously confident that he could do so. The others of the guild, he hadn't really paid mind to, but worst came to worst he wasn't going to abandon them. He had something of an idea that if he just killed General Asmoday outright, then it would change the perceptions of this Edolas group. At the very least, it could give them enough time to escape; it might take a bit, but one by one he could transport the guild members to safety with his spyglass.
"You hear that guys? The prisons! Exactly as planned, just like he said. They'd take us to the prisons as soon as we arrived, and then we could put the secret plan into place! It's perfect, just like he said, they're so predictable! Too easy, right guys?"
Maisie happened to interrupt before Alden could throw his sword through Asmoday's face however, rushing over to join the others and exclaiming rather boisterously. From the short time she had been at the guild, the others would probably be able to tell that this was highly uncharacteristic of her. After she'd said her piece, she appeared to realize some mistake and poorly attempted to backtrack and correct herself.
"I-I mean... the prisons, oh yes! I mean oh no! Please take us to the prisons and execute us! I mean, please don't take us to the prisons and execute us!"
A la everything from Japan ever, she accompanied this with raising the back of her hand to her mouth to obscure her face some, an accomplished look of scorn still visible. Badly, she also tried to whisper to the others.
"Ufufu, so predictable..."
Alden was caught a little off guard, and hesitated from chopping off heads for at least a moment, to see what would happen.
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Post by CJ on Mar 11, 2014 23:51:16 GMT -5
"Asmoday," Cinder muttered, becoming very quiet. Her perception of the mage had changed after she heard she saved her best friend, Qi. This Asmoday was likely as powerful, if not more powerful, and couldn't be trusted. It wasn't likely they'd survive if she kept believing they were lying. Like everyone else, Cinder didn't know how to point they weren't lying without getting to Briar. And now, that was never happening. She glanced at Beauty, miffed that the two of them had been treated equally bad in response to their quarrel, when she thought it was apparent she was the victim in all of it.
After Maisie attempted to pull her bluff, a commotion could be heard. Pushing through the crowd came a tall, elegant man. His blonde hair twisted into adorable curls. Somewhat alarming was the trademark glass armor that covered a light blue suit he wore. It would be incredibly apparent who this man was related to in "Earth Land," but he nor the mage in question didn't seem to notice it.
"Beauty!" he cried out with a bright smile. "You are alive! Oddly disheveled and dirty, but none the less alive!"
This might have been a confusing statement, considering Beauty didn't look much different than she usually did. She yelped when the man suddenly embraced her and Briar over her shoulder. He stepped and gasped when a strand of Briar's hair caught onto his sleeve.
"Is that Briar? His hair has gotten so long. What did they do to him? I thought he had only been captured for a few days."
Pausing, Beauty tried to comprehend what was happening. She became dizzy trying to rationalize it.
"What?" she asked in a harsh voice.
"Oh no, did you hit your head?" the man asked cutely. "You went to go rescue Briar, remember? I tried to go with you, but you left before I could follow."
This only brought more questions. Beauty tried to remain calm and not lash out at him as she had with Cinder. She already upset her own guild and Edolas Qi. Another mistake could cost her and the others' lives.
"Who are you?"
The man's smile grew wider. He placed his hands proudly on his hips.
"It is me! Your friend! Cinder Ellington!"
"No! I am Cinder Ellington!" Earth Land Cinder interrupted. "This cannot be! This is... impossible! I do not want to go to the prisons! I do not want to executed! I most certainly do not want to be a man! Why is this happening?"
She sobbed, falling to her knees in an emotional breakdown. Beauty rolled her eyes as Edolas Cinder frowned in pity and confusion.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Mar 12, 2014 11:52:47 GMT -5
Asmoday had heard Maisie's outbreak and turned to examine the girl. When Maisie was finally finished, Asmoday turned back around to leave. "Yes, I'm sure of it now. They all need to be executed before they breed."
However, when Edolas Cinder arrived, something caught her attention. She watched the scene play out between Beauty and the two Cinders.
"Captain Cinder!" called Asmoday, walking up to the two Cinders and Beauty. Four guards followed her, forming a kind of protective shell on all fronts. "Do not spare words for these fools! Vice Captain Qi brought these dogs in without even realize they were obviously spies! They were just on their way to the prisons. And who is this you're speaking with?"
Asmoday examined the Earth Land versions of Beauty and Cinder. "Just like Alden, it appears my men have recognized you two as well... Just what kind of magical item does the other side have that gives them this ability of disguise? This is certainly alarming."
Asmoday appeared to consider it a moment, and then turned back to Qi. "Vice Captain Qi, change of plans! The ones named Alden, Beauty and Cinder, take them inside and give them a room to rest in. As for the others, take them to the prison immediately, but do not signal an execution."
Asmoday smirked at the group of mages in front of her. "If your three friends can cooperate with us, then perhaps I can issue a pardon and you all can be on your way."
"Oh, and Captain Cinder," called Asmoday. "Please go along with Beauty and Cinder and keep an eye on them." With that Asmoday began walking away, leaving the rest up to Qi and her men.
Qi, confused as ever, called some of the soldiers under her command to start leading the Renascence Guild to the prisons, except for Alden, Cinder and Beauty.
"Alden," she said. "If you'll come with me, we'll get you a nice room until the Commander wishes to speak with you again..." It was clear that she was still uncertain about how she felt. Obviously, the Alden she knew was perhaps someone special, and so seeing a doppelganger standing in front of her stirred up emotions she was not fully prepared to face. "Oh, and you two," she said, pointing to Cinder and Beauty. "Come along as well."
Jackson McClean cried as one of Qi's men pushed him along onto a side track that would lead to the prisons. Felipe didn't appear to argue and simply followed along and Groundhorn appeared to do the same.
Celeste's mind was racing. Before she was pushed off into a separate line along with the rest of Renascence, she said up to Alden, "Maybe you should go with them. That... other Asmoday... she said we would be free. I'm sure if you can just explain things to her, she'll let us all go. Right...?"
There was no time for Celeste to hear and answer, for one of the guards pushed her from behind into the crowd of Renascence mages being lead off to the prisons, leaving only three behind.
If anyone was going to strike, now would be the time, but perhaps it might be in everyone's best interest if they just followed orders and went with the flow.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Mar 16, 2014 23:57:05 GMT -5
"Yes, I'm sure of it now. They all need to be executed before they breed."
"Oh no! My elaborate ruse!"
Maisie buried her face in her hands in defeat, knowing that her efforts had been for naught. Alden meanwhile was having a hard time of things indeed. The last thing he ever wanted to see was more Cinder. Having two there, would probably be unbearable, and his resolve to leave this place was redoubled.
"Alden, if you'll come with me, we'll get you a nice room until the Commander wishes to speak with you again..."
"Hm, I don't know... I'm not really set on abandoning the others and leaving them to rot in a cell."
Honestly he was not that partial to the mages, by nature. But at the very least they were depending on him and he made a promise (or at least he thought he did) to help them get out of this mess. He wasn't doing it for Elrond or the Guild or anything else, just himself at this point. He wondered though how Elrond himself would have actually responded, out of curiosity.
"Maybe you should go with them. That... other Asmoday... she said we would be free. I'm sure if you can just explain things to her, she'll let us all go. Right...?"
She raised a good enough point, and Alden didn't see the harm in it. He still wasn't comfortable about being separated, but worst came to worst, he could avenge them all. As they went, he waved and called after them.
"Don't get executed while we're gone!"
---
"Oh dear oh dear..."
Maisie followed along with the other not-so-important mages, assumedly to the prisons. Stanley was busy trying to juggle multiple buckets of fish while Fathom lamented their situation rather vocally, though muted inside the diving suit. Holding onto her hat in worry, Maisie wondered aloud as they went.
"Are the prisons an awful place? Are there awful people there? Oh dear oh dear, I've never been to prison before..."
---
Having watched the other mages carted off, Alden put his hands in his pockets and merely stood there, waiting to go.
"So tell me Qi, you're pretty alright. What's going on here, some kind of war? All on edge, you'd think you lot were worried about being found... or is it one of those need-to-know things, and you're not authorized to tell us."
With a grin he chuckled to himself, at least somewhat amused by the whole situation. To think, he was supposed to be in Era right now.
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Post by CJ on Mar 17, 2014 19:09:30 GMT -5
"Spies?" Edolas Cinder asked, stepping slightly away from the accused. "It can't be..."
Beauty's eyes widened when the others were ordered to a cell. Edolas Asmoday didn't mention Briar could come with them, but Beauty took him anyway. She didn't trust that the others would be fine on their own. She thought of Groundhorn, previously too depressed to move out of the collapsing guild. What chance did any of them stand in there if something went wrong? She figured at least she'd hold onto the sleeping one and hoped no one would retaliate. He was the least of them likely to survive on his own if anything went down.
She looked on silently as the others were taken away, not knowing what to say to them. It was awful seeing them without their magic, forced to obey these strange doppelgangers. They could barely compose themselves under Alden, so how would they far with these guys? Her face contorted when she heard Cinder start speaking again.
"At least someone here knows how to treat a lady," she said, pleased with Asmoday insistence on her exclusion. "I hope you have brunch and tea prepared for us. I am famished from this sudden adventure!"
"I suppose we could arrange something," Edolas Cinder said with a warm smile.
"Do not speak to me, odd one," Earth Cinder retorted. She would not look at him, still clearly upset over having a male doppelganger. After seeing how tall Qi was in this realm, she expected to see a version of her with similar caliber.
In a fit of nervousness, Edolas turned to Beauty for a moment.
"Pardon me for asking, but if you are not Beauty, who are you then?" he asked hesitantly.
"I don't know what to tell you," Beauty said. "I'm Beauty, but I don't remember you or any of these people."
"You remember your Briar well enough," he said in a lower voice. "Do not think I am ignorant that you disobeyed General Asmoday's orders. For your and Briar's sake, I won't say anything this time. If you are like the Beauty I know, I know you would heartbroken without him."
Beauty's neck turned to Edolas Cinder as though it was on a rusted hinge. Veins nearly popped out of her forehead. Did he just imply what she thought he did? Beauty noticed Earth Cinder had a beaming smile, delighted in the beast mage's embarrassment. She would have attacked her again in a rage, if it wasn't for Edolas Cinder positioned between them as they walked.
I will murder you, Beauty mouthed to her.
"Oh dear," Edolas Cinder said as he began to sweat in nervousness, not knowing what to do with the two.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Mar 18, 2014 17:37:34 GMT -5
Asmoday, surrounded by her escorts, vanished down the pathway the group was originally walking on.
Qi led Alden, along with Beauty and the two Cinders on a separate path. Though Asmoday noted Beauty tugging the sleeping Briar along with her, she didn't say anything about it, and she knew if she did, it probably wouldn't have helped anyway. In the end, it would ultimately be Asmoday's decision on what to do with everyone.
Qi would lead the group to the the side of a cliff that stretched hundreds of feet into the air. Looking back at Beauty and the Cinders, she called, "Quiet now! You can bicker all you want once we're inside." She also said to Alden, "Worried about being found? Well, I can't deny that."
She placed a hand upon the stone exterior and suddenly it split down the middle vertically. The stone opened outwards like two huge double doors. The doors themselves had to be at least ten feet thick. Inside, the group would see a long corridor of light blue marble. Lamps lined the hallway, glowing with their own inherent magic.
"Please, come this way."
Once everyone was inside, the doors would seal behind them, unable to be opened except for those with authority.
She would then lead the group down the long hallway. At the end, it split into two different paths, and Qi was peculiar about everyone taking the left path and not the right. Eventually, the hallway had doors on every side, each with a number. The numbers above the doors on this hallway were in the 300's.
Qi stopped at the door numbered 333. Interestingly, the door had no knob. Instead, it had a small flat gray panel. Qi placed her hand upon the panel and the door opened up. It appeared, like the main entrance, the doors could only be opened by those qualified.
"Everyone can stay in here. I'll join you until Asmoday wishes to comes speak with you personally."
Inside the room, it would actually look quite nice. Though there were no windows, there was plenty of light from the lamps that were self lit. Soft, comfy couches sat on fluffy white carpet. There was even a fridge filled with cool drinks which Qi said they could help themselves to. Qi took a seat on one of the many couches, lacing her fingers in her lap.
"You said we appear to be on edge," said Qi to Alden, and the others if they wished to listen. "Well, I also can't deny that. Our numbers range only in the low thousands upon this island, and our other bases house a couple hundred soldiers tops. Yes, we are indeed in a war."
Qi paused, as if thinking carefully, before continuing. "It is indeed something I most likely should not share with you, but I see only two options at this point. Either you are not a spy, and you will be let free, or you are, and you will be killed today. I still cannot believer that you are from the fairy tale world of Earth Land. Everyone should know what is going on in this world."
Qi then explained. "You see... The capital of Edolas, Royal City, is ruled by a very evil man. His goal is to collect all the magic in Edolas, all the magical items, and keep them for himself, to use as he wishes. If you are caught using magical items not allowed by the king of Royal City or his council, then you are punished severely..."
It appeared Qi could very much relate to this. However, her frown slowly turned to a small smile.
"Then I met Asmoday. She was strong and independent and reasoned that everyone should have use of magic, not just the royals. As you can imagine, the King of Royal City didn't like this one bit. This didn't stop Asmoday. She called to arms all types of people, and together, we found the Caelus Rebllion Army. We take any magical items we find and put them to use to one day defeat the king of Royal City and his army as well. Then, magic will truly be free for anyone to use."
Qi sighed, stretching her arms. After telling the story, she seemed more relaxed. "That's why Asmoday is so strict on spies. If this place were to be found out by the Royal City, well, our entire army could be in jeopardy." She looked at everyone. "If you three are truly not spies, I really hope you can prove it to Asmoday, or at least convince her somehow. I've seen plenty of bloodshed in my day, and I don't want to see anymore today."
Now, the mages could chat amongst themselves, or ask Qi or Edolas Cinder any questions they wanted on the matter. Otherwise, they just had to wait until Asmoday arrived.
---
Celeste and all the other Renascence mages would be lead away by some of Qi's guards. They would eventually find themselves in a cell hidden deep inside one of the mountains. Because of the sheer number of mages, they would have to be separated into a few different cells.
It just so happened, perhaps out of plot necessity, that all the main npc mages found themselves in the same cell.
"I can't believe this," said Celeste, laying her head into her knees. "I hope they can get us out of here. I just want to go home."
Felipe nodded. "AGREED! I need to fly again! These wings are already aching!"
Miranda shrugged. "As far as I can tell, these guys aren't going to let us out even if we are proven innocent. They certainly don't look like people of justice to me. I bet we're going to have to fight our way out."
Jackson shivered at the thought. "Please don't say that! No, no!"
Groundhorn wasn't saying anything. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. While the rest of the mages were chatting about their inevitable doom, Groundhorn noticed that the shard of wood and nails that sat in his hand were glowing a bright teal.
"G-guys," he finally managed to get out. "Look at this!" He opened his hand for everyone to see. However, just then, the shard began to glow hot and Groundhorn instinctively dropped it. It glowed brighter and brighter before changing shape into that of a man. The glowing then subsided and in its place was indeed a man.
He had spiky red hair, a green cloak, and a wooden staff. Honestly, he looked a lot like Elrond.
"So this is the next generation," said the man, crossing his arms with a smile. Looking around the dreary dark cell, he chuckled. "But it appears you have caught yourself in a bit of trouble. Perhaps I can assist you. Ah, but first, greetings."
He gave a small bow. "My name is Validus Vir, the first Guild Master of Fa--Renascence."
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