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Post by Shark a' Pult on Mar 22, 2014 3:36:44 GMT -5
Numbering in the thousands? Well now, that was something to keep in mind. It was important that they get out of here well and soon, or at the very least that Elrond never ever find this place. If he did, he'd probably try to recruit thousands of members back home.
"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."
"Oh don't worry about that. Even if the other one didn't want to show off whatever marking he had, I've got plenty of maps myself. All authentic, I do a lot of traveling you see, this is just another place I've been now so a map at some point would be nice."
It was an interesting story and situation Qi had painted, and for sure Alden was interested. Perhaps even in helping, as the sound of a stockpile of magic items was to his liking. Still though, he simply had greater priorities at the moment. The most sensible thing in his mind was to get out of here with everyone, make sure the guild was well and safe, and then join the others at the magic council. After all was said and done, then they could know about this whole fiasco, and about the situation that might need their help.
"Once we get out of here though and this whole mess is sorted out, I'll solve this problem you're having. The others will join in as well, no doubt, so never you mind about all that. We'll have this place cleaned up in no time, just you watch."
Later though, later. For now, he just waited in the place as he was told. He didn't drink anything because he didn't trust it, and simply occupied himself with Qi's story and worries. Something nagging at the back of his mind though, unrelated to everything else, was how much he wanted to show her this place. Not Qi, that other person. He was sure she'd love it.
---
"My name is Validus Vir, the first Guild Master of Fa--Renascence."
This time it was Stanley who dropped the buckets in surprise at the sudden emergence of Validus, and Fathom had to catch them, clumsily so and spilling some water in the process. Either way, both were more or less speechless, the former because he was so taken aback and the latter because nothing said was ever intelligible from under that diving suit.
It was up to Maisie then, quite fearful but brave enough to speak up, to get the ball rolling.
"Master... Validus? How did you get here? Are you able to contact the others?"
Taking off her hat in deference, Maisie tried to speak respectfully to the personage. She wasn't sure if this was a trick, and she didn't know all that much about the history of the guild to be sure, but for now she went along with it.
"I mean, the others who weren't brought here?"
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Post by CJ on Mar 22, 2014 16:30:41 GMT -5
As Qi explained their situation, Edolas Cinder stepped about the room, swiping his fingers to check for dust on the couches and table. He came back to the group, sat down and went to put his arm on Qi's shoulder to comfort her, but pulled back and tried to put on a serious face.
Meanwhile, Earth Cinder was bored, seated by herself. She did not care for war and struggles. She did not need to think of this sort of thing in her posh life.
"So you only use magical items here?" she asked her counterpart somewhat abruptly. "Then how did you create that glass Armor without magic?"
"Oh, this?" Edolas Cinder responded, tapping his armor. "This is a magical item imbued with Lacrima. I forged it myself. Are you implying you created your armor with your own natural abilities?"
"Of course! My magic is rare and beautiful, much greater than the unwashed peasants that occupy earth. I have no need of your Lacey Mal or whatever you said. Some of my fellow guild members call me a glass cannon, but I have no idea why. I am no cannon! I should be compared to a torpedo, swift and elegant."
"I see! Astounding!"
It seemed the two Cinders could relate at least on the topic of magic. They looked almost like a pair of twins, distant only in gender and empathy.
When Alden brought up the topic of his maps and clearing their name, Edolas Cinder smiled in relief.
"Thank you, Alden," he said. "I am not sure if maps will completely satisfy General Asmoday's and our suspicions but it is a good start. Please show them to us if you would."
"Hold on a moment," Earth Cinder interrupted. "I have no plans of helping you or any one in this silly conflict. I will have you know that I-"
"Ah!"
Beauty yelped and dropped Briar clumsily on one of the couches. For a while now, she had been trying to position him as comfortably as she could on one of the couches, but he kept rolling on the floor. After her final and successful attempt, she shivered and grimaced, stepping away from the sleeping mage, whose hair for once had slipped out of his face.
"Excuse me. Is everything well with you?" Edolas Cinder asked Beauty as politely as usual.
"I'm sorry. It's just..."
"Oh my stars!" Earth Cinder exclaimed. "Look at his ear!"
Briar's exposed ear didn't look anything close to human. It was like a hybrid between a rabbit and cat, pointed but very long. His black furry ears were easily concealed in his long hair, especially since it too was black, but now the one was plain and easy to see.
His long hair had fallen back on his head, enough to reveal his skin on the side of his face. It was dotted with what initially appeared to be freckles, but on closer inspection were the same shade and tone as the dark circles under his eyes.
"This truly is not the Briar we know, Qi," Edolas Cinder said, placing his hand over his mouth in worry. "Is this some sort of trick? He looks similar to an Exceed."
"Exceed?" Earth Cinder asked, crossing her arms. "Well, he is certainly near exceeding the amount of disgust I can take before I vomit. Who let a creature like that into our guild? What is he?"
"I don't know," Beauty lied. She knew what he was. His appearance was straight out of her childhood stories. He had the marks of one of the ultimate evil. But even as weird and odd as Briar was, she couldn't think of him as a monster. She couldn't tell the others what he was, lest he be killed on the spot.
But why would Briar have kept such a secret from them? Was he some sort of spy or trickster? Was wisping the guild away to Edolas his plan the whole time? No, his magic was gone like the others. He literally could not be woken up to talk to, much less cast a powerful spell.
She began to worry even more. She wanted Celeste or someone who knew about this strange place to quell her fears. She didn't want to be near Briar, who for all she knew had betrayed them this entire time. Alden was there, and she was grateful for that, considering the other great mages of Renascence would likely be worthless without their magic.
There was only one she could think of that might have been able to help. Oddly enough, Alden was thinking of him too. She tried to envision what he would do in this situation. She could only think of one thing, appeal to the Edolas mages personally. Not liking her own plan at all, but not seeing any other choice, Beauty snarled and turned away from the group.
"Whatever he is, he looks inhuman, doesn't he?" she asked. "Like something out of a fairy tale. Like what you guys would know as Earth."
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Post by Hitotsumami on Mar 24, 2014 20:44:21 GMT -5
Qi was comforted by the thought that Alden promised to help them out, though she couldn't be sure if there was some ulterior motive to it. Regardless, it reminded her of the Alden she knew, the Alden of Edolas.
"An exceed?" asked Qi, alarmed. She joined Edolas Cinder and viewed the sleeping boy with the strange ears. "This is no exceed," she said, relieved. To clear up any confusion, she quickly gave an explanation. "Exceed are cat like beings. They were once, believe it or not, rulers of humans in this realm, though now they are rarely seen. They live in the floating islands, though I have not personally ever seen one. The most interesting thing about them is that their magical is internal; they don't use items like humans do. It's a rare, peculiar thing..."
Picking up on the Cinder's previous conversation about magic, she commented, "So in Earth Land you have magic inside your bodies? Only the Exceed are creatures with internal magic in this land, as I have said. If this is true, if you could demonstrate your magic, then you'll surely be able to prove to General Asmoday that you are not from Edolas."
Looking at Alden: "Maps might also work."
Whatever would work, or could work for that matter, would soon be found out, for just a moment later and the door of the small, windowless room opened and there General Asmoday stood. She was not in the attire they had saw outside the complex. Now, she wore a simple light purple dress and a loosely fitting cloak. Her spiked hair was now brushed back and long. With her current form, she looked a lot like the Asmoday the Renascence Guild knew.
Asmoday closed the door behind her and examined the group. Qi stood straight up and saluted, then calmed as Asmoday said for everyone to sit.
"I have spared your lives for one simple reason," said Asmoday, skipping all formalities. "That one reason is that if you are truly spies, then you hold some kind of magical item that allows you to change your appearance, for how else would Cinder here recognize your Beauty, or how could Qi recognize your Alden?"
Asmoday paced in front of the group "And that item can be very dangerous, for if it exists, than any person in our group could be a spy, and that I cannot allow. Before I take the next step, however, I guess I should give you a chance to explain yourself."
It was then that Asmoday pulled out a small hourglass from her dress. She placed it upon the table and sand began to trickle down to the empty part. "You have one minute."
Qi said nothing, but she hoped that the group could successful convince Asmoday not to slaughter them and their Guild mates. Though she still did not fully believe Alden's story, she thought there must be some other explanation, something other than the strange, fairy tale world of Earth Land, she still hoped they could at least save their lives.
---
Inside the prisons, the guild members couldn't believe who they were seeing. Though, honestly, some mages knew not who Validus was, and others did not know that he was ever a part of Renascence, or Fable. However, it was obvious to those who did know that this is the hope that they desperately needed.
"Maisie, I believe?" said Validus, looking at the woman. "One of the newest members, but I know you'll be a good one. To answer your question, no I'm afraid I cannot speak to the other members, my range is short. I am connected to the Guild, one with it, you could say, so I am limited to the small shard. However, I am not totally powerless."
Validus walked to the bars of the cell and looked both ways. Down at one end was a guard posted, though too far to hear the conversation going on within the cell.
"And how did you get here?" asked Celeste, amazed, repeating Maisie's inquiry. "I've read about you! You were one of the strongest mages in the world!"
"I wasn't that great," chuckled Validus. "Master Joan was the real amazing one. As for how I got here, again, the shard." He looked at Groundhorn with a smile. "You were wise to keep hold of it, my friend."
Groundhorn had tears in his eyes. "Master..."
Vaidus then slide right through the bars, like a ghost. "Anyway, I'll be right back."
A few seconds of silence later and Validus was back with a key ring in his hand. "He didn't even notice me," chuckled Validus. "Now, I'm afraid I don't know much about the situation. I am aware we are in Edolas, though I never visited the realm when I was alive. I also know that it drains natural magic, so I will not be able to exist in this realm for much longer. I will soon revert to a small shard of wood, and after that, it will be up to you."
Validus slid the key in the lock of the cell and it clicked, freeing them. "It is not my choice if you wish to escape or to stay, for I do not know the entire situation. Perhaps it would be wise to stay here if you trust the others to free you, but consider this a just in case measure. If you feel you need to escape, to fight back, then do so! That is Fab-- Renascence way. Fight for what you believe is right."
And without much of a chance for anyone to ask a question, Validus vanished. A small chunk of wood and nails fell on the floor and Groundhorn reached and grabbed it.
He then looked back up at the open door cell. Well, what would they do?
"Let's put it to a vote," said Miranda Grimes, her hands on her hips. "That's fair, yeah? I vote we break out of here and start kicking ass. Sure, I can't use my magic, but who needs that? We'll go rescue Cinder and Beauty and Alden, take one of these fools airships, and get the hell out of here!"
Jackson shook his head in agreement. "I totally agree. I can't stand this place. It's so dirty and grimy, and I can't clean it... Plus, it's pretty scary. I vote leave!"
Felipe nodded as well. "I CANT SEE SKY! I MUST FLY! MUST FLLYYY! I VOTE LEAVE!"
Celeste, however, didn't agree. "No. We shouldn't be so rash. Alden is taking care of the situation, I just know it. If Validus would want us to do anything, it's trust in the power of our Guild mates."
"Idiot," said Miranda with a big frown. "Are you scared or what? Validus unlocked our cell for a reason."
"I'm not scared!" said Celeste with her hands firmly tightened. "If you have forgotten, I can actually still use magic," she motioned to her wands on her belt. "It's just that I trust in the others. I vote we stay. Groundhorn?"
Groundhorn agreed with Celeste. "Stay," he said, looking at the small wooden shard in his hand. "Stay."
Miranda rolled her eyes. "Well, fine. 3 to 2, the majority is leave. What about you other guys?" she asked, looking at Stanely, Fathom and Maisie. They were the only ones in their cell, the other members were too far away, so the vote would fall on those three.
That would be the decision.
That would determine their fate.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Mar 31, 2014 15:56:07 GMT -5
Alden didn't get a chance to produce any maps he had of Earthland, once the general showed up again.
"You have one minute."
"I can do it in ten seconds. We're a guild from Earthland, this morning we ended up in this place, building and all. No one wanted it, no one asked for it, and no one knows why it happened."
Honestly he had little care for whatever agenda the general had. They were in trouble and he was willing to help, and overall get this problem sorted out, but he wasn't going to be held hostage and he wasn't about to play Asmoday's little game and try and beg for their lives. If she wanted to introduce the cruel shelf and threaten them with execution, then Alden could meet her half way, and see her and her motives in black and white. All the while, he was just waiting for that opportunity to throw a sword through her head.
"Now you know as much as we do."
Shifting the toothpick around in his mouth and crossing his arms, he looked over to others from Earthland, assuming they'd have something to say or do to plead their case.
---
"My feet hurt. This place is too cramped. I wish I was at home Driving."
Stanley and Fathom were on board at least, the latter giving what could have been assumed to be affirmation with a resonating yell from within the suit and a raised fist. Maisie on the other hand remained quiet after Elrond addressed her, and didn't opt to speak until after everyone had said their piece.
"Even if we managed to get out of here, where would we go? Do any of you know how to get back to Earthland, some way you just suddenly came up with? The only people who would probably know how, are people from this world, and if we try to escape they'll turn on us."
She wanted to get out of here as much as any of them, but even should they get free of this place, she figured they would still be trapped. They were prisoners in this land, and if their keeper wasn't an iron cell, then it was the dimensional barriers between this land and theirs.
"My vote is to stay. At least, I think we should wait to see what happens with Alden and the others. If something goes wrong or he can't sort things out, then we can try to break out, but if we do it before we're still stuck here and it might make things harder for us in the long run. Plus, if we break out, they might turn on Alden and the others."
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Post by CJ on Apr 1, 2014 16:06:20 GMT -5
Beauty had heard of many beasts. She grew up in a monster hunting community and dedicated part of her childhood to the study of creatures. She never heard of an "exceed," though should she be surprised? After all, this was supposedly another world.
It seemed Briar's appearance served a positive purpose, helping them learn more about Edolas. Beauty was content, but also somewhat distraught that it didn't prove their case.
Everything seemed to be going well until General Asmoday returned. Back on Earth, Beauty didn't pay very much attention to Asmoday and didn't get to know her that well. But she knew enough to know that this cruel version of her was nothing like the Earth one. It could have likely been because of the understandable danger surrounding the General and her friends, but Beauty was no more comfortable with her knowing that. It only meant she would kill them faster if she had reason to.
However, Alden seemed to be handling the situation well. It wasn't the best, but it was serviceable. If nothing else, he was respectful to their captors, something Beauty knew she herself wasn't able to achieve. She admired him for having a level head through it all. Things were getting a lot better.
That was, until Cinder spoke.
"It is curious," she began. "Why do we have to explain ourselves? Hmm? Why not you? You claim we have some sort of doppelganger device, but why would I bother to disguise myself as this gentleman here but miss the crucial part that he is not a lady! You said you knew Beauty and Briar here, yet you said these two look nothing like the ones you claim to know. What could is a disguise if it is nothing like the original? Your accusation is preposterous! If anyone is disgusing themselves, it is you."
Hearing the accusation, Edolas Cinder covered his mouth in horrid anticipation for how General Asmoday would respond. The other Cinder huffed and crossed her arms. She stepped forward and pointed her delicate finger at the General.
"I am starting to think this is all some elaborate prank. Where is Master Elrond? Is he the doing this? Did he rope you into using your illusion magic to create this strange world, Asmoday? What sort of joke do you think this is?"
Not being able to think of anything and completely despairing over Cinder's "defense," Beauty sat down on the small space in front of the sleeping Briar. She felt for the spindle in her pants pocket. If need be, she'd jam it into Briar's finger and hopefully find a way for them to escape. She wasn't about to die here for nothing.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Apr 1, 2014 18:35:12 GMT -5
Qi could feel the tension in the air. She tried to stay calm, to just let Asmoday do what she had to do, but with every second it became more and more difficult.
"Is that what you have to say?" she said at Alden, crossing her arms. "Do you not realize the position I am in? I am the leader of a rebellion, and I'm on the most private island in this entire world. The kingdom I am fighting has magical items beyond comprehension, items that could possibly disguise spies as my people. If I allowed just one spy to live--"
She stopped as Beauty attempted to explain. "Do you believe it is my fault your spies got the wrong information? It should be expected as much, given how secretive we are, that your kind would make some mistakes!"
Qi decided it was time to jump in. "General Asmoday, please..." She turned to Alden. "Alden, you said you had maps, correct? Show them."
"I am not interested in any more games!" said Asmoday. "Maps? Maps of a fairy tale world that doesn't even exist? What kind of maps are those to me! I've had enough, and my word is final. The supposed mages that have shown up here today, I consider them all spies, and the punishment is death."
"Commander!" shouted Qi. "We can't do this! What if they're..."
"Telling the truth? Captain Qi, you can't believe in these blatant lies. Do you not remember the stories we were all told as kid? Of the world of Earth Land that you'd get sent to if you were a bad girl or boy? Why would you believe someone who claims such a preposterous thing?"
Qi opened her mouth to answer, but nothing would come out. She didn't know what to say.
"Good," said Asmoday. "Now, Cinder and Asmoday, please take these three to the prisons along with their friends and plan the execution."
"No."
"Captain Qi? What did you just say to me?"
"I won't let you do this. We can't do this, not without proof. It was I who took these people to our base. Yes, it is true they were found... atop of one of our damaged airships, but... we don't know all of the details. I won't let you kill innocent people."
Asmoday walked right up to Qi until they were just an inch apart. "Are you saying you wish to join these people in execution?"
Qi took a breath, then said, "If I must."
After a short stare-off, Asmoday spun around. "I've never been tested like this before, Captain Qi. I've had the occasional disobedient soldier, but not someone who'd sacrifice their life against my command... If you wish to--"
Suddenly, the door to the room swung open and a soldier appeared, a spear in his hand. "Commander Asmoday! There is an airship sailing this way from the North West!"
Asmoday's eyes grew wide. "It's not one of ours? You are positive?"
The man shook his head. "They're flying the royal flag!"
"Damn it! Send ships to intercept immediately. Do not allow them to get another inch towards this base! Go, now! I'll be there in a moment."
"And us...?" asked Qi.
Asmoday gave Qi a bad look. "They... They can live for now. But if I find out they're responsible for this ship, you're all in serious trouble."
Asmoday then went to leave the room. If anyone wanted to do or say something, this would be the chance. If not, however, Asmoday would leave through the door.
If no other chaos would ensue, and if Asmoday successfully left. Qi would spin around and to the Renascence mages. "Alright everyone, I'm getting you guys out of here. Cinder," she said to the Edolas Cinder, "if you don't want to be involved, leave now, but I'm not going to let some innocent people die on my watch."
---
Miranda took Stanley and Fathom's position as a vote to leave. "That's it! We're outta this dump!"
Jackson and Felipe joined Miranda, while Groundhorn and Celestse stayed sitting in the cell.
"Stay if you want, but I've had enough. I'll take one of their airships for myself and we'll fly out of this place! I don't believe we're in some other dimensions, or whatever voodoo reasoning these people have. We must still be on Earth. We'll just find an actual civilized city and find our way back to Fiore! Easy peasy."
Miranda went to open the cell door, but stopped when she heard some soldiers and guards yelling.
"But what about the prisoners? We've just gotten a huge intake!"
"They're locked in their cells, right? Just leave em be! I know you're new around here but you have to learn from your superiors! Now, come on! We've got a ship coming in quickly and Commander Asmoday wants everyone in positions!"
There was the sound of footsteps, and then silence.
Miranda slowly opened the cell and then looked down the hallways. No sign of a single guard.
"It's fate!" called out Miranda. "See, you guys? We're not gonna get a chance like this again? Let's get the heck out of here!"
Before Miranda could take the first step out of the cell, however, something very strange began to happen. Celeste began to glow. Not all of her, just her chest, but it was indeed strange. The glow was very similar to the glow that happened just a moment prior with Validus. It was some kind of magic.
"W-what's going on?" muttered Celeste, lightly touching her chest. "I feel funny..." Suddenly, in her minds eye, she was outside her body, zooming down the prison hallway. Beyond the locked door at the end of the hallway she saw what appeared to be a stone man, at least seven feet tall, with iron rings around his wrist, neck and ankles. It was some kind of item magic that apparently gave the rock life, and the rock creature stared with great concentration upon the door.
Beyond that, she saw multiple soldiers running into positions. Some were manning canons while others wielded magical weapons.
But her vision pulled her out even further, through the wide open sky, through a cloud, until she reached the ship that was slowly approaching the island. A ship that flew an unfamiliar flag.
But what she saw on the deck of the ship surprised her the most. It was a woman in chains. Guards surrounded her with weapons ready. The woman stared sadly towards the island which was indeed their destination.
The most curious thing of all, however, was that the woman's chest was glowing too.
Back in the cell, all would see an unresponsive coma-like Celeste.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 6, 2014 2:04:21 GMT -5
"Alright everyone, I'm getting you guys out of here. Cinder, if you don't want to be involved, leave now, but I'm not going to let some innocent people die on my watch."
"Ok."
Despite everything going on, Alden did at least a fairly decent job of keeping up. Despite that though, his response was as simple as it needed to be, and he followed after Qi wherever she may lead them.
---
Though Stanley and Fathom were sold on her speech, Maisie was fairly speechless at how stupidly brash Miranda was acting. Unfortunately, no response was akin to condoning her actions.
"C-Celeste? Something's wrong!"
She didn't get a chance to offer any sort of retort, as once Celeste went down Maisie tried to see if she was alright, obviously to no avail.
"What do we do now? Even if we leave, do we just carry her? And are we leaving Alden and the others behind?"
She couldn't carry Celeste on her own, but she could help. That was of course, assuming one of the stronger mages didn't simply carry her on their own.
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Post by CJ on Apr 10, 2014 0:10:10 GMT -5
Edolas Cinder adjusted his tie, then reached into his pocket. He pulled out a handkerchief and removed sweat from his brow. The situation between Edolas Asmoday and Qi seemed to deal a great amount of stress on him. Like Qi, he didn't want innocents to die, but it was unseen as to whether or not he would have been willing to risk his life without her influence.
"Wherever you go, I will follow," he said with a sad smile. "We are in this together, friend."
Watching from a little ways away, Earth Cinder blinked rapidly as tears formed in her eyes. She clasped her face in her hands. The display of friendship before her was incredible, but it made her realize that she might never see her version of Qi again.
She imagined Qi and the others arriving back at the guild to see it completely missing. Her best friend would be devastated and so would the others, knowing they had forever lost the most precious mage of all time... oh, and some other mages that were sort of important too, she supposed. For a brief passing moment, she remembered what Qi said about their version of Asmoday and how she couldn't trust her. Cinder supposed they ended up being wrong about Earth Asmoday, but who knew that there was another version of her just waiting to fulfill their suspicions.
"I cannot believe the Asmoday of this strange land is so determined going to execute us! How rude! She is in desperate need of an attitude adjustment."
---
Meanwhile, Beauty pricked Briar's finger with his trademark spindle. He let out a long sigh and sat upright as his hair fell about his eyes and face, covering his strange but adorable ears once more.
"I'm going to need you to stay close by, Briar," Beauty said carefully. "If we bump into any of the other guild members who can't move, use your spindle again to string them along with us like you did before."
Briar simply nodded and followed after them, still asleep but at least moving on his own in his trance. Beauty had to admit he was much more useful than her right now. She wouldn't have been so afraid of the attackers if she could use her own magic. Without it, she was weak and helpless. The only thing she was capable of at this point was giving the spindle user orders. Fortunately, there was another with them that was more than perfect for the situation.
"What kind of magic items do you have that could protect us, Alden?" she asked, biting her lip. "This could get really bad, really quick."
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Post by Hitotsumami on Apr 10, 2014 13:13:11 GMT -5
"Let's move."
Qi had unlocked the door and quickly lead the group down the long hallway. Of course, the building hadn't been completely evacuated. There were still guards and soldiers rushing down the hallways, but Qi was one of the highest level officers, so none dared to ask what she was doing.
It didn't take them long to reach another large door. Placing her hand upon the door, it swung open, revealing sunlight and bright white clouds. Stepping outside, it would appear that the group was on an external elevator with glass walls. In the distance, they could see the approaching rogue airship. It appeared it wasn't slowing.
"That's not good," said Qi. "If they've found us out, it could be... No. Right now, I have just one mission. Get you guys and your Guild out of here before things get worse. We're heading to the prisons now."
The elevator finally stopped on a lower floor and Qi continued to lead the way into a long corridor. The corridor branched off onto a staircase that lead onto a platform. On their right was a wall with only one door. On their left was open air. It appeared that the platform was a kind of ramp that ran along the outside of the building.
"That door," pointed Qi. "That's where your friends are." But before Qi or anyone else could approach, the stone man with metal rings around its neck and arms and legs approached.
"Authorization," it grumbled in an almost bored voice.
Qi hesitated, then said, "Vice Captain Xin Qi Ruby of the First Branch of the Caelus Rebllion Army."
The stone man was silent, then said, "Denied. Please go away." He then walked back in front of the door, blocking it completely.
"It's a golem," explained Qi. "When guards aren't around, they do patrolling. Those rings on their necks are magical items that give the rock movement. The only way to stop him is to break all of the rings.. But, if we destroy even one, it will alert all the other nearby golems, and even Commander Asmoday will be alerted..."
She glanced at Alden. "You have some magical items with you? Anything that could disable or get past this guy?"
---
Celeste suddenly gasped, her eyes wide open. She looked around, trying to catch her breath, trying to put together what had just happened to her.
"Celeste!" called Groundhorn, examining her. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I don't know exactly," muttered Celeste. "I felt like I was outside my body... and I saw a woman... a slave, I think. I don't know." Celeste placed a hand on her aching head. Movement wasn't going to be an easy thing for her.
"Damn it!" yelled Miranda. "How are we supposed to escape when stuff like this keeps coming up? Pull yourself together Celeste. I'm not going to rot away in a cell without giving an escape a hell of a try!"
She looked over at Maisie. "The others have Alden with them," she said. "And he has magical items too, just like Celeste. They can handle themselves. And if they can't, they'd at least want us to try and escape!"
But overall, it was up to each of their own opinions on weather to go or not. Miranda had made up her mind, and along with Jackson and Felipe, she lead them out of the cell. With the key Validus had given them, she quickly unlocked the other cell doors and the other mages joined her, though some also opted to stay like Celeste and Maisie.
"The only thing in between us and freedom is that damn door!" shouted Miranda, pointing towards the door.
"And an entire facility of guards," muttered Celeste, still weak from her incident. "Not only that, but there is some kind of creature on the other side. I saw it myself."
It appeared Miranda was going to pay no more attention to Celeste or the mages who decided to stay behind.
"We are the mages of Renascence! Elrond taught us to be strong and never give up, and we're not going to disappoint him today! If we work together, we can get off of this island and go back home! If you're with me, let's go!"
And she started her march towards the door where a Golem guarded the other side.
---
Out on the open sky, a large airship with Commander Asmoday aboard flew towards the intruder. All communications had failed, so Asmoday took it upon herself to investigate this personally, and if it turned out bad, they'd blow the airship out of the sky, though Asmoday believed it would most likely come to this anyway.
"Are the ships in formation?" called Asmoday to one of the engineers.
"Yes. We've locked the intruder in. They're not going anywhere now."
Four large ships, including Asmoday's, had formed a square in the air on all sides of the intruder ship so that it could not move horizontally or vertically. Two more ships flew above the intruder and below, to prevent it from changing altitude as well. It was a cage of airships.
"Seems that stopped them," said Asmoday with a grin. From her post upon the deck of the ship she could clearly see the intruder's deck. She saw many guards and a woman in chains. None of them looked familiar, and none of them were part of her rebellion.
"Give me the speaker," said Asmoday, and one of the guards gave her a device. She spoke into one end and her voice was amplified loud enough for all on deck to hear. "You're in restricted airspace! Identify yourself now, or I won't have a choice but to open fire."
None of the people upon the intruding ship had moved up until this point. One approached the side of the deck and pulled a lever, which lowered a walkway. It was an obvious signal that they wished her to board.
"Is that how they want it?" said Asmoday to herself. "Very well, then."
Against her council's wishes, Asmoday boarded the intruding airship with just two guards. She felt quite capable in her own power, and a single airship did not frighten her. She was immediately introduced to the captain of the intruding airship.
He was a man in all red clothing. He had long blonde hair and an eyepatch over his right eye. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he had a dark look about him, as if the entire situation was more of a chore than anything else.
"Names Eslot," said the man, eying Asmoday. "And I take it you're Commander Asmoday, no?"
"That is my name," said Asmoday. "But I have no interest in formalities. Tell me the reason you are here, heading towards my island, and perhaps I will not singal the order to destroy this ship."
Eslot chuckled. "That'd be a sight, wouldn't it? No, I don't think that would happen, Commander Asmoday." He glanced at the huge island in the sky where the HQ was located. "And who ever said it was your island? I don't see your name on it."
Asmoday placed a hand on the hilt of her sword. "I do not like games! Explain yourself, now!"
Eslot raised his hands defensively. "Whoah, take it easy there. I'm not interested in a fight. I'm also not that interested in your island, either. I'm just here to pick up some cargo."
"We have nothing of the sort," said Asmoday sternly.
"Oh, but you do," said Eslot. He motioned over to the woman in chains. Now closer, Asmoday could see she had scars over her body and dark rings under her eyes. Her blonde hair had been cut short and was tangled. Heavy chains weighed down her whole body. "See this little lady over here? Well, we've found out just recently that her daughter is on that island over there, so we've come to pick her up."
Asmoday was confused, not sure what this man meant, and not very happy about it either.
"Here, I'll let the mother talk herself," said Eslot. He walked over at the woman and stared her in the eyes. "Go on, talk."
The woman said nothing, so Eslot raised his hand and slapped her so hard that she fell down atop her own chains. "I said, talk."
The woman shifted her weight, sitting up. It appeared if anything that she was used to such treatment. "My daughter is here," she muttered, her voice dry.
Eslot smiled and looked back over at Asmoday. "Hear that? From her own mouth. Her daughter is here, and we need to pick her up. Sound good? So, if you'd like, you can go and get her and we'll take her off your hands, or we can go find her ourselves. Either way works, but one is much less messy, if you get what I'm saying."
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," said Asmoday. Even her rock solid exterior had been pierced by such a display of unkindness on the woman. It made her pause for a moment and rethink just what she was going to do to a certain group of mages upon her own island. "And even if I did, I would not allow an enemy ship onto my island as long as I live."
Eslot sighed with a smile, then cracked his own neck. "Shame to hear that, Commander Asmoday. Guess we'll have to take care of this on our own."
"NOW!" shouted Asmoday, raising her sword. Upon her command, all six airships aimed their cannons at the intruding ship, but the instant before they could fire, they were all sliced in half both vertically and horizontally, causing them to explode into a fiery array of light and heat.
Eslot had drawn his sword first. It was a long blood red rapier -- No, the sword wasn't colored red, but actual blood had stained it. Fresh blood. The blood of all the officers upon her ships. Gasping, the two guards beside her fell as well, cut across the chest.
"You should have brought at least fifty more," chuckled Eslot, raising his sword to Asmoday. "Now, if you don't mind, we'll be going to 'your' island now, okay? I reccommend you take a seat, and we'll drop you off there after we get our girl. If any more ships approach us, give them the command to stay back, unless you want the same thing to happen to them. Got it?"
Asmoday, stunned, took a step back. She stayed silent and didn't fight back. Not yet at least. She knew this man was not a pushover. She couldn't take control on her own, even with her own incredible powers. She could only stand there, sword in hand, and wait as the airship continued to fly towards the island.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 11, 2014 3:19:19 GMT -5
"What kind of magic items do you have that could protect us, Alden? This could get really bad, really quick."
"Nothing. The best defense is a good offense."
He responded plainly to Beauty's question, since it was true. He didn't want to speak any further and risk revealing his profession, but he put things as best he could. That said, he didn't seem the least bit worried.
"Don't worry, if anything happens, just take Briar and get back. I'll take on whatever they can throw our way. None of these people have magic apparently, so it won't be a problem. Like, at all."
Perhaps they might find some solace in how self-assured Alden was. Partly because he was technically in charge, but mostly because he actually believed every word of it.
---
Maisie felt at least a little awkward holding Celeste, since she had assumed someone else would have helped out. They didn't, but she didn't just let go and allow Celeste to fall, having the courtesy to wait till she could support herself. At least right next to her though, she could converse freely.
"When you were outside, were you like... out there? Could we be in danger if we stay?"
At this she gestured with a free hand towards the barred windows, outside. Stanley and Fathom meanwhile merrily followed after Miranda, carrying the buckets of fish as they went. Maisie remained of course, with Celeste. She wasn't entirely opposed to leaving, but she wouldn't abandon Celeste when she needed help.
"I'm not sure Miranda has the right idea, but surely there must be something we can do here?"
---
"You have some magical items with you? Anything that could disable or get past this guy?"
"Ah yeah, hold on a sec."
Dropping to a knee, Alden started whistling as he went about the process of prepping his rifle to fire. The golem was in their way, but it didn't seem immediately hostile, or at least it was not currently attacking them, so he figured he didn't have to rush. His intent was not to break even a single ring, but to simply dispel all the magic holding the golem up entirely. Since it was only temporary at best, assuming the bullet even worked the rings probably wouldn't break or sound any alarms, simply ceasing to function long enough to where they'd be able to get past after which point they'd go right back to working properly.
"Stand aside, you don't want to get hit with this stuff."
Taking a round from his bandolier, he cracked it against his helmet and shook it up so it started to glow bright blue. Loading it into the rifle, he took aim against the golem which was only like 10 feet away, so this might be overkill. There was some question as to whether anyone there were familiar with rifles or other guns, but he didn't take the time to explain it.
"Hey tough guy, over here."
Attempting to catch the golem's attention, he aimed and fired.
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Post by CJ on Apr 13, 2014 20:07:23 GMT -5
Beauty smirked at Alden. His confidence gave her hope. Maybe they would get out of this place and live to tell the tale. But she could only hope, but her happiness wouldn't last long.
Unlike Earth Cinder, who was beaming at the beauty of the glass elevator, the beast mage grew sick from the trip. She gulped, sending back her stomach's contents before they could exit her mouth. She didn't get any better when she walked on the platform with no barrier to save them from the threatening expanse.
At Alden's warning, both the Cinders threw up their hands and backed away. Seeing each other do the same action. They smiled nervously, then laughed and placed their hands up the sides of their faces. Their moods became sour though, hearing the commotion going on not too far away.
Teetering in dizziness, Beauty couldn't focus. She understand what Alden was doing, but couldn't wait around.
"This isn't going fast enough," Beauty said, clasping her mouth. "I need to get inside. Briar, spin the wall into thread."
Briar let out a heavy sigh and dropped his head slightly. The spindle grasped in his hand began to glow and then float in front of him. If the magic worked, the wall yards from the golem would begin to unravel before them, stripping and raveling onto the spindle.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Apr 16, 2014 18:25:30 GMT -5
Qi was impressed at what she saw. "Quite lucky some of you mages are item-using types, otherwise this might have been difficult."
Briar's magic had indeed stripped away the wall, opening it up to the prison halls, while Alden's magic bullet struck the golem, causing it to fall forward in a slump. At least for the time being, it didn't appear either action had set off any alarms.
With the golem taken care of, Qi pointed towards the opening created by Briar.
"This should lead right into the--!"
Suddenly, Miranda jumped through the opening in the wall, along with at least a dozen other mages. "GET HER!" yelled Miranda. "THERE'S ONLY ONE OF EM!" She tackled Qi to the ground then grabbed her arm and bent it behind her back. "Don't you move!"
She then glanced at Alden, Briar and Beauty and Cinder. "Hey, you guys made it! Knew ya would. Ya here that Celeste?" she called back into the prison, "I was right after all! Hah!"
"LET ME GO!" grunted Qi, suddenly flipping Miranda on over and slamming a knee into the middle of her back. "I'm on your side, okay? Just relax! If I was against you, I wouldn't be casually walking around with your armed friends here."
After Miranda accepted the fact that Qi was a good guy, Qi let her free. She then called for all of the other mages in the prison to come on out.
Celeste couldn't believe it, but smiled when she saw Alden and Beauty and Cinder and the others. "You've made it!" she said with a smile. Remembering with fear the golem she'd seen in her vision, she spun, but sighed in relief to see it slumped on the ground.
Groundhorn was there too, glad to be free, and so was Jackson and Felipe. All of the mages, now free, were quite an apparent force, though Qi had to remember that only a handful could fight for themselves with their magical items.
"Now that we've gotten your Guild together, the next step is to get you off this island. I... I can't get you back to Earth Land, I still can't believe a place like that actually exists, but I can at least get you to the airship bay..."
"THERE IS ONE NOW!" shouted Felipe, flapping his useless green wings. "SEE IT? I WISH TO FLY LIKE IT ONCE MORE!"
Qi spun around to see an airship, the exact one which Commander Asmoday had gone after, rapidly approaching. "What the hell? Why haven't they shot that out of the sky yet? Well, no time to wonder, let's go--!"
With the airship approaching towards the prison, quite a lot of the soldiers on the base had gathered near it to protect against this threat, and thus, both escape paths on the ramparts where blocked by soldiers. Some looked confused that Qi was with the prisoners, other had already lifted their weapons.
"They're spies! They've must have led that airship straight for us! Should we shoot now? Where is Commander Asmoday? What is Captain Qi doing here?" These were just some of the things the guards yelled. Either way, there wasn't any apparent escapes now.
Meanwhile, the rogue airship had reached the ramps of the prison. The deck was leveled with the ground the mages were standing upon, and they were just meters away from Eslot, who stared at the group with an expression of amusement. On the deck, on her knees, was Commander Asmoday, obviously frayed, and next to Eslot was the woman in chains, tears streaming down her eyes.
"Greetings, friends," said Eslot, opening his arms. "Quite a crowd we have here today."
Some of the guards switched their gunpoints from the mages to Eslot, but Asmoday quickly yelled out, "Don't! Keep your weapons down!" Asmoday knew very well what Eslot could do, and did not want any of her soldiers getting harmed or worse.
"Very wise, Commander," said Eslot, smirking. He then pinched the cheek of the woman in chains. "Now, my dear, which one gathered here is the girl? Which one here is your daughter?"
The woman's face was red, not just in bruises from the constant assault, but from the tears streaming her face as well. Through quivering lips she didn't say anything, but her eyes had locked onto the girl.
"Come now, dear, let's hear it," said Eslot.
"No," said the woman, but that would not be enough. Eslot had traced the woman's glare, and the girl she was watching so intensely was Celeste Chase.
"Then let's gather our cargo and we'll be off your island, Commander Asmoday." As he took the first step forward, the woman in chains struggled and screamed for him to stop, but two guards on the airship held her chains tight so that she couldn't budge.
As Eslot walked towards the group of mages, in particularly towards Celeste, Qi suddenly jumped in front of everyone, her own sword drawn, causing Eslot to stop.
"Don't do it, Qi!" exclaimed Asmoday who still sat on the deck. "Don't, please!"
Eslot was only an inch from stepping off his airship onto the island. Qi pointed her sword directly at the man. "When I joined this army, I promised never to let an intruder step foot on this island, and I will not break this promise today."
Eslot grinned and began his step, his foot hovering just above the ground. "Then let us see how strong your conviction is."
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 19, 2014 2:44:52 GMT -5
"You know that cost me a bullet, you could have acted sooner."
Alden wasn't angry or even annoyed at Briar's little stunt, just disappointed as he shook his head. It looked like though he didn't get a chance to head inside though as the others came out on their own, which certainly simplified things. Now it seemed though that a new thread was on the approach with some strange new airship.
He didn't feel the need to say anything, but he moved forward, to stand aside Qi with shield and sword drawn.
---
Maisie, hearing of the success of the escape and seeing Celeste make her way just fine on her own, went to join the others. Fathom was already outside, carrying the buckets of water and looking to the others for escape options.
Stanley however, had his sights set on the approaching airship.
"I want to Drive that."
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Post by CJ on Apr 19, 2014 12:02:39 GMT -5
Briar did not respond to Alden, Celeste or anyone else for that matter. He was still asleep, stuck in the influence of his magic spindle. He only stood there with his long hair hanging over his face as the other mages freed themselves and nearly subdued Qi.
"Now that everyone is safe, I do not have to worry about cleaning or making my own meals!" Earth Cinder exclaimed, pressing her gloved hands to her face. "Joyous day!"
Seeing that everyone was safe, Beauty couldn't help but smile. She was extremely worried they would have been killed while they were distracted, so seeing them now was a relief.
However, instead of joining them outside, Beauty actually ran partially inside to get away from the open air, where a false step could send any of them plummeting through the sky. She beckoned Briar to walk closer to her when Felipe pointed out an approaching airship.
She wondered briefly who the strange man was and who this "daughter" was. Was she among the guards? It couldn't be anyone from Renanscence. Only one of them claimed to be from Edolas, but she couldn't be, could she? But if she was, what if the reason they were brought here was for that specific reason?
There was only one to confirm anything at this point.
"Briar, grab onto Asmoday and that screaming woman and bring them to us," she whispered.
The spindle user sighed again, dropping his head once more as the spindle before him levitated. It spun as the chains about the woman would bring to unravel into thread. The thread would then wrap around the woman and pull her toward Briar through the air. If it worked, the same would happen to Asmoday, but the thread would come from part of her shirt.
"Come on, guys!" Beauty shouted, gripping onto the remainder of the prison wall. "The doppelgangers who captured us might be misguided, but they could be our only chance of getting back home. Let's do what Elrond would probably do and protect them!"
Stepping forward cautiously, she tried to evaluate who was useful for combat around her.
"Alden! Celeste! Do you have anything that can take that airship down?"
"I've got something!" Edolas Cinder said with his thumbs up. "But my armor needs time to charge."
"Hurry up then!" Beauty snapped, causing him to step back a bit in fear.
At his point, friend or foe could tell Briar to stop or perform another action with his magic spindle.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Apr 19, 2014 14:49:51 GMT -5
Though outside Qi may have appeared to be brave and confident, it was just a facade, for inside she was more afraid than she'd ever been in her entire life. Standing before her was a man who not only destroyed all the airships in his path, but brought Asmoday herself to her knees. Qi was just one woman with one sword. How could she ever possibly imagine defeating such an opponent?
Then, she saw someone stand at her side. It was Alden with his shield and sword ready! Then, on her other side, there too was Beauty! And behind her, all of the mages of Renascence, from Celeste to Felipe to Briar to Stanely. Even though her leader was contemplating their deaths not long ago, here they stand protecting her. She was not alone.
Eslot appeared to have noticed the rising force, but it didn't stop him. "I know not who these people are," he said, "and I can't say I personally care. I said it before to your commander: I am not interested in a fight. I just want what is rightly mine." He pointed to Celeste. "If you truly wish me not to step upon your island, then very well, I will not. But you, girl, you will have to step upon my airship. Do so and I'll leave the rest of you in--!"
Suddenly, he noticed that one of the mages had attached some kind of string to both Asmoday and the woman, and were pulling them through the air! "Stop them!"
Strangely, none of the guards went to save Asmoday, but instead, five of them grabbed her arms and legs, pulling her against the tug of the string. Eslot pulled out a dagger from his belt and quickly cut through the air where the thread was, hoping to cut it off and keep the woman with her.
He spun back around to the mages. "What part of I do not wish a fight do you not understand!? Take your commander! I do not care!" Asmoday, pulled back by Brair, stood up with the others. "I wish only for the girl!"
Qi knew that Celeste was part of of the Renascence Guild, and there was no way she was just going to let this stranger take her. The Renascence Guild stood up for her, so she'd stand up for them. Thus, she readied her sword and prepared to jump at Eslot, slicing him before he knew what would hit him.
"Stop!" commanded Asmoday, just before Qi attacked. Qi froze and glanced back at her commander. "Do not do it. That man, his sword is not natural. It isn't just magic, it's something deeper."
Eslot stood silent, still with his blood red rapier.
"We can't just let them take her," said Qi, pushing Celeste deeper into the crowd of mages, but Celeste pushed back.
"I don't know what they want with me," she said, obviously frayed, "but we don't have to fight him!"
"What?" asked Groundhorn, looking down at the young girl. "You can't give yourself up! I won't let you!"
"I'm not," reassured Celeste. "What I'm saying is..." Celeste quickly pulled out one of her wands of her belt, a deep red one. She aimed it at one of the the three balloons holding up the airship and a fire bolt shot from it. The balloon exploded, rocking the airship violently, but it quickly regained stability. "We take out his ship!"
If one paid much attention, they would notice that Celeste's wand had had been burned.
"So this is the way we want to play this game," said Eslot. "Very well then. I gave you all a chance to live another day. Your death is on your own hands."
He slashed forward through the air with his rapier and in that instant, many of the random Renascence mages would fall to the ground as if their very life had been stolen from them. But it had not only affected them, but Qi too fell to her knees, her eyes a blank white.
"Qi!" shouted Asmoday. "Damn it, there's not going back now!" Raising her sword, it began glowing a dark purple. She charged straight at Eslot, preparing to exchange blows, but she hoped that the other mages could help in some way as well, either by attacking Eslot, or taking down his airship.
"Release the hounds," casually muttered Eslot as he raised his sword, preparing for Asmoday's attack. At his command, one of the guards opened a latch in the airship and literally dozens of bulky, frothing hounds poured out of the small opening. Many of them charged at the Renascence Guild, including Beauty and Alden, but none touched Celeste.
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