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Post by CJ on May 1, 2014 11:38:41 GMT -5
When it rains, it pours. Renascence was going through a bit of a dark period. What should have been a joyous time on becoming an official guild was met with strife. Three days ago, several of the founding members learned of and fought against a dark entity known as Oracion Seis, who Azealya was revealed to have been conspiring with all along. Asmoday then left them, seeking her own answers to her mysterious past, perhaps betraying them in the process. While all that was going on, the other members were whisked away to a strange land called Edolas, where they faced a peril that almost claimed their lives. Mystery hung over the guild and continued to permeate their hearts. It rained the day before and it rained now. Thunder boomed, lighting up the guild hall in the late morning storm. Briar walked by himself in the hall as tears streamed down his face. He hiccuped and sobbed as he came to the main tack board, filled with requests and missions of various sorts. He positioned a list on the bottom, almost hard to notice. It read: --- My Will
I hearby relinguish all my items to Renanscent Guild when Im dead. I want these people to get these items of mine.
Alrond - Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coffee Card Atray - Half eaten bag of gummy bears As More Day - Bent photo of a panda bear Beauty - Music box Calest - Voucher for free lollipop Chi - Dragon pillow I found Cinder Ellyton - Spoon I found on the road Dough Fun - Scratched up kazoo Drooid - Guinea pig cage (No guinea pig) Eeyan - 1 day expired pickle jar Elden - Chu Chu Lovely Trading Card Faleapay - Used guide to underground mine shafts Fethom - Paper stationary Groundhern - Gently used winter gloves Jickson Macklean - Fork I found on the road Maysy McClean - Hair ribbon with tiny stain Murandah Grimer - Pudding cup Stantly Stillmen - Butter knife I found on the road Terry "Jupiter" June - My inheritance: 1,000,000,000 Jewels (Approx. 10 mil USD)
---
Some other names were listed, including Briar's roommates who, like Qi, were simply to be given back things that Briar stole from them. But why was the mage so convinced he was going to die? On the same day as the Oracion Seis and Edolas incidents, a shadowy figure named Achlys left a message for Briar and Renascence Guild. In three days time, he would have to make a decision: sacrifice the guild or sacrifice himself. It was punishment for not being on Earth when Achlys was to unexpectedly meet him, having been whisked away with the others to Edolas. When asked about his decision, Briar merely said: "There's no decision to make. I couldn't live without the guild. You all mean too much to me, especially Jupiter. How could I ever trade his life for mine?"It was odd words, coming from someone who really didn't have any friends in Renascence and especially now that he was revealed to be a demon. Over the course of the three days, Briar told his story, a little bit at a time. He was a demon, created from a book called Endymion, written by the ancient dark mage Achlys. His adoptive parents were servants of his. Upon their retirement, they asked Achlys for a son and thus he created Endymion, later called Briar. Despite telling them he wanted nothing to do with the child, he punished the parents for not inviting him to the first birthday party. He unlocked Briar's demonic magic, forcing his curse to awaken. He explained that his curse forced him to stay awake at all times, but also granted him the power to put others in a state of unrest. He could put people under the same spell Qi fell into when she was attacked with Achlys's Sand. Begrudgingly, he admitted that the jars of sand came from the same book he was from. In essence, he was a living version of the product. There was no point in hiding his ears anymore. He kept his long black hair in a pony tail and allowed his pointed, rabbit-like ears to hang down on the sides of his face. He wandered to a nearby table and collapsed on it, sobbing into his folded arms as his ears draped to either side of him. Today was the day Achlys would return to hear Briar's decision. It was his alone to make. If any of the guild members tried to kill him or force him to make a decision, Achlys would have them all killed. Briar was content to sacrifice himself to save the others, but nevertheless, he still despaired. It would be any moment now that the dark mage would return. --- Obsessed with gossip and news as she was, Cinder walked up to the will and immediately frowned. She turned to criticize Briar for his "gift" to her, but was shocked to see him still crying. She struggled in her attempts to learn empathy, but she was able to determine that mocking him would not be the best course of action. In her distraction, she didn't see a certain extensive gift someone else would receive. Besides, she had her own vice to deal with. After returning from Edolas, she was shocked to find a locked box hidden away in her room, filled with notes and details on Renascence and the people of Elm. She remembered writing the notes, but she couldn't remember why. She burned them secretly as soon as she could, too scared to ever know the truth behind her actions. She only prayed the others would never find out. --- Beauty remained locked in her single bedroom. She only came out to eat and check up on missions. She only spoke when spoken to and excused herself quickly from any conversation. The beast mage was known for her rudeness, but there seemed to be some kind of underlying sadness in her actions. --- Meanwhile, in Elrond's office, Qi crouched down and quietly searched through his desk and belongings. For the past few days, the small mage had been on edge. Not even fluffy Sheep could make her smile. She had a distant look on her face, like she wanted to be somewhere else. Nothing could please or satisfy her except for one thing. She wanted the jar. Having been knocked out back in Era, she wasn't aware that she had come into contact with Achyls's dark magic again. All she understood was the hunger that made her want to fall under the influence of the magic once more. She described it as being able to see "the end of her mind's universe." It fascinated her and she wanted to know more about it, no matter what the cost. Now that Asmoday had left, she hoped to find wherever the jar was hidden in the guild. She had summoned no spirits in fear that they would try and stop her or alert the others. "Please let it be here," she whispered pleadingly as she continued to search.
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Post by Hitotsumami on May 1, 2014 12:53:22 GMT -5
The few days that had passed had visibly been hard on all the Guild.
Some of the mages, particularly the ones who had gone to Edolas, did not appear to be as distraught at the ones who had gone to the Magical Council. Miranda had seen Achyls with her own eyes, and had heard what he had to say, but she thought that if Achyls wanted to show up and try to take Briar, she'd just rally the Guild and kick that guys ass. She'd done it in Edolas, she could do it again.
Felipe wasn't as loud as he usually was, and flying over the main hall, he could feel the negative energy.
Groundhorn and Celeste spent a lot of time together, sometimes talking about Edolas and the woman she had seen there, but they decided they had to take things one step at a time. They had to protect their guild and Briar.
Jackson scrubbed the floors endlessly, almost to where his hands had gone raw, for he did not want to think of any dangers that might befall him. He did once think that he could just stand up and leave the guild, for no one was going to stop him, but for some reason, he couldn't get himself to do it.
Elrond, on the day he returned to the Guild, had been told by Celeste and the others who ventured to Edolas their story and what happened to the Guild. Of course, Elrond was worried about it, and assured Celeste he'd do some research into Edolas. His ancestor, Validus, had never traveled to that plan of existence.
But, more than anything, Elrond was worried for Briar. Not a week earlier, he had failed to protect Asmoday, and now, again, another one of his mages were about to be taken from him. He remembered the promise he had made to himself. If he failed in protecting his Guild and Briar, then he would give up his rank.
Today was that day.
Elrond looked over the Will posted in the main hall. Elrond thought to himself that he didn't even like coffee, so it was good that he wasn't planning on giving up Briar, as he walked back to his office.
Opening the door, he was surprised to see Qi sneaking about. Still, he knew exactly what Qi was looking for. Closing the door behind him, Elrond said, "Give it up, Qi. I don't know where Asmoday hid it, and even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you."
Elrond walked over to his desk and, disregarding Qi, sat down and began looking through some papers on his desk. One was a letter from Mark of the Magical Council, but it held no answers. Others were missions. Now that they were official, they were pouring in like crazy, but with Briar's life on the line, he hadn't posted a single one.
Glancing at Qi, Elrond said, in a somewhat condescending voice, "Don't you know what today is? If you haven't heard, your guild mate is in danger, but apparently that doesn't matter, right? You're too obsessed with that stupid dust."
Thinking of the dust just made him more mad. "Asmoday was there when we tried to wake you up! She's gone now too! Don't you even care!?" Elrond slammed his fists against the table, shaking the room.
Realizing how loud he had just been, he sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. He acted like he was reading through the papers on his desk again, but he wasn't. He just didn't want to look at Qi.
---
Back in the main hall, Miranda had failed to gain support from some of the mages. She wanted them to be strong, like an army, against the coming Achyls, but the dread that hung upon the guild made it difficult. The rain didn't help either.
"Damn it," she muttered. "Maybe Alden will be more able to help. Guess I should check on him anyway."
She made her way up the staircases and all the way to the attic. She wasn't sure if Alden was in today or not, but she decided it wouldn't hurt to check. She knocked on the door. "Ya there, Alden?"
---
"Wonder how Druid is?" asked Celeste to Groundhorn.
Groundhorn shrugged. "We weren't there, but we've heard the stories. Apparently his uh... specimen... got away."
"Should we check on him?"
"We need everyone in top shape to help Briar," agreed Groundhorn. "If he's still angry, then he might be more trouble than help."
And so, both of the mages went to Druids room, and knocked on the door.
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Post by Mise™ on May 1, 2014 13:44:25 GMT -5
Ever since discovering what was going on with Briar Jupiter hadn't actually acted that much different, he had been a bit more distant and quiet, that's all. Inside though he had been conflicted. Jupiter did not like Briar, that should have been obvious to everyone by now, but still he did not want him dead. Then again he did not want to die along with all the other Renascence members and it was obvious that just Briar dying would be much better than everyone else dying and he was sure everyone agreed. By now he had already accepted that Briar was going to die today and there wasn't anything more to it. Shortly after Briar had placed his will on the wall Jupiter went to look at it and when he finally got to his name only one thought was on his mind: ”How the hell does he know my real name? I thought all these guys just thought Jupiter was my real name. No one calls me Terry, but ma and pa. It's so ordinary. So uncool.” However Jupiter quickly forgot that his real name got revealed when he finally read what he would be getting from Briar the biggest banana grin appeared on his face. He would get a billion jewel. All his life he had lived in poverty but now he would finally reach riches thanks to the one guy who always annoyed him. This all being a prank did not even occur to Jupiter; no way Briar would ever attempt something like that. ”I'll be gone for a while, see'ya!” And so Jupiter happily left the guild. --- Atre had only recently returned to the guild since he had thought it had disappeared for good and now suddenly it was back. For once something had not been 'terrible' and Atre had seemed happy for a moment. However he was back to his usual gloomy self when he heard about what was going on with Briar and Achlys. When Atre looked at the will on the wall and after a while finally figured out which name was for him and saw what item he would be getting: ”How horrible. I don't like sweets.” Like Jupiter Atre has already accepted that Briar was going to die. In fact he had accepted that not only Briar will die, but everyone else as well.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 1, 2014 14:04:01 GMT -5
With the coming of the rain, Fathom spent time outside, since it was a good way of replenishing the static supply of water in the cube around them. The fish seemed to like it at least, and swam around vibrantly.
Stanley meanwhile helped with the cleaning up duties. He had seen the will earlier, and was a little saddened by it. A butter knife?
"I can't Drive that." he mused.
It was Maisie though, who made an effort to try and ease the situation.
"Don't fret, Briar. If you're so worried about this guy, maybe we could hide you? If you were never found, what could go wrong?"
Moving to press her hand lightly on his arm, it was her intent to use her powers to strike him with her words and feelings. Harming him was not an issue, she just wanted to get through to him, lest she be ignored. For this purpose she had earlier thought of playing a song to liven him and the others up, but decided against it.
While she thought she might be able to lift the depressing mood hanging on the guild, she wasn't confident enough to try.
---
"Hmm, yeah?"
Miranda might have been at the hatch to the clock tower for awhile, at least long enough that Alden actually came up the stairs behind her. Moving a toothpick in his mouth, he stared evenly at the guild mage.
"Need something? I was outside, thought I saw someone I know."
The coming storms led Alden to staying outside often, on the off chance that she had found him. They were just normal clouds and rain however, so he headed back inside, happening to reach the tower just behind Miranda.
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Post by crocoduck on May 1, 2014 21:10:33 GMT -5
"No, nonono, you idiot. It can't be, the boy actually SPOKE for the spider. It couldn't be just a mechanical puppeteering.
Druid groaned before crumpling up the drawing he was working on and tossing it into the corner of the room, where a chaotic pile of equally crumpled papers had been gradually erected.
"We clearly have only three choices when it comes to that connection between the boy and the spider, or, well, two and a half." The chair beneath him screeched as Druid unceremonously stood up, causing a wave of ink to rise from the ink container on the desk as he did so. With a wave of his hand, the ink splattered itself onto the wall and began forming a visualization of his words.
"The first, and perhaps most boring of answers is that it's a magical connection." As he spoke the words, the ink formed a circle with the word "magical" towards the left of the wall. "The second, and considerably more interesting, option is that it's a physical fusion, including fusion of necessary systems like digestion and neural connections. Or, we have the last option, which is extremely interesting yet not nearly as plausible, that there is a sentient symbiosis, where both parties actually agree to this state." As he spoke, the words on the wall formed the last two bubbles, before forming branches running from below them, starting new circles and Druid considered even more options.
"If it's magical, the boy's body could very well be dead, which begets the question of how it's no-"
With a surprising amount of intrigue, considering his reputation for dealing with people, Druid turned his attention to the knocking at the door. Once being certain that it wasn't his imagination, he moved as quickly as his battered body allowed him, opening the door with great enthusiasm.
--------
"OH, FINALLY YOU'RE HE- who the hell are you?" Druid's face went from overly excited to extremely disappointed and irritated as he realized the newcomers were not the library's delivery boy, as he had hoped. He had many books he needed to read, but not enough time to go and get them himself.
What he didn't realize is that the newcomers probably weren't too happy either. Druid was butt naked, with only a few bandages around his body in no place that actually needed covering. Being in the comfort of the room, eh had forgone the hindrance that was clothing so that he could further dedicate himself to his studies.
If the newcommers were to glimpse behind Druid, they'd also see an extremely unpleasant chaos. Papers were everywhere the walls and ceilings were lined with papers, ranging from pages ripped from books to maps to scribbled notes. The floor was littered with crumpled papers and materials and partially eaten food. The ceiling had several pencils impaled on it, and any empty space of wall or ceiling that was left had pure ink written in a variety of spider and oracion seis related words.
His bed was an absolute disaster. His clothing lay thrown in a disgusting heap along with the myriad contents of his pockets. Miscellaneous objects were strewn across the bed with rather disasterous results, as it seemed Druid walked around with a rather unique inventory. A portion of his bed had actual dissolved from a strange green liquid container that wasn't quite screwed on right.
Yet Druid seemed completely oblivious to all these travesties against hygiene and proper guest behavior. Instead, he seemed only annoyed and expectant of an answer.
"Do you have my books?"
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Post by CJ on May 4, 2014 16:59:52 GMT -5
Qi squeaked and fell back when Elrond entered the room. She definitely knew what day it was. It was precisely the reason she'd waited to go into his office, thinking he'd be too busy to go in there.
She stood exactly where she was, looking to left bottom corner of the room, trying to avoid the guild master's condesending tone. She tried to hold in her tears, but she couldn't hold it in. Her face turned slightly red as her eyes watered. She was guilty and she knew it.
"What do you think I'm doing, Elrond?" she asked, hobbling toward him. "I need the sand. I can't possibly fight against Achlys without holding you back as I am. Think what happened last time when we fought that siren and spider. I only hindered you and distracted you when Asmoday was taken away."
She took four of the six golden keys on a ring on her cane off and placed them on Elrond's desk. She placed them down and
"Here. Take Dragon, Snake, Horse... oh, and Monkey too. At least your magic would add to their strength and you can fight alongside them. All I can do is lean on my cane."
Too ashamed to show her face, she turned her back to Elrond and the keys.
---
Maisie's magic seemed to calm Briar down. He sat straight and relaxed, wiping the tears from his eyes. Noticeably, his tears had a dark gray tint.
"It's not that easy," he said, gulping. "I'm Lord Achlys's creation, a part of him. I'm like his pinky finger. Even if you hide your pinky finger, you can always sense where it is. I'd have to go to a new dimension if I was ever to hide from him, but no one can figure out how to go to Edolas again."
He looked her in the eyes and sighed. If it wasn't for his floppy ears, it would probably hard to believe what he was saying was true.
"I hope you're not here when he kills me. He could get creative when he does it. My uncle... well, my adoptive father's brother got on his bad side too. Forgot to take Lord Achlys's corgi Sergeant Death on a walk. From what I hear, it took weeks to get the smell of blood out of the cult. Things like that can happen when people are blown into millions of pieces."
Briar sighed again and laid his head on his arms on the table.
---
Walking outside, Jupiter would not only be showered with the rain of the storm, but could notice something odd. From its place on the hill, Renascence Guild looked high over the town of Elm, so the vastness of the sky was very easy to see. There was a spiral cloud formation, spinning slowly, directly over the guild hall.
In the center was a black vortex, too dark to see inside. Lightning crashed about it as thunder boomed in the distance. If it wasn't for Achlys telling them of what was to come, it might have seemed like the end of the world.
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Post by Hitotsumami on May 6, 2014 17:35:31 GMT -5
Elrond sighed as Qi laid her keys on his desk. The entire situation felt strangely familiar, and he remembered a story his father had told him about Validus. Long ago, Validus had a mage in his crew, a young boy who had gotten a mask, a mask which called to the boy until it completely controlled him.
"I'm sorry," said Elrond. "Take your keys. You'll need them. Achyls is coming."
Hearing the booming thunder, he left his office, preparing for the worst.
---
Miranda turned to see Alden walking up the stairs. "Oh, there you are. Was just about to wonder if you'd gone and vanished just like..." She trailed off. He seemed well enough, anyway, so she decided against mentioning Asmoday. After all, they had more worries.
"That guy in Edolas," said Miranda, meaning Eslot. "I heard them say that his magic wasn't normal. There are people like that in this world, people with magical abilities that aren't really magic. I wonder if this Achyls guy will be the same? Well, I just wanted to make sure you were ready. Some of your items might not work on him." She heard the thunder. "Achyls is coming."
---
Both Celeste and Groundhorn blankly looked inside Druid's mess of a room. It seemed he wasn't over the Spider thing, and this was probably the worst time to mention it.
"We don't have your books," answered Celeste, and she wouldn't have been surprised if Druid slammed the door in their faces.
But if he did leave the door open, even for a second, Groundhorn would add, "Briar is out here in the main hall. Today's the day. Would be best if we were all together. Achyls is coming."
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Post by Mise™ on May 7, 2014 1:46:41 GMT -5
It might have been the stormiest day of the year, but even through his thick shades the world around Jupiter seemed beautiful and bright. In his eyes the sun was shinning the brightest it has ever been, there were at least seven rainbows in sight and there might have been an unicorn somewhere around here. While everyone else seemed to be gloomy, even people not from Renascence, possibly due to the horrible weather, Jupiter was the happiest he had been in a long time and now he was making his way towards the shopping district.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 7, 2014 5:24:24 GMT -5
"That guy in Edolas, I heard them say that his magic wasn't normal. There are people like that in this world, people with magical abilities that aren't really magic. I wonder if this Achyls guy will be the same? Well, I just wanted to make sure you were ready. Some of your items might not work on him."
"I imagine cutting his head off might work." he went to shift his helmet but forgot it was missing, scratching his head instead. "You say it like I haven't hunted them before. Just because his powers aren't magical, doesn't mean my weapons suddenly don't work. I've got bullets for locking down magic, and I've got bullets for killing people. The rifle doesn't care if they're a mage or not, and neither does the sword. They're both completely normal."
Scooching past Miranda, Alden reached up to open the door to the clock tower and climbed the ladder. Audible were the noises from above of him rummaging around for things, but he still called to Miranda as if she were up there with him.
"That's why I like using them. They kind of remind me of myself."
Not some moments later, and he climbed back down the ladder, his heavy boots hitting hard on the rungs. He looked fully ready to fight minus his helmet, and once he hit the floor, he reached up to grab one last thing before shutting the door. His jar of magic sleeping sand, the latest addition to his collection of magic items.
Holding it under his arm and standing before Miranda, he looked ready to go with a confident grin.
"Let's be sure to give him a Renascence welcome then."
---
If Briar was trying to be a downer, he was doing a good job of it, but Maisie didn't give up. She didn't redouble her efforts though, even though she probably should have, because something Briar said got her attention rather fiercely.
"You say you're part of him, like his finger. I can understand if hiding won't work, but if we fight... I mean, you know everyone is going to try... if we fight, and let's just pretend maybe we win..."
Maisie did use her power this time, though not in a way of making him feel better, but to get across to him how serious she was in the hopes of getting a direct answer.
"If the worst happens, and say Achlys dies... what would happen to you? Can a finger survive if it gets cut off, or the body dies?"
This basic piece of information, which Maisie did not know the answer to, would determine if there was even a reason to fight to begin with. If they could win and Briar would still not make it, then there really was no reason to fight.
---
Pacing down the steps till he reached the ground floor, Alden stopped short. Instead of going all the way down and joining the others, he remained just below the ceiling, standing in wait. Since he had been quiet about it, in this way the others might not be aware of his presence, which was what he wanted. Miranda was free to do as she wished, he wouldn't stop her, but he planned to remain up where he was until the enemy showed itself.
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Post by CJ on May 13, 2014 11:02:43 GMT -5
"Elrond," Qi said as he left the office. She took her keys in hand and sighed. She wanted desperately to be useful. Hopefully, some day she feel worthy enough to control the spirits she contracted. For now, she had to try her best not to hinder the others. More importantly, she had to get her want for Achlys's Sand out of her mind.
"I won't look for the sand ever again," she muttered to herself as she hobbled out of the office. Standing firm outside of it, she looked toward the other members of the guild. These were the people she wanted to depend on her. She had to be strong for them without outside power.
As focused as she was, she only barely noticed the jar that had appeared in her hands. It brought forth images in her mind of Susano-san, who had attacked her with its contents on the night before the Harvest Festival. She held it out and beheld the sand as it glittered in the dim light of the storm.
She had been looking for its power for so long.
Qi blinked and brought it back in toward her chest. She couldn't believe what she was doing. Didn't she just promise not to look for it again? How did it get in her hands?
"Elrond!" she beckoned, clutching the magical item. She didn't know what else to say or do, too caught in paranoia.
---
Briar's rabbit-like ears went straight up as Maisie revealed the guild's plans.
"You all were serious about that?" he asked. "You can't fight him. It's like fighting death. One way or another, it's going to come. All you can do is avoid it for as long as you can."
Atre indeed had negative competition in Briar. However, the demon of Renascence's fears were justifiable. After all, this was a mage that supposedly obtained immortality, amongst other dark powers.
"I... never thought about what might happen to me if Lord Acyhls were to... No, I shouldn't even say it. Such a thing is impossible. He's all powerful, Maisie. Don't get involved. Please. I don't want you guys to die."
He sobbed again, using his ears to dry his tears.
---
Meanwhile, a clown walked out of one of the dorm hallways, as inconspicuous as any other guild member.
"What little pussies," Dofun said cheerfully after silently walking past Briar and Maisie.
He had a new mask on, a different colored version of the mask he usually wore. Its crescent moon shaped eyes were bright white on a dark black canvas. Dofun, or what appeared to be Dofun, ran forward and did several extensive flips toward the stairs. He grasped onto the side of them.
"How cute!" the clown said, dangling off the railing as he peered at Alden and Miranda. "This Achleez must be a very strong and sexy man if yoou need so many weapons!"
---
Meanwhile, Dofun would find himself in a different place entirely. How he got there would be out of his knowledge. Perhaps the last thing he remembered was falling asleep or blacking out. Whatever the case was, he was here now and lifted high above many people in dark cloaks.
He would see a great hall before him made of what appeared to be black stone. There were no windows. Some of the only light of the place came from black candles, dangling from the ceiling in crooked chandeliers. Many banners hung about the place, all depicting an odd man with a fancy beard.
He was seated in a rather plush and comfortable throne, made from the same stone of the building, but accented with dark purple etchings. The cushions were the same color. He would notice he was partially covered in soft pillows.
Leading up to the throne was a long set of stairs which were surrounded by at least three hundred people in dark cloaks, each holding their own candle. One stood at the bottom of the stairs in front of a table with a glowing rune on it. On top of the rune was a tiny white pomeranian who whimpered. It moved above but was shocked if it tried to move too far outside of the symbol.
"Lord Achlys!" the man said, bowing and holding his free hand out. "We bring you today the pomeranian responsible for insulting your corgi, Sergeant Death. Translated roughly from dog communication, it stated as such. Sergeant Death is overrated. Corgis suck."
The crowd gasped and bellowed in collective horror. Dofun would hear a bark come from his right. A plump corgi sat on a smaller version of the throne he was seated on. It had a smug and entitled look to its beady little eyes. Its tail wagged furiously. This must have been "Sergeant Death."
"As you are aware, being aware of all things, we have many wonderful means of executing this cute and adorable fiend. Of course, they cannot possibly compare to your wisdom. Please, bless us by bestowing your dark will upon this beast."
Dofun would have likely discovered before this point that he wasn't feeling quite like himself. He might feel cold and empty, a hollow shell of a person. For whatever reason, his copy magic was still there, though there didn't seem to be any relevant magic to latch onto currently. Most importantly, he had a magnificent beard and his face was exposed for the crowd to see.
The pomeranian whimpered again, hopping up and down in place as it shifted about in fright.
---
On his way into town, Jupiter might have noticed a figure racing down the hill from the guild in the dark storm. It ran on all fours, stumbling and rolling down the grass as it went. It crashed into mud and began to roll around, kicking its arms and legs about.
Whatever it was, it appeared to be in peril.
---
Meanwhile, Beauty's and Cinder's whereabouts were unknown, having last been seen entering their respective dorms.
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Post by Hitotsumami on May 13, 2014 12:41:19 GMT -5
Miranda gave a small nod to Alden. "Well, if magical items won't scare him, not sure what a physical item would do either." Of course, Miranda didn't have any strength or weapons or power. She had a knack of leading people, to rally the troops, but could do no more than that, so she had to hope there was something that would affect this mysterious mage.
Turning, she saw the Dofun. "Oh, not the clown again." She rubbed her forehead, already a migraine starting up. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She quickly passed him by, not noticing anything peculiar.
---
Elrond was about to enter the main hall, where he spied Briar and a few other mages, but spun around when he heard Qi yell out his name. There, in her hand, was the jar of sand.
He rushed back to her. "How did you get that? Asmoday hid it from you, from all of us. Where did you find it?"
He attempted to snatch it away from her.
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Post by Mise™ on May 13, 2014 15:11:07 GMT -5
While walking around the guild house looking miserable, as always, Atre overheard the discussion between Briar and Maisie and he heard Briar mention how Achlys was supposedly invincible and fighting him would be futile. ”That settles it. Doesn't it? There is no need for us to oppose this Achlys then. That would be horrible. Even more horrible than it is right now.” Not that Atre would have been fighting either way. Not just because he always disappears when something is about to happen, but also because he had no real combat abilities to speak of. An average man would beat him in a fight. All he could do is his disappearing act. Meanwhile Jupiter was still enjoying life in the fullest and he had not paid any attention to the strange figure in his way towards the town.
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Post by Kuro on May 13, 2014 20:17:18 GMT -5
He blinked slowly.
There was...a strange feeling in his body. Numb. Yes, that was it, he felt...numb..? A single, flat, odd feeling in his entire body. As if each and every inch was incapable of movement.
The thoughts came to him slowly, and he could feel the mist in his mind.
Dofun's eyes drooped as if in slow-mo, one after the other. It was an effort to keep them open at all. His breath was shallow and he oh so barely noticed the rough hair stroking against his chin.
The bark and the words barely registered with him. Seconds passed in the time that it took for Dofun's look to go to the white Pomeranian.
"..."
For a while, there were nothing but long breaths coming from the throne's tired wielder.
"...What...is this...nonsense before me...?"
He inhaled one long breath, and exhaled while feeling irritation. His hand went to his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Take...this...thing...and..."
His eyes shot wide open.
"...Make it into a mask. Make me a furry, adorable, comfortable mask."
A pause.
"IMMEDIATELY!"
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 16, 2014 2:54:54 GMT -5
Maisie leered at Dofun when the clown happened by to utter his fateful comment, and though she would have liked to have done something about it, she felt it was more important that Briar not be left alone.
"Well if it really is that dire, and you're certain of this fate, then at the very least we can be with you till your last moments. We're not going to abandon you, but I wouldn't be so quick to just write us off. From what I heard, before I joined, these guys saved the world."
Maisie obviously harkened back to the incident involving Samson, which she had only heard about. Briar seemed convinced of his doom, but Maisie was not so sure. As great and terrible as this threat might be, she couldn't imagine it being on the same scale as an existential threat.
---
Alden meanwhile was met face to face with the clown, whom he had never taken a particular liking to, to begin with. He wasn't sure what Dofun was getting at, but he wasn't the mindset to be playing games.
"How cute! This Achleez must be a very strong and sexy man if yoou need so many weapons!"
"I only need one."
Alden merely kept his focus down on the main hall, drumming his thumbs on the sword resting across his lap. He noted Miranda taking her leave, and wished in part that she wasn't going, since it would probably mean he would have to treat with the clown for longer.
"There's a whole building you can be, that isn't here. You're giving away my position."
He responded plainly, not an inkling of anger in his voice. He honestly just thought that Dofun stood out like a sore thumb hanging there, and hoped he would move at some point. They could talk about whatever he wanted, just after this whole mess was sorted. Until then Alden shifted in place a little, resting an elbow on the jar of sand that sat next to him, and moved a toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other.
---
Fathom all the while simply remained outside, blissfully unaware of what might be occurring with the bigger picture. Stanley though overtime had noticed things getting worse outside, and had finally given up helping to clean, and remained in the main hall in preparation for whatever could happen.
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Post by CJ on May 16, 2014 19:39:56 GMT -5
Unlike Maisie, Briar hadn't heard Dofun's comment. Perhaps affected by her magic, he stopped sobbing again. He gulped and smiled.
"Thank you, Maisie," he said. "I originally joined Renascence because I heard recruitment was lax. I didn't think anyone would find out I was a demon or that it would ever matter. Even with all of this happening, I'm so happy I was able to be your friend, Maisie, and a friend of the others too."
But that wasn't true at all. Briar never got to know any of them, especially enough to be considered their friend. For his short time in the guild, he was isolated from the others due to his own awkwardness. He didn't have any friends in Renascence. It wasn't until now that any positive attention had been given to him. His words were genuine, however. He actually believed in his delusion.
"Lord Achlys will probably try to harass you guys to get you to attack him in the best scenario," he continued with a sigh. "At the worst, he'll use the great magic of this guild for his own whims. What good is power if it can be turned against you?"
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"I-I don't know," Qi answered with a grimace. "It just appeared in my hand. I swear, Elrond. I didn't mean to... I didn't want it..."
She yelped when Elrond took it out of her hands. She stumbled back and felt a surge of magic flow out from her. Her summon Snake appeared behind her and caught her. She glared at Elrond with her cold, emerald eyes. There seemed to be a misunderstanding. The guild master's attempt to spare Qi from the jar's magic might have looked malicious to an outsider.
But when Elrond took the jar in his hands, he would notice it wasn't a jar anymore, but an orb, spinning with the same black sand inside. The sand would spiral inward, forming a small silhouette within.
It was unmistakably Asmoday.
"Elrond!" she said with a smile and open arms. "I'm so happy to see you! I'm coming back to the guild now! In fact, I'm right outside. Come out and greet me!"
But if the guild master was to look outside, all he would see was Fathom and the creature rolling in the mud.
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The Dofun in Renascence gripped onto the railing and moved his body back and forth, making a crude motion toward Alden.
"Your posityon?" he asked. "What kind of tactics do yoou plan to use? What deliciousness is in store for this fantastic Achleez?"
Stopping his action, he leaned his crescent moon smile mask uncomfortable close toward the mage hunter.
"What is dees weapon?"
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Meanwhile, a soft tapping sound could be heard, coming from one of the doors leading to dormitories. Someone seemed to be on the other side, trying to get into the main hall. But why couldn't the person open the door themselves?
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Whoever it was that Jupiter missed fell closer and closer to danger in her struggle.
It was a person, now covered completely in thick mud. Its eyelids opened to reveal bright, baby blue eyes. They blinked in the cold night, peering around to environment surrounding their master. The figure began to crawl up the hill toward Fathom and his watery magic, away from Jupiter.
"Awoooooooooooo!" she called out, loud enough for marble user to hear. "Awoooooooooooooooo..."
Her voice was strained, cracking as she seemed to struggle even using it. She fell forward onto the ground, whimpering in her failure to climb the hill.
---
The crowd cheered ecstatically in favor of Dofun's righteous judgement, flailing their arms about in celebration. To his right, Sergeant Death nodded approvingly. Truly, Dofun was worthy of the throne he sat upon.
Raising a jagged dagger, the figure head of the cult laughed and prepared to strike the pomeranian. Instead of striking flesh, the dagger clashed with a weapon. In the mouth of the dog was what appeared to be a glass dagger, formed by magic.
"Death and darkness!" he shouted in shock. "The beast is rebelling! How dare it!"
The tiny dog jumped up and down, creating even more glass daggers. They flew at the figure head and the cult members who tried to assist him. In retaliation, they began to charge it, accidentally breaking the table in an attempt to get it. The magic rune broke, freeing the dog, who pounced up the stairs away from the cult members.
Sergeant Death began to growl at the pomeranian's attempted escape. The tiny white dog turned and whimpered again, beholding the sight of Dofun. At this point, Dofun would be able to copy the dog's glass-make magic. But why would such a creature have that magic or even know how to control it? Would Dofun continue to carry through with his plans?
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