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Post by Kyubey on Apr 1, 2013 2:03:31 GMT -5
John wondered just exactly why Janus enjoyed talking so much, when he hardly ever bothered to say anything useful. There were many things that irritated the gangster mage, and near the top of the list were people who spoke in such a vague manner without having any apparent logical reason to do so. But it wasn't as if he cared that much to begin with. The one thing he really did want to know was answered straightforwardly, even if it seemed to come out of a slip of the tongue rather than a direct response. Why was he being followed since childhood though? That didn't make sense. His father was just a drunk, and John himself was one of several poor children, with countless others just like him littering the less-wealthy district. Even as he grew up, he never became all that distinguished until later in his life, so what point was there to someone going through the trouble of keeping tabs on him in the first place? He didn't know, but he didn't like it, and he was going to find out the answers. Unfortunately, or perhaps very fortunately for Janus, the allergy-stricken rogue mage was not needed for this. The Gangster of Renascence already had issues with Janus's guild, and this incident was nothing more than encouragement for him to act on them.
Part of him, the truly sick and warped side of his mind, was a little annoyed at Janus pleading for John to kill him. It took the sense of accomplishment out of vanquishing a defeated foe, more so when it was somebody so loathsome as Janus. He had hoped the rogue would beg for his life a little, at least. Would have made it more satisfying to deny him his life. Still, that twinge of disappointment wouldn't stop him from doing what needed to be done, and he fully intended to show off the deadly powers of his magic to...
And then Alden kicked Janus in the face, which would have required him stepping into the dark magical circle.
John was annoyed before, but now once again he was furious at the completely pointless actions of his supposed teammate. He had things under control, so what was even the use of the kid stepping in, making John's task that much harder? He couldn't kill Janus then, not without risking seriously hurting Alden as well, which honestly didn't seem like that bad a prospect, but the consequences of which would have been a little too irritating to deal with.
"Again, brat, what did I say about getting in my goddamn way?" he shouted at the mage hunter, his eyebrow twitching with agitation. "Whatever. You wanna be the hero in this, go for it. Let's see what you got, Girly. Screw it up though, and I won't save you next time Ugly has a mood swing."
Also worth noting, is that when Alden stepped into the circle of dark magic, he would have felt the same heavy gripping feeling that Janus felt when his feet first made contact with the dark matter.
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Post by CJ on Apr 1, 2013 14:19:48 GMT -5
"I see. Thank you," Qi said softly, clutching onto Alden. As they came up to the rogue mage caught in John's trap, Janus actually listened to Alden and looked away.
Qi squeaked when Alden then kicked Janus in the face. She seemed extremely distressed. Though why should she? Didn't she say she was going to blast the man off the face of the earth?
She knelt on the ground after Alden set her down, cringing as she shifted her hurt legs underneath her. The summoner looked up somewhat coldly at him and John as she clutched the new golden key in her hand.
"I'm not "Summoner Girl" and I'm certainly not "Girly." I'm "Qi." If I'm going to going to leave the Xing out of my name for your sakes, you might as well get my nickname right."
"Your name is shit, you shit summoner! Get the f*ck away from me!"
Janus was raging yet again. Having Alden kick him in the face wasn't helping him befriend anyone. He thrashed at Alden but it only caused him to dowse himself in more of the matter. He screamed and placed his hands on his face, only hurting him all the more. Qi's face scrunched up as she looked down at him with almost a motherly disappointment.
"Who are you to talk? Your name isn't even Janus. I don't know if you're here on your own accord or if someone is forcing you. Either way, I'll have to deal with you later. Year of the Monkey! I command you! Gate close!"
Holding his hand out toward Qi suddenly, Janus seemed to be trying to reach for the key in her hand. He brought it back in and stared at it as his skin glowed bright yellow. He looked toward early evening stars with a look of realization as his body was pulled upward and dissipated. He disappeared completely from their plane of existence.
The summoner sighed and clutched her broken staff on the ground. She leaned forward and tried to keep her eyes open. She was clearly exhausted from her effort and wouldn't be able to move on her own in a long time. She clipped her new golden key to the broken staff with the other two.
"I wasn't sure if that would work," Qi sighed again. "It makes sense though. He's more than a hundred years old and he reacts violently to matter itself. Though, what kind of power does it take for a mage to keep a Celestial Spirit here for more than a hundred years. And how did I get this key?"
Before the question could reasonably be answered, the tree made another groaning noise. It began to shrink as its two largest branches formed into arms, its roots into legs. The giant formed into a young teenager standing before them in the rubble. His skin was as rough as the bark of the tree, his hair as green as the leaves. He clambered out of the wreckage and nearly skipped toward them.
"I guess my spell wore off," he said hesitantly. "Lasted a lot longer than I thought. I can't control my magic when I use that much power."
He brushed dirt off of his rather simple clothes and grinned nervously at the three mages.
"Thank you for saving my life. My name is Chaney. That man wouldn't stop harassing me no matter what I said so I... I guess... I'll... uh..."
Chaney reached in his pocket and pulled out two petty coins and a hair pin.
"Here's some compensation for now. I'll tell my village to send you the money. What was your guild's name again?"
"Ummm..." Qi mumbled. She looked to Alden or John to communicate with Chaney, hating to get too involved.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 3, 2013 18:50:32 GMT -5
"Again, brat, what did I say about getting in my goddamn way?"
"Sorry mate, everything you said... I already forgot it all."
Alden stumbled off balance when he came into contact with the dark substance, and it felt like he would soon collapse. The important thing was though, that he kicked Janus in the face, and that he got Qi over to where she needed to be.
And then Janus vanished in a poof of magic. Assumedly in banishing the rogue mage, the dark substance would also go away, if for no other reason than that John had no further need for it without Janus' presence.
"I wasn't sure if that would work, it makes sense though. He's more than a hundred years old and he reacts violently to matter itself. Though, what kind of power does it take for a mage to keep a Celestial Spirit here for more than a hundred years. And how did I get this key?"
"Wait... so, he wasn't real? Or well, he wasn't a normal person? That's fuckin' crazy, man."
As far as he had been, Alden had seen summoned spirits. He'd even fought against them more than once, too. From the external souls of Cliffmoor, to the spiritual auxiliaries of Aquilia, he'd seen his share of entities from the etherium. Never had he seen one in a situation such as this though, so it was a bit surprising if nothing else, for the mage hunter. To the extent that, he barely noticed the tree turning into a boy, and when he did he wasn't all that impressed.
"Nice trick."
"Here's some compensation for now. I'll tell my village to send you the money. What was your guild's name again?"
"Renascence. That it then?"
Carefully Alden reached out to take the couple of coins and the hairpin. Shuffling them up and down in his hand a little, he turned to John, giving a light underhanded toss. His intent was simply to give the "payment" to him.
"Here you go S-rank, that ought to cover your share. Now then, unless there's anything left to take care of here, I'm going back. Need any help, Key?"
He offered to carry the summoner mage as before, in case she needed assistance getting back to the Guild.
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Post by Kyubey on Apr 5, 2013 17:44:15 GMT -5
"Huh. And he won't be coming back?" John asked with mild disinterest. "Care to explain to me why you didn't do that before, Qi?"
John had stopped being interested as soon as the boy turned to his normal form. Impressive magical power or no, it seemed that the thing the Gangster Mage was most wrong about was thinking the target of the mission would be at all rich. No child, no matter how much potential they had, was worth so much effort if they carried around so little. This whole thing was shaping up to be a waste of time, and even worse, he didn't even know how to get back home again.
"Not that I care, kid, but keep in mind that Janus or whatever his name is won't be the last guy they send. Try to be careful, 'cause I'm not coming back here again, and I wouldn't trust these guys to save anyone on their own."
He caught the coins that Alden tossed, and, with about twice the force of the mage hunters throw, hurled them right back at him. One would think that, after John went and fought an entire battle while he did what amounted to nothing, he would have been a little more grateful, but then John remembered what sort of group he was in, and realized how stupid it was for him to expect such a thing. At the same time, he also realized the foolishness that remaining with such a merry band, after he saw them for what they really were, would be. Clearly, they had no place for him.
"Don't bother," he scoffed at both Alden and Qi, "I'm out of here. Have fun with your magical adventures, kiddies."
As he walked away, one thought prevailed in his mind, normally occupied with thoughts of profit: Joining the Mage Scene, thinking it could lead to any difference in his life, was a huge mistake.
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Post by CJ on Apr 9, 2013 23:29:44 GMT -5
"I didn't know," Qi muttered before John ignored her. She gritted her teeth and thought back to when Janus punched her and Snake across town. His wrist had brushed against one of the keys on the staff. Unlike anything else he touched, his skin actually lightened and healed. She recalled Snake explaining to her that summons were never supposed to stay in the human world for too long, lest they deteriorate and waste away.
"Renascence?" Chaney asked Alden. "I've never heard of that guild before. I've never been too good with current events. Never been a fan of paper, you can probably guess why. Oh. Thank you!"
The boy waved at John with a leafy grin. No, really, there was a leaf stuck in his tooth. He didn't seem afraid or intimidated by John, likely coming to some innocent assumption that, since they had defeated Janus, the three people before him must have been good people.
When John threw the coins back at Alden, both Qi and Chaney ducked (even though Chaney was far out of reach of the things). The summoner seemed very distressed at the way Alden and John treated each other. In her mind, couldn't they see that they worked very well together?
"John," Qi said quietly. She wasn't sure what to say. He was selfish, mean and outright rude, but she couldn't help but something was amiss. She wanted to say something but wasn't sure what exactly it was.
"Wait, did you say "Key?" Qi actually chuckled at Alden from her place on the ground. "It's "Qi," but... I like "Key." Forgive me for saying this but it is rather cute."
"I would indeed like some help. It doesn't look I'll be able to walk for a while and I used up all on my magic on that Janus guy so I won't be able to summon Horse. I really appreciate it, Alden."
Her childish smile was all too trusting. But happiness aside, how were they supposed to get back to the guild?
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 11, 2013 12:30:14 GMT -5
"I would indeed like some help. It doesn't look I'll be able to walk for a while and I used up all on my magic on that Janus guy so I won't be able to summon Horse. I really appreciate it, Alden."
"Don't mention it. The guild is in... that direction, right?"
Picking the summoner up again and slinging her over his shoulder as before, Alden headed out of the village to a point where he could see as far as possible of the surrounding environment. Reaching under his cloak, he pulled out a telescope that had been fastened to the back of his belt. With one hand he swung it forward so that it extended the full length.
"You might want to close your eyes for this, it can be pretty weird if you're not used to it..."
Bringing the telescope up to his eye, he looked as far as it would allow in the direction he believed the guild to be in. With the device still up to his eye, he made an effort to collapse it with his other hand while not dropping Qi in the process. Once he did and lowered the telescope, he was standing in the place he had seen with it, Qi and all. For him it was as simple as that, and the shift occurred while he was collapsing the device. For Qi though who was not afforded such a perspective, the change would be as sudden as simply blinking, and then they were there. If she kept her eyes open though for whatever reason, it probably would have appeared as a mass blurring of color as the scene of the locations surged about them. Alden whom had suffered the transition before without being afforded the device, knew what the aftereffect was like, which was temporary blindness of a sort. For him at least, it was like having a bright light flashed in your eyes, the surge of blurred colors caught like a picture in the vision and slowly fading as the eyes adjusted to the change in scenery.
"I figure we'll be back in an hour at the most."
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Post by CJ on Apr 17, 2013 22:15:45 GMT -5
Qi squeaked as she was thrown over Alden's shoulder. She would have liked to have been carried another way but she figured she shouldn't complain. It was far better than nothing.
"Alden," she said worriedly, actually catching the first leap in her vision. Her breath quickened until he reassured her they would be there in an hour.
She closed her eyes and hummed a melody, clutching onto the Key of the Monkey on her broken staff. If she couldn't handle this kind of transportation, she wouldn't be able to handle a lot of things. What would have happened if Alden wasn't there to help her? She didn't want to think about being stuck back in that village.
In a way, being with Alden, even in the chaos of his magical item, was a pleasant feeling. Yes, they didn't come back immediately with a hoard of cash, but they still saved the boy and his town. She would have to worry about Janus later but, for now, Qi was at peace.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Apr 29, 2013 11:56:14 GMT -5
Elrond and Dofun, along with the rest of the Guild, had managed to defeat the snow creatures and all the other horrifying monsters that plagued their town, and all was finally at peace again.
Alden, Qi and John, who had vanished to another town, had also completed their mission successfully and were on their way home.
Sitting on the porch, which was magically repairing itself from damage from the snowmen monsters, Elrond was looking down the street when he saw ALden, Qi and John. Smiling gleefully, he jumped up into the air, waving his arms.
"You guys!" he yelled out, running down the street to meet them. "You're back! I'm guessing everything went okay? Good! We completed our missions here just earlier and the money is already pouring in. I think we've won over this town for sure! Finally, making a name for ourselves."
Elrond then turned back and looked at the Guild. A frown appeared on his face. "Though there is just one problem... After we defeated the snow monsters, a couple of guys showed up. Before I could ask what was going on, they locked me out. No idea what's going on in there now... But I don't think it's good."
---
Inside the Guild, Astral Lance plopped down on a wooden chair, crossing his legs.
"How the hell did I get dragged into this place?"
After the meeting, it was decided that a small group of the Magical Council would come to the Renascence Guild to investigate it and find out if it truly had any connection to the old Fable Guild.
Astral wasn't particularly keen on going, but with only a few members deciding to participate in the investigation, he decided to follow.
Looking around, memories flooded back into Astral. He never saw the inside of the Guild, but he remembered the outside and the battle he fought with Saturn. He wondered what happened to Saturn and the rest of the Fable Guild. But that was a long time ago. He had his own mission to complete.
"What exactly should we be looking for?" he asked any of the Magical Council members that had decided to come.
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Post by CJ on May 1, 2013 16:45:53 GMT -5
"Oh, we're back?" Qi asked cutely. "I had my eyes closed. It was a pretty stressful mission but we saved the boy. Alden really was great. He saved my life. John said he's not coming back though. I'm... not entirely sure why."
Pointing, she motioned Alden to let her rest on the ground. She shook her head at Elrond, deeply troubled that someone had taken their home.
"Did they say who they were? They didn't harm anyone, did they?"
Qi thought back at that woman who spoke to her before she joined Renanscence and wondered if the intruders were of the same nature. Fear took over her again. What if they were evil? She was stuck with injured legs on the ground where she was. Alden helped her, sure, but she couldn't always depend on him.
She noticed she had just enough strength to conjure one summon for a short while. In a daydream, she imagined summoning Horse and having him pry open the front doors to get whoever those strange people were out. Snake would have been nice to talk to but it was unlikely that her sleep powers would do anything. Janus, or Monkey now she supposed, was out of the question. She figured she should likely never summon him, lest she wanted one of her new friends to get punted across the earth. Still, she would keep onto the key for safe keeping, just in case whoever was his previous owner might want it back.
---
"This place hasn't changed a bit! These kids haven't done anything to it, it seems."
The glorious image of Pony Love began to speak from a picture frame. Its rainbow curls flicked this way and that as the water color image smiled and sparkled at Astral Lance. Eventually the image in the portrait began to move, squeezing itself to try and get through the frame. As thin as the S Rank Mage of the past was, it seemed to be having a hard time climbing out.
"Look for the ponies! There's no Carrot to be concerned about so you don't have to worry about that."
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 4, 2013 12:40:11 GMT -5
Qi pointed to the ground and Alden set her down.
Yeah that's right, I'm just a pack mule. Nothing more.
Hearing all that Elrond had to say, Alden took off his helmet to scratch his head. He heard everything the Guild Master had to say, he just didn't understand most of it. Something about snow monsters, he looked towards the guild building with a concerned look, but when he heard the part about being locked out he just looked at the Guild Master confused.
"Locked out? You don't have the keys, or extra keys or something? Even so... there's other ways to get inside without the front door."
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Post by Hitotsumami on May 24, 2013 19:14:46 GMT -5
"It's so creepy when you do that," muttered Astral Lance while Pony Love crawled through the picture frame. "Can't you just walk like a regular guy? Well, I did fly here... Anyway, I call this entire thing a bunch of hooey! I don't even see any mages here, so they're obviously not causing that much trouble."
In his mind, his thoughts returned to 100 years ago when he had went face to face with the old Fable Guild, and how he had even worked with them once. That was the day everything happened. They day they all vanished. He shook his head, trying to forget the thought. That was the past. Fable no longer existed. He had a new goal now, a new horizon. He couldn't let these old memories get in his way.
"Yo, Pony Love, no reason to squeeze through. Let's get outta here. Nothin' for us to see."
And with that, Astral Lance raised his lance into the air and lightning seemed to strike indoors. That caused the magical barrier he placed over to Guild to vanish and allow people to come and go as they please. Astral wasn't sure where the Guild was, but he didn't really care at the moment anyway.
He opened the door and walked out, and as he did he spotted Elrond, Qui, Alden, and any other mage that was outside.
Somehow, Astral was able to make the connection. He knew who these people were standing before him. The new guild, the replacement of Fable.
"Yo," said Astral Lance, walking up to the group. "Take some advice from me. Shut down this dump. Aint no reason to keep it going. You'll end up like the old guild. It's cursed, you know. Just give it up."
Elrond, perplexed, cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms, trying to figure out what the man meant. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about, weirdo, and by the way, this is my guild! Renascence! I don't know what you did, but if you please, I'd suggest you get out of here! My mages are the most powerful of the land and we don't want any trespassers! Unless you want to join the guild, that is..."
"I just called it cursed you idiot, why would I want to join!?" He then sighed, then raised an eyebrow when he spotted Alden, seeming to notice something on his leg. "You got something there, buddy," muttered Lance, but without explaining he began walking away. If any of the mages wished to stop him or speak to him, now would be the time.
Alden, however, didn't want anything to do with the likes of him, so he simply crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue as Lance walked away.
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Post by CJ on May 27, 2013 23:08:25 GMT -5
"I could paint a picture to you to crawl through if you want!" Pony Love exclaimed happily, finally falling out of the frame. Its bright colors spilled over it, splashing out onto the floor and then merging back into it.
"I must agree! They haven't touched a thing! My old room is still in perfect condition!"
Skipping after Lance, the strange creature skidded to a halt in front of the mages. It did not stop any of them from entering but seemed to want to speak to them after Lance walked away.
"Is this true?" it asked the group of mages remaining with a sparkle wink. "Do you really think you are all the most powerful mages in the land? Seems a little pretentious if you ask me."
It seemed to be trying to elaborate on what Elrond claimed before. But was it out of simple curiosity or something more?
"That's Pony Love," Qi whispered to Alden. "It was a former S-rank mage here at Fable! But it hasn't been seen in a hundred years!"
"What do you think of yourselves?"
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Post by Hitotsumami on May 29, 2013 15:29:09 GMT -5
Elrond tried to forget about Astral Lance as he walked away, but curiously, the strange Pony Love approached them, asking them about themselves. Qi whispered that it was Pony Love, one of the old S-Rank mages of Fable."
"Fable?" asked Elrond, interested. "That name sounds really familiar. I think my grandfather was part of a Guild called that. It's always been my dream to find it, you know!"
Elrond rushed up to Pony Love, grinning. "So, I don't know what you are exactly, but my name is Elrond Vir, the master of this Guild, and if you really need to know, it's the best Guild in the world! Now, tell me, what do YOU know about Fable? I'd love to know where it is!"
Just as Elrond finished asking his question, however, his eyes seemed to haze over, and he stumbled to the ground, out cold.
(Do anything else you want, because the next main post will be the start of a new thread!)
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 31, 2013 3:35:42 GMT -5
What was all this then, inter-guild politics? Something about a magic council? Alden had not been in Fiore for a very long time, but he understood that they had some sort of official role in the country, something like an intermediary between magic groups and the king. Apparently, they also surveyed and kept order.
"That's Pony Love, it was a former S-rank mage here at Fable! But it hasn't been seen in a hundred years!"
"Wait, how in the hell did you know that? And what do you mean it?"
Alden heard what Qi said, and he processed it, but he didn't really shift his focus from the strangers before them. He didn't respond to her meanly, or at least that wasn't his intent, he was just honestly curious and a little taken aback by the summoner's knowledge on the matter. For Elrond it was one thing, his apparent relation to the former guild. Qi though, would probably have had to done some serious research on the matter in order to discover that kind of a connection. Or at least, that was his assumption.
"Yo, what's up with him? We might need a doctor up here..."
He didn't really have time to get the full story though, as Elrond seemed to have passed out before them, and Alden wasted no time in trying to see what was wrong. He bore no great love for the man, but he was at least concerned enough to wonder if the guild master was dead.
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Post by CJ on May 31, 2013 14:31:41 GMT -5
"Well, my great aunt wrote about Pony Love and there's no mistaking it from her description," Qi explained to Alden. "And what would you call it? I can't tell what gender it is! It looks more like a doodle."
She gasped when Elrond fell to the ground. She couldn't run after him with her legs injured so she merely placed her hand to her mouth in surprise.
"Do you want to know where Fable is?" Pony Love asked, tilting its head 90 degrees toward the fallen guildmaster. "It's here."
The mage turned and looked toward Renanscence.
"And there."
Quickly turning back, its eyes sparkled once more.
"And all you need to know about Fable is that it sucks. It sucks hard. Bye now! PONIES AND MAGIC!"
Pony Love leaped into the air and disappeared in a cloud of pink and purple sparkles. A neigh of a horse sounded through the air.
As it left, Qi nodded in response to Alden. They needed to get help for Elrond.
"Year of the Horse!" she shouted, holding up the piece of her broken staff in the air. In a golden shimmer, the majestic giant of a creature appeared. He nodded respectfully to Qi and picked her up, placing her in the seat on his back. He then went to pick up Elrond so they could take him to a doctor in the village.
Toward the bottom of the hill, in the distance, any of the guild members might have seen an old woman and a cane walking slowly away.
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