Alastor calmly stood up, dusting himself off and taking a deep breath before speaking. "Urug? How does this stranger know my name? An' what the hell have yeh done to the guest room? Don't tell me yeh forgot the rules I left?"
Urug quickly waved his hands in front of himself. "No boss! This is a friend! 'is name is Kylarion. He's been here for a little bit now, and he's real brainy!" Urug gave a hearty smile. "He says he figured out what's going on with the guest room! His work's in your study if you want to see it. I'd tell you, but I can't read it."
Urug then turned to the newcomers, opening his arms wide. "Hello kitty and pretty lady! Welcome to our home!" He then quickly whispered over his shoulder to Kylarion, "Can the cat talk back?"
Urug then turned to the newcomers, opening his arms wide. "Hello kitty and pretty lady! Welcome to our home!" He then quickly whispered over his shoulder to Kylarion, "Can the cat talk back?"
At the orphanage
"Mister Alastor, I believe you are, in fact, in possession of a recording of mine," the magistrate says, his voice carrying the calm of an experienced mediator, "The image disk you acquired with the artifat? And yes, I believe I have identified the mechanism by which the room has preserved itself, though that is not the reason for my visit. Both are matters I suspect are best discussed in private, however."
He smirks slightly at Urug's question, and replies just as quietly, "Oh, she is very capable of speech, and most assuredly of talking back."
"Mister Alastor, I believe you are, in fact, in possession of a recording of mine," the magistrate says, his voice carrying the calm of an experienced mediator, "The image disk you acquired with the artifat? And yes, I believe I have identified the mechanism by which the room has preserved itself, though that is not the reason for my visit. Both are matters I suspect are best discussed in private, however."
He smirks slightly at Urug's question, and replies just as quietly, "Oh, she is very capable of speech, and most assuredly of talking back."
She listens to everyone's exchanges before hearing Urug. "A pleasure to meet you! Ive heard all good things." With his arms open wide She smiles and hugs him. She took it that way anyway. Her chest pressing up against him. "I'm Jules by the way. Pretty lady is alright too." She jokes with a small chuckle.
Victi Aurora Silverfur wrote:
As Victi and Drake walk up to the gate, one of the guards on duty gives them a quick look up and down and says, "Sorry, you won't get in this way. Not until a wizard gets a look at you."
Victi blinks a couple times, shoked at this person's bolness. She decides to play along, though, putting her hands on the illusions over her hips and raising one eyebrow bemusedly.
"Well then, where is a wizard who could check us over," she asks snarkily, "nearby, I hope, I'm not in the mood to wait."
Surprisingly, the guard is somewhat helpful as he says, "Some big deal with the people over at the eastern gate happened, so he's there. You want in quick , you may as well walk over there for it."
Victi seems grumpy about this, her ears flattiening slightly as he explains the issue. Once he's done, she shrugs, muttler something like 'alright', and start walking int the indicated direction.
Hey, maybe this would be where something interesting was in progress, she wouldn't mind having some more fun after that caravan...
Victi blinks a couple times, shoked at this person's bolness. She decides to play along, though, putting her hands on the illusions over her hips and raising one eyebrow bemusedly.
"Well then, where is a wizard who could check us over," she asks snarkily, "nearby, I hope, I'm not in the mood to wait."
Surprisingly, the guard is somewhat helpful as he says, "Some big deal with the people over at the eastern gate happened, so he's there. You want in quick , you may as well walk over there for it."
Victi seems grumpy about this, her ears flattiening slightly as he explains the issue. Once he's done, she shrugs, muttler something like 'alright', and start walking int the indicated direction.
Hey, maybe this would be where something interesting was in progress, she wouldn't mind having some more fun after that caravan...
Drake's ears flatten and he crosses his arms, just as frustrated as Victi about being stopped at the gate, but not inclined to do much more than grind his teeth a little as he follows her toward the eastern gate.
His ears twitch when they draw near enough to hear the commotion Isabella stirring. There's an angry child up there. Great"Hey, are you sure we don't want to wait for the wizard?"
He listens a little longer, paying more attention to whatever's going on over there than Victi's answer. A sinking feeling settles in his gut as they approach the gate. Something's gone, or about to go, horribly wrong. And it has absolutely nothing to do with them but he's sure they're going to get caught up in it.
Raven sprints through the thrown-open door just in time to watch Alastor crash into a big guy, a very big guy. An orc, she thinks. The cat idles in the doorway long enough to watch their exchange, a Cheshire grin inching across her face.
To Urug, she huffs. "Me? Talk back? I never talk back!" She approaches lazily, as if she'll allow him to pet or hold her, but then ducks beneath his legs to pounce at Kylarion's tails; she'll get one of those long Kistune puffs from either him or the sorceress lady, even if it kills her.
After a satisfying pounce, deemed satisfying even if she can't catch a single luxurious red tail, she starts to purr. "I'm glad to see a familiar face." She says this a little flatly, as if trying to pass it off as sarcasm, while she sits back and grooms her own face.
To Urug, she huffs. "Me? Talk back? I never talk back!" She approaches lazily, as if she'll allow him to pet or hold her, but then ducks beneath his legs to pounce at Kylarion's tails; she'll get one of those long Kistune puffs from either him or the sorceress lady, even if it kills her.
After a satisfying pounce, deemed satisfying even if she can't catch a single luxurious red tail, she starts to purr. "I'm glad to see a familiar face." She says this a little flatly, as if trying to pass it off as sarcasm, while she sits back and grooms her own face.
Misc other wrote:
At the gate
Geoff's had put on a pair of glasses just before the inquisitor had arrived, spectacles which helped make magic semi-visible to normal vision. Looking in the general direction of Isabella's book, he had assumed from what she had said about her parents that it was a) a hereditary relic and b) the reason for their coming to the grand library. He had been just about to tell the inquisitor that when the fairy and then the girl pulled out.... very quiet artifacts, but obviously blood magic when shown so plainly. His eyes widened and he stumbled back, with a quiet, "woah, okay, that's not good," visibly unnerved.
The inquisitor who had arrived raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. He couldn't sense the magic on them, that was not his skill particularly, but he knew what they were. The High Inquisitor's carriage had arrived earlier in the day with a (very, very) strange girl carrying a similar object. He and his brethren had been informed of what it was, and now what should come before him but another pair of these objects. More blood mages.
"You will give me those pottery fragments, the amulet, and the spellbook at once before submitting yourselves to holy sanctions of arrest," the inquisitor declares, withdrawing a holy symbol from one of the pouches on his belt, "You will then be transported to detention at the Hall of the Inquisition. Any resistance will be met with magical binding or lethal force, as you both now stand accused of blood magic and consorting with evil. You will be tried fairly by divination and truth-seeking enchantments, overseen by a justice approved by the church, and also overseen by High Inquisitor Thalia once she has returned from her current errands. Do you understand?"
The guards nearby began to move to surround them, polearms readied. Geoff, for his part, seems sad and a little worried for them, but says, "Hey, if you just found those things and aren't crazy blood mages, this will all be over quickly enough, in the good way, and you'll already be pretty much at the library. I'll vouch for you, too. Just go along with it for now and it should all be cool. We've just gotta be careful with blood magic here, it isn't just a 'misunderstood' magic like necromancy, and we had a nasty cult here in Telmarune a couple times before. Huge mess with those guys."
Geoff's had put on a pair of glasses just before the inquisitor had arrived, spectacles which helped make magic semi-visible to normal vision. Looking in the general direction of Isabella's book, he had assumed from what she had said about her parents that it was a) a hereditary relic and b) the reason for their coming to the grand library. He had been just about to tell the inquisitor that when the fairy and then the girl pulled out.... very quiet artifacts, but obviously blood magic when shown so plainly. His eyes widened and he stumbled back, with a quiet, "woah, okay, that's not good," visibly unnerved.
The inquisitor who had arrived raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. He couldn't sense the magic on them, that was not his skill particularly, but he knew what they were. The High Inquisitor's carriage had arrived earlier in the day with a (very, very) strange girl carrying a similar object. He and his brethren had been informed of what it was, and now what should come before him but another pair of these objects. More blood mages.
"You will give me those pottery fragments, the amulet, and the spellbook at once before submitting yourselves to holy sanctions of arrest," the inquisitor declares, withdrawing a holy symbol from one of the pouches on his belt, "You will then be transported to detention at the Hall of the Inquisition. Any resistance will be met with magical binding or lethal force, as you both now stand accused of blood magic and consorting with evil. You will be tried fairly by divination and truth-seeking enchantments, overseen by a justice approved by the church, and also overseen by High Inquisitor Thalia once she has returned from her current errands. Do you understand?"
The guards nearby began to move to surround them, polearms readied. Geoff, for his part, seems sad and a little worried for them, but says, "Hey, if you just found those things and aren't crazy blood mages, this will all be over quickly enough, in the good way, and you'll already be pretty much at the library. I'll vouch for you, too. Just go along with it for now and it should all be cool. We've just gotta be careful with blood magic here, it isn't just a 'misunderstood' magic like necromancy, and we had a nasty cult here in Telmarune a couple times before. Huge mess with those guys."
Why was Naida so stupid? That question came across Ren’s mind many times during their journey together, but never as strongly as now, when the innocent fairy somehow managed to get them all into trouble.
But instead of hovering on this topic, Ren reacted to the more pressing matter: “Arrested? No.” She started shaking her head frantically, stepping back, memories of her past rushing back to her. Suddenly, she grew still, resolve hardening in her. She would not go through this again; she would not give up her amulet. She ripped it off her neck, holding it tight in one hand, ready to use whatever magic she could. If the guards wanted a fight, they would get one. She looked to the child, growing hopeful that the child was more powerful than she looked.
At the gate
The inquisitor's response the growling zombie-dog is quite succinct: his crossbow comes around with impressive allacrity and, with a sharp clack, sends a glowing bolt streaking across the few feet toward the animal's forehead. Following the shot, the crossbow re-readies itself, a spring mechanism cranking the cord back once again.
"You all seem shockingly ignorant of the nature of law, order and authority," he declares with all the pomp and bombast of anyone who would say so after shooting a child's pet in the face, "and are so charged with interfering in the holy mission of the Inquisition by witholding dangerous blood-magic artifacts. Come peacefully before I need to waste another bolt on you evil-serving scum!"
Geoff has a look of desperation on his face, feeling powerless, before declaring, "The University of Telmarune College of Wizardry, College of Historical Knowledge, and College of Natural Philosophy lay claim to the artifacts to gain further understanding of the nature of magic, the history of magic and the world's peoples, and the understanding of ancient potting techniques! I will be taking these artifacts and their finders in for interviewing and study! You, uh, I will have to kinda detain all of you first, though, sorry about that."
The inquisitor's response the growling zombie-dog is quite succinct: his crossbow comes around with impressive allacrity and, with a sharp clack, sends a glowing bolt streaking across the few feet toward the animal's forehead. Following the shot, the crossbow re-readies itself, a spring mechanism cranking the cord back once again.
"You all seem shockingly ignorant of the nature of law, order and authority," he declares with all the pomp and bombast of anyone who would say so after shooting a child's pet in the face, "and are so charged with interfering in the holy mission of the Inquisition by witholding dangerous blood-magic artifacts. Come peacefully before I need to waste another bolt on you evil-serving scum!"
Geoff has a look of desperation on his face, feeling powerless, before declaring, "The University of Telmarune College of Wizardry, College of Historical Knowledge, and College of Natural Philosophy lay claim to the artifacts to gain further understanding of the nature of magic, the history of magic and the world's peoples, and the understanding of ancient potting techniques! I will be taking these artifacts and their finders in for interviewing and study! You, uh, I will have to kinda detain all of you first, though, sorry about that."
Isabella Cross wrote:
Isabella retracted her hand as the strange man seemed to start lecturing her, instructing her to hand over the artifacts and submit to arrest.
While the innate fear of being detained was strong, there was one thing that was stronger. Beating wildly into her subconscious was a panic at losing the Maleficis Mihi, and immediately she started stepping backwards.
Lucas stepped in front of her, immediately barking and growling at the man defiantly, clearly prepared to defend the group without fear.
"You can't have my book!" Isabella shouted wildly, "It's mine not yours and you can't have it!" she shouted, still stepping back and looking about at the now approaching army. The logic in her mind which told her attempting to keep the book would get her killed was easily drowned by the emotional demand to keep hold of it.
She would continue stepping backward slowly, her dog standing now intentionally between her and this wizard demanding she submit to him barking and growling wildly at him.
While the innate fear of being detained was strong, there was one thing that was stronger. Beating wildly into her subconscious was a panic at losing the Maleficis Mihi, and immediately she started stepping backwards.
Lucas stepped in front of her, immediately barking and growling at the man defiantly, clearly prepared to defend the group without fear.
"You can't have my book!" Isabella shouted wildly, "It's mine not yours and you can't have it!" she shouted, still stepping back and looking about at the now approaching army. The logic in her mind which told her attempting to keep the book would get her killed was easily drowned by the emotional demand to keep hold of it.
She would continue stepping backward slowly, her dog standing now intentionally between her and this wizard demanding she submit to him barking and growling wildly at him.
“Friend?” Naida asked in concern at Isabella’s fear. The whole being arrested thing didn’t bother her; so long as she could stay with Ren she was happy. However, these men scared her newly found friend. That she couldn’t stand for. She backed up with Isabella, pulling out her small (and mostly useless) knife. Though not entirely sure how to use the blood magic, she held the shard tightly in the other hand as a last resort. In the back of her mind, Naida also planned to protect Geoff, though he really wasn’t in danger, nor could she do much if he was. She at least wanted to say good bye and thank you for the seat.
Victi's ears also pick up the sound of tension... and the sound of a crossbow going off. She eagerly scuries up to the corner of the wall, staring around it at the brewing confrontation.
Once the guy in the robe with magical pigment empowering says his thing, she glances at Drake and asks, "Hey, so, I get that the guy in green is probably a wizard, but who's the obnoxious windbag with the crossbow?"
At this distance, Victi can't make out the shards or their faint magic, though the other bits of the standoff are clear enough. She was curious to see what would happen once she got involved, but she wanted to know what self-rightous boy's deal was first.
Once the guy in the robe with magical pigment empowering says his thing, she glances at Drake and asks, "Hey, so, I get that the guy in green is probably a wizard, but who's the obnoxious windbag with the crossbow?"
At this distance, Victi can't make out the shards or their faint magic, though the other bits of the standoff are clear enough. She was curious to see what would happen once she got involved, but she wanted to know what self-rightous boy's deal was first.
Drake peers around the corner alongside her, though ducking behind her. The sound of a flying crossbow bolt already raises his suspicions...
"Oh shiii...that's an Inquisitor." A Chimeran one too, odd.
Without thinking past We sure as hell can't be seen by that guy, Drake grabs her arm and tries to pull her back around the wall to face him.
"They're part of the church dedicated to cleansing the land of evil and all that. Absolutely ruthless and not a big fan of anything remotely resembling dark magic." He peers around the corner.
"Oh shiii...that's an Inquisitor." A Chimeran one too, odd.
Without thinking past We sure as hell can't be seen by that guy, Drake grabs her arm and tries to pull her back around the wall to face him.
"They're part of the church dedicated to cleansing the land of evil and all that. Absolutely ruthless and not a big fan of anything remotely resembling dark magic." He peers around the corner.
"Oh good, I love overbearing zealous dirtbags with confidence issues," Victi says in a fake-cheery voice, followed by a genuine chortle.
"Okay, so do we break it up?" she asks, "We do actually need to get into the city and not get attacked by everyone, so I'm not sure.... How good at talking someone like that down today do you feel? I can back your words up with power if needed, so maybe we can get and authoritarian jerk-wad off some peoples' backs."
"Okay, so do we break it up?" she asks, "We do actually need to get into the city and not get attacked by everyone, so I'm not sure.... How good at talking someone like that down today do you feel? I can back your words up with power if needed, so maybe we can get and authoritarian jerk-wad off some peoples' backs."
"LUCAS!!!!" Isabella shouted with a gaping mouth on a horrified face as she watched what the inquisitor had done. The bolt came at a near range, and imbued with magic that directly defied the undead creatures existence had devastating effects on him. The bolt slammed into his face, immediately silencing the creature and sending his head back, the neck and body following along quickly to land at Isabella's feet. The unmoving response from the dog suggested he likely wasn't getting back up, and ignoring what the Inquisitor said, she simply glanced at her friend Nadia hearing the word 'friend', then knelt down before her defeated pet with tears welling in her eyes.
Her head looked back up at the inquisitor after several moments of considering her lost companion, one of the tears in her eyes strolling casually down her cheek. It was more than just the sadness of her lost friend that caused her tears, it was fear. She was surrounded by the mans guards, each of whom were also ready to attack, and she knew herself, Ren, Nadia, and their mantis friend wouldn't be enough to win the day.
With her mouth still slightly agape, she heard it again, 'lay claim to the artifacts'. With her fist balled tightly around the shard, and her arms still pressing her book firmly to her chest, Isabella turn and ran in a panic, unsure of what better option she had to keep her book in her possession. Her legs moved as fast as a 9 year old's legs would go when restricted by the long Gothic robe-like dress she wore, which was to say she wasn't making it far. Still, she didn't look back. She didn't want to see the impending doom that was approaching her from behind, and even if Drake and Victi were in plain view on a hill in front of her, she wouldn't see them there either, not through the streaming tears burning in her eyes as she fled the scene in a desperate attempt to keep both her book, and her life.
Her head looked back up at the inquisitor after several moments of considering her lost companion, one of the tears in her eyes strolling casually down her cheek. It was more than just the sadness of her lost friend that caused her tears, it was fear. She was surrounded by the mans guards, each of whom were also ready to attack, and she knew herself, Ren, Nadia, and their mantis friend wouldn't be enough to win the day.
With her mouth still slightly agape, she heard it again, 'lay claim to the artifacts'. With her fist balled tightly around the shard, and her arms still pressing her book firmly to her chest, Isabella turn and ran in a panic, unsure of what better option she had to keep her book in her possession. Her legs moved as fast as a 9 year old's legs would go when restricted by the long Gothic robe-like dress she wore, which was to say she wasn't making it far. Still, she didn't look back. She didn't want to see the impending doom that was approaching her from behind, and even if Drake and Victi were in plain view on a hill in front of her, she wouldn't see them there either, not through the streaming tears burning in her eyes as she fled the scene in a desperate attempt to keep both her book, and her life.
"Eh..." Whereas he'd normally feel pretty good about his charm and power of persuasion, Drake balks a little at the idea of negotiating with an Inquisitor. Given his own magic, he can usually back up an appeal to peace with a well-placed threat. However, against someone who shares his abilities and some allegedly divine magic? The odds aren''t great. With his new enchantments they might be evenly matched, but he's also outnumbered by the nearby guard and the wizard he can barely look at without getting a headache.
But Drake has no doubt Victi can back him up, so...
"...We could give it a shot." He straightens, puffing out his chest, and strides toward the conflict.
"Hey, do you guys mind?" He says, raising his voice slightly to be heard from a bit of a distance. "There's a line over here; maybe you can save all the holy smiting of women and children for later?" He finishes with a relaxed smile and a shrug.
Drake calls this out just as the child makes a break for it. He reacts automatically again, running ahead and throwing himself in her path to stop her from trying to flee to who-knows-where. "Hey, hey, hold on!" He aims to wrap his arms around her; he can't let the child run, not with that Inquisitor who wouldn't hesitate to shoot a child. "You really don't want to run from these guys," he tries to explain as he reaches for her. I don't want to watch a kid die today.
But Drake has no doubt Victi can back him up, so...
"...We could give it a shot." He straightens, puffing out his chest, and strides toward the conflict.
"Hey, do you guys mind?" He says, raising his voice slightly to be heard from a bit of a distance. "There's a line over here; maybe you can save all the holy smiting of women and children for later?" He finishes with a relaxed smile and a shrug.
Drake calls this out just as the child makes a break for it. He reacts automatically again, running ahead and throwing himself in her path to stop her from trying to flee to who-knows-where. "Hey, hey, hold on!" He aims to wrap his arms around her; he can't let the child run, not with that Inquisitor who wouldn't hesitate to shoot a child. "You really don't want to run from these guys," he tries to explain as he reaches for her. I don't want to watch a kid die today.
The Inquisitor drew a glistening knife as Isabella ran, keeping his crossbow toward Ren in case she tried something. In spite of the prodigious throw that would be needed to cover the distance, he was about to hurl the knife as Drake and Victi arrived, stopped short by Drake's one liner.
"I would not dirty my hands on that blood-mage and necromancer, traveller," he warns with an aggressive tone, "They may look innocent, but they are villainy. If you continue to interfere--"
"Oh, shut the hell up!" Victi cuts in, casting a hefty silence spell, "You can talk about your holy mission all you want, all you really care about is your fragile sense of authority and power."
Geoff stares, stunned, at the spell and the chimera woman who cast it. One, she's fairly attractive. Tall, toned, nice figure, long snowy hair... Not like the white of age, but something full of vitality. It was a bit weird, but very pretty.
The other deal though was her spells: they were shockingly complex. The silence effect was specific, efficient, but as complex as the insides of a mechanical time-piece. She had several spells on her body, just as protective and impressive as knightly plate armour, and at least as tightly-knit as a master armourer's finest chainmail. And the way they were put together was just.... bizarre. Almost other-worldy, like trying to read a language from before time.
After a few seconds, Victi drops the spell, having gotten the Inquisitor's attention off of Ren and Naida for now...
"I would not dirty my hands on that blood-mage and necromancer, traveller," he warns with an aggressive tone, "They may look innocent, but they are villainy. If you continue to interfere--"
"Oh, shut the hell up!" Victi cuts in, casting a hefty silence spell, "You can talk about your holy mission all you want, all you really care about is your fragile sense of authority and power."
Geoff stares, stunned, at the spell and the chimera woman who cast it. One, she's fairly attractive. Tall, toned, nice figure, long snowy hair... Not like the white of age, but something full of vitality. It was a bit weird, but very pretty.
The other deal though was her spells: they were shockingly complex. The silence effect was specific, efficient, but as complex as the insides of a mechanical time-piece. She had several spells on her body, just as protective and impressive as knightly plate armour, and at least as tightly-knit as a master armourer's finest chainmail. And the way they were put together was just.... bizarre. Almost other-worldy, like trying to read a language from before time.
After a few seconds, Victi drops the spell, having gotten the Inquisitor's attention off of Ren and Naida for now...
When the child took off, Ren bolted after her without hesitation. If they were going to survive the fight, they needed to stick together. She opened her canteen and pulled all the water out, forming a shield in front of her. Instead of going offensive like she normally did, she decided to wait for the enemy’s attack first. Standing here with her shield at the ready, Ren noticed Drake and Victi for the first time. She tensed with worry, but relaxed a bit upon realizing they were fighting with them. For now.
All through this, Naida hadn’t moved. With Isabella running, she now stood alone, surrounded by enemies. She could feel the fear coming off of Ren in waves, but she stood her ground. Maybe now was the time to figure this whole blood magic thing out...
All through this, Naida hadn’t moved. With Isabella running, she now stood alone, surrounded by enemies. She could feel the fear coming off of Ren in waves, but she stood her ground. Maybe now was the time to figure this whole blood magic thing out...
Isabella never noticed Drake moving to intercept her, and as she ran to try and escape in her panic she tripped, perhaps over her own feet even, and collapsed to her hands and knees. The book fell before her as she did, and she landed her arms on either side of it, hurting only the fist she kept still wrapped around the shard as she essentially punched the ground when she landed.
Suddenly arms were around her, and as she looked up and pulled the book closer, still standing on her knees, she met Drakes eyes. His soft voice and handsome face was comforting, even if for only a moment, and while the child was still panicked, she didn't immediately believe this man was intending to harm her. She stared with tear filled eyes a few moments, pulling the book up towards her chest again while still staring at Drake and blinking a few tears out of her eyes.
As she pawed and the top of the book with her fingers, she realized the feeling of the thick edges of both the tops of the pages as well as the tomb's cover had changed. Rather than the smooth edges of the pages accompanied by the hard metal outline of the book, it now felt as though a small rodent, perhaps a hamster, had softly gnawed ridged humps into the top of it. Isabella's frightened face came with a furrowed brow now and her head dropped to watch her book.
With the slight sound of what might be confused as the crackling of a calm fireplace, pieces of the tome almost evaporated into the air. They floated slowly off as if never truly connected to the book itself, and seemed to almost disappear into a small cloud of black that hovered before Isabella. The girl watched this, the book slowly disappearing as it flaked into these pieces in front of her, and slowly pushed the book out in front of her. Her face changed, now showing some interest hidden behind all the fear that still dominated her mind.
"It's happening again...." she whispered as she watched, somewhere in between talking to herself and informing Drake, as if he was familiar with this experience. Her eyes locked with Drake's, focusing on him now, and letting the world beyond them remain drowned out, and trying to hold onto that feeling of comfort she initially felt when Drake placed his hands on her.
The Maleficis Mihi's disintegration happened rather quickly, and even seemed to speed up as it proceeded. It was when the book was about halfway gone, this cloud moved quickly, disappearing into Isabella's chest and the reaction she portrayed suggested a feeling accompanied this. Her eyebrows raised and her mouth opened in a gasp, her head lurching forward slightly in the representation of a physical reaction.
As the book disappeared into a cloud, and the cloud penetrated Isabella's chest, the girls face slowly changed. The expression she held slowly disappeared. The fear, the tears, the panic, all of it melted away into a blank expression that showed no fear, no sadness, no malice, no anything. Simultaneously, the obviously bright green eyes of the girls slowly clouded. In fact, it was not only the iris which clouded, but the entirety of the eye which quickly clouded with black. Soon the eyes which still stared back into Drakes were the darkest black in their entirety, almost shining in a gloss finish as Isabella stared blankly towards, and perhaps through, drake.
The eyes were not the only thing physically effected. An observant eye might see the symbols which were seen almost hidden up the book take shape in a dull grey on Isabella's hands. It was possible these ran up her arms as well, but with her dress sleeves covering to her wrists it was impossible to tell.
With the transformation completed, even as subtly as it may have been for some, Isabella emitted strong dark energies making clear to anyone able to detect magic there had been a dark change in her. She stood and turned around, staring blankly at the inquisitor. Her head glaced over quickly to Nadia, standing surrounded by enemies before looking back to the inquisitor.
The child slowly floated off the ground, still clutching the shard in her left fist. As she reached only a couple feet off the ground, she cast her right hand directly outward, off to the side with her palm backwards. Upon full extension the arm stalled there, and behind Isabella a large complex glyph of a pentagram appeared in a deep green color with her in a centralized location within the design.
Isabella's right hand remained out and she pulled the shard in her left closer to her face, opening and displaying it in her palm and looking down to inspect it a moment. Energy seemed to radiate from the center of the glyph out towards the 5 pointed ends surrounding the girl, noted visually by an increased glow as it projected outwards. As the glow reached the end, a flame lit on the tip of each of the 5 points of the glyph.
Isabella's attention reverted to the inquisitor once again, wondering inwardly what the blood magic of the shard would do. Currently, however, she was under fire, and it made more sense to use the defenses she knew that to begin exploring the shard's abilities. She gripped the shard tightly with her left hand, hovering there only a couple feet off the ground, and thrust her right hand forward with her palm directly at the inquisitor.
One at a time in quick succession the green flames at the end of each point of the glyph emitted large fireballs quickly in the direction of the inquisitor, 3 of which flew directly in his direction, the remaining 2 aiming for the nearest guards to Nadia in an attempt to keep Isabella's friend safe.
Suddenly arms were around her, and as she looked up and pulled the book closer, still standing on her knees, she met Drakes eyes. His soft voice and handsome face was comforting, even if for only a moment, and while the child was still panicked, she didn't immediately believe this man was intending to harm her. She stared with tear filled eyes a few moments, pulling the book up towards her chest again while still staring at Drake and blinking a few tears out of her eyes.
As she pawed and the top of the book with her fingers, she realized the feeling of the thick edges of both the tops of the pages as well as the tomb's cover had changed. Rather than the smooth edges of the pages accompanied by the hard metal outline of the book, it now felt as though a small rodent, perhaps a hamster, had softly gnawed ridged humps into the top of it. Isabella's frightened face came with a furrowed brow now and her head dropped to watch her book.
With the slight sound of what might be confused as the crackling of a calm fireplace, pieces of the tome almost evaporated into the air. They floated slowly off as if never truly connected to the book itself, and seemed to almost disappear into a small cloud of black that hovered before Isabella. The girl watched this, the book slowly disappearing as it flaked into these pieces in front of her, and slowly pushed the book out in front of her. Her face changed, now showing some interest hidden behind all the fear that still dominated her mind.
"It's happening again...." she whispered as she watched, somewhere in between talking to herself and informing Drake, as if he was familiar with this experience. Her eyes locked with Drake's, focusing on him now, and letting the world beyond them remain drowned out, and trying to hold onto that feeling of comfort she initially felt when Drake placed his hands on her.
The Maleficis Mihi's disintegration happened rather quickly, and even seemed to speed up as it proceeded. It was when the book was about halfway gone, this cloud moved quickly, disappearing into Isabella's chest and the reaction she portrayed suggested a feeling accompanied this. Her eyebrows raised and her mouth opened in a gasp, her head lurching forward slightly in the representation of a physical reaction.
As the book disappeared into a cloud, and the cloud penetrated Isabella's chest, the girls face slowly changed. The expression she held slowly disappeared. The fear, the tears, the panic, all of it melted away into a blank expression that showed no fear, no sadness, no malice, no anything. Simultaneously, the obviously bright green eyes of the girls slowly clouded. In fact, it was not only the iris which clouded, but the entirety of the eye which quickly clouded with black. Soon the eyes which still stared back into Drakes were the darkest black in their entirety, almost shining in a gloss finish as Isabella stared blankly towards, and perhaps through, drake.
The eyes were not the only thing physically effected. An observant eye might see the symbols which were seen almost hidden up the book take shape in a dull grey on Isabella's hands. It was possible these ran up her arms as well, but with her dress sleeves covering to her wrists it was impossible to tell.
With the transformation completed, even as subtly as it may have been for some, Isabella emitted strong dark energies making clear to anyone able to detect magic there had been a dark change in her. She stood and turned around, staring blankly at the inquisitor. Her head glaced over quickly to Nadia, standing surrounded by enemies before looking back to the inquisitor.
The child slowly floated off the ground, still clutching the shard in her left fist. As she reached only a couple feet off the ground, she cast her right hand directly outward, off to the side with her palm backwards. Upon full extension the arm stalled there, and behind Isabella a large complex glyph of a pentagram appeared in a deep green color with her in a centralized location within the design.
Isabella's right hand remained out and she pulled the shard in her left closer to her face, opening and displaying it in her palm and looking down to inspect it a moment. Energy seemed to radiate from the center of the glyph out towards the 5 pointed ends surrounding the girl, noted visually by an increased glow as it projected outwards. As the glow reached the end, a flame lit on the tip of each of the 5 points of the glyph.
Isabella's attention reverted to the inquisitor once again, wondering inwardly what the blood magic of the shard would do. Currently, however, she was under fire, and it made more sense to use the defenses she knew that to begin exploring the shard's abilities. She gripped the shard tightly with her left hand, hovering there only a couple feet off the ground, and thrust her right hand forward with her palm directly at the inquisitor.
One at a time in quick succession the green flames at the end of each point of the glyph emitted large fireballs quickly in the direction of the inquisitor, 3 of which flew directly in his direction, the remaining 2 aiming for the nearest guards to Nadia in an attempt to keep Isabella's friend safe.
Oh crap... this is awesome! That kind of integration effect.... and those flow-lines are so clean! Not perfectly orderly, but almost like a multi-generational evolution....
Victi was almost yipping with excitement while watching Isabella's transformation, thoughts flying as she observed the auras of book and girl flow and twist together perfectly! It was incredible!
That said, if the city's gates locked and things went extra poorly, getting into the library without a fuss would be a frickin' nightmare, and she'd have to come up with a new disguise.
* * *
Further down, Geoff would put up a large defensive bubble to help ward off the fireballs headed toward that end, worried about himself, Naida, and most of the soldiers, though the Inquisitor was left exposed. The barrier would shatter from the first blast, with only a couple guardsmen being caught by the second as they scattered. Geoff's own personal protections would barely withstand the strike that got through.
* * *
While Victi would normally be kinda okay seeing how all of this went down, and seeing the jerky inquisitor get smashed in, she had other priorities right now. She forced a destructive interference pattern on the magic holding the fireballs together using her own spell. Ideally, they would detonate somewhat before reaching the chimera, and.... burn him less? eh, close enough to saving him, she could claim a legitimate effort even if he died. That seemed good enough to not get banned from the city or something.
* * *
The Inquisitor lept to one side, raising his holy symbole at the same time. Even in spite of the glowing aura surrounding him and Victi's counterspelling, though, he definitely caught some of the blast.
Victi was almost yipping with excitement while watching Isabella's transformation, thoughts flying as she observed the auras of book and girl flow and twist together perfectly! It was incredible!
That said, if the city's gates locked and things went extra poorly, getting into the library without a fuss would be a frickin' nightmare, and she'd have to come up with a new disguise.
* * *
Further down, Geoff would put up a large defensive bubble to help ward off the fireballs headed toward that end, worried about himself, Naida, and most of the soldiers, though the Inquisitor was left exposed. The barrier would shatter from the first blast, with only a couple guardsmen being caught by the second as they scattered. Geoff's own personal protections would barely withstand the strike that got through.
* * *
While Victi would normally be kinda okay seeing how all of this went down, and seeing the jerky inquisitor get smashed in, she had other priorities right now. She forced a destructive interference pattern on the magic holding the fireballs together using her own spell. Ideally, they would detonate somewhat before reaching the chimera, and.... burn him less? eh, close enough to saving him, she could claim a legitimate effort even if he died. That seemed good enough to not get banned from the city or something.
* * *
The Inquisitor lept to one side, raising his holy symbole at the same time. Even in spite of the glowing aura surrounding him and Victi's counterspelling, though, he definitely caught some of the blast.
rolled 1d12 and got a natural 1. After the modifier of +4, got
5
Note: How's Geoff?
rolled 1d12 and got a natural 8. After the modifier of -3, got
5
Note: the inquisitor?
rolled 3d4 and got a natural 7. After the modifier of -3, got
4
1
4
2
Note: injured guard count
Summary of results, since it's more than the numbers
Geoff is injured, but holding on okay between his protections, in spite of moving into harm's way.
The Inquisitor is BADLY burnt, but alive for the moment.
3 guards total are dead, and a 3 more are injured.
Geoff is injured, but holding on okay between his protections, in spite of moving into harm's way.
The Inquisitor is BADLY burnt, but alive for the moment.
3 guards total are dead, and a 3 more are injured.
rolled 1d4 and got a natural 1.
Note: dead guards from injured?
Kneeling to her level, Drake breathes a sigh of relief that her fall didn't seem to hurt her too much. Though as he reaches for her cheek to help wipe some of those tears away, he asks with a gentleness that doesn't belong to the sleazy mercenary assassin he is, but a warm father figure. "'Ey, that's quite a tumble you took there; you alright kid?"
Instead of answering, the child presses her book tightly against her chest. A puzzled look crosses his face, but then again, he wouldn't be surprised if this was like a security blanket or stuffed animal to her; no wonder she doesn't want someone to- that change of expression came a little suddenly...
He watches as the spellbook dissolves into a cloud of dark mist. "Uh...it's happening again, you say? Mind telling me...wha...!?" An involuntary gasp escapes him as the pool of black plunges into her chest, making her head lurch forward just once. Once, then she goes still and even her frightened expression melts away. The child stares ahead at him blankly, apparently unseeing and unfeeling.
Drake's heart drops. "Kid?" No answer, he grabs her shoulders and tries shake her out of it, "Hey! Are you-the hell!?" Her eyes cloud over until she shoots a look through him with eyes of pitch black, a pool of shadows having flooded from the pupils to swallow all else. He jolts to his feet backs away from the child possessed as she begins to rise into the air. He tenses, afraid for the moment that she's targeting him. He pulls his sword from its sheath and prepares to defend himself.
Then she turns her attention to the group clustered around the gate. He relaxes a little, but tightens his grip on the sword. Maybe he's misinterpreting Victi's giddiness, but he has a feeling they're gonna be fighting someone. He steps behind a young woman throwing up a liquid shield (Really?) while summoning some armor of his own, metallic growths sprouting on his forearm which he holds up in front of him. An awfully narrow shield, but a strong one.
"Hey," he hisses at Ren. "Any chance you and that under-grown dark mage need a hand?"
Instead of answering, the child presses her book tightly against her chest. A puzzled look crosses his face, but then again, he wouldn't be surprised if this was like a security blanket or stuffed animal to her; no wonder she doesn't want someone to- that change of expression came a little suddenly...
He watches as the spellbook dissolves into a cloud of dark mist. "Uh...it's happening again, you say? Mind telling me...wha...!?" An involuntary gasp escapes him as the pool of black plunges into her chest, making her head lurch forward just once. Once, then she goes still and even her frightened expression melts away. The child stares ahead at him blankly, apparently unseeing and unfeeling.
Drake's heart drops. "Kid?" No answer, he grabs her shoulders and tries shake her out of it, "Hey! Are you-the hell!?" Her eyes cloud over until she shoots a look through him with eyes of pitch black, a pool of shadows having flooded from the pupils to swallow all else. He jolts to his feet backs away from the child possessed as she begins to rise into the air. He tenses, afraid for the moment that she's targeting him. He pulls his sword from its sheath and prepares to defend himself.
Then she turns her attention to the group clustered around the gate. He relaxes a little, but tightens his grip on the sword. Maybe he's misinterpreting Victi's giddiness, but he has a feeling they're gonna be fighting someone. He steps behind a young woman throwing up a liquid shield (Really?) while summoning some armor of his own, metallic growths sprouting on his forearm which he holds up in front of him. An awfully narrow shield, but a strong one.
"Hey," he hisses at Ren. "Any chance you and that under-grown dark mage need a hand?"
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