|
|
Post by Vyt: Down, but Not Out on Oct 18, 2008 11:54:34 GMT -5
(Timeskip for the ninjas)
"... I'm pretty sure we're close," mouthed Cat Assassin. It had only been less than half an hour since they encountered that trap; since then, the ninjas were on their highest guard for anything unusual. The cat noted the fact that only the staff he saw was binded to a trap, and noticed it very strange that nothing else hindered them from going near the Mages Manor. Somehow, I'm getting the feeling we're on the wrong track.
Piercing his hands through the bush, Cat Assassin let the others know where they were. "We're here."
There it was, the Mages Manor. Not as much astounding as the likes of Castle Kestrel, but still as eye-catching as it was built a long time ago. Formerly the place where evil broke out, the building then rested calmly without any dash of disturbances whatsoever.
"... Now, I heard this manor has its own magical defense, so I don't like you to do anything upsetting," Cat Assassin warned. "Act natural while we go in, and try resisting the urge to steal anything while we're there?" he asked.
-------------------------------
Cylak slowly calmed herself down, reducing all her wails into silent sobs. The four souls around her sighed in relief as they saw her stood up. "... Nakaw, I'll be needing your help."
Nakaw jumped around and happily obliged to her call. Cylak closed her eyes and let everything else do the magic.
A blinding flash of light covered Cylak's transformation, as she started to become more like Nakaw's past appearance. A head mask covered her entire face, leaving her eyes and ears free from the inside. Two daggers then magically appeared on her hands, and a pouch containing other necessary objects laid rested around her right thigh.
"... What should I do now?" Cylak spoke out with a voice mixed with Nakaw's. The three other souls knew it was Nakaw who asked that, despite the fact that Cylak would always take on a split-personality disorder with the soul she contacted with whenever she took a transformation.
"Apparently you were lying about earlier, Nakaw," Dexter spoke out in anger. "You'll have to get out of this cell without attracting the guards. I think I just heard them get back to their post."
"No problem," Cylak spoke out. A second later, she slashed the bars in front of her with her two daggers.
"Don't cut-"
The bars, in return, clunked hard as they fell on the ground.
"... the bars."
"Quick!" Regna shouted. "Morph yourself with the darkness!"
That, Nakaw knew. She learned that trick while in training, so hiding beneath the shadows was an easy thing to do, especially in a dark place like that.
Cylak popped her head out from her cell and looked at the narrow hall in front of her. "Hiding here won't work too much. We need a better place."
Cylak returned to the cell and spotted a corner of her cell void of any light from the outside. She, with the help of Nakaw, thought better to hide there than risk exposing themselves to the guard who were probably just around the hall.
They were hoping the guards had their eyesights unable to detect something dark.
|
|
|
|
Post by Celestial on Oct 18, 2008 13:04:41 GMT -5
It was a long time before the meeting began and Celestial was glad when it did. She sat down close to Nature just in the case the Zafara would need comfort again. Taking a cookie, Celestial prepared to listen to Nature's story although she doubted that Nature could handle telling whatever it was that was bothering her so.
She was right. Poor Nature dropped her cookie and broke out in sobs but amidst them she managed to tell her story of people in dark hoods who killed all the mages except pure blooded humans. It disturbed Celestial no end as she realised that this is who the dragons were talking about as well as the two people Overlord overheard on the beach. He needed to come back here and fast. In the meantime, she had more pressing concerns. Poor Nature, she really did not deserve to have it so hard.
Celestial hugged Nature tightly and hummed 'Blackbird' again under her breath, hoping that Nature would hear her. Putting a hand on the Zafara's head she cast a soothing air spell to make her calm down. Celestial also turned to Omni and Kat.
"It is true. When I came here a dragon warned me that there were people hunting those like me. I thought he meant dragons but it turns out he meant mages who are at least part animals. Somehow I doubt that these people are going to stop there. And if Overlord is to be believed, they are too close for comfort" she said gravely to them.
He was needed back at the Manor, with Celestial. Overlord hated being stuck here now that the mages were gone and shaking the sea spray out of his feathers, he flew back towards the Manor.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2008 13:46:53 GMT -5
Nature told them of her vision. Of all but the pure human mages being killed, and even those severely hurt.
Even Hunter lost his cool then. Even though he'd be safe, Relatively..., he feared for his friends.
"When I came here a dragon warned me that there were people hunting those like me. I thought he meant dragons but it turns out he meant mages who are at least part animals. Somehow I doubt that these people are going to stop there. And if Overlord is to be believed, they are too close for comfort" Celestial said, while still trying to comfort Nature.
That was it. Hunter whipped out his staff and stood up. "Hey, I haven't been here at Mage Manor for very long, but you're not going to give up, are you? We're mages, Sloth sludge it! We can fight back!" Sparks of ice magic flew from his staff.
((Yes, Sloth sludge it is the way Hunter says God darn it, in case you were wondering. I was going to have it be Fyora something, but Sloth sludge it worked better.))
~~~
Just as Mundus suspected. The Leader called the meeting to discuss going after the mages of Mage Manor. Which Mundus was going after solo. The Leader asked if anyone knew about the manor. Mundus held his tongue, knowing he would sound rude if he spoke when he was this annoyed. So he let one of his fellow Mageri, Lireo, speak up.
"That would be Mage Manor, home to the Mages of that land called the NTWF."
Then some other Mageri chimed in, explaining more and more about the inhabitants. Marthae took out her tarot cards. Show off. But I'm the one who get us all to Mage Manor fastest, but again, they ignore the telemancer.
((I know I made up telemancer there. It's not entirely accurate, either, as he can teleport or levitate, but I needed a word for it.))
~~~
When the guards stopped, Slothbird hid behind one of the bars in an empty cell. He heard the prisoner talking to... herself, it seemed. Slothbird guessed there was more to it than that, possibly a shaman or sending a message far away, but the guards just made fun of her. Slothbird then saw a flash of light, that the guards didn't seem to notice. Then Slothbird heard a clunk, like the metal bars of the cell were hitting the ground.
|
|
|
|
Post by Omni on Oct 18, 2008 16:08:14 GMT -5
Omni really needed to learn to speak up sooner. Although while she was listening to Nature, she decided to put on some calm, soothing, instrumental music that didn't rely on anyone actively doing anything. While she didn't have any Beetle's songs, she had songs that fit that description. She brought up a playlist and selected the song "Celtic Dream."
"Guys, I don't think we should get worked up about this. I don't mean we should just sit back and do nothing, I mean we shouldn't worry. I don't mean that this is definitely nothing, it's just that worrying can make it harder to think straight, and besides that, it's bad for your health. While there is a chance, probably a slim one, that it is nothing, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared. We should be prepared for whatever might happen, but we should be calm and focussed. Frankly, I think we've gotten a little too comfortable too quickly; we just got out of a war! Sure, the Manor has natural defenses but it's not impenetrable. Awhile back, some Mageri managed to break in, somehow. We haven't yet found out how they did it, so we haven't found a way to prevent it. In a way, I'm kind of glad about this, because now at least we have fair warning. I think we should get some sort of lookout, living or otherwise. I think we should also practice magic even more, teach things to eachother, maybe do more dueling type stuff. At any rate, we should be prepared. Any other ideas on what we should do?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Salah~ on Oct 18, 2008 22:23:14 GMT -5
Salah, who had been wringing her hands and watching uncomfortably, spoke up. "I, um... I can create illusions. I've been practicing while I was away, and... I can make it look like things are there that aren't, or hide things that are there, or disorient people, or change appearances..." She trailed off, feeling silly. "I... can't really fight, but I can defend myself. I can teach a little defense, I guess, if anyone needs it...?" She looked around anxiously.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Oct 20, 2008 7:59:47 GMT -5
Kat growled; she was on her feet in a flash, her chair clattering to the floor. "Mageri," she whispered, clenching her right fist. "I remember now. I'm on their wanted list for practicing elemental magic, and I hate to break it to you guys, but sadly, some of you may be as well. They hunt down those whom they deem unworthy of practicing magic, and those who practice magic they frown upon."
She looked around and pulled her chair back up onto its legs, but kept on standing.
"The best thing we can do right now is not panic. Let's go on with our lives as usual, except that we must be even more alert for anything suspicious. Practicing and sparring would be good. Others can go to the library and see what information about the Mageri they can dig up. We also need volunteers who can keep an eye on things outside. To those who will do so, stay as close to the Manor as possible. Raise the alarm when anything seems wrong. The Manor may have its own tricks up its sleeve - wherever its sleeve may be - but it still needs our help.
"Do not overwork yourselves. Trouble may come when we least expect it. Surveillance can be done in shifts of two hours. And stay in groups or pairs, as much as possible. If you must separate from the others, devise a way to keep in touch. You are mages, after all, and yes, we can do anything. Whether we are up against the Mageri or something else, we won't let them take any of us! We are going to fight!"
She banged her fist on the table. A cookie jar shuddered, but didn't topple over. Kat blinked several times, realizing how much she had said and what she just did to the table. With a sheepish grin, she added, "I mean, when we have to fight. That should only be a last resort. Now then, let's get to work."
* * *
"What was that, your spear or something?"
"No, not mine. Your - ouch!"
One of the guards tripped over something - something metallic that rolled under his feet. Instead of helping him up, the companion snatched up the steel bars that looked suspiciously like part of the cells in the Mageri's dungeon. The two of them glanced at their assigned cell, and it confirmed the worst; their prisoner was gone.
"What the - "
"How could she - it - whatever - disappear like that?"
"I don't know! Wait...you sound the alarm, I'll try to shed some light on this situation."
Then there were footsteps - footsteps of the guard who had gone to warn the Mageri and who dreaded most of all the reaction of their Leader. The one who stayed behind groped around in the darkness for a torch and lit it up. He held it before him as he inspected the cell door whose bars had been sheared off.
The Mageri were right - these creatures were just downright weird.
* * *
Evandra waved her arms as the Mageri began raising one heck of a cacophony; it was getting harder to keep track of everyone's suggestions and observations. "Order! Order!" she bellowed. "Please, shut - "
The Leader held up the hand with the six-pointed star gem. "Evandra." Turning back to the crowd, he nodded. "Yes, I do know that this is the Mage Manor of the NTWF. Yes, I do know that many strange things happen there - or live there. Evandra has taken note of all this. As we can all see, they have not listened to our warnings about playing with taboo magic and the risks of allowing other creatures besides humans the liberty to control our power.
"Heck yeah!" shouted Althius. His hand flew to his mouth, but the Leader merely chuckled, a deep throaty sound that chilled the spines of the weak of heart. At least it sounded like an amused chuckle - or so Althius thought.
"It is so tempting to simply rush in and remind them sharply of what they have forgotten, but let us try using reason first. There is no need for unnecessary violence. Perhaps they really have forgotten, and need only a peaceful negotiation to help them remember. Unless of course, any of you have any objections..."
Evandra glared down at the audience, as though daring them to object. But nobody knew whether the Leader was glaring as well or not; it was hard to tell with that hood of his constantly obscuring much of his face.
|
|
|
|
Post by Vyt: Down, but Not Out on Oct 20, 2008 15:46:54 GMT -5
The ninjas infiltrated the Mage Manor without any difficulty at all. Either the so-called magical defense were kind enough to let them in with only their curious intention as their password, or it simply was not working at that time. If it was the latter, then the mages weren't doing their job lately of maintaining the Manor's power.
Oblivious to the complexity of the Manor's defense, Cat Assassin smiled a bit before continuing on. At least he knew where the library was, what with confronting Celestial and Subila there while searching for that gem.
Then, the ninjas heard voices.
"... anyone needs it...?"
"... best thing we can..."
"... are mages after all..."
Apparently, the rock corridors weren't helping the ninjas hear what was going on, but the fragments of each statement helped them realize the mages were inside. Noting that they might be alarmed by their presence, Cat Assassin signalled the others to find some place where they can hide. "I'll confront them myself, so you'll have to stay put while I talk to them," he whispered. Realizing that Jakie had already snatched a part of the boulder from earlier, the cat gestured her to give it to him.
Without looking back at what his team members' choice of actions were, Cat Assassin braced for the worse.
He stepped inside the room where the mages were.
-----------------------------------
As silent as the darkness around them, Cylak and Nakaw watched the scene unfold. The two guard panicked as they found the cell uninhabited by their supposed prisoner, and one of the guards went on to sound the alarm. "We'll have to take that one out first," Nakaw smiled through her mask.
The black shadow still covering Cylak, she began to stride slowly towards their unsuspecting prey, who was rendered helpless by the darkness around him.
With a swing from both arms, Cylak immediately went for the neck. Or Nakaw. Or both. Whoever made that decision was very desperate to get out.
|
|
|
|
Post by Celestial on Oct 20, 2008 18:14:09 GMT -5
Celestial listened calmy without saying a word. She liked Kat and Omni's plans of training and sparring to prepare for the threat but she had a feeling that it would be too little too late. Common sense precautions should most definitely be taken up but the Mageri weren't stupid and would probably overcome them.
"Let us not forget that we are dealing with mages too. When fire meets fire, both fires usually went out once they have consumed all the resources. We must not underestimate the Mageri. However I agree that we should have sentinels. If anybody has companions of any kind then it is best to have them keep watch because they will not attract as much attention as actual mages. I know it would be too much to ask of anyone here but perhaps we could try and infiltrate the Mageri. There should be at least one mage who fits their image of a mage" she said, immediately regretting it. Celestial was asking one of her fellow mages to go right in the belly of the beast.
Footsteps outside brought Celestial to her senses. Quick as a flash she spun around with a draconic snarl on her face. Fireballs danced in her hands but soon died as soon as she saw it was just the ninjas. She could clearly recognise Vyt, Jakie, Bettyming and PFA but couldn't see if there were any others. Celestial sighed as if resigned. Too jumpy for her own good, that was what she was.
"Hey guys. You kind of got in at a bad time, we are in the middle of a crisis..." she trailed off and sat down, calling Overlord back quickly. It suddenly all felt so tiring.
He flew in through the window making a straight beeline for a very tired Celestial. Her mind seemed blank so it was best to leave her alone for now and not tell her of what she probably knew already. Instead he simply landed near her, sending her comforting thoughts.
It will be alright, you can get out of this. The Mageri are nothing compared to the gem.
Celestial sighed even deeper. Overlord obviously forgot what happened to them at the end of the Guilds' War.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Oct 21, 2008 7:15:01 GMT -5
Kat paused. She could feel something within the Manor. Someone was coming.
But then again, no alarms had been tripped, so this was probably a friendly visitor - or a group of visitors Mage Manor didn't see as a threat. These people had intentions, but nothing along the lines of harming any of the resident mages. The defense system had to be stepped up in a state of emergency like this. She made a mental note to get to it...as soon as she confronted their guests.
Ninjas.
They strolled right into the mages' meeting, but Kat remained calmly at her place, watching them. Being a pirate, she never had any real fondness for ninjas, but she didn't hate them either; it was more of a mind-your-own-business-and-we'll-mind-ours thing most of the time. Only dire situations called for alliances. Besides, she had friends who were ninjas.
Besides, the Manor was kind enough to let them in, which meant that they didn't mean any harm.
"State your business," said Kat, stepping forward to face their guests. "And make it snappy. We're got our own business. Cookie?"
* * *
Before the guard could reach the stairs leading back up to the Mageri's headquarters, he felt something at his neck and gasped. Was this the escaped prisoner? It was rather dim; he could not be sure...
"Castor! Castor, what are you waiting for? Get up there and sound the alarm!"
"I...can't," said Castor. "Something's got me."
"Something?" The other guard turned and held up his torch. It didn't throw out much light, but it did show him enough. "What something? You're thrashing about..."
He took a step back. Supernatural forces. And yet, no surprise there; the Mageri loved to deal with strange things. Besides, Castor wouldn't lie and make such a show; he would have to answer to the Leader if he stirred up trouble.
"Keep it busy! I'll be the one to call for help!" The other guard quickly headed for the stairs, lighting every torch he passed and brightening the dungeons.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2008 14:47:00 GMT -5
Slothbird watched in amazement as one of the guards was thrashing around as if some invisible force had him. Probably did.
"Keep it busy! I'll be the one to call for help!"
Slothbird couldn't let that happen. He knew the guards were not the good guys. As the second guard ran up the stairs, Slothbird darted from his hiding place and tried to trip up the guard.
((You could have Slothbird's attack fail or have the guard trip loudly if you need to use that to move the story along, that's why I didn't put more than that.))
***
Hunter heard footsteps in the hall. He jumped and turned around to see... Ninjas. Some other mages greeted them, which assured him they meant no harm. The other mages did treat them rather stiffly, so Hunter spoke up and said, "Well, the ninjas might know more about the situation than we do, or have seen other things. Do you know about, what is it that Kat said, Mageri?"
Hunter saw Celestial call Overlord back. He wished he could do that with Slothbird, to at least know he was safe.
|
|
|
|
Post by Vyt: Down, but Not Out on Oct 21, 2008 14:49:59 GMT -5
Cat Assassin felt the heat from around the Mages, hinting him that something was making them focused on something else. Or probably it was only because Celestial alarmingly aimed a fireball at him. Either way, the mages were neutral about the ninja's presence, which never really mattered for the cat. He'd go straight to the point, anyway.
Which he did. The cat pulled out the staff he saw earlier and threw it across the room towards the table. "Found this just around the Manor. Tell me if you have anything to do with this," he spoke without any emotion. Cat Assassin never was really used to talking, and he was testing the mages out if they would lie about something.
--------------------------------------
Cylak struggled to get a hold of the guard (who she learned was named Castor. Cute name), but with her relatively smaller body, she could not get him to hold still. The other guard shed a light behind Castor and was surprised by what he saw, or at least what he was supposed to see. Cylak had no idea if Nakaw's morphing had been cancelled by the torch's light, but the guard running away from her gave a hint that she was spotted.
"... I don't want to kill you, mister sir! I'll just escape from this place," she whispered on Castor before sending him right towards the wall. If she could not knock him out, at least she would have enough time to get away from him.
She started following the torches the other guard lit up, hoping it would lead her to the exit. More importantly, she wished she wouldn't run into someone else.
|
|
|
|
Post by Omni on Oct 21, 2008 20:54:03 GMT -5
Omni considered asking where the ninja had come from. Then she remembered what ninja are best known for. He asked if they'd done anything with a certain wand. "Unfamiliar to me. Could I see that? Maybe I could tell something from its aura."
((So, would you tell me anything about what kind of magic the wand is used for/what it gets its power from?))
|
|
|
|
Post by PFA on Oct 21, 2008 22:24:06 GMT -5
PFA didn't really want to stay behind, but she wasn't one to disobey her Uncle. What she decided to do was wait just behind the doorframe, where she wouldn't be seen but would still be able to hear what was going on.
She was vaguely sure that the mages already knew she was there, but she decided to stay hidden for now, just in case.
((Meh. I don't like feeling filler-ish. >_>))
|
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Oct 21, 2008 22:46:43 GMT -5
Now that things were brighter, Pollux got a good look at who held Castor - and tripped over something. The torch he was holding died in a shower of sparks, but he didn't need it now. Glancing around the floor, he couldn't see what had tripped him - maybe it was only a crack or something - but he got back up and raced up the stairs.
"...I don't want to kill you, mister sir! I'll just escape from this place."
Before Castor could reply or retaliate, he found himself crashing into a wall. Stars twinkled before his eyes as he said, "Wait...you can't..."
He struggled to stand; his back was aching and he was positive he had sprained his ankle. Using his spear for support, he tried to limp after the prisoner. If Castor couldn't reach her in time, at least Pollux was ahead and would do so if he had to.
* * *
"Never saw that staff before," said Kat, shrugging as she sat back down to take a good look at the staff. She closed her eyes and added, "It is not something used by anyone here, I'm sure of that. If we had anything to do with it, I would have detected traces of someone's aura."
|
|
|
|
Post by Vyt: Down, but Not Out on Oct 22, 2008 0:40:59 GMT -5
Cat Assassin nodded, but his question was only half-answered. He felt it necessary to spill out what happened to them earlier, and so he threw the part of the boulder they triggered as a trap. "How about this? Someone with knowledge about geology must know where this came from," he asked.
Before the mages could answer, Cat Assassin turned around towards the ninjas. "Come out, gals. I think you should explain what really happened while we were... around the Manor," he spoke out plainly.
|
|
