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Post by Myrdraxxis on Jan 7, 2014 19:30:56 GMT -5
"Magic. Don't question it." Magnus said, grabbing Jeff by the shoulder and pulling him along. "We can have a confrontation AWAY from the bound Death-Mammoth!" he called over his shoulder to Olaf.
"That spell won't hold it for long." Septimus agreed. "Luckily for you I came prepared." Spetimus cast another spell and a ghostly portal appeared before them.
"Ooh, you've been practicing." Magnus grinned.
"I am a Magister now."
Magnus and his entourage of apprentices, ex-apprentices and semi-lucid otherwordly acquaintances dove through the portal.
When Magnus got his bearings he realized he was standing before a giant set of gates. Beyond he could see a large black tower stretching into the sky. "Ah." he said. "Blackspire. Well that's convenient."
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Post by Calefrun on Jan 8, 2014 2:47:52 GMT -5
Seeing that the Death-Mammoth was secured, at least for the moment, Cale Efrun the Illusive Mammoth turned towards the rest of the party, and raised his trunk. He waved, then turned to face the direction the other mammoth had come from. He began to run at top speed, and within moments he had disappeared over the horizon.
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Post by Sariel of Tevet on Jan 8, 2014 19:52:41 GMT -5
"Ah ha! A portal! Well mammoth speed ahead my dear!"
The Dayman put the mechanical mammoth into top gear and bounded into the portal after Magnus with Prince Elton bringing up the rear. Oh for God's sake Elton don't laugh at that. Stop it.
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Post by Monika on Jan 8, 2014 20:11:03 GMT -5
"I don't think another opportunity to escape will come along, so we should leave at once," Zelmon said. He hastily dispelled the pink barrier around him, hoisted Hioma into his arms and scurried after Magnus and company.
Sarina shrugged her shoulders and followed after them.
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Post by Mizagium on Jan 10, 2014 1:31:54 GMT -5
How quickly Jeff fell back into his follow-the-leader habits. He quietly accepted Magnus' words and stepped through the portal (rapidly becoming his least-favorite form of travel), arriving at Blackspire. "Well that's..." Convenient. Conspicuous. Ominous. "Phallic."
His Cellestial Phone emitted a beautiful chorus of otherworldy music. Also, about half the tones were inaudible to the human ear, so thankfully, only a little bit of blood dribbled from his ears. He answered. "Hello?"
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cth-"
CLICK. "Not in this story," he muttered.
-
Deep inside said phallic tower (...ew) a small boy (OH GOD IT KEEPS GETTING WORSE) muttered absently to himself as he fingered (WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT) through a dusty tome, supposedly written in a time before the Sealing of Hystoger. Practiced in the way of patience, he persevered even when the first thousand or so pages provided nothing of use. He adjusted his large glasses and ran a hand through his silver hair - and turned the page.
Vi'irinox Omega was actually about thirteen, but, due to his small stature, was often mistaken for a boy of about ten. That his voice hadn't dropped yet only worsened the situation. At least his Master recognized his proper age. But then, as long as he did as he was bid, she likely wouldn't have cared if her were a four-hundred-foot-tall purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings.
Finally, on page 1,234 (oddly enough) he found it. A mention of the Death-Mammoths not recorded in any of the modern books. And it was...very interesting. He committed the passage to memory, noted the book title, page, author, and quietly slipped it back onto the shelf, taking care he was not seen. Then he stepped back, took stock of the location of the shelf and slipped away, looking as neutrally disappointed as he could. The Master Librarian raised his bushy eyebrows at him as he left but didn't say a word.
It was all he could do to keep from running back to his Master, but he managed to contain himself. He found his master in the usual place, but this time, she was looking out a window.
"Master," he bowed. "I found something interesting about the Death-Mammoths. I - "
"Later, Vi'ir," she shushed him and then beckoned him. "Come. Look."
From their vantage point (he was thankful she said nothing as he clamored atop a stack of books in order to see) he could see the gates outside the Spire...and a strange company exiting a portal.
"Master?"
Samantha Valentine flashed a wide, devious grin at her apprentice. "Look, Vi'ir. My brother's finally found me."
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Post by Myrdraxxis on Jan 10, 2014 1:57:23 GMT -5
Magnus inhaled deeply and exhaled with a rather abhorrent swear word in a language no one could identify, but grasp the meaning of just the same. "Blackspire." He regarded it distastefully. "You know I swore I wasn't gonna come back here. I left these losers behind."
"They kicked you out." Septimus corrected.
"It was mutual." Magnus snapped back at his former apprentice. "Let's just....get into the city before more mammoths show up."
Magnus led their intrepid group into the city that grew from the base of Blackspire. The streets were fairly busy for such a large city, but there was a constant air of tension about the villagers. Like, more of a constant tension than the ever-present possibility of being trampled to death at a moment's notice. Cause that was there too.
"There's a lot of mansions around here." Leske noted.
"Magister families." Septimus explained. "The Northyros government is run by them, headed by the COuncil of Magisters."
"Fat bunch of scheming, sociopathic, Palpatine wannabe-" Magnus grumbled to himself.
"So what exactly is your plan?" Septimus interrupted Magnus' ranting. "I can't imagine you came back to Northyros just to sight-see."
"THe first step is to wait for you to leave." Magnus snorted. "Oh don't give me that look. You're a Magister now Septimus. On the Council. I have no doubt you were called back to Northyros for a reason as well."
Septimus frowned, looking away for a moment.
"The invasion of Centros is all but complete. My services were required back here. The archmage felt that I was needed back in Blackspire."
"You mean he wanted you back here to keep an eye on me."
Septimus didn't quite flinch. A ghost of a smile appeared on Magnus' face.
"Wait....this Archmage guy know's we're here?" Desmond asked, glancing around nervously. Magnus chuckled bitterly.
"That guy knows a lot of things. Things he shouldn't know for just a Northyric magister..." Magnus trailed off, scowling up at the Tower of Blackspire.
"All he said to do was observe, Magnus." Septimus said softly. "Nothing more." he paused. "I...I don't fully understand why you left all of this behind" Left me behind,left unspoken "But I can...understand why you hate the Archmage. There's something about him..."
"And what? You'd be willing to not interfere with what we're doing?" Magnus asked, narrowing his eyes at the spirit mage.
Septimus opened his mouth to respond, hesitated, then nodded. "Yes."
Magnus grunted. "Fine. Jeff, you have any idea what we should do now? This is your quest after all. We're in Blackspire, now what?"
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Post by Calefrun on Jan 10, 2014 2:05:22 GMT -5
"Ah, there you lot are." From amongst the bustling crowds, Dorrei Metri the (former) Illusive Squid suddenly emerged in front of the "heroes." She smirked. "I was beginning to wonder how long it was going to take you to arrive. I've got urgent business to discuss with-" she stopped mid-sentence, and began to glance around. She poked her head around Magnus, and her gaze drifted between the members of the group. "Ummm... where... where is Cale?"
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Post by Mizagium on Jan 10, 2014 2:24:34 GMT -5
The answer to Magnus' question came not from Jeff, but from the young woman who suddenly appeared before them. She looked incredibly out of place in this strange fantasy world, dressed in a baggy (though comfortable-looking) hoodie and a pair of jeans. Thick-rimmed glasses adorned her face and her hair pulled back in an informal bun. She looked quite like an Eath college student, although only Jeff and Hioma (and maybe Magnus, depending on his travels) would get that.
"You can let me give me brother a hug."
Jeff felt her stare, but looked around first, making sure she meant him. "Me?"
"Come on. You know who I am."
"No, I..." But he did, didn't he?"
"I love you, kid."
"Sam, no!"
"Be good. I'll see you."
"Sam!"
She smiled. "There it is. I see it in you."
"Sam." He crossed the distance and pulled her close into a tight embrace and buried his face in her shoulder, partly to hide his tearing up. "Sam, where did you go? Why did you leave?"
She returned the hug and soothed, "Hey, easy, kid. It's hard to explain. Come on, everyone's looking."
He pulled away, sniffled, and looked around. "We, uh. Right. Khilbron. That's right. We need to find Khilbron."
Samantha looked at him funny. "Khilbron? That weird guy who works for the old guy with the tower or something?"
"Probably."
She thought a moment. "Hey, Septimus. Didn't he come and talk the Magisters or something?"
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Post by Myrdraxxis on Jan 10, 2014 14:36:27 GMT -5
"I have been away from Blackspire recently, Magister Valentine." Septimus replied, giving the siblings a rather studious look. He hadn't really paid attention to the youth called Jeff before, but now that he did the resemblance to his fellow Magister was startling.
"Very interesting." a voice whispered in his ear. Septimace grimaced.
"Not now, Eldrin."
"It's possible that this Khilbron has been here. We would have to check at the Tower to confirm it."
"A good idea...for later." Magnus agreed. Seeing the confused looks shot his way he elaborated. "I don't know about you lot, but I think this task can wait until tomorrow. I need to ah...rest and confirm some things."
"There's an inn nearby-" Spetimus started.
"Nope." Magnus quickly declined. "I have a way better idea." Witht hat said he began casting. Yet another portal appeared before him. "I've got my OWN hang out thank you very much." Magnus stepped inside. The mooketeers shrugged and followed. Septimus just sighed and did the same.
When he came out the other side, Septimus stopped and blinked in surprise. They were standing in what appeared to be the entry hall of a large manor. Strange glow lamps hovered throughout the hall to provide light, and in a nearby window Septimus could see snow falling heavily outside.
"Welcome to Chateau Magnus!" Magnus bowed dramatically. "My own little corner of the universe."
"THis is...." Septimus started, "A pocket dimension?"
"Very good, grasshopper." Magnus grinned, seemingly in a better mood just by being back here. "Created this place centuries ago as a place to come back to, and store some of the things I've found in my travels."
"Why is it snowing?" Desmond asked, staring outside. "I thought you hated places like Northyros."
"Nope, just Northyros. I love cold weather." Magnus' grin dropped a fraction. "It's about as far from desert heat as you can get." He didn't bother explaining that comment, instead and walking down the hall.
"So! Kitchen and living room are this way, if anyone needs me I'll be in the library checking on something!"
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Post by Mizagium on Jan 11, 2014 2:48:19 GMT -5
Samantha out on a dramatic pondering face. "Party at Magnus' house? Tempting, but I have some matters to clear up with my apprentice."
"Wait," Jeff called as she started away. "Sam, I...we just found...you and I..."
She kept walking, hands in the front pocket, and pulled her hood up. "Patience, kid. I'll you again soon. Besides, this time you know where to find me."
He watched her disappear back into Blackspire, words poised on his tongue, arm outstretched. He wasn't sure if he walked into the portal or was pulled in, but he found himself in Magnus' house. As everyone dispersed to whatever they were going to do, Jeff drifted through the place in a daze until he seated himself at a rather secluded table in a corner with two large windows that looked out over the snowy landscape.
As the snow fell around him, Jeff allowed his mind to wander, retracing the events that had transpired since his arrival. A battle to save a town that destroyed a town. Recruitment to save the world. Development of superpowers. Actually an Immortal-in-training. A giant robot fight that blew up a city block. A dragon with a giant codpiece. A dragon wedding. A tournament for wedding rings for said dragon wedding. Blood magic matchmaking. The conclusion of the dragon wedding. Death mammoths. His sister.
Something like anger welled up inside him. His entire life was out of control - out of his control anyway. He had been pulled from his (admittedly boring) life and dropped into this insanity because that old Keymaster guy needed a successor, which entailed him having to lead a party across lands he's never heard of to collect magical gems that will do SOMETHING to save the world from SOMEONE. Maybe it was the Mechanist King. Maybe it was the Two Queens. Maybe it was someone he'd never heard of!
And Sam. Sam. At first he'd never felt happier than to see her again, something he never really believed. But now that relief was fading fast, giving way to anger and hurt. She was fine, living here in this fantasy world, completely ok. Everyone at home thought she was dead for years. And she was fine. FINE! How could she do that? How could any of them do that?
He balled up his fists, furious. He was being swept along on this madness, without a map or compass or a clear sense of up or down. He wasn't...whatever people thought he was. He wanted to go home. He didn't care anymore. Layers of barriers wrapped around his fists as he brought them down on the table, smashing it apart. He hadn't expected that, and so fell forward, having not braced himself. So he lay there among the wreckage of the table and his life and watched the snow fall.
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Post by Monika on Jan 15, 2014 0:24:11 GMT -5
Zelmon came back through the portal and acknowledged Dorrei.
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Post by Calefrun on Jan 15, 2014 11:21:14 GMT -5
Dorrei stood staring at the portal for a moment, mouth agape. After having held a position of authority for several years, she had become unaccustomed to being (almost) completely ignored. It made her... rather annoyed. Ignoring Zelmon- after all, she didn't want to vent her frustration at the one person who had acknowledged her presence- she charged through the portal and entered Magnus' pocket dimension. Spotting Jeff first, she quickly made her way over to him, grabbed his collar, and proceeded to lift him up and slam him against the wall. Her tentacles flared out in different directions, and transformed into ten different types of blades, all pointed at Jeff.
"Hey! I asked you a fizzing question!" She yelled in his face, then hesitated. Did... did I just say 'fizzing?' Oh no. He's rubbing off on me. "Where is the goddamn Illusive Squid?!? Answer me or I'll give you a reason to mope!" She really hates being (mostly) ignored.
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Post by Mizagium on Jan 15, 2014 14:03:48 GMT -5
Jeff let her slam him against the wall - barriers sprung up to protect him instinctively. He regarded the blades curiously. "How should I know where CETIS went? He doesn't exactly tell us when he's about to do something stupid and/or weird. Well, sometimes he tells us, but he never actually explains himself."
His barriers expanded, pushing apart her tentacles enough for him to slip out. "So no - I don't know where he went or why."
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Post by Myrdraxxis on Jan 15, 2014 15:31:53 GMT -5
"Guys...maybe we shouldn't wreck up Magnus' house too much?" Leske said, walking up to Jeff and Dorrie. Desmond walked into the room (which seemed to have no purpose other than to simply provide a nice view of the weather outside), holding a sandwich.
"I found the kitchen!" He announced. "It's like, the size of Hero's Refuge. With almost as much fire."
"All this time..." Septimus said from beside Desmond, making the man jump with a girlish shriek, having not known the magister was there. "He always kinda just disappeared whenever he wasn't teaching me or attending Council business. I guess this is where he went."
"A nice place to relax." Leske agreed.
Then a loud crash followed by an equally loud "DAMMIT!" echoed through the hall. THe shout turned into a string of curses that grew louder as their owner got closer.
Magnus stormed into the room, and Leske had to try not to piss himself at how angry the man looked.
"It's gone!" He roared, walking over to a nearby bookshelf and throwing the contents about, searching wildly. "Sonofabitch!"
Leske and Ash glanced at each other, but it was Septimus who spoke up. "What's gone?"
"My tome!" Magnus whirled on him. "Somehow, someone managed to break in here and steal my goddamn book!"
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Post by CETIS on Jan 17, 2014 9:12:43 GMT -5
Dorrei sighed, and made no attempt to stop Jeff from getting away from her. She briefly considered her options then said, "Figures he'd go off on his own and not tell anyone about it. It's certainly not the first time it's happened. Still, I need to speak with him, and I'm sure he'll show up around you guys again, so I guess I'll just have to stick with you people for now." She was telling- not asking. Looking at Jeff she added, "Thank you for your cooperation. You can go back to pouting now." She turned to face Magnus. "Now what's all this about a book?"
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Post by Mizagium on Jan 18, 2014 14:15:16 GMT -5
"I wasn't pouting," Jeff protested. Not that Dorrei was listening or that he even cared.
"Someone stole from Magnus?" He looked around. "This place doesn't seem like it's easy to break into."
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Post by Sariel of Tevet on Jan 24, 2014 17:24:32 GMT -5
The Dayman burst into the kitchen, magnificent royal chest outstretched and lungs filled with royal air for his upcoming dialogue.
"Ah hahahaha!! Stolen property. True royalty does not let commoners pilfer their precious possessions! You would do quite well to upgrade your social status once again Magnus, the book may just find its way back out of respect!"
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Post by Myrdraxxis on Jan 26, 2014 2:24:54 GMT -5
"Shut up!" Magnus snapped at the Dayman. He began pacing rapidly, and Septimus realized that Magnus was legitimately angry. It....disconcerting to say the least. He'd rarely ever seen Magnus exhibit any emotion that didn't have some sort of jaded tone to it. Never happiness, only distant amusement. Never anger, only irritation. This...this was new. And Septimus didn't like it.
"This place should be impenetrable." He said more to himself than anything. "Barely any magic users know how dimension magic works, and they're all a bunch of fucking CHILDREN compared to what I have set up here..."
"So...this wasn't just a random break in then?" Desmond asked hesitantly.
"No.." Magnus murmured thoughtfully. His gaze snapped into focus, looking around the room. "Well, um, I need to go somewhere for a bit. Feel free to stay for a while, but if anyone wants to come along I'm going to be tearing apart Blackspire brick by brick." He said cheerfully, a wide grin on his face. Septimus shuddered.
"Magnus." He spoke up. "DOn't you think you're overreacting? It's just a book-"
"That book" Magnus interjected sharply, "Is my personal tome. The written collection of all the knowledge and magical power I have gathered over centuries across hundreds of worlds." He fixed Septimus with a glare. "There are spells in there that could rip this planet apart, or worse."
He paused, letting that sink in. The mooketeers were staring at Magnus in horror. Septimus opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't find any words.
"He has grown a great deal more powerful that when last I saw him..." the whispering voice of Eldrin drifted into Spetimus' ears, but the magister was too stunned to respond or even question the ghost's words.
"Right, implications setting now?" Magnus asked. "Good. Now let's go." With that he spun on his heels, conjured up a portal back to Blackspire and left. THe mooketeers followed a moment later.
Septimus sighed and followed. "It's always something."
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Post by Mizagium on Jan 26, 2014 2:44:35 GMT -5
Jeff just sorta...
"Well. Uh. I think I'm supposed to go to Blackspire to find Khilbron anyway." And it might give him another chance to see Sam. "Sure. I'll help Magnus destroy stuff - it wouldn't be the first time."
Memories of the Battle of Heroes' Refuge and the Great Hobo Massacre in Southryos came to mind. And that time they robbed a museum and killed some police. Can't forget that.
-
Samantha Valentine hadn't gotten far into Blackspire when Magnus reappeared.
"Uh oh," she said a little too loudly. "Big man on campus. What happened this time, Magnus?"
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Post by Sariel of Tevet on Jan 26, 2014 3:09:42 GMT -5
The Dayman gathered his royal band of brothers, so to speak. Diane was most certainly not a brother. True royalty recognizes the advantages of a pure blood line, however incest is strictly forbidden in the kingdom. There are typically....complications with the children, and children witih...complication are not seen as properly exemplifying their royal heritage. Their codpieces never even fully develop!!
"Royal" children with codpiece complications are seen to be even lower than the homeless! The list goes: dirty people, cattle, pigs, Hobos, codpieceless royal children, shirts without v-neck's, and a popstar known as Mistress Lala.
So....yes...sire I know I have been getting better..but it just happens...it will...I will stop regressing my lord I promise. So...anyway yes! The Dayman was gathering his band of brothers (also I forgot to mention that Diane certainly does not have a penis, although if she did, her grace would surely have overshadowed that fact, I think)...band of brothers banding blah blah blah The Dayman is now giving a speech.
"Brothers! Robots! And my penisless bride! We have been through tournaments, romance, orgies, portals, museum heists, and many other adventures together! But let me tell you a story. A story about a man."
The Dayman poked his suave chest out and began to swagger back and forth in front of his royal entourage.
"A story about a man with the potential...nay...the right! The right to take his place one day as equals...with us! True royalty!"
The Dayman traced the outline of his dimension breaking deep v....and followed it down to his codpiece which he held for an awkward amount of time.
"A man whose reputation precedes him only by his vast knowledge and tales of adventure! A man who has lost out on his potential royalty because of a petty, no doubt codpieceless thief!"
He began to tap his fingers atop his dazzling codpiece.
"A man named...."
He stepped back...took a twirl...and thrust his royal finger and took a pose, pointing at a nearby picture on the wall.
"MAGNUS!"
Sweet...passionate...sincere...tears of royalty began to well up in his eye sockets.
"Shall we help this man....become our equal?"
"Aaaaaay! 0100000101100001011000010110000101100001011000010110000101111001! *Ghost noises*!"
His royal equals all bellowed in their customary languages.
"Right! Onward!"
The Dayman and friends jumped through the portal behind Magnus with purpose.
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