The Magecraft Chronicles III Story Thread

[Calefrun]

Denfar, who had been standing watch by the door, followed Nathaniel. He hadn't said much of anything since parting ways with his former companions, and had spent the remainder of the journey in a part of the cargo hold where he could avoid the humans as much as possible. Staying in the airship for so long had unnerved him; he had never been in one place for so long in his entire life. As such he was relieved to be back outside and prepared for combat, and as always he was fully armored and had his bow ready. The only thing that was amiss was a thought at the back of his mind, perhaps the remnant of a bad dream. Something about yelping.

[Sariel of Tevet]

"Yes sir!", Roluo bellowed in a sardonic tone as he clicked his heels and saluted Nathaniel. "Suri you're the respectful one, do you want to say something first?"

Suri placed her hand on the man's shoulder and tried to muster a smile, "Thank you for your help. I wish there was something we could do. Say a prayer if you know any, it helps." She stood and turned her back while withdrawing her blood and healing the cut on her thumb, which signaled Roluo to sever his own link. The man's eyes once again glazed over and stared at nothing as his muscles relaxed.

"Suri," Roluo stepped over to her side and placed his hand on her own, "You act like you haven't seen me do that before."

"Yes, yes I know. It is just easier to see a mindless zombie than it is to see a man be controlled when all of his faculties are in check. Hard to get used to." She turned and wiped a tear with the back of her hand. I wish I could tell him why this bothers me so much, but it just isn't the time. "Well Nathaniel, now what? What is going on here?"

[Monika]

Lenore decided to take the initiative to speak up, instead of instinctively drawing her weapon like everyone else. "Look, can everyone calm down, please?" she asked, stepping into the center of the Commander's office. "We don't even know this secretary's alignment or motives. In fact, we just established that we barely know anything about Celestials - outside of their societal collapse - and yet you all are poised to attack?" Shaking her head in disbelief, Lenore shot a death glare to just about everyone in the room before continuing. "As a native of Arcia, I put my full faith in my country's Mage Knights and, by extension, their commander. I'm sure Commander Andermann has a good reason for having a Celestial as a secretary, so let us give him the opportunity to explain, shall we?"

"Whatever you say, Nori. But if you end up getting us killed, I'll be haunting you in the afterlife!" Kazan laughed, loosening his grip on his sword. "Hmm, can dead people haunt other dead people? Because that really-

"Please, Commander," Lenore motioned toward Andermann, partially to get him to explain himself and partially to cut Kazan off from his long winded, pointless rant.

[Myrdraxxis]

The team regrouped outside of the farmhouse. Faust looked grim, obviously not sitting well with their lack of finding anything substantial.

"So how do we proceed sir?"

Nathaniel grunted, staring down the road towards the town. It was lit up with lights, indicating that there were still people living there. or at least, there had been recently.

"We're going to have to move into the town. That's most likely where the equipment has been taken. Check your gear, we're going in loud. Expect hard contact with multiple enemies."

The soldiers stiffened, some automatically checking their weapons and gear. Faust snapped a quick salute.

"You heard him. To the town, double time!"

The eight troopers quickly swept down the road, closely followed by their sergeant and Ishabel. Nathaniel followed along with the newest additions to the team.

The trip to the town was eerily quiet as the team maintained radio silence. The outskirts of town were abandoned, and as the team moved further through the twisting alleys and buildings it became apparent that nothing moved within the town. On the one hand,Nathaniel would have thought it was simply because everyone was asleep at this time of night.

But houses were lit up, lights shining through open doors and windows.

"I don't like this." Faust muttered as the team made their way closer to the center of town. "Where the bloody hell is everybody?"

As if to respond to his question, one of the troopers snapped his rifle to the left, down an alley. "Possible contact, two o' clock."

Three more troopers focused on the alley while the others began sweeping the area around them, searching. Nathaniel followed the troopers' gaze down the alley. It was dark, and Nathaniel could hardly down the small alleyway. But he could just make out the shadow of a figure stumbling about in the dark. He raised his pistol and cautiously stepped closer, flanked by two troopers.

"Excuse me..." he began to say. The minute he spoke, the figure froze, and suddenly let out a yell. As the figure ran at them, Nathaniel saw that it was a man in ragged clothing that looked like he had been living in that alley. But what most captured the Mage Hunter's attention was his face; bloodshot eyes almost completely red. Below his eyes, two more sets of eyes had been painted on his cheeks in almost ritualistic fashion.

Then Nathaniel noted the jagged knife that the man had clutched in his hands.

A sharp 'crack' sounded from beside Nathanial as the stormtrooper fired at the crazed man. The man jerked back and dropped the to the ground in a heap. The trooper fired twice more, just to be safe. "Target is down." the soldier added, rather unnecessarily in Nathaniel's opinion.

"What the hell was that?" Faust growled as he joined Nathaniel. "Some sort of crazy drug addict?"

"No...I don't think so." Nathaniel said, glancing around the rest of the alley. His gaze drifted back to the man and the strange tattoos on his face. Nathaniel opened his mouth to speak but was cut off suddenly.

"Multiple contacts!" Another trooper said over the radio. "Coming out to the buildings!" Nathaniel and Faust ran back out of the alley. Apparently their gunfire hadn't gone unheard. The previously empty town was coming to life, people seemingly appearing out of every home and around every corner.

The team quickly formed a semi-circle around the alley entrance.

Shit, they're everywhere." Kasser muttered.

Nathaniel felt his stomach turn nervously as he looked over the gathering crowd. They were all eerily quiet, and all clutched some form of weapon. It looked like the whole town was here. Nathaniel saw men and women alike gathering. What disturbed Nathaniel was that their faces were all marked witht he same eye-tattoos that the alley man had.

"Sir? What do we do?" Faust asked.

Just then a man stepped out of the crowd. Unlike the others he was garbed in a deep purple robe, and his head was shaved, showing that he was much more elaborately tattooed than the others. His entire skull was covered with depictions of eyes.

"Oh that looks promising." Nathaniel muttered. The picture was beginning to come together in nathaniel's mind. They were dealing with some sort of cult situation. This cult had somehow consumed the entire town, which then isolated itself, destroying the local police and then sweeping over the Vaerian spies. This robed man was obviously the leader. Or at least a mouthpiece. Nathaniel knew the type. Religiously inclined clothing, check. Heaving symbolic body modification, check. Annoyingly boisterous and charismatic-

"Brothers and Sisters! Look what our great lord has delivered unto us More sacrifices!" The robed man spread his arms and shouted.

...check.

“Sir?” Faust asked, cocking the hammer on his pistol.

“Kill them all!”

“Weapons free! Fire at will!”

The night air split open with the sound of gun fire and howling madmen.

~][~

Comander Andermann cleared his throat and stood from his desk. “Er, yes. Thank you.” He nodded to Lenora. “Hmm, I’m not quite sure where to start this…”

“How about why you have a Celestial working for you.” Magnus said dryly. He knew that he shouldn’t feel put out by the commander keeping secrets. Magnus and Cole both kept things hidden from each other, Magnus certainly hadn’t told Cole some of the more detailed parts of his life. Though the commander knew more than most, considering his own participation in the events of the Blood Cult Uprising.

“Hecate has been my friend and ally for a very long time.” Cole said. “A lifetime ago, before I founded the Mage Knights, I was known as a Seeker.”

Magnus frowned. He’d never heard of that title before. Sensing his confusion, Hecate spoke up.

“After our empire collapsed and we were driven from Mundus Magica, many dangerous relics and devices of our power were left behind. These relics had the potential to be disastrous in the wrong hands. So, a few of us, those who stood on the side of order during the fighting that gripped our people, made contact with mortals living in Mundus Magica. We forged a pact, and, harnessing our power, these individuals hunted down and destroyed our lost relics.”

“Hecate and I were partners for…well, a very very long time. Though eventually it was decided that I would give up the title of Seeker. I felt that I had served my time, and there were other needs that called to me, such as the founding of the Mage Knights.” Cole explained. “I honestly had thought that was the end of our relationship.” He chuckled. “Imagine my surprise when this stunning woman shows up on my doorstep, turning out to be an all powerful entity that I had spent the last few centuries of my life partnered with.”

“When the wards keeping us out were torn and finally broke, I was among the first to slip through. Iknew there would be…others, who would mean to destroy all that has been created here.” Hecate said, shaking her head sadly. “I do not wish this to be so.”

Veraask finally spoke up, having regained his composure. “I…I do not understand. How many Celestials have come through the veil?”

“Around ten, by my last recollection.”

“That doesn’t seem too bad.” Ezeriah observed. Veraask chuckled bitterly.

“That is more than enough.”

“Which brings me to why I have asked you all here.” Commander Andermann interjected again. “We believe that we have tracked down one of these wayward Celestials, here in Arcia in a small town to the north. We lost contact with them nearly two weeks ago.”

“I can sense his presence.” Hecate added.

Ezeriah frowned thoughtfully. “We can have a team ready within the hour, sir.”

Cole grinned. “I know. I want Secundus Squad to go, along with the arkarris and his friends here. We need to know how to deal with one of these Celestials.”

“Agreed.” Veraask said, noticeably brightening. He was finally gaining support in his mission.

“I’ll prep my team then sir.” Ezeriah saluted and quickly exited. Cole turned back to the group.

“If you have any doubts or questions, now would be the time to voice them.”

[Mizagium]

Valendis frowned. He didn't like this. He was about to get roped into another venture that was far from what he signed up for. Something close to anger swelled inside him and he almost shouted his disagreement when the memory of his charred home stirred. What else could he do? Where else was he to go? Somehow, the Celestials were connected with his family. He had to believe that his sister's madness and his parents' murder had some meaning. Some rhyme and rhythm, if not reason. And then guilt followed, he couldn't just leave these people behind. Maybe they weren't exactly friends, but they'd been with him at his house, at scene the worst moment in his life.

"No," he finally said, weakly. "No doubts. I have to do this. I have to. And the only questions I have can't be asked you, Andermann. Take me where we need to go."

[Damien]

"It must be by the will of Artemis that I met you all," said Vyn, "and that we are being asked to aid one of the few benign Celestials remaining. You have my magic and the blessings of Artemis at your disposal."

"I, too, will go," Izaak said. "This will definitely be a test of my abilities, and there may even be a chance to learn some new spells while we're going around the continent."

"I suppose I could shadow you all for a bit longer," chuckled Sorin.

Izaak rolled his eyes. Ever the jokester...

"Before we go," Vyn said, turning to Hecate, "I have a question for you. This amulet I wear was my clergy's only link to the Celestial Artemis who we venerated as a sort of deity. It has been dormant for just over two centuries, and it has now begun to give off a strange energy. My question is this: is our "goddess" Artemis attempting to make contact with us again, or is it just the presence of other Celestials that is creating this phenomenon? Is Artemis still alive, or was she slain by one of the evil Celestials?"

[Sariel of Tevet]

Weapons free! Fire at will!

“Weapons free? Suri what in the hell are they talking about?” Roluo turned to see where the order had come from, but his line of sight was blocked by a fast approaching villager. “Hey man, are you in some sort of hurry? What are you running from? What’s going on here?” The man continued, full sprint, and tackled Roluo to the ground. Instinctively he rolled back onto his shoulders, positioned his feet on the attacker’s chest, and use his momentum to thrust him into the air before the man crashed onto the ground a few feet away. Roluo jumped to his feet with his back turned to the man, who was already sprinting at him again, attempting to pull a blade from his pocket. Suri saw the knife and opened the bottle of animal blood at her hip and drew out a whip which she wrapped around the man’s neck and slamming him to the ground. She ran to Roluo’s side and took a glance around the town. Villagers were pouring out of their houses, businesses, and churches in a riot. Men and women were running full force for the nearest soldier, with whatever they could find for a weapon. Soldiers were almost effortlessly mowing down waves of them, bullets flying from almost every corner of the town. They villagers never stood a chance until it came time to reload, at which time they swarmed the small groups of soldiers and wiped them out within seconds. It was total chaos.

“Look. Just look around. The entire village has gone insane. What are we going to do Roluo? How do we stop this?”

“I don’t think we can. We just have to make sure we are all the ones who get out of here alive. Suri, that thing you can do with your blood. I have to try something. Please. There are thousands of them out here. I have to try it again.”

Suri’s eyes closed and she thought of home, of that day. The burning huts, the countless mounds of bodies, they still haunted her. “You can’t, please. You can’t. There has to be another way.”

“Suri we don’t have time for this! How does it work?” He grabbed her by her shoulders and dug his hands into her skin. “How Suri!”

“Well…I guess it could help, but I really think that spell…we can’t fully concentrate if we work as two minds. It will throw you off. Besides, it still scares you. It scares both of us. You can’t control it if you still fear it.”

He raised a hand to slap her, but he just held it up in the air while his hand trembled and his eyes began to swell. He lowered his hand and composed himself. “Suri if we don’t do this, we will be overrun. We have to try.”
She raised her hands and the villager’s body started to bulge and swell. She was pushing all of his blood against his skin, which made the body rise. She drew in twenty to thirty bodies and stacked them at her feet. She shook her head and stooped down to pick up the villager’s knife. She slit her forearm, and then his, and drew their blood out into the air. The blood flowed out and began to intertwine within each other and their blood became one, it even started to glow faintly. “We both have to concentrate Roluo” She took his hand and tried to stop herself from shaking. “Just concentrate.”

He closed his eyes and slammed his staff onto the ground, cracking the cobblestone. “Arcessentes ex Divya Oblivionis in Carne!!” The pile of bodies on the ground began to glow and dissipate, and eventually mold itself into a new form. The light towards the center of the mass began to fade slightly and a the shape of a great helm could be seen. It was made of an unknown metal, something that could not have possibly come from this world. It was darker than ebony, and serrated throughout. The figures head turned to lock its glowing red eyes with Roluo’s. Roluo took a step back and let go of Suri’s hand. Elan? It can’t be…they are just stories. Is this what my father meant..

The light went away in a flash and all that remained were the remains of any unused cadaver. The summon failed. Suri put her hand on his shoulder, “It was for the best. You still aren’t ready.” She released his blood from her own and the link faded. She put her arms around him to console the depleted necromancer and managed to smile. “That thing still scares me anyway.”

“Suri! That’s it! There is another way. That thing scares you right? Here.” He placed his bleeding forearm against hers. “I have another spell. It brings your worst fear out and gives it form. I know it’s a shortcut but it can work. Atleast in some sense.” He slammed his staff down once again and chanted. “Timor Incarnatum!” The remaining bodies were consumed with light once again. They lost shape and regained another, which became revealed when the light finally faded away. The desired familiar was not behind the light, instead, a small army, by the hundreds, of what can only be described as feral bat winged squirrels began to scurry forth and attack the villagers that were closing in on the waves of soldiers. Groups of ten to twenty began to swarm individual villagers, and amidst the screeches and sound of flapping wings, they attacked the necks and wrists of the attacking towns people. Roluo slapped palm against his forehead and turned to Suri. “You are still having that nightmare aren’t you? And I’M the big baby?”

“It always feels so real ok! Leave me alone!”

[Calefrun]

Over the course of twenty eight years spent as a spellblade bandit archer, Denfar had seen some strange things. What he saw now- an entire village of cultists throwing themselves at a small group of heavily-armed and thoroughly trained military men, all while getting attacked by a swarm of bloodthirsty squirell-bats- this went beyond strange. This was flat out weird.

The token hellan of the group stood his ground near Nathaniel's position rapidly firing off arrows at the approaching villagers. Every hit culminated in a fiery eruption caused by a continuous elemental incantation by Denfar. If he was lucky, some of the villagers would be close enough together that blast from one arrow could take out three or four enemies. The battle was growing more chaotic by the second, and every time a soldier stopped to reload they were nearly overrun. Luckily Denfar's bow was much easier to reload than a rifle, and he was able to cover most of the stormtroopers when they had to stop shooting. Multiple buildings had caught on fire from his arrows, and debris was beginning to fall into the street as the air clouded with smoke. Denfar also noticed that one of Faust's soldiers was standing behind him, rather than in line with the others. He wasn't sure why, but as long as the human kept the gun pointed at the villagers rather than at him, he didn't really care.

[Myrdraxxis]

"I'm afraid I have no definite answer for you, young one." Hecate said to Vyn. "I have not seen or heard from your "goddess"' -and she seemed to be fighting back a smirk, greatly amused at that- "in many centuries. If Artemis lives, I do not know. Though this amulet would prove some evidence that this is so." she indicated the amulet Vyn carried. "That trinket is obviously an old Seeker's relic, used to connect a Celestial and Seeker. They are specially tuned, touched by the individual Celestial. If it is reacting, it is because of Artemis."

Andermann decided to cut in at that point. "Alright then. If there is nothing else, then you should all get going. Time is of the essence here."

"Agreed." Magnus said. "Secundus Squad is waiting for us outside. I can probably teleport us all to the town." He turned to the Commander. "We'll be off then."

"Good luck to you all."

Magnus led the group back out into the courtyard, where the members of Secundus Squad were assembled. Ezeriah stood waiting for them.

"You got the team together quickly." Magnus noted. Ezeriah smirked.

"Secundus is always ready for a fight, sir."

"Good, because we're surely about to get one." Magnus replied seriously. "Gather around everyone, while i figure out which spell I want to use."

He thought for a moment, stroking his chin. Then he started pacing. After a moment Veraask cleared his throat. "Er..if you'd like i can-"

"No, no I've got this." Magnus interrupted. Finally he reached for the tome strapped to his belt, opening it and flipping through a few of the great pages. "Ah! Here we go!" he snapped the book closed. "It's a spell similar to the old Gateport teleportation rituals combined with a void-walking thema. There's a slight chance of a Breakdown Effect, but given our present location-"

"Er, sir." Ezeriah spoke up when it became clear Magnus was only getting started. "we have to go."

"Ah yes." Magnus looked slightly embarrassed. "Well then." he closed his eyes in concentration and began chanting in a language neither Ezeriah or Veraask recognized. "Unlocking Thema Invictus." He finished and suddenly the group was consumed by a bright flash.

When it cleared, they were no longer in the headquarters of the Mage Knights, but at the edge of a small town.

The first thing Magnus noticed was the absence of people. Then he saw the fire. Then heard the gunshots.

"Gunfire." Ezeriah growled as Secundus Squad drew their weapons. "Has to be Vaerians."

"We're in the middle of Arcia." another Mage knight mumbled. "How did they get here?"

"What matters now is finding out what's going on." Magnus said, walking towards the sounds. They ducked through the buildings until the group came upon a warzone. Bodies littered the ground and bullets whipped through the air as crazed townsfolk threw themselves at a ring of soldiers that had their backs pressed to a small alley.

"Those people." Veraask gasped. "They are Celestial-touched."

"Then I guess we're in the right place." Magnus said. "Ignore the Vaerians for now! Take out the minions!" With that, Magnus raised both hands, fingers pointed in a shape vaguely similar to a gun. Beams of lightning shot from them like cannons, consuming the nearest. cultists.

"You hard him! Secundus Squad engage the enemy!" Ezeriah roared.

"Yes sir!" was the thunderous reply as Secundus Squad charged into the enemy, blades swinging and chanting spells.

~][~

Nathaniel swore as he fired a clip into a cultist. They had been holding their position for nearly an hour now, and there seemed to be no end in sight. Despite the superior firepower and discipline of his troops and the added power from Denfar and the two necromancers, it still wasn't enough to halt the swarm of crazed townsfolk.

They were running low on ammo now. The soldiers were competent enough to cover each other when it was time to reload, but even so one of the storm troopers had been overwhelmed and dragged into the screaming mob, his own screams mingled in with the horrible cacophony.

"Nathaniel, what are we going to do here?" It was Ishabel who spoke up, the faintest tinges of panic in her voice.

Good question, Nathaniel thought. Unless they had some sort of distraction, this was going to turn grim rather quickly.

And just like that, a team of Arcian Mage Knights poured into the town square from across the way, tearing into the surprised cultists.

"Son of a bitch." Faust muttered in surprise. Nathaniel grinned.

"Keep firing men! We've got our chance!"

[Damien]

"So she still lives," said Vyn, a smile of relief coming to his face. "She may lend us aid soon. The aura from the necklace grows stronger with each passing day."

"I think we'll be needing all the help we can get," said Izaak, fearful of the thought of actually doing battle with Celestials.

"Agreed," Sorin said quietly. Izaak could see a change in his demeanor, and he assumed that Sorin was just as scared or nervous as he was.

Magnus led the group back out into the courtyard, where the members of Secundus Squad were assembled. Ezeriah stood waiting for them.

"You got the team together quickly." Magnus noted. Ezeriah smirked.

"Secundus is always ready for a fight, sir."

"Good, because we're surely about to get one." Magnus replied seriously. "Gather around everyone, while I figure out which spell I want to use."

He thought for a moment, stroking his chin. Then he started pacing. After a moment Veraask cleared his throat. "Er..if you'd like I can-"

"No, no I've got this." Magnus interrupted. Finally he reached for the tome strapped to his belt, opening it and flipping through a few of the great pages. "Ah! Here we go!" he snapped the book closed. "It's a spell similar to-"

Izaak chuckled to himself, causing Sorin to look at him, intrigued. "What's so funny?"

"To be honest," said Izaak, "I'd rather you teleport us all than wait for this guy to do it safely."

"Well, I'd be happy to oblige," responded Sorin, raising his hands to implement the somatic component of the spell, but he was interrupted.

"Er, sir," Ezeriah spoke up when it became clear Magnus was only getting started, "we have to go."

"Ah yes." Magnus looked slightly embarrassed. "Well then." He closed his eyes in concentration and began chanting in a language neither Ezeriah or Veraask recognized. "Unlocking Thema Invictus." He finished and suddenly the group was consumed by a bright flash.

When it cleared, they were no longer in the headquarters of the Mage Knights, but at the edge of a small town.

"There's no one here," said Izaak. "Are you sure we're in the right-"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gunshots filled the air, causing Izaak to jump.

"Gunfire," Ezeriah growled as Secundus Squad drew their weapons. "Has to be Vaerians."

"We're in the middle of Arcia," another Mage knight mumbled. "How did they get here?"

"They're probably in danger," said Vyn. "We must go to their aid!"

"I agree," said Sorin.

They ducked through the buildings until the group came upon a war zone. Bodies littered the ground and bullets whipped through the air as crazed townsfolk threw themselves at a ring of soldiers that had their backs pressed to a small alley.

"Those people," Veraask gasped. "They are Celestial-touched."

"Then I guess we're in the right place," Magnus said. "Ignore the Vaerians for now! Take out the minions!"

---

"HAVE AT THEE!" yelled Sorin, drawing his obsidian daggers and rushing at the crowd. He swung his daggers, using a backhanded grip, and sliced through quite a few of the cultists, but the didn't seem to phase them too much.

"I think I need to heat things up a bit," he said, smirking. "Yol vokun!", he incanted as he struck his daggers together, sending off a wave of sparks. Suddenly, his daggers were alight with a purple-black flame. "Let's try this again," he said, smirking. This time, as he swung his daggers, the cultists clothing caught fire and burned them to ashes. Having cleared away those close to him, he swung his daggers in a brilliant display of "art", sending balls for shadowflame at cultists that were too far away to hit in melee.

---

"Will do!" said Izaak. He raised his hands above his head, made the necessary somatic gestures, and ended with his hands wide open, palms skyward. He shouted the incantation, "Tempestatem ignis!"

Suddenly, the sky darkened, clouds the color of the blackest smoke filling it, and giant motes of flame fell from them, raining down upon the cultist villagers. Each cultist that was hit caught fire and was pummeled to the ground under the force of the fireballs. A few came within a few yards of the Mage Knights and Sorin, but they dissipated before they made contact.

"Thank the Mage that someone thought about friendly fire when they made this spell," he said, grinning.

---

Vyn looked through the crowd, searching for a large group of cultists that were a good distance away from his allies...and he found it.

"Bhasel lynixel!" With the incantation finished, a burst of flame exploded from the ground beneath the group of cultists, but then the flames slammed back down, slamming them into the ground, and billowed outwards, engulfing more cultists and setting them alight.

"Now then," he said as he turned to face the Vaerians, "are any of you in need of healing? Anyone still living, that is. I think your friends have been dead too long for my magic to revive them."

[Mizagium]

"Did...did we stumble into a warzone?" Jorsin muttered from Valendis' pocket.

"Sure seems that way," Raefe responded, flexing her claws. "I like." She hisses, flexed her claws and bounded into the fray, leaping upon the nearest cultist and digging her claws into his back.

"I'm fine her," Jorsin muttered. Hesseppatt sighed and flew high up into the air.

Valendis frowned, observed the chaos around him. "So all of these people are cultists? I...I don't like this. Incola Mundas Spiritus, custodite mandata mea et responde mihi dicere: venerunt ad me: Advanced Tier - Icicle Spearman - Icewind!

A spirit world portal opened, blasting him with frigid air. A roughly humanoid form appeared, four-armed and entirely composed of ice. It's face was completed blank but for what appeared to be a carving of a large eye.

"Master," the summoned bowed.

"Icewind, I summoned you because of your expert marksman ship. Are the stories true?"

"Yes, sir. My ice spears are incredibly precise. I can spear the wings off of a fly from 500 meters away."

Valendis nodded. "Good. We're fighting some...cultists, but I suspect there are civilians here as well. Maybe there aren't, but I want to be sure. Do you understand?"

Icewind nodded. "Aye, sir. Spear only the targets. What will they look like?"

Valendis motioned to his companions. "These people are your allies. Whoever they are fighting are the targets."

"Sir." Icewind straightened up and faced the scene. All four arms grew spears of nevermelt ice. The eye-carved face scanned the scene. "There!" One spear flew, two, three! Three cultists collapsed, killed instantly by a spear to the heart. A fourth did a moment later. "Easy," he shouted to Valendis as four more spears grew, aimed, and flew.

[Monika]

As with the other protagonists, Lenore and Kazan were teleported straight into the center of a massive battlefield, with barely enough time to get their weapons ready.

"Oh my!" Lenore gave a quick (but thorough) glance to the surrounding carnage, narrowly sidestepping a cultist that had lunged at her with a knife. With a huff, Lenore grumbled "There is just way too much going on here. I remember when adventures used to have a little more structure to them. I can barely tell who the allies and the neutral parties are in all this chaos. I suppose I could summon Ixion to vaporize them all-" Lenore barely dodged another cultist attack. "-but someone non-hostile will get caught in the crossfire. Ugh..." A metaphorical light bulb turned on in Lenore's head and a guilty expression crossed her face as she remembered what she had taken from the Gae'om family residence. Withdrawing a small book from her backpack, she pored through its pages to find a summon suitable to the occasion. "Kazan!" she called out. "Cover me while I find the right spell for this battle, alright?"

"Whatever you say, Nori!" Grinning, Kazan jumped in front of Lenore, eager to test out his electromagnet (YOU KNOW, THE ONE HE MADE SEVERAL PAGES AGO) in combat. "I hope I get the polarity right!" He took the coil-wrapped iron sphere from his pocket and channeled Lightning magic through it. A powerful magnetic field emanated from the center of his sphere and, sure enough, it repelled all the bullets and cultists (many of whom were wielding metal weapons or wearing metal jewelry in deference to some supposed deity).

"Thanks, Kazan. Glad you're learning things. Hopefully I can do the same..." Lenore quickly flipped through pages of the borrowed summoning tome, looking for anything that could help. "Got it!" she yelled. "Scandar is an unusual summon that takes neither the form of an animal nor a human," she read. "It appears to be an ancient, mechanical being that can sense the good or evil in a person. In times long past, it was presumably used in old-style justice systems to determine the guilt of purported criminals..." After a while, Lenore got caught up in the history of the summon, its applications, related summons, and anything else her eyes managed to pass over.

"Lenore! Snap out of it! I can only keep up this lightning for so long, you know!" Kazan shouted.

"Oh, right. My apologies. Here goes: Incola Mundus Spiritus, custodite mandata mea et responde mihi dicere: venerunt ad me: Advanced Tier - Metallic Automaton - Scandar!" Lenore punctuated the incantation by planting her staff into the ground. In front of where her staff stood, a large, silvery portal appeared, and from it emerged a massive golem type creature - perhaps just over 11 feet in height. It looked rather like a giant metal Japanese Dogū with treads, no arms, and a large cannon on its head.

"Scandar!" Lenore looked up at the creature. Upon her call, its closed eyes opened up and glowed a bright red. "Good, you're listening. Is it possible for you to mark all of my enemies here? I don't know how you'll go about it, but I need to make sure that no innocent people get killed accidentally by me or my comrades. Understood?"

Scandar descended to the ground, becoming rather tank-like in appearance.

"Scandar? Are you still with me? I need you to-

"Nori! I don't think it can talk. You should probably jump up on the robot's back!" Kazan replied, still repelling various metal objects with his magnet.

"Hmph. Very well, then." Using her ultra acrobatic powers, Lenore gracefully jumped upon Scandar's back. The creature's eyes changed from bright red to bright blue.

"I think you turned it on, Nori! Teehee!" Kazan giggled (quite immaturely) at the innuendo.

"Ugh! Shut up, Kazan! Now, how does this thing-" Before Lenore could finish her question, Scandar had risen back to its full height, leaving Lenore scrambling to climb up to his shoulder before she fell. Scandar's head swiveled a full 360 degrees, apparently scanning the battlefield. After that, the cannon on its head lifted up into the air and, like a volcano, thousands of iron barbs erupted from it. The barbs implanted themselves into the chests of all the antagonists in this scenario (namely, the cultists). A bright blue light, much like those in Scandar's eyes, surrounded every cultist whose chest had been struck by one of these barbs.

"Oh, well this makes my job a whole lot easier, " Kazan laughed, snapping the fingers on his right hand. Thousands of lightning bolts discharged from his hand, each of them attracted to the metal barbs. Just like that, waves of cultists fell to the ground, either vaporized or electrocuted.

"Hooray for team work!" Kazan struck an anime-esque victory pose, holding his fingers in front of him in a "V" shape.

[Myrdraxxis]

Nathaniel could honestly say this was the first time he was thankful to see an armed squad of mage Knights. With the arrival of Arcian reinforcements, the cultists quickly lost their moral and those that weren’t consumed in the crossfire quickly fled, disappearing back into the maze of alleys and buildings. Only a few remained, flanking the lead cultist priest who was adamantly standing his ground at the edge of the square.

“Report!” Nathaniel barked as he trained his weapon on the remaining targets.

“Some wounds, only a couple serious. Eggard’s dead but otherwise we’re all fine.” Faust said, eyes narrowing as he watched the Arcian team make their way across the corpse-strewn square to them.

“I suppose I should thank you…” Nathaniel said as the lead Mage Knight approached. He blinked, trailing off as he recognized the man.

“You…” Ezeriah said, giving a confused look. “You’re that Mage Hunter from Kelenyr.”

“And you’re that Mage Knight…” The two stared at each other for a moment, sizing the other up before a cough interrupted them.

“I’m sure this coincidental reunion can wait.” Magnus said, approaching, sparks of lightning still arching off of his fingers. Ishabel gasped, swaying slightly as he approached. The scryer had her Sight turned on for the entire fight, and whatever she’d just seen had caught her off guard. “I don’t think we’re out of danger yet.”

“Aye. We’ve seen plenty of the Celestial’s minions, but no sign of the Outsider itself.” Veraask said. Several of the storm-troopers shifted uncomfortably at the sight of the avian. What few Arkarris ventured beyond Elborn tended to migrate to either Arcia or the Frontier, so the sight of one was rather new for the Vaerians.

“Celestial?” Nathaniel asked in confusion. “What’s all this about?”

“Defilers!” The cultist priest shouted, drawing everyone’s attention back to the remaining cultists. “You dare harm the Faithful and set fire to our sacred home!”

“Oh yeah, this guy.”

“Did anyone else notice that the town is on fire?” Magnus asked rather casually.

“Silence! You shall all be consumed by the-“ the priest, who looked like he was just beginning to get into his monologue, stopped mid sentence…and then grinned in a way that made Nathaniel’s blood run cold.

“Be honored, defilers. The Master approaches, and you will all be purified in his presence.”

“Well that doesn’t sound good.” Magnus frowned, preparing another spell. Nathaniel cocked the hammer on his pistol. Ezeriah barked an order at the same time as Faust, and the two groups of soldiers snapped into readiness, weapons raised.

The square was silent and for a long moment Nathaniel thought that perhaps the priest was simply insane and nothing would happen. Then he began to hear a faint, high pitched sound, which steadily began to grow louder in his ears.

“The hell?” Magnus muttered. Suddenly the noise became unbearable, making everyone cringe. Somewhere behind him, Ishabel whimpered.

“He comes.” Veraask said quietly, voice shaking slightly.

And suddenly there was a figure standing in the middle of the square. It happened so suddenly that Nathaniel’s brain didn’t register it for a moment. There was no sign of arrival. One moment there was nothing, and the next he was simply there. Veraask inhaled sharply, and Magnus’ eyes widened a fraction.

The figure looked…beautiful. That was the only way Nathaniel could describe it. Humanoid in shape, with flawless skin that seemed almost radiant. Long golden-colored hair framed the figure. Nathaniel was remined of the old tales that referred to the fabled beings as “angelic”. He was certainly inclined to think so.

Then the less than human appearance came into focus as the Celestial turned and looked at them. The being had three sets of eyes that glowed with ethereal light, and a disdainful scowl that revealed pointed fangs.

“What..” Magnus began. He was interrupted as the Celestial was suddenly in front of him. The Celestial backhanded Magnus, sending him soaring across the street and into a nearby building.

“Worms.” The Celestial spoke with finality, as if passing judgment. “You are the beasts that have stirred up my flock? Pathetic.”

“En…Engage the enemy!” Faust stammered. The stormtroopers, to their credit, responded immediately, raising their rifles and open firing. The bullets never hit their mark, freezing in place a few inches from the rather amused-looking Celestial.

“Is this all?”

The Celestial tilted his chin at the troopers. The one nearest Nathaniel shrieked in pain and then exploded in a shower of gore. A second trooper let out a ‘hrk’ as his head twisted a hundred and eighty degrees around and then dropped silently.

The air screamed as a bolt of red-ish lightning streaked past the Celestial. The being turned and looked at Veraask, who was, visibly shaking, preparing another spell. “Do not just stand there! Fight, before this thing kills us all!”

[Damien]

Taken by surprise at the sudden arrival of the hostile Celestial, Izaak, Sorin, and Vyn stumbled through their minds to find the proper incantations for the spells they wanted to use. As they did, Vaerians began to die left and right. It didn't take long after that for the three to get their minds together.

They bellowed their incantations in unison.

From Izaak, "Tempestatem glaciei!"

From Sorin, "Vulom strun qo lok!"

From Vyn, "Binel lyuns!"

Suddenly, the sky darkened to a pitch black that the mages never thought possible. As they watched the sky turn, shards of ice and balls of flame fell from the sky, as well as bolts of purple-black lightning striking the Celestial. While this was happening, the three prepared their next spells.

From Sorin, "Kopraan vokun gron!" When he finished the incantation, shadows from around the area stretched towards the Celestial, forming rope and chains that surrounded and ensnared it. He had decided to forego the cloud of darkness that he would normally include.

From Izaak, "Arca vis!" Upon finishing the incantation, a cage of pure arcane force energy enclosed around the Celestial, trapping him further.

From Vyn, "Lrielht ub baiyr!" His spell took shape in the form of a transluscent white bubble-shield surrounding the group, providing some protection from the Celestial's attacks.

The mages then sat, concentrating on their spells to keep them active, and watched as fire, ice, and shadow-lightning rained down upon the apparently-helpless Celestial.

[Monika]

Both Lenore and Kazan marveled in horror as the glorious form of the Celestial appeared before them, killing Arcians and Vaerians alike without ever having moved from its original position.

"It's...beautiful, isn't it?" Lenore gulped, her eyes fixated on the angelic being. "I...Kazan, what do we do?" Words nearly failed her, and the sentence came out as little more than a quiet squeaking noise. Kazan did not respond; his eyes, too, were glued to the Celestial, fixed in a decidedly focused glare.

"If we run, he will probably kill us before we can escape. If we fight, he will probably kill us as well...but maybe with our combined efforts we have a slight chance of victory." Kazan knew that any chances of their victory was nanoscopic at best; his words served only to console Lenore and himself now. No summon or spell in our arsenal will be enough to defeat him...But I'd rather die fighting than die escaping. "Nori, are you alright? Can you move?" Kazan looked up at Lenore (still perched upon Scandar) and - sure enough - she looked as if she was frozen in place. Whether by magic or by fear, no one knew.

"You just stay up there, then. Don't put yourself in danger. Thunder Blast!" Kazan formed a triangle with the index finger and thumb of each of his hands and a massive wave of lightning erupted from the center, flying straight toward the Celestial. Kazan knew just how futile his efforts were, and while the lightning was traveling across the sky he wracked his brain for a new, better plan of action.

[Sariel of Tevet]

"Sur...Suri? What's going on?" He turned to her for an answer but she was busy pulling every ounce of blood from every fallen soldier and cultist in the area and pooling it in a giant well about her head.

"No clue, don't care, freaking out here, just kill it! Hold it's feet in place Roluo! Now!"

While Suri continued to pull in blood from the surrounding area, he used the cover of everyone else's attacks to drag a few of the drained bodies on top of the creature's feet. Running away he dragged his staff along the ground and retreated to the group shouting, "Corporis Reformare!". The bodies melted and formed a concrete like structure over the Celestial's feet, binding it to its place. "Now Suri! Hurry up and get over here!"

"Right!" Suri through her hands forward into the Celestial's direction and the blood encased him from head to toe. She closed her eyes and began to chant, "Coque, Coque, Coque, Coque." The blood began to glow as the head inside of it rose higher and higher. It began to boil and trap the Celestial and add to the rest of the attacks.

[Mizagium]

Valendis felt his knees grow week and the anger leave his heart. Fear engulfed him. Awe and love and hate. In the face of the Celestial he saw everyone and no one--phantoms, the faces of his parents, his sister, nameless ancestors. Or maybe that was all in his head. Unconsciously, he knew the form of a god when he saw one, and that there was nothing he could do.

But something else stirred within him. A light. A spark. Something in his family, his blood, buried deep down in his DNA. Long forgotten and finally reawakened...but weak. It would take time to grow, to become known to him. For now, it was content to wait.

He collapsed to his knees. "Please," he muttered. "Just do it." Jorsin, Raefe, and Hesseppatt were all shouting at him to do something, but he couldn't hear them. He didn't want to. "Just end it. I don't have it in me to fight anymore. I have nothing left."

[Myrdraxxis]

The Celestial didn't move a muscle as the air around him exploded in a storm of magical attacks. For a moment, the Celestial was lost from view as the attacks struck. Nathaniel and his team didn't hesitate either, and a hailstorm of bullets joined the magical attacks.

Nathaniel noticed one of the Arcians drop to his knees. Heard his words. And for some reason, it sent the mage hunter over the edge. The entire day had become a nightmare, but Nathaniel prided himself on his ability to keep clam in most situations and his overall level-headedness. But he had lost three men today, and chances are they would all die by the end of this. And here was this guy, dropping in the middle of a fight, not even bothering to try, to help save his comrades.

He ceased firing and ran over to Valendis, ignoring the worried cry from Ishabel, and stood in front of the downed summoner. he stared at Valendis for a moment, seeing nothing but despair in his eyes. Nathaniel's face split into a sneer and without a word he backhanded Valendis, the blow sending the summoner falling backwards. "I don't know what your deal is, nor do I care! Get yourself together and fight! There are people here who need you!"

Nathaniel would have said more, but Faust's swearing drew his eyes back to the Celestial.

He was unharmed.

In fact, Nathaniel was pretty sure not a single attack had struck the Celestial at all.

Veraask hissed in horror. "It cannot be...I thought I recognized his form from my tome's descriptions."

"Who is he, arkarris?" Nathaniel asked, trying to ignore the terror he was experiencing.

"Ahriman the Devourer. The Eater of Magic."

Hearing his name spoken, the Celestial Ahriman grinned, a wicked smile that exposed rows of pointed, serrated teeth.

"Your spells are meaningless, you worthless kine. Tremble and bow before me!"

[Monika]

"Well, I'm glad we know that much!" Sinking to the ground, Kazan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists; his nails dug into his palm so hard that he drew blood. Surveying the surroundings, he couldn't help but scream. "DAMN IIIIT!" He slammed his bloody fists on the ground, gazed up at the heavens and shouted. "WHY? LENORE IS OVER THERE CATATONIC, VALENDIS IS ON THE VERGE OF COLLAPSE AND HALF THE PEOPLE HERE ARE DEAD OR DYING!!! GRAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Painful memories began rushing into his head all at once - rushing so quickly that he couldn't discern any one memory from the other. He could feel only one thing: Anger.

"Those kids back in Arcia 5 years ago...They're dead because of me. I couldn't do anything to save Valendis' family in Ossen. I'LL BE DAMNED IF I'M USELESS ANYMORE!"

Having power issues, are we?

"Who said that?!" he demanded, looking around for the source of the voice. It couldn't have been anyone there; as Kazan had just pointed out, everyone was dead, dying or losing their sanity.

I am a part of you. You won't find me on this battlefield. I am inside your mind... the voice spoke. It had a calm, soothing tone, yet something about it was noticeably unsettling. Was it evil? No, not evil, per se. But something about it was definitely sinister.

Kazan threw any concerns he may have had out of the window and decided to entertain this new voice that had suddenly appeared in his head. "Alright, mysterious voice! So what if I am having power issues? Are you just going to sit there and point them out to me?" Kazan growled, looking rather crazy talking to what appeared to be himself. "If you're a part of me - a part of me I've never seen or heard until now - maybe you could help me out, huh?!"

Impatient and hotheaded...Then again, you've always been that way, ha ha ha...

Unamused, Kazan shouted "This isn't time for games, Voice! Either you help me or shut up! Everyone here is dying or breaking down-

Much like you are right now...

"SHUT UP!"

Silence! The voice became louder in Kazan's head and started to ring in his ears, causing him to sink even lower to the ground and clutch his head in agony. Now, I'll help you, but only if you really want it. I can't guarantee your victory, but I can guarantee survival for you and your precious friends...But, again, only if you really want my help.

Kazan, still on the ground, remembered what he had seen moments ago. That Celestial had just blown up one man and snapped the neck of another by moving his chin! And now this voice was in his head, promising him survival. He wasn't sure what to believe anymore, but at this rate...If he didn't do anything, it was all over.

"Fine, Voice," Kazan finally answered. "I need your help. I desperately need your help! What do I have to do?"

Just give me control...

"What do you mean? There's no time for being cryptic! What are you-

JUST GIVE ME CONTROL! Relinquish your body, mind, soul and will to me! The voice grew even louder, drowning out everything but its now cold, harsh tone. The screams of agony, the cries of anguish. Kazan heard nothing but the voice, and eventually he had no choice but to succumb.

"Fine...I give you...complete control. Do as you will..."

AT LAST!

No sooner had Kazan uttered those words did the air around his body erupt in a vortex of dark red, hellish flames. Rising to his full height, he laughed coldly, dryly. His eyes changed from their usual dark brown color to a unique shade of blood red. His hair - normally straight and tidy - spiked upwards. A manic, vicious expression made its way across his face, and he laughed his cold, dry laugh once more.

"Heheheheh..." Kazan gazed at Ahriman the Devourer and cocked his head to the side, sneering with a mixed expression of distaste and amusement. "It's been a long, long time since I've seen a Celestial. Power that rivals or exceeds that of the wretched Mage of the Beginning. And it absorbs magic. Oh, this is rich!" Kazan laughed in a voice that was not entirely his own. It was almost as if someone else's voice was trying to make itself heard through Kazan's vocal chords, and the result was a disturbing, otherworldly combination of Kazan's voice and the voice he had heard in his head.

"Maybe a physical attack will work, then?" Kazan mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Whatever. It's worth a try, right? It's not like I have anything to lose. It's not my body. So, let's get rid of the trash first. Can't go fighting in a mess like this," he chuckled. "Hellfire Tempest!" With a snap of his fingers, Kazan had conjured a massive storm. The elemental storm that Vyn, Sorin and Izaak had summoned was replaced - the skies brightened to the same blood red color in Kazan's eyes, and the shards of ice and flame were replaced by meteor sized balls of dark red fire. The hellfire meteors fell from the sky in a consistent deluge, exploding upon impact and incinerating everything in their vicinity. In a matter of seconds, many of the corpses (and a few hundred still-living Arcians and Vaerians) were incinerated into piles of black dust.

"Ah...Much better," Kazan laughed. "And now, for you. Lightning Armor!" Glaring at Ahriman, Kazan snapped his fingers once more and his body began to pulsate with electricity. His muscles bulked up and (in tandem with the still-burning vortex of hellfire around him) he looked very much like a demonic Super Saiyan. In a flash, he had seemingly warped from his original position to in front of the Celestial. "Nice to meet you," Kazan smiled, punching Ahriman in the face.

[Mizagium]

People here who need your help!

Those words brought Valendis back. The fear never left him, but the anger surged back into being, warming his blood. I won't let them die. He pushed himself to his feet. No more die today!

"Incola Mundas Spiritus, custodite mandata mea et responde mihi dicere: venerunt ad me: Master Tier, Ahura Mazda, Keeper of the Light of the World!"

The sky tore itself open, like the heavens themselves were preparing to descend to the world. And indeed it certainly seemed that way. I great humanoid form appeared, with six great wings of light the fanned out behind it. Extending down from the waist was a series of spheres within spheres, each rotating in different directions and at different speeds. Two pairs of arms reached downward to guard the sphere, as if preventing them from flying away. A third pair crossed themselves before the bare chest. A mixture of feathers and horns decorated the androgynous face.

It didn't speak. The air around Ahura Mazda quivered.

"Great Ahura Mazda," Valendi said, "Protect us."

Ahura Mazda nodded. The four arms guarding the concentric spheres began to move like a fortune teller attempting to divine meaning from a crystal ball. Light blossomed within and spread to all spherical levels. The hands guided the light as it escaped into the real world, directing it into separate beams that sought out everyone and encased them in a protective sphere of light.

The summon hovered above them all and thrust out the remaining two hands, creating a barrier of light between them and Ahriman.

"YOU ARE PROTECTED."