Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Jan 26, 2013 18:28:40 GMT -6
Valorian's scene had not been any more pleasant than Elias'. He saw Jya, saw he strike down Clair, a woman she knew, maybe kill her outright. And all of the chaos that erupted around her. A dragon...again? Now? But how was that? And so many people were injured, dying....all because of that one knife...how could she...?
This was...his fault? He should have taught her good and evil...or made sure she wasn't such a danger to people like this. He could have fixed this, but he chose not too. He knew she was dangerous, but he left her alone to be a weapon for things like this.
No.
He knew in his heart that was wrong. Everything she did was her own choice, not his. He'd done what he thought was best, he could not continue to blame himself for every tragedy he could not prevent. But there were...so many people who needed help. So many people he wanted to help...but how would he?
And then, the staff in his hand began to glow. Softly at first, barely a flicker or a match. Then brighter and brighter it shone, until it's radiance was purging all of the shadows from the dark crypt. His eyes adjusted, and he found himself standing next to Elias in an odd central room. It seemed...whatever magic was here had been pushed back. There were pillars around this room, ornate and with odd arcane symbols carved into them, but then something even odder.
Nothing.
No books, no artifacts, nothing. The center of the ruins, and there was no sign of this power of Scrying. How? It should have been here.
And then it struck him. They'd seen things from far away, things he knew were happening right now. Wasn't that exactly what the power of Scrying was? And wouldn't it make sense that such a power would have been found already? So, it was here, but it wasn't something one could physically take. The ruins showed people what they needed to do...and it pushed them in that direction.
"I...see" The young Sage spoke, turning to look at Elias. "Elias, are you all right?" He asked, feeling the staff in his hand still humming with power.
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 26, 2013 19:00:21 GMT -6
That wasn't right, no. No no, of course not. It wasn't right, it was never right. He scraped the edges of his mind like a dog trying to get out of a sealed room. He didn't want to watch the scene anymore, watching someone he knew being such pain. He felt sick, the smith's body scarred beyond recognition. He cringed in sympathetic pain, far before the healer held the staff in the air, know exactly what was to come next. The blood curdling scream, seeing him convulse and writhe in sheer agony from the simple act of healing him. It was wrong, so wrong.
But... No. No, no, no, no. No no no no no no. No! No! I won't let this break me! My mission was stupid, it was a suicide mission that would of helped no one least of all me. By continuing with my life, I've been able to learn from my mistakes. I've been able to realize what I've done, and how it wasn't heroic in the lightest. You can show me whatever you like, whatever you want, but this is not my fault. Everyone makes their own choices, and regretting them is just what sad little kids do when they think they can't do a thing about the world around them! Instead of dwelling over the inevitable fact that bad things happen to good people, what I can do, no what I SHOULD do is to not let it stop me from doing what I think is right. There's not a single thing you can do, say, show me to change my mind. This is my truth, and my mind, and I don't appreciate you stomping around in here and touching all my stuff and trying to make me feel guilty about it!
He opened his eyes. Like he had just awaken from some kind of... dream? Huh. What was he dreaming about? It felt weird, like he was really pumped about something he couldn't remember. What he did remember is- "Poor Wyatt. I told him. I told him to not touch things." Shaking his head a tutting silently. It was still dark, but it was real. Rubbing his eyes with a yawn, a long stretch. How long had he been out? The torch in his hand had fell to the ground and went out in his little nap. He was just lucky he didn't catch aflame. Just as he was going to pick it up, there was a shining light. It felt... warm. Kind of like a hug of sunshine. It moved and filled the whole world with it's radiance, eradicating the countless shadows that drowned the area around them. Destroying and removing any trace of whatever had engulfed him before.
Did he wake up on his own? Or did this staff break him out of it?
It was impossible to tell, but for the sake of his ego he chose to believe the former.
He craned his neck around to look at the... disappointingly empty room. How lame, all that trouble and there isn't even a giant treasure chest or something impressive looking. It looked like a stereotypical ancient magic room. Those were a dime a dozen.
He looked at the source of the light with a sort of frown. "Hey there Green Mage dude." He replied with a small sigh. "I'm fine, my head's killing me though. I can't remember what exactly happened, but it must of been crazy to give me a whopper like this." Chuckling with a shrug. "Looks like we came all this way for nothing. Probably one of those stupid "the treasure is the journey" type deals. You alright?"
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Jan 30, 2013 17:15:14 GMT -6
Valorian was aware that he had never introduced himself to Elias, but he decided to keep dodging that topic. If he pressed, he would answer, but until then...
He spoke softly, looking about the room once again. "Oh, I don't think that is so. Didn't you see things? People that you know, places where you should be?" He questioned Elias. The boy said he couldn't really remember...was the only reason he could remember was because he'd been holding the staff? He paused for a moment to consider this. "Do you recall anything that you saw? Anything at all? You said something about not touching things. Was that a memory?" He questioned the boy, curious as to what exactly he'd seen.
While he pondered this, he felt the magical energy in the staff growing restless. It seemed to be reacting to something. Was it the energy of this place...or? He decided to reveal a bit of his theory to his companion. He figured it might help them make sense of things. "I think...this place shows us a path. It illuminates the road for us, but taking that path is your choice. But so much of what we see is evil...because the world is a cruel place. Some things are evil, beyond words or thought, and seeing it all would probably be enough to break anyones mind." He paused, looking towards the ceiling for a moment.
"So. Finding the truth here, where will you go now?"
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 30, 2013 22:09:31 GMT -6
"That's what I meant. The treasure's in the journey. We saw things, that's the scrying. There's no actual book, and while it kinda makes me upset because this place has essentially become the biggest waste of time this side of reality, the fact of the matter is no amount of stomping my feet will make it pop up and be all 'Hello guys, I was just hiding, ha ha!'" He shrugged as the Verdant mage talked. "It's a bit of a let down, but that doesn't mean it wasn't impressive all the same. Whatever magic is at work here is far beyond the veil that I am used to, ancient, because old things are always better for some reason when it comes to magic, like people just so happen to forget to write down the spells for infinite power or something." He continued but caught his self before he start to ramble a bit too much, because as much as he loved to ramble (and he did), this wasn't the time for that.
"From your question, I'm assuming you saw something too. Not that I'm probing you to dish, but such questions aren't the kind you just up and ask people at random. I don't know what you saw, but the fact that you saw something means it wasn't just my mind playing with me, and I doubt it's simply coincidence. This place being a place for scrying makes it pretty obvious what we did see is probably true and something that's happening right now as we speak." He added, a small tap to the chin and humming lightly. "I saw, well not a friend. An acquaintance, who I suspect didn't like me that much but then again that describes everyone I've ever met, whom I thought... Well I never thought he was dead, guy was tougher then that, and that's not how the story goes. I did lose contact with him, right before Ostia fell into lava and I had to skedaddle from that place. I suspect it's because he touched something after he fell in that pit, it was far too serendipitous to be anything else. I mean seriously, he fell into a pit and when I was hunting for rope WHOOPS OSTIA'S EXPLODING." He shrugged and sighed, the guy didn't need to pry things from him, Elias was more then happy to share.
"I'll tell you what I saw though, because well I couldn't keep it quiet anyways, I love talking too much. Also I doubt you know this guy, and it's probably not very personal or secretive. His name is Wyatt, yae tall and with blood red hair and big muscles. Carries around a big ole hammer and stuff, I think he's a something. I'm sure he told me, but I wasn't really paying attention, I was busy bleeding and stuff. Or did that happen afterwards? There was also that blind guy, but he's a jerk so whatever. Point is, he was in some big stone place, looked like an arena or something, and a dragon was kicking his face in with lightning. He's really messed up, and they took him to an infirmirary, all hurt and burnt. Anyone else and I'd be all 'guy's gonna die' but not Wyatt. Manners was also there, Manners is this sacaen chick who was on a secret mission who gave me a pair of gloves after fighting some doom wolves and their corrosive blood destroyed my old ones. It was around the time I last came here actually, I'm happy she's still kicking around too." He recounted his experience, it was fuzzy and fragmented, but certain bits stuck out in his mind. Somehow, just remembering it all felt very... embarrassing. Like he did or said something that would make him feel ashamed if he could just remember it, but whatever wasn't important.
"Anyways, Mossy, I'm probably gonna go hunt that dude down. I mean, I came to Etruria for a reason but something is telling me that reason was dumb so I'm gonna forget about it. I don't know about this 'truth' or 'paths' or 'evil' you love talking about, I don't deal with stuff like that, but what I do know is myself. What myself is telling myself is that I should go to the wherever this place is, and yell at Wyatt after healing him to the best of my ability, maybe before. Or during. He did something really dumb, again, he might be a dumb fellow I suspect, but that's alright. I'm not hunting for a camaraderie of magi and junk, they make me look humble. I just wanna help an acquaintance in need."
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Jan 30, 2013 22:53:36 GMT -6
Valorian listened to Elias speak, as he recounted the tale of what he'd seen, where he'd been. Friends, now lost, who needed his help. He felt a remembrance of what it meant to have friends who actually depended on you, and the emptiness leaving them behind had done to him.
"You have shared much with me...it would be quite rude to not return the favor." He spoke simply, preparing for a long story. But still, this would be the first time he'd ever told the whole story to someone, he needed to hear himself say it.
"Long ago, it feels longer then it was, during the first bandit war I traveled with a group of warriors. You may know some of them, as Kenshin the Crimson Demon and Alan of Bern were two of them. I was but a boy, with all the foolishness that comes with it. Through my own greed, jealousy, and pride...I eventually found myself staring down Alan... it is a moment I will never forget, the moment when I died."
He paused for a moment, letting it settle, before resuming. "But, death was not the end of my venture. For this world still had more planned for me, it seemed. For a time, I walked Elibe, content to simply aid where I could. I thought I had grown, I had matured and learned, but then I saw that I really had learned nothing. There was a young girl I met, a thief named Jya. She seemed kind, horribly ill, but bright and cheerful, to spite what she was forced to do to survive. Something in her cause a great sense of pity in me, and I supported and guided her the best I could. But alas, we became separated shortly after Ostia fell to the Etrurians. When I next met her, she had changed. She no longer stole to survive, she then killed for money...an assassin. Still, she had the same innocence in her eyes, in her mannerisms. I thought I could guide her, could turn her from evil but..."
This part was difficult to speak of. A personal failure of the greatest magnitude. "I feared chasing her away. I did not want to condemn her wicked lifestyle, for I had come to greatly desire her companionship. Through the use of this staff, I was able to finally cure her illness. She had been a skilled thief and nimble fighter even under it's restraints, but with them removed...I fear I have released something truly terrible to this world. A killer who feels no remorse, but not because they have no conscience, but because they cannot grasp that what they are doing is wrong. A monster with the heart of a child."
He looked up at Elias, the darkness of the room casting a shadow over his face. "She is the reason your friends are in pain, are in danger. It was her knife that sparked that battle, that is what I saw. When she attacked a member of the Ilian military that she knew personally, without pause, without hesitation. I also saw a glimpse of what is to come...a great battle erupts in the capital. Two countries torn asunder by the flames of war. Ten of thousands dead, towns destroyed, lives forever altered. All of that chaos, misfortune and death...from one knife. A knife I may very well have placed in her hands."
He felt the staff throbbing again, and knew what must be done. "The magic in this place is strong. Stronger then I have ever felt. I have a feeling..." He said, holding the staff out as it began to glow, and a vision appeared in the air before them. A small lake, it would seem. Surrounded by lush green grass, except in one spot, which seemed to be bare dirt and dust. As Valorian looked upon the portal in the air, his face curved into a half smile.
"Life and death...truly one cannot escape."
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 30, 2013 23:34:47 GMT -6
"Wow man." That was the first thing he said as soon as he was sure that twigs and berries over there was done talking. "Sounds like you had it rough. But seriously dude, you give yourself far too much credit." He shrugged with a small scoff. "I somehow doubt healing a person is the same thing as causing a war. I doubt this Jya person just up and killed someone just because, if my definition of 'assassin' is correct, it means someone hired her. That someone would be the one who caused this, if they didn't have Jya they would of used some other kind of assassin. Maybe one that wasn't as good or whatever, but it sounds like the action itself is what caused it, not the success of the action." He threw his arms up in a 'who knows' kind of way, this guy was totally a guy who likes to blame his self for everything which was stupid stupid dumb. "You don't get mad at a sword for cutting someone, you get mad at the one who's holding it. Give yourself a break man." He knew, even as he was saying it, that none of his words would mean a thing. This was the kind of person set in stone in their way of thinking, they believe everything is there fault and no amount of logic will budge the overwhelming block of emotion that cluttered their minds. Still it was words he felt needed to be said.
"In my vision, I was told this was the work of the rebellion of Bern... That... That reminds me..." Something suddenly came back to him and he held his head and groaned. "Oh by all that is magic, I'm such an idiot, I can't believe I said that..." He groaned to his self. His mind rapidly remembering things he rather to have remained forgotten. He didn't feel ashamed, but rather kind of embarrassed. Now in his awake and logical and incredible crimson mind, it was obvious that his worries were stupid, but at the time they felt so much larger. "You see, I had a mission. That's why I originally came to Etruria. Yes, I believe so." He recounted, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. "It was an important mission, that if I had done correctly could have destroyed the rebellion years ago before this ever happened. I never did it, too afraid. If I had done that mission, the rebellion would never have been able to use your friend as a pawn for their own desires, to create this chaos, to hurt Wyatt. If actions we did, or didn't do caused this calamity, I'm just as guilty as you. If you put the knife if her hands, I'm the one who told her to use it. Do you think I caused all of this?" He sighed, he didn't believe this was his fault but that was because he had moved past it. Greeny over there obviously haven't. It was really weird to think that any person in the multiverse was less emotionally mature then Elias, but there you go.
"Also did you say you were a zombie? Because if so that's super cool. Also where'd you get that staff and where can I get one?" It was indeed cool, it showed them all kinds of awesome junk like a giant lake thing. It seemed to be able to do just about anything, he couldn't help but wonder just what it was 'supposed' to do.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Jan 30, 2013 23:55:34 GMT -6
Valorian listened to Elias and chuckled darkly. "I suppose you are right. She became the Emerald Wraith of her own choice. Whatever happens from here on out, it is not my concern." He looked towards Elias at his question with a smile, and odd sight from the sage.
"You wish to know what this is? I found it ages ago, in the possession of an old priest running from the Prophet. I knew, as soon as I held it, that it could not be allowed to fall into the hands of those maniacs, and over time I think I discovered why. But that is not an answer I can say, it is an answer each of us must discover on our own."
He looked to the image shimmering in the air before them, looking to it with a forlorn gaze. "Once I used this staff in pursuit of life, to help all I could. But even then I was running away. Hiding from what I am, what I did in the past. But you, you accepted your own shortcomings before it was too late. And yet, still so vibrant and full of life. Perhaps...it has not been the staff that chose me. But that can wait for now."
He was tired of speaking, tired of delaying. They both had places to go, and here was the way forward. "With the magic in this place empowering the staff, the boundaries of distance mean nothing." He declared, and the room flooded with light. As it faded, Valorian and Elias would find themselves standing on the scene they had just been viewing. Waves of grass all around, a lake, a patch of empty ground, and a massive city to the east, smoke rising from parts of it. Valorian stood for a moment, looking at the city, before he turned back to Elias.
Who had a horse licking at him.
"It seems...you have quite a strong bond with your companion." He spoke, unsure as to why the staff had grabbed the horse as well. They were nowhere near it. Had it...known?
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 31, 2013 0:32:38 GMT -6
"Ugh... Demon D-Demon. Demon stop. Please. Please stop Demon." He groaned as the horse went over his face time and time again with it's tongue. He grabbed the monsters head and pushed it away, his hair sticking up in the air at a straight angle, dripping and wet from the horse's tongue bath. "Demon please, I hate you, stop." He groaned, wiping his face and trying to fix his hair and visibly looking disgusted at the spit all over his face. The worse did nothing but whinny, almost as if it was laughing. Because it totally was. Elias was convinced that his horse's only goal in life was to torture the mage. When Moss man said they had a 'strong bond' it was all he had not to bust out laughing.
"This here, as you may have gathered, is Demon. He's my horse." He grumpily checked the horses' back. The saddle was still in place, alright then. With a small grunt of effort he heaved his way onto the horses back.
"Sounds like you were really lucky though. To get such a super awesome staff at random chance. I've never tripped over anything half as nice. I mean it shows cool pictures, makes super dark places bright, destroys magic things, and now can teleport us to... wherever this place is. Doesn't look like Etruria either." He grinned, looking down at the Verdant fella. "Seriously man, super awesome. I'm guessing, from your words, we're near wherever we saw in that scry thing. Which, since it was the rebellion's hand, is likely somewhere in Bern. So we're in Bern, that's my guess. Magic is super cool sometimes, that's all the way across the continent you know." He laughed. "Pretty impressive guy, if I had to say, even more impressive then I. That's one of the hugest compliments you could ever receive so I hope you're happy."
"Here, come on and get up Verdant. It'll be faster then walking." He offered with a smile, holding his hand out for the sage to grab and climb up. "For all the things I can say about Demon, the truth is he's very fast. We'll get there much faster this way. We're heading to the smoke, right?"
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Jan 31, 2013 0:40:33 GMT -6
Valorian laughed as he watched Elias do battle with his horse. There was something, almost calming about this mage. It was an odd sort of...aura...he gave off.
"I am sorry Elias, my path lies in a different direction. I cannot go into Bern with you. But.." He said, considering for a moment. "I do not intend to send you alone. You may not understand this, but I feel it is for the best." He said, passing staff towards the red haired mage. "I leave the Maiden in your capable hands. I am sure someone like you is whom she would have wanted to have it anyway. The love of life that you hold is a great strength, and I think you'll make fine use of this."
He smiled as the mage grasped the staff, releasing it from his own grip as he turned and began to head north. "My name is Lumino, the last of three brothers of Bern. I wish you luck and wisdom it whatever path you choose. My time in this tale has ended, I now leave it to you." He said, before looking to the north west...towards Sacae.
"As for me. I have one last promise to keep. I doubt we will meet again, so know that I wish you well. And no matter the darkness that may come, I believe that I left my power in capable hands."
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 31, 2013 1:20:59 GMT -6
"W-what?" It was a sudden thing, but it somehow caught him completely off guard. Super completely. He almost fell off his horse. He had assumed they'd go together, he was... looking forward to it actually. He thought he'd found someone that could be a friend, but he simply told him that was not how it was going to go. He took the staff, but had a worried look on his face. "Are you sure?" It wasn't just the staff, it was the... the everything! He said they would never meet again, and that bummed him out. Well they just met, but this guy seemed to get him some how. Or well not, still that didn't change things. He felt like they were going to go on to some grand journey, but that was just a farce crafted by the little happy goblins in Elias' mind.
He sighed, but smiled. This was his choice, and far be it from Elias to stop someone when they clearly made a choice. "Thank you Lumino. Keep an ear to the ground, you'll definitely hear about me. I wish you luck, and all that good stuff you said." He smiled. "Even if you say we won't I hope we will Verdant. You're a pretty cool guy, if you'd stop beating yourself up over everything."
As Elias' hands wrapped around the staff, he would feel a surge of magic flow through him. The staff was powerful, as he assumed, and he became aware of the powers it could grant to him. Elias could also sense that the Staff possessed other powers, though he did not yet know what they were. As if the staff were hiding some of it's powers from him, or he merely could not perceive them yet...
It was a strange feeling, completely unlike any other magic he had held in his entire life. It was, well it was crazy. Like it liked him, or something. It was weird, but whatever it was, it was definitely digging the Crimson Mage's vibe, and he could respect that. While it was still enigmatic at best, he could feel like he could definitely use this thing super well. Not as well as he possibly could, but definitely much more then he had a right to. He was still somewhat of a novice at the art of staffs, but despite that it just felt so right in his hands. Maybe it's not picky? Or maybe it had good taste?
By the time he looked back, Lumino was gone. He said he was going to Sacae. Elias would have to look him up one day. Still he smiled. "Goodbye." He left a great gift in Elias' hands, and while it was strangely out of character for the colorful mage to get like this, he felt it would be an insult to treat it any other way.
Once again it proves the most influential people in Elias' life are the ones he barely knew.
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