Zacharia
Shaman
Kingmaker
"You fight for the promise of a better tomorrow for this country."
Posts: 172
Bern Fame: 3
Illia Fame: -2
Profession: Advisor
Affiliation: Bernese Senate
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Zacharia on Feb 26, 2015 16:56:26 GMT -6
First he tried to blind Zach, now Vergil was falling over his own two feet. Wasn't he just the ripest peach in the basket? Zach would've grumbled more, but that concentration thing he was doing was vital to this spell, and good gaea it was taking forever and a day to charge. It was a good thing that monster couldn't decide what it wanted to do for a good half of the fight. Almost as if it was bickering amongst itself(selves?) - a choking thought that the mage immediately shut down.
"C'mon, focus..." If only he knew what had actually been reading, he would've had a better plan and could've at least acted like this whole adventure wasn't just constant bluffs of bravado. He could barely make out the word he had been reading just a minute ago; it was only through divine inspiration that he'd managed to concoct the ...what did Vergil call them? Bees? Fitting. And not just because of their form. At the corners of his senses, Zach could hear a harsh buzz, and it grew ever so slightly when the swarm sphere engulfed his arm. But now what? Was he supposed to lob it? Direct it? Explode it? Eat it? Apart from looking cool as heck it wasn't doing anything proactive just floating there.
Bewilderment quickly gave way to the childish frustration from moments prior. Under any other circumstance he would've meekly apologized to his friend/guard. He could feel the telltale sign of his red cheeks puffing out. But with phenomenal cosmic power in the palm of his hand as opposed to Vergil's disco stick, the man felt just a teensy bit justified in his anger. "...I'm going as fast as I can, give me a moment to concentrate!"
The next few moments were entirely out of his hands, both figuratively and literally. The semi-sentience coiled away from his arm and towards a runic sigil at his feet, drawing itself autonomously. Zacharia could feel that all-too familiar drain of energy ripping itself away from his body and into the now gaping vortex of runes. The adrenaline faded, as did the faint buzzing, and they would've been in the darkness again if not for the glow of his companion's fancy stick(which seemed better put to use as a torch or a flash mine). And yet, he remained in place. There was simply no telling what could happen if he moved before the spell climaxed. "This better do what it ought to, or I might just haunt myself with you."
From across the room, the monster(s) hesitated. If only for a brief moment. It couldn't think or see, not in the way a human would, but it could feel another power. It wasn't as harsh or as strong as the light, no. It could smell, it could hear, and it could taste. The taste it felt was uncomfortably familiar. The magic that it had spawned from - it could feel such a presence before the power faded into the background. The familiar caress of its creator's energy, the very fabric of its existence.
These feelings passed through the inner workings of the monster. through its brains, its hearts. Though a being of red-hot, gnashing hatred it previously fought from a sense of self-preservation. But the one who given birth to this pained creature was here, and they were near.
The beast wailed, lashing out with every disposable limb and looking for all the world like some sort of grotesque human mob. Nevermind that the light was charging towards him. It would snuff the light. It would find the power. And it would destroy it. And then it would be free.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2015 0:27:59 GMT -6
To be perfectly honest with himself and any cosmic observers who might be glancing in, Vergil had no goddamn idea what the hell he was looking at - any idiot could recognize it was magic, but without any sort of schooling whatsoever in regards to magic and even less knowledge of the specifics, Zach might as well have been conjuring a toilet from thin air for all he knew. It DID look pretty cool though. Hopefully it was also stupid strong, or he was going to die horribly and get ate by a foot monster and haunt Zach forever. In that order, most likely.
Unfortunately, whatever the hell Zach was doing was giving the monster thing the heeby-jeebies something fierce, whether because it hated dark magic or was really excited about it - Vergil wasn't sure which would be worse. The creature seemed even less coherent than usual, which was good (probably), but it was also lashing around wildly with a whole lot of limbs and body parts and stuff, some of which he was pretty sure were sharp. Did it eat swords too, or did it like, sharpen bones or something? His magic glowstick wasn't really bright enough, and the monster's limbs were moving around enough, that he couldn't really inspect them to ascertain which of those options were the truth.
On the bright side, he was getting closer to the horrific eldritch abomination of stank and murde-oh god that was anything but the bright side. "ZaaaaaAAAAAAACH now would be nice," he yelled slash wailed, hurling himself to the side as a scything arc of flesh and... stuff sliced through the air and cratered the wooden floor where he had been standing slash running a few seconds before. Either its aim was getting better or his luck was fading, and either way he was going to end up a messy smear on the floor before long if they didn't take it out quickly - there was absolutely no way he could actually fight it in legitimate melee combat.
So... if this plan of Zach's didn't work, or at least he REALLY hoped Zach had a plan, he was probably going to be dead pretty soon. That was a fun thought. Really gave you perspective. Go on an adventure, meet new people, hone your skills, get horribly murdered and absorbed into a nightmarish flesh creature to be used as an ex-human club that broke floors. Good times.
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Zacharia
Shaman
Kingmaker
"You fight for the promise of a better tomorrow for this country."
Posts: 172
Bern Fame: 3
Illia Fame: -2
Profession: Advisor
Affiliation: Bernese Senate
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Zacharia on Apr 5, 2015 14:04:44 GMT -6
Zacharia stayed silent, trying for all the world to block out all sound, all light, all fear. It was a lot harder than the exhaustion made him think it would be. And worse still, he couldn't suppress that awful feeling that maybe, just maybe, the magic was gone. He certainly didn't feel like he lost the spell; he was just as dog tired as before. The only tell-tale sign that anything in his sphere of influence was active was his hands. They tingled all over like red-hot needles. And yet he felt invigoration, no pain. It was impossible to accurately describe.
Right then, as Vergil's girly cry pierced his eardrums, the magic flowed like a dam broke loose. He shivered. Magical specks poured in from above, double the number that circled his hand moments prior. Alone they were the flicks of a candle, and together they lit up the room in a brilliant burst of blue light. Hundreds upon hundreds, and they were all aimed at the horrific beast. Like the Earthmother herself held an invisible hand over head they pressed down and into its skin, tearing away at the gelatinous outer shell. And there it was! The pupil couldn't see it as well after the bright flash, but his hypothesis was right: The core, he'd exposed the core! However, they didn't have time to waste debating whether or not it would do anything. While the (admittedly weak) magical gravity well held the monster in place, it was time to act.
Zacharia exhaled deeply, not realizing he was anxiously holding his breath. In any earlier instance, this would've been the point where he complimented Vergil and the monster for a job well done, hung up his boots, and called it a night. No, not now. The mage shoved the impulse into recesses of his mind. "Haah... Haa... I, I did it - I mean, a-all according to my calculations! Let's hit the weakpoint for massive - " he cut off the thought to take a knee. The aftershock of the magic left him reeling, especially the sudden burst of energy. On the plus side, he wasn't left virtually defenseless anymore, proven after he lit the room again with an orb of pure magic. But it left him wondering just where he found the energy to pull something like that off. "That was... unprecedented..." he murmured, hoping against all hope the mercenary or the fiend wouldn't hear him.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2015 13:52:11 GMT -6
"...Whoa."
Vergil completely flunked the whole 'instant followup' thing, completely blown away by Zach's unexpectedly awesome light (dark?) show. Probably for the best honestly, he didn't want to get ate by magic bees. Magic gravity bees. Magic gravity bees that could eat entire giant flesh creature beast things. Good times.
Maybe he should be nicer to Zach. Just, you know... in case. Not 'cuz he was scared or anything, obviously, just because Zach was, uh, very respectable. In the way that if you didn't respect them, you got eaten by magic bees.
Unfortunately, the monster didn't seem nearly as impressed as he was, or if it was, it sure had a weird way of showing it - screeching and thrashing within the confines of its prison, it was flailing around like a wild Zach with its leg caught in a bear trap. Was that a weird comparison? Eh... it was probably fine. Also the thing wasn't dead yet, which was midway between impressive and really scary, like, bandits riding giant spiders scary. Not especially eager to approach the giant gravity collapse thing, Vergil settled for lopping off one of the arms with his suddenly-comparatively-thoroughly-unimpressive sword.
"I... think... I can go in as soon as you drop the... the magic stuff," Vergil managed, sounding slightly less certain than he had intended. He gripped his sword hard enough his knuckles turned white. He was pretty much out of his element, that was for sure by this point, but even he could tell that Zach was pushing himself pretty hard, and Vergil couldn't very well NOT try to match that.
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Zacharia
Shaman
Kingmaker
"You fight for the promise of a better tomorrow for this country."
Posts: 172
Bern Fame: 3
Illia Fame: -2
Profession: Advisor
Affiliation: Bernese Senate
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Zacharia on Jun 22, 2015 17:49:39 GMT -6
"Oh!" he gasped, biting his tongue and pushing the bile down his esophagus. "M-My bad, I almost forgot about that." The blow was more impressive than he thought it would be, for a first time incantation. What came next was what really had him in a pickle: Zacharia didn't really know how to turn the force field off. Was it automatic? Did he need to concentrate? The stress of overthinking would've made the mage pass out right there, but the amalgam solved his problem right then and there by discarding the spell like an old pair of socks. "Phew... What a relief. The magic's worn off! Go, Vergi-"
The monster may have just been a tad upset. Though Zach didn't see with his eyes what knocked him silly, it didn't take a scholar to figure out that blasted flesh that missed him earlier just hooked the the mage from the right. He tumbled to the ground in a dazed heap, reeling from the sting of the creature's touch. Cold, lifeless, unhygienic... it made every hair on his neck stood up on end. He wasn't a neat freak by any stretch, but the feel of the beast's flesh connecting with his gave Zach the desire to take a long walk off a short pier. The humiliated boy struggled to his feet, unable to do anything but focus the light that kept them able to see, and by proxy, not die. Free of its container half of the beast shrieked while its other half chortled. The sudden strike left the immediate wound shivering with countering energy, keeping the regeneration from kicking in and its armory of limbs on standby. The amalgam was still able to lash out towards the swordsman, and lash out it did. Gnashing, gaping jaws reached for Vergil like one unit - they would either absorb the boy's light, and by extension the other child, or die trying with such an obvious weakness exposed in their flesh.
Either option is fine.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2015 15:53:47 GMT -6
"You forgot." was the entirety of Vergil's immediate response to his friend(?)'s admission that he apparently didn't know what the hell he was doing or that Vergil was not immune to superpowered area-effect magic bullsh...aving cream. To the young swordsman's eternal credit, there was even a fairly impressive degree of dry sarcasm inherent to his words as he looked back at Zach with a neutral face, almost forgetting to be scared assless for a moment.
Then Zach turned off the god damn %)#$ing magic when he wasn't paying attention and the creature went berserk immediately, because coordinating this stuff was apparently a task well beyond them. At this point, honestly, Vergil was about ready to accept that they were both just going to die horribly down here and become food for whatever godawful abomination this thing was, and he didn't even care anymore because at least Zach would go down with him and he would haunt him FOREVER in the afterlife.
Fortunately(?) for his train of thought, it was interrupted by the whole 'horrible monster trying to kill him' thing, with whatever Zach had done to it apparently having just made it madder. So that was nice. Vergil started mumbling something mutinous that was fortunately lost to the mists of time when he got backhanded across the face by something horrible and soft and fleshy, but before he could really think too much about whether or not the monster was really offended by swearing, there were more and he resigned himself to dealing with the minor nuisance.
And by 'dealing with' he really meant 'flailing just as ineffectively at it as it was flailing at him' - not the most transcendant of bladework, or footwork for that matter, not that he really had any idea how to fight a bunch of slimy slippery fleshy tentacle things searching for his body, oh god he was just now starting to realize how horrible that sounded. He really had no idea what was even happening honestly, but Vergil was rapidly giving up on thinking at all and about ready to let the building frustration take over. And it did.
Which, unfortunately, didn't grant him superpowers or superintelligence or superswording, but it did help him grab one of the tentacles and yank as hard as he could, which elicited something between a shriek and a gurgle from the creature and a LOT of tentacles impaling the area he had been standing, which was why he was way the hell not there when they hit, not even he was dumb enough to stand there for that, but it was a useful distraction that he had totally planned and was definitely not just frustrated lashing out with an unexpectedly good result.
"WHERE DO I STAB IT," Vergil calmly(?) queried his friend(?) as he somewhat ineffectively assaulted the flailing creature in what he was pretty sure was the main body. He wasn't actually sure if the core was actually hard or if his sword had just gotten stuck on one of the bones around there, but his laser-focused deadly assault on the core didn't seem to have instantly won them the battle, and at this point he was rapidly realizing that the creature had re-homed in on him and was liable to start murdering him very painfully in the near future.
He really needed to take up a hobby. Like knitting.
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Zacharia
Shaman
Kingmaker
"You fight for the promise of a better tomorrow for this country."
Posts: 172
Bern Fame: 3
Illia Fame: -2
Profession: Advisor
Affiliation: Bernese Senate
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Zacharia on Jul 10, 2015 21:01:40 GMT -6
"I didn't forget! I just...I..." Whatever zinger he was building up in retort dove back down his throat when Zach remembered he was controlling the light source. So he kept the silence out of respect for his younger, less mature friend(?). Personally, the mage had no idea if his magic could even affect Vergil. Magic worked in mysterious ways: Staves could heal "allies" from afar and warp "allies" to your person. What made the connection between the mental image of a friend and a spell? Zacharia didn't have the foggiest; it could've just been sheer luck that ugly axe-wielders aren't healed instead of the beautiful sword-wielders with hair that flows in the wind every single time.
Ugh, standing there and doing nothing but dodge was the worst. At best the mage was able to stamp the life out of the fleshy chunk that suckerpunched him with the light only dimming once or twice. Didn't do anything for his wounded pride or his lack of energy. Still, Zach was sure he could do something more than just maintain one orb of light. He willed the ball of energy to split, and then split again, and again, and even more, until what appeared to be an off-model variant of the swarm magic was fluttering around the room. Zacharia winced. Even that had taken a chunk out of slowly-regenerating spell pool. At least now they could see from all angles, which was far above and beyond getting suckered by something either one of the boys couldn't see.
"I don't know where you stab it," he vented, taking care to keep the lights on. "I've never seen one of these things till now! I've never even read about it in my textbooks!! But the core probably has all of its vitals, which is why our attacks haven't done jack to it yet, alright? Is... Is that good enough? Sorry I can't be more help. Really." The amalgam was clearly not having any of their talk, as Vergil turned and stared death in the face(s). "Y-You stay out of this!" The mage gritted his teeth. Verg was frustrated, Zach was frustrated, the monster was frustrated; in general it was turning out to be a very frustrating night.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2015 21:58:45 GMT -6
Vergil was well into more mutinous muttering when he was interrupted again by an especially forceful walloping to the gut by a thicker than average tentacle, and then they were everywhere, the ineffectual flailing of harmless tentacles suddenly replaced by a raging hornet's nest of much larger and spinier appendages that didn't seem to care too much about minor things like the young swordsman's personal space or well being or bruises.
He was still off guard from the gut shot when the first grasping hand came for him, desperate and blind and barely deflected by his own hand, but then there was another gripping his shirt, and something sharp but through his shirt on the other side and knicked his flesh eleciting a sharp hiss from him, and then there was something around his leg and before he even had a chance to struggle he was rocketing upwards faster than he could think, not that struggling would have done anything to release his leg from the crushing grip in the first place, and then the creature just seemed to explode outwards in a raging torrent of tentacles and appendages and natural weapons that reached for the ceiling, for the walls, for Zach, for light and dark and Vergil as the one holding him high in the air hurled him back and forth - both rendering him unable to free himself and, paradoxically, saving him from the thousand grasping hands coming from every direction.
A tiny part of Vergil's brain, the one that had been helpfully reminding him how fucked he was for the entire adventure, supplied yet another bee-related reference by snidely comparing his and Zach's actions to having poked a hornet's nest - that whatever they had done, rather than truly weakening it, had simply awakened the creature's hatred and rage so thoroughly that even if they had injured it, even if they had already killed it and it just hadn't realized that fact yet, it would drag them down to Hell with it anyways.
The thought, unbidden and unwelcome as it was, turned his blood to ice nonetheless, drowning the fire of adrenaline in the frozen terror of suddenly realizing this was how he was going to die and there was nothing he or Zach or anyone else could do about it.
And yet, in a sort of cosmic irony, as if the very world itself had now stooped to outright taunting him in his darkest hour, he could finally see the accursed orb at the creature's center - whether magic or bioluminescence, the sickly glow emanating from it was impossible to miss, and it was leaking out, almost as if it were an actual creature capable of bleeding. He had no idea if it could even truly bleed, if the creature's core always 'bled' that strange viscous energy into its body, but the aesthetic was strangely similar to a bleeding heart.
The thought frustrated him. He could SEE it - almost as if he could simply reach out and smash it and watch the beast die - and yet he couldn't reach it, not even with it almost directly below him. And even if he could, the undulating motion of the stalk holding him aloft was more than sufficient to ruin any possibility of a flawless sword throw - not that he could manage that even if he was still - and the heat and weight and growing blurriness in his head, his mind, were none too subtle hints that being upside down and shaken so was rapidly drawing blood to his head, and that he would probably lose consciousness soon - if he wasn't eaten or ripped in half or gutted first.
Below him...
Vergil gritted his teeth as another bladed appendage whistled through the air directly before his face, the grisly blade filling almost his entire vision for a moment as it flailed about in another blind attempt to rip him asunder, watched as something gold followed it down, fluttering - it took a moment to realize it was a tuft of hair, his hair, shorn off as easily as his head might have gone if it had gone just a foot higher. He was out of time, but there was nothing he could do.
...But maybe Zach could.
Desperation born of absolute necessity filled his voice, an order as much as it was a request inherent to his words. "Zach!" Another tentacle swung at him and Vergil tried to twist around it, only to be battered by another from behind. It knew where he was. "Hit me AND the creature with that spell again, as hard as you can! Put everything you have into it! " He still had his sword - nearly knocked out of his hands twice already but he held on to it with the desperate strength of a drowning man clinging to a thread of hope. "NOW!" he shouted, fear mixed with resignation and fury and command all in one tangled skein. He couldn't think of any possible way that this would end well... but neither could Vergil think of any other way to protect Zach. The mage had no escape, and after the thing killed him, it would just take Zach next. If there was a chance he could at least go out doing something useful for once, he wouldn't have to stare anyone in the afterlife and tell them that he had shied away from doing the right thing, even when there was nothing left to lose, only the possibility of surviving a few seconds longer by clinging to cowardice.
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Zacharia
Shaman
Kingmaker
"You fight for the promise of a better tomorrow for this country."
Posts: 172
Bern Fame: 3
Illia Fame: -2
Profession: Advisor
Affiliation: Bernese Senate
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Zacharia on Jul 12, 2015 11:56:31 GMT -6
The amalgam had one more trick up it sleeve, it looked like. In slow motion, he watched the monster split through the center like an orange and grab both boys in one fell swoop; Vergil being hung up to dry while Zach was pinned to the ground against the wall with his newly found weapon dropping somewhere to the side. At least the throbbing flesh tentacles deigned to grab his shirt instead of his skin that time. Dazed and more than a little terrified, he shut his eyes tight. This was the end, wasn't it? They had held on for such a long while... and now it was over. They'd been cornered: nowhere left to run, or dodge, and barely enough wiggle room to move.
Wouldn't Aidan be surprised to find his confidant had died in the bowels of a backwater town, miles away from base? That is, if their bodies were ever found. Zach gulped. Even in his wildest dreams, he imagined dying spectacularly on the battlefield, sacrificing himself for the good of others. For the good of Bern. This was no battlefield, and it certainly wasn't spectacular. He'd just become mage food for a tentacle head monster. It was... humiliating, to say the least.
Unlike the swordsman struggling to escape, the mage laid deathly still in his trap, hoping that the creature would let go. Spears of flesh scraped against his face, cutting like knives. Could the beast even smell his blood, or feel it? It had dozens upon dozens of nostrils, but judging from its lack of a true working internal system, it was hard to say for sure. What wasn't hard to say for sure, though, was that it freaking hurt. Hot tears started to dribble down Zach's face. Things probably couldn't get any worse from here.
"Zach!" "whuh huh"
Vergil yelled... something. Zach's mind couldn't process exactly what the boy said through the tangled nest of limbs, but the message was clear for the rest of his body. Sub-consciously his arms searched the floor for the book slapped from his hands, and barely avoided being severed by the monster's own limbs. The dark mage opened his eyes. This was stupid; he wasn't helping anyone by blinding looking around, and he certainly wasn't improving his chances of living. Lighting a small fire in his hand, it became painfully obvious that the spelltome had fallen right next to him. Zach snatched it up, flipping to an open page with his free hand. Okay, phew. Deep breath, Zach. You're gonna need it. Zacharia tried to block out the threat of death literally grabbing him by the chest, or how his next spell could literally kill him, and instead tried to focus on the important things: literally magic bees.
At first the boy couldn't muster more than a flicker from the already existing flame. Zach whispered an incantation, and concentrated harder. The light gave birth to smaller lights. Zach concentrated harder. The lights began to sway to and fro, with every swing another piece of the Nether coming into focus. Zach concentrated harder. Magic started to swirl around his hand like it did before. Zach blocked out all instance of thought - there was only one thing in the known universe that existed right now, and that was his target. A flurry of light that could rival the stars in the sky surrounded the man, yet he couldn't stop there. That was only the beginning, as one by one they vanished into nothingness. Zacharia remained still; he learned from his mistakes from last time. Runes like crosshairs rotated around the monster in his mind's eye. A perfect shot.
"NOW!"
There was no escape. A cluster of magic that dwarfed his last spell in size and intensity lit up the room in a bright flash as though they were staring into the ends of the galaxy itself. And then the ends of the galaxy convened on the monster and its captive in a gale storm of energy, with magic flying every which way inside the vortex of gravity. Vergil seemed unfazed, but with the glare rivaling that of a supernova and his already slackened gaze Zach just couldn't tell. He had used his spiritual energy to the very last drop, and already the cries of Nether demons and evil monsters legions beyond the power of the twisted amalgam called out to his inner thoughts. The last thoughts of the mage before he took his dirt nap were an incoherent mess that his brain struggled to put together: the monster's shriek, a silhouette piercing the heavenly light, and whatever lied beyond the great unknown.
Zacharia smiled. "We... did it.."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2015 21:17:53 GMT -6
The growing sense of unease, of - something tugging at him was Vergil's first hint that Zach had done anything, and for one horrible moment he thought that maybe that was it - that his magic-wielding counterpart hadn't been able to summon forth anything particularly impressive even as a last ditch effort, that they were already dead and he, fool that he was, was only now realizing it.
It was kind of funny - his first hint that maybe anything more was coming was when he noted one particle of dust hanging oddly in the air - he could barely see it in the dim light of his blade, in the aftermath Vergil would never really be able to articulate how or why he noticed that one particular mote of dust hanging suspended in the air, but there was something strange enough about it that even through his panic he saw it nonetheless. There was almost a sense of it... struggling, as if it couldn't decide whether it should mosey on up or down, and the ludicrousness of the whole situation seemed almost encapsulated in the tiny speck. There were more of them too, he realized, almost transfixed in the moment; as if time itself had stopped, though a small part of his mind was aware that it was merely a matter of perception, it seemed almost as if every particle of dirt and dust and grime in the air had simply frozen.
Then they began to fall.
Then, everything began to fall.
The terrible force grasped at him like a thousand empty hands, as if every appendage the creature had simply latched on to him simultaneously. He was already intimately familiar with the sensation of blood rushing to his head, but it was as if the rest of his body was trying to follow suit, to follow that same path; as if his head was trying to implode in on itself; as if the world itself was falling with and around and against him all at once.
Vergil didn't really have the luxury of a a coherent view of what was going on around him, but even upside down and confused and half delirious he could still see glimpses of the world about him as the world simply came apart at the seams, the massive forest of tentacles around him collapsing as though they were trees all cut down at once. It was terrifying, but also enthralling; he almost forgot to be scared.
But he did have something to do.
Trying his best to twist around in midair despite his disorientation, Vergil did his best to lock in on the creature below him, his eyesight still a bit blurred but his mind trying desperately to render itself as sharp as a blade. Its success in that regard was limited, he didn't have the training or experience to casually shrug off all that pain and fear and heart-wrenching terror and the absolute despair that had come so close to claiming him entirely, but the would-be swordsman clung to his one remaining task as tightly as he could, turning everything he could, everything he would, into that one single-minded purposes. He could feel his sword in his hand, warm and familiar; he could feel his hands, tired and sore. For now, that was all he needed.
It started in his throat, or maybe deeper inside, Vergil wasn't really sure, but even as his grip on his sword tightened so much it hurt and he could almost feel his knuckles turn white, as the light from his weapon - or maybe it was his soul - burned brighter than he even realized, he was also crying out, railing against the darkness. It wasn't really all that loud, and certainly not particularly intimidating, but the inarticulate shout he gave as he plummeted downwards into the darkness, into the dark light that seemed to consume the shadow around it, grew in volume as he closed in. Perhaps the closest he had ever really come to a real battle yell - the evolution of a kiai shout from his training.
The thrall consuming him shattered as reality and the ground all struck at once, Vergil's blade impaling the crimson core of the creature at the same time as his body hit the creature's soft body hard. But he didn't let go, not even when his wrists felt like they would rip themselves apart and the horrible force tried to rip his limbs from their sockets and pull them to the ground's embrace, and while it was more from sheer willpower than any sort of actual physical strength or durability that he remained upright, Vergil was rewarded with a glimpse of the forest of tentacles around him simultaneously going limp before he followed them mere moments later, his tired hands finally releasing their desperate grip as his blade remained steadfastly upright while its master collapsed.
Maybe... maybe sleeping for a bit wouldn't be too bad. Zach probably wouldn't mind, right?
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Zacharia
Shaman
Kingmaker
"You fight for the promise of a better tomorrow for this country."
Posts: 172
Bern Fame: 3
Illia Fame: -2
Profession: Advisor
Affiliation: Bernese Senate
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Zacharia on Aug 8, 2015 12:47:15 GMT -6
A child stumbled out from the mouth of the frost-covered cave, covered head to toe in woolen garments. It was another chilly day in the mountain ranges. He knew not to wander too far out; one wrong slip would send him spiraling down the edge, and wyverns prowled their slopes when they were gutsy enough to brave the monastery's magics. That didn't stop him from running outside whenever the boy pleased. Compared to the inside of his home, the peaks were a master's work of art. And he wasn't scared of no dragons!
The lad came to a halt in front of the statues guarding the monastery entrance, plopping down on the ground below it. He didn't know why it was here, or which lion decided to take a seat in that very spot eons ago, but here it was, and here he was. The fearsome pair had guarded the monastery gates since forever ago, and probably would keep on doing their thing until the end of time. And out here, under the watch of no one but himself and the lions, the boy was free to do whatever he pleased. He looked up to the jaw of the beast, almost afraid that it would open and tell him to knock it off. The boy scooted up closer to the statue and took a deep breath, cupping his fingers together. In the palms of his hands, a tiny spark flickered against the mountain breeze. The boy willed that tiny spark to grow bigger, stronger. It was a fire no bigger than a candle, yet still it raged against its captor. It wanted to run wild and free, to escape its fleshy prison. And it could. It would. It had far more power than -
The child exhaled sharply, his lungs heaving for air. Dangit, he forgot to breathe again! And in that tiny lapse of focus the magic was gone, faded into nothing. Two tiny hands curled into fists and pounded the ground, hard as they could. He had almost had it that time, too! Even the wind itself seemed disappointed, with its rhythmic "tch tch tch" echoing throughout the peaks and valleys.
"Tch, tch, having trouble, are we?"
Wait. That wasn't the wind. That was a voice.
"You know, we all start somewhere," said the man, coming into view for the first time. He was old, his posture and his hair (or lack thereof) betrayed that. But there was something about the way he held his cane, the way he held his head high though his shoulders hung low. Something... strong? "Ah, I see..." the geezer stroked his beard fondly. "You're Zaaaach..."
"Eh?" That wasn't how it went at all. What? -- "Zaa~aach. Zacharia! Dear, wake up. It's not your time yet. Or are we still a tad dead inside there?" Something sharp prodded his forehead. The mage's eyes opened a crack, and the gears in his head slowly started to grind again. Someone was talking to him... maybe. He could barely decipher the words, much less the voice. "My, it's a good thing I decided to check up on you when I did. You and blondie are a mess." Zach tried to lift a hand to his eyes, to rub away the crust. Tried being the keyword. His limbs were numbed beyond muscle control and his mouth felt like he tried to swallow the greater part of Nabata. "I thought I told you never to use that much energy at once. You've always been such a glutton with your spirit. Oh... what am I going to do with you, dear? Here, take my hand." The boy muttered something resembling words and his hand trembled slightly. "Oh, that's right; you must be awfully sore." the silhouette giggled, grabbing his hand tightly and skyrocketing him upwards to face his rescuer. Ohhh boy, the world was spinning. "Open your eyes, dear." Instead of darkness, soft light met his face. And instead of a wall, two milky brown eyes. The mage tried to squeal and a lame groan came out. "U-Uh... Master?" Khayri smiled warmly. "Who else?"
Whether it was her magic or her sudden presence, he'd never be able to tell what exactly jolted him awake just then. "Mm-Master?! Why are.. V-Verg - aHEKK" She pursed her lips. "Manners, boy - don't just cough in my face like that! Ugh, I suppose it can't be helped after spending so much time with those 'undesirables' out in the countryside." The redhead pulled a canteen topped off with water out of her satchel. "Here, Zacharia. Drink some of this. ...And here I thought after two years of you being gone, I wouldn't have to play the role of nursemaid anymore." As Zacharia downed the water, he heard an immensely over-the-top sigh from somewhere in his master's direction. Had it really been so long since Selibas had taken him under his wing? That meant he must've been eighteen by now. "Now," Khayri began, snatching the half-drained thermos from the mage, and standing up from the mage's legs. For such an immense presence, Zacharia sometimes forgot just how lightweight she was. "As for you, blondie. Eh, what was his name again, dear?" "Vergil, master. His name was - " "Virgin, how could I forget! You're the one I'm here for." Tip-toeing over the remains of the tentacle monster, Khayri lowered herself to Virgin Vergil's side, and casually examined the blond's head. "Oh, good! You're not dead either: good pulse, good heart beat, a little banged up, but nothing a touch of magic can't fix. Now, dear, as good as that dream might be, I'd like for you to wake up. Rise and shine, child." Zach couldn't tell if Vergil was alright from the Seer obscuring his body, but he knew that Khayri was just as good a healer as any other curate. Again, the soft light of a healing stave filled the room, though its power seemed intensified from the last time. The boy frowned. Khayri hadn't been holding back on him, had she? More importantly, why was she even here? As soon as Vergil and Zach were up and on their feet, he was gonna get some answers.
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Zacharia
Shaman
Kingmaker
"You fight for the promise of a better tomorrow for this country."
Posts: 172
Bern Fame: 3
Illia Fame: -2
Profession: Advisor
Affiliation: Bernese Senate
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Zacharia on Sept 27, 2015 15:35:19 GMT -6
Try though Khayri and Zacharia might, the blond swordsman wouldn't wake. Inevitably, the mages had to drag him out of the abandoned facility and into the streets, all the way back to the cottage the pair had stayed in previously. Maybe he took too much of a beating to be roused immediately. Or maybe Vergil was simply too tired. The mage turned his head towards the sky; dawn would be pulling at the sky soon. Whatever Vergil was dreaming of, Zach hoped it was good things.
No sooner than the boy was safely tucked away in a cot and Zach found a chair to recline in, Khayri was making for the door. "Master! Where are you going? It's been two years since we saw each other last, and you're going to leave without saying goodbye?" The Elder Mage reached out to her from his seat, forgetting for just a moment that he didn't need to tug at adults' robes to catch their attention anymore. She didn't turn to face her pupil, but she did chuckle and twirl a finger in her hair at his remark. "Well, I thought you would know by now that you're just a stranger to me. Some vagrant boy I happened upon." Wait, what? "But master, I... I thought - " Khayri laughed harder this time, and finally turned to Zacharia. "You're no longer my student, dear. That relationship ended two years ago, when a certain someone left without saying "goodbye" as well." She jokingly pouted and put a finger to her eye, as if to wipe away invisible tears. Zach's head lowered to face the floor. Khayri was right, he had broken their apprenticeship that fateful day. "Besides, you're not who I'm here for."
Now he was really confused. "...You said you weren't here for me earlier, as well. Did you come to help Vergil?" Khayri simply shook her head, orange curls bobbing left to right. "I'm here simply because the old man begged me to see to it that you two weren't harmed. Nothing more, nothing less, dear. Asked me to give you rations, water, the sort. At the very least, there's no one to disturb my... other matters of import here in this ghost town." It wasn't more than a handful of sentences, but already Zacharia's mind was swirling around in a confused mess. Boryn... was this all a part of the old man's test? The ring? The monster? Khayri? And the people in the inn? "Ghost town?" He mumbled. "Then who were those old people in the inn?" "Just a figment of your imagination, dear. Look up."
Only then did he notice the mature woman held a book in her hand, as she grabbed her nose, twisting it around like a dial until her facial features were grotesque and save for the hair, unrecognizable. Her skin pulsed with a magical hum before reverting into a distinctly human (and less disturbing) shape. It was the face of the old woman from the inn. "This is the power you scorned when you ran off to play war: The "Worm" spell. A strange name, but one of the most potent spells an Elder Mage has in their vocabulary. It misleads the mind, and with a simple alteration to the way it's performed, can mislead the eye as well. This face is is just an illusion; a continual application of the spell. You might think of it as a mask."
"It's a shame that things turned out to be this way," Khayri said, letting out an over-exaggerated sigh. "A few more years and I'm sure you wouldn't have turned out to be such a - hm. Some things are better left un-said. Now then. Are we done here, child?" He winced as though she had punched him in the windpipe. The woman's words pierced straight through him. "Good. I'll be going, then. Don't look so sad, dear. Knowing you, we'll meet again. Perhaps by then you'll have found another master; one that tolerates runaways!" The woman patted him on the head, and with that she turned on her heel, out the door and out of Zacharia's life.
Their meeting had been short but humiliating. He was glad Vergil decided to remain asleep; he didn't want him to see the mage look so defeated as he held his head in his hands. He still had a lot of thoughts to settle in his tired mind, and not a lot of time to settle them before the sun rose. Zach would stay here until the blond woke up refreshed, and as soon as the mercenary was paid for his services, Zacharia would be on his way.
He had done it. He passed the test. Zacharia was no longer just a student; he was a fully fledged scholar. He had every reason to be proud, and yet...
The road home was going to be a hard one.
[End Thread]
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