[Chapter 1.1] Into the Maw

The story unfolds around Osaka, Japan, with the unlocking of one girl's hidden potential, and a gathering of Young mages whom are destined to change the fate of the Earth.
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Chapter 1] Into the Maw

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

The American flashed her Welsh companions the frown of a disappointed teacher. "And I assure you," she retorted, drawing out the last word to the point that it was properly enunciated in spite of her accent, "Ain't nothin I do is facile." She snorted. "I swear, sometimes s'like none y'all even met me 'fore now. Anyways, s'like Mizz Miyuki said. We got the tools, 'n the gumption. All's left is the doin. So let's get doin. Mizz Maelgwyn, if ye'd be so kind as to walk us through this and get the ball rollin." She planted gloved hands on her hips, waiting in earnest.
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Gwathdraug
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Re: [Chapter 1] Into the Maw

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A rumbling, rolling grumble of dissatisfaction vibrated from low in Riley's throat. "Jane wasn't there so if she comes at this with her own motivations I can understand that. But-" Riley moved her gaze over the rest of the room and stopped with her eyes on Miyuki - a probing, bittersweet half smile hanging on the Stage Magician's face. "We are not children anymore. You want to think of Percy - you want to go in there and save him?" Riley brought her elbows up on the table quietly and her mouth disappeared behind two clasped hands. "We did that as kids - we went in and thought of Percy and thought of our powers and nothing else."

The young woman dropped her arms and leaned back into her chair. Her face was passive now and she shook her head. "The Elementalia Magicus - what it is now? That's us." Riley looked hard at Miyuki, at Ruarc, and even stopped with a softer nod to her brother. "That's what we were. A lot of time has passed since then and far as it has gone personally? - I joined the OM. I did it because I want to do good work - I want to do Good."

"So." Riley nodded and then grinned towards the group. "I'll go and I'll work hard, but if-" The brown haired mage shook her head. "-if we're to toss everything aside to be a band of saviors again you'll do it with ice or a rune through my heart."
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Chapter 1] Into the Maw

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Jane was slightly taken aback. The concept of refusing was so alien to her that it simply had not existed in her world until Riley spoke the words aloud. "I'm sorry. I may not have been there, but I ain't followin yer train o thought. Hell, I'm not rightly sure I see the tracks. What good is the OM 'n all its magery if it don't try n save what's worth savin? More importantly, ye think if we jus let 'im wither n die nothin's gonna happen? Ye think a font is gonna go quietly to the clearing at the end of the path? Ye think the Elementalia is just gonna take a little nap? Bout as likely as a snowball in Arizona. That's gonna be free magic-- untethered until such a time as another poor child gets roped into that nonsense. Ye want to let all that wildness go, n then let some poor kid carry around a bunch of deranged eldritches?"

She grunted her disapproval. "Y'all think I ain't thought this through, 'n yer right. That's cuz I ain't got a need. I got my magic 'n it says, 'Go.' Cuz it's the right thing to do. Cuz if we don't, somethin worse'll happen. I can feel it same as I sense the weight o these guns. If ye ain't got a better reason, do it cuz I got bout two decades what says I always been exactly where I'm needed, and right now there's some dumbass divinities what need a little frontier discipline."
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Gwathdraug
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Re: [Chapter 1] Into the Maw

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The inky Phantom copy of Riley slipped through the space the table was occupying and grabbed at it's partners clattering chair as Riley pushed herself to her feet. The brown haired woman's teeth were gridlocked against each other as she bit back against the anger that was flaring throughout her chest. With a heavy breath the stage magician looked down and one hand's fingers found contact against her temples and forehead.

Looking back up the Stage Magician seemed to have put aside her sudden urge towards aggression, but was still clearly agitated. Riley opened her mouth a few times, but it shut almost as quick as a different barrage of words - of anything to say - passed through her mind. The group hadn't saved Percy years ago - they had failed both him and the gods of the Elementalia Magicus. The instability that was tearing apart her brother was because no one had cared for anything beyond Percy and their ownselves the last time the other plane had been breached.

Between Percy and the Elementalia Magicus there wasn't a difference.

Riley didn't know how to explain it though - despite how calm she had tried to approach the problem before them her emotions were a tumultuous mess. Looking down at her feet the young mage's head barely moved as she she shook her head - more to herself than to express anything to anyone else.

Deflated and still with her head lowered Riley sunk back down into her chair - now further away from the table from her near outburst - and spoke in as plain of a tone as she could muster. "I'm in - that's all that really matters isn't it?"
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Straken
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Re: [Chapter 1] Into the Maw

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Ruarc was prepared to debate, but held his tongue as Riley sounded rather dejected as she relented. Rethinking his initial rebuke, the Irishman sighed. His face was still stern, but his tone had softened. "This isn't an OM matter, Riley. Only you can decide what the right thing for yourself is," the Druid said before standing up from his seat.

Running a hand through his hair, the Druid cleared his throat before continuing. "Beyond the personal appeal, Ah concur that putting this situation to rest to also be the best course of action. As stated by Jane, the passing of a font is rarely trivial, and given what we have heard from Eryl, it becomes that much more dire. If she is correct in the matter, then it would be irresponsible for us not to act. If not to save Percy, then to stop any potential side effect his passing would bring."
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Kokuten
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Re: [Chapter 1] Into the Maw

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"As much as I love to wax upon intricacies, how are you all carrying on with all this racket?" said Percy, pressing a hand tightly to his forehead, his middle finger bending back upon his temple. He had broken out into another sweat. The man seemed to whip between being fine and fighting off a migraine, occasionally losing his focus on the task at hand.

"What racket?" Jakku asked peeling off of Ruarc for a moment.

"Can't you all hear it?" muttered the Alchemist, pressing his hand into his face, before it fell away, as if slowly tugged apart. Those weary green eyes of his looked at every face in the room. "... Does anyone hear it?"

Khrrooong... The Staff, Unity, was tapped to the floor, and the fire and the fireplace began to warp and change in color.

"They can feel him, the linking rope of his soul is faint, but they know he is present, and they know something is coming," came Eryl's enunciated words, as the fire began to grow to her left. Jakku's eyes widened, fearfully seeking out Miyuki and hiding behind her neck as she had done before in the face of great danger. Eryl's eyes traced a line on the wall, in a way like seeing something others could not. "They howl because that is all they know to do, each one having fallen to atrophy, holding on to that which chains them to the waking world. Five chains to be broken, a sixth to be found in the chaos."

"Five lost to their madness..." picked up Percy, as if in a daze. The fire grew up over the wall, bending backward over the books and finery. Wicking off the flames in stinging waves was a cold air, something so cold that even Miyuki could feel the difference. Their one-armed friend continued, almost amazed at his own words, "One bound by the burden it carries."

The two entranced mages, bound by their ill bond a decade prior spoke in tandem.

"Doubt."
"Doubt."

The wall of flame turned in upon itself, a bright light coalescing at its center. A repugnant stench of decay entered Ruarc's nose and swirled in his chest.

"Fear."
"Fear."

Ambient air became charged, icy particulate hovering over them. Riley could feel eyes upon her from beyond the portal, smiling and frowning.

"Shame."
"Shame."

Fire became a more distinct form, an ethereal aura washed over itself into a round shape. The light faded from Jane's shoulders, a foreign bitterness rising in her throat like a bad whiskey.

"Sorrow."
"Sorrow."

Icy air began wet rain, splashing on the floor, and then chasing back to the opening. Miyuki felt something shatter upon her sternum, as if it were sunken by a weight.

"Loathing."
"Loathing."

On the word itself, a baleful cacophony of howls roared forth from the now yawning portal. Each felt a fire in their heart burn hot, emotions of passion and energy ignited into something very ugly. Percy's eyes rolled back into his head, and he gripped a portion of his shirt, coming to his knees. A hissing word passed his lips before his head fell slack over his chest, a name, Miyuki's. The light from the portal made everything almost painful to look at, the howling only made everything louder instead of drowning it out. The blue color in Eryl's eyes was almost too perfect as she looked at the rest of them. She pointed Unity to the mouth of the opening.

They could barely see a land of withered trees and stone beyond the corpulent sensory overload. Hazes and darkness wreathed through the vague picture, which only made it harder to discern their path.

"He has gone ahead," whispered Eryl, her voice almost uncomfortable in volume even at such effort. "The way is open. From this juncture, there is no turning back, no reinforcements. Should we fail, I will relive another long darkness, and you will do it with me should you survive. This is not the sanctum, it is a shattered ruin housed in soul of infinite power. Trust only yourselves."

The portal expanded like an iris when the Maelgwyn woman approached it, "Shall we?"
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Kai
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Re: [Chapter 1] Into the Maw

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Actually feeling cold was something Miyuki had not done in nearly a decade, and with the sudden shattering smash, she was not sure what to feel. Almost reflexively, she held up a finger for little Jakku, and when the fire sprite took the offering, she held the small magical being close, as if to warm herself up from whatever it was she had just felt. however, the time she had to try and comfort herself was little, and when Maelgwyn approached the expanding portal, however, she was snapped out of that feeling, at least enough to regain her senses and steel herself for what was to come. Still holding the little Jakku close, she stepped forward, following Eryl into this known unknown.
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Gwathdraug
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Re: [Chapter 1] Into the Maw

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"Ruarc I'm going to rip some of your curtains down. Right now - alright?" Riley chriped up agreeably as she stood and slid up, onto and over the table towards a pair of windows and did just that. With her back to the rest of the group the stage magician spread her arms out wide as she began to carefully fold and crease the cloth that had been so rudely torn from their housing. While the young woman was working - inaudible grumbling sounding as nothing more than an incoherent garble to those still gathered around - the mage's inky double more politely walked around and titled its head to the side in thought as it ended up standing next to Percival's unconscious form.

The Phantom raised and lowered its arms a couple times while dancing forward - then back - a step before it finally nodded confidently and scooped Percy up in its arms. The one-armed alchemist was carried over to where Riley had laid her folded creation down as an impromptu bed and soon both Riley and her copy where busying themselves with straightening and shifting things so that their brother would have a comfortable rest. Scratching at her cheek as she reviewed her work Riley sighed before nodded to the Phantom - who promptly walked over and tore another set of curtains from the wall.

With another minute of folded invention the pale alchemist was resting with both a makeshift pillow under his head and a sheet tucked securely about his body. The shadow and its original peered down at their work and nodded to each other.

Dusting her hands off on her shorts as she broke out a smile at everyone else in the room Riley jerked her head towards the portal. "I'm done here - so we taking next's or we wanna all bunch up to take the jump in as a group?"
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Straken
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Re: [Chapter 1] Into the Maw

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Ruarc pinched his brow as Riley worked on dismantling his study. Such an impulsive girl, but well-meaning at the core of things. So moving past his own grievances, he set about getting himself squared away. Running a finger along the row of books off to the side of his chair, he grabbed a leather bound tome that was thinner than his Keeper's tome and handed it to Laoise. With his other hand he reached up and clutched at a small pendant hanging around his neck, from it sprang the long and heavy cloak embroidered in runes that marked his position in the Order; it had grown worn and ragged along the sleeves and tail, and was also sporting a number of holes that had been stitched over the years. New to those that hadn't seen him in action in a while would note the addition of a rune inlaid leather chest piece that was mostly covered by the cloak. The last thing to appear was his staff which grew from another pendant at his wrist once he called it's name.

"Foireann Maor Gruama," the Druid said, gripping the staff in his hand. Once he was settled he reached up and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, casting a heavy shadow over his face until he turned back towards the portal. "Ah needed to replace the curtains in here anyway, but Ah have a blanket and throw pillow in that cabinet across the room."

Laoise stepped past him and towards the portal, having produced a long white cloak of her own. "Are you sure we'll need equipment? Last time you all had spectral gear, or something along those lines, right?" she asked Ruarc in Irish.

"I'd rather have everything ready just in case," Ruarc said back as he too approached the portal. Without stopping for too long, he turned to Riley. "You help yourself to my curtains, but ask out taking turns with the portal?"

Once he had finished speaking he stepped into the portal with Laoise stepping excitedly behind.
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Chapter 1] Into the Maw

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Jane swallowed the foul taste same as any other shabby liquor: with a defiant glare. There were no gods present to be properly intimidated, but she felt the message was sent all the same. Were she the young woman that had first come to Japan by impossible means, the bellows may have stirred something approximating concern. Now, after all these years, she had become unshakeable once set upon the warpath. Her resolve was an immovable object, her courage an unstoppable force. The only thing that kept her from rushing first through the portal was the fact that she wanted to ensure everyone crossed through. Miyuki would be a fine vanguard; Jane would secure the rear. She beckoned Riley through the portal before following her through and taking one last look back to confirm that it would, in fact, seal itself.
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