[Episode 4] The Worth of a Soul

Archives of Occultus Magica's beginnings, ten years prior to the current story.
CadetNewb
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Re: [Episode Four] The Worth of a Soul

Post by CadetNewb »

Coco dejectedly murmured, her eyes focusing as though the other girl were a thousand yards away, "Riley, how could you?"

She quickly broke the despairing stare, instead turning her attention back on Percy. The other girl, the way she acted, now of all grim times?! It was wrong, wrong, wrong! Percy was right here, right on his death bed because - the little girl's mind stopped. Why - that word was very important. Both her brother and sister emphasized that a lot for that very reason. Why was Percy like this? Was it his powers like the others were guessing? If so, was there a way to prevent this? Duncan had left it up to Coco to teach the kids, gave his notes to her...and she was doing her best without pressuring them all too! But, what if it wasn't enough? Every time she tried to talk to Percy about what Duncan said...Coco always ended up just...

She didn't blush this time.

Rubbing one of her eyes and sniffing, she reached out. "Modeka? Please? Can you tell us what's wrong?" the little girl asked, tugging at the other's sleeve.
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Kokuten
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Re: [Episode Four] The Worth of a Soul

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The black jacketed individuals did not respond to any prodding, but they did talk among themselves while the kids got right to work trying to diagnose Percival's case. Alistar could only smile at Riley as she brimmed with confidence to charging in the situation as usual. Though, her words got mixed reactions from Elizabeth, who had still been clasping her son's cold hand. She remained there, a slight in the way, before Alistar's hand took her should in a gentle clasp. The man tugged her wife away from their son a bit, but Elizabeth rooted herself firmly where she stood. There was a clear message that she didn't want to leave her sons side again, but her resolve melted under her husband's second hand.

Elizabeth stepped back into a comforting embrace, watching on as her expression decayed.

Emilia was the first to gather a discernible clue, something that may or may not shock her. She couldn't see his soul, rather, she saw tethers of his soul wisping from his chest into his staff. Though one thing remained at that, Percival's body held no soul, but still lived despite that. Anyone who could detect the flow of mana could see it, something swirled through that rod shaped gate to Elementalia. The flow of mana, which normal took place through Percy was now encircling Unity, as if it had followed those very tethers. Right now, the boys body held no magic, or 'fonted' it, as it were. He was simply a graying husk, lying motionless upon his back, with an unstirring construct.
Rubbing one of her eyes and sniffing, she reached out. "Modeka? Please? Can you tell us what's wrong?" the little girl asked, tugging at the other's sleeve.
At least, she had been unstirring. Coco's pull of the sleeve was as if she had tugged the pull chain to the little construct's big, green eyes. Her sudden awakening caused a stir among the adults, who couldn't wake her no matter what they did. The two blind-folded individuals hummed among themselves, separating for the first time in conversation since Ruarc and Raiko began coming up with their own hypothesis.

Modeka herself looked around to the others, giving a small sigh of relief. The faces of familiar people was a welcome sight to her, it seemed, and she opened her mouth to speak, breathing in; Then, suddenly, she stopped. Her brow furrowed as a short realization reminded her the qualities of her normally unspoken voice. The small Modeka looked between them all, somewhat weakened by her inability to speak without unintended effect. She looked among them, pensively, before looking upon Miller with a certain helplessness. It was then that she seemed to get a determined twinkle in her eyes, and beckoned the man over.
Luca
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Re: [Episode Four] The Worth of a Soul

Post by Luca »

To Mr. Miller, the situation appeared to be developing, as he noticed that murmurs were beginning to spread through the black robed figures. He guessed that they were other mages much deeper into the rabbit hole of knowledge and much more powerful. This begged the question as to why they were here. Were they just observers in spite of all of their accumulated knowledge, or could any meaningful progress be made with a emotional connection - hence the introduction of Percival's companions to this situation?

And then Modeka stirred awake. Modeka and Miller had something of a relationship in terms of complimentary abilities. It was with her that he summoned the Paladin's Forest. It was with her that he took his first trip into the Elementalia Magicus to discover his divine gifts - and none of this would've been possible without Percival acting as the middle man. Indeed, the teacher did owe a lot to Master Caxton's tuition and abilities so he could discover his own.

He approached the the avatar of the Goddess of Plantae and Peace and all he could do to convey his gratitude towards Percival, and his frustration in his perceived inability to make a contribution to the situation at hand - being the least experienced and latest blooming of the magicians present. He did so by giving her a hug, resting her small frame against his shoulder. The grown man could be heard sniffling, thinking that he couldn't do anything to alleviate the boy's condition.

Although he had to clear his mind if he wanted to traverse the Magicus, there were some things in his heart that simply wouldn't fade away. This might have been the last opportunity the teacher had to see Percival - and in such poor health.
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Episode Four] The Worth of a Soul

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

Emilia's eyes went wide. She was quite simply befuddled. This was... it couldn't very well be possible! But, it had to be, because it was definitely happening! She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. She raised a hand to reach out, then stopped. Deciding a course of action with this strange new information was difficult for the young Immortal. She stepped over to the bedside, peering down at Percival's... she was afraid to say it was his body, given the things she was seeing. "His... He's not..." She bit her lip and tried to formulate this nonsensical data into a coherent sentence. "Percival isn't in his body. He's... like a flag on one tether, barely clinging to his body. Like a... What're your big storms? Hurricanes? Like a flag in a hurricane. The rest of him is settling, drifting within the staff."

She glanced around the room with a forlorn gaze. Concern was not an emotion with which Emilia was familiar, worry improbable, and fear all but impossible. For the first time, however, she was undeniably concerned. Souls don't do that, she tried to tell herself, but it was clear they could or it wouldn't be happening. "I'm afraid if we don't do something soon, he'll blow away, locked in that staff forever. I mean, I think that's what could happen. It's the only thing that makes sense, and if he does...

"If he does, it's not safe here."
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Straken
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Re: [Episode Four] The Worth of a Soul

Post by Straken »

Ruarc had become accustomed to Raiko’s quirks over the past few months, so her ability speak Irish barely fazed him anymore. He was however a little embarrassed about the fact that he had been talk loud enough for someone else to hear. “I’m not really sure to be honest,” the Druid responded to the shrine maiden while maintaining the Irish dialogue. Before he could think of further possibilities he noticed Emilia’s rather surprised reaction and her observation.

“Not in his body?” Ruarc repeated still mostly to himself. The observation reminded the young Irishman about a method he hadn’t tried yet. Closing his right eye briefly, the Keeper focused some energy on the detection rune set onto the eye. When he reopen his eye the normal view of the room changed, and now everything appeared as a dull grey haze that formed the surroundings punctuated by different colored haze to represent living beings. He normally left the rune as a passive detection method since using this special view could cause major headaches. Now that it was active however, Ruarc got an interesting new perspective on not just Percy’s situation, but also views of his companions.

A look at his own hands provided his benchmark as his energy gave off a deep, pearl blue haze which was to be expected from a standard mage. Miyuki, Riley and the adults already present appeared much the same way, while Raiko appeared as a vibrant white haze given her status as a relatively normal person. His other companion appeared somewhat differently however, Miller for example had the base white of a normal human being but was accented with a gold core, and Emilia possessed a purple haze. Neither of these Ruarc had ever seen before in person, and he had only heard of something similar to Miller’s when learning about spiritual possessions. As for Coco, she appeared much the same way as the furniture around her as she had a dark grey haze, but she had a spark of blue at her core.

Shifting his focus to the matter at hand though, Ruarc looked Percy over, but the problem was apparent right away. To Ruarc’s eye, Percy looked a lot like the bed upon which the lad lay. Inanimate and devoid of detectable magical energy, and the only difference being that Percy appeared as a light grey haze as opposed to dark grey due to the life still inside him. The odd part was the series of blue wisps that were connecting Percy’s core to his staff. The Druid knit his brows as he thought about this.

“Aye,” Ruarc started by agreeing with Emilia, switching now to speaking English He was now speaking very methodically as everything became mostly speculation. “Hmm, magical energy is connecting his body to the staff. Perhaps… ah, let’s see. Percy has been actin’ off lately, so if behavior is any indication then this has been developing until finally it reached this stage Even during our last excursion with Duncan and Coco, Percy was having trouble with his powers. So perhaps, some form of backlash occurred which drew Percy’s consciousness out of his body and into Unity.

“Percy deals with spirit magic, so from what Emilia said, the best guess would be that his consciousness is in some other plane of magic.”
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Kokuten
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Re: [Episode Four] The Worth of a Soul

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"Listen carefully..." came a small voice, so quiet that almost Miller himself, being so close to Modeka's mouth, could not hear it. There was a short pause, and the mini's small hands patted the teacher's face. She gasped gently, excitement taking her, as whatever unsure air in her mouth vanished like smoke in a valley. "Listen carefully. You have built resistance to my voice, as I have soothed your mind into sleep many times. So I will tell you what's necessary."
... Guardian constructs were unique to normal contructs, in especially of how they were made. They construct themselves, as in the Guardians make themselves out of what's available, and their qualities. Normal summons, if you review Summoning 102, typically rip themselves from their normal planes to join their summoners, and even those that summoned by spirit still would require a construct pre-made for them to really do anything corporeal. The guardians were limited this time around, compared to their previous ones, the one at the time had little in the way of constitution to rip god-like beings into reality. So some things had to be crunched out in their bodily construction. The most noticeable thing was a usable voice. Guardians projected their voices by magic as they're only psuedo-biological beings, even in reality. So when the "Minis" come through, that 'voice' becomes compressed. One couldn't say anything without spewing fire everywhere. Another would try to speak, but the sound would simply hide itself. One even put people to sleep if any normal human heard...
"I cannot explain the situation at length, as I do not have the energy to maintain this form, so I will be frank," hastily whispered the small Modeka, "Everyone must rest themselves so I can put them to sleep, more will be explained once you enter the Elementalia."

Miller could feel both of the green goddess' hands hold his cheeks, a warm hearth bringing his heart steady of his troubles. The small woman smiled, before giving an urgent glance to the others.
Luca
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Re: [Episode Four] The Worth of a Soul

Post by Luca »

There were a few puns coming to mind in Miller's head, but those were just those - puns. They would've been highly inappropriate for the situation at hand. Any other time, and maybe he'd crank out 'Field Trip to Elementalia Magicus' as something to lighten the mood. If he did it now, it'd be disrespectful to Percival, Elizabeth and Alistar.

"Children, Modeka has spoken to me." He announced flatly. "She requests our presence in the Elementalia Magicus. I have been there many times before with the aid of Percival and Modeka." His voice seemed to pick up an element of urgency as he turned around with the God-Avatar by his side.

He then looked around the room and found the dresser, he moved towards it, turned around and sat down, resting his back against it and shuffling in order to get comfortable. "Everyone, get yourselves into a comfortable, resting position." The teacher's seating arrangement would hardly be considered comfortable, but his singleminded purpose at this wasn't permitting him to worry about such trivial matters. Percival's safety was paramount. "Modeka will put us under a spell to take us there, and we'll be asleep on this plane."

He then looked up to the black robed figures and to Elizabeth and Alistar. He gave them a weak smile that exuded a steadfast, quiet bravery. He had no idea what to anticipate in the world beyond, but he was going to lead the charge without bravado - and without question. Whether it was from within or from without, it was there. "You're welcome to come along too."

He then clenched his right hand into a fist, hard enough for the knuckles to crack, raised it and gave it a single shake - it was a symbol of defiance toward the unknown and a rallying call for the others. He put his fist down by his side and put his head back against the dresser and exhaled. His eyes were shut and waiting for the journey to the Elementalia Magicus.
CadetNewb
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Re: [Episode Four] The Worth of a Soul

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Coco gave Modeka a toothy smile of relief - she'd be able to set them on the right path!

The little girl waited patiently, looking up at the composed figure expectantly. It was all too likely the summoned person just needed to find the right words, take a breath; after all, Modeka was likely meditating to conserve energy or something. If that were the case though, that would have meant she was running low, and with a Font, that was very, very bad news of course. Still, speculation aside, Coco did wonder just what she'd end up hea - she didn't like what she heard.

If anything, it just made the little girl feel even more guilty inside, like something was rotting deep down. Of course, that was impossible - she was biologically sterile. That meant that no living organism could exist on her, inside or out! Their little membranes would literally pop if they so much as got within a single micron of her skin. Coco was squeaky clean, and proud of that fact! It was practically a must though, considering she was technically not alive. Back on to the topic however, she felt horribly guilty. Big brother trusted her to teach and take care of everyone! But, she didn't, and now look what happened! He said that something was likely to happen to Percy sooner or later, and since nothing was done...

Coco had done nothing. Nothing at all, and now, look at what was happening!

The volatile cocktail of feelings bubbled and brewed in Coco as the little schoolgirl put down her backpack and reached in, pulling out several pillows and blankets, one after another. "You all heard him, Percy needs help, so we gotta go in!" she spoke with shocking determination for someone her 'age'.

She thrust the odd assortment fluffy pillows and blankets upon them all, one at a time.
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Kai
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Re: [Episode Four] The Worth of a Soul

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"But I'm not even tired!" Miyuki almost said. She realized just as she opened her mouth that it would have been a stupid thing to say given the current situation, and incredibly immature. So, rather than make a fool of herself, she snapped her jaw shut again a moment later, and moved closer to Percy's bed, sitting down and leaning against it, after giving the boy's still form a glance. "If that's all we have to do to help him, at least for now, then it'll be easy." she mumbled.

Raiko took the initiative, tugging Ruarc's arm, and walked over to the other side of the bed, sitting down upon it. "We shouldn't waste time, let's get to business!" the girl pointed out, waiting for whatever might come next.
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Straken
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Re: [Episode Four] The Worth of a Soul

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Nodding in acknowledgement, Ruarc made his way over towards a spot on the wall close to where Raiko had picked, and then after adjusted his cloak sat down and got comfortable. In preparation for his nap of sorts, the bespectacled Druid removed his glasses and set them aside, while Laoise left Raiko’s shoulder and settled on the head of Percy’s bed as she would not be tagging along to dreamland. With his legs pulled up against his chest, hood pulled up over his head, and his head resting against his knees he was ready for the next step.
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