[Quest] It's a (Dangerous) Kind of Magic

[Faylon Kwanda]

[The Opening was there. Faylon had created it expecting that Idue would strike. Idue had not been the one to strike though. Out of the corner of his eye Faylon only saw the canine move in as the Reimancer intended to lash out with another blast of fire and then its jaws were on the arm of the man, pulling at them and biting down, causing the Wizard to cry out. At least Faylon thought that the Wizard was the one calling out at the moment. He couldn’t entirely be sure though.] [Wasting this opportunity wasn’t an option though. With the canine, Lyam, affixed to the arm of the Wizard and holding on Faylon rolled to the side so that he was out of the way of any fire that may have blasted down over the docks regardless of the hold the Wizard had been taken in. When he’d come out of the roll on his stomach Faylon had pressed up onto his feet and was turning to face the Wizard again before he could free himself from the hold of the Kelvic.] [Eyes surveyed the situation quickly as well. Nai’shee was gone. Safe. Anselm had done his duty well it appeared. Now it was up to Faylon, Idue and Lyam to bring down the rogue Wizard so that he could be transported back to the sanitarium where he escaped. On his feet again Faylon looked for Idue but the adrenaline rushing through him had made his vision blurry and he couldn’t be sure where the Benshira Warrior was none. Maybe something had happened. Placing his right hand on the hilt of his Longsword though Faylon would wrap his fingers tightly before pulling the sword free of its sheath and advancing on the Wizard.] [Lunging across the distance then Faylon would have shouted something unintelligible as a battle cry when he came upon the Wizard still struggling to pull his arm from the hold of Lyam’s jaws. The Longsword went high, twisting as it was raised, and then came down at an angle as Faylon cleaved it over the arm that Lyam had been biting down on. Intending to cut into the arm of the Wizard that Lyam had been wrestling with and incapacitate it entirely. Were the blow to strike true it could be reasonably expected that a spray of blood would erupt from the wound that Faylon dealt and a shock to the system of the Reimancer would rush through him. Not a lethal blow but one that would leave a painful wound for a long time without the proper treatment.] [If Lyam could hold the Wizard then Faylon would come over the top to press the attack too. When the Longsword came down he’d step in tighter and close his left hand into a solid fist which he raised before driving down overhead into the head of the Wizard. It’d be the second time that Faylon had crushed a powerful blow into him and the Reimancers legs would have started to buckle underneath him as he lost consciousness. Limply falling onto the docks where he bled. Anything that happened to him next would have only been a bit of icing on the cake as it were.] [Now if only it were all that simple. Allowing himself a moment to catch his breath Faylon would have looked back over his shoulder after he felt the heat at his back before his eyes widened and he called out...”Fire!”...before cursing underneath his breath. The Docks were wood and the Reimancer had fired at least a fireball or two which had caught. At least that’s how it would appear. Looking at Lyam Faylon would have said...”Leave him. We need to put these fires out before they grow.”...convinced that the Reimancer would remain prone for at least a short amount of time and could be left unattended for now.] [Petch. This was not supposed to happen. He’d have thought to himself while looking around for a bucket or anything he could fill with water to throw on the fires while they remained small and controllable. Smelling the smoke from his armor where the smaller blast of flame had struck and thrown him back Faylon would think of the others again then too and shout out...”Nai’shee where are you!? Can you hear me!?”...the last time he’d seen her clearly had been after she’d been burnt badly by the Reimancer...”Anselm!”...he called out for the Nuit as well. Damn. It turned out this wasn’t going to be such as easy job after all. Burying his sword back in its sheath Faylon moved to the edge of the docks leaving the Reimancer on the ground.]

[Aello]

The monster glared at her a moment, and if she watched the air with narrowed eyes, she thought she could see puffs of smoke coming out of the top of its beak. Mist; cast by an angry bull. Aello pulled herself into a deeper crouch as the monster's neck extended. Like a viper uncoiling, its head snapped towards her. By a narrow margin, the aurist managed to side step out of the way as it came forward. Retracting its neck before thrusting it at her again. Causing her to extend her legs at an angle; a diagonal. She pushed her body to the side, and her arms holding the daggers in, close to the chest. The monster took yet another step towards her as it pulled its head back and extended its wings. They unfurled softly, slowly, the feathers unfolding as though they were a fan. The fading sun shining through the fraying edges; the narrow spaces between the spines. The central heart of each entity. The monster held its head high, tipping its head back so its beak was held skyward. Seconds later, it was lifting its leg, and talons extended, towards Aello. The sole of its mangled; rubble encrusted feet coming towards her chest. She should have seen it coming, she should have moved out of the way in time, but the monster was too fast. And soon enough, its foot had crashed into her chest. Aello could feel her body curling into the impact site, as every shred of air was wrenched for her chest. She gasped for it; reaching blindly at the shards as her fingers loosened; the blades sliding around in her sweaty palms. She could feel her chin ram into her chest; the bony lines extending from the dips in her shoulders as her eyes popped open. She could feel her boots grinding against the rubble as she stumbled back. Hear it scraping against the road as she tripped. Tumbling through the air, her arms flailing, she went down. Hitting hard. Grimacing as she landed on her back. The glassbeak screeched as it pulled its wings in and came for her. Dazed, Aello could only see the colors it cast as it whipped its head towards her. Its beak snapping the air hungrily; awaiting the taste of blood upon its lips, as opposed to merely the scent of it, that lingered. She could barely see it coming. Could barely pull herself together, and managed only, to rock far enough onto her side as it came to avoid the brunt of its beak. The adornment which managed to graze; peeling her skin from her left arm as though she were an overly ripened orange. The girl winced in pain as blood pooled around her. Matting her hair as it mixed with dust; and the bird pulled away. It stepped forward menacingly; with calculated steps. Its head rocking as it moved, as though it were a mere ostrich out to get her. Aello rolled lazily against the street, as she grit her teeth to ward off the pain. Her eyelids felt heavy, as she forced them open, to find her gaze locked on the bird's. Its dark, coal like pupils. Filled with nothing more than a failed attempt at masking its monstrous nature; its unquenchable bloodlust. Its foot came off the ground, high off the ground. To Aello, it appeared as though the glassbeak were attempting to march triumphantly down the street, even though the fight had not yet been won. The leg seemed to stand still, suspended in space for a time. The silhouette of it startling against the sun. But within time, it came down. Crashing into her chest. Wrenching the air from her again. Bile rose in her throat, before rocking back down into the pit of her chest. Again, the monster screeched. Dazed, and in pain, the girl couldn't help but feel as though her time was up. Her thumbs lazily brushed up against rubble, against metal. They circled everything, tiredly. Cooly; for all warmth was fleeting. She smiled up at the beast, expectantly. Softly, waiting. Her arms trembled. She didn't think they'd be able to move, not after this, and yet, they could. She looked over at the one on her left, as though surprised it was still there. Rapidly it came forward, and soon, the metal blade metal with the monster's leg. Severing it, as it made its way through. Blood spurted all over Aello as the monster shrieked again, and she knocked the severed limb out of the way, as she spun her newly freed form around. Pulling her left leg back, and then forcing it under the back side of the creature's remaining limb. Towards the area where an ankle would be on a human. Soon, their legs slammed into each other. The girl couldn't help but wince at the pain it caused as her entire leg trembled. She could see the monster wobbling on its own, struggling to remain afoot, as it fell back a little, into her right arm, which she had swept behind. Bringing the dagger into play. The bloodied middle met with crackling skin. Severing another set of talons. Again, the monster screeched, as its head dipped, coming for her, but too late. It never reached her, as it fell back; threatening to fall on her legs. But she was too swift, Aello pulled them into her middle. In the fetal position the girl rested for but an instant, as the monster's head fell onto the ground. Its wings flapping wildly as it screeched. "Oh, shut up," Aello hissed, as she eased herself onto her feet, and soon, lowered her weapons into the monster's chest, repeatedly. Blood squirted her; mixing with her own gathering red. The shrieking was dying away, but still, it was not enough. She walked around to the front, and slit the monster's neck, separating it from the body, before backing away. The girl's heart pounded as her chest heaved, and she fell away. Her back settling against the crumbling surface of a nearby building. "Well," Aello whispered, as she sheathed her daggers and reached for her bleeding arm, pressing her palm into her flesh, "I am never doing that again..." OOCOk guys, this is officially, my temp. write out, meaning, you won't seem much from me until the thread's end, since I am a bit wrapped up in real life right now, and don't wish to hold you up. Have fun, and don't die!

[Anselm]

Anselm stared at the glassbeak. The glassbeak stared back. He focused his attention on the monstrous bird and then made a suggestion. Using Idue as a model, he placed in the glassbeak's mind the suggestion that he and Nai'shee were surrounded by Benshira warriors in full battle dress. It was a desperate ploy since his powers of hypnotism were laughably weak. His only hope was that the monster was sufficiently weak-minded to take the suggestion seriously. But even in the best case scenario, it would hold the creature for only a few minutes. Anselm would have held his breath if he had one. He could hear fighting on the dock above them: a lot of growling and screaming. Anselm didn't dare look to see what was happening. But the glassbeak did. And with that, Anselm's hold on it was broken. It pivoted its massive head back to Anselm and Nai'shee. Then it leaped off the pilings on to the sliver of a beach. A good eight feet tall and probably 300 pounds with vicious looking talons and a very impressive beak, it charged. This is not looking good, thought the old Nuit as the creature quickly closed the gap between them.

[Lyam]

One of the men – I think he was called Faylon or something like that – finally woke up and pulled his sword free of its sheath. It was high time, I could no more hold the wizard. I waited few more seconds, the time for the guy to cut – I mean, literally – the wizard’s arm. The wound was awful and some blood splashed on my face but I did not care. Cause at this very moment, two things required my attention. The first one was of course Faylon, half burned, who was asking for my help to control the fires the wizard had just caught. Something quite impossible for a wolf to do. And, sorry for the Zeltiva’s inhabitants, nothing important – I mean, just wood and things – compared to what was happening above the sea. Cause if the glassbeaks had first flown from the sea for an unknown reason, one of them was now coming back to the place where Anslem and Nai’shee had disappeared. And I knew somehow that they had not moved. So I was sure they were in great danger, more than I was with a half mad wizard behind me. I would have been fool if I had hesitated more than a second. I looked at Faylon with a sorry gaze and turn on my heel the fastest I could. I ran at a speed I could not imagine being able to run, and finally jumped like a fool to grab the birds back before it hurt Anslem or Nai’shee. Until the very moment, I thought I would fail. But I didn’t. My timing was just perfect and my four paws came on the bird’s back, making it fall into the sea. Have you ever seen a wet bird? Well, let me tell you a wet bird does no longer fly. Glassbeaks were not different. The snag is that a wolf can hardly swim when it is ten feet or more under the water. The shock had first stunned me and then I could feel my lung desperately looking for some air. But the surface was so far… So I tried something completely foolish. I tried to shift under the water. As a wolf, I was unable to go to the surface; shifting was my only chance. I did no longer think about Anslem or Nai’shee who were still in danger, facing the huge bird. I guessed that Anslem could now have the advantage. My only problem – sorry for the others – was no to save myself. I concentrated more than ever, forcing my body to change, but it went to waist. I was too weak for this effort. I suffocated and began to think my end has come. But my body had decided it otherwise. Like a time bomb, I finally shifted faster than ever, what made me feel even more tired but filled me with a new hope. I swam towards the surface, feeling my strength decreased, but this time did not give up. I cut through the surface just in time, filled my lungs with air, unable to see because of little stars dancing before my eyes, or to hear anything else than my proper breath. I was alive. OOCAt Nai'shee: I think you're still unconscious, so I can be a man for few minutes. I'll shift back if you wanna wake up, please just PM me if you will

[Anselm]

What happened next impressed even the four hundred year old Nuit. Out of nowhere came a blur of ferocious fur and fangs, neatly intercepting the glassbeak and driving it into the water. A few moments later a muscular young man emerged sputtering and thrashing from the roiling water. He made his way to shore. The glassbeak was nowhere to be seen, which was fine with Anselm, although he doubted it had died quite so easily. The young man emerged from the water to reveal a massive tattoo across his upper body. He had striking green eyes and rough black hair. Oh great, thought Anselm. Yet another Kelvic inserts itself into my life. Anselm did not care for Kelvics. They made him nervous because their split personality made them unpredictable. Anselm did not like unpredictable. However, in this case he was willing to make an exception. “Nicely done,” said Anselm matter-of-factly. He pointed to the unconscious and badly burned Nai'shee. “I wonder if you might carry this young lady to the infirmary.” With that he retrieved his cane and, without looking back, made his way slowly along the narrow strand of rock and sand to a break in the wall of pilings where he could get to higher ground. From there he could see the scene of the battle with the mad mage.

[Aello]

For a long time, Aello simply sat, clutching her arm, as warm blood seeped through the spaces between her fingers. She grit her teeth, frustrated by the mounting level of pain, her need to give into it in a way. Try to ward it away. Her mind was screaming at her to stop being a baby when there were so many more monsters on the loose, people in trouble. But she ignored it for a time, letting herself bleed out for several chimes before hastily wrapping the wound and easing herself onto her feet. On wobbly knees and unsteady legs, she slowly made her way back to the beginning. Arriving there several bells after her initial departure. Some of the people still gathered there stared at her wound. The blood soaked fabric of her bandage. She glared at them, forcing them all to soon turn away as she demanded payment for the summoner's capture. "Some other petcher can deal with the rest of those monsters," Aello commented as she backed out of the room, and returned to the steets as soon as she was done. Lost to the rubble, the madness, within a heartbeat.

[Lyam]

I finally caught my breath back but barely understand what the old Nuit was saying to me. It’s only when he left me alone with the young girl that I understood he was flying away. I spent some time looking at the place where he had just vanished, stomached. “Coward…” I said with some angriness. Then I gazed at the girl lying on the ground. She was bruised and unconscious, but her days did not seem in danger. I sighed; despite my incompetence, she was alive. With lots of precaution, I took her by the waist and under her knees to carry her in my arms. She was light-weight, more than I had expected. It just empowered the impression I had that she was a tiny creature I had to protect. I shook my head. I had to do nothing. I had no obligation. What was that hell? But my eyes felt once more on her face, and my whole body shivered. I had to. It was… stronger than me. Why her? Why now? I couldn’t make up my mind while she remained in my arms. I went through the docks and town without ever taking care of what was happening around. My feet knew the way, I let them do. My mind was hundreds miles away. I finally reached the infirmary door and knocked with my foot, because my hands were a bit busy right now. A woman came to open but did not even great me as she saw Nai’shee on my arms. She let me enter and order me to put the girl on a little bed. “What happened to her?” she asked, but I did not know the answer. I shrugged my shoulders as if I just did not care. “Don’t know. I’m just here to bring her to you.” It was of course completely false. I did care about her, but she should not know. “I should go now. Can you heal her?” The woman looked at me as if I had just insulted her. Yes, of course she could. I great her and turned on my heel. I was done… wasn’t I?

[Anselm]

Anselm could see the mage laying on the dock, either unconscious or dead. He didn't see anyone else and had no idea where they had gone. He made his way over to the dock and examined the mage. He was still alive. Just unconscious. Well, he thought. Now what? I can't very well drag him all the way back to the University.

[Lyam]

I was first about to go back to my room in the university: I was completely tired, had been burned and wounded several times. In a word, my only need was to rest and recover. But as I was walking down the streets some shouting not so far away made the wolf in me groaning. Protector meant never leaving some innocents dying. Protector meant facing the danger whatever it was. I had to come back. I ran towards the docks but found no one but Anslem and the still unconscious wizard I had already fought with another guy. There were no more shouting. From the previous team of courageous saviours, I could only see the old Nuit and me, toothless puppy comparing to the fool and powerful wizard we had to face. Anslem looked at me with relief or something else, I did not really know. I tried to keep a straight face but it was difficult with all the rage boiling on me. I had a secret. I had a secret and the Nuit was now involved. I had a tiny hope that he would have gone far away, never coming back. Never telling anyone who… what I was. But now that he was back… “Never tell anyone.” I just said with a hardly controlled voice, insisting on each word. I put on my eyes every explanation he could need – what’s to say: never tell anyone about the link between the black wolf and me - and most of all the indirect order to not ask any questions for what would follow. Then I hit the head of the already unconscious wizard with my knuckles. Only one goal: being sure that he would not wake up during a moment. Then I took him in my arms. “Let’s finish all of that. Watch after me please.” OOCI leave you the end

[Anselm]

The journey back to the University was mostly uneventful. Except for the odd looks they received from pretty much everyone they passed. Apparently the fine folk of Zeltiva were not used to seeing a naked man striding through town carrying an unconscious mage and followed by a limping old man covered head to foot with a black hooded cloak. “My dear Kelvic,” said Anselm as he struggled to keep up with the muscular young man. “Perhaps when we get this fellow where he belongs, you should change back to your animal form. Either that or you really do need to find some clothing. You appear to be drawing a great deal of attention from the local citizenry. Oh, and I don't know why you feel compelled to hide your identify, but that is your business. Your secret is safe with me.” At the University they deposited the mage with the guards at the cuckoo’s nest. As they were leaving, Anselm offered a thought. “The third mage is still unaccounted for. A voider I believe. I wonder where we might find him? And I wonder, if we were to find him, how we would go about capturing him?”