Completed [Seasonal Quest] Upon a Star (Open)

[Eridanus]

"Everyone needs to feel love, and if everyone did perhaps the world itself would change."

That thought suddenly bloomed in the ethaefal's mind, as he withstood the torrent of emotions flooding from the hypnotist, standing as her anchor and pillar against the harshness and cruelty of the world. While this little thought might not mean much at the moment, it would eventually be the seed that blossomed into something bigger in the future, manifesting in the form of increased compassion and empathic understanding. That would serve as his transient anchor to humanity in the midst of his growing apathy from his myriad of magical studies and research.

"Even if we cannot, Verlyna, we must," Eridanus answered softly. Verlyna was not the only person who experienced an emotional rebirth from this episode, for this shared experience had involved both of them together, and shaped them. No longer was he scared, frightened, unsure, uncertain. It was like now he was born with a purpose, and he discovered the role in him as a protector. This little seed of personal development would also manifest itself in his continual role of guardian and friend to a certain konti in the future.

Now there was a sort of calm in the moonborn's visage. A self-assured confidence and a languid smile was all that completed his expression, for he knew what to do now. It did not matter what happened in the end, but he knew what to do. Perhaps Ionu had finally deigned to grant him his objective, or perhaps Priskil had really listened to his prayers and blessed the two of them with courage and vigor for this ordeal. In any case, he was ready.

"I understand your reticence," The warrior gently tapped the hypnotist's shoulder, communicating his acknowledgement of her fear and apathy in this struggle for control. For she had finally been reborn with a new will and a new soul, no longer chained to the whims of Drysalla. "But I must fight, and I will fight. Together with all those who love Alvadas, we will fight till the very end. If you tire of this tussle, find a safe place and await the conclusion of our conflict. At the very end, I promise to find you resolution somehow. Do not fear your existence, for I will keep your flame alive one way or another."

With that, he followed Alluvia who suddenly appeared, her aura blazing with confidence in a similar light as that of the ethaefal's, but perhaps even aglow with divine fervor. Her confidence stoked his morale, and together they strode into the throne room, and he found two combatants already locked in battle.

Wait.

If Alluvia was fighting, then-

Eridanus looked at the Alluvia who lead him into the room in surprise, then turned his head several times as he shifted gazes between the two.

What in the world-

Another person approached him, addressing him and it took the celestial being by surprise because his aura and presence was completely unrecognizable. It was as if he were a different person. Yet, this being before him was quite undoubtedly Miro. The voice, the face, the frame of his build, it all bore a resemblance to the immature boy wizard from before that was Miro. However, this was different. The gravity in the measure of his tone, the maturity of his posture and the little subtle differences throughout his body shaped him into a much different presence. A more intimidating one, for lack of a better words.

"What happened to you?" Eridanus could not help but utter when he came to this realization upon his observation.

Miro told him his battle plan, and he agreed. There was actually little need for Miro to channel hypnotism because the logic was already sound, and persuasions built on emotional foundations would do little to shake a rational man. His competitive advantage lay in his melee capabilities, and Miro in his ranged attacks via Reimancy. They were a perfect tag-team. Though he did not know of the manipulation through Reimancy for he had not been focusing his Auristics on Miro specifically and because his attention was divided partially to the clashing combatants, it was supposed that he had Miro to thank for the hypnotic djed that flowed from Miro to Eridanus actually boosted his courage and confidence further, giving him the extra edge in exerting his physical abilities to the fullest.

"Cover me," He told Miro. He could see the wizard starting to summon res, and likewise he gave his own body a mental look-over. Detecting the map of djed threads pulsing through his body, he grasped several of them with flux, bursting them with the speed of lightning downwards to his legs, down to the specific muscles that he was so familiar with. When running, different muscles of the legs worked differently and in minute intervals. A novice flux mage would simply throw all the djed downwards into the lower torso for increased strength. A better one might perhaps switch up the rhythm - up and down - to compensate for the loss of upper torso strength. What he did, however, was to alternate the flux strands completely from muscle to muscle. From calf to thigh. Then streaking them over to the muscles of the other leg when his feet flexed and pounded the ground. Like a piston in a gadgeteering engine, it was a matter of muscle memory and reflexes, and his meditative mind carefully balanced the careful act of juggling as he accelerated, his speed causing him to burst forward in sudden activity.

He knew that the wizard was powerful enough to project his res to match his physical speed, so there was no need to hold back. There was no need to hold back on Drysalla at all, the defiler of all that was good and pure in Alvadas, and one that must be redeemed one way or another, whether it be salvation or destruction. But either way the corruption must be cleansed, and he would be an instrument of Priskil wielding blades of light.

As he neared the two, there was a blur of light at the side and lightning streaked into their target, the surroundings still sizzling with the smell of burning air. Taking advantage of the distraction afforded by the attack, he streaked flux into his arms, wielding both his blades as he unleashed a lightning quick furry of slashes and strikes. It was like a dance, a beautifully improvised form of art that could only be aesthetically better should the movement of flux within his body be visible to the imaginary audience. Djed streaked like the lightning that Miro summoned from muscle group to muscle group, and from arm to arm, almost-perfectly coordinated with the timings and strikes of his slashes as cold iron and steel flashed in poetic succession.

It was that brief window of opportunity that afforded the warrior to unleash his lethal attacks, and he knew when it was time to create distance and not to linger too long. As such, he exploited that small interval of time to unleash his attacks, not caring how much or how little damage his attack did, and then he quickly cavorted backwards, rolling and tumbling as he acrobatically created distance in an unorthodox manner, zig-zagging backwards to Miro's side as he channeled flux to his arms and legs whenever they made contact with the ground. From a range he expected the wizard to cover him, and so it was probably the only 'safe zone' in the raging battle.

Then Miro made a suggestion. A dangerous suggestion. Yet, perhaps, with someone like Alluvia and her dedication and passion to the city. A beloved of Ionu. Perhaps someone like that might be suitable for such power. It did not help that the remnant of Miro's hypnotic djed remained within the ethaefal, and that made him more susceptible to the boy's suggestions especially if, like in this case, he did not have any particular beliefs of his own.

"Try it," He echoed to Alluvia, to the one not engaging in combat but the one holding the mirror like a scepter, standing strongly like a force to be reckoned with.

[Miro]

Miro was glad to see the warrior so ready for the action. But when the Chained One was asked what happened to him, he could not help but to grin. "Do not worry, I was not quite myself before. I was sealed within that body, but now I am released. What you see before you is my true self." After catching the horned man up to speed, it was time to get to action. His role was covering the field with Reimancy.

After the Reimancer struck with his lightning, the Ethaefal began dashing forward. But Miro would not be far behind. He concentrated to attune his mind with his body and its pathways. However, unlike his body, his Djed would not last forever, so they would need to keep things brief. The wizard began running and redirecting his Djed Flux to compete with his partner's speed. When his right leg went forward to touch down, he channeled strength from his right arm. The power flowed down through his leg and to his foot as it reached the floor, then back up as he pushed off, retracting through his butt and back to rest in his arm. With each step he repeated the process, his new body able to process the commands and move effortlessly at the enhanced speed.

After a bit of building magical momentum he stopped casting, only needed to maintain it. The Reimancer had been pouring Res from his entire body, enough now to maintain an offense against Drysalla. He called the substance to hover before his hands and emerge form his sleeves as he came to a proper position and halted his pace. He watched the Ethaefal warrior unleash a quick flurry of attacks before retreating to his side, leaving an opening to strike. Miro thrust his hands forward and willed his Res to dart towards Drysalla. She was still recovering from the attacks, but seeing how quickly she recovered from his previous spell, he had to be quick.

His Res wrapped about her form and stuck to her. With his current position he was close enough to control the substance effortlessly. One with her control over illusion would never remain trapped, so his only option was to continue to damage her. He spoke to his team with confidence. "I will hold her for as long as my Res lasts." Meanwhile he had began to flow even more Res still, this time a finite quantity for his own defense. He could not spare anymore until their options were few, and times desperate. The wizard then willed the substance covering her body to gradually transform its mass into a stream of electricity to shock their foe.

"Great job creating an opening." He smirked, giving the warrior an approving nod. His focus split between his dwindling Res and Alluvia, hoping she would reconsider using the artifact. "Alluvia, we do not have the luxury of time here. We can hold her off, but only for so long. Whatever you do with that time, just make it count." Having his mind cleared, it was easier to focus on the spell at hand. Their foe was shocked in place for a short time, but it would last a few moments longer. His Res was at its end. Both Eridanus and Miro stood together, ready for another coordinated assault.

[Fallacy]

OOC: The section for Eridnaus is the time before he decides to go and follow Alluvia. Eridanus Verlyna watched him closely, and then it seemed like he was leaving. He was leaving her, just like everyone else. He was going to fight for Alvadas, but was it really he who was walking away or was it her? Conflicting thoughts moved through her mind, and she bit the bottom of her lip almost childishly as if she knew she was going to regret the decision she was going to make. Hypnotism wasn’t the most combat-ready of all magics, no there was magic out there which trumped her art in sheer force, but that doesn’t mean that it can be just disregarded. She can mess with the will of men, sow emotions into the mind, and even create hallucinations… She could do so much, but when faced with the prospect of fighting she cringed. She watched him walk off, and she was once again alone. He and that Alluvia were going… They loved Alvadas, didn’t she? ”Hey,” she called after them mustering up the courage to take a few steps towards the castle, ”Im coming too.” she said hurrying after the two of them, her hands lifting her dress up as she tried to run, tried to catch up with the both of them. ”Its partially my fault that Alvadas has gotten the way it has.” she said, ”I must fix it too, and not let you guys do all the work.” she said smiling, but there was no confidence in there. It was instead the look of someone who had accepted the possibility that she might in fact die in this up and coming battle. As the group made their way through the place, the throne room was elaborately place well within the castle itself leaving the small party to guess at where to go. Though it seemed that Alluvia knew her way all too well, or that she was being guided by some unseen force. There were many mysteries to Alvadas, yet this one seemed to be one of the less important ones. Finally they came to a long hall. Stone walls adorned them on either side, it was a muted grey this place possessed, and it seemed to have a lifelessness intelligence that made one feel like they were being watched. At the other end of the hall were double doors made of wood, but there was a man lying on the floor. That would be the body of a Bob Barton, one of the hero’s left to fight for Alvadas. He was unconscious or dead, which was which was hard to tell for the man, if he was breathing, was just barely. There were burn marks running along him, and his clothes were tattered and shredded thanks to Miros magic. The short man seemed to positioned to be looking into a room, another faint light added to the volley of touches which lit this hall. ”Come on.” Alluvia said, ”Its not far now.” she exclaimed walking past the mans body without a second glance. Really she thought there was no saving him, that he was dead, but Verlyna found something different about him. There was life left within his body, he just needed the will to live again. Though before any of them could really do or react to seeing Bob that way, a shorter man stepped out of the room. He was like Bob, but in his hand he wielded a hammer, and he was none other than Tower’s himself, famous in mockery for his most renown and hated creation: Tower’s Idol Slanderer. ”Stop” he announced trying to stop the trio, earning but a passing glance from Alluvia. Verlyna however stopped as if from force of habit, ”If you are going to impede our journey, then Id like to ask you to step aside. Drysalla isn’t going to last much longer.” Verlyna said, looking him in the eyes, ”The spirit of the people of Alvadas has grown stronger than the hate which she possesses.” Verlyna said, her voice starting to sound unsure again. When she was a madwoman she had nearly unshakable confidence in her words, in the power of hate.Yet she found that ‘hope’ was harder to hold onto than she’d once imagined. ”Please, go.” Verlyna instructed the two of them, offering Eridanus a soft smile, ”He shall not stop you two.” she said. ”Towers, you shall not best me.” The Paths Converge: Eridanus/Miro The fight had begun for all of Alvadas before Miro had even been revived. It was a battle of illusions, Drysallas stakes turned to many different humorous and non-lethal things such as flower, sugar, and various oils. It seemed that Alluvia had cooking on the mind when she was fighting Drysalla, but it was more than just that. It was an exponential use of her gnosis mark. By using items of which she was most familiar with she could avoid making a mistake when editing, warping and obscuring Drysallas deadly attacks. For now, this Alluvia was on the defensive. The battle ground had become a mess of flower, which particles still hung loosely in the air, oils which made the floor slippery, and various other cooking devices. Miro entered the battle as well, striking from afar with lightning. It however did damage, but it was soon regenerated by the power of Alvadas. Then Eridanus came in and delivered his blows as well. It too did more than lethal damage to any normal person, the lady had been sliced and diced and cut in so many ways that it was hard to tell that she was actually a she anymore. Though soon enough ribbons of blood and flesh began to weave themselves back together, just as they had when Naarvanas had attacked her. The regenerative progression was slowed by Miros second attack, the smell of burning and crisp flesh soon reached the combatants noses, and with Drysalla recovering Alluvia could once again be put on the offensive. Knives and other kitchen utensils rained down on Drysalla rather comically trying to bury her in appliances… Pots pans, skinning knives, butchers knives, cakes even rained and assaulted the legend brought back. Miro would realize that he could stop streaming his lightning that it would only get in the way of Alluvias attack, the magical energy only being diverted to the stuff she was manifesting with Illusionism. Drysalla was assaulted more and more, unable to recover or even think straight as she was knocked, and prodded, and stabbed. The pile of things grew around her feet as stuff bounced off of her. Drysalla was about to take a step but then an entire brick oven fell atop of her, pinning her down as the it continued to rain and rain… kitchen stuffs. Soon there was a pile larger than the average man, but she didn’t stop there, she continued letting it go more and more and more until it had doubled itself both in height and width and length. This would be her illusionary tomb, Alluvia was making sure of that. The other Alluvia, the one wielding the mirror took some time to think over the wish. She smiled and brought the mirror to her face, “Mirror, I accept your price.” She said, as one of the conditions of using the mirror was verbally state that the user would accept whatever price it would extract for granting such a wish. “Strip the Drysalla before us of her powers, and give them onto me.” This however didn’t sound like a wish, but it must have been as the mirror itself began to slow, and as the mirror glowed so did the wisher. There also came a light from under the still ever growing mountain of kitchen supplies, suggesting the transfer of power. The light got brighter and brighter until it forced everyone to look away and close their eyes, but such intensity only lasted a few moments before it was gone. Everything was how it had been, nothing had changed, or seemed to have changed. They all stood there, and Alluvia looked herself over with a puzzled look, “I don’t feel any different.” She announced, before a pan came flying across the room hitting the other Alluvia, the one with the mirror, square in the face knocking her back and off balance. She fell to the floor. ”What have I told you about taking my appearance?” she said, the Alluvia standing across the room asked, ”I told you next time you’d be in trouble mister!” she yelled pointing at him. If the party would look at the Alluvia who had been assaulted by the pan they would see a child with golden sun-ray hair. Messy and disheveled. He smiled mischievously at Alluvia, he was missing a couple of teeth, but if that was because of his age or from Alluvias attack was to be debated. He wore a dark azure shirt which was too big for him, the sleeves seemed to cover part of his hand, leaving only his fingers exposed, and the shoes he wore were made of thick leather and hide bound together. The shirt had a black inverted triangle centered on it, though it seemed to waver and move almost appearing as if it wasnt on the shirt, but had actual dimension beyond it. The lines which created the triangle were twisted, distorted, the points of the triangle being the only clear thing about it. The pants, however fit him, and one could guess were actually made for him. He just laughed, his voice childish and it rang out, ”But you got my letter, right?” he asked her, ”I sent it in preparation of my arrival home.” he said still grinning at her, the mirror was clutched loosely in his hand. ”Besides… you are pretty and nice Alluvia, preeeeeetty nice,” he repeated himself, ”who wouldn’t wish to be you?” he said.

[Miro]

Alluvia made the wish, draining Drysalla’s power, then the fighting Alluvia had demonstrated her control over Illusionism to bury her foe. Bury them in enough supplies to stock all of the kitchens in Alvadas. It was some technique, that was for sure. But then things got really confusing. One Alluvia struck the other, then the other transformed into a kid. It seemed yet another illusionist had made the wish and been walking disguised. If Miro were able to predict any of these happenings, it would not be Alvadas. At least that much was still true, and it seemed this person was an ally. Just as long as he didn’t turn out to be an even stronger foe.

The Chained One turned towards the illusionists, one of them now very powerful. ”I am no expert on making magic wishes and wielding pots and pans, but I am pretty sure I know a thing or two about foolish mistakes. Drysalla may be buried and stripped of her former power, but until her resurrected body turns into dust or vanishes like an illusion, I am going to still consider her a threat. Maybe one of you would like to give us access to our foe? C’mon Alluvia, we don’t have time for this shyke when Alvadas is still in trouble. YOU remove this covering so we might, I don’t know.” He turned to the Ethaefal for a moment as if confirming something with him.

”Yeah, we are thinking we take her out of the pan and cut her into ribbons, then cook her to blackened perfection. Think you can manage that? And you, Golden Boy, you stole our wish to gain her power, so put it to work already. It is now your responsibility to restore Alvadas to its former self.” Miro grasped his face in his hands, so far from his normal role in things. Never was he the one to bark out orders for people to shape up in normal circumstances. But in this case, there was not a time to hesitate and relax. They hadn’t any confirmation of victory, just a little room to breathe. The longer they waited, the more opportunity Ionu had to twist circumstances back to dire once again.

”I love the fight and illusions as much as the next, but if we lose our focus it could turn on us.” The undead grew a dissatisfied look on his face. They could also rest and use the opportunity. If they stalled longer, they might better be able to test the wish and restore the city. If the wish was false, he would be able to tell by testing his new capabilities, whatever they were. If the mirror failed to grant the wish, chances were Drysalla was still very much a threat. If she was still immortal and powerful, then it was only a matter of time until she broke free and turned violent.

The wizard frowned with uncertainty, but not fear. His mind was most inspired in the heat of battle. If Drysalla was a threat still, she took priority of action. ”Alluvia, uncover her, and be ready to assist. Golden Boy, figure out how to restore the city and keep the mirror safe.” Miro was quite ready to finish things, but something was off still. ”Wait, what did you say about a letter? Arrival home? Hey, wait, I thought that you said the elementals were the only reason we were spared from Drysalla. How is HE here? Or maybe I should just ask who he is?” Things just seemed to be going too well for them all. It was all too convenient, not in this city, whatever form it took. Somewhere between appearing in the throne room things had switched up. Maybe Alluvia never had the mirror to begin with. There was a trick in wait, some surprise just around the corner.

[Eridanus]

The combined attacks by Eridanus and Miro would leave an observor gasping in wonder; their efforts seemingly like the result of years of cooperative teamwork. Yet, it was not that. It was more than that. Though Eridanus would now know it, Miro's transformation into an undead left him more... raw, in every sense of the word. That made him more attuned to combat, and more attuned to the raw emotions of a warrior. That made him battle-hungry.

And that fit very well with the ethaefal. With every step they took in this massive quest, and with every automaton and every obstacle destroyed, Eridanus began to discover more of his warrior spirit; the part of his soul dedicated to Myri. The joy of war fervor, the joy of playing oneself in danger to achieve greater aims. Higher risk for higher returns. The soul of a gambler.

It was with this that two ordinary citizens of Alvadas proved their mettle, harmoniously blending thoughts and technique to wage an awesome display of concerted assaults that would most certainly destroy any normal enemy.

Yet, as Drysalla's regeneration from Narvanaas' attacks showed not long before, it woul only prove to destabilize her a little. Credit must be given where credit was due though, and it seemed that their litlte attacks helped tipped the balance in Alluvia's favor as the illusionist continued to bury the enemy with all sorts of cooking ingredients and equipment. It lended a partially comical effect to the almostly certainly grim scene before them.

Alvadas as usual, as Alvadas always is.

A sideways glance at Miro showed that the wizard was running through his supply of djed far faster than that of the ethaefal's, partially because of the higher extended usage of magic. Alluvia heeded their advice, and Eridanus took advantage of the short lull while Drysalla struggled to free herself from the various kitchen utensils to secure Miro's long-ranged dominance.

Kneeling down in front of Miro but before Drysalla, his hands moved rapidly to arrange the variety of objects, though namely leeks, purple cabbages, tomatoes and rainbow-colored spoons in front of him. Miro would soon realize that Eridanus was forming the basic shape of a glyph with the objects. As with his style, he would create the glyph by forming the basic shapes of the component sigils first (barriers, focus, triggers, etc.) before filling in the complex parts to complete the formation. That would allow Miro to help understand what he was doing and to possibly aid the magical array should he be proficient enough to do so.

His hands blurred and he continued working even when the room suddenly became too bright to see. Using the oil on the floor and mixed with the piles of cooking spiced accumulated throughout to form a sticky and crusty substance that glued and kept their impromptu glyph on the ground, he managed a series of sigils that would store magic passing through it, with a path pointing straight at Drysalla - a path sigil that acted as a magical barrel straight from the conflux of energies within the focus sigil. Around the barrier sigil that kept the magic trapped within the focus sigil, he proceeded to pour his paste of unorthodox oil-spice throughout, then use his finger to write on the paste canvas. Using this smaller and finer method, he created several glyphs around the barrier sigil, focusing on the focus sigil that would serve to harness and empower the djed energies within to further amplify the power of the spell. In other words, it was magical refinement through the use of a glyphing array, turned into a magical cannon with the use fo the path sigil. If the target's position moved the array would serve to be useless, but he doubted that Drysalla was going anywhere at the rate things were going.

As Eridanus stepped up, there was no longer two Alluvias but instead a golden boy dressed in some very interesting clothes in the position of one. Normally, he would have been alarmed at the entrance of a new arrival, but the familiarity between the two served as a sort of assurance that even if this was a trick, an antagonist could not hope to trick the Trickster's Champion.

Then a flurry of conversation occurred, and the celestial being could not help but tap his foot impatiently. This was no time to make small talk while the enemy still lived!

"Miro is right. Drysalla must be completely and certainly destroyed before we make further tea party conversations. Total eradication," He affirmed when Miro turned to look at him.

"And Miro," He added to the wizard, "That glyph cannon is yours. Take the finishing shot when the time comes."

There was nothing much a warrior like him could do now in the arena of high-powered illusionist magic and devastating reimancy except to offer any melee support should the need arise. However, that would mean that Miro's attack failed and Alluvia's attempts was mitigated. That would also mean that it would most certainly be a very bad day. In other words, as long as there was no need for Eridanus to intervene, the fight was in their favor.

Ironically (in contrast with his prior attitude), that also meant that there was nothing he could do now than to make small talk.

"I assume that, with the current dynamics, you are almost certainly Alluvia's and Alvadas' ally. If so, I welcome you most whole-heartedly to our little tea party here and let it be known that I am most grateful for your assistance to save our beloved Alvadas," The scholar uttered to the golden boy.

[Fallacy]

SPOILER ALERT : Here is some battle music for you guys The two must have relaxed thinking the problem dealt with, their sense of urgency, or rather lack thereof was chastised by both the mage and the warrior. On the mages order they went into action. Well Alluvia more so than the boy. He just sat there staring at Miro for a moment before he grinned at him, puffing his chest up really big and hitting it with his fist before standing up and pointing in a direction and in a mocking miro-voice said “You dig out the place. You fix that broken egg. You fly this kite.” He went on and on giving orders to all too imaginary people and things. Though to some surprise, or rather not, some of the objects grew legs and started to actually do what he had asked. Not that it was anything of sheer importance. ”You are all too bossy and too serious for your own good.” he said half-heartedly looking over the crew, ”Alluvia, I think the legend might be a tad wrong about these guys.” he said, ”They are not half as fun as I imagined them to be.” he said frowning, but especially looking at Miro before giving him a grin that said better than words ‘you are not the boss of me’, before he began fumbling with the mirror in his hands, looking oddly into it, sticking his tongue out and making all sorts of faces as if amusing himself and using the artifact as a plaything. ”Oh, and the names Ronald.” he said, his voice changing to be a bit deeper, ”Ronald Hooligan McPerson.” he introduced himself, before laughing. It was obviously a false name if they had ever heard of one. It seemed that there was no getting straight answers from this kid and he seemed to do what he wanted when he wanted. He didn’t even bother answering all of Miro’s questions. They were too boring or something. Though the kid watched with great interest as Eri started crafting the glyph. He would dare to walk closer to him, standing behind him curious eyes peeking over his shoulder as the guy worked. He always thought it was fun to see art work being made. As Eridanus was working the kid, Ronald Hooligan McPerson, grinned, and when the guy was finished Ron announced, “I can do that too!” and quickly walked over to the pile of supplies too. Crouching down he took an assortment of random objects from the pile, a pan, scooping up some oil, garlic, rice, potatoes… When he was finished a few chimes later he grinned at his accomplishment and turned to show the both of them what he had made. In his hand was parchment, and on the paper was glued to bits of noodle and rice forming a picture of a smily face. No sign of the original items he had grabbed from the pile of supplies. -- Although the kid was… well himself. Alluvia actually was serious in her work. She lifted the illusions binding Drysalla, unburying her only to the point where they all could see her but the pile having enough weight on it to keep her pinned down. She had a solemn look about her as she went about her task. Drysalla looked up at them all, a smile upon her face, ”So you couldn’t crush me?” she asked, mocking them, before she started to squirm and one could picture her thrashing under the weight of the stuff put atop of her. Alluvia didn’t answer her, but instead just nodded to Miro when Eridanus finished the glyph. She took a couple careful steps backwards giving ‘Ron’ a rather stern look that made him drop his picture he did, and the noodle face slowly vanished. Now was not the time for fun and games and she knew that. Alvadas was still in trouble until its reverted back to its normal state, and the Triad returned to power. This should be their first and foremost goal… Though before Miro could even begin to think about casting his spell with the help of the glyph a rumbling would be heard just behind them. Through the entranceway to the throne room, in the hall leading up to it there was a fight all its own going on, and it was coming to an end itself. The sound of grinding gears and moving parts could be heard and then a scream, Verlynas voice. It sounded like she had lost all reason and order, it was a wild scream of both pain and power, and then if one would look behind they would see the girl being kicked in their direction by a massively oversized golem. Kicked, for a lack of better word, for the golem wasn’t humanoid, instead it just rammed into her using the force of its blow to send her sailing through the air, enter the throne room, and towards the group. More mechanical musings could be heard as the same type of humanoid golems walked through the pillars already in the massive room about them. They formed a wall between Drysalla and the group, and had the lifeless absolute resolve to stand there as the woman buried laughed, and laughed ”You cannot win, even with my powers gone.” she howled, her voice filled with rage and spite, ”You cannot win!” she repeated herself, ”For some power is not yours to take.” she croaked, laughing insanely as the automata would surely buy her enough time to prepare what she needed to do. Towers walked slowly and cooly through the hall towards the throne room… ”Towers.” Drysalla commanded, ”You are not needed anymore.” she laughed, ”Thank you for your dedicated service.” With that towers and the automata which accompanied him were gone, in a blink of an eye destroyed by the will of Drysalla, or perhaps it wasn’t her power to begin with which made her so formidable. Just now… she is mortal. ”Fools. I call upon the power of Alvadas.” she said, the pile of Alluvias disappeared as Drysalla had more than enough time to reconnect with the heart, ”and you Verlyna…” her eyes fell on the hypnotic witch, ”You gave up your immortality so your own wish can be fulfilled. Your betrayal was unexpected. Love, who has ever heard of such a stupid excuse to give up your loyalty to me. You were a mistake to be brought back.” she spat, now standing, the building itself began shaking and warping. ”You all will disappear in endless illusion, forever walking in the folds of Alvadas’ power.” she proclaimed, ”Alvadas!” she raised her head looking skyward, ”Answer my call!” she grinned as she felt her connection with the city strengthen; the very air around her began to waver as if she were surrounded by steam and the gaseous water was reflecting the light. Any attack they’d do now would just go through the woman as if she wasn’t there in the first place. She was, but she wasn’t. She has become illusion itself. ”Look at my power now, I have become Ionu.” she proclaimed victoriously. ”Now truly disappear.” she said stretching her hand towards them in a dramatic gesture. The wavering air around her spreading and thinning, wisps of shadow and light extending out, reaching out with hands all their own as they crept along the ground looking like broken glass, and replacing the once marble floor. The cracks spread fast, too fast, and soon engulfed the place. The group found themselves in a world of shadow and light. Though there was one thing out of place: Drysalla was there too, and she looked surprised. What Drys Illusion looks like : ”What?” she began shaking, quivering, and dropped to her knees, ”What is this?” she asked, ”this sorrow, this anger…” she clutched her head, ”I command you Alvadas.” she yelled unaccepting that she was losing control to her only facet of power she had left. She mentally grasped for more and more, and wrestled with the powers that be. Within the light of the cracks voices were leaking out, the voices of the citizens of Alvadas, they called out, some scared some happy, and through the cracks the city was revealed as they beheld a view, granted a rather broken and obscure one, of the city from an aerial perspective. Though the voices sounded so close, like they were talking right in your ear. They whispered words of encouragement, words of defiance, words of cruelty. The people, despite being buried in illusion and cast aside were still being represented, were still being heard. They were still there, and so was Alvadas, and there was nothing Drysalla could do to erase that fact. The voices grew more intense and turned into yelling, both cheers and boos… The original Alvadas is fighting to right the wrong as well. It has a will of its own, and it would no longer be manipulated by the illusionist Drysalla. Yet she so desperately clung to the power, grabbed onto it and she wasn’t letting go. She could feel it twisting and churning inside her, and soon she was gone as well. Her body grew the cracks which the place the party was standing in was so fond of. Though instead of light pouring through, it was shadow, all of her darkness and anger, ”I will not give in so easily.” were her last words, choked out as she finally shattered and all that was left of her was a dark pulsing mass that thrived and twisted, and rose and shaped itself into a horrible being. Its skin was dark as the black which covered the place, and seemed to have a coat of slime upon it glistening sickly upon it. The form was gluttonous and overweight, towering a good eight feet. Exaggerated green eyes stared down at them, each bigger than their balled fists. With the eyes came an appropriately exaggerated mouth which seemed to be cut into an everlasting smile, grim, each tooth was honed to a point and it seemed to be able to open the mouth wider than anything could be allowed. Horns came from its skull, the crown of bone replacing the one Drysalla once wore. Stubby arms and feet could be seen, but they were utterly useless under the mass of weight the being had, but to make up for that slick appendages grew from its back, wavering like hair, but as thick as a human arm, if not thicker. All in all they would remind one of an octopuses tentacles, and then it spoke in a deep unearthly voice a single word, ”Perish.” flames gushing from its mouth as it spoke, licking the shadow-like floor. ”Alluvia,” Ron said, ”You are going to need a bigger frying pan.” Though it seemed that the Triad leader was already on the offensive the moment she set eyes on the thing. Kitchen ware of all sorts, especially the sharp and pointy ones, were directed and conjured at the thing, but the illusions were going through “Drysalla”. ”It seems Illusionism is no longer going to help.” she whispered, grabbing the boy and taking some steps back. She wanted to get as far away from the thing as possible. Snatching the mirror from the childs hand she looked into it and whispered, ”Mirror, I accept your price.” she recited the incantation, ”Make that thing,” she pointed at the monster, ”disappear!” she yelled, but unlike with Rons wish there was no light. Perhaps she had to be more specific, ”Mirror, I accept your price.” she tried again, ”I wish Drysalla never was wished back.” she said, but again there was no light. ”Mirror, I accept your price.” her voice growing more desperate sounding, ”I wish Drysalla was gone.” she said, but again no light. Was Drysalla already gone?

[Miro]

Miro did not care much for the golden boy's lack of focus and preferred not to trust hastily made glyphs with dangerous magic. It was much more effective to cast his Reimancy as he had been. The undead gave a pass to the Ethaefal with a confident look, as if he had something in mind. At least Alluvia was ready to accept the challenge to fight. Slowly Drysalla was surfacing from within the illusionary prison.

Behind them it sounded as if there was a war happening, but Miro would not remove his eyes from Drysalla. A group of automata flooded into the room to take the woman's side. They formed a defensive wall before her and allowed her to scream her madness to the room. Even when rendered powerless her arrogance did not end. Nothing could save her from the power of the champions in the room. It wasn't until the wizard heard loud footsteps behind him that he finally turned.

But before he could take in the sight of the small man, this Towers and his wonderful Animations were wiped away as if they never existed. The crazed illusionist Drysalla was still immensely powerful. It appeared she was gathering her power to wipe them all away and finally erase them. Miro took the opportunity to strike her as she called out for power. He directed his right fist forward and willed his remaining Res towards her. When the mass neared her, he made an attempt to stick her and transmute on contact. Just as it looked like it had landed upon her, he created a flash of lightning. The attack shot directly through her and scattered on the stairs behind her.

She flourished her hand outward and cast some spell. An effect of corrupt illusion spread out from that point and seemed to crack reality like glass under their feet. Yet they did not vanish, and the illusionist seemed upset. If one were to listen, Alvadas could be heard, the spirit of excitement. Looking down, he saw the city shine through the cracks in her illusion. The wish really had worked, her power was lost. Drysalla began to crack as well, her dark illusionary existence shattered into a pile of blackness.

The oozing darkness grew and took a disgusting form. No longer was it the woman Drysalla, now nothing more than a monster in the undead's eyes. The only question was how to attack such a foe. Attacks all seemed to pass right through it. Yet the slimy form and tentacles looked dangerous, as if they were tangible. "Shyke, this is going to be difficult." The wizard jumped back as flames spilled from its mouth with the word perish. There had to be some strategy for the Reimancer in this position. His role was unique in both the power he bolstered and limited reserves. Unfortunately the cost was too great for him to waste more magic.

What was worse, Alluvia had no ability to use the mirror. It had worked for the golden boy, but her wishes did not produce any effect. And even with the previous wish, Drysalla now seemed to have some power. If there was an answer here, it was hidden. He struggled to piece together the information given to him, but so much was just speculation. They needed a plan, and the best plan was one that did not cost him much. Two few ideas came to mind, though each had a cost, either in declaration or action.

Most simple and costly to Miro was the idea of illusionary elements. If Alluvia could conjure raw elements for Reimancy at no cost to her, it would be cost efficient for him to cast a spell. He could attempt to attack the foe with a mix of magical and illusionary elements to try and deal damage. Of course, that would require Djed on his part, and him to admit he could cast more. Not a likely happening. However another option involved obtaining the mirror and using it correctly, though the chances of obtaining the artifact seemed slim. Beyond that, once obtained, he would need to figure out how to make the thing work and prepare another wish. Still, that much power, it called out to him. The strong compulsion to snatch it and make it his own.

But no, this was not the time for those thoughts. He couldn't let himself succumb to the urges of obtaining power at a time like this. The third option was the one that made the most sense to him. They had made a wish already, and it had worked, sort of. Drysalla would have willed them out of existence if it hadn't. What they needed now was to use the golden boy to end things. Perhaps it was that everything that was Drysalla had been taken by the wish, and now all that was left was the evil inside. Alluvia needed to defend the kid while he either recreated Alvadas or wiped this dark entities existence away with his new power. It was likely that this creature was a form of wild Djed mixed with the illusions of Alvadas. The existence of it was warped to some dark primal state.

"Oh well, I guess we have to try something." Miro mumbled to himself, readying himself to speak to the group. He was not sure of what should be done, just that what they were doing wasn't working. He made his way towards Alluvia and the golden boy, and began to talk to them. "Alluvia, the mirror isn't doing anything for you. We don't have time to waste with you talking at it. I believe our wish to take her power is still our best option. We need you to discover what can be done to destroy this creature or restore the city. Work to discover how the mirror has enhanced Golden Boy and keep him safe." The wizard shot the kid a harsh glance, choosing not to acknowledge him directly. His stealing their wish made a horrid inconvenience.

Miro placed his hand on Alluvia's shoulder and shot a concerned look her way. For the first time he saw her, not as a leader, but as a young woman. She was not much older than he was, yet had everyone rely on her. It must be a terrible burden on someone so young. The wizard focused on this contact with her and his steely gaze and began to push an emotional response to influence her. An inspiring feeling of confidence, and a deep understanding that she held their trust. "Maybe the mirror can't grant a wish so soon after the last one. So instead, learn to use the power it has already given us."

Again he focused on the connection to her though his Djed. The Reimancer pushed his Hypnotism onto her again, this time as a suggestion. It was not often he offered a suggestion without speaking it, though this was one best left unsaid. The craving of dominance slipped into his mind, to influence her to his way of thinking. The urges to have his hands on the mirror were stronger now. "Give Miro the mirror." A simple suggestion, yet straight forward and clear. The Chained One removed his hand, no longer needing to manipulate her with Djed. "Maybe the mirror won't work for you for some reason. If you give it to me, I can retry your wishes. I am ready to make any wish you command, and I assure you, it will remain safe in my hands."

It was possible they could simply wish Alvadas back, though it hardly seemed worth it when he felt the city so near. Miro stood by her patiently, though his furled brow still spoke the urgency of their situation. "It all comes down to you Alluvia. Whatever you decide, I stand by you. Just tell me what I must do, I am at the disposal of the Triad." And with that the undead quickly bowed his head in obedience.

[Eridanus]

The speed at which Miro disregarded his efforts left the enthusiastic mage spurned, almost draining him entirely of the false camaraderie planted into him by Miro's hypnotic urging only moments prior. While the glyph may be hastily planted, it was still done systematically by an experienced world mage. There would be no fault with its implementation, and its only weakness would lie in its bulkiness and inelegance of production. Something was different about the boy alright, and Eridanus suspected that he might have entirely misunderstood his intentions before. It was time to readjust his assessment. Yet, there was almost no time to do it actively, only to shelve it behind his mind as he noticed the ongoings.

While the rabble continued to interact and with the golden boy giving obviously false names, Eridanus tapped into the node in the back of his head, feeling a sense of psychic warmth enveloping his head first, then his body as he slowly opened his senses. Beyond that of the physical world, he allowed the arcane trails of the immaterial world to flood his body as well. Almost immediately, his body was wracked by an overpowering mixture of... brownies? There was the sense of sesame oil, five spices of powder and various other cooking herbs and ingredients, but the sweet, chocolatey smell of brownies threatened to overwhelm him, and he staggered, immediately cutting off the senses flowing into him and focusing on each of the participants one at a time.

He was curious.

He targeted his detections towards where Drysalla was, only finding nothing. The various cooking utensils might as well be invisible. She might as well did not exist in his auristics-vision. Neither did the huddled form of Verlyna who had been so violently thrown aside. Nor had the spot where Towers had been earlier. His physical senses told him that these people and objects were material, and they did exist in the physical world. Yet, his mage-vision declared nothing to be there. Not even a tiny, negligible trace of djed. Even an unliving piece of unsentient rock would have more residual djed within it than the various people and objects he tried to see. All the while, there was still the overpowering sense of brownies and chocolate threatening to throw his magical investigation off-course, and it took him all the experience and competence he had to purely direct his focus onto whatever he was seeing.

"A mundane observer, no matter how skilled, can never hope to glimpse upon the heavens." That was what his Auristics teacher in Denval had told him earlier. It seemed like the start of a story, but held greater meaning. Simply put, Auristics could never detect divine djed, and he realized that Illusionism was at work here. Eridanus almost smacked himself in the head for not including Ionu's gnosis powers as a possible factor. The fact that he was in Alvadas, patron city of Ionu, only made his oversight retarded.

He glimpsed at the others furtively, almost as if his mental faux pas could be detected by everyone else.

Turning his glance to Miro just as the boy was beginning to talk to Alluvia, he first noticed the sweet, sickly stench of decay, similar that to nuits. It was not a real, physical sense, but a psychic smell that resulted as his nose interpreting parts of the boy's aura. That honestly left the ethaefal confused. He was pretty sure Miro was a human, and a physical scan of his body made it obvious that he was no nuit. Yet, parts of his aura showed otherwise.

He shelved it into his mind for further contemplation.

The thing more interesting was that his aura was bright. Brighter than any wizards that Eridanus had ever observed auristically. Perhaps it was due to his overwhelming prowess in Reimancy and possibly other magics, but the hue of his aura was clouded by black, but still somehow glowing bright. Almost making it hurt to see if it were actual light from the sun instead of interpreted djed waves by his attuned eyes. Then it was pulsing. Not only glowing but pulsing. Every time Miro said a word it pulsed, leaving shockwaves of remnant djed floating around his aura before dissipating.

A nagging suspicion began to tug at him, but before he could further analyze the bright maelstrom of hues that was the wizard's aura, he felt his vision being hopelessly tugged towards the golden boy. Then a bright, gold vision awashed over him, stuffing his sense full of utterly random, chaotic senses that he could feel his body shutting down from the sensory overload.

Almost immediately his body cut off the flow of djed, wanting to stay away from it as far as possible and he stumbled to his knees, gasping. The smell of chocolate and brownies felt so strong when he looked at the golden boy that it almost made him want to swear off those desserts for the next century or so, and his chest heaved, both hands on the ground to prevent himself from disgracefully collapsing.

"What... what are you??" He accused in between pants, glaring pointedly at the golden boy.

[Fallacy]

Alluvia glanced down at the mirror before back up to Miro, ”I do not think that it would be wise to hand the mirror over to someone so young.” the irony of her statement was lost on her, and she looked at the creature before them. Why, why wouldn’t it go away? It made no sense. She shook her head, trying to hide the tears as she bowed her head, ”Does this never end?” She was shaking, ”Mirror please…” she looked into it again, ”accept my wishes. It’s for the greater good of Alvadas.” she proclaimed, ”I.. I will” but before she could continue she shook away the urge to give Miro the mirror. If it wouldn’t work for her, one of the Traid, then why would it work for this boy? It made no sense. Though then her attention was drawn to the other warrior who had fallen to his knees, voice shaking. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. White and looking at the boy, Ron. It looked like the mighty warrior was brought to his knees by some unknown force, but unbeknownst to the others is that his condition was of his own doing, of his own curiosity, his own fault. The boy who was so accused of being something just smiled, ”The ugly monster-thing is that way.” he said pointing at the blob. This… this made no sense. Why were the ‘heros of Alvadas’ not working to defend the city against this threat? Alluvia frowned and raised her hand, a great wall of stone rose from the cracked floor just in time to intercept a blast of fire from the monster who wasn’t going to wait for them to regroup. At least illusionism could still be used to block attacks. The wall however was hastily made and wasn’t as sturdy as real rock. It soon glowed a deep red, the heat of the fire was burning a hole right through it as the blast continued to cascade against it. The heat could even be felt where the group was. ”We need to end this.” she said,”Get up, get up all of you.” she ordered, ”and move before we are burned alive.” Though with Alluvias last word the great torrent of flame broke through the wall and strode forward. There was the feeling of a great heat upon them, but then nothing. No burns or injuries came from the torrent of flame, as it no longer was present. Instead a black feather shimmered downward and fell upon the dark, cracked surface. When it did the voices of Alvadas grew louder, and the light shining through the darkness got even brighter. The cracks grew in size, and then a raven would flutter down and perch itself on Ron’s shoulder, though in a blink of an eye the bird would be gone. Eridanus would have a hard time recovering from looking at Ron’s aura. The feeling that there was more to him that met the eye would be an understatement. In but a moment Eridanus saw, heard, felt, smelt, and even tasted layer upon layer upon layer of complexity. Each thing leading into the next, which lead to another thing, and to another still, and so on and so forth. It was an endless array of layers and countless concepts, both good and bad. There was greatness to the aura, a magnitude of such power and esteem that it made the warrior feels small, insignificant, but more importantly weak. The aura felt alien, but familiar at the same time. Of the aura, there was so much going on that the Brownies and sweets were only just scratching the surface. He had gazed upon something which he had should not, he had glimpsed on a dark secret of Alvadas. A secret woken from everything which was happening to the city… The Ethaefal would be lost in a world of pure sensation, almost trapped, body shaking, voice shaking, only barely aware of the world around him. He was entrenched in the power of the aura which he had glimpsed. Eridanus would find that his body felt heavier, and his sight grew a bit dimmer. What used to be detailed in the distance is now obscured, and every now and then he would see dark patches float around his vision obscuring the scene even more. The world seemed darker. The smell of brownies and chocolates did not leave his nose. It lingered in his mind, a phantom of what he had experienced. Reality was beckoning him, and he needed to react to the dangerous situation they all found themselves in. ”Eridanus,” a voice brought him back, piercing through the veil of his own mind, ”Eridanus.” his name was shouted this time, trying to bring him back to reality, but it was too late. A tentacle had found itself wrapped around the man, hoisting him up in the air. The big eyes of the monster looked at the Ethaefal, its oversized eyes widened in delight as it opened its mouth, more flames spewing forth and around it. ”Ill eat you first.” it said, opening its mouth wide, more tentacles coming to secure the limbs of the man as it took a bite out of Eridanus’ side. The teeth sank in and were hot like the fire which spewed from it. The bite was almost effortless, but it did not take a chunk out of him. Instead it opened its mouth again and chomped down. Its teeth rent through metal and cloth like soft, plush flesh. It wasn’t eating him per say, but rather just chewing on him. The reality of the situation would dawn on Eridanus, and the pain would force him from his daze.

[Miro]

Miro was not pleased to be denied the artifact. He bit his lip to hide the scowl on his face. Somebody here needed to do something about the beast, and his power was almost entirely used up. It did not help that he was forced to slowly wither the remainder of his Djed on coercing the Priestess into releasing her death grip on the mirror. For an instant though it looked as if she would give in, but then fought against it. "No, it is a power too great for a mere child." The Chained One mocked the illusionist in his head. Being slapped down made him wish to assert his dominance even more. Nobody could deny him, not with his power. The cravings to take more power were harder still to deny.

She turned her attention to the creature, or to Eridanus. The man sounded as if he were about to collapse and die, but It was hardly any concern of his. The wizard was utterly unable to turn his attention from his prize. The golden boy spoke as well, and all of it was just making him anxious. There was some further commotion, a sense of heat, and the sensation was building. It built up further, which was bad news for the Ice Reaver. He instinctively moved to take cover and duck behind Alluvia as she spoke to the group. Of course she bade him to get up and end things, to stop it before they were burned alive. Speak of the flame and it shall burn you, as it went, or at least in this instance it did. The irritated Illusionist lost her focus so that she might harp on the would be heroes and doomed them all to burn.

Miro collapsed on the ground from the burning sensation and produced a sweat of Res transmuted to ice water. The cold against his flesh soothed him greatly and he quickly rose to his feet. He had enough of this, and if one thing was true, it was what Alluvia had said. The Reimancer needed to get up and end things before he was burned again. The illusionary flames did him no harm, and that was good. It was forgotten the moment his sight returned to that precious artifact. Now was the time to end it, to satisfy what he had been fighting for so long. Uldr told him what he needed, and every moment of the undead's existence, the god's hand was on his back shoving him forward. "Okay," he told himself. "One last attempt. I will weave Djed once more."

The Hypnotist prepared his voice with Djed. He did not want to draw attention to single himself out, yet still his presence needed to be known. The Illusionist began to call out to Eridanus, and Miro followed along, though his attention could not be further from the fallen warrior. His words were drenched with a hidden emotional response of anxiety. He would share the feeling built inside of him and press them onto Alluvia. Why yes, she should focus her concern on the Ethaefal, worry, fret. Forget the mirror that dangled in hand. "Eridanus, Eridanus," he called out as he closed in on the woman with the mirror held to her side. It was his chance, the opportunity he had been dying for. It seemed an eternity since his rebirth, and it was time he had his fill of power.

Miro redirected Djed Flux from his arms to his right leg and sprung forward, his lunge directed at Alluvia and the mirror. Immediately the redirection rebounded to steal from the pathways in his legs to his arms. He grasped the mirror and pulled it from her hands, clutching it to his chest. How amazing, his new body was beyond acrobatic. Though he could have allowed himself to land with some grace, he only cared to make his wish as quickly as possible. Now it was very clear what Alluvia had to worry about with Eridanus, being eaten and all. Lucky for the fallen warrior, his current fate now mattered little. The wizard slid across the floor for a moment and posed the mirror to stare at his reflection. For a while now he had been contemplating the wish he would make, and he knew that he was right all along.

Elation filled his body and nothing could stop him from making his dream come true. For the first time he saw his new face, and it was magnificent. "Mirror, I accept your price." He stated enthusiastically, quickly following it up with his demand. "I wish that the remains of Drysalla, that blackened creature consuming Eridanus. to be absorbed into my being. All of its power, all of its dominance, MINE!" And the fool hugged the artifact to his body and laughed maniacally out of his control. The wish had worked the first time around, why not the second? Sure, he had the warped decaying leftovers of her power, but it was power nonetheless. He wanted it, no, needed it. And now he would have it. All of it. If only he had gotten his wish first though, how much sweeter it would be.