Forbidden Ground (Mirage)

[Miro]

9th day of Spring, 513 AV

Miro wasted no time traveling deep into the Testing Grounds. He sprinted through the flat ground barren ground of the Prairie, finding it easy to reach his max speed and sustain it. The only limited to the Chained One's body was how intensely he could push his body and maintaining it without damaging himself. Without the use of the Flux, he had little trouble controlling his movements. He was able to know when only an unnatural amount of force was needed in order to complete an action. When using the Flux to pass the natural speed limit of his body, his ability to move laterally was hindered. His feet on the ground could only produce so much traction to counter and alter the forward momentum, making running through forests the ultimate challenge. Trying to redirect too much force would cause his legs to break. He was not yet brave enough to do it, but with a stronger mastery of running and the Flux, weaving between them was possible.

Running as an undead was entirely different than in his living body. He had no need to focus on breathing, maintaining a pace or struggling to handle his own body and move with grace. His body was capable of acrobatic feats that none in even Alvadas could match. It had the potential, needing only the training. He continued past the mudpit and avoided the wicked forest, running towards the reddened hills. Miro reduced his speed through the mud and enjoyed the cool wet earth on his bare feet. Moving with the speed he was, it splattered and coated his white shirt in brown. He arrived at the threshold of the Bloodhills and halted. The raised grounds and arid red earth was patrolled by security golems, and they did not react well to trespassers. Never before had he been in the area, so his curiosity drew him in.

The Chained One stuck to the cover of the raised ground. He hesitated peering over the top of the hill he hid behind, seeing a golem directly ahead. Peering around, he saw an area of raised land that created a cliff for a stretch. He followed along hidden by it until he came to its end. He had noticed an abundance of bones, an odd sight for Sahova. In a place so dead, no life thrived here. But for some reason, there were actually creatures here. Some of their remains were quite strange, and all of them different. His skin crawled as he fantasized about the possibility of encountering something dangerous and forbidden. If it was powerful, he would take it to the child-master Vick. The Nuit could work miracles of bones.

Miro ran from his cover beside the cliff to the next hill. There had to be some reason that the place was restricted and guarded carefully. It was to keep him from things he shouldn’t see, things that were dangerous, or even powerful. Secrets and treasures, even if the reward was nothing more than mischief. The Bloodhills were just another part of the Testing Grounds, an area he was determined to dominate. Its name spoke its worth to the Chained One. The lands were meant to test his mettle.

[Mirage]

As Miro made the pass over the boarder of the Bloodhills, there would be a sudden change in the feel of the area. It was not that it was more dangerous per say... but rather a sense that something wanted to truly cause him harm. LIke there was an evil, malcontent that flooded the region of blood red rocks. As he continued deeper into the hills the number of bones and carcasses would increase. Large craters dotted the land, the landscape literally marred by the magic and experiments that had taken place in this area. Not only that but there were areas where wild djed was clearly at work. Large plants, sickly gray and black in color, swung wild vines as they died of starvation, having consumed all that was near them and unable to move to search for further sustenance.

The very air in this land crackled with djed, and an ever pressing weight of the tainted magic blanketed the landscape. Yet still, the Bloodhills seemed barren this day. Nothing roamed, no Wizards performed experiments. It was all... so quiet.

Until the earth cracked beneath Miro's feet, giving way as a large hole suddenly appeared. From this opening there came a creature, large and hairless, that poked its head out. It looked like... A star-nosed mole, though twisted and far to large to be normal. Two paws appeared as it pulled itself half way out of the ground, claws as long as Miro was tall gouging the earth as it sniffed the air and turned its blind eyes on Miro. The creature had no fur, its skin pale and wrinkled, yet its flesh was as hard as folded steal. Large canine teeth poked out over overly large jaws as saliva dripped, smoking and burning holes in the ground where it touched. It scrambled fully from the hole, large and fat looking to shuffle toward Miro, which it wished to make into its next meal.

OOCSo let the quest begin!

[Miro]

This place was awesome. The land was rich with a magical presence, yet it had such a devious feel to it. From the scars upon the land to the rotting remains, there was a stench of wild Djed all around. Everything here seemed tainted, sick, or maybe some sort of evolved. Most lifeforms were just not ready to handle such a powerful change. Miro however was not one of these beings so unable to withstand the sting of magic. And even now, transmutation was in thick in the air. A storm of Djed, so eager to change him too.

It felt like it was actually coming for him, actually following him. The feeling grew, becoming and manifested as a rumbling beneath his feet. But, it was not just a tremor, the earth was giving way. The undead reacted with magical defense. He enacted his Aqua Aura technique and flooded a gaseous Res from every pour of his body. He redirected the Djed Flux from his left arm to his right leg and jumped back. Before his left leg landed, he redirected the Flux to it and hopped back again. After a several quick redirections he had cleared a safe distance from the eruption. And from the ground a creature began to emerge.

First long claws anchored into the surface of the hole, then an odd sight. A snout with several long tendrils at its fore appeared. Tiny eyes peer blankly ahead for a moment, but did not react at all. But then it began to sniff the air and let its wide cavernous mouth drift open. The massive creature let out a low crackling growl and drooled acidic saliva that sizzled as it splashed against the earth. The way it looked at him, it was obvious what it had in mind. Suddenly it launched itself from its hole and advance upon him. If the wizard was not to become its meal, he would need to act quick. A creature like this was foreign to him, yet its threat apparent. From what he could tell however, its sight was poor, and it relied on its sense of smell. This was something he could take advantage of.

Miro focused hard on producing more Res and gripped Ionu's Light tight in hand. He began reeling back, redirecting his Djed Flux as he had before to evade the creature. As he moved back, he guided a gust of Res towards the creature's face and transmuted it to smoke. He directed the puff to flow into its nose and cloud its vision, and it seemed to work. The creature halted its advance snarling and confused at the sudden cloud of smoke, but it would be short lived. He had to utilize this opportunity, not let it slip. He had found plenty of time to amass Res, and his aura had grown tall and thick. A creature so massive, able to survive in a place like this, it could take all of his Djed to kill it. He would need to cast efficiently.

The Reimancer thrust Ionu's Light forward and guided all of his Res to stream towards the creatures face. The smoke had began to clear out, and the creature was once again sniffing the air, trying to catch his scent. He guided the gust of Res to force itself into the gasping nostrils and push down into its lungs. The magical substance flowing inside of it seemed to hide his scent or otherwise distract it, as it did not charge him again. When his Res had amassed and filled its lungs with a thick gel, he transmuted it to lava. But something like this, it was best to be wary. Something exciting like this usually attracted attention. Nothing was certain when it came to treading dangerous ground.

Ender seemed to be in shock, for he did not respond to seeing anything that happened. With it seemingly over however, he did not show the same reservation. "That was impressively handled. I could not have done it better myself. You reacted quite well to everything presented to us. I will keep an eye out for any other threads. The next one won't catch us by surprise, I promise.

[Mirage]

The creature coughed and sputtered, hacking up large chunks of hot lava with each breath, yet even it could do nothing once the magma cooled. It struggled, writhed and swing its head and claws about as it slowly suffocated, its movements beginning to still as life began to be sucked out of it. When its finaly movements tilled completely a strange purplish gas began to emit from its body. Its flesh decayed at a rapid rate, revealing muscle and tissue before finally the white of bone. All of the flesh was stripped from the creature until only a large skeleton remained, the bones oddly shaped for a mole.

Peace reigned for a chime or two, and Miro would be given time to "catch his breath", however, it was never meant to last. The stench of the quickly rotting carcass attracted the attention of something deep within the earth. Miro would feel the earth tremble beneath his feet once more. Suddenly all footing would give way and a hole nearly 12 feet in radius would open up, plummeting Miro straight down into an underground Cavern. More of the mole creatures dotted the area, heads poking out of holes in sheer rock faces, poping from beneath the earth, and at the center of the cavern there sat what could only be the mother. Nearly three times the size of the rest of her nest, she sat curled in the center, 5 children tending to her, bringing her what appeared to be different types of rock to eat. When Miro dropped in all noses turned in his direction.

There appeared to be two types of moles in the colony. There were the large, nasty looking ones like what he had fought before that apparently acted as guards of the next, and there were smaller, pure white ones that were some form of forager. Their claws were not quite as long, their teeth did not drip acidic saliva and they all had large ears that resembled rabbit ears that turned in different directions in response to the sounds around it.

The guard moles began to make their way toward Miro. Some burrowed up from below ground, others appeared from within the walls, but all seemed intent on getting rid of this intruder. Miro faced close to 20 guards now, all dripping acidic saliva and baring vicious fangs while the smaller moles tended to the mother and went about the rest of their duties, paying no heed to the action. It seemed they only cared about preforming their own purpose and had no intention of joining the fight.

[Miro]

The creature never did rise again to fight. Instead an odd sensation became of it. The skin corroded and oozed away in a puff of peculiar gas and left nothing but skeletal remains. Really, it was quite an awesome sight for the wizard. Miro smirked to himself and twirled Ionu's Light in hand. The remaining amount of Res swirled along with it. How proud he was of his accomplishment.
He reached into his robe and fiddled with the strap at his waist for a moment before pulling an item out. It was the Mask of Many, a symbol of power and greatness. The mask was secured onto his head, snug and tight on his face as always. "That was quite the spectacle, huh? But it looks like I win this one. Hey, Ender, chalk up another kill for me, why don't ya. Tally it under, 'giant monster'." His comments immediately followed by a chuckle. "Wait until I show Vick "these"! He will be ever so excited, the little guy, he will."

The Reimancer walked to the hole and peered over the side, afraid to get too close. It just looked dark inside, no way to tell any depth. "There is something amiss here. I have never seen a creature's flesh decay instantly upon death. I mean, even their earth burning saliva wasn't doing that. Surely there was some reason for it, and even more to avoid the mist." The undead nodded to the reply and kicked at one of the stark white bones. "Yeah, that is for sure. But it was totally cool, right? I mean, have you seen a creature like that before? Something like that, I'd never have guessed it to live here. These reddened hills really are something special." He grinned and brushed his hair back from his face. "C'mon, let's go deeper in." But that was simply not going to happen.

The familiar sensation of trembling arose once again, the wizard once again streaming Res from his body. "Miro", his Familiar called out to him. "I know, I'm on it!" But little did he realize the irony in the statement. The earth cracked beneath him and gave way before he could move. The sensation of falling was a surprise, but even more shocking was that the ground was nowhere in sight. He had to act quick, and this was one of those situations where it was do or die. The wizard quickly redirected heavily from pathways of his body into his mind, and reality seemed to slow around him.

As he fell his body still leaked a trail of aura that followed him. His limbs dangled loosely and his dead eyes stared unwavering. His mind was abuzz, moving too fast to even form his thoughts into words. Of everything in his mind, one thing was immediately certain. Reimancy was his out. In an instant he snapped to action, his mind settled. He released the Flux and shot his arms out to send his Res to the skate across the wall and attracts fragments of earth. He called the substance below his feet and formed a circular platform, the rock gathered in its core. It was formed into a plate of a couple feet in diameter, about a foot thick, and transmuted it to rock. The remaining amount of Res was called to surround and envelop the spell and control it.

"Miro, look out! Above us!" He quickly raised his sight to catch glimpse of the cascading bones from above. Using his control of the Res, he called the spell to rise beneath him and grasped the edge. He leaned and guided the rock to the right with his Res control and sailed to the side. A bone brushed past him but his momentum carried. The gust of wind pushing past him made the stone unstable, but he could use that. The wind was attracted and even him out and once again gain control. From there Ender gave him orders to dodge, and he continued to steer using his Res to avoid the falling skeleton. "Ender, tell me when I am near to crash, I will jump." On command his partner broke from his wrist to float in his natural form. The collision with the ground was ever approaching.

"Jump, Miro, now!" Miro redirected a powerful stream of Djed to the pathways in his legs and thrust against the tablet with a mighty leap. The plate of rock was shot down with an equal force, and began to spiral before crashing on the ground with a shattering boom. As he began to fall he gripped his staff with both hands and feet. Below his feet he created a ball of Res and called his previously created amount to attract a gust of wind to push cushion his descent. Just as he was near landing, the ball of Res at his feet was transmuted to a gale of wind to act as a buffer. He landed on Flux enhanced legs and crouched down low to the ground to absorb the shock.

"Amazing Miro! You are really something, you know that? But we are not done here. Look, there, more of those things, a lot of them. I'll guide you from up here, so be ready." The landing was loud, and his scent apparent to them. There were many creatures here, but not all the same as the vicious one on the surface. The redirected Djed Flux was put to rest and the Reimancer took an offensive stance. He stood strong with Ionu's Light grasped in his hands and feet squared below him. Still he was producing Res from his body, but slowing the flow. He willed it to swirl about the ground and collect loose earth in its sweeps. The creatures near the large nest began to snarl and lock on to his scent. More surfaced all around him, their hisses echoed through the tunnels. "All around you now. Here they come..."

Miro chuckled, a bit scared of the danger. It had been a while since he found himself on the edge, yet this was what he had been training for. Now in this scenario, Ender was able to see what Mizahar could throw at even an almighty wizard. It proved what he had been preaching all along. By his vigorous training, not even a massive create and fall could end his life. Though it was true that he went looking for trouble this time, it was also true that trouble often came looking for people, especially wizards. His Familiar lately had turned somewhat of a new leaf, found some comfort in their life. It had been strife and arguments up til now, but that had seemed to end. If they could keep this up, their future was looking to be bright. Together they were a powerful magical force.

The sound of sizzling could be heard from all directions, the first creature started in running and cued the rest to make their move as well. "In front!" Ender ordered and Miro followed command. His staff was pointed and guided Res and earth along to meet the closest creature. He pushed an amount of the substance down the creature's throat and was transmuted to lava. Then he switched focus to the four moles near it. His Res similarly forced into their faces and burning their throats out. "Behind you, move!" The undead redirected Djed from his left arm to his right leg and sprung forward. He could feel the wind of an attack meant to end him. He landed and pivoted, now turned to see his attacker. Another spell guided to destroy its throat from the inside. He kept the momentum going and alternated the Flux between his legs to enhance his running speed backwards.

Miro had no choice but to cease his production of Res for fear of straining his body past its limits. The release of Djed was replaced by the opposite instinct, to draw it in. He opened his body to activate unfocused Leeching to begin replenishing his diminished reserves. Two more moles had taken the fallen's place and left him with no choice but to cast his last Reimancy spell. Miro split the Res to flood into the nostrils of each creature, still reeling backwards. One final transmutation to lava was made and finished off the immediate threats. The wizard halted his use of the Flux and twisted around to run towards a secluded forager mole. He held his left hand out and produced a small amount of Res to make a pattern on his palm. An 'x' and '+' across his palm with a series centered circles that grew in size. The substance wrapped about the back of his hand and was transmuted to rock. He could not make a fist with his left hand, but it was a necessary spell.

What he needed was to use direct Leeching, and the large passive moles would yield quite some Djed. He halted his run and slid on the soles of his sandals up the to creature, kicking up dust in his wake. The creature did not seem startled, perhaps it felt secure with the others to protect it. Miro placed his left hand gently on the creature and initiated Leeching to drain it with all of his might. The flow was fierce, yet he had to keep his victim still. Hypnotism was the answer to that. The Reimancer let out a soft continuous "Shhhhhh..." and focused his Djed to his voice. The soft murmur of passivity was charged with an emotional response of shock. The tremor inducing feeling was flooded into the creature and coupled with a suggestion, "Don't move!" And despite being drained of its very life energy, the creature did not flee. It only shook violently and let out a fearful cooing. Ticks ran by quickly, and as he continued, the shaking slowed and noise quieted. Then, a vague sense of anxiety formed in his mind, though it seemed out of place. "Hurry up, they're closing in!"

Even harder the Leecher absorbed Djed, but quickly found the intake had grown weak. He removed his hand and the rock glyph crumbled to dust. And suddenly, another feeling, a wisp of fear. Miro redirected a heavy amount of Djed Flux to his right leg and hopped to the right, a claw barely nicked his left ankle. "Miro...I...didn't even have the chance to warn you, yet you dodged. G-great job.." It was odd, somehow he knew he was in danger. The laceration on his leg was but a scratch, more pain than damage. As he turned and landed, he saw them, a dozen of the beasts massed together to devour him. This wasn't a fight that one wizard could just win. At least, not one that wished to walk out of it sane. He was not aiming to become some overgiven cave hermit.

Yet again he began to alternate his Djed Flux between his legs to increase his running speed, this time directed at the nearest wall. He would burn off as much of the stolen Djed as possible as to save his remaining natural supply. As he neared the wall, he began to produce liquid Res from Ionu's Light. He swept up rocks and began to mold the substance to take form before him. Rapidly he began to form thick sturdy planks jutting from and ascending the wall to serve as stairs and transmuted them to rock. He flourished the staff back and forth and climbed the platform. His enhanced dexterity and acrobatics served him well here. After a while, he found himself up a fine distance and created a sturdy plank to rest atop. He poised himself against the wall with one hand and pointed his staff to pour a final amount of Res. It molded itself to form a suitable platform on which he could safely rest and it too was transmuted to rock. The wizard stepped onto the platform and sat himself down. He needed some time to rest his body and soul.

[Mirage]

The dozen remaining beasts swarmed where Miro had been just moments before, running into one another and looking around in confusion, turning sightless eyes about and sniffing the air in search of their intruder. For the time it seemed that Miro was safe, and the guardians returned once more to patrol the parameter, disappearing back into their holes. The confused noises of the moles quieted down as well, as the little while ones resumed their steady care of their overly large mother.

The patter was monotonous. One would approach the mother, raise an ear and listen for a moment, before turning and scurry off down a tunnel only to return a short time later with a particular rock of interest. Each mole did the same thing. Approach, listen, scurry away and return with a different kind of rock for the mother. The mother herself never moved, or made any audible sound of her own. When one approached, however, she would twitch the tendrils at the end of her nose, and something would glint there at the end.

"Oye, kid, are you dead?" A voice from high above, from where Miro had fallen through in fact, called out in the cavern, echoing off the walls. A shadow appeared in the light above, waving one hand. Then it would leap into the hole, but instead of falling it more swung in the direction of the wall as if it were attached to a rope. The man, for the form resolved itself into a masculine figure, swung itself until his feet hit the wall, and he began to run along the nearly vertical incline, coming toward Miro's littler platform. The closer he got the more features could be made out. A man of medium build, long black hair and dark tint to his skin. Eyes of green with a dozen knives and daggers of various sizes strapped to his body. His arms were folded over his chest, and he seemed to stick to the wall itself as he ran. Finally he was close enough to stand on the very edge of Miro's own crafted platform, but when he stopped he still leaned dangerously to one side. His arms were still folded however, but he was suspended by some unseen force.

His features were those of a Myrian, his body fit and clearly alive. He looked Miro up and down, "Well, what have we hear. A deadie in the Niddles nest. And I thought I had seen everything."

[Miro]

Miro wondered how he might solve this problem. He hadn't much will to waste Djed, and imagined that even if he could manage to get free, he likely shouldn't. Risking another fight with the creatures was not something he wanted to do after spending so much of his Djed. The amount he had gathered from the creature was just as quickly spent on the Flux and he was now left weary. To have to work so hard for so long, it had been more than a while. Being left in a state where recovery was his best option was something that hadn't happened since his undeath.

Ender was quietly waiting on his master's wrist, unable to contribute anything. The wizard could sense the terror in his partner, so fearful of the mere possibility of death. But there was not much chance if they just waited calmly and prepared an escape. They were surrounded by earth, a refuge of supply and defense for any Geomancer. But for now he was trapped in a hole with hardly any light to see by, and no easy way back up. It would take a while to climb without succumbing to Overgiving or collapsing back down to the bottom. The only alternative would be to fight his way through the lot of them and find his way out elsewhere.

Fighting his way out seemed an interesting option. It would take longer than climbing out with no definite end in sight, but access to the corpses and tunnels of these wonderful creatures. Vick and Rayage could make the greatest use of them, as well as any other crazy master daring enough to create magic from carnage. He would require a safe area where he could recover away from the prey and take them out in waves, dwindling their numbers. Surely he would find some efficient way and gain advantage quickly. Though there was also the risk of being pushed too far. He had only narrowly escaped last time.

The idea was appealing, and seeming the better option, despite sounding like the history of an Overgiven wizard. However as he finished observing the habits of his prey, his attention was taken by something else. From atop the hole, that incredible distance, came a voice. A man, up at the top, apparently he had witnessed the fight and collapse. Then something odd happened. "Miro, that man is running down the wall. It is as if he is anchored to the top of it. I see no anchor." Though it was more than that, it was as if the man had the ability to adhere to the surface of the rock face itself. And he hardly seemed a Nuit.

This man was unlike any Miro was familiar with. Dark and sleek, and yet all the same intimidating in its stature. His presence was one of confidence and strength. Something the undead could easily respect, despite the words chosen. Especially if the man could offer assistance. "I am Miro, master apprentice to Master Roknus Malestrom. I expect that you have witnessed the assault made on me before the ground collapsed. I easily survived, killed some of the creatures too, but I decided it best to wait here." The apprentice stood and walked towards the man.

Miro removed his mask, put it in his pack and offered a hand to be shaken. "I am unsure if you can help me, but I would certainly be thankful. I would repay the favor as well as I can. You will find I am quite unlike many of the Nuit here. They mostly favor craft of world magic and toil away in labs for centuries. I much prefer the personal magics, and to be out here, free to test them. To learn on the field training my skills to perfection. I have mastered Reimancy, and strive to become equally talented in the Flux." The undead smiled, for he would keep some things to himself. "Though I will admit to being quite the Glypher as well."

Ionu's Light was taken in the Reimancer's staff wielding arm and he was ready for whatever might come next. "Whatever reason you have in coming down here after me, consider me on board. You seem quite the capable wizard, and indeed unlike many of the Nuit here. I am quite interested to learn anything I can about the way you can so easily travel down here and move as you are. It is unlike anything I have seen." Whatever ambition directed towards aimless slaughter had been shifted to this man. "Why don't we see if we can work something out. I can be very valuable."

[Mirage]

"Roknus...?" The man's body straightened from his dangerous lean and he unfolded his arms, one resting against the wall over newly formed crater and the other scratching his beard absently, "Last I heard that lunatic didn't take apprentices, just servants he could throw around but I don't give a damn what they do in that place." He shrugged and looked past Miro down at the swarming nest, "You're not bad kid. Not bad at all, but ya talk too much. Better fix that quick. I hate to disappoint but I don't have no reason in being here besides the fact that I look after the place. Just saw the hole and some fool of a boy fighting the Niddles. The names Chabiza, Groundskeeper of Sahova. Pleasure is mine."

Chabiza extended his beard scratching hand toward Miro, finally looking back at him with a smile, "As for what I do, 'fraid that is a trade secret. Valuable or no, I'm just here ta make sure you're alright."

After the handshake, or lack of one, Chabiza would set his hands on his hips, looking up at the top of the opening and back at Miro, "Well do ya want a lift out of this mole hole or you feeling like being a light snack for big mama over there." He nodded at the queen who was once more waving her glittering tendrils over the stones her little minions brought to her.

[Miro]

Miro listened carefully to everything that this man had to say. The damn Niddles, man, they were a pain in the ass. And it was unsettling to be referred to as a boy. Amusing though, as it was, for this man had character. He was a card, and that was alright by the wizard. He sure did call things as he saw them, that Chabiza. Whatever it meant to be Groundskeeper of Sahova, it sure beat the puffed up title of Master Apprentice. As if Miro was anything close. He was more a squatter at the citadel than anything.

Apparently it was this Groundskeeper's job to see that foolish wanderers did not get eaten by the Nettles. A lovely sentiment, truly, but an awkward position to be thrown in. His magic, it was impressive, but perhaps more flash than anything. This man could not truly be on par with Miro, he was still living it seemed. Though the Chained One was still young himself, there was no way that this man could know. Or match the Reimancer's talent.

The undead was sure he could figure it out, he'd seen just about every trick. But there was first a reply due to the Groundskeeper. "You heard about right, Master Malestrom doesn't take apprentices, but I am an exception. I am an apprentice he can't take. And I share your opinion, I could not care any less about that place. That is why I am here." A vague half-shrug was given toward the man.

"I do tend to talk a bit too much though. So, if you don't mind me being blunt, I'd like to give it another try. I am more than curious to see how things go differently with some support. You seem capable enough. Let's give Momma Niddles a snack." The Aurist had began to channel his Djed and attune his senses to Chabiza's aura. He had a theory, that a rare magic was being used. It was one that the wizard was not very familiar with, Projection.

It was a theory, but one yet unsupported. However the undead continued to fuel his Djed into his Auristic insight. He wished to view the aura of Groundskeeper Chabiza and search out magical activity. From what he understood of the magic, he could expect to witness his astral body separated from his physical vessel. If anchored at the top, it would allow such a seamless descent. It took all of his focus, and most of the Djed he had absorbed from the environment.