[Alvadas Quest, Part I] Reflecting the Illusion of Water

[Elhaym]

Pain watched with wide eyes as the woman spoke of a rogue aboard the ship, clutching Tanny's thick fur tight. A heavy breath escaped her lungs as she heard the word antidote. However, this didn't do much to stall a new terror from overtaking the simple girl from Syliras. She felt a watery coolness on her toes, soaking through the bandaged wraps that covered her feet and ankles. It had breached the edge's of her sandals and was rising rapidly to her ankles. And it was cold. And real. "Oh shyke." Pain said in an exasperated sigh. It was almost an admission of defeat. The whole room was screwed up. Everything looked... off. The door was gone. After a few parting words... so was her host. It wasn't a brilliant getaway... Pain simply blinked and she was gone. Treachery. Pain freed a hand, holding Tanny with her other, and pounded the wall with her elbow. The vibration from the wood and into her elbow told her that there was no breaking out of here. It was solid. And the water... for all the talk of illusionary tricks and games, it seemed real too. And yet, oddly not so. Everything was just so... screwed up. Her panic was rising, but Pain tried to remain calm. Just... think of something. "Alright buddy. You got any bright ideas!?" Pain yelled at Derric, finally bothering to give him a glance and size him up. He didn't look like much to her, but then again... he may have an idea of what to do. Maybe not. All Pain knew was that she couldn't fight her way out of this situation. The water was almost at chest level now. Her breaths came quick, the cold frothy water carrying the same scent she was used to smelling as she jogged the Suvan Sea coast. Pain feared for herself, but also for Tanny... and that's when she noticed something. Tanny wasn't squirming, even as his tail and feet began to be submerged in the water. Why wasn't he scared? Pain began speaking his name aloud in hushed tones, trying to get his attention. He simply raised his head, and panted in response. He was doing his dog smile. He didn't seem to be worried at all... and upon letting that realization soak through her mind, a very stupid plan began to burn in the back of Pain's mind. "Hey... Hey! Hey, Derric... right!?" Pain yelled, now holding Tanny high above her head. The water was quickly rising to her chin. While she waited for him to get his bearing and turn to her, Pain whispered something in Tanny's ear as she brought him down closer to her face. "Sorry bout this, buddy..." And then she submerged him. Tanny reacted a bit to the sudden water, but through the low light in the room she could make out his face. He was still looking at her, as if nothing was wrong from beneath the water's depth. Was this really all an illusion? Pain brought Tanny back up from within the water, noticing his fur felt wet and cold. Water poured off from his body, splashing back into their rising icy prison. She tried to wrap her head around it... before the water wrapped itself around her head. "Okay, listen. My dog, you know... he trusts me! Right!? Well, he does. So, I just put him under that water, and he was fine! So..." Pain said, still yelling at Derric as brought herself up on her tiptoes. "I mean, you can see this shyke. I mean, this room is screwed up. Everything is a little off, right?! So, you know... this is an illusion, I think. But!" Pain said, taking deep breaths in between her excited lines. It was hard to vocalize her thoughts, as they were still swirling through her head like a cyclone. "You can't just... pretend it's not real, you know!? I mean, watch." Pain yelled, taking one hand and dipping it into the water, and cupping her hand as she brought it back to her mouth and took a drink. She could feel it. She could taste it. It was water. "I think, the reason Tanny was okay is because even though this is sort of real, he knows that I won't let anything happen to him. It's sort of like... a trust thing." Pain was now thrashing her legs back and forth, the water having risen to the point where she had to swim. "So, I think... maybe, if we do something like that, we'll be okay too, right? Cause if we just pretend this isn't happening, we'll drown. I mean shyke, I just drank this water. I think it could kill me if I let it. So... this is what i'm gonna do. Petch it. You know what, I can breath underwater." And she must have sounded mad. Maybe almost as crazy as their host had, with the way she was yelling about her and her dog. And breathing underwater? Well, if she were a Konti, that may be true... but Pain thought she was on to something. Tanny's trust in her seemed to protect him from the actual effects of the illusion. She knew he could feel the water and knew it was real, but something stopped the illusion from hurting him. His trust in her. If Pain could mentally tell herself that though this water was real, it couldn't hurt her... maybe she would be okay too. So, Pain told herself that she could breath underwater. She tried as hard as she could to believe it. Because, as Derric watched in what was either horror or disbelief, Pain submerged herself under the rising water level. She opened her eyes, couldn't see much. Then, she opened her mouth as well. I can breath underwater.

[Hadrian]

When the lights faded from Hadrian's vision, he was trapped in a box whose only feature was the faint tang of Uldr's arsehole. He continued to blink a few times as if this vision too would fade and blur into something he could more readily accept. His memories were full of pictures and sensations of him descending a staircase and talking to the two Alvadan scholars with their test and... He wondered if he could even trust the words that had been spoken to him. His hands ran along the walls, his eyes, even augmented by Auristic vision failing to pick up anything in the ambient djed that could help him. Finally, he settled onto his knees in what seemed like the center of the room. He had to maintain his calm, look for chinks in the armor of these illusions, determine which were illusions and which weren't or else it was likely that what Asperenus had said (or that illusion that called itself Asperenus) would prove true: someone wanted to destroy his mind. "O Wise One," he whispered, "guide me in this." It didn't really matter at this point who that person was, or why they had chosen Hadrian for a victim. He took control of what he could, starting with his breath, slowing down his metabolism with those breathing patterns conducive to a meditative state. This was where he retreated when even his long walks couldn't help his mind free itself from the shackles of habitual thought. His mind gradually expanded to fill the room, while detaching itself from his feelings. The smell ceased to bother him. Fear dissipated. Since there was nothing he could think to do, he did not. He waited for the answer to come to him on the tail of his prayer to Eyris.

[Aselia Timandre]

So the sailor had created an illusion, throwing the coin in the air, holding it there and making it invisible while letting the illusory coin fall back into his hand. Aselia understood the mechanics, but still she was impressed. This man was obviously blessed by Ionu as he was able to create and dissolve illusions within mere moments. His appearance was that of a common sailor, but after that demonstration Aselia’s respect for him had augmented. Perhaps he was willing to share his knowledge or talent?

Certainly he was being sympathetic towards her, and Aselia admitted that she liked the charming smile. With a playful grin, half serious and half joking, she answered: “True, beauty is nice, but even nicer is knowledge of their origin.”

Then his tone changed. Filled with concern, he spoke to her directly and warned her of the state of the ship. Aselia wasn’t sure she understood though. Apparently he was concerned of the illusion overwhelming her senses and eventually her mind … He said too much illusion existed on and around the Azure Lady. So the ship was no real ship at all? What about the captain and the other sailors? Were they just some kind of show they put on for the five guests that should be escorted to Alvadas? Aselia couldn’t imagine a reason, but then she had just entered the ship and couldn’t hope to understand everything with the first try. However, her senses were even more alert now. Holuri’s grip cut into her skin. The falcon had been feeling uncomfortable all the time since entering the ship, she remembered.

Before she could react, the guy went back to his previous behavior and introduced himself. Perian. “Nice to meet you then”, she said, unsure of what to do next, but managing a friendly smile. With arms folded in front of her chest, she listened to his curiosity. “One thing unites us, though: We’re searching for a new experience. It looks like we’ll get just that, doesn’t it?”

She shot a quick glance around the deck. Everything seemed normal. Perian was telling the truth, too. Of that she was sure, thanks to the Seer Goddess. She thought him to be an honest man, someone who was truly concerned. He couldn’t fake all those emotions, right? Anyway, he was the only one who seemed open enough to genuinely answer her questions, despite the fact that she rather avoided answering his. “So, what are you trying to tell us? That the Azure Lady isn’t a real Azure Lady?” Following her trail of thought, she added: “Why are they taking us across the ocean on a ship that is an illusion … basically something that can change or even dissolve at any time?”

Eyeing Perian with concern, but also a rest of mistrust, Aselia waited. Her eyes were clear, her mind focused. She liked riddles, even more so if she was involved in one of them, but that situation sounded totally weird.

It certainly was an exciting thing she had maneuvered herself into.

[Derric]

An illusion! The realization came to Derric before Pain had a chance to open her mouth. Vanishing door, the woman disappearing as if she'd never been there, talk of an illusory storm; all the pieces fit together perfectly. Derric looked to his feet, taking a moment to admire the perfection with which the water was created. Not only did he see the sway of the liquid, he could feel it's cold, heck, he even smelled that faint aroma that usually follows rain. The illusion seemed so perfect, that Derric didn't doubt that it would go so far as to taste like water. When Pain spoke, the performer registered just enough of her speech so that he knew they were on the same page, no matter how crazy it happened to be. "I can breath underwater." The idea was insane, and had Derric not been considering the possibility himself, he probably would have taken that moment yell at her. It was mad, indeed as crazy as the woman that had just disappeared, but it made sense. What truly made the idea hold water, though, had little to do with Pain's reasoning, and more to do with what their strange host had all ready explained. Illusions are nothing more than perspective. The words that he took as utter nonsense at the time, flooded back in total clarity. Could it be possible that this was why she'd said them? Maybe she knew they'd end up in this room, almost about to drown. It made sense. At least, it did on a boat where nothing was too insane. That was why, as the girl dunked herself underwater, Derric watched neither neither horror, nor in disbelief. Instead he watched the events unfold in anticipation. It was really an anticipation of two possibilities. Should the duo have been mistaken, as was entirely a possibility at that point, he'd be there to try and keep the girl from drowning. On the other hand, if they were right, that the trick to overcoming this challenge was in perspective, then Pain would not drown and would succeed in changing Derric's still uncertain perspective. Which would prove that the woman wasn't a total nut job, and help him get out of this hellhole. Heck, if they had the power to not die here, things might turn out to be a lot more interesting and a little less mind-numbingly frightening. Derric reached his hand into the water, swinging it around until it found Pain's shoulder. Should she drown, he'd pull her up. Should they be right, then perhaps the hand could serve as a signal to bring her back to the surface. But, there was no reason for him to dive in there after her. Not yet, at least. It was better to stay on the safe side while there still was one.

[Cadence]

Pain and Derric Many would say it was insane to believe that a human could breathe underwater. Humans did not possess gills, nor did this particular human have magical powers. So, was Pain’s idea insane? It most certainly was. However, when dealing with illusion, insanity was often the way to go. Upon submerging herself beneath the surface of the water, Pain could feel the water on her face, in her eyes, in the curves of her ears. Perhaps if Pain had decided to try this trick abroad a sinking ship, she would already be gasping for breath. But Pain was not gasping for breath, because Pain could breathe underwater. Or rather, she could breathe under the illusion of water, but for the moment, the two concepts amounted to the same thing. When she opened her mouth, the water did not flow in to suffocate her. It simply hovered around her in the same way that air would. With her eyes not in the least bit affected by the liquid around her, Pain could see the submerged contents of the Captain’s cabin. There were some knickknacks floating along the floor, tumbling over each other with the soft rocking of the water. A soggy, open book lay by the foot of the desk, its ink beginning to form tendril-like, wet smudges on the pages. Next to the book lay a piece of bright blue fabric. It did not move along with the other objects, but stayed perfectly still. Moreover, it did not appear to be wet. The azure color of the cloth may have been vaguely familiar to Pain and Derric if they bothered to look closely at it. Has their eccentric hostess not been clad in a garment of the same color? Upon closer inspection, they would see that the fabric covered a trap door… a rather flimsy-looking trap door. Hadrian The smell of rotting flesh faded from Hadrian’s perception, his focus growing until it filled the place of the unpleasant scent. The room was empty, odorless, and free of sound – a vacuum in and of itself, filtering any outside influences until pure thought was the only influence left. It was in that type of vacuum that illusion withered, its overreaching tendrils drawing back in distaste. If there are no meaningful surroundings to play with and if the victim has tuned out his scenes, there is nothing left for an illusionist to manipulate. And when an illusionist grows bored with fakery, reality is the only antidote. The figure swam into Hadrian’s view slowly. He noticed the man from the corner of his eye, as one often notices a passing shadow. But then, the man came to stand in front of Hadrian, towering over him with his long, lanky arms hanging by his side. His smooth, unimpressive chin was raised in a haughty, satisfied manner and his mouth began chewing over words long before he began to speak “Wasn’t that amusing? I must say I hadn’t expected to perform that last illusion so well,” Saaren Curn said with no trace of his stammer, his expressive mouth spreading in an unpleasant smile. “And that old fool never expected a thing. With all his talk of knowledge and research…” Curn trailed off, his face momentarily transformed into a mask of anger before he succeeded in smoothing out his features. “That stupid Symenestra woman is actually trying to counteract my storm. Did you know that? She’s helping those other pathetic humans, shielding them…” Curn waved his hand around agitatedly. “She’ll fail, of course. She does not have the same hold over illusion that I do.” “I intend to take control of this ship and send everyone on it into a madness like they have never experienced. It will be great fun. But I must say, Hadrian, I rather like you. You certainly have extraordinary control of your mind and I might need someone like you in the future when I take control of the Scholarly Abode. What would you say to helping me with my little venture, Hadrian?” Another smile stretched across Curn’s lips. “Certainly beats being slowly driven to insanity, does it not?” Alichino and Aselia “Oh, you will certainly get a new experience, my lady,” the man said darkly, a shadow of sadness flashing across his face. “The ship is real enough, but it is under the control of people who have the power to make us all doubt the basic foundation of reality. And I do not mean that the captain when I say this. He has very little to do with all of this actually.” The man offered a half-smile, obviously trying to lighten the mood. “There are two powerful illusionists controlling this ship, fighting a war amongst themselves with no care for who gets hurt in the process." Just then, an overpowering smell of decaying flesh hit the deck’s occupants. A pained look crossed Perian’s face and he began to speak quickly, striving to jam as many words as possible into a short period of time. “The storm of illusion has started. It is controlled by one of the two illusionists. The other illusionist is most likely trying to stop the storm from occurring – out of a desire to display her skill as much as out of care for the ship’s occupants. You are not safe here.” Here, his gaze locked on Aselia. “Ironically, you would be safer next to one of the warring illusionists than here with me. You must-” His next words were cut off by a shrill sound that pierced the air. There was a series of blinking, bright lights that temporarily blinded Alichino and Aselia. When the two regained their vision, Alichino found himself alone on the deck, surrounded by the smell of decaying flesh. Aselia was also alone on the same deck and surrounded by the same smell, but she did not see Alichino, nor he her. What she did see, however, was Perian’s unmoving body lying on the deck a few feet away from her. The man’s hand was covering his face and if Aselia were to walk closer to him, she would hear soft groans coming from his parted lips in-between ragged breaths. Then again, Aselia had the perfectly viable option of venturing bellow deck or following Derric and Pain into the Captains’ cabin.

[Hadrian]

From his kneeling position and detached mental state, he heard Curn's words, or whatever the illusionist wanted him to hear, he supposed. Whether this was reality or not was anyone's guess. What was reality, after all, but the consensus of the other inmates in this asylum of souls? But in that strange state, he considered his options. He could collaborate with Curn in order to gain knowledge and power, but collaboration might just be the failure of another test. That smell was gone, but was illusion merely masking the quick composition of Asperenus? He could attempt to kill Curn with clever usage of his hydromancy, a watery hammer to knock him unconscious or at least stun him, then force the water down his throat until he drowned. But such an act might only earn his own death, and what if he were still under the spell of the illusionist and his attack on Curn translated to the death of some innocent, cloaked by a power about which Hadrian knew little. Who was the Symenestra woman of which he spoke? What had befallen those others? Hadrian was discontented, not having enough information to make an educated decision and not trusting Curn quite yet. But illusionists were said to wield their power by the blessing of a god -- could they be so evil? "Speak your terms," he said, his voice strangely devoid of human passion, familiar as Hadrian's voice, but lacking anything that made it specifically Hadrian, not that Curn knew him from Adam. It would give him more information to work with, at least, and allow him time to think rationally on what he did know. Without even a blink of his eyes, he willed his Auristic vision into place to see if there were yet any clues to be had. Another spectrum of what his mind saw as color began to overlay everything he saw, but he was adept enough that it didn't distract him. It would be difficult to distract him in trance.

[Elhaym]

Well, this was interesting. She could breath underwater... sort of. The fact that was all an illusion fortified itself in Pain's mind, the evidence of her current state proving such. Her eyes were wide and her mouth open, but she was not drowning... rather, it was as though the water simply retreated away from the inside of her body and refused to drown her. Pain thrust her free arm upwards, clenching her fingers together and extending her thumb; the universal "everything's okay" sign. Her other arm clutched at Tanny, and she pulled her free arm back underwater and began to propel herself downward. As she freed herself from Derric's protective grasp, she set to searching about the submerged room. She didn't know what she was looking for, be it a way out or perhaps to find that psychotic woman hiding about somewhere. Either way, Pain wasn't comfortable enough with the current situation to just let it ride. She wasn't sure if the antidote she had drank earlier was what allowed her to survive the illusion, or if it had simply given her the clarity to defeat it on her own. Whichever way she looked at it, it seemed like the sooner Pain got Tanny, Derric and herself out of this hellhole, the better. Everything was afloat. Paper's and rolled up nautical maps floated by Pain, bumping her and spiraling away in the slowly moving water. The room was cast in a ghostly blue, every bit as realistic as if the room were truly flooded. Pain thought of the way the woman had vanished so suddenly, and pushed her way through the water toward's the desk the had formerly lectured them from. Some sort of book lay on the ground in front of it... Pain flipped the pages, the soggy paper dancing about her fingers and refusing to cooperate. She couldn't make out any words, for they too seemed to have been ruined by the water. So many tiny details, but this illusion didn't seem to miss anything. "Whoever is doing this is pretty petchin' good at what they do." Pain said, which was quite an odd sensation. She heard her voice clearly, but the sound of what her voice should have sounded like underwater echoed her words. Derric would probably notice the bubbles that exploded from her mouth as she spoke. Except, they seemed to have missed one thing. It was oddly blue, considering the azure tint the entire submerged room was cast in. A piece of cloth, that stood out just enough, was just familiar enough to reach out and touch... ... and it was dry. The oddest sensation, being underwater and feeling the water's cool touch coursing around your body, only to grasp something dry in your hand. Pain pulled it towards her, but something else caught her eye. An outline, perfectly square. A door, leading down. Pain brought her feet to the ground, and pushed up so that her head broke the water level. "I found a trap door, leading down... it's right below me. Let's go." Pain said, not sparing any time for further explanation. Derric would have some time to get his bearings and become acustomed to the illusionary water if he hadn't already while Pain dove once again beneath the water. She still cradled Tanny in one arm, but the other sought out something else of importance. Her massive backpack, a quality piece with a leather rucksack attached to the bottom and several odds and ends strapped to it's surface sat unmoving amidst the water's current on the ground. Pain floated to it, and twisted her body so that her feet touched the ground. With one hand, she drug the bag while she walked towards the trap door, the weight of the bag and her forward momentum keeping her from rising. Pain reached out, gripping an iron handle on the trap door and heaving as hard as she could. It sprung forward quite easily, perhaps ignoring what should have been resistance from the water. In any case, Pain wasted no time. She pushed her bag to the edge and kicked it over, before descending herself with Tanny in tow.

[Derric]

"My god, it worked," the words escaped Derric's mouth before he could even realize that there was no one else above water to take part in his excitement. Only a few moments ago, time had been slowed. Each second lasting minutes as an argument raged in the performer's head. The logic part of his mind was tricked by the realism of the illusion, and it urged him to discard any thought of breathing underwater. However, he also knew, no matter how crazy it sounded, that the impossibility was entirely possible. It was the simple gesture that suddenly emerged from the water -strike that, it was the 'thumbs up' that came up from under the fake water- that caused the uncertainty to cease. Overeagerly, Derric plunged below the surface, quickly taking in his first breaths of air. Overwhelmed by the amazement of their discovery he repeated the words that he'd said before."It actually worked!" "Whoever is doing this is pretty petchin' good at what they do." Pain's words matched his thoughts exactly and Derric took a moment to admire his surroundings once more. No matter how dangerous, how absolutely terrifying, this situation was, the man couldn't help but be amazed by the illusion. It was art at its finest, and it only furthered Derric's resolution to learn how to do such things himself. Everything was perfect. Heck, had he not been in a hurry to not die, he'd had stayed in place longer. However, such a thought was unfeasible, and he reluctantly turned his attention away from the illusion, choosing to focus on Pain instead. "Yeah," Derric said in response to the girls words. The fact that he could hear her voice underwater was interesting, but, taking into consideration all the other things that had happened thus far, it was far from surprising. "Dang, it'd be awesome to be able to do this, wouldn't it? I mean, the fun one could have. The easiness in which they'd be able to capture the full attention of a crowd-" No, Derric thought after realizing that he was slowly wandering from reality once again, there's no time to think about that yet. Live first, think later. He shook his head, as if the gesture would make a difference, and looked back to Pain. Her head was turned away from him, focused on something in the distance. Tracing the gaze with his mind, Derric's eyes settled upon the same item that her's had. Strange. The blue cloth seemed to be excused from the illusion, it was as unaffected by the water as their mouths and lungs were. Derric saw the trapdoor as Pain grabbed the strange object. "Let's go," the girl urged him onward. Far less reluctant than he'd been when it came to submerging below the surface, Derric quickly followed Pain through the door into whatever craziness happened to lay beyond. The liquid that they'd drank before made him feel empowered, shaving off a decent part of his nervousness. If this was all caused by a couple of illusionists, and he'd all ready proven that he had the power to overcome such illusions, then what was there to fear? There was no illusion to worry about, right?

[Cadence]

Pain and Derric Pain, Derric, and Tanny dropped down from the trapdoor, leaving the underwater room behind. Their feet touched a perfectly dry floor in the middle of a long hallway. Further down the hall, they could see a door on the left wall. A perfectly ordinary door… with waves of Djed radiating off it at insanely high rates. Even someone who has had no experience with magic would feel powerful emissions coming from behind the door. It would be exaggerating to say that the door glowed. It did not glow. But it did feel like it contained something terribly powerful, something like the eye of the illusionary storm. It was imperative to get to the door. Both Pain and Derric felt it instantly. They were inexplicably drawn to it, whether for better or for worse. Unfortunately, getting to the door would pose a problem. Three men stood before them, effectively blocking the passage with their muscular bodies. All three were dressed in sailors’ garb, were of similar height, and sported perfectly trimmed haircuts. One of them nodded grimly at the two before saying, “Can’t let you pass.” The faces of the three men may not have been graced with extraordinary intelligence, but they did possess a rather impressive collective bulk. One that - in the current situation - more than compensated for their dumb expressions. Derric felt a warm current of air behind his left ear, as if someone was exhaling into the back of his neck. A few seconds later, a voice whispered in his ear, “You see them, they are there. You touch them, they are solid. You talk to them, they talk back. But life is not reality. Even illusion can hurt us if we’re not careful. But illusions are fragile things with limited attention spans. Distract them and they disappear, leaving only reality behind. If only there was some way to do that, magician.” The words were mere whispers in the air and later, Derric could not be sure whether he ever heard anything at all. Naturally, if he were to turn around he would see nobody behind him. At almost the same time that the voice spoke to Derric, Pain heard the same voice whispering in her ear. How similar it sounded to the crazy woman from the captain’s cabin. “You see them, they are there. You touch them, they are solid. You talk to them, they talk back. But life is not reality. Even illusion can hurt us if we’re not careful. But illusions are fragile things with limited attention spans. Your friend here might divert the attention of illusions, leaving behind the real deal. Fighters fight, girl. So, fight.” The words were precise, less cryptic than how the woman had spoken earlier. But after they have both heard the voice, there was no doubt in Pain and Derric’s minds that it was indeed the illusionist who had spoken. If Derric were to find an effective way of distracting two of the sailors, he would see that the more their minds tried to comprehend greater thoughts, the less real they became, until two sailors faded from view entirely. The one left was quite real and there was no budging him from his spot, unless it was done physically. Hadrian “You scholars are so dry. You remind me of Asperenus more than anyone else.” Again, the ugly grimace crossed his face, this time lingering a bit longer. “Terms must be explained to you, facts must be weighed… It’s all frightfully boring. I will try to put it as simply as I can and hope you can follow,” he said with a smirk. “Those old fools at the Scholarly Abode are driving the establishment into the ground. They are not utilizing their resources. They are letting the Alvadas people mock them and constrict their work. They sit around talking instead of acting. I wish to act. If I take out the old man, I will be the one who wields the power amid the scholars. I can use the magical artifacts and show the people of Alvadas what we are capable of, show them what knowledge can get them! Illusion is not about emotions or perception! It’s about power! I have that power!” He was frantic now, the crazy light in his eyes growing with every word. With his Aurisitc vision, Hadrian would be able to see the shift in Curn’s composure. His aura was all over the place, increasing and decreasing in size, changing color every other second… Curn was not a stable man. He took a deep breath, steadying himself before he continued, “But I need someone who will corroborate my story. Someone who will be there to tell of my deeds after the brains of this ship’s occupants are turned to mush. I need you to stand by me when we return to Alvadas and in return, I will spare your mind. Do you get it now?!’ The man’s voice rose to an annaturally high pitch, his agitation returning. And for the briefest moment, the room flickered. The crates, the table, and the chairs were back. Asperenus was standing only a few feet away… But it was nothing more than a flicker – a slip in Curn’s control.

[Hadrian]

Detached as he was, Hadrian remained unruffled by Curn's mocking words. More self-aware and self-assured with his emotions and traitorous thoughts loosed from their moorings to where they could not touch him so easily; he wondered briefly as he had wondered before whether this was how those of the Ano Cult felt, and how the gift of their patron goddess differed from what could be achieved on one's own. Even the flicker of reality, or another layer of reality, didn't last long enough to affect Hadrian. It didn't give his pupils time to contract or dilate, but the information was received. Gradually he worked mundane sight into the background, focusing more intently upon his Auristic vision. Asperenus had not exactly dismissed the importance of the discipline, but he had said there were things that could not be seen with it. Perhaps if Curn and the other Alvadan scholars were less focused on that discipline, they would not have learned it themselves. Having not learned it, could they truly block his Sight? Could Curn's illusions affect a sense of which he was not aware? He considered Curn's offer with great care, but in this state, thought moved like heat lightning, and little time passed. Unfortunately, he needed time and so he spoke. While he spoke, he Fluxed his djed, but rather than in a focused rush toward his hands, he let it disperse on an expanding bubble of Will, pushing it out from his centers, the jewels of energy that rested on his meridian. "Dry, am I?" he asked. Though his tone was still emotionless, the words themselves indicated a bruised pride he did not truly feel. He was no great actor, but things were queer enough, he knew, that a desperate mage attempting his coup de grâce would latch onto any offered hope, which Hadrian offered him. When the tingle of djed thrilled under his skin, he switched disciplines from Flux to hydromancy. From every pore he squeezed a negligible amount of djed, transmuting it into usable res. There was so little of it, that the mist that rose off his body was too disperse to be seen as it moved toward the illusionist, who would be too focused on his own illusions to notice something so very minute. "Terms must always be explained," he continued, without pausing a beat. "You want me to trust you not to destroy my mind, and then continue to trust you when we arrive at Alvadas and you take control of so much power... You want me to trust that you will treat me well after I help you become a god... You want me to trust you without any firm foundation upon which to stand, so yes, terms must be explained." He seemed to have worked himself into a sweat; his face was pale, perhaps from fear, though it was in fact from the effort, the control he would not have been able to manage without the meditative trance. He seemed to be looking at Curn, but in fact he was watching the small cloud of res in a tight bubble around Curn's mouth, still too disperse to be seen with the naked eye, but Hadrian could See his own energies as Curn inhaled them with his nervous breaths, the res accumulating in his lungs. All this seeming and Hadrian wasn't even an illusionist. What was real was the res that saturated Curn's lungs, his windpipe, his mouth, too light an energy to be noticed, though he might notice his mouth gone dry, his general thirst as the res pulled water out of his body and toward it. Hadrian was too taxed to make it neat, and so when he deemed the accumulation of res enough, he began the chain reaction. The res seeping out of him turned to water, a faint trail of mist appearing all but illusory between Hadrian and Curn. The res within him turned to water, and Curn's own fluids seeped into his lungs. He couldn't be sure that it was enough to kill the illusionist. It might. At the very least, the man would be unable to maintain his illusions as he struggled just to breathe with a lungful of fluid. As soon as the transmutation was complete, before Curn could even discover that his breath had been arrested, Hadrian Fluxed energy into his muscles and, certainly no warrior, erupted from his kneeling position to slam into the man who would rule Alvadas.