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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Crimson Raven
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Crimson Raven *Rolls a Nat 1*

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Pretimeskip


"No! Wait! Don't leave me hanging, I'm just getting to the best part!"


Ferrin Astra



Yuura Kumori

Mors Vincent Omni


Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4








Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by MarshiestMallow
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MarshiestMallow The Marshiest of Mallows

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Jarvis


Jarvis watched Nicodemus as he spoke, the boy seemed to have a lot of confidence, which wasn’t a bad thing, especially with this guild. Jarvis gave a smile, and shook his head, ”I was joking, kid” he said, amusement barely noticeable in his voice. ”And that would be me, or my wife that you need to speak to. I just have a few questions. What colour, and where do you want the mark?” He asked, glancing about as the other guild masters began to arrive at the guild, and around at the guild members, before looking back to Nicodemus, ”We have rooms available, and we only charge ten percent of your monthly income for rent. Jobs are available, but you must always get my approval, or Master Jamie’s” He nodded to Jamie, ”Aside from that, there really isn’t much else to know”

Master Jamie


As Sanders entered the guild, approaching them, Jamie greeted him, ”Welcome. I imagine you both, and your companions, have had a long journey. Let’s get some drinks, and retreat to my office. There’s plenty of room there now” She said, trusting Jarvis to send Jack in when the Dragon Fang Master arrived. She had no doubt that he would, Jack had never failed them before. ”We do have a bit to discuss, and the guild hall can get rather loud.”

Penny


Penny nodded, "There is always a choice" She said softly, "I just thought you needed to know" She said, quite as Ariel made to comfort her, She nodded, knowing the words to be true, but they didn't absolve Penny's guilt. She returned Ariel's hug, then letting Ariel go to Fleo. She sighed to herself, and stood, not quite sure what to do from there. The uncertainty that had plagued her for months seemed intent on making every aspect of her life difficult, and she didn’t like it.

But she didn’t see a way of changing it.

"Maybe" She said softly to Mayt. "Or maybe it's a way of keeping magic pure. I don't know.... but I don't think it's what we think it is" His words weren't a comfort to her, and she looked away. "I did kill a Phoenix" She said, admitting it for the first time since it had happened. Ariel had been the only one to know... and now... "My father" She added in a near whisper. She looked over as Jasmine hid behind her, and shifted to give the girl her attention, "Are you alright?" She asked her.

@Zarkun@Lunarlors34@t2wave@Lugubrious@TechnoWizROK@Burthstone@Joshua Tamashii
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Burthstone
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Burthstone The Nebulus Nebulae

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Mayt nodded to Jasmine as she woke up, having forgot about her originally- Something that he would try to apologize later for if he remembered. For now he kept his attention focused on Penny as she admitted to killing a phoenix. When she said 'my father,' however, Mayt had to wonder if she meant that metaphorically or literally. Could phoenixes assume a human form? If they couldn't, that would make the literal interpretation of that statement very... Weird. He elected not to ask, and nodded slowly.

"So... What then?" Mayt asked insensitively, not wanting to just walk away from the conversation while simultaneously knowing that there wasn't much more he could contribute to it. At least Jamie seemed distracted. That meant that Mayt could head off alone again without any problem. The green-eyes mage wondered, for a moment, why it was that he seemed to be trying to get away from the guild at every chance he got. The conclusion he dismissed the question with was that it meant that he wouldn't have to stick around and do S-Class things around the guild. No one can look up to you if your never around, he supposed. Besides, he had managed to do the past dozen jobs or so with nothing more than a cheek-scar to show for it. He still didn't want to take his chances with Jamie, though, even if he did have the power of precedent on his side.

Mayt only looked to Fleo long enough to make a quick gesture towards Penny, indicating that the phoenix slayer should be the one to explain. It was, more subtly, also a clue to indicate he wasn't just ignoring her.

@Caits@t2wave@Zarkun@Lugubrious
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Roseletta
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Roseletta

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Amaya VanIsis

@Joshua Tamashii

"Honestly I don't think the bandages would hold long enough to even be a mummy. Cause your hair would loosen the hold...now if you let be and Cecilia shave your head and eyebrows​then I can certainly make you look like a mummy, though you would more remind me of Fleo since she is always wrapped up but her reason for being wrapped up is completely different. Again I am sorry for the sudden roar right at you...I have never done that to anyone out of the blue..."said Amaya gently

"Honestly I am glad it was a sudden roar and not a charged one..this is a weak version of what a thought out and planned roar is"said Cecilia sitting next to them

Rose Yashia

@Joshua Tamashii

Rose watched the sudden burst of guild masters "lovely...we got more guests and more dishes to do later"said rose to herself as she watched for lucus since he said he planned to come along. She made sure the coca wasn't too hot for Elyse as she helped her down from the bar on to a stool near by.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Joshua Tamashii
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Joshua Tamashii

@Roseletta


"I was joking around." Joshua said before placing a hand on Amaya's head and ruffling her hair. "Relax and forget about it. I'm sure if we get some sort of healing potion or lacrima, we can get this all healed up in a matter of seconds. Maybe Jarvis has some lying around. Why don't you go ask him? The worse he can do is say he doesn't. I'll be fine, I aint gonna bleed out anytime soon."

Amelia Averyonna

@Caits


Amelia smiled as her little sister ran over to the door and followed her. Jamie had only said that she needed to stick close to Sam. But she never said they couldn't leave the office. So she followed Sam outside and her smile quickly vanished as she grabbed Sam to keep her from going too far. She saw the other guild masters and that made her worry.
"Sammy, this looks like it could be serious. Let's stay up here for now." She said.

Fraquar Alinstar

@Caits @Lugubrious


"No, you didn't but incase you didn't notice, I'm kind of rushing a bit." Fraquar said entering the guild. He was on his way over to Jamie when the area around them darkened and he was instantly on guard. Luckily for them though, it was only Sanders, showing off in a display of power if he had to guess. Sighing at the unnecessary theatrics, though he had probably been no better seconds ago, he gave the commander a friendly nod in acknowledgement. When Jamie brought up taking their meeting to her office, he just nodded."Sure. As long as we has some privacy and no one can eavesdrop on us." he said, glancing around Jamie's guildhall.



This time, Aria didn't summon her mirrors, meeting Hunter head on instead. Her skilled in hand-to-hand were alright but her physical strength was lacking and he was easily pushing her back and even blocking his blows was causing her some degree of injury. After a short exchange, she used a mirror to retreat to the mirror dimension, taking a short break in a place he couldn't reach.

Elyse Yashia

@Roseletta


"No!" Elyse shouted, wanting to stay on the counter so she could stay closer to her mother and watch everyone some somewhere slightly higher.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Remram
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Remram

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NOLAN

These past two months have been nothing, but pure hell. Why has his life been hell? It's because ever since the Grand Magic Games, he unwillingly became a god damned celebrity and ironically, a sex symbol. No matter where he went, everyone seemed to recognize his face and he was bombarded fans wanting to speak to him and get autographs. Some were children that thought he was this super cool, mysterious badass and wanted to be just like him with Nolan telling them that they really don't. Then there were the women fans that wanted more than just an autograph and left him in a state of panic that was mistaken for shyness.

He never wanted to become famous. All he wanted to do was help his guild win the games so that they would have more clients and Nolan knew that he would become much more well known since he participated, but not to this degree. This was going to get extremely problematic in the future. At this point it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when his reputation goes beyond just Fiore, especially Caelum. In Fiore, he was regarded as a rookie mage who was a total unknown until his destructive clash with Frenzy Plant, but in Caelum he was a nameless killer with an obscenely large bounty on his head. However, the games have now placed a name on that mysterious face and he's going to have to face the consequences when the time comes.

These were the kind of thoughts that were running through his head at the moment. Nolan was sitting alone by one of the tables with a far away look in his eyes, wondering what the hell his future was going to hold. Who could he even talk to about this? Dalton? No, he's too immature? Ariel? No, she cannot know what he has done. Fleo? Maybe, but she's been avoiding him lately ever since The Games had concluded. Amaya has also been busy with other things, mainly with Joshua.

His expression molded into a scowl at the thought of Joshua. It's not that he hated him, though he really has a strong dislike towards him, but it was mainly disappointment. The man seemed like a capable mage and swordsman, but he was actually skilled only in smack talk. If only Nolan could smack some sense into him though he knew that Amaya wouldn't like that so he left him alone. Nolan already had enough enemies as it was and he did not need to make more of them in his own guild.

Nolan sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat, but he felt a jolt of pain surge through his body. "Right..." He groaned to himself. Nolan hadn't been sitting around on his bum being a lazy bastard, in fact, he had been training himself too hard. Ever since the loss to Zander and Xyster in the team rounds of The Games and the humiliation that mysterious mage Frye had brought upon him, he had been training himself to exhaustion.

He had come to a realization that he needed to evolve his fighting style. In his clash of blades against Zander, the knight had the upper hand as a superior swordsman with much more experience in battle than his younger opponent had. He could not continue as he was or else he would never become strong enough. The solution that Nolan came up with was a strange one; he needed to incorporate his skill of ballet into battle. While it seems like a ludicrous decision, it is far from it. A ballet dancer must have complete control of their body, from the top of their head to their very tip of their toes. They need flexibility, resilience, and strength that surpasses many athletes. Should Nolan apply this to his battle style, then perhaps could become even stronger.

Of course, his fighting style wasn't the only thing that evolved. When he had fought Frye alongside Grane and Sayatachi, God Force was awakened in him thanks to The Goddess, but at the time he did not realize how much support she had given him to help him maintain that form. On his own, he can barely hold the form long enough just for one powerful attack before his body gives out from the stress and stamina drain. However it's not just a physical drain, but a mental and emotional drain. The power that comes from this form brings forth a torrent emotions as if not only his body was liberated, but his emotions as well. No matter what he was not going to rely on her. He was going to succeed through his own bloody efforts even if it killed him.

However this form is completely useless. While the power was great, it's no use if it renders him into nothing more than a motionless target. No, there has to be something to this power that he was missing, but what could that be? Well, fretting about it wasn't going to help him and he certainly was not going to ask for help. The only one who knew about his training was Dalton and he made sure the little bastard kept his mouth shut.

Speaking of Dalton, where did he go?
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Lmpkio
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Sayatachi Nijiko


@Expolar


Two months had passed since the Grand Magic Games and things have been going rather peacefully for Lady Nijiko. Since then, it seems as if the Magic Council began to thin out, or in other words, she hasn't seen a good portion of them ever since the Games suddenly closed. She wonders what could've happened to them. Who was that one character she used to talk to a lot, as well as her little body guards? Rosalina was it? Yeah, she somehow disappeared out of thin air. Not even the entire Council seemed to be aware of her disappearance. Did they care about her? It's hard to say. Regardless, one can assume that she won't be having any other competition, regarding bodyguards at the very least, any time soon.

Now she's here in this little cafe near the heart of Hargeon, sipping a nice cold cup of iced coffee alone. It was rather scorching at this time of day in the heat. However her large white hat protects her from the heat, still having her skin look smooth and pale. Her bodyguards were left to do their own things at this point, whatever they like to do anyways. She hasn't even encountered many hostile mages during these two months anyways. So overall it was rather dull and boring. She wonders if there's something fun that she can do other than the usual shopping sprees she goes on during the weekends...

Well... there is. In fact she's waiting for another Council Member, Grane, to show up for a new mission. What this mission is she has little idea of.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Remram
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Remram

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@Zarkun

NOLAN

He sat around, looking with a bored gaze around the guild hall. Ever since the Grand Magic Games, he has not battled anyone nor did his latest jobs involved combat. His body had been too damaged for proper combat ever since battling Frye and the intense battles with Frenzy Plant. At this rate even with his training, his sense for combat was going to become dull if he kept sitting around like this. Besides, he wanted a guinea pig to test what he had been working on and there was a certain one he had in mind.

"Yo, Damian." Nolan approached Damian with the usual lack of enthusiasm that Nolan always had. Still, it is quite unusual for Nolan to actually approach Damian since the slayer typically wanted to have nothing to do with him. "I need a sparring partner and you're the only one that fits the bill." Well, he was not trying to butter Damian up or anything. Damian is one of the strongest members of the guild after all so it gives Nolan a way to measure his abilities.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Krayzikk
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Krayzikk The Snark Knight

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Cyare Staunton


@Plank Sinatra @Onarax @Expolar

The snow was nice.

The expanse of white reminded her of home, in a lot of ways. It was snowy most of the year in the mountains, so at the very least it was familiar. A fresh dusting coated every surface, undisturbed in the early morning hours. The steadily rising sun reflected and illuminated, bathing the town in clean, white tones. Cyare was awake to see it of course. She had risen before dawn, getting her morning exercises in before she donned her well-worn cloak to explore the closest few blocks of the town.

She didn't roam far, but this little cross section of Myrtle Town helped her get a feel for it. It wasn't necessary to understand them to do their job, strictly, but it helped. Cyare thought so, at least. It'd help assuage their fears, for sure. It wasn't just magic they were suspicious of, it was the people who used it too. Being aloof would make it worse. Angel wouldn't have any problems getting along with them, but she'd need to try a little harder. It helped a lot, thinking about the ways the town reminded her of home. It helped humanize the place before she'd ever even spoken with the locals. Dark wizards had been an issue there, too. Getting rid of them would be a pleasure. Maybe even help mend bridges between these people and mages, if she did well. If they did. It was... Nice, having a team. Not just Rei. He was a royal pain, though he had his pluses. She wouldn't have been willing to keep working with him if he didn't. But Angel changed up the dynamic. Helped the three of them feel like a team.

It was nice.

Still, with the sun coming up, she decided to make her way back to the inn. The warmth was certainly welcome inside, bringing a touch of color back to her cheeks as soon as she shut the door behind her. Cyare left her boots behind at the door, once she kicked as much snow off of them as she could, and hung up her cloak to dry. Tracking water through the inn was the last first impression she wanted to make.

Wes received a polite nod as she found a seat, sipping at a steaming mug of coffee. No doubt it would be down to business soon, but for now she wanted to enjoy the quiet. Business could wait until everyone was up.
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by CitrusArms
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Trinity Stratos

Phoenix Wing Kitchen / Guild Hall


Trinity made a small pair of speakers to float around her while she was gathering her ingredients, tethering them to herself and using them to play some synthesized music. She hums along, tossing everything together in a glowing, golden bowl.

While she was whisking together her eggs, milk and cinnamon, Trinity walked her way over to the door of the kitchen, kicking the swinging door open gently and propping it with her foot, as she peeks out into the common room. "Hey, anybody want some french toast or bacon, while I'm making some anyway? It's good, and the toast is pretty rich~"
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Expolar
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Expolar ...just a tortle...

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Grane Falo | Hargeon
@Lmpkio
Two months have past since the Magic Games. Since then the blue lizardman found himself doing the usual work of solving a few incidents and problems that would require him and a major event. It’s during these times that he rarely has in person meetings with the other Council Members. but as of now, Grane arranged a meeting for one, Sayatachhi Nijiko. He arrived in the town of Hargeon as planned and already got a ship ready for travel. The only thing left is finding her. Although Hargeon was a harbor town beside the sea, Sayatachhi’s choice of perfume, always had a distinct scent than everyone else in the area.

Sayatachhi’s scent eventually led Grane to a café with the Council Member seated with her coffee. As he entered the café, there were a few gasps as they were quite surprised to see a lizardman causally walk in. ”Sayatachhi finish your beverage, our ship is departing soon.”

On the ship, they sailed about Southwest towards a large island easily noticeable on the map of Ishgar. While waiting for their ship to arrive at their destination, Grane decided Sayatachhi a question that has always been on his mind. He quickly found her within the ship, possibly trying to maintain her pale usual appearance. Although he was a blue lizardman, he always found Sayatachhi’s sense of style odd since it seem to stand out from the modern human crowd. ” The captain of this ship said we should arrive at our destination in a few short hours. Hearing that length, I thought some conversation would help speed up the time. Perhaps you could retell what some of those reports that I read that discussed how you eventually lead to your appointment to your current position.”
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by TechnoWizROK
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TechnoWizROK

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Nicodemus Flamel

Location: Phoenix Wing Guild Hall

Nicodemus nods at the older man's summary of the basic duties and expectations as a guild member, being well more than adequate for his standards and leaving him with enough room to work with. He would expect much of Phoenix Wing and its members and so far they had yet to fail to meet them, this place was indeed the most suitable to build up support from. "Black will do and as for the location of mark... may you give me a moment?" The matter of the location was rather precarious, the guild mark overlapping on top of any one of his many runic tattoos littering his body would do him endless strife. The once-in-a-lifetime runic prodigy would shrug off the red hoodie he was wearing, leaving him bare up above his waist, and with a slight flare of his magic several series of runes that had even more varied uses to them. He gives himself a thorough examination, looking for any spare room for the guild mark and would immediately notice the back of his right hand was devoid of anything. The golden maned man turns back to the burly bearded man and extends said right hand, "The guild mark right here would do," before raising a brow at the same man, who was left unintroduced properly "You haven't given me your name?"
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Lmpkio
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Sayatachi Nijiko


@Expolar


As Sayatachi sips on her tea with a calmed expression on her face, she suddenly hears several gasps coming from near the door. She wouldn't look towards it immediately, but judging by the footsteps, this figure didn't have shoes. She glances to her right to see Grane Falo casually walk towards her, finally having found her here. Apparently their ship was leaving soon and that they must make haste. As soon as he finished, did Saya finish her long sip and set it on the table, leaving an empty cup on the pearl-white platter.

"A shame we must go so soon." she remarks while standing up, "But none of the less we must do what must be done. You will explain to me the details once we're onboard."



Once onboard, the two were initially hanging out alone on different parts of the ship. Sayatachi hung out near the stern of the ship and looked out at the sea beyond her, with a glass of dark-red cocktail in her hand. Truthfully, she isn't sure where she's going. All she knows is that it's somewhere out in another country. Where that country is, she absolutely doesn't know. But its simply business. Not a vacation, not a get-away, its a business mission, quest, job, whatever someone wants to call it. She'll do it, get paid, and be done. That's it. For now, she might just get comfy and ready for their landing.

Then Grane comes to her again and reports that they'll be landing in a few hours, as well as information regarding to her position in the Magic Council. An audible "hmm" as she lowers her glass.

"It wasn't easy," she answers while clearing her throat, "I may have been head of my mother's clothing corporation, Nijiko Industries, back in Fiore, but the magic training wasn't at all easy. It took years of practice and perfection before I was able to affectively use it and I didn't have say my mother to help me train, other then introduce the arts, before she died. Add another few long years and I've barely mastered it thanks to her scrolls. Now it comes all naturally to wield and use and the council seemed so impressed with my skills that I was able to push up to being a Council Member."

She pauses as she looks out at sea.

"A shame that my mother never got to glance at what I've risen and become..."
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Crimson Raven
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Crimson Raven *Rolls a Nat 1*

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Two Months Ago



Ferrin Astra



Colt and Claire


Mors Vincent Omni


Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Epilogue


It was a surprisingly quiet walk retracing the route Ferrin used to get in.

The Twins let their argument lapse, not close to reaching an agreement anytime soon.

When they arrived at the little underground lake they stopped. Ferrin gazed at the ceiling far overhead, a thoughtful expression on his face. The hole he originally made was barely visible, a soft glimmer of auburn light shone through it. But it was over the water, and he had no immediately obvious way to it.

"I think I can bring us up with a earth pillar then maybe..." He mused out loud.

Colt followed his gaze. "We need to get up there?" He queried.

Ferrin nodded absently. "I didn't really plan an exit. I was a little too worked up at the time."

"In that case, I can help."

Ferrin looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Be my guest." He said with a wave of his hands.

Colt walked over to the water, knelt by the edge then put a hand in. He screwed his face up in concentration.

Gradually, but gaining speed, ice spread from where his fingers met the water. It creped over the still surface, spreading wider and wider until it was out of sight from the small pool of light cast by Ferrin's magic.

Colt kept that position for a long minute, breathing in and out in a slow measured pattern.

Finally, he sagged in exhaustion, and jerked his hand out of the ice.

"There...it should extend to the hole. I can't say for certain from here."

Ferrin watched him with concern. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine...just used a lot of magic lately. 'm feeling it now."

Intrigued, Ferrin asked, "When either one of you use magic, it comes from the same origin, doesn't it?"

Colt considered this. "I guess? We are just as much in the dark about this are you are."

"Yes." Claire chimed in. "Well, you heard the know-it-all." "Well, its obvious isn't it? One body, one source!" "But you don't know that for certain--hey Ferrin, where are you going?"

Ferrin started walking away across the ice.

Treading carefully, they traversed the ice, ears and searching for any indication of the ice breaking.

Ferrin slipped just a little, and a pain shot from his ankle, up his back, and settled in his already throbbing head, reminding him of the abuse his body had just endured. He hurt literally everywhere, the worst of which was a great thumping headache. and with the fading adrenaline came a deadening exhaustion that clouded his mind and dragged at his limbs. He wanted nothing more than to plop down, curl up, and sob his wounded body to sleep. But he didn't. He gritted his teeth and told the pain to take a hike.

Being his pain, it just felt like it just redoubled its efforts to club him unconscious.

Meanwhile, Colt watched anxiously, his concern for Ferrin outweighing his own pain and exhaustion. You're too nice. Claire grumbled at him in their mind.

They reached a little patch of light and looked up. High over head was the hole Ferrin had made.

Ferrin began moving in preparation to cast a spell, but then Colt told him to hold up.

Ferrin tilted his head back and made an exasperated sound. "Cur?"

Colt looked puzzled. "Whaat?"

"No, that is 'quid'." Ferrin corrected him. "What do you want?"

Colt shook his head trying not to let Ferrin's idiosyncrasies distract him. He took a deep breath and plowed ahead. "Let me handle this you've done more then enough for us and besides you look like you're about to drop and its the least I could do to repay you not that this little act could ever amount to..." He trailed off, seeing the expression on Ferrin's face.

"Are you implying I can't handle a little spell like this?" Ferrin growled.

Colt waved his hands nervously, trying to backpedal. "N-no, I just wanted to help..."

Ferrin glared at him out of one amber eye. "I may be a little worse for wear, but I can assure you that no matter what state I'm in, I can use my own magic, dammit. I don't need coddling from anyone."

Help me out here, sis. Claire mentally rolled her eyes at her inept brother. You dug this pit. Dig yourself out. Or just shut up.

Ferrin took a stance, square his feet. He dramatically cast his arms out, palms down, then rotated his hands so they faced upwards. "Sursus!" He commanded.

The ice beneath them crackled, trembled, then began to grow in a roughly circular pillar, raising Ferrin and the Twin toward the hole. It grew moderately fast, and in no time they were raised through the hole out into the open evening air.

The ice pillar hit the bottom of the ground and stopped. There," Ferrin panted. "Ad sumus...told you...told you I could do it."

"Ha! Tired already?" Claire teased. "Wimp." Claire!"

Ferrin was too worn out to be angry. "I ran across half of Crocus looking for you, then fell down that damn hole to single handedly take on a crazy Necromancer and her personal pocket army. And before that I was in a rather large battle with a freaking Lich. Cut me some slack, I seem to be having an off day."

Just then the breeze picked up. Colt took control and faced the wind, inhaling deeply. "Smells like freedom." He said with a smile.

"Don't try to change the subject!""I'm not!"

Ferrin tried to chuckle, but abandoned the effort with a wince. His ribs were hurting a lot more then he was letting on. They walked a short distance until they could see the lights of town. Out in front of them the city lay out, thousands, if not millions of people completely unaware of the danger they had been in. The sun was so low, it appeared to be directly across from them, sinking into the hills as the sky lit up in beautiful shades of orange, red, and purple. "Its nice is it not?" Ferrin whispered to no one in particular. She would have liked this view. She would have brought her paints and brushes up here with a couple of canvases and painted until the sun disappeared. Ferrin smiled. Then she would paint the stars. He reminisced, leaning his head back to look up. Already, a few sparkling points of light hung, in defiance of the sun's dying rays. He lingered there for, finding a small rock to lounge on as he watch the sun set. Sensing the mood, neither of the siblings broke the silence.

Finally, the last of the day gave way to the night, and Ferrin stirred. He stretched, or tried to, his sore muscles had tensed up and every movement brought a deep pain. He rose to his feet, groaning. When he tired to put weight on the right ankle, the one that had been grabbed, his leg gave out on him. He flailed a little for balance, then the Twin was at his side. Although he didn't like it, he leaned on them for balance. "Worse then I thought..." He gasped. With a little concentration, he requiped a simple wooden staff. Staff in hand, he rose off the Twin, and started limping away from the city.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?" Colt asked. Without turning around, Ferrin answered, "To wash up. There is a small stream this way. Could you imagine people's reaction if I limped into town, covered in blood, guts, and gore? It would be too much damn explaining to do."

"But aren't you going to tell them what you did? I mean, you fought to save them, even if the dragon ultimately failed." Colt inqired, confused.

Ferrin kept limping, and the Twin had to walk to stay in earshot. "Why? I doubt anyone would believe us. We have no proof, just an empty cavern and a lot of dead bodies. Only one of them is my fault, but it still won't look good."

"But don't you want to be reconized--? Ferrin rounded on him.

"Look," He began, pointing his claw-like metal finger back over the city. "Thousands of people down there, sleeping peacefully in their beds. Sleeping blissfully in complete ignorance. I want them to sat that way. But remember this," He told them, straightening up and looking back with a determined smile, full of ambition, on his face. "One day, they will all know know my name; the world will know my name. My deeds and words will be remembered, I will leave a legacy that will last forever. They will tell my story and the world...will never be the same. Just you wait." For just a moment he appeared to change. The Twin saw before them a man, stern and noble, face full of wisdom and hands full of power, staff in his grasp. Like a Wizard in an an old fairy tale. But the next moment, the vision faded, and in its place was left the tired, hurting, and deeply flawed Ferrin.

"Come on." He sighed, slumping as the sudden rush of energy left him, leaving him deflated and hollow. "If we dally too long, they may lock us out." He limped off, leaving Colt and Claire mystified.




They cleaned up the best they could in the stream, washing both body and soul, their clothes too. After that, they made their slow way to the city gates. They slipped in just as the guards were closing the gates. Their first stop was the marketplace. It was nearly empty, with only a few sleepy-looking venders left, most of them closing up shop. Ferrin asked around where he could buy some clothes and shoes this late. The Twin shivered in the cold night air, drawing Ferrin's coat It took some wandering and asking before they found the first of two stops, a nice looking store with clothing displays in the window. As they approached, a well dressed man came out the door and started to lock up behind him. Calling for him to wait a moment, Ferrin ran up to him.

"Hold just a moment, if you would. I am in desperate need of some good clothing at this late hour, and I heard this place would still be open."

The man sniffed disdainfully as he looked Ferrin and the Twin up and down, taking in their ragged appearances and Ferrin's strange metal arm. "Go home, kids. Its late. Come back in the morning." He huffed dismissively. Ferrin's eye twitched at the man calling him 'kid', but he didn't let his irritation show. "I am prepared to make it worth your while." He urged, revealing a rather full wallet with one hand. Greed kindled in the man's eyes. "I suppose I can spare a little time and clothes...for the right price." He opened the door and stepped in. Ferrin and the Twin followed him.

A flurry of measuring, questions, and bargaining later, Ferrin, wearing an outfit that resembled the one he was wearing, emerged with the Twin, now clothed, and a scowl on his face.

He didn't say anything until they were a fair distance from the shop. Once they were, he let out a growl of frustration. "That swindling, no good boot-licking, filius canis!" Ferrin swore loudly. Colt and Claire looked at him in shock. "He knew we had nowhere else to go, so he drove his prices up as high as he possibly could, I had to threated to walk out twice before he would comedown even a few jewels." He grumbled more colorful profanities under his breath in that same strange language. "I meant to ask, what is that language that you keep using?" Colt asked curiously. "Hmm? Oh it is called Latin. It is a very old language, even in my ti..." He trailed off. "Anyway, it is pretty old. I took a liking to it during my studies, and learned it as a kid." Colt felt there was more to the story, but he didn't ask and stopped Claire from doing so. "A useful language, Latin. Much of our modern day English has its roots in Latin. Some words were stolen directly, exempli gratia, the word 'Lacrima' is from Latin, and it means 'tear', however, somewhere along the way, somebody decided to call magic crystals lacrima and it stuck."

Soon after, they came to their second stop, a cobbler's. By then, even the Twin was limping from walking barefoot. They had also started bleeding from some cuts they must have sustained while fighting. Ferrin had wrapped their feet in bandages, but they had frayed and torn from all the walking. The lights were on, glowing cheerily in the night air.

"Let us get this over with." Ferrin grunted, pushing the door in. A bell chimed a happy tune. "Just a moment!" An accented voice came from the back. "I'll be with you in a jiffy."

A minute later, a small, wry man with a pair of spectacles perched on his rather large nose emerged. He was old, with dark, weathered skin and a face that had creases like crumpled paper His dark hair and dark eyes woth his dark skin gave him a strangely monotone look. He was simple clothing of muted colors. Upon seing them, he bowed slightly and said, "Ah, customers, and so late too." He moved out from behind the counter, his keen gaze pointed down at their feet. He barely raised an eyebrow, when he glimpsed Ferrin's arm. "An in dire need of shoes too. How strange." He waved at a pair of chairs. "Sit, sit, I'll take a look and find a pair of shoes to fit your feet." He knelt and started with the siblings. He picked apart Ferrin's bandage, and studied their feet. "Hmm, soft heels." He mused. "Feet unaccustomed to walking bare, yes a soft pair I think." He pulled out a few tools, taking measurements. He looked up at them. "How sturdy do you need them?" They hesitated and looked at Ferrin. "Moderately for them. We may have to do some walking, but we will most likely be taking a train." He nodded, his next question already answered. "I have just the pair." He remarked, walking back to the back room. He emerged with a pair of brown shoes in his hand. "Try these." He said, kneeling again to put their shoes himself. But he stopped and frowned at them.

"What?" Colt asked.

"Hmm..." He looked up at them both. "Would you two stay for a little while? I will heat some water to wash your feet. No point in putting dirty feet in clean shoes." He smiled at them, a genuine smile that wrinkled the corners of his eyes. "I have some tea ready too, if you would like while you wait."

The siblings couldn't help but smile back. They shared a glance with Ferrin, who hesitated. "That is an odd thing to offer, sir."

The old man guffawed. "He calls me sir. Please, I insist. A grain of sand in the shoe can make even the shortest journey unpleasant."

Ferrin huffed. "Quit the pity saying."

Tee cobbler smiled at him. "I have more if you would like, 'It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out, it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.'" He quoted.

"If its okay with them, then we will." He said, directing it toward the Twin.

The they nodded their assent.

"Well then," The cobbler stood. "I'll get right on that." Once more, he walked to the back room.

A little later, he emerged with a folding table. He went back for a few tea cups, plates, sugar, and milk. Then he came out, carefully carrying a steaming teapot. He poured for three and set the pot down. "Help yourself." He said, pulling up a chair of his own. "Thank you for this." Ferrin said.

"Twas nothin'. Its late and after a day like this, it is a great time for some simple tea."

Ferrin leaned forward. "What do you mean by that?"

The old cobbler pushed up his glassed and told an interesting story about the unusual going ons and the abrupt ending to the Grand Magic Games.

When he finished, Ferrin leaned back and sipped his tea. "How unusual." He said simply.

"Indeed."

They made small talk until the cobbler stood. "Water should be warm by now." He beckoned the two of them to follow him back. Through the door behind the counter was a large room full of shoes in rows upon rows. In the very back was a humble living space with a kitchen, bed, and bathroom. He lead them into the latter. There was a steaming copper bowl full of water over a fire. He bent down, grabbed the tub and lifted it with a grunt. He hauled it next to the bed, and had the Twin sit. He grabbed a towel and laid it down. He rolled up his sleeves and knelt again. He pulled off the rest of Ferrin's bandages, and laid them to the side. He proceed to carefully and gently clean their feet. He took his time, eventually he patted their feet dry and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. To their surprise, he pulled out a pair of socks and put them on their feet. Next came the shoes. "Stand up." He said.

The Twin did to an immediate noticeable difference. The shoes fit perfectly, and while they were a little uncomfortable, they knew that would be broken in eventually. "How do they feel?" He asked.

"They feel wonderful!" Colt said, speaking for both of them.

"Good, good." He turned to Ferrin. "You next."

Ferrin held his hands up. "No, I am good thanks." He protested.

The cobbler gave him a disapproving look. "Come now, your boots are almost sandals. And don't think I haven't noticed your limping."

Ferrin looked sheepish. He limped to the bed and sat. The cobbler's gentle fingers pried his caked boots off and placed them aside. He took Ferrin's feet in his warm hands. "Strong feet." He said, after an examination "Feet like these have walked the world over and yet wandered back. Feet like these I see only once in a great while, attached to restless people who have the most interesting stories. Feet like these are also warrior's feet. Men and women who stand at the forefront of battle in iron-shod boots and walk over the corpses of friend and foe alike. Feet who rarely have the pleasure of feeling soft carpet and warm floors." He looked up at Ferrin, who looked away. "You are a strong fellow. Be careful that they do not become too callus to feel the soft grass and loose dirt between their toes."

"Cobbler, no further then the sandals, please." Ferrin said, forcing a laugh. The old man smiled faintly, and went back tostarted to wash them, as before gently and with great care, especially around Ferrin's swollen ankle.

When he was finished, he stood. "Wait here, I have just the pair for you."

He entered the shoe room then emerged holding a pair of gleaming black boots and socks.

As before, he personally put them on, socks then shoes. "How do they feel?"

Ferrin stood. "Uncomfortable." He said eventually.

The cobbler laughed again. "They should, those are some of the finest boots I've had for a while. Tough, but flexible and durable. Perfect for a pair of feet like yours."

"With a price to match." Ferrin said.

The cobbler shrugged. "Sure, unfortunately, I am running a business here, but if you don't want them, then that is fine."

Ferrin sighed. "What is the damage?" He asked.

The cobbler looked out in the distance for a moment. "Well, lets see. I'd hate to gouge ya' after being such pleasant guests. So for the two pairs of shoes, it will run you about 25,000 Jewel.

Ferrin winced. After the clothing, he was running out of the nobleman's "loan".

"Thank you for your kind offer, but I am afraid I can't afford them both." Ferrin said, taking off the boots. The cobbler's face fell. "I understand. Money is always the issue. Many shoes have been denied the right feet for the sake of some coin. How does 20,000 sound?"

Ferrin shook his head. "Thank you very much, sir. You have been kinder to us than you have any right to be. But I can not."

He sighed. "Ah well. I'm truly sorry. 5,000 for the young lad's pair."

"What about the socks, the tea, your time?" Ferrin asked.

The cobbler's smile returned although not as wide as before. "Free of charge, you two have been wonderful company for this little old man."

Ferrin and the Twin said their goodbyes and walked out of the store. Ferrin felt a little sad. "I guess we can find a place to stay for the night and then-."

"No, next, we find you a doctor and have you checked out." Colt stated.

"I am fine." Ferrin protested. "It is nothing a good night's sleep will not fix."

Colt sighed. "You looked... worn out. Like..."

"Ten miles of bad road?"

"More like twenty. You can't keep pushing yourself like this. I mean, look at yourself."

Frowning, Ferrin glanced around for a mirror. He tried some nearby windows but it was too dark for the windows to display anything. Giving it up with a shrug, he got creative. He conjured up an Aether Barrier in front of him, and made it solid enough to reflect light, its silverly sheen made for a decent makeshift mirror. He peered at his reflection for a moment.

His jet black hair, was now threaded with an early gray. And once flat and neat it was now shaggy and missing large chunks in places. One of his eyebrows was missing, although he couldn't remember when that happed. He had a few cuts on his face that had turned black from scabbing, and the skin around it looked an angry red. He had a nice swollen knot on the left side of his face, defiantly from the faceplant he took. Covering most of his shard jawline was a week-old scruff that was still undecided if it wanted to be a proper beard or not. Intense, sleep deprived, Amber eyes stared out from their deep recesses over bruise-colored bags. He was hunched over, like an old man, leaning heavily on his staff, his knuckles turning white from the tight grip he kept on it. He was obviously favoring one leg very heavily.

Huh.

Maybe the kid had a point.

"I hear the scruffy rouge type look is very in." He wisecracked. "I'll have the ladies lining up for miles around."

He scratched his stubble. "There is probably not much a doctor can do." He said, calmly. "Besides these various cuts and bruises, I'm pretty sure I have a cracked rib, maybe two, a sprained ankle, and a very slim chance of a concussion. Most of what I'm feeling now is magical fatigue, which with my magic is especially bad. I'm not coughing up blood and I haven't killed over yet, so my lungs are all right, and no severed blood vessels. A doctor is most likely just going to prescribe pain medicine and plenty of bed rest. Rest I can get plenty of later, and as for the pain," He shrugged slightly. "Its bearable. I have a pretty high pain tolerance." He turned his gaze on them. "Besides is you I'm more concerned about. I'm ashamed to say that it slipped my mind earlier, but I remember seeing you two go down in the battle. You seemed all right so I haven't pressed it ye, but when we get a room and privacy, let me check you over. Like I said, you seem fine, but abundans cautela non nocet."

"Will you stop doing that!" Claire finally burst from her unusually long silence.

Ferrin grinned. "Stop what?"

"Stop changing languages!"

"Aw, but quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur." He laughed, walking away.

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!" She shouted after him.




After some asking around, the pair of them found a cheap hotel and rented a room. It was exactly what they paid for, one room, two beds, a bathroom, a table with two chairs, and a small lacrimavision. Neither of them had anything to unpack, so settling in was simply a matter of entering and sitting down. Although Ferrin took a moment to lay down some careful spells to alert him if an intruder broke in.

Ferrin settled gratefully into a chair, glad to get off his feet. "Now lets have a look at you." He said. "My coat?" He said, extending a metal hand.

The Twin started in surprise. "I forgot we was still wearing it." Colt said, honestly. They took it off and handed it too him.

It felt like a great weight was lifted from their shoulders.

Ferrin had to restrain himself from snatching it back. The coat was very precious to him. Instead he simply nodded as he received it. He immediately started rummaging in its pockets, discarding random items like a tooth brush, a rubber ducky, shurikan, a single old sock, and a tin of coffee grounds. He came out with various medical supplies, pain medication that might have been illegal, several bottles of disinfectant, hundreds of band-aids, chocolate, and about a mile of clean bandages. He frowned at the piled, then a thought struck him and he dove back into the pockets. Out came four disproportionately large sandwiches and flask of brandy.

He looked over his shoulder, and hurriedly put the brandy back. Instead he pulled out a canteen of water.

The Twin's eyes widened at the enormous amount of stuff that seemed to endlessly come out his pockets.

"I have some food left over from--" He hesitated. "Was it really just yesterday? Yeah, yesterday. Sandwich?" He held one out to them.

"You had all that in your pockets the whole time?" Colt asked in disbelief. No wonder it was heavy.

"I like to be prepared."

"But...how? The pockets are big, but not that big!"

Ferrin stopped, turned to looked them directly in the the eye and said, "Magic." As he waved his hands mystically.

Colt fumbled for words while Claire laughed at him inside their mind.

"I...I walked into that one, didn't I?" He managed.

"Yep." Claire said.

"Face first." Ferrin confirmed. "But to answer your question...Are you familiar with requip magic?"

The Twin shook their head.

"Hm. Well, I'll put it this way, each opening leads to a miniature dimension of its own. Objects put inside are reduced to a fraction of their weight, so they don't weight the wearer down too much. The dimension itself is fairly spacious, as long as it fits through the opening it will fit in the pocket. Simple, really. As far as I know, its one of a kind. I, with a few others who specialized in magic armor and artifacts, created the coat, weaving in the spells and enchantments that make it both armor and storage. It was a difficult and complicated pain in the ass that took many many tries and much time to perfect, but as you have seen, the result is well worth it. Now let me check your injuries, and then we can eat."

Ferrin was thorough and professionally detached during the examination, poking and prodding and asking if it hurt. Fortunatly, he used his normal hand for the poking part. When he looked at their back, his face grew grim. A massive and ugly colored bruise disfigured their upper back. Ferrin poked it, and the Twin yelped. "What was this from?" He asked, strangely subdued. "I-I don't really remember." Colt admitted. "Its kind of a blur." "I saw it." Claire spoke up. "Its from when we went down. A zombie threw a spear at at us. It it wasn't for your coat...we'd be dead." She said bluntly.

An uneasy silence gathered.

"B-but, hey, we aren't and we might wish we were if you hadn't come for us." Colt said, trying to clear the tension."[/color]

Ferrin sighed. "You are right."

He finished dressing and treating their injuries, before he moved on to his own. When he was done, the whole room smelled of disinfectant. Ferrin propped up his ankle, heavily wrapped, on the other chair with a wince. "Now, a little trick I learned for treating sprains." Colt watched closely as Ferrin gathered magic. "Glacio." He grunted. Ice formed on his ankle, creeping up his leg and down his foot, slowly thickening until it formed and ice shell around his injury. "There, that will provide bother compression and keep the swelling down. Best of all, it can be removed and reapplied easily."

"Clever, I guess? I don't really know anything about medicine."

"Now, lets eat." The Twin sat on one of the beds and they munched on the sandwiches in silence.

Ferrin devoured his in swift bites, when he finished, he settled back with a wishful sigh for coffee. "Now," He said, suddenly serious. "You and me are going to have a nice long talk about what exactly have I gotten myself into. And by talk, you will be doing the talking. Out with it, I want to hear everything. Every scrap of relevant information."

They set down their half eaten sandwich, suddenly loosing their appetite. "Its not really...an easy tale, mostly because neither of us know much. The wizard who did this to was very careful to make sure we didn't see anything. It all happened so fast.

Constantly interrupting each other, and one occasionally clarifying or explaining something the other forgot, they told Ferrin what happened to them.

"You see, originally, we had our own bodies, Claire and me. One night we were traveling, and we stopped to rest. Both of us dropped to sleep almost immediately. When we woke up, we were..well." He waved a hand at themselves. "Like this in a featureless gray room with no windows. Just a door, a bed, and a toilet. After the initial shock and plenty of freaking out, we came to terms with what had happed. After that, we could do nothing but wait. And wait. And wait. We had no way to tell time, so I can't say how long we were in there. Our magic wouldn't work either. Food came in regularly through a flap in the door. We learned quick if we attempted to mess with the flap, food would be delayed. Every now and then, an intense drowsiness would come over us. We would fall asleep no matter how hard we tried to resist, then we would wake up back in the cell completely fine."

Ferrin nodded. "Sounds like a sleeping spell." He said.

Colt acknowledged him and continued. "This went on for awhile. It was incredibly boring to say the least. But one day the drowsiness wasn't as strong and we managed to stay awake. We faked passing out. We were picked up and carted away by something. To where, we'll never know because as soon as we were aways away from the cell, Claire torched the thing."

"Can you describe it?" Ferrin asked.

"Metal? It defiantly wasn't living; it didn't burn right." Claire said. Ferrin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like sis said. Metallic. We didn't stop to look, we took off running. The place was enormous, with endless hallways and endless doors, stairs leading up and down and narrow bridges over massive rooms filled with all sorts of mechanical contraptions. The hallways and rooms were lit by these panels set in the ceiling that gave off a steady white light. I remember it being eerily empty. We tried a few doors, but most were locked and the ones that weren't lead to empty rooms. We ran around, trying to find a way out. With no luck. But suddenly, we ran into these strange armored guys. They were about as tall as you, and they looked exactly alike. Strangest of all, they had these big bulky arms with no..uh joints. No hands or wrists. In sync, they raised them and pointed at us. Obviously they were dangerous, so I raised an ice wall across the corridor, and we ran down a different one. We ran for our lives, dodging more of those strange armors, but eventually we found ourselves face to face with the necromancer you fought earlier. She...said we were fools for running, and said she didn't blame us. Then she produced that amulet you destroyed. It gave off a dim light, and the next thing we knew, we had somehow become a child. We quickly found out that our magic was severely weakened when we tried to fight her. So we ran. Again. We ended up in a large room with more stuff I can't even begin to describe. We hid among the contraptions, our new small size serving us well. By some kind of massive stroke of luck, we managed to give her the slip. For the moment. Anyway, to cut a long story short, we found a metal shute against the wall, continently labeled 'disposal'. Hoping for a way out, we squeeze in, again our small size coming in handy."

Colt paused here, and looked sheepish. "Um...neither of us remember much from here. Somewhere on the way down, we banged our head on something, and blacked out. Next thing we knew, we woke up in a mountain of trash somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Some scavengers found us and help us. With their kindness, we we finally able to rest. Eventually, managed to get some junk worth selling, and with the money we got, we traveled here, with the intention of asking one of the magical guilds to help. But none of the ones we asked even bothered to hear us out. Then we met you."

Ferrin was the first to break the silence. "That is definitely a strange story." He said. "I am not entirely sure what to make of it. Then again, I may just be too tired to think."

They nodded. "What now?"

"That is the multi-million-jewel question. What do we do now? I have my own plans. In less then an hour, I plan to get a good night's sleep. After that, I plan to travel to Magnolia and join the Phoenix Wing guild, mainly because I will need a stable source of income before I can do anything alse. Secondly because I have my own goals to persue. After that...I do not know. What about you two?"

The two siblings looked down. "We aren't sure either." Colt said. "Maybe find who did this to us and why, then get our bodies back."

"A lofty goal." Ferrin said. "But how?"

They were quiet.

Ferrin sighed. "There is no rush. Sleep first, then decide. Things always look better in the morning. But if you want my advice, join a magic guild. Information always flows through places where people gather. Rumors, hersay, speculation, gossip, legends, you never know what you might hear." With that, he got up, cracked the ice shell off his ankle, bid them good night, then crawled into the other bed. He was asleep within moments.

The Twin stayed up for a while afterwards, discussing what they were going to do next. Finally, they grew too tired, the day's excitement wearing on them. They too laid in bed, and eventually dropped into a restless sleep.




In a certain empty cavern...

A towering, clocked man wrapped in shadows without a light walked through an empty cave, his steps slow, purposeful, and ringing against the hard stone. The cave lead out into a towering open natural citadel. He walked a weaving route through the pillars, surveying the destruction that had been wrought.

Cracks were everywhere, some of the floor appeared melted, and the sound of water dripping could be heard. Most remarkably, grisly remains of long dead bodies were pilled against the wall, as if a massive hand had carelessly tossed them there in a tangle of limbs.

Souls linger here. He observed.

Following the familiar feel of a soul, the man picked his way through the bodies. He quickly found what he was looking for. A dark hand, fashioned from some unknown metal emerged from the cloak.

"Egeíromai."

A white light filled the room, gradually growing stronger and stronger, until it was too bright to see.

Then it vanished.

Yuura Kumori, necromancer, opened her eye.




Ferrin's morning started at about midday.

The Twin's considerably earlier then that.

When Ferrin finally figured he had stayed in bed long enough, and wasn't going to get anymore sleep, he go up with a groan of aching muscles. The usual headache that always came when he used his magic sprung up.

"Oh look, the dead man rises. Seems like you might be a necromancer too." Claire said.

Ferrin pointedly ignored them.

Until the smell of food hit his nose. They were eating lunch. "I'm sorry. Colt said, "We were starving, so we ordered room service, and put the bill on your tab.He's sorry, I'm not. You deserve it for sleeping in so late." Claire added.

Ferrin stared at them through half-closed, bleary eyes, and a coffee-less haze. Finally he shrugged. "Mhm...kay." He muttered, and shuffled out.

The Twin exchanged mental glances.

Ferrin returned a few minutes later with two cups of coffee, one in each hand, sipping from both.

Claire shook her head at him. "I think you are one of the weirdest people I have ever met." She muttered.

Halfway through both cups, Ferrin seemed to actually wake up some. He looked at the ice and lava wizards. "'Morning. He said.

"You call this morning?!" Claire exclaimed.

"Uh-hu." Ferrin took another sip.

When he had drained both cups, he let out a satisfied sound. "I feel alive again. Have you two decided what you are going to do now?"

They shook their head, despondently.

"That is a shame. I bid you two luck then." He stood and collected his stuff.

"And where are you going?" Claire asked.

"Like I said, I'm going to catch a train to Magnolia." He handed them some bills. "Here, its not much, but hopefully this money will get you were you need to go."

Colt looked down at the money. "Is this...goodbye then?"

"No!" Ferrin exclaimed immediately. The siblings recoiled from the speed and intensity of his responce. "No goodbyes. Only see you laters."

They gave a little smiled at the thought. "You've done...so much for us." Colt sniffed, eyes beginning to well with tears. "How could we ever begin to repay you?"

"Hey, none of that now." Ferrin protested. "You asked for help, I helped you out, like any decent human being would."

"B-but you still put your life on the line for us. You don't know how much that means. Thank you."

Ferrin scrached his head, embarrassed. "You're welcome." He hesitated. "See you later." He turned to go.

"Wait, we will accompany you to the train station."

Ferrin blinked. "All right." He agreed. "Why?"

Colt looked away. [color=0076a3]"We uh are considering something."[/color

Ferrin looked askance. Then shrugged. "Suite yourselves."

They made their way through the noisy city, the celebrations of the Grand Magic Games was already winding down and normal life was ensuing for the people.

At the train station, they found they were in luck. A train headed to Magnolia was indeed scheduled to leave in the next five minutes. And that they had better hurry if they wanted to catch it.

"This is were we part ways." Ferrin told them. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" Colt followed, trying to act casual.

"Unless you two are planning to join Phoenix Wing as well."

They looked sheepish.

"Ya coulda just said it." Ferrn sighed in a rare moment of casual speech.

"Yeah, but...we aren't going with you"We are going of our own choice, on our own volition."

Ferrin's face broke into a smile. "I can respect that." He assented.

Together they they ran to catch the train. They barely made it on board, and just like that, they were off.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Onarax
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Onarax Sleepy

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Hiwatari Rei: Kept Ya Waiting, Huh?


Hello again. I know, I know, I know, it's been awhile since we've talked. I swear it's not entirely my fault, but nevertheless I promise I'm not trying to make this a habit. It's not like I enjoy ditching you guys, it just seems to happen. Hopefully the gang's back together for good this time. Hopefully.

Oh yeah, speaking of the gang, I bet you're dying to know which of us titans(is it too vain to say titans?) made it over this time. Well we lost the edgy one and his paladin a while back. Last I heard they were still entertaining villagers all over with their light and dark schtick. It's just offscreen stuff now, I'm sure you understand. Blind one's gone too, something about a miraculous eye doctor in our last villages. Personally I think it was a scam, but let's just keep that between you and me.

Hint: If you can't read between the lines, they got the bus.

Whoops, did I say something.

Anyway, it's just your power trio now: The kid, the trap, and yours truly. Well from the old crew at least. We've got a new member of the party now. Give it up for our new friend Wes Gusto. (Please clap) I don't know actually know much about him but the magic council vouched for him so he must be strong. I mean they sure as hell don't have any reason to trust us, so obviously he's the competent one right now.

I guess we'll see.

He's got bandages too, so he looks kind of cool.

Bandages huh, that would work as a nickname.

Yeah, I like it.

So the new team is: the Kid, the Trap, Bandages and me.

Why do these lineups always sound like a bad joke?

Now I know what you're thinking: I need to slow down. Magic council, bandages, jokes? It's a lot to take in all at once. So I'll give you a better recap. We are currently on a mission entrusted to us by the world's very own Magic Council (we're big time now lads). Our mission, should we choose to accept it (which we obviously did), is two fold: One, save the town of Myrtle from a band of marauders led by a dark wizard. And two, since these folks are of the more temperamental sort, keep the magic low key and get on their good side. They obviously got the right wizards for the job- who doesn't love me?

Don't answer that.

So here I am, cooking a nice morning breakfast alongside the Trap (I gotta say, the little one does look cuter in an apron). Food is the quickest way to a person's heart, and the innkeeper was extremely delighted when we offered to take the load off his shoulders. Prepping and cooking the meat was my job, while the trap worked the rest of his non-literal magic in kitchen. It wasn't long before Bandages and the Kid made it to the table. The look on Bandages' face when he saw the meal brought joy to my heart. Figuring I should greet them while the rest of the food warmed up, I exited the kitchen after making sure the little angel had things under control.

"Hey there newbie!" I grinned towards Bandages, "Enjoying the meal? Hopefully everything's up to your standards. And kid," I called, turning towards my original companion, "I do hope you'll partake in more than just a cup o' joe today. Little Angel has been slaving away since dawn with me hoping you'd enjoy the food."

@Expolar@Krayzikk@Plank Sinatra
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Plank Sinatra
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Plank Sinatra the reaper won't come when you're ready for him

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Angel Ferrara


"He's not plaaaaa~yiiiiing!" came a sing-song voice from behind Rei in the kitchen.

Seconds later, the top third of a cute young man popped out from behind the kitchen door, cheerfully waving a giant cheese knife and an empty skillet with some bits of egg still clinging to the black iron surface of the pan. Tufts of his curly mop of blonde hair were sticking out from a white chef's hat Rei had plainly acquired for him - it was a size too small, probably meant for someone under the age of thirteen - and he was wearing an apron with several stains, some fresh and some long-since dried, that had once read "KISS THE COOK" but had the "C" scribbled out and replaced with a hasty "R" in the sloppy handwriting that could only have come from a recently-literate forest boy.

Angel beamed, giggled, and waved the frying pan with what might have been his attempt at a playful threat.

"I made BLTs with eggs, made some black pepper bacon for the side, used up what's left of the potatoes for homemade chips, and even scraped together some cocoa!" exclaimed the trap proudly. "It's coming right out, so I'd better hear some stomach rumbling, kay? Or Rei and I will both pout!"
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Krayzikk
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Krayzikk The Snark Knight

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Cyare Staunton


@Plank Sinatra @Onarax @Expolar

grrrroooaaan

After a couple years of traveling constantly, well-cooked food starts to sound really, really good. Traveling foods like jerky, trail mix, and other things that keep easy get bland after a while. You get used to it, but it only heightens how good everything else is. Just the smell is enough to get your attention, even if the food is pretty simple fare. Angel Ferrara was not someone to cook bad food. If he ever did, his big heart would break in two and only be mended once he had cooked something perfectly. Not something she had ever witnessed, but it wasn't a difficult guess.

The pout was no idle threat.

Her stomach had decided to turn traitor, too, and rumbled its consensus. She disguised the rolling of her eyes, mostly at herself, with a long sip from her mug. She was still smiling when she lowered it and twisted in her seat to look at the kitchen though. Her eyebrows went up several notches and her smile got a little wider when she saw the duo. The coffee was doing a good job of bringing some color back. Another sip passed her lips, her eyes leveled with a note of attempted resentment at both of her teammates.

"You don't have to guilt trip me. I'll eat breakfast." The complaint fell a little flat given that she was still smiling, but she persisted. "Especially when it smells so good. Morning, Angel. Rei. Thank you."

"Did Rei find you the apron, Ferrara?"
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Expolar
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Expolar ...just a tortle...

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Grane Falo | Sea
@Lmpkio
When he heard the last thing that Sayatachi said, Daphne came to mind. Although he had little memory of her, he did read through reports about her and knew what kind of person that Daphne was. From the context of her last sentence, it was obvious that her mother must have passed away. Grane couldn’t relate to what Sayatachi was probably feeling. “I am sorry to hear your loss. But at least you know that she would be proud of what you are doing.”

After spending some time to make sure that the area was empty of any other people. “Now for why we are out here. At our destination, there lives a Wizard Saint that I must talk to. Surprisingly, Council member Dochas happens to already be there. I told her about the him, but she preferred to wait until I arrived. Currently she is trying to learn more about these abnormal earthquakes that have been reported in the South-Eastern part of Fiore. She believes the occurance might be somewhere in the sea.

Grane looked around to make sure that they were still alone before he continued. “However, the actual mission involves another Saint known as Dru that possibly went missing in the country of Joya. There have been a few rumors of them doing suspicious magical activities with militaristic country of Bellum, which concerned me. In need of some evidence, I asked Dru to do some reconnaissance at Joya and see how relations are doing there since he knows some people there. But since he first arrived at the small Magic Council branch there, I haven’t heard from him since. Which is why I hope the Saint at this island could help locate.”

Wes Gusto| Myrtle Town, Inn
@Krayzikk@Onarax@Plank Sinatra

Wes returned Cyare polite nod with his own nod and wave. With Rei entrance into the room, Wes tried ignoring him, mostly because of the nickname ‘bandages’. Although he had to say something seeing as he started talking to him. “The food, umm… I suppose the breakfast was good, thank you. Also, please don’t call me newbie.” He said with a annoyed voice and expression. But his statement about the food was simply an understatement as he already got another plate full of food to devour. Seeing Angel, he gave him a thumb up since his mouth was stuffed with food.

Soon some muttering could be heard approaching from outside the front door of the inn. The mayor, a rather plump entered inside with a rather flustered “Finally they sent some more. Although I was expecting the Council to send more soldiers with you as well.” When he saw Angel in the apron and chef hat on, he grew a bit more furious. “And I better see you four out and patrolling soon than cooking like her.” After pointing at Angel, he stormed of and continued his streams of muttering outside.

His plate empty, the innkeeper stood up, patting Angel and Rei’s shoulders to try and make them feel a bit better. “Thank you for breakfast and don’t worry, Mayor Rand been like that since yesterday. Worrying about how the marauders haven’t appeared in the past few days.” He gave a nod of thanks and instantly walked away to get more food to eat.

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[h1][/b]Penny[/b][/h1]

"It means that if i were to die right now, I'd have the option to become a phoenix in true" Penny said softly, shaking her head wearily, looking to Mayt, knowing that he prefered to avoid S class duties, and realising that he probably wanted to get away. She wondered who had been doing the S class duties in the last few months, and she felt guilty for her absence. Just something else to worry about, really. “But, i’m keeping you, and it looks like Master Jamie is going to be occupied for awhile” She said, turning back to Jasmine, and making sure that the girl was alright.

She do what she had always done, and continue on. There was no point in having a pity party. Everyone else had problems, after all. “Jasmine?”

Jamie


“Of course” Jamie said, nodding and stepping back towards her office, “Jarvis would join us, but we do have a rather full house today, “It seems everyone decided to come home” Jamie said in a pleased voice, looking over her guild hall more than a little proudly. Her mages. Her family, and saving grace, so many times over.

She smiled at Sam and Amelia, “Go on, girls. Go get something to eat, and stay out of trouble” She said to them, opening the door to her office to allow the others in.

Jarvis


Jarvis waited patiently as Nicodemus asked him to wait, watching the young mage, curious about the magic as the ruins appeared, before nodding, and giving him the requested guild mark, and putting the marker away when he was done. “It’s Jarvis” He said, “I ran the bar” he nodded to the bar, “And the guild, when Jamie needs me to” He said, “Is there anything you need, a hand with anything. I can also show you to a room”
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Lunarlord34
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Lunarlord34 Totally not a vampire

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Jasmine Lockwood


@Caits@Burthstone@t2wave@Zarkun@Lugubrious
Jasmine shook her head frantically as if to say no, her blonde hair soon becoming a frenzied mess. She couldn't even find the ability to speak right now. She was just that nervous from all these relative new people to her.
Her eyes darted from one person to the other almost as frantically as her head shaking before returning her attention back to Penny.
"Ma-maybe I should just come back later?" She mumbled in a tiny voice.
Hey what would you know, she regained her ability to talk. Even if it was only at the volume which even slayers would be straining to hear.

Cody Bloodstein


@Zarkun
Cody quickly got back to his feet, still concerned about whatever may have caused such a quake but upon James words simply gave the Paladin a nod of his head.
"You're right, those bridge builders need our help." As much as Cody was curious about whatever had caused that quake, he was sure that whatever it was if it was serious it would be dealt with with much more experienced, capable wizards. And if it wasn't, well then it's just a quake. Right?
Anyway he had suggested that they do this mission so he had better get moving. Those workers weren't going to save themselves, apparently. He always kept a few things on his person, essentials really such as his body armour and sword, but knew that he would probably have to go get a few more things if they were going to go on a longer trip. Spare clothes, etc. He had them ready, but he would have to actually go get them.
"I'll just go grab my stuff and I'll meet you at the train station then?" Cody didn't really wait for an answer from James and quickly went to get his bundle of crap stuff and then head to the station as planned.

Collab between myself and @Oblivion666

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