[center][h3][color=khaki]Ariel - Phoenix Wing Guild Hall[/color][/h3][@PandaBrady][/center]
Glancing back at the bar she didn't doubt that someone might pay for the man's food. Actually since she was about to go out on a job she probably could stand to spare a few jewels. Taking a bit out she tossed them to Perry. [color=khaki]"You can use this to get you something."[/color] 

There was apparently a story behind the loss of money. Ordinarily Ariel would have stuck around to hear it but the client had likely waited long enough for someone to respond. [color=khaki]"Maybe another time. I was just on my way out. Make yourself at home and get to know some of the others. I'm sure you'll be able to get a job in no time."[/color] She hated to cut things short but she needed to go. After heading out she smacked herself on the head. She didn't even introduce herself or get the person's name. Ah well, hopefully he'd still be around when she got back.

[hr]
[center][h3][color=tan]Ariel - Research Expedition[/color][/h3][/center] 
Arriving at the edge of a desert the woman could see a large encampment. Ariel had cleared the job back at the guild and after the long trip out to the desert she was ready to do something other than sit and walk. Explaining why she was there and showing the flier she was shortly briefed about what the job entailed. A fair amount of research still needed to be done in the ruins. It had already been months since the job was posted so by the time Ariel showed up she was quickly rushed out the door to get to exploring the ruins. 

Ariel did not quite understand the rush, though she did overhear mention that they may not be the only ones interest in the ruins. So perhaps a mage was sought out in case a confrontation occurred. She'd been given a lacrama to capture images of anything she could find. It also would help her at least partially translate any writing she found. That would be handy for Ariel because her expertise were not exactly in ancient writing and civilization. Properly equipped to do her job the young mage made her way to the entrance. It was hidden, buried actually. The wind had blown sand over what remained on the surface. Luckily for Ariel she'd picked up Dust magic from her teammate, Fleo. Sand was a close enough medium at least. Changing to that magic she swept enough sand clear to slip in through the disintegrating doors. 

The light leaking in from the entrance didn't give Ariel much to see by. The air was stale and dust that had settled was stirred for the first time in who know how long. While she had a torch the mage found that her Light magic worked a whole lot better. Holding an orb of light in her hand she could see that a stairway lead down further underground into the darkness. Yes it was a good thing Ariel was used to using that magic. Also had the benefit of cheering her up in such a gloomy place. A prospect that Ariel hadn't fully considered. If she could get a better handle of her magic she could in theory control her emotions more than the other way around. 

The stairs opened up to a large chamber with different branching paths. One by one she explored the rooms. They seemed to be relatively normal; a room with tables and benshes, likely a dining hall considering the adjoining room appeared to be some kind of kitchen; a space that looked like some kind of meeting room, there were more benches facing a slightly raised platform with more chairs; a library filled with books and scrolls, they were in surprisingly good shape but that was probably due to the dryness of the envoronment; and another hall that lead deeper into the ruins. Ariel had been instructed not to touch anything unless necessary so the things she'd located were left as is. 

The entire time she'd been capturing images of what was there. At first she'd been kind of creeped out by the place. It had supposedly been a place where a cult had gathered for some purpose. But so far it had been mundane and Ariel found herself getting engrossed in exploring the place. Some of the writing on the walls was beginning to come back translated and Ariel took the liberty of reading it. From the broken wording she could make out that something had been guarded here. That eased her mind a bit as she hadn't come across any mention of sacrifice or the like. There were armor and weapons that she found in a room, so whatever it was the people here were ready to defend it. 

Her confidence was shaken though when she came across a door that appeared to have been open more recently. She could tell because the dust had been disturbed from its opening. There was also a draft coming through. Cautiously entering she found a tunnel broken through the wall leading upward. Robbers? Were they still here? Ariel tried to think back if anything she saw looked like it might have been missing something. There had been some statues that had armor and looked like they might could have been holding something. Her heart skipping a beat the room went dark. Fear had crept in and Ariel unintentionally switched to her Barrier magic, cutting out her source of light. She let out a sharp scream before covering her own mouth. Curse her fickle nature. The silence was shattered as the sound echoed through the ruins. 

Having just frightened herself and unable to sufficiently compose her emotions Arirl had to fall back to the torch. Her mind was racing and she wanted to get out. The tunnel wouldn't be a good idea. She had no idea where it went or what might greet her on the other end. She would have to backtrack. 

In the torchlight things seemed to jump around. Shadows moved which only put the woman more on edge. Thankfully she had marked out the path so she should could get back out. That didn't mean she didn't power walk the entire way. Sighing with relief Ariel looked about at the air rippling in the heat. Well no one was there to meet her which was great for once. Reaching for her pack she was going to make a note about the tunnel when she realized that the image lacrama was missing. Where did it go? She emptied her bag, turned it upside down, looked around the entrance. Great, she dropped it, probably in that room with the tunnel. And she couldn't go back empty handed. That lacrama was expensive from what she was told as well. So not only would she not get paid, she would owe them. 

After sitting at the entrance, listening intently, Ariel decided she had to go back for the thing. Mentally preparing herself she headed back in. Still stuck with her Barrier magic she moved along carefully. This wasn't a magic she was that familiar with using. It was more reactive than anything. She hadn't planned to go back in she her tracks were a tad bit harder to follow now that it was all disturbed from her movement. While going down one hall she noticed a trail that seemed to lead to a wall. It wasn't something she noticed the first time she went down. Then she was marveling at the ruins and on the way out she had rushed. First things first, getting back to the room she found the image lacrama where she expected to. 

Unfortunately there was sound coming from the tunnel. Someone must have heard her earlier and were coming the investigate. Her thoughts went to the extra trail. Someone else had been down there and found a hidden room. People were taking things from the ruins. Should she do something about it? The voices were getting closer and Ariel decided to hide. By now she was a tad turned around and rushing around was a surefire was to get caught. Snuffing out the torch she slipped behind some urns and waited. 

Before long a light moved in and three men came in. They were talking with each other. "We need to get in before anyone catches wind of what we found. I heard a report that the researchers may have found a mage so we're on a time crunch. Let's get the work." the three left the room. Peaking around Ariel spotted a crate they brought with them. It had magic explosives in it. What in the would did they find that needed that kind of firepower? Sadly the men were now between her and her way out. 

Once the group had moved away enough Ariel followed silently behind. Her heart was pounding now and when it came time to pass by the previously closed wall she found it opened. It had been slid to the side. Leaning over she glanced inside. There was a large room with a pitch black orb with glowing white lines winding and hooking on its surface sitting in the center. The men were laying the explosives on and around the orb. She listened in as they spoke.

Getting a better look at the three the big guy seemed to be the leader. He was the one that spoke before. "I know this isn't the right way to do this but we don't have the time to bring the proper equipment." He seemed a bit irritated.

A thinner man was working on some box that looked pretty hefty. "Just as long as we don't blow up the thing inside. The cultists put a lot of effort with that seal to hide the magic inside. Whatever's in there better be worth it."

The third guy didn't say anything but Ariel didn't have much choice but to wait. Whatever was in there she didn't think she would want robbers having it. She was about to move in when the explosives started to glow. Man they worked fast. They all moved to one side and the silent one protected them with a thick stone wall, clearly an Earth mage. Taking note Ariel ducked back into the hall and covered her ears. The blast rattled her bones but that didn't really match the wave of magic energy the was released. Whatever they'd just blasted open had a massive amount of magical power. The dust took a while to clear and when she looked back inside she saw a bracer that looked like it was made for a giant's forearm where the orb had been. It was a silver color, adorned with red jems outlined with violet that encircling the two rings that were linked with bands that wrapped around and overlapped as they spiraled. 

The leader started to approach the object and looked pretty pleased. "Alright let's load this up and get out of..." He ran into a barrier that had come out of nowhere. "What the..." He cut off again as Ariel had run in and grabbed the bracer, protected by a barrier. 

[color=steelblue]"Sorrygottatakethisbye."[/color] The woman bolted for the door.

Before she could gat out of the doorway though the thin man reared back and threw one of the explosives at her. Skidding to a stop just outside the door she put up a barrier but it wasn't a match for the bomb. The blast took out her barrier and threw her hard against the wall. Limping to her feet she tried to get out but hadn't quite recovered from the shock. "Crush her!" The lead told their Earth mage. Nodding the ceiling over Ariel's head cracked and fell. It wasn't like a cave in, the rock and earth mostly stayed together and came down as one big block, crashing against the floor below and smothering Ariel in the resulting rubble.

Under the rubble Ariel struggled to breath. She couldn't move and her senses were overwhelmed. In the darkness she heard a voice in her mind. [i][color=purple]Child.[/color][/i]

[color=steelblue]"...W-who's there? I can't..."[/color] She was out of it and had to think through the pain. [color=steelblue]"I'm trapped. I need help, please."[/color]

[i][color=purple]I can give you the power to survive if you will be my champion. What do you say?[/color][/i]

[color=steelblue]"I don't..."[/color] Pain shot through her body as the stone above shifted. She couldn't focus and wouldn't last much longer. [color=steelblue]"Y-yes. I'll do it."[/color]

The three came out to see the damage. "Nice job. Pick the thing out and leave her." Barked the leader. The silent guy nodded and proceeded to swipe away the loose stone and dirt that he'd used to crush the intruder. Without warning a black hand burst out of the debris and grabbed the man. Bursting out the woman they knew should be dead looked possessed. Her skin was almost completely pitch black like the orb had been. She had an unnatural glow around her and her eyes were the same color as the gems on the bracer. Speaking of the bracer it was now snugly fitted to her left arm.

Without a word she started beating the Earth mage senseless, throwing him around like a ragdoll. The thin one was freaking out while the leader stood dumbfounded. Once the woman was done with the mage she dropped him, battered near to death. "Hit her again!" The thin one didn't have to be told twice, he tossed another explosive but this time Ariel rushed forward and snatched it out of the air. There wasn't much time before it would blow but rather than throw it back she casually tossed it over her shoulder onto the wounded man and the hallway exploded.

Booking it out of the dust cloud the two remaining robbers headed for their tunnel. They'd unearthed a monster. As they turned a corner the one in the back, which was the leader in this case, didn't make it around as Ariel dove and tackled him through a wall. The yelling was over in seconds as she swiftly shut him up. The last one didn't even try and help at this point. He made it to the tunnel but his foot was grabbed and he was pulled back into the darkness. Holding him up to her face she revealed a live explosive in her other hand. [color=black]"You forgot this."[/color] Not even flinching she let it explode there in her hand.

What really happened in the ruins only could be guessed at this point for anyone but Ariel, as she was the only one that walked out. She glanced about and huffed. [color=black]"Worms."[/color] Checking that the image lacrama was still in it's bag she headed toward the research camp. 

The voice from before came back. [i][color=purple]I'm surprised. You take well to my power. While not the ideal form you will make an excellent vessel for my return.[/color][/i] A new surge of magic flooded through Ariel's body. Glowing white lines appeared and began to snake and branch across the mage's body while a cloud of purple and blue surrounded her. The magical surge dropped the woman to her knees. It felt like an invisible hand was closing around her, trying to snuff her out.

Slowly as the magic was being transferred the purple and blue clouds began to fade away as a new dark cloud replaced it. The magic that was supposed to be consuming Ariel was beginning to be consumed. There was a pause before the voice's tone returned with the slightest concern. [i][color=purple]What are you doing?[/color][/i] It took a few moments to realizes that the woman was turning his own magic against him. [i][color=purple]How are you doing this? Remove the bracer at once.[/color][/i]

[color=black]"What's that?"[/color] Ariel asked coyly.

With a more stern tone it demanded again. [i][color=purple]I command you to release me.[/color][/i]

[color=black]"Release you?"[/color] She lifted up her left arm and looked at the bracer casually. [color=black]"So first you want me to be your champion, you try and take my body, and then you want rid of me? Did your little plan backfire?"[/color]

[i][color=purple]You don't know what you are doing child. You may fare well now but it will destroy you in time.[/color][/i]

[color=black]"Will it? Hm, I think I'll take my chances. In the meantime it looks like you're stuck with me so you better enjoy the ride."[/color] The black cloud began to dissipate and Ariel rolled her shoulders. The power she consumed was more than any else she'd encountered and she felt like she could do anything. Somewhat disappointing she had no other plans though and resumed her trek back to the research camp.

[hider=Reborn][img]https://i.imgur.com/9w8tityl.png[/img][/hider]
Along the way her new magic receded and the bracer disappeared. Back with her Barrier magic she suddenly felt pain. Her body had still been injured by the attack that had been meant to kill her. Being stuck out in the desert after surviving that would be a terrible and slow way to go. Limping back she eventually made it before freezing to death in the cold night. Getting some medical attention she explained what happened and returned the lacrama. She did leave out the detail of the bracer though. Telling them where to find the tunnel the robbers had dug they likely could retrieve any stolen artifacts.

When she was left alone to rest she looked at her left arm where the bracer had been. What was that power? It felt slightly familiar but she couldn't quite place it at first. She was also pretty sure she just killed three people without a second thought. Her fears were being realized and she couldn't completely explain it. That magic made her arrogant, maybe even heartless. Where had she felt it before? One thing was sure in her mind, she need to get back to the guild quickly.