KazAlkemi

Strange Academy: Journey into Mystery

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Location: Primary Artificer Laboratory, Strange Academy
Grimore:
Skills: N/A
Fit

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Annika’s eyes widened as Rohan literally stabbed himself in front of everyone. Her eyes flashed to his face before looking back at his very wooden chest. Annika suddenly had flashes of The Wizard of Oz in her head. She likened Rohan to more of the Tin Man than the Scarecrow…and definitely not the Cowardly Lion.

Her eyes roamed freely over his torso, taking in its unique composition. He was literally turning into a tree. It wasn’t like Annika hadn’t believed him, but seeing it was something she would have never been able to picture, and she had seen a wide range of creatures in her time. She felt foolish now, after talking about how connected she felt to trees and nature the night before. Rohan was a tree.

Annika scoffed at the wadded-up fabric Rohan shoved into the literal hole he had in his body and dropped his shirt. She looked up at him once more.

”Unbelievable,” she said outloud. Annika’s eyes widened, and she turned her head, realizing she had just spoken out loud. She stared at the glass where a piece of Rohan sat.

She ached to touch it, even if Rohan advised them not to. But magic and unique items like this had always fascinated her. A bad habit she had picked up from her father, but you couldn’t learn unless you explored. And sometimes exploring meant making questionable decisions.

Annika’s fingers twitched, reaching out to the jar…just as Nochella appeared and slid her shadowy form under Annika’s hand. Annika frowned, watching her familiar slink across the table. Her ears twitched as she looked at Rohan and sat down in the middle of the table. Her cat eyed Rohan, and Annika wondered just exactly what she was seeing.

”So a heart?” Annika questioned, rocking back on her heels. ”I guess that makes sense with our blood running through it. If your gift is organic, Frankie, could you make a literal heart?” What could she add to such a thing that would represent her? A pretend pacemaker? Those contained precious metals.

Annika heeded Nochella’s warning, though, and shoved both hands into her pants pockets.

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Location: Mikkail’s Sitting Room —-> Walking to Library, Strange Academy
Grimore:
Skills:
Fit

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Callaghan grinned at his favourite professor. More access to a wide range of knowledge was just what he needed. Cal would probably spend all his time in the library if he could. Plus, there were so many hidden, shadowy corners for other activities. He glanced over at Cassie, wondering if she had any aversion to being pinned to a library bookshelf.

”Thank you professor.” He bowed his head respectfully before leading the group out of the room. He made note that Willow didn’t follow them right away, but Cal was okay with that. He handed his notebook to Nicky. The words on the blackboard still flashed through Cal’s mind. If only his mentor would share that language with him. And there was nothing in the library about it. At least not that Cal had found. Whatever Mikkial’s subconscious had written on the board, it was important. A warning perhaps. Something niggled at Cal, telling him that his beloved mentor wasn’t exactly all there.

”The professor seemed to be in high spirits today; he was practically glowing at some points,” Cal said vaguely. As much as he enjoyed Cassie and Willow’s company, he did not fully trust them yet. Nick…Nick was different. Even if the witch would never trust Cal. Cal glanced sideways at Nick. ”He seemed almost ready to fly away,” he said, hoping Nick would take the hint.

Held Rolls

Is Predatory Instinct still active?
Perception check - does Cal notice anything else from Mikkail’s words?
History check - navigating the library and leading the group to the right section for history, religion, and language

Château de La Lune

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Rihannon Linx

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Location: Graveyard
Skills: N/A
Fit

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Rhiannon paced. They couldn’t believe this was actually happening. They looked over at Miguel a couple of times, shaking their head in disbelief. The rain was really coming down now, and Rhiannon was soaked all the way through. They rested their hands on their head and kept pacing.

”Lawrence might be strong enough, but there’s no way he was smart enough to pull this off,” they declared. He was too hot-headed for something like this. There had to be more than one of them at work to blackmail and murder. Then Millicent spoke up, and Rhi paused their pacing.

The truth of Renee’s identity wasn’t exactly shocking. It was more heartbreaking that she would be killed when she was so close to finding her father. Who may very well have been the filthy rich bastard who sired this family.

”This is all so messed up,” they said. ”I don’t know what Miguel could have been blackmailed for, but I heard a rumour his work was fake. Maybe he was trying to confront whoever and cover it up?” They looked at Sam, the only other ghost hunter here. ”Why don’t you do, like a seance or something,” they said, waving their hand at the dead body being pelted by rain.

Strange Academy: Journey into Mystery

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Location: Primary Artificer Laboratory, Strange Academy
Grimore:
Skills: N/A
Fit

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Annika shifted slightly away from Finley and Dysphoria. They seemed far too eager for blood…and brains. Finley sounded more like a zombie than a Fae creature. Then again, Annika couldn’t recall coming across Fae in her travels. Maybe Dysphoria was a zombie?

So, they had to create an anchor for protection, to draw power on, and to bring them back should they need it. Annika liked the idea Frankie came up with to create a tree with a branch to represent each of them. She pictured something quite large and grand, but when she saw the vault, Annika quickly shrank that image. Annika was thinking about creating some sort of silver bobble for her branch (could she contain some shadows within it?) when Rohan said he didn’t have blood.

She looked over at Rohan with a bit more intrigue. He was cursed? Incredible.

Annika felt more comfortable knowing the relic they were to create would be destroyed after the term. Blood was a powerful substance and shouldn’t be given carelessly.

”A tree sounds interesting, Frankie. Do you have an idea of how it should be constructed?” She glanced at the wood Rohan was placing out. Of course, that was the obvious answer, but how would they fill it with blood? And to have it move throughout the tree would be interesting. Like it would be truly alive.

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Location: Mikkail’s Sitting Room, Strange Academy
Grimore:
Skills: Predatory Instinct; History; Investigation; Perception
Fit

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Mikkail handled Nicky just the way Cal expected he would. With words meant to bring comfort more than anything else, however, Cal didn’t understand the words beyond them being in the Twins’ native tongue. Nor did he understand why Mikkail looked as if he had tried to shift but couldn’t. Why would he want to move into his dragon form, especially when he was significantly larger than Cal’s dragon form and this room?

When Mikkail placed the book on the shelf, Cal paused and turned his head slightly. There was instruction in those words, but no instruction was given. At least not one that Callaghan understood. He glanced at Nicky while Mikkail rewarded Cassie. Would he share with Cal what Mikkail said?

The notebooks Mikkail placed Nicky’s with didn’t yield any answers for Cal, but he could always return later and pull them aside. There was a reason he placed that book there. Perhaps they were from past students, or Mikkail’s own recollections about this strange planet he had visited that exhibited similar magic to the one Mikkail wanted them to uncover.

Callaghan shifted on the couch, setting his empty tea cup down. He was buzzing with the anticipation of research and knowledge yet to be uncovered. He felt electric. Even when he looked at the blackboard and saw a language he recognized from his time with Mikkail but failed to understand, even with all his pleadings to his mentor. Cal looked at Mikkail, then back at the board. He felt eyes on him and glanced at Nick. He gave a slight shake of his head before looking back at Mikkail. Several things were amiss, but Cal didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that he had noticed Mikkail’s strange behaviour.

The single word in English didn’t bring any comfort to Cal. Could escape be a warning, what was to come, or what was to be avoided? There were so many different possibilities, but language wasn’t something Cal could decipher easily. Maybe he could talk to Connie. He did recognize a few of the words, having seen them before, but he didn’t understand a thing beyond that. Cal cracked open his notebook, located a pen, and jotted down the blackboard writings well enough. Even though he didn’t understand, he did know how to copy Mikkail’s words, and with his strange behaviour, anything could be a clue. He shut his book, smiling brightly.

”The only way to figure that out is to start researching. Look at what we have and work from there. So, I recommend we move to the library,” Cal said and stood. His pants still felt damp from where Cassie had spilt tea on him earlier, but some discomfort never bothered him. ”Is there a section you recommend we start with, Professor?”

Camp Lava Lake

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Ezekiel Kel

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Location: Hiking —> Camp
Skills:

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”Ezekiel, Nancy’s my sister,” Zeke clarified once they made camp. He tossed his arm around her shoulders and survived the camp. While he looked, in leaned in closer to Nancy. ”Do you want to share a cabin? Or would you be happier with Emily?” It wasn’t strange for Zeke to share a room with his sister, or a bed for that matter. But he didn’t want to take that choice from her.

He moved his arm back to catch the keys from Dobbs, the feeling of responsibility settling over his shoulders comfortably. He grinned, wiggling the keys in front of Nancy’s face before he snatched them back. Aster demanded that he follow to unlock the door, and Zeke rolled his eyes.

”Marco! If you need help, let me know. I make a mean mac n’ cheese,” he said proudly. As for the rest of it, Zeke imagined he would be the main guy for slave labour. No offence to the others, but he looked the most capable and fit. ”I’ll just put our stuff in the main cabin. Then we can look at the other ones and see what could work for another living quarters,” Zeke suggested, looking between Nancy and Demetri before he followed behind Aster.

He opened up the door and pushed it open before stepping aside and gesturing for Aster to go in first. ”After you.”

Strange Academy: Journey into Mystery

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Location: Primary Artificer Laboratory, Strange Academy
Grimore: Summon Animals
Skills: N/A
Fit

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Annika watched her professor’s movements, hanging off the woman’s every word. All of this was fascinating to her. Annika thought about the professor’s question and listened to Rohan’s answer as they all entered the next room.

Annika gravitated towards the furnace and anvil. She knew these instruments intimately and set her bag on the table nearby. She had a feeling she would be stationed here. Maybe with the jewellery as well. Especially if she had to stay away from iron for Finley’s sake. She would have to create a comprehensive list of metals that were acceptable to work with while she was in this coven.

Annika caressed the anvil like it were a lover. ”Infusing magic into an object could be good if you need to pull on the magic of that place, as well. In a way, that can provide a bridge or a connection. As for crafting something... I could infuse silver or gold. Both are powerful, precious metals that can enhance magic, as well. Unless you would advise, I didn’t,” Annika said, turning to look at Finley fully. She didn’t want to make enemies here.

It was the first time Annika had worked with others aside from her dad or Uncle Max. She wanted to do both of them proud, but she also wanted to make her own connections. Her own mark.

”Also, I can make portals if we need them,” Annika added as an aside.

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Location: Mikkail’s Sitting Room, Strange Academy
Grimore:
Skills:
Fit

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Nicky’s subtle reaction to Cal’s words was pleasant, even if it was lacking. Cal knew Nick always made up for his indifference behind closed doors. Besides, the indifference was sort of a turn on for him. At least from Nicky.

Cal flipped through a few pages of the book until he realized it was a notebook meant to contain his findings for this year’s task. Ah, a shame. The knowledge would have to come later. Cal tucked the book into his seat’s cushion, resting an arm on the back of the couch. He crossed his left leg over his right and tapped his foot along to an invisible beat until Mikkail walked in with a flourish. Cal grinned. He had a thing for the theatrics. Honestly, Cal had a thing for everything.

Malleus Maleficarum. Cal ran the Latin word around in his head before he spoke it out loud, trying it out for size. Cal knew the translation of the word; he also knew it carried a dark past and was not, at all, a good thing. And that was all he knew. He turned his head, listening to Cassie speak out about the book. He smiled, leaning slightly forward as she divulged more of her knowledge.

While she explained, Cassie poured him a cup of tea before doing the same. The gesture was unnecessary but kind all the same, and Cal found Cassie adorable for it. His eyes drifted from the girl to glance at Willow and Nick to see what they thought. Cal always hoped to tease a little. It always made the release later on better. Then Cal felt a slight burning followed by vigorous patting. Cal looked down, quickly learning Cassie had spilt tea onto his lap and was trying in vain to clean it up. At least he was wearing black pants.

He started to laugh when she realized what she was doing. ”It is quite alright, Cassie.” He picked up the towel and patted the spot once more before he tossed it away. She quickly divulged more information, trying to recover the moment Cal imagined. Once Cassi sat back down, apologizing once more, Cal patted her knee.

”It’ll dry. I run warm,” he said with a wink at her before he picked up his cup of tea. He added a lump of sugar and stirred it briefly before taking a sip. His lips froze on the rim of the teacup when Nick started to talk. His tone was decidedly not okay with the task Mikkail presented to the group.

Cal shifted in his seat, uncomfortable, uncrossing and crossing his legs before he just left both feet firmly planted on the ground. Nick, Barty, and Cal had talked briefly about how times had changed. He had some of that knowledge, but he didn’t have the twins history. However, he had a collective shared history that reminded him of why some things remained buried, but also, the knowledge Cal craved had him desiring to push back. He wanted that information. Needed it. It was why he existed.

Cal decided to remain silent, even though he wished to speak in defence of his mentor. However, Nicky was a friend. And Cal had enough sense not to speak against Nick. At least not in public.

Camp Lava Lake

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Ezekiel Kel

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Location: Hiking
Skills:

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Zeke elbowed Demi, frowning and shaking his head at being referred to as an arcade game. Way to cheapen whatever was going on between the two of them. Things really weren’t starting off well. And now, Dodds was saying the whole ghost story was probably fake. However, it was already imprinted into Zeke’s mind.

Demi offered Zeke his chocolate bar, temporarily distracting Zeke. He smiled and took a bite of the Wunderbar. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about food. The sleeping situation might be a different issue. Zeke didn’t mind sharing a cabin with his sister. They were close already, and sharing a room was nothing new. But there was this development with Demetri. And they weren’t supposed to be outside after dark. Even if the ghost story was fake, Zeke really didn’t want to risk it.

Aster seemed concerned about his sleep cycle as well, glancing at the obvious couples in the group. ”Well, I guess the priority is trying to set up another cabin or two for sleeping arrangements. Then we can worry about slave labour tomorrow.”

Château de La Lune

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Rihannon Linx

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Location: Graveyard
Skills: N/A
Fit

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The voices of the others faded into the background as Rhiannon dug a hole in the ground. The whole thing was surreal. Rhi came to this island for some grand reward. To prove to themselves and to others that they deserved it. That they were good enough, too. But it was looking more and more like no one would be winning that reward.

Old Rhi would have given up, ran away and joined their crew, but this Rhi felt determined. If only to find answers for Renee and her family.

Thud.

That was a different sound. Rhiannon gently brushed some dirt aside with their shovel, but it was Ralph who revealed an arm, and Sam who revealed the brown, bearded face of Miguel.

”Oh my god….oh my god oh my god oh my god.” Rhiannon dropped the shovel and stumbled back away from the grave. This was insane and way too real.

”What the hell is going on here!?” Rhiannon desperately wanted to smoke, something, anything.

Strange Academy: Journey into Mystery

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Location: Wandering —> Primary Artificer Laboratory, Strange Academy
Grimore: Summon Animals
Skills: N/A
Fit

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Annika was no stranger to changing hallways, randomly appearing rooms, or dead ends…but this was a little excessive. On the seventh dead end Annika encountered, she squealed in frustration.

”Honestly Nochella, how do people get anything done in this place!?” The cat had appeared briefly, apparently entertained by Annika’s frustrations, before she licked her paw, meowed, and disappeared again. Blasted animal.

Annika continued to move through hallways, drifting from location to location until she finally found her hidden room.

”Ahha!” She burst through the door and instantly felt flushed. People were here. She fiddled with her braided space buns before she quickly slid into place next to her doormmate. She smiled briefly at Rohan before concentrating on Professor Sariel’s words.

Annika ensured she wore long pants and closed-toed shoes. She had pinned her hair up into twin, braided space buns to keep her hair from falling and getting caught in something. She had no idea what they would be facing today, but if it had anything to do with forge fire, Annika wanted to remain covered and safe. For now, she wore a baggy jean jacket with a black t-shirt underneath.

Sariel’s words intrigued Annika and helped her to feel excited about starting. She had brought some of her metalworking tools, as well as a notebook and writing implements. She had a feeling today would be heavily research-based, then she could get to work figuring out if something needed to be made. Or created. When Sariel stopped talking, Annika took a moment to acquire a lab coat and goggles. She was examining the different sizes when Sariel opened the door.

The first gate. ”Incredible,” Annika breathed. She mechanically grabbed a lab coat and a pair of goggles before she entered the next room. The door was gorgeous and seemed to pulse, drawing Annika nearer. Of course, the danger aspect was also appealing.

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Location: Haven —> Mikkail’s Sitting Room, Strange Academy
Grimore:
Skills:
Fit

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Callaghan never returned to his room that night. Instead, he chose to shower on the twins' floor, borrowing a pair of suspenders and pairing them with a simple pair of black slacks from the night before, his shoes, and a white button-up. It was simple, but Cal still cut a striking figure if he did say so himself. And he did, even with some of the markings from the night before still upon his skin. He was instructed to leave them for a certain bubbly someone to see, and Cal wasn’t about to disappoint his companions from the night before.

After that, he slipped quickly into the bathroom on his floor to use his personal hair care and skin care products before he strode through the halls of Strange Academy well before anyone else was awake.

He took the familiar path up to the rooftop and stepped into the fresh dew-filled morning air. Callaghan sighed deeply, wishing he could take flight and stretch his wings for real. The night had been fun. He had worked out some resentment and repressed feelings, but now he had another primal urge begging to be released. Cal rested his hands along the metal rails. The cold that seeped into his body helped to ground him. He remained on the roof, watching the sun rise and listened to the first bells. He still had time before he needed to be in Mikkail’s office, but Cal was always punctual.

A short while later, Cal found himself the last to arrive in his mentor’s office. Cal paused, taking in the other three members of his coven before a wry smirk lifted his lips. ”And here I thought I was going to be the punctual one. I see I will have to try harder next time.”

He drifted into the room, drawn to the shelf of books Mikkail had on rotation. His fingers tingled and twitched, the need to touch and examine each one overwhelmingly strong. As he walked to the bookshelf, his eyes slid to Nicky’s form. His smile turned secretive as his eyes dropped to the witch’s hips, knowing his claiming mark still rested there.

”Nicholas, sleep well?” he teased before shifting his gaze to Willow.

”Good morning, little one,” he said, his voice taking on a more tender tone. The protective urge he had felt over Willow the night before had faded after the late-night activities, but there was still a kinship Cal felt towards the creature that was more animal than human. The image of Willow watching last night filled his mind before he focused on Cassie and grinned.

”Cassiopeia! What do you have there?” He instantly noticed the tome she held close to her chest, his eyes looking for weaknesses so that he could pry the book from her hands and read the contents. He approached Cassie, eager to try his hand when he noticed the lonely book on the table with his name on it. ”Ah, I see.” Cal snatched the book up and took the seat next to Cassiopeia. He flipped the book open eagerly, uncaring if he was supposed to wait or not.

Camp Lava Lake

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Ezekiel Kel

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Location: Hiking
Skills:

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Blood, cleaning, stabbing, vanished, blunt force trauma….buried together. Zeke was getting more and more anxious and more and more nauseated the longer they talked about the campsite and what happened there. He stared at his sister, half tempted to elbow her to shut-up. Honestly, her fascination with wanting to know how everyone died was not helping.

Zeke slowed a fraction in his walking. If he just ran back, drove off and came back to pick up Nancy in a week, would he get off with a different type of community service? Zeke fell into a debate with himself over the idea when he heard Aster’s voice sound a little more clear and a little more pointed.

Zeke looked over, seeing Aster looking at the shared bandanas with Demetri before he looked at Zeke pointedly. Zeke flushed with embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. He glanced at Demi, who was fixated on cleaning. Zeke didn’t picture Demi as the clean freak.

Then, food was mentioned. Despite the nausea, Zeke’s stomach rumbled. Ah food. Zeke assumed food would be provided. He didn’t think they were being sent up to set up the entire campsite. What if they were supposed to bring their own food? Dammit!

✨ Under Black Stars ✨

Annika’s fingers slid across the metal on the hatch. It was warm to the touch, as if the sun had been shining directly on it. She gripped and pulled, trying to find a hold in order to open the hatch. As soon as it gave a little, the hatch sprang open. Annika leaned back quickly to avoid being hit. Bright light streamed out, causing Annika to shield her face until her eyes adjusted. She blinked rapidly, squinting and peering into the hatch until a floating book revealed itself to her.

”Hmm. Not ominous at all,” she murmured to herself. Still, Annika wasn’t one to ignore an opportunity to learn something new. Besides, she was in her own home. How dangerous could it be? Even if Nochella seemed apprehensive of the book.

The unique symbol wasn’t so unique to Annika. She had seen the wreath, sword combo on several of her father’s books before, all of them with strange behaviour. However, there wasn’t a lot of what the average person would call “normal” in the Everdark.

”Well hello, friend. What would you like to share with me?” Annika asked the book. She held her hands out to it, eager to hold it and discover what stories it held.