yoshua171

Worlds Unknown [Yoshua171 x Celaira]

Lacain

---

While he awaited her reply he smiled a bit to himself at her earlier actions. It was good to know that someone cared enough for him to worry so over his wellbeing--though he'd been fairly certain he'd be fine. Respectfully he gave her some time to recover, understanding how she must feel. They'd both lost someone dear to them already, so surely the thought of losing someone else so soon after was...well, unbearable. Swallowing the emotions that rose at the thought, Lacain took a deep breath or two to steady himself before he noticed her rise and motion him away from the sheer rock. Moving out of her way he watched with interest as her energies built, focused, and then began to manifest in her hands. After a moment he closed his eyes and let his other senses watch her weave her unique brand of magic. it didn't take long for him to see what she was doing, though her method was, as usual, different from the norm.

It was strange, seeing two disjointed locations connected by the aperture she'd created. However, he took only a moment to assess the construct before heeding her advice and step through so as not to unnecessarily burden her. He glanced behind himself briefly once he'd passed through, watching as she stepped through and the portal shifted shut. It was strange to see, but he didn't dwell on it long before turning to see where exactly they'd ended up.

Raising a hand briefly, palm upwards and at waist height, he created a sphere of light, before letting his hand fall. The shining orb rose above their heads before flaring up and illuminating their surroundings more than the two moons that shone overhead--though they were only half of all the moons that existed.

His eyes adjusting to the new light, Lacain found himself gazing upon the expansive citadel that stood a ways from them. His eyes narrowing slightly, Lacain stretched his senses only to briefly find them turned back on him, before his focus shattered and he staggered a step back. "Agh, time magic," he muttered absently, the slight pain in his head swiftly dissipating.

Turning to Iyl he asked, "Are you sure I'll be allowed in?"

Worlds Unknown [Yoshua171 x Celaira]

Lacain

---

Swiftly reaching the only exit they knew while the cavern fell apart, bit by bit, around them, Lacain placed his hand on the closed gateway and closed his eyes. Sending a pulse of energy through the structure revealed that its enchantments had already been compromised by the collapse of the cavern. He checked the surrounding spellwork and then, as he heard portions of the cavern further behind them truly begin to collapse he opened the floodgates that held back his tremendous mana, and remade the enchantments from a mixture of personal memory and the memories of his predecessors, which was not entirely something he was used to.

In the process, the space in his mind he had partitioned off for the other consciousnesses, cracked and began to dissolve. However, he had no time to fix that while also forcing the gate to open. It took roughly 20 more seconds before the enchantments were renewed, with his modifications, at which point the stone beneath his hand parted rapidly. "Go!" he yelled over the sound of the cavern, biding his companion exit first. He knew she might protest, so his mana moved her along some.

Once she'd passed through he spread his mana throughout the cavern complex, doing so out of instinct from his predecessors, before he let the door open just that much more. Then, in a sudden movement he slipped through the open space, and let his hand slip from the stone. In an instant the gateway closed, the markings vanished, and there was a rumbling as the cavern fully collapsed. However, aside from the rumble, there were no visible changes to the cliff face or, from what he could sense, the land at the top of the cliff.

Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Lacain let himself fall to his knees, hand against the stone to steady himself. He held a cautioning hand up towards Iyl as he spoke, "Sorry, just need a moment to recover." He trailed off near the end as his focus turned to reconstructing the separation between his Self and those of his predecessors, including Teraem.

After a moment he pushed himself to his feet and sent a pulse of energy out into their surroundings. Oddly, it appeared that the Shae were not approaching them, nor were they particularly nearby. He glanced at Iyl, "Sorry, just, the spell was a bit...overwhelming. Shall we get out of here? Hopefully to somewhere safe and comfortable. I'd like to examine what I found, and I'm sure we could both use some...time." His eyes turned from hers as she said it, his demeanor briefly shifting as he recalled that much of his beloved master was gone, reduced to a mere slice of consciousness within him.

Recomposing himself he looked to her again he asked, "Do you have anywhere in mind?"

Essence [an original dark urban fantasy]

Hello, Celaira.

Don't worry, I'm making sure to only use the lore created by the people taking part.

As for the second question, I've been considering the prospect of you joining for the past few hours. I'm sorry but I can't let you join. Your past behaviour towards me indicates that you do not respect me and I don't want any hostility or friction among participants in this RP.

As stated long ago, I have no qualms about you using your characters in other settings, and that goes for any of the old team.

@Wind Wild

You've got that wrong, Wind, I don't respect you. Megan's done nothing to really earn that judgement. If you think merely asking questions or trying to calmly assess your actions is indicative of a lack of respect, then I think you may not understand what respect really is. I wish the best to anyone who joins this and hope you don't go through what many have before you, myself included.

Oh one other thing, Melody's academy and the destruction of the Angelic Council, was the doing of my character in S1. I would greatly appreciate it if you would supply a good explanation for both of those things going forwards, because Melody would have been dead without Szayeis, and the council would be alive if he had not brought down a horde of demons on the city and then personally annihilated them and their establishment in Loom.

Anywho I'll leave you alone now.

Ciao.

*Unsubscribes from thread*

Essence [an original dark urban fantasy]

*Sighs and gives @Wind Wild a long appraising look*

Worlds Unknown [Yoshua171 x Celaira]

Lacain

---

Chuckling lightly as she blurted her compliment, Lacain smiled at her for a moment before assuring her that it was fine. The embarrassment and awkwardness didn't last long, luckily enough. However, not so luckily he had to make a decision as to whether or not he should bring her along. Yet, before he could make the choice, she decided to stay behind. He glanced back at her as she took a seat, his expression a mixture of grateful and torn. "Alright...if you're sure," he said before pausing a long moment, still looking at her. Finally he turned away, braced himself, and said "I'll be back."

He then strode past the point of no return. When nothing happened he continued on, straining his senses to detect any danger. The magical energies surrounding him appeared to be in flux, it was unsettling, like some kind of magical anomaly or the like. Eventually and strangely without incident, he found that the cavern opened up into a large chamber. At the far end on a rune inscribed pedestal and upon it sat what appeared to be a sphere of white light so bright that whatever caused it was hidden by its resplendent glow. Staring in awe, he noted that the magical flux was strongest around the sphere. "What is this," he wondered quietly as he slowly made his approach.

He noticed, that despite his proximity to the strange anomaly, his uneasiness had faded almost entirely. It was strange, he mused, thinking that perhaps whatever this was had simply not wanted Iyl to grow near to it. Frowning at the thought, Lacain grew impatient with the object, his respect for what power it might hold fading as he considered the possibility that it might bear ill will for his friend. His gait quickened and he soon found himself washed in the light of the sphere. Now that he was closer he found that the runes carved upon the pedestal glowed faintly, their light somehow not lost in the greater luminescence of what he could now see was a ring. Reaching out, his frustration having fled him, Lacain felt his energies collide with those of the ring and the runes beneath it. Briefly the energies fought his own, but despite their intricacy and the ancient power that had been stored within them, they could not stop him from pulling the ring from the pedestal and into his hand.

As the artifact left its place, all illumination fled from the cavern aside from a far more subdued glow, which emanated from the ring.

Gazing down upon the strange ring, Lacain wondered if he should slip it on or not. It was only when he felt the whisper of his master's consciousness that he knew it was not to be done here.

Nodding as if in response to the man, Lacain gathered his energies and conjured a shock of cloth, which he wrapped the ring within, before stowing it in his coat. Turning away from the room, Lacain headed back the way he had come, a serious expression on his face.

After several minutes he returned to where he'd left Iyl, if unwillingly. He looked at her, then nodded his head in the direction of their exit. “Let's go...I can feel the magic draining from this place,” said the man, reaching down to help her to her feet.

As she rose, the cavern shivered and a terrible creaking could be heard all around them. “Quickly,” he said, before he took off at a brisk pace, heading in the direction of the exit. While he could have possibly risked transporting them beyond the cavern, he didn't dare try, as if any of this place's magic remained, they might end up embedded in stone, their bodies merged on the deepest level with the material.

So it was that he did not use such a spell, either within the cavern, nor to exit it. Hopefully they could escape before the place came down upon them.

Hopefully.

Worlds Unknown [Yoshua171 x Celaira]

Lacain

---

Briefly pondering her answer to his question regarding the rush of energy, Lacain nodded. "Well I can say it looks interesting. However, rather than describe it I can show you," he grinned at her and then sent some of his energy back through the cavern the way they had entered. After a moment of shifting the spell within it and making sure it'd do him no ill, he motioned for her to stop walking as he did the same. Then he held up his closed fist for her to see. Once her attention was on him, he opened his fist, leaving his palm flat and a rush of golden light appeared from several meters behind them and then slammed through him, causing him to glow briefly before fading, leaving his eyes with a slight glow, before they too returned to normal. He smiled at her, "It looked something like that," he said simply before the two continued.

Glancing at her when she attempted to answer his question regarding what might reside further into the cavern, Lacain nodded. Then she brought up something he'd almost forgotten. "Oh, I do have it, but it's not with me. Of course if we were anywhere else that wouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, I can't bring it to me due to the spellwork on this cavern," he ran his fingertips along the wall. "Nonetheless, I do remember the mirror. We might be able to figure out what it does now..." he said a bit absently, his eyes glazing slightly as he thought of when he'd received what had been his first gift from Teraem.

After a moment he cleared his throat, noticing the intensity of the cavern's illumination rising. "It seems we've nearly reached our destination," he proclaimed, though he figured that Iyl had thought the same.

Then his wards went off, warning him of danger. Immediately his hand shot out and gripped her shoulder--perhaps a bit too tightly--so as to stop her movement as he did his. Before them the cavern seemed just as normal as it was where they stood, yet his senses told him otherwise. "Something's wrong," he said, likely just as confused and apprehensive as his friend was.

As he extended his senses in front of them he noticed an interruption in the spellwork of the cavern. "I...I think the spellwork of the cavern past this point is damaged, which doesn't bode well," he said, only for Iyl's convenience. "I'm not sure how safe the path will be from here on out," he glanced at her, before looking ahead of them--the action a bit too hurried. He couldn't imagine losing his closest, and likely now his only friend, so soon after having lost his master. He grit his teeth.

She could defend herself, but...no one was perfect.

As if to reinforce his fears, the walls shook and the floored shuddered beneath them. He braced them with an instinctually cast spell. "I don't like this," he muttered as things quieted before again falling silent, conflicted.

He didn't know what to do.

A Patchwork World [Worldbuilding and Exploration]

Vasarius Aetearan

Bayera--Koir--Toima, The Abandoned Town
Noon

@Ganryu

---

Smirking within his helm at Arieh's response, the Hunter turned his attention back to the path ahead of them, his one good eye roving the landscape and taking in any details he might need to remember. As they entered the town of Toima, which appeared quite abandoned due to the Hydra, Vasarius took everything in. It seemed the beast had only come to town perhaps once before retreating. Of course, with Hydra that's all it took to make people flee like pathetic livestock.

Then Arieh spoke up, saying something about gunpowder. Raising an eyebrow, Vasarius almost laughed at the beastman's enthusiasm. Watching for a minute as he ran in the direction of their quarry, Vasarius, after enough time had past, charged himself and his armor with mana, let one foot slide back, and then took off running.

Oddly, his armor didn't make as much sound as it ought to and the metal plates didn't rub against one another or grate on anything as he moved, rather swiftly, to catch up to his partner. Feeling the rush of adrenaline as he and Arieh found the Hydra, he grinned. Had he not been wearing a helm, his teeth would've shone and eyes gleamed.

Spinning Dhaerym in his hand once he charged the beast, overtaking his partner and lunging at the beast's descending head. Rather than stab at it, he let his foot hit the ground next to the fallen woman's abdomen, his body continuing to move as he snapped his weapon through the air and into the side of the beast's muzzle.

Had it been a normal weapon it would have broken, but Dhaerym was no normal spear. So it was that the durability of the implement, the Hunter's enhanced strength, and his precision had batted away the jaws of death. Not even bothering to look at the fallen women, Vasarius lunged upwards through the air with tremendous speed before briefly deactivating his spear's enchantment, and piercing the flesh of the Hydra's neck enough to give him leverage. Before it could whip its head around and throw him, he got his feet on the beast and lunged off and behind it, skidding against the ground near its tail.

He jumped as it swept the thing at him, and held his spear out as it came back, bracing himself to stop the extremity from bowling him over. He only slid a foot when the beasts' tail struck. He didn't even grit his teeth at the blow that Dhaerym had taken.

"Fiesty beast," he snarled from within his helm. "...guess we'll 'ave to teach it a lesson before it dies."

With that he jumped forth, enchantment reactivated, and stabbed the monster. Yet, the weapon did not pierce its hide. Instead there was a resounding smash as if the man had struck with a hammer and not a spear.

He retreated, dodging and weaving as some of its heads struck at him. Every so often he went in again, stabbing the beast with his spear, but causing blunt trauma instead of piercing its hide. This time he was the distraction. Vasarius hoped the big oaf could do his job and batter the beast into submission.

If not, then he'd have to back out and use some more...effective enchantments, rather than enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

He hated doing that.

Hated it more than he did most things, which was to say a lot.

The Prophecy

Alright folks, I've finally posted. Sorry for the wait, got distracted on the day I'd intended to do it originally then Shien reminded me today and here we are.

Hope it's enjoyable @Mercinus3 @Dark Jack @Rhaevnn Xeno. Probably Merc's turn now, unless anyone else wants to go first. I don't care haha.

The Prophecy

I'onriyi Stonehand

---

Grateful that the two had taken the hint, I'on relaxed slightly, the tension going out of his features and posture. Smiling briefly at the sisters he was about to open his mouth before he heard them mention the high probability of death if they did join any time within a week or two. His mouth summarily shut and he frowned, before his mind immediately rushed to the refugees. It didn't take long for the Vampire to ask exactly why the sisters thought as much, and so it was in the ensuing moments that they confirmed his suspicions. Shaking his head before pinching the bridge of his nose, the penin mage wondered if his day could have gotten worse.

On the other hand....

He glanced at his two companions and then considered that he wouldn't have learned of the possibility that a Harvester might be involved in the destruction of Nemhim. Eyes still narrowed, though now as if to pierce through the sisters to reach anything else they might know, I'on debated as to whether or not he'd question the two to see if they knew anything more. However, circumstances quickly rendered such pointless. There was something that the two might be able to do for him though. "If it were a Harvester," he begun, looking at the two, "Is there any way I could be informed? Dangerous as they are, I...have something of an interest in such things."

He made a point of not looking at either of his companions as he continued. "Not to mention that it would be a good thing to know if one of those terrible beings roamed the world during my travels. After all, I've not the intention to stay in Zerul more than a week longer." He almost winced as the last sentence rolled off his tongue, cementing that he wouldn't be staying in the place he'd made his home for much longer.

It wasn't just an idea now.

"Perhaps visiting your Headquarters in Fokon would be wise whether we choose to join your ranks or not, provided the order would be willing to give out information in regards to Nemhim once they've made their way through it," if anyone survives the trip that is... he thought ruefully.

Hopefully someone would.

Worlds Unknown [Yoshua171 x Celaira]

Lacain

---

Hearing her words Lacain glanced at his friend and raised an eyebrow before opening his mouth to ask a question. No sooner had he decided to do so however, he was interrupted by a swift ray of golden light rushing past him and slamming into and through Iyl. Eyes widening he took a step towards her, worry in his eyes before his senses noted that it had been her energy he'd seen. Stopping just short he stared at her, a mixture of confusion and intrigue in her eyes. "Well...that's new," he said, his eyes still locked on her for a long moment before she began to walk. He followed.

After a few moments of walking, and thinking on his part, he spoke up. "So, what was that exactly?" he queried. Following her response he frowned slightly then nodded, before his expression returned to normal. "Huh..." he'd say quietly, before falling silent once more. He supposed that if his energy was visible most times, it would do just what hers had done when he had released his energy from the seals in the entrance to the cavern they now walked through. Still, it was an odd thought.

Nearer and nearer they came to their destination, though he did not exactly know what awaited them. His attention divided as he made sure to reach with his senses to attempt to find any possible dangers that might await them, Lacain listened to Iyl with interest, though as she fell silent, his smile faded. He did his best to hold off the sadness that welled deep in a corner of his mind, suppressed. As they trudged further into the cavern, Lacain felt a slight pressure build around them, a sort of tension. After awhile and Iyl's look, he extended a field of energy around them attempting to locate and remove the sensation.

While it seemed to be affecting her more than it was him, it was still unpleasant. After several attempts, he found that his barrier did nothing to make the sensation cease. Sighing he decided to instead shift the energy in the aim of assuaging the building tension, as he cast a spell of calm over both himself and Iyl. With the sensation dampened, he spoke, "So...what do you think it is that Teraem left here for me to find?" He glanced at her briefly before turning his eyes forwards again.

Meanwhile, in his mind, he felt a stirring. What remained of Teraem and his predecessors appeared to be at work. Frowning slightly, Lacain made a subtle distinction between their consciousness and his own before he began weaving energy within his own body. He wasn't sure why, but he felt almost...threatened by the presence of others in his mind. He had really only ever been comfortable with Iyl when it came to mind links. Even with Teraem it had always been awkward.

He wondered why....