|
Post by Toz76 on Jul 31, 2019 21:23:40 GMT -5
Unfortunately for the Helado Gang, Kabnekah Swamp wasn't just chosen because of the remote location. The evil color folk also liked it because there was only one safe path between the outside of the swamp and the hotel. And the Helados were not on that path.
"Oh balls, the horses are stuck!" Rhum yelled. "This mud is to soft!"
"The cart is sinking!"
"Now I've got you!" Man In Black yelled. "Give up the shards now while you still can!"
"Halt!" A voice yelled.
Bask and his passengers lept through the portal. It was a tight squeeze with all the low-hanging trees, so he shifted to small dog form and his passengers stood in the thick mud.
"No one's getting those shards on my watch!" Mark yelled.
"Halt!" A voice yelled.
Woman In Gold and 20 other Blue Faction Colorfolk emerged, covered in mud and sweat.
"No one but us is worthy of the prism- hey, aren't you the ones who stole our shards?" She asked, pointing at Hikos.
"What of it?" Hikos sneered.
"Halt!" A voice yelled.
Fard and Shid from Majika Supremus, as well as a pair of Order Of Gerade, materialized.
"You're ALL under arrest for possession of powerful magic artifacts without a license, golemancy, summoning a cyclops, endangering the secrecy of magic, and probably more!"
|
|
|
Post by frankthetriviaman on Jul 31, 2019 21:42:16 GMT -5
"What the... are you insane? I'M the one who reported the theft of the shards, and THEIR illegal actions, remember? They are OUR property!" Woman In Blue stated, indicating her faction.
"What the hell is the Order of Gerade doing here anyway? Majika Supremus is the only faction with the power to make arrests!" Man In Gold pointed out.
"Shut it, you! I desire the shards so I can get the full power once and for all!" Man In Black boomed.
"Oh, go to hell, you lost the Spirit's blessing the moment you let your heart become corrupted" Man In Silver stated.
"My blood makes me worthy enough!" Woman In Orange protested.
"No, if the prism was whole you would be petrified on the spot. It's power is only for the humble good, or have you become so power hungry you have forgotten that!" Woman In White declared.
"Everyone SHUT UP! As I said, by order of Majika Supremus you are all being taken in for questioning..." Fard said
"We are fully willing to cooperate, Paladin. But I assure you this is a mistake, and if you contact Paladin Ricketts, the one I have been reporting these incidents to, we can clear all this up" Woman In Blue explained.
"Be that as it may, we need to be sure your involvement was not malicious" Shid pointed out.
"I don't want to fight Majika Supremus if I don't have to, but if it means getting the shards I will do what I must" Hikos said as he raised his hammer.
Fard and Shid cast magic towards Hikos, who trapped him in a cage of fire magic small enough that he couldn't move his arms properly to cast spells.
"Of course the magic they use is the element ice is weak against" Hikos deadpanned.
"Anyone else?" Fard asked.
It was a tense stand off for several minutes, until at last...
"GET THE DAMN SHARDS!" Man In Black boomed as his faction sprang into action.
"Secure the shards, but ensure the safety of Majika Supremus Paladins and Gerade mages" Woman In Blue ordered.
"I already know what to do" Man In White said as he and half a dozen others got into a formation
"Hold position!" C.C. shouted as they realized they were surrounded.
|
|
|
Post by Toz76 on Jul 31, 2019 21:55:50 GMT -5
"Alright, that's it!" Fard yelled. "Apprehend everyone except the Blue Faction... actually, apprehend them too, just in case. They still risked the veil being breached-"
But before Fard could say anything else, a blast of dark energy from Man In Black sent him flying into the branches of a tree.
The good and evil colorfolk charged at each other, in a flurry of elemental spells. The Helado Gang and Caravan Crew decided it was best to just stay out of their way, but Man In Black seemed to have a supernatural ability to track where the shards were, and followed Vanil closely.
Meanwhile, the hotel Marwood was all but destroyed. The Cyclops had torn the building down, and the few Black Faction members left inside had scattered. Man In Amber Apricot grabbed the one shard the faction had left and ran in a random direction with Man In Infrared.
"What have we done? WHAT HAVE WE DONE?" Man In Infrared yelled.
"Look at it like this... we now have more shards than all other colorfolk combined! We are unstoppable!"
"That's ridiculous!"
The cyclops tried to chase them down, but its weight drove it deep into the mud, and it was stuck. Which didn't stop it from ripping up every tree it could reach and throwing them. All over New Furness, people swore they saw trees flying through the air.
Vanil didn't notice what was going on until, while fleeing the battlefield with the shards, he ran right into where the cyclops had sunk into the mud. Man In Black suddenly tackled him from behind, pushing both of them into full view of the cyclops.
"Now I've got you, you dirty little..."
"Look out!" Vanil yelled as a massive hand descended towards them...
|
|
|
Post by frankthetriviaman on Jul 31, 2019 22:29:13 GMT -5
The hand swung with great force, Sending Man In Black flying one way... and the shards in another direction all together. Vanil was flung into some trees and knocked out cold, but thanks to plot necessity was not dead.
......
In the battle, Bask had been hit with a couple Insta-spells and suddenly went limp as he relaxed and it was almost as if he was enjoying a very pleasurable experience.
"What was that?" Man In Blue asked, confused.
"Hit him with a blast of extract of dog urine; specifically, from a female dog in heat; shuts down these male dogs every time" Man In White explained before turning his attention to other targets.
Woman In Orange had just blown away one of the Blue faction's members, when she was hit with an insta-spell rock. Coughing for a bit after the dust had settled she was now angry.
"Now then, where are you..." She began.
"Hey! Come on now, you know this wrong, so just join them" said a voice. Woman In Orange looked to her left and saw... herself. Indeed, her body now had two identical heads of herself. But instead of shock and confusion... Woman In Orange began talking to the head as if it was normal.
"MY destiny is to fight for the black faction! I don't want to be a softie like you" The center head stated.
"Oh, screw this fight, I want to live my own life!" a third voice said. Both heads looked over to the third head on her right.
"Magic is what we know, and we are going to get our power back!" The center head stated.
"This power belongs to its rightful owners, we should do the right thing" the left head said
"Why fight when we can follow our passions? Right now I want to sing my heart out!" The right head said.
"NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOU SING!" The left and center heads stated angrily.
"We finally agree on something" the center head said as the left head nodded.
"I'm secretly very lonely on the inside; why didn't mommy ever hug me?" the right head said
"I don't want to talk about feelings I want to crush my enemies!" the center head thundered As she raised her fists.
"But those are our allies, not our enemies. We must assure the safe return of the shards" the left head said as her fists suddenly lowered.
"We work for the Black faction!" the center head snapped
"But the Blue faction is our true calling" the left head said.
"Can't we go for pizza or something? Fighting is so not my thing right now, I am STARVING!" the right head said
"Ugh, fine. But we're getting Mexican; we had pizza yesterday" The center head declared
"Screw Mexican, how about some good Chinese?" The left head asked.
"I said no! We are getting pizza" The right head said.
"Mexican or else!" The center head boomed. And thus, the three heads were now arguing over food and paying no attention to the battle at all.
Man In Yellow and Man In Red were looking at this sight with a mixture of bizarre fascination and cringing discomfort. "I... I'm not sure I want to know" Man In Red said.
"Do we want to know though?" Man In Yellow asked. But both were hit with Instaspells that resulted in pink clouds forming around their heads, and upon inhaling said clouds, both of them fell asleep.
|
|
|
Post by Tug on Jul 31, 2019 22:47:09 GMT -5
"EVERYONE STOP FIGHTING!" shouted Man in Gold
Everyone preceded to pause for a moment, except Man in Green who had Man in Purple in a headlock and preceded to punch him once more on the noggin before pausing as well...
"Ow!"
"Does anybody know where the shards went?" asked Man in Gold
As if on cue, the bag containing the shards flew across the sky with glistening light of one leak out as it fell across the horizon...
"Well I guess that answers that..." lamented Man in Gold
"That's it... We're outta here!" yelled Rhum as he threw a stick of dynamite that blew up enough force to knock the cart out of the mud and send it hurdling down the pathway out of the swamp...
"So what's the plan now that the Boss' up and vanished?" asked Scotch as he lashed the reins, speeding along their getaway
"We'll see if we can find these damn shards, and if not, we'll call it a day and meet back up with the Boss somewhere..." ordered Rhodes as the remaining members of the Helado Gang thundered off towards the horizon
The remaining factions began to regain their bearings after that mini-explosion. The spell encasing Hikos was dropped so he seized his chance...
"Mark! I'll grab Bask so get us out of here!" yelled Hikos as the five members of the Caravan Crew disappeared into a golden ether...
"Well now what?" asked the Center Woman in Orange Head
"You know, I think I'm actually in the mood for Korean..."
"SHUT IT!"
"SHUT IT!"
|
|
|
Post by Toz76 on Jul 31, 2019 23:00:53 GMT -5
Woman In Orange snapped out of it and ran, grabbing the shard bag and sprinting away.
But the damage was done. Sure, the Black Faction hadn't lost any shards, technically, but their base was destroyed and their people were scattered. And sure, the Blue Faction hadn't lost any infrastructure, but the caravan crew had all of their shards. The balance of power was forever shifted.
A few days later, Fard and Shid met with Woman In Blue and Man In Blue.
"We have been unable to locate the Black Faction, Helado Gang, or "caravan crew"," Fard explained, "but at least we know who leads the Helado Gang, and they at least can be easily found. And thankfully, we finally managed to get rid of that cyclops."
"Well, the sooner you find the caravan crew, the better. I don't know why they want our shards, but they cannot be allowed to have them." Woman In Blue said.
"In the meantime, your faction is being audited. Representatives from the six factions of the Magic Underground will be at your base in three weeks time to ensure that you are breaking no laws. Consider yourself warned, Blue Faction; there are rules to be obeyed if you wish to practice magic, and no amount of "pure heart" can save you from the law."
Man In Blue suddenly felt very nervous.
*********
The Black Faction was much worse off. They met in an abandoned shipyard that night. It was rainy and unpleasant.
"Well, our old base is destroyed, now what?" Woman In Orange asked.
"Simple. We destroy the Blue Faction and then track down the remaining 18 shards." Man In Black said.
"I have a better idea, actually..." A voice said.
"Well well well, Woman In Green! Are those stacked boots I see? Stylish. But I refuse to listen to any plan that does not result in us gaining shards."
"Oh don't worry, if my calculations are correct, we will... the only problem is, we'll need to get passports..."
********
As for the Helado Gang, well, their bosses didn't take failure well.
|
|
|
Post by Tug on Jul 31, 2019 23:31:52 GMT -5
The six members, and Dough sitting on the bandaged Vanil's shoulder, sat at the conference table with Lien looking them down with the request in front of them. Most of them had their heads down in shame...
"You couldn't complete Mr. Galvermore's request so he left in a huff, so you won't be paid his portion of the bounty..." spoke Lien firmly
The Helado Gang sat their dreading the next words to follow...
"Officially, we can't approve of the commotion you caused in Marwood, but... Off the record, the Director was pleased with what he saw you do, especially since that 'Man in Black' fellow is as strong as our S-Ranked Slayers... With the damage you did to their base and reputation in the Underground, he's willing to pay the other half of the bounty..."
The Helado Gang cheered at the outcome, with Scotch even throwing up his hat in excitement...
"But don't celebrate just yet, since you all got caught by the Majika Supremus, he's suspending you from Guild Activities for three weeks, so no job requests for that time... It was the best he could do without you all being left in 'their' hands, so he promises to 'monitor' you all from now on, even though that's always been the case... Anyway, the amount should 'just' cover your rent, so remember, when you do a job like this, try not to get caught, okay?" finished Lien as she burned the bounty request with a flame spell, picked up her paperwork, and headed back towards the bar...
"Well, that was a wild ride... Drinks on me?" asked Vanil
"They better..." replied Coco as the six slayers and their golem went to go drown their sorrows in cheap booze and robbing their guild associates...
.....
A couple streets away from the Greedy American Pub, Gerard was furiously lamenting the failure of the Guild as he tried shooting out spells with his new Magitek Hand...
"Grr... If you wanted a job done properly, you should just do it yourself, or better yet, find some like minded associates or something..." growled Gerard to himself...
"Excuse me sir, you look like you're in the need of aid..." said a woman as she approached the hardly approachable man on the side of the street
"And who might you be?" uncaringly asked Gerard
"I'm the Vixen, and I think I know where you can find such 'associates'..." replied the Vixen
Curious now, Gerard asked, "Really, and where might that be?"
The Vixen smiled in response...
.....
|
|
|
Post by Toz76 on Jul 31, 2019 23:53:36 GMT -5
Kniitwiit, Silent Night, The Duplicator, and The Cushion got out of their car and stared at the stone gate before them.
“Is this really the place that Denim guy wanted us to go?” Silent Night asked. “No one lives on this part of the island.”
The northeastern corner of New Furness has never been a very popular place to live. While the west, more populated side of the island is shielded from the full brunt of the Atlantic by facing the other way, the eastern side has no such luck. The Northeastern bit, however, has it worst of all, because the high cliffs above the water and dense pine forest made building a town difficult. Other than some loggers and a single patch of buildings about five miles back, this entire chunk of the island was no-mans land. The weather wasn’t much better. It frequently rained, and the high cliffsides coupled with strange ocean winds led to powerful storms forming over this section of the island for days at a time. One such storm was clearly brewing now.
In other words, it was the perfect place for an evil lair.
The four followed a small dirt trail in the grass, which sloped gently downward. After about half a mile, however, the path seemed to stop, running directly into a vertical cliff face with no clear way through.
“This must be where the secret door is.” The Duplicator decided.
“I’ve got the honey.” Kniitwiit pulled out a small bear-shaped plastic container and squeezed some onto the rock, arranging the honey into the shape of an ancient rune, the Old Magykkan rune for “horn”.
There was a scraping sound and part of the rockface faded away, leaving a small tunnel in the rock wide enough for the group to walk single file. The Cushion took the lead, with Silent Night and Kniitwiit following and The Duplicator taking up the rear.
“Wow…” breathed The Cushion as he emerged on the other side of the tunnel.
Wow was right. The group had emerged on a narrow ledge on the edge of a cliff. The sides of the cliff descended some 60 yards below them to the sea below, angrily crashing against the rocks, and above them another sixty yards as well. But the really awe-inspiring thing was the odd shape of these cliffs. They formed a perfect semicircle with roughly a 500 foot radius, and rising out of the water in the middle of this semicircle was a massive stone tower. Diablo Tower.
The only path between the ledge and the tower was a narrow stone bridge, and as the group started towards the tower, two men appeared in the tower doorway, wearing bronze-lined black suits.
“Stop right there! I am Doctor Laser, and this is The General! And unless you surrender, we will be forced to obliterate you!” “Doc, your lasers aren’t actually…” The General muttered in a surprisingly squeaky voice considering his burly stature. The General sounded like he had inhaled the world’s entire supply of helium (don’t actually do this, there is a helium shortage in the world and it’s needed for medical equipment). Kniitwiit tried and failed to suppress a laugh.
“Um… we were told that we could join the “Vile Evil Confederacy” here?” Silent Night volunteered. “Oh? Who sent you?” Doctor Laser asked, unconsciously twirling his mustache.
“He called himself Eddie Denim?”
“Ah, say no more! We’ve been expecting you! Come, the Cardinals are waiting!”
The inside of the stone tower was surprisingly more pleasant than the group had expected. The stone walls of the tower kept out the wind, and there was a roaring fire in the center of the large entry hall. The best part, of course, was the elevator at the far end of the room. “Alright, Cardinal Meeting room, 47th floor…” muttered Doctor Laser to them as he ushered them into the elevator and sprinted back to his post. The Cardinal Meeting room was a massive room, with a massive curved desk taking up half of it. 11 spots were set, but only nine of those seats were occupied. The bronze throne in the center, as well as the chair to the left of it, were empty. However, the other nine spots were occupied by a very eclectic bunch.
On the far left, a pale woman in black robes accepted a drink from a waiter that the group realized, with a shock, was clearly an animated corpse. Next to her, a sullen black-robed man fiddled with a small red object. On his other side, two slight-looking men were poring over some maps, deep in thought. The seat to the right of the empty bronze throne was taken by an intense red-robed man that somehow physically hurt to look at. Next to him, a bespectacled woman pored over a book, and the gaudily dressed woman on her other side tried desperately to amuse the horrific grey, winged creature next to her, who was more interested in a small blue gem it was holding. Finally, on the far end, a large yellow-robed man sat sullenly, as if disinterested in the whole affair. As the four nervously approached the bench, a green robed figure suddenly materialized before them, and spoke in a booming voice. “My fellow cardinals, I trust I am not late?”
“Ah, Elvene! Wonderful! We weren’t expecting you to show up for such a mundane meeting.” The bespectacled woman said cheerfully. “I note I still do not have a desk. No matter. I shall hover.” Elvene floated in place in the center of the room. The red-robed man cleared his throat, and all discussion was silenced.
“Now then, we are gathered today to potentially induct four new members into the noble order of the Vile Evil Confederacy. I am Bloodlust, second-in-command of this noble institution, and we are the 12 Cardinals Of VEC.”
“Where are the other two?” The Duplicator asked. He wasn’t the brightest, but he could count to 12.
“Ah…” Bloodlust sighed. “Our true leader, the Bronze Mage, and his apprentice, Silvestron, are busy with other matters. He sends his regards, though. And Silvestron sends this carrot cake.” Bloodlust procured a box and handed it to Elvene, who carried it over to The Cushion. “Uh… this is a trumpet.”
“Well… Percy hasn’t quite got the hang of advanced magic like that yet…”
“Or any magic…” muttered the yellow-robed man.
“Can it, Honeybadger!” Snapped the gaudy woman. “Now, you there, with the green sweater. State your name and powers.”
Kniitwiit stepped forward nervously, pulling out their knitting needles. “My name is Kniitwiit… that’s four I’s… and I can make pretty much anything you can think of out of yarn, simply by knitting it.”
The gaudy woman raised an eyebrow. “Niche, but I like it. Why don’t you knit us a carrot cake, then?”
“Well, I can’t knit food, miss, uh…”
“Bloodsphere. Vivian Bloodsphere. And why not?”
“Well, yarn isn’t edible. But I can knit a trumpet! Here, watch!” Kniitwiit pulled out a ball of red yarn, and after a couple minutes of furious knitting, managed to play a passable rendition of taps.
“It’d sound better if I still played regularly…” they muttered, embarrassed.
“That’s not half bad…” one of the slight men commented. “Yarn emitting tones comparable to that of a brass instrument… hmmm… I like this one.”
“Shocking, Chessmaster likes the new recruit.” Honeybadger muttered. “Don’t have any powers of your own, so you latch onto all the weirdos.”
“Horned One’s sake, shut up!” Vivian snapped.
“Anyway, who’s next?” Bloodlust shouted, in a voice that made everyone’s blood run cold.
The Cushion stepped forward.
“They call me the cushion, and my powers are, well… I’m impervious to all physical damage.”
“Oh? Priori, could you test that?” Bloodlust said, addressing the black-clad woman on the far end.
“Eet would be my pleasure.” Priori said in a thick Russian accent. From behind the desk, two skeletons unfolded themselves and charged at The Cushion, punching and kicking him, but the Cushion didn’t even flinch.
“It’s not just this. I can fall from great heights, be stretched out, and never so much as get a cut, or feel a thing.” The Cushion said.
“Impressive…” The other slight man muttered.
“Oh, can it, Mindreader! He’s not so tough! What if I froze him in place with my honey magic, huh?”
“Honeybadger, if you speak out of turn again, I will not hesitate to make this a council of eleven!” Bloodlust growled. “Next applicant!”
The Duplicator stepped forward. Or rather, someone exactly resembling The Duplicator stepped forward, while The Duplicator stayed in place.
“They call me “The Duplicator” because I can, well, duplicate myself.”
“There’s got to be a catch.” The bespectacled woman said.
“Well, kinda… um, whatever-your-name-is.”
“My name is Orator… anyway, what’s the catch?”
“Well, these clones, these duplicates, they aren’t exactly very self-sufficient. They don’t quite have my staggering intellect or problem-solving skills.”
“And here I thought we had a suitable supplement to my AIAC…” Vivian muttered.
The demonic creature next to Vivian stirred. “I may have a solution.” It said in a voice that wasn’t quite sinister, and certainly didn’t have the same blood-curling effect Bloodlust’s did, but still filled the new recruits with dread in a more subtle, hard to pin down way.
“Oh? Xex, are you hoping to take this one on as a personal apprentice?” Mindreader asked.
“Not at all. I simply wish to attempt something, and this one’s powers seem useful to that end.”
“I see no reason why not.” Orator said. “I’ve always felt you needed to connect with us humans more anyway.”
“And I’ve always felt that you mortal fleshbags are inferior, but you don’t hear me saying such things, do you?”
“Excuse me.” Said the sullen figure, and the only one who hasn’t been named yet. “There’s still one more applicant.”
Silent Night swallowed and stepped forward, nervously. “Hi… I’m Silent Night. My powers aren’t as flashy or anything, but… I’m very stealthy. Supernaturally so. I can merge with shadows, climb walls silently, all sorts of things. It’s some sort of shadow magic, I think. I don’t fully understand it, but…”
“Say no more.” The sullen figure stood. “I want this one as my apprentice.”
“This is a pleasant surprise.” Bloodlust noted. “You’re the last person I’d expect to ask for an apprentice… even Xex is more personable than you.”
“Yes, well, whatever. I think I can help her unlock the full extent of her powers. Permission to begin immediately?” “I would allow it, I have other things to do.” Elvene intoned.
“Very well, council adjourned.” Orator announced.
Silent Night approached the sullen figure. “Who are you? Why do you want me as an apprentice? Why aren’t the other’s someone’s apprentice?”
The sullen figure sighed. “In our organization, “apprentice” doesn’t mean that much. It just means you and I will be working closely together to unlock your powers. Not everyone needs more training, and the other three all have skillsets that are, let’s say, a bit niche.”
“Okay, but who are you?”
“I am known by many names. But among friends… I am the Blood Alchemist.”
There was something about the Blood Alchemist, an intensity that even Bloodlust and Xex, the most terrifying people at the table, couldn’t match. And so as she followed him to the elevator, she was equal parts excited… and scared out of her mind.
|
|
|
Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 2, 2019 18:02:40 GMT -5
Back at the Blue Faction headquarters, Man In Blue was introduced to a very important figure by WomanIn Blue
“Daniel, this is Paladin Ricketts; he’s the Majika Supremus mage directly responsible for maintaining the peace in this island- specifically, he is the Paladin in charge of ensuring the safety of magic users and, when necessary, prevents their identities from being compromised in the non-magic world. I’ve had to have more than one discussion with him over the various... incidents, but for the most part they have been understanding about the situation at hand; because most of our acts were in defense or in reaction to far greater danger, the fights we’ve been involved in were justified acts of defense. However, there are some things he wants clarified, so he wanted to talk to you” woman in blue explained.
“I understand” Man In Blue stated. Ricketts then got straight to business
“I’ll get right to the point... Daniel, are you aware that at present, the world of magic is kept hidden from the non-magic world?”
“Yes; I can understand the reasoning though; world isn’t ready for our return” Man In Blue replied
“Good, so about the class at the university... I suppose it’s only fair to tell you that we have been investigating reports attached to this class for a while now” Ricketts said
Man in Blue gulped at that revelation. “But sir, I was raised non-magic by my father. He told me tales and stories as a kid, but these are considered mythology in the non-magic world; arguably magic mythology is just as interesting as Greek and Roman mythology” Daniel pointed out.
“And you’ve been framing this course as such, a “history of the mythology of magic” course?”
“Correct. I did a couple “tricks” to keep the students entertained but the next day I revealed that I “faked” them; did them to keep their interest of course” Daniel stared
“Well you did nothing major from what we can tell so that is fine. What we aren’t so sure on is if this presents a risk to the magic world’s security” Ricketts explained
“You have nothing to worry about; not teaching the class after this semester anyway. I talked to the dean and he said while the students enjoyed the class, the low turnout makes it not worth it; so instead I’ll be teaching classes on the history of the mythology of the mythical monsters; stuff that will actually draw a good turn out” he explained
“I see; but what about the students in your current class?” Ricketts said
“Got it covered” Daniel assured.
......
On the last day of lecture, Daniel revealed there would be no final; the three tests taken that semester, everyone did well enough that a final was not necessary. Instead, he left them with parting words.
“So... we know that none of this is real. But then what was the point of all these stories and tales? Why do they exist? I suppose when boiled down to its elements it’s all a most remarkable allegory. “Magic” is a metaphor for one’s inner strength, and these stories are tales about how to unlock one’s inner strength. We as humans are extraordinary creatures. Sure, we can’t throw fireballs or fly, but that’s not the point. The stories and fables involving magic are about unlocking great power, yes... but it’s not what you think. Yes, you may never learn how to shoot ice crystals, but you can find the courage to do something amazing, like climb a mountain. You may never shoot a lightning bolt, but you can find the strength to stand up to and face what you are afraid of. Flying, snakes, small spaces... or lightning, perhaps? Look for the strength within, and you can overcome anything. Sure, you can never throw a fireball, but you can find the strength to help others in need when they are in danger. Maybe you’ll never control water, but you can find the strength to go forth and when in a dangerous situation yourself, you can pull yourself together and come out all right.
In conclusion, stories about magic aren’t just tales of good vs evil or individuals harnessing great power... they tell us about one of the most important life lessons of all: if we put in the effort to unleash our inner strength, then there is little we can not do. And I hope that you take that lesson to heart as you leave my classroom and move on during your journey in life”
His little class gave a standing ovation for his parting words, which he acknowledged before he himself left the classroom
“I hope he teaches other classes; I think we could learn a lot from him” David said as the others nodded in agreement
......
“And so in conclusion... his class was presented as a mythology course, everything he presented was common knowledge of said mythology in the non-magic world and he exposed no secrets of any faction. Safe to say this fellow is no threat”
“All right; close this case then; we’ll put the resources elsewhere”
......
Woman In Orange was being confronted by some members of her faction. “By the way... how did you get the shards when they went flying over the horizon anyway?” Man In Red asked
”Well you see I... eh...uh...huh? I think I AHHHHHH!!!!” She started screaming as she suddenly started falling down a hole that appeared out of absolutely no where
”Wh... what happened?” Man In Cardinal asked
”I’ve heard legends but never thought they were true. It seems that Woman In Orange has fallen into... a plot hole!
|
|
|
Post by Tug on Aug 4, 2019 1:04:59 GMT -5
"Are you even sure those are the shards?" crossly asked Man in Green
"I'm sure look!" replied Woman in Orange as she opened the bag, only for black smoke and soot to explode out and covered her face, as well as destroy the bag...
"I can't believe you grabbed a fake!" yelled Woman in Yellow angrily, "Now we have just as many as those goodie two shoes, NONE!"
"How was I supposed to know it was one! I was too focused on getting the shards and getting out of there without dealing with those Supremus bastards..." barked back Woman in Orange as a piece of the destroyed bag floating down and flipped over, revealinga logo of an "S" with a hammer and a prism forming an x behind it...
Man in Black simply just picked up the piece of fabric and said, "Grr... Patience everyone... This may be a 'minor' setback, but we'll follow Woman in Green's lead and once we're back here, we'll use our full might to take back those shards and more, alright?" During that word of phrase, black slug oozed out of Man in Black's pore, seemingly ready to explode outwards at the simplest drop of a hat...
"We'll get those passports done right away sir!" shakily replied Man in Off-White as he and Man in Ghost White rapidly ran out of the Warehouse the Evil Colorfolk we hiding in to meet with Woman in Green's arranged contact...
.....
On the outskirts of Marwood, the Men in Infrared and Amber Apricot were at a loss in what to do...
"Our plan failed spectacularly and all we got was one singular shard out of it, but at the price of probably everyone on this island wanting our heads on a silver platter!" freaked out Man in Amber Apricot
"Don't worry, I have a plan!" replied Man in Infrared
"Yeah, what is it?" asked Man in Amber Apricot
"If we build another summoning device, maybe it would summon a creature that could give us a really useful plan for out situation!" answered Man in Infrared as Amber Apricot slapped him across the face with a hand slathered in hardened honey...
"Ow!"
"I can't even explain how many levels of stupid that plan was!"
"It seems you fellas are in a bit of trouble due to your sudden, 'void in leadership.'.." said a mysterious voice from above
"Who... Who are you..." stuttered Man in Amber Apricot with a honey spell at the ready
"I'm Vincent Hikos, but you fine gents might be more familiar with my family title, the Man in Steel..." replied the voice as a figure jumped down from the tree and stood tall before the duo...
"Alright, 'Man in Steel', and why should we listen to you then?" asked Man in Infrared, doubting his story...
"Because, I currently have the highest amount of Prism Shards out of all the factions currently..." replied the Colorman as he revealed a bag from behind and opened it for a moment to show the duo a dozen or so sparkling prism shards inside...
"Ok, we're listening... But why should you be the boss then?" remarked Man in Amber Apricot
"Well, I currently have a couple of years experience leading a ragtag band of warriors and magic users who respect me, and I'm now in the market for some reliable hench... I mean goo... 'sidekicks', and seeing as you have massive target on your back, as well as a prism shard, my associates and I could provide you with the proper protection..." answered the Man in Steel
"Alright, even if it's true, are you sure you could protect us?" doubted Man in Infrared...
"Well..." was all the Man in Steel could get out as a fireball came flying at the Colormen duo's heads. Before it impacted, an ice wall rapidly shot up and too the brunt of the attack, turning the surrounding air into steam...
"Does that answer your question?" said Man in Steel as created ice walls to surround the duo from the ensuing fireball discharges
"You make a sound argument" quickly nodded Man in Amber Apricot
"Yeah, ah, do you want to shake on it 'boss'?" worryingly added Man in Infrared
"It's fine, I'll fight off this pursuer, just wit for me back at home base!" ordered Man in Steel
"And where exactly is that?" asked Man in Amber Apricot
"Just watch..." replied the Man in Steel as he pulled out a vial from within his grey coat and dumped it into his palm, emptying out gold dust from inside. He stuck put the gold covered palm and blew on the dust, which flew out into the ether to create a gold colored portal that seemed to exit near some sort of cart, "Go quickly, before it closes! I'll catch up to you later after I deal with these guys!"
"Thanks Boss!"
"We owe our lives to you!"
And with that, the two 'Evil' Colormen disappeared into a golden portal that closed shut behind them...
"Suckers..."
We done Steel?" asked Lauren, who exited from the treeline with Mark right behind her...
"Yeah, and with that, that makes 14 shards in our possession. Adriana originally wanted to scatter the shards across the realms, but I think I can do one better..." replied Steel
"Yeah, and what would that be?" wondered Mark
"Something the Colorfolk won't be expecting... Come on, I'll tell you over at the Goddess of Drinks, we have to be gone long enough for those idiots to think we're having an actual battle..." laughed the Man in Steel
"Alright, but sometimes I worry about those 'big plans' of yours..." replied Lauren as Mark began to whistle and the trio disappeared into the ether of the night...
.....
End Of Act III
|
|
|
Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 4, 2019 12:38:08 GMT -5
At Blue faction Headquarters, Those assembled were getting a briefing from Man In White. The faction was getting updated on the plans going forward. "As we all know, two shards have been confirmed in location by Kendarboo, and we are going to retrieve them at once. Teams are being assembled to retrieve the first one... on Ordos, if you'll believe that" Man In White explained. "What? But surely you can't mean..." Woman In Blue began. "No, not the Great Hall. We're still having trouble locating that. Between the fact that our ancestors forgot the damn maps when they came here and it's perception filter went haywire some time after the shattering it's impossible for anyone, Blue or Black, to locate it" Man In White explained. "So what shard are we looking for?" Woman In Silver asked. "I'll fill you in on all the details shortly. As for the second... Daniel, I believe you'll be able to handle this one" Man In White said as he handed Daniel an address. "What? Are you sure? This is..." Daniel began. "Truth be told we've always known about this, but it was good to know that Kendarboo's information is reliable" winked Man In White. "Well, all right... it's about time I go see him anyway" Daniel noted. "As for defense of the base... Man In Bole, is it complete?" Man In White asked. "Yes; after what happened I prioritized making substantial improvements to the Base's perception Filter. Now that I've upgraded the power source's efficiency and improved the Cooldown systems we now only need to turn it off for brief periods at a time for maintenance" Man In Bole declared. "Good; now it is impossible for anyone outside of the Blue Faction to perceive our base, let alone enter it" Man In Gold noted. "Eh, not quite. I had to make an exception for Majika Supremus Paladins for obvious reasons" Man In Bole admitted. "Fair enough" now regarding the plan, here's how its going down" Man In White began briefing the team that would be going to the unspecified Ordos location. "Say, I have a question... does anyone know what the KNUCKLEHEADS have been up to as of late? For noble defenders they sure have been rather inactive lately" Man In Blue asked. Everyone suddenly was dumbfounded at that rather significant revelation. ...... (Flashback; New Furness Police Headquarters) "Officers, please, I don't understand, what is going on?" Arkwright said; though Noir Knight was notably absent, everyone else was there, albeit in modern civillian clothes now, in a holding cell. "Good thing Noir Knight had business elsewhere at the time. Call it a hunch but I don't think he would be in a good position here" Arkwright whispered to the others. "But why are we under arrest?" Maguire asked the officer "You're under arrest for an assortment of charges. Is this them, sir?" The officer as the gentleman next to him. "That's them, officers! The lady over there in particular. These are the knuckleheads who keep trespassing on my lands and try to attack my windmill!" He said angrily. "There is no law against protecting this land from attacks on vile monsters!" Don Delia stated passionately. "No, but there are laws against trespassing, attempted destruction of private property, and failing to clean up after a horse" the officer pointed out. "Hey, we can't control when he goes" Rose pointed out. "But you can keep your horse on your own damn land!" The windmill owner stated angrily. "Look, I'm sorry about this Mr..." "Miller. Donald Miller. And yes, I am aware of the coincidence in my name. I also have no intention of dropping the charges against you; I am so sick of you always trying to destroy my property, you damn bunch of KNUCKLEHEADS!" Miller said angrily. "Why thank you" Alexandre said, pleased. "That was an insult" Miller pointed out. "We are proud to be KNUCKLEHEADS!" Castlemore boasted "You're not helping your case..." the officer pointed out. The KNUCKLEHEADS gulped. ......... (present day) "Court is now in session. The honorable Judge Arthur Goodhall presiding over the case of Arthur Miller and the City of New Furness vs. Arkwright Edogog, William Maguire, Charles Winstead, Delia Mancha, Rose Gonzalez, Eren Day, Jaune Moreau, Alexandre Dubois, Calvin Castlemore, Pierre Bastille, Arnott Williamson and Ulrich Von Lechenault" the bailiff said as the judge began the trial. "Now then, Mr. Edogog, Mr. Maguire, Mr. Winstead, Ms. Mancha, Ms. Gonzalez, Mr. Day, Mr. Moreau, Mr. Dubois, Mr. Castlemore, Mr. Bastille, Mr. Williamson and Mr. Von Lechenault, you have all been charged with trespassing on private land, attempted destruction of private property, failure to clean up after an animal, attempted assault with a deadly weapon and reckless endangerment. How do you plea?" the judge began.
|
|
|
Post by Toz76 on Aug 5, 2019 22:39:40 GMT -5
Man In Infrared and Man In Amber Apricot had spent the past few days hanging out in Man In Infrared's house, a run-down one-story shack on the edge of the town of Silverwood.
"When are we gonna hear from Hikos?" Man In Infrared asked.
"I dunno... I don't trust him though. I swear he's a colorfolk."
"Oh please, he's too powerful to be one."
"Yeah, well, there are powerful colorfolk out there."
Man In Infrared scoffed. "Name one."
As if on cue, Man In Black burst through the ceiling. He looked quite a bit different from the last time these two had seen him. His hair was unkempt, the tattoo on his cheek was more visible than ever, and there was a deranged look in his eyes, like an addict going through withdrawal.
"WHERE IS IT!"
"What's going on?" Man In Infrared squealed.
"I KNOW YOU TWO SUMMONED THAT CYCLOPS AND STOLE A SHARD! WHERE IS IT?!?!" Man In Black's voice shook the house to its foundation.
"We gave it to the caravan crew! Don't hurt us!" Man In Infrared squealed.
"YOU DID WHAT?"
There was a sudden gust of wind in the room. Man In Infrared looked down at his sleeves, only to find that they weren't there.
"What did you do to me?"
Man In Black hissed through gritted teeth. "Infrared isn't a real color... it's not visible to human eyes. I just made your uniform reflect that."
"Oh god! I need to put some clothes on!" Man In Infrared turned to leave, and was suddenly pulled against the wall by Man In Black. His head hit the brick wall of the chimney, and there was a crack that sounded like a bone in his skull/neck region shattering.
"You monster!" Man In Amber Apricot yelled. He shot gobs of honey at Man In Black, who dodged them with ease. "I think you killed him!"
"No, you're the monster! I need those shards! I'm losing my mind!"
"Man In Black, listen to me! You've changed!" Man In Amber Apricot yelled. "I remember when your father was still alive. You were such a quiet, nice man, who was embarrassed by your father's shard obsession! But ever since you became the Man In Black, you've become more and more like him! You even have the same tattoo!"
"Don't you know anything, fool? The shards are the only thing that matters anymore! You sure have a big head, don't you, smartass? We'll see just how big your head can get. Grelk naka bik chov pula granknis..."
***********
"I present... the Black Faction dirigible!" Man In Black said proudly.
Woman In Orange looked disgusted. "That's clearly just Man In Amber Apricot's head expanded to massive size, with a bunch of rickety wood platforms nailed to his face."
"Yes, well, we need a new base of operations, so why not a mobile one?" Man In Baby Blue put in.
"Woman In Orange sighed. "We talked about this... let's go over the plan again, shall we? Our intel suggests that there are at least two shards somewhere on Ordos. So we're going to take the... uh... dirigible... to Ordos. From there, we will split into three groups. Man In Black will-"
"I'm not going with." Man In Black said.
"What?"
"There are fourteen shards on New Furness. I can easily take down the caravan crew with the powers of my lineage," Man In Black rubbed his anchor tattoo as he said this, "and combined with the shards you recover, we'll have nearly two-thirds of the prism."
"But we need you to lead the expedition to-"
"Listen to me, woman! I'm going insane here! I can't live without those shards! Don't try and stop me!" Man In Black snapped.
"Jeez, okay, okay. Alright, change of plans, I guess. Alright. Group 3 is everyone who isn't picked for groups one and two, who will stay on the dirigible under the command of Man In Egyptian Blue. Group one will be led by me, and will consist of Man In Off-white, Man In Ghost White, Man In Green, Woman In Green, Man In Yellow, Woman In Yellow, Woman In Red, Woman In Alice Blue, Man In Cornflower Blue, Man In Heliotrope, Man In Gamboge, Man In Salmon, and Man In Baby Blue. Group 2 will consist of the red warriors-"
"Aw HECK yeah!" Man In Red yelled, giving high-fives to the Men In Scarlet, Cardinal, Crimson, Brick, Ruby, and Rose.
"...and the Pink Battalion."
"The what now?"
"That's us!" A voice yelled. "I am Woman In Pink, leader of the Pink Battalion, the most powerful group of seven colorfolk ever assembled! Tremble before the might of the women in Pink, Fuschia, Magenta, Mauve, Lavender, Lilac, and Rose!"
"Rose isn't a shade of pink! It's red!" The Man In Rose yelled.
"Then explain me?" The Woman In Rose yelled back.
"This is gonna go great! Absolutely no power struggles are gonna ensue in group 2! Am I right, Morris?" Man In Heliotrope whispered to Man In Gamboge.
"Yeah, Mack, I'm sure it's gonna turn out phenomenal..."
|
|
|
Post by Tug on Aug 5, 2019 23:53:27 GMT -5
Down in the Magic Underground, a certain black armored knight walked nobly down the street, with a strong, chivalrous stride in tow. This figure soon approached the all too familiar Greedy American Pub, passing by some heavily hungover cowboys(?) as he made his way to the entrance. The Bouncer Shear was about to stop the knight and ask for his arrival, but the knight waved a familiar bag of jingling coin that Shear left the noble warrior inside the establishment...
As the armored figure walked towards the bar, Lien greeted him with a warm, familiar smile, "Ah, Noir Knight! It's been a while since your last job posting! The Director values a reliable client such as yourself! What will it be this time?"
As Noir Knight approached the counter, he answered the woman with, "Normally my jobs are similar item fetch quests for my, 'condition', but this time, I need a specialist to aid me in my quest. This time, I need someone who utilizes abilities of the 'spirit' variety..."
"I think I got just the individual to help you... Hey, Ghost Puncher! You awake back there?" shouted Lien as a biker looking man in black leather chugged his bottle of whiskey and left it on the table of the booth he had been reclining in...
Ghost Puncher approached the duo and said, "Well I just woke up from that drinking binge with Vanil and his crew a little while ago, so I'm just about ready to begin making an honest days work... Sorry I haven't introduced my self yet, I'm the B Ranked Slayer Ghost Puncher, at your service, Sir..."
"Noir Knight is fine, and I guess you want to further discuss the job then?" added Noir
"I'll just leave you two alone in the conference room, don't worry Noir, since you're a regular client I'm certain you brought the right amount for a specialty quest like this..." said Lien as she led the duo to the discussion table...
"So to make sure I'm right for this job, I specialize in Spectral Magic, being able to command over 'phantom limbs' and allow myself to physically touch the incorporeal spirits... Does that work for the endeavor?" asked Ghost Puncher
"That's perfect actually, I actually need you to come with me to retrieve a certain object, that, from what I can gather, has phantom guards too many for me to tackle by my lonesome..." replied Noir Knight
"Alright, and where are we going to exactly to deal with these 'ghosts then?" wondered Ghost Puncher
"Have you ever heard of an island called Ordos?"
.....
Three individuals soon approached a black gunk soaked shack near Silverwood...
"I can definitely feel the irksome Prism Magic in the air, even if it's so corrupted..." said one of the figures
"Hey, watch it newbie, that stuff can be dangerous, we don't want you to be done in on your first mission now, do we?" said the figure next to him
"Grr! Nothing will stop me from having my revenge on those blasted Colorfolk!" growled back the first figure
"Gerard! Sal! Cool it! Especially you Salamander! We're only out here due to a favor I owe to Blood, so let's examine this place and head back..." said the third figure as he supervised the duo
"Yes Archbishop... Hey, is that... A guy in there?" pointed out the Salamander as he carefully walked inside the building
"Don't blame me if your body starts to deteriorate!" yelled Gerard
"Shut it! Hey, this guy has black crack like scars across his body... And his pupils are pure white... Archbishop Chaos, I think you should see this!" yelled the Salamander
Chaos soon approached the building, snapping his figures as the black gunk would disappear in odd or mysterious ways, as if almost by accident, to clear a safe path for him to walk through...
"Whatever happened to him, the Higher Ups will be interested in whatever abilities he has to offer, come on, we'll take him back with us to see if we can make a new recruit out of him yet..."
.....
|
|
|
Post by Toz76 on Aug 6, 2019 0:18:03 GMT -5
The Blue Faction Headquarters was tense. Man In Blue waited with Woman In Blue, Man In White, Man In Gold, Woman In Silver, Woman In Gold, Woman In White, and Man In Silver, guarding the entrance. The Audit team from the Magic Underground had just arrived, after some brief trouble with their magic barrier.
"You've made your protective ward far too strong." The Optometrist noted. "You can just set it to block the Black Faction and Caravan crew, you know. What if you urgently need Icetouched healing in here?"
"I didn't realize anyone else would be coming for the audit." Woman In Blue explained. "We expected just Majika Supremus."
"Oh no, all audit teams contain two representatives from each of the six major factions." Sergei Meerov explained. "Majika Supremus needs oversight too, after all."
Fard and My, the Majika Supremus representatives, stepped forward.
"For the next week, we require full access to your lair, all documentation, and all personnel. We will be interviewing everyone closely to make sure no violations of magical law were committed. If we find that any violations were committed, well... let's just say that Majika Supremus prisons are the perfect place to be alone with your thoughts."
Woman In Blue swallowed nervously.
Man In Blue, on the other hand, was baffled by one of the Guild Of Damoni representatives, The Beyonder. She looked exactly like a student he had had in his magic studies class. Had they been observing him even then?
*********
The most expensive hotel in the Magic Underground is the Hakaris Magiohotel, a massive 15-story tower with 540 rooms maintained by the Hakaris Faction. The food is exquisite, the magical amenities are second-to-none, and skeletons controlled by Hakaris necromancers perform room service better than any human could.
Two hooded figures checked in to a room on the top floor that day. They were very suspicious looking, with their black-and-bronze uniforms and horned badges, but they also happened to be under the effects of a spell that made them less memorable to those who saw them.
After setting their bags down, the taller of the two figures turned to his companion.
"Alright, Silent Night, before I can begin training you, I have a task for you that will test the extent of your stealth magic. On the ground floor of the building across the street, Coropimi Rare Text Emporium, there is a display case containing the Gift Of Carrot. It is watched 24/7 by both magic and mundane security. A set of Enchanto-Armor created by Magika Supremus watches over it at all times. I want you to steal the Gift Of Carrot and bring it back here without being seen.
"Easy. I won't let you down, Mister Blood Alchemist." Silent Night said. "Just one question... what is the Gift Of Carrot?"
"Well it's... you know the Tale Of Tail?"
"The what?"
"Oh, forget it..."
|
|
|
Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 6, 2019 23:36:23 GMT -5
The Blue faction Audit proceeded as expected- uneventful. Not only did the inspectors find no violation of Magic Law of any kind, but, as the Majika Supremus representatives indicated to the others, "The matter of Mr. Erdagovern's class has already been investigated and resolved... because it was framed as mythology, in the context of knowledge that already exists in the non-magic world, it presented no threat to the magic world and as such, does not compromise the security of the magic world" Fard explained.
As for the teams being dispatched to retrieve the shards while other members were being interviewed, they were also protected under the magic law. "As I am sure you are already aware" Woman In Blue began, "We have had not one, but two groups of mages attack us in some capacity in the past few weeks. For all intents and purposes these are Declarations of War, and per the Constantinople Accords we have the power to take action as reasonably necessary, even while under audit. The Black Faction will no doubt try to steal our shards for their purposes, and the caravan almost certainly has their reasons for doing so as well. We will cooperate with the audit as best as we can, but as I'm sure you are aware, because this is a time of war, we are obligated to act before they cause more damage than they already have. We need to retrieve these shards before they fall into the wrong hands. The shards are our property and we have an obligation to ensure their safe return before... well, I don't even want to imagine what could happen. All of these acts which we are taking fall well within the guidelines set in the Constantinople Accords, and we hope, just as much as you do, for a swift conclusion to these conflicts."
The auditing members could not find fault in her explanation and understood that, as a faction currently embroiled in war, the Blue Faction had an obligation to act accordingly without interference.
......
Man In White's team arrived on Ordos, with a single destination in mind, one that had not been touched in centuries. The eight member team with Man In White in the lead knew their mission and intended to be quick about it: retrieve the shard and get out of there. Fortunately, unlike the Great Hall, this location did not have a perception filter that went crazy. After a brief trek through woods, they found their destination. Despite the centuries of not having human visitors, it was in relatively good shape. A mostly plain, barren area, with a series of small obelisks shooting out of the ground, names engraved on each obelisk indicating who they honored. In the center of it all was a stone slab, flat and rectangular, about the size of... well, a coffin.
"Ah, the traditional Colorman death ritual" Man In White noted. "The bodies are laid, wrapped in cloth, on the slab, and overnight, the body disappeared, and the name appeared on its respective obelisk" he observed.
"So, the shard is here?" Man In Light Blue asked.
"Yes... it is near. The tingling grows stronger in... that direction" Man In White said as he lead the party in said direction. All the while, a figure appeared to be watching them from the distance.
The group of eight found themselves near the obelisk of the Man In White lineage, when the namesake wielder looked down to the ground, and appeared to see glowing in the dirt.
"At last, returned to its rightful owners" Man In White said, but as he reached out towards it, a voice declared "Halt! What is your purpose?" The group of eight looked up to see a ghostly figure present before them. His clothes indicative of a warrior of a past era, and yet, that face...
"Hey Jeffrey... he looks somewhat like you..." Man In Teal observed.
Man In White thought about it for a moment before stepping forward, "Alteria of Cronbough, I presume?" He asked.
"You are correct. That voice and those clothes can only mean one thing... my descendant, perhaps?" he asked.
"Yes. We have come to retrieve this shard so that it may be reunited with the others. But how do I know that you are truly my ancestor? The spirits of Colormen past only returned when the prism was whole" Man In White pointed out.
"Indeed. However, this land is the only exception to that rule. For reasons not even we of the first generation could understand, the magic contained within these lands allows us to return for brief periods of time within them. Alas, the weakened state prevents me from doing much, but I can ensure this shard never falls into the wrong hands" Alteria explained.
"You've done a noble thing, grandfather. But you can return to being at peace now, for now this shard has a greater purpose to fulfill" Man In White explained.
"I am glad that is so. But before you go, I must insist you do one task for... yourselves, really" Alteria said.
"Which is?" Man In White asked.
"Find each of your respective family's obelisks, and pay your respects to the ones who came before you. If you listen hard enough, you will find something just as valuable as any prism shard" Alteria explained.
The assembled group didn't quite understand what Alteria was getting at, but did so anyway. Coming towards each obelisk, they kneeled and bowed their heads. Nothing happened at first, until each individual member began seeing a vision become clearer and clearer...
......
"... and you had no knowledge of your magic heritage until that day?" The representative from the Order of Gerade asked Man In Blue.
"Yes; I'm quite confused myself, but I'm sure my father had his reasons. Heck, wouldn't be surprised if he kept it from my mother as well" Man In Blue noted
The member wrote down the final notes before wrapping up with, "Well, you can't be faulted for the actions of your father. All right, that does it for your questioning; you're clear, Mr. Erdagovern" the mage said as he proceeded to move on to another member.
"All right, now that you are in the clear, its time for you to head out Daniel" Woman In Blue explained.
......
Daniel found himself teleported to Long Island, New York. He stood just outside a house in the Hamptons, at an address he was quite familiar with.
"I don't get it; I've been here so many times, how could a shard be here?" Daniel asked himself. He rang the door bell, and after a brief wait, an older gentleman answered the door. Wallace Erdagovern, Daniel's grandfather and, now that he knew, the only other Man In Blue alive.
"Daniel, it's been too long! How have you been?" Wallace asked.
"Hello grandpa. I've been better. Haven't really seen you since Dad's death, you know" Daniel realized.
"Well, I can't travel as much as I used to, you know. So what brings you here? Figured you'd call ahead at least" Wallace asked, confused.
Daniel sighed before admitting, "Grandpa, I know the family secret. Not only am I the current title holder but Man In White said you had a..."
"SHHHH!!!!" Wallace suddenly said frantically before pulling Daniel in the house and locking the door. "Not so loud!" he said in nearly a whisper.
"No one... can hear us..." Daniel said, confused.
"You can't be too careful. Now, what did they tell you exactly?" Wallace asked.
"Well... all our shards were stolen and they told me that you had one... I don't get what's going on really, and quite frankly it's rather..."
"Stop. Follow me" Wallace said as Daniel was instructed to follow Grandpa to the basement.
"You know... in retrospect I figured there was something magical about you grandpa, even as a kid" Daniel noted. "I mean seriously, mid nineties and not even needing a cane and no arthritis?" Daniel pointed out.
"Magic-enhanced Elbow and knee pads" Wallace grinned as he rolled up his sleeve, "I may be old, but my mind hasn't gone yet"
Then Daniel realized, "Of course, the First Law of Magic- even in old age one can still be a great mage. No wonder the iconic image of the mage is an old man" Daniel observed
"Indeed" Wallace said as they came to a bookcase at a wall in the basement.
"But... then why not use magic to eliminate the aging process all together? You could still be Man In Blue" Daniel argued.
"No Daniel... the fourth law of magic" Wallace reminded him.
"But... you aren't sick" Daniel said, confused.
"That's not what it means. "Magic can heal, but it cannot cure" may sound like it refers to disease, but its really more nuanced than that" Wallace said, walking over to the basement window and picking up two flower pots. One had a beautiful flower in full bloom, while the other was wilting, and in the process of dying.
"We'd all love to think that we can remain in the prime of our life forever. But not even magic can stop the march of time. We can heal our physical ailments. But in the end, we cannot cure death itself. For like how the flower must eventually wilt... the body must eventually die" Wallace said, putting the flower pots down again. "I can remain in a healthy state thanks to magic... but I know death is coming, and my time will come, just like everyone else's" Wallace finished.
"So when it was said magic cannot cure... what it actually meant was magic cannot cure the human condition" Daniel said in realization.
"Exactly. So remember Daniel- magic is an extraordinary power, but even it cannot prevent nature from running its course" Wallace finished. Holding his hand over the book case, he made a gesture and the case slid to one side, revealing a secret passage. The two of them stepped inside and there, on a pedestal... was a prism shard.
"It was long suspected a day would come when the Blue factions shards would be stolen by forces beyond our control. This shard was kept secret to all except a select few. The idea was in the event the main collection was ever stolen, this shard was to be held in reserve until it needed to be returned. Like right now" Wallace explained
Daniel picked up the shard, and allowed the familiar power to flow through him, like last time. He secured it and then hugged his grandfather. "Thank you, grandpa. But I need to return now... this shard must be returned to base at once" Daniel explained.
"I understand... until next time, Daniel" Wallace said as Daniel proceeded to make the call. "All right, shard secured, get me out of here" Man In Blue messaged as the teleportation process began.
......
In another part of Ordos, the Dirigible had come to its determined location, and Woman In Orange was giving orders. If the information was accurate, then there was, in fact, another shard or two to be found here.
|
|
|
Post by Tug on Aug 9, 2019 22:08:34 GMT -5
"Soon those shard will be ours... Prepare to land!" ordered Woman in Orange
"Aye Aye Madam!" replied Man in Baby Blue
"Stop talking like a sailor idiot!" yelled Woman in Orange as she hit her associate over the head
"Sorry..." answered the now throbbing Man in Baby Blue
.....
"Thank you Gentlemen, your bill for this and the return trip will be sent to the mailing address left with the ticket counter. Your return service will arrive whenever you blow that whistle. The Transport Conductor Railley Union appreciates your patronage. We look forward to your future business!" said a man in a blue suit and billed cap as he blew on a whistle and disappeared, scattered into the air through a golden ether...
"I can never get use to that service... Especially with their ticket prices nowadays... Also, who pays extra for a sleeper cabin? The travel's instantaneous!" lamented Ghost Puncher
"It's fine, I'm paying for it anyway so you shouldn't be so hung up about it, anyway we have a long trek ahead of us, so we better start now..." replied Noir Knight
"Alright, though where are we going again?" asked Ghost Puncher
"What I told you before, the ruins of Castle Dullheaden, the ancestral home of the KNUCKLEHEADS... More specifically its catacombs... There's something I left down there it's time I got back..." answered Noir Knight as he bgean to take the lead on the duo's journey...
.....
|
|
|
Post by Toz76 on Aug 9, 2019 22:27:55 GMT -5
The dirigible landed on a deserted patch of beach. The two groups got off, and Woman In Orange gave her orders.
"Alright, Woman In Pink, your team will be searching for the location of the Great Hall Of The Colorfolk. We don't know where it is, other than that it is somewhere near the city of Saint Arthur's Bridge, but your shard-sensing ability should act as a beacon to take you right to it."
"Wait hang on, why is she in charge and not me?" Man In Red asked, but was ignored.
"As for us, we'll need to rely on the old legends of Magykka from days of old, before this land was known as Ordos. The Shard is likely in an area with a lot of old magic, so we'll need to search for old magic." Woman In Orange ordered her group.
As it happened, at that very moment, a tour guide was giving some relevant exposition.
"This doorway is said to lead to the sacred tomb of Damoni Silverfinger, a legendary figure who is said to have inhabited these lands two thousand years ago. Of course, local tradition means no one has been inside for nearly that long. But the legends of Damoni Silverfinger are many. It is said that he was a companion of a legendary warrior known only as "Heph", and once, in the area that is now Lost City Regional Park today, he proved his mettle when he slew a great foe while defending the titular lost city. Of course, this is clearly a legend. The lost city was said to be in a desert, there is no evidence that a city ever was here, the citizens were said to be animal-human hybrids, and Damoni's feats are clearly magical, but to this day devout believers of Damoni still regularly come to the shrine, claiming they can still feel his magical energy..."
In a few short posts, Woman In Orange and her companions would find this location, but before that, we should touch on a member of this tour group. He was a man we've seen before, a man often called by the name of "The Optometrist", but known to others by the far stranger name of Fark Devonshire. Fark was a high-ranking member of the Guild Of Damoni, but rarely thought much about the guild's namesake. However, he had a strange sense that very soon, his presence at this crypt would be vitally necessary...
|
|
|
Post by Tug on Aug 10, 2019 2:08:09 GMT -5
Back with Noir Knight and Ghost Puncher the duo soon approached the ruins, finding it mostly abandoned, with the occasional tourists with their phones talking selfies near crumbling walls off near non-important parts of the stronghold...
"So on the walk over here I googled this place and maps, pictures, and records of the place show no indication of catacombs being anyway around here, so where are we really going?" asked Ghost Puncher
"The catacombs, as I said, just in the past I've hidden the physical entrance from outsiders due to not wanting them to find out what I left down there...Plus, what's inside haunting those hallow tombs would expose the magical world, and I don't want to fill out all of that damn Majika Supremus 'Sanctioned Haunting' location paperwork... Which would never be approved anyway due to their malicious nature... Anyways, when the KNUCKLEHEADS were, well 'exorcised' from Ordos they erased most historical traces here even this castle... Most don't even know this is our ancestral home, even some of the Newer generation didn't know when they joined..." answered Noir Knight
"Alright, but why are their malevolent beings haunting the crypts of what I can only assume are members of your order buried down there..." wondered Ghost Puncher
"Well it's simple really..."
"Oh cool an Armored Statue! This would be great for the gram!"
Five American college kid tourists soon approached the duo, with Noir Knight quickly striking dignified pose of placing his blade to the ground and resting his hands on top of the hilt, resembling similar statues found in their base back home and Ghost Puncher pulled out his phone to 'continue' his conversation with the first person who came to mind...
"Yeah Vanil it's simple, really..."
Noir Knight stood motionless as the College Kids started examining his armored body...
"Wow! I didn't realize they kept armored statues in dumpy places like this!"
"Yeah dude this is totally going on my story! Hey guys it's the Daily Chad here bringing you another update on my European Tour! Look at this sickass Knight dude! i wonder if this armor comes in Home Team colors! Lol!"
"Hey Morgan, come over here! 1... 2... Duckface!"
"Duckface!
"Yo bra I wonder if I can remove the helmet... I could totally hit trending if I do some stunts wearing that kickass headgear!"
"Yeah Vanil I really wish that KNUKLEHEAD would do something already!"
Just then the 'Armored Statue' suddenly face-planted after one of the College Kids gently rubbed against the armor plate...
"Oh hell nah bra I can't pay damages for this piece of crap... I'm already in debt for my English Degree!"
"Yeah, my Sports Scholarship won't cover this one dude!"
"let's get out of here dudes!"
The Five College Kids bolted away towards the entrance of the ruins...
Noir Knight began getting off the ground and said, "I don't want that happening again, plus I don't want to have to scuff out my armor anymore than I have too so let's continue our discussion in the catacombs then, shall we?"
"Right, lead the way..." answered Ghost Puncher as the duo headed towards the secret entrance...
.....
|
|
|
Post by Toz76 on Aug 11, 2019 18:06:26 GMT -5
Woman In Orange, Man In Off-white, Man In Ghost White, Man In Green, Woman In Green, Man In Yellow, Woman In Yellow, Woman In Red, Woman In Alice Blue, Man In Cornflower Blue, Man In Heliotrope, Man In Gamboge, Man In Salmon, and Man In Baby Blue left, leaving the Red Warriors and Pink battalion in the center of town in Saint Arthur's Bridge. Formerly known as Cordann, this town has been continuously inhabited for 3000 years, but nowadays its only residents were tourists and sheep farmers.
"Alright, let's see if we can ask someone for directions." Woman In Pink said. "Hey sir! Can we ask you something?"
"Beat it lassie! Och, ye tourists ken nevar give me old head a moment's peace!" shouted an oddly short man with a bushy beard. One who knew a lot about the history of this island might have guessed that he had Dwarven ancestors in his family tree.
"Alright, the locals aren't going to be much help." Woman In Pink muttered.
"You're going about this all wrong." Man In Red snapped. "After the prism shattered, the perception filter went haywire. None of the locals are going to know where it is. We just need to use our ability to sense prism shards to figure out which way to go."
"Wait a second, how did we even know that there are shards here anyway? Our shard-sensing abilities aren't strong enough to span oceans, after all."
"Well actually, we have a-" Man In Red shrugged, before jumping as a truck from Farmer Glyve's Custom Lampshades honked at him to get out of the road.
"Bloody tourists! Ken ye not watch where yer goin?"
"What is that accent anyway? Scottish? Welsh?" Man In Cardinal asked.
"I'll have ye know I speak fluent Ordonian jes like everyone on this godforsaken rock!"
"As I was saying..." Man In Red said once they'd gotten out of the road, "we have some contacts here on Ordos... they're supposed to meet us at Saint Arthur's Church at noon. If you'd bothered to talk to Man In Black at all, you'd know that. Now, shall we?"
Saint Arthur's church was an old stone building built by christian missionaries nearly 1400 years ago, making it one of the newest buildings in town. The pastor, an elderly man in cherry-colored robes, greeted them at the door.
"Ah, my children, what brings you to our humble house of god today? Come for confession?"
"Man In Cherry, it's us! Man In Black sent us!"
"Ah yes... come in, come in..."
When the red warriors and pink battalion entered the room, they were surprised to see a handful of colorfolk they had never seen before.
"I am the Man In Cherry, and these are the Man In Jade, Man In Ochre, Woman In Olive, Woman In Pale Silver, Man In Vermillion, Man In Forest Green, Woman In Ghost White, and of course, our leader, the Man In Dark Blue."
Man In Dark Blue, a tattooed, buff man, stepped forward. "We are the descendants of the colorfolk who stayed behind on this island after the shattering. We have long suspected a shard was hidden in the great hall, but it has long since been lost to us. With your help, however, we will be able to finally find it."
"In that case, let's get going. Woman In Lilac, stay behind so we can communicate with the others." Man In Red said. Woman In Pink opened her mouth to object, but was shushed by Man In Brick.
Soon, the group left, leaving Woman In Lilac behind with Man In Cherry. But Woman In Lilac was suspicious. She had had a strong headache ever since arriving on Ordos, but after the others left, she realized what it was. There were shards here... and they were close. She began non-chalantly poking among the pews, but finally found what she was looking for when she looked behind the pulpit and saw a small lever. She pulled the lever, and a hidden door in the floor slid open, revealing a small lead-lined compartment in the floor. And inside... two shards.
"Oh crap! They already have shards! But that can only mean... the Dark Blue faction is going to double-cross us!" She realized. She stood up, only to see Man In Cherry standing in front of her.
"Very perceptive, my child. A pity you won't be able to warn your friends. Long live the Dark Blue Faction!" A burst of water shot out of Man In Cherry's palm, smacking Woman In Lilac against the far wall, unconscious.
"By the time you wake up, foolish girl, it will be too late..."
|
|
|
Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 11, 2019 19:40:24 GMT -5
At the Colormen burial grounds, the visiting Colormen each had their respective visions ended, and they reclaimed the shard.
"Farewell... remember what you saw here today, for they will help you in the future" Alteria said before disappearing.
"All right, let's return to Headquarters" Man In White said as the rest of the team nodded.
......
It had taken a while, but at last the Man In White team and Man In Blue returned to base.
"Man In Bole's teleportation pads worked perfectly; pretty much every mage out there has some variation of teleportation magic available, magic tech, spell or otherwise, so I am glad that he was able to refine magitech that works as well as this" Man In White said.
"Just be warned though" Man In Bole began, "you can only teleport relatively small quantities, like your body, clothes and whatever you have on your person. If you were to teleport, say, several hundred pounds worth of goods, that can overwhelm the device in its current state" he explained.
"That's fair; we wouldn't want it to become a deus ex machina anyway" Man In Silver replied.
With the two shards now in their possession, Man In Silver was given both of them, and proceeded to make direct contact with them. Focusing, he seemed to enter a sort of trance as he began sensing the souls of those on New Furness. Steadily increasing the focus of where the Caravan crew was, the few minutes that past felt like an eternity, until...
"Yes! I found them. They tried cloaking their location, but even they cannot mask the presence of their souls" Man In Silver explained.
"But after the damage they inflicted on us; can we take them?" Man In Blue asked.
"They may have stole our shards, but they can never steal our resolve" Woman In Blue declared.
"Plus, they made one critical error in attacking us... by attacking us in such a way, with almost all of the members of their faction as Man In Silver determined, they have pretty much "put all their cards on the table" and now they will learn why attacking the Ordosian Colorfolk is a gamble one never wins" Man In White said, determined.
Everyone assembled nodded, and proceeded to listen to the plan that came into fruition. The Colorfolk weren't usually ones to go forward with all-out assaults, but this was an emergency situation and all hands needed to be on deck. What was about to happen would not be an easy fight, but for the future of not just the Colorfolk, but these new lands which they defended, they had to get the shards back.
......
On Ordos, the team designated by Woman In Orange was searching for the remnants of the Great Hall... although the exact circumstances of the even were uncertain, it is known that at some point in the years following the shattering, the Great Hall's perception filter went haywire, and it was clear just how bad the situation was.
"I don't understand what is going on? I feel like I am sensing the shards but at the same time I'm not sensing the shards? I'm feeling something but I can't pinpoint a location, almost as if... oh, of course" One Colorwoman palmed in realization.
"Is it possible that the magic given off by the prism is weaker than the perception filter?" One of the Colormen asked, concerned.
"I wouldn't rule it out. Just keep following the signal" this colorwoman declared.
And thus, minutes turned to hours... hours turned to days... days turned to weeks...weeks turned to months... months turned to years... years turned to decades... and still no sign of the Great Hall.
(Cut to: Assembled team gathered around campfire at night. They all look extremely old, with dirty and very worn out clothing, and everyone, even the females, have long, white beards)
"Still no sign of the Great Hall. How long has it been?" The Colorwoman said in a raspy voice.
"f-fifty three years" The Colorman managed to say in between coughs.
"How could we have spent so much of our lives searching for one damn shard?!" a second colorman declared angrily before going into a coughing fit.
"At least it can't get any worse" a second Colorwoman assured.
But it did. Suddenly, a skeleton in a black cloak, wielding a scythe appeared. "Ah, there you are. I have come for thee!" it said as it raised the scythe.
"AAAAHHH!!" The assembled colorfolk screamed.
|
|