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Post by MS on Jun 28, 2017 8:36:08 GMT -5
Lester Makar
Nighttime was the best time to take a stroll through the various parks of London. There wasn't anyone around to be a bother, and paired with the rain it was quite a relaxing way to unwind after the day. Although, this day was fairly uneventful. Then again, that seemed to be how it was as of late. Les found himself itching for more excitement.
Vzzzzt. Vzzzzt. His phone started to vibrate. A new text from one of his crew.
hey boss found something u might like
Below the text was a video. Les tapped on it. The quality was poor, as it was dark and raining and quite shaky, but none of that mattered. Les smiled. "Now this certainly is something," he muttered to himself. Flashes of red in the sky. A serpent manifesting from the very rain of London, carrying what appeared to be a young man down to the street. The video became much darker as the person recording hid behind the side of a building, but voices could still be heard.
”This was my best shirt, Hera!”
"Hey, Curly-Hair! Your boyfriend can keep that sword for now, but I'll need it back at some point, understand?"
"...ACTUALLY HE'S MY FIANCE!"
… They are not being subtle at all, Les thought. Oh well. Their carelessness worked in his favor. Three people, two men and one woman named Hera, all engaged in a magical skirmish. How exciting! Les called his underling to thank him.
Brrrrrrrrrrr… brrrrrrr... “... huh? Is that you, boss?” the receiver whispered.
“Yup. I got your text. I did in fact enjoy the video.”
“Cool. Tryin’ to get away from the scene now.”
“Did they see you?”
“Don’t think so. Seemed busy.”
“Good. Hey, once you’re safe, send the video to the others and start posting it online. Let’s see how far this spreads.”
“Alright. Bye, boss.”
“See ya.” Les hung up. He didn’t think the video would make it too far, or be nearly enough to expose magic to the world, but it was a start. Plus, maybe the Mage’s Association would see it. He grinned. Having them riled up over a potential breach of confidentiality would always be a win in his books.
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Post by Iaashadow on Jun 28, 2017 15:03:54 GMT -5
Jackson Blair
He moved his glasses. Three new students, and three new time slots. He drew a couple circles on his calendar. It was good, he kept reminding himself. The more he got the less money he would need from other places, soon enough he would even ditch all the fake ID equipment. He tapped his fingers on his desk then began writing down the details of the new pupils on his master list. He traced his finger down each hand drawn column to make sure they were straight, then extended them to add new rows. He assumed Julio was like him when he was younger, in his interview he seemed as much. He wasn't a morning person at all, but then again, neither was Jack. He put his dinger on the next student. Illiana, an incredibly shy girl who wanted to learn illusion magic, claiming the academy in Manhattan refused to teach it. Jack didn't know how much of that he believed but he was always willing to pass on his trade. The other one... Skyla, she seemed troubled, and potentially homeless. He would have to find that out at some point. He finished up with the new information and piled the papers neatly on his desk. His eyes wandered up to the photo above it. It was a sketch of him holding a rose, done by the academy to thank him for his participation in the war. He hadn't received anything else. He sighed and stood up. There wasn't a need to have it up there anymore, although none of his students had made anything for him yet so he chose to let it stay. At least that's what he told himself. He walked out of his office, turned off the light, and closed the door.
Somewhere across the Atlantic
Julia lay fast asleep on her desk, the back of her hand acting as a pillow. Nearly every spot on the floor around her and on the desk itself was covered by a paper of some kind, and her bed was just a cabinet for boxes of materials, mostly books. Her other hand still held her pen.
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Post by Zen on Jun 29, 2017 2:50:46 GMT -5
[Minor character here, just establishing him so you guys get a reminder. He appears in a few brief moments in S/D talking to Isa Oshiro. Zero plot protection for this guy.]
Name: Jeb Yurrick
Appearance: A fat, middle aged man from Texas. Often seen wearing a traditional white cowboy hat, and almost always holding a can of whatever cheep beer he can find.
Role: Head of House Yurrick, member of the Mage's Association, former associate of Isa Oshiro and George Conzette. Currently a council member.
Age: 49
Skills: Demolition spells (both of the thermal and seismic variety), high general magecraft, specializing in attack magic. Calm nerves and a cynical, calculated outlook.
Weaknesses: Overweight, unathletic and easily seduced by money, women and most importantly power. Addicted to cheap beer. Doesn't cooperate well with youngsters.
Background: Jeb Yurrick was a co-conspirator with House Oshiro, especially the former family head Isa, to profit from the Sanctum Wars. He was the one who had worldwide connections with the right people to retrieve the most powerful catalysts, in turn giving his faction the best servants. He had spymasters and assassins on speed-dial, as well as the protection of a select few highly-ranking members of the Mage's Association including George Conzette, cousin to the mainline House of Conzette. In layman's terms, Jeb helped Isa and his allies rig the Sanctum War before it could even begin, and later arranged for the timely deaths of the seven winning masters in order to control the opening conditions of the war of 2015-- which, miraculously, they lost. Jeb is a corrupt man, through and through, and his diplomatic talents can be used for any cause if the price is right, even if the end result damages the association as a whole. So long as he gets away scott free, he doesn't care. Kirin has been investigating him and his men for years, but for his own protection he's told no one-- not even Hera, the woman he's engaged to. The blood of Amelia Conzette, the mother of Kirin and wife of Isa, is on Jeb's hands. "All according to plan", Jeb told himself, and it was so.
Objective: Cody Lazarus is quickly becoming a thorn in his side, so he's beginning to brainstorm ways to take him off the radar quietly. Publicly, he constantly calls for justice for the deaths of Zoraya Krauss and William Conzette, placing a target on Kirin and demanding capital punishment, despite killing other masters in the Sanctum Wars being considered fair game legally. Despite what their actual laws say, he's naturally getting support by a minority of the association. He will take any opportunity he can to obliterate Cody, Kirin and all of their political allies.
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Post by Zen on Jun 29, 2017 19:54:31 GMT -5
Kirin Oshiro
I... I just don't know how much more I can take.
"What?" Kirin found himself in the middle of a snowstorm. It was mid-day, but the sun was shrouded by the thick fog. "Who's there?" he called out into the wind.
He... The disembodied voice seemed to have a whimper in her tone. He told me that, if I t-talk to myself when the sun goes down, you... you might be able to hear me.
"That voice..." Kirin shuddered. "Where have I heard that voice before...?"
But I talk to myself every night, pretending you're there, and... and I can't help but feel like he's just messing with me. Like he's sitting behind a one-way window, laughing at me just m-musing to myself.
"Whoever you are... I do hear you. I hear you talking ever night!" An aching feeling began to swell in his brain.
Y-you're not even there, are you!? Kirin then heard a fit of coughing, presumably also belonging to the voice. I... I'm just making an idiot out myself! Why do I keep doing this?!
"No..." He clutched his head. There was a burning hot liquid coating his palms, which he didn't notice beforehand, but he ignored the painful sensation. "Don't stop. Just, please, tell me... Who are you?"
...I know why. I don't even care that he thinks I'm stupid. He humiliates me every day, anyway. If watching me just talk to myself makes him happy, I don't give a damn anymore. I just... if there's any chance that you're out there listening, Kirin... I want you to take care of yourself. I'm in a very far away place, now... I can't say it's for the better, or that I can ever hope to escape, but... don't beat yourself up over it. It's not your fault. Over these two years, I've... I've learned that life just isn't fair. And death isn't, either. But that doesn't mean we have to give up. Well, I... I don't have a choice now, but you still do. Don't end up where I am, Kirin. The next eternity or two will be just a little better if I get word that you're somewhere better. That'll ease the pain just a little. It's cold where I am. Every day I feel a little more numb, so he increases the dosage. Every day it hurts a little more. But I'll be alright if... if you will be. Even if you can't hear any of this... I think you still know it. So Zamiel can... Zamiel can just suck it.
Heheheheh... Is that what you think, little one?
There was now fear in the girl's voice. It's m-morning already?
I don't appreciate the way you've been eyeing me, lately. Perhaps you don't respect me as you should. This boy you keep talking to... You may find it comforting to try and vent in his dreams, but he can never protect you from me. Maybe today I will have to show you just how powerless you really are.
...Hang in there, Kirin. There was a rustling noise on the other side, and the voice began to whimper. Just as the storm intensified, it escalated into a horrific scream.
"Riza...?"
"RIZA!" Kirin suddenly rose from his bed, heart rate peaking. Why... why do I never remember in time? He ran a sweaty hand through his hair and looked down at Hera, who was still asleep beside him. "...I'm at least glad you've gotten used to it." He groggily slipped out of bed and picked out an outfit. The clock read 5:30 AM. I'll... check up on Hera in an hour.
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Post by muhtheepic on Jun 29, 2017 20:37:23 GMT -5
Webster Krauss, 7:12 am
Well... that's a little unfortunate.
Webster shifted his mouse across the desk, scrubbing frame-by-frame through the video for the third or fourth time, and rubbing his chin with his free hand. It was coarse; he hadn't shaved this morning.
Webster knew, now, who the curly-haired woman had been -- he'd come across a file labelled "Hera Gregg" containing limited info a few weeks ago, and simply hadn't made the connection between that data and the woman by Kirin's side. No matter. Her presence changed nothing about the nature of his mission.
This footage, on the other hand, was more troubling... Yurrick might try to keep it contained with his network, but there was a limit to what that man was capable of. For the time being, he had to assume his identity was compromised -- that some old coworker had seen the film and recognized his voice and connected Tryst the Executor to The-Man-that-Attacked-Kirin-Oshiro. That would be infuriating, though not as much as if a family member had recognized his voice and spread the word that Webster Krauss was responsible.
For now, it was tempting to lie low and finish his breakfast toast. But this leak was too big to blow over -- people could potentially be looking for answers a very long time. Although Webster found this line of thinking unpleasant, it was becoming increasingly clear that the best solution would be a drastic one -- something on the order of faking his own death. Now that he thought about it, a well-planned hoax like that would serve to get Yurrick off his back (the man was known to be unforgiving of failures), as well as potentially the rest of the Mage's Association. Fortunately, the video didn't actually show what his portals did -- they merely appeared and vanished as flashes of red. If he had someone tinker with the Krauss bracelet's seal work slightly, perhaps changing the color to blue or gray or something, and started over, it was unlikely anyone could connect his new identity to the video. The more he thought about it, the more the plan seemed to fall into place: it would be a more complete erasure of identity than his last attempt. With the number of prying eyes on this, he needed a performance that would establish his death beyond a shadow of a doubt -- one that would convince even the most careful fact-checkers.
And, he thought, smirking, I know just the man for the job...
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Post by Doodlebug on Jun 29, 2017 20:47:52 GMT -5
Hera Gregg
You'll always be second to her...
...
Hera rolled onto her other side, ignoring the voice in her head. The clock read 5:31 AM in large, bright, digitized numbers.
Oh? Playing hard to get I see...
Must you do this every time?
What can I say? I relish the opportunity to torture you.
Hera grabbed a shirt from the hotel room floor and tossed it over the blinding alarm clock.
Can you truly just ignore the fact that he dreams of her the night after he proposes to you?
They aren't dreams. They're nightmares. By the way, in case you haven't noticed, he has them every night.
And that's supposed to justify it somehow? Hera, dear, I believe you've grown soft. Have you fallen so far as to make yourself a willing slave to a man who can never truly love you? Have you become so foolish that you are content to always be in second place?
I love him. That's enough.
Even if he doesn't love you back, huh?
I MADE A PROMISE.
The voice fell silent at this. Hera took this as a cue that the battle was over, and began to reluctantly get out of bed. There was no way she'd be able to fall back asleep after this. As she set up her laptop at the room's tiny little desk, the voice began to speak up once more.
I wonder what your mother would think.
A lamp crashed loudly to the floor as Hera let loose a tirade of whispered curses. She hastily made to right the lamp and to clean up the broken glass while her tormentor laughed merrily inside her head.
You leave her out of this!
Or what are you gonna do? Run away from me? Ha!
Go to hell.
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Post by Zen on Jun 30, 2017 13:23:19 GMT -5
Kirin Oshiro
Noon.
"Doesn't look like we're getting much rain today," noted Kirin as they casually walked into the tower's lobby and waited for the elevator to come down. "Cody should already be hard at work up there. Probably arrived at 4 AM, just like three months ago."
London's skyline seemed to drop down from below them as they stared out the glass wall. Their platform slowed to a crawl before halting at the highest the elevator would go: the very bottom of the ceutries-old facility.
"Fascinating to think that a little over a century ago, our ancestors had to take the stairs this far." He took in a deep breath as the massive main hall opened up to them. "Well, progress or not, it's stairs for us from here on out."
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Post by Red Eyed Salsa on Jun 30, 2017 15:04:29 GMT -5
It wasn't long before his disappearance from the office was noticed. Logan didn't return to work that morning, a failure of attendance not seen from him in all 20 years of his work. The maids and man servants were all jarred, and frantic to locate or make contact with the organization leader, going as far as to try and reach him through otherwise forbidden contact routes. Even the other heads found this peculiar, but due to the circumstances, they chose to continue with daily routine.
Chris, however, was still furious of the news of Logan's unknown whereabouts, to the point that he slammed one of the maid women off of one of the testing platforms, when she attempted to inquire about the situation. His anger was less directed at the man's vanishing, and more because he knew *exactly.* what Logan was planning to do.
---
By noon, the next day, the unshaven man stepped out from the doors of the English airport. It was a short flight from Germany to England, but Logan nonetheless had found a way to have a fulfilling sleep during the trip. While he earned a few strange looks from the other people around the airport station, due to his usual attire of a white lab coat over otherwise baggy and misshapen informal clothing, Logan seemed to not care. in his left hand, he held a simple suitcase, in his other, a mobile phone with map display.
His cold eyes looked out to the raining streets, himself, for the moment, safe under the overhang. With an apathetic sigh, Logan pocketed the phone, and withdrew three, metallic spheres, roughly an inch across each, fumbling them in his hand. He then began to briskly step forward, into the rain, his aggressive walking potentially intimidating, had he been of a more muscular build. While he despised the cold and wet, he intended to make his moves aggressively, and reaching his momentary base of choice - a hotel room - would have to come before anything else, as he'd plan the appropriate routes to take afterwards.
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Post by Red Eyed Salsa on Jun 30, 2017 16:45:20 GMT -5
SERVANT:
What's your name?: Numa Pompilius (Female Ver.)
What do they call you?: The Second King of Rome
What class are you?: Shielder Lancer
What's your age?: mid 20's
Strength: A-
Endurance: B
Agility: E
Mana: B
Luck: C
Skills:
Solid Stance (C): Numa's footing lets her withstand heavy blows and shocks, without falling. She gains natural resistance to displacement effects.
Magic Resist (B): Numa gains near immunity to magic below (B) tier.
Calculated (D+): As a smart and cunning individual, she can plan ahead and strategist proficiently, as well as play with thinking of the lesser-intelligent.
Gigantic Leap (B+): Using her obscene strength, Numa can leap with her shield up to 25 feet, to either crash down on an enemy, or to jump in and protect.
Genderbent (EX): Numa is genderbent from the historical version.
What's your Noble Phantasm?:
The Eleven Forgeries of Ancile (B+): Copies of the legendary shield of Ancile, the shield of Mars, they were crafted carefully and perfectly, indistinguishable from the real thing. Upon use of those Noble Phantasm, a 'servant' is summoned, of a Salii, wielding one of these shields, and uses the shield to defend against any attack or noble phantasm, up to B+. If a shield is sued to block a Noble Phantasm stronger than that of B+, then it breaks, and cannot be used. If Numa is supplied with enough mana, she may summon all eleven at once.
The Sacred Shield of Ancile (EX): Numa may wield the real shield, which was a gift to him from the god Mars himself. This shield may be used to defend against any attack of Noble Phantasm, even of those of EX rank, due to its divine heritage. However, if Numa defense against such an attack, if she isn't provided with the mana needed, she would surely disappear.
Roman Spear (C-): A seemingly typical spear made by the Romans, the one Numa wields seems to have a strangely slightly more effective piercing capabilities.
Where are you coming from?: As her title would suggest, Numa was the second king of Rome, who grew up with discipline and little access to health, despite her royal father.
Where are you going?: Numa seeks for for a worthy partner to serve her, and earn her protection.
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Post by Zen on Jun 30, 2017 17:46:51 GMT -5
Kirin Oshiro
The council met in a massive, sphere-like room with a ceiling painted in a way not unlike the Sistine Chapel and an abstract, stained-glass depiction of Sanctum itself at the back behind the seat of the Association's head, the Ältester. Once again, it was his excellency Lord Cyrus Conzette seated at the head of the council. Directly below him were the twelve elders, and down at the base of the sphere were the marble seats of the councilpersons-- a representative of each major family, as well as a seat reserved for the holy church and each major subdivision of the association. Seated behind them were the audience, a rather select group in and of itself. On typical days, the floor at the very bottom was empty-- reserved for guest speakers and traitors on trial, under normal circumstances which did not come often. But as the members of the council took their seats (Kirin and Hera included), a blond girl of no more than fourteen years of age walked down the dead center and stood straight at the focal point, not saying a word. There were murmurs among the crowd at her appearance, but no outbursts as of yet.
The pointy-nosed assistant at the Ältester's left raised his voice, amplifying the volume with magecraft so that it would easily reach the furthest end of the room. "The time in the United Kingdom is twelve thirty, zero seconds. This council is now in order!" With that, the room promptly fell silent. "His excellency, Lord of the Council and Association Ältester Lord Cyrus Conzette is present and accounted for. Attendance for the remainder shall be taken now!"
With that, names began to be called in descending order of age. Kirin began to look for Cody in his seat, but he fount it empty.
...Where is he?
The vast majority of the members had been confirmed before it had come to Kirin, who of course stood up and made himself known.
"Representing House Oshiro...?"
"Present. Kirin Oshiro." He sat down.
"Representing Houze Lazarus?" There was a cold silence. The man cleared his throat and repeated himself. "Representing House Lazarus?" Again, no response. "...Is Cody Victor Lazarus in the building?" The councilpersons began to mutter amongst themselves. "...Need I remind the council today that failure to take seriously the proceedings of the Association is a reprehensible offense? The converging of the families is not to be taken lightly, especially in the presence of His Excellency. If Lazarus has decided his 'projects' take precedence over his seat at the council, perhaps we should consider the council precedent over his views--"
"Wait, wait!" A distant voice called out at them. Cody pushed through the doors of the side entrance and made a mad dash for his seat. "P-present, Your Excellency! I'm present!" The council was in uproar. Jeb Yurrick, seated towards the back of the room, began to stand up and rant, but they were all interrupted by the Ältester himself:
"SILENCE!" Once again, the room fell silent. The ancient-looking man sighed and frowned at Cody as he found his seat. "...Councilman Lazarus."
"Y-yes, Your Excellency?"
"Have you a legitimate explanation for this blatant disrespect that you've shown to this council?"
"I, uh..." Kirin, from his seat, could hear him squinting.
Is... is he alright? He's never late to this sort of thing.
The great elder bared his teeth. "Speak up, Councilman. Unless you've nothing to say?"
"I... I was working. It was v-very important."
"You can't be serious!" Jeb cried, standing up and slamming his desk. "You ain't in highschool, boy! We're not gonna stand around and wait for ya to finish your breakfast."
The Ältester's assistant announced, "All councilpersons are expected to make good time. His Excellency and I have decided that Councilman Lazarus' excuse for his lateness is unsatisfactory--"
"Just a second, Your Excellency", a thin man interrupted."
"What is it now?"
"I was among the first to arrive at this building. As a matter of fact, Councilman Lazarus has been here since 6 AM, and he has indeed been hard at work. But perhaps you will be convinced that what he was doing was well worth your time when you're filled in one exactly what he was doing."
Cody seemed to panic. "T-that's not really necessary-"
"My apologies, but this is for your own sake, Lazarus. Members of the council... Lazarus was hard at work making sure that this video couldn't make it to the public!" A hologram appeared before them.
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Post by MS on Jun 30, 2017 18:31:30 GMT -5
Sybil L. Today was the first time Sybil ever went to a council meeting and quite frankly, she wanted to leave. Being in a room with so many mages -- some who she already found quite obnoxious -- wasn’t doing any favors for her headache. And those three made things even worse. The traitor and the heretics. Sybil still couldn’t believe that they were council members, even after disrupting the Holy Cycle. And even now it seemed that one of the sinners, Cody Lazarus, was up to no good. She watched as Lazarus’s face went pale as the hologram appeared. She leaned forward to get a better view of the footage being shown. The video focused on two figures performing magecraft on the public streets of London. Angry murmurs began to envelope the room, eventually escalating to an uproar once more. The two figures in question were, unsurprisingly, Kirin Oshiro and Hera Gregg. Sybil couldn’t help but feel a small ounce of pity for the two. Poor fools. They’ll be eaten alive.
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Post by Zen on Jun 30, 2017 19:12:30 GMT -5
Kirin Oshiro
He went pale.
"As you can see, Your Excellency", the man continued, "had this video been released onto the world wide web, we as a collective would have been placed in grave danger of being exposed to the general public. In spending the past six hours painstakingly locating every copy of the video across the web, hacking the host server for each one and remotely deleting all traces of the video file so that it showed no hopes of resurfacing, Councilman Lazarus has averted a major catastrophe... Lazarus, you have deleted every single one of them, correct?"
"All except for the copy you've managed to snag and broadcast to the council, yes."
"I'm terribly sorry for that, by the way. I know how close the two mages seen in the video are to you. But I knew even when passing by that they'd never believe you, so I figured I'd take the intuitive. You can trust that I will have this remaining copy promptly destroyed as well."
"I... appreciate that." He was still shaken.
"Your Excellency, does this satisfy you? For once in a very long time, I feel as if the entire council can come to agree that Councilman Lazarus has done a good service for us."
Lord Conzette sat back in his chair. "...Very well. I pardon your tardiness on account for your justification for it, Lazarus, even if you were hesitant to disclose it. You may take a seat. However, in light of this news, I'm afraid this arises a new concern that we will have no choice but to discuss today. The standing of Councilman Oshiro."
Cody rose his voice. "Your Excellency, please!-"
"Silence, Councilman Lazarus. We thank you for your deeds, but this matter no longer concerns you."
Councilman Yurrick huffed. "Best you stay out of this while you still can, son."
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Post by Doodlebug on Jun 30, 2017 21:24:00 GMT -5
New Mage
Name: Kael Sebastian
Job/Role: Currently attends the London Mage Academy while at the same time receiving private tutoring from highly advanced and adept mages.
Age: 18
Skills: Specializes in spells that manipulate the human perception of sound and touch, extremely observant, has a great understanding of people’s emotions, relatively large mana pool
Weaknesses: has very few offensive spells beyond the basics, finds it hard to communicate his thoughts, secretly despises being ordered around but never shows it
Backstory: Kael Sebastian is the son of a member of the Magus Association, but very few know who his father really is due to his parents being divorced a long time ago and his own father’s secrecy concerning the matter. His mother is Lissette Sebastian, youngest daughter of the Sebastian family, a relatively unknown but moderately powerful family of mages. He currently lives with his mother at the Sebastian family’s small estate in London and attends the London Mage Academy. He also has two tutors, supplied by his mysterious father, that teach him some of the more advanced magecrafts while at the same time he learns the Sebastian family signature spellcraft.
Despite the pressure put on him in learning all these different types of magics at once, Kael seems fairly relaxed and put together. He is currently doing very well in his classes at the London Academy and is picking up the ancestral magic of the Sebastian’s fairly quickly. His only struggle is high-level offensive spells, which he only attempts to learn in order to please his distant father. Kael is usually calm and quiet, frequently seen reading a book, and found lurking around groups of people holding discussions in which he never participates.
Unknown to his mother, Kael has been in frequent contact with his father recently. Although he does not agree with most of his father’s ideals, he has plans to enter the world of mages as his father’s son and restore honor to his true family name.
Current Plans: Finish school, join the MA, restore honor to his family name
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Post by Iaashadow on Jul 1, 2017 0:48:27 GMT -5
Julia
Julia had her eyes barely peeled open and one earphone in, watching the council stream. She had noticed something about a video, but she couldn't quite make out what it was of. However based on everyone's reaction, it had to involve Mr. Oshiro somehow, as everyone in the room was looking at him. She tried to get a glimpse at Lazarus, but the camera would never quite focus on him. Shame. Lazarus fascinated her, despite being the most controversial member of the council, there was something to him that none of the others had. He seemed almost.... normal. It was hard to Julia to wrap her head around it, and she assumed that it played into why he was always getting shut down by the others. She rubbed her eyes a little. If she was going to keep up with this meeting, she would need to be far more awake...
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Post by Zen on Jul 1, 2017 1:56:53 GMT -5
Cody Lazarus
He sighed when he saw Kirin's reaction. The video was taken just late last night. This must be his first time seeing it...
"Nevertheless," the Ältester said, "all members of the council are present and accounted for. Discussion of Councilman Oshiro can wait until later in this meeting. For now, we have an announcement to make. A new member shall be joining us among the grand council. In the eye of the sphere, the elders present the new matriarch of House Conzette... Alexis, first of her name." The girl in the center raised her head and looked up at Lord Cyrus. "At only fourteen years of age, my great-granddaughter shall become the forefront of the house I descend of, in place of her father Daniel Conzette. This decision derives chiefly from her proof of her own maturity, as well as her immense magical potential. Though she shall be the youngest ever to become one of us in the Association's history, she shall prove herself as she grows older and more powerful. The elders have predicted as such."
Alexis stared up at her peers, and took a particularly long gaze at Cody. She knew who he was, and he knew of her as well.
"...You may take your seat, Concilwoman Conzette." With that, Alexis bowed and took a steep flight of stair steps to the council seats. "...Councilman Lazarus. The meeting begins with your regular report." Some of the audience groaned.
Cody slowly stood up and fumbled through his duffel bag, which was still in a mess from him having to throw it together as he was running out of his quarters. He began reciting the pages he'd printed out the night before. "...Production and development for the Lazarus Armada is on schedule. To join our Model-3's currently patrolling the sky outside of the tower, I will be launching a group of Model-7 flying mechs of similar build, equipped with interlocking shields that can effectively form an airborn wall. The shields are made of carbon fiber, increasing production costs but ultimately becoming much more flexible in their design. They are set to deploy this winter, their purpose being in the unlikely event of a wide-ranged spell directly targeting the clock tower. The wall they collectively form will be able to deflect even the most devastating of the flame spells. Effective today, however, I will be decommissioning the Model-2's and recycling their parts. They're outdated, and Elder Bacon has found some design flaws that could potentially allow them to be compromised by a third party with enough experience in technokinesis. For that reason we've deemed them to be no longer suitable for field work."
Benton Gray of House Moriarty, an older councilman with a formidable mustache, respectfully rose. "Mr. Lazarus, could you show the council the designs of this 'Model-7' you've decided to soon employ? They won't be too much of an eyesore with those shields, will they?"
"I would doubt that, considering they're retractable, but I'll be happy to show the council regardless. Gestalt?"
Displaying the blueprints right now, Master Lazarus. A holographic screen appeared in front of the Ältester.
"Hmm..." Lord Conzette scratched his chin. "You have a map of the facility there on your screen as well?"
"Ah, yes... I feel as if it's a good idea to always have a view of the place glued to the UI. For emergency purposes. I am head of defense, after all."
"A fact you'll surely be reminding us for years to come, I gather... But, ah... What does that yellow circle signify?"
"That's... Wait, what yellow circle?"
"The one that seems to be approaching the clock tower from the left. What is it?"
Cody suddenly pulled his communicator out of his bag. "Roger, you see that UFO?"
Clear as day. The drones' bullets aren't putting a dent in it. It's too small to hit consistently and it's been tearing right through every machine that tries to block it!
"Is it hostile?"
Well, we're about to find out!
With a terrible noise it crashed through the stained glass of the room and finally landed at the dead center, where Alexis was standing mere moments before. Glass shards, smoke and rubble soon filled the room, causing a panic among them. Cody could make out a surging field of red electricity surrounding the crater it made. A low, malevolent hum began to echo around them.
"Augh..." The Ältester began to cough. "W-what is this madness? Surely this isn't a demonstration, Lazarus?"
"Everyone, stay back!" Cody ordered. "Caster, I need drones here, now! We don't know what the hell that thing is!"
"You mortals make so many offerings to the heavens..." a disjointed voice said, much louder than the Ältester's assistant. "But when heaven gives back, you cry and flee for cover. It doesn't take a poet to see how dreadful such a relationship is."
"Who's there?!" He drew his gun as a precaution, but couldn't find a target.
"How many eons must pass before you learn that the hand that feeds you is the very same one that holds you at your throat? Have we learned nothing since I last saw you? Well, to be fair... You did cast me out." The image of an old man draped in a crimson robe appeared before them, taller than any human and hideous through aging. "But I have overcome far greater than you, now. I have traveled places no man ever dared, and after seven hundred years I have finally found a way back home." His toothless mouth cracked a smile. "Surely, you'll be happy to know that I've some new friends. Faces I've met on my many travels. Faces you've no doubt met, as well. They were your heroes, once. Then they became your slaves. Now they are free." The entire building began to shake, as the red glow in the crater intensified. Markings formed around it, and by the time Cody recognized them there was no stopping the ritual. The sudden burst of mana sounded much like a harmony of screams and cries. "I am not your enemy. I was once one of you, as a matter of fact. I have returned to change the world in ways you could not possibly imagine. Both your world, and the world of the outsiders. The worlds of life, and death, and rebirth... I shall bring them all together. Free from the bindings of Sanctum. Of Hell. Of Purgatory. Of Ruler. All will be unveiled in time, but for now I will let my friends speak for themselves." A massive, muscular arm reached out from within the smoke and gripped the marble floor with enough force to crack it. The other arm pierced the ground with a magnificent bronze sword. "We shall meet again very, very soon. But for now, know this:" The image pulled back his cowl, revealing his full face. "My name is Dante Alighieri. And I bring you liberation."
The smoke had all but cleared, and with it the image of the old man. All that was left was the beast in the crater.
"T-there's no way..." Cody instinctively pointed his gun at the creature that had just been summoned.
Cody! Roger broke in. Massive mana signature coming in from where that meteorite landed! That's a...
"...That's a servant, Roger."
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