look at me, i'm the wound you tried to hide

[promittere]

ANDANTE ALLA WANING CRESCENT

Another day dawns for the Sage's wizards. It's been a month, now, since arriving in this world and being given a task nobody seems to fully understand—though after the jobs the Southern and Central wizards have taken on, it seems like it might just be possible after all.

And it seems like there's another task for the wizards, from the Eastern nation. However, unlike the other requests the Sage has been fielding, this task is far too big for five wizards alone. This is a task everyone will need to help tackle, whether they like it or not. Those that aren't particularly altruistic will still be whisked together by Tatara and Lazuli both, and they may still find the journey...illuminating. Answers to what happened to the original wizards may be just within reach.

Traveling via the elevator at the manor is familiar to some of you, at least, Lazuli setting a mana stone into the control not a surprise in a the slightest. The fact all of you can, somehow, fit in the elevator comfortably may be a surprise, but it's best not to dwell on it too much. You'll be staying at the City of Rain, Lazuli tells you with the air of someone reading you a court sentence, but you've been tasked with clearing up the site of some sort of disaster. He doesn't have much information beyond that—a fact that seems to greatly annoy him—and he warns you not to break any of the City of Rain's laws well before you're out of the elevator.

Which that shouldn't be too difficult, right? Right...?

Perhaps not, as the rules of the city are extreme. There are certain areas which forbid socialization and talking entirely, some areas where only talking to strangers is forbidden, only a handful of businesses allow chatter of any sort, and the list goes on. The most pressing law of all, though, is very simple: no use of any sort of magic within city limits. Do your best to follow the rules because breaking them will result in an arrest, and do you really want Lazuli and Tatara bailing you out? With the rules laid out and lodging sorted, Lazuli ushers you to the site you're tasked with dealing with. You will have downtime to explore the city, though, as it's expected to take several days to clear things up.

The site is a terrible, terrible mess. In what must have once been a peaceful patch of wilderness, there now sits a terrible gouge in the earth, several meters deep and twice as wide across, hollowed by what must have been a powerful force. The dirt is gray and sandy, dead in the manner the Southern wizards will recognize. Plants on the edges of the crater are dry and withered and splintered and broken. Permeating the air is a lingering dread, one both Southern and Central wizards will immediately recognize...

But it is clear now, now that your magic is considerably stronger, that the spirits are agitated by the disturbance in the fabric of magic. Dark clouds hang low over the site, and low thunder rumbles in the constant threat of a storm that will never come. The spirits' agitation, coupled with the dread hanging in the air, will feel uncomfortable, and perhaps leave the more sensitive of the bunch feeling on edge. This is not something that can will resolve on its own, so your most important task is to calm the spirits. That means doing the things they like: playing music, dancing, praying, telling stories, wearing fanciful and whimsical clothes to soothe their temperaments.

Your second most important task is to clear out monsters. The unusual energy in the air is attractive to beasts magical in nature—they slink out of their hiding places in the deep wilderness to the area, and their presence is threatening the humans who regularly use the nearby routes for trade and to commute. Kill them, take their mana stones for yourself. Win-win.

The third task is general clean-up. Remove the dead plants from the earth, remove the broken trees and any natural debris that might prove to be a hindrance. Characters are more than welcome to search inside the crater for any hint or clue as to what might have caused this strange explosion, but they'll find the site picked clean, earth having fallen into cavities where there might have been larger objects present at one point...like someone was here to clear out any evidence.

JOB BOARD

Reinforcement. Peace in Granvelle Castle has been restored. A liveliness and energy has returned to the castle and the surrounding parts of the city that hasn't been seen in nearly a month. Thank your Central friends for their hard work!

Their issues aren't quite resolved, however. The castle is asking for help in creating and then reinforcing a magical barrier around the castle. The barrier is a bit bigger than what one wizard alone is capable of at this point, so band together to create and reinforce what parts you can. Perhaps it's not a bad idea to use your own hair or blood as a conduit.

The type of barrier is specific, however—they want one that masks magical signatures. If you step inside, you'll feel a faint, but powerful presence within... What are they guarding?

Recycling. The Eastern country is known for its expertise in all things mechanical, particularly when it comes to clockwork. While not as bombastic or flashy as Western technology, the use of magic and mana stones being deeply frowned upon and rejected, Eastern artisans can create truly fantastical things just with gears and cogs and a bit of know-how... But, of course, sometimes it's better to scrap something and create something new than let the old items waste away, so some Eastern craftsman have asked for help gathering clockwork automatons and other creations in order to melt it all back down. Some of them seem a bit nervous and harried, but it's an easy enough job to scrap automatons and cart junk around.

Monster hunting. The few settlements in the North have been sending in frantic request after frantic request. There has been a disturbing increase in monster activity in the North, and the native Northern wizards are as unreliable as ever. They need your help in thinning the numbers, and that's all they really ask for—you can keep all the mana stones you earn.

For those of you who haven't been to the North yet, the weather is harsh, no matter the season. Protection on oneself to survive the negative degrees is crucial; make sure your magic is up to snuff enough to keep yourself at least room temperature. And using your magic to battle on top of that? This isn't going to be an easy job, not at your level. Be cautious, and good luck.

Mana areas & amulets. You've been here for a month now, and living in an unfamiliar place, alongside unfamiliar people, using unfamiliar magic must be wearing you down. Isn't it? In that case, it's time for the last piece of your wizardhood puzzle: your mana area.

Mana areas are spots where wizards feel most at peace with themselves, most whole, and a place where they can refill on the emotional load they've been chipping away at for their magic. It can be a specific location, or a conditional circumstance. Find more detail on the magic page. Your task—given to you by your sage and your mentor—is to traverse the continent, find your mana area, and recharge your batteries, so to speak. While there, make an amulet to take back with you, like a portable battery.

WANDERER TASKS

Listen to the spirits.

You've been here long enough that it's time to see if you can actually communicate with the spirits who've laid claim on you and have been empowering your spells. Try your listen and see if you can hear what they have to say to you.

OOC Note: For those attempting this task, ping one of the mods and roll a dice! Based on the dice roll, your character will get a little tidbit from the spirits... Or they might not hear anything yet, but they can always dedicate themselves to their studies and try again after leveling up!

TATARA ACTIVITIES

Don't make promises.

If you've made a promise, don't break it.

If you break a promise, you'll lose your magic. And I don't know if I can help you anymore or send you home if that happens. I'm sorry this is so late. But please...be careful.

OOC NOTES

🌙 Welcome to your third event! Everyone's lasted a month, congratulations! Keep working on your magic, keep forging those bonds.
🌙 As your characters settle into the world, they might find themselves irresistibly drawn to crowds, to music, to dancing. It's hard to resist the allure of a gathering, and it's hard to keep yourself from swaying to music when it fills your ears, no matter what sort of person you used to be. You're changing...
🌙 As we enter the second month, we are announcing a deadline for finding your pairs. This will be Friday, June 14 at 11:59 PM EDT. Remember, you may submit a guess at any time, and there is no penalty for getting a guess wrong, so long as you have a thread to back up your guess and consent from your partner. The pair page is here.
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Remember to keep all wider plotting on this post, as not everyone checks plurk or discord frequently.
🌙 Next up for missions is East. Let's hope they don't have to talk to anyone for this one.

» NAVIGATION

Comments

3/3...?

[meanspirited]

[The blade meets flesh, again and again, but it's not flesh that parts and breaks and bleeds. What pours from Lazuli's wounds isn't blood, or even a vague approximation for what could be mistaken for blood, the fluid vibrant and shimmering with a purple energy that speaks of eternity, imperfected.

The blade severs important connections, making this something he can't just walk off, but organs? There's none of that to be found in his torso, the man (puppet) lacking a heart, lungs, anything that would make someone human and only having things that can help mimic bodily functions enough to blend in.

It still hurts, but he has long since gotten used to being broken and put back together. The inhumanity of his body is what means he isn't dead, means he can push himself upright on one arm, coughing up that same odd energy, but... He's in need of repairs. Badly.]

UNLESS

[jokey]

[No more damage can be done to Wanderer with Akira down for the count, tangled up in Kiryu's arms and fighting, growling, kicking and screaming to break loose. Picture, if you will, a dog being blasted in the face with a leaf blower. That's Akira right now.]

Minime! Minime! Promissio mea implenda est! Abeamus! Noli obsta!

[If you're going to call for backup, Kiryu, make sure you know what you're calling for first. How do you rid a twink of an unwanted spirit?]

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

[Now that's the hundred million yen question right now. How do you rid a twink of an unwanted spirit...

Well that's going to have to be handled by people with better expertise in magic than Kiryu, that's for sure]

Whichever of you has an idea of exorcising come here right now!

[Don't worry, Kiryu will hold down Akira as much as you need. Just try to make this non-lethal, Kiryu really doesn't want Akira to perish today]

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya hurries over to grab the knife and gun and keep not-Akira as disarmed as possible.]

My only suggestion is to try what we did on that piece of the moon, but it really would be better if someone were actually experienced.

[What he means is: please only try this as a Plan B.]

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

I thought of that too. It's worth a try.

[As a plan B, of course, but yeah, for the record that was Kiryu's train of thought before he decided to put a call for someone more experience than him, haha]

[fellheart]

[ yeah you have fun down there with that,

his would-be proposed solution would probably be a little too harmful for anyone's liking. ]

[mirristry]

[There's a moment of silence - the briefest moment of self-doubt - before Phil is stepping forward.]

I can try.

[This may be another world, but the principle is still the same, and he is an Eastern wizard, after all. His specialty should be in seals and curses...]

[foresightis2020]

[ Jing Yuan looks on over as he hears Phil say this. He can tell there was a spot of hesitation, so he says— ]

Well then...we're counting on you. I'm certain whatever you can manage will be effective.

[mirristry]

[Phil glances up at the unexpected words, and the faintest hint of a smile curls at his lips.

He's not sure he deserves that confidence, but by god, he's going to try.]

[foresightis2020]

[ Nothing like a confidence boost at the final hour, right? When he sees the smile, he can tell that it did its job. Good.

Kick its ass and then some! ]

[mirristry]

[He's already lifting one hand up to his monocle, fingers brushing lightly over the familiar contours. Focus. It's just like channeling anima. And just like anima, he can feel the energy gathering beneath his fingertips, waiting to be released. The concept is exactly the same. There's no reason he can't do this.]

Spectemur agendo.

[It's a seal and a purification all at once, a modification of Sacred Spiral bent to fit the form of the magic of this world. He is an Eastern wizard. He's the Biqe. This sort of thing is the essence of his very nature.

The light arcs forward from his extended hand in a brilliant helix even as a circle takes shape on the ground beneath Kiryu and Akira. To Kiryu, it will feel like a gentle warmth.

To Akira, however... it's probably a good deal more intense than that.]

[serenesinker]

[And from the side stumbles Yodarha, looking none the worse for wear but with his right arm completely limp at his side.]

I'm... here to help ya out. If there's anything I know about ghosts, is that they nestle themselves real tight. If you wanna get them out... Loosen them up first!

[His focus is conjured in his remaining useful hand, the scarlet blade beginning to glow with spiritual energy.]

Ougi! Spirit Rending Slash!

[With a mighty leap, Yodarha passes by Akira's body, running the blade clear through him. Though unlike a normal sword slash, the blade appears to phase through the skin, only damaging what's clinging to the poor boy's soul.

Satisfied with his results, he lets himself collapse into the grass, still clearly exhausted from the trauma of being shot twice and brought back from the brink.]

You've got it from here.

bruno screaming in the distance tbh

[fallingsand]

[ Yodarha, do you know how much blood you lost, you tiny, tiny man?! Aaaaa no please lay back down! ]

[serenesinker]

[He's already laying down again, see? Don't worry about it!]

[jokey]

[Was his promise not enough? He has subsisted this long on his lover's promise alone. No matter how much he hated the man for betraying him, for letting his love of the arcane be his undoing, he could never turn abandon his mission. He could never leave his lover unfulfilled.

Pain floods his cold, hollow body. Sensation returns to him only to ache, only to burn, boiling beneath the holy light of Phil's magic. He doesn't stand a chance. His promise simply isn't strong enough, sliced to ribbons by Yodarha's blade. His spirit, torn from its host, bursts forth from Akira's chest in a mighty gust of wind. Everyone in the immediate area will feel the icy sting of their worst nightmares coming to life, but if their spirits are strong, a little PTSD won't be enough to put them down.

What remains of the ghost flounders about in the air. Getting rid of it now would be a simple matter.

The winds die down and Akira stirs, vision blurry and unfocused. He struggles to keep his eyes open, much less speak. His throat aches, and as his consciousness stitches itself back together, it's no wonder why. It's no wonder why, all around him, everyone is in pain.

Akira mouths something, but the words don't follow. He falls limp in Kiryu's arms, alive but no longer conscious.]

[fullspbar]

[ While not in the best shape, Shinjiro will cross the courtyard as fast as he can on his unsteady legs, just to drop the axe and kneel down next to Kiryu and the Big Ol' Wailing Bitch. ]

Oi. [ Somebody finally got unmuted in the discord call, but his voice sounds pretty raspy. ] Lemme help.

[ He may be teetering with bloodloss, but he's still got it. Probably. ]

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

[Shinjiro, you look pretty messed up]

As long as you don't pass out.

[But he's accepting help. There's a lot of squirming Akira to hold down, the less he moves the easier it'll be for others to exorcize]

[fullspbar]

[ Yeah, thanks- he feels like it. ]

...Don't worry about me. Worry 'bout him.

[ Probably (?). But he'll do his best regardless, even if he feels awful. He'll up and hold down Akira's legs, grimacing as he pushes down with all the strength he's got left. Sit still, twink. ]

[foresightis2020]

[ Sheesh, with this guy being so loud a grandpa can't truly retire.

Anyway, thank god Kiryu has him under control, he will just watch this from a distance after sitting up, I guess. ]

[divineth]

What...?

[Urianger murmurs aloud as he takes in the sight of liquid energy pouring out of Lazuli instead of blood. But he doesn't have time to stop and question what Lazuli might be instead of a human right now. He needs to move.

He kneels next to Lazuli and gently urges him to lie back down. His star globe is quickly joined by a brilliant white crystal- his focus.]

Hold still. I shall see what I can do to mend thy wounds.

[He's been practicing his healing, but he's never healed someone without proper internal anatomy before. Hopefully his magic won't discriminate with this repair effort.]

[meanspirited]

You don't have to worry about that.

[His voice is remarkably even for someone who's chest is in ruins, but that's the benefit of not having lungs.

He's not a complete idiot, even if he's simmering with anger at the fact this happened. He shouldn't have let his guard like that, even if...

He turns his attention from Akira, screaming still, to Urianger's focus. The wizards have it handled, or they better, because no he has to worry about himself. Urianger's magic does seem to be doing something, the faux flesh beginning to regenerate.]

[divineth]

[And thank goodness for that. Urianger closes his eyes, doing his best to drown out the cacophony of chaos going around him, so he can focus and keep his magic stable. It's a good thing that he has a lot of experience in operating under pressure.

The warm healing glow continues to emanate from Lazuli's wounds, celestial sparkles dancing in the light as flesh stitches itself back together. Little by little, the energy leak is stanched.]

[meanspirited]

[He puts a hand to his chest, looking at the liquid energy that sticks to his fingers. The damage done to him would be enough to kill a person, so it's really a testament to his construction (and alterations) that he's able to move or stay conscience at all.

Being healed makes him feel so antsy, though, the feeling of failure and inadequacies smothering him.]

The mortals need your help more.

[divineth]

[The severity of Lazuli's injuries weren't lost on Urianger either. Were it not for the surprise and confusion caused by that strange purple energy spilling from those many, many punctures, it would have been difficult for even someone like Urianger to not feel completely overwhelmed. If Lazuli was human, injuries like that would have been extremely difficult to heal, even at Urianger's full magical potential. He's growing stronger by the day, but he's still only at a third of that power now.

Fortunately...the worst has not come to pass. Whatever has been possessing Akira decided to go insane on one of the most resilient of their number. But what was that all about, anyway? What was happening to Lazuli before the stabbing began...?

His thoughts are interrupted by Lazuli, and he opens his eyes to see the worst of the wounds patched up and stable.]

...Aye.

[A somber reminder that this is only one small aspect of the chaos surrounding them. While the ghost seems to be largely dealt with, there is still much to do. More healing to do.

He turns his attention back to Lazuli.]

But I would revisit thee, if thou art amenable.

[lustro]

[ The mortals can help the other mortals, and the immortal can help this one.

Ginger focuses his attention on Blue after Urianger's done with his healing. 'You don't have to worry about that,' he'd said. What a joke. Blue can tell Ginger that a million times and it'll never work. Doesn't he know Ginger's stupid and stupidly stubborn? ]

I'm taking you back to your room. Put your arms over my shoulder. [ He turns his back to Blue and kneels, conveniently avoiding any expression he's making. If he's surprised that Ginger's offering to help, Ginger will be even more pissed and worried. ] ... Does it hurt?