-2 weeks ago- 9 people sat around a round table, all of them but one sitting in pairs, looking at each other in slight anger. “These mages are a danger to our very way of life.” Theodore Percival IV, the religious leader of Itena stood up in anger, looking at the Herdian President. “And what way is that Theodore?” Xin Liau said propping his chin up on his thumbs, fists covering his smirk. “The one where you extort money from your followers saying that your ‘god’ requires sacrifice?” “How dare you speak to His Holiness like that?” Nicholas Lowhill screamed in outrage. “How dare I?” Liau looked at the Itenic Prime Minister. “No, how dare you propose that we lock up other human beings who have committed no crimes! It’s not like they chose to have this power be given to them. We cannot treat innocent people like criminals for something they had absolutely no control over. But, of course, you wouldn’t understand. It’s still the woman’s fault if she’s raped in your country, isn’t it?” Both Nicholas and Theodore were fuming at this point looking at the Populean leader, but sat down when Hilda Heidelberg cleared her throat. “Now, I assume you three are done having your cute little talk about human rights, I will interject. Whilst I don’t agree with you liberal thinkers often, it is true that it’d be a shame to lock these mages up, they are a valuable asset to each and every country, and with the rising tide of monsters our soldiers will eventually find themselves overwhelmed.” This drew applause from Emilio, the Freidian King. “Well spoken President Heidelberg. What you say is true, these mages are a hugely powerful asset in the fight against the monsters. Let’s not forget, the Gran Rasgar is in my territory, and the mages I recruited and had trained are performing wonderfully well against all matter of nasties that crawl out of there.” He finished with a laugh in which his wife joined him. “I can’t believe you people.” Adarsh spoke out from beside Xin. “You’re treating all these people as if they’re nothing more than tools. They are humans too, mage or not, and we should treat them as such. They have the same rights.” “The little girl’s right you know.” A voice emanated from a strange shadow in the corner of the room and as all eyes turned that way a woman stepped out. “These mages are more than just weapons.” The woman had a curvaceous body and hips that swayed with her each step. Her silver hair was streaked with black that seemed darker than the shadows. She had deep set, grey eyes that shone with years of experience and knowledge. “Who are you?” Franz said standing up, but he was pushed back into his seat by shadows. “Tut, tut. No standing up without my say so. You can call me Miss Silver, and I here to deliver a message from the Goddess Ethera herself.” Nessa smiled. “Goddess? What blasphemy is this?” Theodore asked outraged. “How did you get in here you heretic!?” “Oh, you’re so loud. Some things don’t change; even after 4 millennia.” She sighed and waved her hand, forcing Theodore to become silent. “Any and all heresy committed is done by your tiny cult, Theodore. Ethera is the Goddess and namesake of this here planet. Every planet with sentient life has a being to look after it, and of course at some point people start to worship it.” Less of that though, time to get to the point. These people, they were given this power by the Goddess. Three thousand years ago, before the Great War, some anti-mage cultists destroyed the shrines that channeled the essence of magic from the Plain onto Ethera. The current leader of these cultists is among us right now.” She looked pointedly at Theodore. “They felt that it was heretical to have magic in this world, against their ‘God’s’ grand design. Little did they know that it was actually Ethera that created these shrines. When magic left this place, many ancient races began dying. Humans survived due to not being connected directly to the magic. Human mages lost their power however, unable to channel it through their bodies.” Displeased with the state that the world was in, Ethera began planning to bring magic back. And she managed it, but there was a hitch in the plan. Something affected her power, diverted it, and instead of creating a passageway of just power it also created a passageway from the denizens of the Plain. That’s not all, if these passageways are not closed they’ll tear the planet apart.” She looked at everyone in the room. “And none of you want that, I assume.” “You’d assume right.” Said the woman sitting right at the top of the table. “As the independent adjudicator of the Grand Etheral Council I suggest that we move the topic of this meeting from how to control mages to saving the planet.” “What!” Nicholas called out. “Why are you trusting this woman Alice! We can’t trust that what she’s saying! What if she’s one of the mages and she’s trying to distract us from something they’re planning?” “Because she’s not a registered citizen of any of the countries, she has no birth record, no identification. She’s not in our database. And you’d do better to remember to remember your manners when speaking to me Mr Lowhill.” Alice looked sternly at him. “She’s not one of them, or one of us. So, if you wouldn’t mind young miss, who are you?” Nessa chuckled. “Not a ‘young miss’, that’s for sure. As I said, I am Miss Silver, my full name is Nessa Silver. I am four thousand years old, give or take a few decades. I am the messenger of Ethera, along with very few others, an immortal who’s survived the Great War.” She smiled brightly. “Now, to help you out, the only ones who can save this world are the ones blessed with magic. No others can fight what is coming, and no others can close the passageways. So, better get used to them.” She smiled before vanishing from their sight. “I like her.” Xin whispered to Adarsh before raising his voice so that all could hear him. “If you’d allow it Mrs Gretheth I want Populea to be in charge of the mage force Miss Silver suggested. I have the perfect candidate for a leader.” “If you mean Miss Redwood, I agree.” Xin Liau nodded. “Permission granted. Now, with that done, I dismiss this meeting of the GEC.” “Redwood? Their Justice Minister?” Franz asked his wife. “I assume so.” “She’ll do fine, she had Herdanian training.” “Indeed” *** “You always loved making an entrance. Not too bad though, by your standards.” “Oh, yes, because I could ever match your smoothness, it’s not like you’ve been a conman all your life.” Nessa rolled her eyes and walked off with the man. -Currently- Elena Redwood and Shian Liau were in a heated discussion when Shian’s father, Xin, knocked on the door. “They’ve arrived.” “Let’s meet the motley crew then. Want to see your selection up close?” Elena said walking to the door. “Of course.” Shian answered quietly. “But I’ll stay back, you can do the talking.” They walked into a darkened room, separated by a thick glass from a well lit room where 3 people were sat down, seemingly waiting for something. “So you’ll stay here and I’ll talk to them, yes?” Elena asked and Shian simply nodded. With that she walked out the room and around the corner, reaching the door to the other room, walking in with a confident step. “Hello, I am Elena Redwood, I am the Justice Minister of Populea, and I am also to be the leader of this group. I assume that you were told what this group was designed for so I’ll get straight to the point. You will be trained, by me and a friend of mine. You will be taught how to control your powers and, when needed to, you will fight the creatures that are threatening our world. The difference between you and the other squads that have been created is that you will be the elite, you will be the strongest, and you will be there when everyone else has run away. Am I clear?” She said, her voice loud and authoritative. “Now, a worker will escort you to the building we will be using as our base. When you arrive there you have an hour to unpack and get ready for our first training session, follow the signs to the Gyn. Lateness will not be tolerated, dismissed.” As she said that, she walked out the room and a worker in a simple suit came in, leading the 3 people out and into a large government vehicle, taking them outside of the city, to a clean and sterile looking facility. It looked like a small hospital, the inside minimalistic but functional. Each bedroom had a single bed, a closet and a desk, there was a toilet and shower attached to every room, and despite there being only 3 people, there were 6 rooms. While the three prepared Shian and Elena discussed, a pile of files on the plain metal table beside them. They stood in a clean, white tilled room, there were lights in the walls and ceiling giving it a glowing look. “Kyrzet Enthor, 23, Herdanian by origin but exiled due to being too disrupting to the police force. Since he got his magic he’s been a street performer. Hard to tell, but his magic is either Light of Electricity shaping based.” Shian said. “Came here after a week of persuading, but father won’t tell me the deal his men made with him.” She put the file down on another pile. “So he’s an undisciplined Herdanian, those are the hardest to crack, but I think he’ll work with us.” “Leonor Mireia, 34, Freidian upper class, but has been working in one of the defence squads, some sort of scandal happened that revealed her powers, cut herself off from her family. She’s registered as a Wind and Mind shaper, we’re assuming telepathic powers as she’s shown no signs of telekinetic abilities. She’s also a good fencer and a decent shot with a gun.” Shian read from another file before dropping it on the table. “So, a rich girl who gave it all up? Well, at least her combat skills will come in handy. Next.” “Alexander Loren, 33, Itenian but left due to stigma, his wife left him too. He joined a defence squad in Freidia after moving there. He’s registered as an Electromagnetic shaper, pulses and magnetic fields. He’s also very good with throwing knives.” She closed the final folder, picking them all up from the table and holding them to her chest. “Damn those Itenian fuckers. They don’t understand anything that’s not in their pretty little belief system.” Elena sighed, looking at the clock, they had about 10 minutes before the training session was set to begin. Nessa grinned as she watched from the shadow under the table. The three mages would be lead to the room by another worker who would open the door and tell them to go in. As they entered Elena turned to face the mages, a stern look on her face. “Line up and stand up straight. I will ingrain into each one of you military doctrine even if it kills me. Now, as I previously stated I am the Justice Minister, but I am also one of the most powerful mages on Ethera as of right now. Because of this, I will train you personally. Now, because you are to be a squad, I believe you should each introduce yourselves. Nice and loud.” She stood there, waiting patiently. -Meanwhile- A shadowy clone of Nessa stood before Albel. “So, the main force seems to be in shape, have you sent messages to those two others I wanted contacted?” “Yes, by now the letter should be on their way, if not already in their hands. It’s interesting seeing a demon after all this time, and one we don’t have to kill.” “Not yet, but it might happen so stay on your guard.” The two by the names of Ahon and Herion would receive ‘letters’, though not exactly in physical paper, saying this. You are of interest to us and the balance of this world. If you wish to help save this world from utter collapse and destruction meet us in a town near the Festland border of Herdania and Freidia in three days. It's called Essen, a small farming town. There should be a bar there called Pech Spur, order a pint of beer and sit down at the corner table near the window. If another person sits down beside you, don't mind them and wait for us.
You are of interest to us and the balance of this world. These words had burned in Ahon's mind since he had read them. He had found himself in an odd situation. On the one hand, the fate of the world was in trouble, and whoever sent this message needed his help. On the other hand, who would be interested in him, a demon? It was likely a trap. Ahon knew that demons were not openly accepted by most places. However, if the world was in peril, it was a risk he would have to take. Ahon would take the quiet path to get to Essen. He would avoid all of the main trade routes, so that he didn't draw attention to himself. Of course, there was the risk of bandits, but Ahon had dealt with bandits before. The trick that he had found to travelling on the quiet path would be to keep moving and beware of any sudden movement. Luckily, there were no bandits, and Ahon arrived in Essen in a timely fashion. Before entering the village, Ahon would put on his mask and pull his hood forward. While this would look somewhat suspicious, his choice of clothes would lead people into thinking he was just a sword for hire, as opposed to an otherworldly being. After locating the Pech Spur, we would enter. It was somewhat lively when he entered. However, apart from a few people near the door, no one paid much attention to Ahon entering. They were likely too busy drinking and being merry. A sentiment that Ahon was not here to share. He was here for important matters. As the letter instructed, he approached the bar and signalled for the barkeeper. "What can I get for ya?" "A pint of cider." The barkeeper nodded and turned away to pour the pint. Ahon detested the taste of beer. In fact, he hated the taste of most alcoholic drinks. He found cider to be the most tolerable. The barkeeper interrupted Ahon's thought by slamming the pint down onto the bar. After paying for it, Ahon turned around, pint in hand and looked for where the letter told him to sit. The letter told him to take a seat in the corner by the window. After locating it, Ahon took his seat and looked around. It mentioned that someone else may be joining him. He didn't know who this person would be, but assuming that this whole situation wasn't a trap, it wasn't likely for this person to be a criminal of some description. However, Ahon wasn't ready to let his guard down just yet. He would just have to wait and see. For now, he would look around the bar, as if to look for whoever sent this letter.
In the village of Essen, a young man approached a certain bar by the name of Pech Spur. He wore a grey suit with pieces of armor attached to it in vital places, which were barely distinguishable under a black cloak. He did not draw too much attention from the younger locals, but, was aware of the attention the older men gave to him. Those geezers recognized his kind. They could already guess that he was mercenary. The sword at his waist, and the virtually invisible pistol at his belt was what gave it away. He ignored the old men. He had bigger fish to fry than be worried about appearances. Like the reason for his presence in a small village like Essen. 'You are of interest to us and the balance of this world.' Those were the words the black letter had started with. Interest? He was a mercenary. He worked for money, and definitely not the good of the world. Yet, it beckoned. He knew the chances of it being a trap. Nearly seventy five percent. As the Hindi saying went, "Woh jo bhala nahi karta, ko bhala nahi milta". "He who does no good, will receive no good" He had too many enemies for this to be normal, even if it wasn't a trap Even more interesting was that they had found where he had been residing in Populea. He owned several safe houses, and constantly moved around those houses. Yet, they (He assumed it was an organization, for it took a organization to do what had just been done) had found him. Curiosity had arisen in him. That was one reason why he came here. He jerked out of his thoughts. The bar door was in front of. Soon, he'd know what the case was. If it was a job, he'd consider it, and if it was an attack, he AND the village would feel it. He opened the door to the bar, and immediately the hustle and bustle of the insides became clear. He slightly grinned, and moved up to the barkeeper. He beckoned, and said in a slightly muffled voice "Four pints of beer, please?" The barkeeper looked at him in surprise, and said "You sure? Thats quite a bit." He replied "I'm a heavy drinker. It'll be fine." The barkeeper shrugged, turned around, and began to pour the tankard up to the top. It was still quite early for that much, but it wasn't to much to him. He was sort of famous in the darker underworld bars of Populea for being a very stout drinker. The barkeeper finally turned towards him, and handed him the tankards. He paid the man, tip included, and sighed. He turned away, holding two tankards in each hand, and stopped for a second. Where did he have to sit? Ah, yes, he had to sit by the window. Well, thats what he'd do. He walked up to the table, and noticed another person was already sitting there. Who that man was, he knew not. The person could have been a local, the person who had sent him the letter, or just another person hired by this mysterious employer. Setting the tankards on the table, he sat down with a huff, keeping one hand on his sword, and one eye on the man. The letter had told him to ignore anyone else who sat there, so thats what he would do.
"Nice to meet you both, I am Alexander Loren." He glanced sideways at his would-be companions, giving a slight smile and thinking of what to say next. "I was born and have lived most of my life in Itena, up until I was blessed with these powers of mine. But as they do, all blessings come with some sacrifice. The local clergy did not approve of my magic and I was sent out of the country." No need to go into too much detail, no need to burden others with my troubles. "My magic allows me to exert electromagnetic force." He produces a metal ball from one of his many pockets and flicks it into the air. A little projection of his will sent the sphere spinning in circles above his head. "Over the past three months I've learned a few tricks." The sphere was now shooting all across the room with narrow turns around the other mages. "Some tricks more useful than others." At this the ball suddenly accelerates to bullet speed and bangs into the wall between the Justice Minister and the three mages. The sound reverberated in the tiny room and the impact left a sizable dent in the metal plated wall. "Ah, I didn't mean to cause quite that much damage, sorry about that." He said with an apologetic smile as the ball returned to his outstretched hand. "Anyway, I was told this endeavour would allow me to find the true purpose of my magic, and save this world in the process. A good deal in my book."
Leonor had chosen to wear something simple but elegant for her first meeting here. She was happy with the combination of a see-through short white dress, reaching about a quarter of her legs. Under it she wore tight black trousers reaching 3/4th of her legs and a undershirt. She had decided to go easy on the make-up and hair that morning, since she expected to be doing hard work, applying only a few basics. She couldn't find fitting shoes for the occasion, so she had cleaned her dark gray and white combat boots and put those on. Elena didn't impress Leonor much, but she respected the position Elena was in and had to resist the urge to shout Yes ma'am every time Elena closed her mouth. Leonor wasn't the biggest fan of military doctrine but could deal with it easily. It makes life very easy if all you have to do is follow orders. She was excited to be part of the group, and the two guys seemed nice. Alexander took the initiative and showed his powers a little. In the defense squad she was used to people showing off their powers, but she couldn't help herself from crying a soft "wow" when he send the ball spinning around and she followed it with amazement. When he was done, Leonor decided it was her turn. Wouldn't want to be last! "Hi Alexander! Hello Miss Redwood. Hi… other guy. Nice to meet you!" She made a little bow to show respect and smiled. "My name is Leonor Mireia, daughter of Leonardo and Nora. I'm from Freidia, where I worked in one of the tear defense squads before joining here. I guess they saw potential in me, and I was happy to be part of this special group!" For a moment she debated internally whether she would tell them more, but since they were going to work together from now on she decided she might just as well. "I used to work as a designer for a small company but I got fired when they found out I have magical powers." She made movements with her fingers and hands to show it nonverbally. "I don't have anything as impressive as Alexander but I can make it windy!" She closed her eyes and suddenly a gust blew through the room, as if a window had been opened. She opened her eyes again. "It's a lot more impressive in combat," she admitted. "Hobbies include tea-making, dancing and shooting." She made pistols with her hands and fired at Elena. "Again, more impressive in combat," she added.
Kyrzet had only been half-paying attention. There were several seconds of silence before he realized that it was his go. He glanced around at the others and at the large dent. He straightened his posture, gave a small cough, and set off on his introductory spiel. "I am the one and only Kyrzet - the quick, the quiet, and the bright! You may have seen other performers juggle, joke, and bewilder, but none can do it like myself!" With a flourish of his black cape and a actual flash of light in his amethyst eyes, his right arm shot up, and from it shot three bright, immaterial balls of red, blue, and green. They fell back into his hands where he tossed them deftly from side to side in wide arcs, the colors leaving trails in beholders' eyes. "Now know that none are so skilled as I with these orbs immaterial! For though they each carry the power to fry your hair into a charred crisp which shall never return, I hold mastery of lightning, and you shall come to no harm!" But a moment after he finished, his hand seemed to slip, and the red orb fell down towards Leonor's head. Mere moments before it touched her hair there was a flash of red light and sparks filled the air. While mild tingles raced down Leonor's spine the air was lit with red, blue and green, a sight seen for but a second before the room grew calm. Then with another flourish and a bow, Kyrzet ended his act. "I hope no one had to much a scare, and see now that you need not fear." Kyrzet returned to his normal position. "That's where I'd get into the full act, but something about miss Redwood's face tells me I shouldn't." He gave a charming smile, and returned to his silence, though his expression remained.
“Pretty tricks won't save you when an angry Stalker is charging at you, fangs bared and claws reaching for your jugular.” Elena said in a flat tone. “However, what you show is potential. Potential to be powerful, if you listen to my associate and me. Shian, if you would.” The younger Populean girl pressed her hands together and summoned to her a ghastly being. It looked like a silhouette of a young man, but instead of skin and clothing it was all filled with a milky white gas, the outside ‘shell’ radiating a light of the same colour making it near invisible in the room. The Poltergeist flew to the left wall and passed through, seconds later the wall opened up to reveal what looked like a firing range, 500 meters of grey stainless steel walls contrasted greatly with the white metallic tiles of the room. Elena motioned forward and moved to one of the 4 stalls of the firing range, pressing a button of the side of it and bringing up a target from the ceiling and floor, both at about the 400 meter range. Concentrating Elena brought her hand forwards and with a high pitched whistle a blade of wind shot forward cutting both of the targets in half and smashing into the steel causing it to boom and reverberate loudly across the room. “Wind magic, very basic. Total control of gas particles in the air around me, trying to control them further away takes a lot more out of me. Shian Liau is a summoner, Necromantic, specialises in ghosts. Banshees make for good moving target practise, but they tend to scream a bit.” She pressed another button on the side of the stall again and a single target came up, she pulled the gun from the holster on her hip and fired not even looking, the bullet went wide, but before it could hit the wall it swerved and hit the target from behind. “Wind magic magic is for more than just making little gusts of wind.” Her voice sounded like she should have been smiling, but her face remained impassive. She nodded to Shian and the Poltergeist she had summoned flew around the room, opening various panels in the walls. There was also an area for close combat training, unarmed and armed separately with various dummies and other training equipment, as well as a throwing range, an archery range and a regular work-out zone. “Since this is the first day I just want to see what you can do. Go to an area where you believe you can show me any combat skills you may have. Your weapons are here, the ones they didn’t forget to take away anyway.” She tapped the screen of a communication device she took out of her pocket and a worker in a suit came in with a tray, an array of weapons on it. -In Essen- Seconds after the second man walked in a shadow clone of Nessa came in through the door of the Pech Spur. None but the most perceptive would be able to tell that it was not a physical being however. “An unlucky path indeed.” She thought to herself. “To have to rely on a demon.” She cut her way through the pub and sat down where the two guys she was expecting. “Welcome, Ahon, Herion.” The clone nodded to them, not bothering to order anything. “I assume you got my message. And I can assure you, this is no trick, lie, hoax or trap.” She sat down at the table and looked at them. “I assume you have questions, ask away.”
When Kyrzet sent sparks flying, Leonor got excited again and cheered him on while he did his act. When he was done she clapped until Elena started talking and she regained composure immediately, putting a stern look on her face, half in an attempt to make up for her earlier behavior and half because she liked to put up her serious face since she had taken years to perfect a pokerface while she is giggling inside. Because she was busy with this, Leonor only half perceived what Elena said and almost jumped when the banshee appeared. She had heard the name of the summoner though and let out a "Hi Shian" while Elena was showing off. Of course, she was also completely amazed at Elena's powers. "Wow! You're so cool. I never thought of using wind as a weapon in such a spectacular way! You must be really smart and good at fighting, I hope you can train me to be just as cool as you one day!" She said still under awe. She wanted to show she could do something as well, so she picked up 2 heavy pistols from the tray, hit the same button as Elena and fired the guns at a target on the far side of the firing range, closing one eye to aim. She fired ten times and hit the target nine times. Then she got hit by an idea, maybe she could be friends with this cool wind girl and show off at the same time. "Miss Redwood, can I say Elena, I have heard a little about you. I heard you are skilled with a sword." Leonor drew her blade from her hip. She had been able to persuade the guard that she could keep it with her best puppy face. "How do you feel about a little sparring? No using powers, just blades." She split her twin blade into two, each in one hand. "Very well, let's move to the training area," Elena replied and she gestured with her hand as she tapped her communications device and a worker came in with her sword. The sheath was basic leather with a steel tip and lip, small silver lines running across it. She drew her sword which was a rather long, katana styled weapon with a gentler curve and a tip more designed for stabbing. Leonor took on a perfect stance, but she could see Elena was a fighter. Leonors stance was not just meant for fighting (she knew 5 dances that started with this stance) and Elena's battle stance was something she perfected over the years and allowed her to be as flexible as the wind, her sword held with slightly bent arms that'd allow for a quick slash, stab or parry. She stood only on the balls of her feet, but she seemed like she could stand her ground in a hurricane. At least my stance looks more elegant, Leonor thought to herself, but she admitted to herself that Elena was way cooler. ((Battle music)) Leonor waited for Elena to attack, but she didn’t make the opening strike so Leonor took the opportunity. In fencing getting the opening attack is very important, but this wasn’t fencing. Leonor took care to not leave an opening and struck with her left sword, which was skillfully blocked by Elena. Elena also managed to block Leonors right sword which came a split second later by turning her katana at just the right angle and she followed up with a counterstab directly after which Leonor managed to avoid by moving her body sideways while keeping her left sword in contact with the katana. Leonor though Elena was open and tried following up with a stab of her own, but she was wrong and Elena jumped over it. Elena tried to land on the sword, but Leonor managed to pull it away. During the process she lost contact with the katana and Elena used it to strike. Leonor managed to avoid it by laying herself on the floor and rolling. Elena made a stab, but Leonor kept rolling and jumped upright. Elena followed with a relentless flurry of strikes which Leonor could only avoid by using both her weapons to block one katana. Elena was good, too good for Leonor and as the assault continued Leonor realized she hadn’t seen a single opening. She took a few stabs but none of them had a chance. Leonor was sure she was outmatched. She couldn't keep avoiding forever, and her attacks didn't even look like they had a chance to hit Elena. Leonor made a backwards jump, dropping her swords and raising her hands. "Alright, you've won. You live up to what I heard! I'm very happy you will train me." She made a bow, and picked up her weapons again to sheet them. Elena stepped back, barely any sweat on her forehead. "You are not bad yourself Miss Mireia, to handle two swords at once, and with such skill and precision. One day you will make an amazing swordswoman." She bowed and headed back to the center of the room, looking as stern as ever. Fireworks went off in Leonors head. She was sure she made a new friend.
