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    Monastery Hall

    Zev the Reveler
    Zev the Reveler
    Gracious Double-Crosser


    Posts : 1594
    Coins : 7008
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    Join date : 2010-12-24
    Location : Land of the Free, Home of the Whopper

    Monastery Hall Empty Monastery Hall

    Post by Zev the Reveler Sat Jan 05, 2013 2:21 am

    On the planet of Symka 7, there is a nondescript apartment building, in a lazy, hot town. It's a town called Naramande, built up the sides of a massive, sloping mountain, with several parts flattened-off, and where some of the forest was too stubborn to completely clear away. It's a town that's always muggy, where the air ripples and quivers above the pavement.

    There are several unfinished, unused apartment buildings; many of which were designed as ambitious public works projects, few of which came to fruition. The focus of our story is what is thought to be another empty building, hollow and humdrum. Yet inside, a genius kind of madwoman, revered and reviled by mages the Universe over, is never at rest. Idle hands are the devil's workshop, and it would be for the best that Old Scratch not have the resources at Touko Aozaki's fingertips. At the moment, with her glasses constantly sliding down the bridge of her nose for sweat, her reddish-brown hair tied back in a ponytail, she tinkers and fiddles with a small, pentagonal plate of silver metal.

    It's a peculiar little object; it's silvery-white, small enough to easily fit in the palm of someone's hand, painted in black ink with a spiralling, five-point symbol. At each corner of the plate are painted tiny runes, which periodically flash to life. Whenever this happens, they sputter and hiss with purple and blue sparks, and transient pink smoke. This forces Touko back a step, before she waits for a moment of cooldown, then returns to the task at hand. Eventually, she seems to find satisfaction with the project, and exits the room. Snatching a taijitu-emblazoned carton of cigarettes off of a cluttered desk, she bustles out to an area behind the apartment building.

    Here is an oddly-shaped lot, enclosed by a tall picket fence, within which it is surrounded by grass and flowers. A small koi pond glimmers in the sun, just meters away from the back door. Sitting on the step before the door, Touko removes a cigarette from the carton, and sets the rest down on the grass beside her. With her now-freed hand, she draws a lighter out of her pocket, and lights up. Taking a long drag of the smoke, she exhales through her nostrils. Staring ahead of her, she reflects upon her project. If I can perfect the equilibrium of the magical circuits, she muses to herself, then I can start work on storing more mana. But I need to get all of their rotational aspects to correspond before - Her thoughts are abruptly cut off by a polite knocking at the front door.

    With a long-suffering sigh, Touko shouts, "I'll be right there!" She squashes the cigarette out on the pavement, retrieves the carton, and makes her way back through the building. At the front door, she uses a rag from a nearby stand to wipe down her face. Replacing her glasses, she tosses the cloth back to its place, and opens the door. There stands a certain elven sniper, dressed in sharp, nondescript clothing. "Ahh, Tyrigosa," she says, "one of Malygos's most loyal and efficient agents. You're a model for anti-mage combat. If you don't have cash, get the hell off my property." Touko leans against the doorframe, eyes locked with Tyrigosa.

    Tyrigosa removes a small, rectangular leather pouch. Unwrapping the cord tying it, she slightly tugs down the covering. Within is a truly massive topaz, hewn into a flawless gem. That instantly focuses in Touko's attention - any gem, not the least a topaz, is always valuable to the right mage. Considering this one's size and clean cut, any Jewel Mage would kill for it - Touko would know, she's seen Jewel Mages murder in order to acquire such a medium. Allowing Touko a brief initial appraisal, Tyrigosa speaks. "There is a certain case for which we require your expertise," she says smoothly. "This topaz will be your payment, should you solve our little conundrum. As for what you get for complying..." From her breast pocket, the elf retrieves a small, smooth, stone sphere.

    As she allows Touko to rest her hand on it, the female mage can feel the faintest of heartbeats. She hums in thought. "The heart of a golem," she says contemplatively. "Yeah, I can do your job for that. Will I be receiving the details tonight, or later?" Already, she has envisioned the golem's heart on her shelf, and is deciding the styling of plaque, as well as the price she'll put on it.

    Tyrigosa tosses the pulsing stone into Touko's grasp. "We'll contact you when it's time," she says plainly. "Expect us at any moment." She walks off down the street, leaving Touko behind. Touko closes the door behind her after moment, and walks back to her desk. Placing the stone heart onto her desk, Touko stares into space for a moment. Then, she sighs with a smile on her face, and begins collecting papers.

    "Damn," she says somewhat wistfully, "she was something else."
    Zev the Reveler
    Zev the Reveler
    Gracious Double-Crosser


    Posts : 1594
    Coins : 7008
    Reputation : 1117
    Join date : 2010-12-24
    Location : Land of the Free, Home of the Whopper

    Monastery Hall Empty Re: Monastery Hall

    Post by Zev the Reveler Sun Jan 06, 2013 2:21 am

    In a huge, grassy plain outside of Naramande, Touko has gathered with two others. One is a short young man, pleasant in appearance, with forest-green eyes and shoulder length, wavy blonde hair. The other is a short girl with a round face, medium length brown hair in pigtails, and her eyes kept narrowed to slits. When another minute goes by with no sign of Tyrigosa or her comrades, Touko turns to look at her own companions.

    "Lugh," she levels a stern eye on the blonde-haired young man, "don't get in over your head. We may be encountering enemies you're not prepared to fight against." Lugh nods rapidly, gladly accepting the order. Next, Touko looks at the short girl standing off to the side. "As for you, Madotsuki," she says softly, "I need you to keep your abilities under control. If they take over your thought process, you'll probably end up in a fight you have no chance of winning." The girl nods almost imperceptibly, either tired or in a sour mood. "Good." By now, the setting sun - a blazing crimson orb, gliding lower and lower all the time - has at last slipped past the mountainous horizon in the distance. As the pale pinks and yellows are encroached upon by blacks and blues, Touko sighs impatiently.

    At that moment, each of the three notice the faintest shift in their surroundings. They look to see a brilliant seam of light widening in the air closeby. Two glowing figures emerge just as the portal collapses - Tyrigosa, and Malygos, quickly losing their resplendent auras. Malygos takes a step towards Touko, but in one movement, Lugh has positioned himself between the two. With a sigh, Touko shoves the young man to the side. "Apologies, Sir Malygos," she says exasperatedly. "This is Lugh Beowulf, my familiar who is being unusually and unnecessarily protective tonight." Lugh mumbles out an apology, scratching at his head bashfully. "Now," the female magus redirects the conversation, "Sir Malygos, what details can you give me of the case you've hired me to solve?" Taking a notepad and pencil out of her coat, she prepares to write.

    Malygos nods solemnly. "On the world of Lorwyn," he says quietly, "an apprentice of mine was sent to investigate a strange, threatening presence on that planet that I could not quite place. His signal was lost soon after arrival, but I could feel his life being extinguished. I will not allow this affront to go unpunished. If you can determine the nature of whatever killed him, and if you can return them to me for punishment, then I will more than double your reward." This clearly earns Touko's approval. The moment Malygos extends his arm, Touko vigorously shakes his hand with a grin on her face.

    "It won't be a problem," she cackles. "Just leave the entire mess up to me!" Turning, she sends Madotsuki and Lugh to retrieve some items of hers for the trip. That leaves her with Malygos and Tyrigosa. Tyrigosa, soon, is sent back to their base of operations to make preparations of their own. Now quite alone, the two extraordinary mages gaze up at the stars in silence.

    The silence is eventually broken by Malygos, quietly humming in thought. "I now know why you are so familiar," he says quietly. "Touko Aozaki...Would you, perchance, be related to Aoko Aozaki?" Touko looks over to him, eyes now suddenly frigid. Malygos never once takes his eyes off of the night sky. "I presumed as much. Her very existence is a threat to a surprisingly delicate natural order. Irresponsible use of that magic of hers has put a crippling debt on the Universe. I don't think I have to tell you the rest?" At last, he looks at Touko.

    With a mirthless chuckle, a savage grin, Touko fixes a murderous glare on Malygos. "She's a stupid brat, but she has the potential to turn 'that magic of hers' into something which could benefit the entire Universe. We can still find a way to undo what she's done - and if she's killed, with no one to inherit Magic Blue, then there's no way to reverse the existing damage. You keep your hands off of my little sister, or you will deeply regret it." The air fizzes and pops, supercharged by Touko's aura.

    Malygos nods, almost as if he's expected as much from this conversation. "If the matter is in your hands, then I feel an iota more confident," he sighs. "Had it only stopped at the third...Yet nothing was ever accomplished by bemoaning the past." At that moment, Lugh and Madotsuki draw near with Touko's belongings. "It is now time to be off," Malygos says in an oddly cheerful way. The entire area is bathed in light, and the three are wrenched off of the ground.

    They go flying through light and sound and unknowable images.

    Quickly, they're all rendered unconscious.

      Current date/time is Thu Mar 28, 2024 8:30 pm