Mages

With the poor possessed souls destroyed, the demon had lost it's barrier. With a crack, the vines entangling the elemental wind-up another "squeeze", shattering the stone creature. Instead of the expected barrage of rocks, the creature simply evaporated like smoke, with the slain husks being returned to their human forms. The transformation had preserved their clothes - illustrious robes of centuries past when magic reigned supreme, made of finest silk, others with more common linen. Some robes were magically enchanted, though after all these years their magic had almost faded away. Finally, that strange feeling of dread faded away.

One final horrifying revelation came upon the mages after they inspected the courtyard floor. Strange markings on the stone floor, eroded in some places. After piecing together the findings - it was a giant ward. Wards - magical traps commonly used for various purposes, usually triggered by stepping on or touching them. Usually they are invisible to the naked eye until sprung. And this courtyard contained a giant ward, though it's magic has long since evaporated. Moreover, the center of ward was exactly where the earth demon was. A conclusion as clear as day - sabotage, probably by one of their own. Even more unnerving was that forced possession was possible.

But now, the mages were free to settle in. Even though the fortress itself was overgrown, it was not touched by any man since it's last inhabitants sprung the trap. It's smithies still had all their tools, armories still full of high quality, rust - resistant weapons and armor, a place to train, etc. Inside the keep and the mess hall remnants of unfinished meals could be found, like dirty plates and fallen over cups. The beds in the keep were rotten to the core and overtaken by moss and rot, but the steel bunk beds in the barracks still retained their frames. The library, now full of dust but least touched by nature, was massive. Books in unknown, ancient languages, books that could never be found anywhere else - almost all related to magic and it's study.

Some mages went to give the dead, both of their current and of the old times, a proper burial, some even took their amazing robes for themselves. Others headed out to make their own corner in this vast place. The other few rushed to the library and the vast knowledge contained within. The rest started preparing plans for repairs. The witch, however, ascended to the throne room, with the objective of "settling in".

[The recent ordeal has strengthened the survivors]

---

Paladins

The battle was finally over. Nothing remained of the skeletal horrors but ashes. There were a lot of wounded, and the ones still standing were exhausted. But the relief would not come so soon. Two people teleported in. A man and a woman. Just like the last mage, their clothing, their appearance was unique. Furthermore, power radiated from the man like an aura, almost paralyzing, choking the paladins will lesser will. Most paladins could not even muster the willpower to dare and raise their weapons against them.




As if completely ignoring the paladin presence, they started talking. The female in particular never changed her facial expression and spoke in creepy monotone:

- "Ok Astela, you were right. Again... Manaron wasn't able to accomplish his task."
- "Why are you are trying so hard to prove my predictions wrong, Master Revain? I'm NEVER wrong."
- "Yet!"

Turning to the inquisitor who was watching the pair closely, this Revain offered Levran a trade: his amulet for the lives of everyone in the general vicinity. "You do not get to make demands, Azure Sorcerer." he replied boldly. Releasing a bright flash of light which broke everyone of that paralyzing trance, he ordered to attack. Power of light and swords at the ready, the paladins rushed towards Azure, as the one known as Astela moved to the other side of the room, where another half of the paladins were, including the candidates.

Not moving an inch, and the paladins and their projectiles approaching, Revain snapped his fingers. A fast expanding bubble of blue energy burst from him, destroying any Light projectiles moving towards him and crystallizing everyone it touched. The reaction was instant - a man turned to a light blue crystal in mere moments. Those who tried to block it with light, and set the magic aflame did not fare any better, as their power was not even close to enough to block the spell, as the man-shaped crystal that remained is burned to nothingness by their very own light. It didn't end there, as a mere touch would spread the crystallization, as a few paladins screaming for their comrades quickly realized. The very few who were still standing back off, trembling in horror. But Levran still stood, not falling to Azure's spell.

On the other side, the others attacked the female. Or at least tried to. No matter how many attacked her, she always found a way to dodge in the most uncomfortable position for the paladin. As if mocking them, she closed her eyes. But even then, no one could touch her. Her every dodge and every move would bring one paladin tripping on something or falling due to a misplaced weight. She would casually trip others, usually causing a chain reaction. The twenty or so paladins looked like incompetent fools against her. But she wasn't trying to kill them, only exhaust them. And it worked - many could barely lift their weapons, let alone continuing the chase. Nor did the female payed much attention to the paladins - she was watching Azure's and Levran's duel. Eventually, so did the exhausted paladins.

Conjuring forth a lance made of solid light in each hand, Levran was barely able to move towards Revain. The mage was throwing huge, man-sized shards of the very same crystal at Levran, at every increasing pace. With every small step, Levran had to swat the projectile out of the air, which destroyed both his lance and the attack. Step by step, he was inching closer. Nearly in range to stab Azure, All the crystallized paladins suddenly shattered, millions of tiny shards shooting towards the inquisitor. With a stomp, a circle of lances sprung around him, forming a wall and blocking the spell. Not content with playing around anymore, with a roar, Levran conjured an speeding, ever expanding wall of lances towards Azure - there was no away the mage could move out in time.

Just before the line reached him, Azure thrust his right arm forward, palm in front. For just a mere moment, it seemed like time froze. A deafening bang could be heard, as the inquisitors attack was shattered and repulsed completely. When the smoke (and the small light particles) settled down, the true power of that attack was evident. From the front, Levran had a huge hole in his chest. From the back... well... there was no backside of Levran anymore. Whatever was in his body, was now a thin red paste on the wall and the floor behind him. The front part of his body collapsed backwards with a splash. Ripping of the amulet of whatever was left of Levran's neck, he turned to the rest of the surviving paladins: "Why must you always choose the hard way?". Turning around he approached the female, and without any further ceremony, they were gone - teleporting out.

It would take quite a while for survivors to process what just happened, but they all knew one thing - they had to report this back. But first, they were tired, and luckily for them, the beds were prepared and were not a trap - the village was attacked shortly before paladins arrived. It would not be easy to fall asleep, but everyone was too tired to go on.

[The recent ordeal has strengthened the survivors]

---

Alicia

It seemed it was finally over. Alicia apologized to Varkasan for forgetting him, and everyone was commending each other's performance. If there was any better way to forge bonds that battle, the girl could not think of any. Exhaustion, however, was quickly settling in.

Just as the paladins were starting to get more comfortable, two other mages teleported in. A man and a woman. The man's mere presence could be felt - Alicia did not need an expert to realize that that man was extremely powerful. Initially ignoring their presence, the two argued about some predictions - Alicia found it hard to even concentrate due to this overpowering aura. The man, Revain, most likely was the infamous Azure Sorcerer. He demanded Levran's amulet, to which he promptly refused. The female moved to the back of the room where Alicia and other candidates were. Receiving the order to attack, they went after Astela, however, no matter how they tried to surround or hit her, nothing would ever come close to hitting her. The mage's blank expression was even more unnerving. As if mocking the paladins, she closed her eyes, it did not make any difference however. Placing her foot in the way of a paladin's step just at a right time, just moving away at the right time - the chase was exhausting. One paladin tripping would quickly cause a chain reaction. Alicia recognized what the mage was doing - after all, her combat style relies on doing the same. Astela, however, was leagues above Alicia's focus and reaction time.

Eventually, the paladins chasing her got too exhausted to even stand up. But the female was not interested in harming them, only in watching the duel between Rivain and Levron. Even though Levron fought valiantly, in the end, he lost. The final, fight-ending spell shocked Alicia. There was no flashy effects, no boast or fancy hand waving, just a sudden, momentous feeling of static, a loud bang and bam. The Inquisitor - the one paladins rallied behind, their strongest fighter, was destroyed, just like that. The paladins who got crystallized, there was not even a body left - not a trace. Light burned away the crystal, along with the man it once was. Was it the end of her life? She felt powerless, completely and utterly. She trained all her life, and in the end, it did not matter at all. She could not even fight against Azure's mere presence.

However, after dropping his last one liner, Azure and the woman left. What now? What do they do now? Rest was now the only viable option. This recent ordeal, however, strengthened Alicia. She could just feel it - she could attain a far better focus and reaction time in combat, partly thanks to the female mage she spent chasing around.

"Alicia's reaction time and combat focus has improved."

---

William

The demon was destroyed. But there were casualties among them. It's destruction reverted the husks to their previous human forms - their clothes intact. This was shocking - possession was considered irreversible, nor was it considered possible to be possesed by force. Moreover, closer examination of the courtyard revealed remnants of a massive ward - with the middle being where the demon stood. A traitor? An infiltrator? Either way, William ignored such trivialities as burying the corpses or finding a place to rest and prepare it for said rest - he rushed to the library. He was not the only one, as a young girl named Sera accompanied him, as they set out to analyze the maps of nearby area and the fortress. After all, places like this are chock full of secrets.

[The recent ordeal has improved William's stamina. He can now remain active for longer periods of time.]

Anwen watched as the giant Elemental vanished and revealed that this had all been a trap, most likely set for them. Why? Why would any of our own kind want to stand against such a large number? She wondered in a slight panic that didn't show on her face. She clenched her torn up shoulder tighter as she realized that it must be because they knew that they were stronger than anyone that this group possessed. That means there is a greater threat than the Black Witch. This made her heart and stomach sink in her body as she limped her way over to one of the fallen. By ripping off a piece of their robes, she made herself a bandage and makeshift cast, but not before thanking them for their sacrifice and her apologies for ripping their robe up. She watched as everyone then moved towards the keep, probably to find whatever magical treasures laid in store for them. Then I should go there, too...

Looking over her shoulder, she wondered whether she would even want to leave and go back to the ignorant life that she had previously lived. She didn't have to worry about going to bed hungry or even having a bed anymore. No... I must leave as soon as I can improve my magical capabilities. I must learn to summon something better... Maybe even learn some illusion magic. Yes, that'll be my best bet. I'm hardly a fighter, but I am a trickster. Then she made her way to the library and immediately delved herself into some of the lesser magic spells, like fire magic and even a couple of ice spells. In a way, she desired someone who was better at magic to show her in person, but she wasn't sure who she would be able to trust in this place.

[Has improve her simple fire spell.]

"RAGH!" Shouted Janus as he slammed down an enormous battering ram from above, immediately shattering the bone armor and reducing the walking corpse to ash. That was the last of them. "Is it over?" Kagax asked, panting and trying to catch his breath. "I think so..." Varkasan replied. The squad of four sheathed their weapons and took sighs of relief. The Inquisitor had killed the blackened corpse controlled by the Puppeteering Mage, while the rest of the bodies were dealt with by the Paladins.

Varkasan saw Alicia call for him, and nodded before approaching. She said an apology about back in Liria. Varkasan just laughed. "You still remember that? Don't worry about it, it's fine. I was simply concerned." He said in reply. Sylvestra also seemed to be in their general area, as well as Conrad who's body was glowing and seemed to be in great pain. "Excuse me." Varkasan said to Alicia as he approached the other male candidate. "Someone help me over here!" He shouted as some Paladins came to his aid. He went up next to the glowing wounded man, and picked him up with his shoulders as another Paladin did the same. "You should take it easy, friend. This battle seems to have taken a toll on you." He said as he deposited him on a chair.

However, before any of them could even consider what to do next, two more Mages suddenly teleported into the hall. Varkasan was one of the first to move in to attack, but found himself stopped by some sort of invisible force. "What... is this?!" He said when he found himself unable to get any closer to the two Mages. Looking behind him, he saw his squad kneeling on their weapons, also unable to move. The two Mages were bickering about something. Varkasa had trouble discerning it, but it had to do with the girl being right. The blank tone of voice from her was also unnerving.

"Revain... This is him!" Aradus shouted with urgency. Varkasan's eyes widened in surprise. They were standing before the leader of The Azure Covenant. With the new information, Varkasan tried to move even further towards the man to fight them, but his will only managed to get him a few steps forward.

The Azure Sorcerer approached The Inquisitor, and bargained with him; his amulet, for the lives of The Paladins. "Surely not even he could take on every man and woman in this room... But with this aura... And our fatigue..." Varkasan thought. He realized that a majority of The Paladins were in no condition to fight. The Inquisitor defied Revain, released a Light flash that seemed to have broken the invisible force, and the battle began anew.

The closest target to The Candidates was the woman, so Varkasan renewed the Shield of Light on his equipment and went to attack her. Other Paladins had already started attacking her with weapons and Light spells, but she seemed to dodge out of the way of all of them, almost like some sort of dance. Varkasan tried his own attacks, but all of them were also avoided, some fellow Paladins even ended up falling on him in a pile, and they had to climb their way out. The entire fight was an embarrassment.

But still, Varkasan would not let up, he kept on attacking and slashing after all of the other Paladins gave up. Eventually though, he began losing momentum, With one final downward slash, he knelt to the ground, supported by the blade of his sword, breathing very heavily. Thankfully, the female Mage was more interested in the duel between Levran and Revain than killing them. "H-...How...?" Varkasan muttered weakly. He looked up and finally saw the carnage that had ensued between the two powerful warriors.

So many Paladins trapped in crystallized forms, some burning alive because of their own Light attempts. And the Crystals were spreading even further, infecting those who tried to save their brethren. "You... monsters..." Varkasan said to the woman, though he wasn't sure if she could hear him. Looking to the edge of the room, he was relieved to see that his squad was falling back and Inquisitor Levran making progress and trapping The Azure Sorcerer with his lances.. However, his relief quickly changed into horror when Revain suddenly countered The Inquisitor, and brutally tore a hole in his body, splattering blood and organs on the wall behind him as the Paladin leader dropped dead.

"NO!" Varkasan exclaimed. He tried to stand up to fight once more, but his body failed him and he collapsed. "Why must you always choose the hard way?" Revain said, just before he and the woman teleported away.

With that, The Paladins were finally left alone, but with the bodies of their brethren and leader scattered and reduced to nothing all around the room. Varkasan mustered up the strength to stand, and looked upon the scene. It was safe to say that they had failed their mission. Their leader was dead, and the casualties were incredibly high. The logical thing to do was retreat back to Liria and alert the higher-ups of what had happened.

A hand grasped him from behind onto his shoulder. It was Aradus. "We should rest. Kagax cant stand up and Janus was wounded by the corpses... No one is in any condition to move right now..." He said. Varkasan did not respond, but simply moved towards the nearest Paladin body he could find. He took the body's dog tags and began dragging the corpse towards the door, slowly but surely.

"What... Are you... ?" Aradus asked. "Get the others to bed... I will remain here to collect fallen tags and gather any bodies that weren't destroyed. These men deserve to be left respectfully instead of having their corpses neglected..." Varkasan answered coldly, but with a hint of anger in his tone. Aradus understood his friend's drive and nodded. "Don't push yourself too hard... We're all exhausted from this fight." Aradus said before leaving to help his squadmates to the rooms.

Meanwhile, Varkasan was successful in dragging one of the bodies outside the Hall, and returned inside to pick up another one, looking down on the floor to collect any dog tags he saw, and depositing them together on the corner of one of the tables. He moved slowly, and in a very weary manner. But despite the obvious fatigue, anyone could see he was driven to finish the task, even if it meant he would pass out and sleep on the bloody floors.

By withstanding the fatigue from all the way to start to finish, continuing to battle even when others surrendered, and working to give respect to his fellow Paladins despite his current state, Varkasan's devotion and will has strengthened. He felt he could do much more than before

[Varkasan's endurance and stamina has increased. His physical energy can now last longer and Light Spells have increased intensity]

Conrad Felden

His strength wavered with the continual pain, and by the end of the fight Conrad was just sitting on his knees slumped against one of the walls. The tip of the blade he had picked up was on the ground and it wasn’t likely he could swing it if he wanted to. But thankfully enough, there wasn’t a need. Conrad winced as a fresh wave of flame induced pain rolled over him, and then Varkasan was there, with another survivor. ”I don’t know how you are even standing...” But he did, Conrad had always known that the others bore the pain better than he could dream of and it was to his own shame that the others were gracious enough to ignore his own lack of control. ”Thank you. He couldn’t find it in himself to say more, he couldn’t even put weight on the leg he had cast with. Instead, Conrad hung his head and let himself be put in a chair. Water would be a light-sent bles- Two mages appeared, much as the dead-raiser had disappeared. They were entirely across the room from Varkasan and himself, but even so, sheer power held everyone in place as effectively as paralysis- or in Conrad’s case, pain.

Her voice had no emotion, and the mans had a banter that shouldn’t be present midst enemies. As for the trade to the Amulet... the Inquisitor did not disappoint in his challenge to the mages authority. He cast a Light spell that broke the bonds of power upon everyone, and the majority of Paladins in Conrad’s vicinity, including the one he had guarded in the corner with the wounded leg, charged the woman. The others charged the man, the Inquisitor standing out before all of them. Conrad didn’t move. He would have liked to, but his willpower was nothing versus the continual pain of burning alive. His body sat in the chair like a slumped corpse for all the control he had. That said, Conrad had the best living seat in the house, thanks to Varkasan.

The blue light that expanded outward from the Azure Sorcerer petrified every man it touched into pure crystal, the light that had been cast toward him fizzling out on impact, and men themselves burning their corpses in their own flames, moments after their death. It was horrific, and Paladins leapt to their comrades aid, only to be crystalized themselves at a touch. It wasn’t a fight, it was an extermination. Those left could only stand back, except for one man. Levran, the Inquisitor. Levran the Lion. Projectiles flew at Levran, and he batted them aside with little concern. He was indomitable. And suddenly all the crystal in the room blew apart, massacring those that hadn’t moved far enough away. But Levran still somehow survived, and struck. And then Conrad’s hair stood on end and was blown back as smoke and light went everywhere. The inquisitor left little behind besides a blood streak larger than the mans corpse. And he was gone. The Azure Sorcerer ripped the Inquisitors Amulet from the body and walked back to the woman, leaving. Conrad was afraid all those around her were dead, until a few began stirring. He had ignored their fight, partially afraid of the pain that would come from turning his head, and of missing a moment of the others battle. It mattered not that she had left them alive however, because there was little left to live. Some had perished in eating the poisoned food, more from fighting the mages. Still more from fighting the corpses of the mages, those that had died fighting the mages, and those that had died eating the food. And then of those, half had died along with Levran assaulting the Azure Sorcerer. Still more may die of their wounds before morning. The force had been decimated, and it hadn’t been more than a day.

Conrad let himself be carried out, stripped, and doused in water from the local well, which- while it did little in stifling the magical flames, cooled and soothed his skin. After which, a bed, no matter how rough or itchy, let him pass out almost instantly into a mercifully numbing sleep.

The glow and the pain plaguing his body disappeared overnight, but the memory of the helplessness it caused did not. Conrad's will and determination grew from the experience.

"Conrad's willpower has increased, allowing him to utilize more power at once and push through more pain before being rendered incapable of movement."

Weary, tired and beaten, Sylvestra thought they had triumphed after all. Casualties were high and the mages had caught them completely left-handed, yet they had won the battle against the -- what the hell?
Another two mages materialized in the room, and Sylvestra could feel something was off. "Tarfield, Highwielder, into formation!" she commanded, but her men groaned behind her. Spinning around, they were all either on their knees or struggling to keep standing. Looking around, Sylvestra saw that most of the Paladins present was doing the same. It was a spell of the mind, Sylvestra being one of the few who still had the strength to move. Her mind, hardened in the years of being a cold calculating commander, was stronger than her men. But she couldn't command them. "Damn it..." she cursed, and turned back to the two mages, stumbling. The spell had an effect over her aswell, despite how strong-willed she was. The inquisitor soon freed them however, and the Paladins rallied behind him.
A short-lived moment of courage.
Before Sylvestra could even completely comprehend the situation, half of her men were dead, crystallized by the mage's spell, and then the inquisitor was dead. His guts and blood stained the wall and paladins behind him, and everyone stood in silent shock for a moment. The mages took his amulet and disappeared.
Sylvestra was left without words. They had been utterly devestated, crushed and defeated by a single mage. Tarfield and Highwielder were among the wounded, and it seems most of command was aswell.

Assuming her usual stern look on her face, only this time even worse due to defeat and shock, she climbed up to one of the tables not toppled. "I'm assuming command. All able bodies report to your lieutenants who will take a body count. Take all the wounded and establish an infirmary. Collect dog-tags if you found any from our comrades who turned to dust. I expect all squad-leaders to report to me before sundown." she said coldly, eyeing the crowd. They were even more torn than she was. Half of them couldn't process the orders, the other half was downright crushed over the defeat and death of their leader and comrades. Sylvestra was also torn, but she knew someone had to get these men home. "Clean up this place. We're staying here for the night before returning home to Liria. The Inquisition will want to know of this treachery. I promise you, comrades, this unspeakable act shall not go unpunished." she said, finally, and stepped down from the table. With that, most Paladins snapped somewhat out of their trance as their lieutenants began making reports of their squads. Within a few hours, the house had been cleared of corpses, the wounded taken to an infirmary established in the house next door and most lieutenants had been leaving in their report. She sent a runned to find Varkasan, Alicia and Conrad ((basicly the candidates, sorry if I missed one)). They were to report to her immediately.

For the remainder of the fight, Calista stood her ground over the woman who was now her charge. She was tired after healing such a metaphysical ailment, but she kept a tight hold over the gray slabs of stone that hung around her. Just as she thought her two enemies would advance, they were swept away in the tide of battle. Expecting more foes, the half-elf looked around wildly, but saw that her new companions had made relatively quick work of the possessed husks. Her had rage faded, but she was still agitated and on edge because of the feeling the possessed stone had given her. The sound of the gigantic golem that had reigned in size but not action on the battlefield was not the loud exclamation she had expected, but a dull puff as the beast imploded into a cloud of powder, as if its very existence was questionable at best. Calista sighed and her shoulders fell her hand distended away from her, and the hovering boulders careened to the side and fell with a muted clop.

As she relaxed, hopefully not to her peril, the tainted air of the courtyard faded as the possessed husk reverted to mages of times past. Calista looked for an elven body from her perspective over the prone woman, and eyeing some of the nicer robes, wondered if the remains of one of her people would be wrapped in something truly magnificent, but had no such luck. At first, she thought to join the others with burials, but as she stood there and looked below her, she decided that finding where the wounded were gathering was her best idea. THe woman, whom Calista did not recognize, had tired herself out during the battle, but Calista's restorative magic had lessened the severity of the mental backlash. She gathered her energy, her bottom lip quivering with effort as a silent prayer to the Earth Mother sang harmonies through her mind, and the warm feeling of divine magic graced her palms once more as she tried to rose the woman. After a moment, she slumped, and the glow faded, but the woman was stirring. Calista stood on wobbling knees and a disgruntled moan came from below her, and then gathered the little physical strength she had to help the woman up.

It was a struggle because the woman could not be considered completely conscious, but after a moment of grunting and close calls, the shorter half elf had the woman's arm slung around her shoulder. She took a few hesitant steps, her breathing labored, and slowly and unsteadily made her way to entrance of the fort. As the stragglers from the battle were corralled together into the Keep, there were a few mages spreading the word of an establish infirmary. It was inside the main complex, in a room that had been furnished for that purpose, and suited the many healers' needs. As she fell in with the main crowd, a fellow healer took up the other arm of the woman Calista was supporting. She flashed him a grateful smile.

Once Calista made it to the infirmary she wished she had not expended so much energy in the battle. There appeared to be about twenty cots in the large bay, which seemed small for such an expansive complex, and in the back of her mind Calista wondered if this was one of several medical centers of the entire grounds, or if this was just an outpost of sorts. She hadn't gotten a good mental image of the place before the battle started, or after it ended. Her and the man who had helped her deposited the woman on a bed of torn robes and old sheets. The half-elf looked again at the packed bay: not only were all the beds occupied, but there were makeshift cots of blankets and gathered robes that held more than their fair share of injured. Some bodies were shrouded, and some people had injuries that did not even require magic to care for, but many of the slumped figures were splattered with enough blood to attest to a serious wound. The disheartening matter was that there were only a handful of mages scurrying around and doing actual healing. There were many helping hands, but the tell-tale feel of restorative magic should have been stronger.

The man who had assisted Calista had already disappeared into the crowd to be of further assistance elsewhere. After looking over the woman she had dragged from the battlefield to make sure she would be fine with rest, the half-elf gathered her energy and strode purposefully toward a man nursing a nasty gash in his thigh, a mellifluous elven prayer softly falling from her lips as she did so. Even though she felt as though her skin would be set ablaze for channeling further, Calista was in much better shape than those around her, and so she would not rest until the Earth Mother sent her to sleep. After the man was resting peacefully, albeit with a fresh pink scar, Calista stood and again saw a body in need of divine intervention. She realized then that this would be a long night, longer than any she had ever had. Again and again she pleaded with her deity, even though she feared being stricken for gluttonous over-use, and each time she was blessed with ability. She had not known her mortal flesh could channel so much of the Earth Mother's blessings. When she finally retired for the night, barely able to move her arms, she felt much closer to the Mother than she ever had before. She slept with a smile.

[Calista's ability to channel had improved. She can now channel more magic before feeling adverse effects. Her healing spell is now more effective.]

The sensation of waking up was normally something Shara enjoyed. Coming back to the world after sleeping was like being rejuvenated, ready to take on the world. This time when she woke, she debated whether she had been struck by lightning, or simply squished, as every part of her seemed to both sore and burning. After a few moments of confusion, the fighting came back to her. At first, it didn't seem real, but looking around at what appeared to be a makeshift infirmary, the reality of it set in. She and all the mages had fought of a demon of some sort. A good many demons, if her memory served her correctly. Evidently they'd also managed to win, or she wouldn't be laying her with these other wounded.

Groaning as she sat up, Shara took stock of herself. She was mostly unharmed, aside from a bruise on her back from when she fell. She must have been healed somehow, or else not been injured further - but then why did it feel like she'd been through a meat grinder? Slowly standing up, she searched her makeshift cot until she found her satchel - thankfully that had followed her to this infirmary - and headed towards the exit. She was mostly halfway there before another mage, reading quietly in a chair by the door, intercepted her. "So one of the dead wakes! Knew they had me here for something, though your timing was rather poor, I'd been hoping to get some rest." The man pondered her for a moment, then nodded. "Yep, I remember you. Helped carry you in here with that elvish looking lady. You're lucky, you know. She said she saw you almost burn yourself out in that mess out there. Too much magic in a short time isn't good for you, makes you sick. From the look of you, you're definitely feeling the effects."

Shara nodded at that, partly amazed that she had survived, and scared at how close she had come to - what exactly? - but burning out hardly seemed like something that would be a pleasant experience. There were so many questions buzzing around in her mind. A elf had brought her here? Where exactly was here? How long had she been unconscious? What else had happened in that time? She posed those questions to the healer, Lucas, and gradually got her answers, although some of them simply led to further questions. They had activated a ward of some sort? What was a ward? Why was one there? Unfortunately, Lucas did not have all the answers she was looking for. Eventually, another mage came to watch over the wounded in his place, and Lucas went off to find a bed somewhere.

Shara left as well, following the new mages directions toward the library. Her stomach growled, and she searched through her bag, managing to find some of the fruit from the feast in the grove earlier. Some of it had been squashed, leaking juices into her bag - she would have to clean that, sometime later - but they still tasted quite good. The halls were quite dark though, evidently she had woken sometime deep in the night, so she conjured a small flame to light the way. The magic gave her a slight feeling of nausea, but it wasn't quite unbearable. As she walked, she examined the flame, remembering how she had reacted in the heat of battle. She had blinded the things by creating a light, then blindfolded them with a darkness of some sort, and looking at the illusory flame, she could see how the two interacted to form something else, the darkness, almost like a substance, flowed and undulated, giving shape to the fire, while light provided the colors and brightness of it. Curious, she pulled away the darkness, sucking it back into her, until only a bright light remained. She experimented further as she reached the library, and began searching the rows of books for some more information about wards, though there was so much she didn't know, she expected that simply opening any book would be enlightening.

The amount of illusion Shara can maintain has increased.

Mages
*One week later*

A week has passed since the destruction of the demon. The people in here started cleaning up, exploring or otherwise being preoccupied. The Witch was busy taking control of nearby wilderness to use as the first line of defense. Food was not a problem - the raging river separating the castle from the world was brimming with fish, and those managed to cross the rotten drawbridge found plenty of wildlife to hunt. Serenity and tranquility was all around - untamed wilderness around them, one that reclaimed even this mighty fortress into its fold. But the outside world was still a concern.

During the morning meal, in the grand hall inside the keep, where once great lords indulged in great feasts, The Witch instructed all of mages who are able to walk to gather in the main courtyard. It was time for training. Come noon, when the majority of the fortress' inhabitants gathered in the courtyard, at the other end of it stood a familiar figure - a young man who was arguing with a witch back in the forest. It could be felt clearly now - his unmistakable aura of power.

"Since Master Neilde is busy weaponizing the nearby area, I will be your teacher. My name is Rivain, and the so called Witch of Black Forest is... was the one who taught me everything I know. And even though we disagree on how to do things, we still have the same goal in mind." A man looking like a scholar stepped out of the crowd in front of Rivain. "So, you're the infamous Azure Sorcerer, am I right?" Rivain looked a bit shocked, but quickly regained his default expression - a serious, threatening face, that pretty much tells everyone to just comply with him. "You are correct. Don't worry, I am here just to teach, nothing more. I respect my mentor way too much to do anything else. Is my answer satisfactory, William the Scholar? Oh, don't look so shocked - you're not exactly unknown." William stepped back in front of the crowd, as The Azure Sorcerer continued his monologue.

"As much as I prefer practical skills, theoretical knowledge is just as important. Now, some of you know may know it, some may don't even care, but magic is the power of your soul. It is using the strength of your very being, of your very essence. And just like the body, the soul can grow stronger and stronger. Unlike the body, however, there is no limit. And with high enough mastery of magic, neither your body nor your soul has a limit to how strong it can grow. After all, the infamous Grand Archons were living proof of it.

And so, just like the body, there are things you can do to improve your soul. Just like the body, you have to push yourself to your limits and beyond to improve. And for the first lesson, we will do just that." Raising his hands, Rivain put some kind of enchantment on the practice dummies at the corners of the courtyard - no doubt previously used to train the fortress' troops. "Just touch the dummy, and it will sync to your abilities. That means that it will completely absorb your attack if you put regular amount of effort into it. Exceed that power, and you will damage the barrier that protects those dummies from harm. Your goal is to break the barrier. It won't be easy, however. When I first did it, it me a week. And then I was shown just how much I improved. I will be observing you and offering you advice. And if you don't have an offensive spell right now, come up with one. Or talk to me if you can't come up with any.

Anyway, there are plenty of dummies for everyone. Get to it."

[This is the first phase of mage training. You can evolve an existing offensive, damaging spell, or learn one if your character has none.]

---

Paladins

*One week later*

The survivors made it back, after enduring that restless night after the massacre. Back in Liria, they were taken care of, and all wounds and injuries were treated. The candidates had gotten some rest, some time to further discuss the event between themselves and with their superiors. Eventually, they were escorted to the Inquisitorial Fortress itself - they were about to be promoted. Several friends of the candidates were also invited and put up for consideration of promotion.

The journey itself didn't take long on horseback. However, the only entrance to the plateau that housed the massive fortress and the dwarven tunnels below was a narrow path along the cliff. One wrong step, and one would fall about 100 meters to the ice cold water below, or just slam into a rock below. Very impractical, but doable if not done in a hurry. Also very easily defendable - any advancing threat making past this still has to assault the fortress itself. Reaching the top the group was greeted by a giant bubble of white light, encompassing the entire plateau and the tunnels below - preventing any magical sight or transportation within it.

A light tingle could be felt as the barrier was passed, and the fortress was revealed in all of it's grandeur. Massive towers, wide battlements and a huge gate in front - the only entrance unless you can fly. When inside, there was no doubt that dwarves built it. In exchange for their protection and various privileges within the human society, the dwarves built a mighty fortress above their tunnels for the Paladin Order.

The group was lead to their rooms - not bunk beds in a barracks. Actual rooms, though a bit small, with a bed, a chest, a wardrobe, a chair and a table, and some room for the personalization. Given keys the rooms, they were told to settle in, and then report to the practice range.

...

The practice range, as expected, contained many targets at various positions for archery practice. Instead of bows or crossbows, however, the group saw some kind of miniature, bracers - mounted automatic crossbow. "The dwarves have recently invented this thing. It is mandatory for all inquisitors to learn to use it, especially given the recent events. And yes, that includes you. You just mount it on your wrist, aim it, and flick your wrist like that, and it fires. After your current magazine - the container with the bolts, is expended, you just replace it like this." the instructor showed them. "Also, the small crystal here lets you easily channel light into the bolts or The Stinger. What you do with that is up to you though. Now go on, I want you to be able to reliably hit your targets.".

After being explained the basics and told that they were to practice until the higher-ups finish their discussion. The group was important in whatever plans the Inquisitors were discussing right now, nothing else to do than practice the use of this new toy.

[The candidates gain the basic model of The Stinger - a wrist-mounted self-loading miniature crossbow. And time to practice it's use.]

---

Alicia

The survivors returned to Liria - devastated and shaken. They were paladins, those who protect the people from the horrors of magic, and they were absolutely powerless. Alicia was visited by her father quickly after the news of their returned spread. Coming back to her mansion for a few days of rest, Alicia found out just how much everyone was worried about her. "This wasn't the goddamn plan. Damn that Rivain. her father shouted. It seems the Azure Sorcerer decided to take some matters into his own hands.

That night, Alicia and Deliah sat by the fireplace, and a huge painting above. A painting of Alicia's mother, who has died giving birth to her. "I was able to give you everything, my girl, everything except the chance to meet your own mother. You look just like her, you know. As hard as your childhood was, it was just as hard for me to force you through this. All for a promise I made to her - a world with no more persecution, a world where you can be a princess. A world where our family has what was stolen from them. Our future, the future of Altea is in your hands, my princess. This suffocating grip Grinnoc has on us all has to end. "

Alicia looked up to the painting with tears in her eyes - her mother, Dearel, looked just like Alicia, just older. The girl knew the hardships she will face both as a paladin and a spy, and this ordeal just shoved the reality of this into her mind. "Nevertheless, my dear Alicia. You must persevere. Tomorrow you are to head to Liria. From there, you and your friends will be escorted to Inquisitorial Fortress. From that point on, I do not think we will meet in quite a while. You can do this, I trust in you." Hugging his girl for one last time, Deliah carried his little princess to the room. He himself spent the night weeping near the portrait - some would call him a monster for making his own daughter a weapon, some would praise his discipline, but his motive was still love and grief. And he almost lost his only child.

...

The journey to the fortress wasn't very eventful, though the ride along the cliffs was quite scary. Not looking down was far more scary than Alicia anticipated. After acquiring their rooms, the candidates were led to the shooting range. It would be a day or two until the officers had a plan they all agreed on, and in the meanwhile the group would practice this new invention. "This can't be that hard" she thought to herself, affixing The Stinger to her left wrist. Putting in the magazine, the crossbow was ready for action. Maybe too ready, because a sudden flick of her wrist activated the firing mechanism, and the bolt was released, almost hitting Varkasan in the eye, as it sped past his face and penetrated the stone wall behind him, only half of the shaft sticking out of the wall. "Oops!" was all she could say for herself, as she quickly pointed the weapon downwards and hid her left hand behind her back, only to accidentally fire it again near her feet. The instructor overseeing them turned nearly pale, as he called her up to come closer and overhear the instructions again.

After a few hours of practice, however, she finally learn to fire when she actually wants it, and with decent accuracy.

[Alicia has acquired the basics of wielding The Stinger.]

---

William

The library contained everything William ever hoped to find. Copies (or maybe originals) of lost books and maps. Hardly ever eating or sleeping, he spent majority of his time devouring the knowledge within. This place was major hub of knowledge as well, as many theoretical treatises were contained within. Unfortunately, many of those theories went untested, as the lively hood of this fortress was cut short by an unknown saboteur.

Another day, and a breakfast where everyone was invited. The reason - lessons of magic. A most logical step - as the ragged bunch of mages were all at varying degrees of mastery, but very few knew more about magic than that can just do it. The man who came to train them had a easily detectable aura about him. Auras, the herald of the soul's power. It is said that the Grand Archons had auras of unimaginable magnitude, suffocating everyone weaker in the same kingdom unless it is suppressed. Only those who accumulated a considerable amount of power would have an easily detectable aura, and this man had it. And if he was just a pupil of The Witch, it means she is even more powerful, yet able to hide her aura. What was most interesting, however, that it was the Azure Sorcerer, without a doubt. Doings things his own way, yet respecting his mentor. Having the same goal... It didn't take much to connect the dots. Nor did William care - at least they would get instructions from someone capable of defeating paladins consistently.

His monologue revealed nothings new - it was the basics, though most likely the majority gathered here didn't even know that much. And to learn a damaging spell, under the tutorage of Rivain was the best they could get at the moment. And William knew very well - his strength is his knowledge. As a mage, he was pathetically weak. And it was just the right time to change that. Approaching the dummy and touching it, he was considering his options. In the end, he decided to make a deadly modification to Exhaust: instead of modifying the air around the target to exhaust them, it would make the air extremely... combustable... with just a small spark. His initial attempts were really sad: only a small spark conjured. Eventually, after a few hours, it actually looked like the Flashfire he intended to cast, yet not strong enough to damage the barrier. And according to Azure, it wouldn't be powerful enough to set a man on fire just yet. And William was already feeling the drain - his magic reserves were running out, and he needed a rest. Either way, he had quite a lot of time for practice anyway.

[William learns the initial version of Flashfire - a spell that instantly sears a target with fire, but not yet able to actually make that flame linger or do very significant damage.]

The nights following the massacre at the abandoned village were filled with fear, regret, and nightmares for Varkasan. He wondered just how competent they were to dealing with the Mage threat if there were people like Revain and his subordinates who were magic juggernauts and simply tore through the ranks of countless Paladins. He dreaded that there may come a time where the people he defended would be at the mercy of men like The Azure Sorcerer, and he would be powerless to stop them.

When the news reached Varkasan that they would go to the fortress of The Inquisitors for training and promotion, he was actually relieved (despite him knowing it meant more hardships ahead). Because this meant that he had the opportunity to become stronger, and be able to better protect others from powerful Mages. He made a quick return to The Guardians' Guild House to get his supplies packed and say goodbye to his comrades.

Aradus wished him good fortune, and even gave him a small blue gemstone, the size of a pebble. "This was given to me by a dwarven smith I saved from some bandits being led by a Mage. He said it was a lucky charm that had worked for him for a long time, and that I had only found him and rescued him because he was carrying it. He gave it to me hoping that it would give me the luck it had given him. I've carried it in my pocket during every assignment I've had, and I'm still alive aren't I? So now I'll give this to you. You're going to need all the help you can get if you're going to be with The Inquisitors." He explained. "Thank you, friend. I promise to put its powers to good use." Varasan answered; touched by the gesture. Kagax was still obviously displeased by the fact that Varkasan had outshone him, but he still managed to force out a few words of congratulations and best wishes. "I'm sure... You will continue to keep surprising us all...And, err.. Try not to do anything foolish and die." Kagax said with pained pauses. Varkasan smiled. "I promise to do so." He replied. Janus was still confined to an infirmary, as the wounds he had sustained were greater than they thought. But with whatever energy he had in him, he spoke to Varkasan. "Do it for the fallen... and for the living..." Janus said. Varkasan nodded. "I shall." The young Paladin replied.

After a few more farewells by fellow squads who all gave their words of encouragement, Varkasan was on his way to meet up with the other candidates and a guide back in Liria, before heading together to the Inquisitorial Fortress.

---

There wasn't anything notable about the ride up the plateau (aside from a few scary moments as they traversed the tight corners and saw what awaited them at the bottom of the fall), the first thing that had amazed Varkasan was the large spherical Light shield that surrounded the Fortress. He knew such a feat took a great amount of energy and skill (even for the most experienced of Paladins), and that the effects could not only be physical; it probably affected any Magic within it as well. Entering through the shield and past the walls of the Fortress, Varkasan felt safe for the first time in the last few days. This was a place that would not fall easily to even the most determined of Mage attacks.

They were then led to their rooms. Varkasan was a little surprised to find that the room was much better than his quarters at their Guild House barracks. "One would think that we would be thrown into much hardship during this training... Perhaps this is meant to be a breather in between the tougher moments we will go through." Varkasan thought.

He then quickly unloaded his luggage and began sorting them out. Seeing the table while he carried his things around, he made a mental note to write to his parents later tonight, as news of his training at the Inquisitorial Fortress may have reached their ears by now. After his room became slightly more personalized with his sorting, he put on his armor and proceeded to the practice range for the first part of his training.

---

The practice range reminded Varkasan of the shooting gallery used by Aradus and other long-ranged Paladins back at The Guardians' training base, with targets set up in different kinds of positions you would find enemies in battle: Some out in the open, others behind cover with small portions exposed, and others completely protected by cover so that shots had to be done in a perfect arc to hit them.

Varkasan once attempted to use bows and crossbows, but he didn't have the finesse to handle a bow, and he found the crossbow to be slow and unwieldy. He felt a little afraid that perhaps that was the kind of ranged warfare that he and the others were to practice. But his fear was immediately replaced with curiosity when they were given a strange bracer-mounted crossbow.

The instructor explained to them what "The Stinger" was and how it would be used. It was definitely much faster and allowed more agility than a regular crossbow, and seemed easier to use than a bow and arrow. "Perhaps this will finally allow me to have some ranged capability in anti-Mage combat!" Varkasan thought excitedly as he secured the bracer to his right arm (his sword-arm) and examined the small weapon. The Dwarves had always impressed him and many others with their ability to not only create machines, but also how intricate and detailed they were with it. He then grabbed a "magazine", as they called it, and attached it to the spot the instructor had shown them. It easily snapped on, and (careful not to trigger the weapon with unnecessary movements) Varkasan very slowly raised his arm to take aim.

He decided to start with a fairly easy one: a moderately distant target standing in the open in front of him. He carefully lined up the weapon with the target's middle area and tried to steady his aim using his left arm to hold the right one in place. "Ready... Steady... Aaaaand...-". Just as he was about to shoot, a small Stinger bolt whizzed past him, mere inches away from his face.

"GAH!" He exclaimed as he fell backwards out of impulse. He watched the bolt embed itself into the wall as he heard Alicia exclaim "Oops!". However, he accidentally triggered his own Stinger during the fall, causing a bolt to fly off over the practice range and onto the top of the wall where a couple of guards were making their rounds. "LOOK OUT!" Varkasan quickly shouted to warn them. They heard him, and looked just in time to get out of the way of the stray bolt. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE SHOOTING!" One of the guards shouted at the candidates angrily, waving his fist in the air "Sorry!" Varkasan replied with a weaker shout.

He got up from the ground and turned to Alicia and the Instructor. He noticed another Stinger bolt sticking out from the ground near Alicia's feet while she herself seemed embarrassed by the effects of the stray shots. "Sir, perhaps we shouldn't have started out with using real bolts..." Varkasan said to the Instructor.

After the hair-raising close calls, Varkasan finally managed to get to practice easily with The Stinger as he fired upon different targets. He needed a lot of trial and error experimentation in order to understand how much wrist movement would activate it, and how far he could move his hand without accidental misfires (though he always kept it pointed at walls or targets, just in case). Aiming was an easier affair, though he needed extra effort to steady his arm if he wanted to hit a precise spot on the target. While he could now use it without accidental shots, it would definitely affect his sword technique if he was using The Stinger while wielding a blade. Not to mention being able to be agile in a fight while equipped with it. He would need more practice for that.

[Varkasan now knows the basics of using The Stinger. However, he will still have trouble when using it while moving quickly, or in conjunction with his sword and shield]

The journey back home was a march of defeat. Some paladins ducked their heads down when they walked the road, their armor still dirty and some even bloodied. Sylvestra guessed the ones with the clean armor hadn't slept at all, and instead done like her, maintaining her equippment the entire night. Tarfield had died of his injuries in the night, and Highwielder now wore two dogtags around his neck, and several others around his wrist. Sylvestra also wore a few extra around her neck. They had all been accounted for, but she still did this every battle. Even as cold and ruthless as she had the reputation to be, she could still not forget the men and women that died under her command.
She was now the highest ranking officer alive, and further back in the lines some paladins were carrying a small coffer with the Inquisitor's remains. Sylvestra bit her lip in anger. Damn mages. she thought. They'll pay for this.

Gradually as the week passed, Sylvestra was able to sleep easier. She didn't dream, or have nightmares of any kind, the sleep was just... Silent and still. Almost creepy.
She passed the first two days adressing her men and taking care of the Vanguard. She still handed out assignments as usual, but suddenly her superior came up to her. Duncan Redhammer, the General of the entire Vanguard. He began the conversation as he usually does. "At ease, commander." and Sylvestra lowered her salute and stood comfortably with her hands behind her back. He continued. "I heard as soon as you came back about what had happened. Terrible business, but I hadn't the time to come see you myself until now." Sylvestra's eyes widened somewhat. "Sir, you didn't have to come see me yourself. You could've just sent for me..." she replied but Duncan shook his head. "No, I had to come see you myself. Tell me, Commander, when was the last time you had time off to see your family?" he asked. A strange question, Sylvestra thought. It could imply so many things that she just decided to go with a confused "Sir..?" to which Duncan smiled. "I'm giving you leave for two days to see your family. After this ordeal I'm sure you would like some time off."
Sylvestra couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Vanguard was constantly busy, she barely have the time to see her family a few hours each week, and now the General gave her two days? It was... Much to process, for such a hardened battle commander. On the field, she knew exactly what to do, but when it came to her family... She couldn't process the thought properly. The other officers in the room stopped what they were doing to stare at Sylvestra. They had never seen her speachless before. "I... Thank you sir." she was able to get out. Though she said it quieter with each word.
So for the next two days, she spent time with her family. She lived atop a rock in a "small" mansion. It wasn't super-flashy but she had hired staff to do most of the work. Her husband was a diplomat, but not a Paladin. Her son was twelve and her daughter nine. The short reunion was sweet for all of them, and it seemed to Sylvestra she hadn't smiled for years. Those two days made the whole thing easier to bear. The loss of Tarfield...

When she came back, the other officers would greet her with the usual respect, only tempered with a bit of kindness. She returned a stern look at them, and things quickly went back to normal. She realized they had seen her at a vulnerable moment. Her family meant everything to her.
A runner came before noon, telling Sylvestra she was to meet with the other candidates at the Inquisitorial Palace, the Plateu. The runner said it was for training and promotion, and once again her fellow officers glanced over at her. She had been ascending the chain of command so rapidly, many were getting jealous. And while this seemed strange for Sylvestra to be promoted after such a failure of a mission, she could do with the training. She had just now been able to sleep properly again, so anything that could make her stronger she welcomed greatly.
The journey up to the plateu was extraordinary. The stairs went on the sides of the mountain, meaning one wrong step and you'd fall to your doom. She found it symbolic that the stairs to the very top of the rule of Grinnoc had no safetyrails. It reflected the reality of ascending the chain of command like she did. She glanced over at the other candidates. There was Conrad, the strange magi-Paladin specimen that nobody seemed to be very fond of, but Sylvestra saw some value in him. He was strong, just think what he could become if he did not feel the pain of his own mana burning. Then there was Varkasan, glancing off the side of the stairs, obviously a bit frightened. "Eyes ahead, Paladins. Always keep your eyes ahead." she said to them all but with her gaze affixed to Varkasan. He didn't respond, but she knew he had heard her. Finally she looked over at Alicia. Memories of watching her during the battle came back, and Sylvestra realized what a strange fighting technique she had. She was all about the offense, barely even parrying anything. She would be incredibly vulnerable when knocked down or rendered without her powers of the Light. Yet, she was the strongest recruit, and Sylvestra saw great value in her.

One up, the candidates were brought to the range. Strange, Sylvestra thought, seeing as most of them don't use ranged powers, but it soon became evident to her that they were going to be using real weapons. She grinned at the thought. After all, Sylvestra placed more value in the equippment and quality of her soldiers higher than their powers.
The Stinger, a new dwarven mechanical wonder, was introduced to them. A small wrist-mounted crossbow it would seem. It would be of great use to them, Sylvestra thought.
Equipping it with great interest, she flex her arm to try to get used to the feeling. Indeed, it would be of great use. Mages attacking from a distance was always her weakness when in single combat. She always had to spend large amounts of power into her shield before closing the gap. With this, however...
THUNK!
"WOAH!"
Sylvestra spun around. Alicia had almost shot Varkasan in the eye, and embedded another on the ground. To make matters worse, Varkasan almost shot a guardsman on patrol atop the wall. She frowned at them."Do you think this is some kind of cirkus?" she demanded of them, having turned around completely. "Do you two realize you could have shot and KILLED a fellow Paladin because of your own lack of discipline?" she said harshly. They might all be candidates but she was still the commanding officer of them all. "If you were under my DIRECT command I'd take you to the basement of the barracks and order disciplinary action IMMEDIATELY. Consider yourselves lucky." she finished, glanced at the instructor. He cleared his throat and began instructing them all in greater detail how to actually use the bloody thing without killing friendlies.

Conrad Felden
It had been a slower journey back, but that didn’t matter. Their force had only ridden out for about half a day before breaking at the village. The trip back had taken a whole day, everyone living scouring the ground for dogtags, and then the grim task of gathering horses. What was worse was finding some of the personal affects left in saddlebags from the fallen. All in all the trip was grim and quiet. A rider was sent ahead of the group to give advance notice- that way the wounded could get medical treatment faster on arrival. As for his own ‘wounds’... They had left this morning. The mere thought of the fire made Conrad’s body shudder. And suddenly there they were, the triumphant returning to Liria. Each Paladin with a second- some even had a third or fourth- horse tied behind their own. The messenger had done his job, as their group was immediately rushed by stretchers and men, families stood off to the sides, looking for their loved ones. Most were disappointed. He did not have a family of his own to join, nor friends to reconvene with. As such, Conrad was one of the first to report directly to headquarters for debriefing. Even at the entrance to HQ a few hopeful families waited, calling out to him from all sides the names of the men they were looking for. Conrad could only clench his fists, bow his head, and walk past them.

How could he bear to look a wife, a child, a husband in the eyes and tell them that they- no- he had failed to look after their loved one? Instead he just looked forward coldly and gritted his teeth, ignoring the calls and questions that had plagued the Paladins since they entered the city. Conrad was just passing through the gate on horseback when he saw a small boy without an adult escort, crying alone as he waited for his father to come home.

Conrad was still wiping away silent tears long after he had dropped off the horses he was responsible for and entered HQ to give report.

Almost every man or woman lost had had a family waiting for them, married or not. Conrad took responsibility for writing some of the letters for those of the Vanguard that were lost. Not all the fallen had left behind dogtags, but the names of those who had gone on the conquest were known. It was equally well known who had come back. Filling in the blanks was not hard unfortunately. Others went to visit family, and he waited and worked when he could. There was no one else.

The summoning to the plateau did not surprise Conrad in the slightest. The rumor of promotion did, but the idea of pulling the remaining aside for extended training was common sense. Despite the cold feeling of the plateau Conrad couldn’t help but have a feeling of comfort as they traversed the cliffs. This was where he had grown up, he felt a connection with it. The only thing he wasn’t looking forward to was the flash of pain once they passed the barrier. The pain itself brought back memories. Being forced to stand within the barrier for ten minutes in punishment for skipping a chore. Twenty for being late to a lesson. There had been some good moments though growing up here; the food was good.

They were all lead to their rooms, but by the time they had entered the first hall, Conrad already knew where they were heading. It still amazed him a bit to have his own room here, keys and all. But as for settling in, he had little to show. An extra shirt, armor, and his backpack were all there was to be arranged in the room. By the time he had taken apart the bedding and remade it to the standards he had grown up with here, it retained a rather empty feeling. Conrad didn’t notice, he was used to it. He reported to the practice range almost immediately, taking a shortcut to get there faster.

At the range, the bracer-mounted autocrossbows were exciting. Conrad watched the instructor carefully, and when they were allowed to pick one up he carefully looked it over, intent on not damaging it. (Not that it would be easy to damage a dwarven made weapon anyway.) He put it on, leaving the magazine out, and practiced flexing his wrist to see when it would fire. Conrad tried it on both left and right arms, and decided on the right. Next, he lifted it and supported his right arm with his left, holding his upper arm steady and aiming with his fist exactly how he would when trying to use a beam spell. Alright, I think I am about ready for a loaded- an arrow flew past, imbedding in the wall, and another flew up and near the sentries. All Conrad could do was slowly back away and put his back against the wall. Dangerous. This was of course when Sylvestra started in on them. Conrad wasn’t even related to the incident and still shrunk back a bit from her wrath. She wasn’t wrong, but a commander was a commander. It was best to avoid ranking officers when they were in a bad mood. He was already fairly confident, but after going over it again with the instructor, Conrad could hit a target fairly consistently with it. The slight imbalance in weight could potentially throw off his hand to hand combat though, unless he used two of these at once. The idea made Conrad grin, he could likely add some weight to his other bracer to rebalance himself.

Conrad has learned the basics of wielding The Stinger.

Shara relished her first days at the keep. They had been spent amidst the books of the library, first learning of warding, and then as her strength came back, experimenting with her own magicks and applying some of the basics of what she'd read. The library had been her home as much as, if not more than, the room she had claimed. There were plenty of them, the fortress having been designed for a whole host of people, not a couple hundred or so mages. Many of the books assumed the reader had a basic knowledge of magical theory, and were competent mages themselves. It was like constructing a building with weak foundations, forcing her to rush back to the stacks, searching for other texts in order to shore her knowledge. Often times those other texts would yield even further questions. It was somewhat frustrating. Here, there was all this knowledge, preserved from the age of magic, and she was unable to reach out and grab it because she lacked so much of the basics. There were other mages who often frequented the library, and they had been a great help in deciphering the basics. Some of them had been impatient with her more mundane questions, yet the answers were there to be found somewhere.

The call to gather in caught Shara while studying a method of connecting wards. The subject was truly fascinating, and she was finally understanding how that worked. It would be worth testing soon. Marking her page, she grabbed the book and rushed after the other mages. The layout of most of the fortress was still a mystery to her, as she had only bothered to learn the way from the library to the kitchens, her room, and the infirmary. As the mages gathered in the courtyard, she resumed her reading, standing with the book resting in her arms. She paid the speaker little attention, until another voice joined in. "So, you're the infamous Azure Sorcerer, am I right?" At the name, Shara's head snapped up. The Azure Sorcerer, the Ravager of the civilized world, the most recent source of magical destruction, was to be their teacher? Shara listened as he went on. She had read similar lessons in her books. The training seemed like training for soldiers. And wasn't that what they were supposed to be? Soldiers? They were going to overthrow the Paladins, of course the mages were training to be soldiers. It didn't sit right with her though. The power, the knowledge, called out to her, yet the means of getting there left her feeling uneasy.

Still, practicing did make sense, Shara had to give that to Rivain. And practicing under the direction of another made it much easier to push oneself. But as she walked to the dummy, she wondered what exactly she was supposed to do to it. Just attack it, he'd instructed. Great. Wonderful idea. Assuming you knew what you were doing in the first place. She glanced to her right, where the one who had spoken earlier - William - was creating sparks between himself and the dummy. Evidently she wasn't the only one who hadn't much experience with offensive spells, but she'd be damned if she had to go to Rivain. She would figure out...something. She conjured a clone, and pondered with it. The doppelganger was one of her more recent achievements - an exact replica of Shara. She could create illusions, but they couldn't do much to real things. They could scare people, but that was about it. Hardly offensive. Shara dispelled herself and conjured a massive rock, then sent it flying towards the dummy, and watched in frustration as it simply passed through. She would be more useful simply walking up and punching somebody, rather than throwing things that didn't exist at them. But there had to be some way.

So for the next few hours she threw all she had at the damned dummy. Illusion after illusion was hurled at it, and passed through, and each time she tried adding more power to it, more will, trying to give it actual force. She had read some about manipulating air with wards, and tried to apply those same principles to her spells, but the magic was different somehow. Likely one of those basic principles she'd never learned. Some of the other mages were leaving their dummies now, tired looks on their faces. She could feel the beginnings of exhaustion creeping near, but still had her reserves - perhaps it was something to do with exhausting herself in the battle. It only served to hone Shara's focus. She shut out the others and focused on her spells and the dummy. The threshold of her abilities was nearing, tiredness setting in. She remembered Lucas' warnings about channeling too much magic and the dangers associated with it. Shara doubted she could force herself over that limit again without believing her life was in danger. Finally, she noticed small breezes were accompanying her projectiles, and while it was hardly damage suitable for a boulder, it was a lot closer than she had been at the beginning of practice. She let out an excited laugh. It was enough of an accomplishment for one day.

Shara's illusions can now carry a small amount of force.

While a few days passed at the fortress, Calista spent the majority of her time in the infirmary. At first, it was cleaning up after the ravaging battle that heralded their inhabitation of the complex. Even after the hard work of the handful of adept healers following the fight that same day and the next night, there were still many injuries to tend to. Whether it was because it was a less severe injury or some other reason, slightly to moderately wounded mages still trickled into the infirmary the following week. The infirmary, of course, was also for the unhealthy, and due to the shear number of mages that had stepped through the portal the healers had a decent portion of unwell mages to care for as well. She gratefully partook of the fruit of hunters and fisherman and listened to descriptions of the surrounding countryside while wishing she could go see it herself, but she didn't get the chance in the first week from both exertion and exhaustion. She was also curious about the library she had heard about, but she had never been particularly scholarly.

Calista and the other healers had taken residence in a barracks type wing connected as an annex to the infirmary that seemed to suit that purpose. It was a long room that didn’t have a door, but from the pointed arch that led to it one could see little. Through the threshold, there was a lit corridor with small arches leading into single person rooms. The half elf took one near the front and followed the example of others by placing a curtain in her arch. It was not unlikely she would stay there on a more permanent basis. Calista enjoyed working in the infirmary.

As the last day of the first week dawned and most of the mages were gathered for the morning meal, the group was ushered to the scene of the battle. They were then joined by a member of their leading entourage. Listening intently while chewing delicately on a pear, a small sideways frown capped her visage. It did not take much thought to realize that this was the first of several if not many training exercises to develop their fighting strength. It uneased the half-elf to think she was to be put to use in a militant force, not only because she knew little about the state of such affairs but also because of the moral complications of such an act, although she knew she was now committed and did not regret her decision. Calista did care for the mage plight of this land, and thought that perhaps this was the one chance she would get to help.

At the mention of the man’s title, Calista did not react as strongly as her peers. The most she had ever heard about the Azure Sorcerer were short mentions to children misbehaving in town squares meant to frighten them into discipline. She was smart enough to know that if a man were so noted as a kingdom-wide horror story, he must have earned that reputation somehow.

Some of the mages stayed to start at that moment. Calista saw several of the fortress’s new healers retreat inside and decided she would train now, along with a few faces that were becoming more familiar as time went on. She knew the names of a decent amount of the mages scurrying around and fixing up the keep just from seeing them for healing, or they had been there for support of another. Choosing an area near some left over rubble, which was a bit ways off from the main group, Calista pulled her staff from its place across her back. She swung it in the air a few times, her black hair fluttering as she studied the environment.

The dummy didn’t look particularly strong, but as she approached it and touched its chest with her fingertips, she felt a magical prick, and the dummy flashed with enchantment for a moment before becoming lifeless once again. She retreated a few steps, and with a prayer said just in thought, and then hewed a large slab of stone from the pile of crumbled stone nearby. It didn’t take much effort, as she had not needed to separate it from a larger whole, and she did so purposefully because she believed the words of the Azure Sorcerer and wanted to reserve energy. She swung her staff behind her low enough so that the top came close to scraping the ground, and the slab of stone followed dexterously above in mimicry.

In a sudden violent movement sounded by an audible grunt, the half-elf swung her staff out in an arch and forward, toward the dummy. The slab followed behind, as if on a lax chain, and slammed into the side of the dummy. Had it just been a construct of wood and burlap, it would have imploded; instead, a comical cloud of dust erupted and a harsh crack could be heard. With a huff of breath, she yanked her staff, and thus the boulder, away, and saw a large white mark from where it had struck the dummy. With a shake of her head, she repositioned the boulder behind her once again.

When she went at the dummy again, her actions were accompanied by a mantra like prayer. She swung her staff from behind her again, but this time as her arm wielding the staff was almost vertical she grabbed the staff with her second hand. Her mantra ended in a flourishing cry as her body turned with the movement, her foot turning up in the air as she twisted to the point where her staff was in the air above her shoulder. This time, the impact was much, much louder, and a few heads turned to see Calista’s dummy, intact, swaying in a cloud of debris. The second impact was enough pressure to break the slab into a cloud of bits, shards, and dust. Calista, panting, staggered a bit as she planted her feet back on the floor. She pushed a lock of hair from her face, skin slick with a bit of sweat.

She looked at the dummy and her face suggested that it was annoying her. She backed up again, feet and arms spread, staff pointed to the cairn beside her in line with her arms. She looked to the ground but her eyes were closed and her brow was furrowed in concentration. After a few moments of whispered, reverent prayer, she brought her hands above her head, staff raised high, elephant caricature on top looking at the cloudless sky. A small avalanche cascaded down the side of the pile, and emerging from the center of the mass was a much larger boulder. In stony silence, the boulder eerily sailed to align with her staff. A few pebbles fell and bounced off her shoulder to the ground.

Her arms bent backwards, staff firm in her hands, and the boulder weaved with the heavy top of her staff. She swung over her head and to the ground, the top of her staff hitting the the stone without breaking. The boulder careened above her silently in an arc before coming down on the practise dummy. It connected with a deafening crack, and Calista stummbled forward a step as the boulder then fell to the ground with another, less impressive report. The half elf growled, sweat on her forehead, and marched up to the dummy. It wasn’t demolished, as it should have been, but the wooden shaft that acted as a spine had snapped; it bowed out of the burlap sack that was the dummy’s torso. She shook her head. That was enough for the day in her opinion.

[Calista’s Throwing Stones spell has increased in power. She now can lift more weight.

Mages

A day has passed. Everyone was exhausted from practice, but it gave some fruit. Rivain went to discuss something with the Witch overnight. The next day, after eating the breakfast, they were to continue the training, though a woman teleporting in interrupted it. "Master Rivain, a tunnel outside The Sunlight Shroud was found. You may proceed. I can take care of instructing the whelps - after all, you're a shitty teacher." Azure stopped for a moment, trying to think of a reply. He grasped a rather bloody amulet on his neck. "Hmph. Well go on, do better, Miss Teacher.". "You will HIM, Rivain. This will not be a fight you can win easily. Be prepared." the woman warned him before Azure teleported out.

"So, our fearless leader has instructed you with developing practical skills he loves so much. That's why his teaching isn't doing much good to anyone. I'll keep this brief but useful - you will find the details in your own library here. First - countering Light. As you know, Light reacts to magic in any form, be it a fireball, or a magical lock, or a bolstering spell, and destroys it, setting aflame any remnants of mana. If it hits a mage, the mage's mana, which is coursing through his or her entire body, and burns him or her from within, completely.

Now, what you do not know is that the Light can only block an equivalent amount of magic to it's own force. A very powerful spell will only be partially stopped by the light, the rest of the spell rapidly vanishing due to the burn. Luckily for you, all Paladins have a maximum amount of power they can unleash. All uniform. Whatever grants them that power, gives it equally. So, sufficiently powerful magic will not be completely stopped by a paladin, and even a fraction of it can reach him. Of course, not every paladin spell uses an equal amount of their power, so, don't think that the Paladins and their light is unstoppable against your magic - it is quite false. Do they have an advantage? Yes. But far from unbeatable. Be warned, however, that Inquisitors have access to far greater power. Always assume that higher ranking paladins and inquisitors are more powerful than those of lower ranks."

The woman's tone was captivating. Her slight gestures, her pose, the way she walks around captivated majority's attention. Whoever she was, she knew how to speak to crowds.

"Now if a Light spell hits you directly, do not panic, but do hurry. Just like you tear out your clothes if they are on fire, do the same with mana." She demonstrates by flicking her arm, as a sprinkling blue energy particles were expunged from her arm. "Fling out the aflame mana before it spreads, simple as that. Of course, if you get hit near vital organs, you less than a second to do it, so don't get hit there."

An useful piece of advice, yet one that will take a bit of practice.

"And lastly, about practical learning. It is silly to just force you to do something like just LEARN a new spell. This isn't how it works, unless you're Rivain, I guess. Communities across the ages progressed from sharing knowledge, and yours should not be different? You like the spell another can cast? Ask him to try and teach it to you. Try it yourself. Maybe it will succeed, maybe yours will be a little different. Both of you profit, as teaching a spell isn't very easy - you have to understand how you performed it yourself, leading to ideas on how to improve it.

As for more advanced spells, be prepared to use spell names and gestures. Spell casting comes naturally to us, which allows us to cast spells quickly and effortlessly. However, the more power you try to use, the harder it becomes. It needs extreme focus, something that not everyone can do it. Having a name and a gesture linked to it, however, makes it a lot easier. Maybe you will feel silly waving your hands and shouting out the name of your spell, but that's how you will use your big ones. And eventually, after many successful casts, you will rely on verbal and somatic components less and less, and it will become second nature to cast it. And then, the cycle repeats with even greaters spells. Moreover, this will allow you to share spells with one another far far easier. And that's what you will find in many spell books your library contains.

And now, I will leave you. Continuing Rivain's idiotic test is up to you, as ineffective as it is. Some of you will ascend to greatness, maybe even rival the capabilities of the legendary Grand Archons. Either way, a storm is coming, a great storm, and all of Altea will suffer it's wrath. Be prepared, as will we be."

Her speech ended. After a graceful bow, she waved farewell, and disappeared. The mages were left to their own devices.

"[The mages now know how to deal with The Light.]"

---

Paladins

A day of training passed. When another came, the candidates were far more capable in wielding the weapon, at the very least, not accidentally firing it. Their practice was interrupted by a high-ranking officer walking in. He grabbed one of the Stingers lying around, mounted it to his left wrist, and walked to the range. Aiming it at one of the targets, the next bolt to fire started glowing with light. When fired, it either split or multiplied itself, it happened too fast to notice. Either way, every target was hit on the bullseye, at the same time, with trails of light indicating the trajectory of the bolts. As the conjured bolts vanished, only one was left - the one target the officer was originally aiming for.

"Showoff." One of the instructors mumbled. It wasn't just any officer, it was the Grand Inquisitor himself, and he came to fetch the candidates.



After leading them to his own personal office, he explained the situation.

"It is decided - The Witch Hunters are needed once again. They were our elite, beings fused with the very essence of Light - stronger, faster and tougher than any human, wielding light with terrifying power. You all, except Alicia, were chosen for your potential to pass the trial. Alicia, while extremely talented, does not possess certain qualities Witch Hunters need. She does, however, fit in into another role, just as important - a Templar. A Templar is just a fancy name for a spy and assassin. The nobility in this land isn't exactly on our side, with Deliah Eternus being the rare exception. Also, outlaws and they underworld is a big problem, and yet one we cannot directly tackle. And just as it happens, Alicia is of a very noble birth, well versed in their manners, and a very capable fighter. So, my dear, do report to the Templar wing."

Alicia was not sure if she was angry or happy, as she left the office.

"Now, the trial itself is designed to exhaust you, physically and mentally. If you succeed, by the end, you will be starving, exhausted and barely able to think. That's the state where you can receive the infusion safely. Anything less than that, and your body will not be able to contain all that energy and you will violently explode. You have to be completely empty, body and mind - and that's what this trial will do. You can perish during the trial, and you can say no. But you were chosen because we see the qualities that will allow you to finish, be it determination, stubbornness or zeal. Alicia possesses neither of those. Take a day off, think it through."

Sebastian eventually pulls out bags of coins, handing them to everyone in the room. "This is your first payment for your service. Why don't you take this day off and shop in the Dwarven Bazaar. I assure you, there is something for everyone. Buy something for yourself, and consider this proposal. And do have fun. This is an order. I will await your answer tomorrow morning. Also, don't worry about Alicia - her father has for more money than the entire Paladin Order combined, heck, he is constantly donating to us, which is our single biggest income source. She will be able to buy anything she wants anyway."

And the rest of the candidates finally got a chance to unwind. And get something for themselves.

"[The candidates are given gold to shop around in The Great Bazaar - the exclusive and the greatest market in Altea, where only the rich get to visit.]"

---

Alicia

The officer they met the next day was definitely a showoff, but he did clearly demonstrate the capabilities of this new weapon. Was that his goal? Though memories of that massacre still haunted Alicia at night, excitement took over her during daytime - there was so much to do and see.

The showoff turned out to be THE boss around here, second only to Grand Master Grinnoc himself - Grand Inquisitor Sebastian. It was rather odd, however, that Sebastian was extremely young, barely older than Alicia. Was it a display of skill, or something completely else? As he led the candidates towards his office, he revealed a plan to revive elite paladin forces - Witch Hunters. Except Alicia. At that moment, her heart sunk - she worked so hard all her life to be the best, and she was refused this chance? Explanation came soon after, as her skillset would fit a Templar more, it seems. Templars - spies, infiltrators, assassins. Usually chosen from the more... highborne paladins, they are simply left to roam the land, mingling with the other nobles, looking for any signs of treason. Removing undesirables and uncovering secrets, quite similar to what Alicia is doing right now. Disappointment gone, she knew now how perfect this is. Her family is doing exactly what templars try to uncover, and her becoming one gives an immunity, of sorts. And the ability to freely sew chaos and dissent.

Leaving for the Templar wing - which also featured a prison, she found herself being inspected by the people there. After she seemingly passed, it was now a matter of learning another skill - subtlety. In a month's time, she would be a Templar.

---

William

Another training session passed, this time with a different teacher. This time, even William learning something new. Something useful. Either way, he wanted to continue his studies - he and Sera discovered old blueprints of the fortress, and if they are both correct, it has still quite a bit of undiscovered secrets. And soon, they will know where exactly to look for them. Whatever is in this "Lumisenca's Vault", it's gotta be big.

Conrad Felden

Another day of training was welcome, but where the stinger was concerned... almost unnecessary. After he got in the mindset of aiming like he would a beam spell, it became pretty easy to aim, if still a bit light on the trigger. Of course, firing at a distance was another story. Even a dwarf made launcher lost power after a distance- and Conrad was useless at arcing shots. The day became different when an ranking officer entered, easily identifiable- wether you judged by the way he walked or by the dress. Instantly, Conrad paused in his practice and snapped to salute, watching the other man’s shot with raised eyebrows. So were the other targets actually hit, or was it illusion? In which case... Would it do any damage?

...

The speech was a bit of a shock. When Alicia left the room, he looked after her with a bit of pity... and longing. Longing to follow her out and pretend that a second trial was just a joke. But he did not. Conrad would stand at attention until dismissed. The bag of coins made his eyes widen a bit though. A small fortune, to someone who lived off of what the Inquisition gave. The continual reassurances about Alicia were odd though, insistent enough to seem strange. As they were released he followed the others from the room with an unsure expression. He knew where the Bazaar was, but... Fun. What do I find enjoyable? Conrad sat on his bed, rolling the bag of coins between his hands. Not including eating, sleeping, or bathing... The question seemed a bit redundant, when put like that. Was there even anything he wanted? Anything he needed?

In the end, Conrad could only sigh and drag himself off the bed, locking his rather bland room behind him and trudging down the halls, eventually exiting the massive building and heading for the Bazaar. Maybe he would get some inspiration by seeing what the other Palidan’s were doing.

Conrad has received gold for shopping in the Great Bazaar.

The next couple days of training saw Varkasan even more devoted to improving himself than ever before. The close-calls before, and the lecture at the hands of Sylvestra were embarrassing enough considering they were supposed to be the best out of the Paladin ranks. Such a blunder would be terrible for their hopes and reputation. Thankfully, the more he trained with The Stinger, the more used he became to utilizing it while grasping onto a weapon like his sword. Though, while such a tactic was still inadvisable, he was capable of it if the need came.

It was then that their training was interrupted by The Grand Inquisitor himself. Varkasan had heard tales and rumors of the man's incredible power, but the single act of launching the illusory Stinger Bolt, and redirecting the real one was enough to prove his true amount of power. When the man had approached them, Varkasan stood erect and turned towards him with a salute, as all good soldiers should do for their superiors. Afterwards, they had to stop their training abruptly so that Sebastian may have a word with them in his office.

The Grand Inquisitor explained to them that they weren't going to be put into The Inquisitors. Rather, they would be going into the ranks of the Witch Hunters (minus Alicia who was to be a Templar). Varkasan could only vaguely remember reading about The Witch Hunters in the history books back when he was still in his studies. As far as they were concerned, Witch Hunters were simple legends; folk tale heroes who were there whenever some strong, malignant force had to be stopped. The fact that The Inquisitor spoke so seriously of the matter meant that these Witch Hunters were the real thing, and now they had the opportunity to become like them.

Of course, at no easy cost. The Inquisitor emphasized the danger of the trial they were to face, and it made Varkasan uneasy. He was unsure if he possessed the strength and skill needed to survive. In fact, his other allies seemed to be superior to him in many ways that he doubted if he would be able to keep up with them. Ending his lecture, The Inquisitor gave them some money with which to shop, as well as time to think over the decision to be a Witch Hunter until tomorrow. With that, Varkasan retired to his room to think about what to do.

...

Pondering over it for some time, Varkasan was constantly going back and forth between accepting and denying. Whenever he found a trait of his that spoke positively, he could think of another one that was negative. Finally, a thought came across his mind. "If I was chosen for this instead of all the others I know... Then they believe I am worthy of completing the trials. And if they believe I can do it, then there is good reason for it. I cannot let them down." He argued to himself. With his mind made up, he contemplated his next problem: What the heck to buy at the bazaar?

Looking at the gold in his hand, he counted it and wondered at just how much he would be able to afford for himself. He was in the middle of thinking about it when he realized how foolish it was to consider what to buy when he didn't even know what wares were available in the bazaar. "I'll need to have a look at it before I make my decision, of course.". He headed off outside his room and in the direction of the grand stalls of Dwarven supplies.

Nearing the bazaar, Varkasan was amazed by the sheer amount of items that he could see being sold. The marketplace had everything he had ever heard of (and some things he couldn't even recognize). The most eye-catching stalls were the ones that sold weapons of course. As the dwarves' craftsmanship of mechanisms and weapons of war were unmatched. However, Varkasan thought that perhaps what he should buy would be more suited to helping him survive whatever trials lay ahead of him. So he skipped past the weaponry and made for the stalls that sold more miscellaneous sets of goods.

He was looking over some containers and tools being showcased by the Dwarven merchant. "These containers are absolutely airtight. Nothing at all gets inside of it! Perfect for keeping food warm and dry in the harsh cold or deep water. And then these knives of endless use! Easily and swiftly replace the blade to suit whatever you need to cut or chip away at. A blade for cutting wood, a blade for flesh, a long knife for branches, a chisel for stone, nothing will stand in your way again!" The merchant boasted. Varkasan looked over the two objects, as well as a variety of other equipment there, such as easy-to-use rope harnesses, and unbreakable lamps capable of storing light energy.

He was having a hard time deciding what things to purchase when he saw a familiar sight in the corner of his vision. Conrad, his fellow candidate, had just arrived at the bazaar. Varkasan wondered if he could give him a hand. "Ah, hello there my friend!" Varkasan cried to Conrad with a gesture of his hand. "I was wondering if perhaps you could help me select what would be most useful to us in what may lie ahead?" He asked, wondering what this quiet Paladin's thoughts were on what would be the most practical things to spend their gold on.

[Varkasan has slightly improved skill with The Stinger, and currently has a full pouch of gold for shopping in The Great Bazaar]

Conrad Felden

The bazaar was amazing, and one of the few places here that Conrad couldn't claim to be familiar with. It was full of everything new, popular, and shiny. The weapons would have naturally attracted him when he was younger, but now days they barely warranted a glance. What a glance that was though... Rapiers, longswords, broadswords, shortswords, falchions, scimitars... the styles were endless, as were the different qualities available. And those were just the swords. The Bazaar held such a variety of weapons that any regular warrior would toss all their current gear out the window to rent one of these weapons for a day.

The armor held somewhat stronger pull however. As a rule, he stuck with leather, with the exceptions of his armguards. Most fighting that he had to perform was more than handled with his... abilities. Still, the idea of dressing up like an indestructable tank and rolling straight into the enemy was a very attractive image. Or it would be, if he didn't know better. As a child, this place would have been amazing, a place of dreams and adventure, even if one couldn't afford anything. Funny thing was, he could. In fact, if he focused on smaller items, he could afford quite a few things. As he wandered among the more unique stalls, he was hailed by Varkasan. The man who had helped him after the first bout of fighting. Definitely a dependable ally. Conrad approached him with a friendly, if somewhat insincere smile. Social niceties didn't come to him easily. As for the question, it was something he himself had yet to answer. But hearing it aloud definitely brought forth new thought on the matter.

"I suppose we can't just focus on combat alone here, a tool can be just as useful." Conrad examined some of the items, picking up a small spike at the nod of the tradesman.

"A good climbing rope could easily save our lives where a magic sword couldn't. "It was a simple comparison, but an obvious one. "On the other hand, imagine what a shield made for absorbing light magic could do with your abilities."

Varkasan
"A wise opinion indeed. I suppose we cannot always rely on our horses for traversing Altea. Though you also make an excellent point with the shields. I suppose we should give equal attention to our weapons and other equipment." Varkasan replied.

He then turned around to a nearby weapon stall and glanced at what they had for sale there. "I've heard of those weapons before." He said, pointing to some elegantly shaped swords which appeared to have small holes on the blade

"They were designed for storing light energy using special crystals within. It stores a greater amount and is capable of releasing a far stronger intensity of Light than any other weapon. Perhaps they could supplement my abilities... I shall see their cost and consider how I may equally spend my money among these goods." He explained as he glanced back towards the survival gear.

Conrad Felden
"I suppose the mundane gear will be handled by the Inquisition anyway." Conrad carefully lowered the spike to its position on the table, and looked to a nearby one, full of crystals for storing light. "With that in mind, I suppose we should each pick something that enhances our roles."

In other words, traditional armor or weapons wouldn't do it for him, since he focused on ranged as much as possible. And close combat didn't require much gear, as far as he was concerned. In the corner of the table of gems appeared to be a pile of smaller ones. "What is this..." Conrad glanced at the shopkeeper and reached out to carefully pick up a handful- but the entire mass came instead. He looked at it inquisitively, and looked it over a bit more carefully.

"It's a glove..." He pulled it on carefully, but it was more of a gauntlet than a glove. The crystals were imbedded in some kind of dwarven alloy, covering almost the entire piece of armor. The shopkeeper came around to the front of the stall, looking enthusiastic for a sale. "Ah yes, this was made to amplify a Paladins abilities." At Conrad's raised eyebrow, the man hurriedly explained in better depth, "What I mean is, it can store a huge amount of light, but only for a few moments. Imagine the crystals as a dam in a river... and the power they release like that dam.... being removed." There was a slight pause, "These aren't common, so each one is generally fitted to the user- if you give me a moment I can take your measurements and have it adjusted by..."

"Tommorow." The man looked at him, slightly confused. "I would like it by tomorrow, if possible... and I need two- a pair of them." Conrad looked at the man seriously. "I'll pay you extra, and the fit wasn't bad to begin with." It was a bit loose, which would be bad for combat- but that meant it was easier to adjust than something too small. Besides that, he had no idea when he would need the gloves anyway.

Conrad nodded thoughtfully, pulling the gauntlet off carefully and handing it back to the shopkeeper. The man replaced it on the table and pulled out a series of calipers, coming back and taking down Conrad's finger measurements. Conrad looked to Varkasan with a shrug. "I was never much of a shopper, I will go with my gut feeling on this one."

Varkasan
While Conrad had been conversing with the shopkeeper, Varkasan was viewing the different swords and trying to decide which one he liked most. When Conrad had spoken to him, Varkasan had turned back to his fellow Paladin. "Sometimes our instincts work better than we give it credit for." He said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Shopkeeper. What can you tell me about that one?" Varkasan said as he pointed at a sword with a hilt adorned with sharp silver wings on the sides and a gemstone near the bottom, and a straight blade that curved into a leaf-shape at the tip. "Ah, that one is a fine choice, sir. It has plenty of small openings on both the blade and the hilt. The hilt is made for absorbing the energy you put into it, and transfers it to the blade's crystals which interact with the gem at the bottom of the handle. Pressing on it will cause the contained Light energy to be released in a powerful blast. Incredibly devastating if you time it right with an attack upon an opponent." The man explained.

"Then it appears I have made my decision." Varkasan said with a smile. He passed the required funds to the man and examined his new weapon carefully. The blade was razor-sharp, and the gemstone seemed to sink into the handle when he pressed against it. Though it took a great amount of force to press down on it so there was little fear of activating the crystals by accident.

Varkasan turned back to Conrad. "I'll retrieve a few pieces of survival equipment and see if I have any money left for other pieces of armor. What about you?" He asked.

Conrad
"I'll likely do the same, I got my eye on a few of those lanterns." He nodded at Varkasan and turned, preparing to leave. "Good luck on the next few days." Conrad walked off through the Bazaar. They could all use some luck.

Training with the stinger proved to be an easy task to the disciplined Sylvestra. After berrating the others she took care not to get too close, seeing as they might shoot her accidentally. She gave them glances every now and then, but each time she did her stern look faded a bit. They were practising just as hard as she was, and advancing just as well. Maybe they are disciplined after all. she thought, as she was about to test loading her bolt with holy energy. But something interrupted her. The Grand Inquisitor, Sebastian himself, came onto the range. Standing in immediate attention before her superior, she watched as he fired the bolt with skill and ease, branching out with light to strike all the targets right in the bullseye. She was impressed, but bothered. It seemed to her that he was holding back, yet the range trainer could be heard snickering a "Showoff". This man is most likely the most powerfull among the Paladin and Inquisitor ranks, other than Grinnoc himself.

As he gestured for them to follow him, Sylvestra obeyed with motivation. She was honored just to be in this man's pressence! To be led to his personal office was almost unreal.
But the situation changed quickly from starstruck to stern discipline as Sebastian began explaining the situation to them. Indeed they were to be promoted, but not the way Sylvestra had expected. The Witch Hunters was sometimes a term used in brass to refer to impossible situations, some imaginary force they used to joke that for example an enemy was just too strong. An example would be when Sylvestra herself used it that way when discussing the whereabouts of the Azure Covenant. She had said that the damned mages are so illusive that only the Witch Hunters could track them down.
That in mind, Sylvestra had a hard time processing actually being chosen to be one. They weren't exactly considered to exist anymore, which it seemed they hadn't for a long time up until now.
When he continued, Sylvestra grew even more concerned. A trial designed to exhaust you to the point where you are empty, body and mind. What about her spirit? Never ever had her spirit been broken. Were they going to break it this time? Remembering how she woke up after she had taken the Paladin Trial, she could only remember feeling drained and sick. Close to death she had been back then... But she had been weak. She was stronger now. If Sebastian believes she has what it takes, then she'd be damned before she'd let him down! Accepting the bag of coins somewhat reluctantly seeing as she doesn't exactly have a money problem, she salutes the Grand Inquisitor and leaves last of the group, being the highest ranking officer and all that.

When leaving the plateu, she realized the air was so much different on the bazaar. It was like the Inquisitorial palace had an aura of suppresion caused by all the unbelievably strong light-users holding back their power. Or maybe it was the shield? Shaking the thought off, Sylvestra suddenly noticed Conrad and Varkasan. They were conversing casually with their coin pouches close at hand. They were obviously discussing what to buy and for what price. Walking up to them in a casual manner, she paused only to stop them from saluting her, if they were. They were off duty now, after all. "I suggest buying some magical equippment, gentlemen. Where we're going and what we're about to do is the roughest Imaginable. We're gonna need all the help we can get." she said, not smiling but not looking as stern as she does when on duty, to show that she had softened up on them. Leaving almost before they could respond, Sylvestra heads to the smithies and enchanters. It was time to prepare for the storm to come...

Paladins

The Grand Inquisitor invited the candidates for a walk after they were done shopping, leading them to the inventor of the stinger - The Grand Technicar. Described as utterly insane genius, the Dwarf has aided the Paladin Order tremendously, with both Runes and the Stinger created by him. For the unfamiliar, the Dwarven tunnels are a maze, as the candidates had no choice but to follow Sebastian deeper and deeper into the mountain. Outside the Grand Bazaar, the glamour perished, as it was easy to notice that not every dwarf was blessed with earth. It was reminiscent of human society, with it's rich and it's poor, with it's glamour and the hidden-away filthyness. Nevertheless, the Inquisition made it a point to help destitute Dwarves, usually by inviting them to Paladin ranks in exchange for not starving. Some Dwarves even join on their own accord.

As they were approaching the Technicar's workshop, screams could be hard. As they rushed forward, the dreaded azure crystal greeted them in the form of crystallized dwarves. And there was Azure Sorcerer himself, defending against... something, backing out of the workshop. A massive bolt shot past him, leaving a crack in the wall behind. A bolt at least fifty times bigger than the ones on stinger. The rest he blocked with his magic. Just as he was forced through the doorway, a massive stone slab crashed down, sealing the entrance. A loud, cocky, dwarfish voice could be heard before the slab fell down: "And stay out!". Sebastian motioned for the candidates to stay back.

Rivain, once he saw his opponent, changed his expression to one of rage instantly. "YOU!". Without any ceremony, he released the spell that decimated Levran towards Sebastian. Without flinching, Sebastian moved his left hand forward in the way of the shockwave, only it to be violently knocked back. While the inquisitor was not eviscerated, his whole left hand was bleeding, as well as his armor all torn off, revealing the Runes grafted on his skin. "So, you're the Azure Sorcerer. From your anger it appears that she was close to you, yes?". Rivain was seething with rage, and instead of answering, he casted several more shockwaves towards his opponent. This time, Sebastian dodged them. The candidates could not believe their eyes - the speed and reaction time Sebastian just showed were inhuman. The Shockwave spell was nearly instant, and he managed both to react to it and dodge it - it was really difficult to even track his movements - is this what you become when you gain the power of a Witch Hunter?

"Ain't gonna work, Sorcerer. Now, let's see how well you can defe...." Sebastian's taunt was cut short, as he was suspended mid air. "Just because I'm angry, it doesn't mean I'm a fool, Inquisitor. I promised you will pay for what you have done to Celestine, and today, I will fulfil my promise." As Rivain's shockwaves tore through the terrain of the battle, the full picture can now be seen - they were not random, nor was hitting them the main intention - the lines grafted into the ground completed a sigil of sorts, with Sebastian unknowingly standing in the middle. The sigil infused with energy glew brightly, as the Grand Inquisitor was helpless suspended mid air. Or was he? As Azure was preparing to deliver a blow that will not be avoided, Sebastian's runes started glowing, as bright flash dispelled and burned away the trap. Dozens of little orbs of light started appearing around Sebastian, glowing extremely brightly. Their heat could be even felt way back where the candidates stood. Not waiting for anything, Azure instantly conjured a crystal armor all around his body, giving him an even more terrifying visage. The orbs shot towards the mage, focusing their glow towards him. The outer layer of crystalline armor instantly caught fire, as light was starting to cleanse the magical conjuration. Teleporting behind the inquisitor, Azure tried to deliver an attack from the back, still clad in his crystal armor. Fearsome claws featured on his "gauntlets" sped towards Sebastian, as he managed to step away at just the last moment - a single touch of this crystal blight would mean certain death. Not being intimidated by this, the Inquisitor simply punched Azure in the face with his runed hand, shattering the armor on his head for that instant, as the ignited crystal was ejected, and new one took it's place. The fight continued in this manner, as Azure was teleporting around, avoiding the blinding orbs of light that were constantly following him, trying to hit his mark as the Inquisitor was busy dodging his attacks and trying to break through his armor. Sebastian's reaction time and speed was still unbelieveable, his movements almost like a blur.

"Enough games!" Rivain shouted, as he started flailing his arms around flaily, leaving trails of energy behind. Sebastian, and his orbs wasted no time and charged towards the now still mage, using this opportunity to hit him. "Greater Shockwave!". A massive, deafening boom could be heard, disorientating the candidates. Sebastian has covered himself completely with hundreds of orbs of light - makeshift barrier. The wall behind the inquisitor... well, there was no more wall, as there was now a tunnel of several dozen meters of length instead. The power of this "Greater Shockwave" has carved out a new tunnel. Though as terrified as they were, the candidates had to give respect to dwarven stonecraft, as the tunnel was still holding strong, and there was no danger of any cave-in of any sort. "Even through all of my defences, you have shattered nearly every bone in my body, Azure Sorcerer. That is very impressive. But... As you said before, playtime is over." Most of apparel Sebastian had was torn off. His body, all bloody and bruised, was covered with runes that were now glowing. Even with such wounds, Sebastian was still able to move. His eyes were also glowing brightly white. Azure looked extremely exhausted - this spell he put all of his might, and yet it was not quite enough. Sebastian was now doing his own hand gestures: "It is only fair I use an advanced spell myself, right, sorcerer? Lux Decimata!" The hundred or so orbs around the Inquisitor turned red hot, as they shot towards the mage at incredible speed. However, the mage disappeared in a blue flash of light, as the orbs hit his location, violently exploding. After the barrage was done, the rock itself was melted, leaving many small patches of lava, which was already cooling off. "So, he raided the vault, didn't he. Blasted Teleportation Crystals. Sebastian turned to the candidates. "And now, I would really appreciate some medical attention." he said with gradually weakening voice, as he stopped glowing and fell down on the floor.

---

Alicia

The first thing the templars prepared for Alicia was a new outfit, fitting effortlessly over her armor. A stylish, yet rather forgettable cloak, made to make blending in with the crowd easy. It was really exciting - Alicia did enjoy learning. And stealth and subtlety were useful skills indeed. Her role would be silently removing people that the inquisition deems harmful to the regime, or finding them. This usually involved paladins or even inquisitors who abused their power. For civilians, it was all about attaining proof of their misdeeds - their sentences were public. This way, The Paladin Order always remains pristine without question, as some questionable members of the order die to "bandits, mages or because of an accident". The need for templars emerged since the literal criminal underground is stronger than ever, and the only way to dismantle it was by causing havoc from within. Previous direct assaults didn't leave any lasting effect, as the outlaws just relocated to another part of extensive tunnels and ruins. Alicia could barely contain her laughter - if she were to actually follow her orders, she would have to hunt herself.

After the infiltration outfit was prepared, everybody's attention was caught by a massive unrest in the main hall. Rushing towards to see what is happening, Alicia sees her friends carrying an extremely wounded Sebastian. Something major has just happened.

By the time Varkasan had finished shopping at the bazaar, not only did he have a sword, but he also had other pieces of useful equipment. He had some grappling rope for climbing walls, a secure liquid container, a small telescope, a lamp powered by light energy, and a better bag to place these things in. He felt that the sword would be all the new weaponry he would need, so long as he could keep on improving his light spells to enhance his existing armor.

He had ran into Conrad again, and this time Sylvestra just as he was finishing up and took kindly to the Vanguard commander's words. She seemed a little more lax and less distant than before, and Varkasan hoped that meant they would be able to work together better in the future. Just as he was considering what he should do next, a messenger arrived for him, telling him to meet immediately with The Grand Inquisitor.

Upon arrival at the designated location, Sebastian told them that they were to meet with the inventor of The Stinger: The Dwarven Grand Technicar. Varkasan was fascinated at the prospect of being able to meet with one of the greatest minds among the Dwarves. After hearing so much about them, it would be interesting to see how their lead inventor was like. Sebastian warned them that he was a little on the insane side though. "That's to be expected. Those whose minds are above others must be difficult for most to understand" He thought.

Varkasan followed closely behind Sebastian and the other candidates as they went through the maze of caverns made as the home of the Dwarves. A little while later however, they began hearing terrified screams. "Something is attacking the Dwarves!" Varkasan shouted as he ran forward with the rest of them to investigate, his new blade at the ready. A few seconds later, and they would realize what was causing the panic.

Blue crystalline formations were scattered around the area. Most wouldn't recognize the danger this presented. But for people like Varkasan who witnessed the kid of carnage they caused first-hand, such a sight could induce fear. "Don't touch the crystals! They'll cover you whole if you come in contact with them, sir!" Varkasan warned Grand Inquisitor Sebastian. Before any of them could fully react to the crystallized dwarves however, The Azure Sorcerer suddenly backed out of (what appeared to be) The Grand Technicar's workshop, with gigantic crossbow bolts firing out towards him. One missed and embedded itself firmly into a wall, while the rest were blocked by Rivain's crystal magic. Once the Mage was outside the structure, the entryway was sealed with a stone slab. "These Dwarves truly know how to fight using their weapons..." Varkasan thought, remarking how fiercely Dwarves inside the Grand Technicar's workshop had to have fought in order to force The Azure Sorcerer himself to fall back.

However, Rivain took notice of the new Paladin arrivals shortly after being locked out. Sebastian ordered The candidates to stay back, and Varkasan complied, walking backwards and crouching behind some stone debris with his shield up. He kept his sword ready in case The Inquisitor would suddenly call for their assistance.

Rivain wasted no time and immediately launched the same spell that blasted apart Inquisitor Levran. Sebastian however, managed to survive it, but lost his armor in the process. Varkasan couldn't understand how Sebastian was able to survive that, and still have the energy to taunt Rivain. The Mage was angry, without a doubt, and sending powerful spells against The Grand Inquisitor. But Sebastian was too fast. He would keep on moving out of the way of the spells. It reminded Varkasan of the way the female Mage who accompanied Rivain back at the abandoned village managed to dodge and weave around all of the combined attacks of The Paladins. It was truly impressive.

However, Rivain seemed to have anticipated even Sebastian's lightning-fast movements, and was actually counting on him to be in the exact spot that he was after launching his spells. The Mage brought The Inquisitor high up in the air, and used the sigil that was formed on the ground by his other spells. But Sebastian managed to survive once again, and kept Rivain on his toe; sending Light Orbs against his Crystalline Armor.

It was a fierce fight, and eventually, The Mage used his Trump Card: Greater Shockwave. Varkasan quickly ducked out of the way of the force, diving down to the ground away from it as a majority of his cover was destroyed. When he looked up, he saw that it was a blast so powerful that it managed to create an entirely new tunnel using that one spell. For a moment, Varkasan had feared that not even Sebastian could survive such a direct attack given his current state. But to his surprise, The Grand Inquisitor was still standing, though barely.

With a final attempt, Sebastian assaulted Rivain using his orbs of light, but the Mage escaped in a flash, causing the explosions to damage only stone. "So, he raided the vault, didn't he. Blasted Teleportation Crystals... And now, I would really appreciate some medical attention." Sebastian said as he fell to the ground.

Varkasan ran to his aid and picked him up with the help of the other candidates. "We have to get him help and medicine!" He said. By now, Dwarves and Paladin guards had arrived on the scene to see what was going on. Varkasan turned towards one of the Paladins. "Which way is the infirmary?! The Grand Inquisitor is gravely wounded!" He asked with urgency. After the man pointed them in the right direction, he and his friends made a dash for the place, passing by a surprised Alicia, and being followed by Paladins and Dwarves trying to offer their assistance.