@Letter Bee @Crimson Flame

As the sky lit up with shooting stars, Kieran felt Conner's hand on his. Blushing, he returned the grip. After this, he resolved even as his nerves jangled, he'd confess. He'd work up the courage, and then he'd tell Conner while he still had the chance.

A strange sight snapped him from his thoughts. The stars arranged themselves into a vortex, like a spiral galaxy, growing by the second. Before he could say or do anything, glowing tendrils shot out, grabbing him and the others. His insides jolted as if he were falling, until his hands and knees struck solid, grassy ground.

"Ugh... Can't say I've heard any folklore of shooting stars doing this!" Propping himself into a sitting position, he stared around in awe and bewilderment. They'd all found themselves in some kind of forest clearing, lit only by luminescent mushrooms and the multicoloured aurora overhead. All he could glean of where they were was that this wasn't Earth. "Ehhh, let's hope this isn't like one of my dad's comics." Storylines involving people trapped in dark, hellish worlds filled with monsters replayed through his head, and cold sweat beaded at the back of his neck. At least if this turned out to be one such world beneath its pretty surface, he'd know from the comics what not to do. "Everyone alright? We've got to stick together no matter what."

He staggered to his feet, brushing himself off and giving the many pairs of eyes that stared out wary glances. One pair advanced, a small form scampering into the light, revealing itself to be an ermine. A talking ermine, dressed in a crown and robe, announcing its presence with a loud "HEY!"

Stunned into silence, Kieran watched as the ermine, who introduced himself as Basil, scampered onto Deuel's shoulder. A glow enveloped Deuel, and vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving him in a suit of ornate armour befitting of a paladin. Or rather, the chosen one, as Basil explained. The chosen one tasked with the duty of leading an adventuring party.

"Hold up." Kieran's eyebrows furrowed. "Is this some kind of prank you're trying to pull? What's actually going on here?" As someone who liked to play a fair few pranks himself, he recognised something put-on about Basil's tone. Ciel expressed a similar sentiment, pointing out the faulty logic - as much as any of this could even be called logical.

Sure enough, another creature that could only be an animal companion approached. A flying dolphin by the name of Chesi, settling on Conner's shoulder. Kieran stepped back as water swirled around Conner, transforming him as the light had transformed Deuel. His mouth fell open. "Wow... I... That... That's neat. That's beyond neat." Conner stood there in a sea-blue tunic and cape, with pauldrons and gauntlets bearing water drop patterns. His hair had changed colour to match his outfit, and he gripped a trident as he struck a pose.

"Oh for the love of magic, did you really think you were fooling anyone?" came a loud, sharp voice from above. Kieran raised his head to see a longhaired black cat perched on a tree branch, her green glare fixed on Basil. "Anyway, it's MY turn to explain." Head and tail held high, she turned her attention to Kieran. "I'll have you know, I am Archmage Melanthe, or Melanthe the Magnificent if you prefer. The fact that you saw through Basil's pack of lies proves you're maybe a little smarter than you look, so you've probably figured out this is a duty you've all got to share, while we make sure you don't get in over your heads."

She climbed down onto Kieran's shoulder, sitting in a regal pose like an Egyptian goddess sculpture. "Can't say I was expecting someone so scrawny to help save Arcanum, but oh well. Considering your friends here, I doubt I need to tell you what to do."

Kieran nodded, his thoughts whirling too fast for him to take offense. "Well, here goes nothing..." Melanthe's presence had brought a surge of energy, welling in his chest, waiting for him to tap into it. As soon as he focused inwards, it swelled outwards. Wisps of shadow whirled around him, starting at his feet and rising to his head until they cloaked him completely. They evaporated as quickly as they'd formed.

The first thing Kieran noticed was the change in his eyesight. His surroundings appeared sharper, brighter, even against the night, as he cast his gaze down. His T-shirt and swim shorts had changed into a black bodysuit, with a ragged cape that seemed more shadow than substance, and silver accents at his waist, arms and legs. Dual sheathes on his hips held daggers.

"Oh wow..." Glancing from Conner to Deuel, he gave a breathless laugh. "Looks like I really did unleash my inner warlock."

"Excuse me!" Melanthe bristled, earning a wince from Kieran as she dug her claws in ever so slightly. "I think you'll find I did. And you'd better take this seriously, because let me tell you, Arcanum's seen better days."

Chesi was not amused when Vayu referred to her as a Ruffian. “Beg your pardon? I hope that comment wasn’t directed at me! Do you see the state I’m in? How can I possibly be a ruffian to anyone? Direct your anger to the weasel…”

And then Melanthe made her appearance known, and she transformed Kieran. “Nice dude!” Conner gave Kieran a high five.

Chesi laughed. “That form really does suit you. Melanthe you're grumpier than a cat that's run out of catnip! Give the boy some credit.”

“I think it’s time you explain to us what’s going on…” Conner requested.

“We’re missing one… Ugh, but he’s an imbecile anyway… He can catch up on his own… Ugh, and Oro and her human seems to have taken off… Alright. But I guess we can’t hold this off…” Chesi cleared her throat. “You lot have been summoned to Arcanum. Magic is the lifeblood of this realm. Humans and magic exist in harmony. But as with all things, that harmony can be disrupted. An entity of unimaginable darkness seeks to consume and corrupt the magic that sustains us.”

Chesi then gestured to her companions. “The six of us were once its protectors. Masters of the Elemental magics. I, Chesi, could command the water with a mere thought. The seas bowed to my whim! I was also the most beautiful of the six.”

Chesi could feel some of the others staring daggers at her, and Chesi had to stop her story to address them. “What? I didn’t say I was the strongest, I didn’t say I was the most powerful, I didn’t say I was the smartest. I just want to be pretty. Let me have this! Ugh, anyway… The six of us tried to fight this entity. And for our efforts we were rewarded by being cursed into the forms you see now.”

“Ok cool… So how do we fit into all this…”

“Thankfully, Arcanum can take care of itself. Legends speak of six humans that would be brought here from another world to defend it from evil. And you all fit the bill.”

Conner’s eyes went wide. “Nice! So, where is this evil so we can kick its ass?”

“Not so fast! None of you have any idea what you’re doing. You need us to train you! And teach you to hone your abilities properly. We need to practice first.”

And then, as if on cue, a large shadowy bear with constellations on its body came out of nowhere, and roared at the group.

“Ooh, an Ursa Major. Perfect! There’s no better training than actual experience!”

Deuel Akakios (Transformed)

In a flash of light, Deuel had pulled his sword out and slashed at the Ursa Major's left chest; the blade cut through and caused a shower of black blood that glittered with small starry flecks, causing the ursine creature to roar loudly, this time in pain, and swat at Deuel, who simply put up a barrier of hard light around his body that the bear's claws bounced off. There was a blank look in his eyes, as though the youth was doing this from muscle memory and learned responses, but that faded quickly as some steel returned to his gaze, and he lifted up his left hand to blast the Ursa Major with a beam of burning light.

Then, as though testing the limits of his powers, he looked at the blasted bear, held out his left palm outwards, then said, "Ignite! May the Stars on you light up!"

And the glowing stars that lit up various points of the Ursa Major's body lit up, causing the bear to trash around in pain, rolling all over the jungle clearing's floor, kicking up soil and dirt, before it finally collapsed to the ground, exhausted, bleeding, and smoking.

It was then that some compassion returned to the young man's face, as he walked closer to the now-scared bear, and holding out his open palm, began to shine with a softer light, a soothing glow that caused the whimpering animal to quiet down as its wounds and burns sealed themselves. Then it coughed.

What did it cough out? Black and purple chunks of flesh, blood and bile, but not one that was dotted with small stars; rather, it looked like several small tumors that resembled that seen in an Anti-Smoking advertisement that wriggled around like worms or maggots.

Basil the Ermine

"It's The Corruption!" Basil explained, albeit a little unhelpfully until he continued, "It's basically a magical disease that makes animals - And a few sapient beings - more aggressive and attack people out of the blue, as well as slowly causes them to rot inside! It's been spreading at an unnatural rate; it's probably the Enemy Entity's work. However, that is the reason we summoned you guys - To hopefully find out how we can stop it and its master! However, it seems that this is the actual first time someone's been able to purge it from a creature..."

He then saw Deuel scorch the spat-out mass of corruption with another beam of light, burning it to ashes. Then, without his prompting, the young man de-transformed back to a normal human in his swimwear and rubber sandals, before he turned towards Basil, eyes lifted upwards in obvious distress as he said...



Deuel Akakios

"Basil..." Deuel was trying to suppress a rise in tone and the anger that caused it, "You could have caused a rift between me and my friends. You made Niles leave. Who knows what could be happening to him now?"

He was breathing hard, all the while knowing that, "He's not going to return any time soon; I know him. He's probably going to avoid me like the plague because of what you said, Basil."

I know I lost Niles, maybe even when confessing my love to him. He doesn't like me that way; he might barely tolerate me. I scared him off and made him uncomfortable.

Turning towards Chesi, Deuel spoke to the Dolphin, "Do you know where the nearest town is? Or city? We can't just stay here, even with powers. We need food, water, new clothes... And cash. Are you and the others working with the local King to summon us and if so, does that mean we can stay in the Royal Palace?"