Hannah Lane
MSF Base, South Africa
Month Two
Her ability to help was lessening these days, the local authorities had things well in hand along the coasts now. She was needed inland, where the fighting was still thick, but Hannah feared a repeat of her last adventure away from the sea. Occus would not be around to save her should she waste her life again, and honestly she would be more of a hinderance; the amount of water to keep her functional would be too much of a drain on resources.
No, it was about time she switched assignments. Her coordinator could set it up so she'd be transferred east to the Indonesian islands. Every now and again an undead would crawl out of the sea and bite someone, and her experience with treating wounds from the undead would be more valuable there. "Harry? Do you think they'd let us transfer?" she asked curiously, folding up the spare bandages on the floor of the building while her friend stacked boxes by the door to be shipped forward.
Harry paused, and he looked at her with a hint of confusion for a moment, as if he wasn't quite sure he knew who she was, before the expression cleared. Occus magic had worked, for now, but Hannah knew by now that even the slightest thing would remind Harry of the events. The word 'occult', a snake, sometimes just being out at night or smelling the sea breeze tickled his memories. She wondered if they all resisted the spell this much, or if Harry was just strong willed. Then again, maybe the spell had just been a courtesy to the other immortals, maybe he wanted them to remember him... Hannah wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.
Khulekani
Fae Hideout, Central States
Month Two
"That's it, nice and thick." She whispered, reaching out and running her fingers through the swirls of magic. A circle of Fae stood around the gathering of energies, each of them grasping a ritual dagger and clad only in their underthings. Kani was the only one fully clothed, her ceremonial garb was humming with enchantments as she stood at the head of the circle on a slight improvised dias.
The hideout was a large empty barn, the previous owners of which were slain by undead weeks ago. A metal device had been set in the center of the room's dirt floor. It was in the shape of a sun, a circle with stylized rays shining out towards where the Fae stood all around it. Deep channels were carved into it, and at the very center runes were scribbled everywhere.
Without further ceremony, Kani began the ritual. "Blood." She commanded. Instantly the Fae cut themselves with their daggers, the magic in the weapons drawing blood to the surface of the cuts quickly. Seconds later the channels were filling and the deepest groove around the center of the metal device began to glow green.
"Magic." She ordered next, prompting the Fae to cast simple transference spells, draining their energy into the device which began glowing brighter.
"Anchors." She commanded at last, stepping closer to the device. The Fae's focus turned inwards, onto their inner thoughts and desires and motivations. They would need to know who they themselves were for this next part to work correctly.
Kani knelt before the device, and touched it while the rest were distracted. A whirlwind of power exploded from the center of the device, massive levels of energies swirling around the room. Voices screamed at the summoners, demanding their attention, and visions played out in the air. They ignored it all though, refusing to acknowledge anything but their own inner thoughts.
Except for Kani.
She searched the chaos frantically, she needed to see it! Where was it?! A disembodied voice shrieked in her ears, speaking in a language she didn't know, but she forced herself to look past it. Where was the ghost?!
Then she saw it. A beautiful woman holding an equally beautiful man to her chest and crying. Hecate. Occus. This was the future.
A woman screamed, one of the Fae. Her focus had been broken and a demon had managed to break her will. Her body twisted grotesquely and turned a sickly neon green color. Horns sprouted from her head and she began to float. The woman's soul flee the body with a distressed verse, and vanishes into motes of light to reach Wickedeisos.
Guilt settled in Kani's heart. She should've been faster! She jerked her hand away from the device and immediately the swirl of energy and cacophony of demonic voices ceased. The demon possessing the former witch remained and Kani quickly destroyed it before it could do any harm. The others slumped over in relief and exhaustion. The barn doors threw themselves open and healers immediately descended on them, but Kani waved off the man coming her way.
She needed to see Occus. Now.
Ox Wicken
Club Veroxese, Germany
Month Two
Music pounded to a new beat, a song Ox had never heard before. It was in English, but that didn't seem to be a problem here. The club was lit by black lights tonight, they had an event involving phosphors and a local band earlier in the night, which explained why Ox was missing a shirt and glowing with bright body paint. A series of abstract markings in green swirled around his torso and blue triangles dotted his upper arms and neck. He looked as if he'd just stepped out of a rave, which wasn't far from the truth.
Many of the men and women in the club were sweating as they danced, following a routine of sways and twists unique to every one of them. Ox was neither sweating nor dancing, though he had been doing the latter earlier. He leaned against the bar with a group of guys talking loudly and gesturing excitedly. They had been drinking, but not as much as it appeared, they had been just as loud and expressive when they walked in sober hours ago.
Ox was laughing at one of the blond men's terrible jokes, only funny because it was so bad. When immersed in the energy of the young it was like an entirely new person inhabited Occus, and this person was remarkably friendly, and he exchanged seriousness for mischievousness.
He locked eyes with a young man across the room, it looked like it was his first time here by the way he seemed excited and yet reluctant to get involved. He was also incredibly young, possibly having gotten in by a fake ID. The staring contest went on for a few seconds and Ox's smile grew wider.
The kid thought he had guts enough to challenge a god? Let's find out... Ox's eyes flashed a vibrant pink, neon and glowing, and by he way the kid blinked and frowned in confusion, his bit of magic was noticed.
Ox stepped away from the group of guys he'd been spending the night with, his attention sufficiently distracted. He squared his shoulders and all but sauntered out of a side exit. Taking one more look at the kid and flashing his eyes beckoningly. He could practically feel the eyes drilling into his back as he did.
He only had to wait by the door for a few minutes before the kid was standing there in the alley. Ox smirked triumphantly shimmered out of existence before the young man's eyes.
Now exposed to the supernatural, Ox wondered how long it would be before the kid's research into the impossible led him to Occus once again.
"Divinity awaits him." The Heart observed mysteriously. Ox considered the words with interest, something to keep an eye on...
