Achronum

Of Blood and Magic

_{Time: 12:31 - The Forest}

Max/Eris

As soon as the incantations were spoken, a black mist rolled across the space and up through the canopy. It took over everything and suddenly Eris’ sight returned and the pair were surrounded by stars as far as the eye could see in any direction: left, right, beneath, and above. The trees, the posts, and the incantations were gone. Only a bird hopped along the ground until it touched one of the stars, the light vanishing along with the bird.

The ground shifted beneath Max and then stopped abruptly. Eris, however, didn’t move but somehow, he was nearly ten feet in the air and an off yellow constellation glowed in front of him painted onto an invisible wall. The far end of the wall started brightening and the light, the same color as the constellation, crept towards Eris slowly. The stars shifted and the small constellation shifted with them.

However, Max wouldn’t see Eris at all. Once the ground stopped moving, instead he’d see only a waxing crescent moon hovering above him with just the barest sliver of light on the right side though it seemed to be growing.

Lilie/Ben

Before Ben could respond, a little girl came bolting out of the forest, giggling madly as she stopped at a tree. Her dress was severely dated despite looking new and she looked around, taking a moment to catch her breath. The edges of her were a little fuzzy, like a picture just out of focus, and she looked ready to speak when suddenly the top half of a man appeared out of the trunk of the tree above her and with a roar, he swooped down and snatched her up into the trunk. Only her shrill laughter could be heard for a few more moments.

Salem/Victor

As the pair made their way with the blue orb in hand, it took them a bit to reach the next spot. Clues were becoming more difficult to find, the little wooden signs abandoned in favor of trees and rocks. Eventually, they would reach a small clearing with a small wooden table. Two chairs were pushed neatly in and a brass holder in the middle just the size of the orb. A table cloth fluttered in the breeze, not quite long enough to reach the ground. Words inscribed into the table read:

“With this choice, you’ve chosen the game. Take a seat with orb in hand and place it in the center stand. Wait a moment and then you’ll see what challenge awaits your misery. Guess the names with only clues given carefully to you. If you win, the orb you keep otherwise away you weep.”

Aaron/Varis

“Nothing else to turn…” Varis disregarded the boy’s comment for the moment. That which turns cannot too touch til victor claims the spoils… “The key must be the thing that turns but the only thing that turns the key is one of us. So does that mean whoever turns the key can’t open the door? Can’t touch what’s inside? Can’t touch the key again? And there’s been no mention of the piles in the riddle either.” Varis muttered to himself, unaware he was speaking out loud. He shook himself from his thoughts and gestured at the ground.

“You really want to sift through the dirt? That’s absolutely absurd but if you insist, by all means waste our time. And make sure to wipe your hands off before you touch me again. Varis sneered but didn’t loosen his grip, clearly preferring to walk with the mage rather than be away from him.

Maddie/Amaris

“Well, the instructions are clear enough. We just have to pick a bell and move on the actual challenge but I’m not quite sure what trust, act, or stillness mean. The only thing I can conclude is that it has to do with the colors. Some of them are blue, some are red, and some are yellow but I don’t know how that connects to the type of bell they are.” Maddie said. Why couldn’t it just tell her to pick one randomly and move on? That would be so much easier.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: The Mutant Underground's New HQ
Skills: N/A

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“Good. Good, that’s good. Thanks.” James said gratefully. That little brush with death was hitting him hard. He hated to admit it but sometimes it was hard to shake the feeling he was practically invincible. Sure things hurt but as long as he could clear it out or reset it, the pain went away quickly enough. It kind of desensitized him to it. If he stuck his hand on a heating element while the stove was on, it would absolutely burn like a bitch but knowing that it would be over in a few moments after he moved his hand made it so much easier to keep his hand there. Oddly enough, it made even some of his most painful encounters feel like an extreme workout. At worst, he felt wobbly and weak and a little sore but there wasn’t any lasting damage and the next time he could handle it just a little longer, he could handle just a little more pain before he had to recover. And he didn’t even think about it.

He forgot others didn’t have the luxury to just ignore hurt. And he forgot how vulnerable he was when he gave it to someone else. He hadn’t had many opportunities to explore that part of it until the Underground so it just slipped his mind. This was a brutal awakening. He didn’t appreciate it.

He absently rubbed at his neck, unconsciously searching for his own pulse, as he watched Cyclops and Havok talk. Well, it seemed everyone had connections to the x-men here. James frowned at the thought. The Underground was clearly well connected to the more visible groups but they were severely underfunded and were forced to work entirely on their own wits and speed. James could understand limiting their interference; if they wanted to move mutants, it made sense that the public eye would make it more difficult for them to do their job but it only seemed reasonable that their parent group at least help keep their members in decent health. The group barely had enough supplies to take care of themselves, not mention reliable food stores, without stealing from everywhere they possibly could. Normally he would give the X-men the benefit of the doubt but after hearing how their leader handled his personal affairs, he was hesitant to extend that courtesy. Waverly, however, clearly didn’t harbor his inhibitions and the excitement made him smile.

“Out of curiosity, what brought you our way?” James asked. “This place is a bit out of the way for a casual drop by.” James shifted a little on the cot. The food helped him perk up a little bit and now that he had, a few concerns wiggled their way in. First, he hoped Casper made it out. Second, there was the world’s most well known telepath in the building and that put him on edge. Thirdly, why were they here. He doubted that, in light of his personal concerns, they were here for anything beneficial to the Underground.

Harry Potter and the Alchemist's Quest - Discontinued

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Artemis “Arty” Harrington

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Location: Compartment 3
Magic: N/A

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It took Arty point five seconds to slip back into whatever spell his brother cast. He had little and less interest in staying out and about when there were possible death eaters on board and frankly this little compartment was perfect death eater territory. An auror’s daughter, a half blood, and two muggle borns was practically a target. Would Arty ever admit he was nervous? Absolutely. Keep his feelings and thoughts hidden? Arty was an open book and despite the trouble it had gotten him in―see Merula and all of year 1 and 2―he didn’t have much in the way of control over it. He had his wand at the ready the moment someone opened that door.

“Thank the gods.” Arty flopped dramatically on the seat, falling back into a family habit. “This whole mess is totally bonkers. I thought when you-know-who up and poofed, we’d like, have a touch of time to enjoy ourselves but noooooooooooooooooo. He still has to go and ruin it all with his rubbish loonies.” Arty complained loudly. “Still, it’s super ace you know one of the aurors! You’ll be that one day… Well, not like them. Head auror at least. Huntin’ down the baddies, kicking arse and taking names!”

Of Blood and Magic

Varis sent the back of Aaron’s head a scathing look at the request. The impedance of his request notwithstanding, the shoes Varis wore cost more than the head of every mage in this insane exercise. If the boy thought for one single second he’d acquiesce to this pathetic request without protest then he had another thing coming. Varis spent his time considering it however before sighing. “Another thing to add to the list: strength and endurance training. Perhaps tonight isn’t as much of a waste as I thought. It seems to be highlighting your weaknesses.” Varis dug at the boy as he let himself down. His grip was irn on his bicep though and the Count had little interest in letting him move, standing less than a hair’s width apart as he reflectively tried to peer around at their surroundings.

“We’ll stay right here until we’ve solved the riddle. Clearly, we just need to unlock the door and claim whatever is inside. Hopefully, further directions.” Varis demanded. “Now, left is right and right is wrong, right is right and left is left. What an annoying little phrase. This is precisely while language is such a mess. How many different readings does this have? At least three depending on how you stress the words.” Despite his complaining, Varis’ tone lacked much of his normal bite as he spoke. Puzzles were fun when they weren’t poking at his injured pride or lack of independence. He tapped his foot thoughtfully.

“And a final word of warning... But nothing mentions these little spots of dirt?” Varis asked. That seemed odd but maybe it had to do with the magic that got doors in trees. His knowledge of the magical arts were limited to those that didn’t affect him and those that did and while plant magic fell firmly into the latter, he never considered it threatening enough to be interested. “Well, we should probably first consider which door to use this key on and then once we decide that, we can figure out what the last line means. Left is right and right is wrong… So, either the left tree is the wrong tree or we should consider the left tree the right tree which is wrong. Right is right and left is left. Which suggests the red key is the right key for red so the first interpretation is the most likely. He repeated the last phrase a few more times.

“What else can we turn here? Is it only the key?” Varis asked the boy.

Interacting with: @Obscene Symphony

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: The Mutant Underground's New HQ
Skills: N/A

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James wanted to reply to Sunshine but his attention was diverted as the smell of pizza filled the room. His mouth water and he barely waited for Sunshine to grab her pieces before quickly following suit, putting one on top of another and tearing into them. “Oh thank god.” James mumbled around his food. His stomach rumbled pleasantly as he swallowed and flashed Waverly a thumbs up. “You had the better of the jobs. It fucking sucked all the way around.” He shoved another bite of pizza in his mouth, feeling like he couldn’t eat fast enough. “I don’t think pizza has ever tasted so good. Nothing like your heart stopping to add a little flavor, I guess.”

His slices were finished faster than he cared for. He wanted to snatch up another slice or two but he knew it’d probably be better to let this food settle anyways, not to mention he really needed to let everyone else grab some. He wasn’t the only one today was rough on. His mind jumped to the feeling of Glimpse going still for that second―god, was it really only a second? It felt like an eternity―and he felt the flash of panic he felt when Glimpse stayed on the other side of the portal. Everything could have gone so much differently. That brief feeling of nothing… James gave an involuntary shiver but shook his head to clear the thoughts. He was here and safe, no one was wielding a sword, no one was bleeding out, Glimpse was… “Oh hey. Did you see Glimpse downstairs by any chance?” James asked as nonchalantly as he could, forcefully ignoring the tremor in his voice as much as he could.

Harry Potter and the Alchemist's Quest - Discontinued

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Artemis “Arty” Harrington

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Location: Compartment 3
Magic: N/A

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Arty was going to dismiss the suggestion of a death eater on board as utterly absurd. This wasn’t the first time they’d stopped the train and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Arty wouldn’t admit it but it was reassuring that they did. You-know-who’s cult didn’t take kindly to “mudbloods” in their midst. More than once, he’d wondered if he could report Merula as suspicious but his brother said no. Bullocks because if anyone has death eater tendencies, its her. Without a doubt. One hundred percent. Arty leaned with Georgina as she poked her head out, trying to see around her but he side eyed the sneakoscope and sat back up.

“Aren’t sneakoscopes a bunch of cadswollop anyhow? Like, they totally go off at anything sneaky, right? Maybe someone’s mate is pulling someone’s leg around the corner or something or they’re bringing in something forbidden by the school?” Arty rationalized nervously. His leg bounced nervously as he spoke, a high pitched chuckle coming out awkwardly as his nerves started tightening. A death eater on board was a problem. He pulled his wand out of his robes, spinning it in his fingers. There wasn’t a death eater on board, there wasn’t, but if there was, Arty wouldn’t be caught off guard without a shielding charm in his lips. “Why don’t we just put that away and let the aurors clear the train and let us go? Then, everything will be totally aces and we can start planning the dance!”

Of Blood and Magic

_{Time: 12:16 - The Forest}

Max/Eris

The trip onwards was a little more overgrown that the last trek with the periodic sign marking the way. The wind picked up too and what little light had been trickling down though the canopy was disappearing for long moments as clouds rolled in. This path was far more winding and directions made use of landmarks now rather than just cardinal directions and lefts and rights. The path took the pair into an area long larger than their living room where all the vegetation had been cleared out, leaving only packed dirty. A few animal tracks had disturbed the area but otherwise, it was eerily quiet.

Two wooden poles stood at the far end of the little spot held what at first glance seemed like bird feeders. On closer inspection, these rectangular boxes were simple in construction, one yellow and one blue, but a missing spot in the front of them fit the blocks from the table perfectly. A phrase was carved into the top of each box, Sratum Picon and Oceleusi Picon and words were written on the posts under the boxes.

The left one read: “Between the posts, you’ll find a game that starts when we are whole again. Five paces back and name read loud, choose your fate or don’t be found.”

The right one read: “But if you chanced to fix us both, no single hand may do. Two separate entities like siblings two must choose their fates new. Speak in tandem and begin with little room for error. Step out of sight and lose the game without a sense of bearing.

Lilie/Ben

The wind picked up as Lilie took down her vial, a little colder than before. What little light trickled down disappeared for long seconds as clouds rolled slowly in. With each drop on the blub, the plants bloomed beautiful and full. One was a dandelion and the other a rose, both shimmering with the faint light of the potions.

Salem/Victor

Waiting for a Victor post. Will give Salem the next description once you guys decide to leave this scene or the next next description if you skip the challenge.

Aaron/Varis

As the wind picked up and rustled the trees with a soft bite, the light faded in and out as clouds started rolling over the night sky. The walk to the next part of the challenge was a little more obscure: a few instructions were written not on posts but on trees and rocks despite their clarity. Eventually, the winding path they were instructed to take came to an end and two trees stood before them. Some manner of plant magic must have been employed because these trees, massive in comparison to those around them, also had metal doors embedded into them. Each door had a keyhole and a handle to pull it outwards. The area had several spots of disturbed earth, each just a mound no taller than a few inches but noticeable because of their lack of vegetation. A sign between the trees proudly exclaimed:

“Now it comes time to choose which lock responds to that you picked. If red is your belief, valiant but weak, Left is right, right is wrong, right is right, and left is left. If blue is your morale, slow but steady true, choose opposite above and make your final do. But warning if you chose the opposite of true then suffer with the consequences so be wary what you will.

But a final word of warning: That which turns cannot too touch til victor claims the spoils.

Maddie/Amaris

“On the bumpy side, I’m afraid.” Maddie admitted as she glanced ahead. It wouldn’t be difficult but it may slow them down more than she wanted. “Nothing drastic though. I’ll get you through it just fine. I’ll admit though, I would have appreciated a straight forward sign as our first direction rather than something on a subject I know almost nothing about. Survival training wasn’t exactly part of a proper lady’s curriculum.” Maddie sighed as she guided ari forward with quiet instructions on the way.

It was slow going until Maddie got more confidence in guiding the Countess, finally breaking out into a small clearing. Several lanterns flickered as they swayed gently in the wind, each partially shuttered to reduce how much illumination the provided, and chimes swayed at the bottom of each one. Maddie had to keep her spell up to notice but the little chimes were either painted or made of metals of different colors, blue and red and yellow. Colors were muted with the spell but the faint glow of the lanterns gave her just enough extra light to see the detail.

A sign in the middle read:

The test that waits in the west requires many things. First, you must select the bell that sings the sweetest to you: That of trust or that of act because stillness is far too selfish but claim it if you must while woe becomes your misery. Take it now and trust your path until it reaches end for that is where lies are grown in plentiful abyss.

Maddie read the sign out loud and described the scene for Amaris. “I’m not sure I like that last part, honestly.”

Of Blood and Magic

Varis’s grumbling faded away after a few minutes, growing bored of complaining as he reflexively tried to look ahead. He even tried sharpening his sight but its difficult to tell if something was working when he couldn't see anything. Varis sighed irritably, silently resign himself to his fate while the boy carried him along to their next destination. Hopefully, this next challenge would prove more entertaining. He quite enjoyed puzzles and he was glad he had an opportunity to do something. This was not a situation he was familiar with and frankly, he had no desire to repeat it but the riddles at least gave him something to focus on. He only hoped the next one would come quicker.

And no sooner did the thought cross his mind than when the boy stopped and described their next little game. Varis frowned at the description of the area. A stone pillar with keys? An interesting decision. [color=f7976a] “Read each line again, one at a time.”[/colo] Vari demanded, listening intently. “The first line is clearly instructing which one of us should make a decision unless you’ve suddenly been rendered unable to see. However, I’m frankly sick of being reminded that I’m crippled. It’s difficult to forget without every passing object screaming it at me.” Varis grumbled under his breath as the boy ready the next part.

“The truth hidden and buried…” Varis mused for a moment, his fingers tapping thoughtfully. “That could be anything but if we consider turning inwards, it’s clearly a metaphor for some self reflection idiocy. Of course Ryner would turn this into a night of self discovery. May the Queen save us all or we’re doomed.” Varis sighed as he gestured for the next line and then the line after. “Clearly, we pick a key to open up some hidden part of ourselves and the keys here are symbols of how we do that. Clearly the red key is blood fast pumping. Besides the direct correlation of color to substance, red is the color of passion which gets the blood pumping quickly. The blue key by default is the other. I’m going to take a wild guess and say the gears slow turning suggest a lethargic analytic process because blue is the color of intelligence, the mind, and self reflection. Either way, this “turning sightless eyes inwards” nonsense ends when we complete the challenge.”

“The audacity of this whole affair. Can you believe not only does she force us to work like this but she has the gall to then take it a step further and try to force us toreflect? Varis gripped. “Nothing to be done about it now though. Take the blue key. As if passion is some sort of virtue, bah.” He gestured blindly forward as he instructed

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

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Location: The Mutant Underground's New HQ
Skills: N/A

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“Thanks.” James said as Sapphire left, his attention turning to Havok at the touch to his shoulder. He returned Havok’s smile with as much of one as he could muster at the moment. “You don’t owe me anything dude. We’ve got to look out for each other here, right? Not like anyone else is going to do it for us. I’m just glad you were in good enough condition for me to patch you back together.” James shook his head. “That being said, I’m definitely not above that food offer but don’t work too hard at it. Apparently, Professor X is stopping by and I can only imagine that’s going to cause some ripples here shortly.”

His smile got a little bigger at Sunshine’s direction, hauing himself off the floor and onto the cot. “Thanks, Sunshine. I really appreciate it.” James said sincerely as he took the blanket from her and wrapped it around himself. He took a moment to look over here, checking for injuries but he didn’t see any. A little guilt shot through him when he realized he hadn’t checked in with her since the whole Morlocks incident. She’d finally found a place and chose to take their mark only to have it torn away from here. “How you holding up in all this, Sunshine? It’s been a fast, exhausting couple of days. I didn’t realize when we ran from the police we’d get caught up in all this but here we are. Saving mutants and kicking bad guys’ ass. Well, you guys are doing the kicking. Probably better than I could.”

Of Blood and Magic

Dancing lights in the sky? Well, that was easy. Enough vampires waxed poetic over the centuries about the incredible display unless Ryner made some obscure reference but considering her obsession over them, he sincerely doubted she'd challenge them like that. So the Northern Lights it was. Which meant they were heading north. Excellent, first direction figured out and now they had a heading.

“Congratulations, you get a gold star or whatever juvenile, inconsequential reward system you nostalgic creatures so easily accept.” Varis grumbled over Aaron’s shoulder. It was more than just a little annoying he couldn’t add in an equally sarcastic slow clap but sacrifices did have to be made. “Hurry up and start walking. The sooner I get my sight back, the better. And I would appreciate them not using such visual solutions. It’s like they’re mocking me. Here I am, depending on a mage to guide me, and they’re taunting me with this imagery. The disrespect. Next, they’re going to ask us to analyze a painting for clues and I’ll be absolutely useless. What an unnatural arrangement.” Varis sulked from his spot on Aaron’s back. It was absolutely ridiculous. This entire situation was a nightmare come true.

Interacting with: @Obscene Symphony