Bert Macklin

Of Blood and Magic

The initial search went better than expected as Lilie lifted all of the water from the pool. While he did not find anything glittering, Ben did see the small hole. Excellent, this must be what the riddle spoke of. He ignored his dripping clothes as he approached the hole with great caution. It seemed he could crawl through it with little trouble, fortunately, although before he could he heard an eerie sound emitting from the golden light. He was certain it was a woman sobbing. Was someone in distress? Perhaps they would be what they were searching for.

The idea of crawling through a secret tunnel reminded him of his youth, long ago when he was a boy that dreamed of adventure. Of course in his imagination the paths were filled with thorns and other danger. He sincerely hoped it would not be the case here as he got down on his knees, using his elbows to move forward. No sooner was he completely in when the ghastly sound of grinding shook him—he was not proud to admit that he had let loose a multitude of expletives that would have earned him a great scolding at home—and remained still. Being crushed to death hadn't been something he had anticipated nor was he fond of finding out whether or not he would survive it. He did not wait to see what would happen as he hastily backed out and found the noise growing in size.

Fortunately the noise stopped. However, nothing in his surroundings had changed. Had Lilie triggered something? Ben took a few steps back as he looked for his mage. No footsteps, no water splashing around, and on honing in his hearing, no breathing, either.

"Lilie?" He called.

There was no response. The only thing he could think was that she had encountered trouble in her search. Scaling the cliff had initially come to mind, but he had to admit that it was mostly a jest. After rolling up his sleeves further, he would climb up to no mage on the second pool. Where in the world had she gone to? Had she gone up without him? He had seen something shining on the third pool, but that had been much too obvious, and no doubt that was the part of the riddle that had warned them. Once he had hoisted himself to the third pool, he was surprised to see the koi fish gone. Something had changed, but why? He swore he saw something moving in the water, but it wasn't until he thought he spotted a spot of white that a horrible thought occurred to him—Lilie had done something to the koi fish and it had dragged her under.

Ben had dove in without a second thought; in the best case scenario, she wasn't there and he would simply swim back to the surface and continue his search. His initial instinct had proven correct as a multitude of bodies floated around what looked like the pillar that had been previously above the water, with that streak of white belonging to Lilie. It was not until he was closer that he noticed he recognized some of the people around her: his servants, his mages, his Geoffrey, all lifeless. The only movement came from one that still lived and clutching their throats for air, none other than his youngest mage, Noah. A truly disturbing sight and the challenge had every intention to bring Lilie into the club judging by her struggling.

He had to ignore the other bodies but had found himself avoiding them, joining the girl as he saw what kept her there. A black shark had her hand pinned and lifting it was no easy feat for mortal or even vampire. No, it was impossible for any human, even he struggled trying to push it off her hand. Of course now was not the time for conjecture as he was certain she'd run out of oxygen at any moment, and with one final push freed her. Unintentionally making eye contact with the dying Noah, he mentally apologized as he took a hold of Lilie and swam upwards. The pair broke through the surface, her gasps and coughs a relief to hear. He brought them both to the grass, pulling the girl out of the water completely.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Of Blood and Magic

The change of scenery was startling but a welcome one once Ben could see that there were no looming threats. The scenery was pleasant and welcoming as well although he did not let his guard down just yet. Fortunately, he could read the riddle on his own, the irony of feeling joy that he did not have to rely entirely on his mage not lost on him as he contemplated their task. He released Lilie to better inspect the pools for just a moment. It was queer to look at; the water should have been moving, but it looked unnatural and resembled glass. Very curious.

The glittering and reflection of the rocks caught his attention as well. All that glittered was not gold...I wonder... The phrase struck a chord with him as he looked at the waiting pools above. At a first glance, the goal appeared to be above, and with a water mage at hand it seemed like this would be a relatively simple riddle to solve. Lilie would make this easier, but there was no need for the pair of them to climb; instead, he decided they would work in tandem another way. He took off his trench coat and folded it neatly before placing it on the ground and removing his shoes, followed by rolling up his sleeves and pants.

"I'm aware you're still a novice with your affinity, but I have a request," Ben said. "There must be something we should be looking for, and I gander it is within these pools hidden among that which glitters. I pride myself in my excellent eyesight and should be able to spot something if you can lift the water and push everything down here. Meanwhile, climb upwards to the highest tier—we shall divide and conquer. If you see anything noteworthy then I will likely lose my eyesight and the challenge will be complete."

He did not wait for any confirmation before stepping into the pool, immediately beginning his search.

Of Blood and Magic

"Fear is the preferred method of control among the Traditionalist sect of vampire nobility. They believe that crushing any semblance of hope and keeping mages beneath them is how society will continue to put us and our kin above all," Ben explained. "What they don't understand, however, is that this is the coward's way out. They're all too eager to crush and break those that would dare stand in their way without considering that doing the opposite would eliminate nearly all resistance; both vampire and human have thrown mages in the middle instead of properly utilizing them."

In every one of his social circles, his way of thinking would be considered to fall too much in line with Modernist values. However, he knew he wanted to strike a balance between the two factions; as much as he hated to admit it, some of the Traditionlist's worries were valid. Walking the line had become an art at this point but Ben was determined to walk it until he got the power he needed.

"Loyalty binds people to you fiercer than fear can. Loyalty breeds genuine intentions and brings out the fullest in anyone who has worked to earn it. If you cannot earn loyalty and resort to fear, you'll only find yourself drowning in your own fear that you will be betrayed and left alone." Ben said.

His statement happened to end at the same time that his vision returned, with the vampire facing the statue. As he basked in the glory that was King Geoffrey Noila he noticed the empty hand close. How could I have possibly forgotten the enemy...? He thought in disappointment. "Oops." Came Ben's only hint at their mistake, watching the king crumble before them. Hopefully this would not be seen as a bungled attempt at regicide. There was little time to linger too long on the thought as a new figure rose from the ashes of His Majesty: Sybil Sinnenodel in her youth. She was a stark contrast to the image of age she took these days but just as merciless, crushing the staff without so much as a second thought. His fealty to the crown was insulted by the sight and moreso by her words as he narrowed his eyes at the statue. What a bold statement for someone who had to create a viper's nest just to protect herself from her own actions.

The sight of all life dying around them was quite startling but it summed up exactly what would happen should one attempt to challenge the devil herself. It was a humbling thought first and foremost, however it did not matter—they had failed the challenge. Aside from the lost grade the challenge educating them on the long lived head of the Sinnenodel House was eye-opening in more ways than one. Time consuming all that felt, what could that possibly mean? A mind beyond the grasp of time?

With his vision lost again, Ben decided to put all this out of his mind for the moment. "It would seem we are running out of time. We can take the risk and try one more challenge and hopefully get a ninety-five percent completion, or we take our losses and exit the forest now." He offered his arm to Lilie. "I will leave the decision to you."

Of Blood and Magic

Ben did feel the weapon slowly being pulled out of his grip but did not fight it. He waited with great anticipation, his fingers lightly pressed against the marble as he tried to feel a difference. Once upon a time there was a story about a vampire who had somehow gone blind and his other senses worked so well that he could tell the difference in everything he touched. That was a simple story of course, but until he knew what was the result of his actions he couldn't think of anything else. Perhaps this was a sign that he needed to better hone his other senses; he could say with pride that his eyesight was excellent but the rest had room for improvement.

Fortunately he did not have to wait long as Lilie informed him of what had happened: the pillar had changed and a crest had appeared. One step in the right direction, I assume, He thought to himself, but the fact that that was the only change hinted that there was more work to be done. The young vampire straightened up and backed away from the pillar while he considered his next options. He had to fight the urge to search himself, feeling quite vulnerable for a second.

"We will repeat the process until there is nothing left," Ben said. "Guide me to the other objects and once we are finished, we will see if the rest of the nobles follow His Majesty's lead and make an appearance before us as well."

There was no concrete confidence in his choice but it would be a step forward if nothing else. He believed once the pillars were set up that something must happen. If not, then they would simply have to adjust accordingly. Considering that was very much a possibility, Ben made sure to think of a few alternative choices while he waited for Lilie to lead him towards the other objects.

Of Blood and Magic

The repetition pointed them in the direction of the riddle once again. Ben had little doubt they were wrong, but it was surprising nonetheless. The next guess would be the Sinnenodel House. If it was not them, then they would just continue until they ran out of objects. Before he would instruct Lilie to point him in the direction of the next object, however, she met him with new information. No, that was incorrect, she had neglected to inform him of their complete surroundings. He was not surprised in the slightest; information gathering seemed to be a worryingly glaring weakness of the mage.

For the moment he would put that aside as he thought to himself. If the King did not accept the object, then the object must go elsewhere. He considered taking a swing at the pillar as a last resort, feeling the area where they had left the weapon last. It came to him easily and he held it to him as he took a few steps away from the statue.

"The item is correct. The method is where we failed," Ben said. "The King mentions he who does not fear him. I believe that we must summon his fellow men to rise the way he did."

With one hand outstretched did Ben walk, and by pure chance did his hand touch something smooth and cold. As tempting as it was to take out whatever frustrations he had on said pillar, he resisted. Instead he touched weapon to pillar as he thought to himself. What would they do now? Had there been any changes?

"Inform me of whatever surroundings move and change around us," Ben said.

Of Blood and Magic

The cacophony of noise was both uncalled for and eerie. Ben had to admit he had hoped that his vision would be restored but that was not the case. Instead he stayed put and tried to see if he would understand what he was hearing. It sounded very much like grinding, but that was all he could ascertain. It must not have been a threat if Lilie did not say anything, but the grinding was so unpleasant he could have easily missed her words. Only when they came to a halt did he feel the tug at his sleeve. His steps were awkward but he remained true that they were safe for the moment.

The deep voice that spoke was a stark contrast to the previously soft-spoken mage of his. Entirely jarring, but Ben listened intently. It spoke of a familiar history. He had been mistaken in a sense as it would seem each object was indeed tied to the noble houses in some way. A small oversight but nothing he worried about.

Lilie spoke and confirmed his initial thought that the scepter was indeed related to the Noilan family and Geoffrey Noila stood before them. But what did it mean? 'History remembered not quite the same as that to those who lived its page.' But what dangerous truth does he speak of? A perplexing thought to be sure. Of course, the real question was which object to give him. The threat mentioned had been the Lycanthropes, that much he was absolutely certain of. The ones that reveled in slaughter must have been the Astorios, the ones content with scrolls must have been the Sinnenodels, the ones that walked between the Eves, and that left the last of them as the Marivaldi. The binding referred to the Treaty but he did not know who wouldn't fear the King.

"I believe you are correct. We need only to decide what," Ben said. "First, I think we should match item with House. I initially believed that the scepter was connected to the royal family, and it’s safe to assume the rest follow suit.”

He thought to himself for a moment as he wondered where to start. One object did come to mind right away. “The mirror you mentioned...I believe it is connected to our House,” Ben said. “You’ve heard of our holiday, correct? It is called Moon’s Mirror.”

Each marble item was connected to a noble house? That did make sense. Lilie frowned, looking down at each one. The mirror being connected to the Eves wasn’t something she expected, but it did make sense. She stared at the weapon, scratching her cheek. “That sounds right, I think,” She replied with a small shrug, stopping when she remembered he couldn’t see her. “What about the rest of them?”

Ben mulled over the rest of the objects. Associating the weapon with the Astorios seemed too simple but he felt overthinking things would lead them astray. No other House came close to their bloodlust nor did he believe them scholars or whatever the disk represented. That last object was going to be found by process of elimination as he already had a decent idea on which the book represented. What sort of disk represented noble vampires?

“I believe the book represents the scholars, which would be House Sinnenodel,” Ben said. “The mace may be related to the Astorio, which would leave the disk as the Marivaldi representative.”

Lilie’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ in understanding, realizing that he had a point. Well, it all sounded good to her at least! “So which one do you think had the guts to not be afraid of the King?” She ended up asking. [color=deeskyblue]“To me, the mace seems most likely, so let’s go with that!”[/color]

“Indeed,” Ben said. Of course he spoke from experience seeing as how the Astorios were notorious for attempting to wrench power from the Noila royal family, but Lilie got to the conclusion on her on. “Do lead the way, if you would.”

Grinning, Lilie guided Ben to lift the mace up. She warily eyed the thing, lightly pushing Ben back towards the intimidating statue. “Okay, here goes,” She said, the pair waiting anxiously as they handed the King a mace.

Of Blood and Magic

Lilie bearing witness to his blunder did assuage him but it was still majorly embarrassing. At least now Ben was glad that he had been forthcoming with it; the only thing that would have added any more humiliation was if he had been caught in a lie. I suppose it isn't all terrible, He thought. Even so he did find himself laughing alongside her instead of feeling like he had been the subject of the joke. Her words lifted his spirits and for the first time since they had met he felt completely at ease. He would have much preferred if they had not been anywhere but a forest, but he would take what he could get.

“Of course,” Ben said. “Lead the way.”

The rest of the walk was quiet, but not uncomfortably as Lilie focused more on making sure the vampire didn’t trip over anything. Once they reached the clearing, she stopped Ben before the bush with hands as she decided to take the parchment and unravel it.

““History remembered not quite the same as that to those who lived its page. Choose your teacher and follow close, for some are fraught with dangerous truth.” Lilie read the riddle out loud, looking at the various props around them. “There’s a book, a scepter, a mirror, some kind of...mace? And a...giant disk.”

She eyed them warily, pocketing the parchment as she knelt down to examine each one. She had to admit that the mirror drew her in more than the others--it was so pretty! Her fingers gently traced the intricate pattern, though once she tried to lift it, she found it was a lot heavier than it looked. Oh geez, were these things made out of rock or something?!

“They’re each made out of...marble, it looks like? And there’s a pair of marble hands near a bush. I guess we have to pick one and place it between the hands,” She guessed with a small shrug. “Which one should we go for?”

Ben listened intently to both riddle and brief description of items. He couldn’t say history was his strong suit but the idea of a truth revealed did pique his interest more than it possibly should have. Five items, five histories. None of them seemed tied to any particular historical figure that he could think of off the top of his head. The closest would be the scepter as time immemorial has proven the ruby to be the symbol of the royal family.

After a moment of consideration, Ben asked, “The scepter has my interest. Were there any that caught your eye?”

Lilie looked at the scepter before looking back at Ben. She didn’t see anything too interesting about it, but maybe he saw something she didn’t. “I thought the mirror was pretty,” She admitted. “So, we can go with the scepter or the mirror since those are the two that caught our eye--uh, attention? They’re kinda too heavy for me to lift, so if you think we should go for one over the other, I’ll lead you to it so we can get to the next part of the challenge.”

A mirror could be symbolic of many things. Perhaps the items held some sense of symbolism that he wasn’t catching at the moment, but even so Ben felt he needed to trust his gut. He didn’t want to disappoint Lilie but he felt the scepter was the proper choice to move forward. Of course, he would not completely ignore her comment and made a mental note to remember it for the future. Perhaps it would make a nice gift.

“The scepter then, if you would be so kind,” Ben said.

Looking around for the scepter, Lilie carefully guided Ben to it. Honestly, she didn’t mind his choice, and it was probably easier for him to lift without accidentally smacking her with it anyway. Gently pushing him towards the bush with the marble scepter in hand, she felt like she was helping a little kid with how she had to push and pull his hands to place it properly.

“Okay, here we go,” Lilie verbally confirmed, tapping his fingers to signal him to let go and pulling him back a step. ”Dangerous truth probably means there could be another fight, though, so be ready.”

“Fear not, I believe that these riddles are a challenge of the mind moreso than anything,” Ben said as he made to pat Lilie’s hand in comfort, missing it entirely but making no effort to correct himself.

Of Blood and Magic

Goodness gracious what a terrible scene. Between the beast cornering him between coffin and itself and his own panic slowly rising, Ben was certain he was going to end up maimed. Fortunately for him that was not the case this time, albeit he did not miss the ghastly image of Lilie's face penetrated by the claws. It was disturbing to say the least, but as quickly as it came, it left. The area around him faded into darkness but the scene would be painted in his memory for some time. A hollow feeling gripped him for a moment, robbing him of any comfort he could have given himself. What a dreadful image.

He regained his composure shortly afterwards; there was little point in lingering. Of course, wishing he could see his mage right now would be great, but he had to rely on his other senses. Fortunately for him he could here the shuffling of her dainty feet and the scent of lavender was faint but still present. Hearing her voice did relief him greatly but his tune quickly changed once she revealed how many challenges she intended on completing. The optimist in him said she was merely stating how many were left but at this point he could safely say the skip in her step as she tugged him along said that she had every intent to clear as many as she could.

"I must ask your forgiveness, I fear I did very little to solve that challenge. I mistakenly assumed it would be a fight to the death as a great beast appeared before me. We were surrounded by the sea, and you slept peacefully. However, I ended up doing nothing, and by sheer luck the tide swept in some monstrosity from the sea," He said. "I will say, I will be filing a small complaint. The riddle specifically stated it was a test of might, not of wit. They should clarify their wording."

Ben looked up purely by force of habit, forgetting for a moment that he would not see the stars above him. "I'll make up for my failure in the next challenge," He promised.

Of Blood and Magic

How rude—there was little need to insult his intelligence or lack thereof. Of course the beast had a point as there must have been something that Ben had missed. Attacking didn't seem right, inaction did not give him anything, and apparently he wasn't bright enough to figure it out intellectually. It was infuriating but he felt genuinely at a loss. What had he missed? If the goal was to humble him than the silly riddle had definitely proven that for all his experience a few sentences stumped him. How embarrassing.

And of course the beast approached him until Ben felt the coffin at his back. Between a rock and a hard place, indeed. He would have to apologize to his mage for failing the challenge and hope it wouldn't put too much of a dent in their already shaky trust. For shame, he thought they had made better progress than this. Knowing when to fold, however, was just as valued. He hoped he would convince the young girl of this. "I choose..." He trailed off, looking back at Lilie.

Of Blood and Magic

Perhaps he requires a more literal definition, Ben couldn't help but think as his chest ached slightly. His ego was slightly bruised at the small comment as well but there was no time to dwell on it. The monster went back to its original form after he had taken damage, which meant that one theory of his was proven; of course, he was nowhere closer to solving the riddle now than he was before. There must have been something obvious he had missed. What could it be? A test of might with a strange creature asking him what might was...perhaps this was an exercise in metaphorical restraint. As much as he enjoyed the occasional puzzle, this one had him befuddled.

The water soaking his shoes caught his attention second and he now noticed the rising water level. It must be an indication of a time limit. But he was a little lost on what to do. The thought of taking Lilie and running came to the forefront, but where would he go? Taking a swim seemed nonsensical. Was he truly overthinking? The past riddle was already resolved with Lilie's enchantment, the only thing that came to mind was the warning on 'chains' but he wasn't entirely sure how that could apply.

Ben had no choice: if he could not fight the monster, then speak he would. First things first, he should probably respond to the creature. "Might is great and impressive power or strength," He said. "But if that is what you're searching for, then I do not understand your actions. Why approach my mage? She is powerless in sleep--is this might you speak of so great when aiming at a defenseless creature?"

Whether his words would make a difference or not, he did not know. But it was better than doing nothing, he hoped.