Frozen0Titan

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

--- Meeting Room ---

After bidding a quick farewell to the Princess, Kazudain and Maldur followed the Feathered One to meet with the Kingdom's Court Mage. After quick pleasantries the pair had retired for the night to continue the next day.

Having returned refreshed Kazudain could focus on the reasons he was summoned. Of course better introductions came before anything else. Taking a seat the man folded his hands before him while Maldur sat to his side.

"I see and greet you, Court Mage Athos of Zauberheim. I am Kazudain, The Lightning Arch-mage. If that name is not known to you I am known as the Blitz Warrior in many Elf circles." It had been nearly 70 years since he last uttered that title, last spoken during and after the battle of Amalrala. In lands to the west lied the Elven Kingdom of Amalrala, so named after their patron Goddess. Their lands bordered on the Eastern fringe of the Bast lands where many a barbarous tribe resided.

Tensions had always been moderate between the two lands but peace had been kept for hundreds of years. But in recent years at the time, tensions had been building at a rapid pace; yearly raid counts rising, each moving further beyond the border. Even though talks were successful, it only delayed the inevitable.

What became known as the Battle of Amalrala was a six month siege of the kingdom by the united barbarian hordes of the Bast lands. He and Maldur had come to the kingdom two weeks after the battles began, aiding the kingdom by the front lines. They had saved many a soldier during those long months using their abilities to blitz across the battlefields at a rapid pace, hence why many called him such.

After six months the Barbarian Kings finally entered the fray and fought against the pair along with King Quintos and Queen Dalva of Amalrala. The battle was long, fierce and still sung to this day in many Elf battalions.

"And I managed nothing good sir. The receptionist allowed us both to enter, placing my partner as a simple animal companion. Which as you deduced is far from the truth." He inclined his head towards Maldur, chuckling. "Maldur is one of the rare Great Tigris Glacius of the frozen wastes far to the North. Capable of great Ice Magics and instincts, many who mistake him for something simple soon learn that is not the case." He reached over to give Maldur a quick pet before gaining a more serious expression.

"Now then with introductions concluded, what would you need of me? A person of your status doesn't ask to meet anyone out of mere curiosity." His words were calm, if a little blunt.

--- Southern Gate Town ---

The could feel the tension in the air as everything got into position. Within the pack he carried lied the tablet they would use to not only summon their aid but also their means to whisk Juan away. The carriage passed by with no sight of his pursuers. It seemed the time was soon upon them. But before Tibrus could utter a word, the situation descended into... less than ideal conditions.

"Blast it, I don't like this but we have have to move. Fly, the both of you! I'll set the portal." With that, he gingerly dropped his pack and took out the keystone. Thankfully it wasn't very large nor heavy but was still vitally important. Taking out a vile of amber liquid Tibrus quickly drank it, sparks jutting from his hands. Feeling the mana course through him, Tibrus focused it into the keystone causing both it and it's twin to briefly glow. That was the signal Athos needed to send reinforcements. He sent a few more pulses before any guards could be sent. A trio of pulses, a pause before 5 more. It was an old code he and Athos had agreed on to help describe what the situation was. Street moderately crowded with slight panic followed by close to target, need to extract now.

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

Works been kicking around but I've got my next post nearly done. Should see it soon.

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

@ZAVAZggg Sounds like a character with good potential. Can't wait to see the profile.

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

"We could show you a quick demonstration, couldn't we Maldur?" Said beast growled and ruffled his head before standing. Kazudain chuckled before looking back to the princess.

"Speaking of, Maldur is a great tigris glacius of the frozen wastes in the northern continent far from this continent where the Kingdom of Razelia resides in. As a whole the breed thrives in the cold weather, with blizzards that would snap freeze your blood in moments without protective gear and blessings. They are so attuned to those lands of ice that many of their kind can use ice magic. Maldur here is quite adept at it-" He couldn't continue as the his mouth was blocked by thick ice. Much of his body was in fact. The princess and the onlooker would find Kazudain suddenly encased in a large block of ice, from his feet to his mouth.

Eyes aglow, Maldur had an air of amused pride as it licked its paw. When the glow disappeared so too did Kazudain's ice prison. Said man had an air of agitated annoyance about him though no true animosity.

"Yes well, he has other abilities than simply encasing his master within ice on whim for petty amusement." It might of been a trick of the light but the princess might have sen the cat-beast roll its eyes at the man. Said beast strolled to the princess, rubbing its head against her side as a ploy for more petting's.

Shaking his head Kazudain continued. "Despite his quirks he has been ever loyal and helpful, saved my skin plenty of times in the past." He chuckled as said tiger turned to give him a chuff and mewl before going back to the princess. The man held out a hand which became wreathed in lightning instantly, the sound of crackling arcs filing the air.

"I too am a Lightning user but of the raw element rather than an elemental mixture. I do not know if the properties of the Light helps in controlling the chaotic edge of Lightning but know your level of control is to be commendable in the eyes of a Lightning Arch-mage." He offered a small smile with polite warmth. He turned to his wreathed arm.

"It takes great control to bring Lightning to heel for when unleashed it can cause awesome destructive calamity at any scale. No doubt one of your parents have shown you examples of such." With a flex of his hand the lightning condensed into a ball of mana not unlike what Lisia had done earlier.

But rather than shoot it into the air the ball elongated, lengthening and becoming languid. One end widened while the other tapered to a point, the new shape moving about the man. The newly formed snake turned its head a bit before slithering through the air until reaching the princess. It flicked a fork tongue before going around her head, soon coming back to a ball in front of the girl. It zapped to the man's outstretched hand, shuddering as more lightning was fed to it. It brightened considerably, turning slightly blue as the air itself became charged where even the female bird-kin would feel the change in the air.

Thrusting his hand to the air, the ball cannoned into the air with a loud boom that ruffled all loose handing clothing of the three people present.

"When you have the control your only limit is your own mind and intent. With that, lightning can be just as malleable as water."

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

"I have, your highness. It was an interesting bout though in the end I was not the victor." He gave an idle shrug. "Not a large matter really, I came to see the prowess of the latest batch of students from this generation and I can do so both in and out of the ring. I could always ask another for a spar once the tournament is done." His hood was turned towards the princess, just enough for her to see the bottom of his uncovered face. Meanwhile, Maldur simply laid his head upon the princess' lap even after she had ceased in petting its head, only releasing a soft mewl in displeasure but otherwise remaining quite docile. The man shook his head.

"Unfortunately the only student I faced was rather rude and of poor social character. Though his skills are competent with his shadows and poison he was far too condescending and arrogant for a win achieved primarily by luck and that neither Maldur nor I were trying to kill him." He didn't sound angry, more disappointed overall. Maldur merely released a soft chuff.

"I know many students here are far better in character and manner than that boy, but I still wish to see such manner and skills firsthand. Which is why I'll remain to watch a number of matches in the coming days. Such as your future bouts for example. I find it quite rare for another to take up the difficult art of Lightning magic in these past few generations. Rumors have it that your skills are quite competent and I wish to see where they rank compared to others. Perhaps you have time for a quick demonstration if possible? It would not be a spar but rather a simple showcase. One lightning mage to another." His words were spoken with a genuine curiosity, one that seemed to be shared with the large cat-beast who turned its head to look at the princess as well.

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

--- Courtyard ---

"Of course your highness." He gave a small nod to the young girl. "My name is Kazudain, one who has long traveled this world. This is Maldur, my ally and ever constant companion." If she knew the reputation behind his name it would help save some explanations but if not there was no worry. At the mention of its name, Maldur strode forward to greet the Princess. His large head dove into her personal space, sniffing about her a moment. With a mewling groan he then rubbed his head against her, taking a liking to her. The Princess could see the small smirk on his face from his hood.

"You'll have to forgive him, for all his power and ferocity he has a large soft spot for young-lings." Removing his bow the man then sat beside the princess, opposite Maldur.

"The last few days have certainly been interesting have they not? Though you seem quite troubled, possibly to do with the young man who recently left?" He spoke with a warm tone, inquiring but not demanding. If she was willing to share her troubles he would do what he could. If not he wouldn't force the girl, regardless of station.

--- Meeting Hall ---

It seemed to be decided that the noble was the new target. It was for the best, Tibrus supposed. Having the city guard on hand to help would be both boon and detriment however.

"You're right about the city guard, any element of surprise would be lost with them walking with them. We may have some alchemic cloaks but we don't have enough to conceal an entire regiment. If we wanted their help we would need a way to bring them there instant...ly..." Tibrus slowed with the last few words, a thought coming to him suddenly. Suddenly he drank the rest of the elixir. He would have a slight headache the next morning but he would be alright. He turned to Athos.

"You remember that failed project a few years ago? The Inter-Kingdom Travel Grid? How we never got that to work properly outside the smaller prototypes?" The KTG as it had been called at the time, was to be a teleportation grid that spanned the entire kingdom. Keystone altars would dot the kingdom, making a magical web-way connecting all sectors.

It was theorized to allow users, regardless of magical aptitude or stamina, to travel to any designated keystone location within a meter's accuracy. It was meant primarily as quick travel for the city guard to traverse the kingdom when needed but, in emergencies, would allow the civilian masses to vacate to safety.

Ultimately, the program was deemed a failure. The process itself taking over a month for a single pair of keystones to be made, which by itself wouldn't be an issue if not for the cost. The amount of rare materials required would have bankrupted the kingdom after making enough keystones to cover only a third of its area. Part of that cost was due to the costly and complicated location designation spell system that needed to be crafted. Another issue was power, the keystones greedily devoured mana like nothing else. While groups of people could use it without adverse effects, the amount of power needed climbed exponentially for each person added.

With no source capable of constantly providing the mana requirements, the project was deemed unfeasible. That isn't to say there wasn't anything useful from it. Only a single pair was currently in use, it had been set aside for the royal family for the direst of emergencies. Tibrus rubbed his chin

"With limited use we could get a small group of the city guard to their location when needed. With a few of our mages and some mana booster elixirs we could get-" he took a moment to calculate. "-12 guardsmen there within seconds if they go in 3 at a time. All they would need to do is drop the keystone in a close area with enough space." While there was a slight risk to using them, limiting such use to only a few seconds would be safe enough.

"It would also mean we would have a quick escape route to take Juan back with us to a designated location."

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

Only a little busy lately, I'll make my post soon

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

It's alright man. It'll come to you, maybe watch something that'll get your creative juices flowing, read, whatever you need.

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

--- Meeting Room ---

"Well, considering that they were plenty ready to destroy their own product to get rid of evidence, they likely have a much larger stock than what we found in that warehouse. How much we can't guess, but security will likely be tighter on the next warehouse we find. Which makes me think, will they do the same for Juan de la Cruz?" By now the elixir was really starting to come in to effect, the Architect breathing a little easier and able to focus a little more on the conversation.

"Either you go after, you'll have to be quick. Going after one target will give them time to fortify the other."

--- Courtyard ---

The pair had quickly made their way to the outer courtyards after being given directions, and given a healing elixir to mend the wounds in his sides. Once out it was easy for Kazudain to find the Princess, sitting upon a bench speaking with another student it seemed. It looked to be a deep conversation so he waited off to the side for it to finish.

It appeared he came at the right time as the young boy soon stood from the bench, walking towards him. He raised a brow as the boy approached, making a casual comment about Maldur before walking off. Kazudain gazed at the boy as he walked off, the young man held a great power within. Kazudain would admit that it was unexpected, though it was rumored that a certain boy held a great deal of power and potential. This must be the one called Varjan, he seemed far more distant than expected.

Turning back around the pair walked towards the Princess, giving a small bow when she caught sight of the pair.

"Fair greetings to you your Highness. I hope you are well and in good health these days. I would be honored to have a moment of your time if possible."

Razelia: The Kingdom Of Magic (FINISHED)

Citadel --- Meeting Room

As the conversation continued on the events prior, Tibrus nursed a small vile of red liquid. After Faye had sent her opponent through the warehouse roof by accident, the investigation had fallen downhill. Someone inside had decided to remove as much of the evidence as they could, explosively at that. One such explosion had sent rubble his way, and unluckily had flattened him to the ground.

A larger piece of timber had struck his head, added to hitting his head on the ground put the Architect in quite the daze. The Enhancer potion he had taken earlier stopped him from blacking out but only just. His skull still throbbed but the elixir he was sipping would heal him completely, he simply needed to take it slow.

The rest of the night had gone by in a blur after that which appeared to have gone somewhat poorly, though some crates did make it out untouched. So there was some evidence to be had. He listened in as the newcomer introduced herself and her purpose here.

"Truly so, miss Lumina? You'll have to write down the exact things that you were told for reference." He paused from forced wince, massaging his temple before turning to the Court Mage. "Professor At his, give me another hour to heal and I can begin cataloging and looking though The crates we obtained. I can also deconstruct what some of the enhancers are distilled from. It might leave some clues to who made these, along side where these might of come from." With another wince Tibrus took a sip from the vile, taking a moment to collect himself before continuing.

"This will likely take some time for me to go through and it would be best I stayed here for now. I wasn't as of much help as I would have liked And for that I apologize." He sent a look to both Enishi and Faye at this."

"With this I'll be sure to find some more clues. But one thing we can't ignore is how large an operation this was. The warehouse was filled with many boxes like the ones we brought. There is a great deal of money being passed around, and I fear this investigation will travel far deeper than we anticipate."

Practice Halls ---

"Considering his arms would be hanging limply at his sides if they were out of his pockets, the child has a very good reason to seek aid." Kazudain walked up beside Thessir, but not so close to be shoulder to shoulder. He cast a glance at Thessir. "Using lightning magic I know the signs of nerve damage better than most, I had to heal myself from similar wounds while training."

The man spoke casually as Maldur came up and sat on his haunches beside his master, looking at Thessir a moment before turning to clean his paw.

"If we're going to be giving advice to each other after the bout then here is my advice to you. You need to grow further socially boy, your attitude as the winner is pitiful. Your skills may let you survive many a fight, but you won't get far in life. As for your comment earlier about all the lightning and tigers in the world won't save me from dying from a blade to the gut? You're not the first to use poison against me or stab me in the stomach and you won't be the last." And turned and began making his way out, he called over his shoulder.

"Also, don't assume you can speak from the high ground when sheer luck won your battle today boy. You could have lost just as quickly had Maldur wished to." There was a flash and the entire hall, from floor to ceiling was covered in ice, Maldur's glowing eye staring straight into Thessir's own. In another flash it was gone, the pair leisurely walking out of the hall.

Once out of the hall Kazudain strolled on his way to a medical station. The wounds were inconvenient at most but still better to deal with them. On the bright side, the pair could now explore the Kingdom at their own pace.

"Hmm, maybe after I'm healed we'll check out the Princess' next match? I remember being told she uses Lightning magic as well. It would be interesting to see her skill level." Maldur gave a chuff and a shake of his head, causing Kazudain to bark out laughing, the noise echoing down the halls...