Nanaya

Iris Ascendis

@Estylwen

WINGRAM CLINIC, ROOM 106

The remainder of the night in the clinic would proceed without issue. It had been a long day of danger, deceit and duels, and undoubtedly very few would rest adequately. Wails of pain would resound through the clinic's halls as more were dropped off, and those such as Sylv, Kann and the receptionist would tend to their pains and agonies well into the night; more than likely, well past the sun's rising. It was a disastrous second day at Wingram Academy, and the mixture of wailing patients and patrolling mannekin through the halls and rooms of the clinic served as a constant reminder of this.

The same squadron of mannekin would keep watch over Ciara as she slept. Were she to try anything, they were prepared to respond accordingly; and they were certainly programmed with lethality in mind, that night. Weak wheezes escaped Davil's mouth on the other occupied bed within the room, followed promptly by the occasional check-in from one of the clinic's doctors - Sylv's dark-ringed eyebags being the most common sight to peek in throughout the night.

---

@ERode@AThousandCurses

BOYS' DORMITORY

Otis and Chunji would each be escorted back to their rooms at the boys' dormitory, were they to comply with orders. Sylv would form an essence link with Otis if asked - for all the good it would do at the moment - before promptly encouraging him to return to his room with the guards, as, in her own words, "The screams of the pained are the burden of the obliged."

The dormitory halls would be agonizingly quiet; the footsteps of those escorted by mannekin, and the mannekin themselves, would be the sole reassurance that noise remained in this realm. Even without the ability to perceive the immaterial, tension hung in the air like a brewing storm. Were the boys of Compact 3 to meet in the halls on the way to their rooms, there would be precious little time for face-to-face conversation, as the mannekin would insist with mechanical assertiveness to proceed ahead without delay.

Upon returning to their respective rooms, Otis' would be predictably unchanged, Davil's wheezing body naturally having been left behind at the clinic. As for Chunji's, he would see Rio crouched down, digging a drink out of the mini-fridge on his side of the room. Upon seeing his roommate, he'd stand up and point to the ring on his hand. "Was gonna be here before lights out, all nice 'n tidy, but I suppose it couldn't wait, huh? Had to sic teach on me."

He'd crack open the can he'd retrieved from the fridge, the cartoonish smiling mermaid logo of the Shaktan arcmage-sponsored drink, 'Feemie's Fizzyfun', in heavy contrast to the dour demeanor of the dagger-eyed loner. The can hissed with carbonation, and he'd down the whole thing back while making eye contact with Chunji, before crumpling the can and tossing it into a nearby trash bin. That much fizz at once clearly made him uncomfortable, noted by the immediate rumbling of his stomach and the fact he was biting his cheek, but his expression would not refuse to break away from a scowl.

"I explained myself to Alto 'n he gave the okay, and that's all you need to know. Our Adapa don't work with these rings on unless it's an emergency broadcast, so you'll have to take my word on that for tonight," he would spit out, before retiring to his bed and immediately turning on his side for sleep, clearly wishing to spend as little time interacting with Chunji as possible.

Indeed, were any with the nullification ring to attempt it, the Adapa and all of its features would be locked. It was like living the life of a citizen outside the Union, which to some people within the country who grew on the luxuries of its leyline, would perhaps consider that a fate worse than death.

---

@Psyker Landshark

GIRLS' DORMITORY

The travel back to the dormitory would be uneventful, were Iraleth to allow it to be so, with the mannekin hurrying her along to a consistent march through campus and the halls of the girls' dormitory. A pin drop would be thunderous in this place tonight, with many almost definitely preparing for a night attack by crazed apocalypse cultists that - thankfully, for the sanity of staff and students alike - would not arrive this evening. It would take time for that feeling of safety to come back, as even though the tower was the only place attacked this time, who was to say it would remain that way, were a future threat to unveil itself? The events of this evening would likely be the catalyst for change, whether for good or ill.

As Iraleth was escorted back to her room, she would find it to be just as silent as the rest of the building. It was unchanged, with the only sound welcoming her within being the whistling wind of the open window, curtains blowing freely; but then, had the window been left open when she had left? Maybe it didn't matter. Her Adapa wouldn't work with the nullification ring on, so non-essence-based entertainment would be her only companion, if exhaustion hadn't yet set in.

Whenever the paladin would decide to turn in, she would see a piece of paper peeking out from just underneath the side of her pillow. Were she to inspect it, she would see a blank strip of paper, and then after another moment, letters in black ink would begin to form from it.

Scrawled hastily, almost as if scratched in, it would read: "THIS ISN'T OVER | THE JANITOR LIES"

The next time Iraleth would blink after taking in the message's contents, the words would disappear entirely. The wind outside would intensify, and it was clear that it would be a stormy night.

Slam.

The windows of the paladin's room would slam shut. Even were she to have closed the windows earlier when she entered into the room, they would indeed slam shut.

Iris Ascendis

Ya gotta stop cursing yourself with those statements kekeke.

@ERode

It is starting to feel like a cursed phrase, for sure.

Hey guys, just wanted to give a little update before I presumably disappear for probably the rest of the year. Things keep happening forever and I honestly don't know when I'll have much of a moment to breathe. I technically have one now for the first time in months for a minimum of 10 days, but it's literally only because my aunt almost died and could still very well die (very botched surgery she's still in ICU for) and because of that my mother's put her education which I tutor her for (sometimes as long as 9 hour sessions) on pause as she tends to my cousins.

Don't worry about re-intergrating me into the RP, I don't have any foresight as to when things will quiet down sustainably, and I wouldn't be surprised if you guys killed Hildegunde off while I disappeared. You have full permission to do so if you haven't already - I'd like to someday return to this but god knows when or if that'll happen, so do whatever y'all feel is best.

Just wanted to say thanks for having me and I apologize for all the times I slowed things down. If I knew my life would be getting as busy as it were right now I'd have not joined. I do feel really bad but I hope you're all having fun and I was glad to be a part of it! I'm glad to see it's still going C:

Anywhomst. There's my 'I'm not dead message', although with the way things are going I feel like I might as well be.

@Sifr

I wish you all the best, and I hope things start going your way, that sounds absolutely terrible! You'll always be welcome to return when things calm down, and Hildegunde won't be dead - I'll leave the chance open for you to come back when you're feeling confident things are in the clear! I plan to keep this going to a conclusion, regardless of how long that may be. ^.^

Iris Ascendis

@Estylwen@ERode@Psyker Landshark

WINGRAM CLINIC, ROOM 106

"Hey... HEY! Don't do tha-"

Clunk.

The gargoyle, all at once, had ceased - as did the encroaching layer of shadows that had begun to cover its earthen hide. Not only did it no longer struggle, the lights in its eyes appeared to entirely dim, leaving behind nothing more than a stone husk. It simply stood there, lifeless and slumped over. After another moment, gravity would take its course, the stone guardian tumbling to the ground in a static position. From within, the sound of erratic tapping and even punching against the immobile creature could be heard alongside animalistic growls and grunts. "You can't seriously expect that to hold me! I'll break out. I'll get out and pummel the lot of you! Just give me a second... RAAAAAAHHHH!"

Ting.

An amount of effort was put in that sounded as if the imp had put its full bodyweight into the escape attempt, and yet the immobile stone body held firm. It stamped its little feet and slammed its little hands from inside, screeching in frustration at the prison of its own making. From within the chest of the gargoyle, it was well and truly trapped. "Ooooh, there's gonna be hell to pay when I get out, bird boy. Mark my words, you're meal prep in the making..."

It would go silent after that, apart from grunts of rage. Raja would cease casting and move closer, inspecting the unconscious gargoyle top to bottom, taking care to seal up any cracks in its frame as she did so by mending the stone together. "Apologies, I was careless. Well done. This won't happen again," she would declare as her eyes remained on the stone sentry. "This gargoyle is Ascendian. I can only assume it's the result of Kann's continued carelessness, but that's a matter for another time. Its body won't hold on this side forever, so I'll need to transfer the imp to a more suitable prison soon."

Raja would lift the gargoyle up over her shoulder and begin moving away with it. She'd look back towards Otis, then throw the ring box towards Sylv, who clumsily caught it. "Make sure all of Compact 3 receives a ring, doctor."

Sylv would nod, and Raja would leave, awkwardly shuffling out after cramming the gargoyle through the doorway first, as if trying to push a couch through an entrance that wasn't quite wide enough. The doctor would then move towards Otis and extend the ring box to him. "Please withdraw and wear one. A guard force will escort you back to your dormitory rooms after you have complied."

As that statement was made, several mannekin would enter the room and stand at ease, heads turned towards Otis and Iraleth.

---

@AThousandCurses

WINGRAM CLINIC, HALLS

Chunji, surprisingly, would receive a rather quick reply. Within a minute of sending, his Adapa would ping, and a reply from Alto would appear. It would read:

"Hey, Chunji. Currently finishing up some business at the tower, people're still on guard around here. Some suspect the fight's not done yet, while others think it's time to tend to the wounded and wrap things up for the night. I lean with the former, which is why I wanna stay around for a bit. Once that's handled, though, I can follow up on Rio. Plaza's way away from the tower, though, so it's probably fine? Kid's probably just antisocial and moody."

About a minute later, a second message would ping on Chunji's Adapa, again from Alto as a further follow-up.

"Oh yeah, and Ventura's got a trial coming up in Vaal Nero, and we're all going. To my knowledge, everyone else has been briefed, but feel free to check in with your buddies when you can. You'll also be required to wear an essence nullification ring, and we'll all be heading out by carriage tomorrow morning. A dorm escort should arrive shortly. Thought I should let you know, so you're not caught unawares. Talk more later, stay safe!"

As if on cue, a group of security mannekin turned the corner and marched towards Chunji, eventually stopping in front of him. The guard leading the march stepped forward and opened a box of rings, presenting it to the boy wordlessly.

Iris Ascendis

Sorry, life came up. Getting around to a post tonight!

Iris Ascendis

Next round tomorrow!

Iris Ascendis

That'd be @ERode and @Psyker Landshark

Iris Ascendis

Damn, getting artsy about it. I like it!

Iris Ascendis

Oh, right. Yeah, the location of Rio's Adapa would come up. It wouldn't be anywhere nearby though, but would instead appear to be hundreds of kilometers to the northwest of the academy. Still within the Vaalin Union, but weeks away from Wingram, at least on foot.

Iris Ascendis

The rules on teleportation do vary, as different methods do have different conditions and limitations. The highest but most rare form of this would be 'true' teleportation, in that the caster can teleport anywhere with perfect accuracy and intent, with little to no limits on distance. But that method is so rare as to be considered a myth by most, and would be something that a prodigy of magic could spend their entire life devoted to the research of without achieving it.

What most teleportation experts would recommend, instead of that, is to have what they call an anchor - a destination in mind that's reasonably close, well-traveled, and comfortably familiarized by the individual. When those conditions are met, and assuming the destination is within a few hundred meters, what's known as a 'warp' can be attempted, should the person also know and perfect the casting motions of the warp spell. Warp itself is a decently difficult spell to acquire information on and practice, as many tomes on the spell would be kept under lock in magical libraries. Even were a caster to learn it, it typically requires multiple minutes of idle concentration to land perfectly; to arrive at their intended destination instead of inside a wall or floor. The average person can typically expect to successfully warp once, maybe twice a day before they risk rebound or an imperfect transportation.

A weaker variation on this would be the blink spell, which can allow one to warp short distances of about five meters at a time to a place within eyesight. The limitations put upon it make it easier for casters to control, though another drawback of its quick cast time is that users report a feeling of winded fatigue as if they had full sprinted double the length of where they had blinked to. As a result, it quickly becomes exhausting with repeated use in a short time, and is considered inefficient for that reason. It also uses up more essence than something of that scale would reasonably demand, to compensate for speed. Typically reserved for emergency scenarios to flee from imminent danger.

The last and strongest known primary method of teleportation would simply be the spell named 'teleport'. Its tomes reside within forbidden libraries across the world, guarded heavily. Knowledge of the spell is only trusted with respected Arcmages, or an equivalent rank in the hierarchy of other societies, and it's illegal for those who know it to teach it to those who don't meet the qualifications. There's not much public knowledge about the spell, but it's been said that at its peak, it allows for worldwide or even dimensional travel without limit.

More niche methods would exist, such as the shadow melding of practiced Umbralists, or the 'gate' spell taught to Arcmages and some Undermages, which opens a doorway to the location of a person they've essence linked with within two kilometers.

Teleportation rituals do also exist, but require setup and significant material sacrifice depending on the desired location. Alternatively, two-way teleportation altars can be constructed, though aren't considered practical due to cost and offerings necessary to maintain their power.

---

I might be missing something, but that roughly covers it, I think. I should also note that Rio didn't disappear until after the coin he had flicked had entered the water of the fountain. At the very least, after all the mechanical yapping I did above, it'd be safe to assume he didn't cast a spell, as no incantation or casting motions were made. Teleportation also simply dematerializes a person, whereas Rio's body almost seemed to become water and get sucked into the fountain. If it were a static A to B, it would likely fall under the category of a teleportation altar. Though in that case, while leyline alignment between both places would be encouraged for convenience, it isn't guaranteed.

Iris Ascendis

@Estylwen@ERode@Psyker Landshark

WINGRAM CLINIC, ROOM 106

"Apart from Ventura, the rest of Compact 3 is free to go for the night. If you wish not to remain in the clinic and feel recovered enough to move about, you'll be escorted back to your dorm rooms by security mannekin, and that is where you'll stay until tomorrow morning. Mannekin will patrol the halls of the dormitories, the perimeter, and naturally the school grounds as well. Two will additionally remain on standby within each of your rooms," Raja would explain, removing her right hand from her staff and allowing it to simply float in place.

With her now free hand, she would reach into a pocket of her robes and withdraw what appeared to be a ring box, but far wider. As she held it out towards the students, she would look them over; the latch on the box would release, springing it open to reveal a series of wooden rings. "All of Compact 3 will be required to wear one of these rings until the end of Ventura's judgment. They each bear a curse of nullification, entirely halting one's capability to manipulate essence or cast spells for up to seven days, or sooner should the enchanter consent to an early dispel. Naturally, this includes Ethos use. They also can't be removed until either of those conditions have been met, once slid on the finger. As I said a second ago, the bigwigs. If we weren't at least this decisive, it wouldn't have been long before Mirris got wind of 'Umbralist terrorism' and sent one of their Stalwara here. So, please just put the things on to make it easier on us, okay?"

After speaking so casually to Otis and Iraleth and handing them their rings should they agree, the principal then turned towards Ciara with no attempt to hide the smoldering spite. "You can expect a life of repentance in the underground dungeons of Wund Tower, perhaps. Surrounded by the greatest guard dogs of the Union, and made to cough up all details of your life and ties to the Dark God, by the finest talents of our nation. Or maybe, in the Court's mercy, they'll elect to skip the repentance, extract what they can, and execute you. The best thing you can do, in this moment, is accept your punishment and die. If the janitor is who you wish to bring with you, then so be it - so long as you're satisfied with him being the last supporter you'll ever have. You and Compact 3 will be led to the gates of the school at 7:00 AM sharp tomorrow, and begin your journey to Vaal Nero by guarded carriage ride."

Raja spat the words with so much hostility, so much bile, that Sylv would begin to walk over to the principal's side. With the same neutral expression, she would put her hand on Raja's shoulder. "Perhaps the messenger has too great a bias in this task. Understandable. Allow me to make this simple."

Sylv would remove one of the rings from the box and move closer to Ciara's bedside, slowly extending it towards her while looking her in the eye with little regard, positive or negative. "She speaks the truth, yet also lies. Eternal imprisonment or death are possible, but a better future is not out of grasp. It would be suboptimal to idealize a bloody outcome."

A scoff would escape the principal, turning away, her eyes softening for a moment in reflection. "A better future, huh?"

The tension left Raja as she exhaled it out, beginning to recompose. Yet at the same time, all that was required for what would happen next would be that she had finally relaxed for the first time that night. From the time of the start of the duel until now, she had been vigilant. All it took was a half-second in which her grip had loosened on the imp in her left hand.

Thwunk.

It was fast. Faster than a blink as a result of desperation, losing out on on power and potency for the sake of speed, seeing the one path it had to making it out alive. A thin tether of a tar-like strand shot out of the imp's mouth, landing squarely on the face of the idling gargoyle on the other side of the room. The imp ripped itself out of Raja's grip in that same moment, propelling forward with the connection of the tether and smashing against the stone frame of the gargoyle with a sickening wet splat, sinking through its cracks. The imp's laughter could be heard echoing from underneath the rock as the gargoyle struggled and stumbled about, its shrieks of panic mixing with the imp's cackling. After all of this, a full second had finally passed, and Raja reached for her staff on instinct to aim towards the creature. All the while, the imp's voice rang out from inside the stone sentry.

"Jackpot! You losers ain't able to follow where I'M going in this thing, ya won't! Once I get it under control, anyway... STOP MOVING SO MUCH, YOU FUCKIN'-"

A flame would return to Raja's eyes, clearly preparing to blast this entire room of the clinic down if she had to.

---

@AThousandCurses

WINGRAM CLINIC, HALLS

The last thing that Chunji would see before leaving Chloe's room is her faint smile of appreciation, which she would hold just long enough for the boy to close the door. While the interaction may have lightened tension for the half-elf's situation, Chunji would perhaps not derive any joy from the lack of response from Rio. The message had indeed been sent successfully, but as minutes passed in this hour in which consistent contact was crucial, the status and location of the final student of Compact 3 remained unknown. Was he ignoring the messages sent, or in some manner of danger himself? Such things wouldn't be immediately apparent at the moment, at least.

A tip-tapping of shoes echoed from further down the hall, and soon, turned the corner towards Chunji. He would see Dr. Kann move closer, hurriedly typing away on the Adapa at his side, stopping near the boy. He would type one final sentence, click his tongue in frustration, and then look downwards towards the seated student. "Your classmate - Steeler, was it? Unusual case, that one," he'd grumble, scratching his head. "She's apparently an anomaly, as far as essence is concerned. Normally, she can live her life without issue, but it was a case of unfortunate timing today. She won't tell you as much, though, seeing as she denied treatment to lessen the pain. In hindsight, treating her wounds from earlier deeefinitely hastened the process."

With slow blink, and then a faster one, Kann would realize what he'd done with a panicked expression. "And I guess I broke the patient confidentiality agreement to tell you that. My bad! Please keep this between us, alright?! I just..."

After dismissing his Adapa with a shrug, he'd lean against the wall next to Chunji, looking up at the fluorescent lighting of the hallway.

"All you kids take care of each other. Steeler's not strong, even if she thinks she is. I get what Wingram's goal is, but it's just not feasible for a lot of the students. If an Umbralist, of all things, is the norm? I can't see most of the kids here making it to graduation without some serious self-reflection."

The look of concern shot Chunji's way was made apparent; this was worry, first and foremost. As the doctor walked past Chunji and towards Chloe's door, he would look back one last time.

"But that's just my opinion, and I'm not out to be a hero. Us here in the clinic, we'll do our part to keep you guys from dying, but we can't keep you guys from dying, know what I mean?"

Kann would enter Chloe's room after one last look, the audible click of a lock a second after the door was closed.