Riven Wight

MONSTORY

Riley was not at the school. Though not who she had come for, she would not have minded having a few words with him if she had run into him in her frantic search for the supernatural child. She almost missed the small vampire as she ducked in and out of the darker classroom. She did a double take and popped back in, her hands on the doorway as she finally found him.
She had used the bike ride there to think about how she would address the topic. The sore spot he had, and had chosen to confide in her about that night that seemed so many lifetimes ago. But now, here, in the gloomy, haunting shadows of the school, her confidence in what she had planned to say wavered. What if he refused to talk? If he simply ignored her? Worse, what if he did talk, after all this time, only to shoot her down? It would mean either the life of Trevor, or the mauling of five-hundred innocent people.
Taking a deep breath, she walked over to him and sat beside him with her back against the wall, leaving about a foot between them. She stretched one leg out over the floor in front of her, then bent the knee of the other and linked her fingers around it.
“I know you can hear me,” she began, her voice sounding loud in the quiet room. She stared at the wall opposite them, not wanting to look to the child from a mix of mild guilt and apprehension. “And I know you understand me. And I know you hate me. But I need your help. Trevor, he’s in trouble. The White Wolf,” hatred and indignation glittered in her eyes and coated the name, “can’t be separated from him now. To kill the Wolf, would mean…” she took a shaky breath to steady herself at the thought, a tremble marring her next words, “would mean killing Trevor.” Izzy dared a glance to him, tilting her head toward him a fraction. “Unless I can find the real Aberration Slayer.”

Of Science and Magic

I like calling double posts "oops posts," because I always say "oops" when they happen.

So what about the above for that first time (an extra, intended electrical pulse), making it last that extended period of time, only it affected the tracker in a way they did not predict? So it still occasionally sends short spurts of electric signals through his body, and messes with the signals sent to his brain, affecting him physically and mentally. Maybe triggering the rage part of his brain, and firing off pain signals in the process, creating a dangerous combination in a werewolf, every once in a while for however long you were hoping for? Endless possibilities, yes, but it is always good to figure out what, exactly, you want something to do! Makes being consistent easier.

... Is it bad that I kinda love that our characters are physically messed up? Man, I'm cruel to characters. I promise I'm generally a nice person to people in reality, and don't want to see real people get hurt!

So, I ended up saying that Thea's heritage is equal parts Scientist, Mage, and human with her generation, so thought I'd elaborate a bit and see what you think since I separated the two from humans. With that, I'm referring to born Scientists, not humans with a higher IQ who join their ranks.

What I'm thinking, is that there's something in each of their DNA that sets them apart just enough for Mages and Scientists to be not quite human and gain stronger powers/abilities. Each has their own sort of energy about them that allows them to cast magic or create things at a superior mental level. All the Sage Scientists would have been born that way, hence them excelling enough to be Sages. For Mages, it's a matter of how prevalent the Mage DNA is in them that determines how strong they get. And, of course, the "purer" the bloodline for either, the stronger the capabilities. With the energy aspect, it's kind of an intangibly tangible thing (which probably makes more sense in my head): born Scientists (and their creations) have the energy of knowledge, Mages (and their magic/enchantments) of wisdom, and your average human (as well as anything "normal," such as some plants and most animals not of magic or scientific origin) of understanding. Different mixes of the DNA bring out those forms of energy in various ways, allowing someone to be stronger or weaker in associated aspects. Because Thea and her brothers are equal parts of each, they could ultimately end up being any of those if they put their minds to it. Or, if they did not bother, they would simply be "normal." Which then adds that extra sense of mystery to werewolves, making it an uncertainty as to which of the three they're apart of, if not somehow all of them in a fluctuating, unstable mix that allows them to shift between human and creature.

I hope that made some lick of sense. What do you think?

---

@Arista

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Girl, the number of collections I have would probably make a dragon jealous. xD

Oh, thank you! :-D If there’s only one thing Elayra knows the consequences of messing with, it’s crazed people with the upper hand. And glad you approve of his nicknames! I’m loving how you’re playing it out so far! Also, the accuracy of this statement: “A hotheaded princess and a deranged drunk wouldn't remain civil for very long.”

I’m not sure if Inkheart’s audio will be on YouTube. Might have to go to the library for that one. But, then again, it is YouTube. Heh. It was my absolute favorite when I was ten. I still have that same copy. For a heads-up, there is some cussing in it. Not sure how you feel about that in books, so figured I’d warn you. I really like the story, though, and would still say it’s among my favorites.

A bit of World-Jumper info, before I forget to mention it: there would have been at least a couple months between when the Red Sorceress appeared, and when she enacted the Curse. In that time, some Jumpers in Wonderland would have abandoned ship until the issue with the Sorceress blew over, so they could avoid getting in the middle of things, and thus ended up getting trapped wherever they were. They could guess at what happened, but wouldn’t know for sure the exact cause of the portals closing. But because it was only a couple months in between, there were also Jumpers who had not been in Wonderland to know about the Red Sorceress, so were completely in the dark about why the portals closed. All they’d know is that they vanished. They could have worn out, or something foul could have happened to force them to close for safety’s sake, but there was a 50/50 chance it could be either. The only way they would know anything about the Sorceress is if they happened to run into other Jumpers who had left Wonderland within those couple months. So, you’d have those options for Miles. Sound okay? Oh, and Elayra was going to say Swallowhill Swamp, if you want him to guess that. It’s constantly raining there. Before the Curse, some of the hills liked randomly swallowing unsuspecting people, then spitting them out in different places in the swamp.

My gosh, now there’s something I’d love to see play out! We should write Disney.

Whoa, seriously? That was shockingly quick! And even digitally colored! In all honesty, I wasn’t actually expecting fan art to happen, so that makes it that much more awesome! Oh boy. Hopefully I can continue to meet your girl’s standards in the RP. xD Well, when you post it, would you ask her if she would mind me putting it in with the “Wonderland Terms” under a “Fan Art” heading? And the same question applies to you!

Indeed, but it is what it is, in my book! I’m thankful for “normal” over “worse” any day. Aww, thank you! Hey, sometimes, all someone really needs is someone to listen, not spout off advice. But I’m sure you’re a lot better at giving advice than you think. ;-)

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Elayra shot Ghent an irate look when he asked about Miles, mingling with another inaccurate thought of his of her home. “Whatever you think you know, forget it!” she hissed quietly through her teeth, emphasizing each syllable of the last two words.
With her weapon on the ground, it took no small amount of willpower to avoid snatching it back up and throwing it at him. But she had no desire to find out what kind of damage a gun could do. As inconspicuously as she could, she took a small step back as Miles mulled over her offer, trying to place herself a bit behind Ghent. If Miles did not back down, she hoped an electric bolt would be quicker than the man’s pistol.
“Be ready,” she muttered to Ghent, moving her lips as little as possible to avoid further upsetting Miles.
“Just the three of us…”
Elayra made a slow, deep nod in confirmation. When he looked back to his station wagon, Elayra’s gaze flitted between him and the dagger, aching to grab it and take advantage of even the second’s distraction, but she forced herself to stay in place before the barrel of the unfamiliar weapon.
Elayra blinked in surprise when, at long last, Miles lowered the gun. It had actually worked. And it had been a lot easier than it normally was with Drust. Her surprise changed to a scowl when she saw Ghent smirk at Mile’s demands in the corner of her eye, an almost proud smirk, and she moved to kick him in the shin in warning.
Her attention snapped back to miles when Ghent’s expression made the man wave his gun back to them. She cast Ghent a cross glance, the threat of murder in it if he made Miles use the weapon, but then his final demand made her inhale.
He knew about magic.
They could have downplayed his statement of knowing “where you’re really going,” tried to play dumb, but magic was not something she could easily deny, especially if he saw her rain shield. Elayra’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. She looked him over again, searching for any sign he was working with the Sorceress, perhaps placed in this world before the Curse. After all, they had just agreed to willingly go with him. That could be exactly what he had been going for.
She took careful note of how he opened the back door of the vehicle, taking in the layout as well as she could from the sidewalk. The inside was small, and even if Ghent did try to use magic in there, she doubted it would end well for any of them. She glanced longingly at her dagger, as if saying a farewell to a best friend on their death bed, as she stepped around it and walked slowly toward the wagon with Ghent.
During Ghent and Miles’ exchange about kidnapping, she looked down the street in the direction they had been heading, the direction toward the portal to Wonderland.
Sorry, Drust, she thought bitterly. We’re going to be a bit late.
She reluctantly started to remove her own pack as Ghent tossed his inside, her back stiffening when it rubbed against the bruise beneath it. She looked to Miles through the open window, assessing his position verses where they would be. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the space between the front seats.
Her angered gaze snapped to Ghent when she caught onto the tone of the beginning of the title he had begun to favor using, but thankfully, he caught himself. She gave a slight, approving nod when he amended the statement.
“Well, if Miles would be so kind as to allow me to keep it?” The hint of calm kindness she tried to use came out stiff, almost as if it pained her.
At the man’s okay, she did her best to hide a satisfied grin as she followed after Ghent as he went to retrieve it, bending down as he did.
“As soon as we’re in,” she began in a rushed whisper as she let Ghent grab her dagger first, her back to the car so Miles would not see her mouth moving, “watch for my signal, then reach for his gun. Just keep him from shooting either of us.” She turned back toward the wagon with Ghent, and took her dagger from him. “Think you can do that?” she asked, nodding to try making the words look like a thanks as she bent and carefully replaced it in the opposite boot as its sheath, the hilt keeping it from sinking all the way down as they returned to the wagon.
“Ladies first.”
Elayra glowered at him. “Don’t think so, Featherhead. You first.” She jerked her head toward the backseat, ready to follow him inside so she would be sitting directly behind Miles, her pack hanging by a strap in her hand.

Of Science and Magic

Random period, an extra correction, or an oops post? xD

Hmm. Good idea. Could be. Do you want it to be a one-time deal, or something that could potentially happen again? If a one-time deal, maybe they loaded it with something a little extra the first time, so they were capable of watching for when he awoke, was around others to witness him, and had it release the boost of whatever (a chemical? An electrical pulse to disrupt his normal brain function? Man, I'm not scientifically inclined. Nothing like the present to practice! I should try to consume more sci-fy media or something.) it was, and sent him into a frenzy.

I edited pretty much the entirety of Thea's profile. Except for the bio. I think the only area I edited in that was the last paragraph. I started reading it, and was like, "WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!" Why didn't you tell me it was so horribly written? I barely understood some of it, and I wrote the darn thing! Hope it's better now. Let me know if it is or not, if you read through it? Like I think I've said, she has the potential of being pretty powerful, but I think I'm usually pretty good about downplaying power or balancing it out with weaknesses. I should be asleep right now, not playing on the computer. But sleep and I don't get along very well.

I just realized. Our avi GIFs kinda fit each other. Besides both having snow, ravens often tail wolves, and even mess with them. I believe they like to follow them so they can scavenge their kills.

---

@Arista

MONSTORY

Izzy’s fists tightened, ever careful to not grip her staff too hard, as the Wolf began speaking again. But then it revealed the extent of its connection with Trevor. Izzy’s gaze snapped up to meet the Wolf’s with a gasp, her fist loosening in surprise. Her face, shock and panic gleaming in her eyes, paled. You’ll just have to kill us both repeated through her head in a malevolent echo.
She flinched at its laugh, then scowled at its farewell. She stared at the place the Wolf had stood for a long moment, her hands once more clenched. Anger bubbled inside her, her fear for Trevor, her family, and herself only fueling it. Riley had to have known how dire the situation had become. Whatever his reason for concealing it, it made her glower murderously at the empty air as if it would read her desires and fix everything if she could only intimidated it enough.
But of course, it could not fix anything. For the umpteenth time, she tried to think of something, anything she could do. She took a deep, shaky breath and slowly sat on the now stationary merry-go-round. She leaned her staff beside her, placed her elbows on her knees, and dropped her head into her hands.
She closed her eyes, hoping the darkness would help her think as she ran through the situation, and what it needed. She needed something to separate supernatural from human.
Wonder if there’s a spell out there for that that Trevor wouldn’t have thought of. She smirked dismally at the seeming impossibility of that. Or an amulet. Or better yet, a… She did not finish the thought before her head popped up. Her shoulders slumped as she groaned and ran a hand down her face until the palm rested over her mouth and chin. If not a spell, then something tangible, some sort of weapon that could tell the difference between Trevor and the Wolf, and destroy only the Wolf.
She needed the Aberration Slayer.
As far as Izzy was aware, there were only two people in the world who knew of the epithet’s true origin: her, and the once grand Cerasus. And only one of them knew where it had first been lost, its secret stored away in the silence of a brooding vampire child.
Well, this is going to be fun, she thought, standing. She grabbed her walking staff, and took a slow breath. Something tells me bribery by donuts isn’t going to work for this.
Turning, she sprinted back through the park to the main road. She stopped only once she reached her house. Careful to avoid anyone who may have remained home, she switched out her walking staff for her bike, and headed to the abandoned school as fast as the tires would take her.

Of Science and Magic

Alrighty! Keeps me from having to write half a novel for one post. xD I love breaking things into sort of "chapters," especially when they end at cliffhangers.

Well, thanks for reading all that. Heh. My head is extremely crowded, so it's nice to have that out there somewhere.

HA! That's great. Let me know when you do your edits, and I'll read them! We did change that bit of his history considerably in our first IC page. Heh. And of course! Whatever you see fit for your wolves. Though, he would probably still be exiled from the kingdom. If he were to show his face, the werewolves' treachery could come to light. Even with Cedric on the throne now that... *Goes to profile to figure out what Thea's father's name is.* Elyon's recently dead, it could still mean war for them. I'm kind of sad I didn't use Elyon, Sibyl, or Asher in the beginning. They got to be busy that morning for the sake of getting Thea to the garden semi-quickly. But oh well.

Hmm. I'm thinking that Byrce's Scientists wouldn't have had the access or capabilities needed to make an organic metal, if that's what you're getting at. But... Going off what you said, what about something small and metallic that they've coated with some kind of synthetic, bone-like material to make it more difficult for healers (because you gotta have both the conventional and magical kinds of healers in a fantasy story, eh? xD) to sense/find, and inserted it into one of the bones in his leg (ow...)? Something they managed to make transmit an electrical signal on command, that would go off for a short time so they could pick it up and figure out his general location?

---

@Arista

Of Science and Magic

If that's what you want to do with those two posts, then yep! I could try to get everything into two posts, if you didn't want to do two yourself, if you'd like, but I have no idea how long that'd get. Seriously, though, whatever you feel like with that.

Brace yourself for the ideas mulling around my head about this beginning portion. This is gonna get long. xD

Well, for them meeting back up, I was thinking either they would accidentally cross paths, or Zane would run into her somewhere not too far from wherever your guy's at, then go fetch Byrce. The dungeon's hidden well enough that it could have been right beneath her kingdom and still not be found, so the where doesn't exactly matter. The only people who know of its location are the two Sages, the guards there, and, to an extent, Thea.

Regarding what happened after their capture... He did a number on the Scientists. The Mage would have deflected his attack. She wouldn't have healing abilities, but she'd have been capable of at least helping the Scientists enough for them to get to safety, since Thea wasn't going anywhere. Since the younger guy wouldn't have been in as bad shape, he'd likely have made sure Byrce wouldn't come to, gotten Bearded-man somewhere safe where he could lick his wounds, then come back for your werewolf.
As for what they did to him, they're low-grade Scientists, so they'd be a bit more limited. Maybe trying to find another weakness or figure out why/how a werewolf has magic (I believe we discussed that in PM, but memory refreshers are always a good thing), trying out different things on him. However, since he'd be the best one to blame for her disappearance, they wouldn't be capable of keeping him too long before having to release him, I'm thinking with some sort of planted evidence on him that he had attacked Thea in a crazed rage or something. Which making him look that part could always be apart of what they did to him. Maybe sending him into one of the said disorientated rages once he came to?
Hmm. You put in his profile that his leg hardly supports his weight. Perhaps because of a method they used to be capable of tracking him down and keeping an occasional eye on him? To see if their experiments had done anything to him over the course of the next year or so. That'd make for some wonderful trouble for Byrce and Thea once they're together.

With the way things would have been outside all that, the Mage would have made sure to clean up any evidence the trio had left, and, with Byrce such a convenient person to take the fall for it, also plant evidence to make a stronger case against him. Zane would have ran back to the castle when he regained consciousness to try alerting them that something was wrong. The king would have been furious and heartbroken, to say the least.
Since Byrce disappeared and everything would be pointing to him murdering Thea (keep in mind that there's also a spy inside the castle I hinted at, so s/he could help in determining that cause), not just kidnapping, he'd blame the werewolves, and werewolves and Altreiah would likely have been on the brink of war just before Byrce popped back up, providing a solution. As an idea, what if the Altreian king wanted Byrce to be sentenced to death for his crimes, and in exchange he would not declare war on werewolves (for such a crime, the only sentence in that general time period would be death, not banishment), but someone close to him believed his story, and managed to save him? So, not wanting to risk the casualties of war, the werewolves found a substitute that would be enough to convince the king that they had killed Byrce?

Phew! Hope all that made sense!

Of course, this is all just me thinking not-exactly-out-loud. Please, throw your suggestions, thoughts, and ideas into all that! That's a joy of collaborative brainstorming. You can feed and play off each other's ideas.

... I'm sorry that I've sorta taken things over. *Sigh.* I tend to do that when I get excited about a story. Please, if you feel like I'm being overbearing here or anything, or not giving you the chance to do what you want with this, say so!

---

@Arista

MONSTORY

Izzy blinked in surprise at the Wolf’s statement about Trevor’s lack of such negative emotions, but the slight smile that had tugged at the corner of her mouth faded when he continued. He lacked the bad, as well as the good. He was missing, ultimately, what made humans, human. And that was a scary thought. She had to admit, albeit reluctantly, it would explain a few things about him.
Her emerald gaze shifted as the Wolf moved, stepping back as he only crossed his arms. The breeze that gently flowed through the park blew a few strands of the lose portion of her hair into her face.
Izzy’s eyes narrowed as the Wolf began its offer. Before she could ask how many more would have to get hurt before things went ‘back to normal,’ he answered the question. She exhaled sharply at the number.
Five hundred. It wanted Riley and her to let it hurt five hundred more people. And there was no telling how many of them would not survive.
“Oh, is that all?” she interrupted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Her free hand clenched into a fist and she glanced to the side as the Wolf posed the same question that had been running through her head. She wanted to smack the sneer from its face, put the monster back in its place where it belonged. But what could she do? She may not have been exactly human, but she was just as weak as one. It was as infuriating as it was frustrating, being powerless to help Trevor or the others the Wolf would harm, with or without her involvement.
If only the White Wolf could have been a problem before she returned to humanity’s ranks. After all, ‘compare it to a vampire, and it’s a joke.’
“So basically,” she began through clenched teeth, not looking the Wolf in the eye, “either I convince him to stop, or you’ll add me to your stress relief list?” She snorted and shook her head, disgust twisting her face. She took a breath, trying to calm herself with little success. “And if I try, but he refuses? What makes you think he’d make a deal like that? Sacrificing five hundred others for the sake of me and Trevor?” She let out a single, humorless chuckle. “Such a brilliant trade-off.”

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Glad he at least let her pull him away, Elayra glanced to Ghent at the epithet he used for Miles. At least now she had some sort of name to match to the face. “Thanks for the update, Featherhead,” she bit in a hushed tone. “Still think it was a good idea for me to hide my—?”
Her words cut off when Miles called to them, bidding them to wait. Once Ghent gave his answer, Elayra tried to hurry him toward the alley.
“I think he’s got a gun!”
Though the word did not hold the same severity to Elayra as it did Ghent, a weapon was a weapon. She released her hold on him, reached into her boot, and drew the dagger she had hidden there. She looked to Ghent as he asked about the shield focus word.
“Tuito,” she answered hurriedly. She had no idea if the magic shield would hold against a gun, but it was better than nothing. If he could manage the simple spell, that was.
Realization dawned on her when he elaborated. She scowled when his potential brilliance turned into gloating as she tossed the dagger just high enough for it to flip over, her fingers easily catching the tip.
“Not the time, you dolt! And you almost fried me!” she snapped. Her gray eyes locked on the pistol the man brandished wildly.
A gun. Now that she had one waving only a couple yards away, it made the memory of where she had heard the term rise from its dusty corner of her mind. She had seen a pencil drawing of one years ago in a journal kept by a now dead World-Jumper. He had compared it to a bow, only easier to use and with far more punch.
She could see Ghent’s desire to run in his eyes. Torn between stepping between him and Miles, and standing behind him to try avoid getting electrocuted if he chose to use his magic, Elayra remained beside him, her dagger posed to throw.
“Come closer and see what happens!” she growled before Ghent tried to appease him, her voice mingling with the steady patter of the rain.
She cast him half a glance when he told her to not antagonize him just a little too late, motioning for her to copy him as he raised his arms. She looked fully back to Miles when he spoke, a crazed gleam in his eyes. A gleam she knew a bit about. But he was not Drust. She knew what fueled the Curse in her guardian, but this man, someone from Earth, was something else entirely.
She glanced nervously to Miles’ shaking hands. An unstable grip did not bode well with a bow and arrows. She could only imagine that it was the same with a gun.
Instead of mimicking Ghent, she slowly raised her empty hand toward Miles, showing it was empty, and bent slowly to place her dagger on the ground. But then, he gave his final demand. She froze, staring at him, hard, for a long moment.
How could he know? Was he a spy for the Sorceress, or something else? Another glance toward his shaking hands made her pull from the questions running through her head and complete the action of placing the dagger on the sidewalk near her feet. If he was a spy, he was an inexperienced one.
“It’s Miles, right?” she asked cautiously as she slowly straightened. If he was not a spy, she could at least try to talk him down. “Look. You’re the one with the powerful weapon here. Whatever it is you want, how about you put that thing,” she nodded to his gun, “down, and we’ll have a nice, civil chat about it. Just the three of us. Somewhere out of this rain.” She held a hand to the side, letting the drops collect in her palm, more drops running down her face as they dripped from the strands of hair plastered to her face. “Unless you enjoy looking like you just crawled out form Swall—” she cleared her throat, stopping herself from giving a specific name, just in case he had been sent to find them. “From a swamp,” she tried to amend quickly.