Winds of Closure II

The skies are tints of dark black and navy blue, littered with speckled bits of celestial bodies as it spans over the small outlying town of Norel. Though small, the town would be larger than a village, existing as a wide spread cluster bump of sturdy brick and stone structures seemingly borrowing crafting skills and architecture from the likes of Mare Maris with its insides divided and separated by a simple but organized grid of earthy streets. In the fields outside of the town, the winds pick up in an area just before two bodies suddenly appear, with one landing crouched and the other standing with its arms folded. They would have arrived silently in the night, cloaked in its darkness due to the lack of natural or unnatural lighting near their proximity. On entrance, the crouched one would speak, announcing their arrival to their destination. The gentle yet firm breeze which carried about the night air causes the standing male’s travel cloak to flow lightly as he looks over the town that lie ahead of them. Answering the posed question on how to proceed, the cloaked samurai would answer, “the same as Garfwin…” With that, his body would move from his solemn posture as he lurched forwards in approaching the town.

Unlike the area before, the town would have an entry gate and a militia consisting of about a dozen men. Of these dozen, at least four would be on patrol to keep an eye out for bandits and night time activity. They would cover each corner of the town and patrol a certain portion of its inside as well to keep a look out on the four main quadrants of the town. There would be a visible outpost with a fire lit within it and an additional sentry posted at the western edge of the town.

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Noting the positions of the sentries and patrols, I nod and start planning out how to strike out at each of the primary targets quickly. Arguably the most efficient way would be to teleport around and start picking up the guards while Battousai holds back and waits for me to finish. Or, I could finish this just as easily by teleporting the targets to Battousai to dispatch far enough away that they couldn't make enough noise to alarm the target. The element of surprise would make all of this so much easier. As I turn to give my strategic recommendation, I am met instead with the sight of him approaching the village. What the hell is he doing? He's just going to walk straight for the gate? My voice takes on a somber visage as I try to figure out if I am the only one that finds that to be the least productive method. Why is he moving like that? Trying to talk to him seems like it would be useless, but I have to try. "Battousai, hold for a moment. The sentries will spot you and we cannot be sure how many guards the target has. Allow me to clear the sentries first before we attack."

Whether he did in fact stop his advance or continued, I would teleport ahead of him quickly to approach the eastern sentry. Since time is of the essence right now, I would use the Minor Rip power to create an orb of spatial energy to strike down or badly injure the first sentry. From there I could finish him off quickly with a second orb since it is my least energy-taxing ability to deal with targets.

EXP: 303

Battousai pauses as he turns and looks at Dravec. The worries that were on his friends mind were far from his mind. In that moment of pause, he looks to the village and then back to Dravec as he asks, “why should the sentries be alarmed at our arrival? We’re travelers. You want to limit hurting others, correct?” In Battousai’s mind, if this were a regular village, he assumed they would allow trade and travelers in and out of it. Travelers looking for shelter in the night shouldn’t be a big deal, but if they took out some of the guards then it began to complicate things. Once again, they were in a scenario where no one knew that they were coming or why they were coming. It was much too soon for the news of his brother’s death to teach their target and the target had no way of knowing they were coming. Much like the last town, the samurai felt they could waltz right in. He was confident in Dravec’s ability that if needed, they could take care of business and then vanish from the area with a teleportation spell of some type. Battousai asks, “is there a reason we should be cautious?” The question would be genuine due to the fact that he knew his friend held strategic insight.

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Battousai's pausing would not have caused me to cease in my plans to eliminate the guards as previously planned, but him posing a question, I could not quite ignore as it would be rude and disrespectful... especially to one's leader. As such, I would not teleport away and attack the guard, but instead remain at his side as he brings up a potentially valid point. Since we are running on limited intel, it could suffice that the target is in fact not in command of this village, but simply taking shelter here. The images from the now deceased old man's mind showed me that the target was being aided, but I cannot make out by whom. Standing down, I inquire, "Something seems off, Battousai. I saw the target being helped by humanoid figures, so the safest assumption is to assume that he has cohorts here. Should the guards turn out to be those cohorts, how do you wish to deal with them? Neutralize them or terminate them?" I would not challenge him on the approach and instead walking casually with him, provided that he was no longer lurching forward like a deranged person. I would have preferred to eliminate guards, but I figure it is probably not quite necessary at the moment. The energy I was gathering for the teleportation towards the first sentry is instead gathered around my hands for an expedient casting of Minor Rip.

EXP: 269/572

After lurching in the most gully and sophisticated way possible, Battousai begins a casual and strong saunter in the direction of the village once more with his arms folded at this chest and his back straight. He would continue to speak with his cohort as the distance between then and the village seemed enough to provide them enough time to do so before any specific action had to be taken. Hearing his friends points, he would comment, “if he is not aware that there’s an attack on his life, he will not be surrounded by his cohorts…” Battousai would assume that around this time, the male may very well be heading to his bed chambers or personal residence much like his brother had before him. If he were a normal heterosexual male, then it would be safe to assume that he would want to retire into the night by himself. Battousai comments, “day time would be when his men are around.” He clarifies for Dravec, “if the guards come for us, then we shall deal with them as we did in our missions as young men. If things get too bad, then you can teleport us away from the area…” After a pause in his tone, he assures his friend, “you have yet to see my true strength; it far outshines that of the pup.” With that, he would be referring to Yuki, suggesting that thirty men would be a non issue for the samurai.

264 / 851

I nod to him trusting in his strength or at least his belief in his own strength. He was never one to really exaggerate his own abilities, so I had no reason to believe that such was being done right now. Still, I had to wonder if he was too nonchalant about this. He did raise good counter points tho. The images that I saw made no clear reference to the time of day when he had his accomplices around him. Seeing no further reason to worry, I fall silent and move towards the entry gate with Battousai. I would allow him to do the talking for the moment seeing no reason to interrupt at the moment. I continue to look around to get a better feel of the situation. As we approach, his words stand true as I do not notice the guards giving any special attention or notice to our approach as anything out of the ordinary. There is still much to be done. I debate internally on where the best place to find a lead on the man would be. I am sure that the tavern would be another quality place to look but with no operatives positioned in the area, I would have little to go off of. I mean there is the option of trying to use the lingering aura and scent of the brother to find this one, but it would prove slightly more difficult as they may not be identical in that sense.

EXP: 257/829

Battousai would allow the topic to be dropped since it seemed that there were no more questions about what they were going to do. The only annoying portion he felt about things was the fact that they were going into an area that was much larger than the village that they had just come from. A frown comes across his face beneath the mask as he worries if they would be able to track down the mage in a single night. Sharing this thought, he comments, “we may have to stay the night and gain information during the day…” That possibility did exist, since it might be too coincidental for them to happen upon their target with no further lead other than the fact that he was in this village. Since Battousai didn’t look as Jin did and due to the amount of time that spanned between that time and this, it could go both ways that either party could see each other, and if the mark wasn’t readily visible, then they would possibly not know one another. On top of that, there was no guarantee that the mage would even remember what he had done to Jin all those years ago. These things would be on Battousai’s mind as they neared the front gate and would be upon the front guard soon who had already noticed their arrival and was awaiting their interaction cautiously.

Unknown to Battousai, something would reach out to Dravec’s mind as they neared the village. It wouldn’t have a form, but it would be a feeling of lingering doom and evil. It would be so strong to the point where it seemed to create a crimson river of mist that led into the village like a path.

As they neared the guard, Battousai nods towards the guard and speaks, “is there an Inn in this town?” The guard looks him and Dravec over and understands, “travelers, I see. Just you two?” Battousai would nod. To that, the guard would look past them into the darkness, then back to both of them. “Near the center of town you will find one,” he informs, “don’t linger in the night. They say dark spirits have started coming out in the veil of the night.” Battousai knew the man spoke of the events that occurred in unison with the core’s happenings. He would nod and thank the guard before continuing past him.

439 / 1290

My thoughts fall upon my companion and his current plight. The thought of staying the night was not a bad idea for me. It would remind me of a extended missions where I am gathering intel myself without the aid of other operatives. I was more than prepared for such an occurrence. Nodding to him, I would give no other answer. I could not as it would be that as soon as I had answered to one matter, a new question and issue would arise. There is a pause in my steps as I am overcome by a dark feeling. One that I do not believe I have ever encountered before. I pause for a moment before realizing that I have indeed felt this. Many, many years ago. It was the aura that lingered in the darkness when I was to be sacrificed as a boy. I felt this extreme feeling of doom and despair waiting for us as we approached. There was surely darkness and evil in this village. It warned us to stay away, but also welcomed us with a path illuminated by a mist of red. As I took more steps forward, I am pleased that my hood had been drawn up to conceal my face. My eyes begin to flicker as I look upon this trail. As we continued, I would follow the trail.

A voice speaks to me with a tone that is very mystical and otherworldly, "Kautuka, not ready... the darkness is strong and hungers... patience to assess and plan." The message is rather choppy and while I cannot see it, it coincides with the flickering and color change of my eyes from their normal golden color to a light blood red.

EXP: 300/1129

The guard is passed with no conflicts and Battousai and Dravec would enter into a street lined on both sides by buildings of various shapes and sizes. Some were homes, others places of business as well as hybrid machinations of both. All buildings loomed in darkness casting long shadows in their alleyways with the occasional flamed torch hanging from a ceiling ledge to light the way of the street. Battousai’s direction would be heading towards the center of the village where he assumed a tavern like place would either be the Inn or near it. He would walk in silence as they continued, though he would notice that something seemed to be ‘up’ with his silent companion. Either way, he would not bring up any topic of conversation, he would just calmly enjoy their nightly stroll while feeling out for any type of magical presence that may stick out to them. The red mist trail would divert from the main road leading into the center of the town, the direction which Battousai was heading, and would trail down a dark alleyway for a length of several dozen meters. Not able to see it, however, Battousai would not follow it naturally. Beyond the alley where the mist travels, there is the signature of people moving in the darkness, though it is vague what they could be doing, whether they were simply drunkards, people heading home, or people up to no good; there would be four signatures in all.

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The draw of the crimson mist would grow stronger and stronger to me and while some voice had warned me against it, it was calling to me. I continue walking perhaps a step ahead of Battousai until the crimson path turns for a dark alley. My movement would turn towards the alley instead of continuing forward. Softly, I speak, "There are people down that way. There is also an aura of evil and darkness that way. The crimson mist continues that way as well." Since I have no idea that Battousai cannot see the red river of mist, I assume that he knows exactly what I am talking about. Looking down the alleyway, I focus my vision on the ground in front of me. Spatial energies start to gather in front of me discretely as I kneel to the ground at the edge of the alleyway. The mist moves around me, but does not seem to block the small area set before me. I close my eyes and inhale slowly before exhaling at the same pace and wait for Battousai to move closer before opening my eyes now glowing in visual conjunction with the mist. The spatial energies that had gathered begin to form a pool in front of me. The pool grows slightly to about three and a half feet in diameter and flattens out. The color of my glowing eyes becomes an eerie translucent visage. It is as if my eyes are blank and merely reflecting something else. After a moment, the pool will fill with images showing the area up ahead where the four signatures in the darkness are moving about. I feel that I am not fully in control at the moment. How am I creating this and why did I not know that I possessed such a power? When did I even learn this power? (Void - Pool of Sight unlocked at Honed)

EXP: 328/1457
Duration: Pool of Sight - 2 posts to teleport

Unlock: Void - Pool of Sight (1000)
Hone: Void: Pool of Sight (3938)

Battousai would pause for a moment as he and his friend seemed to be heading in different directions. He didn’t get the reference about the crimson mist, which causes him to look quizzically at his cohort. He assumed it must have some deeper meaning that was probably a metaphor for something, so he wouldn’t think his friend too odd for making the comment. The samurai’s gaze shifts down the alley way that his friend is looking down and though he does sense something that way, he didn’t think it nothing more than vagrants moving through the night since their movements didn’t seem to be suspicious at all.

For the first time, the samurai sees an interesting power used by his friend that seemed to assist in remote visualization. His arms folded at his chest, he walks over behind the crouching mystic and looks at the panel that was created. On the other side of the alleyway, they would both see four normal men moving about. One was drunk and really trying to best to make it down the street. Another was a thief hiding and waiting for the drunken man to come beyond the box he was hiding behind. The third was a rapist creeping up on the thief and the last person there doesn’t appear normally. Instead of being able to see him clearly, he stands staring directly into the portal with glowing red eyes and everything else misty and dark. He fades backwards, motioning for Dravec while leading more of the invisible trail to follow.

291 / 1863

The images within the pool of sight play out a very interesting picture. There is a drunkard stumbling, a thief waiting, and a very unsavory looking fellow creeping up behind the thief. Seeing none of them as important, I move my attention from them to the last remaining figure. What I see when I gave upon him is far from normal. There are glowing eyes looking at me. Shadows and darkness surround the eyes before the figure starts to retreat deeper into the pool and I realize that I must continue to follow. My first instinct is actually to try and step into the portal, but unsure of exactly how far out the portal goes, I decide against said course of action. Instead, I see the trail of crimson red mist flowing further ahead. "The trail of mist continues and the shadow with red eyes is leading us somewhere." The spatial energies of the pool are released before my channeling siphons them back into my body. I would start walking down the alley unless told to wait. The energy from the pool is recycled and strengthened as I charge enough energy within the surrounding spatial distortions to release a Minor Rip attack or to teleport both Battousai and myself out of harm's way as quickly as possible, if the need arose. I await his approval to move forward in order to follow the "evidence."

EXP: 263/1720

The samurai would nod to his friend’s words and the continued usage of this trail of mist. He now assumed that it must be something voidy in concept, but would understanding that something was leading them in a particular direction. Looking towards the dark alley way with a frown, Battousai rejects the thought that the mage could possibly know that they had made it into the city. There should be no way the mage would know they were on their way or what their purpose was. “Hm…” emits shortly from his throat as he takes steps after his companion to continue down the alleyway.

Unfortunately, they waited too long to prevent the drunk from being mugged, and in his attempts to rape the thief, the rapist found himself in a ferocious threesome. This would play passively to the side as they would come out of the alleyway. Seeing more people arrive, the rapist would get up and run off, pulling his pants up with him as a very violated feeling thief runs away as well. The drunkard would remain on his back unsure of what had happened, but would eventually fall asleep.

Battousai would ignore all of this and continue to follow the path his friend was walking. Now beyond the crimson trail was the shadow of a house that seemed to be outlined with the same energy as that which was leading them forth. It lies beyond another alleyway, down a street to the right, then left down another alley where the destination would lay in waiting. During the process of travel, the specter would continue to lead Dravec the way.

On approaching the house, it would appear as a two story structure made of wood. A lantern would sway back and forth hanging from a post when erected from over the single framed wooden door. The house would appear dark and foreboding, fitting unnaturally between two seemingly ‘normal’ houses.

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There is ignored commotion off to the side of us as we emerge from the first alleyway. I continue my movements forward following the trail. Since I am still of the mind that Battousai can also see the crimson mist, I would not even question if he was wondering how I knew what turns to make and that it was a sound idea to travel down another dark alleyway. To me this was completely logical and I was making good progress. The downside is that I have no clue what exactly I am making progress towards. Since the mist is not one of my personal powers, I do not know where it is leading us. My sensing powers also do not really help in this situation as they are limited to disturbances within the Void which I have primarily used in order to prevent a teleported ambush against myself or against my leader or any charge I am protecting on a mission.

When we make the final turn and emerge within range of the house, I pause for a moment to assess the situation and take in the sights around us. It was quite obvious at this point where the trail had been leading us as this house easily stands out. I also did not need sensing powers or mystic abilities in order to feel the eerie feeling emanating off of the house. Something was definitely amiss there. Admittedly, the thought of simply destroying the two story house does actually enter my mind, but that seemed extremely rash. Especially since there is no telling what might be inside of that house. Valuable intel or knowledge might be kept inside and that is definitely not something that I would want to destroy. Looking over at Battousai, I speak softly, "The trail ends there..."

EXP: 331/2051

The thief falls in the streets and turns around in time to see Dravec passing by them without offering to help. He frowns and things that one day, he would seek revenge on those who allowed him to be sexually assaulted. The drunk is passed out and the rapist is climbing in a window somewhere far away.

Battousai looks at Dravec as he comes to halt before the house. He stops as well and looks to the house as his friend’s words come in. With a nod, he would comment, “I see.” After looking over the house, his gaze lowers and shifts to the door. Since the trail ended here, it meant to the samurai that they were supposed to go inside. He attempts to sense inside of the house, but something blocks his senses, as if a barrier was set in place that disabled his ability to feel on the inside. For a moment he paused, finding it odd before he begins to think of something else. The last place they had gone straight through the front door, but that didn’t seem to be feasible here. If he attempted, Dravec would be blocked from sensing what was on the inside as well, though if they were to attempt to breach the house, it would be just like any normal house. There would be no magic reinforcing the wood, windows, or such. With the odd feelings of not really not feeling something or feeling something, Battousai looks to Dravec and admits, “I cannot sense inside of there… I don’t believe we should enter through the front door.” He began to wonder the possibilities of the mage knowing of their presence.

305 / 2534

Now true granted, I originally thought it a bad idea to simply destroy the house without any questions or further investigation, it is starting to seem like a far more plausible idea now. With the ability to know what was inside and where it is, teleporting inside would prove a bit more difficult. It also runs the risk of there being some form of trap or magic spell placed on it that would allow us inside but keep us unable to leave, which is an even bigger problem. I agreed that approaching the front door was a bad idea, but at this moment, I did not have a better idea. I remain silent for a moment before I tell Battousai that perhaps we should fall back to the alley in order to try and use my viewing pool power to perform a scan of the perimeter in order to find a better entry point. Unless he proposed a better idea, I would do just that. Moving the view of the pool of spatial energy to gain a solid concept of the house and all possible entry points. The more I know, the better I can plan the breach. My primary viewing targets would be looking for windows and doors that would provide direct visibility of the inside of the house. I would also be looking for any traps or visible magical markings or clues as to who was inside and/or why the trail of crimson mist lead me here. So many questions...

EXP: 265/2316

With a nod, Battousai would accept the usage of Dravec’s remote sensing in order to see what was inside of the building. He hadn’t a better idea, so it seemed like the most logical thing to do since they would want to see what was in the house before breaching it. As he prepared and initiated his portal magic, Battousai would move into the shadows of the alleyway and look for an open window on the first floor. Moving around the house, he could see that the window shutters were closed. Moving to them, he peers in, attempting to see between the creases and cracks, but the interior seemed dark. When Dravec looked through his viewing portal, he would find no obvious magic traps about the area. The portal would be able to locate four windows with two being on each side of the house, two windows on the front of the house between the main door and a single door on the back windowless wall. The upstairs areas would have no windows, but the windows that were downstairs would be shut much like the one that Battousai was currently at. The windows and doors seemed relatively equally safe. After being unable to find anything himself, Battousai would turn to Dravec and inquire his luck with his gaze.

243 / 2777

After looking to Dravec, Battousai moves back over to the windows that he had been attempting to peer into. Since there did not seem to be any easy way into the house, it seemed as if the best option to enter the structure would be to simply breach it physically and then rush for the target soon after an all clear is able to be given once inside. It had already been established that there was no way to feel what was inside of the structure, so Battousai knew that there would be at least some risk in the process that was unavoidable. Still they had come all the way here, and for that, it was not an option to leave without seeing this through. A strong lead seemed to bring them here, so Battousai would follow that lead, even if it involved drawing attention to themselves.

Since he considered himself to be the stronger of the two, the samurai figured that he would be the best one suited for whatever was on the other side. After coming to this conclusion, he looks over to Dravec and comments, “I’ll go in first… you follow.” He knew that his friend would know in which manner to follow since they had breached in missions before in their youth. Their breach would cause a sound, but it would be a swift one that would be over as quickly as it was produced.

Thus, standing before the window, Battousai would shift his gaze from Dravec to the area before him and prepare himself by turning to the side and pulling back his palm while murmuring a light incantation to channel his ki. A small circular formation of force energy solidifies in his open palm, energy invisible in the form of anything other than the wind that it generated. With a swift rotation of his hips, he pushes out the rushing ki towards the target window while partially crouching at the same time. The force explodes on impact; the shutters are blow in with pieces of the window splintering into the interior of the building in an almost shattering manner. A sound as if something had fallen from a ledge is produced in the process, but Battousai’s movements would be silent. By pressing off of the ground releasing the built up tension in his crouch, Battousai would swiftly leap through immediately after the opening was generated and would lands in a crouched manner on the ground within the confines of the house. Not a second after he had entered into the domain of the house, an immense magical barrier covers his entrance, offering to hinder Dravec’s path to follow him. In this manner, a barrier of regenerating strength (DEN 10) would separate the two from one another. The red aura that had been around the house which was used for Dravec to trail would not solidify in a manner that Jyn would now be able to see it since he was within it. From the outside, Dravec would be able to see this solid red and crystalline barrier, but it would be invisible to others who were not magically savvy.

Turning to look behind him after entering into the house, Battousai would realize that he had been cut off from Dravec. Such a revelation put him on greater guard than before. He immediately looks forwards into the interior of the first floor which he had breached. He could have used his sensing abilities once inside, though he did not need to. The interior would be wooden, holding the same type of atmosphere as a log cabin, only larger. The houses interior was separated into three compartments or rooms, but they were not separated by walls. Instead, the areas of the house were separated by dual rows of two columns that effectively divided the rectangular space into three areas, whereas one area seemed to be a bedding and storage area, the middle seemed to be a living area and the furthest area seemed to be for cooking and dining. In the center of the middle area, Battousai would see a singular figure sitting solitarily on a wooden 4 legged chair. The figure would be covered in a familiar black cloak with a shadow covering the face. Only a single weathered hand would be visible with the symbol from Jyn’s memories etched into it in a deep purple cover.

Immediately thinking of it as a decoy, Battousai crouches in his stance and places his hand on his blade while sensing out for anything else that may be in the room. It was when he did that, that a raspy voice spoke to him in a manner that seemed to fill the room and his mind at the same time.

“I had forgotten about you… but now that you are here… there is some hope for me to continue on…” the voice speaks. Battousai condemns, “I am here to end you. Because you remember what you’ve done this can be quick.” The sitting figure responds, “no… it is true that I had forgotten about you and my part of your father’s death. After you killed my brother, it took me some time to recall why a white haired child was looking for me… but it was then that I remembered your mother.” Immediately, Battousai’s form disperses into light revealing the form of Jin who takes over. The fox eye boyish male leans forwards lifting his hand to his chest as he calls out, “where is my mother?!” The change in him was immediate in its manifestation as he went from Battousai the executioner to Jin, a being of desperation, with tear in the process of formulation at the corners of his squinted eyes. With no change in his demeanor or posture, the mage would speak on, “with the man who killed your father. Surely you didn’t think that I would keep her. She was his prize after all, I simply gave them the tools they needed to defeat your father… though it wasn’t much as you can imagine. Humans are such fragile things, regardless of the strength they think they have.” Jin’s posture straightens as his head tilts down to the ground and his hands form fists at his side. He grits his teeth and speaks, “where is Baek?” The mage replies, “…Dead.” Jin questions, “wha…” The mage clarifies, “when I saw you kill my brother, I sent wraths to Baek and killed him. Unfortunately, doing that was the last of my power…” Jin questions in a shaky voice, “why would you…” The mage interrupts, “to take away your ability to extract vengeance. The other men who had a part in your father’s demise are all dead, Baek is dead and your mother is dead. Now only I remain… and as you see, I am powerless to stop you… To my surprise, you have more than enough power to kill me. Much more than I could have hoped… or even wished for! So come… yes… come and finish me off… killing me is the only way to end your suffering.” By now, Jin’s entire body was shaking with emotion. He begins to slowly inch towards the mage. His hand comes to Battousai’s blade which is at his side. The mage would remain motionless as Jin slowly approached. No longer taking precautions of his surroundings, and without the battle experience of the others who were being suppressed, Jin would be not notice the alchemy circle hidden in the dust on the floor surrounding the mage.

Because of Jin’s careless approach, the mage began to concentrate his power around him, thus reducing the regenerative properties of the barrier to the point where it could now be broken through.

1427 / 4204

There would be no objection to the plan of him going first. I move through the portal to the opening that Battousai traveled thru only to see the barrier erect before me. Pausing for a moment, I look at it and try to teleport to Jin first. Since my energy cannot penetrate the regenerative barrier, I bounce off of the barrier (I'm assuming that would be the effect) and feel quite the annoying shock. Next I would attempt to blast thru the barrier and while even firing off two attacks at the same spot weakens the barrier in the time it takes for me to teleport thru the small opening, it closes again. Now my original thought for silent entry would have simply been to teleport the door off of its hinges and enter that way. This would bring forth my next attempt at entry. Should this too fail to grant me entry, I would return to the place where Jyn had entered. Perhaps I am not focusing my energy properly enough. I begin chanting silently to myself as my lips are moving. My eyes start glowing as my inner powers start to awaken once again. I start to feel myself release control to something stronger than myself. (Booster Trance - Active) Focusing on the same weak point, I charge my body with spatial distortions wrapping around it as I dash at the opening left by Battousai's explosion. As I approach, I throw a Minor Rip orb at the barrier with base command of "Rip" before leaving my feet to dive at the barrier, "Shimmering Rupture." The calm command is given as my body's form is pulled into the Void as spatial energy is released all around me to pierce the barrier.

I would emerge on the other side of the barrier. Battousai is moving towards some figure in the room. The figure does not look like much, but the "other part" of me notices what he apparently does not. It is magical in nature and while I may not be quite familiar with alchemy, I know magic and that looks like a trap marking. "Battousai, shimmer!" My spatial energy would rush forward along with my body to intercept him while also being mindful of how far the magical markings stretch. Considering that I do not fully know or understand what they are or their capabilities, it would be best not to endanger myself either. My senses are all passively running at full capacity.

EXP: 457/2773

Jin’s eyes slowly start to open revealing a red gleam as a shaky smile comes to his face as he approaches the mage. Suddenly, Dravec blocks his path, to which the boy’s demeanor changes instantly into one of rage as he yells, “get out of the way, you worthless pawn!” With his target right before him, he didn’t care about anything else in the world. The blade slides from Battousai’s sheath as Jin comes to wield it, amateurishly, but with the intent to use it against Dravec. It was in the one drawing motion that his body pushed forwards to impale Dravec without a second thought that his body suddenly becomes rigid as if being held back. In almost a spectral form, Dravec would be able to see Battousai holding Jin from behind and preventing him from moving forwards. Jin curses violently and threatens, “get off me Battou… I’ll end your existence you hindrance!”

As this is going on in the foreground, the mage would be very displeased that Dravec had managed to get in. He would understand that he had underestimated Dravec, but would attempt not to make that mistake again. Sliding in the darkness, a thin and very long tendril stretches from beneath the mage’s chair and cloak and rushes as discreetly as possible to Dravec’s ankle. If it connects, a strong surge of energy would pass through it, transferring variable damage and shock to the void mage through it. On contact, it would attempt to lung Dravec from his standing position into the wall opposite of them with a supreme amount of strength.

305 / 4509

It would seem that his anger and rage have boiled over and made him quite irrational. I do not take offense to his outburst as I notice that Battousai is aiding me so that I am not required to harm Jin. My only option at this point is to try and show him what he cannot see. I had hoped to keep my mental capabilities a secret from him, but that hope is dashed quickly under the need to keep my leader and cohort safe from his own hatred's blinding effect on him. My eyes glow and my mind would reach out to connect with him. Since my telepathy does not deal damage, it should be able to connect us with no interference. There would be no words, but simply images of the magic symbols surrounding the seated position of the dark mage that we had come for. He would see a possible outcome of him throwing caution and rational thought to the side in order to attack his foe and in the process I show him triggering an outward pushing blast of explosive dark energy. I show another outcome of him crossing the magic symbol and the target being a projection and Jin being trapped within the symbol unable to attack the target, who just leave causing him to fail in his quest for revenge. Hopefully, the images will get thru to him and at least push Jin to see the potential danger that could be avoided if he would simply calm and focus himself to be able to kill the mage while minimizing or negating potential injuries taken by the young, grief-stricken warrior.

Since my attention is focused on the psychic link formed, or should have formed, between the two of us, I am unaware of the tendril slithering towards me unless they got off a distinct or out of the ordinary scent or make noise while slithering towards me. If it is silent, then my leg would be trapped by the tendril. I would attempt to hit it with a Minor Rip before it could launch me across the room towards a wall. If the Minor Rip fails or misses, the next option would be to teleport right before I hit the wall.

EXP: 399/3172

The images would make their way into Jin’s head as he would see the warning, but wouldn’t be rational enough to care about it at the moment. The conflict in his head between his emotions and his mind tear at him and gets the best of him. He slashes around with the blade, but Dravec had already been removed from in front of him. He would not be able to physically slash at Battousai, so he would do the next best thing. His hand would rise up to his head and his body would start to glow a deep blue tint. Battousai’s body would ignite with a red aura that would cause him to release Jin and fall to his knees, gripping his head in pain.

As for Dravec, the throw would be too swift to counter with the spell. Following the hurl, the tendril would wrap around and lash out, seeking to strike at Dravec, whom the mage would assume would hit the wall, since he would have no way of knowing that Dravec would teleport at that point in time. The result would be a collision between the tendril, the wall and the barrier erected around the house. This would kick dust and splintering debris into the interior of the large home that would sweep from one side towards the center.

Having gotten Battousai off of him, Jin looks back up and sees the seated mage who was before him. He would take up the sword once more and wield it in both hands. Before rushing forwards, he would pause and remember the markings he had seen in Dravec’s vision. His moment of rationality is interrupted by a moment of weakness from the mage, as he coughs once and violently, leaning forwards with a resulting liquid sound hitting the floor. Knowing his time was running out, three more tendrils would seek out Dravec’s spiritual signature and lash out towards him. On the other side three would do the same in Jin’s direction. Lifting his blade, Jin would slash through the first one that came and dash forwards. His body would shift to the side and slash the second and then he would spin and duck under the third, slashing it and causing for purple liquid to spew about on the wooden floors. After the third thrust, Jin’s stance is set and he pull the blade back seeing an opening to thrust at the mage. His body lunges forwards, and if uninterrupted, he would enter into the mage’s immediate surroundings and thrust the blade through the chest of the seated mage, impaling him and pinning him to the chair.

482 / 4991

For a moment, Jin would think that it was over. He had pinned the mage to the chair with his blade, and a shaky smile covers his face as blood from the mage slides down the right side of Jin’s face. Jin’s eyebrows raise however, as he notices the mage look up and directly at him. Blood from the impaling drips down and onto the floor. It spreads and activates the markings that had been docile up to now. With the mage’s blood, the red markings send up a burning and rushing barrier of energy in a circular path around them. Suddenly Jin’s body is paralyzed in place and he finds himself unable to move as the mages right hand comes up and grips the side of his arm. “Back… back off… get off me…” Jin yells as he attempts to pull back and away from the mage. Unable to break free, he hears the mage’s voice cackle, “and now… that body of yours shall be mine and I will be one step closer to immortality!” A look of ‘what the fuck’ would come upon Jin’s face as his eyes would open just as the mage’s rushing spirit would fly into his body. The impact would knock Jin back, breaking through the barrier and hitting the front wall of the house.

Jin’s body would hit flat against the wall before he would slide down to the ground. From there, time disconnects between Jin’s consciousness and reality, and in what seems to only be about ten seconds in reality, Jin’s eyes would open and glow and his voice would command, “prostrate!” The spirit of the mage would be ejected from his body and as if being controlled, Jin would stand and gaze blankly towards the mage’s spirit as his palm would rise. A voice and energy signature that was neither Jin, Jyn’s or Battousai’s would speak through Jin, “be gone…” And with that, there would come an immense blast that would rush through the mage’s spirit, body, and out the back of the house steam rolling through the structures behind it and eventually out of the village, leaving a rutted trail of destruction in its path. Jin’s hand would lower and the glow would leave his eyes. He would, then fall to his knees and pass out.

With that, there were no further indications of the mage’s existence. For some reason, none of the other personas seems capable of taking over Jin’s body to get away and the village’s militia were on the way to check out the damage.

465 / 5456

As the teleportaion evasion is successful, I would reappear on the opposite side of the mage opposite of Jin poised to unleash the Power of the Void upon this mage. With glowing silver eyes, I harness the spatil energies aroun causing my spiritual signature to be easily identifiable at the moment. That would not matter at the moment. I must protec Battousai & Jin, wherever he is in there. I have no real understanding o what is taking place inside of my cohort & with now being a bad time to try & figure itout, I resign myself to the battle & leave the matter of aiding him hru whatever these personal trials & inner demons for another time altogether.

As the tendrls rush forward towards me, the energy that I had been harnessing is released in a violent pulse just as the tendrils would strike me. "Shred to pieces!" The release of energy would rip thru the area around me in a powerful pulse that covers a 15 foot blast radius. The tendrils would be ripped open but not disintegrated. The purple liquid that was released by the sword slashes on the other side would also cover the floor on my side as well. There was no doubt about my intentions in this usage of the Void. It was meant to cause great pain to the mage or creature that was also in this room. While I can only see the mage, I do not rule out the plausibility of him having help here.

EXP: 273/3445

Jin, unfortunately, is closer to the mage than I am, so when he charges to impale him, I am unable to stop him. When his body goes stiff, I start harnessing energy to separate the two from one another. I would move Jin to safety while preparing to strike out at the mage. This probably would've worked had it not been for the fact that Jin is knocked across the room as my teleportation energy is being pushed towards him.

What happens next is strange as watching him fight against the attempted possession makes him look like a zombie or something. The release of power also strikes me as somewhat odd. Pausing as I look upon him, I wonder what just happened. While I do not wish to hurt him, I gather enough energy around my right hand to create a Rip in the Void in order to subdue him if necessary. That would not be necessary as I vanish from sight, "Shimmer, Jin." I grab him before he falls completely to the ground. I am able to hear commotion approaching outside, so I quickly grab Battousai's blade while keeping my other hand on Jin. Being here when whoever is approaching arrives is quite undesirable, so it is time to go I would assume. Seeing no point in remaining, I would attempt to teleport Jin and I out of the house and onto the roof of a nearby house with the command, "Shimmer to perch." I wanted to stay in the nearby area so that I could observe what is going on in the house. I would lay Jin down to rest while I chant, "Eyes of the Void, open." The viewing pool would be gathered within my hands like a crystal ball so that I could observe what the intruders would find and to make sure that the mage is dead. Just in case he survived, if he took another form, hopefully I would see his new form in order to be able to aid my leader by destroying it. Much of what had transpired raise so many questions that I need answered now. For the moment though, I would simply observe.

EXP: 384/3829

During the relocation, Jin would remain unconscious showing no signs of awakening any time soon. He didnt seem as if he were dead, but it did seem as if his usefulness would not return until the morning under whichever persona was able to recover first.

Below observant gaze of Dravec, four sentry guards would arrive from their posts to the area of interest. Approaching about the same time, the lanterns held in their right hands would approach one another in the night, breaking the veils darkness in that vicinity. On convening, the armored guards equipped with silver broadswords at their sides would initiate conversations to one another with warnings about being careful and questions as to what could have happened here. By now the barrier that had surrounded the structure had long since broken with the fall of its generator. The house was normal with no foreseeable magical influences about it. The sentry guards would gather about the area to the rear of the home, the place where the large hole in the resided, as interest is brought to it and its possible origins.

Exemplifying an outward blast, broken stone and brick would be sprawled in an outward manner in a linear path several paces from the structure itself and littering into the streets. The guards would cautiously move towards the interior of the house, with two holding onto either edge of the large blast hole with the other two in the middle. Three would have swords drawn while the point would merely have his lantern raised to caste light into the abyss of the emptied structure. Their eyes would behold an interior in disarray with evident signs of a battle. Aside from a home broken and thrashed about, they would see a long figure sitting in a chair in the center of this atmosphere. The orange glow of the lanterns illuminates dark cloaks that cover a motionless form. Exercising tact in each move and being aware of their surroundings, the sentries judge that the house was clear and approach the central figure in the chair. The lead male with the lantern comes to the side of the cloaked figure and draws his blade, causing a slow and metallic sound as it left its scabbard. With the dull edge, he gives the seated entity a soft push, and to his surprise, the form crumbles into nothing and the empty lifeless corpse of the mage turns to dust beneath its garbs.

474 / 5930

Observing the guards, I watch carefully as they arrive and then cautiously enter the domicile. Giving them time to enter and start their "investigation" the viewing capabilities of my pool of sight follows them around. I watch carefully as they approach the chair where the mage had been seated. Spatial energy from the atmosphere gathers around my hands as I wait for him to spring forth to life or something. When the guard touches him and his body crumbles to dust. I exhale slowly and nod my head. Releasing the spatial energy that allowed me to spy thru the Void, I figure that the incredibly powerful discharge that I had witnessed released from Jin was in fact the conclusion of this chapter, tho I cannot seem to shake the feeling that this is not over yet. Looking down at the one whom I serve, I place my hand on his chest before energy wraps around both of us and within moments, our shadowy forms shimmer out of sight. In his current condition, I could not just walk into a tavern and request a room and I did not wish to leave him anywhere just in case the mage was still a threat, so I am forced to resort to more... "no questions asked" sort of accommodations. I find another abandoned cottage in this village (it's a Recession!) for us to lay low in. I did not want to risk returning to Theden if Jin was not himself, so I would wait until he awoke. Since I had been conditioned for years to function on little to no sleep, I lower comfortably into an almost seated crouching position next to my leader and wait for him to wake from this slumber. While he is laying there, I would "patrol" the outer confines of his mind for any anomalies and/or inclinations that something is amiss. He often calls me paranoid in a joking manner, but such precaution has proved beneficial more times than it has hindered us. My senses remain at full capacity while my mind focuses on his mind.

- EXIT RP -

EXP: 382/4211

Sent to UYB