The Zauberstein Academy of Sorcery

[Drakonspite]

Kazusa slowly stepped out of the train. She had been asleep the whole journey and wasn't really aware of anything. She tried to breath in the fresh, outside air but was instead met with a powerf whiff of excrement, urine and plenty of other nice things. She frowned in disgust and blocked her nose. She could try a purify spell but she doubted it would work with the overwhelming stench. She looked around the pretty quiet but vomit-worthy platform. Other than the occasional gigantorat, the station was almost empty. "Why are we here again?" She asked.

[Lore_Master]

"If its just rats, then I wished I had father's gun..." Thought Mason as he tapped his foot. Maybe he just needed a giant hammer to squish them. Now that he seriously thought about it, this was something he should have considered before coming here. Worst case scenario, it was just one mission where he was going to be weaponless. He could probably get one of the other Earth Mages to help him forge something when he got back. When Kazusa asked why they were here, he just grinned at her as he turned his head.

"Because we need to hunt demonic ghost rats." He joked as one of the Gigantorats ran across his feet and onto the street.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Lore_Master

[JaylaCaine]

Rose shuddered as the rats moved closer to them before yelping when one ran across Mason's feet. Pulling out one of her knives with a quick whisper a shot of flames leapt from the blade to the rat sending all of them running away. " If we are after demonic ghost rats I'm calling in priests and going back to school."

[MendezLightning]

Elias took the cream gladly. Looking at the others, he shrugged helplessly. 'All we were told was that there was what appeared to be demonic activity in the area. I don't know if it's demons, ghosts, or magical rats that breathe ice.' He watched as Rose burnt one of the rats, and felt his stomach drop. The red magic circle around her feet glowed brightly in the low, slum-light, and every peasant and rat looked toward them with shock, confusion and the sudden realisation that the wizards were probably rich.

 

'Are you crazy!?' Elias hissed, grabbing Rose's and Hotaru's arms and pulling them further from the train and into an alleyway, hoping that they weren't followed. 'You may not have noticed, but these people probably don't magic, pretty people like us or wealth on an everyday basis. Most don't see food. So we cannot be drawing attention to ourselves with glowy magic unless it is absolutely necessary, okay?' he asked the question to everyone and waited for their responses.

[chicbecause]

"I didn't do anything." Hotaru said, scowling. "Why are you telling me this?" He asked. "Obviously if these people had any wealth or magic they wouldn't live here."

He pulled his robe over his katana, hiding it from view. It wasn't necessary to explain this to him. He glared out at the peasants.

"Can we just finish the job quickly?" He asked, the smell putting him in a foul mood.

[JaylaCaine]

Rose looked to him with an almost cold glare, " I'm a big girl. I don't need someone who can't even control their element trying to daddy me. Besides I can take care of myself against a couple of muggers and the rest just fry." Shaking off his hand she then looked to Hotaru before holding the cream out to him, " Just put a little under your nose. It'll get rid of the smell so you can breath easier."

[mipuppy1]

"Whew. It stinks here." Inanna finally existed the train, having slept in later then everyone else. She pinched her nose, looking around.

"It smells like our house after mom died. Can I have some of that cream? Ciela might want one of those diseased rats as a pet. Dad killed the last one she picked up awhile ago" She was talking more to herself at the end.

[JaylaCaine]

Rose looked over to Inanna before she then held the cream out to her, " Go ahead." Hearing that the other's sister would want one of the rats as a pet Rose shuddered. Normally she didn't mind some rodents but these were huge monsters mostly diseased then healthy.

[MendezLightning]

'I might not be able to control my magic, but I can sure as hell understand how dead I'll be if I try and wipe out an entire slum of peasants and Zauberstein finds out. As soon as one person gets one piece of your magical, golden clothing or your knives, two more peasants will attack that one, then four more. It's called exponential growth, and then we'll have a brawl on our hands.' Elias flicked his hair out of his face and hoped the outburst was enough to keep his lightning in check, otherwise he'd look more than a fool.

 

But before any of them could leave the alleyway, a giant flock of birds flew into them. Elias felt the skin of his arm be torn before he realised that these were razorbeak sparrows. 'Everyone get down!' he barked, jumping on the ground himself, razorbeak slashing his shoulder.

[Lore_Master]

Mason watched as Elias pulled Rose and Hotaru into a nearby alleyway. That just let him and Kazusa alone on the platform, Inanna had simply followed them into the alleyway. Waving at the onlookers, he looked at Kazusa and motioned her to the alleyway.

"Lets go make sure they aren't killing one another." He said with a dumb grin as he walked towards the alleyway. Once he got close to the group, he overheard Elias berating Rose for her using her magic in front of the crowd. Of course, this conversation ended with a bunch of Razorbeak Sparrows deciding to attack them. Instead of getting down, Mason heavily stomped his foot to the ground. The shockwave sent up a bunch of stones into the air, each a different size. Holding out his right hand forward, and his pointer finger against his temple, he began to send the stones out at the sparrows. His plan was to take out a few to send the rest of the flock running.

[MendezLightning]

The sparrows, however, did not leave, they simply got angrier and faster and sharper, it appeared, as they flew toward Mason, apparently targeting him. Elias grabbed the boy's ankle and the two glowed as a golden magic circle opened on the ground. As they touched Mason's skin, there was spark of electricity and then they fell to the ground. But once again, they got angrier and stronger. 'HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO STOP THIS?!' Elias screamed over the riotous noise of their wings. He started crawling to the exit of the alleyway desperately.

[mipuppy1]

Inanna slapped the birds as they begun appearing, fumbling, before taking out her fan. She raised, making big motions graceful with it and sending strong gust of winds at the birds, hoping to blow them away.

[JaylaCaine]

Rose just shook her head as she looked to Elias, " I know the effects of a brawl and I'm not stupid enough to let others take my things." Seeing the sparrows she shook her head as she moved her knife sending a dome of flames over her. Seeing a few birds turn to ash as they dived at her. Hearing Elias scream she chuckled softly as she twitched her hand.

 

Sending the flames from the dome out towards the birds. Watching more and more of them turn to ash. She then tilted her head as she spoke, " Elias it helps to know just how strong others are of if they have experience with these birds."

[Lore_Master]

"Well crap, that normally works back home... or did that only work for regular sparrows." Mason thought as the flock began to target him. He could see it now, a gigantic show of fireworks, grey and red. Everywhere he looked, he kept seeing the sounds the birds were making. This was going to suck massively, since he didn't have the forethought to coat his skin with rocks. However, he felt a grip around his ankle. As soon as the birds touched him, a spark leaped off his skin and sent the birds to the ground. However, they got more and more angry.

Both Rose and Inanna reacted as well. Rose managed to even burn a few of the birds, turning them to ash. Deciding that now was a time to fight, Mason began to fling more stone into the air. However, instead of driving them away he was now aiming to kill. Each stone he sent had enough force to crack their tiny skulls. Whatever Rose didn't manage to burn, Mason tried to pick them off with a well-aimed stone to the head.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Lore_Master

[chicbecause]

Hotaru unsheathed his sword slicing a bird's head clean off a split second before the sword bursts into flames. He swung the sword artfully, spinning t a graceful circle as more birds fell to the ground, burning. In truth, it looked less like he was fighting and more like a beautiful dance. A familiar tingling was felt on his sword hand as it started to burn with the sword. It wasn't altogether unpleasant, but it was a bit distracting.

[Drakonspite]

((Sorry I don't post often. I was not feeling inspired the past few days but I'll post more often ))

 

Kazusa quickly tried to dodge the flock of sparrows when Elias alerted her. She managed to get away from the group heading directly for her but was scratched in the face by one of them. Clutching the part of the face that was slashed, she managed to get away and hid behind a wall. She brought out her violin and her bow. The pain in her face combined with the shrieking of the sparrows and the powerful stench of the station turned out to be quite distracting. Kazusa did not want a repeated version of the hellhound incident, but she had no idea what else to play. Most of the music pieces she learnt were meant for single targets or up to four targets. She had nothing at her disposal that was meant for hundreds of small, fast-moving sparrows.

 

"Improvise," a voice in her head said. She remembered her parents teaching her improvisation and making up pieces on the spot. She calmed down slightly as she remembered more of what her parents taught her. "Improvise, and you may play the most effective and beautiful song you've ever played." She raised her bow to her instrument and prepared herself. It has to be fast. She told herself as she began. She played a tune that was fast and constantly rising and falling in pitch, with the odd irregular note corrected a semitone down or up. Small blue circles with her crest appeared everywhere and began taking out one sparrow at a time. Each note turned into a small, well-aimed blast of water that hit various vital spots. Kazusa calmed herself even more and thought of an imaginary hummingbird striking the head and hearts of the vicious sparrows. The blasts of water turned even more sharper and accurate, as if it was a hummingbird striking down these birds with its sharp beak.

 

Kazusa did not have enough skill to take all of them out but it was enough to allow her group to fight back more efficiently. Consequently, some of the birds targeted Kazusa. Kazusa had to try to ignore the pain and try to hit the birds coming for her first. Some got through and made more gashes in her body, ruining her uniform. She wanted to scream in pain but knew that if she did, it could mess up the spell. She wanted to talk to the others to get some means of communication but every time she opened her mouth, she felt a scream coming up. Kazusa bared her teeth in frustration, pain and hopelessness. She closed her eyes and trusted that the others in the group understood what to do.

[MendezLightning]

Elias grunted as he got to his feet. If the others were foolhardy enough to try and fight an endless flock of razorbeak sparrows, then he'd have to stand with them - they were a coven, after all. Unsheathing his rapier, he lanced a sparrow with ease and skill, before lightning leaped from the blade, strings of electricity electrocuting several birds. But once again, they were replaced. 'This can't be natural!!' he called over the riot of their wings. Yet, he knew of no magic that could control animals.

 

Despite the birds still not being defeated, suddenly, they all flew straight into the ground and died, as if conducted. The ground rumbled as their skulls shattered on the ground and they were left in silence. Elias then realised that the razorbeaks had had a mission: the word "WYNOCHA" was carved jaggedly into the side of the alleyway.

 

'Yeah, we've got our work cut out for us ...'

[Lore_Master]

It was a symphony of sound and colour. Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Lighting, together in a chaotic masterpiece. He looked as dozens of colourful fireworks exploded around him, each varying in size and hue. He felt the cuts on his skin, but he knew if he reacted to them the birds would take advantage and focus him. Instead he kept picking them off as best as he could. Eventually, they all somehow dropped down to the ground. He felt a bit sick when he saw the tiny black fireworks emerge from their broken heads. It was at this point where Elias discovered something on the wall, 'WYNOCHA'.

"Whats a Wynocha?" He asked, wondering if it was a demon. Then again, it could be an acronym for something, or just pointless graffiti. The blood from his cuts began to soak into his clothing, and down his arms. Luckily it was mostly confided to that region, but it was still going to hurt when the reality set in.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Lore_Master

[MendezLightning]

Elias remembered the times he had volunteered in Dormyelek - the northern parts, where the mountains were cold and the wind was biting. No matter how many times he had offered his assistance, the Dormyelci were a proud and impetuous people, and he had often heard a word he never knew how to spell. He now knew. 'Wynocha. It means get out ...' he touched the scarred brickwork and dust crumbled out. 'Someone ... or something doesn't want us here ... Which means we're about to piss off a very powerful demon by staying.'

[JaylaCaine]

Rose sighed as she then turned as she finished the last of her flames. Looking over at Elias she then spoke, " Well we were sent here to get rid of a demon. Of course something is going to be upset at us." Shaking her head as she moved to the others. Setting her knives into their sheaths she then stretched her arms about to get rid of any soreness.

[MendezLightning]

'Tell you what'll make teamwork a lot easier - if you weren't such a * ...' Elias mumbled angrily. Sheathing his rapier, Elias stepped out of the alley and noticed that the slums were deserted. Every person had hidden in their homes, as they heard the eruption of birds' wings. He looked around and spotted movement. Walking through the wafting smells, he found the source: a young girl, who looked like she had been attacked with a fire spell; her face and left arm were scarred and wilted, and her left eye was white and blind. 'Cześć!' he greeted her. He didn't speak much Dormyelci, but he hoped he knew enough.

 

'Cześć,' she mumbled in reply.

 

'Kto ma ptaków?' he fumbled the translation of "who has the birds?" together.

 

'Czarownica,' she replied. The witch.

 

'The witch?' Elias threw together another question and asked if she knew where is. 'Czy wiesz, gdzie ona jest?'

 

The girl used her right hand to grab three of his fingers and pulled him into the slums. 'Guys! C'mon!'

[Lore_Master]

"Oi... this is going to be a long assignment." Sighed Mason as he rolled up his sleeves to check the damage on his arms. He was still bleeding, so that was an issue he needed to attend to right away. He calmly took off his shirt and ripped part of the sleeves off his cotton shirt. As he crouched down, he began to apply pressure to the wounds. Cursing in Crenic, he began to tightly wrap the cloth around his upper arms. It didn't cover all of the wounds, but he was reasonably sure he wasn't going to bleed out any time soon. As soon as he was done, he placed his now short-sleeve shirt back on and followed Elias out of the alleyway.

The first thing Mason noticed was the lack of noise. For him, any sort of noise triggered colour. Hearing nothing was very unnerving, and made him uneasy. When he saw the girl, his heart dropped. He tried his best not to show the fact he was upset. Her left arm and face were burned, her left eye damaged beyond repair. He felt helpless, and there was not a damn thing he could do about it. That was something he hated immensely.

When the girl pulled Elias away, part of him urged caution. Keeping that feeling, he ran after him.

[JaylaCaine]

Flinching at the name she was called she turned her head away. Moving her arms around herself she then sighed as they began to move. Seeing the girl she shook her head before watching Elias walk off. " For a guy who keeps lecturing me on how dangerous this place he is the one that keeps moving into dangerous situations." Shaking her head she then set her bag down as she moved through it pulling out her first aid kit before holding it out to Mason. " When I learned my magic was fire I made sure I would always have something to bandage myself if I burned myself."

[mipuppy1]

" you " Inanna cursed right back in Rose's defense barely after Elias finished his sentence. To her, Rose was just pointing out the obvious unnecessarily. He had done the same just seconds before, it wasn't a reason to cuss the girl out. Neither was this. Inanna never said she wasn't a hypocrite. Her face fall as the girl came up, instantly reminded of her younger sister. Everyone young hurt girl seemed to remind her of her sister. Those burns seem to be taunting her. As if they were mocking her, She'll be next, she'll be next. She quickly turned away from the girl, not wanting to seem rude she pretended to stare at the dead birds.

She turned to Mason went he spoke up, breaking the silence. He was trying to wrap his wound with a strip of shirt he had from his sleeves. It didn't quite cover all the blood, and Inanna could still see the dark red liquid clinging onto his open skin and making her stomach churn. She opened her mouth to offer him her help, but Rose was already there. Red creeping up to her cheeks, she followed Elias.

[MendezLightning]

The girl pulled him between the rickety wooden planks that held the sheet metal up over the one-storey shanty houses. It was like an umbrella of rusting steel, and thick drops of coppery water fell through easily. Elias was forced to crouch as he moved with the girl, scared of looming over her or pulling on her arm too much: it was obvious she had been through too much for her age, and he didn't want to uproot any dark memories by pulling on her limbs. Who knows what had happened in this town?

 

Eventually, Elias noticed that the further they went through the shanty buildings' alleys and backstreets, the more feathers were strewn across the muddy, oil-slicked ground. Soon, they came to a huge construct. He wasn't sure if it was a building or not, since it was forged from twisted branches and twigs and leaves, like a birds' nest, but in a huge dome. It was ominous as hell, too, as the little burnt let go of his hand, hugged his leg and ran away into the shanty town.

 

'Whoa ...'