The Gate of Lords

"I'm not entirely sure he did it for glory. I think he worried about me sparing them and them escaping, something that he would never allow to happen. Still not moral, but at least well-intentioned."

"Do you mind if I join you two?" Phoebus asked, stepping towards Andel and Khaine. "I really don't know anyone else here, and I feel like I could use some friendly company."

He turned his head to the other man, Khaine, before speaking again. "I'm...sorry. About provoking you over that poem, I mean. Did I ever get your name? If I did, I seem to have forgotten it."

edited 3rd Jul '12 4:41:52 PM by Insano

A faint smile curled on Greg's face. "Well, I guess I was right then. The pursuit of justice is far more important than anyone else, isn't it? I was starting to think that nobody even cared anymore. The system is falling apart, and I feel helpless to stop it." Greg looked into Thomas's burnt face. "Hm... you know, I've been wondering... why don't you get your face magically healed? I'm sure there's someone out there who can heal you or something of that ilk."

"Do come inside, unless you're Master Baldwing in which case I repeat I have no idea what caused massive outgrow in laboratory number 7" said a voice from within Megan's room.

Should he step inside he would find a mostly tidy room except for the tons of bits and pieces of magical artifacts lying on top of nearly every surface. Megan for her part was sitting on a desk, with a pair of goggles on as she fiddled with a glowing crystal.

Andel realized that now the two he had been talking to before had both managed to show up. Perhaps it was somekind of sign. "Good to see you again Phoebus" he said with a faraway look in his eyes. Andel was deep in thought while he would not simply leave the two there, he had nothing better to do after all, he was still in possession of a great deal of energy and he wanted to keep moving. "Perhaps we could walk and talk? I have no urge to sleep right now but with the trials coming soon I'll need the rest so I do believe I ought tire myself out" Andel said speaking his mind.

I'm back!

"Well, if anything, I think that poem speaks nonsense. Prophecies are usually too farfetched to be true, and whoever wrote it thought it was a good idea to make it even more insensible by writing it as a poem." Vann prepared the fourth bullet while speaking. While he felt bad for Billie for making her the victim of his rants, she was enjoyable to talk to; at least this task's repetitiveness would be overshadowed by various small-talks he made.

"Have you considered what will you do once this whole demon fiasco was over? I mean, once we finished our job fighting the demons or whatever, and the world became peaceful once more." Vann asked.

"You know how some demons have the ability to deal wounds that can't be healed? I think the fire Master Gratso shot at me was unholy, and the wounds it left worked the same way. Admittedly, I only went to a few healers and doctors, but I went to some of the best there were, and they all told me it was probably permanent."

"Some folks here just like the mysteriousness of a good riddle-me-this poem I guess." Billie wasn't fond of riddles herself. True, she liked twisting words around for her own enjoyment, but at least they still made sense at the other end.

"As for when everything's peaceful again?" She thought for a second as she breathed on the bullet. "Well, there's probably gonna be some other ruckus coming along after that, but until then I guess I'd just do what I usually do. Annoy people for fun."

Greg raised an eyebrow. "So, you're saying that Gratso has some... demonic powers, or something? Do you think he might have stopped you because he was a cultist, too? Instead of arresting - or killing - them, he could have gotten them to safety from the law. He might have wanted to prevent justice."

"But if demon magic can't be healed by normal healers, then maybe only a demon can. Perhaps if you blackmailed, or threatened one, it could heal you. Like, trap it, remove it of its powers, and then only let it go if it heals you. Assuming it can, of course. You could also torture it or something, until it obeys your orders."

edited 4th Jul '12 5:27:36 PM by Collen

"I suppose both your ideas are possibilities." he said. "But if he was a demon supporter, why would he run an academy for people meant to defeat them? As for the healing, it is believed that demons can cure wounds made by demons, but such an occurrence is rarely reported and hasn't been proven to be possible."

"It could be all part of a plan," Greg insisted. "After all, he's the last person you would expect. Besides... we read a prophecy earlier, after the demon attacked. It said something about a 'false hero'. What if Gratso is that false hero?"

He raised an eyebrow. "A prophecy? I wasn't informed of this."

He scratched his forehead in confusion. "A false hero, you say? What else did the prophecy mention?"

Khaine turned when he heard another walk up. After Phoebus and Andel had finished speaking, he said "Oh, hey. It's Khaine, and don't worry about before...Phoebus, right? I shouldn't have reacted like that either." At Andel's request he said "I don't see why not. I'm out here trying to waste energy anyway."

"Annoy people for fun."

"..." Vann stayed silent at the answer, resisting the urge to put his palm on his face. It seemed that he made a blunder by asking Billie, of all people, those so-serious questions. "That answer is very like you." He commented, putting down the fourth and levitating the fifth.

Greg frowned, struggling to remember. "To my best understanding, it said something about the world being thrust into peril, monsters rising, and fire burning the land. And from the Gate of Lords, two foes will rise: a false hero and a dark lord, who has spies. They'll clash together, because only one of them will rule. To stop them, we'll... someone will have to close the Gate of Lords. Part of the prophecy must have been missing, because it skips over to something about some people reforming, and the lords - whoever they are - returning, because without some sort of 'throne', the lords are weak. And there are multiple thrones, and the Orbkeepers will have to find them. The winning side will be forgotten, the unexpected will turn the tables, and the lords will die. But when they die, the world won't be fixed. Instead, the victor will have a terrible fate befall them."

He paused, and then added, "I think that we're the Orbkeepers mentioned in the prophecy. The people at the Trial. When the demon attacked. That's possible, isn't it?"

"It's quite alright." Phoebus responded to Khaine. "I guess we were all rather stressed after fighting that demon." Phoebus then turned to Andel.

"I'm good for some talking while walking. I really have nothing better to do, since I've already finished practicing with my spear today." he said, tilting his head to the spear on his back.

He scratched his head. "Definitely possible. The demons are rising in power, and a hero will almost certainly be needed soon. I mean no offence to the masters, but my trust of them is lacking in strength, and I'm worried that they might not do the task right."

"Is there a way I can get close to Gratso, so I can keep an eye on him? I don't want this all crashing down on our heads," Greg told Thomas.

He thought. "He's sure to store one or two items that could be dangerous in the hands of a demon in his office. I'll try to find out what one of them is, then see if I can convince him that it's too dangerous for him to guard it alone. From then on, I could see about talking him into letting you be its guard, so that when he takes it to something important, you have a reason to follow him, and when he leaves it behind, you can search his office for signs that he may be up to something suspicious. Sound good?"

Greg nodded. "Sounds excellent. I'm willing to bet that Gratso is holding on to a few things he doesn't want anyone here to see. The world must be saved, and I cannot allow him to tarnish everything."

Thomas smiled. "Quite right there. He's a great man, but his sense of morality is somewhat questionable, to put it lightly."

He looked around. "I'd better start searching for something so that I'll have something ready by day. He's less likely to get suspicious if I draw attention to his secrets early on."

Giving one last smile, he began to walk away.

Greg turned around and walked slowly back to his dorm. Not paying attention to anything else, he climbed into his bed and tried to fall asleep. However, the events of the day kept flashing through his mind. Tomorrow, he might get a chance to find out what Gratso was up to. If he found anything, he might be regarded as a hero. A hero... The thought made him smile. Finally, Greg made peace with his mind and slowly fell asleep.

I'm going to keep Greg asleep until the morning.

edited 13th Nov '12 3:11:14 PM by Collen

"Well, I do strive to try and be...myself." Billie quickly breathed on the bullet, hopefully before Vann noticed her slight pause.

"And yourself? I'm guessing a guy like you would have plans that are more long term than my own."

Lionel walked in, looking around, slightly confused.

"Okay, now I have two questions... And the first one is, what are you doing? Or is it too complicated for me to understand?"

He paused.

"Um, those count as the same question, I still have another one after that."

"To be honest, I don't have plans. Which is why I'm asking you in the first place." Vann let out a small laugh. "Before the academy picked me up, my life had been about surviving, and nothing else. Actually, I might prefer my life before; just surviving for myself and not caring for anything else." He put down the fifth bullet and formed the sixth, looking at the crystalline water glittering under the room's light.

"But now I have a purpose aside from surviving: killing those creatures plaguing the world. Master Gratso offered me that when he found me by the slums." Vann said, staring blankly at the water. "Even now I wonder why I took his hands back then." The water wavered for a second, surprising Vann.

"Damn, I'm getting emotional here." Vann said as he regained his focus.