Arthur Glimpses

[Arthur]

First class is great!.... Though that's relative considering you aren't crammed in the back with everyone else. Flying still sucks though. Security is tedious and you can't just Jedi Mind trick people to let you pass.

Ok maybe if you're a Mastigos. Being a Theurgist means calling down lightning and fire. Which is a damn good way to end up on a watch list.

But hey, California.

Should be nice right?

Warm? I should have checked up on that. Arthur lets his head fall back and thud into the headrest.

At least security hadn't taken the wand away. That would have been a bitch and a half to get back. If ever. Not to mention it's one of a kind. Who would take that away? Savages that's who.

Exiting the plane Arthur moves with the Sleeping masses and gets his luggage. One laptop case, one luggage bag. He takes a deep breath of California air as he steps outside. "Hmm not bad" Moving his wand from his laptop bag to his pocket Arthur pulls out his phone.

[Arthur]

Best part of knowing the right people? You get a warehouse to yourself.

Mike looks around the empty warehouse. Empty, really empty. Probably something to do with his present task.

Hubris is a coward's word.

Step 1, bring the sight of radiowaves, phones, and magnetism.

[roll=1 suxx for Forces Sight] Mike blinks ....and nothing special. Just the..usual..weird. The Theurgist shrugs. Onto Step 2.

Leaning forward to the table in front of him Mike picks up the small 8 sided die. Giving it a spin on the table it promptly flies off the table. Grumbling to himself the novice Mage walks over and picks up the die. Returning to his seat he places the die in the middle of the table then leans back in his chair, arms crossed.

His right hand unfurls and points towards the die. Taking a deep breath he lets it out slowly and twists his hand. Something pushes against his will and the Imago distorts. Before he knows what to do the table shakes and tries to spin in place. Instead it shakes enough for the die to fall off the table. Mike tilts his head to look at the die. Paradox? Or just shit luck?

  1 suxx to dox, 1 suxx to Teleknesis. HAVOC!

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2015-03-31 22:05:21		ARthur rolls 2 to Tele-dox (2 dice) (10 Again)		8, 4		1 success
2015-03-31 22:03:31		Arthur rolls 6 to Teleknesis (Gno3+Fr3=6) (10 Again)		3, 3, 9, 6, 5, 3		1 success

Pulling out his phone Mike holds onto the die and waits for the table to stop..dancing. Haaa twitter.

As the table stops moving Mike puts his phone away. The die goes back into its place and Arthur. Focusing on the die he forms the Imago again. Again something grabs hold but this time he's ready. As it starts to escape he inhales deeply and takes it inside. And it hurts. The Imago is lost as a cough grips Mike's chest and pulls him forward. Blood flies into his hand and the Theurgist just looks at his hand.

  2 suxx for Dox, Absorbed as bashing

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2015-04-01 00:05:07		ARthur rolls 3 to Tele-dox2 (base2+dox1=3) (10 Again)		8, 2, 9		2 successes

"The fuck"

[Arthur]

Sitting at the hallow Arthur pulls out five white candles and sets them on their sides on the table. Pulling out a folded set of matches Arthur picks up the first candle and stands it on the table. Taking a breath he lights the first candle, the Ladder.

Lion and Stag. Both are Fallen. The Sage reigns supreme. An aspiration, a goal. One day. One day attain the Supreme.

Then the Golden City that rests past the Watchtower. The new beginning for humanity.

Letting out another breath Arthur picks up the other three candles. Looking at the first he pauses and then set the three candles onto three additional points of a pentacle.

The three columns. Warriors, Scholars, Guards. Each their place and a final place in the Golden City. Everyone has a place.

Arthur picks up the last candle. Everyone has a place. So where does the Free Council fit. The counter to the Ladder?

That question pulls Arthur in and the rest of the world falls away as a small time of quiet settles over him.

[Arthur]

Summer dresses. Best part of summer. That and outdoor seating at restaurants. Nice mojito, sun glasses, and an uninterrupted view of the street. Sight seeing is the plan. Forming the Imago in his mind Arthur wills something he's never tried before, an offering of supernal power to enable the work.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2015-06-30 22:22:06		Arthur rolls 5 to Aura Perception (Gno+Mind) (10 Again)		4, 3, 10, 2, 7, 6		1 success

Arthur blinks several times as the spell takes hold. Suddenly everyone is so...colorful. Each color means something then right? Yes, that was a lesson sometime..

A man in a dark blue business suit surrounded by yellow and some purple. A child surrounded by an even brighter violet. A college kid wrapped in grey and dark green.

So easy to see past the Lie like this. Everything hidden inside just there to be seen. Every Warlock can do this? Holy shit.

Arthur takes another sip of his mojito as more people walk past and even more colors move along with them. The possibilities.

[Arthur]

Deep breaths. Deep slow breaths. Just keep taking deep slow breaths.

It works for a mile or so but running hurts. And it's bullshit. Having to work to stay in shape, stay healthy. It's the fucking Lie. Arthur steps off the path at one of Sacramento's river side parks. A glance around and he closes his eyes to focus. Letting go he lets memory bring back the mudra he learned years ago. Will reaches beyond the Aether into other realms of the supernal. Arthur's breathing slows immediately as the spell settles in.

"Ha, useful. I do owe him a drink." Another breath, far from the last. And Arthur sets back off on his jog.

This is better.

Some time later another idea. This time Arthur continues his jog and forms the imago in his mind once again. An offering to the Oracles lets his Will connect to another realm. Eyes slide past the Theurgist as he chuckles and continues his jog. None of it would mean anything of he called down the Aether.

And it's tempting.

So tempting.

[Arthur]

The marble drops from one hand to the other. This one's iridescent blue. Arthur switches the location of his hands and lets the marble fall again. This time both hands fall to his lap and open.

Blue lifts from Arthur's hands, flies past his head, and lands on his bed. The Theurgist chuckles as the marble rolls down a ruffled comforter and ends up among its fellow marbles that have already been returned to the Lie's gravity.

The Lie's weird like that. As long as something is held onto the spell holds. But the moment you let go, bam. Gravity takes effect and things fall. Your phone going off also is a problem, flinch for a moment and bam gravity. That's why this is going on over the bed. Worst break the bed, better than a limb.

Now a room like this, that would be awesome. Or better yet a group of mages. Then its not shoot the Thearch on the ceiling its o shit run they found us. Ya that sounds better.

Rising from his cross legged sit, Arthur shifts around awkwardly until he's somewhere almost doing a hand stand but not really. A push of will and the spell falls away...and so does Arthur. See bed. Bed was a good idea.

[Arthur]

This Life


The baseball bat connects with a wet thump, apparently invisibility is magic to this guy. Ha...magic.

“Prove it to me.” The man who calls himself Arthur demands quietly.

A snarled response is spit back at his face. “Prove what you traitor?”

“Prove to me that they are Gods, true Gods. Prove to me that they are GODS.” Yelling isn’t a problem here either, sound is part of the Lie.

Something flicks at Arthur and the Theurgist swings the bat again. This time it flies clean past the bastard and connects into the alley wall. Vibrations chase the bat out of Arthur’s hands and the bastard laughs.

“We won, your friends embraced the Truth or died.”

Lightning flares as Arthur ends the back alley interrogation. A tear escapes and runs down his cheek before Arthur swats it away. So much wasted life. An Imago forms and slips past the Abyss to shroud Arthur from sight and sound. The baseball bat gets left behind as Theurgist disappears back into the city.

An hour later, after finding what he hopes is a safe place to rest Arthur weaves another piece of Will and hopes on hope that it hides him for a much needed nap. The hoodie gets pulled up and the tattered jeans drag thread across worn through shoes. Only a steel pentagram remains clean, hidden within a pocket behind a phone that hasn’t been turned on in ages.

Faith to see another day, Faith to keep on living, Faith to see the world saved, and Faith to see the Golden City.


In Another Life


Arthur sits in the passenger seat of a black suv. Tinted windows hide the inside from the world but the world is wide open.

Next to him sits a stern looking women who is happily eating a burger. “Do it”

The Obrimos raises a hand, extends two fingers towards the ceiling and slowly begins to rotate them. Overhead the skies slowly darken as an unexpected thunderstorm slams into the town.

“Why can’t we go in and talk? Surely they’d see the Truth?” The question is naive but earnest.

“Because not everyone embraces Faith like you did. You saw the truth and knew your place.”

“The truth was easy to see once I saw the city.”

“City, Arthur?” The question is asked deadpan, the tone reserved for rebukes.

Arthur shifts to look at her, clearly confused. “The Golden City, the future city.” It’s so obvious, there’s only one city now. The Future of..


One World


Eyes blink as Arthur pushes back and rises into the real world. Two blurry figures stand over the Obrimos in a dark room.

“You actually killed someone? That’s impressive.” The stern women’s voice drips with sarcasm and maybe a hint of respect.

Eyes narrow and Arthur’s voice cracks as he speaks. “That bastard killed a sixteen year old who had just Awakened. The kid didn’t even have the chance to decide which side to take.”

“So you think it was justified?” The bastard comes into focus as he speaks.

“Last I checked we’re being hunted for choosing freedom over slavery so ya I think it’s fucking justified.” From Arthur’s tone it’s not hard to imagine the words that follow only in his mind.

“Speaking of, who the fuck are you two and why were you in my dreams?”

The bastard speaks first “We had to be sure you weren’t a double agent, they’re getting desperate as they aren’t meeting their quotas.”

“What?”

“Quotas, the fuckers actually have to find a certain number of us or they get in deep shit.” A smile cracks the stern women’s face.

“How did you survive?”

The question causes Arthur to look down at his feet, apparently he’s been sitting in a chair.

“I ran then I hid. Than I ran some more. I’m not a fighter, I barely survived. I don’t know how that guy found me so easily.”

“He had your Shadow Name, you need to pick a new one. Well we’re giving you one. We’re organizing names within Cabals around the old gods. So congratulations Loki, please don’t live up to your name.” The bastard, but clearly not, pats Arth..Loki on the shoulder before leaving the room.

“There are some new Awakened in the next room, you have a couple hours to teach them about the Pentacle before we split. Heimdallr will take you to the rest of your new Cabal soon. You get to teach some of them too.”

“I’m Hera and no, I’m not married to Zeus. Hope you like cold.” With that the women opens another door. Stepping through Loki meets new faces. A few young, one old.

For the first time in a long long time the fire of Faith light in Loki's eyes and a grin spreads. Though a grin his old, dead, friends would not recognize. One of pain and sorrow, one of new found lessons and the Truth of the world.

“There are Four Elemental Precepts, Diamond, Thunder, Star, and Blood. Let me jump to the second, Thunder.

Thunder, Imperium, is the right of Humanity. A right the Traitors think they have stolen from us. Loki looks each new mage in the eyes as he speaks. Taking control of the room.

"The Oracles survive and fight and keep the Watchtowers lit. And so will we trapped down here in this Lie of a world. Never forget what I’m going to share, in time you will have to tell these stories as well.”

[Arthur]

“Michael? Your next meeting is in an hour.” A young man, has to be a man now, says through a half opened door. Michael turns and flashes a grin to his assistant and budding friend.

“Thank you, remind me again five minutes before they arrive please.”

“Of course, drinks afterwards?”

“Ha, always, I didn’t buy that bar just to diversify.”

“Ya ya, just don’t tell that to the investors ok?” The one thing about having an educated assistant is they’re better than you at some things.

“Good catch, don’t let me include that in a deck.”

Jason shakes his head with a quiet laugh as he closes the door.

~

Ten minutes later, and deep into finding a new recipe for the bar. Jason knocks and walks in.

“They want to reschedule to 8.”

“Eight? That’s after dark.”

“Yes”

“Schedule's clear till then right?”

A nod from Jason.

“Good, time for some scotch.” Rising from his chair Michael walks over to a respectable looking cabinet in his office. Like every other wall cabinet or shelf it looks and is elegant..and expensive. Taking his mother’s place in the company had paid off big. Now Michael gets phone calls from Florida in the winter and three hours to the north during the summer. Everyone won.

This one cabinet though is different, opening both doors reveals an impressive and expensive collection of liquor and beer. Yes beer, some days are beer days. Today is a scotch day, like most days.

Two stemless sniffer glasses are placed onto Arthur’s wood desk and hefty portions are poured into each.

“You sure with these people? They’ve been playing hardball.”

“They’re only locals.” A shrug. Michael’s free hand opens another cabinet revealing the controls to a sound system which gently begins to rumble through the room.
“We’ll talk business then see if they want to head to the bar too. Worst comes to worse we show up and down a few shots.”

“Ha! Like that isn’t every Friday.” Jason shakes his head before taking a neat sip of the Macallan.

Michael lets out a low sigh as the scotch slides down. “Best part of the day...actually.” He leans forward in his chair. “Look at this” A tiny box is put onto the desk and slid across to Jason by a finger.

“Wait, wait wait wait. Seriously? After all this time and all those other chicks?” Incredulous is the only word.

“Ya man, don’t see any other way to do it.”

A hand extends and closes the box back around the very shiny ring. “Ok I’m gonna save you your first probably engaged fight. Don’t propose to her half drunk after a business negotiation. You’re good at drunk and business but I have no idea how you have had relationships in the past that didn’t implode.”

~

“Those guys seem weird to you at all?” Another round of scotch in new glasses. Darkness overtook day hours ago.

Jason looks towards the door before looking back to Michael. “Besides the whole, “don’t worry we can handle protection” line? Ya a bit. I think that guy binged a few too many old school mob films.”

“Well they only wanted night contracts and want to handle it all in house.”

“Hmm lets make sure they don’t run off with the that part of the business.”

“Agreed...bar?”

“Really? You have to ask? Let’s go. You may get a chance to make an ass of yourself tonight after all. I will pull you off of anyone who isn’t Her.”

“Ah sometimes I wish you didn’t have too.”