Book keeping. The spell doesn't cost manna, but it's improvised and not a path arcana.
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Striking Looks
Presence
New Identity(Steven Chojun Trueheart)
Book keeping. The spell doesn't cost manna, but it's improvised and not a path arcana.
Yumyumcrow liked this post
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<<Acknowledged. Accepted. Peace>>
The blazing Supernal spirit seemed to say. Blowing off another layer of flame (that fortunately left nothing behind but flickering, dying, embers) the entity drifted into the middle of the open space between the mezzanine and the ground floor, where it span slowly on an axis. And sang quietly to itself. Puck's spell could not discern the lyrics, only the choral vibration. It was still beautiful.
Guru got to work as Kaze assisted the two mages. He wove the spell: the brown Glyph of matter spinning as he cast it and sinking into the floor once it was released. The floor trembled and popped, groaned and creaked, as the spell settled in place.
The woman simply stared at the Apostate as he made his offer. Kaze felt his frame lighten as his spell took effect, forcing him to rise from his crouched position. He wasn't entirely certain if his feet were touching the floor but he managed to resist the urge to look. He needed to focus on the two injured mages right now.
"I'm Gloria. Help me with Corbin."
The female mage staggered to her feet - in part because of the shock still shivering through her body, and in part because Kaze really was lighter, which made hauling the broken form of Corbin to his feet so much easier. She turned to Puck as she shouldered (or went through the motions) Corbin.
"It was supposed to be a Cherub. Everything in the rote pointed to that and we did our research. I don't understand what happened. Ancient high magic like that should work. Especially after all the work done to reconstruct it. That rote was one of the lore house's babies. Everyone worked on it. Everyone checked and doubled checked the work. I was there. So was Corbin."
The initial affront and bravado faded rapidly.
"We did everything right. Stripped out a few of the more baroque flourishes sure - but we didn't have time for that and our numbers were down. Corbin sent for help but none came. The rest of us... left to run interference. Venois can reach far when she has to..."
The Arrow Phoenyx is barely aware of the conversations, or the movements, or even of the curious sounds the floor makes as it is reinforced by the Shaman's spell. She is totally focussed on her Scrutiny. She is looking at a very unusual summoning ritual using much more High glyphs than she would ever have expected. More importantly, the spell has gone and she is looking at the fading afterglow - Supernal mana, direct from the Aether rapidly leaching out of the Fallen World. The few remaining glyphs burn white hot with Prime but they vibrate and chime with an odd dissonance. She is one of the Mighty, and the more she studies the more she senses the dissonance in the resonance as well.
A flaw.
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Presence (Focused)
Trained Observer
Dexterity (Lithe)
The Arrow looked between Gloria and Puck. "Peer reviews can wait." Focusing on Gloria, she added "Move."
Looking back at Puck. "Whatever you're telling it, you seem to be calming it. Try and keep it that way."
Guru's spell flowed through the floor. She wasn't sure what he did, but the muddy brown resonances of Matter seemed to help. Her small smile tugged approvingly.
Phoenyx managed not to roll her eyes, but stared at Kaze. "Danger first, intros later. Move him. Come on."
She remained on the edge of the doorway, prepared for interdiction or assistance as necessary. The flaw in the resonance was liekly what had spoiled the spell, but that probably didn't matter to the creature or the mages right now. It was stored for later discussion - which there would be.
Xander's got a lot IRL from Posting interruptions, so just carrying on.
Cloaked Monthly Rits (in minisheet)
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Striking Looks
Presence
New Identity(Steven Chojun Trueheart)
Kaze nods to Gloria and answers Phoenyx with a shout of, "We got this!"
Then he does his best to get Gloria and her burned colleague across the floor and down the stairs!
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The group moves in a stilted, stop-start fashion. Kaze and Gloria haul the still heavily injured Corbin across the mezzanine and down the stairs. Kaze's spell gives him a lightness which allows him to manouver more easily through the narrow stairwell with the limp and heavy body of the unresponsive mage.
Guru follows behind, dragging the other mage along with him. While the other mage is more-or-less upright and walking, he remains stunned and somewhat obstinate in his confusion: muttering, mumbling, protesting - and not moving while in a tight stairwell. With patience and effort, the Shaman manages to get the guy out of the way.
If Guru was intent on listening to the mage's rambling, he would only have gotten fragments:
"... They shut down the lorehouse..."
"... Back up server..."
"... Corbin .... Corbin said he'd made contact in Sacramento..."
" Venois is coming! The others are holding her off... how long..."
Phoenyx and Puck make up the rear of the group. The Libertine keeps an eye on the spirit and the Arrow won't leave until the Libertine does.
They all assemble in the store room (the first room the Sacramento mages had passed through). While Gloria caught her breath, Kaze checked outside and found that the coast was clear - the Sleeper's at the coffee shop remained blissfully unaware of what transpired in the industrial estate; in fact, the coffee shop seemed to be in a late afternoon lull now (no curious bystanders hanging about).
If the sudden fire had triggered a security protocol, those charged with responding were either unaware are very lax.
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Striking Looks
Status
Presence
AlliesGuru limped along with the injured man, happy to listen to him even if it was just a string of obscenities. He’d just been through a traumatic experience but at least he’d made it through. True to his nature Guru did what he could to try and pick up his spirits, to try and cheer him up and pull him out of the spiral. “It’s going to be ok man. I’m Guru, I’ve got your back, yea? Sounds like this was one of a series of unfortunate events, what’s up with that?” IT was colloquial, friendly, his bright smile shining through met with sympathetic eyes. He’d help clean up and cover up if they needed but his priority, when he could follow through, was to life first.
1 success
Sorry about the delay!
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Presence (Focused)
Trained Observer
Dexterity (Lithe)
Phoenyx keeps watching the Spirit. It seems to be settling. At leas tthe others were safe. All she needed was to keep Puck safe. Hopefully he wouldn't do anything stupid.
Phoenyx is kinda stuck until Puck gets out/the spirti lreturns to the Astral.
Cloaked Monthly Rits (in minisheet)
Ruach liked this post
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Striking Looks
Presence
New Identity(Steven Chojun Trueheart)
"Okay." Kaze says to Gloria and the other mages in a low tone, "If there's something we need to know, that will help up there, now's the time." He looks like he's concerned for Phoenyx and even Puck and like he's going to really upset with the mages if his friends get hurt cleaning up their mess because they didn't tell something important.
Yumyumcrow liked this post
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The burned man who Guru had led from the mezzanine found a wall and pressed his back into it, almost as if he were drawing strength from the brick's cold solidity. He managed a sigh. And then another. And then a racking cough as some of the stress left him.
"Call me Icarus. 'Cause I flew close to the sun..."
Had Guru elicited a faint smile from the other mage? Yes!
"It was a rescue... And a test. Had to be a test. Those rotes are rare. Venois had shut the lore house down. Corbin knew where we kept a back up server. I think Venois used us to get to it... Corbin..."
The mage called Icarus stares over at Gloria and Corbin: burned, broken, unconscious and ruined Corbin. Without Kaze's support, Gloria had gently lowered the burned man to the ground. One hand upon what hair remained on his blasted and collapsed head.
Gloria stares up at Kaze.
"Get the PC box before you go. Its all thats left of the Sacramento Lore House. We copied what we could, including some really old summoning rotes. Corbin had seen them before but never tried them - rites of Higher Summoning or something. Summoning we Obrimos could do ourselves. We got out just before the Snakes and Venois showed up. Venois and her lackies in the Ladder gave chase. We... We got out of dodge. Lost some of our group who decided to run interference."
A breath heaved in her throat.
"Corbin tried to contact... Pixel? I don't know? A Councillor. One of us. I thought Corbin had made contact - he said we should try the rite before moving on. Stick it to Venois and her censors. There's supposed to be a Consilium out here but no one seems to know where. Anyway we found a spot and made camp. Put up some signs for our friends to find us if they got away from Venois' goons. I don't think any made it."
She shot Kaze a frightful glance: helpless fury - as if, for one moment, it was the Apostate who was the root of all her comrade's troubles.
"Get us to the Libertines. We'll rest..."
Gloria clearly meant to say more, but looked at shattered Corbin at just the wrong moment. Her voice stifled in a sob.
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