Altera Arcana IC

"You misunderstand." Raymond snapped his fingers, and the aqueous orb of water swirled itself into a sort of face mask, covering the man's mouth and nose, allowing no air to pass through. "You are not leading me to Ace. I am leading you to him. Now, if you've any sense of self-preservation for your sorry skin, I suggest you follow me back."

Raymond began to walk away, back toward the town's center. "Unless you return to Ace with me, before only few moments have passed, the water will not come off before you expire. If this is preferable to you... I suggest you start your wordless incantations to your patron deity. You haven't long on this planet." Raymond whirled about and strode off toward Ace's last known location, the stage, without checking to see whether the man would follow after.

Retracing his steps, Raymond encountered a couple that appeared to be limping along, desperate for aid. One was an Aquan, the other a redhead woman with an airy nature, but both of them seemed to be struggling toward him. Raymond was flummoxed; were these newcomers with Ace? He turned back to see whether the crony was following. True to his word, Raymond would release the spell if he saw that the man made his way back toward the town square.
 
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Zito smiled as it appeared that her healing had worked and Darius could hear again. she chuckled as he thanked her and nodded "Yep, no problem" she followed him closer to the girl, who introduced herself. she also followed Kiri's direction to the women standing outside. Zito examined her for a second or two before shaking her head "No sorry" she directed the next part to the woman herself "You are?"

Zito blushed a little when Shireen pointed out she can heal "Well i'm not the best at it, but if you do need a little healing i can certainly try" she smiled at the priestess. then the woman said she wasn't hurt, but she was looking for all of them "ok... weird I've never done anything important in my life" she shrugged then leaned slightly to wave at Tawny "Hi there"

Zito listened a little skeptically but the woman at least thought she knew what she was talking about. Zito's strange dream from the night before came to mind but she ignored it and kept listening. when the woman brought up Ace, Zito couldn't help snorting just a little. she put a hand over her mouth to try and cover the sound.

@Effort @Luma @Greenie @Kagayours
 
Roxanne covered his hand with heer own to give a bit more support and they started after Raymond once more, She was only guessing now, since he was a good ways ahead now, but then she saw the tracks on the ground and felt a surge of hope that they were following the right way at least.

They came around the corner of a building and she led him to what she hoped was a full rain barrel. She pulled up the lid and let out a sigh of relief. "Will this help you?" she asked, noting that his breathing was seriously labored and that he seemed to be in considerable pain. She thought she remembered reading something about Aquans being able to use water to rid themselves of foreign debris that found its way into their lungs while traveling on land. She hoped she was remembering correctly.

She glanced up and saw two people at the far end of the street, "I think that's Raymond right there...Somehow we managed to catch up..."

@Snowy Turtle
 
It looked like Darius was having more guests. Slightly miffed at the unannounced guests, Darius hurried to pick up any of his papers that were near the door as he saw people coming in, lest his notes be stepped on. He almost lost his balance, still having some problem with equilibrium. Hm that should have gone away with the healing unless... Darius looked around for a moment to contemplate the black dust sitting on the blackened end table. Perhaps... The door had closed and brought his attention back to the situation at hand. Leaning against the table as he listened to the prophet.

Darius stared at the older woman for a long moment when she directed her question at him. "...Being a man of occasional logic and reasoning, as you can see," he gestured to the rest of the blackened lab with its scattered papers and various implements and jars "my apprehension should be understood when presented with, well, nothing but a name. All I understand is you would keep us safe from an unknown danger so we can stop this man from doing...something? I do not mean to be rude, but I would need useful details before I can provide you a service. Also, it didn't go wrong" he addressed the Terran "it just had an unexpected byproduct."
 
The henchman winced as Raymond placed the water over his face, expecting it to be forced into his lungs that same moment. Then, Raymond continued to speak — apparently he wanted him to lead him to Ace, and he would only give him as much time as he could hold his breath for. Yeah, I see now. This isn't at all the same thing as threatening to kill me. Sure. he muttered internally, only to quickly realize there was certainly no time for petty sarcasm. His lungs already seemed to be demanding another breath. Not wanting to waste time, he nervously pressed onward — but he hesitated when he realized he wasn't even sure which was he was going. Shit — how did I even get here? Which way is Ace? He'd taken so many twists and turns as he was trying to get away, it would take him a second to get his bearings. And those were seconds that he didn't have. We ran so far… and this kid expects me to make it back in a single breath?! With my goddamn heart beating a mile a minute?!!

His anger was quickly replaced by another wave of dizziness as his awareness of the situation began to set in (or maybe that was just the lack of oxygen talking. Either way). His legs felt weak underneath him and his lungs were already aching. Shit, shit, this is bad… There was no time to find Ace. No time to do anything, it seemed. His own fear paralyzed him; he could hardly focus on anything other than holding his breath in. It seemed like he'd already been holding it for so long. There was no way he could hold it long enough to get himself out of this mess. I'm gonna die. I'm seriously gonna die. Right now. I'm done for. he lamented internally. Oh Corvenus, Gatherers, please, just… make sure I get to the Heavenly Realm safely… he prayed. Don't let Ace get me… His vision tunneling, he almost didn't see the Aquan creeping up in the corner of his eye. But he did notice, and he felt a sliver of hope reaching him. Yes, yes, there's still a chance! If she's a water elemental, then… maybe…!

Using what precious seconds he had left, he got his legs working again and clumsily barreled after the Aquan, practically throwing himself at Calder's feet. His eyes were watering and his lungs felt like they were about to tear themselves open any second. His only hope at this point was that another water-magic-user might somehow be able to counteract Raymond's spell and remove the water from his face. It was a long-shot — he realized that — but it was the only option he had left.

He looked up at Calder with desperate, pleading eyes. Unable to speak, he clawed at the water around his mouth, hoping the Aquan would understand. If this doesn't work, I'm dead. I can't hold it any longer. I've only got seconds to live… Corvenus, if it has to be now, at least promise me a safe journey… he prayed. Keep him away from me… don't let him take me… please…

…Don't let Ace take my soul.
 
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"Yes, why would someone put a hex on you?" Giving a sly tone to his words, Victarion simply shrugged.

Victarion's eyes snapped to Clay as he commented about not doing anything hasty. Giving an inquisitive glance towards the Terran. Victarion spoke, "Let not exaggerate shall we? An explosion goes off, is it not normal to feel concern for those possibly effected? Why, at this moment someone could be dying." A cruel grin emerged onto Victarion's face. "Unless you have some sort of disdain for your fellow people?" He added. "Not that I would judge of course."

Alicia announced that she was going to find the cause of the sudden explosion. "Ah, action will be taken then...." He muttered to himself. Certainly it would be easy for Victarion to make his way to the source of the smoke rather quickly. But what if someone had actually put a hex of flower pot falling on the female Avian. That would be new. In fact, Victarion found himself casually glancing up towards any possible flowerpots ready to leap over the edge.

Where had that priestess gone? Nevermind, there was still a large chance to find her later. As they went in down an alley, Victarion seemed to adjust his arms, now resting one of his hands on something underneath his cloak.
 
Shireen couldn't help but stare a little when she heard what the priestess said to her. An important purpose? Well, that was certainly not what they called it when someone wanted her to carry a crate of fish from the fishing boat to their shop. And, of course, the priestess hardly looked like she wished to do any fishmongering, that was for sure.

She tugged at a hank of hair before pushing it behind her ear, a rare girly act for the usually tomboyish sailor. She spared a smile in Tawny's direction, giving her a little wave before paying attention to the priestess yet again. The smile wavered, turning into something of a light frown. She wasn't angry, no, simply concentrating on what was being said. The only man she could think the priestess was talking about was the one who had caused a crowd to keep her from heading to her bed.

Who exactly knew of her, though? This the priestess perhaps see a dream? Have a prophecy? Shireen couldn't think of why she would be important enough to keep safe. And what of Ace? She rubbed at the bridge of her nose. He seemed only a nuisance to her, and she had thought he was simply like others like him before, who came, said their piece, and carried on. Perhaps that wasn't so.

As of now, however, there was nothing much for her to say. Shireen decided to simply stay quiet and observe, for the time being.​
 
Meanwhile, back in the town square — the crowd that previously surrounded Ace had mainly broken up by this point, with everyone who was interested in donating having already done so.

"Well, I'd say that just about wraps that up for today!" Ace chirped, sitting on the edge of the stage and playfully swinging his legs.

"Derrick sure is taking a while." a human girl said monotonously, counting the coins that Ace had received in donations.

"So he is…" Ace mused, his legs slowing to a stop. "He placed the spell alright, though."

"Yes, but then the target chased after him." one of the Avians interjected. "And look," he continued, gesturing to a point in the distance. Ace's eyes narrowed as he looked in that same direction. "Do you think…?"

Ace sighed, rubbing his face in annoyance. "Ugh… alright — go investigate for me."

"Yes, sir." the Avian replied calmly. He then lifted off the edge of the stage, taking to the skies and gliding over the rooftops.

"And while he's taking care of that," Ace chirped, sliding off the stage and joining the rest of his crew on the ground. "I say we start packing up, here."
 
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[BCOLOR=transparent]Calder was immensely grateful for Roxann, if it hadn't been for her physical support… well, who knows how long he would have been in that alley before someone found him. As they approached the rain barrel, a sigh of relief washed over him. Without much thought he threw his head beneath the water, and pulled in a deep breath. It was lucky that the barrel had been sealed, it had kept the debris from causing even more problems. A few deep breaths later, and his lungs felt like new, the water having washed whatever it was out of them. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Pulling his head back out of the water, his fin flung a spray of droplets back across the alley. Grabbing ahold of them with his magic though, he reformed them into a glob and then spread it back over his scales. While, he could manage without the liquid layer, he always felt better with it. A corner of his mouth quirked when he looked back at Roxann. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Thank you… for your assistance." Even laced with the abundant charm that Calder was used to using on merchants to coerce a better deal, the words sounded hesitant, as though they felt strange on his tongue.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Calder, unsure of what else to say, gestured Roxann to continue on, but they barely had time to turn toward the direction they'd seen the men heading when they ran directly into them. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]A body flew to the ground, landing directly in front of his feet. Wide, panicked eyes looked up at him from above a glob of water. The man was going to drown. Calder's eyes widened, his gaze sweeping up to settle on the other man.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Is there a reason for this?" As the question left him, his magic reached out and pulled the water away from the other man's face just long enough for him to take a breath before returning. Calder wasn't going to let the man die while waiting for an explanation, but he'd never seen somebody do such a thing without cause either, so allowing a breath seemed like the safest route…[/BCOLOR]
 
Following the henchman at a quick pace, Raymond nearly fell over him when he suddenly appeared on the ground just past a corner. The henchman was prostrate on the ground before an Aquan and a human woman, both of them staring at himself in apparent surprise and wariness, and maybe a sense of distaste. Raymond inwardly grumbled, I had everything under control... He'd seen the Aquan give the man air for a moment, and was thereafter grateful he didn't have to follow through with his threat. Still, the crony had been going to Ace, so maybe it'd be alright to remove the water from his face after all?

Facing the newcomers steadily, Raymond said to them, "Greetings. I'm not normally disposed to violence like this, but I have a prior arrangement with this man. I believe he was just on his way to lead me to his boss. What is your business with us?"
 
Kiri stepped off to the side, listening to the incredibly vague explanation. As far as explanations went, this brought up more questions than it answered. Looking around the room, the house owner appeared a little disgruntled at the crowd that had gathered. Shuffling about awkwardly, she wondered if this wasn't a good time to sneak out the door. In the end though, her tenacious curiosity won out. No matter what people said, she'd always believe in fate....and crazy people. Just needed to figure out which one this situation was. "Wait a minute...." Kiri addressed the priestess skeptically. "How can a man possibly be as strong as a god? He looked just like an ordinary guy."
 
Roxanne smiled at Calder, "No trouble at all," she said honestly. She'd had her share of unpleasant mishaps, and there always seemed to be someone around to offer aide, this felt like a way to pay back all the help she had received in the past. She tipped her head to the side and regarded him, "You look much bet.." she started to say but her words were cut short by the sudden appearance a man on the ground with at Calder's feet.

She watched as Calder allowed the man to breathe, though only once. Her gaze lifted to Raymond, "I saw you run after this man," she said, "I thought you might need help." She looked confused by Raymond's address and even the question. "Are you feeling well Raymond?' she asked, "It's me Roxanne...I've been to the smithy many, many times." She was watching him warily wondering why he hadn't recognized her or greeted her in a more familiar manner.

She turned her attention to the man on the ground, "What did he do?" she asked as she crouched down to really get a look at him. She was now wondering if he'd cast some sort of spell on Raymond that was creating this odd behavior. She'd never known Raymond to be violent, except when bashing some metal into the shape he desired. Something odd was going on here.
 
Clay's attention snapped to Victarion, caught off-guard by the Avian's accusatory tone. "Hey, I never said I didn't care! I thought you meant you were going to… I dunno… start dealing out revenge, or something!" he rambled, struggling to articulate his thoughts. "Wouldn't want to go after the wrong guy, you know?"

In any case, it seemed that the two of them had already set their minds on investigating the source of the explosion. And Alicia did make a good point that there might be others who needed his help. Still, the nagging thought that he'd be throwing away a potential job was certainly weighing on him. Well, there go my plans for the day… Clay muttered internally. Though, surely my client will understand, given today's events…

"Ah, hold on, you're still injured!" Clay called out as he saw Alicia staggering away, catching up with her and offering a shoulder to lean on for support. "Yes, I'll go with you, but, try not to exert yourself too much, ok?"
 
The priestess seemed to grow mildly annoyed when Zito snorted after she mentioned Ace, but she held back any comment she would've otherwise made and continued to listen to everyone else's comments. She addressed Kiri first.

"I never said that he was as strong as a god. Only that the gods are wary of him. I do not know the full extent of his powers, or what exactly the gods think he might do." she explained. "Regardless, we cannot allow ourselves to be fooled by appearances. Any one of the gods could walk among us if they so chose to — assuming the body of a human, or even a mere animal. I fear that this man is something much greater than what he appears to be."

Then, turning to Darius, she continued, "The man called Ace Dominyx appeared in the town square today, telling the people about his goals of becoming prince, rallying them to support him, and asking for donations. Many wrote him off as a mere con artist, but I have reason to believe that his motives may be far more sinister than just taking people's money." she told everyone. "But as for what exactly he's planning… I do not know." she admitted sadly, averting her gaze. "What I do know is, I was told by the gods to be wary of him, and to gather you all together — not just to ask of your services, but also largely to protect you. I urge you all to take this seriously."


Tawny didn't really know what to say. She awkwardly waved back at everyone who greeted her as she walked in, and then continued to listen silently, avoiding eye contact with the priestess. It was all… a bit much to take in. She still wasn't sure she believed it, but, either way, she was hesitant about getting tangled up in… whatever was going on here.

As the priestess spoke, Tawny slowly inched closer to Kiri, who seemed to be feeling just as awkward about this as Tawny was. She noticed Kiri eyeing the door and started to get the same idea. Maybe the two of them would wind up sneaking out together. In any case, Tawny found it to be a bit more comforting to stand next to Kiri — who was at least somewhat less of a stranger to her than most others in the room. She planned on keeping an eye on Kiri's reactions to all of this as it unfolded, to help Tawny sort out her own opinions on the matter.
 
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Zito listened carefully to the priestess, despite her mild skepticism. she believed in the power of the gods and this woman was a priestess, she likely knew what she was talking about. a simple man being feared by the gods was a bit much for her but she wasn't willing to completely ignore the priestess' words. her odd dream came to mind but she wasn't sure why. she shook her head lightly to clear her mind and turn her attention back to the woman as she explained what she could.
"I mean no offense but what exactly did the gods say? what are you supposed to be protecting us from?" she looked around "what exactly are we supposed to be doing? I'm a decent hunter but not exactly a warrior, I'm not even the best with magic in all honesty, I know a handful of spells but that's it" she leaned back against a nearby table, praying someone would agree with her and this would not turn exceptionally awkward for her. she was pretty certain she was not the only person wondering this however.
 
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Observing the priestess as she spoke, others chimed in with their thoughts. To him she gave off a curious vibe to his senses when he focused his attention on the older woman. It was entirely possible there was some sort of merit to what she was saying. The priestess was highly regarded in the city as something of a prophet and although Darius wasn't such a devout follower of the gods, he believed in their power.

"I agree with this one." Darius indicated Zito "'You say you wish to protect us from a mysterious potential threat. How do you plan on doing this? By spying on Ace? That is something I can help with, given the right resources."
 
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Unlike a few of the others, Shireen wasn't too much of a skeptic when it came to the gods. They were the gods for a reason, weren't they? While she didn't consider them as a pivotal part of her decision making, she knew better than to scoff at them and be disrespectful. Perhaps their concern was the reason for her skepticism in Ace Dominyx when she first saw him? Sure, she gave him the benefit of the doubt afterward, but that was simply because she decided he was just a con artist wanting to snatch money from gullible people.

She listened to the priestess carefully, weighing her words in her mind. She turned to look in Zito's direction, and then at Darius. She had to admit, they made sense as well. However, weren't the stories always like this? A group of stranger gathering together to fulfill some greater destiny? It filled her with more excitement than fear if she was being honest with herself. She had always loved stories, adventure, forging relationships. Perhaps it was due to her connection with Diana? Or perhaps the way she was brought up?

Either way, while she was wary about what Ace could possibly be up to, the chance to go forth and be part of a bigger plan was appealing, especially when she had nowhere else to go.

"There is nothin' that keeps me here, Priestess." Shireen smiled a little as she finally spoke up. "I dunno 'bout the others, but whatever I can do t'help, count me in!" She didn't know if she needed protection, but if the gods thought so, who was she to say no?

@Kagayours
​
 
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Alicia covered her face with her left hand as a 'response' to Victarion's comment. Why did I have to run into such a madman? Well, whatever, I'll be rid of him soon enough. And if he tries to follow me for too much, well, there are always ways to get rid of... annoyances.
"Frankly, sir, if you have any idea, please do tell me, for I have no idea myself," she said as she turned around to face the other Avian. Not that she expected him to have one, but whatever. "Regardless, I do feel that we have more important things to worry about than something as foolish as a flower pot hex without any proof of such a hex's existence. Shall we move on?". With that, she turned around again to continue towards her destination.

It was at this point that Clay caught up to her and offered her his arm. "I... Thank you", Alicia said as she accepted Clay's arm. Quite frankly, she didn't want to look weak, but rejecting the man's offer wouldn't be a smart move either if she didn't want to look vain. "Please, though, do not waste your energy on me too much. Try to keep a reserve, so that we might help those who truly need it." With that, she continued her travel towards the source of the earlier explosion.
 
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Relief overwhelmed Derrick's body as, miraculously enough, the kind Aquan offered to save his life. He gasped in fresh air as the water was removed from his face-

And then, he nearly drowned right there on the spot as the water was unexpectedly thrown back onto again. Derrick struggled to keep his mouth clamped shut as his body still yearned to breathe freely again. What the hell — is she trying to save me or not?!

Derrick could then only listen as his captor and the others calmly and slowly discussed his fate. Even if it was still remotely feasible for Derrick to run back to Ace at this point, he certainly couldn't guide anyone anywhere if Raymond decided he'd rather stop and have a nice little chat. All he could do was wait, all the while knowing that there was no guarantee he'd even be granted another breath. You bastards…
 
The ground grew darker as the amount of soot and dirt increased in amount. Rubbing a finger against a nearby wall. He contnued further towards the source. At this point, the soot laying ahead of Victarion cleared as he walked, mindlessly clearing his path for himself.

He stopped as he saw a certain builidg, looking at it, it was clear that this was the source of the explosion. "Ah, magic..." Looking around, it seemed most people who were around when the explosion had gone off had fled. Some scavangers, but none seemed terribly hurt. Frightened perhaps, but that mattered little.

"This is the source."

A sigh could be heard from him, his cloaked figure merely standing facing the building.

But then as he is ears bothered to listen, he could hear voices coming from the building. His hand seemed to rest on whatever was underneath his cloak, but he shook his head and turned around. Taking a few steps towards the door, He bent down so he could reach the door, and with a toothy grin, knocked once on the door.

He turned to the other two, "You want to find the maker of this mess? They're probably in here."
 
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