Rise of the Archmages (1x1 Private)

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OCTOBER 17, 2016 - 2 AM
LONDON, ENGLAND

Raven's London flat was a little on the smaller side compared to the one she shared with her lovers in Paris. She maintained it even though she rarely used it these days. After a long and successful career in the mercenary business, she and her loves were independently wealthy enough to maintain a few safe-houses around Europe without any meaningful strain on their finances. This particular flat had been hers, though. It carried her specific tastes and style.

She liked luxuries, nothing too gaudy, just tasteful and elegant. Her furniture was well-made and crafted from dark woods, mature without being overbearing. She had a couple paintings and photographs on the walls, mainly gifts from family members. Her library held a modest collection of arcane tomes as well as more mundane fare. When Jeanne discovered Raven's secret stash of fantasy novels, she never let Raven live it down. Sam had only been quietly amused.

She kept a few other things for those occasions she had guests. A pair of spare futons, some video games for Sam when he was younger and less serious - now they simply collected dust in the closet - and, for Jeanne, DVDs of various films.

After ransacking the Archmage's office and playfully interrogating Natalia on her first day at the Tower, Raven and Jeanne had retired to the flat. With some time to spare, they had popped in one of Jeanne's favorite cartoons and simply curled against each other on the couch while listening to the throaty performance of Kevin Conroy. They must have been more tired than they estimated, as they soon fell asleep.

That was how Sam found them when he silently entered the flat. The television was still on and Jeanne lay back against the armrest, Raven curled like a cat against her chest, with an arm around her. He hated waking them. They looked quite peaceful.

Raven mumbled something incoherent as she blearily scrubbed the sleep out of her eyes with the palm of her hand. "Sam...you're back. Did you learn anything?" Beside her, Jeanne was yawning.

"Only that the Arena may be a secret training or recruitment site for the Order of Autolycus. I was planning on breaking in and investigating more, or even shutting down the Hounds entirely. I'll need help doing that, though. How about you two?"

"Natalia's acclimating well to her classes," Jeanne supplied tiredly with a stretch of her shoulders and arms. "We found out that the Archmage has been researching thaumaturgy for years and he's taken a more recent interest in sorcerers, though he hasn't published any works about the subject. We were going to see if he helped fund any research along those lines. We also broke into his office."

The mercenary's brows went up in surprise. "That was dangerous."

Raven shrugged. "Natalia's magic is pretty handy in getting in and out of places quickly." She handed him her phone. "We found a cargo manifest for some medical gear being sent to Lancaster by boat. It doesn't make any sense. Why would the Archmage have medical equipment?"

The mercenary juggled those four major pieces in his head - the Arena, the Archmage's old research, his newer interest in sorcerers, and medical equipment.

"I need to see this cargo," he said suddenly. "But the research angle and the Arena are also important. We need to talk with Natalia first thing today."
 
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October 17, 2016
Ivory Tower
London, England

Natalia's second day at school carried a bit more drama than the first. From the first minute it had been awkward and uncomfortable since Raven and Jeanne insisted on hearing about her first day like she was going to kindergarten for the first time. Consequently, she may have inadvertently insulted Raven when she said the alchemy class was run by "an idiot with the most misguided interpretation of the nature of matter and energy I've ever seen."

She did not realize until it was too late that this had been one of Raven's favorite teachers.

The uncomfortable moments continued during school hours. Jill was apparently a target for bullies, especially that elemental crew. There was Lorraine, the water elemental who loved parading around with diamonds on her neck and ears. Reg was the earth one, and clearly he was trying to copy Bayane's physique. Stephanie was the air one who had a thing for see-through fabric. And last but not least their pyro buddy Jason. Natalia assumed he dressed in dark colors so his fire would be more noticeable.

They were tiny pranks on poor Jill; making her seat too hot to sit in, creating puddles for her to slip, the juvenile act of blowing farts in her direction so that it smelt like it had come from her.

"Why do you let them do that to you?" she asked. "Your abilities certainly give you a chance at fighting back."

"I don't want to fight," she said meekly.

So rarely do we get that choice, she thought to herself.

"I'm not saying to hit them or burn them or anything," she replied. "Just - "

She paused and turned around. Another warning flash from EISU. There was a crowd of students though - perfect place to hide.

"Sarah?" Jill nudged her. "You okay?"

She was relieved by the thought that a Hound wouldn't likely attack in a space crowded by magic users and slowly turned back to her new friend.

"Yeah...I'm fine."

During demonology, Jason seemed to find it funny to heat up Jill's seat again, while Stephanie blew in her direction quiet whispers demanding her soul. Jill knew it was a prank, but demons scared her and she shook in her seat. Natalia had had enough. She noticed Lorraine had a couple fake rings on her fingers. No way they were diamond, but cubit zirconium was likely. She exerted very little effort to drag that hand and make Lorraine slap Jason and swat Stephanie on the back of the head.

They all looked around bewildered until they saw Natalia quietly chuckling to herself.

They tried getting their revenge at lunch, where Lorraine froze the iced tea in its bottle and Jason remotely burned some of her food. Natalia responded in kind, making the glass bottles they'd purchased spontaneously pop open and spill all over them. This was particularly awful for Stephanie, who's see-through fabric now rendered her almost naked. They sputtered and swore and by the time they collected themselves Jill and Natalia had run out of the mess hall laughing.

"Sarah! You're a genius! But..." It took a while for the laughter to die down enough for her to get serious. "But you shouldn't have done that. You don't want them as enemies."

She smiled back. "Oh I think they're going to think twice before messing with me again. Besides, nobody messes with my friends."

Jill's lower lip quivered and she pulled her in for a tight hug. At the same time, both of them got the sense someone was watching them. She parted from the hug a little and looked around.

"What is it?" Natalia asked, trying not to make it obvious she was searching around for the same thing.

"I...I don't know. I just got this weirdest feeling," she said back, eventually settling down. "It's gone now, but I could have sworn we were being watched."

The rest of the day went by relatively without incident, though Natalia could have sworn Professor Bayane was looking at her funny all through class.
 
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OCTOBER 17, 2016
IVORY TOWER
LONDON, ENGLAND

It was around lunch time between classes when Sam, Jeanne, and Raven caught up with Natalia and Jill on the campus. After some brief introductions, Raven explained to Jill with a smile, "Can we borrow your roommate for a second? We just wanted to clear up some plans for the weekend."

"What's up?" Natalia asked as soon as they had moved out of earshot.

"That cargo manifest makes no sense," Sam explained, "and I believe that an underground magical gladiatorial ring called the Arena is being used to recruit and train the Hounds. In addition, Raven and Jeanne think looking into the Archmage's interest in sorcerers may bear fruit. We're going to need to split up our resources looking into this. I'm going to intercept that freighter taking the medical equipment. Meanwhile, Raven is going to dig up what she can on Aegil's interest in sorcery. I'll need either you or Jeanne to find the Arena and confirm if the Hounds are there."

"...I'm pretty sure they're still following us," the young woman admitted. Her brows furrowed in frustration. "EISU has been going haywire; I can't tell if its being legitimate or not."

"All the more reason to try to take the fight to the Hounds themselves," Sam reasoned. "Aegil can send them at us basically at leisure, but if we can cut their leashes, it will take away a huge advantage from him."

"Where would we start looking?" Jeanne asked. "The Arena's invitation only."

"I imagine if Asylum were to send out a call, the Arena would answer," Sam suggested. He looked at Natalia. "But only if you're willing to go there."
 
October 17, 2016 - 8:45 pm
Ivory Tower
London, England

Natalia frowned. "I'm not sure. I'd be hurting a lot of people there, and I still don't like doing that."

"Which is good," Jeanne pointed out.

"Plus, won't my absence draw attention here?" she added. "If there's nothing else to be gained at the school, or you need me to go further with your own lead, I'll do it. But not before."

What she wouldn't confess to were her other reasons for wanting to stay. One was for Jill's sake. She didn't like seeing how she was being bullied. The other reason was the school itself. She felt like she was actually learning something there.

---

When Jill had gotten that brief sense of being followed, she assumed there was some perv watching them, magically concealed. Natalia knew better, but for the sake of her new friend agreed to the precedent. Couldn't have her freaking out if she knew it was really an undetectable assassin.

So to watch each other's backs the two had agreed to shower together. Not in the same stall, just at the same time. The rooms for the students consisted of just that: rooms. Showers were equipped with the main dorm bathrooms in a separate section. So Natalia and Jill each occupied a separate shower stall to watch out for one another.

They didn't get what either had expected as the elemental crew snuck in to cause trouble. And get their payback, of course. Fortunately they could both see them between the gaps in the stall doors.

"Hey, Sarah. I've been meaning to ask," Jill said. "How come you carry huge glass shards in your purse?"

The crew paused.

"Oh those are practice ones," she replied. "I have a bunch of different sizes in there. Like these real thin ones that I have for more delicate work."

"Like needlework?"

"Exactly! Tiny glass needles great for sewing...stitching...other stuff."

Their would-be attackers seemed stuck in place.

"Huh. So what do you think you'll try for after school?" Jill asked, seemingly changing the subject.

"Well there's always what my cousin does."

"What does she do again?

"She's a mercenary. She kills people!"

They heard rather than saw them run out of the bathroom. As soon as it was over they both started laughing.

"Sarah that was too good!" Jill hollered. "And the way you said it! 'She kills people!' Hoo...Are you sure that will get them off our backs?"

"For a while, at least," she replied.

October 18, 2016
Ivory Tower
London, England

That feeling of being followed persisted through to the next day. Jill's contact with Natalia had been minimal, so she didn't feel the same thing. It followed her to every class, though. At common hour, she finally decided to get herself alone and see what the Hound would do.

She made some excuse to Jill regarding going to the bathroom and went in. She did a quick surveillance to be sure the place was empty of anyone she could normally see. She looked up. For a second she thought she saw something, but no...or yes? She turned back to where she thought the something was, but there was nothing. She surveyed the room again, her eyes traveling over the Hound again. It frustrated her because she trusted that warning, and knew there was something there, but she had no idea where it was!

A vacuum would be too much for a room this big. Another idea; she built a protective bubble of energy around herself and turned the nearby air into chlorine gas. A burst of yellow mist appeared and suddenly there was a man staggering back and coughing for air.

As soon as he staggered out of the mist he began to disappear again, and the gas was dispersing. She stepped forward...

Suddenly she found herself on the ground, some sort of weight on her. Her head turned left and right but couldn't focus on him. Her hands only grappled with air. She felt something around her throat, though. Something strong and holding tight.

Thinking quick, she realized the only way to be sure to get him was to get herself too. The adjacent wall had mirrors and sinks. Natalia clenched her fist and mentally pulled. A sink, a mirror, and a fair amount of wall tiles flew out and at her. The sink sailed over her, smacking into her assailant. She rubbed her arm as it had been hit with a piece of pipe. Water poured out and flooded the floor.

Natalia got up, nursing her arm, and saw the Hound struggle to get up from the toilet. He was bloodied and bruised, but still standing.

"RRAAAH!"

Even though she heard him he still disappeared. Her hands were absolutely making contact, though, as she struggled to keep his knife from going into her heart. She was against the sink now, unable to focus on him, not physically strong enough to keep him back for long, and running out of options. And she was going to be late for Enhancement class!

Enhancement! That was it! She glared where she thought his face was and started pumping as much mana as she could into the Hound. He got harder and harder to see, and at one point she wasn't even aware of his touch, but she kept going.

Just as she was beginning to wonder if he'd somehow gotten away an explosion of red erupted right in front of her. There was Hound everywhere. She jumped when she realized she was still holding his severed forearm, which in turn still held his knife. She dropped it, pulled up the water from the floor and washed herself off. She then turned the gruesome body chunks into rock that roughly matched the castle. And when all that was done she had a call to make.

"Raven? Yeah it's me. We've got a problem. I was just attacked by a Hound. Someone knows who I really am."
 
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OCTOBER 18, 2016
THE IVORY TOWER
LONDON, ENGLAND

After yesterday's "strategy session," the group's course of action was laid out. Sam was en route to the freighter to investigate Aegil's cargo directly. Meanwhile, Raven and Jeanne pursued the Archmage's interest in sorcery. Natalia would keep her own observations at the Tower. The Arena angle would have to wait, an acceptable option since the Hounds were still out on the prowl. Raven and Jeanne would simply have to keep a close eye on Natalia's safety in the meantime.

Raven had been digging through the Tower library again. Her investigation bore some fruit. Their hypothesis had been correct; Thomas Aegil had been setting side funding from his own private finances to spearhead the occasional project concerning Veiko Magi and sorcery. However, none of the half-dozen or so projects in the last decade had borne anything conclusive. She was just perusing a piece written in 1998, the same year the Archmage was raised to his office, concerning some books founds in Massachusetts that may have been connected to Veiko Magi. The author had caught Raven's eye.

Thomas Aegil.

In her hand was the only article on sorcery directly tied to the Archmage, but judging from the appendices, it had never been officially published. She looked back through the records, noting that it had been submitted for peer review, but almost instantly pulled after Aegil's promotion.

"I knew there was something about 1998 that bugged me," she murmured. She had been just a teenager then, but she had heard that the Archmage had officially retired from active research to focus on administration and mentoring. Back then, there had been rumors that he voluntarily shut down or reassigned all of his active projects.

It seemed Aegil's investigation in Massachusetts had turned up spellbooks, unless Raven missed her guess about the nature of the books he was researching.

That was when Natalia called in about being attacked.

"We need to meet somewhere safe. Jeanne and I will pick you up and bring you to the flat," Raven replied worriedly.
 
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"Please get me after classes," she requested. "I'm not hurt, and I'd rather not damage what little cover here I still have."

"Gotcha. See you then."

Natalia looked around at the mess she'd made. The body was gone, but there was the extensive damage to consider, and she didn't have time to fix it without her absence raising suspicion. She would have to come up with a story.

She walked out and down the hallway, hurrying as she healed her arm and tried to avoid being late to Bayane's class. It was just as he was closing the door that she rushed in, squeezing past. He looked stiff upon seeing her, surprised even. Hm...did he have something to do with this? He clearly looked surprised to see her, despite the fact she was in his class.

"You...you're late, Ms. Tallwood," he said, his face quickly settling back into its more typically stoic demeanor.

"Better to be late than not here at all," she countered. She gauged his reaction and was pleased to see she was annoying him. And she knew why; that was an open taunt, as if she were outright saying "try a better assassin next time."

"Do you...have an excuse?" he asked.

Natalia smiled. "I thought you didn't accept excuses."

"I don't," he said. "But the ones my students come up with are always entertaining."

"Well...you've got a broken bathroom," she told him. "I think some of the old molding in the walls gave way. The mirror's broken, the sink's across the room, and there's water all over the floor."

He imperceptibly gulped and Natalia headed to her seat. The rest of class had a keen edge to it, a thick unease even the other students could feel, though they didn't understand it.

After class ended Natalia went straight to the front doors and met up with Raven and Jeanne. She looked at the two, hugged them, and asked something that had been bugging her all day.

"How did they find me out?"
 
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The trio walked through the campus and when Natalia posited her question, it definitely set Jeanne's wheels turning in her head. "There shouldn't have been a way for him to find you, with your disguise and all, not unless he had a way to track - " Her blue eyes widened, matching Raven's as a possibility dawned on them.

Suddenly, Raven snatched Natalia's cellphone. "No way," she muttered, "it should be impossible, only four people know that signal!" She slipped the casing off the phone and pulled out a small, flat circular device. Natalia recognized it as one of Sam's tracking devices.

Raven was certain that Natalia was going to blow her stack any second, but for a moment, her mind was whirling at the possibilities. Someone other than her, Sam, Jeanne, and Karin was able to follow the device's signal. Not even Matthew knows that algorithm, and he's sleeping with Karin! Raven thought in dread.
 
Natalia looked at the small device, scowling. "What is that?"

She glared at the girls. "What. Is. That."

She clenched her fists. Jeanne took the tiniest step back.

"Natalia, sweetie. I was only trying to look out for you..." Raven said. The weight of the girl's magic was intense, her evident rage terrifying. The ground seemed to shake under them.

"You bugged me." It was not a question. Obviously there was no questioning something so apparent. "Like I was a criminal. Like I couldn't be trusted. I thought I was your friend."

"Natalia - " Raven began again...

"AND BECAUSE OF IT - " The raw force of her outrage hit Raven and sent her on her back on the stone steps. " - I WAS ALMOST KILLED! ANY OTHER SECRETS?! IS MY NIGHTIE BUGGED?! SATELLITES?! I TRUSTED YOU!!"

She turned and stalked off, tears running down her cheeks. She didn't go far, just a few feet away, her arms crossed and her blood boiling. Was this the way for her? Was she always going to be betrayed by her friends? If that was the case...why even have friends at all?

She sensed one of them cautiously approach her. She recognized the energy as Raven's. She formed a barrier to keep her at bay. She didn't make touching the invisible shield particularly pleasant. She felt Jeanne come up. Still she didn't look back, but she let the knight near her, sensing innocence of this in her mind.

"Don't ask me to forgive her," she said.
 
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It so happened that Natalia had run off near a bench, so Jeanne sat on it, patting the space beside her. Reluctantly, the sorceress sat down, but Jeanne didn't need her clairvoyance to sense the hurt and betrayal roiling off her.

"Raven sometimes does things on impulse," the swordswoman said. She tilted her head, thinking. She amended, "All right, she does things on impulse a lot. But you know...she actually never meant to hurt you."

Natalia growled something under her breath.

Jeanne went on, "I'm not going to ask you to forgive her. It was a sneaky thing to do and a breach of your privacy. But you know why she did it? She wanted to let you have your space, be your own woman. You're grown up, and strong, and beautiful, and powerful. In her own way, Raven just wanted to let you explore your new role. That being said, she does love you - and sometimes, we make mistakes concerning those we care about."

She smiled grimly. "All three of us have been guilty about that, at one time or another. I got Matthew arrested back in the Hundred Years' War. Sam nearly had to kill me in order to free me from the Magister the first time around. And Raven completely cocked up on this one."

"I could've been killed because of her mistake," Natalia snapped angrily. She was on a hair-trigger temper, but around the levelheaded Jeanne, she managed to keep it under control enough to let the blonde swordswoman rest a hand on her shoulder.

"Raven loves you," Jeanne repeated. "I know she hurt you without meaning to. But she's hurting, too. She never wanted this to happen." She shook her head. "Sometimes, I can't believe she's in her thirties, as impulsive as she can be. If you don't believe me, just search her feelings."

Natalia was silent, whether out of stubbornness or confusion or hurt, Jeanne couldn't tell - Natalia probably didn't know, either. Jeanne pulled the young woman into a hug so that her head rested against the knight's chest. Jeanne cradled her magically-darkened curls in her hands. "None of us ever wanted to hurt you, fleur. You're family. And even when we make mistakes, we try to fix them, because family is worth it."
 
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Natalia sighed into Jeanne's embrace, letting those dark thoughts lift from her mind. She wasn't sure she'd forgiven Raven, but her anger was ebbed out of her. Jeanne was a woman of honor; it wasn't becoming of her to lie.

"Do you know why I chose to make my cover a relative of Raven's?" she asked. "Because she is the one I think is most like me. An alchemist for the sorceress. A mischievous big sister."

Natalia smiled. Spy bugs and independence didn't sound like two things that went together, but by Raven's logic...okay, there was no denying it. Raven had a stupid moment. But she believed Jeanne when she insisted it was done out of love.

"She owes me big for this," Natalia muttered into Jeanne's chest.

The knight smiled. "I know. But let's worry about that later."

She nodded and together they rejoined Raven. She opened her mouth to apologize again, but Natalia cut her off.

"Later. Just leave it that you'll make it up to me," she said. A small smile was all that was needed to fill Raven with relief. "Now how could someone have gotten the signal?"

"We don't know. It doesn't make sense," Raven replied. "Besides the Hound, was there anything else about today?"

"The Enhancement teacher. Bayane was surprised to see me in class. Guess he thought the Hound would win."
 
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The theory surprised Raven. Norman Bayane, while stern and intimidating, didn't strike her as the deceptive type. That being said, it wasn't as if the student body knew much about him personally. Sam had made a career out of staying out of the limelight, so it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility for others to do the same. The man was certainly built enough to be a fighter himself, but that had little bearing on him sending a Hound to capture or assassinate Natalia. But how would he have known about Karin's tracking algorithm?

"It wouldn't be smart to confront him, not directly," she surmised. "We'll need to bait him into a trap, to confirm that he's really our enemy. Raven turned the tracking device in her hand thoughtfully. "Natalia, I'll need you to put this on again. If he is the one following this signal, then he'll have to launch another attack at some point. Perhaps you should come over to the flat this weekend - outside of the Tower and his sphere of influence. That should force him to make a move. One of us can keep watch on him here and see if he makes contact with anyone suspicious."
 
Natalia glared down at the tracking device, but understood her reasoning. Plus, if she kept it in her possession he might believe he was ahead of them, and that could make him overly confident. She took the tracker and put it back in her phone, sealing it up.

"Makes contact with anyone suspicious?" she repeated. "If he's involved like I think he is, he'd either talk to Aegil himself, which wouldn't be suspicious because they work together, or with a Hound, which we wouldn't even see."

She tucked the newly repaired phone in her pocket. She had an idea.

"Do you have more of those tracers?" she asked. "If I plant them on other students it will confuse them. Multiple signals will mean the Hounds won't know who to attack, right? I should be guaranteed safe until the weekend."
 
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"You've been hanging around us for far too long, thinking up something so sneaky," Raven congratulated with a smirk. "You may want to change your appearance intermittently as well. Bayane was surprised to see you alive, so he may have given out your description to the Hounds. And as for making contact with anyone suspicious - I guess I'm hoping he'll say or do something that we can pin on him as the actual guy holding the Hounds' leash. Its a long shot, though."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Jeanne offered. Raven nodded.

The alchemist went on, "By the way, I found out what Aegil's involvement with sorcery was. He had an unpublished article about a find in Massachusetts. I think he found the spellbooks of your colleagues. Given that he's been previously involved in researching thaumaturgy, he might be trying to replicate the art of miracles through learning sorcery."

"Is that even possible?" Jeanne asked, looking at Natalia.
 
Natalia shook her head. "No. Aegil won't even be able to read a spell book. See for yourself."

She tossed her own book to Raven, who thumbed through it. The pages were filled with little ink blots of varying sizes and shapes, some as big as a quarter and others a mere millimeter in diameter. They didn't repeat, there was no discernable pattern. Raven said it all really as she handed it back.

"Natalia, this isn't even language. It's incomprehensible."

"To you," she said. "Or anyone else that's not me. If Aegil has a spell book he's wasting his time. Even other sorcerers can't read each other's books."

Other sorcerers. Natalia sat back down on the bench as that thought fully washed over her. She thought it was just her and Emily. All this time there were others?

"If he has books, we must return them to their rightful owners," she said. "But I want to be absolutely certain he has one before trying to take it.

"As for blending in..." She struggled with that one. The idea that there were possibly other sorcerers out there took a lot of her concentration. But thinking of how she could stay in the school eventually yielded an idea. "We can always enlist the help of my fan. It would require sharing a lot with her."
 
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"If you think you can trust her...." Raven said guardedly. At the mention of trust, she fidgeted uncomfortably, then said while tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, "You know, I only did it because I feared for you. You're family, kiddo. And I - we've - lost a lot of family over the years. We got some back, and some still with us aren't...the same as before." She shook her head. "It was dumb of me to bug you. I wanted to keep you safe, even while letting you explore your surroundings. I guess I get a little possessive. If you think Jill deserves your trust, we'll back you up."

---

OCTOBER 18, 2016
THE RIVER LUNE
LANCASTER, ENGLAND

The freighter was relatively small, motoring along the River Lune toward the Port of Lancaster. Sam had taken a small boat during the night to intercept it. Given that it was a water-based infiltration, he was certain he had already been spotted long before he scaled the steel hull toward the deckplates. As soon as his feet touched the deck, gunfire had opened upon him, forcing him to roll behind several heavy metal crates with bullet sparks flying all around him.

Whatever the Archmage had on board must have been extremely valuable or important. The cargo manifest suggested the freighter was a standard part of a shipping fleet. Yet, it had an armed escort. Fortunately, Sam came prepared. Between his mobility, a set of fragmentation grenades, and his SIG Sauer, he won the deck battle and proceeded into the depths of the ship. He gunned down the men in his path, mercenaries like him by the look of them. They wore no uniforms, seemed to have different colorings and races in their complement, and even wielded varying armaments. This was no unified military force. These were hired guns, taken in bulk and probably in haste by their employer.

Their relative lack of skill only proved that they were in the lower tier of mercenaries.

It took Sam less than fifteen minutes to secure the ship. The crew were more than willing to surrender after all twenty-five guards had been killed. The captain of the vessel escorted him to the cargo hold, where the medical beds were located. To Sam's surprise, there were people on them. Two men and one woman, different ages, different races. Nothing seemed to connect them together.

When he examined them, he noticed that they were all comatose; IVs running in their arms led to bags of propofol. It seemed Aegil wanted to sedate these three until he was done with them. The woman had surgical scars across her abdomen and chest. One of the men was missing a hand; the wound was too clean and precise to be anything other than a surgical amputation. The second man seemed completely normal, until Sam flipped open his eyelids.

His eyes had been extracted, leaving gaping holes stuffed with surgical packing.

"What the hell?" Sam murmured in horror. "What did Aegil do to you....?"
 
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OCTOBER 19, 2016
THE IVORY TOWER
LONDON, ENGLAND

The Archmage's office was unusually oppressive this morning. It was early enough that dawn had yet to slash its golden beams through the window blinds or climb over the top of the London skyline. The smell of freshly brewed tea permeated the environs, adding only the barest touch of comfort to the dreary atmosphere.

Thomas Aegil sat at his desk across from Norman Bayane, his lips hidden behind his thick beard as he pursed his lips into a thin, tight line. His brows creased in mounting frustration. His colleague shared a similarly grim expression.

"That leaves us with two remaining Hounds," the burly professor summarized. The death of the Fourth Brother at Natalia Elmore's hands was a harsh blow to their resources. "And I suspect that the Elmore girl knows I am complicit in the attack."

"She already manifested the ability to disguise herself," Aegil commented, steepling his fingers. "It is not outside the realm of possibility that she will try to deceive us further in some fashion to remain under our radar. You will need to target another to draw her out."

"She is associated with Tallwood," Bayane offered.

The Archmage surprisingly shook his head. "Her magic will work on any number of people. She could disguise multiple allies to look like her, for instance. She could vanish into thin air if she wished. Teleport. Fly away. Her fellow sorcerers demonstrated such abilities in the past. No, if you want to draw her out, we must target someone else, someone her magic will not work on."

Bayane's jaw tightened. He knew where this was going. But he had said that all he needed was a body. Hands clenched into fists as pragmatism warred with emotion inside him.

Aegil spoke, "The Skullman attacked the cargo freighter. We must assume he will piece together our research. That makes him a doubly suitable target. The Hounds will not be enough to assassinate Sam Ebayan." He gave Bayane a hard look. "I need you to come out of the woodwork, old friend. You must kill the Skullman."
 
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October 19, 2016 - early morning
Ivory Tower
London, England

Natalia had sat up for the rest of the night, all the way to the morning. Part of it was in thought, trying to think about how to talk to Jill, who was sleeping soundly in the bed beside her. How would she get her help AND keep her trust? Trust was a hard thing to keep, she knew that now. She still wasn't sure how much she trusted Raven after that stunt. She wasn't upset anymore, but she would think twice before accepting another gift.

Another thing that kept her up during the night was her work planting tracking devices throughout the school. She couldn't stop grinning as she planted two in the phones of the elemental crew. She also picked a few random students and even the magic history teacher!

When morning came Jill stirred awake.

"Mmm...Hey, Sarah. What's up?...Is something wrong?" she asked as she saw the look of exhaustion and concern on Natalia's face.

"Jill...are we friends?" she asked.

"S-Sure, Sarah," she said, now sitting up at attention.

"Even if I wasn't who I said I was?"

"I...guess. Why? Who are you?"

Natalia stood so Jill could see her grow in height. Her hair turned blonde with its blue locks to the side. Her outfit changed too into her costume.

"You're...Asylum!" she cried out.

Natalia quickly shushed her. "Ssh! Ssh! It's part of why I'm here! I can't be found out. I'm infiltrating the school."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Someone tried to kill me, and we traced the guy who hired him to here," she said. Jill gasped. "So I posed as my friend's cousin to get in. They tried to kill me again here - "

"You mean here at school! Oh my God!"

"Shush. Anyway, my cover's blown. I...I need a new disguise," she said. She sat down, the troubled look returning to her face. "I want to use you as my new one. I can make myself look like anyone, so I figured we'd do a switcheroo type deal. We each go to school every other day, both of us as you."

She looked understandingly apprehensive. "I don't know...wouldn't that put us both at risk?"

"They'll think I just teleported out of here," she pointed out. "As long as I act like you, they should leave us alone."

"I guess...Wow, I...I still can't believe you were Asylum this whole time," she said. She eyed Natalia up and down and blushed. "You're amazing."

Now it was Natalia's turn to blush. "Uh...thanks."

She took a deep breath and transformed, until she was an exact copy of Jill. Jill herself gasped.

"So cool..."
 
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OCTOBER 19, 2016
LONDON, ENGLAND

Bayane was annoyed.

Karin's tracking signal had multiplied. There were two dozen of them now, scattered throughout the campus. In addition, Natalia Elmore's dark-haired disguise had vanished completely, or so it seemed. Likely, the girl had gone to ground, using her magic to disguise herself as someone else. Anyone else. With so many false tracking signals running around, it was impossible to find her.

Just like Aegil had predicted.

The Archmage's plan was solid. Force the Elmore girl into the open by attacking one of her allies, especially one she couldn't use disguise with magic. Ebayan would be completely immune to any helpful magic she tried to provide, whether it was healing, illusions, or teleportation. An ideal target, though one notoriously difficult to kill.

The burly professor was perched on a rooftop across from the building where Ebayan was staying. A little research had revealed it was under the name of Raven Tallwood. It was a name he vaguely recalled from prior classes, a woman with a prodigious talent for alchemy, but a whimsical personality and a fiery tongue. Bayane hefted the Remington 700 slung over his shoulder, transferring it to his hands. A scope was bolted along the rails at the top of the firearm.

It came to hand easily, far too easily despite years out of practice. Instantly, his breathing evened and stilled at his command and his hand became a unmoving as a mountain amidst a gale.

How many times had he instructed Karin Krauser in proper handling and stance, on breathing technique and concentration? He heard somewhere that she took up with another mentor after the Gulf War, but he had been the one to put a gun - and blood - on her young hands.

It had taken him some time to learn that Ebayan had been living with Tallwood. The man had learned from Karin well and he could disappear at will. But he learned Karin's tricks. Tricks that Bayane had taught Karin. He knew how to find those who could disappear using his techniques.

There you are, he thought.

Through the scope, he saw Sam Ebayan's lean and muscular form enter the flat through the window on the south wall of the room. It provided a clear view of the kitchen and some of the main room. Not enough for a clear shot, since Ebayan was getting something out of the refrigerator, likely food or a drink. Then the man came back into the main room.

A good shot, but not a clear one. There was some furniture in the way.

Ebayan had a cellphone to his ear. Bayane read his lips.

I know what Aegil's after. Find Natalia. We need to talk.

Bayane frowned. He couldn't let Ebayan pass on what he had learned.

---

Sam had the entire trip back to the flat to process what he had found at the freighter. He had managed to smuggle the three comatose victims to the nearest hospital. They would at least be safe there and under some surveillance, even if it was only by civilian means. He certainly didn't have the resources to bring them all the way back to the flat.

His discovery had left an uneasy feeling in his gut. The surgeries had been very precise, methodical. Those organs were harvested for a reason, but he only had theory and conjecture and speculation to go on.

He had done his own research into sorcerers over the years after meeting Natalia, much of it corroborated by the young woman. They could manipulate the fabric of reality, had access to a variety of powers while mages were far more limited in their selection, they could reincarnate, and they had individual spellbooks that only they could utilize. Somehow, this had to connect to Aegil's research on miracles and sorcery. The Archmage very specifically looked into how to replicate miracles as the bulk of his research and had made the effort to find spellbooks belonging to sorcerers.

Sam had the sinking feeling that the coma victims were sorcerers like Natalia. They lived, after fashion, and therefore couldn't reincarnate. But what would Aegil do with an eye and a hand and whatever he took out of the woman's chest and abdomen?

The mercenary glanced at his left hand. Scars crisscrossed the maimed appendage. Two years ago, he had sacrificed it in order to defeat Lorentz and a mind-controlled Jeanne. It had been worth it, though the loss of functionality had impaired his fighting abilities ever since. However, he had gained a powerful piece of knowledge in doing so - a loophole to turn his Empiric Field into a ranged weapon.

Loophole.... he thought idly. His eyes widened as the answer struck him. Aegil found a loophole!

He pulled out his cellphone. "Raven? Its me. I found out what Aegil's after. Find Natalia. We need to talk."

Suddenly, pain erupted in his back as a large-caliber rifle round slammed home.
 
October 19, 2016
Ivory Tower
London, England

It was more difficult than Natalia thought it would be to pretend to be Jill. She herself was distant at times, while Jill was openly touching. It involved taking her out of her comfort zone more than once that day. She also had to keep her head down and pretend to be depressed, as Jill had confessed with a red face that she would be devastated to lose her friend and roommate.

With "Sarah" evidently being gone the elemental mages moved in to tease "Jill" again. Suffice it to say Natalia wouldn't let her become a victim again. By the end of the day they were afraid to use their elemental powers on her in case of elemental reprisals.

Halfway through the day, though, she sensed something. It could only be a Hound, but EISU wasn't warning her of danger. She saw a girl walk by in the halls, one of the ones she knew she had planted a device on, and felt the presence around her. It disappeared when she did and Natalia smiled. They were tracking the wrong girl.

Bayane wasn't in the classroom that day. That worried her, though it did mean she didn't have to act up another sob story about her roommate disappearing. Their sub was the alchemy teacher, as out of his element here as in his own classroom. Natalia had learned a few new tricks at least. By introducing flow to the mana one pumped into an object, they could pour much more energy in than normal. The result was that she had a Styrofoam cup that was practically indestructible. Conversely, she could drain mana out of objects, rendering them brittle.

She kept worrying about his absence, however, despite this personal breakthrough. It was too timely. He disappeared right when she did. No way that was a coincidence. Natalia feared that sphere of influence Raven had mentioned was wider than they thought.

"How was school?" Jill asked when she returned to their room.

"Troubling," she replied. "Bayane's not here, and I don't like thinking where else he could be."

She hoped it was a coincidence, but doubted it. Her hopes fell apart, however when she got a call from Raven.

"N-Natalia! I-It's Sam! Natalia S-Sam's been shot!"

In a second she was out of the dorm and in Jeanne and Raven's arms.
 
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OCTOBER 19, 2016
ROYAL LONDON HOSPITAL
LONDON, ENGLAND

The Royal London Hospital was touted to have some of the best clinical outcomes in the United Kingdom. All Jeanne could see was one lover deteriorating on a bed and the other deteriorating from the emotional burden of it all. She stood with and arm around Raven at Sam's bedside. He had just gotten out of surgery and now lay still with IV lines running through his arms and an intubation tube down his throat; a ventilator was breathing for him. The bullet had been precisely shot, shredding through muscle and penetrating into lung. It had almost slashed his heart, the shot was so well-aimed.

The doctors had said his condition was still tenuous, even after successful surgical interventions.

Raven held onto Jeanne, life a drowning woman grasping a rope. The swordswoman knew what was going on through her lover's head. It had devasted her before when Jeanne had died. Now, she was going through that awful experience all over again. The swordswoman had been stoic, bottling up her own anguish and helplessness for Raven's sake.

They had burst into the flat just hours ago and found Sam on the floor in a pool of his own blood. He had uttered something to Jeanne, who reached him first. The words still tumbled in her ears with the dark portence of something vile coming their way.

When Natalia arrived, also distraught, Jeanne let the young woman find solace in Raven's embrace. The two needed this moment, needed family.

"He's not out of the woods yet," Jeanne explained, bringing Natalia up to speed. "I managed to sneak a look at the bullet. Looks like something Sam would use in a Remington or another sniper rifle. And the shot was perfect. Whoever attacked him was trained and sent specifically to take him out."

Raven by this time had regained most of her composure. Her eyes were puffy from tears and her breath shaky as well. But she said, mustering up all her logical faculties, "He must have been targeted because of what he found at the freighter. The timing is just too coincidental."

Jeanne took a breath to reveal what Sam had uttered to her before unconsciousness claimed him. "He told me...before...well, he told me that what he found." She looked at Natalia. "He found sorcerers, fleur. He thinks Aegil is experimenting on sorcerers. And he mentioned something about a 'loophole.' I don't know what he means by that. He said something about Lancaster hospital - I can only assume your kindred are over there now. He must have moved them before coming back to London."

---

Bayane had spotted Tallwood and the blonde woman while he was staking out the hospital. He followed them, blending seamlessly into the crowd of visitors, nurses, techs, and physicians. When they entered Ebayan's room, he simply waited in a nearby lounge. Then he saw another girl, one he did not recognize, enter the room as well.

There you are, Ms. Elmore, he thought. She must not have seen him, though with his hoodie and sunglasses, visual recognition at a glance would have been a little difficult. The trick was keeping his presence small, especially since the girl seemed to have a knack for detecting danger to her person.

It had been slightly frustrating that he failed to kill the Skullman right off, but a part of him felt relieved that his skills had rusted just enough to leave him alive. At least the secondary objective had been achieved - as Aegil predicted, Natalia Elmore had indeed come out of the woodwork once her ally had been attacked.

Bayane set down a backpack by his chair and began pumping mana into it. Inside were normal items, some cleaning solutions, a can of cooking grease, a few other flammable and occasionally explosive items that one would find in any home, flat, or kitchen. All innocuous on their own.

But flood them with mana....

I'll only have one shot at taking the Elmore girl. This has to be precise.
 
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