Sanctuary IC

[Kristia]

Gensei Woods - Yaju Camp

"Food and water wonīt be much of a problem, there are plenty of animals and herbs that we can use to eat" Nera said following Aion and gestured her nose and ears

The vixen took a nearby herb and started chewing a piece of it. "Would you like some? it is good for stamina" she offered the herb while walking

[Cucoo5]

Gensei Woods - Yaju Camp

Aion looked at the herb for a moment then recognized it. "Oh that, sure, thanks. I remember the few times when we had to hike up the mountains...this stuff helped out there." He followed Nera's example and took a piece and chewed it. "The nice thing about being a renowned mercenary...ya get around a lot, also the employers tend to be very influential figures..." He nodded back to the camp, referencing the King of Tempus. "But my team is like family. When I was young, a man named Revere killed my family...even my sister..." Aion's mood didn't seem to change at all as he spoke. "Anyway, If I recall, Starla was studying Arcane Stones and the effect of the ocean on them and then she wanted to head to Gensei...well I think I might just make a small adjustment to that plan and head somewhere else. Any place in particular ya want to see?"

[Kristia]

Gensei Woods

Nera looked at the sky and spoke "Iīll go where the wind calls, maybe search for the book of water magic or see the marvels of the lands, thats what I want to do, live with experience"

"And I donīt know, there is always the tomorrow, be it brighter or darker, there will always be something new to see and know like of why we the Yaju have magic even though we have no arcane stones within our bodies, or it is the fact that we are hybrids or abominations as many called us. Heck, Celestials, undead, many things to see and meet"

The fox kept on going forward enjoying the peace she had in her mind

[Cucoo5]

Gensei Woods

"If ya wanted to see one of the biggest marvels...I could show you the Halls of Time. They used to exist here but then..." Aion's mind drew a blank. "Huh...I can't remember what happened to cause the Halls of Time to no longer exist in this time..." He shrugged it off. "Anyway it's something else...to see this fortress of an elegant mansion and a darker mirror image of it underneath it floating suspended in Time and Space..." Aion seemed to be trying to grasp something large with his hands. "It exists...but at the same time...it doesn't. I still can't figure it out. All I know is that it defies everything we know."

[wonderweiss]

Esmeralda followed Kiara.

"Well I guess now I know how you feel. Toran 'killed' my sister, and now I haven't the slightest clue where she is, much less if she's even alive anymore. But such things will answer themselves in time.



Toran smirked.

"Do you think you can stabilize it, huh? Then you forgot to overhear the part where it was an artificial arcane stone."

He looked at his arm and his smile faded away. "I'll tell you all later when we're not busy, but for the stone... The condition it's in is stable."

He followed Dalia to the mountain.

[S121]

(I had to split my post because it was getting too long.)

Chronomancer's Tower - Gensei Woods

Azeruk was confused by what had happened. He almost never got visitors before, but today tow people arrived and just as soon as they arrived, they left. There were many questions on Azeruk's mind, and he needed answers. Azeruk ran downstairs and into his room to consult the parchment Chronux had given him. Azeruk quickly opened the nightstand, pulled the parchment out, unrolled it and looked at the slowly forming words.

Library

3478, 0127, 1173, 2658

MIDNIGHT


Azeruk knew what the numbers meant. They were of various books in the library underneath the tower, each one coded with a particular number. The only thing he didn't understand was the word "MIDNIGHT". What could that possibly mean? Knowing what he had to do next, Azeruk rolled up the parchment and put it in his pocket. He then turned around and ran off to the library.


Library - Chronomancer's Tower - Gensei Woods

Azeruk entered the library and looked around at the giant shelves full of books. There was thousands of books lining the walls and in the shelves. Focusing back on his task, Azeruk ran down the steps at the library's entrance and ran to the first book, 3478. Azeruk grabbed a ladder and climbed up to grab the book, but when he did, the book made a clicking noise as he pulled on it. To Azeruk's surprise, it was a lever disguised as a book. Azeruk continued to pull at the book until it was fully turned on to it's spine. Once that was done, Azeruk slid down the ladder and moved on to the other books. After pulling all of the books, Azeruk heard a loud creak and then grinding coming from the center of the library. Azeruk ran to the source of the noise, only to see that the golden emblem in the center of the room was to the side of a large hole in the ground. Fearful of falling in, Azeruk slowly approached the hole and saw that there were was a spiral staircase leading down into the darkness. Despite the alarms going off in his head, warning him not to go down the stairs, Azeruk knew that he was meant to, he was supposed to find something at the bottom of those stairs. Swallowing his fear, Azeruk descended into the darkness...




??? - Chronomancer's Tower - Gensei Woods

As Azeruk descended the staircase, he could barely see into the room below. It was almost pitch black, but Azeruk swore that he could see a giant clock in the room. As Azeruk reached the bottom of the staircase, he looked around for any sources of light. He was surprised to see a small glimmer of light in the ceiling and whenever he wa--lked right under it, the crystals in the ceiling brightened until the whole room was illuminated. Azeruk looked around the room and saw a huge clock with three hands on the wall facing him. Lining the other walls were gears, possibly responsible for the clock's operation. The only problem was that the clock was not moving. Azeruk stared at the clock and realized what the parchment meant about "MIDNIGHT". Azeruk had to somehow force the clock to read twelve-o'-clock, but right now it read one-thirty. If Azeruk was to turn the clock to twelve, he would need to find a way to turn the clock on. Azeruk searched the walls for anything that resembled a switch. If he could find it, then he could then focus on turning the clocks hands. Soon, Azeruk found what appeared to be a crank on the wall opposite to the clock. Knowing what he had to do, Azeruk spun the crank and heard a faint whirring behind the wall. Soon, that whirring was replaced with the sounds of old gears grinding against each other as the whole room came to life. All the gears lining the walls slowly creaked and moved, but the second hand of the clock barely budged after a couple of minutes.

(There has got to be a way to speed this up. If I wait for the clock to strike twelve, then I'l be down here for months...), Azeruk thought to himself as he tried to figure out the puzzle.

That's when an idea came to Azeruk's mind. The only way to solve this "puzzle" was if the person was a Chronomage. Azeruk now knew what he needed to do. Azeruk walked to the center of the room, faced the clock, and focused his magic into his hands, forming a ball of golden light in between them. As seconds passed, the ball of golden light was soon being orbited by small, sparse rings of sand. As soon as a second layer of sand formed, Azeruk outstretched his arms and fingers, causing the ball of light to explode outward and engulf the entire room.

All of a sudden, the gears began to slowly accelerate, spinning faster and faster until it seemed as if the gears would fly off of their axles. THe room filled with the loud clattering of the gears as the clock sprang to life, quickly turning it's hands until it reached three, five, seven, ten, then eleven. As soon as the clock struck twelve, a loud chime rang out.


DONG... DONG... DONG... DONG... DONG... DONG... DONG... DONG... DONG... DONG... DONG... DONG...


Azeruk's ears began to ring from the loud chimes, but he soon lost awareness of the ringing when all of a sudden, the sounds of locks clicking open could be heard from the six on the clock. Azeruk slowly approached the six and pushed at the large number, revealing it to be a doorway leading to a long tunnel. At this moment, Azeruk's heart was racing. What could be on the other side of this tunnel? Why was it so well hidden?
Azerk didn't know, but he was going to find out. Azeruk took a deep breath, and ventured down the dark tunnel, careful not to run into any webs and spiders. To Azeruk's surprise, the tunnel was in pristine condition. In fact, there wasn't even a trace of dust on the floor. It was as if the entire tunnel was built a couple of hours ago.

(Perhaps Chronomancy?), Azeruk thought as he tried to make sense of his entire ordeal.

Azeruk soon pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind when he saw a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. After walking for what seemed to be an eternity, Azeruk found himself inside of a little room with more crystal-lights in the ceiling. In the center of the room was what appeared to be a book. The book looked like your average book, except for the golden runes inscribed along the spine and front cover of the book. Azeruk slowly reached out with his hands to grab the book. Once he had the book, Azeruk quickly ran out of the room, out of the clock chamber, out of the library and into his room. Azeruk was anxious to read the book. He was anxious to figure out why he was always harshly trained, why that strange man came to the tower, and what part he was to play in the future.

[Cucoo5]

???

tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-THATUNK-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-THATUNK-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-THATUNK-...

A great metal work clock served as the floor beneath a sheet of water of the vast room. The face was composed of intricate patterns with various pictograms etched into it. A clear crystal pane covered the metal and separated it from the water. The hands of the clock however were just submerged in the water. A faint blue glow emanated from the mechanisms of the clock, providing the only light in the dismal room. The patterns of the light through faintly disturbed water played along the rim of the clock and the streams of water flowing down from the darkness above. At the center, a girl in ceremonial dress knelt upon a platform above the hinge of the clock's hands. Chains wrapped around her, holding her imprisoned on the pedestal. An emblem that resembled the sun surrounded by pieces of the dawn and dusk was the only symbol on the central platform. The girl did not seem to be alive, but the faint breath that escaped her lips proved otherwise.

--------
Between Dimensions - Manor of Eternity - The Great Halls of Time

Aetheron stood at his usual place in the main entrance hall of the Manor, the far end overlooking the great room. Columns reached into the darkness where light dared to not climb. Ornate torch holders dotted along the wall. Decorative mosaics filled the spaces between. Behind him was a clock embedded into the wall. The bottom of the face touched the platform on which He stood. Aetheron did not move, save to flip the page of the book he held. The emblem on the book resembled the mark of the Guardians, however one of the rays had inverted itself and had turned red.

"The pieces are in play, the game has begun. All things shall be decided here. It is a race against the clock..."

--------
Land of Cinders and Ashes - To Kenji

Kiara looked at Esmerelda. "Well it isn't really how I feel. My loss was of the man that saved me from the darkness. And he was of the dark. A dark mage of sorts, he helped me save my home just because he could. In the end he paid the price. I see him in Aion... Aion is a man that will help someone because he can." Kiara began to blush and giggle as she spoke. "He really is a knight in shining armor, even though he doesn't wear much of any and its all rugged. Tehee...I would think he would look dashing in some armor though~"

Land of Cinders and Ashes - To Mount Ventus

Dalia shrugged. "Energy is energy, artificial or not. I don't know Arke's limits but I bet there might be a way to create a limited seal so that it keeps the stone from doing anything that you don't want it to." She looked up the mountain as she walked. "D*mn...I forgot how big this is..."

[wonderweiss]

Esmeralda giggled as she covered the lower half of her face with her fan.

"How lovely that sounds. I lost my sister which adds emotion, but if there were a phrase to describe the opposite of her, then a knight in shining armor would fit perfectly. Yes, how lovely... Well, not quite as lovely as the intense love between Toran and I. Ah, what a man... Zombie...."


Toran sighed.

"Whatever you say. All I have to say to that is good luck."

Toran looked at the mountain as he put his hands on his hips and gave a deep breath. "Yea, pretty big... Then again, there's a certain forbidden technique that can flatten half of that in minutes. But then again, it's forbidden for a reason."

[Cucoo5]

Land of Cinders and Ashes - To Kenji

Kiara was confused by what Esmerelda had said initially but picked up here last statement. "You know, I really wonder about the undead..." Then she turned and noticed that on the horizon, the ocean could be seen. "Oh! We're almost there!"

Land of Cinders and Ashes - To Mount Ventus

Dalia sighed and placed a hand to her forehead. "Well no point in bellyachin' bout it now." She then proceeded to walk along the mountain path. "Well c'mon! Look lively now!"

[S121]

Azeruk's Room - Chronomancer's Tower - Gensei Woods

Azeruk laid down on his bed and quickly opened the book to the first page. What he found was an introduction, or rather, a message for him.


"Azeruk, if you are reading this book, then that means that I am no longer here to teach you these things. Contained within this book is the knowledge you will need in order to complete your task. Within this book are spells taken from the Book of Chronomancy itself. I risked a lot by writing down many of the Chronomancers' most well protected secrets, so don't lose the book. You will find maps that I have created, just in case you get lost, different potion recipes, blueprints for various contraptions, and blank pages for your own notes. I would highly recommend that you read this on your journey though. You still need to find Amurei. I know that you may be confused by everything that's happening around you and that you don't like being kept in the dark, but it's necessary. I know that I have been hard on you for all these years, but know that it was not without good reason. I wish you the best of luck in your journeys."

Azeruk was surprised that Chronux knew about Amurei's involvement in today's events, but then again, he was a Chronomancer. Knowing what he had to do next, Azeruk walked over to his closet and began to outfit himself with all of the items he would need in his journey. He grabbed swords, handfuls of throwing knives and throwing needles, bombs, potions, and tools. Once he finished with that, he ran over to the kitchen and grabbed as much food and water as he could fit into the bag. It didn't matter what food Azeruk grabbed, he could keep it all fresh with his magic. As soon as Azeruk gatheres all of his supplies, he activated all of the guardians in the tower and instructed them to protect the tower. Once all the preparations were set, Azeruk looked at his parchment and read what the slowly forming words said.

Find Amurei

(Okay, shouldn't be too hard.), Azeruk thought to himself as he looked towards the mountains.

All of a sudden, Azeruk disappeared.

[wonderweiss]

Esmeralda chuckled. "Well, they are just dumbed down humans, in the exception of Toran, of course. Ah, some people ask me what I see in Toran, but my question is to them, what don't they see in him?"

Esmeralda looked at the horizon.

"Ah, quite beautiful. I might drag Toran here for a date!"


Toran followed with a weird look on his face. "... you're real f*cking funny, ya know that?"

[bookdragon2000]

Mt ventus

Amurei wandered around the outside of the shrine, watching the priest and others practicing wind magic or other things. She was trying to look normal, and hoped no one noticed her floating. If anyone saw it, they ignored it. She was left alone after a priest had come to greet her and offer hospitality, she had turned it down and said that she wanted to view the book of aeromancy. It was refused, but she had not expected much else, she would have been disappointed if security had been that lax.

She now entered the shrine, and once sure no one was looking at her, faded to a mere shadow. She then set off in search of the book of aeromancy.

But the priest she had greeted earlier appeared before her and spoke directly to her, " I'm afraid visitors are not allowed access in this area " Amurei was startled for a while, but quickly realised that her presence could be easily detected by aeromancers due to the displacement of air. She decided to come up with a better plan.

She once again made herself visible and went outside to observe some humans taking part in meditation.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __

Yaju camp

Lucas had managed to recruit a panther yaju who had some mild proficiency in water magic. So if they managed to acquire the book, they stood a higher chance of getting out. He then met up with the group and after waiting a while for everyone to prepare, they set off back into the gensei woods.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __

(what time is it now?)

[Kristia]

Gensei woods

Nera kept walking while following the Abain, she was meditating while moving, many things were on her mind, the war against the undead, the powder barrel about to explode from the interspecies issues and the information she wanted from her past. But all of that was somewhat flowing steadily she thought

"Speaking of appearing and disappearing castles sounds like a childīs story, I got to say it is quite hard to believe, but since your people also have a long life line, it can be digested" she said taking another piece of the herb into her mouth

"Also, about your group of guardians.. are they all scattered around the lands or they also have a disappearing castle?" the fox asked while swallowing the food

[Cucoo5]

Mount Ventus

"Ha! Now that's the spirit!" Dalia chuckled to herself again then dashed ahead, nimbly jumping from rock to rock along the edge of the upward path. "How much higher do you think it is to the wind shrine?"

---------

Path to Kenji

Kiara shrugged. "Mhm, it is beautiful by the ocean. It's been sort of our main camp for a while now since the war hasn't really reached it yet." Kiara looked back to Esmerelda. "I just hope it stays that way. Kenji has been through a lot already in my lifetime."

----------

Gensei Woods - To Kenji

Aion shook his head. "...yeah...taking in all these things..." He looked away for a moment and sighed. Then he perked back up and looked back at Nera. "Now my team is actually just a normal ol' rag tag group of mercenaries and travelers. The Guardians...it's more now not a question of how many there are, it's a question of how few are left. From what I gathered, there was a time when there were quite a few Guardians. This was before the War of the Fates. After? Three. Aetheron, Erebos, and Aurora. Supposedly, there were two recruits that Aetheron took in as his students, Sol and Luna. Those were the two that defined the Guardians in the tales..." Aion paused and took a drink from a flask. "The Legend of the Blood Tome originated with them. After they vanished, I came along. So to this day, there's only four Guardians of Time. And I'm the youngest from what I can guess...So I hope..." Aion looked forward, slightly uneasy. "...To be honest my memories have been really..." He stopped, looking for the word he wanted to use. "...lacking. I can't remember anything before I was twelve. It's as though..." deep in thought, Aion seemed to be about to grasp a concept...a fleeting elusive concept, but then it slipped from him again. "Ah...nevermind. Anyway, I can't wait to see Eleos's face when we get camp. Ha! I can hear it already..." Aion then changed his tone to mimic Eleos. "Oi! He goes off on a job and comes back with a woman! There's hope for him yet!" At the end he chuckled at his own antics. "Ha...Eleos, that rogue...I just hope me ole matey be there so that you could see the whole crew. Joe and his sister, Terrisa...they've been with me through thick and thin since the beginning. After I lost everything, Joe dragged me out of the darkness and back into the light. Though at this point we just say we're even 'cause I saved his hide enough times now. Heh..."

[Kristia]

Gensei Woods - To Kenji

Nera couldnīt help but laugh as how the Abain mimicked his friend "You do seem to be a rather close group, that is good, having loyalty between eachoter" she said gesturing the grouping and debating

"And sorry for raining your friendīs party, but im not in store, Im already taken by someone, you would like to see how she goes from total seriousness in a moment and then go all the way to caring for the smallest insect" the fox said smiling with the memories

"One thing the Yaju have inherited from the animal side is the total trust with their mate, our species just know who will be the partner the moment they see him or her. Yes there are some who have harems and related big groups, but the Master or mistress of such groups let their followers have their partner. It is withing our souls that we know who is our partner, by the time we reach a certain maturity to understand these subjects, our bodies start reacting to the surroundings and the moment we see that being.. lets say its a similar feeling like in heat" she trailed off laughing with an embarrased tone on the last part

The vixen took her pocketwatch and showed it to Aion "A work from her, I work in the big objects as a blacksmith and she thinkers with the small ones in her workshop"