10-05-2013, 04:02 AM
Dalaran was big. In fact, it was very big. Magus hid his shock, but despite the place being described as a city, he had been expecting a mage’s college, not an actual city, filled to capacity with spell-slingers of all kinds. He could feel stray magical energies flying this way and that, colliding with one another, mixing, separating, and diffusing into the sky. Magus could feel the thrum of magical tension all around him, and his own powers seethed and crackled beneath his skin.
Towers and cathedral-like structures stretched upward in every district of the city, but seemed oddly appropriate, as though nature had somehow willed these buildings into being atop a huge floating peninsula. Stone apartments overlooked administrative buildings, and everywhere there were gardens, pools, and ponds where people gathered to reflect and meditate.
The place was actually quite beautiful, and seemed devoid of the usual grime and subtle decay of most cities. The walkways had none of the cracks and pitting of wear, dust gathered nowhere, and all of the buildings, though noticeably archaic, were completely pristine. Magus had to remind himself that the Omniverse itself wasn’t very old at all, but even so, he knew some kind of magic was at work to keep Dalaran so suspiciously unmolested by time.
The man deftly slipped and bobbed through the living traffic that pulsed like diseased tissue, threatening to burst from the streets and infect the surrounding structures. Magus easily navigated the narrow gaps and crevices that repeatedly appeared and disappeared within and between the bodies around him, sliding forward like a shadow.
He assumed the little blond boy was following him. Magus had told him that he would not slow down for Link, and he’d meant it. It would have been unfortunate to lose track of the wielder of such interesting magic, but it wasn’t particularly important right now. He was getting close.
Suddenly, the pallid man veered into an alleyway and the thunder of voices and footsteps and pungent spears of sweat and other human filth became muted and warped, like listening to a conversation while underwater. Magus half threw himself against the nearest wall and allowed himself the slightest sigh, closing his eyes for a moment before gazing over to the mouth of the alley. As expected, Link broke from the crowd and into the narrow corridor after him.
“We’re being watched,” Magus announced.
“I noticed it too. They’re following us,” Link replied.
“Did you notice anyone else?”
“No,”
The man’s lip curled in annoyance, but he reverted to his poker face at once. “They’re also watching from the rooftops. I spotted at least two of them,” Magus’ crimson eyes focused on Link’s like two fiery spears boring into him. They lacked emotion, compassion, energy. A haunting pressure settled onto Link.
There was no time for Magus to admonish the boy for failing to spot them. “I can’t tell if they mean to harm us, or if they’re simply concerned about newcomers.”
“It wouldn’t be good to let them watch us if we’re looking for the library,” Link replied. “We should draw them out somewhere, or at least find out why they’re watching us.”
Magus nodded and shifted his gaze back to the mouth of the alley. “I thought we might run.”
Link nodded, “Where to?”
The Fiendlord allowed a slight smirk. The boy had already shown he was fairly capable, but he was still surprised to see Link catch onto his plan so quickly. “There is a particularly large courtyard to the east of us. You’ll see a statue of some woman with long hair there. It seemed fairly empty. If we move to the center of the park, we should be able to see all of the people who are following us.”
“And then what? Right now they might not know we’ve picked up on them, but if we do that they’ll know for sure.”
“Yes, exactly,” Magus agreed, moving back toward the street.
“Hey, wait!” Link protested. The man halted for a moment. “What happens then?”
“One of two things,” Magus replied, brushing a stray lock of lavender behind a pointed ear. “Either they notice we’ve spotted them and they give up, or they confront us. If they decide to leave, we can move freely. If they decide to confront us, we can take the opportunity to learn about them. Possibly about the library.”
Without waiting for a reply, he plunged back into the cacophony that awaited them in the street, conscious of the eyes that immediately picked up on him again. At least two sets of them, but not as many as before. He’d expected that; it meant that some of them had covered the alley’s other exit, in case he and Link should have gone that route.
He tossed a look behind him only once; the boy from Hyrule could be seen here and there past the sea of rabble, almost all of them magic users. Magus did his best to stay on task, but the rush of nostalgia was too much.
The Kingdom of Zeal was the only other place in his life that he’d ever felt the pressure from so many magical auras all at once; to feel the spark of creation and destruction all around him, it was all at once exciting, terrifying, arousing, and revolting. His hands shook. All this magic, all this power. There were so many of them! Magus hoped they were kindred spirits; there was so much he could learn, but part of him hoped they were not, for the opportunity to test himself against them.
Fleet footwork put him in the center of the sprawling courtyard, occupied only by a few other souls than himself and Link, who arrived shortly afterward. The two of them easily fixated on those who were following them. “Do you see them?” he asked.
“No, but they’re there,” Link responded.
“And the others? On the rooftops?”
“Yeah, three of them. Two opposite the ones who are following us, one to our right.”
The mage nodded. “Stand your ground. We want to make it obvious we’re waiting for them. Stay ready; we have no idea how they’ll react to us.”
They both stood fast, their eyes scanning from the ones on the ground to the ones on the rooftops. They were good. Their movements were almost impossible to pick up, more difficult now than before, probably because they knew now they had been spotted.
Soon, Magus and Link could feel themselves ringed in. They were flanked on three sides by each of the rooftop stalkers, and on the fourth by the ones who’d been following them in the street. “They’re coming toward us.”
Two figures broke from the crowd onto the perfect emerald grass of the courtyard and made their way toward them. The figures were men, one tall and lanky, the other average height and heavyset, both wearing hooded yellow robes adorned with white striping and markings, their cowls drawn nearly to their noses. Both of them approached, stopping abruptly about ten feet away when Magus’ grip on his scythe tightened up. “Watch them, these are snakes,” he hissed.
“Who are you?” asked the fat one. Magus could only see a mouth and stubble from beneath the hood, not enough to get an idea of what the man looked like. He found himself at a distinct informational disadvantage. Perhaps he could fix that.
“We should be asking you that question,” he retorted. “We’ve come here and done nothing inappropriate, and we find you two following our every move.”
“Oh, we’re guides,” the tall one unconvincingly declared.
“Yeah,” the other continued. “We were just hoping to help you get where you needed to go.”
“Do guides often obscure themselves to follow their clients in Dalaran?” Magus inquired. “Would it not be easier to simply ask us if we needed help finding a location?”
A devilish grin played across what could be seen of the tall one’s face. “You’re right,” he replied. “What we’re really here for is to play,” he lowered his voice. “You see, we can tell the both of you are new here, to the Omniverse. This place gets boring after a while. So much repetition! But you, and the boy,” he licked his lips. “It’ll be nice to have a couple of playthings around. There are so many experiments I’ve been meaning to run!”
“So, just you and the round one, then?” Magus asked with a tone of disinterest, tossing his cape over one of his shoulders.
“Or are your three friends going to join you?” Link added. To his satisfaction and that of the Fiendlord, their new acquaintances seemed to be momentarily at a loss for words.
“You two are smarter than you look,” the squat man grumbled, visibly annoyed that neither of their victims appeared to be taking the situation seriously. He made a sharp gesture over his head. Almost immediately, the three figures disappeared from their vantage points. “That’ll make this all the more interesting, don’t you think, Sif?”
The tall one, evidently called Sif, nodded. “It’s been a while since newcomers posed any threat. You know the funny part?” he paused for a moment. “If you’d just let the boy ask for directions, you’d probably be at the library already.”
“So, you know where it is?” Magus replied, as three more hooded figures, evidently the ones who’d been watching from the rooftops, stepped into view behind the first two.
“Of course,” Sif responded. “It’s no secret.”
Then, he snapped his fingers. In a flash, Magus, Link, and the five hooded people stood on a raised, stone platform, surrounded by nothing but endless green fields that seemed to stretch on for eternity.
“What-”
“Oh, it’s my version of an Isolation Verse. Unlike the typical pocket dimension you can buy from a merchant, this place allows me to transport and hold any number of people for as long as I like,” Sif responded.
“So, you understand yet? We can take as long as we like to break the two of you, or you can simply get on your knees and surrender now,” the heavy one withdrew a small metal rod which began to violently buzz and spark with electricity. “If you give up, we won’t have to hurt you. Much.”
Magus threw his scarlet cloak off of his concealed arm, thrusting a palm crackling with black energy forth. It arced from his hand to the fat man almost of its own will, piercing through him with ease before racing ahead into obscurity.
With a forced, high pitched “Hhhu-uuungh,” the cloaked man dropped his baton and simply rolled backward on his heels before smacking into the concrete, his hood falling back to expose his upturned nose, beady black eyes, and wobbling cheeks. He was sweating now, like a priest caught spending time with a whore.
“Perhaps you haven’t understood the situation,” Magus coolly responded, lowering his arm back to his side. “We’re not the ones in danger. You are. It may be a good idea to let us out of here, and to tell us where the library is, so we don’t have to hurt the rest of you.”
“Oh, you think you’re special, do you?” Sif growled, his hands suddenly shrouding themselves in a pulsating orange effervescence. “I’ve got this arrogant piece of trash. He took Ryland by surprise but he won’t get me. You take care of the kid. Break his legs if he’s trouble.”
The other three robed people started toward Link, who immediately drew his sword and shield. Magus gripped his scythe with both hands to square off with Sif, while Link prepared to do battle with his three goons.
“You’re going to regret killing my friend,” Sif growled.
Towers and cathedral-like structures stretched upward in every district of the city, but seemed oddly appropriate, as though nature had somehow willed these buildings into being atop a huge floating peninsula. Stone apartments overlooked administrative buildings, and everywhere there were gardens, pools, and ponds where people gathered to reflect and meditate.
The place was actually quite beautiful, and seemed devoid of the usual grime and subtle decay of most cities. The walkways had none of the cracks and pitting of wear, dust gathered nowhere, and all of the buildings, though noticeably archaic, were completely pristine. Magus had to remind himself that the Omniverse itself wasn’t very old at all, but even so, he knew some kind of magic was at work to keep Dalaran so suspiciously unmolested by time.
The man deftly slipped and bobbed through the living traffic that pulsed like diseased tissue, threatening to burst from the streets and infect the surrounding structures. Magus easily navigated the narrow gaps and crevices that repeatedly appeared and disappeared within and between the bodies around him, sliding forward like a shadow.
He assumed the little blond boy was following him. Magus had told him that he would not slow down for Link, and he’d meant it. It would have been unfortunate to lose track of the wielder of such interesting magic, but it wasn’t particularly important right now. He was getting close.
Suddenly, the pallid man veered into an alleyway and the thunder of voices and footsteps and pungent spears of sweat and other human filth became muted and warped, like listening to a conversation while underwater. Magus half threw himself against the nearest wall and allowed himself the slightest sigh, closing his eyes for a moment before gazing over to the mouth of the alley. As expected, Link broke from the crowd and into the narrow corridor after him.
“We’re being watched,” Magus announced.
“I noticed it too. They’re following us,” Link replied.
“Did you notice anyone else?”
“No,”
The man’s lip curled in annoyance, but he reverted to his poker face at once. “They’re also watching from the rooftops. I spotted at least two of them,” Magus’ crimson eyes focused on Link’s like two fiery spears boring into him. They lacked emotion, compassion, energy. A haunting pressure settled onto Link.
There was no time for Magus to admonish the boy for failing to spot them. “I can’t tell if they mean to harm us, or if they’re simply concerned about newcomers.”
“It wouldn’t be good to let them watch us if we’re looking for the library,” Link replied. “We should draw them out somewhere, or at least find out why they’re watching us.”
Magus nodded and shifted his gaze back to the mouth of the alley. “I thought we might run.”
Link nodded, “Where to?”
The Fiendlord allowed a slight smirk. The boy had already shown he was fairly capable, but he was still surprised to see Link catch onto his plan so quickly. “There is a particularly large courtyard to the east of us. You’ll see a statue of some woman with long hair there. It seemed fairly empty. If we move to the center of the park, we should be able to see all of the people who are following us.”
“And then what? Right now they might not know we’ve picked up on them, but if we do that they’ll know for sure.”
“Yes, exactly,” Magus agreed, moving back toward the street.
“Hey, wait!” Link protested. The man halted for a moment. “What happens then?”
“One of two things,” Magus replied, brushing a stray lock of lavender behind a pointed ear. “Either they notice we’ve spotted them and they give up, or they confront us. If they decide to leave, we can move freely. If they decide to confront us, we can take the opportunity to learn about them. Possibly about the library.”
Without waiting for a reply, he plunged back into the cacophony that awaited them in the street, conscious of the eyes that immediately picked up on him again. At least two sets of them, but not as many as before. He’d expected that; it meant that some of them had covered the alley’s other exit, in case he and Link should have gone that route.
He tossed a look behind him only once; the boy from Hyrule could be seen here and there past the sea of rabble, almost all of them magic users. Magus did his best to stay on task, but the rush of nostalgia was too much.
The Kingdom of Zeal was the only other place in his life that he’d ever felt the pressure from so many magical auras all at once; to feel the spark of creation and destruction all around him, it was all at once exciting, terrifying, arousing, and revolting. His hands shook. All this magic, all this power. There were so many of them! Magus hoped they were kindred spirits; there was so much he could learn, but part of him hoped they were not, for the opportunity to test himself against them.
Fleet footwork put him in the center of the sprawling courtyard, occupied only by a few other souls than himself and Link, who arrived shortly afterward. The two of them easily fixated on those who were following them. “Do you see them?” he asked.
“No, but they’re there,” Link responded.
“And the others? On the rooftops?”
“Yeah, three of them. Two opposite the ones who are following us, one to our right.”
The mage nodded. “Stand your ground. We want to make it obvious we’re waiting for them. Stay ready; we have no idea how they’ll react to us.”
They both stood fast, their eyes scanning from the ones on the ground to the ones on the rooftops. They were good. Their movements were almost impossible to pick up, more difficult now than before, probably because they knew now they had been spotted.
Soon, Magus and Link could feel themselves ringed in. They were flanked on three sides by each of the rooftop stalkers, and on the fourth by the ones who’d been following them in the street. “They’re coming toward us.”
Two figures broke from the crowd onto the perfect emerald grass of the courtyard and made their way toward them. The figures were men, one tall and lanky, the other average height and heavyset, both wearing hooded yellow robes adorned with white striping and markings, their cowls drawn nearly to their noses. Both of them approached, stopping abruptly about ten feet away when Magus’ grip on his scythe tightened up. “Watch them, these are snakes,” he hissed.
“Who are you?” asked the fat one. Magus could only see a mouth and stubble from beneath the hood, not enough to get an idea of what the man looked like. He found himself at a distinct informational disadvantage. Perhaps he could fix that.
“We should be asking you that question,” he retorted. “We’ve come here and done nothing inappropriate, and we find you two following our every move.”
“Oh, we’re guides,” the tall one unconvincingly declared.
“Yeah,” the other continued. “We were just hoping to help you get where you needed to go.”
“Do guides often obscure themselves to follow their clients in Dalaran?” Magus inquired. “Would it not be easier to simply ask us if we needed help finding a location?”
A devilish grin played across what could be seen of the tall one’s face. “You’re right,” he replied. “What we’re really here for is to play,” he lowered his voice. “You see, we can tell the both of you are new here, to the Omniverse. This place gets boring after a while. So much repetition! But you, and the boy,” he licked his lips. “It’ll be nice to have a couple of playthings around. There are so many experiments I’ve been meaning to run!”
“So, just you and the round one, then?” Magus asked with a tone of disinterest, tossing his cape over one of his shoulders.
“Or are your three friends going to join you?” Link added. To his satisfaction and that of the Fiendlord, their new acquaintances seemed to be momentarily at a loss for words.
“You two are smarter than you look,” the squat man grumbled, visibly annoyed that neither of their victims appeared to be taking the situation seriously. He made a sharp gesture over his head. Almost immediately, the three figures disappeared from their vantage points. “That’ll make this all the more interesting, don’t you think, Sif?”
The tall one, evidently called Sif, nodded. “It’s been a while since newcomers posed any threat. You know the funny part?” he paused for a moment. “If you’d just let the boy ask for directions, you’d probably be at the library already.”
“So, you know where it is?” Magus replied, as three more hooded figures, evidently the ones who’d been watching from the rooftops, stepped into view behind the first two.
“Of course,” Sif responded. “It’s no secret.”
Then, he snapped his fingers. In a flash, Magus, Link, and the five hooded people stood on a raised, stone platform, surrounded by nothing but endless green fields that seemed to stretch on for eternity.
“What-”
“Oh, it’s my version of an Isolation Verse. Unlike the typical pocket dimension you can buy from a merchant, this place allows me to transport and hold any number of people for as long as I like,” Sif responded.
“So, you understand yet? We can take as long as we like to break the two of you, or you can simply get on your knees and surrender now,” the heavy one withdrew a small metal rod which began to violently buzz and spark with electricity. “If you give up, we won’t have to hurt you. Much.”
Magus threw his scarlet cloak off of his concealed arm, thrusting a palm crackling with black energy forth. It arced from his hand to the fat man almost of its own will, piercing through him with ease before racing ahead into obscurity.
With a forced, high pitched “Hhhu-uuungh,” the cloaked man dropped his baton and simply rolled backward on his heels before smacking into the concrete, his hood falling back to expose his upturned nose, beady black eyes, and wobbling cheeks. He was sweating now, like a priest caught spending time with a whore.
“Perhaps you haven’t understood the situation,” Magus coolly responded, lowering his arm back to his side. “We’re not the ones in danger. You are. It may be a good idea to let us out of here, and to tell us where the library is, so we don’t have to hurt the rest of you.”
“Oh, you think you’re special, do you?” Sif growled, his hands suddenly shrouding themselves in a pulsating orange effervescence. “I’ve got this arrogant piece of trash. He took Ryland by surprise but he won’t get me. You take care of the kid. Break his legs if he’s trouble.”
The other three robed people started toward Link, who immediately drew his sword and shield. Magus gripped his scythe with both hands to square off with Sif, while Link prepared to do battle with his three goons.
“You’re going to regret killing my friend,” Sif growled.
![[Image: Magus.jpg]](http://rpnexus.com/sig/miscsig/Magus.jpg)