Tabula Rasa [Ather City 3] Main Game page 6

Vinyl
I wipe the rest of it off my mouth using a napkin, “Oh gawd, whats in that? I mean I guess you could use it as a weapon of mass destruction in war but I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy!” I chug down my water. "Damn, I don’t know if the free food is worth that. “So my freind, what shall we do now?”

Connor
I kind of feel like curling up into a corner somewhere now that Clayton’s been brought up. “Yeah… he kind of got in a fight on the other side of town, and there was some property damage. So I have to go bail him out.”

Evie
I giggle slightly at his blush, mostly because it’s a little amusing that he gets flustered so easily. I wasn’t trying to make him nervous, if that’s even what I did. I suppose I was simply trying to come to terms with reality – that lovely reality that slapped me in the face only a few minutes before. I shrug a little at his statement about his arrested brother. There’s one of those in my family, too.
“It’s not weird. Not to me, at least. Pretty easy going, here. So you’re gonna go bust him out?” I ask, smiling. “I’ve got some free time… After all, it’s not like I’ve got any legitimate family, now. I suppose I’m gonna live with her.” I motion my head to the girl, of whom I still don’t know her name.

Gwyneth

I nod, affirming her statement that she’s going to live with me. Good. It would bother me to no end if she declined my offer. Now that that matter was settled, my attention was turned to the boy. It seems as if anyone that looks even a bit younger than myself is automatically seen as helpless and sad. That nervous, withdrawn look on his face when his brother is mentioned. He obviously must care for him a lot, it is his brother after all, even to the point where he’s going to bail him out. I’m not sure if that means paying the fee or a prison break, but either way I find myself wanting to go along. I check my pocket watch and switch my plans for the day. “I can’t let you two children visit a prison by your lonesome. I’ll come with you and supervise.”

Jacob

“Well, I guess we get a place to sleep and start planning your performance if we aren’t too tired.” I say. That prize thing was really funny, I bet they made the whole meal for that gag.

Vinyl
..“Well do you know any inns around here?”..

Jacob

“Nope, send the dog.” I respond.

[This isn’t my game, you are allowed to take initiative and invent things as well.]

[I know]
Vinyl
I summon my hell dog and whisper soomething into his ear, he then dashes out of the bar, “follow him!” I start running after the dog.

Jacob

“Okay” I say, and follow.

Analisse

“Alright then, that concludes this interview. See? I told you it wasn’t going to be that bad.” Dave leaned back, visibly relaxing his posture. I looked down at my watch out of curiosity and was surprised to see how late it had gotten.
“You’re right, good job. So that means I’m able to go now, correct?” There was a hint of anxiety in my voice.
“Of course Ana, we’re done here.”
We both got up simultaneously and I shook his hand, thanking him in the process.
“Oh, what about my bag? The officer took it with him and I don’t know where to go…”
“Yeah, of course. Follow me, I’ll take you to the lockers.”

I had convinced Dave I wanted to head home alone, regardless of the “dangers” of being by myself, and now I was happily walking away from the station, enjoying the chilled breeze of the night. It was quieter than usual, so I pulled out my MP3 player to blast some music. Moments like these were rather therapeutic, and I saw no harm in taking the long way home. After all, who knew what’d be waiting for me back there.

(sorry guys my computer logs me in and out at random but I got it fixed!)

Jason

He looks at the view from the hill and then starts to climb down the steep slope. “Jesus….”

Vinyl
I follow the dog to a place called the blue moon inn, after calling my dog away, I entered the inn and pay for 2 rooms, one for me and one for Jacob. I turn to Jacob and ask “Hey, there is still enough sunlight to do some practicing, you know anywhere we can practice fire magic?”.

[I’ve generated some random friends/cohorts for Luke. They may or may not be used again, depending on plot development.]
[Nikolai Astapkovich: Elemental, shadow. Uses dark magic to paralyze and debilitate.]
[Yamada Reika: Augmentative. Uses ghostly flames to strengthen her body and katana. Her first name, Reika, can be read as either “beautiful flower” or “spirit fire”.]
[Francis Leonhart: Summoning. Summons various creatures that attach to his nervous system and function as extra limbs.]
[Jessica Thompson: Empathic. Shoots out what appears to be green electricity to disrupt and inhibit magical powers.]
[Despite some notable similarities, these people are not entirely meant to be expies of the NOS high council in TWA.]

Luke Fausten

Earlier today

“That will be enough, Nikolai,” I call out amiably to the young Russian shadow mage, my number one minion, ahem, I mean friend.

“Those fuckers were going to burn down our school, Luke!” Nikolai spits as he gives the gangster, bound and paralyzed by his dark magic, another savage kick in the crotch. His otherwise somewhat humorous Russian accent now drips with venom and malice. “They deserve worse than this!”

“But still, Nik, why are we dishing out the punishment?” Reika, a second member of my little group, speaks casually, even though she is holding the blade of her katana against another gangster’s neck. “I mean, we should hand those guys to the police. Else we’ll no better than a bunch of vigilantes.”

“We are a bunch of vigilantes,” says Francis, the usual voice of reason within our circle. He is holding down three of the gangsters with the plastic-looking tentacles attached to his arms, the strange creatures that he can summon and attach to his nerve signals at will.

“And seriously, do you really believe that the police will hold these idiots in for long?” Jessica scoffs; it is her empathic magic that is currently inhibiting the couple of fire mages among the gangsters.

“She’s right, you stupid faggots!” One of the gangsters I am holding down suddenly barks with laughter. “We’ve got connections! If you fucking throw us in jail, we’ll be outta there and burning down your asses like-”

I suddenly tighten the strings of shimmering telekinetic energy coming from my body that is binding the gangster down like ropes. “I apologize, but I don’t remember permitting you to speak,” I look down at the pathetic speck of a human being with disdain. An orb of white light materializes near me and floats down, moving millimeters away from the man’s face, causing him to instinctively shrink back in fear. He clearly remembers its power to scorch vile-hearted vermin like him. “And like you, I also have connections.” Given all the favors old man Mephistine has done them in the past, the police here is generally very willing to bend their rules a little or a lot for me.

“Who the hell are you anyways?!” One of the other gangsters blurts out. I do not blame him; it is not common to see a group of five teenagers, mere high school students, utterly devastate a recognizably dangerous gang like the Hellrazers.

My lips curl into a smirk. “Novus Ordo Seclorum,” I utter the name of our little, ahem, peacekeeping group, that we’ve decided for ourselves.

“That name still sucks,” Nikolai grumbles.

Francis sighs. “We voted, Nikolai. And I like it.”

“Can we turn those guys in now?” Reika asks. “Please?”

“Of course,” I say smoothly, while hauling all my captive gangsters to their feet. My cohorts do the same. “Oh, and one more thing…” The ball of white light that I have yet to dispel suddenly flattens into a malleable sheet, and coats the gangster’s face. “This is for burning my face off earlier,” I speak as my magic rapidly destroys the criminal’s skin cells.

…

Later tonight

I sit by the riverbank, and silently gaze at the brilliant twinkling stars above. Habitually I raise the silver chain and cross pendant around my neck to watch the glittering starlight reflected on its shiny surfaces. Then I frown in annoyance, looking at the malformed blob of metal, remembering my, ahem, encounter with the Hellrazers gang earlier today. It was a careless and stupid mistake, allowing that fireball to slip past my telekinetic barrier and strike me. The blast melted my pendant and scorched my face, a favor I gladly repaid to the fire mage before we turned him in. Fortunately it was only the loss of skin and bits of flesh, nothing I could not easily heal, but my spell does not work on inanimate objects. Too bad; I liked this pendant…

Sighing, I take the pendant off, crush it with telekinesis, and toss it into the river. Repairing this cheap fake silver is probably more expensive than buying a new one.

I think back to Nikolai and the others, these people whom I call friends. Yes, they are all good people at heart, for my World’s Will spell harms none of them. They are dependable, and I trust them to watch my back. But ultimately, they flock under me because I am strong. In this city where magic is few, frowned upon, and even feared, mages like us naturally stick together, with their strongest as the leader. I occasionally wonder how people will treat me if I do not possess this great magical power, likely not a protector to be followed or a monster to be feared. Nikolai, Reika, Francis, and Jessica… Would they still be my friends if I were not a mage?

I shake my head clear of these thoughts. I do have power, and considering hypothetical situations will accomplish nothing. I gaze up at the stars again; there are simply so many of them. Who knows what lurks in the depths of outer space amid those stars? I think back to Mephistine’s ramblings of an apocalypse, where I will be the savior and spread the World’s Will to those who survive its judgment. Perhaps there truly is something amid those stars, something that can crush our human civilization with ease?

At that moment, a line of white streaks across the sky. Hmm, a shooting star? How nice.

The shooting star becomes brighter and brighter. It takes me a moment, but I quickly realize that it seems to be coming directly toward me. “What…” I stand up and begin to walk backwards.

For several seconds, the white glow becomes blinding. Wind rushes at me. Instinctively I form a telekinetic force field around me, charging it so full of energy that it goes from mere translucent ripples in the air to a solid glowing white energy construct. Almost as soon as I conjure the barrier, I feel a crushing pressure on my mind that nearly shatters the shield. But whatever it is, my magic is strong enough to hold it off, barely. I let out a shuddering breath as the force field dissipates. A little smoking crater lies before me. It must have been the shockwave of the impact; there is no way my shield can hold against the meteorite itself.

I glance down at the meteorite that has nearly killed me. It looks like a lump of some bright silvery white metal, slightly smaller than my closed fist. I can feel energy from the metal, a subtle energy that is elusive and barely detectable. Experimentally, I reach out with telepathy to touch the metal. For the first instant I can feel its power stored within, but the energy quickly slips out of my grasp.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I bend down to examine the silvery lump more closely. It’s strange that I do not feel much heat emanating from the metal, considering that it has just fallen from the sky as a meteorite. I briefly wonder if the metal is radioactive, but it matters not; cancer and other radiation-related illnesses can be cured quite easily with healing spells such as mine. Seeing no potential harm in doing so, I reach out with one finger to touch the metal. And…

Nothing particularly interesting happens. The lump of metal feels warm, and surprisingly light, almost weightless, as I pick it up. I extend my telepathy to it again, with the same result as before. Hmm…

Looking at the lump of silvery metal in my hand, I think back to the lump of fake silver that used to be my cross pendant. I thought of the searing agony as the Hellrazer fire mage’s bolt struck my face. Suddenly the metal responds, leaving off of my hand by its own accord. It expands and flattens itself into a sheet, curves, and attaches itself to my face as a silvery mask.

“What…?!” I sputter out. The sound comes out of the mask and reaches my ears with a strange metallic tinge. “I do not need facial protection!” Seething, I cause telekinetic force to seep out of the skin on my face, peeling the silvery mask off. Just as I scratch my face to see if any metal remains, the mask collapses and morphs into an exact replica of the silver cross pendant I lost today, chain included.

I stare the newly formed pendant incredulously. I then strike it with all my telepathic might, determined to pry apart its secrets. But the metal becomes unresponsive once more.

…

The next day

“Sorry dude, seems just like enchanted silver to me,” Samuel, a local alchemist whose shop I occasionally visit, puts down the silver cross pendant after a long period of examination. “It’s charmed to be tough and light, but that’s pretty much it. I can’t do a thing to mess with the enchantment though, so whoever did it must be real good.”

I frown as I take back the pendant. “Thank you very much, Samuel.” Even as I try again, the metal does not respond to my telepathic probe. It really does feel like nothing more than enchanted silver. In fact, if someone gives this pendant to me right now, there is no way I’ll ever know that it comes from a meteorite.

Oh well. At least I now have a replacement pendant. With a shrug I put the silver cross and chain around my neck, and walks out of the store.

[So if anyone is concerned with Luke’s telekinesis, it’s basically just solid physical objects created from the surface of his body. If you’re under the impression that it’s OP, just PM me and I’ll argue otherwise.]

Eve Walker

Not going to tell me anything, hmm? I expected as much. But I suppose it doesn’t really concern me at the moment, so there is no need to push. Also, keep away from guys wearing masks? Personally, I don’t see myself dealing with someone who is not willing to show his or her face to me anytime soon.

The holograms that the sunglasses are projecting suddenly begin to disappear. “Wait!” I call out. “Can these sunglasses transform into anything else, such as contact lenses?” Refreshing as it may be, I do not think I’ll be wearing this outfit or similar for prolonged periods of time. “Also, are you able to speak to me via telepathy?” Unfortunately, I myself possess no such ability; talking to a pair of sunglasses, or seemingly nothing at all, will look strange unless the conversation can be somehow kept to only myself.

[So who wants some character interaction? Eve is in England and Luke is in North America.]

Richard
I find the house easy enough. ‘Big’ is an understatement. It is huge. Three stories high and several buildings’ worth across. Someone must’ve knocked down half the street to build this. I notice a big gate and a wooden fence, which is about head height- just low enough for me to climb across. I clamber onto it and look down on the small garden. No cameras or any lasers or anything. I’m guessing that this is one of this guys’ many homes. I jump down and walk across the garden, taking out my screwdriver. I pick the lock on the front door and walk inside. I immediately head up to the third story, and notice a few uninhabited bedrooms. Must be guest rooms. Guess I’m heading for the second floor. I head down the stairs and very quietly enter the first of three doors I come across, and hit a gold mine.

The owner is fast asleep. I see a bottle of sleeping pills on his bedside drawer. Looks like he’s gonna be out for a while. I quietly look into the first drawer, and find a pair of star-shaped emerald-studded earrings. I look through a few more drawers before noticing the wall safe. Crap. I look around for something to help me, when I notice a post-it note on the wall. 3654. The code for his safe. Must’ve been forgetful. I enter the code and open it to reveal a gold necklace with a huge ruby on it, and a diamond. This’ll be it. I grab the diamond and the gold necklace, tiptoe out of the house, jump over the fence and head for my street corner, taking my gloves off as I walk. Looks like I’ll be good for nice fancy meals for a few weeks.

ARGUS
The glasses disappear, and my voice is projected out by the speakers. “They can turn invisible if you want. And sorry, I’m not exactly magically inclined, so no telepathy.”

Connor
I take out my phone and dial the last number I called. “Gaylord, if you’re already at the station, just find Clayton and do that weird door portal thing. I’ll catch up a little later.” I return my attention to the girls. “Well, if we’re lucky, we can just leave this to the guy who basically has diplomatic immunity.”

“He’s synced too far with the old timeline. I’m going down there.”
“Nick, no. Revealing yourself this soon, we have no idea how it would affect the rest of the timeline.”
“No more than sending the artifacts down there is doing.”
“Fine. Just make sure no one sees you.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m just firing a warning shot.

Later that night, Luke Fausten finds himself transported to the riverbank from earlier, but this time, there was someone else here. The man was sitting next to the edge, wearing a yellow and black jacket. Two keys hung from a chain around his neck. “Hello, Luke. We have much to discuss.”

Luke Fausten

I instantly become alert, ready to fight with all the magic and combat skills I’ve learned throughout my life. But somehow I don’t think I stand much of a chance. If this man in front of me can teleport me back here without me even noticing, one must wonder what else he is capable of. “Much to discuss, I agree. Do you mind explaining yourself?” I speak with a cautious tone, not taking my eyes off of the man for an instant.

Jacob

“The woods would be too dangerous. I suggest we find a nice place by the lake. Tomorrow, though.” I say, and enter my room to sleep.

Gaylord Anderson

The clever Gaylord is still dashing through the streets, anxiously trying to propel himself to the police station. Suddenly a car horn pierces the chatter around him as a prius screeches to a halt mere inches from Anderson’s legs. Anderson jumps back slightly, in his haste he was disregarding his surroundings. “Who the hell puts a car here?” Anderson shouted at the miniscule vehicle as he began kicking the front bumper in. “Seriously man watch where you’re going? Don’t you know who I am?!”. The driver emerges from his car and lurches over to the relatively small frame of the Gaylord. “you shut the hell up before I cave your FACE in, punk” he blasted in Anderson’s face.

Anderson tried to maintain his sangfroid, he shakily reached for his phone and called his house. “Chiave, I’m requesting an air strike on my position, I expect it to be here within 5 minutes or less, also, I’m going to request you send my dowsing rods to me”. Anderson then hung up and quickly retreated into the distance, there was no way he’d want to be here in a few minutes.

once again he dialed Connor, “Connor? ugh, another message? Please don’t tell me you’re in trouble too! Anyways, I’m bringing some reinforcement in case the warden refuses to cooperate……say, you wouldn’t happen to have a haz-mat suit would you? If we’re busting him out we’ll need to disguise him. Anyways I can see the penitentiary just ahead, I’ll be there in a m- THAT WAS NOT FIVE MINUTES CHIAVE WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU D-?!” the phone cut off before the rest of the sentence could register. Lo and behold, Anderson’s helper-bot Chiave was rolling right next to him on motor-skates. “Mr. Anderson! Here’s the item you requested!” the robot chirped as he handed the metal pipes to his master.

Er…..that’s just lovely, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me you didn’t do the air-strike y- (BOOM)

“sir, we may have two issues………that wasn’t our strike” Chiave stated. “OH GOD WHAT?” Anderson skidded to a halt to look for any carnage behind him. To the surprise of both of them, there was no damage of any kind. The Gaylord scratched his head as he tried to make sense of the situation….. Suddenly all sense of responsibility returned to him and he began dashing to the prison house. “Chiave you go back home and watch over things, we’ll sort that out later!” He shouted as he zipped into the distance.

I’m not here to fight you, Luke. Now why don’t you sit down and I get get us some tea, maybe move this conversation to a cathedral of something." Luke does not seem amused by the older mage’s quips. “Never mind that. First off, where did you get this necklace?” He produces the cross pendant from nowhere and promptly hands it back. "Never mind, I already know. You’ve caused a lot of trouble for a lot of people, Luke.

Luke Fausten

“A lot of trouble?” I narrow my eyes. “You mean beating up a group of gangsters and turning them in? I’ve read their minds. Some delinquents in my school paid those gangsters to burn the whole school down as revenge for being expelled a couple of weeks ago. If I haven’t ‘caused a lot of trouble’ to stop them, the school that I have been attending for five years would be nothing but a pile of ashes and dust by now!” I know I should not get agitated because of this, but I can’t seem to help it. It’s irritating enough to see this stranger know things about me that he shouldn’t, but more so when he gets his facts wrong. “Or do you mean in general? I don’t know where you obtained your information from, but I’ve done nothing more than giving bullies and criminals the punishment they deserve. I save the weaker ones from those who prey on them, mister. Is that ‘causing trouble’ for you?”

I never said anything about what you’ve done this time around. So far, you’ve actually done pretty well in this iteration. But in a world you don’t remember, in a life that has no meaning to you, you’ve done a lot that justifies my being here tonight. I’m not going to tell you much more than that, but just about all you need to know is in a few books I wrote. Just go to a library and look up the name Keyes. I’ll know if you do, and I’ll contact you tomorrow night if you do." The mage extends his hand toward Luke. "Do we have a deal?

Vinyl
I enter my room and jump into my bed and sleep.

[Jacob, you can post when day comes for us]

Jacob

I pour a bucket of water on Vynil. “Rise and shine! It’s already five A.M. , We should have started training one hour ago! Get dressed and come out, We have lots of work to do today!” I say, exiting the room

[Y u keep spelling Vinyl’s name wrong, Kidudeman?]

Luke Fausten

“Deal,” I answer cautiously.

The next day, I head for the city’s central library as soon as it opens, and look up the name “Keyes”. The implication that I have committed heinous crimes in my past life is both infuriating and intriguing; I must find out more.