No.294[View All]
>Date: September 16th, 2017 (Earth time)
>Location: Ceridwen's Room, The Axiom
>After the situation with Sirius, Ceri retires to her room. Clearly drained of some of her energy, she takes her cloak off, letting it float over to a hook on the other side of the room. Without the bulky piece of clothing covering her, how small her form is is even more obvious, the cloak having added an inch or two to her height, and having hidden how thing and twig-like her arms really are.
>Also revealed by the cloak being gone is just how extensive the brand on her arm is, while still visible with the cloak on, not being covered reveals how it twists and winds around her arm, leaving little in the way of skin, and continuing on to her shoulder - and perhaps beyond.
>With an exhausted slump, the girl takes a seat in the room, staring at the brand.
"It doesn't pulse and hurt any more, but it still remains, even with nothing on the other side to exploit it, the rift remains a risk. . ."
>Looking at a book on her desk, Ceri thinks for a moment.
"I should check on it, maybe visit the family, although I don't think they would be that pleased to see me. . ."
>Another thought enters Ceri's head, and she groans.
". . .and that Chimera, why is he just left to run amok with the secrets of the Thaumians?"
"I mean, they were pompous idiots. . . but even they understood how some things worked, right?"
". . .and how did he get it in the first place anyway? It was magitek. . . Eukar. . . Ewe Carrot? If it's magitek that means they were given it by. . ."
>Ceri groans.
"The Hydes. . . Who else would have access to magitek? But why?"
>Ceri groans again.
". . .and now that's going to be stuck in my head until I work it out. . . wait. . ."
>Ceri taps her head for a moment.
"The male heir died, but there were two more, younger sisters. . . they're probably still out there somewhere, I could just track them down with a spell and. . ."
>Standing up, Ceri rushes over to a desk, shuffling through it until she finds a crow's feather, which she takes holds in front of her.
"We just need a bit of. . ."
>Putting the feather down on a clean surface, Ceri unsheathes the dagger from her belt, bringing up to her finger very carefully and pricking it so a drop of blood comes out, landing on the feather.
"Then we just. . ."
>Picking the feather back up, Ceri holds it close to her mouth, closes her eyes, and whispers an incantation to the feather, causing it float in front of her.
"It's not a lot, but I have a little bit of Hyde in me, let's just hope that's enough. . ."
>Holding her hand out, Ceri summons her cloak to her, putting it on once it floats close enough to her, then taps the feather again, causing it to slowly glide to her door. Following it, the girl grins.
"Well, here's hoping. . ."
52 posts and 60 image replies omitted. Click reply to view. No.370
>>369>Trying to play herself off as being cool, she leans against the workbech, and waves her hand in a dismissive manner. "It's no big deal. I don't have to deal with it anymore. Just my sister occasionally coming in the room and nagging me."
>Putting on an irritating mocking voice, Amy says: "Women need to mind their manners. You'll never find a husband if you don't know how to properly cook and clean. You need to learn to speak more proper. Men don't like improper women."
>Amy continues this until he words get increasingly less comprehensable, before finally crossing her arms and returning to her normal tone of voice."Like I care if some guy thinks I would make a good housewife or not. Guys are smelly and weird. Unlike most girls."
>She blows a tuff of hair out of the way of her eyes. No.371
>>370"The only ones I've ever met were related to me, or Isaac, who I don't think I could ever see as. . . 'a husband', so I don't really get what your sister is saying there."
>Ceri shrugs."I was always taught to keep out pact, but to think ahead, to always find new things, and to work through pain. There's spells to help with cooking and cleaning - why should you put all your energy in to them?"
No.372
>>371"That sounds… useful."
>Amy stares at Ceri for a few moments, blinking. "Well, I'd still like to learn more. But my sister isn't as knowledgeable as our brother was, and she's usually too busy doing housework anyway. And the only other person I know is Stephanie. Who is kind of… intimidating/"
>Amy appears as if her eyes have nearly glazed over for a moment as she recalls previous interactions with Stephanie. No.373
>>372"I don't see why anyone would bother otherwise if they knew it, it's very simple magic, easy to maintain it as well. I just don't use it often because. . . Well. . ."
>Ceri shrugs"I don't need to. But I know
how to use it, I could try and teach it, I guess."
". . .although my methods are probably more. . . Naturalistic than the ones your books would have taught."
No.374
>>373>Amy's eyes appear to light up suddenly. "You'd be willing to teach me, really?"
>She stops leaning against the workbench, now standing up straight. "Would you… be willing to teach me more than that? Because my sister usually handles all the stuff in the kitchen anyway."
No.375
>>374>Ceri thinks about it for a moment."I guess. . . if it isn't anything that's
too dangerous or powerful. . . nothing summoning related. . ."
"Besides those, is there anything you'd particularly like I guess? I can get books from the library about them to help."
No.376
>>375>Amy thinks about it for a few moments, looking to the floor."Hmm…"
>After a few moments of silence, she looks back at Ceri and says: "Anything. Just anything and everything. I don't care what we start with. Just something."
No.377
>>376"But do you like anything in particular? 'Everything' is a lot, especially compared to. . ."
>Ceridwen gestures at the cardboard box.". . .this."
No.378
>>377"I don't know what I like. I was never exposed to enough to gain a preference."
>Looking at the box, she says: "And all that's in that box is just some family specific things and what I already know."
>Turning back to Ceridwen, Amy says:"So why don't you pick something for me then? What's something you started with?"
No.380
>>379"Sure, I guess. Anything is fine, like I said."
>Amy looks around for a few moments, before turning her attention back towards Ceri."We can do it in another room though, right?"
No.381
>>380"Warding magics we could, yes, I would recommend invocation be done in a room like this however. . ."
>Ceri looks around.". . .or at least in a room that you don't have any issues with accidentally setting on fire."
No.382
>>381"Ugkh."
>Amy lets out a groan. "I'd be fine it it were more comfortable here. It's too chilly and dirty."
No.383
>>382>Ceridwen sighs."Yes yes, enough with the hints. . ."
>Bringing her branded arm up, Ceri closes her eyes, standing in place for a moment. Then, after a few seconds, her brand lights itself up, the light coming from it almost blinding, yet also not casting any shadows on anything else. The light increases in intensity for a few moments, and then the space in front of Ceridwen seems to break, cracking open violently and then stabilising to form a portal in the middle of the room."There. . ."
>With the spell done, Ceridwen drops down to her knees for a moment, taking deep breaths as if she has just finished a marathon. Another lock of her hair appears to have lost its colour as well, although she quickly hides it."That should take us to somewhere that is both safe - and better than this room."
No.384
>>383"Wow, good job kid. My sister can't even just do that so casually like you did."
>Amy helps Ceridwen up. "So where does this lead to?"
No.385
>>384"Stephanie is going to be mad later. . ."
>Ceridwen mumbles to herself as she's helped up."A quiet spot in the pathways between realms, nothing has dominion over it, and nothing wants dominion over it because it has no worth in terms of power - which makes it perfect as a quiet place to practice."
>Standing up fully, Ceri steps through the portal, entering an empty space with no distinguishing features for itself. Despite being a seemingly endless void, however, there is still a "ground" that can be stood on, if not seen. No.386
>>385>After stepping through the portal Amy looks around. "Woooah. This is crazy, kid."
>Amy taps the floor with her shoe, getting practically zero feedback from it. "I've never been in something like this before. How are we even standing here? How are we even able to breathe?"
>Amy's attention darts around, with her asking several questions like an excited child. No.387
>>386"Don't think about it too much. . ."
>Ceri stops for a moment."That is serious advice, do
not think about it too much, thoughts can shape reality here, and that could have serious consequences. So. . ."
>Ceri smiles to try and keep Amy calm."You can breath because you can breath, ok?"
"Now, would you rather start with warding or evocation?"
No.389
>>388"We can start with warding then. Wards are very useful, even the weakest ones will defend you from any
physical attacks, and more advanced ones such as mental ones will stop any intruders from reading your thoughts - in more traditional times, none of your family would have been allowed out before you learnt how to use mental wards."
>Ceri shrugs."But we don't live in those times, so that didn't happen. . ."
"We'll start with the most basic ones first, runic wards, unlike other ones, these ones can be maintained and transfered to others very easily, for example. . ."
>Ceri reaches in to her pocket and throws a small stone to the "ground", on the top of it is a small, engraved rune of Celtic origin."That one was exhausted earlier today, but it should serve as a good lesson, try and put some mana into it."
No.390
>>389>Amy's eyes move back and forth between Ceri and the small stone. She begins feeling a bit anxious. "Okay then. I'll give it a try."
>Amy points her palm towards the stone, holding onto her wrist in a similar fashion as earlier. She appears intensely focused, scrunching her face as she begins to sweat.
>Her arm rattles and shakes, struggling to stay straight against the force of gravity. After several moments of this a small speck of softly glowing particles fire out from her palm, floating towards the tiny stone at a snail's pace.
>Amy bends forward, holding onto her knees as she pants. She looks at the stone, and asks: "Did I do it?"
No.391
>>390"Not particularly well, but I don't suppose you were taught to how to channel mana as well."
>Ceri carefully takes the stone and holds it in her hand, achieving a similar effect in a much smaller amount of time, holding the stone out for Amy to take."Keep this one, we need to get the fundamentals in your head first, which means you'll have to do some reading on them, then I can teach you properly."
No.392
>>391>Amy blinks, and takes the stone - examining it closely now. She rungs her thumb across the rune etched onto it. "Oh. That makes sense."
>She looks at Ceri. "You really know a lot about this stuff, don't you?"
No.393
>>392"Not that much, there's still a lot I could learn. . . books to read. . . fantastical beasts to meet. . . even ancient civilisations that survived the purge. . ."
>Ceri puts a finger to her lips."That one is just a theory though, based on the fact that certain groups survived it - and that the Thaumians were particularly. . ."
>Ceri taps her cheek, thinking."Loud and obnoxious, and very dismissive of their rivals, a bit of a beacon to receive punishment from up high, really."
No.394
>>393>Amy tilts her head to the side slightly. Confused, she raises an eyebrow. "Huh? What purge? What're you talking about?"
>She blinks. "I was just told there used to be more people who used magic. Never anything about a purge."
No.395
>>394"Ah. . . it's not really that important, the implications are it are basically what you said."
>Ceridwen shrugs."Once there were a lot more people with magic, entire civilisations even, and now there are not. . ."
>She indicates to the portal."But that is a story for another time, and another place, there are things out there that would kill you for knowing this kind of knowledge, thinking that you're a successor to them somehow - and therefore a meal."
No.396
>>395>Amy's eyes shift back and forth for a moment, as if she's checking to see if those things are hiding close by. "Right… I'll keep it to myself then."
>She looks at Ceri again. "Well, what now kid?"
No.397
>>396"You go on through, I just want to confirm that nothing is following us before closing the portal. It
should be safe, but it's better to be safe with these things."
>Ceri indicates to the portal."Go on, it will take you safely back to your home."
No.398
>>397>Confused, Amy stares at the portal. "Uhhh… okay. I'm going to assume you'll come back later with those books."
>She looks at Ceri. "See you later then, kid."
>Amy steps through the portal, with it closing behind her. No.399
>>397>>398>Just a few moments after the portal closes, another one opens up in it's place. The portal has a distinct look compared to the last, with it's edges appearing to be weaved together out of various streams of magical energies in elaborate patterns.
>Stephanie casually steps through, adjusting her glasses on the way in. "Ceri."
>Stephanie speaks in a soft, sweet tone. "You're over doing it again. You know that brute forcing your way in here takes a toll on you."
>Having moved closer to Ceri, Stephanie leans forward - placing herself eye level with her. "If you wanted to help Amy, you should've taken her somewhere else. I'd let you bring her to our library if you just asked."
No.400
>>399"I'm fine, it just tired me out a little, and this place is perfect for teaching safely."
>Ceri says, refusing to make eye contact with Stephanie."And the library would have been too much for her, she barely knows how to channel mana. . ."
"I just got a little tired because I haven't had a chance to sleep since the incident with Sirius and Chimera."
". . .which reminds me, I need to try and set up some tracking spells so I can intervene where he next appears."
No.401
>>400>Stephanie's eyes narrow slightly, as she keeps her gaze locked firmly on Ceri. "…Right."
>Taking a step back, Stephanie straightens her posture, and says: "Well, come with me. You've done a lot and it's time for you to take a break."
>Stephanie makes a casual swiping motion with her hand, causing the portal to move closer to the pair. "We can worry about the rest later."
No.407
>>401"I can carry on, I was going to get Amy some books, I only sent her ahead because I knew you were watching."
>Ceri crosses her arms."I'm not a child, I just needed a moment to catch my breath. I don't need to take a break before I set up the spells."
No.408
>>407"Ceri. I wasn't asking. Child or not, you need a break."
>Stephanie then shifts the portal to pass over them, transporting them into the Axiom. "Rest."
No.416
>>408"And I wasn't responding to an ask, I was
saying I don't need to rest, I'm
fine."
>Ceridwen stands still in the spot she appears at in the Axiom, refusing to move without being moved."Why can't you just let me carry on?"
No.417
>>416"Because you need to rest. Being an adult doesn't mean working yourself to death. You. Need. A. Break."
>Stephanie motions for Ceri to sit on the near-by furniture. "Rest. I'll make you something to eat."
No.418
>>417"And I'm
not doing that, I just got a
little tired."
>Ceri remains in her spot."I don't
need to rest, I don't
need to eat, I just need to get what needs to be done,
done."
"Stop treating me like a child who does."
No.419
>>418"Ceri. For the last time. You need to rest. It doesn't matter if you're a child or an adult. You're overworking yourself."
>Stephanie motions towards the furniture again. "Sit."
No.420
>>419"And for the last time, I
don't need it. It was just one moment of being tired because I cast a fairly big spell. . ."
>Ceri takes a moment from her stand to adjust her hair, as if she just remembered the effects of the spell."I'm not sitting."
No.422
>>421"Because I don't
need that time to rest. . ."
>Ceri looks around the room, sizing distances between her and objects."I
need to fix my mistakes. Even
if they were because of Chimera messing things up, that man nearly
died because of them - because of me. And
I need to fix that. And I. . "
". . .needed to understand the Hydes, because
you and Isaac deprived me of any chance of asking Aaron
why."
No.423
>>422"Ceri…"
>Stephanie leans forward, making herself eye level with Ceridwen again. "Nothing you did was wrong. That man would've eventually died regardless. But you saved him, and gave him a second chance at life. Something he wouldn't have if it weren't for you."
>Stephanie studies Ceri's reactions, while she continues to speak. "And secondly, yes. I will admit Isaac made a mistake and destroyed Aaron Hyde. But Ceri, you have to understand that even if he were still here he wouldn't give you the answers you're looking for. Aaron wasn't cooperative. He would've done nothing but anger you."
>She lets out a sigh, holding silent for a few moments. "Ceri. I just want to help you do what's best for you. And right now, that's getting some rest. Please. Give yourself a break. You haven't done anything wrong."
No.424
>>423"Not if I had separated him from Sirius before then, like I was planning to do. . ."
>Ceri sighs."I could have just been faster, more prepared. . ."
". . .and I could have
taken the answers from Aaron if he were still alive, if he weren't destroyed. . ."
"And for the last time, I. Don't. Need. To. Rest. I need to fix the things that are broken because of me."
No.428
>>427"Which is why you should just let me do what I need to do!"
>Ceridwen shouts, sounding exasperated with Stephanie."Because
that is what is best for me, not resting and letting things slip."