Grimsby Falls

Status
Not open for further replies.
The necromancer didn't even flinch at the rock phasing through her body, although her expression lost all form of amusement. "Not the sharpest tools in the shed, I see. If you still don't understand the gravity of what is to come, you're simply blind to reality like everyone else. Too concerned with meaningless frivolities to see what truly matters," Eowyn sneered, raising both her arms to her side in contempt. "Is it comforting to pretend you know the outcome? Perhaps you will drop the charade when everything all comes crashing down, helpless to stop it any sooner. And I'll be watching from afar relishing every minute." The necromancer broke out into a fit of laughter, hardly able to control her glee. "Life is pleasant, death is peaceful... it's the transition between them brings out the deepest fears in people's hearts. As for me..."

Her projection began dissolving into shadowy wisps, although she still kept a wry smirk on her face. "It's the most exciting thing to orchestrate. Everything will be swallowed up by despair."
Kagiyama.Hina.full.862681.jpg


The bloodtinged necromancer has left the heroes alone in the desolate courtyard of the Old Lord Belmont. His casket lays open with his withered body inside, arms resting over his chest while he peacefully sleeps for all eternity in a wooden case. flower petals scattered all around his mausoleum are suspended in midair as the soul Eowyn had taken hostage returns to his body as a white flickering flame. ​

It has become deafeningly silent, the distant rumble of thunder not loud enough to break through, although the nightmare fog has cleared itself out.​

Vala held her tongue the entire time, with one hand clasped over her mouth even though her eyes didn't convey panic or anxiety. The wisp hidden in her scarf floated over to Excalik while making worried whispers. It looked over at Simon's tomb and shuddered anxiously.​

"This is bad... really bad." Vala kept a neutral expression, but sweat dripped down her face. "What do we do now?..." She was lost in thought thinking about what to do after she returned Simon's whip to Lord Belmont. ​
 
“You believe the crap she was spewing?” Excalik slammed his fist on the ground. He knew it was a pointless thing to do, but it was the only thing he could think of to get her to shut up and stirring some fears. He noticed the wisp’s concern and simply nodded. “Don’t worry…” He coughed. “I can’t die so easily like this.” 

He tried to stand up, but his legs buckled and instantly fell to the ground. Any feeling in his body was long gone, made worse when he threw that rock earlier. “We should head back to the nun and explain what had happened. Afterwards, go back to the Crescent Hunters Guild…”
 
"I agree with the burnt cowboy. I suggest we return to the manor and inform everyone of what happened here as well as the warning Eowyn gave us. Perhaps they might know a clue of what she is saying."

Gorecilia sighed, picking up Excalik and placing him on her thorax. Her eyes glanced at Vala.

"You can hitch a ride, I know the way back to the manor. You should rest up what little you can, I fear there is still far more endeavors to come. Maybe you can patch up the cowboy along the way."
 
Vala nodded to Gorecilia and climbed onto her back after several tries. "Of course I believe it. I have no choice but to believe." Was her retort to Excalik. "If my hunch is right, that ancient magic she's using is something we do need to worry about." Even though she had more freedom to move, she didn't look to have any more fight in her than Excalik did at the moment. Regardless, she concentrated what little energy she had left by holding her palms out over him in an effort to help with some of his pain. 

"There is no reason for me to doubt it because my life was cursed by that kind of magic," she said in a low voice.
 
“Oh…” Excalik felt that something was off about her. Maybe it was something he said? She seems serious about that necromancer’s threat about using ancient magic. “She’s really afraid of this… I better watch what I say next time.” 

He was feeling a lot better when Vala healed his wounds, canceling out the burning sensation. "....Thanks."
 
(I assume we return to the manor now. I'll just implicate they head back to the manor but I'll edit my post if I need to.)

Gorecilia took out two bones and a small shirt she was working on. She hummed to herself and began to knit the shirt of a child as she walked. Her snake hair licked the air, getting up close and personal to the Vala and Excalik. They seemed to be curious more than anything else, however, the snakes flicked their tongues on the cheeks of the duo, tickling them.

"Please forgive my girls, they are just tasting you two. They appear to be fond of you! You guys do taste rather... flavorful. ...Oh! Don't worry! I won't eat you! Ohoho~!"

Gorecilia chuckled loudly before heading off in the direction of the manor.
 
"No need to thank me... we still have to patch you up back at the Guild." Vala reminded Excalik, looking exhausted. "Well, both of us will have to be in their infirmary. I could use a bed to sleep in right now..." She rubbed at her arms absently before the snakes brought her out of her distraction.

"...It's not like I've got much meat on my bones to begin with." Vala made no obvious reaction to them, partly because she had no energy left to even speak, let alone move a hand to deter them from touching her face. She stuck out the tip of her tongue at them and imitated their tongue movement to lighten things up. "Bleh~"


-----

After a few more minutes, the group made their way back to the front of the manor. Gregor Belmont and Sister Mary were standing before the gate, with Sister Mary holding a giant metallic cross and a book.

"You three! We saw that giant monster come out of the sky and ran for the manor, but we couldn't get into the courtyard because that fog made it near impossible to safely walk through." Lord Belmont said, running up to Gorecilia. "I-is everything over now?"

"Not quite..." Vala said tiredly. from beneath her cloak, she withdrew Simon's Vampire Killer whip and handed it to him. "Here's your heirloom."

"We ought to take them into the manor to discuss this properly, Gregor." Sister Mary ordered. "It isn't safe to be outside until we finish completing the protection spells."
 
"I suggest you bring someone who can patch up wounds, these two appear to be exhausted from the fight. I appear to be a bit winded as well. That disgusting beast managed to land a couple of good hits on us, lucky considering how sluggish it moved." 

Gorecilia let out a tired sigh as she continued to knit the shirt she was working on. Her snakes appeared to whisper something by Gorecilia's ear and she nodded.

"Ah yes, it appears this land, if not world, is in danger. The Necromancer that controlled your grandfather calls herself Eowyn. She mentioned that something bigger is going to happen, like a calm before the storm. She also mentioned something about the Ancient Magical Arts. She said she wishes to become the greatest and most powerful Ancient Magic user. By any chance, do you happen to know her name or what she is talking about?" Gorecilia rolled her eyes. "It all sounded like gibberish to me, frankly."
 
Excalik was able to stand up thanks to Vala's healing magic, but the damage done on his body causes him to be winded and fatigue. After returning the items used against the demonic beast, he collapsed towards the floor. He still remained conscious, but it exhausted him tremendously.

"Eowyn threatened to shift the balance of the entire world..." He added after Gorecilia's statement. "But I too think it's nonsense. She just one person... how can a single person ever hope to do that? No being would have that much power in their possession."
 
"One person can't throw the world out of balance, but that doesn't guarantee she can find other people who can make it happen." Vala said quietly. "Only a fool would believe themselves capable of doing it alone."

"The name doesn't sound familiar..." Lord Belmont said, turning to Sister Mary as Vala hurried to Excalik's side to help him stand. "But I'm not the person who knows about this sort of thing."

"Ancient Magic..." Sister Mary pondered while collecting the items, including the Vampire Killer whip Simon left behind. "I have not heard of such a thing in a long time." She opened the gates of the manor and led them all inside through the widest entryway, closing each route of entry to sustain the protective blessing she had cast. "Simon may have been the first hunter to come to this village and protect its people, but the Belmont family has its roots in slaying monsters."

"R-really? I'd never known that about Grandfather..."

"That was because your father never took up the mantle. The Belmont family's history of hunting beasts ended with the last generation." Mary traced her fingers along the bookshelf before taking a painting off of the display, looking at it with a somber nostalgia. "We as cleric nuns serve to continue his legacy as a contingency plan. Simon's family did have an archive on the supernatural to help further the people, but it was never centered around magic because they weren't Paradicans. He and I knew nothing about Ancient Magic beyond a mere myth."

"A myth? So it's just a bluff?" Vala asked incredulously. "There's no way that the magic she used was modern magic."

"Don't forget that we are mere Desolatians. People capable of using magic are a very small minority here... but you may get a better answer in Paradice. They are the ones who should know best about it." Mary dismissed herself to one of the studies. "I can't perform healing magic after all that energy I spent making protective barriers, so you'll have to settle with some homemade potions to get your strengths back. It will only heal your wounds and give you enough energy to get home and recover. No amount of elixirs I can make will artificially force your body to recover without rest."

Vala helped Excalik over to one of the couches and slumped down into an armchair herself. "If Eowyn's right, then I don't think any Paradican alive knows about that kind of thing. She said Paradican mages basically sealed it all away somewhere and just forgot about it. But that can't be the full truth if she got her hands on any of those cursed tomes. That must mean an archive exists somewhere, or she stole them by force. She doesn't look like a Desolatian... or really a normal human at all."

She had a frustrated look on her face, feeling desperate about convincing the two to believe in what Eowyn had said. But she didn't know what to say because she had no tangible proof about anything Eowyn used.

"I think I'm cursed by magic like that." Vala admitted flatly, in a quiet voice like she almost took back the confession halfway through the sentence.
 
"Perhaps Master Z or Master Shine know a thing or two about this type of magic, though, I doubt they are currently available. Master Shine has disappeared and Master Z, well, she's not the most reliable person..." Gorecilia sighed. "The only person I can think of that knows enough information about magic outside of Paradise is Faunix."

The giant spider-lady tapped her chin before taking a seat on the ground next to the sofa Excalik and Vala rested on. She looked about as big as the entire sofa. Her snake flicked their tongues at Vala while Gorecilia continued to think of anyone who could help them.

"What makes you believe you are cursed, sweetie?"
 
Excalik thought he overheard Vala mentioned something about the curse magic, but she ended her sentence midway abruptly, so he could not catch it in time. He decided not to press on the issue, focusing on his healing. “Thanks, I’m sure the leaders at the Crescent Hunters will fix me up… I reckon they got’em good heals on their persons.”

He was concerned about ancient magic. It is true that mages in Desolate Lands is practically rare. What person would waste their time studying in a barren wasteland such as this place? That was the thought he was thinking about, but their explanation cast worries in him. 

“Master Shine and Master Z? Who’re they? Magicians?” Excalik asked.
 
"Oh, i-it's nothing... you must have misheard me." Vala said before anyone would try to catch onto what she said. "I've only been out to Paradice once after catching a ride on one of those trading ships, but I remember hearing those names a lot when I passed through some places. They sound like pretty big deals." She was curious about how someone all the way out here seemed familiar with big mages from Paradice.
 
"Oh yes, Master Shine and Master Z are quite big indeed." Gorecilia checked the size of the shirt she knitted and mumbled to herself before starting a new project, this one being a scarf. 

"Master Shine and Master Z are some of the strongest magic users in all of Booga. Shine focuses on Black magic while Z focuses on White magic. They have incredible skills and when fighting at full strength, I heard cities can be completely leveled by their presence alone. I guarantee that if either of them were here, that silly Necromancer would be shaking in her boots! Master Z uses her magic to bring her drawings to life and use them to her advantage. She also makes portals to hop from continent to continent because she's too lazy to fly. I've heard rumors she can warp the space around her but I've yet to see her do it."

Gorecilia sighed at Z's role.

"However, Master Shine is the exact opposite. He's very serious and hard working. He's skilled in controlling the very atoms and molecules our world resides in. I often like to think of him as a Nuclear magician than a leader of the Brotherhood. Shine is mostly known for working and discovering new types of magic, particularly ones that can benefit his 'atomic' style. The last thing I heard of Shine was that he was conducting research in the Fallen Sky Temple. I think Faunix and Lix went to investigate but I haven't spoken to them."
 
“Wow, think they can help us with that? Might want to take that up to the big boss at the guild.” Excalik asked. “See? There’s no need to worry! If those titans are around, as this big ol’ spider described, then that necromancer is toast as a roasted pig.” Excalik tried to tamper Vala’s concerns a bit.
 
Vala crossed her arms with a grimace that showed some skepticism. "They don't sound like the types who would drop everything and help a couple of nobodies like us for something that might be more tedious than rewarding. Heck, the Dalv Tribe wouldn't even be a concern to them, but they're still running around making everyone's lives around here harder to live. We're probably on our own for this one. Especially if it'll be practically a wild goose chase for the one who actually takes himself seriously." 

"I guess we could ask Miss Valerie to see if she can go about it a better way, but we ought to think about who else in the continent might help us. Paradicans and Empiricans don't know how to carry themselves around here, with or without magic or fancy abilities. They don't have to worry about dangerous places packed with monsters as much as we do. Everywhere is dangerous for us. Oh, and they're used to living with electricity and this weird thing called 'air conditioning' I heard the Empire State has."
 
“Well, when you put it like that…” Excalik didn’t even considered these options. “So, what we do now? We done the best we can, and it looks like that girl won’t be botherin’ this town for a good minute.”
 
"Indeed, Master Shine is a bit too busy with developing new magic, and Master Z would rather take a nap in her little bubble..." Gorecilia sighed. "Perhaps going to Empire State will have better news, I've been tired of this blistering heat, here in Desolate Lands. Besides, it would be a nice change of pace, we might find more information about this Ancient magic that Necromancer told us about. Better yet, a counter to it."
 
"Out in Empire State? How strange. I thought they wouldn't know a thing about Ancient Magic..." Vala rubbed her chin. "Alright, I guess we ought to go there. But since me and Excalik are part of the Crescent Hunters Guild, we'll have to tell the guildmasters about everything before we can come up with a strategy." She rubbed the back of her neck. 

"We both need some time to rest up before we go out of the continent. I guess it's up to you if you want to go to Empire State with us later or meet up after you check on your friends in Paradice while we rest up. I can send a carrier owl over there to let you know when we're ready to head out?" Vala offered, knowing the Guild wouldn't have room to accomodate a giant Spider-woman, and she noticed Gorecilia's worried expression back when they were fighting the necromancer and that piercing noise carried over. "Or wherever you live... but we definitely need to stay in touch."
 
"Yeah... pretty sure Valerie ain't gonna stay blindly that we have a big ol' spider lady with us." Excalik joke. "But what about lil' flame buddy? I'm sure he'll sly with Valerie without too much hassle."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom