toku matsudaira, geezermancer (giri) wrote in emillion, @ 2014-01-22 04:52:00 |
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Entry tags: | !group thread, !npc: vivian xi, guy lenard, hippolyta flynn, lionel baines, ophion barnard, sabina domicetti, siri d'albis, toku matsudaira, wilham wolfe |
Who: Toku Matsudaira, Vivian Xi, Guy Lenard, Hippolyta Flynn, Lionel Baines, Ophion Barnard, Sabina Domicetti, Siri D’Albis, Wilham Wolfe.
What: Mage taskforce exam: practical skills test.
Where: A cave in the Outlands.
When: Today (Wednesday, 1/22)
Rating: PG for violence.
Status: On going.
The winter sun clawed its way onto the early morning sky as the group travelled away from the city into the still-dormant wilds beyond. Thin layers of ice shattered under the chocobos’ feet where the tentative warmth of daylight had not yet shone. Escorted by a pair of Valendian Rangers, the mages progressed toward their destination with few exchanged words. Perhaps their minds were on the task ahead of them, whose nature had not yet been revealed to them or, perhaps, the quiet power of the waking world around compelled them to silence. It was nearing the eighth hour of the morning when they glimpsed a cave in the face of a low cliff, and Toku nodded to their escorts. The group alighted from their mounts by the entrance, and secured them to nearby trees. The Rangers would remain behind to look after the chocobos and escort the group back to the city once their task was complete. The mages had gathered in front of their Councilor and Guildmaster, awaiting instruction. Yet Vivian did not speak. Her purpose in coming along would be to observe the performance of those who may form the task force she herself had envisioned for the guild, not to help them toward their goal. The explanation, brief as it was, came from Toku. “Inside an inner chamber, you will your real task. To arrive there, you shall have to dispose of the enemies in your path.” His words were white ghosts that carried to the candidates’ ears before dissolving into the cold air around them. “The Guildmaster and I will provide no assistance, unless we deem your lives to be in danger.” His hand gestured toward the entrance. On cue, the candidates broke file and headed cautiously into the dampness of the cave. No map had been provided for them. The test was not intended to be easy, for it was a test; without placing the aspirants in an unfavorable situation, it was impossible to gather how they may respond to the challenges of the missions they would be expected to tackle as members of the task force. The passages were dank and poorly-lit, harboring enemies in crevices on the walls or the ridges of the low ceiling. In such a restricted space, survival was a matter not only of spellpower but also of circumspection, where the blast of magicks might shake the ground and bring rocks raining down on the group. As warned, Toku and Vivian did not interfere. The group fought their own battles while Councilor and Guildmaster observed. A protective spell was on the tip of Toku’s tongue on a few occasions when the fray edged close to Vivian, though he knew her more than capable of defending herself from any danger far more proficiently than he may have hoped to achieve. With the grace of one who can bend the laws of the world to her will, she stepped out of the way when she deemed it necessary and continued her watch, filing away details and behaviors behind an unreadable visage. Robes flecked with the blood of the creatures they had encountered, the group arrived in the chamber unscathed for the most part. This room was broader, and looking up provided no view of any ceiling; only darkness, where anything and everything may be lurking in wait. What caught the party’s attention was not the horrifying array of possibilities slumbering in the dark, but the concrete presence on the opposite wall of the chamber. A wyrmling sat before a narrow tunnel opening only a few feet in diameter, just spacious enough for the creature. A pile of trinkets rested beside him, from rusted gold to torn clothing to withered flowers. Among the hoard, visible to the party, was a thick volume: a treatise on basic magical theory, and an old friend of their scholar days. Upon seeing the mages arrive, the wyrmling hissed in challenge and used its tail and back legs to push its treasure into the tunnel behind, never once taking its eyes off the humes. Toku saw the defiance and the fear in the creature’s stance, remembered the feeling of flames enveloping him like an echo of a previous life as the wyrmling breathed a string of fire at the mages. Though small in size, its years of life may well have surpassed the candidates’ individual ages. Wyverns were proud, intelligent creatures; any man or woman would be a fool to underestimate even offspring of this size. Toku took up position behind the party, where he would not hinder their movements, and spoke the last words of instruction. “Your mission is to retrieve the book, intact, and return to the entrance with it. Good luck.” |