LCC - R1: Golden Dawn VS Child's Play

[Enigmatic Immortal]

This round begins at 12:00 PM PACIFIC TIME on Friday! Good Luck!!!

[Play Back]

I found myself watching as the ships made it to port. Looking over the water as the various people got off the massive boats struck me with a sense of awe. For somebody who was born of the mostly zombified country of Lavinya, such industrialized machinations were incredible. A bright beam of light shone behind me for a few brief seconds before disappearing into darkness once more. It had been my decision to wait here at the lighthouse for my partner; to wait for the shadow within the light.

Waves crashed against the rocks below, spraying a fine mist that would never make it to my face. The clouds above had started to lower into a fog like state. The night sky had become barely visible, save for the flickers of light the flames behind me temporarily held. I sighed, wondering why I had even bothered with this tournament to begin with. Rumor was that Sei Orlouge and Letho Ravenheart were among the competitors this year. Someone like me just did not comparatively stand up to such hard-hitting heavyweights.

I turned back towards the lighthouse’s epicenter. I closed my eyes each time the light flashed in front of me, weary not to blind myself. The intense heat of the flames ran up my body, warming the chill that the season and mist attempted to instill in me. “I’m a doctor, damnit,” I mumbled to the wind, “Not a fighter.”

“You’re neither, actually,” the child like voice came from seemingly nowhere. I turned frantically, trying to find the source of the words, though realistically I should have known that my partner had arrived. “You don’t have any sort of schooling to be a psychologist, and you sure as shit didn’t prove yourself in the Ixian War.”

I thought for a moment that the voice was in my head, vocalizing so thoroughly that I believed the words were coming from another person. The light passed by once again, and once again I closed my eyes. When I had opened them, my partner was standing before me. His sickly white skin seemed to match the hue of the fog (which had descended upon us at this point). His black hair was messy as if he had just walked out of bed, and his clothes looked like they had not been washed in a few days. He was shorter than me, but the sheer presence that he commanded sent shivers of fear down my spine.

Also, his body resembled that of a small, pubescent boy. The small frame that held the power of a warrior, the power of an Ixian Knight, the power of Talen Shadowalker. I stood up straight, sucking in a hard breath to allow my chest to stick out. “That’s why I agreed to be your partner, Talen. I need to make up for that shoddy performance during the war. Sei had relied on me to distract the enemy and I failed him. I can still remember those elf-looking guys disappearing, the looks of victory in their eyes….”

“Play Back,” Talen said calmly, taking out a small cigarette and placing it in his mouth, “Your hand is trembling.”

I looked downward, to the fists I had made without conscious thought. Apparently I had more pent-up rage about my showing than I had initially thought. I looked to Talen, closing my eyes as the light passed by again. Damn thing probably gave Talen a glorious brightly lit backdrop. I could imagine his dark image in front of the light giving his lithe figure the appearance of a boogeyman.

“Sorry about that. Let’s start heading down and get this over with, shall we?”

[Zook Murnig]

Draw prithvi from the stone, Cohen. Feel its weight suffuse your spine, fill your chakras, and pool in your groin. Ghob's voice rumbled through the magician's mind, infusing him with the barest traces of the energies he had advised.

The Earth King had been giving the magician counsel for months, now. Earth magic, meditative techniques, spiritual cleansings, combat training, and even stabilization of Cohen's other elements were regular parts of his curriculum.

Cohen inhaled deeply, calling out to the tattva of Earth, prithvi. As he filled his lungs, he imagined the stone of the lighthouse tower behind him pouring into him through the vest, the skin, the bone. He breathed earth, and felt its solidity settle in his bowels.

This evening, as he prepared for the Lornius tournament, Ghob's lesson was in overcoming the damaged nerves of the occultist's calf and foot. In Raiaera, Cohen had come upon some measure of misfortune in completing a task for one of Ghob's contemporaries, Nischa, the Queen of Water. In the midst of intense combat with the undead that plagued that land, the bones of his left leg had been badly broken, and healed improperly. That left his entire left leg, from the knee down, completely numb to tactile sensation, and filled it with haunting phantom pains.

Feed the tattva slowly through the leg. As you do, remember the sensations of the grass on your skin and force the pain to take that shape in your mind.

---

Cohen carried on through the guided meditation, regaining some small measure of proficiency in his leg in the process. That done, he opened his eyes to the night sky over the lights of Lornius, and the ever-moving spotlight of the tower behind him.

Pulling the trouser leg over his numb calf again to protect it from the chill evening air, the magician rose unsteadily from where he sat against the lighthouse, leaning heavily on his staff. As he tugged on the silk of his vest, fingers gliding over his tie as he tightened it, bells tolled over the bay from Lyridia. Cohen paused to listen, counting the chimes, his brow furrowing as the twelfth echoed across the water.

"Ceidon's late," he whispered, his voice catching in his throat with worry.

[Hysteria]

Talen let a smile slip across his thin lips. The youth’s pale blue eyes turned from Play Back out over the barren island housing the mighty lighthouse. Stone, rocks, particularly large pebbles; the outcrop was a veritable zoo of geological no bodies. Vaguely Talen knew that someone might find such a place romantic. The tall light house sending its light deep into the night sky like a ray of hope to ships lost and searching for port. The lone lighthouse keeper trapped with his thoughts and desires away from all he held dear. The poetic nature aside and it was what it was; the place that the youth had been told to fight. It was that reason, and the only reason, that the boy had set foot on the island.

“Come on then.” He said over his shoulder to Play Back.

The cruelly carved rocks casting a daggered edge around the lighthouse rose up a backdrop of crashing waves for the coming battle. Talen moved slowly down the rocky path to the base of the lighthouse. From a distance the thing looked quite small. A trick of the eyes without a comparison object on the horizon, for the building was huge. The youth, bitter slightly at his own emotions was somewhat impressed as he dropped down the final few steps and onto the flat bedrock, no doubt carved during the construction. The hard ground underneath his feet, the cold night air and sullenly dark sky, even the ominous trail of light rotating high above set a scene somewhat worthy for the youth’s battle, and at least according to him, his victory.

The boy’s body language shifted slightly as he looked around. He stood straight and his eyes blazed, he was oddly alert. His hand ran through his hair, undoing what little gravity had down to quell his short wild hair. His head started nodding with the thoughts that had not yet been verbalised.

“I have a good feeling Play Back. I have a very good feeling.”

The youth pushed his tattered cloak off his shoulders and threw it to the side. The removal of the shabby, unkempt rag let the fiery light from above fall across the wide blade strung across Talen’s back. His left arm similarly clad in glistening dark metal starting from his shoulder reaching down ending with clawed fingers. The youth’s other weapons hung at his hips, his two pistols.

[Ceidon]

“Sorry I’m late!” Ceidon Lore exclaimed, climbing over rocks to reach the base of the lighthouse. When he reached his mentor, the adventurer hunched over and put his hands on his knees. Upon seeing Ceidon, Caduceus Grimaldi, the leader of the Order of the Golden Dawn, smiled but said nothing. “Wow, so we're finally here...” Ceidon wheezed. Still breathing heavily, Ceidon stood up and looked out across the bay. Through the fog he could see the lights of Lyridia and knew their destination: the Monolith Forest, was to the southeast. “You know,” Ceidon mumbled. “There must be so many secrets hidden in Lornius. Do you think we'll eventually have to recruit here?” As he questioned Caduceus, Ceidon began to fumble with something in his pocket. That something was a black diamond shard from a sword and it was the reason why they there today.

Ceidon habitually moved his fingers over the flat side of the shard, recalling how it came to be in his possession. Almost two years ago, Ceidon was sent on an Order exhibition to study the mysterious lights that appeared in the ruins of the dwarfish city of Teria in Corone during full moons. While exploring, Ceidon and his partner for the trip, Kyo, discovered a secret elvish temple that was hidden within the dwarvish ruins. There, they discovered the Falchion of Darkness, an ancient black diamond sword that glowed in the moonlight (and incidentally caused the Lights of Teria during the full moon). When Kyo gripped the weapon, an ethereal spirit trapped within the sword possessed her and caused the temple to collapse. In the chaos, Ceidon managed to save his partner and “destroy” the evil sword, but not without suffering some major injuries that sidelined him for the better part of a year. Even though Ceidon reported to everyone, including Caduceus, that the evil sword had been destroyed, the truth was that Ceidon discovered a single piece in the rubble before he fell unconscious, the piece he now carried in his pocket.

Ceidon’s initial research on the shard revealed that the completed weapon was actually a part of a pair. The Falchion of Darkness was crafted first by an evil dark elf mage who wanted to usurp power in ancient Raiaera. In defense of their nation, the Raiaerians crafted the Falchion of Light to balance the absurd power the dark elf’s weapon. When placed together, the magical properties of the two swords would offset. When the evil elf was defeated, the Raiaerians hid the weapons in a temple suspended above the ruins of Teria so they would remain hidden forever. The idea, Ceidon posited, was that no one would think to look for an invisible elfish temple in a dwarven ruin. Explorers would essentially be looking down when they should be looking up. However, someone did find the temple and took the Falchion of Light, which caused the Falchion of Darkness’ power to reveal itself (via the Lights of Teria). After months of additional research, Ceidon determined that the thief was actually Hikari no Ashigaru, the dark elf warrior from Alerar. There were reports that Hikari used a weapon meeting the description of the Falchion of Light in an earlier iteration of the Lornius Corporate Challenge. The weapon was supposedly destroyed by Hikari’s partner, Elrundir Galadhrim, in the Monolith Clearing. However, in the interest of preventing the Falchion of Light being used unchecked on the new world, Ceidon had to know for sure.

Eventually Ceidon healed, but before he could travel to Lornius to search for the sword, Caduceus asked him to enter the Adventurer’s Crown tournament to determine whether the prize for winning, the Destiny’s Book, was actually the Omega Infinitum, a deadly compilation of ancient spells. It wasn’t, but the entire ordeal put the search for the Falchion of Light on hold, until now. After returning from the Adventurer’s Crown, Ceidon asked Caduceus if he could travel to Lornius to search for the sword under the guise of entering the Lornius Corporate Challenge. Caduceus gave his consent and, much to Ceidon’s surprise, offered to join him on the quest. This was a peculiar offer for two reasons. One, Ceidon and Caduceus hadn’t worked together since he first joined the Order. Two, even though Caduceus tried to hide it, Ceidon knew that his mentor had just suffered major trauma to his right leg. Tactically it probably wasn’t the best idea to join a tournament with a gimp, even if they had no intention to actually fight, but Ceidon was too excited about the prospect of working with Caduceus to care. He agreed and the rest was history. The two had made separate travel arrangements to Lornius as to not draw the attention of any enemies of the Order, which explained why Ceidon was running way behind.

“So Caduce…,” Ceidon caught himself, “I mean Cohen.” Caduceus had recently decided to drop his alias and go by his birth name. That was Cohen Ephraim. Ceidon was still trying to get used to the change. “The boat's over here. Are you ready to head out?”

[Play Back]

I listened to Talen’s order to follow, and nodded, pausing for a moment just to get one last look over the fog, to the beautiful sight of the waters darkness. As the minutes passed, so did the temperature drop, and I could feel my body getting cold even though I had bundled up to prevent such things. Back in Lavinya, the fog was a guarantee that the clarity of the following morning would bring with it more bodies than usual. I thought about the people of Lyridia and how an attack by the undead would wipe the poor port palace out in a matter of minutes. Most people just never prepared for doomsday scenarios until they actually happened.

I froze for a moment, a new feeling welling up in me. I could tell that Talen and I were no longer alone. We were joined by one presence, soon joined by another. I could only sense them due to my minor telepathic abilities. Talen, on the other hand, was probably half way down the stairs by now. It would take a while for the warrior to return to me. Regardless, I closed my eyes, concentrating as hard as I could on the only recognizable mental signature. Talen….. by the Thaynes if you can hear this, I need you back. NOW!

I was unsure if my abilities extended to the point of being able to send out messages, but that sliver of hope was better than nothing. I straightened my posture, sneaking around the beam of light constantly circling around, continuing to shut my eyes with the timing of the flames. I slowly but surely got within earshot (or rather, mind-shot) of the two small specks far below at the base of the lighthouse, somehow able to see the faintest of outlines amidst the fog.. I was careful not to show my hand until I had all of the details. I slowly reached down towards one of my kunai as I 'overheard' one of the men talk about recruiting.

“Recruiting for what...” I whispered softly to nobody in particular. My mind had a bad tendency to jump to the worst conclusion when in certain situations. So of course, when I overhear a meeting about recruiting between two people around midnight at an abandoned lighthouse, my thoughts jumped to something sinister being afoot. I took a deep breath and a hard swallow, knowing full well that my sub-par skill set would not be able to handle two people at once. Sure, I could get in a surprise attack, but with Talen already descending downwards, I would have a hard time reuniting with my partner before he met the strangers.

Talen I tried once again to send my message to my partner, my kunai lifted to my chest. I was prepared to strike at any moment. I’m serious. Something is going down, something bad. I think Lornius might be in danger.

Oh, the things one’s mind could conjure up in the middle of the night.

[Hysteria]

A shiver moved its icy hand up Talen’s back and settled on his neck. The youth wriggled his shoulders and squirmed uncomfortably for a second as a few foreign thoughts swam through his mind. He didn’t know why he thought there were people around or why there was a threat approaching. The boy turned his eyes to Play Back for validation, but only darkness lay across the steps. Talen furled his brow in thought amid the shadowy base of the lighthouse. The roar of flames from high above started to make their way around the far side of the light house and soon the area would be bathed in light.

*click* *click*

Talen flicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he thought about what to do. He doubted that Play Back had run off, and the foreign thoughts echoed the ability of the Ixian Knight leader Sei. The youth fought a mild internal battle. His mind told him he should hide, find Play Back and plan the next move. Everything else yearned for him to scream loudly and charge into battle with pistols blazing.

The wrinkled brow ease, the familiar smile and eyes sparkling with excitement crept back into his face. The youth pulled his hand from his side into the air, twin trails of darkness lifted from the ground and twisted in front of him. The formless masses swirled and bent, one settling on the form of Play Back and the other Talen as their masquerade. The shadow Talen was a near perfect replica of the original, pale white skin, blackest of black cloths. His eyes though were grey as colour was beyond the scope of the youth’s magic. The shadow Play Back was similarly grayscale, his ninja cloths black, the slit for his eyes in his mask revealing pale skin and grey eyes.

The twin images crouched low and started sneaking around the base of the light house. The hewn rock forming the base of the giant building doubled as a sort of path skirting around the outside, save for the occasional rock that had fallen from the hill side Talen had from descended from. The youth kept his left close to the wall as he moved slowly after his illusions. His right hand slipped his pistol from its holster and he held it ready.

Dammit Play Back, you better come from whatever rock you crawled under if shit gets real. The youth kept his eyes focused forwards as he moved forwards and the light house wall curved away. Talen didn’t know as he moved forwards that he and his illusions approached his hidden rivals, but lady luck blessed the youth’s choice and he moved in the right direction.

[Zook Murnig]

Put at ease by Ceidon's arrival and excitement, Cohen nodded to the man. "Let's go. And, honestly, I shared my name with you," he said, walking around the ancient structure to where his companion had indicated. "That doesn't mean you have to call me that. Call me what you like."

To be honest, most of the Canaanite's friends knew him by his birth name, the name Caduceus Grimaldi being only a pseudonym to avert the dangers of another magician learning his name from his lips. With that, any number of horrible magicks could be leveled upon him, with little to no defenses against it.

Still, the subject hadn't come up with Ceidon until recently, as agents of the Order of the Golden Dawn seldom worked together, and most of their communication had been in coded correspondences. Only just before setting out on this expedition had Ceidon finally met with the Golden Dawn founder again to seek his approval for this mission.

As the pair rounded the tower, its light swept over them, illuminating their rocky surrounds, as well as the small sailboat beached on the shore. Taking advantage of the visibility, the magician swept his gaze about, watching for difficult terrain. In the distance, however, he spotted something else entirely.

People. People coming their way, and trying hard not to be seen. Cohen's eyes narrowed as he peered through the blinding light, and he called on the etheric vision to help him discern exactly who they were.

As the divine light flowed into him, the illusion began to be stripped away, and he saw the wavering shadows flickering along the ground. Not only was someone here, but they had created illusions to mislead them. They're after us, the magician concluded, and maybe even after the Sword of Light.

"Ceidon, we need to move," he whispered, quickening his limping gait, pushing himself with his staff toward the shore. "Quickly."

[Ceidon]

Even though they were now halfway across the bay in route to the Monolith Forest, Ceidon couldn’t shake the feeling that he and Cohen were being followed. At this point, the fog was so dense someone could easily tail their small vessel through the bay without being seen. Even so, every time the distant flame from the lighthouse passed over them, Ceidon would glance behind them to search for pursuers. Each time, he found nothing. While Ceidon navigated the sails, Cohen rested at the bow. The magician seemed relatively relaxed given his earlier alarm and seeing his mentor at ease helped to calm Ceidon’s nerves.

Cohen was an amazing man. Neither truly good nor evil, the magician found a balance that enabled him to make the choices necessary to protect Althanas’ secrets, regardless of their nature. It was an ability that Ceidon struggled with to this day. For example, after losing his sword Errol in the Adventurer’s Crown tournament, Ceidon secretly hoped that he would find the Falchion of Light intact so that he might claim it as his own. Even though Ceidon trusted he wouldn’t abuse the power of the sword, he knew that Cohen would never allow him to keep it. Even if used for good, the unchecked Falchion of Light could provide a windfall against evil that would potentially upset the balance of the world. In his heart, Ceidon knew Cohen was right.

Lost in his thoughts, Ceidon did not notice the waves were getting larger and larger. It was the sound of invisible waves smashing against invisible rocks that finally jolted Ceidon from his day dream. “Oh no!” he cried. Though he couldn’t see the rocks in the fog, Ceidon knew they were fast approaching. “I can’t see anything. I think we’re going to crash!” Ceidon jumped up and grabbed an oar from its place along the side of the deck. He put it over the side of the boat and slammed it down. The bottom of the oar immediately slammed against the bottom of the bay, indicating to Ceidon it was too late to slow the boat down.

“Hold onto something!” He yelled grabbing the mast that held the sail. The next moments were a blur. The boat crashed hard against the rocks on the shore, instantly snapping it in half. Ceidon lost his grip when the mast broke, sending him flying head first on to a flat boulder. His last memory before passing out was feeling a sharp pain in his leg when the shard from the Falchion of Darkness dug deep into his right thigh. “Cohen…” he began. Then everything went dark.

[Play Back]

The two faint specks slowly made their way towards the water, much to my surprise. It was not until I saw the small white puff barely peeking out from above the fog that I realized our enemies had a sailing vessel. I looked around for any signs of Talen, but it looked like he wouldn’t be here in time to stop the strangers. I sighed, closing my eyes and swearing under my breath. Without Talen around, I would have no choice but to use my teleport technique in order to catch up with the two unknown elements.

It’s an odd feeling, teleporting. A lot of people compare it to an out of body experience, but for me, it’s nothing of the sort. It comes as natural as walking; you’re simply at the top of a massive lighthouse one second, and before the next one, you’re at the ground level of said lighthouse. Like I said, as natural as walking. I could feel a throbbing in my chest as I tried to look around, sweat trickling down my face. Using my teleport always took a toll on my body; as if one was accelerating at a high speed only to suddenly stop. While it was true that the body had come to a complete stop, the momentum would want to continue propelling you forward, internal organs and all.

That was the best way to describe my teleporting; going super fast but then being forced to feel your insides slam against your own body when you reached your destination.

I took my mask off just above my mouth so I could allow myself some air. The cool mixture of fog and bay mist did well to cool my heated skin. I looked around, but still saw no sign of Talen. I began to curse once more, afraid that I would have to teleport again, when I heard the crash. I looked out towards the sea, scanning the surroundings each time the flame of the lighthouse passed by. I could easily make out the wreckage of the boat that had just set sail, the wood laying torn across jagged rocks. There was also a body on a flat surface out in the distance. Probably one of the evil would-be Lornius rulers.

I teleported again, this time towards the body of the man. My hand was placed firmly on my kunai, ready to strike if this odd figure decided to try something stupid. My chest throbbed harder now, a sign that I was teleporting too often, too quickly. I was panting heavily at this point, but I was standing (albeit barely). I bent my knees, prepared to serve this evil doer a grand helping of justice. The water that slammed against the rocks splashed on my half-revealed face, but I didn’t care at the moment. I had just saved Lornius, after all.

“Don’t move,” I ordered with my best older person sounding voice imaginable while pulling my mask back down, though it still came off as a kid playing pretend “My partner will be here any minute. Where is your accomplice?” I simultaneously sent out a ‘beacon’ to Talen, hoping the shadow warrior would home in on my signal.

In retrospect, I probably should not have tried to question a man who may or may not have been unconscious.