The Edge of Fate

[Symbiosis]

Magdalene’s blood chilled as she observed the birds in flight. Her eyes widened in a historic wonder as memories flooded before her eyes of the previous war. In that battle she had witnessed a powerful manipulator of the elements, creating a flock of these winged ice avians. Her eyes recalled witnessing the complete control of several of them that pranced and danced around and for once the Crone of the Winds of Magic felt her body grow numb to be outclassed so thoroughly. It was sobering to find someone so well versed in the arts of magic and her Servant, a powerful Swordsman known in history as the Saint of Swords working in tandem in such a manner that they were a shoe in for victory.

The winner was lost upon Magdalene due to her being eliminated after her Servant went rouge, but it seems she had to have placed highly.

So here she was, witnessing once more the birds in flight and for the first time since this battle began she opened her eyes to actually get a good look at her opponent. He was rugged, handsome, and the look in his eyes showed absolute confidence in what he was doing. He was mastering his fears with ease and it was clear he either had a great teacher, or knew the stakes of this war. Regardless, his manipulation of the magic in the air was telling. Every wizard left a print when they did magic upon the winds. Like the way a dog could smell a scent so too could a talented mage scry the air. So when she opened her eyes to really look at the boy, she opened her inner eye to the magic in the air.

“You’re her son,” Magdalene muttered loudly. She brought her hands up around her with a surge of motion. A volcano like air pushed around her sparking the air and igniting it into a halo of fire around her frame. The woman felt the prickling heat against her weathered flesh and she gave a rueful smile. With dancer like motions she began to move, feeling the fire worm around her wrists. With careful, practiced ease she let the fire lance out shooting a volley of fireballs at the Glacies avians. She twisted in a pirroutte letting her robes swirl in the haze of fire, her hand pushing out in a closed fist. Flames poured from her fingers in torrent towards Dante in a blaze of fire prepared to engulf the young one.

Dante did a reverse step, twirling as he pooled the magic into his arms and hands. With a sharp step he planted his back foot and pushed forwards with both hands aiming at the ground and swiftly lifting upwards creating a wall of ice in front of him. Magdalene lifted her lip in a snarling grin of satisfaction, her eyes glowing with the fire around her. She pulled her fist back, centering her form as the fire realigned around her body in a hellish glow. She brought one hand out, twirling it over and over upon itself in several rotations.

Her opponent did not hesitate as she prepared her next spell. He stepped forwards with a stomp pushing cracks along his ice wall and with the palm of his hand he extended his hand forwards pushing the ice and breaking it into several perfect dagger shaped icicles. They flew at Magdaelne with the force of an arrow aimed for her entire body. She laughed, cruelly, as she pushed her rotating hand out and twirled in a salsa like dance letting wind be her partner. It created a gale force strong enough to lick up the shards of ice in a tornado. Using her newly acquired ice weapons she hopped forwards and landed with both hands extended one over the other palms out releasing her tornado at her foe.

Dante moved his hands in rhythmic patterns, eyes widened as he started to breath heavily. The pattern of movement created ribbons of ice that formed around him like the petals of a flower, enclosing him and scooping out the dangers of the tornado’s icy fangs. The force of the wind however proved strong enough to lift him off the ground and push him several feet away where he landed hard against the side of an industrial sized truck.

“There is still fight left in you, child!” Magdalene shouted with pure joy. “It’s been so long since I actually dueled with someone of your caliber! Give me the fight I deserve! Show me the arts of magic aren’t dead in the young. Come, I know who’s blood runs in your veins, you will not disappoint me!” She moved with speed once again, feeling the ages of time melt away as she prepared for the next engagement when reality suddenly grasped her attention with both hands and slapped her.

Beast’s roar was not one that could be ignored, especially when it was a scream of pain. Magdalene turned to see the Swordsman lowering his blade back into the sheath as Beast grasped a very large wound across his chest. It spat out curses and cries of alarm as it tripped and fell to a knee from its own blood. It roared, loudly when the Swordsman turned to regard him, all of its teeth dripping with crimson stained webs of spit. The screech shook the very air around it as one taloned hand reached for the broken pipe that Magdalene had used.

“You clever bastards,” she said turning to watch Dante rise up, fixing his shirt. “You separated me from my Beast. Together we were too formidable for you to handle, but apart you knew I would enjoy the battle more than the victory.” She looked to beast, lifting her hand and curling her fingers. Wind pushed around the beast creating a gap between him and the swordsman as Beast echoed into the swirling chaos. “There is more in common with this ruffian than I care to admit…” She muttered.

“You only have enough mana to heal him,” Dante said. “But Swordsman and I are still capable of combat. The biggest difference here, Lady Magdalene, was that I could tell from the first engagement of words that I trusted Swordsman completely, where you did not trust Beast at all. Dividing you too would put you both on the back pedal.”

“Oh, but you see,” Magdalene teased with a honey sweet tone in her voice. “You saw what you thought was my Servant…”

Swordsman’s body swiftly turned as cables of wires sprang from the ground with a cloud of dirt and debris. Demonically possessed electrical conduits turned into the stuff of nightmares as they moved to snatch the Swordsman like the grasping tentacles of a kraken. Magdalene pushed her wind spell off of Beast and aimed it towards Swordsman, a victorious smile on her face.

Dante moved quickly using his Glacies as they dive bombed into the wires, using their claws to grasp the tentacle like chords and pull them away from Swordsman who swiftly moved from the course of the spell. When he landed away he turned bringing his sword up in a horizontal block, Beast landing from an epic leap using a bundle of tied up rebar as a club. Swordsman parried him off to the side as Beast landed next to Magdalene, claws digging into the ground as his mouth drooled onto the ground. Even his soulless eyes he showed a glint of elation to be fighting once again, his wound on his chest scared and puffy and still leaking blood. He heaved each breath, but if the Beast could register the pain anymore, or even the dangers of fighting in such a state, it cared not.

“I care not for Baxter, but the demon inside is my real champion, and I trust him completely as you do your servant. So then, Dante Morcef, you and I are an impasse. Who’s servant has the most trust? Who’s master is more confidant in the victory! This is what the game is for! This is what Lazarus wants! To test out mettle, skills, and cunning in even the most trying of situations! So my beautiful boy, show me the next steps in this waltz!”

Swordsman stood up as Dante stood next to him fixing his cuffs and preparing for the next stage of their dance.

“Gladly,” Dante whispered.

[Sheex]

Apologies for how long this took. I'm a very busy man now, but I'll do my best to try and at least finish this thread. I emailed both of you something to hopefully make up for my immense tardiness. Assuming I remembered your email correctly that is.

Natalie's eyes went wide as the raw forces that made up Althanas were shaped and re-shaped according to the two casters' whims. Perched atop a tractor left just a little outside the construction site, Natalie fiddled with her binoculars. They were modified, by herself of course. They had night vision to begin with, but Natalie had attached a thermo scope to the top of it. It was a weighty thing for sure, but the ignorance of mages made it worthwhile. Any mage could cast a spell to hide themselves from a layman's sight, but that was just the beginning of magic. For example, this cloaking spell had been extremely hard for Natalie to even begin to detect; all she had to go on was the trace of magic in the air. Indeed, through magic or sight alone, it would have been near impossible for Natalie to make it this far. The cloaking spell even prevented sound from escaping the battlefield.

But that was the flaw of the thinking like a mage. There are ways to find someone other than by human senses alone. Once Natalie had found the general area, all she had had to do was turn on the thermo scope, and instantly located the battle. The avatars were bright lights; not human but instead walking magic coalesced into solid form. The mages too were visible; it was even possible to identify them from a normal human due to the heat given off via some of their spells. One of the mages in particular was constantly surrounded by what appeared to be fire.

"I should have waited for Trickster," Natalie muttered to herself, though there was little chance of her being found. Both mages, as well as both avatars, were focused solely on the fight, and not much else. Not that he would have stood much of a chance here. Still, this is such a good oppurtunity...

She pondered her options as she crept closer. She took her time to bypass the spell that hid the battlefield; it was a master level spell, and she felt no need to rush. In this particular case, time was on her side. Finally, after what seemed like ages and incantations, she was able to view the grandiose duel.

The avatars were easy to spot. Not only was one a roaring beast, but even though the other looked human, each action they took was well beyond what even a powerful mage could accomplish. Each time the beast swung with his claws, swipes that Natalie could literally feel the pressure from where she hid, the man with the sword reacted with godlike speed. At one point, the beast-like avatar's right claw plowed through the ground, spraying concrete and gravel into the air. The beast's opponent's dodge was so graceful, that despite the spray of debris, barely a speck of dirt touched his white coat.

The clawed one is obviously Beast. Natalie thought to herself. And the other would be Swordsman, judging from his weapon of choice. Though I suppose there's no rule saying other classes couldn't use a sword. Gladiator and Legionnaire for certain could be a possibility.

But whoever he was, THAT was a real avatar. A real hero. He moved with grace and finesse, he struck with poise and accuracy. His blade was swift and sure, and his eyes were focused solely upon the duel. THAT was the type of avatar Natalie was suppose to have.

But that, Natalie decided, wasn't what was of real importance here. Even with full surprise she couldn't touch those two. The Masters would have to be her target; without a link to the world an Avatar wouldn't last long.

There were two Masters. One was a young man, dressed in a simply suit (which at this point was flapping madly as he moved about). His brown hair was cut short, but was still long enough to have just a slight wave within it as he moved about. He cast his spells almost as if it was some form of martial art. He took a sure stance and shot forth his right arm as if to punch, but instead of a punch, a wall of shearing ice erupted before him. When he back stepped in a smooth arc, he traced his right foot across the ground to erect an ice barrier to stop the black lightning that came at him. Every now and then he would move one of his hands in a swooping motion to order one of his ice birds to attack, but it was a movement with just a hint of flourish. Natalie wondered if that was part of the spell, or if he did it to just look good?

There was no mistaking his opponent. She was old and wrinkled, with lines on her face and nothing but grey hair left. But she didn't act like an old, tired grandma. She cast her spells as if it was a dance; her twirls produced gouts of flame, and her spins the harshest gust of wind. With a fierce grin she would sometimes extend her fingers, and send jet back lighting at her foe.

She was the Crone, Magdalene Vivian. She was also the type of mage Natalie hated the most. Old, proud, stupidly arrogant, and completely blind to the modern age. Magdalene was the type of mage, no, the type of person who dismissed what she thought was below her without a second thought. Without a doubt, she would take one look at Natalie and think her an annoying pest at best, or a stain that needed to be wiped up at worse.

But then again, maybe this was an opportunity! If Natalie helped out here, she could both make an ally and eliminate a powerful foe in one fell swoop! Even though she didn't have her Avatar with her, she wouldn't necessarily need him if she played her cards right. Plus. she had a little something she had been saving for the Great Game; her ace in the hole as it were.

"Vivian!" Natalie shouted as she leapt out from her hiding place, "watch this!"

The young girl extended a small pole, no larger than a foot. The pole itself was made of some sort of black metal, though the handle was laced with buttons; the functions of which only Natalie knew. She thumbed one of the larger ones, and smirked.

She had caught the old lady in the middle of one of her black lightning blasts. Perfect. Natalie could think of no sweeter feeling than the look on the Crone's face as the old lady's spell was instantly redirected towards the item in Natalie's hand.

Maybe the expression on Vivian's face as the lightning was completely absorbed by Natalie's masterpiece? Years of testing, years of work, years of burning her eyes out to the point she needed glasses to see properly, all worth it. Her technological achievement that combined both sorcery and science, the "Gurges."

This wondrous marvel had two functions. First, it was capable of absorbing the raw ether of magic; the very basic component of any spell. Ether would be absorbed into the Gurges, rendering any spell useless. Naturally, there were limitations; an object of this size could only absorb so much. The cloaking spell that covered such a large area was beyond the Gurges, but most attack spells and defensive shields would be rendered nil by Natalie's crowning achievement.

But not only that, it could store the raw ether for further use. Natalie could absorb spells, then use the Gurges as a focal point, increasing the power of her own admittedly average magic several times over! This is why keeping an open mind was so important! This is why she would be the one to defeat the lauded Crone!

"Strike now!" she shouted at the man, "you won't find a better opening!"

The man gave her a strange look, then turned towards the monetarily defenseless Vivian. With a swoop of his arms his ice birds dove in a beautiful line, unerringly finding their target.

The twins of ice came to a rest upon the man's extended right arm, as a hunting hawk would to its master's call. He gently stroked one of the birds, and shook his head.

"If you would fight, fight. I have no need of cheap tricks to win this war," the man muttered, dismissing Natalie and her action with a shake of his head.

The word stunned would apply to the emotion's of Natalie Cyan at this moment, in the same manner that a stick of dynamite can be compared to a child's bottle rocket. Didn't this guy realize this was a war? He just passed up a once in a lifetime opportunity to remove one of the biggest threats in this battle, and he did it as he would dismiss a stray!

"I thank you for your sense of fair play," Magdalene said with a polite nod; the man nodded back appreciatively. It was at this time Natalie realized that both of them had called off their Avatars, and each stood by the side of their respective master. It also dawned on her that her Avatar was nowhere near her.

"Um....I have obviously interrupted something important, so I'll just be on my way..." Natalie stammered as she motioned to leave; the old woman clucked her tongue.

"Now now now my child, you started something. Let us see it through," Magdalene flexed her fingers, "though it is a poor mage who has to resort to technology to win."

"Stuck up old hag!" Natalie cursed as she flicked a switch on Gurges, reversing the flow of ether. She quickly canted a spell; a simple fireball, but Gurges would do the rest.

What began as a tiny fireball the size of an apple quickly increased in size. In mere moments it was the size of a watermelon, and Natalie sent in flying towards her foe. Magdalene grinned, and swooshed the air in front of her just before the attack hit, causing the fireball to careen off into the night.

"Is that it? I could cast that spell just as fast, with three times the potency," Magdalene chuckled as she extended her wrinkled hand. With the very same incantation, the old witch fired off three already enlarged fireballs. Natalie quickly flicked Gurges back to its original setting, and absorbed the three spells.

"That's the power of science," Natalie spat as a frown appeared on Magdelene's face, "Bitch!"

A bolt of lightning, which quickly split into a five pronged attack, was sent at Magdalene, who quickly threw up a shield. The young girl smiled a smile of satisfaction as one of the five bolts pierced the shield, singing the old mage's hand.

"It seems to me," Magdalene began in a very serious tone, "a lesson is in order."

The old woman stamped her right foot, causing a bolder to fly out of the ground towards. Natalie absorbed it with Gurges, then made to attack, but Magdalene had already began a second spell. With a twirl the old woman sent force a shearing wave of ice no smaller than a small car. This too was absorbed by Gurges. A stream of flame, a blast of lightning, and some sort of shadowy curse were all absorbed in term.

"Come on you old hag!" Natalie shouted, "Gurges can absorb twice that much!"

"Then it is a good thing I'm only using twenty percent of my power," Magdalene stated flatly.

Magdelene began a real incantation. Not the jabs and quick cants that she usually laced in-between attacks, but a real honest-to-god spellcraft of the highest order. She twirled her body like a flamingo dancer, swooping her arms in a perpendicular arc towards her opponent. A stream of black lightning erupted towards Natalie, which Gurges quickly began to absorb.

But the spell just did not end. As more and more of the black lightening was absorbed, Natalie’s prized possession began to shake in her hand. Too late did the young wizard see Magdelene’s plan, and far too late did she realize that that terrifying aged woman wrapped in a storm of jet-black lightning was far beyond what she thought.

Pushed to the breaking point, and having stored more ether than it was ever meant to store, Gurges exploded in Natalie’s hand. Before the poor girl even had time to mourn the loss of what she had considered her life’s work, the earth sprang up around her, latching itself to her wrists and ankles, pulling her onto her back.

“I believed I promised you a lesson,” Magdelene began, “we shall start at the logical starting point. The basics. There are five types of elements, five all-encompassing forms of magecraft. These can be broken down into subdivision after subdivision, but all magecraft originates from one of these elements: fire, earth, wind, water, void.”

Magdelene summoned five large rocks that hovered beside her as Natalie struggled against her bindings to no avail. Sweat began to trickle down the young girl’s face as her end drew near.

“This is the simplest of tests. Five boulders for five elements. Your objective is to destroy them before they crush you. Let us begin with water,” Magdelene waved her hand and one of the boulders began to crush Natalie’s left knee.

“Water must be fluid, the ever-changing element. The man who’s duel you so callously interrupted is a fan of manipulating it into ice, but that is one of the many subdivisions. It is a favored of divination as well, for water reflects many things. Anything?” Magdelene cocked her head to the side as the boulder weighed down.

“Wind must be subtle and manipulative. It is the trickery element, though you may use it as an attack, most mages use it to conceal and reveal. My concealment spell, for example, came from this element. Perhaps you can summon up a hurricane to stop this boulder?”

A dim corner of Natalie’s mind recognized that this element was her favorite element, if not the only one she was good at. She often enhanced her scouting devices with forms of magic that would not only enhance her vision, but also remove mundane obstacles of a non-magical nature. In no way shape or form could she, however, use her wind magic to move the boulder crushing her right knee.

"S-s-stop!," the young mage manged to choke out.

"Fire is the element of power. Raw, coursing, burning, devouring power," the old mage conitnued her lecture; heedless of Natalie's cries, "the most powerful of mages can shape it into lightning, the purest form of fire. I'm proud to say that this is my specialty, and my black lightning is of the most powerful forms of fire in the world."

"I suppose that means I deserve recognition for blocking it," the young man chimed in, his voice betraying a hint of something akin to worry.

"Indeed you do," Magadelene said with respect, "now you, Little One, had best conjur up some sort of fire spell to stop this boulder from crushing you right arm? No? We continue then?"

Magdalene then explained how earth was the stablest of elements; unchanging and unyielding. It was a popular element of defensive spells, though it had its uses in offense as well. Like the fourth boulder crushing Natalie’s left arm for example.

“I surrender!” Natalie whispered softly amdist the pain, “Lemme go! Please! I don’t wanna die!”

“The last element is void. It is the unseen that binds the other four elements together. it is everything and nothing,” Magdelne lectured as she raised the last boulder over Natalie’s tear lined face.

“It is also the only element that no matter how much you practice, no matter how much you try, you will never surpass your innate natural ability with it. You either have it, or you don’t. Good-bye, Little One.”

The boulder descended.