New York by Night MtA (IC thread)

[Bennosuke]

Djinn begins backing away from Bethany as she draws her knife; his predator's grin now replaced with a look of absolute disgust. Nearly tripping over himself, Djinn begins to cast another spell, this time targeting something behind Bethany. With his wand outstretched, the older Mage begins chanting in high speech, words describing some form of Veiling spell. But when it comes time to cast the spell, it appears as though nothing happens. The veins in Djinn's leathery forehead begin to swell and turn plum colored. "No", he half mutters, half spits.

[beastman1]

Bethany understands the gravity of her situation- this man is clearly a danger and it's highly unlikely that he's going to change his mind and help her in any way, however, Bethany has seen this world and what it can do. I must try, she blares in a voice in her own head, to salvage what I can.

Bethany for her next turn attempts to close the distance between her and Djinn so that she can be within striking range of his wand.

[Bennosuke]

Bethany strikes out at Djinn with her knife. But it is not the heroic slice that she would imagine a Hero would give. Instead the obsidian weapon swings awkwardly through the air, telegraphed so that Djinn easily side steps the slice. All evidence of the cocky hunter is gone from the Mage's face. With his free hand, which has now worked through a series of Mudras, he gives Bethany a push, while shrieking, "Give it to me!". His voice is shrill, and rather effeminate, but the spell he has cast is anything but impotent.

There is a sudden ripping sensation, deep inside Bethany, as if one of her organs has come loose, and is hanging by a thread. The ripping sensation is followed by immediate searing pain. Bethany stumbles back suddenly, feeling weaker, and empty. Something very important has just been taken from her.

Spoiler

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Bethany gains the soulless condition (see page 318). I strongly recommend you review this condition. It is Bethany's turn to act. Now may be a good time to cast a spell. Bethany's lack of Weaponskill makes it very unlikely she will do anything successful with that knife.

[beastman1]

Bethany responds by casting the spell, Transform Life.

*see OCC for question and more details

[Bennosuke]

Bethany stumbles back, wracked with a sense of her chest being hollowed out and filled with fire ants. Djinn sneers back at her triumphantly. From the end of his wand is a long silvery string of energy, thinning as it extends to Bethany's chest. "It's mine now, you little bitch", he jeers, too many teeth showing. He starts to pull at Bethany's soul, reeling it in like a fishing line from his wand.

Defiantly, Bethany prepares her spell, a clever gambit to change The Mage's physiology such that he would be unable to breath air. Despite the pain in her chest, Bethany focuses on the image of gills ripping themselves into the man's neck. She casts Transform Life, pushing her Arcane abilities beyond the limits of safety, and with a strike of her hand, forces the spell into his chest. She watches with eyes old as time, as the Supernal energy burrows into the man's pattern, only to dissipate into nothingness.

Djinn cackles again, slapping Bethany's hand away. Like the cat with the cornered mouse, Djinn looms over his prey and gloats, "Poor little fractured one".

But there is a sudden thunderous explosion, like a bomb going off in the room. The organization of the Space tapestry created by Djinn shreds open, to allow Steve to walk through. There is an anger in Steve's eyes, that Bethany has not yet seen, and a confidence to his movements. Like a jungle cat, Djinn roars at the intrusion of another Mage. Turning his attention from Bethany he hurls a spell at Steve; one that reeks of clotted blood and feces, a spell of Death Magic. The spell explodes across Steve's chest, nearly knocking him off his feet. It changes Steve, seems to suck the meat from his bones, instantly emaciating Bethany's only ally.

As Djinn casts his spell, the thin thread of Bethany's soul is ripped free from both ends. Like the thread of a balloon, it is dragged up towards the ceiling where it seems to hover without energy or direction.

Spoiler: OOC

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Bethany's spell fails due to Djinn withstanding the spell. Steve arrives. Djinn casts Withering and does one point aggrevated damage. In doing so, he loses hold of Bethany's soul. It is now Bethany's turn, then Steve's.

[beastman1]

Bethany casts the Life Return spell to put her soul back to where it belongs.

[Bennosuke]

Her mind racing, Bethany quickly improvises a spell, imaging the long silvery thread of spirit rolling back up like a yoyo into her body. She felt empty inside; she ached, and she was hungry for the return of her Soul. She performed a few quick hand gestures, chanting "Return, return, return", as if to command the silky cord to come back.

And then it was happening, just as she imagined, the thread was hooked and reeling back into her body. The string retracted and became a sphere, about the size of a shimmering golf ball, hurtling back into her. The Soul hit her in the belly with a loud pop, the impact filling her up like a hose of helium. Bethany could feel her ears pop, as if on an ascending airplane.

It took Bethany a moment to realize what Steve was doing. Djinn's attention was focused on Bethany, glowering at her success, and Steve was casting another spell. But this time, Steve was not targeting the lithe Mage, instead he was focused on the space around Djinn. The entire room seemed to shake with the disruption of its reality as Steve's ability weaved an incandescent ovular barrier around his enemy. Light seemed to bend through the barrier, contorting Djinn in a carnival mirror thin and wavy limbs and a too fat face.

Djinn was clearly screaming, but no sound escaped his new prison. When he tried to push through the barrier, he simply bounced off of it. His attempted spell seemed to dissipate off of it.

Steve looked up, exhausted but smiling at Bethany. "I told you it was probably a bad idea to come here", Steve said, walking towards her, "We need to hurry, it won't last too long".

[beastman1]

This is crazy! Bethany thought.

Wait, Steve! she blurted out, still disoriented by the retrieval and replacement of her soul, what did you do to him? What's going on?

She turns to Steve and then Djinn in his funhouse mirror bubble, and then back at Steve, a blank expression of exacerbation staring outwards.

I can't leave here without learning what I need to learn! An idea then materialized in her head.

I can still get what I want out of him, just watch my back as I try this!!

Bethany, with the feeling that Steve in a disapprovingly furious retaliation would knock her unconscious to pull her out of there for her own safety, runs past Steve, her back facing him, and her front facing Djinn, starts chanting and motioning the air with her knife.

Bethany will attempt to, once again, fishify Djinn's lungs with her magic in order to bargain her way to Death Magic knowledge.

[Bennosuke]

Bethany rushes past Steve, not even waiting for a response to her question. Her turns, dumfounded as he watches her run back towards Djinn. Not under duress, it was simple for Bethany to recast her spell, it was simple for Bethany to recast her spell, even with Steve blurting "Bethany, wait!"

But when the Imago was released, the spell seemed to diffuse harmlessly off of the barrier that Steve had cast. Steve sighs heavily, and when Bethany turns back to him, he says, "The spell blocks all magic from entering or leaving the Ban. The area inside that barrier actually exists in another dimensional space now."

Djinn continues to kick and scream against his restraints. "Can we go now," Steve asks, "that spell won't hold for too long, and I don't know if the two of us are strong enough to... well beat Djinn. We are probably already in a large amount of ****."

Spoiler: OOC

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Sorry, not trying to place a road block, but that is really the mechanics for that spell. See page 176.

[beastman1]

Out of energy and out of options, Bethany concedes to her symbolic defeat at the hands of Steve's spell. He came back for her and fought for her. If she wanted to lose him permanently she would have to **** up pretty badly. She wouldn't do that.

Damn it. Fine. She blurted out in a huff of exasperated breath, sweat pouring down her forehead and making wet stains over her shirt shoulders. Lead the wa-

In mid-sentence Bethany came to one final realization: salvaging gold out of a **** situation. A conciliation prize, as it were.

Steve, how long do we have before the spell runs out? I want to take as much stuff as I can carry out of here. He attacked and betrayed our trust... I say we return the favor. There's gotta be some "magic" books or crystals or amulets or trinkets or voodoo dolls or something that can help me learn to mask my "magical" presence to all other weirdos in your weirdo club. Can you help me snag the right stuff?

*If Steve agrees to help her identify and locate the right objects from Djinn's room that could be of use then that's what she'll do.

If he says they don't have the time or that he wouldn't know where to look or that nothing there will help her in her goal to learn the appropriate death magic, then she'll just run and grab a varied assortment of crystals and books and scrolls and trinkets and artifacts as she can carry out of there.

[Bennosuke]

Steve smirks, glancing over at the trapped mage. "I think we have enough time," he says, "lets look.".

Spoiler: OOC

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Bethany gets one success on her investigation roll.

Steve makes his way over to the shelves, while Bethany begins scouring his table. There are a number of scrolls and pieces of parchment, littered over the table, but after nearly turning the large wooden table over, she finds a small black leather bound book inscribed primarily in the strange Mage language that Bethany both understands, and has never seen before. The text seems to describe the processes needed for casting a number of spells.

Steve comes over to Bethany, holding a few jars, "These are soul jars. It looks like you weren't the first person whose Soul Djinn has attacked. It's... highly proscribed to perform such magic against another Mage." Steve turns and shows Djinn, "I think we will be bringing these to the attention of the Pentacle High Council."

"What do you have there?", Steve asks Bethany, looking at the book she is holding.

[beastman1]

I don't know big guy, but I bet your buddies at the council can tell us more about it, Bethany shrugs with child innocence as she turns the little black booklet front and back and front and back, flipping through the pages like a little animation flip-book, What about "I dream of genie" over there? By the time we bring all this evidence to your pals won't he hightail it out of here before we can come back.... and, uh... arrest him? Is that a thing with you people? I'm not really clear on how this works. Shouldn't we deal with him first? Knock him out and drag him with us for justice. These soul jars give me the creeps.

[Bennosuke]

Steve shakes his head, "I'm not sure arrest is the right word. He would go under trial before the High Council, but I don't think we are powerful enough to ummm keep him detained long enough." His voice hushes so as if to keep Djinn from hearing, though Bethany is still not sure if sound can pass through the barrier Steve created. "At the very least," Steve says, "with this evidence, Djinn will be forced to go into hiding or leave the city. But we should get out of here before The Ban dissolves. After you."

[beastman1]

*When Steve says "after you." What is he referring to? Where is the exit?

If Steve is gesturing or pointing to the opening from which he came from than Bethany will go through it with all that she and Steve have collected from the room.

[Bennosuke]

Steve is gesturing to the curtains by which Bethany and Djinn entered. Steve entered by fracturing Space-Time, and that door is closed. He doesn't have the capacity to maintain the Ban spell and re-open a portal in Space. Bethany still follows?

[beastman1]

Bethany follows Steve.

[Bennosuke]

The two rush back into Djinn's wooden parlor, down the stairs, and out into the street. Somehow, it is still only early afternoon, though it feels like more than a day has gone by. The two stand on the sidewalk for a moment, not talking. "So," Steve says, "I guess that didn't go as planned". His arms were still filled with jars and scrolls, his shirt was still stained maroon with his dried blood.

[beastman1]

In that moment Bethany came to the realization that her whole world, whether she wanted it to or not, was turning upside down. More importantly, her time with Djinn made her less, not more, trustworthy of these magic people. Steve could be a saint, or he could be a sinner, but Bethany wasn't going to go another step without putting her foot down.

Steve, stop. Bethany demanded softly as she turned her gaze to the ground, sighed deeply, then turned up at his judgmental gaze, Before we go any further... I want some answers. 1) Who are you, really and what's your story. 2) Why are you helping me, I hurt you on accident and left you for dirt, why risk it by hanging with me? 3)... how... how can I truly trust you?

Bethany, shifting the weight of her newfound booty to one hand, and clandestinely positioning her other hand on the handle of her knife.

[Bennosuke]

This time the gesture does not seem to intimidate Steve. He smirks at her, a grown man towering over a teenage girl. "Well", he says as the grin spreads, "One, I like you... at least in some ways, am a Mage. I am a human blessed with the ability to recognize the Supernal truth behind the lie of this supposed reality. The better question is, WHAT are you? You are certainly Mage... but not like anyone I've ever seen. And if you don't think you can trust me after I saved you despite you stabbing me into unconciousness.... well, to be honest, I'm not sure why I did that either."

With that Steve starts to turn around. Over his shoulder he says, "I'll see you around B.".

[beastman1]

Unsure of whether she's done the right thing by questioning Steve's motives, Beth decides it's best that she allows him to depart... but not without one last pressing thing she decides is important to ask.

Wait, before you got, just tell me this one last thing. I think you owe me for all this magical booty we claimed from that creep's hideout: This whole time, all along, what have you wanted from me, really? What's been the point of all of this. Let's say I DO believe you and I AM, what you say I AM, and YOU are who you say YOU are... there must've been a purpose to it all. The council, and the war and the "magic" and the world behind the shroud... You need to tell me that at least. You owe me that much for all the trouble you've put me through. All the danger and needless risk.

[Bennosuke]

With his free hand, Steve swipes his 40$ haircut out of his eyes and sighs. He shrugs in response to Bethany's question, "There is a lot you don't know, but now is not the time or place to talk about it." Steve looks around cautiously, waiting for a confused looking Sleeper in her mid thirties carrying a toddler boy, who stairs at the odd pair. When they have passed he continues, "But I think you will just have to accept for now that perhaps I was just trying to do something unselfish for once in my life."

Steve's free hand fishes into his back pocket, and after a bit of fumbling, he pulls out a bronze card-holder. With impressive dexterity, Steve frees a business card with his free hand and offers it to Bethany. "Maybe some other time we can talk about it. If you want to know, give me a call some time."

The card is a water marked off white number that reads Richard Wright MBA, Financial Advisor". There is a familiar symbol in the top right corner, depicting a book with a key-lock over a strange looking asymmetric Ideogram.

[beastman1]

Thank you. I'm... I'm sorry for mistrusting you... it's just... this is all... it's a hell of a lot to take in. Bethany takes the card in her left hand and turns it in and out in her grip, eyeing every detail and symbol on it like some precious thing.

I'm... I owe you one for saving my life... Friends are important to me, and, and you've proven that you can be good, Bethany puts out her right hand as a gesture of good will, her face softening into a half smile, shake my hand and I promise you that I OWE YOU ONE. Shake my hand and you have my word that I will do you a solid for saving me back there. Whatever you need me to do, so long as it doesn't endanger my friends, I will execute to the best of my, err, "abilities". Otherwise, if you're done with me then this is where we part ways. Sir.

[Bennosuke]

Steve smirks at Bethany's longwinded promise, and offers his hand. "Don't worry about it. I think things may get worse for you before they get better. Keep you head down, and just let me know if you need me. When you are ready to find out about the Truth behind the Lie, let me know."

Steve releases Bethany's hand and just begins walking down the block. He turns over his shoulder and waves goodbye with his free hand, before turning the corner. Bethany can feel the sun setting by the increased sharpness in each biting gust of wind, even though it is still light out. Despite making a new friend, she suddenly feels quiet alone.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

So the Scene so to speak is near coming to a close. If there is anything you want Bethany to do with her spare time (research, spell casting, try to talk with one of her friends about everything), let me know now.

[beastman1]

With the remainder of her scene, Bethany will examine the loot she has acquired from Djinn to see what she's got and make her way back to the obelisk in Central Park to see if anything she has can activate it like she observed a while back.

[Bennosuke]

Bethany quickly scrolls through the black book. The word Grimoire comes to mind. The book is filled with steps for casting spells. It would take some more detailed study to ascertain which Arcana the spells were focused on. The pages were covered in more of those strange Idiograms which Bethany recognized and could partly read by gestalt, but which were otherwise meaningless. Faceless strangers passed by Bethany, some stared, but most just went about their day too busy to notice the girl on the street alone.

Bethany had decided she would try to find Central Park, but again she was reminded that she knew not where she was, nor how she would get where she needed. She could call a cab, but who knew how long that would take, or how much it would cost. The other option was maybe the subway, if she could figure out how to navigate it.

[beastman1]

Realizing she is inexorably lost, Bethany instead finds a city bench where she can research the black book more in relative privacy away from the faceless masses that negate her focus.

[Bennosuke]

Finding one of those slanted iron bench painted green at a bus stop, Bethany sits down and begins pouring over the book. Perhaps it was the slowly fading daylight, or all of the events of the day flashing over and over through her head, but Bethany could not make heads or tails of the spells in the book.

The symbols were all familiar, and the book was clearly filled with directions for casting spells, but it was a lot of short hand and phrases Bethany just was not familiar with. She would likely need some resources to decode it, or at least some more time, but now Bethany's head hurt almost as much as her bruised behind, and it was getting dark. Her friends may be getting worried about her already!

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Bethany fails her roll, see OOC thread.

[beastman1]

Having failed her intelligence/occult roll to decipher the spells in the book, Bethany tries again, despite her splitting head, to understand the contents of the booklet as she is not ready to give up yet.

[Bennosuke]

Despite her headache, Bethany decides to continue her studies of the book. The strange glyphs seem to warp and swarm in her vision, and she becomes unsure whether her Supernal vision was bleeding into her reality in the mundane world. It feels like she is at the precipice of an answer time and time again, but nothing seems to come.

Her studies are so intense that she does not realize that the sky has become dark, and the streets nearly empty. She is disrupted from her studies by a heavily accented voice, "Little girl, little girl". Bethany's gaze rises to find an unkempt man of possible middle age and Indian ethnicity. His pants look like they have been attacked by a saw, and his shoes like they had been run over by a semi. He swayed back and forth in front of Bethany, already too close so that she could smell the left over food that stained his shirt. Grinning with a mouth missing as many teeth as it had, the aqualung seemed to be studying Bethany with glassy eyes.

[beastman1]

After today's events, Bethany is somewhat numb to surprises and she takes this new appearance with a dull And who might you be?