Sortilege of Creation IC Thread

[Gedomaru]

Well, this was to be expected. Elm made sure her aim was steady and readied her gun. She shot at the rift near Lorenin Ishtar, the bullet entering it and transfering the worldly energy required to push the instability over the edge. The explosion started, the small fire from the bullet turning into a fiery inferno that accompanied the blast, capable of ripping Isthar apart, and covering the blasted pieces of his body in flames.

[jorgiguel]

Just as the speech end and they merely waited for the signal to execute him, Rack waited patiently for it, whatever it the signal, he will take action, suddenly an explosion on the bridge. And that was it, aiming his arm at the gun, a small compartment opened from his arm and like a gun but completely silenced, a hidden knife is shot. To hit the gun and disarm the woman, even if she wasnt disarmed, her aim would be completely off. He didnt want to wait to move into action.

But someone got in the way "Tch." He wasnt expecting someone else to show up, even if he delayed the the executioner, that only gave him a few seconds to act. At least the platform was covered in dust which should help to an extent.

[Prisma*Illya]

Noin, Gedo, Jorg

In an instant, Elm had transformed the platform into a fiery inferno. The Enforcers leaped aside, trying to avoid the blast - much greater in magnitude than they had anticipated. Lorenin had dived toward the ground, but a moment too later. The blast caught him hard in the back, catapulting him with a horrible cry toward the hard stone street. Only just in time, Barghast's boundied field reacted, the tentacles shooting out and snatching the blonde man just before he hit the ground. Lonerin's head sagged, unconscious.

"Quickly, we must get away from here," Salvatore told Dubhe, the tentacles from his bounded field probing the area like feelers from an insect as he hauled the young girl by the hand and her master in a makeshift stretcher of ether tentacles. Salvatore was no fool. He knew the magnitude of that blast had done serious injury, and if they didn't find him a bed Lonerin would be dead soon. Even if they did.. there were no guarantees. He could already sense the man's life force slipping. He hoped Lonerin would at least regain consciousness.. before the end.

The Enforcers, the ones who were conscious and largely unscathed, motioned to Elm.

"Go after them!" they bellowed. "Don't let them get away!"

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"Well, well," Eliana de Winter murmured as she gazed from her castle window. "I have company."

She glided from her room and made her way down to the courtyard, where a pack of black dogs was waiting for her. She stood primly in place, eyeing the pack of ravenous animals with no trace of fear or surprise.

"Eliana de Winter, heir to the de Winter line of magi, your time is up," came a voice, from where Eliana couldn't see.

"Is that so?" she said in a giggling voice, her eyes taking on a shimmer gold hue. "Well, don't keep me waiting then."

As if on cue, the first few dogs bounded toward her, snarling and flicking drool.

Spoiler

Seemingly unaware of the danger, Eliana began to waltz on the spot to some music that only existed in her head. As she moved, she turned her eyes to the first dog, which gave out a pitiful yelp as it was instantly vaporized into a trail of ether, which dispersed into the air. The other two leaped, but Eliana moved into a curtsy, then turned her head up, giggling as she flashed her eyes at them, caused them to dissipate inches from her.

"I hope that wasn't all," she said, "I was just getting warmed up for my real performance."

Tucked safely away in her apartment, Marietta Sinclair grinded her teeth.

[jorgiguel]

Cornelia and Rack

"Crap" Rack immediately jumped back to avoid the sudden explosion, although physically unscaled, he couldnt say the same about his clothes that got burn mark all over them "Man, and I liked this set." hopefully Rack was still undetected, under all this chaos, his eyes would give him one hell of a cover. Still this was a predicament, seemed his target was- suddenly the enforcers command to follow someone "Or maybe not." seemed the guy was still alive, somehow.

Rack puts grin and begins to run joining the the fray of the enforcers. But although Rack was fast, in the mist of all of this he'll easily lose track, so he cant do it on his own. He looked at the top of the nearest building, there stood a black figure. It was Cornelia and in her hand was some form of bird.

"Hmph, follow the bird is it?" Cornelia had picked the best spot for a clear view, from there she could see anything and everything that was happening in the square. When she saw Lorenin being taken away she quickly took out a small bird puppet(looked like a normal pigeon) and with that she let it lose, to track them down.

Normally she would have just stopped the moment the guy escaped, however something interesting happened that made her want to continue. "So another Angel Rank was interest in him..."

[NoIn-LoKi]

Salvatore

Lonerin's eyes looked at her blankly and she held her breath in hope of getting any kind of reaction. Only seconds later, she felt herself roughly pulled up. She protested. The Enforcer was looking at her, cold anger on his face. This sudden move disrupted Dubhe's concentration and the barrier around her shattered and dissolved. Before she could take any evasive action, someone grabbed her waist and threw her down, but not from the direction she expected. Her eyes searched for Lonerin when the fire attack went past her. There was far more confusion than she had expected and she felt the confusion around her more than she saw it.

"Listen to me, my dear, and don't struggle" a man's voice reached her ears and she turned her head dazed and was faced with his milky white eyes. Unable to tell if he was truthful or not, she followed her intuition. Doesn't matter. It's a chance to get out of here. Deal with the rest later. Getting up, she nodded. "Let's go then"

An explosion ripped the platform apart and Dubhe ducked and covered her head purely on instinct. The blast caught Lonerin, however her mysterious savior managed to save him with his tentacles. Jumping up, she followed the white haired man. Upon hearing the last orders of the Enforcer, she cast one last look at the devastated scene and the black haired woman, before turning a corner.

Away from the bridge with all the magi, it was easier to rely on the ability to sense mana again. "They're following us." she stated, not surprised.

"Who are you?" she asked after a while, still running, her anxious glances returning to Lonerin and his pale face every few seconds. "He's injured and needs a hospital. We have to get him some help. He can't die." her voice bordered the hysterical and her face looked worried. "He just can't…" her voice trailed off.

[Payne]

LoKi, Illya, jorg

As the two magi with captured prisoner in tow pushed through the crowd, a little boy ran alongside them. He reached over to Dubhe's sleeve and tugged on it once before slapping a piece of paper onto her arm, where it stuck in place. "Don't try to get rid of the bird that's been following you, and my master will be with you shortly." The boy gave Dubhe a weak smile. "He might be able to help."

Without waiting for a response, the boy slipped past her and tilted Lonerin's head back to get a look at his face. Anyone that blinked would have missed it, but where the boy had been running, now Lonerin ran in his place. "I can probably buy you about 5 minutes. Good luck." He stopped short, letting the others keep running as he turned to face the chasing Executors. They needed to get a good look at him before he turned and darted into the next alleyway over, and hopefully the puppet that Cornelia had released might fall for it too.

From his perch atop the building overlooking the square, Setsuna watched the plot unfold below him. Through the eyes of his shikigami, he had also seen Yin make contact with her target directly, which he had told her not to do. The fact that she had done so meant that he would now have to follow this strange path to the end. Once he was associated, Setsuna didn't back out until he got to the heart of the matter. To be honest, he had kinda wanted to meet Lonerin anyway.

With a sort of crooked smile, he stepped off of the building and into the air. The sutras wrapped around his sandals were still in place, and he made use of them now, following the group below from the sky as they made their escape.

[madarra]

Creus

As he was about to enter the mansion he heard a new broadcast just like the previous night,sent through magecraft thought the entire city,

"New Rome's Council of Magi has succeeded in apprehending Lonerin Ishtar, sentenced to death for crimes against the Mage's Association for his act in bringing about the ritual known as the Conception. The sentence will be carried out in the square outside Ponte Sisto Bridge. The Mage's Association will continue to uphold its unyielding policy in handling those who would betray magic to the unknowing populace. Take heed."

Luckily he had what he needed with him using his equipment he tracked it back to the university he had visited yesterday"So he was a council member after all..."good information to have,but not the most important at the moment,he`d want to see this Lonerin Ishtar,and ask him about the happenings, but he`d hardly make it to the bridge in time, and it would probably be polluted with magi and enforcers and others who wouldn't want to meet him,his work hadnt made him anyone`s favorite as Atlas`s dirty work can get quite dirty,even if they dont look down on him as they do the Associations enforcers.

"Well, no use going...." seeing little purpose in exposing himself to so many just to reach a man`s execution he decided to continue on ,going inside the mansion to see what he can piece together of the ritual
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Emily to Illya

From his reaction Emily could tell that this vampire was in fact the one prowling the Red light district but was shocked when the old man yelled for the biker, she had forgot about him in the rush of the moment and revealed herself,she`d have to deal with him.But in this moments distraction,the old vampire escaped her grip and jumped in the bushes"Wait you---".She was about to follow when from behind her she heard "Who are you?", it was the biker,she had forgotten about him again,how could she forget a shirtless biker twice within the span of two minutes..."He`ll get away.I don't have time for you."her eyes turned gold as she gave the command "Forget what you saw here." and ran through the bushes after the old man.She ran all the way to the road but there was no sign of him,"You`ll come out again eventually..." she said that to no one in particular as turned back to her walk

[Payne]

Illya

If Tear had been in a bad mood when she'd heard about having a partner for the duration of this job, she was in a worse mood now. All of her leads had dried up after the two dead in the red light district, which meant she didn't have the necessary information to stake out another target tonight. On top of that, she was going to have to meet with the insufferable man from last night who had looked down on her and poked fun at her profession.

She just wanted to scream aloud, but instead, she looked out her window and asked. "Lord, why do you test me like this?"

After another half hour of fruitless searching through her pile of documents and reports, Tear looked up at the clock again. Ten minutes after four; she had no intention of waiting for her unwelcome partner to show up, but she had told him to be on time, and she had no intention of being the one who wasn't.

With a yawn, she stood up and stretched, rolling a cat out of her lap in the process. "Ah, sorry hun, I didn't realize you were there." She bent over and scratched it behind the ears before walking over to her closet and pulling out a black shoulder bag, which she sat on the desk to inspect the contents.

Inside were two notebooks, one black and the other green. The green one was what she used to gather information about her possible targets; names, dates, incidents, eyewitness accounts, things like that. The other was sort of a legend amongst the church members who knew her. Its worn, black cover contained the list of everyone who owed her favors and what kind of favors they had been.

The bag also contained an umbrella, Tear's wallet, and a harp of magnificent design. As if drawn to it, Tear pulled the harp from the bag and ran her fingers in between the strings. It was perfectly tuned, as it always had been. She had long ago figured out that the harp was indestructible by any measures she could take against it. Not once had she ever had to tune it, and not once had she ever broken a string. Truly, it was a marvelous instrument.

Tear seemed oddly de-stressed as she put the harp back in her bag and slid it over her shoulder. She had almost completely recovered from her nightmare this morning as well. So, maybe she could at least try to enjoy the rest of her evening.

Humming a familiar tune, she stepped out of her room and locked the door behind her. A massive, white dog greeted her with a woof when she turned around. "Good afternoon to you too Bear." As a great pyrenees it was hard to tell how much of the dog was muscle and how much was fuzz, but on all fours, he stood at a height just above Tear's waist, making him a rather daunting sight.

She scratched under his chin and patted him on the head once before heading into the alleyway that led out of her courtyard. To her surprise, the sound of panting echoed in the small space, and she turned to see the dog following her.

"Are you planning to be my escort this evening?"

Bear woofed again, affirmatively.

"Alright, but you better not run away again if we get into trouble." She gave him a playful shove. "I've still not forgiven you for bailing on me last time you big wuss."

The clock in the hall of the chapel said it was 4:37 when Tear and her escort arrived. Darien was nowhere in sight, so she sat down on a bench by the door and proceeded to groom bear with a hairbrush she produced from her bag while keeping one eye on the door.

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fooly

The target didn't retreat while Sancraid finished his snack, but it didn't come any closer either. Perhaps it was being cautious like him? That meant it was at least somewhat intelligent, but it also hadn't run. Which meant it was also somewhat curious. Maybe he could use that curiosity to his advantage.

Sancraid slowly walked into the alleyway, and absentmindedly began whistling his favorite tune, 'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf". It didn't appear that anyone was there though. Strange, he was sure that he felt an angel rank here. Maybe it was inside the building? Well, it didn't matter anyway. He had plenty of time to track them all down, and there was no reason to reveal his presence unnecessarily.

Continuing to whistle, he followed the alleyway all the way around the building and stepped back out onto the main street, making his way south, towards the hospital and the slums.

[Prisma*Illya]

Payne

Darien was well-prepared when Emily tried to flash him with her Mystic Eyes. The mental interference used by vampires was one he was well familiar with and suffered few adverse effects from. Although stunned for a moment, giving her the chance to slip away, he certainly didn't lose focus of what had just transpired. Quickly moving into action, he followed the direction the young woman had moved.

"Dammit.." Darien sighed, running a hand through his silver hair. Well, that was two Dead Apostles in one go. He was sure the old man was the one they were looking for, but the girl.. just what was her deal?

Darien was frustrated. He never let targets go once he found them, and two had suddenly dropped on his lap and left just as quickly. It was enough to make him want to grab another cigarette from his jacket pocket, but he stopped down on the urge. A nicotine addiction was certainly something he didn't want to have to deal with.

Shaking his head, he turned and headed toward the chapel. He didn't want to be early, showing that he was actually concerned with making an impression. But he didn't want to be too late, despite how pleasant the prospect of pissing her off might be.

At a brisk pace, he made his way to their arranged meeting place, hands tucked into the red biker jacket as his black boots clicked on the pavement. He stuck out like a sore thumb in this outfit, combined with his silver man and tanned skin, but he liked it. And fortunately, so did quite a few others..

"Here we go," he sighed, staring up at the imposing wooden doors. He checked the time - 5:05 - and stepped inside.

"Wha.." he trailed out, seeing Tear sitting in a pew grooming a rather large dog. Her outfit wasn't quite as eyecatching today, but it suited her more. Quite well, in fact.

"Well, I was in the neighborhood," he said calmly, leaning against the pew across the aisle from her. "Thought I'd see if you were really going to sit around waiting for me to show up."

He sighed, fishing into his bag and tapping the black laptop as he eyed her, showing a mixture of veiled annoyance and polite resignation.

"Incidentally, I have the papers if you're going to insist on making things difficult for me," he added. "Although, we might as well save ourselves the trouble and just share what we know. Even if you don't like it, we are working for the same side."

In truth, regardless of his feelings for the Executor, he and the Cross family couldn't afford to stir bad relations with the Church. He'd have to bite the bullet if necessary, though he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

--------------------

Barghast didn't have time to think much about the sudden whispers of one who claimed to be a friend. They were too close to the danger zone to stop now. But he certainly caught the tearful words of his young companion, his heart stabbed with the pain she must be experiencing.

"The hospital is too far away. We need to get him to somewhere close for him to lie down. The exertion is bad for him. I think he may be bleeding internally," he said briskly, sending the tendrils of his field probing outward as they moved. He decided they'd be better going toward his temporary workshop, since he knew the way, and she might be too stressed to think of the way back to hers, assuming it was even feasible to head there.

"Quickly, this way," he urged, counting his paces and feeling out as they went. He suddenly stopped, nudging her arm as they reached a small street with small one-room flats. They moved up a flight of steps, and he fitted a key into the lock and shut them inside. He turned, gently laying the broken figure of Lonerin Ishtar onto the bed, finally letting himself breathe.

"I hope he will regain consciousness.." he murmured, closing the shades to only allow a little light. He didn't want any spying familiars to see them.

"But if he does not, you need to know that he is not responsible for the crimes levied against him," he told Dubhe, laying a hand gently on her shoulder. "I have looked into his soul and see nothing but innocence. Lonerin was a good man."

---------------------

Jean had winced, clenching her eyes shut as the explosions and cries had dully reached her apartment. After a few minutes, she hesitantly allowed herself to untangle her limbs from the sheets and creep to the windows, casting a glance outside. She could see the chaos in the square, and trembled slighty.

"Get yourself together, Jean," she told herself, pacing her breath. "This could be a big lead on the ritual. You need to find out what happened."

She nodded and glanced toward the door. But not yet.. she needed to give things time to die down. There was no telling what could happen if she charged out in that commotion.

[jorgiguel]

Cornelia and Rack

"Oh?" there were allot more people interested in this man's life than she expected, and while the trade should fool most. She wasnt part of those most, from her view she could clearly see the real Lonerin being carried away. Hopefully Rack wouldnt fall for it and would just follow her puppet.

Rack on the other hand down there in the confusion, didnt exactly know what just happened, the guy that was being carried just a minute ago, was now running away , that felt a bit sudden. Looking up, he notices the bird going the opposite direction "A decoy is it?" that's actually good, that way he can actually safely track them without the risk of being noticed by the enforcers.

That said, Rack followed the bird, leaving behind those who feel for it.

"Guess I should be moving." and with that, Cornelia left, also following her own puppet, but through her own path so not to be caught by any enforcer that didnt fall for the trade.

And Rack stopped, the bird had laid in front of a door of some apartment "Meh, not getting inside that's for sure." disappointing, he was expecting them to run to some form of warehouse or abandoned building or something, but that was probably to predictable. Anyway as it went he wasnt going to risk getting any closer, god knows how big the boundary field set in this place is, better to not risk and reveal his presence. "Guess, I'll just watch and wait for now." and quite frankly, while Rack was daring, he wasnt about to face someone who just faced a bunch of enforcers and got away unscaled.