Colin's posts

Vincent went and got the pendant, and upon attempting to summon Madison, found he couldn't.

"Oh no." he said.

Meanwhile, Hollie got a response.

A bit ago. it read.

Have one still alive but shouldn't be. Car wreck. Mangled. But still breathing. the next one read.

Why? the third one asked.

Vincent paused as he heard this, stunned silent for a moment.

"I... uh..." he stammered.

"I'll certainly try." he told her.

"But... Kyra Blackstone..." he then said. "For her to be alive again is... certainly concerning, yes." he agreed.

"I'll try and contact Madison immediately." he then informed her as they ventured further into the manor.

"..." he was silent for another moment, and sighed.

"I'll get the pendant and try it." he said, and she could hear the concern in his tone... the worry that she wouldn't come.

Max watched her go, grabbing his communicator, and shook his head.

"...the hell's going on...?" he wondered.

---

About 30 seconds later, the door was opened by the man in question, and he appeared surprised to see her.

"Oh! Hollie." he greeted her.

"Come in." he said, stepping out of the way so she could enter.

"Is something the matter?" he asked. "You seem confused and concerned."

The sentry, Max, was just stuck there for a moment, seemingly dumbfounded by seeing her again, before he shook his head to clear it, and looked her up and down.

"I... I..." he stammered.

"All right." he then said, sounding serious again.

"If you are who you say you are, then step forward." he told her.

The mana boundary that was there would strip any glamours or disguises that one might have up... so when Kyra stepped forward... and remained the same... Max looked even MORE puzzled and concerned.

"Go." he told her.

"I'll radio ahead and let them know you're coming." he said.

At the mana border, there were several sentries doing the rounds, and one of them stopped when he saw her appear where she did.

"Halt!" he declared.

"This is a sanctioned protected government area! State your business!" he demanded.

He saw her appear, he knew she was a mage, so she HAD to have known what this place was, but it was the standard response for anyone that approached, so nothing was revealed to anyone that shouldn't know.

"...wait..." he then mumbled. "Wait, hold on..." he muttered further.

"......Kyra?"

Evan was looking over towards them, and when he saw the thumbs-up, he just sighed in relied.

Azari was watching this too, and shook his head.

"Hmph." he muttered.

"Resilient little worms." he said, though he was sure Vanessa would be satisfied with them still living. The three of them were valuable pawns, after all. He then looked around, and saw Chris in another corner, crumpled and in bad shape.

"...wonder if HE'S dead..." he mumbled, before shrugging.

"Who cares." was all he then said.

"Where ARE those medics!?" he added impatiently.

Evan coughed again, but it wasn't as violent or harsh this time.

"Go!" he told her.

"I'm alive! That's all that matters!" he said.

"Kelly... she..." he started to say further, before tears welled up in his eyes.

"Just go make sure SHE'S alive, too." he told her.

He then relaxed heavily, pretty much just wanting to lay down on the floor and... stay there for a while.

Azari sighed in relief, before looking around, and seeing Sammy with Evan.

"..." he was silent, before sighing, and looking back at Vanessa.

He then placed his hand on the closest wall, and pulsed out something. It was essentially a mana call for the medics to arrive at the room and take Vanessa to be treated.

As for Evan, Sammy didn't seem to hear or see him breathe... or feel anything from him... for close to 10 seconds.

Before he suddenly started to cough and shake violently.

His eyes then popped open, and he let out a yell of panic and fear.

"KELLY!" he shouted.

Azari didn't even seem to notice or care that Sammy was there with Evan, as he looked over and noticed that it seemed like Vanessa had been thrown against one of the walls, and was laying there in a crumpled heap.

"Madam!" he exclaimed, running over.

He knelt down and shifted her in his arms, genuine concern in his expression.

"Madam, speak to me!" he pleaded.

Meanwhile, Evan's body felt cold and lifeless... however, Sammy then noticed that he suddenly started to feel warmer. And then... even for the briefest of moments... she swore she saw his chest rise and fall, even if shallowly.

All the flowers had either burned or dissipated, and Sammy was just at the door, when she felt Azari push her.

Not back, just to the side.

"Out of my way, brat!" he yelled.

"MADAM!" he then called out, as he started to run in the direction that the pulse had come from... where the rune was.

It seemed that Azari was more interested in seeing if Vanessa was all right than dealing with Sammy... or even stopping her. The question now remained for the Fyrane.

Did she try and use this moment to escape? Or check on her brother?

Azari looked at the flames that were coming his way, and caused some vines to come up in front of him, to act like wall. It worked, to a degree, but some of the fire actually burned through, and reached his feet, causing him to feel searing pain in them.

He cried out in pain as he felt it, before causing a purple sunflower-like blossom to come up from behind Sammy.

This one started to let strange translucent purple fluid drip down from it, and when it started to pool, it would give off a mist that would act as a hallucinogen... and make Sammy witness her worst nightmares as though they were happening before her eyes.

It was colloquially called the 'Nightterror'... for very good reason.

Azari noticed that the temperature was rising, before narrowing his eyes.

He then snapped his fingers, causing small blood-red rafflesia-like flowers to blossom out of the cracks of the floor. As soon as they did, they reacted to the heat, and caused sickly yellow pollen to puff out around Sammy.

They weren't particularly deadly, in fact, there had been no reports of deaths from them at all, but they smelled bad.

Really bad.

In fact, their pollen was likened to the smell of a bloated corpse that had recently burst. It was said to cause anyone to become violently sick from the very smell of it.

Azari just laughed.

"Pacifists!? Oh, PLEASE!" he replied.

"Don't paint all of us with that brush." he told her. "We're not all like that." he said.

"Also... don't speak of Madam like that." he then growled.

"She and I are of like mind." he told her.

"And I will not hear anything out of you about that." he finished, launching a larger barrage of thorns at her.

This time, Azari had been able to dodge the orb of fire.

"I know you're not." he said. "But your interests are of little consequence now." he told her.

"By the time this is done, you're going to know how hopeless your situation is." he promised.

Then, before she could really respond, he swung his fist in an arc in front of him, and several of the thorns came off of the vines, flying towards her.

If they connected, she would feel an intense stinging sensation from the poison they were coated in. It wasn't anything too serious, hardly life-threatening, but this was just his warm-up.