Pandemonium Tea in the Apocalypse

[Eleanor Griffin]

Dear Quoril,

I know that the last time we met we didn't really have an opportunity to talk. A lot happened at the college. You were so kind to me and I feel you deserve an explanation. Would you like to meet at that little cafe on the corner near the guided feather, in two days time at noon? I thought it would be a nice chance to talk and catch up. I wish you well and until then,

Sincerely
Eleanor Griffin

It was two days later. Eleanor had received a letter confirming their meeting and she now sat at a small two person table nursing an untouched cup of steaming chai and cream. The place they had agreed to meet was a little tea shop called Keep it Simple. It was quieter than a tavern would have been but not too quiet. There were a number of other people sitting around tables and talking, filling the room with a soft buzz of conversation. Eleanor could feel the auras in the room, full of contentment. It was places like this that she found were great for collecting aura for her magic. So many negative unwanted auras were discarded in a place like this, and then the strong positive energy also came off on everything around everyone leaving a strong mix of positive and negative energies for her to tap into.

Eleanor had already topped off her aura reserve and was now just sitting looking out the window at the people passing by. Ever since she had joined the cult of Bastellen people tended to avoid her. She gave off an aura of unease that even the average person could feel. It made socializing difficult but she still enjoyed watching others go about their normal lives... Perhaps that was what this was about, an attempt to be normal for a little bit. To go out with a friend and have a drink and just talk about things.

Quoril

 

[Quoril]

Quoril left the room he had been renting and walked to the lower floor of the inn. “Good morning!” he said to the kindly old woman who ran the inn. “Mornin’ dearie” she replied. “I’ve got this letter here for you from somebody named Eleanor.” “Thanks!” Quoril said excitedly, snatching the letter out of her hand and hurrying off to the closest table. Opening it he read:

Dear Quoril,
I know that the last time we met we didn't really have an opportunity to talk. A lot happened at the college. You were so kind to me and I feel you deserve an explanation. Would you like to meet at that little cafe on the corner near the guided feather, in two days time at noon? I thought it would be a nice chance to talk and catch up. I wish you well and until then,

Sincerely,
Eleanor Griffin

He was ecstatic. It had been so long since he had talked to or even seen his friend.


Two days later
Quoril walked down the street, the light breeze blowing through his messy brown hair. Without his overstuffed backpack he felt as light as a feather. He strolled by The Gilded Feather and walked into Keep it Simple. There were many people inside. Some were sitting alone with books, while others sat at small tables talking. The soft babble of conversation filled the air and everyone seemed happy and content

The elf saw Eleanor sitting alone at a table near front windows. The surrounding tables were empty as if the other patrons were put off by her presence. Waving cheerfully, he proceed to make his way over to her. After sitting down and ordering a glass of chilled green tea, Quoril turned to Eleanor and smiled.

“Long time no see! How have ya been?”

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

As Quoril approach Eleanor looked up and her vacant thoughtful gaze lit up at the presence of his vibrant energy. He had a very clean aura, not in a moral sense but it the sense that he seemed to know what he wanted in life and didn't let things get in his way. She smiled.

"I've been as well as can be expected. Much better now than before. I've started getting used to being back in the city." She reached for her cup with a gloved hand and took a sip. Dispight the heat and the time of year she had not removed her leather gloves though she had hung her jacket over the back of her chair. The triform hat that she had been wearing when she had seen Quoril last was now hanging off the back of the chair, and Quoril could see that the white streaks in her hair had grown since he had last seen them.

"I've taken to studying herbology in my spare time, not just their medicinal uses but I have been experimenting to see what effect certain plants have on the aura. Tea is a wonderful example of this, ordinary people use magic all the time without knowing it. Like green tea," She said nodding at his cup as a server brought him his drink, "it improves mood, boots mental abilities and increases reaction timing."

 

[Quoril]

As Eleanor looked at him with a smile on her face, Quoril was relieved to see that his friend was doing well. He had gotten to see her again months after the events at the college but had only gotten to speak to her briefly. She had seemed distant then but know she looked like she was getting back to her usual self.

“Really? Tea does all that?” Quoril asked incredulously. “It’s such a simple plant that I’ve never bothered to study it. If somebody came to me and wanted boosted mental abilities and reaction timing, I would have suggested pink foxtail brewed in a solution of watered down honey. Or I would have suggested pryrine dust added to their drink, although that can be addictive depending on the person.”

“My knowledge really covers the more uncommon and rare plants. I guess I need to study the more commonplace plants to see what they could be used for. Alchemy is more chemistry than herbalism so this is fascinating. What else have you learned?” Quoril asked eagerly.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Eleanor's smile widened at a chance to share these things with someone who was genuinely interested. Luna was kind but she could be a bit distant and emotionless at times.

"Well, I've heard lavender is good for dreams, divination and can be used to fight nightmares. Jasmin is a good counter to sadness and grief, and I don't know if this is true but I've heard it is also used as an aphrodisiac. Mint is good for focusing and energizing. Patchouli is good for grounding and centering one's focus. And that's just the magical effects, not to mention all of the medical applications many herbs have. I find the right tea or herbal blend is great for augmenting magical training and helps me focus." She explained. She stared thoughtfully through the window her brow furrowing as her absent gaze fell on a man who had just collapsed in the street. The whispers in her ears rose up 'danger, danger, danger, danger' was the rising crescendo 'The red mist is coming'. Even from this distance, she could feel a red iron aura clinging to him which gave her a sense of unease. It reminded her of the first time she had felt the void aura that now felt so normal to her.

She looked back at Quoril, conflicted, she wanted to help the man outside but things had just started to feel normal and she loathed leaving that safe space. "Something's not right, I'm sorry, I think that man needs help," She said getting up from her seat and apologizing to Quoril as she excused herself and ran out into the street. Nearing the group of people standing over the man some of them were trying to hold him still as he yelled and thrashed "The mists are coming, The mist, their coming! We're all gonna die!"

 

[Quoril]

Quoril listened intently as Eleanor continued talking about various other herbs and flowers, nodding his head thoughtfully and taking mental notes. Eleanor paused and turned to look out the window. She abruptly excused herself and ran out into the street. With a confused look on his face Quoril sprang up and ran after her. When he got there Eleanor was standing with a large group of people who were surrounding a man lying in the street who was screaming “The mist are coming! They’re coming from the mist! We’re all going to die!” Quoril looked around confused. It was a beautiful day. The skies were blue and cloudless. No signs of mist anywhere. He thought to himself that the man might be a touch off but kept it to himself.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Eleanor approached the group but stopped several yards away when she remembered her own aura of fear. She hung back and watched as they tried to get the man under control. She looked at Quoril as he came up beside her, her brow furrowed. The whispers in her ears still warned of danger. Whatever this man was yelling about was real and it was coming. She looked back the way the man had come from, the outer edge of the city. "Something's not right. Something's coming." She licked her lips nervously trying to figure out what to do. She wanted to help the man but she didn't know of a magic that could help and she was more likely to make him worse than better with her aura. A part of her wanted to know more of what this red mist was, her curiosity pricking at the back of her mind, but she also felt a strong sense of self-preservation. Whatever this was, it was dangerous and she should get as far away from it as possible. She looked at Quoril. "I'm sorry, this was supposed to be a nice afternoon tea." She said with a weak smile.

 

[Quoril]

"I'm sorry, this was supposed to be a nice afternoon tea." Eleanor said with a weak smile. “It’s okay. Maybe some other time.” Quoril responded with a grin. He watched the crazed man thrashing about and wished that he had brought his backpack. Then he could have given the man something to calm him down.

The man’s ranting had sparked Quoril’s curiosity. Whether these mists were real or not, the elf had to find out himself. "Where did you see these mists?" he asked the man. "The farms! THE FARMS! They appeared at the farms!" "Thanks!" Quoril said before sprinting off towards the direction of the inn where he had been staying. Skidding to a stop he turned back towards Eleanor and yelled excitedly “I’m gonna take a look at these mists for myself. You comin’?” Without waiting for her to answer, he once again turned and dashed off. If he was going out into possible danger, he would need to get his pack first.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Eleanor started and stared at Quoril. "He's as crazy as I am," She muttered under her breath placing her hat on her head and flinging her coat, which had been hanging over her arm, over her shoulders like a cape before running after him. If the whispers were weary of this mist then it must be dangerous. This man was going to get himself killed. Though despite her misgivings a genuine smile began to snake its way across her face. She couldn't help admiring his unwavering curiosity. It also gave her an excuse to follow her own curiosity.

 

[Quoril]

As Quoril reached the inn, he rushed up the worn wooden stairs and grabbed his backpack. Slinging a strap over one shoulder he went down the stairs two at a time. Upon exiting the inn, he met up with Eleanor who had decided to join him after all. “Do you need to get anything before we leave the city?” he asked her.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Eleanor could feel Quoril's heart race with excitement, his energy rising as he ran out of the inn to meet with her. Her smile widened, she felt almost giddy, his excitement was contagious. And with her own energy rising so did her senses. She could feel every single person within fifteen paces of her and differentiate them from each other. She noticed for the first time that Quoril's aura reminded her of the smell of old books. Her eyes lit up at the thought. It seemed quite fitting.

"I have everything I need, lead the way," Eleanor said not even trying to talk herself out of it anymore. She reached out momentarily with her senses making sure to top off her aura reserves. She already had her black book and ritual dagger. The rest of her abilities to combat danger were all mental. A sword of some sort probably would be useful if she had known how to use one, perhaps that was something she could learn later. She stashed that thought in the back of her mind, right now they were going to investigate an apparently dangerous red mist.

 

[Quoril]

“All right then. Let’s go!” Quoril exclaimed excitedly. He had seen the farms on his way in when he had initially traveled to Elbion so he knew that they weren’t too far outside the city limits. The inn where the elf had been staying was right inside the city walls - he could see the city gates from where they were standing.

Quoril once again rushed off. Once outside the city gates he could see the outlines of the farms on the horizon. As they neared the farm fields, he could see that the mists were all too real. The elf could hear strange unearthly sounds coming from within. There were also the shadows of some sort of creatures, though they were none he recognized. Stopping a few hundred yards away from the mist, he turned around and waited for Eleanor to catch up. Now that he saw that the mists were indeed real, he felt a slight twinge of fear.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Eleanor looked at the mist, the whispers rising louder with their warnings of danger. Her excitement and curiosity seemed to waver slightly as she felt Quorils aura falter.

"It's coming... what do we do?" She asked

'This is none of your concern child.' The whispers hissed. "Running is pointless," She snapped under her breath. For some reason, she wasn't sure why, perhaps it was her connection to Bastellen, She knew that this was not the only source of mist, there were patches of it all over the world, there was one near the temple, and they were all spreading. There was no way one could run from something like that.

"Come on." She muttered as she began marching towards the mist, not sure if it was to herself or to Quoril. She wasn't excited anymore, but she wasn't scared either, just pissed. She wasn't sure exactly why but she got the feeling that Luna was hurt. That something from the mist had hurt Luna.

 

[Quoril]

As Quoril stood there next to Eleanor he heard her say nervously “It's coming...what do we do?” He looked over at her with a concerned look on his face. Quoril had dragged her along into a dangerous situation and now had no idea how to proceed or to stay safe. He was more than used to blindly running into danger and getting himself out of it, but now he had somebody with him. The methods he would use to stay safe wouldn't work with two people. He opened his mouth to ask if Eleanor if she wanted to return to Elbion, but before he could say anything he heard her say “Come on.”

The previously nervous look on her face had given way to a sort of angry determination. Quoril had never seen Eleanor like this before. She must have sensed something in the mist that he couldn’t. Quoril felt a wave of determination as he saw her march off towards the mist without hesitation. He formed a knife out of ice from the moisture in the air around him, and hurried after her, hoping that he wouldn’t need to fight.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

The mist felt wrong. Its aura smelled like iron and tasted of compost, yet at the same time, it felt like nothing at all. Like all of this was just slightly removed from reality. She was familiar with this feeling, both her and Luna gave off a similar feeling of displacement. Strangely, this red mist was a lot like the black aura.

As they approached the mist Eleanor did not slow down and it continued to advance towards them. A small voice at the back of her mind told her she should run but the though Luna lying wounded in the snow consumed her. She needed to help her mentor, she couldn't run away again. Luna needed her help.

Wait? How was running headfirst into the mist going to help? Luna wasn't even here.

She stopped short as she snapped out of it but it was already to late the Mist advanced and washed over them. Moments passed and she felt the ground change turning to mud beneath her feet blackened worms wriggling up in mass from the ground. And she could feel a pull or tug of energy towards the center of the mist. She could feel others in the mist as well. Monsters the smelled like the mist.

She drew her ceremonial dagger and glanced back at Quoril, "I'm sorry... we don't have to go on if you don't want to, but I think whatever is causing this is at the center of the mist." She said waiting to see what Quoril would do.

(OOC: Administrator we're ready for some demon action when you are)

 

[Quoril]

“We should keep going. I want to see what this mist is all about.” Quoril said, his voice shaking nervously. He stepped forward, his feet squelching in the muck, and black worms wriggled under his boots.

“Ready?” the elf asked Eleanor and then pressed onwards into the mist. As he went further in, he could feel himself being pulled towards the center of the cloud. The further he went in the stronger this feeling became. Quoril could also feel his magic growing weaker and weaker. Suddenly his knife made out of ice shattered into shards that instantly vaporized. Apparently this mist nullified any magic used within its confines.

Cursing under his breath, Quoril drew the sword that he kept strapped to his back. It felt unusually heavy as the mist hindered its ability to balance itself for the user. Swinging the weapon a few times, the alchemist decided that having a heavy sword was better than nothing.

Looking around for Eleanor, Quoril saw her vanishing into the mist and hurried after her. Just as he caught up, something sprang from the mists in front of them.

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

Ballandyr had been told to stay in his own realm. It was an order he had duly ignored. Every one of their kind, the Ascendent, changed in their own way. The form became closer to the Krynt, the soul, with each ascension. Eventually they merged with, or consumed, other souls to become an even greater being. Typically this happened beyond the fifth ascension.

Ballandyr had no respect for this tradition. His appetite was ravenous, he consumed. In a world where the strong survived and evolved and the weak perished he constantly sought out those he could devour. Some respected him, many shunned him.

None of that mattered. He was here and he had already found several creatures of this realm. Perhaps if he consumed enough of them he would unlock the key to surviving in this realm. They would have to respect him then, it he was the one to show his kind how they could reclaim their home.

He wasn't a subtle creature. He didn't lay a trap. He charges through the mists towards the new scents that drew his appetite.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Eleanor walked alongside Quoril, she could feel the magic being sucked from him but it didn't seem to touch her aura.

She felt the thing before she saw it. Taking a step back as it rose out of the mist. At first she thought it was multiple things, she could feel multiple auras within it. But when it emerged she saw it was one. Her eyes went wide, These things could absorb soul auras. She could feel over five different auras within it. That amount of power would instantly kill any mortal that tried to consume that much aura.

She stumbled backward, her arm with the dagger raised as she stared in speechless horror at the monstrosity before them. What was she doing here? This was crazy.

The thing reared up and came down trying to skewer her with one of its needle-like limbs. Eleanor threw up a shield of energy but found her efforts being sapped as she converted aura into magical energy. The things tallon struck the invisible shield knocking her on her back before the shield shattered. She rolled out of the way just as the Tallon came down grazing her arm and tarring her Jacket.

 

[Quoril]

“Hey! Leave her alone!” Quoril yelled as the monster knocked Eleanor onto her back. He couldn’t help but feel responsible for dragging his friend into danger. After all it was his idea to leave the safety of Elbion to see the mist.

The monstrous creature rounded on Quoril and stared blankly at him for a moment. Letting loose a frightening unworldly howl, it raised two of its appendages into the air and charged at the elf. As it drew closer Quoril could see that it wasn’t really one creature. Instead it appeared to be a conglomeration of at least two or three different creatures merged into one being. He just barely had time to jump backwards as two needle like appendages stabbed the air where he had been standing. Quoril rushed forward with a shout, swinging his sword like a bat into the monster’s side. The sword struck with a heavy thunk and seated itself into the demon’s side. The creature bellowed with rage. Quoril put a foot onto the monster and began yanking on the sword with all his might, trying to free it.

Enraged, the creature swung one its many arms at Quoril hitting him in the stomach. The force of the blow freed the sword and sent the elf tumbling backwards head over heels to land in a heap near Eleanor. As he landed, he saw a bright flash of light and the world started spinning around him. Sitting up, the alchemist shook his head to stop the spinning. Looking over to Eleanor he felt guilty. “I’m sorry...I let my curiosity get the better of me and now we’re both in danger.”

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Quoril's distraction gave Eleanor a chance to scramble back to her feet. Neither of them were built for fighting. Without magic, they no match for this thing. It had the power of five souls within it. Just one soul was not enough to defeat it. She knew this. So even though she hated doing this she had to use it. The void aura. 'good' The whisperers hissed in her ear and a tear ran down her cheek.

"Become a monster to fight a monster, right?" She muttered her voice cracking. The thing turned back to them. She stepped between it and Quoril and summoned the black aura from the book as the monster began to charge. The void aura crackled as it coalesced in front of her and then a crack at it lept out a crack of black lightning. But the mist distorted it and she lost control as it went flying out in erratic directions, some of it hit the monster but most of it just went out into space and dissipated. The thing continued through with its a charge unfazed and with a swing of it's arm sent Eleanor flying into a tree. She felt the wood crack as she hit the tree and her ribs crack within her, and let out a cry of pain as more tears filled her eyes. But even then she could feel the void aura seeping through the pours in her skin healing her injuries. Looking through blurred vission she could see the figure of the monster looming over Qouril.

 

[Quoril]

Quoril could feel the fetid breath of the creature wash across his face as it stood over him. He sat there leaned back on his elbows, eyes wide with fear, desperately trying to wrangle the semblance of a plan together. Magic didn't work in the mist, and the sword was essentially useless in its current state. He could feel his pack slowly sinking into the muck as he leaned his weight onto it. What was the point of carrying around the backpack anyway? It was just dead weight that slowed him down. “Wait…” he thought to himself. Quoril’s expression became one of determination as the pieces of a plan started to fall together. The elf reached behind himself into his pack and pulled out a little bottle of liquid. The contents were a cool blue color with small brown bits suspended in it.

Before Quoril could do anything with the bottle, the creature lunged forward, attempting to take a bite out of him. The elf quickly rolled to the side and kicked with all his might at the monster’s leg, sending it crashing to the ground. Quoril jumped up throwing the bottle as hard as he could, causing it to shatter against the nightmarish creature. As he started to run away, he heard a fwoosh as the contents of the bottle reacted with the air setting the creature ablaze.

The monster began erratically thrashing about in the muck, doing its best to put out the fire. As Quoril reached a safe distance away from the creature he turned to see what effect the liquid had on it. He was disheartened to see that rolling around in the mud had quenched most of the fire as the monstrosity rose to its feet. A few flames stilled licked at it here and there, but besides a severe burn where the bottle had exploded, Quoril couldn’t really see any other damage.

“Great,” he muttered sullenly “Now all I’ve just enrage it even more.” Quoril hoped Eleanor had a trump card up her sleeve because he had used every trick available to him.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Eleanor watched as Qouril threw some alchemical concoction at the monster. It did some damage but at this rate, they would be dead long before it was. Eleanor could feel that her book's aura was almost depleted. She could feel the auras within the monster calling to her.

She struggled to her feet, her mind hazy, her senses mingling with the red mist. The monster continued to advance on Quoril. The whispers grew louder till they drowned out everything else and her focus closed in on the soul auras writhing within the monster. A dance of agony, so familiar, she had felt this before, when Elise had killed her brother and taken his soul.

Her grip tightened on the hilt of her ritual dagger, "To fight a monster..." She repeated, taking a running leap and driving her dagger into its core. "One must become a monster!" She cried out clinging on for dear life as the dagger began to suck black blood from the monster. Eleanor guided the souls within it through the dagger and the black energy flowed from the skull at the hilt and into her book. The thing thrashed but she didn't let go. The dagger was latched on like a leech.

Tears began to stream down her face and she let out a scream of agony as she let the aura she had collected flow through her, black tendrils flowing from her core and down her arms. She felt like her insides were being torn out, blood leaking from her eyes and nose, her hair turning white falling loose about her face. The tendrils ripped right through the monsters center tearing it apart from the inside out.

Eleanor collapsed to the ground, the monster strewn across the tainted ground in several pieces. The void aura still hovered over her, slowly healing her. She propped herself up weakly and looked up at Qouril through a veil of loose white hair, "I'm sorry," She muttered with a weak smile.

 

[Quoril]

Quoril was in shock. Looking around he saw bits of the monster splattered across the ground. They had gone against something many times bigger, and many times stronger and had somehow come out on top. Quoril was so relieved to see that they were safe he began laughing. He knew it was odd, but at this point he didn’t really care. The elf’s laughing was cut short when he heard Eleanor apologize.

“Sorry for what? What you did was nothing short of amazing! It took more bravery than I could ever muster to leap onto it like that and stab it. I have no idea how you took that much of a beating and still were able to fight. If anything, I should be apologizing to you. All I managed to do was make it even madder while your attacks were actually doing damage. Without magic I had run out of options.”

Quoril removed his pack and sat on the ground next to Eleanor. Now that he could get a good look at her he started to worry if she was going to be alright. Her hair had turned completely white and streaks of blood ran down her face. He considered offering her one of the healing potions from his pack but realized her void magic was probably already working on her injuries.

“Let’s sit here until you feel healthy enough to return to Elbion. By the way - you look terrible.” Quoril said jokingly, giving Eleanor a goofy grin.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Eleanor gave a weak laugh, coughing a little as she sat up. Her lungs still burned a little but the sharp pain in her chest was starting to fade as the void healed it. In truth, she was starting to get used to the pain. Bastellen had a way of cultivating growth through pain. She glanced around at the scattered remains of the monster, She had done this. In a way, Bastellen had kept their promise. That day in Elbion They had offered her power, the ability to hone and amplify her magic. She remembered trying to take Elise aura, She hadn't been prepared. It had hurt worse than anything she had felt before, and only managed in overloading her self. Now she had taken on a monster twice as strong as Elise and she was still standing. This was the power of the void, this was why Bastellen had chosen her.

She looked up at the sky exhaustion washing over her. To her surprise, the mist was starting to fade. She stood up and looked around as more of the devastated landscape came into view. Then she looked back at Quoril, he was so genuine and pure, he shouldn't be hanging around someone like her.

She gave him a sad smile. "Let's head back, We never got around to finishing that tea."