A/N: This has been a work in progress for quite a while, and I'm kind of stuck in a rut with it. I thought maybe some feedback would help, so please take a minute and let me know what you think. By the way, this is not based on any particular RPG, but it reads so much like a script for one of those games sometimes that I figured this would be a good home for it.
Our story begins quite simply; on a pleasant day in March, in the courtyard of an average high school in the middle of an un-extraordinary town. But, be warned, we will not stay in this mundane setting for long.
For starters, the first character we will encounter, though he looks normal from his blonde, well-groomed hair to the tips of his K-Swiss sneakers, is actually quite a remarkable young man. This student is perched in the branches of an oak tree, with his knees drawn up close to his chest and a textbook resting on them. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, anyone who happened to look up would read. Ah, what a bright boy, this person whould think, or possibly, what a nerd. Either way, they would hardly give it a second thought.
But what if our hypothetical passerby knew this "bright boy" was actually researching magical artifacts? Truth be told, this boy ("Magis," we'll call him) wasn't the least bit interested in oscillatory motion. Cleverly concealed in the middle of his physics tome were some pages detailing the legendary orbs.
"These orbs were said to be used by mages of old to give their powers a jumpstart. The holder would be able to cast spells many times as powerful as what they would otherwise be capable of. Additionally, lethargy and other side-effects of casting would not bother them nearly as much.
Needless to say, these artifacts were extremely rare in the ancient world, and no one today knows of their whereabouts. The most well-known is perhaps the Orb of Thystamine, said to be located in one of the ancient temples of Greece. The orb was supposedly guarded by a monster so fearsome that locals insisted only a spirit would be able to get past it."
Magis closed his eyes and allowed himself a brief fantasy of himself, having gotten his hands on one of these orbs and becoming the most powerful mage in the world. There was no denying the he had power as it was-- or perhaps "potential" was a better word. Magis had done very little spell-casting. His mother, who had recognized his gift and taught him what she knew, warned him incessantly of the dangers, and costs, of the craft. He was young, she would insist, and inexperienced. There would be plenty of time for casting. For now, he should build his power slowly and study.
So study he did. In secret, of course, since most people weren't sure how to react to magic that didn't involve a bespactacled boy shouting, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Of course, there were those he saw checking "magic" books out of the library, hoping to get revenge on someone. Quite frankly, Magis despised that kind of thing. Magic to him wasn't just a passing hobby; it was a way of life. He could only think of one or two others in the school, the town even, who might share his opinion.
Magis closed his eyes and his book. Enough of that. He felt like trying something practical. Last night he'd had a dream that really un-nerved him-- worse even, then the one where he'd found himself, for whatever reason, riding a unicycle through the halls between classes in nothing but Superman boxers. He remembered very few actual details from last night's dream, but the ominous feeling he'd gotten when he woke had stayed with him throughout the day.
So Magis was about to try a dream recall. If he was successful, he would find himself planted back in the world of his dream, able to examine the details at his leisure. Technically, this wouldn't use magic so much as deep meditation techniques. He'd have to block out everything going on around him, from the hackey-sack tournament to the lengthy discussion right below about the Legend of Zelda.
Magis took a deep breath, counted to three, held it, and let it out as he counted again. He ignored the voices in the courtyard, focusing instead on the lingering dream-feeling. He held tightly to those scraps of details he had, willing them to lead him back to where they came from. Magis's head tilted back, his legs slid a few inches down the treebranch, his hands went limp, releasing his reading material. Hopefully, the falling tome didn't injure any innocent bystanders, but at this point, Magis was too far gone to care. His body was in a sleep-like state; his mind, hurtling through time and space to where he'd been the night before.
This was a wide, airy chamber ringed with pillars that stretched so high that Magis couldn't make out the ceiling. He could not for the life of him figure out what the walls were made of; his best guess was white marble, but it had such an odd sheen to it, almost a glow. The hall was very large, but very empty, and Magis sensed that he should feel quite honored to be standing here.
But wait-- it wasn't quite empty. Though Magis would swear he'd been alone, here was an elderly man in front of him in ornately decorated robes. Magis could practically smell the magic emanating from this man. His face was lined with wisdom and experience, but his eyes were full of something else-- regret, maybe even fear.
"I am sorry this task had to fall to you, my son," the man said gravely, his voice deep and velvety. "You are skilled, but I will not deceive you, it will be dangerous. I do not foresee all four of you returning to your respective homelands."
"I am ready, Elder." Magis found himself answering.
"Then there is no time to waste," this 'Elder' replied, withdrawing something from the folds of his robes.
Magis reached out to take it, felt his stomach lurch
and with a jolt, fell out of his tree.
A curly-haired boy spun around to find the source of the noise and consequently received a hackey-sack to the back of his head.
Magis rolled over on his stomach and pushed himself up on his feet. His pride was injured more than anything else, and he couldn't wait to escape the odd stares of his fellow students. Grabbing his Physics book on the way past, he hurried into the building. He'd just have to find a less... precarious nook.
"...That was random." A girl who'd been sitting just a few feet away commented. Moments ago, she'd been immersed in a discussion with her friend Kade over the virtues of "Ocarina of Time" versus "Windwaker."
"That it was," he replied. "Weird kid. Was he sleeping up there?"
She shrugged. "Link's Awakening! That was another good one."
"Was that the one where Link dreamed himself up an island?"
Didn't these children have anything better to do with themselves besides discuss video games? Perhaps. By all accounts, they should have been at track practice, preparing for the upcoming meet. But this was the first nice day they'd seen in months... the pair couldn't bear to spend it doing something worthwhile. Instead, they'd opted to cut practice in favor of hanging around, lazing about, and generally being useless. This is considered bad behavior and is not encouraged in real life. Bad things will come of this choice before long.
"Speaking of dreams, I had a weird-ass one last night, Paris," said Kade to his female companion.
"Oh good, a dream story. I've got one for you, too." Paris answered.
Kade shifted positions so that he was lying flat on his back, staring up at the clear sky, and went into full story-telling mode. "Well, I was sitting on a big, friggin' wall or something, listening to someone talking... kinda looked like my grandfather. Then he made me run like hell 'cuz someone was coming..."
"Oh? Was it Coach MacNeil?"
"No. I think he had a hoodie or something... I couldn't see his face. Pretty creepy, actually. Creepier than Coach, I dare to say."
"A scary hooded guy, eh... continue."
"Now the thing my grandfather was trying to tell me, it was really trippy... something about ancient races, and six stones, and death...." Kade trailed off. He tipped his head back to see his friend. From this odd angle, he saw that Paris was now looking back at him with wide eyes, apparently comment-less. The courtyard was silent, except for the light strumming sounds coming from a young trubadour playing his acoustic guitar under a tree.
Awkward silences bothered Kade, as did his best friend looking so weirded out over a stupid dream. So, to snap her out of it, he concluded, "...and then... he told me about an excellent prank to pull on Madison."
Paris blinked. "But you decided it wasn't worth the suspension."
"Well...." Kade smiled winningly. "It really was an excellent prank."
The girl was torn between a) morbid curiousity as to what exactly the prank was b) chastising Kade for his deviousness or c) running NOW before Madison could descend on them in a fury.
At that moment, the doors leading to the courtyard were flung open and out came a very petite, yet very angry girl. Her eyes darted all over the place, finally coming to rest on a slightly guilty looking Asian boy.
"Wha... that's not Madison, that's her friend!" Paris hissed. "Did you mess with her, too?! Steal her spellbooks or something?!"
"Hell, no!" Kade protested. "She'd turn me into a frog or something. She's scary."
"KINO!!" The newcomer shreiked, striding towards them.
"RUN." Paris yanked her companion to his feet and dragged him a few steps toward the opposite door.
Looked like there would be time for track practice after all! The pair sprinted through the door, around a corner, and down a seemingly-endless corridor. Of course, Paris wasn't accustomed to running her events in clunky, heeled boots. It wasn't long before she was struggling to keep up with Kade. He glanced back, concerned for his friend. Just like the Army, Kade would leave no one behind. Time instead for Plan B.
"In here," he gasped, spotting a janitor's closet and holding the door open in a gentleman-ly fashion. Paris darted in, upsetting a few mops and "Caution: Wet Floor" signs in the process. Kade slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, laughter could take its place.
"Sage must share a locker with Madison," he choked out between giggles. "The look on her face...! She was so pissed."
Paris couldn't take it anymore. "What did you do?"
The boy's features twisted themselves into a devious grin. "It involved Superglue and a live ferret."
"Alright... that's all I want to know." Paris took a moment to be thankful that she'd never been on the receiving end of one of Kade's pranks. Still, she had no doubt that Madison, at least, deserved it. Paris couldn't remember exactly how the rivalry had started. Could it possibly be all because of the play during their freshman year - when Paris had beat Madison out for a part...? She supposed it was. Madison had used one of the school's deadliest weapons to take her revenge- the rumor mill. Kade had been sucked into that one as well. The whole thing had spiraled out of control from there... Now, neither side missed an oppurtunity to get back at the other.
So here they were, doing what anyone fighting for a cause would do: hiding from their adversaries in a broom closet. Paris didn't know what Sage or Madison would do if they managed to catch them, but when one is faced with an expression like what Sage had worn, one's instinct was to run. Fast. And far. No questions asked. Considering this, Paris slipped her boots off, tied the laces together, and held them in one hand. They weren't out of this yet and she didn't want anything slowing her down.
Kade had now regained most of his composure, though a slightly idiotic grin remained. He opened the door a crack and one dark eye peered out. Nothing, as far as he could tell. He slipped out of the janitor's closet, motioning Paris to follow him. A teacher chose this moment to exit his classroom, looking quite disturbed at the sight of two teenagers, flushed and panting, emerging from a closet.
"Won't be long before the late buses are here," Kade muttered. "We could go outside and make a quick escape."
"Let's go for it," Paris agreed, and kicked up their pace a notch.
Magis looked up as a school bus pulled up, roaring and snorting like the monster that guarded the Orb of Thystamine. As his attempts at magic had been a bit discouraging today, he'd consented to sitting on the steps behind the school and slogging throught a chapter on the Watergate scandal. Magis had been interrupted only briefly by one of his classmates asking if he'd seen an Asian boy in a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt or a brunette Pacific Sunwear poster girl come running out. The descriptions sounded like the two he'd seen in the courtyard, but Magis could honestly say he hadn't seen them since. He didn't envy those two at all. The inquirer looked like she was likely to yank out their ribcages to wear as hats if she ever found them.
And look-- here they were now. The aforementioned pair stole out of the building, looking around... probably for an escape vehicle. Magis wondered idly if he should warn them, but the decision quickly became un-necessary. The girl froze, noticing the tall, imposing figure with dark, wavy hair that now stood between her and the bus. Luckily, she had her back to them.
The Asian boy gave his friend a questioning look. In response, she pointed wildly, gestured, and mouthed something. Finally, he noticed the wavy-haired girl and comprehension dawned on his face. Magis grinned in spite of himself. This was actually somewhat entertaining.
The boy was now rushing over to the steps. "'Scuse me," he muttered, and Magis obligingly shifted over so he could climb up on the railing. From there, followed closely by the girl, he hoisted himself on top of a soda machine, then onto the overhang. Magis snorted. Sure, the pursuers would never notice them on the roof!
Paris clambered up on the rooftop, waving away Kade's offer of a helping hand. She wondered just what the hell her best friend had in mind, all the while following his every move. Both of them lay flat on their stomachs in order to avoid attracting attention. Now school security as well as Madison and Sage would be very interested in their position.
"I don't see Madison anymore..." Paris whispered.
"Yeah, I don't like that."
"This is stupid, Kade. Let's just get down." She started to get to her feet.
"No!" Kade grabbed her arm. "She's probably JUST around the corner or something. We'll walk across and go out a different way."
Paris shook her head. Sometimes she just couldn't figure out why she went along with this kid. Nevertheless, after a quick look to make sure the security car was nowhere in sight, they both stood up and turned around.
"You're going to pay for this one, Kino." Madison informed them.
Kade nearly fell off the roof in shock. "Wha-- how?!" he wondered.
Paris spun around and tried to backtrack, only to see Sage standing casually off to the side. "Gotcha, Marsik." she said with a leer. Damn, that girl was scary. Paris glanced down at the boots still in her hand, conscious of what a good weapon they would make.
"Ferrets, Kino? Did you and your girlfriend really think you'd get away with it?" Madison demanded.
"You have no proof," Paris pointed out.
Madison turned to her and Paris felt that glare hit her full force. "Climbing on the roof to get away from us doesn't exactly scream innocence, Marsik," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I think ANYONE would run to get away from a face like that," Kade said helpfully.
Ten feet below, the very hairs on the back of Magis's neck stood up. He looked around sharply. His magic radar was going haywire, and with it, the gnawing feeling of dread he'd had when he'd awoken hit him like a sixteen-wheeler. What the bloody hell was happening?
Madison swung back around to face Kade and started to advance on him. But just what she planned to do, Paris would never know, because Sage sprang forward at that moment. Paris stepped back, thinking she was about to be attacked, but no-- Sage went straight for Madison, grabbed her arm, and dragged her away.
"What are you DOING?!" Madison demanded, apparently just as taken aback as Paris and Kade.
Sage muttered something that sounded like, "We have to leave," before the two disappeared behind one of the huge heating vents.
"I just don't get why they would run off like that," Paris said ten minutes later as she and Kade reached the other end of the building. "Madison could've pounded us both into the ground, no witnesses. When's she gonna get that opportunity again?"
Kade shrugged. "Sage thought of something more important to do?" Making sure the coast was clear, he started to lower himself to the ground with technique Peter Parker would approve of. "I'm telling you, that girl is WEIRD."
"I'm not arguing with you," Paris said, following close behind.
"Now we just need-- hello." This last was directed to a rather out-of-place looking hooded and cloaked man. At least, Kade assumed it was a man- the build was a bit too solid for the women he usually encountered. But what a strange guy... apart from the fact that he was dressed like a Lord of the Rings villain, looking at him gave Kade the sensation that he'd just drunk a bucket of ice cold water all in one gulp.
Speaking to mysterious figures in deserted areas isn't generally recommended, but Kade being Kade, he did it anyway. "Can we... help you?"
Nothing. Evidently he was the strong, silent type.
"He's looking for Sage," It was Paris who spoke and her voice shook a little.
Kade turned to his friend in surprise. "But how--?"
"Listen!" Paris's nice, healthy lifeguarding tan had disappeared, she was almost as white as Kade's new sneakers now. "Just stop thinking and listen."
Taken aback, Kade obediently shut his mouth and tried to wipe his mind clear. But thoughts kept popping in, unbidden. Who was this masked man? Un-nerving he was, but what about him had his usually gutsy friend so freaked out? What went into cafeteria food anyway?
And another thought, so sudden and forceful that Kade wasn't entirely sure it had come from his own mind... Sage. Where was she? What was she doing? Her very face seemed to swim before Kade's mind's eye. The boy opened his eyes to see Paris still looking at him. Catching her eye, he gave a silent nod. Strange though it may seem, he felt instinctively that the thought of Sage had come directly from the hooded figure's mind.
Thinking of nothing more than getting this being away from him, Kade raised a hand to point. "She went--"
Paris was at his side in seconds. "Wait!" she hissed, clamping a hand down on his arm. "I know we're not too fond of Sage, but... look at this guy. Who would want to be found by him?"
She certainly had a point. Sage was an odd one, but Kade was willing to bet this wasn't her usual ride home. The man's motives were probably a bit more... sinister. Kade enjoyed the occasional prank of course, but he wasn't a cruel boy by any means. He had no desire to see Sage in real danger. Maybe he could get a clue as to what this guy wanted.
"Um... are you family?" he asked cheerfully.
A suspenseful pause. The figure stood, as it had been for the past few minutes, perfectly still, perfectly silent.
Then Kade went flying off his feet.
Paris let out a small shreik, looking first to her friend, lying in a heap a couple of yards away, then to the hooded figure. It's robes fluttered slightly as if he'd just made a sharp movement.
Kade started to pick himself up, a little dazed but otherwise unharmed. "Apparently that was insulting..." he muttered to himself. "....Paris?!! NO!!!"
Paris didn't like to see her friends attacked. Re-discovering the boots she was carrying, she tightened her grip, whirled them around her head and charged the figure with something like a battle cry.
Kade wasn't exactly sure what happened next. Either the weapon went right through the figure's head as if it were no more than a holgram, he dodged the attacke with ridiculous speed, or he pulled a Samara and simply "blipped" himself out of harm's way. Whatever had happened, the figure was unhurt and Paris was left standing there looking just as confused as Kade was.
Again, the image of Sage plastered itself onto Kade's brain. It's hard to imagine a thought having force, but Kade reeled as if someone had physically thrust the picture into his head. Yes, this creature was looking for Sage and it wanted her NOW.
Moments later, Kade felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was as if a rather large hook was embedded under his breastbone and someone had given it a yank. Another pain; the yank was longer and harder this time. The boy pressed his hand to his chest in alarm-- was he having a heart attack at sixteen?! A third yank came, agonizing this time, Kade opened his mouth to scream but found he'd come down with a sudden case of laryngitis. He felt that something was actually being torn from his very body, cruelly, mercilessly, through his haze of pain, he saw that Paris was going through the same thing, but God, he couldn't help her, he couldn't move, he was on the ground, writhing, helpless and trying pointlessly to hold back what was being ripped away...
And suddenly the pain was gone. Kade could feel nothing, absolutely nothing. Not the breeze in his hair, not the clothes on his back, not the ground under his feet. Possibly this last was because there was no ground under his feet... when Kade looked around he realized he was floating? a good two feet off the asphalt. Am I dead? he wondered.
And when he looked below he was absolutely certain.
Kade was floating above the pavement, but he was also lying on it... Curled up in a ball, his eyes screwed shut in an expression of agony, and perfectly still. There he was... jet black hair, Hard Rock t-shirt, faded jeans (genuinely faded, he was proud to say, not the "pre-faded" nonsense the designer brands made.) That was Kade below, unmistakably. Then what was he, the Kade who hovered up here, observing?!
He looked across at Paris. She was at eye-level. Yes, there was Paris above an unconcious Paris, and the Paris above was looking back at him in horror and bewilderment. He complexion was no longer chalk-white, Kade noted. In fact he could see through Paris's head to the building beyond. Her whole body was like that, translucent and pearly white. Kade knew before he even looked down that his body was the same.
Kade wasn't into drugs and his dreams were rarely this vivid. Maybe his guilt over cutting practice was causing him to hallucinate?
"We have to find Sage," Paris whispered, and her voice now had an unreal quality to it to match her trippy body.
Kade had been too busy with his own thoughts to notice what the hooded figure was sending his way. But sure enough, once he'd taken a deep breath (his lungs didn't fill with air like he'd expected them to) to clear his head, Sage's face was still there. Something else as well- Kade knew as if he'd heard it spoken aloud that unless they found the girl soon, they couldn't hope to ever feel their hearts beat again.
The hooded figure was still standing there, motionless, showing no sign that it had just ripped two spirits from their bodies. Kade was suddenly filled with rage-- how dare this thing rob him of his life like that?! What a cheap shot!!-- he wanted to attack it, even scream at it if that was all he could do- but in the blink of an eye (though Kade didn't need to blink) the unearthly creature was gone.
Kade let out a yell of frustration. "What the fuck is going on?! I'M DEAD!!!"
"We're not dead, Kade!" Paris said in alarm, drifting over to her friend and trying to comfort him with a hand on his shoulder. It slipped right through. "Look, all we have to do is find Sage, and everything'll be fine!"
"I don't CARE what we have to do!!" Kade roared. "This isn't NATURAL, Paris! How can you be CALM?! My BODY is on the ground BELOW ME!!! And so is YOURS!"
"Kade. Calm down." Paris said, struggling to be rational. "The last thing we need is for someone to come around the corner and see us... and us," she added with a downward glance. "I know it's not natural, but it happened. We have to deal with it, just like anything else."
Kade knew Paris had a point, but he was still determined to be angry. "This isn't right. People don't come along and rip other people out of their bodies." He swore again. "What was that thing, anyway?"
"A Keltra."
Both Paris and Kade froze. Just as Paris had been dreading, a student came around the corner and took in this strangest of scenes. Odd thing was, he didn't seem at all fazed. His curiousity had sent him charging in this direction minutes ago, and he'd taken in everything since Paris's attack on the hooded creature.
"A... what?" Paris said, completely puzzled.
"Hey... you're the guy who fell out the tree before." observed Kade.
Magis, for indeed it was he, blinked. This kid had just become a ghost and he could still think of stupid things like that? He decided to ignore him. "Appears as a cloaked man... communicates telepathically... amazing magical powers... pretty ruthless, too," he added, eyeing the seemingly dead bodies. "Yeah. Definitely a Keltra." Although Magis sounded like he was explaining a perfectly simple geometry theorum, he had been as shocked as Paris and Kade at first. Of course, Magis had been around the supernatural all his life and it didn't take long for him to remember the legends of the Keltra and make the connection. Yes, seeing one in the flesh... so to speak... was a new experience, but Magis liked to appear in control of the situation.
"And you're completely okay with this, " Kade asked flatly.
"Well, it's not exactly normal." Magis admitted. "But it seems to me the best thing to do is give it what it wants and be done with it. Like your friend said."
But Paris now looked troubled. "It doesn't feel right... just handing Sage over to a thing like that."
"What choice do you have?" Magis asked impatiently. "You saw how powerful it was. It'll get what it wants eventually. And I'm assuming you'd rather not stay like that forever."
"Damn straight. But what do you have to do with all this anyway?" Kade said suspiciously.
Magis shrugged. "I came. I saw. And I'm trying to give you some advice. I know a little more about this kind of thing than you."
"You mean magic?" Kade snorted.
"Yes," Magis said evenly. "And an hour ago you'd have called me crazy. I think you have before, actually. But now you've seen it for yourself."
"Well, if you know magic, you can put us back!"
"Did you hear what I said about the Keltra's powers?!" he scoffed. "You think any random mage can do that? I couldn't hope to." Magis shook his head. "Unless..." His thoughts were going back to the orbs he'd read about earlier. Something about that had been nagging at him since he'd come...
"Unless what?" Paris prompted.
Magis turned to the other spirit. Spirit? That was it! The Orb of Thystamine... Only a spirit could hope to get it... "Unless you do something for me." There was a slightly manic gleam in his eye as he pulled out the information he needed. He started to hand the pages to Paris, then realized she wouldn't be able to take hold of them. Instead, he held them up for her to read.
Kade drifted closer to look over Paris's shoulder. "Thystamine? Doesn't that make you itch?"
Magis chose to ignore this.
"You want us to go get this thing?" Paris said.
"Sure. You're spirits. It's not like you have anything to lose. And once I have the Orb, I'll be able to... put you back. No more dealing with the Keltra. No more dealing with Sage. Everyone's happy."
Kade was still browsing the pages with a doubtful look on his face.
"What?" Magis demanded. "After everything you've seen, you don't think a little thing like this is possible?"
"C'mon, Kade." Paris sighed. "Let's just try. It's not like anything can make this worse."
He nodded reluctantly and started to offer a hand to shake before realizing it wouldn't do any good. He just hoped this would turn out better than the last "deal" he'd made.