RP:Guild Shenanigans - Part 3

Summary: Kovl, after tasking the unwitting Odhranos to steal a book from his friend, follows the prospective Guild member to Pilar's tent. Odhranos attacks Pilar in a disguise as the pixie watches his plan unfold to test both of the mages' loyalty to the Guild. As Pilar threatens violence to protect the book Kovl entrusted her, he deems both mages' loyalty enough to join the Guild. The book ends up being a cook book, showing Kovl's signature sense of humor.

Frostmaw Camp

Odhranos cast watchful eyes about the bustling war camp. Even so late in the evening, the camp was ablaze with light and activity, as the soldier's of the Silver's army prepared for the march the following day. Odhranos cursed silently, he had come to the camp under cover of darkness with the hope that the camp might be silent and slumbering, allowing him the chance to retrieve the book without being seen, it seemed that would be significantly more difficult. Crouching down low, the mage slipped through the sea of tents, just another face in the sea of people. He closed his eyes and began to scan the crowds, searchinf for the magic signature he recognized as Pilar's. Considering the time of night, all people who weren't working would be sleeping, catching up on a few hours rest before the hard onslaught of the day after. Odh crossed the camp's length and breath, eventually locating the illusionist's signature. Peering into a nearby tent, he slipped inside, it was thankfully empty. He scanned across towards where Pilar's signature emanated from; hopefully the vampire was sleeping or Odh's job would become a lot more difficult.

Pilar was indeed sleeping, but fitfully. She rarely had a good night's sleep, ever since the fateful night when she was turned. Nightmares plagued her, more fiercely some night than others. Tonight, she dreamed of the war to come, of the bloodied and broken bodies of her friends below her. She was flying on the back of a couatl, only for the animal to have her heart pierced by a crossbow bolt, and then they were falling, falling... She woke with a gasp. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. The tent she was in was half-ruined, her cot and trunk smashed, and she was sleeping on a flat mattress on the floor. It was an unseasonably chilly night, and she pulled the blankets closer to her, as if it would help.

Kovl felt a ping, undoubtedly from the rune he assigned to the page he gave Odhranos, alerting him that Odhranos was nearing Frostmaw. As soon as Kovl reaches Frostmaw gates, he cloaks himself, but even then he hides behind any cover he can find. Kovl approaches the camp now, making his way to the location the arcane rune on Odhranos' possession pings out to him. Odhranos is spotted by Kovl, and the pixie ducks behind a tent flap. Kovl is here to watch his two prospective students show their loyalty to the Guild.

Odhranos dropped his bag from his shoulder. He swiftly slipped his robes off, beneath the mage wore a simple pair of tight fitting shorts. He unzipped the bag and pulled free a large clay pot, the inside of which was filled with cold white river-clay, collected from the banks of the Vibrance River in Larket earlier that day. Focusing his mind, the mage concentrated on the clay, which floated in a stream out from the pot and began coating the mage. The reason for this was threefold: the landscape outside was predominantly white, the snow was still falling and so it would provide a modicum of concealment. Secondly, the cold clay served as a means of hiding the mage's heat signature. He had researched vampires previously and it had been suggested that they had both incredibly sensitive hearing, but that some could even sense heat signatures. While unsure if Pilar had this skill, the mage figured it couldn't hurt to take the precaution. Finally, with the seamless layer of white clay, the mage would be completely unrecognizable, a white demon cast from clay, which, in worst case scenario, would give Pilar cause to hesitate, giving the mage a second to escape or retaliate as the case may be. Crouching low on the ground, the mage pulled back the corner of the tent floor. He looked across at Pilar's tent. She hadn't moved, hopefully she would be asleep. The mage set his attentions to the permafrosted earth beneath his feet. He intended to break in from underground.

Pilar didn't notice anything out of the ordinary at first. As a fledgling, her powers were still developing. But she had a gut feeling something was wrong. She tried to shake it off. She was always nervous. In the back of her mind, she thought of the book. Was it still safe where she'd hidden it? Should she check on it? She stood up and conjured a light to do so, and froze when she saw a white shape in the corner of her tent. Her eyes widened. She shook slightly, but made no sudden moves. She swallowed. "Who... what..." She straightened her back. "Th-this is my tent. P-P-Please leave!"

Kovl tilts his head curiously as he watches the mage cover himself with clay, surprised at his innovation, a characteristic he saw in their playful duel. The pixie's grin couldn't be wider. He will be watching two mages prove loyalty by obtaining or keeping a book he gave to one of them. It is a version of the test he received when he joined the Guild, but this has a special twist. Kovl's test was to grab a book from Satoshi's apprentice while she was watching and while his opponent knew what was going on. The test presented to Odhranos and Pilar surrounds a book Kovl claims to hold Guild secrets. The two here can jeopardize their friendships for the Guild, but that is exactly the loyalty Kovl seeks. Pilar's fear is just the start of the show.

Odhranos straightened up, his broad white chest facing the vampire. Odh was stricken, he had no wish to hurt Pilar, it went against his principles and the friendship he felt for the vampire. So he tried intimidation. Manipulating the clay, the featureless white face shifted and changed. Pointed mandibles clawed out and the smooth eyesockets split open, revealing the unholy glowing silver eyes behind. Flanges sprouted from the shoulders and chest and the club-like fists morphed into serrated claws. If one took time to study the mage's form, they would see hints of uyeer in the mandibles and claws, while the flanges were reminiscent of Frostmaw's ice devils. The mandibles waved malevolently and the creature spoke in grating growling tones. "Where is the book?" It spat out venomously.

Pilar had not expected a monster to come after the book. Maybe she shouldn't have taken it from the Mage's Guild after all. Her eyes almost flicked to her hiding place, but she managed to keep her eyes on the monster. "I... I don't know what you're talking about. L-L-Leave now, or, or I'll call the giants!" She couldn't fight this thing off on her own, she'd need backup. But she didn't dare run. She had been entrusted with that book. She had to keep it safe.

Kovl widens his eyes as he watches Odhranos' display. The terramancer uses his specialty to make illusions of his own. The pixie is surprised at Odhranos' innovation once again. The pixie notes Pilar's deflection and keeps watch from cover, waiting for his own moment to intervene if things got out of hand.

Odhranos gritted his teeth. He had hoped Pilar might give up when greeted with such a monstrosity, but then again, she had been living in the middle of a warzone, that tended to harden a persons soul. So instead the mage decided to try locate the book himself. At a cursory glance, the book was nowhere visible, but Odh wagered that

Pilar would keep it close to her. Kovl had said as much. He scanned the room for a specific magic signature; a combination of many, infinitely faint on their own, but strong as a multitude. Magic users tended to leave the faintest of traces upon the objects they used; as a valuable magic book, it would carry many of these signatures upon itself. The mage drank in the vibrant colours of the room, filtering each one out until one remained. His white face split into a macabre grin. "There is is." He growled gleefuly, taking a step forward while watching the illusionist. In truth, the mage hadn't found the book, he was hoping to bait Pilar into slipping up and revealing it's location.

Pilar fell for the ruse. In an instant, she was conjuring a wall of flame. Illusory, so it didn't burn the tent, and wouldn't burn Odhranos if he realized it was fake, but hopefully it would buy her time. She dove for the trunk, ripping it open and digging through her trashed belongings. There, at the bottom. She grabbed the book, clutched it to her chest and turned to run from the tent.

Kovl catches Odhranos' eyes gazing toward him as he scans the room. -He saw me- Kovl is sure of it. The pixie stands up straight and stands as if he means business. It is all a part in a play now. The pixie is watching Odhranos to insure success, at least it's how he means to project his stance. It is as if Kovl telegraphs to Odhranos, 'your prospective instructor is watching'. The pixie eyes Pilar and dashes after her while still cloaked in invisibility. The show is mobile, and he must catch up.

Odhranos saw the wall of flames roaring into existence and without a moment's thought, dove through them in pursuit. He hadn't a clue whether they were real or not, but the thick coating of clay would have kept him safe from the flames had they been real anyway. Scrambling to his feet as he chased the vampire, the mage threw his hands up. Hopefully in time to prevent Pilar from leaving, a sharp blade of stone punched out of the earth infront of the door. Curling like a wave over the tent, the stone shuddered to a stop as a large stone curl, blocking any further exit. The mage crumpled to his knees, the combined effort of the clay manipulation and the stone began to take its toll; from the face of the clay monster, a thin line of blood began creeping from the nose, the mage's nosebleed had returned, signifying too much magic expenditure.

Pilar bounced off the stone and hit the floor. She climbed back to her feet and banged her hand against the stone. It was too thick for even her enhanced strength to punch through. She backed up against the stone wall, terrified. She watched Odhranos crumple to the ground, and she took this chance to try and get out. She walked long the tent walls, trying to find an area where there was no stone so she could break though the canvas and escape. She smelled blood, and looked back at the 'monster' in the tent, confused. What was wrong with him?

Kovl's eyes dance over the spectacle. Kovl knows that if the chase ended outside of the tent, Odhranos would be in danger of being bludgeoned to death by angry Frost Giants who protect Pilar and all allies of Hildegarde. Luckily for Odhranos' safety, he was successful in his attempt to keep Pilar in the tent. The pixie watches the girl's fearful reaction turn into a moment of confusion at Odhranos' sudden lack of energy. Perhaps she is more emboldened to defend herself now.

Odhranos saw as Pilar turned and looked at him. Of course, the blood! The mage hadn't the power to go toe to toe with the vampire in a straight out fight, we could hold his own for a while but he would fall eventually. Instead he made a very bold move. Stretching his arms wide, he unleashed all of his power into the ground beneath them. With a roaring shudder, the tent shifted, then began to sink as the pillar of earth it rested upon began to compact, dragging the whole tent down into the earth. This prevented the vampire from escaping through the cloth walls of the tent but also initiated the mage's secondary tactic: his blood. With such expenditure of power, the nosebleed worsened and a veritable fountain of crimson blood began pouring down the white clay face and dripping onto the floor. The mage hoped that with the presence of such amount of fresh waarm blood, Pilar's guard might fall, unleashing her more primal instincts, which while formidable, would most likely result in an opening for the mage to steal the book and make his escape.

Pilar shrieked as the tent sank into the earth, and watched with horror as blood poured forth from the monster's face. She hadn't fed too recently, but she still kept her wits about her. She could do nothing other than give up the book... Or fight. She had no offensive magic, but she did have one other option. She fell to the ground by her trunk and dug through her ruined belongings. There! She grabbed a knife, curved, about a foot long, and unsheathed it. With a cry, she leaped forward, aiming for the arm. If the blade made contact with Odhranos's flesh, even without breaking the skin, it would begin to drain the magic from him.

Kovl's wings catch him as the tent begins to collapse, but still his gaze is fixed upon Pilar and her reaction to the situation. The dagger she pulls to injure Odhranos already tells Kovl that she's willing to fight for the tome. She appears to be such a peaceful soul that her last resort shows her dedication. Poised to strike, Kovl knows this will not end well if blood is shed. A loud boom erupts from no obvious direction, a noise so loud and startling, it threatens to shatter eardrums of those nearby. The pixie dashes to Pilar's arm in an attempt to change the direction of her cutting blow, trying to push her wrist off-target. Kovl appears from invisibility. "Stop!" The pixie looks up as he sees the tent flowing down. "I've seen enough."

Odhranos stopped, panting heavily. He glanced up at the pixie where he hovered near him. "I thought I saw you sneaking around, you may want to hide your magic signature in future." he managed to gasp out. From where he knelt on the icy floor, the mage studied the pixie and the blow that he had narrowly turned aside. Suddenly, it all fell into place; why he had been tasked with retrieving the book. He had been surprised to hear that the only means of getting the book off Pilar had been through subterfuge, he thought her kind enough to have returned it if asked. But of course, she was an applicant as well. Standing to shaky feet, the mage wiped the blood from his face and let the clay fall in plates from his cheeks, revealing the bloodstained exhausted visage of the mage beneath. "Hello Pilar." he said plainly, rather expecting to get attacked for being so cruel.

Pilar , startled, nearly dropped the book as the boom sounded. She stumbled, and then Kovl was pulling her off course. She fell to her knees, then blinked at Kovl. "What...?" She then looked up at her fellow applicant. "Mister... Odhranos? What... what's going on?" Wait... Kovl had seen enough? "This was the test?" She seemed a little peeved at the deception, but never mind that. She placed the book down carefully and grabbed one of her tattered dresses from the ground. She got up to wipe the blood from Odhranos's face. "Are you alright? You're bleeding so much..." She got some on her finger and it was all she could do not to lick it off.

Kovl smiles. "You both showed that failure is not an option and that the protection of Mage Guild secrets is a top priority for you, above friendship and safety." The pixie smirks. "If you both still wish to join the Guild to learn and further your ability, you are now Entered Apprentices in the Mage's Guild. Congratulations." To Odhranos, "Of course, I was watching. I'd like to learn more about how you see me while I'm invisible, but that's a discussion for later." Kovl turns to Pilar, "Sorry about your tent." He chuckles.

Laezila ambled down the pathway at the sound of the tent's collapse and the earth's sink, her body still a little mangled mess, but insofar having garnered some progress in healing -she could move now, apparently. No longer did she have bones jutting out of her flesh. "Pilar?" Was a weak and panicked call.

Odhranos smiled bashfully at the vampire. "Ah, yes, one moment." The mage stretched his hands out again and the tent slowly juddered out of the earth. Once it had stopped moving, returned to its normal level and the stone wall blocking the entrance had been returned to its place in the ground, the mage dropped his hands. He swayed slightly; he had expended a lot of magic energy in the trial and it would be a miracle if he managed to make it back to Artia's that evening. At Kovl's words of congratulations he smiled wearily, turning to face the pixie. "I'd be happy to explain the principles of how I do it, I suppose we'll be seeing more of each-other now." Turning to Pilar, he extended a clay-speckled hand in congratulation. "That took some guts, I would have wet myself standing up to such a creature." he laughed.

Pilar let out a breath. "Thank you, Mister Kovl... and it's fine, my tent was in bad shape anyway." And after tomorrow, she'd either have a real place to sleep, or she'd be dead. So it didn't matter. As Odhranos swayed after returning the ground to normal, Pilar held him in her arms and led him to the mattress she had been sleeping on, and helped lower him to the ground. "Rest, you look like you need it." Hearing Laezila's weak call, she looked at the others. "I will be back." She ducked outside and hurried to the other vampire's side. "Laezila, you should be in bed." She looked back at her tent. "Though... I can understand why you got up. Everything's fine, don't worry." She smiled. "A badly-timed test for my entry into the Mage's Guild. I passed... Come, let's get you back to the healers."

Kovl nods to Odhranos, "And I would be very interested in exploring it further." At the sound of an outside voice asking about Pilar's health, Kovl lifts the tent flap to see some curious crowds approaching the tent that sank in the earth and then again rose to the surface. Kovl watches on as Pilar cares for Odhranos and then leaves to calm the worried call of her friend. "I'll see you around," the pixie winks at Odhranos and lifts the tent flap to leave. "Tell Pilar she can drop the cookbook she was protecting off at the Mage's Tower." Kovl chuckles. No Guild secrets were in the hands of trainees. The pixie would be insane to allow that. The pixie vanishes beyond the tent.

Odhranos's eyes widened then he burst out laughing before passing out on the mattress. Hopefully he would wake later before Pilar returned, but at the moment her was in no state to go anywhere.