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[Zamuel]

"I have regained control. And I don't need magic... now, I am magic."

 
A singular statement, an awakening that was vocalized, lingers in the night. Once a librarian, a young woman revels in her new form. As powerful wings carried her through a forest in the midst of night, she searched fruitlessly for the source of her ire. Patch--whether meaning something to mend things or the piece ripped from a whole--carried on unstopping through the night. Morning arrived and she soon heard a familiar voice lingering in the back of her mind,

"Why, good morning. I know you're going to bring destruction to your enemies...but do you know where you're going?"

Spoiler

For those curious about what this is, it can be better explained here and here.
 
 
Introductions and reintroductions of the cast will be staggered in. For now, Patch is first up to bat.

Edited by Zamuel, 18 November 2019 - 09:35 AM.

[Patch]

Flashback

Spoiler

"Where do you think you're going, little girl?"

 

The girl stops with a gasp. She turns around, trembling, to see two individuals emerging from the shadows. The light from the street lamps casts a glow across their grinning faces. The first, a man, begins circling around her on the right. "It's getting late, you know? You don't want to be caught all alone..."

 

The second individual, a woman, makes a straight line towards her. As the girl evasively steps backwards, the woman quickens her pace. "That's a niiiice book you got there. Where'd you find that? Looks pretty special. Maybe you're special too, eh?"

 

The girl turns to run. There was no way she could win running straight away, so she zigzags through a nearby alley. After rounding a corner, she quickly throws up an illusion spell to hide herself. The two goons round the corner. When they don't find her, they exchange a quick look and split up, the man heading back the way they'd come, and the woman going on ahead.

 

The girl waits until she no longer hears their footsteps. Moving as quietly as possible, she exits the alley.

 

"Got ya."

 

The two had been lying in wait for her. "Heh, magic users... thinkin' you're clever with your fancy tricks, but we've seen that one already," the woman jeers.

 

As the goons advance toward her, the girl is overcome with fear. Her legs are shaking. She looks down at the ground, her hair covering her eyes and the tears welling up in them. "D-Don't... don't c-come any c-c-closer," she manages to sputter.

 

Both of them laugh. "Or what?" the man says. "You gonna cast a magic spell? Well, I've got a spell for you. It's called switchblade!"

 

Suddenly, the book in her hand bursts open, the pages fluttering as if blown by an invisible gust of wind. "I said..." She places a hand on one of the pages, the lines on the page glowing brightly. "DON'T. COME. ANY. CLOSER!" 

 

Two dark wisps shoot out of the book and fly right into the mouths of the two assailants. Their eyes roll back into their heads and they clutch their throats, falling to the ground and convulsing. 

 

The girl stands over them with an expression of twisted delight. "I told you... I told you... Hahaha. Hahaha... hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!" She laughs maniacally. In a moment, however, her expression changes to one of horror.

 

She turns and runs away. Runs away as fast as she can. 

 

As she runs, a rumble of thunder sounds overhead. Soon she is running through soaked streets, splashing through puddles, as a downpour commences. When she stops for a moment to catch, she sees an immense building looming ahead. A stroke of lightning illuminates the letters on the building's face: DISTRICT MUNICIPAL LIBRARY.

 

 

 

Patch adjusted her wings to brake her speed, landing on a sturdy-looking tree branch. "Sorry," she muttered. "Distracted for a moment. Unfortunately it seems there are still a few memories of my old life rattling about in my head."

 

She scowled. "I'm afraid I'm not quite clear on where to go. I had thought being airborne would give me the best chance of spotting an entire nation, but I've seen nothing on the horizon yet. If you have suggestions, please, I'm all ears."

[Zamuel]

"Think of this--to find a group that hides in the shadows so they can hunt down magic users, would it not be prudent to seek out magic users first?"

[Patch]

"To find a predator, first find its prey... that is sound logic. Very well, then. I already know of one location where they've targeted the gifted..." She grinned.

Edited by Patch, 19 November 2019 - 01:42 PM.

[Zamuel]

"Just be wary. It might prove fruitless to go to an orchard that's already been picked clean. But just what is this location?"

[Patch]

"The Old Publishing District. It's the most populated area in this region. More people overall, more magic users likely to be living among the populace. The fact that I know the district as well as I do is just a bonus."

Edited by Patch, 19 November 2019 - 04:08 PM.

[Zamuel]

There was a pause, then the voice whispered, "Stealth may be of the essence since this doesn't seem like a particularly subtle plan by being in such a populated area. But there's no use delaying, is there? Keep to the skies to avoid prying eyes. We wouldn't want you to be stopped prematurely, would we?"

[Patch]

"Most definitely not." Patch spread her wings and took off into the air. As she flew, her eyes scanned the ground below for possible threats... or targets.

 

Spoiler

Perception check:

Roll(1d20)+8:

17,+8

Total:25

[Zamuel]

Over a day non-stop Patch travelled, keeping unseen among the clouds until she reached the Old Publishing District. Patch spotted nothing suspicious on the way but whether that was because nothing was there or because it became overcast and then started raining. When Patch found a good vantage point on top of a building, the voice asked, "Are there any locations you think would be better than others?"

[Patch]

"Not particularly. It's a big town, and the mystically inclined don't come here to be conspicuous. So it's going to be a matter of sniffing them out," Patch muttered.

Spoiler

Arcana check to sense the presence of nearby magic:
Roll(1d20)+6:
13,+6
Total:19

[Zamuel]

Patch began to tap in to subtle undercurrent of arcane energies naturally floating in the air and she felt something nearby. And there was something familiar about it...

[Patch]

She scanned the streets below. What was it that felt so familiar...?

 

Spoiler

Perception check:

Roll(1d20)+8:

16,+8

Total:24

[Zamuel]

Patch noticed someone going in their home and closing the door but she could see who it was. Then, she realized where she was...Arsenic Grey lived here.

[Patch]

Patch's eyes widened and her grip on the rooftop tiles tightened. "Tch... This is not a favorable situation. That woman is not to be trifled with, even if she is not directly my quarry."

[Zamuel]

"Well, that puts you in a dilemma, doesn't it. You can wait here to hope her rather distinct aura is picked up or search for someone who is a little less formidable and much less obvious."

[Patch]

"I intend to do the latter, but I shall wait until after nightfall to move under the cover of darkness. There is a certain convenient item I seek that would be risky to retrieve in broad daylight." She crawled closer to the center of the roof, where she would be harder to spot from below, and crouched in a pose not unlike that of a gargoyle.With her magically altered body's lack of a need for sleep, she instead simply... stopped thinking, for a time.

[Zamuel]

Time sluggishly meandered on until night slowly rolled back the day. As the darkness began to reign, Patch heard, "It's interesting that you're using a form that oozes power...for subtlety."

[Patch]

Patch's eyes snapped open. "As I am no longer a mortal being, I have no need to fear death. I do not even fear the end of my existence as I am now. There is but one thing that concerns me - that my destruction will come before I am able to use my power to effect true change in this world. I do not want to regret unnecessary haste." She rose to her feet. "Being subtle and deliberate for now is fine... the time to use this power to its fullest is coming."

 

Spreading her wings wide, she took off into the night sky.

[Patch]

She arrived home. At least, what had been her home.

 

Landing in the darkened alleyway on the side of the District's library, she moved aside some strategically placed crates and other assorted rubbish to uncover the door to the basement room she had used as a living space. She grabbed the handle.

 

It didn't budge.

 

As a human mage, she had been accustomed to leaving a small locking spell upon the door whenever she came and went, to prevent ruffians and other unwelcome guests from poking around where they didn't belong. Casting and removing the spell was as easy for her old self as swiping a subway pass would have been for an inhabitant of the old Londokyork. But now that she was no longer capable of even minor spellcasting, it seemed... she had quite literally locked herself out.

 

But this would prove only a minor inconvenience, as she slammed a fist into the door, causing sparks of magical energy to trace along the door's edges. She turned the handle again and opened the door. The hinges creaked in protest as it swung fully open, revealing a room in total darkness. Proceeding inside, she could see the bookshelves where her collection of magical tomes sat. Her inhuman eyes saw the shadows that skittered among the shelves, chattering excitedly among themselves, glancing at her with eyes like flickering embers. A grimoire opened an ethereal eye in the middle of its spine to look her over. 

 

As a human, she had been haunted by the eyes that watched her from the darkness. Now, she could watch them.

 

The spirits in the room seemed agitated by her presence. Not surprising. "Relax. I'm not here for any of you. Just came back for a little something - ah, here it is."

 

She picked out a spare cloak from a closet at the far end of the room. Wrapping her batlike wings along her sides, she donned the cloak and pulled its hood over her head. Then, she proceeded to leave the way she came. 

 

As she closed the door behind her, she smiled underneath the hood of the cloak. "Now, let's go for a walk."

[Zamuel]

"So you decide to risk discovery on a mere cloak. Maybe it's just me...but your mortality is showing. Something I'd like to note is that while subtlety has its place, numerous others are moving to effect true change in this world. It would be such a shame to miss your chance."

Spoiler

Roll Arcana

Edited by Zamuel, 25 November 2019 - 08:24 PM.