The Story That Went On... (Formerly Death Cut. Completed.)

[GamingLord]

Jacob: Yes, but that's a rather basic simple thing. The skeletons are frail and fall apart easily, unless focused with a spirit. Golems are much better. He obviously thinks me an amateur.

When the creature was shot with a dart, it howled, pulled it out, and stretched out it's main arms at the vampiress that injred it.

Mage: "WATCH OUT! ABIGAIL!"

Abigail immediately formed into a golem in front of Rosemary as a stream of dark green fluid squirted from the holes on the creature's wrists and splattered onto Abigail's rocky chest. Immediately, a good portion of the golem began to crack and crumble... acid.

Jacob had been chanting the entire time, when suddenly his eyes flashed blue. Wisps of grey fog circled around his body as he raised his hand, and a giant earthen one formed out of the ground in response. Reacting to his motions, Jacob caused the hand to reach over and grab the spider creature around it's mid-section, restraining it.

Jacob: "The spirits are extra generous here... Quick, subdue it!"

Mage: "You! Use more tranquilizers, at least five more! Even at human size, it will take a lot calm it down!"

Meanwhile, the old mage rushed over to the struggling arachiathan, levitated behind it, and placed his hands on the back of it's neck. The spidery animal began screeching more in a panic while the old man began to chant his calming spell.  

[Rosemary Mori]

"They know your intended use, so they are willing to comply. They usually help when it is for the purpose of saving others. This must be like a smörgåsbord for you." Sephiroth said into their ears.

Rosemary wondered if she should since that was already a strong tranquilizer normally used for creatures like lightning beasts, but since it wasn't subduing fast enough she shot another.

After the thing seemed to be well restrained she said, "I'm going to go make these people forget what they just saw think it was an earthquake or heavy winds..."

While the old man calmed the creature, she calmed the neighborhood.  

[GamingLord]

Eventually, the arachniathan began to slow it's motions, it's arms no longer pounding on the giant earthen hand gripping it. The animal finally became limp, it's eyes slightly glazed over from the tranquilzers it was fed.

Mage: "You can release it now, gently..."

Once it was placed on the ground, the spider thing sniffed at the air, it's fangs twitching. The old man pulled a piece of meat out of thin air and fed it to the creature, while focusing on another spell... Soon it was even smaller than before, no more than four feet in height.

Mage: "That should last for at least a day. Now, I suppose we shoudl chat somewhere? I suggest back up the mountain, as being in a populated place as this isn't idea for a group this size... Abigail, are you alright?"

The golem spirit looked at the damage she had taken, sighed, and dug up some more dirt to fill the gap that was made.

Abigail: "I'll be fine."  

[GamingLord]

Jacob: "Our friend says we should go into the mansion to chat."

Mage: "Well, let's not waste moonlight. Let's get moving..."

The mage stopped Jacob though and took him aside.

Mage: "You, 'boy'. You're more powerful than you look, especially for one of the rare white necromancers. Probably much more older too. You know, it's a waste playing with those youth spells to hide your age. They always fail in the end, and it's a terrible waste of magic for vanity. I take it you're trying to keep up your appearance for that pretty young thing you're with."

The old man just shook his head and tsked before walking on towards the mansion. Jacob blinked, then said something about how the old man would be surprised about his origins once he learned them. Meanwhile, the creature dubbed an arachiathan seemed to straw closer to Rosemary's side than it's master's, sniffing the air around her.  

[Rosemary Mori]

Rosemary snorted a little as she stifled a laugh that came when the mage commented on Jacob trying to keep his appearance for that pretty thing he's with who was in her outfit 'for beating people up' with majestic and fierce spider demon designs on the back. I think in your case it wasn't a terrible waste of magic for 'vanity.'

This experience did reveal to her that he could deceive people who didn't know him into thinking of he was a weakling with the age he looked now. This also brought up the thought once again that it would be to his advantage to keep letting non-friends of his to continue to think that he was still mutilated and scarred. Maybe next trip they took she would put effort into looking more like a human to make it more difficult for those that were aware of them to tell that she was one.

The creature's sniffing didn't go unnoticed. Rosemary slowly lifted her hand a little and offered the back of it.  

[GamingLord]

The arachiathan suddenly grasped Rosemary's hand in it's mouth with it's sharp teeth, but not hard enough to break skin. It inhaled a moment, breathing in the vampiress' scent a moment before it registered it as friendly, then released her hand, nuzzling it with it's horned head.

Once they were deep within the mansion, the mage looked at the people in front of him.

Mage: "Alright. So who are you three and why are you here? Why have you tried to stop me in my mission?"  

[Rosemary Mori]

"You're not helping."  

[GamingLord]

Mage: "I was following the potent visions and omens I'd been receiving for the past ten years. That's what I was doing."

The mage narrowed his eyes at Sephiroth.

Mage: "You seem to know a fair amount about this place. You're a native, aren't you?  

[GamingLord]

Mage: "I knew that what I was doing had it's risks. Over one thousand years ago, my world was ruined by a powerful demon, and my people imprisoned. I had started magic in my youth, but after escaping to another realm, I began to delve into it with much more dedication. A few centuries later, I traveled to worlds that came under assault by this monster to try and stop it's followers from their cruel activities."

"After a few of these attacks with no success, I began working more into white necromancy, and communing with spirits to find out as much as I could. That's when I began to have the visions. That a part of the demon had gotten lost many ages ago, and captured a powerful creature. The demon part had forgotten all but it's most basic instincts. So it set about after worlds, destroying them one by one."

"You call this creature and it's demon part Jenova? So now it has a name. I was told by the spirits to capture Jenova, and to cleanse it of it's impure essence. Then I could use the revived and untainted creature to combine with myself, and destroy the demon that has been causing so much suffering on so many worlds."

Jacob ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. The demon was so obviously Jiluzix.

Jacob: "Have you seen this great demon for yourself? Have you seen the realm in which he dwells?"

Mage: "No, but I have reason to believe it would rival Hell itself. A mage at your age would not have enough experience to survive one of this monster's world assaults. You may be older than you look thanks to that youth spell of yours, but it can only reverse age by so much. You can't be older than six hundred."

Abigail: "Master Harold... Actually, he knows more of the demon than you."

Harold: "Impossible! I've researched this monster for over a thousand years!"

Jacob: "And I for well over three thousand... You're severely underestimating this demon."

Harold: "No youth spell could last that long, or make you that young from such an old age..."  

[Rosemary Mori]

Rosemary idly rubbed the head of the mage's summon wondering how he could have lived so long. An increased lifespan due to magic maybe? He reminded her strangely of an uncursed version of someone she knew. Does it really take so long for magic users to become competent?

Is it possible for a spirit to have evil intentions and lie to someone who practices necromancy, but wasn't born to be natural at it?

Sephiroth rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a wallet that was mostly used as a picture album for wallet sized images. After Satan had came to Gaia, he had all of his friends or companions come together for one massive photo shoot. He had been very insistent about this, saying that he had wanted pictures of them in before it was too late to get one. The real reason was probably to help him remember he had them in times of mental stress from his demons. Not only did he get group and family photos of each of them, but also singles and he carried them around with him almost all the time.

"If the untainted creature was unable to overcome a mere fragment of the demon and you have been unsuccessful in stopping his followers even once and believe the realm he occupies to rival Hell itself, then how could you two combined conquer the master when individually you can't overcome the children?"

"Not all of the demon's followers were willing at first. He has ways to easily change the way a person thinks. He is good at manipulation. Maybe a spirit who came into contact with Jenova and was corrupted told you this."

He sifted through them and selected the one of Jacob, who at the time had tried to make sure the cameraman didn't get much of his bad side. If studdied well enough, the picture revealed there was something wrong with part of his face. He handed this to Jacob in case he wanted to show the old man what he used to look like when he explained himself some. "We need to do that again and update this picture. Maybe you would smile a little this time."

Sephiroth went into the hall and started to go through the books and notebooks to find ones on the Jenova Project.  

[GamingLord]

Jacob: It depends on the magic user, and what they're trying to learn. Some spells are more complex than others, or require more of the user than some, so they would take longer to master naturally.

In white necromancy, there are a number of safeguards you are supposed to use to keep spirits from bringing harm to you and vice versa. There are a few to prevent lies even. Without those in place, it's possible for the spirit to have evil intentions and lie. Me being a "born natural" just means I naturally have better instincts and hunches about spirits, and have been able to pick up concepts about white necromancy better than most.

Harold: "Alone, we may not have been a match for the monster as individuals, but together, we would increase each others abilities naturally. We would also train and find ways to improve our powers."

"White necromancy shouldn't allow dark spirits to tell lies to the mage. The art itself is a clean magic."

Jacob looked at the picture Sephiroth gave him, and smiled a little at his comment. Yes, he would smile next time... he found more reasons to be happy in the past year or so than he had in centuries of existance.

Jacob: "How long have you studied white necromancy, Harold?"

Harold: "For at least a decade now."

Jacob: "What do you know of the protective spells to keep you safe while searching through the spirit world? To keep the spirits from lying to you, or harming you?"

Harold: "... I.... The art itself is protective of the caster, is it not?"

Jacob: "No Harold, it isn't. You probably have been deceived then. Do you have the ability to look into a mind and see what lies within if someone lets you?"

Harold: "...Yes."

Abigail: "Master, you need to see what he knows. It's so very important. I've seen it myself."

Jacob: "Read the thoughts that I'm about to share with you then, Harold. Learn what this demon really is, and what he has been capable of."

There was a long pause before the older in appearance Harold placed his hand against Jacob's head. The old mage's eyes began to roll into the back of his head, while Jacob exhaled and steadied his breathing. After a time, Harold began to shook violently, and stumbled away from Jacob.

Harold: "You? Survived through all that? So much older than I, well over three thousand years. The demon, Jiluzix... he has a name, and his ..... cult, the Niearcim. Such horrible visions. I knew they destroyed worlds, but... but what they do to their prisoners. Surely, it rivals the horrors of Hell itself."

Harold was trembling, needing Abigail to support him and help him to a seat.

Harold: "So... Jiluzix... he now tortures and imprisons my people as well? Uses their souls as a source of power while they suffer in agony? ...Forced them into the ranks of his corrupted mages? Yulah, oh Yulah help us all."

- - - - -

Upstairs, a portal opened, and heavy boots pounded against the floor. Figures in dark, military futuristic armor poured out, carrying strange black rifles.

"Spread out, find him."

"Sensors indicate fading heat signatures... Somebody was here not too long ago, with others. His magic trail is in the air, mixed with someone elses. He probably found some friends."