event so far

[17:09] {NARRATION} Through several days, the group kept tracking down Cypher; now that they were aware of his identity, method and curse, it wasn't overly difficult to follow the traces of his Rift Magic, the corpses of butchered children and rusted metal. The trail ends at the ruins of a castle, near Sigil, but very well hidden through a swamp, making travelling in and out an annoyance.

The castle is in extreme disrepair, but the doors look newly made-- made of oak, strong and durable. Despite how recently it's been made, as they approach, they notice that the door's hinges are almost entirely rusted, yet another sign that Cypher went through here; the door's handles are made of arcanium, unaffected by the rust and covered in runes, which glow with magic. Perhaps arcanium, due to its specific properties, resists the kitsune's curse, whatever its source.

It's night time, with the full moon at the sky; despite the poor lighting, it's distinctive the lack of blight or decay through the swamps and the nearby vegetation, pointing that Alhanna didn't cross this place-- the Vidharatti remain split after the destruction of Nishibori, and though the castle's doors are sealed shut, they're not locked.

Cypher is probably inside.. somewhere.
[17:14] Eagleheart moves closer to the door, before a hand hovers over the handle. Being covered in runes, but unlocked, there was something weird about it. "Mei, can you check if these runes are safe?", he questions, the arcane briefly moving around to see if he could at least decipher a part of the nature which these runes hailed.

"We can always just... Push the door down." He said, one hand carefully moving to have its palm wide open towards the rust. The Arcane seemed to try to pry the door open from what he considered to be a safe distance, about a few feet.
(Eagleheart)
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[17:21] She grunts, then nods, approaching the door but keeping a moderately self distance. Shw squints at the runes, trying to see what exactly they entailed, if they were traps or reinforcements of the like.

"Lemme see... I'm not quite sure, just a moment."
(Mei Xiang)
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[17:26] {NARRATION} The runes glow softly, powered with magic; Eagleheart's arcane can detect its chaotic nature, how the mana runs through them wild and violently, ready to burst, though they're kept stable by the runic inscriptions.

Mei can decipher them with more precision, having a runescribe's knowledge. The design of these runes is much more intricate and complex than those used in Nishibori; Cypher wasn't in a hurry here, and didn't make them on the spot. It takes a while, deciphering through 'fire', 'expansion', 'movement'-- word by word and their numerous connections.

It seems that the runes detect movement, and when they do, they trigger an explosion. It's possible to dispel them, given enough time-- probably a few minutes worth of work.
[17:26] Mei Xiang says, "..."
[17:29] The young woman immediately contorts her expression into a scowl once she deciphers the most basic meanings to what the runes represented. "Don't push the door, these runes'll... probably explode when they detect anything movin' pass the door. It's probably better to get in quietly too, so I'm gonna see if I can..."

She brings a glowing, blue finger to the surface of the runes, attempting to scribble her own symbols onto the things to hopefully render them inert with time. She had to focus on doing this, though; didn't want to blow up.
(Mei Xiang)
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[17:32] Eagleheart nods, slowly moving his hand downwards. It seemed that for now, he was allowing for her to make the call, since this really wasn't his subject of expertise.

"Of course, Mei. We need to be careful. I fear this one is the one which will focus mostly on traps than the others..." He trails off, allowing for Mei to continue to do whatever it was.
(Eagleheart)
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[17:41] {NARRATION} It takes about fifteen minutes for Mei to carefully decipher each of the runes and their connections, scribbling her own runes to counter-act the mana running through Cypher's enchantment. Such precision was necessary due to the way these runes were designed-- so that if they were cut off abruptly, the explosion would trigger immediately.

Their patience pays off eventually-- after the last rune was inscribed onto the handle, the runes' glow steadily diminished until it faded entirely, the rune-trap now dispelled. Almost mockingly, the doors open at the same time, revealing the castle's hall.

In disrepair as the rest of the castle, the halls must've been beautiful once. With marble floor changing between black and white, similar to a chessboard, it extends through thirty feet before leading to an opening; the hall itself, however, was drawing more attention than the next room.

Paintings are hung over the walls; they depict the same person, over and over again, a kitsune with dark grey hair which must be roughly eleven years old. Her eyes are of a light shade of silver, and she looks happy in each of them; some of them also depict a younger Cypher, his eyes not yet turned into blots of darkness, but rather possessing a golden hue. The paint has nearly faded in some of these, indicating they're likely old.

Near the walls, the group can see people, about seven of them, scattered over the wall. They're standing, wearing dirty rags and with fixated stares at random points, their gaze empty; some of them shake with no apparent reason, while others have their hands raised to their heads. All of them look deeply disturbed, perhaps in shock; many wield simple kitchen knives, its blade rusted away, though they don't do anything with it. They don't even move, don't acknowledge the group, nor do they acknowledge each other. They're just... there. Barely.
[17:48] As soon as the doors are open, Eagleheart moves around the runescribe and carefully pokes his head inside. The color scheme of the whole place seems to go over his head, after all, the very concept of these go over his head.

"This seems... Odd." He speaks, moving through the chess-like ambient, the soft chime of Order washing through the room like a breeze, scanning every part of it and seeking to find any weird happenings that he could figure.

However, upon noticing the presence of other living people, the same sensation strikes to him. Something akin to what happened when they had met Qinglong, Eagleheart allows for the soft chime to run over the next room, after all, if he felt them... They'd already noticed something was there.

"Be careful, Mei. We do not know how they'll react. If anything... We'll have them treated in Huangzhou." He speaks, still seemingly staring forwards. He didn't approach them yet, but slowly moved closer. "Keep close to me. If we need to, we... Might be able to take them."
(Eagleheart)
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[17:56] * You have been awarded 0.75 Roleplay Points! *
[17:56] Unlike Eagleheart, the expanse of the entire place is taken in with a sense of wonder. Sure, they were in a rundown castle, but to just imagine what this place could have been like... whatever amount of years ago interested her. The paintings and such are all glanced over; Mei Xiang even comments on some while walking with her comrade.

"The state of this place... this guy had a bunch of painting's 'n stuff. Didn't look like that bad of a kid, either, but... I guess somethin' must of changed 'em for the worse-" But then she feels it before she sees them.

Life.

But who could it be? Not Cypher, but... just people that seemed to be barely there. While a hand rests on her blade hilt, she didn't seem all that tense.

"...if we can even get to 'em, Eagleheart. They look dead just... standin' there; I wonder what happened."
(Mei Xiang)
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[18:07] {NARRATION} Though they walk through the halls, the people within seem to absolutely refuse to acknowledge them at all. They stared at random points across the walls, sometimes moving their widened eyes; it didn't seem like they bathed in months, maybe years. Their expressions vary from shock, horror or, sometimes, a simple blank face, unaware of anything happening around them. They don't even flinch at the chime of Order washing through the room.

"No", one of them mutters; a woman, jianghese by the looks of it, around her thirties. Her long, black hair couldn't possibly be more tangled, and the occasional blood clot can be seen over it or through the knots; the muttering didn't seem directed at the group, however. Such as the others, she didn't acknowledge any events around her, merely staring wide-eyed at the floor, with an expression of horror.

Though there was no reaction from any of the humans, they could see something else of interest-- under one of the paintings - depicting the same kitsune girl of roughly 10 years old - was a handwritten note attached. Its calligraphy was impeccable, beautiful even,

"Meiko Tatsuhara
4'6 ft
72 pounds
Chest 27
Waist 23
Hip 30
Foot 8"
[18:16] Eagleheart moved slowly within the room, almost carefully so that he wouldn't risk startling any of the almost dead-like people in the room. It seemed to pain him, but only slightly so, but he had to move forward still. He couldn't simply stop there.

"There's a note there. Mind reading it?" He speaks, stopping right by the handwritten note. He is, obviously, unable to see whatever was written on it, or even the multiple paintings.

"They probably were corrupted. Not only... Cypher, but the other ones." A long sigh comes from Angelo, before the washing sensation of order starts to look for something on the other room, the soft breeze still moving as to try to scout it as they approach the end of the long hallway.

"Perhaps what they said. Losing memory, just going... They just don't accept their fates, or something that happened. Perhaps they'll die in a while, out of inactivity." He spoke, but there was no time to look for them.

"As soon as we're back, we can send a few people here, to take them and ensure we at least try to... Help them. But not now. We can't risk being overrun." He says. It pained him to do so, but he felt it was the correct thing to do -- He feared that an attack from them could be far deadlier than it would look like.
(Eagleheart)
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[18:22] Mei Xiang stayed close to her mentor through their walk. She couldn't bear the thought of just leaving these people here, likely trapped in their own minds; she was half tempted to try and touch one of them, but keeps herself from doing so. When they come across the note and painting, Mei nods and reads.

"Meiko Tatsuhara, 4'6, 72 pounds, chest... 27, waist 23, hips 30, foot... 8."

Odd, she thought. "I dunno why someone would write this, but this is the kitsune girl that's been poppin' up in the paintings alongside what looked like our guy." She glances around again, spotting those broken people.

"That'd probably be the best. I hope they can be... fixed."
(Mei Xiang)
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[18:27] "Probably... Lovers, or family. He's..." A brief sigh, before he reckons one of the details that there were on the last time they traveled together. It was... Certainly awful and weird, but nevertheless, he kept on.

"Probably an objective. Meiko Tatsuhara. Keep that name in mind, if anything, we might need to... Use it." He said, continuing to move forward, but nevertheless close to Mei. After all, he was there with her, and any damage that could come to the girl would be entirely on him.

And he would never forgive himself for any damage that could come to her.
(Eagleheart)
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[18:41] {NARRATION} Going through the hallway, none of those broken people react or acknowledge them in any way still. The next room was bigger, square shaped; directly to their right, there was a statue, sculped in real size and with accurate proportions of that very same kitsune girl-- Meiko Tatsuhara. Indeed, over a small block of stone used to keep the statue slightly lifted, it was carved,

''Meiko Tatsuhara
Year of Death: 1452 AC
Age: 12

Always remember.''

Next to it, another handwritten note with the same calligraphy as before,

'' Was she happy? Intelligent?
I can't seem to remember any of it. ''

Lying forward, there was a door sealed shut-- this one was locked, its hinges and handles alike made of arcanium. A lot stronger than the previous one. To their left, there was a stairwall leading upstairs; to their right, there was another room, with the door left open. Blood covered the entirety of this room, an enormous pool; though Mei could only see the glimpse of a hospital bed, Eagleheart's chime of Order washing through the room detected two lifeforms within, lying over two hospital beds.

And yet.. no sound was coming from the room. The castle ruins as a whole were eerily silent.
[18:54] As they walked, the statue of that same kitsune girl was noticed (besides the army of mindless people, of course). She immediately read what was below it, a little saddened now that she knew the fate of the girl.

"Meiko Tatsuhara, year of death: 1452 AC, age 12... always remember." But shortly after reading this, she spots the next note.

"Was she happy? Intelligent? I can't seem to remember any of it- these aren't my words, I'm just readin' what's on this statue. Do ya think our guy did this? From the looks of it, he seems troubled about the death; I wonder how close they were-"

But then they come across a sealed door that didn't look like it was going to budge with some mere physical force. Not only this, but there seemed to be another room with an enormous pool of blood. It didn't take the woman long to feel that there were indeed living things in there; all the time spent attuning to the Lifestream itself fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately made her sensitive to the presence of lifeforms... even if she didn't know where they were.

Looking to Eagleheart, she spoke. "Strong lookin' door, or... bloody room?"
(Mei Xiang)
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[18:58] Eagleheart continues, but nevertheless waits for Mei to say something about any notes that were within the room. However, as soon as he feels the room to the right, he moves a hand towards Mei's chest, palm wide open against it. "There's something to our right. Two people..."

Soon enough, it got to its secondary use. The breeze that ran through the lifeforms was going slightly stronger, the chime continuing to echo, but if there was anything corrupted, it would echo in a different tone. After all, it was how he detected those corrupted and depraved.

"Probably experiments." He finished off. If they were corrupted, he'd likely move closer to the room, seeking to understand what they actually were in the end. However, he pointed towards the Arcanium door. "There's also the stairwell. He's probably beyond the heavy door... Check for runes and traps."

"And probably... This only reinforces my theory. They were close, and he probably... Tries to do something. Perhaps it is the same reason that he fell down to madness. Perhaps it is related to that why they are like this to this day." A sigh came forth.
(Eagleheart)
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[19:04] "Got it."

She wasn't alarmed to the presence of two people in the other room. If they were indeed experiments, they would be harmless, right? Or maybe too dumb to function. Either way, she carefully approached the fortified door, inspecting its surface for any obvious runes or other clues; she just wanted to see if it could be broken down... somehow.
(Mei Xiang)
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[19:09] {NARRATION} Order washing through the bloody room, Eagleheart would find that the lifeforms are not corrupted. They're indeed alive-- children, from the looks of it, though one of them had no feet. They've been cut off. Both children seemed to be strapped to the hospital beds within the room.

In the meantime, Mei had been checking the fortified door for runes; there were none to be seen, though she can detect the faint pulse of magic from within. The door was, indeed, enchanted, but it didn't seem like a trap-- reinforcing the door, perhaps, or keeping it sealed? It's hard to tell with any precision as she was unable to inspect them - and as such, unable to properly dispel them - but it definitely wasn't a trap.
[19:13] A slight scowl forms on her features as she inspects the door. It wasn't trapped, no, but it was heavily fortified. Not only that, but the rune wasn't visible for her to dispel either, so she turns around to look at her mentor.

"Don't think we're crackin' this thing open, unless ya wanna try 'n hit it with that hammer? I think there's a really sturdy rune on the other side of that door, so basically, we need to find another way."
(Mei Xiang)
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[19:22] The blind man seemed to, almost instantly, be afflicted by something different. "Fuck. There's children inside tere." Eagleheart said, obviously... And then, he moved the door to the side, quickly stepping inside the blood-filled room.

"I'll... I'll be back for you two. I promise. Be strong." He said, trying to use the faint attunement he had with the lifestream to detect one single thing.

To see, with it, how hurt they were. To feel their emotions, their desperation, to assess if he should release them now and have them go back to Huangzhou... Or if he should simply allow them to be there until he could ensure they'd be safe.

If, at the very least, they'd need his first aid.
(Eagleheart)
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[19:35] {NARRATION} As Mei was turning around to speak to Eagleheart, he was walking through the bloodied room-- once he stepped in, a circle of runes was lit, its glow showing through. Coils of the blood rose upwards, infiltrating through the Order Magi's body; he could feel the ripples of Chaos within that trap, running through his bloodstream, eating away at his mana and withering his circuits.

The pain was, to say the least, extreme.

Unlike the blood traps Cypher has used in Nishibori, however, these rapidly ran out of mana, the coils dropping-- though the effects from the ripples of chaos could still be felt within the Magi's body.

The bloody room looked like a medical wing of sorts. Several hospital beds were scattered through, though only two were occupied; the first, by a human child, a little girl whose feet were cut off. There was no bleeding from the wounds-- it seems to have clotted, though that was likely through magic. Cypher's, maybe.

Although the second child, a kitsune, didn't have any limbs removed, her face was completely skinned, like one would skin an animal. The facial muscles and bones were entirely exposed, her eyes damaged to the point of blindness as there were no eyelids which to blink with.

Both of the children were terrified beyond their minds, shocked and traumatized, as well as in pain. And yet, they didn't emit any sounds of it, nor did they weep; a closer inspection would reveal an open wound on both of their throats-- clotted, as before. Their vocal chords had been removed.

Further away from from the hospital beds, there was a small forge; a small wooden box stood there, with a few pounds of arcanium. Cypher likely forged his tools here; he couldn't, after all, use scalpels, scissors or needles unless they were made of arcanium.
[19:37] ** DMPlook has inflicted an injury upon Eagleheart. ("Withered", "Ripples of Chaos Magic affect Eagleheart from within; the energy seems to eat away at him, his blood, organs and mana circuits alike. Beyond the pain itself, it makes him feel eerily tainted-- polluted with Chaos.", "Temporary", "Duration: Medium (4 days)") **
[19:50] A loud scream of pain came from the crusader as soon as the coils moved around him, penetrating his own mana circuits and veins. It was sudden, forcing him to fall to his knees as soon as they vanished, having the lower part of his legs completely involved in blood.

"Agh... They..." He said, shaking. It was difficult to see -- The man who was always so immovable and stalwart, now simply put like that. However, he managed to analyze them, but his own veins turned to a slightly blacker color, exposed briefly on the pieces of armor that were pierced.

"They're... Destroyed." However, there was the wooden box, filled with Arcanium. "I'll help them on the way out." He said, letting out a groan of pain as he moved his hand -- It was hard to put his own Order to work while his circuits were getting corrupted by Chaos, but nevertheless...

He pulled the wooden box close to himself, and stored the Arcanium. "This will serve our purpose, at least." He said, almost as if looking for anything that he could use to serve as consolation for the suffering.
(Eagleheart)
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[19:55] {Item} You picked up Arcanium x3. Dropped by DMPlook.
[19:56] Her attention is ripped away from the door when Eagleheart steps into the room.

Now, one part of her didn't expect it to be dangerous at all, but it was a room literally filled with blood; what didn't scream danger about that? She ran over to Eagleheart's position, but hesitated before fully stepping inside in fear of triggering another trap. She finds the courage to push through the fear, as well as the pungent scent of iron that the sheer amount of blood would have likely produced.

"Eagleheart?! Eagleheart, are ya okay? Here, lemme..."

She got down to try and support his form, to help him get out of the bloody room.

"We can- we can save them after we come back from this, but... I should take a look at your injuries."
(Mei Xiang)
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