Perhaps A Limited Life Suffices [Free-Form B-Rank | Dekkys (Elias)]

Knight of the Aurora

It had taken a hell of a lot longer than expected, but Elias had finally arrived in Era. Yet for the capital of magic he found the place to be distressingly sterile. The fairy tales of Fiorean wizards were so full of character. Each spell and magic wildly different from the last. Dragon Slayers, summoners, weapon masters, conjurers of magicks ancient and modern. It seemed like every wizard in the country was unique and went out of their way to make their unusual character shine. All Elias found in the city were uniforms and bureaucracy.

Wide grey stone streets lined up and down with humans and nonhumans in uniforms. If Elias hadn’t been wandering down the streets himself, he would have imagined the people were marching in step with a steady click clack. White walls and cobblestone foundations lined the streets. The only thing differentiating storefronts from houses were modestly colorful signs with names like Matsu’s Flamin’ Pub, designed in the shape of a fire with orange streaks and devil horns. The occasional cafe kept chalkboard signs advertising their totally unique coffee that certainly didn’t taste like the one on the next corner. Businessmen talked with Council members about their quarterly reports and backroom deals for the future of the magic world. Elias overheard some talk about shrinking the collateral damage budget in favor of experimenting with more powerful lacrimas for something. The conversation faded into the rest of Era’s mindless chatter.

Yet at the same time there was an air of uneasiness. Yes there was chatter and the clatter of boots on stone but it seemed dulled. Quiet. The conversation Elias had overheard was whispered even though it didn’t really sound like it was classified. He looked closer into the people’s eyes. Sure, they were dead from the drone of bureaucracy but there was a kind of terror hidden behind them. Something else was at work here in the city of Era and like any good wizard, he opened his ears for anyone who both needed the help and likely had the means to pay for it.

One man stood out from the rest of the crowd, clad in strane robes and an even stranger mask. Elias could feel the magic power wafting off of him. A wizard. Across from him was a lower ranking council member who bowed a little too deeply. Elias could have seen sweat drops forming on the back of his neck were it not for the uniform’s high collar. The councilman said something about a havoc and needing another guy. Elias couldn’t see any other guy and considering how deeply curious the town was, he decided to slide up.

“You looking for me,” Elias asked as he walked up, arms crossed. Admittedly he didn’t have the same stature as the other wizard, nor did he match up in the mysterious robes and scary masks department. Brown pants and a short grey wool overcoat over a white turtleneck sweater hardly conveyed power. He reached out a hand and conjured a castle of ice in the palm of his hand to prove his wizardhood. “I try to help out with whatever problem you’ve got going on.”

WORD COUNT: 890 | 7,000

Knight of the Aurora

The unease seemingly wafting up from the cracks of Era’s flagstones certainly turned out to be a problem. Less of a problem, though, was how easily the other wizard and the councilman took Elias in. They believed his powers without much of a second thought and before he knew it, the councilman was explaining the nature of Era’s latest emergency. Someone had more-or-less recently discovered an ancient tomb housing a long-dead dark wizard whose residual magicks had a habit of infecting the feeble-minded and causing chaos. Elias let out a barely audible snicker when the councilman mentioned that this very crypt causing them problems sat right inside the mountain the magic council’s fortress was built upon. All that with so many powerful mages and even their legendary rune knights, the magic couldn’t spare anything more than a handful of jewels to a few lowly wandering mages and hope they managed to find a way to lift the curse. At least Elias could say he wasn’t prepared for this at all. He had the faintest idea of how to lift curses and certainly he hadn’t prepared any spells to remove them, even if he knew how to make one from scratch.

Still, work was work and Elias held himself to a standard of at least doing the jobs he signed himself up for. He couldn’t imagine anything worse than giving up before even stepping up to the starting line. So he continued to follow the lowly councilman and his temporary wizard-friend through Era’s drab, repetitive streets to the only relatively grand building in the entire city of Era: the magic council headquarters. A simple handwave and the two wizards walked freely through the gates and through an odd maze of hallways into a large, grey cube full of fenced-out wooden walls Elias decided to deem cube-offices. Six-foot high wooden partitions in the shape of small squares seemed to separate dozens of councilmen working on what could only be some kind of strangely important paperwork. The man guiding the two sat them down at a long table and continued to explain the nature of their mission, which effectively became clear after the strangely-robed wizard dropped a question of his own: clean up a mess that the magic council made a relative few seconds ago, at least in the grand scheme of Fiore’s vastly more important magical affairs.

“So,” Elias started after the councilman finished his bit. “Where exactly is this tomb? I get the feeling the psyches of Era’s people aren't’ going to hold up much longer.” The councilman nodded and muttered something about protocol as he skimmed through a short stack of papers, picked one out, and promptly stuffed it in a pocked hidden away in the folds of his robes.

“Right this way, sirs,” he said before guiding Elias and the other wizard through another maze of steadily descending hallways until they finally came upon a hole and stonework that didn’t match the Magic Council’s clean edges. Darker bricks, their edges worn round with the march of a thousand footsteps and a faint dampness. Elias could feel the sinister magicks seeping through the cracks themselves even though he stood dozens of feet away. A simple glance at the councilman showed how much his hands shook and the beads of sweat forming on the back of the neck. He wouldn’t be stepping any closer to the hole.

“Here we are,” The councilman said, gesturing to the holes, “Come report to me when you’ve completed your mission. If you don’t within seventy-two hours, we’ll consider sending another group in to find your - you. Yeah, just you.” He nodded and gave a nervous chuckle before skittering off back to the offices above.

Elias’ basest instincts told him to turn and run from that gaping hole. Still, he sucked down the worst of it and conjured his armor. A pale rainbow of light draped itself around his from before quickly flashing into well-worn plate. Fairly light armor, but perfect for mobility on foot.

“Well why don’t we get this started,” Elias said. He began taking small strides to the fear-filled catacombs. “I’m Elias. I hope I didn’t ruin anything for anyone given that councilman was expecting a second wizard. It didn't look like anyone else was there and I think we both need the money.”

WORD COUNT: 2456 | 7000