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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1467490" data-attributes="member: 15043">An Annoying Wizard.. And Annoying Teleportation Chambers“This place smells sterile,” Shaun said quietly as he arrived, last of the party back in the palace.  Their rooms had been quickly and expertly cleaned, their items carefully and neatly packed by the Crown Prince’s staff.“Well,” Tess said, sitting down on her backpack, “now comes the waiting game.  Our court wizard Alex promised is late... and yes, he says we can call him that...” she replied to Shaun’s unasked question.  Shaun instinctively raised an eyebrow (covering his own loneliness with humor) and Tess gave him a deep, evil scowl.  “No Shaun!”“Well,” he started, before looking over towards Siabrey, and his humor died on his lips.  “Oh.”The third part of the trio sat, facing away from them, staring into the cold and dead fireplace.  Her blade was out, and while her hands were hidden by view from her cloak, the scratches of a blade being sharpened grated the air.“Siabrey, dear?” Tess asked softly, also now noticing her companion.  “How are you doing?”  Tess walked up behind her friend.  I know you’re not feeling good... I can’t replace Luke, but I want you to be.... ok? At the least...“Fine,” came her reply, sharp and biting enough that Tess backed off.  “I’m just peachy,” she turned towards Tess, and the party saw her red eyes were blazing with something not normal... “Um... are you sure, Siabrey?” Shaun asked edgily.  I want to know, so I don’t get clocked over the head for trying to be funny...”No, what the hell do you think!” she snapped, before turning back to her blade, the grating noises now coming again, even faster.  Her own mind was aflood with thoughts... fears for Lucius, anger at Zoe, determination to finish their mission as soon as possible, so she could make sure her love was safe...  No fooling around... no questions.  We go in... we get this mess... we get out, and we go to the army!Shaun was taken aback by her fierce reply, and was about to say his own snappish one when the door to the room they were camped in was flung open, and a thin, spectacled man clad in garish orange and purple robes strode into the room.  His head was held high, high enough that he literally looked down the bridge of his nose at all of them.Tess immediately recoiled from the riot of color, commenting quietly, “His dress hurts my eyes.”  The hawk-nose and the eyes that were behind it swiveled towards her.“And your intellect hurts my brain,” his voice, an annoyingly high and wheezy tenor, said with disdain.  The exchange provoked Siabrey’s ire... and as she turned to the newcomer, she growled at him... literally.For most, the prospect of a fearsome warrior armed with a katana growling at them would have provoked some... respect... or at least, cowed them into backing down.  Not this wizard... he was an Imperial Court Wizard...“Lady, you do not need to act the part of the dog... your face does the job well enough,” he said coolly.  Siabrey’s face glowered, and there was a moment of tension when her hand gripped her katana tightly, before looking at Tess, and relaxing.  She gave a huff, and began sharpening her sword again.  The wizard gave her a look of airy disdain, before looking at the other two.“My name is Aeron... a Court Wizard to Her Majesty, the Empress.  And as such capacity, I must wonder why I have been assigned to such a backwoods operation with such cretins as companions,” he moaned, causing everyone else’s hackles to rise up.Dammit, Siabrey’s mind snarled, as the man continued to talk in high and airy terms of his position in court.  We get this pharonic fool in place of Lucius and Elenya... Dammit!   Her movements to sharpen Kelir became quicker and quicker.“And you must be Lady Tesseron, the common barroom bard,” he smiled towards Tess, who smiled back, her eyes and teeth flashing ice.  He’s a member of hte Court... must maintain politeness... Tess’ mind strained.“And this must be the thief, Shaun,” he placed a condescending hand on the rogue’s head, and Shaun visibly squirmed from under it.  His eyes then turned to the fighter whose back was turned, and a deadly smile crossed his lips.  “That must be Siabrey... the desert debutante the Court is in twitters about.  I hope you do not intend on trying to wily bring me down,” he said, lifting his eyes haughtily, “as I shan’t fall as easily as Lord Lucius did... poor boy.”“You need not worry,” Siabrey’s voice echoed back, a mere deadly whisper, “I shan’t cast a glance to your way... unless you anger me...”  She turned around, eyes blazing fury and anger.  Tess hurriedly waved a hand at her, and Siabrey once again loosened her grip on the sword.  Tess breathed a sigh of relief, We can’t have Court mages being killed off for being pompous jackasses... at least not yet.“Anyways,” he ignorantly refuses to acknowledge Siabrey’s thinly veiled anger, “if you would follow me.”As he led the party through a myriad of corridors, he explained the teleportation chambers, where to stand, and what to not do.“And I’ll tell you... I have an assistant at the manor who will help us.  I warn you though... she is from Ak Konylu.”“She... what?” Tess was confused.  “She’s a mongrel?”  Great, a possible spy in our midst...“The proper term is Ak Konylite... or as she is from the city of Ascabion, Ascabionite,” Aeron said, his voice dripping with an air of superiority at her obvious lack of political knowledge.  “It is most ignorant and insulting to refer to them as mongrels... not all of them march against us.Ak Konylu is a divided country.  Five of the ‘kingdoms’ in her realms marched across the border... four stayed neutral, and one has openly condemned hte move.  Treadly wisely, ignorant ones,” he chided, causing Tess and Shaun’s anger to rise even more.  Siabrey, already livid, decided if Tess wouldn’t let her teach him manners, she would ignore him... save that during his lecture, the party stopped moving.“Let’s just get going!” she grumbled, her voice low and dangerous.  “The sooner we get there, the sooner we get back.”  And the sooner that I can go back to protect Lucius...  Aeron nodded in agreement, though his air did not display anything besides the face a father would use to congratulate a small child on saying its first words.Damn you, Siabrey snarled.The party, after another five minutes, entered a large hall, fully 80 feet in diameter.  Globes of orange light floated on the ceiling, basting the white walls and floor in a pleasant, warm glow.  The floors of hte chamber, as well as the walls, were covered in deep, etched runes, culminating in a small glass circle at the center.  Aeron motioned for them to head to the center, as a bevy of similarly clad mages stood around the outsides.  Happily, they found Grumki already waiting there, his warhammer leaning onto the floor of the chamber, as hushed mages fluttered about him, hissing at him to go away till Tess waved the ok.“I told you... the strength of Kord requires being early,” the half orc rumbled, before walking up next to the group.  Aeron’s nose wrinkled at Grumki’s approach, but the wizard managed to control his response enough that he one again took speaking reins.“Now,” he said as they drew up, “I shall warn you, teleportations can be nauseous, as I have no doubt that many of you might be weak of stomach.”  Tess growled, and Siabrey merely tuned him out, replacing in her mind his voice with the sounds of Lucius’ jokes and laughter... thoughts that only spurred her to push for quicker action.“Just go already!” she scowled, her low voice carrying an order backed by iron.  Even as Aeron chuckled and waved away her command, the other mages hurriedly moved to comply.  A few minutes later, and the room began to stink, as of chlorine and ozone mixed into one... the smell of a massive field of magic.  Slowly, the world around them began to spin... faster and faster, until the walls, lights, and mages merged into an ever spinning blur.The sights, sounds and movement were too much for Shaun, and his breakfast ended up on his boots.  Tess felt extremely dizzy, and narrowly avoided losing her own stomach.  She glanced up towards Aeron, and to her disgust found him sneering down at her, his arms crossed in supreme confidence.  Siabrey too was not affected by the spinning, and merely bared her teeth back at the mage that had annoyed her already frayed nerves the wrong way.Slowly, the spinning began to slow down, and the party noticed much green.  There was a sudden, powerful burst of light, and the party was blinded momentarily.  As their eyes adjusted, their vision came back......and there was no manor, no castle in sight.  All they saw, for miles around, were forests...forests... and more forests...</blockquote>

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