DCW IRL Round 11: Walpurgisnacht

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

      Within five minutes Garnet had vacated the charred lightning room and found a water chamber she could get into. Torn between wondering and hoping, she closed her eyes and dropped her fists at her side, trying to relax and pull together a column of water. After a minute she opened one eye cautiously to see a small puddle on the floor. "That's it?" she sighed. There had to be a way to call the element... She'd only received a few lessons in use and control of magic, and that was two years ago, from a classmate at her first boarding school. Her tutor had soon transferred to Gretchen High, and she'd aspired since to join his school and learn to use her mana correctly. And now she was here. Of course, the parental signature on her transfer forms was forged, and she'd never met the admissions counselor, but she felt nonetheless that she'd succeeded. Now it was time to learn... Staring with narrowed eyes at the pool of water, Garnet willed it to expand. Slowly, the liquid heeded her, and using a combination of gesture and thought, she extended the form, stretching it into the column she'd desired. Now, to-

 

       "Sneaking into the practice hall after hours, eh? I should report you to the Prez, newbie." Garnet spun swiftly, and yellow eyes met red as the liquid formation  collapsed, splashing her bare feet with cold water. "My name's Garnet!" she snapped, aware of the destruction of her spell. "An' I could report the same about you!" Johannes' eyes glittered, and he gave a broad smirk, replying, "I don't think you could. I was being of use and patrolling the halls when a disruption caught my attention. I followed the sounds, and here you were with one room defaced and already onto another. So you tell me, Garnet... What shall I do about this?" The tall boy ran a hand through his silver ponytail, looking past his first-year classmate at the remnants of her spell. "It ain't against school rules ta practice magic," Garnet argued, frowning. Johannes nodded and looked back at her, chuckling, "You look different without all that eyeliner. Less... emo, is it called?" He looked thoughtful for a moment despite his dismissal of the issue at hand. Garnet gaped at him, shaking her head. "Are ya even listenin' ta me, Hannes!?"

 

      "Hannes, eh? I haven't been called that since my Shamus Academy days. This short ginger girl was always... Oh hey there, Ginge!"

        Ginge?! "S'cuse me fer sayin' this, but you're not exactly the teachin' type... The hell happened?" Johannes grinned, patting the short girl on the head. "Well, here I was allowed to use magic as much as I needed, and the classes are super easy, so I decided to become the class clown. I always wanted to do something important, so here I am. I guess you're finally out of the clutches of Mrs. Anti-magic?" Garnet shrugged, grumbling, "Not really. When I turn 18 I'm none of 'er business, so I gotta train up 'ere 'til then. After that, I'm gonna try ta get a diploma 'ere an' maybe study mana in college... Too bad my gang-mates ain't mana users... I kinda miss 'em. But lessee, you're what, secretary o' the council er somethin'?"

 

       Johannes shook his head, sighing, "I'm merely President of the student-run Anime club... We'll have to catch up sometime, but for now I think you've got some water to worry about." He grinned and started walking away as a confused Garnet turned. As the two moved, the water that had been suspended above her dropped, soaking Garnet from head to shoulders. "Dammit, quit it with the annoyin' pranks!" Pulling together the moisture from her clothing and hair, she raised a hand at the retreating Johannes, snapping her fingers just before the mass of moisture flew at his back. With an amused snicker, the club president turned, grumbling, "I was going to help you with those elements you suck at, but never mind, Ginge."

 

      "My name is freakin' Garnet!" 

 

((Got bored, so I decided Johann and Garn know each other pre-magic school. :V Anybody stuck on what to do until the clash with the spirits, characters and npcs are welcome to join in the practice hall. And I was thinkin' the same thing as Nara about teamwork. Think how strong a combined physical and magical attack with multiple casts of every element would be against a Forbidden Spirit **))

[Misaki-chan 164]

She had been finishing up crying when she heard a knock on the door. Quickly wiping away any trace of her tears, she put on a stoic expression which turned into surprise as she saw who as at the door. 

 

"Hi. Can you come out?" he asked.

 

Misaki held up a finger to tell him to wait a moment. She slipped on her shoes before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

 

Once she made sure the door was locked, she turned to Aster and said, "Yes?"

 

"Here." he said after letting out a sigh and thrusted a bag towards her

 

. "Have candy."

 

"Thanks, I guess. Is there anything else?" Misaki asked. She wasn't hungry, but she was too tired not to be polite. It was autopilot for her.

 

"Eat," he said.

 

"Pardon?"

 

"I said eat. Now. In front of me."

 

"I'm not hungry."

 

"No normal person would be. Do you want to talk about it, perhaps?" Aster asked. He proceeded to sit on the floor, his back against the wall next to the door. Misaki gave him a questioning look when he patted his hand on the floor next to him but quietly sat down anyway.

 

"Have you ever had Twix?" Aster said. 

 

"Yeah...." she replied.

 

"Was it good?"

 

"It was fine."

 

"I didn't know what you liked, so I got all the different variety I could see in the cafeteria." Aster said.

 

Misaki silently began to rummage through the stash Aster had brought, wondering if there were any Reese's cups in the bag. There was. Since it seemed he wouldn't be leaving until he saw her eat, she popped it into her mouth. She heard him sigh in relief.

 

"Also, about what you said before, I've been practicing magic since I could walk so you don't have to worry about the spells I use. Wind affinity flows along with my blood, plus it's very easy to cancel, compared to other magic. What kind of magic do you like using?" Aster asked.

 

She swallowed the candy down before replying, "Wind and water. Those are my preferences."

[Nara-chan 38]

(When do you think we should hold the fight? And who should be that "little yoctogram" that Stein mentioned? And you are sooooo unfair! I ate beans in the cafeteria and you get chocolate? *whines*)

 

Syra snapped the book shut. She found many mistakes in her parents' work using Prophecies, all written in a small notebook. Maybe I should rewrite my parents' work...

She went into the bathroom and took a bath in the small tub. "Okay, first I meet my two worst enemies, then I almost get killed by an angry Fire Spirit, then this stupid freshman comes up and breaks my wrist! Can't this day get any worse!?" she cried, trying to sink her worries in the bubbles in the tub.

"Oi, Komari! Open this door!" cried a voice. Oh drat. I forgot about that thing with Thorn. She quickly got out of the tub, put on some clothes and mentally answered her previous question, Yes, it can.

She had been reported to Julius' parents as "a big bully" which was on many levels wrong. As punishment, his parents had told her to teach him some basics of water.

She would rather have a platter of beans.

"That doorknob isn't rusted even one bit. It would be alright for your pristine hands, right?" she answered, but opened the door anyway, "Where?"

"That practice room near the cafeteria. You lead." he answered, gesturing for Syra to walk in front.

Syra rolled her eyes and walked from corner to corner, hoping that the person behind her would get lost, but unfortunately, he didn't.

SWOOSH! A cold gust of wind blasted in front of the two. In the non-magical world, it would mean nothing. But in the magical world, it meant something dark and powerful was nearby. 

"What was that?" she stammered silently, but kept on walking. "Oi, slowpoke! Come on!" she yelled. Julius was lagging behind, shivering. "Yeah, there may be something there, but don't mind it! Now hurry up!"

She turned the last corner, and found the water sign on the door. "Thorn, time for your lesson."

But the room was already occupied. By a silver-haired boy, who she immediately recognized as the prankster Loki, and one of the freshmen earlier, the one who had pinned down the Spirit. She was soaking wet from head to toe, but they looked like they were arguing.

"Uh, excuse me?"

 

(Excuse the intrusion...)

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

(I guess that depends on where Stein is. I dunno if 'e meant to have one of the npcs or rp'ers enter there or if he's just leaving a cliffhanger for his fight with the headmaster at this point. And no prob, I need interruptions sometimes~)

 

   Garnet frowned and looked past Johannes at the girl who'd opened the door. Syra... Komari? She's here training too? "Everythin' alright?" she asked, taking a small hand-towel out of her pocket to dry off her hair. As she scrubbed at the orange waves, she nodded at her classmate, adding, "I'm prob'ly done 'ere if ya wanna use the room. I gotta clean up the lightnin' one I burnt apparently." She shuffled out, jabbing Johannes on the temple on the way. "Dork." 

 

    "Ruffian," he joked back, crossing his arms as his former student left. When she was out of sight he turned to Syra, his voice taking on the flirtatious tome he always had with girls. "So you're the other girl from the forest, huh? I'm Johannes Weiss, but you can call me Loki~" He held out a hand with a pleased smile and a glint in his crimson eyes, figuring he might just get a number today after all. "The soaked ginger was Garnet, an old friend of mine. Though I guess you two've met. What's your name, miss...?"

 

     Taking one look at the charred lightning chamber, Garnet chuckled and walked off in the opposite direction, heading back into the courtyard to wander around. She took the flattened bag of chips from her bag and yanked it open, wiping crumbs and grease off on her tanktop as she walked. "Bored, bored," she mumbled, restless after the taste of a fight she'd had earlier. It had reminded her of her days in the street, when she'd thought of her gang as her family and fought to protect, rather than for grudges and spite. "Hannes ain't even the same after two years..." The scarf-toting student climbed the stairs slowly, bored with the near-silence of her bare feet on the cold steps. She glanced down at the new bandage wrapping her leg and the fist-sized pink scar on her shoulder, wondering if this place could teach her control. She'd never truly practiced holding back, unless she'd been trying to hide her mana completely, in the past 2 years since discovering her first flame, and several times it had almost cost her life... "Tch... Maybe that dork Dev's got a point about harshness. Er maybe not." 

 

      Closing her eyes, Garnet leaned against the railing at the top of the stairwell, letting herself feel the mana disruptions on the grounds without outputting any herself. There was a dark calm that she hadn't felt in a while, and the yellow-eyed girl let herself relax, dropping her tense shoulders. Should I visit Misaki maybe? Or would I be unwelcome? Garnet wasn't exactly sure of anyone's thoughts about her, but she didn't think it would be right to pester and possibly wake her classmates over her own restlessness. With a sigh she ambled about that floor, peering in darkened windows for any sign of activity. I need somethin' ta do~ 

 

      There was a drastic spike in mana presence and usage that appeared violent in nature, and Garnet's eyes snapped back open. "What the-?" She spun in the direction of the disturbance, summoning a layer of lightning and fire to surround her fists. The girl suspected that it could be another spirit, and decided not to take any chances. Jogging toward where the jolt had come from with fists raised to strike, she called, "Who's there!?"

 

   ((Guess the disturbance she's chasing could be anybody but Johannes and Syra, who are at the training area. Whoever else feels like getting attacked by Garn feel free xD And Syra, please don't mind Johann's flirtatiousness. He doesn't know any better xP))

[tengaku squared 291]

"Eh, I wasn't planning on coming here." Stein shrugged off the body of Kavin that he was carrying on his back and turned to face Garnet. "What's this, another yoctogram? They keep coming in sequences." He raised his hand, and continued, "I suppose you want to fight me, now that you've seen the decimation of that two-digit decimal. Not really worthy to be factored, even."

 

"Ah, ah, but unforunately," and he took a glance at his watch, "angels aren't allowed to fight lower plane yoctos unless challenged. Not unless you say I insert name here will challenge the angel Stein, the Numerical Singularity and the Bringer of Light and bring his true power to this plane, which will certainly result in your integration."He scratched his head. "Hmmm."

 

"The rules only say I can't directly fight you. But," and he waved his hand, summoning two Forbidden Spirits to his side, "the rules don't say these Spirits can't." He turned around and began to walk away. "Now, what do you think the probability of you winning is? Bzzt. That would be zero, like your taste in fashion! Now, tangle with these irrational beasts!" The air appeared to blur around Stein and then he was gone. The two Forbidden Spirits began to rumble.

 

=============

 

(Mmmm okay I will.

 

Also please note that phrase Stein mentions: I <insert name here>  will challenge the angel Stein, the Numerical Singularity and the Bringer of Light and bring his true power to his plane.

 

Angels inherently limit their power when visiting lower planes, and can only unleash their full power when challenged like so. While not unleashing their power, angels are nigh-invincible since their vast resevoirs of mana go into grounding their essence, and any damage dealt to them in this reduced state is recovered instantly. Should you manage to overpower Stein when challenging him, it is possible to defeat him due to his lowered defenses. Of course, Stein at full power can likely obliterate the Earth, so be careful of what you wish for.

 

Both Tonate and Kavin are aware of the nature of angels. Both challenged Stein in an attempt to defeat him, but were mercilessly crushed. Oh, and yes, Kavin is the yoctogram Stein mentioned earlier.

 

I'll try to reduce the sheer size of exposition drops.)

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

     "Eh, I wasn't planning on coming here." A man she didn't recognize shrugged Kavin from his back and turned to face Garnet. "What's this, another yoctogram? They keep coming in sequences." That's Mr.Chills! What has he-? He raised his hand and continued, "I suppose you want to fight me, now that you've seen the decimation of that two-digit decimal. Not really worthy to be factored, even." Of course she wanted to fight him. What kind of person could do that to someone and expect to be let go? She hoped the man was still alive. And he was at least a five digit decimal! Whatever that meant... 

 

     "Ah, ah, but unforunately," he added, glancing at his watch, "angels aren't allowed to fight lower plane yoctos unless challenged. Not unless you say I insert name here will challenge the angel Stein, the Numerical Singularity and the Bringer of Light and bring his true power to this plane, which will certainly result in your integration." He scratched his head. "Hmmm."

 

    "The rules only say I can't directly fight you. But," and he waved his hand, summoning two Forbidden Spirits to his side, "the rules don't say these Spirits can't." He turned around and began to walk away. "Now, what do you think the probability of you winning is? Bzzt. That would be zero, like your taste in fashion! Now, tangle with these irrational beasts!" The air blurred around Stein like wet ink and then he was gone. The two Forbidden Spirits began to rumble.

    

    "Oi wait a sec! I, Garnet Wisteria, here will challenge, er... Get back 'ere, dammit!" An' these're my pjs! It's none of 'is business 'ow fashionable they freakin' are! After a moment of fury at the 'angel Stein' the girl raised her fists at the two spirits, snickering. "I guess you guys're gonna take my anger fer now." Charging up the dual elements until they surrounded her arms and feet, Garnet ran at the spirit on her right side, throwing a flurry of fire and lightning-laden punches at its core before leaping back to send a heavy axe-heel kick at what seemed like a throat with her uninjured leg.

 

      The moment that spirit was startled by her head-on attack was all she needed to charge up an attempted Earth spell that managed to crack the floor and send it skidding back a few feet. Casting a quick bolt of lightning at her target, she turned her attention to the spirit she hadn't yet attacked. If she could injure both quickly, her chances of winning without being injured rose. And since she wanted to defeat that haughty angel, she needed to be in as best shape as possible when she challenged him. "Therefore... ya both gotta go!" Lacing the blow with a high-powered flame, Garnet went for the second spirit with a knee strike. She rolled her shoulders forward and blocked her sides with her arms, forcing her knee as far into her opponents gut as she could. It fought back with a good punch, and Garnet had back off to catch her breath after the blow hit her solar plexus dead on.

 

        This time she was surprised, as despite the beating the first enemy had taken, it had managed to get right back up and was swinging wildly. A piece of the stairwell's railing was chipped off like plastic, and Garnet watched the hunk of marble tumble three floors to the ground before leaping back as far as she could. If I can charge up enough power, I could use their own destructive nature to send em flyin' toward the ground... Add in a strong Earth an' Lightnin' spell, an' maybe they're finished.... Caught off guard, the girl was sent reeling by a side-strike she hadn't noticed while in thought. Taking care to roll correctly, she dragged herself up quickly, ignoring her skinned knees and elbows. The bandage she'd carefully applied earlier was peeled and scraped off by now, and she was annoyed. Garn fired off two spurts of flame, hoping she could temporarily blind her enemies with the heat. But they didn't really seem to have eyes, so she couldn't tell if it had worked. Taking a deep breath, Garnet did what she did best; something reckless but effective. Hopping up onto the railing, Garnet taunted the spirits with a sighed, "That's all ya got?" 

 

     As her opponents charged, seeming more mad and destruction-bent by the second, the girl let out her breath, holding the spell she needed in her mind and willing it to her grasp. She closed her eyes, letting herself feel the mana signatures of those around. Though the commotion and sound should have attracted attention, no students could be felt in the halls. Good... Just as she felt the structure beneath her crumble under the weight of the spirit, Garnet jumped up, grabbing onto the creature and vaulting herself over its head. The monsters continued to fall forward with the railing, and as she skidded back she cast her spell. The combination of lightning strike and earth summoning sent the two crashing into the ground three floors below, at least one bearing a charred, gaping wound. 

 

     Breathing hard but in one piece, she peered over the edge of the stairs at the fallen spirits. They were down, but maybe not quite done... Quickly Garnet dashed down the steps, hauling herself over the edge with half a floor to go and landing with little grace and at least one stubbed toe a few yards from the strangely different spirits. Adjusting her scarf, she approached them cautiously. "You wanna fight me, er just lay there an' die?" she asked, not sure how to tell when a spirit was defeated. The girl isolated her mana boost to her hands and feet, stomping on the shoulder of the first spirit she'd attacked as it began to rise and inching back to assume an offensive stance. If I 'ad my boots...

 

(I'll let ya have some input if ya like so I don't just end the fight with a quick, advantaged victory, Moho.

    By the way, was Kavin taken or left behind? Cause I need to go fetch his body after the fight if Stein didn't take him along...)

[A L 217]

"You sure about this?" the voice over the cell said. Rouge hummed in response. He had been able to use mana to connect to the president. "I suggest you get to Devin already. We need all the power we can get." "Wait Rouge! don't tell me he's also in the closed space?" Closed space, the alternate reality in which any events would occur to prevent damage to the real world. 

 

"The teachers, you, me, Aster, Garnet, Misaki, Devin, Syra, I factored them all in." Rouge said. "Pretty handy, the headmaster's last work." There were magical circles hidden throughout Gretchen High which made this feat possible, all drawn magnificently by Drake Tonate. 

 

There was strange purplish hue to the sky now. So it begins. Rouge headed straight for Kavin's faint mana signal.

 

(Aish, all that I wrote was lost and didnt show up with autosave T^T sorry)

[Ren-kun 50]

[]

 

"I suggest you get to Devin already. We need all the power we can get." The order hung in the air as Jin felt his mouth run dry. It was far from what he imagined to be a reunion of sorts between him and Devin. In fact, it was probably the complete opposite of all the collective scenarios he played around in his head whenever he got the chance to. "Wait Rouge! don't tell me he's also in the closed space?" He already knew he was. Knowing Rouge for a fair amount of time, Jin knew that the former operated in accordance to his own set of rules. The said rules weren't the most straightforward of guidelines, but Jin trusted his subordinate enough to place faith on his rationale. It's not like he was a mole planted to keep tabs on anyone who might foil Stein's grand scheme. 

 

Upon receiving the expected confirmation from Rouge, the president prepared to leave for wherever Devin was but was stopped short by the faint luminescent glow of the glass ball hung around his neck. A glimpse on the future was coming. Contrary to what other people might expect, him getting the visions didn't come with fancy effects or over the top antics. There was no borderline violent convulsing in apparent pain, or glimmering light beams surrounding him. It was just the ball and its glow, Jin's touch and the visions themselves. Plain and simple. The president cautiously had his fingers come in contact with the artifact, his lips pursed in such a firm line they threatened to split into cuts. He wasn't nervous. If he was, he would've bonked himself in the head. There was always with him, a reluctance. He still haven't quite gotten over the apprehension of taking on the responsibility of getting the visions. Despite being blessed, or in his words dubiously cursed, with possessing the ball for more than half his lifetime, he's still contemplating about how or why he fit the mold of holding the powerful amulet. Sighing as his eyelids fluttered till they closed, Jin touched the foreseeing ball.

 

Typical. What he was seeing looked like it was put through a grainy filter, making everything come off as more ominous. Red. There was so much red. Littering the floors, smearing the walls, enveloping the ceiling... It was everywhere. It didn't look like blood though. It was much too dense. And it was moving about. Two seemingly empty shells of boys. Corpses? They were unidentifiable but for some reason, he was certain that the two were male.  Listless creatures were roaming. There was a beacon of light in the distance, beckoning everyone who lays sight on it to come close. And then there was gradual darkness until nothing could be discerned anymore.

 

Jin's eyes opened slowly as the darkness took over the entire scene that he was witnessing. A bead of cold sweat fell down his temple. He had to inform the teachers and his colleagues. What he saw could potentially be a game-changer. His visions had never been that dragged out and 'detailed' before. An expression that could only be described as stern and determined took over his usually open and inviting face. He stood up and left his room. Devin could wait for a few more moments. Jin was no expert at estimating how much more time till the future would slap them like a cold fish in the face but he was fairly sure that he still have a little bit more time to spare. He planned to make a beeline for Rouge's room, knowing full well that their often contradictory insights always reaches a middle point that effectively provides a satisfying plan. 

 

He was lost in thought, fully absorbed in pondering about what the ball showed him so it came as no surprise to anyone that he was already on the ground face down.  Rubbing his nose to get rid of the dirt, his gaze traveled upwards. Lo and behold, it was Rouge who seemed tense and eager to go somewhere. Jin stood up, but not without any struggles like managing to undo his shoelaces, and dusted himself off. "There you are! We have something to rack our brains with to try to figure it out." Jin smiled apologetically before relaying the entirety of the vision to the other boy. "So? What do you think?"

 

[]

[Nara-chan 38]

Just a little question: How long will you make this round last?

[tengaku squared 291]

Just a little question: How long will you make this round last?

(Mmm, not much longer. A week or two?

 

As a result, no more NPCs may be created. I will also be less lenient with inactivity from here on out.)

[Misaki-chan 164]

After the talk with Aster, she was left on her own once more. I should go back to studying that book... Not in my room though, I need to get outside. I'll go for a walk and see if I can come across a nice place to read. 

 

After grabbing the book and placing it in her bag, she made her way out onto the campus. It was a little cold, but nothing too bad. It felt nice. Misaki looked around, but couldn't seem to find a place isolated enough. The woods would be nice but...

 

After fighting that spirit (or rather, healing people instead of fighting), she would be avoiding the woods for a while. A long while. 

 

She was heading over to the stairs when she felt a sudden increase in mana. What the...?!

 

It was far from normal, so she rushed over to see what was going on. If she could help, she would. You might as well make a use of yourself seeing how you've done nothing.

 

There she saw Garnet. "You wanna fight me, er just lay there an' die?" she asked something.

 

Misaki then saw a spirit underneath all the rubble, getting into a defensive stance. Without thinking, she quickly summoned a strong wind spell and used it to propel the spirit into a wall. "Garnet! Where do you need me?" she said as she made her way over to the girl.

 

(Feel free to control my character during the fight scenes Garnet.)

[A L 217]

Rouge listened carefully to what Jin had said. "I have no particular idea except that we defeat the mastermind. That usually does the trick. We should all gang up and beat the stuffing out of him." Rouge gave a thumbs up and Jin sweatdropped.

 

"I don't think it works that way. Do you want to make the mod mad?" "What mod?" Rouge blinked. "Things like that don't exist in real life." Jin just kept silent and after laying out a plan, they set off after Kavin's faint energy signal. They found him in the middle of some evil plan, but being the villain he was Stein announced their presence for them.

 

"I Rouge Scarlet will challenge the angel Stein, the Numerical Singer and the Bringer of K-ON and bring his true power to his plane." Naturally this called for formal instructions by Stein before he was fully challenged.

 

======

 

Meanwhile Aster noticed the huge surge of power that descended onto the earth and headed for it as fast as he could.

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

(Oi, Aster, I called dibs on challenging Stein. xP)

 

     Garnet grinned as the spirit was flung back, turning to Misaki. "Garnet! Where do you need me?" Cracking her fingers, she gauged the remaining strength of the spirits. "Ya can take the one ya pinned. It's just about done~ Be careful, I'll cover ya if somethin' happens. I got this one." With that she kicked the prone spirit, goading it up out of the remnants of the banister and crumbled stairs. "Get up 'n' fight!" As it obeyed, obviously angered by her attempts at killing it, she raised her fists, dashing at the creature to pummel it. Throwing at least a dozen punches, she knocked the spirit back into the wall Misaki's was against with a concentrated lightning strike. "'Ey, combine yer wind 'n' stuff with my fire an' lightnin'..." 

  

       The two stood side by side before the spirits, arms raised and spells charging. Just before the combined casting, one of the spirits leapt forward, throwing itself at the girls in a last ditch effort to take them down. It collided with the two right as the spells were ready, and was almost immediately thrown into blinding light. A chunk was taken from the wall and floor, and when the mana faded the spirits were gone, apparently obliterated by the elemental strike. Misaki and Garnet had been flung in the opposite direction and skidded back beside the staircase. Garnet, who'd tried again to roll, pulled her arm from under her torso and lifted it, making a thumbs up at her companion. "Got 'em," she coughed, dragging herself up to sit on her knees. "That was pretty freakin' awesome, eh?" 

 

    With a satisfied sigh, Garnet looked down at herself, calculating how many bandages she'd need and how quickly her bruises and scabs would fade. But a blackened edge on the green of her scarf caught her eye, and the orange-haired girl froze. "It burned my SCARF!! Where are they?! I'll kill 'em again! Better yet, bring Stein right 'ere so I can smack 'im with a chunk o' the steps 'n' make 'im pay fer damages!!" Groaning, she flopped back onto her stomach on the ground, grumbling, "You okay...?"

[tengaku squared 291]

(And you'll get your turn.)

 

"What the?! You little factoring...that is not my title!" Stein spread both his arms out and began to glow. "I'll drop you like an apple from a tree, you factoring hectopascal!" He put both his hands together, and began to glow even more brightly.

 

He pointed a finger at Rouge, and then clenched his fist. He called the name of his spell, "Gravity: Collapse Inwards!" Countless numbers of little dots of light began forming in the area. Then a strange thing occured: Rouge began to collapse inwards and crunched into a smaller and smaller mass, and then a vortex formed where Rouge was. The dots of light fell into the vortex, as well as the walls, and anything else nearby...

 

Then the vortex stopped, and Stein stopped glowing. The entire area was devoid of all features; everything around Rouge and Rouge himself disappeared. Stein dusted his hands, and observed his work. "What the factor was that? A magician like that, a yoctogram compared to Tonate and a speck of dust in the universe, challenging me?" Stein began to teleport again and was gone.

 

===========================

 

Rouge has been crunched into nothing. Everything within a 50 meter perimeter of Rouge has also been sucked into the vortex and was taken who knows where.

 

Thank you, Usui. I needed to show Stein's full combat abilities somewhere. I also got kinda bored. :V

 

Gravity: Collapse Inwards

A spell without any elemental alignment. Reality manipulation. It's inner workings are privvy only to angels.

 

Creates a gravitational vortex that sucks everything except the caster within a certain distance of the vortex inside. The most likely fate for any victim of the vortex is being crunched into nothing.

 

Stein can choose to form the vortex over a person. The results are gruesome.

[Misaki-chan 164]

"Ya can take the one ya pinned. It's just about done~ Be careful, I'll cover ya if somethin' happens. I got this one."

 

With that, Garnet kicked the prone spirit, goading it up out of the remnants of the banister and crumbled stairs. "Get up 'n' fight!"

 

In the meantime, the spirit she had propelled against a wall was getting up, so she casted some powerful wind and water spells in quickl succession, not giving the spirit time to rest. Using the wind, she also threw some of the rubble at the spirit, pining it on the ground.

 

"'Ey," Garnet said after she slammed the other spirit into the wall, "combine yer wind 'n' stuff with my fire an' lightnin'..." 

 

The two stood side by side before the spirits, arms raised and spells charging. Just before the combined casting, one of the spirits leapt forward, throwing itself at the girls in a last ditch effort to take them down. It collided with the two right as the spells were ready, and was almost immediately thrown into blinding light. A chunk was taken from the wall and floor, and when the mana faded the spirits were gone, apparently obliterated by the elemental strike. The two were flung towards the wall, though she managed to soften their blow by throwing out a quick wind spell to slow them down. The orange haired girl pulled her arm from under her torso and lifted it, making a thumbs up at her companion. "Got 'em," she coughed, dragging herself up to sit on her knees. "That was pretty freakin' awesome, eh?" 

 

Misaki wiped some dirt off her face as she replied with a small smile, "Yeah, it kinda was."

 

With a satisfied sigh, Garnet looked down at herself, probably to see how badly injured she was. Misaki did the same for herself. Nothing too bad. Just some scratches. I can take care of that my- 

 

"It burned my SCARF!!" Garnet screeched, obviously furious. "Where are they?! I'll kill 'em again! Better yet, bring Stein right 'ere so I can smack 'im with a chunk o' the steps 'n' make 'im pay fer damages!!" Groaning, she flopped back onto her stomach on the ground, grumbling, "You okay...?"

 

"Yeah, just some scratches. Don't worry, I can heal them up later. What about you? Do you want me to heal anything? After all, you must be really tired after using all that mana..."

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

    "Yeah, just some scratches. Don't worry, I can heal them up later. What about you? Do you want me to heal anything? After all, you must be really tired after using all that mana..." Garnet waved off Misaki's offer of healing, doing her best to ignore the singed edge of her precious scarf. "Nah, I'm the same. I think I broke one o' my toes, but other 'n that I just got slapped around a little. A couple scrapes, bruises, that's all. If you've got somethin', take care of it quick. It'll prevent scarrin'." With a grin she cracked her fingers and stretched. "I totally beat the crap outta those guys, but I dunno if I coulda finished 'em without yer 'elp. So, uh... Thanks, er whatever." Her frown returned as a thought occured to her. "Wait, Mr.Chills was- Is 'e up there, or did Stein-?" 

 

      Pushing herself up, Garnet climbed up the steps clumsily, hoping the damage she'd done to them wouldn't be on her record. Looking around, she could see no sign of the unconscious teacher who'd been dropped from Stein's back. "Eh? But..." Punching the wall a couple of times to alleviate her frustration, she remembered that she'd wanted to find Aster and tell him Rouge was looking for him. Heading back down the stairs, slower this time, she called to Misaki, "You seen Aster? I need ta talk to 'im, an' prob'ly Dev an' the others too..." Trailing off, she yawned and blinked a few times, cracking her neck. "Maybe I'm a little tired-ish, so if I fall asleep just carry me, 'kay?" The barefoot student looked around, then back at the taller girl. "Which way're we 'eaded?"

[Nara-chan 38]

(Well that was the first time I heard Rouge's last name...)

"Oh no, this guy's coming too.."

Syra had really just got enough of the flirtatious Loki. She wouldn't even have come here if it weren't for this guy (Thorn)

"Let's just get this over with, okay? I want you to make a puddle in the floor." she commanded, looking warily at Loki.

He closed his eyes and tried to make a wet spot in the floor, but they were all shocked by the sudden increase in mana.

"What was that?" asked Syra. She peeked out of the door, and sure enough, there was Garnet and Misaki, fighting what seemed to be two bodies that...really didn't feel human.

"A Spirit?" she asked herself. But Spirits weren't really solid..

"Oh gosh, that might just be those Forbidden Spirits I read about!" she exclaimed. She was about to rush to their aid, but heard a scream first.

"D-d-d-doomsday is approaching?" squeaked out Julius, reading the writings on the wall in blood red ink.

"We have better inform the teachers, quick!" said she, and they all bolted out the door. The two freshmen were gone.

They ran out of the chamber and shouted, "Wait up!!!!!"

(PS- how are we supposed to know about the deaths?)

[Misaki-chan 164]

"Nah, I'm the same. I think I broke one o' my toes, but other 'n that I just got slapped around a little. A couple scrapes, bruises, that's all. If you've got somethin', take care of it quick. It'll prevent scarrin'." With a grin she cracked her fingers and stretched. "I totally beat the crap outta those guys, but I dunno if I coulda finished 'em without yer 'elp. So, uh... Thanks, er whatever." Her frown returned. "Wait, Mr.Chills was- Is 'e up there, or did Stein-?" 

 

"You broke one of your toes?! You really should have that looked at..." Misaki said as she followed the girl.

 

Pushing herself up, Garnet climbed up the steps clumsily. Both girls looked around, but neither could find Mr. Chills. "Eh? But..."

 

The orange haired girl punched a wall a couple of times before heading back down the stairs, slower this time. She called to Misaki, "You seen Aster? I need ta talk to 'im, an' prob'ly Dev an' the others too..."

 

"I saw Aster earlier, but I don't know where he went... Not sure about Devin."

 

She yawned and blinked a few times, cracking her neck. "Maybe I'm a little tired-ish, so if I fall asleep just carry me, 'kay?"

 

Misaki nodded. Though she wasn't physically strong enough to carry the girl on her own, her magic would help enough to make the task easier. The barefoot student looked around, then back at the taller girl. "Which way're we 'eaded?"

 

"I'm not sure. I guess this way?"

[tengaku squared 291]

(I guess since we're running pretty low on time to set up the final battle.)

 

Stein lifted his finger off the magic circle he drew on the school's rooftop. A glowing light was hovering around him, blinking over and over. A strange humming voice came from the light: "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

 

Stein swatted the light, but the light flew out of range. He fixed his hat and put his hands together. "What does it look like? I'm doing a magic spell." In response, the light shot a single beam at Stein, stinging him. Stein put his arm to the wound, but didn't appear in much pain.

 

"Don't play coy. I recognize that sigil anywhere - that circle is going to summon Walpurgis Night itself."

 

"Quite the scholar You are. I'm a mathematician."

 

"I don't recall giving you these orders."

 

Stein turned towards the light and put his hands up in exasperation. "I recall Your orders were to watch over the people of this world? That's exactly what I'm doing. Now I'm guiding them to a new exponential." The light remained silent, and stopped flashing. Then it began to glow brighter. "So be it. Before I leave, may I be informed of the identity of that strange circle inscribed on your back?"

 

Stein appeared mildly assumed by the question. "This would be a Forbidden Spirit circle. And that is all You need to know." The light hummed, then went off.

 

Stein turned back to the circle, and began ramping up his mana flow. He placed his hands on the circle, which emitted a harsh purple light that shot into the sky. Stein noted tiny purple lights shooting from the carefully placed corpses on the school grounds and into the circle. The circle contracted, then expanded to encompass the entire school.

 

The ground began to shake and the sounds of chains breaking came through the air. Then, a single hole opened up in the ground, and a dark black hand with sharp purple nails came out. The hand pressed itself against the ground, as if lifting a larger figure. The ground began to bulge, as if something very large was breaking out of the earth.

 

Stein let out a chilling laugh. He watched Walpuris Night break from its prison from the edge of the roof. He spread out both his arms. "Hahahahaha! The time has come! Drown in the sea of imaginary numbers!" A harsh screech came from the earth, and then the earth exploded, releasing the horror that was meant to stay underground.

 

===================================================

 

(Here it comes, Walpurgis Night itself! I left the appearance pretty vague except for one black hand, but you can make it up as you go. Make me proud! And good luck, guys!)

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

(Oh, fun xP)

 

      "God dangit, what's with the freakin' light?" Garnet yawned, crossing her arms. "Guess everybody'll come ta investigate it, so we should head over there an' find the others." Nodding toward the core of the school, she raced on ahead of Misaki, limping slightly but fast for the sleepiness she'd displayed only moments before. Time ta wake up~ She worked her bag of chips out of her pocket and downed the last crumbs, shoving the empty package in the side of her bag, then splashed her face with her water bottle and crushed it into a crinkling mass of plastic. I'm up now... "Stein, yer goin' down, along with whatever ya summon..." 

  

       She reached the suspicious point quickly, noticing what appeared to have been a body at some point and some purple and black mass reaching from the roof. "-the hell?!" Garnet stopped in her tracks and spun, waiting for Misaki, who was only a couple yards behind. "Oi, let's get everybody gathered 'ere... We need ta check this out as a group so nobody gets hurt." The girl tugged an old flip phone from her bag, checking the numbers she'd input from her earlier meetings. Loki's she'd gotten easily, and she and Misaki both had Aster's, but they also needed to make sure Syra and Devin didn't chase it down alone. "Can ya call Aster ta meet us 'ere?" she asked. Not waiting for her companion's answer, Garnet flipped open her phone and scrolled past Aster's name and one that read 'February' to 'Hannes,' the third and final entry in the Contact List. Dialing the number, the yellow-eyed girl tapped her good foot on the ground. A relieved breath accompanied the tapping as the boy picked up. "What's up, Ginge?" he started conversationally. "Not in the mood. We got a problem, somethin' big. I need ya ta come ta the center o' the school ta meet Misaki an'  I. If you see Syra, Aster, Rouge, er Dev on the way, bring 'em with ya."

 

       "I'd be glad to come help, especially since Misa's there, but I need to know... I heard some clatter and followed this Syra around. Was that you?"

     "No," she lied, hanging up quickly. She lingered for a moment with her cursor on the 'February' number. Dad, only a little while 'til I c'n call... I'll make sure everybody's safe, so wait for February. Maybe I can see ya this time. An' I'll show ya how strong magic can make people. She closed the phone and shoved it in her bag, asking, "Anythin' from Aster, Misak-"

 

"Wait up, I said!" Garnet blinked and turned around to see an out of breath Syra calling to them. "Oh, yer 'ere... Good. That means..." Johannes followed behind at a leisurely pace, waving to them. "I see you two had a fight," he remarked, looking Misaki and Garnet up and down. "You lied, Ginge?" She shrugged, grumbling, "We ain't hurt, so it's not a problem. I didn't cause a 'clatter,' so there." Heaving a sigh, the silver-haired boy turned back to Misaki, who'd just put her phone away, asking, "So, why are we here? Something 'big' meaning that creepy sky and ginormous thing coming out of the roof? What do we have, two more people coming? When they get here, you'd better be ready to fight that thing with all you have. I'm afraid my magic, despite being fun for tricks, is useless in a fight, so I'll be sitting this one out unless you guys end up needing me. I can only defend, anyway."

 

          "Tch, useless," Garnet grumbled, jabbing the third-year in the arm. "Well, once Aster 'n' Dev join us, it's time ta see what's goin' on..." And if that bastard angel is behind it... I'm gonna challenge 'im. An' I'm gonna win. Fer Sakila, Dei, Mister Chills, 'n' everyone else this monster's used fer 'is stupid math obsession. 

[Ren-kun 50]

[[so my internet messed up again and what I was originally typing got lost. This is another rushed one. -___-]]

 

His mouth agape and his eyes flung wide open, Jin didn't have much time to process what had befell Rouge. He knew one of them eventually would have given into the drive the protect the other students and engage the evil overlord in a duel. The redhead's efforts were ultimately futile but Jin would always think that he perished honorably. It didn't matter what anyone else had to say. So it made him all the more guilty that he felt a tinge of relief from him being left behind up the flight of stairs because of an undone shoelace. Still crouched down and frozen in place, a pang of guilt came over him. What if I stopped being a klutz for once and helped Rouge against that malevolent guy? He could have survived. He might just have needed an extra hand... Jin brushed the thoughts aside. He couldn't afford to lose himself in regret. Especially not now that his darkest fears were slowly coming into fruition. The next sight he saw out the window was a bit of a blur to him. He was sure that it came from the rooftop of the building adjacent to where he was though. He slapped himself to wake up his senses. The only thing he could do for Rouge was to make sure that his 'sacrifice' would not be in vain. From what he has been told, Rouge had spent a great deal of time guiding the new students. Now it was his time to do so. His more 'text-based' duties as president would undoubtedly be put on hold anyway. A sudden thought jolted him from his idle state. Devin. He had to get to the boy.

________________________________________________________________________________

 

Wretched people. Now I missed my daily chamomile bath. Devin's annoyance was apparent on his sourness-laced face, his arms crossed as he walked aimlessly through the school's winding corridors. The ground rumbling subtly with every step he took, little did the boy know that missing the chance to thoroughly exfoliate his skin was the least of his problems. Tsk. Those people are truly wretched. An abrupt tightening of his chest stopped him in his tracks and his eyes started to become misty. He couldn't understand why, why he was suddenly thinking about Syra's broken wrist and why the words he brought down upon people were suddenly replaying on his mind. He couldn't make sense of why a drop of liquid was escaping the corner of his eyes. Devin knew he was crying. The thing was he would accept any other explanation, however absurd, except for the truth. The truth that guilt was crashing down on him for the first time in his life and his emotions were inadvertently  being released. He would never acknowledge it though. As far as he was concerned, his delicate eyes were just irritated by God knows what kind of dust was wafting around in the air. He took his glasses off, wiped his eyes and placed his spectacles back before taking in a deep breath.

 

"Devin?" He spun around, knowing the voice all too well. He tried his best to look like he wasn't just springing tears from his eyes mere minutes ago. Devin looked at Jin defiantly and his body language followed suit, all 5 foot 5 inches of him. He raised an eyebrow before starting to speak. "We-ell..." His voice broke, most likely from his mini crying session but he cleared his throat and recovered. "That roadkill you refer to as your hair's still looking as ghastly as ever. I bet I could do a masterful job of being a chambermaid with it being my main cleaning asset."

 

Jin almost lost it, almost flashed that famed passive grin of his, but he held the corners of his mouth and kept his lips closed in a fine line. "Um... We kinda don't have time for this, Dev-Dev. Come with me. We still need to find your friends." Jin then tugged on the shorter boy's arm and dragged him along. Devin didn't budge, much to his own surprise. He still had that same trust on his 'older brother' apparently. "So you mean we still need to find 'no one'?" Devin asked as-a-matter-of-factly.

 

The president ignored him. Devin could pop wisecracks and insults at his expense as much as he wants after they dealt with the issue. Well that was, if they live that long to be able to have the opportunity to. They were going through the corridors and winding stairwells that snaked through the inner core of the institution in record time. After some ten minutes, Jin was no longer holding on to Devin. He could barely hold his balance and try to not fall flat on his face at frequent intervals. He didn't want anyone else to fall with him. It was when they got into the courtyard that they found Aster with an unreadable expression on his face. Jin brightened up while Devin huffed and scowled lightly.

 

"Mister Lawrence! I suppose you already um... seen the lights up there. Have you seen the others? We need to be together or else we're going to be picked off one by one."

 

"I'm genre savvy enough to know that we should be sticking together." Aster responded with a sigh and a wry smile. "That said, I haven't seen any one of em."

 

Jin tapped his nose and bit his lower lip. "Isn't there any way for you to contact them? I could even lend you my phone! Oh wait... I need to change the wallpaper first. Cute little pigs in costumes aren't for everyone. Aaaand I just told you about what I didn't want you to see." Jin sighed. He fumbled for his phone, did what he had to do, and held it up in case Aster did need to borrow his.

 

[[There. All AL needs to do is make Aster call Garnet to know where they are. ^^]]

[Misaki-chan 164]

"God dangit, what's with the freakin' light?" Garnet yawned, crossing her arms. "Guess everybody'll come ta investigate it, so we should head over there an' find the others."

 

Nodding toward the core of the school, she raced on ahead of Misaki, limping slightly. She hurried to keep up with the orange haired girl, ready to catch her if she fell. After all, there was only so much you could do with a broken toe. "Stein, yer goin' down, along with whatever ya summon..." the girl called.

  

She caught up to Garnet when she turned into a hallway. The first thing she noticed was what appeared to have been a body at some point and some purple and black mass reaching from the roof. "-the hell?!"

 

"Holy..." Misaki started before trailing off.

 

"Oi, let's get everybody gathered 'ere... We need ta check this out as a group so nobody gets hurt." The girl tugged an old flip phone from her bag before asking, "Can ya call Aster ta meet us 'ere?"

 

"Yeah, sure," she replied as she got out her phone as well.

 

She quickly dialed the boy's number and waited for him to respond.

 

"Misaki? What's up?"

 

"Meet me and Garnet at the center of the school. Things are going down and we're going to need everyone that we can get."

[A L 217]

Darkness. He saw darkness everywhere. Yet he couldn't help but grin manically. 

 

"I have something for you..." A small orb of light drifted past him and began to swirl around. "If you'd want to accept." The mysterious voice from the orb said.

 

"Save it," Aster said, his eyes dancing at the sight of Walpurgis Night. "Go hand to it a human." He said. Aster grabbed hold of the president and Devin and materialized in front of Misaki and Garnet, wisps of black smoke trailing from his body. 

 

Before he could say anything, the ground opened, a large hand protruded from the ground, completely black, dark purple nails before resting on the ground. The earth shook with a mighty force as a creature arose from its core.

 

"Is that a Groundon? well, the scales are black and the lining is purple but still." Aster muttered. The monster was similar enough, but a pattern on its body and its eyes glowed dark purple. It gave a single roar, shaking everything and the close-spaced barrier faded, the sky turning a shade darker. 

 

"Oi Misaki! you here?" Aster turned around, scanning the area but it was too dark. Suddenly, everything became clear in a green light. It was as if some sort of switch had flipped inside of him. He could easily see Misaki and Garnet now, but there was something else that shocked him. 

 

The monster was Laia, the counterpart of Gaia. One would create while the other would destroy. For now it was standing still. Stein still hasn't activated it, huh? Final bosses who wait for the heroes are stupid. Aster ran up to the two girls. 

 

"Whoa! who's there?" It was Garnet. "It's me." "Since when did your eyes glow green Aster?" "How else do you suppose I see in the dark?" Aster said, not bothering to answer the confused people. 

 

"You'll know soon enough. Any plans? Laia is still not moving, so I guess something is fishy. Either it's on purpose or something else is the matter. I don't know this school all so well, so any idea how we might Stein?"
 

"....How do you know the name?" Jin asked quietly. Aster only smiled. "It's mine, not his. I have a reputation to keep in the Angel world you know?"

 

(MWAHAHAHAHA xD Anyways sorry for so much delay but writing so little ._.)

[Nara-chan 38]

(Finally I can post!!)

 

"Oi! So that guy got Mr. Chills?"

Syra hated that guy for all the frostbite he gave her, but she didn't want him to die. Besides, he was an only child and he had no children either, so the generation of ice magic, which she had always admired, was obliterated Gosh, where the heck is Headmaster Tonate? The school is in trouble! He should be back from his stupid research trip!

"Misaki? What's up?"

"Meet me and Garnet at the center of the school. Things are going down and we're going to need everyone that we can get." 

She turned around and saw that the healer-girl Misaki had called Aster. What the heck for?

That's when she looked up.

A scaly black hand was protruding from the ground, claws ready to grab any living thing that came next to it and pull it to its doom. It was a repulsive sight. But what caught her attention was the figures standing near it.

"Oh gosh...." She ran, and immediately bumped into two people. "Ouch..sorry...Ms. Seeker and Ms. Cykes?"

"Quite correct. All the teachers are in Gretchen now, and we noticed the disturbance."

"Well, I just wish to tell you that the people standing near there are students." said Syra. As she said that, two more figures joined the original number. Misaki and Garnet... 

"Also, there is bad news. Mr. Chills has been the victim of yet another mana murder, personally by Stein."

The two teachers slightly trembled at the name Stein. "And...a message. Doomsday is approaching."

She thought of the moment that they had discovered the message.

Hey, where's Mr. Scaredy-Pants? "Hey, Thorn!"

Where the heck did that boy wander off to?

 

(So my NPC has gotten lost exploring...such a shame. And I noticed that June Cykes only appeared in the intro, so I inserted her!)

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

        Garnet crossed her arms and looked over the hodge-podge group, trying to figure out if their force would be enough to defeat what Aster had called 'Laia.' Her yellow eyes were fixed first on Misaki, who was the only one she saw injuries on. There was nothing that would inhibit her in a fight though. "Alright..." She studied Aster, not trusting the weird glow in his eyes and his knowledge but hoping he'd be of help. Syra had walked over to two taller figures, Garnet guessed they were teachers and decided not to count them in the calculation of the group's abilities. 

 

          Johannes had already wandered off, so he didn't count, and neither did that kid Syra had been with at the training hall. She hadn't seen Rouge either, so that left Devin, whom she stared down with a grimace. He wasn't looking straight at anyone, and his eyes were red at the corners. Garnet guessed he'd been crying. He didn't look physically disabled though, so she added his power to the calculations in her head, deciding that with everyone's help they could take it down. "Come on, let's take care o' that thing before it tries anythin' with the school! Then that jerk, Stein is goin' down." The orange-haired girl knelt down and wrapped a bit of tape around her broken toe, using a little to reattach the bandage she'd had on her leg and then taping her fingers for the fight. She dropped the roll into her bag, glad she carried mostly useful (non-school supply) items around. 

 

            As they found a hall stairway that would lead to that part of the roof, Garnet dug her hand in the pocket of her pajama shorts, taking out half a candy bar. She held the chocolate out to Devin, asking, "You okay?" She didn't want to pry, but with the distaste and lack of empathy he'd shown it seemed that whatever would make him cry had to be bad. "Have some sugar, it helps." Junk foods were pretty comforting, at least in Garnet's experience. Considering his attitude, she expected some response like 'That filth won't pass my lips' or 'You've eaten half you barbarian' but figured it was worth a try to help him focus on the fight ahead.

 

((I don't think NPCs should be used in the boss fight~ Unfair advantage xP We've just got us five now, one for each element kinda, so let's combine our power and take this thing down.))