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#Post#: 27303--------------------------------------------------
Sanctum/Twisted
By: Zenwarrior54 Date: August 31, 2015, 6:45 pm
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[center]
HTML http://i.imgur.com/XgCIamF.png[/center]
#Post#: 27309--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sanctum/Twisted
By: Zenwarrior54 Date: August 31, 2015, 7:53 pm
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[center]Chapter 1: Conzette Castle[/center]
Melissa
Miss?
Uuuhh... Huh?
Excuse me, Miss. "We've arrived." The voice of the man in black
became clear when Melissa opened her eyes and properly woke up.
She was still sitting in the back seat of the sedan, but the
vehicle was parked. It was now early morning. She wiped her eyes
and reached to open her door, which was abruptly opened by her
chauffeur, who beckoned for her to step out.
The lot they were in was surrounded on all sides by old pine
trees. Due to the last night's weather, large water puddles
dotted the pavement, so the entire area smelled of rain, pine
cones and a distant burning fireplace. The chauffeur guided her
along a humble gravel path which continued for about half a
mile, cutting through bare wilderness. Finally, at its clearing
was a magnificent Victorian estate, so large in fact that only a
small portion was within her field of view. It apparently
consisted of various parts, attached by one or two courtyards
and a central, circular area. This was the core of the whole
piece, and at its own center was a statue of a proud greek
figure standing atop a fountain. The entire estate was
completely concealed, in part by its remote location as well as
the massive pine trees that surrounded it.
Standing in place, Melissa took this all in. It stirred up
feelings of fear and slight confusion, but also overwhelming
beauty and shock. The man in black stepped in front of her and
took a bow.
"Welcome to Conzette Castle."
#Post#: 27325--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sanctum/Twisted
By: Zenwarrior54 Date: August 31, 2015, 10:34 pm
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Lorenzo and Jack
Despite the castle's clear old age, the main circular courtyard
was spotless. Walking (or, what some more creative onlookers
would refer to as aimlessly dancing) across its damp brick tiles
was a boy somewhere between the ages of fifteen and seventeen.
He was dressed in a white shirt equipped with a grey gentlemen's
vest and sleek black slacks. His short blond hair swerved
erratically as he took a look at every nook and cranny of this
on particular courtyard.
In complete contrast, a tall young man in a darker suit, closer
to the age of nineteen, sat silently on a nearby bench facing
away from the fountain, reading a dated newspaper he'd brought
along prior to his invitation.
The blond boy finally decided to confront his neighbor. "You
can't be serious!" He turned on his heel and faced the tall
structure in the distance, then continued talking. "I've never
seen so many statues and works of art in one place in my life,
not like this! This isn't anything like a museum, where
everything's on display, this castle has everything presented as
it should be, ready to be enjoyed. How could you be reading a
newspaper at a place like this?"
The tall boy adjusted his glasses, slowly staring up from his
paper. "Well, this is all very impressive, I wouldn't challenge
that idea, but we were both invited here to stay for at least a
week. I'm sure there will be plenty of time to experience it at
an even pace."
"Fine, have it your way. I'm going to check their library."
Library. Somehow this thought hadn't crossed the tall boy's mind
up until this point. "W-wait." He stood up from the bench. "I
think I'll join you."
"Is that so?" The blond boy chuckled. "Well, alright then. Feel
free to come along, I'm gonna ask the butler for directions.
What ever happened to your whole 'newspaper' idea, though?"
The tall boy looked down at his paper, then rolled it up and
shoved it into his jacket pocket. "Hardly adequate reading
material, if I must say."
"Well, let's pick up something more worthwhile. What did you say
your name was, again?"
"Jack. Yours?"
"I'm Lorenzo." The blond boy grinned, and they both moved along.
#Post#: 27328--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sanctum/Twisted
By: Zenwarrior54 Date: September 1, 2015, 12:06 am
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Claire
The massive painting depicted the nu.de body of Lady Godiva
riding through the streets of an eleventh-century Coventry, red
with embarrassment and yet still determined to fulfill her wish.
Her husband had established an unfair taxation upon his tenants,
and so in order to convince him to be a more merciful employer,
she threatened to ride unclothed through the town. He didn't
believe her, but as he soon found out, Godiva was more than just
talk. Soon after he learned his lesson.
The painting of the ride of Lady Godiva was framed in silver and
gold, and was placed on the far end of an enormous gallery of
paintings from various centuries by all kinds of artists. There
were larger works of art in other parts of the room, some more
colorful or extravagant, but the simple charm of this one in
particular was all that Claire needed. Ignoring the rest, at
least for now, she sat in a chair and observed it for what
seemed like an eternity. She only said one word, to describe to
herself the art that she was staring at.
"...Beautiful."
#Post#: 27340--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sanctum/Twisted
By: Zenwarrior54 Date: September 1, 2015, 6:16 pm
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Melissa
She and her guide entered a long dining room, which was
specially decorated in deep crimson carpets, a variety of
foreign flags set up like a line of soldiers in salute, and wax
candles (which were currently unlit, since it was still
morning). There were nine chairs- Four on each side of the
narrow dining table, which were widely spaced apart to cover its
length, and one at the very end, supposedly belonging to the
master of the estate.
In front of one of the two seats farthest from the master's, the
one on the left side, lay a table setting and a menu. Melissa
eyed the seat carefully, and then her gaze drifted to the rest
of the room in wonder. "No one else is here?" She held her hands
behind her back.
"Not right now," said the guard as he raised his sleeve to check
his watch, "since we've arrived a bit behind schedule. The
driving conditions last night were unfavorable, thus we arrived
after the other guests have already had their meal for the
morning. Care for some breakfast?"
"Alright, sure."
"Take a seat, miss."
Her menu described some dishes she wasn't familiar with, plenty
of which were in French, so she chose a simple order of eggs and
sausage. This dining room had a strange, almost hypnotic feel in
its air pressure and temperature, as if the room itself held
some sort of power or command. Of course, none of this bothered
the girl with the empty stomach.
#Post#: 27341--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sanctum/Twisted
By: Zenwarrior54 Date: September 1, 2015, 7:25 pm
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Tucker
A bit later that day, Melissa walked off on her own and found
herself in front of the estate's main building, a tall,
beautiful and elegant structure called "Grande Maison" or
sometimes informally "la Casa Grande".
An unfamiliar voice called out from her right. "Ah, you must be
the seventh." Melissa turned and saw a seventeen year old boy,
wearing a tan coat and grey jeans. He had a relatively strong
and rugged build, tall and confident. "We've been wondering when
you'd show up."
She soon figured that he was among the other guests invited to
the castle. "Hey, I was a bit late..."
The boy chuckled. "Ah, I'm just teasing ya. Timing's everything,
though. Don't forget it, especially in front of the rich folks.
You'll be fine." He scratched his hair. "Name's Tucker, by the
way."
"Melissa, pleased to meet you."
Tucker gestured to the large building. "It looks like this is
where we'll all be staying for the week. Here's hoping the rooms
are comfortable." He grinned.
#Post#: 27342--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sanctum/Twisted
By: Zenwarrior54 Date: September 1, 2015, 8:05 pm
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Raphael
"You're positive?"
"Yes, sir. You will get to meet Mister Conzette in due time.
He'll preside over your dinner. In the mean time, do enjoy
yourself on the premises of the Castle."
He ran his hand through his hair and pouted. "Fine, then,
business will have to wait. Although, I'm not one for brutish
undertakings such as tennis or, dare I say..." He muttered,
"...sparring. Don't think for a moment that I'll let myself be
forced to get my hands filthy with any of the lower mages you've
invited."
The butler adjusted his collar and slowly nodded. "O-of course
not, master Raphael."
"Fair, then. When will we all be having lunch, butler? I've
heard that the last guest has finally arrived, and it wouldn't
do to miss a good first impression."
"12 at noon, sir."
Raphael checked the grandfather clock. 11:42. "Very well then.
Goodbye." He quickly exited the room, leaving his glass of water
unfinished.
#Post#: 27343--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sanctum/Twisted
By: Zenwarrior54 Date: September 1, 2015, 9:55 pm
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Melissa
Lunch was to served at 12 on the dot in the outside patio
adjacent to Grande Maison. Melissa was informed of this thirty
minutes in advance by one of the servants while she explored the
second floor of the main building.
Each room was decorated in a unique way, with elements of many
cultures (though primarily English). While she walked through
the halls she saw something in her peripheral vision, something
of the color yellow. When she turned in that direction she
briefly spotted a blond boy holding a book, who was apparently
doing a terrible job at trying to look preoccupied with
something else and looking oblivious to her presence. She
shrugged it off and entered the library.
The walls were lined with transparent cabinets packed to the
brim with books, some locked and others left wide open, and
plenty of empty seats to use. The only other person there was a
boy with glasses reading a very old copy of Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn. He took a slight look up at her, bid her a
quick "Good morning, Madame", and immediately went back to his
book.
Melissa shifted her weight uncertainly, then decided to leave
him be. She took a quick look at one of the locked cabinets;
behind the glass was a collection of unusual foreign books. The
only one in the English language read "Magecraft, Intermediate
Vol. III".
...Magecraft?
#Post#: 27347--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sanctum/Twisted
By: Zenwarrior54 Date: September 2, 2015, 8:46 pm
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Melissa
After approximately a half-hour of searching (in vain) for a
book mentioning magecraft outside any of the locked cabinets,
Melissa heard the echoing of multiple clocks.
...12 already?!
She looked to the seat where the tall boy was sitting, and he
was noticeably absent; while she had her back turned, he'd
gotten up and silently exited. At this realization she ran out
of the room and down the stairs to meet the rest of the guests
for lunch.
#Post#: 27353--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sanctum/Twisted
By: Zenwarrior54 Date: September 3, 2015, 12:49 am
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Melissa
The air was now very warm and just slightly moist, befitting the
forest climate surrounding the castle. Nearly all of the water
puddles that grew during the previous night's storm were
evaporated, and the skies were mostly clear, save for a few
light clouds.
A few minutes late, Melissa scurried her way towards the patio,
which was dotted with a few white tables and six other guests,
all relatively close to her age group. She recognized Tucker,
and decided to sit in the chair adjacent to him. There was a
menu in front of her with a list of more unpronounceable french
dishes as well as standard sandwich options, but first she
decided to take a quick look at the other four besides herself
and Tucker.
First she noted the boy from the library, still as stoic-looking
as the last time she saw him. Across from him, a young man about
the same age, with a more relaxed expression. He was leaning
back in his chair with little regard for posture, apparently
bored with this whole ordeal, and constantly checking his watch.
Around the third table sat a sharply dressed light-haired girl
with a perfectly adjusted set of eye-shadow, accompanied by the
same blond boy from the Grande Maison. When he noticed that
Melissa was looking at him, he looked back, then uncertainly
darted his eyes back and forth between his menu and every other
guest except for her, and finally sighed and stared at his menu.
Melissa thought to herself: That makes five, six including
myself... didn't Tucker say I was the seventh, though?
She put it in the back of her mind and took a look at her menu.
Oh boy, more french names... She was met with a minor dilemma.
Risk embarrassment and ask another guest what each foreign dish
involved, or just order one of the few things in English. In
front of her, Tucker rested his cheek against his fist and
calmly stared at his menu with a blank expression. She opened
her mouth, but halfway through decided against asking. She ended
up ordering a turkey sandwich.
The guests made conversation with each other, dialogue crossing
between tables. "So, let me just get this out of the way..."
Tucker turned his chair around and faced the rest of them. "You
all were just spontaneously given an invitation a few days ago,
for Conzette Castle?" Luckily, his question seemed to echo
Melissa's inner thoughts.
"Uh, yeah." Lorenzo responded. He continued, now with some
mashed potato in his mouth, "Please tell me I'm not the only one
here who recognizes that name?"
"Do you take us for ignorant fools?" Raphael scowled. "Of course
we do. I doubt you're equipped to do so, but I've learned since
an early age how to determine magus from lower people. Any mage
unfamiliar with the infamous "Conzette" name isn't worth the
time of day."
Conzette? Melissa coughed. None of this made much sense to her.
Jack sipped his glass of water. "Of what family do you hail
from, then?"
"You don't recognize me?" Raphael's frown suddenly evened out to
a slight grin. "Mahagany. My name is Raphael. I'm from the main
line, too, so I suggest you know your place among me."
"Never heard of ya!" Lorenzo chuckled. "I'm sure you're pretty
great, though."
"Are you calling me out for a demonstration?"
"Hey, hey." Tucker cleared his throat. "Nobody's calling you out
for anything."
In this commotion Melissa twiddled her thumbs, lost in utter
confusion. Mage families? What's all this about? Am I at the
right party? She didn't dare speak up, however, since everyone
else seemed to play this all straight. While gazing around,
trying to get a grip on the situation, she spotted a small
figure hiding in the bushes to her left. All she could
accurately make out was a pair of hazel eyes.
She wasn't the only one to spot the onlooker. Up until this
point Claire was silently eating her meal and carefully
monitoring the conversation, so when she finally spoke everyone
else became quiet. "There's a mana signature in those bushes."
Everyone turned their eyes to the small figure, who backed away
further into the brush. Claire stood up and approached it. "Come
on, now, we won't hurt you." She was now crouched on her toes,
and she looked quite like a child rescuing a stray dog or cat.
A young girl, no older than eleven, slowly came into view,
covered in leaves and twigs. Her face was dirty, her hair was
uncombed and her clothes were mostly in tatters, yet she held
the same invitation the rest of the guests had.
"You remember us from breakfast, right?" Claire smiled
reassuringly.
"...Not her." The girl pointed straight at Melissa.
"H-hey, I was late..." Melissa wasn't sure if she was happy or
not that the conversation had shifted to this from that
confusing magical nonsense from earlier.
"Is she safe?" The tattered girl looked up at Claire, then at
the others.
"Of course. She's the seventh guest, just like you're the
sixth."
"Okay."
...Interesting speech pattern, but I'm glad she's fine with me.
"Hi... I'm Melissa. Nice to meet you."
"Violet." The girl faintly smiled underneath her unkempt hair.
"Would you like to sit with Tucker and I?"
"Sure." In a moment she was occupying the remaining third seat
next to Tucker and Melissa, and all seven guests were finally in
one place.
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