(2023-06-23) The Summoning Ritual
| Author: |
Alli |
| Summary: |
Elohad, Lena and Terrineth attempt a ritual to summon Sandy. |
| Rating: |
T for Teen |
Lena: I don't know if this will work, but it's worth a try, right?
Terrineth: Yeah. Might as well give it a shot.
Lena: It's fel magic, but it won't hurt you.
Lena: We just got to wait till somebody else gets here. Lord Ference is coming.
Terrineth: Sounds good. *she grins and gives a thumbs up*
Lena pulls out some chalk and starts carefully sketching a diagram on the floor around her. "I'll clean this off after, or I'm sure somebody will throw a fit. I don't draw the diagram every time, but it ought to help with stability."
Terrineth whips out her flask and takes a sip, "You're the expert."
Lena: Did you know there was a warlock in the Karazhan tower? I had only a minute to look over his diagrams, didn't quite get a full sense of what he was up to.
Terrineth: Oh? Think it was anything nefarious or somthin? *she chuckles*
Lena: Oh, probably. He was a satyr. *Lena licks her thumb and rubs out a stray mark.* Think they're nefarious by nature, aren't they? Anyhow, we killed him.
Terrineth: Satyr huh? Not sure I've seen any of them really.
Lena: I'd say I'm no expert, but… they are demons. And I make a study of demons.
Lena: I've not, like, talked to many of them. But then, I don't make it a habit to talk with demons.
Terrineth nods, "Right."
Elohad: Good.
Elohad winks slyly at Lena.
Terrineth: Oh, so no fun stories then? *she chuckles*
Elohad: Evening, gals.
Lena looks up from her chalk diagram. "Sir! I'll clean this right off after, just thought it'd help with stability."
Terrineth waves to Elo, "Heya boss."
Elohad: Gotta behave now, I'm here.
Lena giggles. "I'm sure I've got fun stories, but about stuff not demonic."
Elohad: Whatever you need to do, so long as HQ is restored to its proper state afterward, hm?
Terrineth clicks her tongue at Elo, "Damn. And here I was thinkin what I could do with that table over there." she jokes
Lena: No dancing on tables when the boss is here. *Lena says so seriously that she must be joking*
Terrineth: I mean… dancing is one way of putting what I had in mind. *she smirks and Lena and winks*
Elohad looks around the HQ a little wistfully.
Elohad: I sure have spent a lot of time in this place. Been like a second home to me.
Elohad rests his hand on the back of a chair as though it were sentient and could feel it.
Lena nods. "Me too. Literally lived here, for a time. Still appreciate that, it was a rough time."
Elohad smiles warmly. "We do what we can."
Lena nods at the cots, currently unused, over in the corner.
Terrineth glances around the room, trying to see if she can feel some sort of connection too.
Elohad: Depending on how things turn out, I might not be here so much anymore.
Lena: With the whole House of Nobles thing? *Lena shrugs* You're one of my favorite nobles, sir.
Elohad: Heh.
Elohad: Yeah, if I win a seat — which is looking likely, based on predictions — I'll be in Stormwind most of the time.
Terrineth: Tch. Not that there's a lot of competition on that one. *she smirks at Lena*
Elohad pats the corner of the table, near the apple bowl, affectionately.
Lena: I'm in… *Lena flicks a smile at Terri* We're in Dalaran most of the time right now, but I reckon that'll change once they arrest that woman.
Elohad: I sure wish they'd hurry up with that.
Elohad: But I understand that rushing and messing it up would be worse than doing nothing at all.
Lena puts one more correction on the summoning diagram and straightens up. "You and me both. I worry she'll go for May again, or me. But anyway, summoning…"
Elohad: Right.
Elohad: Just let me know what I need to do.
Elohad: Not real familiar.
Terrineth: Same here, gorgeous. Just put me where ya need me.
Lena: It shouldn't be too hard on you all. *Lena rummages in her bag and pulls out what looks like a purple crystal* I'll start it, and you two just need to reach out your hands until you feel connected to the magic.
Lena: I can handle it from there, so long's you don't move.
Elohad shifts his weight.
Lena: Hard part's going to be if I can find his soul. I know Sandy fair well, but I've never summoned him before.
Terrineth nods and shifts to stand up more firmly.
Lena: And of course if he's in somewhere's got a ward or some such, it'll slide right around him. But I'll try.
Elohad: This… uh, this won't go horribly wrong or anything, will it?
Elohad: Worst that can happen is we don't get him?
Lena flinches a little, but then carefully smiles again. "It won't. The Kirin Tor got the ley lines all sorted, so… it'll be fine."
Elohad: I mean even before the ley lines got snarled, I know some warlock magic was… potentially dangerous.
Lena: Even then, it hurt the person bein' summoned, so you two are safe. I wouldn't do anything that wasn't safe for you all.
Elohad: All right.
Elohad: But what about you?
Lena: Let's go for it.
Lena shrugs and smiles at Elohad. "
Lena: I've been good at keeping myself alive so far, I wouldn't do this if I thought it might break the streak.
Elohad: Heh. All right then. You've given me no reason to doubt you so far.
Elohad: Oh, wow, that's… that's definitely a… thing.
Lena begins the summoning, and a greenish-rimmed dark portal appears in the air. She closes her eyes, trying to focus.
Elohad seems pretty freaked out by the portal, but he holds his hand out toward it.
Terrineth reaches her hand out and tries to focus on it and connect.
A high pitched scream is heard first through the portal, before Sandy even answers the call. The young man whispers. "Who…?.."
Lena: Sandy? That you? *Lena shifts, trying to focus the energy.* It's your… student. Lena.
Elohad coughs.
Gausanders: Le— Lena!
A feminine voice chuckles. "Not so fast!" she says playfully, as Sandy begins manifesting through the portal, covered in wounds, and emaciated, but a bright smile on his face.
Lena winces, her brow lowering. "No. Let go of him."
Terrineth reaches behind her with her free hand for her sword.
Elohad looks confused and distressed.
Lena: Sandy can you… can you reach…?
Elohad: Is it safe to… just… grab him, Lena??
As Sandy almost reaches through, a succubus grabs Sandy by the chains around his wrists, and pulls him back violently, taking his place through the portal.
Lena lets the portal snap closed.
The Succubus says: My master is not done with this one yet!
Elohad: Demon!! *Elohad prepares to cast an Exorcism*
Elohad: Who is your master? *Elohad demands, Light pooling around his hands as he scowls.*
Terrineth whips out her sword, "Well I've already had enough of you!"
Lena pulls out another purple crystal, her face grim, and starts casting another spell. The succubus would be able to see she intends to change the answer to that, whoever it is.
The Succubus laughs. "Us demons know the power of names, you know? And I am not so easy!" She whips the soulstone out of Lena's hand, as she begins slowly disappearing, too far away from her summoner.
Elohad flings an Exorcism at her disappearing form, just to be petty.
Terrineth growls and rushes forward to try and attack her.
Lena coils a quick burst of shadow in her hands, flinging it at the succubus as she vanishes.
Lena lets out a breath. "She's gone, Terri. For now. Back to the nether."
The Succubus takes the three attacks, groaning, but chuckling at the futility of their attacks. The succubus dematerializes fully, back to the Twisting Nether, leaving only drops of her blood on the floor.
Elohad: I hope I at least hurt her on her way out. Damned sadistic beast. Lena, can you clean that up? *He gestures toward the blood, seeming loath to touch it.*
Terrineth snorts and sheaths her blades, "Damn… almost had him too."
Elohad: Could you sense anything about his location?
Lena pulls out a handkerchief, and seems to think that's a suitable thing to use to clean up demon blood.
Lena: He's not in the Twisting Nether. He's with a warlock, that much's for sure.
Terrineth goes to take it from Lena, "Hey. I got it gorgeous."
Lena smiles wanly at Terrineth. "Thanks."
Terrineth gets down on the floor to scrub up the blood.
Lena: I'm not sure where, exactly. That's never happened to me before. They slipped the link to the demon.
Elohad: Be careful of that stuff, Terrineth. Don't want you getting corrupted.
Lena nods. "Corruption's serious. You got to be real careful with demons."
Terrineth: I ain't get this far by bein scared of a little blood, boss. No offence.
Elohad: It's not just blood. It's demonic. Has all kinds of nasty properties.
Lena: That's what the orcs drank, when they went… you know…
Elohad: Just try not to make direct contact with it, hm?
Elohad: I don't think green is your color, is what I'm saying.
Terrineth laughs and shakes her head, "I ain't plannin on turing this into a !@#$in cooking project." she smiles and shakes her head, "Light help the both of ya."
Lena giggles. " 'Course not. But… he did not look in good shape, did he?"
Elohad frowns. "No. I wish I'd known. We should have taken action much sooner. I just assumed…" He shakes his head ruefully.
Lena: I think everyone just assumed he was off somewhere…
Lena: But at least we know Nastasya didn't get to him. Or… well… It didn't sound like her voice?
Elohad: She'd have no reason to torture him like that, anyway. I don't understand why anyone would. There's something we're missing, here.
Elohad: Damn it! *He rakes a hand back through his thinning hair in frustration*
Lena: Maybe he saw something he… no, then they'd just kill him. He's the most innocent sort of warlock I ever met, I can't imagine what…
Elohad: Yeah, this isn't the act of anyone trying to erase him or get him out of the way. They're using him for something. But why him?
Terrineth gets up from the floor, "Well whatever it is. If they're torturin him like that it must be personal. He know any other warlocks?"
Lena glances at the bloody handkerchief. "Let's keep that, at least. Maybe some sort of blood magic or some such could lead us somewhere."
Lena: There's the ones in Ratchet. Woman came in saying her brother disappeared from there too, I heard. Some draenei fellow was going to follow that up.
Elohad: He knows quite a few warlocks, and many of them don't like him much, but it's more of a… they think he's incompetent at worst. He doesn't have enemies or rivals that I know of.
Elohad: His reputation is more of a sort of … affable unintentional troublemaker?
Lena nods. "That sounds how I'd describe him."
Elohad: It just doesn't make sense that anyone would torment him like this. Why??
Lena: Maybe if he accidentally broke something they cared about deeply?
Elohad: Mm, maybe.
Lena: Some warlocks can be… unstable.
Elohad: Sort of a "You'll suffer as I've suffered" kind of deal?
Lena nods.
Elohad: Heh, yes. Some, indeed.
Elohad 's expression says, 'most.'
Terrineth: I don't think we should dismiss those other warlocks so easy, boss. Sometimes it's a bit harder to tell when someone hates ya.
Elohad: True, true.
Lena: I… don't think I can go back in the Slaughtered Lamb at the moment. Nor May. Captain Tyrrell… is probably fighting off the necropolis. *Lena bites her lip*
Elohad: I'm not yet familiar enough with the community to speculate, and that won't be changing quickly enough to help him.
Terrineth rubs her chin, "So what leads do we have?"
Lena glances to Terri. "We've got this Warlock Ethics Bureau I'm helping found. But I mean, it's starting now, so it won't help till the future."
Elohad: There's uh, that gnome? Pippinlopper? He's stable. He might have more leads or ideas?
Lena: Oh, right! I been to some of his lectures. So that's a lead, like you said Terri. We could see if he's got a read on the Lamb warlocks.
Elohad: I can't remember if he's interacted directly with Sandy or not. I know I recommended him at one point.
Terrineth grins, "There ya go!"
Lena: We can ask, right?
Elohad: But when did Sandy ever listen to my advice? Heh.
Elohad: Yeah, we can ask.
Lena: And see what the draenei finds out about the missing warlock in Ratchet.
Lena: And the succubus blood. I'll ask around. May knows a bit about blood magic.
Elohad: All right. And you'll keep me posted? Let me know if there's anything else I can do?
Lena: Yes, sir!
Elohad: Maybe… if you can keep May out of this? I don't really trust her not to make things worse somehow.
Elohad: She's so young and… things seem to go to pieces around her a lot.
Lena looks at Elo curiously. "I see that, but… she's a good sort."
Elohad: I can count the warlocks I trust on one hand, and every single one of them's running the WEB with me. Heh.
Lena: May's just young, and she… she'll settle. She always means well.
Elohad: I hope so. My wife seems fond of her, and my nephew is dating her.
Terrineth: Hmmm… well are there any other sort of people we know that are good with handlin… like demons and stuff? Ones who aren't warlocks I mean. Since you guys seem to have your doubts there.
Elohad: Hm, good question.
Elohad: I don't know of any non-warlock demon experts.
Elohad: Unless you count Bennett, but he's kind of — not available these days. And technically a warlock? Sort of.
Elohad: Not sure I trust him anymore either.
Elohad: Maybe some folks in Dalaran? Mages who studied this stuff from a distance when practice was still illegal?
Lena: We could put out a call in Cobalt. Maybe quietly, since this is pretty sensitive stuff.
Elohad nods.;
Elohad: If you want to write something up I can distribute it. I think you'd know better what to say.
Lena: Alright, I'll do that.
Lena: I don't dare to try summoning him again, now I know his captor's ready for it. But… we know more. We're closer.
Elohad: I hope so.
Elohad: Stay on this, and I don't think I need to say the urgency has been knocked up several notches.
Lena nods. "We got to get to him soon, or… we just got to get to him soon."
Elohad scrubs a hand over his face and takes a deep breath. "His mother is going to flay me alive."
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