Fear courses through Judoc. He does his best to control it, but he feels completely outclassed by the duke of Hell. His feet feel rooted to the island’s rocky terrain. Demons can die. Judoc has helped kill three himself. But the imps were weak creatures, and Sadda wasn’t much more powerful, at least when faced with a Minotaur’s mace. Agares, on the other hand, possesses the knowledge and skill to rival a powerful mortal wizard. Judoc is no slouch himself, and in time, perhaps he will be the equal of Agares, but not yet. There is still so much Judoc needs to learn. Though he has his doppelgänger and Aiah, Judoc keenly feels the absence of Magnus, Finn, and the others.

~I’ll try to stall him,~ he thinks to Aiah. ~Tell younger Judoc.~

”The order?” Judoc asks curiously. ”Did you recruit Tenesworth, then?” Cautiously, he adds, ”I don’t want to die, of course. How do you know we went to Solitude? Did Sadda inform you somehow?”

”When we arrived, Mika’il had managed to get one of the cells open. He released some kind of gigantic lizard. Not a dragon, but it looked like one, though it was wingless. It slaughtered many of Mika’il’s men. Sadda himself got crushed into a fine paste. He certainly did a good job of corrupting Haj-Umr and his apprentice. Your friend Sadda was very keen to open the cells in Solitude. We surmised some of his friends were locked inside though Sadda said weapons were hidden within.”

OOC: Ah, gotcha. Continue to Wait.

~Alright!  Aiah thinks in response to Judoc's thought.  ~He's going to stall!  Get yourself ready!

Judoc is already talking however, and Loke is already exposing his self satisfied and dismissive smirk.  It is one of the trademarks that Judoc has come to loathe in all the teachers at the college, but especially Loke.  Their charter is to teach, but they seem much more at home simply judging the lack of knowledge of their students.

"Yes, the order.  They are quite important to us.  But not to recruit.  We are not selling anything and Amon did not need to be recruited...  We have ears in many places, and we would not have needed Sadda's information to know that you had been traipsing about the sites of the old world."

As the conversation continues, Loke bores his eyes into Judoc.  It is a look of complete concentration as Judoc talks...

"The keys..."  Loke says, his voice more of a command than a question.  "What of the keys?"

OOC:  Roll vs. IQ-5 labeled ???  Also roll vs. Will.

The order. Judoc had assumed that Agares was speaking of some malignant order aligned with demons, but perhaps he is speaking of the Order of Solomon's Temple, the Templars. Amon - a strange name for a Christian. Wasn't Tenesworth's name Archibald? Or is Judoc confusing the viscount's name with the incoming student who was supposed to accompany him? Or . . . was Tenesworth replaced by a demon as well, just as Loke was? The thought makes Judoc sick. With growing horror he wonders if more Templars have been replaced by demons. Is Graves the only one that  Judoc can really trust among the order? Raisalter had helped Judoc, so perhaps he was one professor who could be trusted.

~Tenesworth is one of them~, he sends to Aiah. Judoc has been wrong before, of course, but what else could explain how the Gate spell had sent them to this infernal place? Loke had been waiting for them to emerge from this prison. Either Agares somehow manipulated Tenesworth's spell, or the Templar was in league with the demon.

Judoc feels Agares's will bearing down on him. He has felt this way once before, when Baron Graves interrogated him about Thresher's fate. He steels himself to resist, but even as he does so, he starts to fill his resolve slip away...

~I knew this place was no mistake!  Aiah trumpets in response to Judoc's thought.  ~He said Tenesworth must be a demon too!  Aiah adds, without any apparent prompting, though there's little time to dwell on what younger Judoc is thinking.

Loke... Agares seems already to be casting, for Judoc has felt this sort of intrusion before.  He fears what will come if he cannot withstand the spell and it is that fear that almost makes him fail.  It is only his sheer determination and redoubled mental defenses that saves him from certain peril.

That and his own spell which sends forth a spout of flames from the end of his staff.

Judoc lunges forward, swiping his staff from right to left across Loke's chest.  The human shaped demon bares his teeth and stumbles out of the way, but he is not fast enough.  The flame jet sears through his robes, sending forth the stench of charred flesh.

"Fine!"  Loke shouts, stepping back towards the edge of the bloody lake.  "Have it your way!"

And without so much as a moment's pause, Loke explodes...  At least, there's no better word that Judoc can think for it.

All at once, light and heat seem to radiate out from the Templar with the intensity of a hot forge, forcing Judoc to shield his face with his arm.  By the time the flash is gone and Judoc has brought his staff back into a ready position, it is only the last few vestiges of darkness that seem to be gathering around the form of Agares.

It has been most of a year since Judoc has seen the demon, though in truth, his dreams have been haunted by the infernal through the entire span.  The form towers over Judoc at ten feet tall or even larger.  From hips to shoulders the beast seems a giant, though its head is narrowed and feline, scowling from the features of a jaguar.  It has long, bleach white hair that hangs down from the absurd head, alighting on its massive shoulders and chest.  The legs are thick with hair and do not bow forward like normal knees, but backwards, ending in massive single-toed hooves the size of dinner plates.  The thing's arms begin like a man's but end in a single, wide-bladed claw like half of a crab's pincer.

Perhaps in another place or another world, Agares would seem a comedic misshapen mashup of various and uncoordinated animal parts, but here and now Judoc is overcome by a foreboding sense of dread.

Aiah grips his shoulder reassuringly, crouching down to spring up in flight.  Judoc readies his staff, and notes that the lines of his hand have begun to blur, fading from solid to transparent over the span of two fingers...  Judoc glances backwards in time to see Younger Judoc stuffing the Blur wand back in his robes.

"Now you die!"  Agares shouts just ahead of Judoc, bringing a single hoof down on the stone of the island with a crash!

OOC:  Updated map below.  I used a hero point for the will roll per your request and got a best roll of 7, which succeed by 8.  Your flame jet spell also succeeded, I used the 1 point version for 0 FP.

Let's do 2 seconds worth of action.

What has become of Judoc's confidence? In the face of Agares, the youth's swagger has been replaced by near-panic. Raisalter had said that fighting a demon was similar to fighting a powerful mage, and Judoc had already killed Haj-Umr and Mika'il. However, they were men, and Mika'il was still only an apprentice. Agares has likely been alive for centuries, if not millenia. What hope does Judoc have against such a monstrosity?

Nearly twice as tall as Judoc, the demon lord looms over the young Templar student. The very darkness itself seems to empower Agares. But frightened though Judoc may be, his fear has not yet mastered him. He cannot risk Agares gaining access to Solitude. Doing so could lead to more demons' release or access to the weapons Sadda claimed were within.

Could Judoc flee? To where? At his back is the now-raised portcullis, but the Path of Ancestors offers only more demons and undead. Will Judoc die here, massacred by this blasphemous chimera?

Just as Judoc's courage is at its lowest, he notices that he has become more translucent, and he feels Aiah's talons. No, Judoc is not alone. He may not have Magnus or Rondald, but has his other self, and Judoc trusts no one more to have his back.

Gritting his teeth and knowing this may be his last fight, Judoc lashes out again with his staff.

OOC: Maintain Flame Jet. Attack!

His vigor renewed, Judoc lashes out with his flaming staff.  The weapon barely nicks the edge of the demon's flesh, leaving a hot, black char in the spot where it struck.

But Judoc is surprised by the speed and ferocity of the demon's counter!  The thing's massive arm hurls towards him, arcing its deadly claw straight at Judoc's chest!  Judoc stumbles backwards, knocking against one of the levers as he spins away, feeling the rush of air as the attack passes.

"Ignis sphera!"  Judoc's counterpart shouts the spell as he steps around to the beasts's flank.

Judoc attacks again, though this time the beast dips back out of the path of the blow and the demon's own attack too is foiled either by Judoc's retreat, or the effects of the blur spell.

Fwooosh!

Judoc shudders slightly as the wave of heat passes over him, and he watches as the fireball bursts with impact at the demon's hip, spewing forth a the choking smell of ash and sulfur!

The beast roars in pain and turns, his menacing body and claws now facing younger Judoc, and giving Judoc a moment's reprieve!

OOC:  Unfortunately, your retreating dodge failed on the first turn and I had to use your last hero point to keep you from going half move and dodge.  Your second defense succeeded however, and you're still in fighting shape.

Agares has turned to Younger Judoc, who threw a successful and large fireball towards the beast.  Though the thing is clearly injured, it seems to have quite a ways to go before it's put under.

Let's do another two rounds.


This message was last edited by the GM at 16:37, Fri 03 June 2022.

Agares is a nightmare made flesh. Not only is he a powerful mage, but he also possesses frightening physical prowess. Judoc has no doubt that the demon lord's pincer-like claw could skewer Judoc like a lepidopterist's butterfly. The smell of ozone is even stronger, as if the storm has broken out in jagged lightning and peals of thunder.

But the demon can be harmed, and what can be harmed can be killed. Or at least banished back to the hellish realm he originated in.

Holding his staff out in front of him, Judoc fires off a burst of flame toward Agares.

OOC: Attack with Flame Jet.

Agares roars and strikes out towards younger Judoc with his edged claw!  For a moment, Judoc is horrified that the strike will hit, but the appendage passes straight through the semi-opaque form of his other self, the magic of the blur wand keeping him from harm.  Younger Judoc steps forward, swatting his staff out in a wild response, though this blow too misses, just short as Agares steps back to avoid the blow.

That motion however, gives Judoc an exposed target for his own weapon and he jumps forward with his staff, smashing the flames into the creature's back, once, twice!

The smell of burned hair and flesh spreads once again, though Agares barely seems to register the attacks, instead swinging wildly again with his arm, this time high above where Younger Judoc stands!  Again, younger Judoc lashes out with his staff, though again somehow Agares seems to evade the blow, his massive body moving in quick and coordinated bursts.

OOC:  No changes to the map.  Judoc scored 2 light hits to Agares with his flame jet.  As a reminder, you still have your powerstone available, as well as the fatigue bank in Aiah to use as you see fit.

Judoc's Flame Jet seems to hardly bother Agares at all. The creature is indomitable. The young mage wonders why Agares has not attempted another casting, but melee attacks are probably more effective when flanked by enemies.

With the demon focused on his younger self, Judoc takes a moment to cast more powerful magic. Concentrating, he channels the mana of the room into a fireball.

OOC: Take right hand off staff. Cast Explosive Fireball.

Not seeing any real effects from his flame jet, Judoc lets the spell expire and shifts his plan to casting a much larger ball of flames.  He concentrates, grits his teeth, and shouts out the spell "Erumpens Ignis!"  Watching as the crackling ball of flaming energy crackles and grows from the tip of his staff.

Aiah screeches in anticipation, launching herself from off Judoc's shoulder as she climbs upwards, arcing around in a circle in the small space afforded by the cave.

Several steps ahead of him, the demon lord and his twin continue to trade blows.  Judoc swings the length of his staff and just misses, falling short of Agares by a hair as he leans back out of the way.  The monster lashes back, though his own claw strike is wild and misses well high, pulling the creature off balance with its force.  Judoc retorts, swinging his staff with a merry laugh and the blow catches the creature on the upper thigh with a meaty thwack!

But in younger Judoc's zeal, he has not prepared himself for the return strike.  Agares aims for the center of the chest, and finally manages some luck against the defensive blur spell.  The clawed appendage strikes younger Judoc square on the leathers at his ribs, sounding off with a hollow thunk! and pop as younger Judoc shouts in a shock and surprise.  The mage stumbles backwards, but somehow, miraculously manages to keep his feet... and he's distracted Agares just long enough for Judoc to make good on his own spell.

Judoc hurls the crackling ball of flame just to the left of the demons feet... the best spot that he can see to minimize the effects for both him and his other self.  The beast's attention is elsewhere, he doesn't even attempt to get out of the way, and the sphere crashes into the ground with an ear-rupturing explosion.

"KAFUCKINGBOOM!"

Despite his precautions, the heat and debris of the blast hit Judoc fiercely, forcing him to turn his shoulder towards the blast and scalding the exposed areas at his neck and wrist.  His ears ring from the cacophonous noise and the air seems to ripple with waves of heat.

Judoc forces himself to look back ahead to the combat and is disheartened to see how well the demon has faired...  Judoc knows that sort of hit would have blown a man off of his feet, knocked him unconscious, possibly even killed him...  And though Agares's legs are charred black from the blast, with patches of crispy skin peeling off and revealing deep red beneath, the demon is not moved.  He still stands... and he's turning to face Judoc.

The beast roars in anger, his eyes flashing to red as he widens his arms and screws up his feral features in concentration.  Suddenly, above his head, four razor sharp icicles appear pointed straight towards Judoc!

OOC:  Again, no big changes to the map, posted again here for convenience.  Younger Judoc scored a moderate wound with his staff, Agares scored a major wound on younger Judoc, and Judoc cast an exploding fireball which did major/life threatening damage to Agares, though it's hard to tell how badly he's actually injured.

Roll vs. HT+2

As his Explosive Fireball blooms into existence, Judoc watches the ongoing fight. Had Basharat been correct? Is his younger self fated to live in this encounter but suffer some kind of amnesia? Or was the master craftsman wrong? In his gut, Judoc feels that his younger self could die here, that the past may not be immutable. Either way, the young Templar student has no desire to disprove the alchemist's philosophy.

Judoc smirks as his other self strikes true, but the next instant, his glee shifts to concern, and he hurls his fireball out of a sense of self-preservation. Not a moment too soon, the fire scores Agares, charring the demon's flesh. With superhuman resilience, the demon turns, his full attention now on Judoc and summons daggers of ice.

"Do your worst, Demon," Judoc sneers, bracing himself for the oncoming hailstorm.

OOC: All-Out Defense.

Judoc sneers his ire at the demon, taunting him to attack, and Agares does not hesitate to oblige.  The four razor icicles fly straight at Judoc and even as he throws himself to the floor, he shouts out the spell to make the weapons return their attack on their caster.

Judoc plummets to the floor and time itself seems to slow to a crawl...  Judoc watches as one of the missiles reverses its course, streaking backwards towards a surprised Agares.  Two more whiz past his ear as he turns his head away, his body still sagging downward in slow motion towards the ground.  But the last one... the last one...

Crack!

The missile slams into the side of Judoc's head just above his ear, smashing into he leather cap and splintering as it rams like an arrow into the side of the wizard's skull!  For a moment, everything goes black as pain rockets across his head!  Judoc's ears are still ringing from the blast of his own strike and for the briefest of moments, he feels floating with no sight nor vision to guide him.  But Judoc knows that inaction is death, and thankfully, as he pushes himself up to one knee, color sprouts from the center of his vision again, opening up from the center as if he were running to the light at the edge of a tunnel.

A scream cuts through the ringing in his ears, deep and bestial, and as Judoc reorients himself he takes in the scene of Agares standing in front of him, one of his own icicles nearly fully buried and sprouting from his thigh before the whole thing disappears in a gush of water.

"Damnit!"  Younger Judoc shouts from behind the beast.  "Ignis sphera!"

~Fucking throw it!  Aiah shrieks in Judoc's mind.  ~It's going to kill you!

OOC:  Wow is this exciting!  Agares's missiles would have all hit you without your all out defense.  Your Return Missile spell sent one back, which hit Agares in the leg and looks like it did significant damage (though of course he's still standing).  Your dodge was also successful enough to cause another two of them to miss you, though the last hit, and the random location was a natural 4 for the skull.  Luckily, after the combined 4 DR, the missile did only minimal (relative) damage, though it does put you into half move and dodge.  You are no longer in a shock penalty though, as you used your next turn to push yourself up into a kneeling position.

Lets do 2 more seconds.

Christ, he’s big, Judoc thinks numbly as Agares towers over him, the demon death made flesh. Judoc had beaten Death before on the harsh sands of Azer’s arena, but the situation here is far more perilous. There, Judoc was assured of victory. Here, he faces a foe of far greater skill, power, and experience. Agares can kill Judoc with one more blow, Judoc knows. However, Judoc is not alone this time, as Aiah’s and his twin’s voices remind him.

Keep his attention on you, he thinks numbly. Give Judoc II his shot.

Once more, the mage taunts his adversary. Even with Judoc’s head a thundercloud of pain, he still manages to grunt out, ”How does it feel, knowing you’re beaten?”

All-Out Defense: Feverish Dodge.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:13, Sun 12 June 2022.

Judoc looks up at the towering beast, all the more intimidating with Judoc barely able to regain his feet.  He needs but a moment he thinks...  a moment and a great deal of luck.  He spits an insult at the demon, hoping to keep the monster's attention... and he is not disappointed.

"And now you die!"  The beast roars, closing the last step towards Judoc as it swings around its terrible claw with deadly force.

...And then several things all happen at once.

With a screech, Aiah dives from Judoc's right, her claws extended and gripping out at the back of Agares's neck!  Judoc uses everything has left to fling himself to the side...  standing in a single motion as he rolls away from the swing!

"No!"  Younger Judoc screams, "Get out of the way!"

But Aiah cannot stop, her claws scrape across the back of the beast's neck and the monster's swing goes wide!  Judoc watches in shock as Aiah climbs away and Agares stumbles forward, completely off balance after his attack!

Judoc steps to the side, and sees the fireball,  A fireball the size of a summer melon, just in time to shield his face.

FWOOOOSH!

The heat hits Judoc like a blast, singing the hairs in his nose and souring the air with the retched stench of sulfur.  The flame hits the beast with such force that Agares staggers forward, splashing one of its hooves in the bloodied waters fo the lake!

How the thing is still stands is impossible to comprehend, its back is completely burned away in places, leaving a black, gaping cavity ringed by raw, flaking skin.  But it stands never the less.  It stands and turns, towards Judoc, its face contorted in anguished rage.

OOC:  Don't count yourself out yet.  This fight is not over.

You managed to stand and do a side slip, which rolled a crit success.  Very nice timing.  Agares was pitched off balance and you earned a hero point for the excellent roll.  Aiah also dive attacked the monster, doing minimal damage and Judoc threw a fireball the size of a basketball... which did enough damage to kill a horse in one go.  However, Agares is still quite alive.  He has now turned so that you are both in front hexes (you are in his right front)

2 more rounds please.


This message was last edited by the GM at 03:19, Sun 12 June 2022.

The smell of sulfur and charred flesh fills the air, choking Judoc and watering his eyes. Impossibly, Agares still stands, the demon's inhuman strength carrying it onward. Is this all a nightmare? Is Judoc already dead and condemned to an eternity of torment and torture?

But no. As horrific as this bestial monstrosity is, Judoc is still alive, at least for now. He would laugh if the room would stop spinning for a moment. Maybe if he just pushes Agares, the demon lord would topple backward into the blood-red water. What did Agares say? Not all things are entirely as they seem?

Unsteadily, Judoc stands, dwarfed by the demon yet still defiant. "Come on, then!" he sputters, his staff held before him, a ward against evil.

OOC: All-Out Defense.

Expecting another blow, Judoc hesitates.  His eyes are fixed on the beast, who still towers above him though its body is deformed and blackened by fire.  Out of the corner of his eye, Judoc can see the red flash of a flame jet erupt from the other Judoc's staff.

But Agares does not attack...

Instead, the cat like eyes glow a dim purple, the clawed arms rising up like a deacon bestowing a blessing.

Though Judoc is thankful for his reprieve, the moment is confused...  For a moment, Judoc almost convinces himself that the beast is finished, though he casts his own flame jet anyway to be sure.  Fire erupts from the tip of Judoc's staff, and the flame carries almost all the way to the cavern's ceiling.

Judoc wonders for a moment if he will just be able to end it here...  for younger Judoc and him to cast his flames through the demon and send it back to the abyss.

But even as Judoc's thoughts shift to his other self, he notices through the corner of his eye the blurred form of his other self shaking with convulsions.  With a glance, Judoc takes the whole scene in.  He witnesses his own face harden...  His eyes dilate and go unfixed...

Judoc had seen this before...  In Alevius, just before the youth had tried to kill him with lightening.

"Kill him."  Agares commands, his purpled eyes alight with hate.

OOC:  Same map.  You do have a retreat available, but have not had to retreat.  A roll vs. IQ+5 will give you the impression that younger Judoc is now under the mental control of Agares.  It's also worth mentioning that the island doesn't slope down quickly at the water, and Agares did not sink in when he stepped into the water on his own, so it's possible to step around Agares's left side if you wish to get away from your other self by stepping in the water.

2 more rounds.

When Judoc sees his younger self slip under the influence of Agares’s mind control, the young mage feels his will nearly dissolve. How on Yrth can Judoc simultaneously fight himself and the demon? Even attacking his double could result in Judoc ending his own life! Worse still, he now finds himself flanked!

Their foolish hearts were darkened
Their vacant minds deceived
The lies that they exchanged for truth
Became all that they believed

”You bastard!” he snarls, and moves to circle around Agares. ~Aiah, can you stop him?~ he sends to their shared familiar. Even as he does, a thought chills him. What if Aiah remains loyal to the charmed Judoc?

The heavens wait in silence
For the coming of the end
As man perfects his own imperfection
Destruction closes in

This is it, Judoc thinks. If he does not kill Agares now, then Judoc himself will die. And after the elder is destroyed, what then? Will Agares destroy the younger Judoc as well? Or will the demon use Judoc to unlock the doors of Solitude? Once again infiltrate the Battle College.


Wounded and slowed, Judoc makes a Herculean effort to get behind Agares. With all his will remaining, he lashes out with his Flame Jet!

 
Move clockwise around Agares. Spend 1 FP for a Giant Step. Attack Agares with the Flame Jet.

Judoc feels his mouth run dry as his other self lunges forwards, the staff barking flames which crash down in his direction!  But Judoc is already moving, twisting himself forcefully to the side and younger Judocs blow does not even manage to scrape the halo at the edge of the blur spell.

Sweating profusely, his breaths coming in ragged gasps, Judoc looks up into the face of the beast, hoping for some clue as to the timing of the next attack.  But the beast is not moving...  its glowing eyes seem distant and its body unmoving.

Judoc brings back his staff for a blow, and just as he does, the thing's expression changes from concentration to elation.

Judoc swings his staff with all his might.

"The keys!"  Agares shouts, his feline grin stretching upwards like a painted clown.

The massive jet flies in a wide arc towards Agares.

"They've buried them just outside the...!"

The jet crashes with force into Agares's side, burning across arm and chest as the incorporeal flame arcs across the whole of its body, leaving char and cinder in its wake.

"Nooooo!"  Agares shrieks and the purple light in his eyes suddenly start spilling, leaking from its head.

Judoc takes a step back in astonishment, his boot sinking shin deep in the red waters, though he barely even notices.

From the many burns and open wounds the demon is now sprouting rays of purple light.  The thing's back lights up like a thousand candles on a Christmas tree from where younger Judoc's fireball nearly flayed off all the flesh.  The scene builds to a crescendo, nearly blinding in its intensity and Judoc again is forced to shield himself with his arm.

Boom!

And in an instant, the whole form of the demon ruptures like a bubble.  There is nothing left.  No body.  No blood or ash.  Nothing but the stars floating across Judoc's eyes from the brilliant light, and perhaps the last vestiges of the demon's essence which Judoc breathes in amongst the damp and boiling air.

Several paces ahead, Judoc watches as his other self drops to the ground like a sack of stones.

~Are you alright!  Aiah screeches as she swoops in for a landing on Judoc's shoulder.  The bird's eyes are panicked, her three eyelids dead still as she stares intently at the mage.  ~You have to help him!  He was in screaming agony!  I've never heard those kind of thoughts from him... you!

CRACK!

Judoc steps ahead from the sound and turns and he is not a moment too soon.  Loose stones and earth from the ceiling of the cave in a sudden collapse, falling to the surface of the water where the ruined posts of the dock still stand.  Where he had just been standing not a moment ago.

SPLOOOSH!

The earth crashes into the water with a roaring splash and sends a rippling tide across the face of the lake.  Judoc himself is sprayed with the crimson water, though in truth he's too happy to care...  For at the ceiling where the stone fell is now an opening some ten feet in diameter, a shaft that seems to lead upward.  And Judoc sees a hint of light reflecting off the side of that shaft...  Not reflections from his own light stone but daylight.  He's sure of it.

OOC:  Congratufuckinglations.  And thank you.  Because of you I'll now be able to delete one of my oldest notes posts in the game, which had Agares's character sheet.  While the thread isn't over (we seem to have a lot of loose ends to tie up) you are out of combat.  You've officially beaten the boss and found the way to the outside world.

You can return to normal posting, but don't feel you need to take care of everything at once.  There's still lots of nuance here that could impact things down the line.  Congrats again on a job well done.

Sucking in lungsful of air, Judoc slumps on his staff, the Flame Jet winking out. His gaze goes upwards to the new shaft in the cavern ceiling. Light glints from the edge of the shaft, a promise of escape. Finally, hope in the midst of this hell.

Agares is gone. Perhaps finally so, if demons can truly die. For all his power, Agares had been in the end as susceptible to fire as any mortal might be. Had Judoc truly won? As long as Judoc may live, he knows the sight of Agares exploding in light will be seared in memory.

The young Templar student blinks away the stars in his vision and turns to his younger self. Aiah's voice shrieks inside his head, and as fast as he can shuffle, Judoc hurries toward the younger mage.

Dropping to one knee, Judoc checks the other Judoc's pulse and breathing. Lacking the spell that can diagnose injury, Judoc still can guess at what has befallen his companion. Mental torture, the breaking down of the will. Judoc himself had been able to resist Agares's mind-bending spell, but his younger self had not been so fortunate.

Laying hands on his doppelganger, Judoc murmurs words of power. "Sana fortis." Though his other self had been injured physically by the demon, Agares had done far more damage to younger Judoc psychically, but Judoc could at least heal the other's bodily wound.

~Agares was inside his mind. What did my other self say?~ he asks Aiah telepathically. God's bones, he is tired. A little rest, and he and his other self can escape this place.

OOC: Amazing conclusion to this adventure, and excellent foreshadowing along the way! This reminds me a great deal of facing down the likes of Cúchulainn and Belias in FFT.

Judoc will spend 4 FP to cast Major Healing on Judoc Jr. Then, he'll rest until the other Judoc wakes up (if he does). When the two are ready, cast Flight and head up through the shaft.

Exhausted though he is, Judoc staggers forward, sagging down to a knee as he inspects his other self.  Aiah too perches herself precariously forward to get the best view of the fallen mage, and Judoc finds himself appreciating the moment.  He remembers all too well Aiah's snippy responses just a day or so previous, he remembers intuiting his other self's angry responses...  For now at least, Aiah is simply concerned, and Judoc doesn't have the heart to chide her with the fact that his very existence now is proof that younger Judoc will be alright...  at least if Basharat is right.

But Judoc also can't bring himself to chide Aiah because he doesn't feel entirely confident either.  While younger Judoc's chest rises and falls, it does so in an irregular and punctuated manner.  His pulse beats like war drums, his eyes are shock wide, and his face is soured into a look of discomfort which twinges every few moments with a jolt of pain.

~Easy now!  Aiah calls in a thought just short of hysteria, ~You'll be fine, just relax!

Judoc brings his hand over younger Judoc's chest, sending waves of mana to heal the worst of the injuries.  The words of power seem slightly off for Judoc, though the spell seems to work just as planned.  Instead, Judoc can't help but feel a tingling in his lips and tongue that he's never felt before.  Judoc wonders at the moment, though his attention is quickly recaptured by his other self, who release some of the tension, though his face still winces in effort and pain.

After several attempts to talk to his other self with no response, Judoc asks Aiah to relay anything that his other may have thought as he was under the control of the demon.  Aiah shudders slightly with the question, though eventually she answers.

~It was all so fast!  She explains, even before she can get to the actual words.  ~And it was like he was thinking two things at once, like there were two voices.  One was saying 'The keys, the keys!' over and over again, and the other was screaming 'No! no! It hurts! Make it stop! NO! He's found it!'  There was so much screaming!

Aiah shudders on Judoc's shoulder, allowing herself to sit and roost as her head sags down to her shoulders.

~He was in a lot of pain...  and he hasn't thought anything since he fell... He's just silent.   Just suffering.

Judoc lays there resting for near an hour, watching his other self who simply continues to lay, his muscles contracting unpredictably across his body, his jaw clenching with each oncoming spasm.

Eventually, Judoc knows he must go.  Though his magic can and has healed the body, his ability to sooth the mind is not nearly so refined.  He knows he needs help, and he won't get it here in this ruin.  Gripping his other self by arms and hauling him up and over his shoulder, Judoc casts flight upon himself and rises upwards towards the shaft.

With so much weight to be carried, the going is much slower than he is used to, though the broken light grows ever stronger as Judoc rises.  10 yards from the base, Judoc passes a series to stone effigies, barking faces of the orcish gods.  Lumscar, the Hungry one, Felclough, The Bloody One, and Mauxukin, Keeper of the Fire.  Judoc has had quite enough of them.  But he needn't be impatient, it is only a few more moments before both forms of Judoc, Aiah, and all their equipment break free of the ground and climb out under a conjunction of stone leaned together to make a sort of barrow.

Judoc does not dither but flies on, pulling himself and his other to the nearest hilltop before laying his other self down and casting his eyes all around.

In the distance, the morning sun rises in the east over an expanse of bleak forrest that carries as far as the eye can see to both the north and south.  In the opposite direction, rolling hills prevail, with only handfulls of pine and oak here and there dotting the landscape.

This must be the Black Forrest then.  Judoc thinks, doing a little mental geography to place himself within a week's walk back to Craine, depending on how far north or south he has strayed.  Of course, the distance seems of little matter, overwhelmed by the thankfulness of being out in the day.

As if sharing his thoughts, Aiah launches herself to the air, letting loose a cry as she circles ever higher over the plain.

OOC:  Still a few things left to wrap up - where do you want to go from here?  As per our discussion when we started this thread, you can't change the past, so eventually your younger self ends up with Basharat, whether that means you take him there or I coerce him there through other means.  Your choice.  There could be interesting implications either way.

Finally, the trio are free of the hellish prison The Path of Ancestors. Judoc breathes deeply of the fresh air and glories in the sun's warmth. They had been trapped beneath the earth's surface for only a day, but it seemed more like forty days and nights. However, though they have broken free, they still have many miles to go before they sleep.

Reorienting himself with the rising sun, he identifies what must be the Blackwoods off in the distance to the east. The elves of the Blackwoods are said to be xenophobic and genocidal, and on his journey west he had given the area a wide berth. He has little interest in testing the current state of affairs in that forest, at least today.

More than anything else at this point, he wants to return to Azer to report on Agares and Tenesworth. How quickly will word of Agares's defeat spread? Could Judoc confront Tenesworth now, alone, without allies or authority? The young mage had beaten Agares, though at great cost. Tenesworth should prove no more difficult, but Judoc knows he cannot simply show up on Tenesworth's doorstep and denounce the Templar as a demon. If only he could talk to Raisalter. Judoc has no inclination toward vigilantism, but how widespread is the demonic conspiracy?

Exhaling, partly in frustration, partly in relief, he looks down on his younger self. The younger Judoc is still unwell, that much is certain. Judoc considers his options. He could travel overland to reach Azer, but the journey would take weeks. Perhaps instead he could consult the Mages' Guild in Craine. Surely there was some kind of hospital in the city. Perhaps the Hospitallers or the Thomasites? He tries to think if he had passed some sort of sanatorium while he had been there.

Food and water would be an issue on the journey, but Judoc is reasonably confident that they will be able to find enough to eat and drink along the way.

Kneeling down, he says to his other self, "Let's head west, back to Craine. We should be able to find some help for you there. I'm going to take your backpack off and carry it myself, okay? I'll carry you, too. We'll get you some help."

Judoc eases the other mage's backpack off and slings it over his shoulder. ~Ready, girl? Let's head back to Craine.~ Then, concentrating, he raises his hands in an upward motion to begin the journey westward.

OOC: Judoc will head back west to Craine. He'll remove the other Judoc's backpack and carry Judoc II's staff. Judoc will cast Levitation to carry the other Judoc magically.

At night, he'll camp and attempt to set snares for game with a default Survival roll. He'll ask Aiah to hunt for game as well. He will cast Mystic Mist and Watchdog at night for protection. Judoc will head west. If he finds a road going west, he will travel along that road.

Judoc has various ideas, though he knows for the sake of younger Judoc, he needs to get to Craine as quickly as he can.  So he picks up both staffs and the other mage's equipment, before levitating him and setting off towards the city.

The countryside rolls with green hillsides and Judoc sees more cattle and sheep than he does men, though the journey is not difficult.  With the help of a few spells he had learned from Finn, Judoc spends the nights in relative safety, the days making steady progress towards the West.  Aiah's scouting makes finding his way little more than trivial.

When Judoc finally does push his way through the gates and into streets of Craine, the sun is hanging perilously low in the sky, threatening to extinguish the last of the day's light at any moment.

By now, younger Judoc is able to walk.  His mental anguish seems subdued and he seems to follow directions and requests well enough, though he is a shell of what he was.  He seems mostly incapable of holding a conversation and he moves as if through a haze, noticing little beyond the direction of others.

The journey has eaten away at Judoc.  While he was encouraged at the improvement of the first day, the lack of anything further has been a constant burden.  The implications of what it means for Judoc himself are terrifying.  He finds himself hovering over the doddering twin like a mother hen, fearful that if he loses sight of the simpleton, suddenly it will be him who is lost, stripped to mindlessness by Agares's magic.

What if Basharat was wrong?  What if Judoc had failed and the past had actually changed for the worse?

It is the sight of the first evening stars which brings to brings Judoc's attention back to the present.  He needs to make accommodations for the night.  Though he yearns to bring Judoc to the mage's guild or the Hospitallers if indeed they have a presence in Craine, it's simply too late to expect anything to be done.  He'll have to wait until the morning.

His thought of the Alchemist comes quickly back to mind though.  Basharat had said he could return, perhaps he could persuade upon the man's hospitality and wisdom before seeking magical or medical treatment?

Judoc pushes his way through the unlocked door, timidly at first and wary of intruding.  However, Basharat's voice quickly calls from a back room.  "Come in, come in!  I've been expecting you, but my there's never enough time!"

Judoc leaves their things near the door and takes his other self by the shoulder, leading him backwards through the showroom and farther into the shop.  They find Basharat in a workroom, bending over a thick, braided length of silver that Basharat is moulding into a ovular shape.

"Welcome, welcome back!"  Basharat grins as he stands up from the table and replaces a long, thin tool back into a stand.  "I understand it was harrowing!  But I'd love to hear it all first hand!  I'm afraid the mirror won't be done for some time, perhaps several months!  But I'm happy to take your past self on for you as we're waiting!  Oh, and this must be Aiah!"

Basharat grins at the bird, tilting his head slightly in a wide-eyed look of curiosity.

"A pleasure I'm sure."

OOC:  Ok, apologies here for taking some of the story out of your hands, but I think it's in everyone's best interest to avoid the game of whack-a-mole and simply bring things to a close by scripting some of the last little bit.  I'm sure there are various other ways we could have found for you to cure Judoc, but I'd rather not extend this thread for another month working through dice rolls that are simply forced so I can get a neat little bow to tie things together.

A roll vs. IQ will lead you to the conclusion that Basharat is currently working on the mirror - the first thing you saw when you regained consciousness.

Feel free to roleplay as little or as much as you want to here, I'm happy for the back and forth, or I can set things to a close if you want to be done.  Basharat is offering to take care of younger Judoc, allowing you to go your own way.  If you leave now, you can definitely make it back to Azer by ship prior to the start of the term.  If you decide to take the gate back to six months in the future, you will obviously have already missed the start of the term.

The journey back to Craine had offered Judoc much time for reflection. He had always been a private person, one who kept his fears and concerns to himself. Now, he longed for someone to talk to, to seek counsel from. What should he do about Tenesworth? The viscount was a man of influence.  If Judoc barged into Tenesworth’s home and accused him of conspiring to have Judoc killed, or worse, being a demon, Tenesworth would simply have the young wizard arrested and arrange to have Judoc assassinated. The Templars in Azer knew of Loke/Agares and would be more open to listening to Judoc, but Azer was on the other side of the continent.

The person best suited for giving advice, Judoc’s double, had been broken by Agares. Aiah was a constant comfort and more than occasional annoyance, but Judoc found the thought of seeking advice from her to be laughable. Judoc’s reunion with Giles had been unforeseen and welcome, and though Hind had drifted from the path of the mage in favor of the warrior, Judoc felt that Giles  could understand him. Judoc would have dearly loved to lay this problem out before Finn, who possessed a much different perspective than Judoc’s own. He wonders where the others are, if Rondald, Terri, and Gustav were still in Craine. Perhaps he could lay out this difficulty before then and get their opinion. The four of them could confront Tenesworth, or perhaps go to Duke Bran, though what Judoc had seen of Bran did not fill the Templar student with confidence.

Now, here with Basharat, Judoc feels some measure of relief. How far can he trust the alchemist? Judoc knows very little about the man, though without Basharat’s help, Judoc’s younger self may have been killed by Agares.

A thought comes to Judoc. What if he were to remain here with his twin? They could both go back in time and confront Tenesworth together. But then Agares would still be alive and free to continue his machinations. And if time seems to work toward correcting deviations, Judoc may find himself away when his other self decides to go through the alchemist’s gate.

Or what if Judoc were to remove an item from his companions pack? The Lesser Keys of Solomon, perhaps? But what would that serve other than to show that time was malleable and events could be changed? Or what if Judoc attempted to kill Basharat here? Not that the wizard would act so rashly, of course, but surely that would change the future. No, there are too many possibilities, Judoc thinks. Time must be more fragile than Basharat believes.

Aloud, he says, ”Yekather khairak. You have already helped me so much. I am in your debt, Basharat. I would be happy to tell you the whole story. But for the moment, suffice it to say that we were deceived and transported to a forsaken place called The Path of Ancestors. There, we battled demons, both with our magic and our wits. We also encountered our greatest enemy, a demon lord of Hell named Agares. We slew the demon, but not before Agares nearly destroyed my twin’s mind.”

OOC: I’m happy to fast forward here. Judoc will tell the tale in full once they are in a comfortable place to talk. He will not reveal the location of the keys, but he will tell Basharat that Agares sought the location of the keys to Solitude.

He will share what he suspects Agares said about the viscount and that Tenesworth may have been replaced by a demon, as Loke was. Agares called Tenesworth Amon, but Tenesworth was introduced to Judoc as Viscount Archibald Tenesworth.

Judoc will want to see if he can reconnect with Gustav, Rondald, and Terri. If he cannot find them, he will send a note to Giles at the Three Corners Fort. I don’t think Judoc has an address for any of the others.

Judoc will give Tenesworth enough money to help pay for his double’s room and board over the next six months.

Over the next few days, Judoc seeks out the others, and manages to find both Gustav and Terri, though he is horrorstruck to find that Rondald has been murdered by a group of thieves.  Terri is beside herself and though Judoc is sympathetic, the font of repressed emotions is somewhat too much for him to handle, so he quits her company after as much of the interaction as he can handle, instead giving the whole of the story to Gustav and sending along a note to Giles to express his concerns.

Though Judoc is wildly curious about the myriad possibilities of time travel, in the end he decides there are simply more important matters to attend to.  He must get back to Azer and report to Graves if for no other reason that to fill him in with the entirety of Agares's actions and the connection that the demons (for he knows there is more than one lord of hell here on Yrth now) have to the Templars at large.

If he is to go, he'll need to leave soon to make the start of the next term.  The trip by sea will be long, though he feels assured it will be far safer than jumping into a magical gate had been.

Judoc walks out to the workshop to say his last goodbyes to Basharat, to pay him for the stay of his other self.  He finds the older man applying a heat gun to the silver base of what will be the magical mirror that rouses younger Judoc from his catatonia.

"Odd things, mirrors."  Basharat says as he looks up from his work and smiles.  "They reflect reality, reflect our perception...  and it is that very property that gives them such powerful alchemical properties.  They can trick us, or show a deeper truth, or else simply reflect that which is real in another place... another time."

"This one will reflect on the soul of the one who looks into it...  I'm not sure why that will bring your other self round...  though Basharat in the gate assures me that it does.  I suppose perhaps, that sometimes all we are looking for is a little assurance of who we are."

OOC:  Ok, I think I've got all your intentions, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.  You are planning on paying Basharat for board, and then taking your things and Aiah and heading back to Azer by ship in the very near future.  Feel free to write up a closing thread here, and thanks for helping my tie up the loose ends.

Judoc had been horrified to find that Rondald had been killed. The former sailor and his wife had seemed a formidable team. Knowing Terri had softened the young mage's prejudice against women, but Judoc was not able to handle such raw grief. He had sat quietly with her as she had poured out her sorrow and rage. "I wish I had been there," he had managed. "I - Terri, I don't know what to say. If there's anything I can ever do, please, look me up or contact me. If you want revenge on these bastards, I want in, but I need to go back to my college first."

The words felt lame in his mouth. No promise could bring Rondald back. Judoc knew several spells for healing physical injuries, but he had none that could heal heartbreak.

* * *

The letter he had pressed into Gustav's hands. "They know we were there at Solitude, and Agares and Tenesworth conspired together to trap me and try to get the location of the keys. They may come for you, Gustav, or Giles, or any of the others. I'm going to see what my superiors say in Azer, but I'm guessing I'll need to go after Tenesworth at some point. I don't know how deep this conspiracy goes, but I have a feeling that none of us are safe, not until all these demons are banished or they achieve whatever their aims are."

* * *

Judoc nods at Basharat's words. "To know what is true, and what is deception. But discerning the difference? There's the rub," he says.

Bidding farewell to Basharat, Judoc takes his leave of the alchemist and heads back out into the streets of Craine. His ship leaves for Azer in the morning, but perhaps Judoc can find a buyer for the crown they had found in the Path of Ancestors.  All we are looking for is a little assurance of who we are. And who is Judoc? A man of mercy, sparing his enemies? A brave man, facing down his fears? A coward, fleeing from danger until there is no other avenue remaining?

Judoc was once supremely confident in his abilities, but strangely, his victory over Agares surprised him. Judoc had expected the lord of hell to outmatch him, and perhaps Agares would have if Judoc had faced the demon alone. But with his twin and Aiah, the trio had prevailed. Judoc's overconfidence has been transmuted into something else. Perseverance, perhaps. Tenacity. Judoc the Tenacious. He smiles in spite of himself. ~Here's to the future, pretty bird,~ he thinks to Aiah. ~Whatever else comes my way, I'm glad you're with me.~