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Post by Alexis Malaware on Jun 2, 2020 18:11:44 GMT -6
Alex woke up on the floor of a strange structure. She looked around to see blue symbols pulsing with energy and transporters that looked old and worn out. Alex climbed up to her feet and looked around in confusion. Where was she and how did she get here? The last thing she remembered she was driving down the road, and now she was here. Her car nowhere in sight. What the hell was going on?
"Hello?"
She hoped someone would answer. Someone with enough knowhow to help her figure out where she was. This didn't look like anywhere she has ever been. She certainly wasn't in Chicago anymore. But if she wasn't in Chicago then where was she?
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Thelisia
Hybrid
"May you find your book."
Posts: 13
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Post by Thelisia on Jun 3, 2020 4:38:30 GMT -6
"Good evening."
A voice echoed through the room as Alex's first companion would walks down the staircase to meet her new friend. Well, perhaps not friend quite yet. When you're so new to a world it truly is impossible to determine who may attack you at a glance. The witch would take off her hat, holding it gently in one hand as she waved cordially to Alexis.
"I would assume you too are a stranger to this world? It is quite perplexing. In all of my years of accumulating magical knowledge, I have never seen such runes or dilapidated machinery!" She gave a smile as she seemed to pull a book right out of her hat, just like a "real" magician. With a small flick and a flourish the book jumped from her hands, opening itself up as Thelisia would circle one of the blue symbols.
"What do you suppose, given a cursory glance? Perhaps you would understand more than I?"
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Post by Alexis Malaware on Jun 3, 2020 18:09:05 GMT -6
"What?"
That was all Alex could muster in response to the woman in the magician's hat. Everything about her was strange. From her clothes straight down to her mannerisms. Of course Alex knew about witches from her own world, but it was more based on faith that the magic really worked. There was no evidence suggesting that magic was real.
"I don't even know what you're talking about. What is this place? Where am I?"
She was hoping the stranger had answers to her questions. Alex has never been more confused than she was right now.
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Thelisia
Hybrid
"May you find your book."
Posts: 13
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Post by Thelisia on Jun 4, 2020 1:26:02 GMT -6
"Hmm, a newcomer to this as well, then.."
Thelisia had assumed that with such a more modern look, the woman must have lived in a similar world or era as she did. More advanced, even. Advanced enough to know what was going on here. Assumptions do get you killed when the stakes get dire, though. The witch removed herself from the rune to face the stranger properly and bow herself. The book, of course, stayed put. Magically suspended mid-air as words continued to write themselves onto the page.
"I am just as unfamiliar with this location as you are. Though if I were to suppose a guess, I would say this is the facility that pulled us here in the first place. Teleportation of some kind? And yet there is no one here to oversee such an operation? Oh, and whatever planet we used to live on, I highly doubt we are still on it."
The witch bowed, smiling softly as the book in the distance seemed to dip to match.
"But if we cannot be acquainted with our location, perhaps it is better to be acquainted with each other. I am Thelisia, a wandering witch. I was visiting a bookstore only to step through the door and fall in here."
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Post by Alexis Malaware on Jun 4, 2020 18:09:09 GMT -6
The woman wasn't able to answer all of her questions, but she was able to paint a clear enough picture to begin giving Alex an idea what was going on here. She knew the devices in this room were teleporters, but she never heard of a place being able to teleport you from other worlds. Why were they alone in this place? Were there no employees in this structure? Surely someone had to be operating it. And why were those symbols looking like they were pulsing as if they were alive? This was too weird. The stranger then introduce herself and Alex would return the kindness as she didn't forget her manners.
"My name is Alex. I'm from Chicago. Where are you from?"
Of course it may have been the wrong thing to assume Thelisia was from Earth.
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Thelisia
Hybrid
"May you find your book."
Posts: 13
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Post by Thelisia on Jun 5, 2020 1:58:13 GMT -6
"Chicago... Hmm." The name didn't ring any immediate bells, but the world Thelisia was from was much larger than the thin strips of theocratic land that she was well established with stealing from. Though it was also unlikely to mean much. It was more than clear the way that this woman was unfamiliar with magic that she was not from the world of Ildea.
Likewise, Alex probably would not expect a witch to reside in the normal world where the former resided. Thelisia put on her hat once more and recalled the book to her side. "I am a witch, I am borne from any forest where mystery resides, birthed from the heart of magic itself." Of course, Alexis was not going to be satisfied with an answer like that. If the residents of Ildea never liked Thelisia's roundabout poems of answers, then why would Alex humor Thelisia's theatrics?
"Though regardless... We could attempt to scour the higher floors of this tower, but if there is no one here to operate the tower, I highly doubt we would find a way to return home if we attempted ourselves..."
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Post by Alexis Malaware on Jun 5, 2020 18:13:45 GMT -6
"a forest? Were you raised by animals?"
Alex felt a little weird asking that question, and it almost appeared to be rude, so she would finish it with another statement.
"No offense."
Alex looked around the room again and then back to the woman who had called herself a witch. As if the witch's hat and outfit didn't give it away.
"If we can't find anyone in here then we should look elsewhere. I'd like to know where exactly here is."
Alex walked through the door and then saw the stretch of steps that aligned themselves among the walls of the structure. She descended them to the small circular room and then out the main doors to the area outside. It was extremely cold like the arctic back in her world, but the ice was transparent and underneath her feet was a large city frozen in its confinements. She panicked and almost fell off her feet because of it.
"What the hell is that!?"
She needed answers, but there didn't seem to be anyone around for miles. Where the hell were they?
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Thelisia
Hybrid
"May you find your book."
Posts: 13
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Post by Thelisia on Jun 6, 2020 15:40:19 GMT -6
By... animals.. oh goodness! Thelisia couldn't help but giggle at that one. "Raised by animals, ahaha, well that would be quite novel! No no, I'm afraid. I was raised by monsters." No, she wasn't going to elaborate. It was pretty funny to her, the fact that her life so far had been so bizarre that her upbringing was the tamer part of her life. Though perhaps it would be rude to call her fellow witches monsters. It's what the church calls them though, and everyone knows the church is never wrong~.
Thelisia instead of explaining herself would tail Alex as the two went out into the bitter cold. She never handled cold well, especially not tundras where the natural life she sustained herself on was diminished. Though that was the least of her worries as Alex pointed out the world underneath their feet. She knelt to the floor, trying to gauge exactly how far down that city was...
"How fascinating! It is often said that we live through our day to day lives knowing nothing of the history underneath us, but I would have never assumed such a saying to be quite as literal as this!" A laugh as she turned to look back at the tower behind them.
"If there is an entire city frozen underneath us, then this tower is certainly much more interesting than before. In fact, it may be that the true direction to travel is not up, but down. This area must be the aftermath of some form of calamity."
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Post by Alexis Malaware on Jun 6, 2020 19:12:49 GMT -6
Alex was still in a state of shock as she hugged herself to keep warm. She did have a light brown jacket on, but it wasn't enough to fight against the freezing cold of this 'expanse'. She looked back at Thelisia who found it all fascinating. Alex might have felt the same way if she had read this in a book. This time she was the book character in a fantasy world of someone else's creation. Not wanting anything to do with it. She looked north, west, east, and south, and couldn't make heads or tails of where they should go from here. If anywhere.
"You're not seriously considering going down there, are you?"
Alex found the whole idea crazy. Who put a city right underneath an iceberg? This had to be a dream. Or more like a nightmare.
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Post by Tori Jacobs on Jun 6, 2020 19:27:34 GMT -6
The two otherworlders would soon be joined by a native of the world. For Drake White approached the tower in an armor car with armed soldiers in black and red equipped with fully automatic assault rifles with chainsaw attachments. He too was dressed in black military garb with a crimson vulture insigia on the shoulder and right breast. When the group stopped in front of the tower a team of scientists rushed into the tower with armed guards as Drake stood outside and looked towards the two women by the entrance of the tower.
"Two beautiful women. Today must be my lucky day."
Drake eyed the two women up and down as he walked around them. A golden fifty caliber pistol on his waist while a sawed off shotgun was strapped to his back. He was ready for a fight, but he didn't expect either one to attack him. They probably had no idea what was going on.
"Let me guess, neither one of you are from around here, are you?"
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Thelisia
Hybrid
"May you find your book."
Posts: 13
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Post by Thelisia on Jun 6, 2020 19:36:37 GMT -6
As opposed to the commoner, Thelisia was rather excited about the prospect of adventure. To follow the metaphor, she had lived here entire life in a fantasy story. Perhaps woven by greater powers, perhaps not. Either way she was one who ventured into the unknown gladly to search for new and great things and for old knowledge. She kept her eyes down to the floor, trying her best to make out the little details of the world underneath. "Why not?" She answered. "We can safely infer that the city underneath and its state is related to the tower. Thus, whatever secrets the land itself holds is inexorably linked to our situation in this world, and how to return."
Thelisia finally stood up and began to survey the surroundings as well, "That being said, two foreigners without proper equipment will hardly make any progress. We would require a full outfit of armed guards, archeologists and researchers and- Oh, speak of daemons and they shall bear witness." She approached the supposed leader of the expeditionary force, making a polite bow as she refitted the witch's hat and smiled.
"Yes, did we make it too obvious?"
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Post by Alexis Malaware on Jun 6, 2020 19:40:51 GMT -6
Alex nearly jumped out of her skin when the armored vehicles arrived and people in lab coats began rushing the tower with armed soldiers. Alex looked over to the man with blond hair and didn't like the way he decided to hit on them in only the first couple of seconds of arriving. Now that was something she was used to from her world, but she didn't like it all the same.
"Who the hell are you?"
Alex was now the polar opposite of Thelisa who took on a more polite and respectful approach. Alex didn't like being hit on by men. Especially considering she held no interest towards the male sex.
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Post by Tori Jacobs on Jun 6, 2020 19:45:34 GMT -6
"Knowhow, Sugar Lips. Normally people who come out of that tower aren't from around here. It's an inter-dimensional transporter that's been bringing people from other worlds to ours. No doubt a creation of the ancient city underneath our feet."
Drake only whislted at Alex's spunk as he smiled.
"My name is Drake White. Citizen of Isafaro which resides north of here. Where you're standing now is called the Crystal Expanse, and the city beneath our feet is called Kari. An ancient and advanced city that froze itself over with a super weapon thousands of years ago."
Drake enjoyed reciting his history. Many of the otherworlders found this world fasnicating, so it was fun to recite what he learned in History class.
"Do the two of you have names, or should I just call you Sugar Lips one and two?"
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Thelisia
Hybrid
"May you find your book."
Posts: 13
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Post by Thelisia on Jun 6, 2020 20:16:10 GMT -6
"Ah, so then my guesses were accurate. Which also explains your entourage: you are here to further investigate the tower and its ability to pull others through the rift between worlds." Thelisia was quite familiar with guns, despite looking like a goddamn fairy tale, but weaponry of this magnitude were new to her. Semi-automatics were not commonplace or cheap in the world of Ildea, not to mention the strange bayonets attached to each one. In bulk for a military unit, even! Isafaro sounded like quite the strange land if it were to have this level of strength. Or perhaps the world itself is quite strange...
She'll feel right at home.
The same sweet smile unwavering from her face as she spoke, though perhaps she did not seem eager to being talked down to. A consequence of her nature as a witch and a rebel, organizations of power never seemed to fear or sway her much.
"They say the lips of a fey taste like poisoned honey, but I do prefer my own name. I am Thelisia, a witch who has wandered too far from home."
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Post by Alexis Malaware on Jun 7, 2020 18:05:11 GMT -6
"My name isn't Sugar Lips. It's Alex."
Alex was liking this man less and less, but he did have useful information of the area. He was the first native they've met since coming to this world. Isafaro. The Crystal Expanse. Kari. It all sounded like something from a fantasy novel. She bet this Drake White knew nothing of Earth or the country of America, so she wouldn't bother talking about where she came from.
"What is this world called?"
If Isafaro was advanced enough to have armor vehicles and assault rifles then they were advanced enough to have a name for their planet.
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