Closed A change within the island (Mirage)

[Vick]

1. Summer, 513 AV

Most days and nights Vick could be found within his little lab working on his little projects yet for once in a very long time he was found within the great library with a pile of books around him as he was reading and jotting down notes in his journal.

Yet one thing was the same and the books were once again the ones he already had read in the past and worked on yet the restricted wing was still off limits to him even after so many years within the island but he never asked the Archwizard or one of the other higher members to look at them so for now he would just work with what he had plus he had no issues relooking at the books down the road due to his views and ideas changed as he grew more into his role of what he was.

His writing was still not rather neat by a long shot. The loops of his letters were uneven, the lines were still shorter and longer compared to others on the sheet and a slight curve was made making the words slant and not become evenly placed.

Vick right now was just writing about ideas of taking different bones from different races in the island; Slaves, animals, monsters and more and just making them into one artifact. A small drawing was done on the side of the paper that looked like a gate with the words made of Mirror. The idea was to form a large doorway with a mirror shine in the center and somehow grant the viewer something of the magic without the user touching the item. A command word maybe? Or maybe they could touch it and gain something out of the chaos?

Vick let the tip of the quill touch along the paper and held it as he became lost in thought. He had made so many items with malediction he had to wonder what it all meant. His very first item he recalled was a simple rabbits skull that was trying to help a person sense of smell. Another one was two jamoura bones that gave him a weak broken version of a flux that. One that would would boost the users djed at the cost of emotions. He could not forget about the kelvic necklace that made any kelvic want to serve him until death.

A smile touched his dead lips as he thought of the mask he made and kept that someone had sent him of a human face and he made it influence other people. Or the snake charm that would help with poison or even kill a person if the charm did not like a soul but even that paled to his best item yet which was a hand that would kill the user at the cost of great power which was still sealed away in the vault.

Yet in the end what did it mean? Yes he was able to get this far since the island did not limit his work and had given him freedoms but what did he make with it all? All his items, even the one within the vault were flawed and imperfect. What was his crowning item?

He could not think of one. He felt like he was back at his first day within Sahova and he still was not able to stand out in the masses of other nuits working on other tasks some even working on malediction studies and yet Vick still could not lay a claim to anything in his eyes.

Yes one of his items were placed in the vault but it was not talked about in the island. It was just a simple fact of life and since he could not keep it meant it was not prefect for it was just a danger to everyone. A item that could blow up the island was not a item that should be a crowning event. If the item could have blew up other cities from a distance then it might have been different but it was not plus for the fact it would kill the host and might even break making it just a one use event which made Vick even less happy about it.

His unblinking eyes scanned the books once more but he could not learn anything more of this. He knew of the circles, he knew he could link more circles together and fine tune them with different words and meanings to get a better result which the books did not talk about. It was something he learned on his own down the road one day. Even making three dimensional circles and impacting the circles as he made them with his djed the books did not talk about or hint about.

He had made wonders in his field but he did not share them with the other wizards just like he knew they had made wonders in each others fields and did not share for it was the life on the island but Vick did not lie to himself he knew there could have been one or even a few within the island that knew everything Vick did for everyone was spying on each other as it was life on a island that made time stand still. If not for his daily walks to the docks to watch the sunrise he would forget about time itself as nothing changed on the island.

Vick knew others knew that he had dreams to take over the Malediction labs, become the head person that would oversee it all and become a member on the Council of Five or even make it a six member council but most thought it was a childish dream that would pass as most lower nuits and almost all the plusers thought he was just a child for the bodies he picked and how he acted.

Vick still kept a childs body after 200 years on the island. The island was caring in that sense for he knew they had to go out of their way now and then to get children bodies on shipments for him as few would use another childs form but Vick wanted it. Save once or twice he could not get his wish but he did not care on that. Vick was a child. He knew he was really not a child anymore for he knew his age. He knew acting like a child was just a front but most did not think it was.

Most thought he was damaged and broken on some level. Yet that was not the case and far from it. For him it was just an act. Yes it was true he did act childish and had a lot of mood swings and fits of outbursts but he did grow up mentally like everyone does in time. But Vick did not want to show anyone that side so he kept up the mask of being a child. He would rather everyone think he was broken on some level then look past the reflection in the water and see what he really had become. Deep down he knew the monster that stalked the deepest parts of his mind was really just him but he did not want to embrace that or maybe he had taken to embracing it long ago and he was just blind to the fact the child did not grow up but was eaten alive within the isle of the dead.

Magic, Magic was something that turned people. Most of the time it was a personnel magic that shifted and changed people yet even world magic could be the same. Maybe Vick was broken and changed due to malediction and the fact he did not think of it was just a side effect of the madness within his field. He never met a sane wizard and if they were sane on the surface it was just a mask they wore for so long they did not know of it. Vick should have known as many years ago he made a item out of skulls that gifted information to the user at the cost of memories.

Maybe Vick was just losing his grasp on his past self at the cost of power. Was it worth the cost? He could not disagree he enjoyed the power but as he looked around him in his life he had to wonder what power he really held in the island. It felt like none but could he recall what his family looked like? What his childhood bedroom looked like? What was his mothers name, fathers name or even sister? Was it a sister or a brother again? He could not recall off the top of his head. So in the end was it worth it?

That question stuck him like a cord along harp but the emotion was not of sadness or worry or even fear of not knowing but of indifference. Vick did not care that he could not recall his family from before. Somehow down the twisted road of life and power Sahova had become his home and family. A cold shadow of a family but they were the best he had besides his bones but he knew when pushed came to shove they would remove him without a question.

He just shook his head mentally as he closed his eyes before reopening with a simple blink. He still was not sure what he would gain from the books anymore. The sad matter was he outgrew them even now as he knew things they did not share and he knew he could outwrite and outdo them with his eyes closed.

So why was he still within the halls of the library? Why was he not out doing something great once more? He did not know but for now he would just sit and re read the same page for the sixteenth time knowing the words by heart soon or at least for the most part.

[Mirage]

It was one of those nights where silence reined. Nothing stirred in all of the Citadel, all was cold and still. Night brought with it many twisted and strange deformities of reality, shadows altering the forms of all they touched. The golems were still as well, and all of Sahova seemed at peace. During his musings Vick might notice movement out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked there would be nothing there.

Something would move from behind Vick, and a rasping voice would greet his ears, "The Silence Speaks..."

Vick was a master of Sahova, and certainly he had heard of The Silence. At least he had heard of the rumors of them. No one was quite certain they existed, and those that did were no more. It was said that if Silence spoke to you, you did well to listen. Often what they had to say was not of a pleasant nature, and soon after most went missing all together.

If Vick tried to look back the voice would say, "Do not look upon the Silence."

He would feel a body approaching his own, and then lean over him. Two long bony arms gripped the arms of the chair he sat in, and a voice whispered in his ear, "The Silence has been watching you Vick..." The voice was course, and sounded as if the vocal cords were ripped to shreds. Every word must have been a struggle to say, "The Silence has a task for you... Will you accept?"

The question did not sound much like a question at all. More like a provoking. As if the man dared Vick to say otherwise. Those who displeased the Silence were not known for living long, and even those among the higher ups knew to be cautious if one of its embassies came to speak with them. It was said that not even the Council of Five was immune to the touch of The Silence.

[Vick]

Vick became very still as if his life depended on it. This was a force he could not even fight let alone even think upon fighting for it was the Silence. Vick looked down upon his table and waited. Waited for what came.

“What is it that you seek of me Silence? I Vick shall uphold the task the Silence grants me.” Vick said very slowly with care of each word. He gave up his life long ago but this was something else. This would be a turning point for good or bad. Only time would tell.

He had no idea why the Silence wanted him. He did grow within the island in skill but he was not sure what he did to get on that rader. Yet whatever was to come it could be good. If he was able to fulfill the task yet if he failed...death would be the least of his problems he was sure.

So for now he would wait. Wait for what came and hoped to the magic that he held he would be able to fulfill what came. Yet he had to do this if he wanted to become the ruler of the island. Even the Silence may already know what Vick wanted. He was not sure how he felt on that as he did his best not to share his plans with anyone until it was too late to stop him.

[Mirage]

"Good..." The hands pulled back from their grip on the arms of the chair, but the figure did not come into view. Instead the arms reached around once more, laying... bones upon the table, "You will create Legacy items from these remains." The creature behind him hacked and coughed, then the sounds of spitting and something wet hitting the floor before he spoke again, "This task can only be given to a true Master... These bones are far too important. Fail however, and you will fall to silence..."

The bones on the table in front of Vick were one large skull, larger than the average man and its lower jaw jutted out a bit too far. There were also rounded knobs over its temple, almost like horns. There was also an overly large rib, 7 knuckle bones, and what looked like a vertebra but it was too large, bent and warped, and the spine protruded to a sharp point. The bones were not well cleaned, bits of black flesh still clung to it in places and stains of green, similar to blood, were not washed off. The teeth of the creature were all sharp points, as if they were filed and bits of flesh and skin still hung from between them.

"This creature is from... a very dark place. It is large, terrible, and destructive. It lives in complete darkness, and whatever it touches begins to erode and rot... Create items which will best utalize this creature's abilities, and you may fashion them however you see fit. I trust you will not fail the Silence Master Vick..." The hands pulled back once more, and the voice came again growing more distant with each syllable, "Place the finished bones on this very table when the work is complete, and your reward will be delivered to you..." and then the presence was gone, and vick was left alone with the strange alien bones.

OOCYou can do the entire malediction process in this thread . Feel free to go about creating the items, and I will post again when the items are finished. This will have an effect on Vick's current season position as well.