Sinegard Academy for the Wayward

[The_Weeping_Angel]

“After the Burn, the Inquisition took over the gym as a base. With an outpost in the security office.” Magdalena informed them.

“So what’s next, boss?” M’Kael asked, as Isabeau looked on. “I can search the shadows of the whole campus if needed Unless the place is warded or has super bright lights in it.”​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Gem

"Let's search the campus... shadow and any other way. Also maybe everyone can "hitch" a ride on your magic. When Ravyn is in trouble, we can follow you to her." Gem suggested

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

M’Kael:​

“You do realize the more people I ‘carry’ with me the slower I move. Right?” M’Kael said as he looked over the group. “Five people will slow me a lot, I can do it, but we’re going to be slow.”

Isabeau:​

“I’ll stay behind. I’ll use my magic to search the forest and ground, the waterways for her.”

 

[milkmaiden38]

Gem

“I’m sorry, I did not explain my idea clearly. We are simply tracking you. When you jump to save Ravyn, I teleport everyone to that location. You don’t need to ‘carry’ anyone.” Gem re-explained “We might be able to use the existing mark on you to do it.” She suggested looking over to Isabeau

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Isabeau:​

“I can detect the mark, through Detect Magic. And I can Identify it through Identify Magic. But I haven’t been able to determine whom put the mark on him. And I’d need to know that in order to follow it.”

M’Kael:​

“Even if she can track me, eventually, how would you know when I found her?” M’Kael asked Gem. “It’ll be easier if I come back when I find her, if I can’t get her out myself.”

 

[milkmaiden38]

Gem

Everything M'Kael said made sense. She as well as the others just wanted to help in some way.

"Ok, we'll go that route." Gem replied "Let start searching the campus" She told everyone else.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Isabeau:​

Stepping over Isabeau wrote on M’Kael’s forehead, making her own invisible Arcane Mark. “Just in case something happens, we can find you.” she said. “It will fade in a month, or less.”

M’Kael:​

“Sure,” M’Kael replied before he walked into the shadows of the house and faded from view as he became one with the shadows.

Magdalena:​

“I’ll check the library building and the grounds around it including the lower levels.”

 

[milkmaiden38]

Angus and Van

“The school’s gym is really huge” Angus told Van as they approached the complex.

“I think there are 4 gyms. Each a separate building with connecting cooridors.” Angus added.

“What is in all those buildings?” Van asked.

“Gym A holds the pool, off the main hallway and to the left there are racquetball, handball, and squash courts in addition to a Cycling Room and Personal Training Rooms.

Gym B, which is smaller, has badminton courts and broom flying races while Gym C is used for volleyball and mage sports.

Gym D is primarily used for basketball. You will also find a few more racquetball, handball, and squash courts. There is a Free Weight Room and in the back an Archery Room and combat spell room.

“No wonder no one learns anything at this school, everyone is just having fun” Van observed

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Magdalena:​

Walking through the library, Magdalena wondered where all the students were. Had they evacuated? Were they in their rooms? It was so quiet without the students around it was weird. She expected an attack at any second it was so quiet.

Maybe they’d taken off on their own when the fighting started?

Isabeau:​

Walking into the forest Isabeau sat down next to a tree and started her spell, Speak with Plants. It didn’t take long before she had cleared the forest. There were a few orcs and such still in the forest, but no Dragons or circles of power.

M’Kael:​

Sifting through the shadows was taking forever. Shifting in and out of every shadow tiring, but he kept at it. Eventually he’d find her, or a space he couldn’t get into.

 

[milkmaiden38]

The Gym

It took a while but Van and Angus searched the three of the four gyms. As they approached Gym D there were two inquisition guards posted in the hallway. As they approached the guard’s hatred could be seen in their eyes.

“Hi, my name is Angus and this is Van. Any chance we can use the basketball courts?” He asked in a friendly voice.

“No, now fuck off” The first guard said.

“No need to be rude” Angus replied “And that is not very professional”

Both guards placed their hands on their guns “FUCK OFF” one said

“What about racquetball, handball, or squash courts?” Angus continued unphased by the hands on the guns.

“NO! They are fucking closed, you dim-witted cow” The guard said with more frustration

“I’m a bull… not a cow.” Angus corrected the guard. “Weight Room?” He asked

“NO… EVERYTHING IS CLOSED” The guard screamed and pulled his gun “NOW GET LOST OR I’M EATING STEAK TONIGHT”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

M'Kael:
There were several locations on campus that M’Kael was having issues getting into. The first was the library where they’d probably enhansed security for the books. Wards or such.

Another was in one of the gym buildings. That was so bright even in the shadows he could feel it.

Another was in the main office building where the higher ups were located. Heavy wards for whatever reason.

The Engineer:​

Watching through a scry mirror as the mortals ran around the campus was interesting to observe, but inevitably it turned boring.

But seeing them split up had its advantages…

Turning he looked at the acolytes and other minions at his disposal and sent them out. Time to start getting rid of the meddling mortals.​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Van

“Now you’ve kick the horn-et’s nest” Van punned to the guard with the gun. “You’d better moo… over”

Suddenly Angus was duplicated… and then he was duplicated again. There were four minotaur that all looked like Angus in the hallway with Van.

“Too many to shoot.” Van pointed out

“STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW!” The guard yelled and then something invisible punched him in the gut so hard he doubled over and dropped his gun.

The other guard pulled his gun as the punched guard fell to the ground with the wind knocked out of him.

“How dairy you pull your gun!” Van continued to pun.

Something kicked the gun from the guard’s hand.

“Hold your horse, this bull has some kick!” Van joked. Then the man’s head was slammed into the wall. He was knocked out.

The invisible Angus reappeared and the duplicate Angus’s disappeared. Van tied up both guards

“Now, let’s play some hoops” Van told Angus

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Checking in with Magdalena and Isabeau M'Kael reported his findings and got information from them before he checked the boundary of the school.

The school wards were down, but he still couldn’t step outside. So whatever was keeping him locked in here was still in effect.

Hearing a scream from the trees he jumped back to his mother’s location, but she was gone. Instead there was a pile of broken bones and meat that looked like it had once been Human, wearing a long brown cloak like his mother’s.

Shaking his head, M’Kael couldn’t believe his mother was dead. And not like Ravyn, but dead dead. She wasn’t coming back from this. Dropping into the shadows he stepped out of Angus’ shadow.

“They killed My Mother. Ripped her apart,” he told them.​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Van and Angus

“What?” Angus gasped. The news was shocking. He was having a hard time trying to understand what M'Kael had just said. His mother had been ripped apart. “How do you know it was her?” He asked

Van heard the news to. The ripped apart comment, sounded familiar. The first murders on campus were described that way.

Van could tell that M’Kael had seen something.

“Take us to what you saw” Van suggested

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

M'Kael:
“Really? My mother’s location, her clothes. And no one else should have been in the forest.” M’Kael told Angus.

“Ok,” he said to Van as he grabbed them by the arms. In the blink of an eye they were in a foggy and foreboding place that wasn’t quite the shadowlands, but it wasn’t the material realm either. It looked like the material realm but it was darker, like deep twilight with a heavy fog.

Puling them them along her took them into the forest where what looked like a pile of leaves were, and then they were back in the material world and the pile of meat and bones lay on the forest floor, Droplets of blood smeared across leaves by whatever did it.​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Van and Angus

Angus and Van looked at the bloody pile of flesh and bones. Each of them going through the 5 stages (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) of grief in different ways.

“M’Kael, I’m so sorry… But I don’t think your mother is dead. This just looks bad. It is a trick… maybe set up by her to fool everyone” Angus reasoned

“I’m going to help you find who did this and rip their throat out” Van vowed to M’Kael

“Wait, guys… we are forgetting about magic. We can Revivify her, but we need to act fast. Or use a Raise Dead spell on her. Or maybe a Resurrection or True Resurrection.” Angus was explaining, still in the denial stage.

“We can follow the blood trail and seek our vengeance!” Van suggested

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

M'Kael:
“If she’s not dead, then where is she?” M’Kael snapped, gesturing to the residue of a corpse.

Maneuvering through the trees came Acolyte, their faces and bodies twisted by blades and open wounds. One of them started through razor sharp discs that sliced through low hanging branches with ease, zeroing in on the trio like magic missiles as another ‘s torn mouth opened impossibly wide, and it emitted a sonic scream that blew apart trees and rocks with equal impunity. A third whipped hooked Kyton chains through the air, seeking to rip and tear at flesh and bone.

In a flash M’Kael was sheathed in armour, but that provided little protection against the hell blades as they sliced his armour as easily as they sliced and pierced anything else.

“Run!” He yelled, pulling a shadowy long sword.​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Van and Angus

“GOOD IDEA” Angus agreed with the running idea as he dodged one of the sonic blasts. A tree near him exploding into splinters.

Van was running too. But suddenly there were 10 Vans running in all sorts of directions. There were also 10 Angus and 10 M’Kael. There was no easy way to tell which were the fakes and which were real. The blades of one of the Acolytes sliced through Angus, but there was no blood. That Angus was an illusion. But the illusion continued to run about mixing with the others.

The sonic blast Acolyte blasted two Vans… but the illusions sort of wiggled a bit and came back. The third Acolyte whipped the Kyton chains through the air getting ready to rip another Angus apart. Except that Angus turned and threw his axe. It struck the Acolyte in the head, cutting a foot deep gash in it's skull. Acolyte fell to the ground.

“I’ll bet you have a splitting head ache now” Angus joked as he pulled his axe out on the Acolyte's skull. All the remaining Acolytes knew that Angus was real. However all of a sudden then Angus disappeared.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Casting a spell one of the Acolytes quickly filled the area with a stinking cloud of noxious fumes, making it hard to breath or see without eyes and lungs burning the mortals. Not from this plane of reality the acolytes were immune as magic missiles were cast.

Shifting from shadow to shadow M’Kael wrecked havoc on the acolytes as Van and Angus did damage as well. Climbing to it’s feet the Chain Acolyte ripped the axe from it’s skull even as the wound contorted and became a fanged maw of corruption.

“Devour them, my brethren,” it slurped as a huge pink tongue licked its lips.​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Angus

When the Acolyte split head grew into a mouth, Angus was ready to run. “I’m not sure how to kill something that can survive that kind of damage.” He thought to himself. The toxic gas cloud also was an encouragement.

Van’s illusion made it so Angus was leaving no trail. No hoofprint, no broken branches, nothing. As Van was invisible too, Angus had no idea which way to run. So, he just picked a direction and took off. It seemed to be working as the Acolytes were not following him.

Van

Van did not run. The toxic gas had no effect on him. He was invisible. He thought it might be fun to try something on these Acolytes. Banishment. He cast the spell on sonic blast Acolyte.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

The ground burned where the acolyte stood as it vanished. Snarling the chain acolyte chanted, summoning yeth hounds from the netherworld to this plane. Split face howled with the hounds as it ran after Angus, it’s long tongue making disgusting noises as it drooled on fanged teeth. If it caught him, it would eat him.

Slowly.

Chains whipped about and then darkness filled the area. Pulling a ring the chain demon slid it on before casting a ray horizontally across the clearing.

Dropping from the shadows of a tree M’Kael impaled the Acolyte with a branch, pinning it to the ground as the yeth hounds howled in the distance as they charged toward the area.​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Angus

Angus was running, but the howls were getting closer. Yeth, he did not know much about the creatures, but they had superb auditory and olfactory senses. He knew Van’s illusion was no longer helping him. Oh, and they were very fast! He now knew that too.

A bull might be a great fighting animal one on one, but against a pack of dogs it was in trouble. Angus knew he was in trouble.

“Time to out fox the foxes” he said to himself.

He saw a large tree ahead of him and leapt up and grabbed the lowest branch. He quickly scaled the tree enough so the nasty dogs could not jump up and bit him. His back was against the tree trunk and his axe out and ready.

“I might be treed… but they can’t get me” He thought to himself. “If they try, I’ll cut them down”

As the shadowy yeth approached their howls were shaking Angus’ courage. It was a terrifying sound.

“I wish they would just shut up” Angus thought.

Then he watched as the Yeth hounds took to the air. Flying magically towards him.

“FUCK” he yelled as he realized another thing a Yeth could do, that he did not know.

His axe sliced the first Yeth’s biting mouth as it yapped in pain and retreated.

“That might be the only way to shut these mother fuckers up!” Angus yelled

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Flickering from shadow to shadow M’Kael drew the rest of the hounds from Van as he moved deeper into the forest. Leaving Van to deal with the two Acolytes.

He wasn’t sure where he was headed but he was running from the hounds even as they left pursuit of Van.

Thunderous steps came from the trees as a behemoth of metal and meat trod forth. A nightmare blend of monsterous proportions the thing had four muscular arms and stood over nine foot in height as it swung a axe/maul in it’s arms.

“Kill the tiefling!” the Chain Acolyte shouted.​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Angus

Angus was in deep trouble as the Yeths were attacking him two at a time, and trying to pulling him from the tree. He’d swing his axe at one, scaring it off, but the other would try to latch on to an arm or his clothing. He’d avoided that so far, but it was just a matter of time before he failed.

“There is a reason dogs chase things up a tree, because in the end they win” Angus grumbled to himself. His mistake was looking more and more like it was going to be fatal.

The Yeths were now massing to attack him three at a time. Angus bent his knees getting ready to dance away from any that tried to bit him. Then Angus felt something even before he saw it, a shadow moving in the corner of his eye.

A massive shadow dragon appeared and breathed over the Yeths. Angus' brain had trouble making sense of what he saw. It took several moments before he put the dark scales, the sinuous neck, the flash of her white eyes, and the enormous curved claws - finally coalesced into his knowledge that this was Callo, in dragon form.

The howling death screams from the Yeths told him; her breath had killed them all. He was not surprised; she was almost right on top of them when she burst forth from the shadows.

“Callo… I’m I glad to see you” Angus gasped in relief.

Van

Van was floating silently with no smell or sound. His own protective illusion was prefect. Well, except for those with true sight.

"Banishment number 2" He cast another banishment spell this time at blade Acolyte.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Shimmering a bit, the blade acolyte flickered for a moment before vanishing, the massive flash and steel monstrosity swinging it’s blade wildly as it sought Van under his illusion.

The Chain Acolyte pulled the tree limb from it’s body as the wound closed, and chains whipped across the area filling every inch. Chanting quickly it summoned a deep fog which quickly rose from the ground.

Smiling evil the Acolyte pointed at Van. “You still displace air, foolish Tiefling. Kill him. Rip him apart.”

M’Kael:​

Stepping into the shadow of a tree, M’Kael teleported away stepping out of another Tree’s shadow a mile away, and closer to the battle zone.

With mist creating shadows everywhere he Pulled the Chain Acolyte into the shadow realm before dropping from a tree onto the monsters shoulders, his sword hacking at chunks of meat before he was thrown to the ground.​