To Remain Behind

[kuroi_taiyo]

Who: Judar, Cu Chulainn, Chikusa, Ken, Chinatsu (maybe some more???)

When: March 15th

Where: The Central District

What: Everyone else in Xihe's temple disappeared, leaving just Judar and his things on an empty lot. Things result. Seems pretty extra? Think of the people who were in that temple. Seems about right with that, don't it?




Not long before the announcement went on the network, with Aymeric announcing the disappearance of Izumo, Judar woke up to a cold and rude awakening. Cold, for there was no longer the influence of the temple's nature, but he was also outside. Just as all his things were around him, on the ground. Clothes, papers, electronics and the 'caffeine' machine, as Judar had dubbed it.

No building, no people, no horses taking up space- leaving him alone.

For a good few minutes, there was the shock of everything being the way it was. The next few were filled with laughter at how ridiculous it all was, given the thoughts and kinds of conversations he's had. And instead of going through all the steps of grief and loss, Judar focused on one step as the splotches of darkness started covering his back and neck.

Anger.

Spirals of lightning to the sky, looking like violent purple dragons as tall walls of ice took over the empty and abandoned property to leave the teenager to further fits of fury hidden behind the magic-made barriers.

Comments

Discovery

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ The thread for Caster finding and naming Judar ]

[futhark]

[ You can't miss that kind of magic-storm. If you're a magic-inclined Servant it's even less likely. There is a difference between fighting, or practicing or even just fooling around- and this. This "what the hell is happening here."

There aren't many mages, not that Caster is aware of at least, so while he doesn't draw a suspect list as he goes to investigate, he knows there is a chance of finding a familiar face.

At least there is no giant sword in the sky, but that only could make it worse.

When he reaches the area and condensation of magic (or at least what he reads as magic energy) moves to off-the-charts levels, something needs to be done. Like for example, throwing few runestones circling the area, to create a field that will at least contain all the mana and magical shenanigans to some extent. The thought to siphon the excess does cross his mind-- Writing the runes would make for far more effective and stronger barrier but also would require more time. So nope, only the final rune, the most important one, gets to be written down. Quick bite down on a thumb, three red lines on the stone - he could write them in his sleep, thanks Scáthach - and bam. The field is complete- how well it works is yet to be seen.

Then there is the second step- To write the wards onto himself and jump right into the fray, counting on the whole Servant sturdiness and own magic for protection, while yelling-- ]

The hell you're doing?!?!

[ Of course. ]

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Oh, yes. Gods could get in wherever they wanted- However, in winter with walls of ice on every side, it was even colder than the rest of the heavens right now. Magic was both being slung in the air and palpable- to where a violent and angry purple of energy was surrounding the responsible party for all of this.

And when Judar turned around, splotches of blight could be seen crawling up the young man's neck- but more importantly and more dangerously in some cases, it seems the magician had gotten a bit of an upgrade. The wand he normally had still had a red gem and was made of a dark material, but was no longer a wand. Instead of was a longer staff, with the whole design practically putting his anger out on display with the black spikes/blades that curled around the gem. More so was the third eye open on his forehead, with a kind of power that anyone sensitive to magic could sense- both with power and the darkness that it contained.

He'd been distracted by the sudden shouting, but there was a target for the wrath he felt inside, which the blight on his body was only encouraging. Lifting the staff up, he just shouts- ]

Thalg Al-Salos!

[ And a wide array of spears made of ice appear in the air, sending themselves flying in the direction and towards the Caster ]

[futhark]

[ Of course. Who else? Who else till now has exhibited such strong skills and talent for elemental magic? Running into a familiar face, he called it- The blight is a surprise, and so is the darkness. Are there related? Unlikely, the eye seems to be something of Judar's, not the blight.

Are they intertwined and can possibly strengthen one another? Who knows, but that is definitely a possibility.

Is he turning? Is there a way to stop it? Doesn't look like there is a possibility to talk, though, with ice spears appearing in the air and all that- that's kind of a first thing to deal with. He complains, mostly to himself- ]

A week from hell it really is--

[ It's a pure reflex, throwing the most strengthened ansuz rune he can. Fiery explosion meeting flying ice spears. Sure there are other ways to deal with the incoming barrage- Throw a barrier, attempt to nullify the cold, rise one's agility and speed temporarily to sick amounts to dodge the incoming shards. But at the end of the day, Caster's affinity is fire. He's still moving, so he, if anything goes through he will try to dodge- if knives can count for protection from arrows to work, so should spears. Shortening a distance between them is the main goal now. ]

Is that how you say hello to everyone?

[kuroi_taiyo]

Fuck off.

[ It's kind of soft, not really expecting or anticipating someone trying to advance towards him. So while he floats back, there's a wild anger in his eyes that could be seen by the pin-prick size of his pupils, and expected by... Well, the current surroundings, for one. ]

This isn't your place, so get out!

[ More of those spears of ice, now joined by streams of violently black lightning; similar to how black light isn't actually black, but ultraviolet in appearance. The ice is still the expected color of magic ice, but he's already started messing with the base properties of one element, as things look to be. ]

Ablution

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Other threads can be made for contact, but this thread is for people getting on-site and the ablution proper. ]

[kokuyoyo]

[When Chikusa had heard that he was being requested for an ablution, he hadn't been particularly surprised. After all, he's come to the realization that people are under the impression that he's one of the better shinki magic spellcasters among their new generation... a fact that honestly might be true, when he thinks about it. At least, Shun certainly seems to think so, and, if someone like Shun had paid attention to that sort of thing, then Chikusa supposes it can't be surprising that others have similar views.]

[Besides, at one point, he'd made a post on the network telling people to stop being idiots about their guilt. He might be due for another one.]

[However... When he'd heard that it was Judar who needed one, he'd almost wanted to refuse and with no small amount of relish. If that idiot magician was going to kill himself (and maybe some other people around him), then by all means. Chikusa would be fine with it. However, then he'd thought about how much of a pain in the ass Ayumu had apparently been after she had become an ayakashi, which would potentially make it his problem anyway...]

[And, more importantly, he'd looked across the room to where Ken was and had gotten an idea.]

[He'd explained it rather bluntly to his boyfriend when asking his interest. Neither of them particularly care if Judar lives or dies, after all. That means he's the perfect target for some ablution practice. If they fail, nothing of value will have been lost.]

[And if they succeed... Chikusa is certain that Ken will feel more confident and reliable in his abilities. That part, he doesn't dare actually tell his partner. No reason to jinx himself, after all.]

[So it's with that agreed on for his boyfriend and telling Caster that he had a second that Chikusa arrives at the spot where he's been directed to perform this whole mess. Mukurou is already on his shoulder, just in case he needs to force Judar into compliance... and he already has one phone in his hand that he's tapping on. He's getting Shun's number ready, just in case things start to go wrong. Ken's phone is in his pocket, an item he'd had to barter with Pookie for since the cat apparently uses it more than his boyfriend does.]

[He speaks without even looking up.]

What are his vessel names, and his gods?

[futhark]

[ Sometimes a cat just got to hone reflexes hunting virtual fishes on a screen- it's a cat thing. ]

None, his god has disappeared. [ That's probably why he is in such bad shape in the end. Among many other things. Now there is only a question- Does it make the whole ritual easier, or harder? Admittedly, Caster never did look too much into the ablution thing. Especially since it's strictly related to shinki magic, one that is unavailable to gods, even if it's the names they give that enable it.

Shit- now that he thinks of it. It's true that shinki without names are unable to protect themselves from ayakashi. If anything lack of name would make the ritual harder, if not outright impossible if the usual rules of magecraft are applied here. Well, he started it, if you say A, you gotta say B, it's a no-brainer to him what the next step could be. ]

But if a god and a name is required for the ritual, leave that to me. [ He'll do the deed- if the ablution is a success and Judar wants to go somewhere else, taking back the name isn't an issue. For now, he leaves information that Archer is on his way too, just in case. As a potential back-up or as someone to just collect what will be left here.

If ablution fails, he's the only god on the side, and to slay an ayakashi one needs shinki's help.

Chikusa indeed has earned himself quite a reputation as a specialist in shinki magic. In Caster's mind if he can gather a team of his own, people he trusts with their knowledge and experience there is no need to mess with that. ]

[junkyarddog]

[Ken is a touch more invested than Chikusa thinks he is in all this, if only just a touch. He's talked to Judar a couple times, although certainly not enough to be deeply committed to his well-being. Still, he hadn't seemed necessarily bad - definitely a troublemaker, but mostly causing trouble for the heavens and not them, so Ken has no real issue with that - so Ken has no real reason to just leave the guy to his fate. Especially since Ken's rather more empathetic than his partner, and can't help feeling a pang or two at the thought of someone in a position he and Chikusa have both been in being abandoned to die.

When he hears what Caster says about Judar having lost his god - that this is presumably the reason he's blighted and needs an ablution - the pangs become a bit sharper.]

That's like what happened to us, Kakipi. [He gives Chikusa a sidelong look.]

[redmare]

[ Chinatsu didn't even think about it twice when she heard that Judar needed an ablution. Not even some sarcastic comment on what he did for things to have gone this far. After seeing his dreams, she'd grown more sympathetic. He might be an ass, but..everyone had their story.

She arrived with no complaints, nodding at Chikusa, Ken, and Caster. ]

Just tell me what to do.

[ She won't argue or contradict. She wanted to do this right. ]

Post-Ablution 3/20 and onwards

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ An ablution that involved as much darkness as it had doesn't go without notice. Now Judar's actually awake and, while still getting used to the new surroundings and animals, more accessible and available for visitors. While still a little drained, perhaps... That's for the best? ]

[futhark]

[ Caster got on his feet probably a bit faster than Judar. Though he still slept like a log for a day or two. Ablution surely is serious business, but now that he sees Judar is up, at least more regularly than "wake up, get hydrated, disappear in the room" he figures it's time to approach-

There are matters to discuss after all.

On the floor where the personal rooms are, near the stairs that open and lead down on the main hall, there is a small gallery. Usually empty, but right now few big pillows are thrown there on the floor. Caster is sitting on one of them, peeling an apple. When he hears the door open, he takes one of the fruits still in the basket and rolls them on the floor so they might hit a foot of someone walking this way.

If they're walking, of course ]

Yo, got a moment to sit here with me?

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ After a big ol' dog tries to trip you up in going out of your room to piss, and probably more than once, one goes to moving around with some other methods after they have the energy to spare for such spells. Which is why he's floating out the door and towards the stairs, in case some dog's teeth decided to grab onto his pants again.

He was lowering back to the ground enough to still feel the brush of an apple rolling underneath. What is it with tripping hazards here???

With the end of his staff, Judar smacks the apple to roll back towards Caster. ]

... Is this where you tell me to work on finding a replacement or something?

[ He was ready to get tossed away, for some reason, but it's probably because Judar was still raw in a lot of ways. Something was different, and he didn't feel as solid or consistent as before. His energy felt different, to himself, and his head felt weird. ]

the temple of tripping hazard is the new official name

[futhark]

[ Caster lets the apple to stop at his foot. At which he's just tempted to let it roll back. But for now, he lets it stay where it is. ]

You don't have to sit if you don't want to. I won't be telling ya what to do. [ Ah, he's not surprised by this response. There's been A LOT that happened and each person is different in how much time exactly they need to spring back on their feet. Caster is already in his chill mode, but he's still recovering. And if he's got moments when he feels like shit, Judar most likely has it much worse.

This answer makes him wonder though. The visions he got, death memories, glimpses of more. Caster can't claim he's close to understanding Judar, but maybe he's closer than he was before. In the end, that would matter only if he decides to stay in the temple, and Caster fully intends to let him know it's a choice.. ]

I'm just wondering where on the scale of "I feel like shit" you are.

[ Translation note: kind of concerned "so how do you feel?" ]

how many official names is that now?

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Look, he's trying to read the situation, and determine whether or not some dog is going to sit on him, before doing anything. He's still not sure what this is going to be about, and his defenses were still pretty high right now. ]

There's supposed to be a scale?

[ Ah... But he is still a little worn out. So Judar finally touches ground and falls onto one of the giant pillows. Quite literally, too, as it's just a drop down onto the cushion. ]

I was kinda torn apart during that whole thing. So I guess I'm still stitching myself together in some ways.

[boneofsword]

[Of course with new addition to the temple all four dogs make their best or worst to get to know him. Their methods vary - in Regal, and Sleepy's case it's a simple sniff and a friendly nudge. Regal is too dignified and Sleepy too apathetic to attempt anything else. While both Pal and Lucky - the one and only eternal puppy - are agressively friendly and very energetic.

At least Pal has been trained to not pounce any newcomers.

When Archer notices that one or two dogs are missing and the sounds coming from the residential floor he goes to rescue Judar from the hyperactive fluff.]

It's good to see you're up. Do you need anything?

[He's the one that carried both Caster and Judar (with all his things) back to the temple, chose a suitable room and dropped him on bed. All of Judar's things -minus the espresso machine which is in the kitchen - are there. It's a nice room, spacious, with a big, low table perfect for taking notes or studying, and bookshelves that now are filled with Judar's notebooks.]

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ He's met one of them for sure, while he was still in a state of only waking up enough to go to the bathroom and passing out again. Judar just had no way of knowing which did it, due to his state of mind back then. That was probably a day or so ago, though, and even now Judar couldn't really tell them all apart.

All he knew was that his caffeine maker was somewhere around here, and he was stuck floating in the air with a shield around him to keep these dogs off of him. If they landed, he'd definitely be pinned to the ground.

The mental image of a cat with an arched back and high tail, with all the hairs standing up on ends, was too easy to imagine from Judar's current situation. Even if he lacked the energy to go to that extreme. The magi's hackles are raised, though! ]

I need these mutts to knock it off.

[boneofsword]

[Right. When one's tall and pure muscle he's not going to get squished under affectionate fluff. Not so much a typical squishy mage, despite the nice muscles.]

Your floating makes them think you want to play. [nevermind that dogs are curious creatures, and a source of new scent at home requires investigation.] Pal here is tryng to welcome you the best he can.

[It makes for amusing mental image, but isn't advised in the long run. Archer calls the dog and Pal comes to him obediently, tail wagging and ears perked up, and looks at Judar. Then back at Archer. Why the new one invites dog to play and then doesn't?

Archer just shakes his head. He has a feeling he's going to have his hands full in the upcoming weeks.]

Pal, sit. [surprisingly all dogs listen to him. No wonder since he's the resident cook. Archer turns to Judar.] Can you drop the shield and stand still for a moment to let Pal get acquainted with your scent? He won't bother you so much afterwards.

[kuroi_taiyo]

I started floating with a shield when one of them grabbed my ankle and tried to trip me earlier.

[ Aside from just lazing in front of his door, to be a safety hazard in that way as well. Either way, Judar was hesitating to listen to the request or anything like that. Probably because, unsurprisingly, they don't listen to a stranger that doesn't even know their names. ]

... If he tries anything funny, I'm sending him back several feet.

[ But fine. After another second or so, Judar lands onto the ground again and drops the shield. Of course he's got the expected crossed arms, as if he's expecting something to go bad instantly. ]

[redmare]

[ Chinatsu leans against the door frame as she looks him over, a plastic bag in her hand. ]

You look like crap.

[kuroi_taiyo]

Shut up.

[ He looks like crap because he feels like crap. Ablutions weren't meant to be shaken off easily, regardless of how they result.

The main difference between this and his old bedroom is that the notebooks were all set up on bookshelves instead of strewn about. Probably because he hasn't touched them since Emiya brought everything over and put it all away. Also, congratulations. Because he was resting in his room, she gets to see him shirtless. The bottom half is covered by a blanket. ]

[redmare]

[ She brushes off his words, which to her, were a good sign. Chinatsu wals over and sits on the edge of his bed, dropping the bag on his lap. ]

A ball of sunshine as always.

[There were some chips in there, ice cream, different falvored kitkats and pocky. And some drinks too. ]

3/22

[pure_radiantics]

[ Kairi floats over on her borrowed cloud, Nimbus, towards where she'd sensed that massive amount of Darkness a week earlier. She starts way up high so that she can be sure that her eyes aren't playing tricks on her. ]

This has got to be it.

[ Only now did she feel prepared enough to brave whatever might have occurred here. She'd sensed ayakashi before and this seemed like something way more intense. That's why she thought that she'd need to make arrangements, plus bring Joy with her, everything.

Slowly, she descends from several miles up, back down towards the Far Shore. ]

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Conveniently enough, while Archer had collected everything that was left behind with Judar upon Izumo's arrival, Judar was back to the abandoned temple lot. Partially to think, cope, process, or whatever else was going on after everything that had happened. There was still plenty of environmental scars around the area as well, from lingering ice to relatively small fissures along the ground that had scorch marks coming from them.

Kairi had met Judar before, with how far in darkness he'd been and how ready he was to try and learn whatever he could from the more seasoned shinki.

Now he was Lighter, though he held plenty of darkness in him, to something closer to being in-between the two senses. Floating low while laid out on the black staff, he was close enough to just barely touch the ground if he'd let his arm hang straight down.. ]

Guess I may as well at this point...

[ Not realizing that Kairi was about to descend upon him, he hopped off the staff and gave it a very lazy wave. One that sent all the ice away in a dispersal of energy that faded and returned to the world again. ]

[pure_radiantics]

Whoa!

[ Kairi shouts a little and ducks even further back on the cloud, waiting for the energy dispersal to finish before peering out again. She's still a few feet in the air as she looks down and sees the person there, so she gets lower. Only then does she squint, finally recalling that appearance from the single time they met. ]

You're... aren't you Judar?

[ She keeps looking around anyway. ]

Are you okay? This place...