[M] Tabula Rasa (F)

[Minkasha]

Icarus was not in the mood for social lightness that the drinking redhead had started up. Even more so as she explained herself to be villainous in lifestyle, which somehow provoked him. Deep down into the core of his heart did he discover a bubbling rage and disgust for her as she unveiled herself. And Gilliam took this opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

He gripped the staff given to him and it was the actual owner of the wooden weapon that just openly admitted to the murder of a young one. Physically did Icarus show a fierce and aggressive glare, those handsome eyes now filled with judgment in their brown beauty.

But turning his head quickly, his hair swooping, to Gilliam, he stepped closer to the table. Looming over the long haired man he dropped the staff, letting it slap against the table and then roll a bit on the ground of the tavern.

“I will not take arms from the murderer of the young” He shot a glance at Morana, now his fist grabbing into Gilliam’s robes, bent down so they were only inches apart, his eyes right into his former capturer’s. “And I will not accept silence from the secretive” There was a great charismatic power entwined in his proud voice. He was strong, bold, and confident. This straightforward force aimed now all at Gilliam.

“Speak, answer the question. Why do they want you?”

[Naraness]

"Hey, hey, hey!" Anna exclaimed, shocked when the man, who was still a stranger to her, stood and refused to take arms with them. She thought it was crude that he could judge them for their imperfections when he clearly had issues of his own to work out.

Her eyes narrowed when he gripped Gilliam's tunic, snarling in his face. The way he demanded answers seemed callused and aggressive. "Get off of him, you barbarian! God!" Anna hopped out of her stool, attempting to shove him off of the wizard. It was fairly unsuccessful, as the brutish man seemed to be made of rock.

Feeling he might've been angered by her touch, Rose ducked, expecting him to strike her or lash out in some way.

[Kris]

"I... Look... The thing is....", Gilliam mumbled under his breath, feeling the heavy aura, and hands that pulled at his robes, "I... this is a bit... I have something that... they want but-".

Anna's pleading were a merciful song, but no divine cared to listen..

Suddenly, Gilliam felt a great desire to rub his eyes. He did it few times before realizing that whatever that stuck in them wasn't planning to leave.

His eyes became watery and red, and soon even the air became somewhat suffocating. His vision became darker and his tongue felt like it was tasting...

Sand...



Shit

"It's her...", he mumbled, and then looked at everyone, "So she knows....", he swallowed and then looked at Icarus, "Tabula rasa... The principle by which individuals are born a blank slate... I stole this from them...".

Everyone's eyes were faced at Gilliam, "Don't look too surprised, I told you they were trying to revive someone... I stole his vessel... well part of it anyway... I wouldn't consider it even stealing but...".

The sand got thicker.

Gilliam ran outside, hearing footsteps following him.

A sole blue portal was outside the Golden Rod.



"I hate to do it, but I must go", he said, "This sand is unnatural, and will keep spreading... It's her way to summon me. Once I leave this village I will be carried away... If you truly wish to follow... or help... do it now, there will be a short time window for this sand portal to work, after which you won't be able to.

"The more I delay, the worse it will get....", he looked at Icarus, "Frankly, if I were you, I'd stay out of it, but it's up to you", he then looked at everyone, "And you", Gilliam then noticed Finbaz, "Same for you, the portal won't hold more than few minutes".

[Crazywolf]

Jala had watched the drama unfold around her. The dark haired woman in robes seemed like the craziest one of the lot. Jala didn't know if the other woman was serious about having killed a boy but if so then that admission was somewhat disturbing. If she had had to sum it up right there and then she would have said that all of them were completely crazy.

It was at that moment she first noticed the sand filling the air around the table. She could also feel her eyes and nose starting to itch as the sand-dust got into them. Gilliam's reference to individuals as blank states only confused her. But with the ominous sand increasingly filling the air she had no intention of staying where she was.

Following Gilliam outside she stood and stared at the portal.

"Help with what" she replied. "You haven't even told us yet why the leader they are bringing back is such a threat. How does this one guy threaten the whole world?"

[Dnafein]

Finbaz crossed his arms and glowered at the arguing compatriots he had recently acquired. Not only did none of them want to help him find his horse but they also were also getting angry at each other over the most ridiculous things. As he opened his mouth to comment on their silliness Gilliam started rubbing his eyes.

As the other wizard explained what he took, Finbaz recalled a question he asked himself in a cave and his eyes were drawn to Icarus. As the crowd moved outside Finbaz was pulled with them, silent as a war waged in the depths of his psyche.

The remaining sanity screamed at him to run, to turn his back and flee. It also demanded he do everything in his power to ensure Icarus never falls into the hands of those seeking Gilliam, especially if Icarus is what the old man thinks he is. The old man's eyes began to clear.

Finbaz opened his mouth and turned to Jala, "Imagine a being more powerful then anyone you ever met, who not only wields the power of a mage who has crossed into death and returned. But one who can also take anyone, or anything and strip from it everything that made it who it was. Turn it into a blank canvas it can then fill with whatever it wants to. Imagine someone who can take the you right out of you and turn your empty vessel into something you would never willingly be."

Inside his head however calm the exterior Finbaz battled against his raging insanity, which was coincidentally cackling like a mad man. Buried deep in the laughter was the source a single thought that was introduced and lost as his insanity saw the immediate humor in it. Unfortunately for the old wizard laughter is oft contagious.

Suddenly the thought returned, and his serious demeanor cracked. "And as you can tell by the sand, our time is running out." He started laughing at the reference, muttering to himself Finbaz walked towards the portal.

[V]

Wearily Morana lowered her body to lift the staff from the tavern floor. Words of Icarus in her ears as her fingers scraped dust along the wooden surface, her eyes blind white. Her heart beat with terrible jolts, over and over. Despite the loud conversation around she could hear her fingers grip the pole, she refused the conversation occurring and moved steps away to the window.

She saw nothing. She felt her body shake. Her mind echoed. In weakness she may have uttered, “assumptions.”

Murderer.
Murderer.
Murderer.
Murderer.

In the blankness of recession she had no answer, no defense, for the emerging self hate.

All the darkness of her inner voice found the outlet it most desired. Willingly it began to strike over and over again.

Once more pathetic. Once more what you deserve.
Using the dark catalyst of your existence to... what?
Such a flippant expression used in the most foolish of ways.

They have every right to assume incorrectly.

Murderer.

Morana closed her eyes, feeling the sand assaulting her physical body.

She remembered. She remembered the crowd. She remembered them all around her. She remembered smoke.

She wiped her eyes, the sand burning.

She remembered his mother. Her face so broken. She remembered her, the mother she had wanted to please, spit the word in her face.

Witch.

It was chanted. The smoke, sand, in her eyes.

It was all an accident.

Does not matter.

[Naraness]

Having ducked and moved away, Rose now noticed something... Strange. There on the ground, where she was now crouched, sand dusted the floor. She had to blink several times, trying to discern whether or not she was seeing correctly. "Maybe I did drink to much." She murmured, frowning. However, as she swept her hand over the floor, she could feel that the sand was indeed corporeal. Anna slowly rubbed the grains between her thumb and forefinger, glancing up when Gilliam started talking again. Her eyes widened when he ran out the door, towards an ethereal blue light.

Curious, Anna crawling under the table and then dashed outside. A cold breeze struck her as her eyes fell upon the object. "What is it?" She asked, her eyes wide with wonder as she gazed upon a luminescent gateway. Knowing nothing about magic, Anna could only assume that she knew what the circle of light did. Gilliam's words soon confirmed her suspicions. It was a portal... By the sounds of things, it wasn't going to a very nice place. Gilliam was being summoned by someone. Somehow, Anna didn't think that person would be happy to see him, or anyone else for that matter.

Anna Rose stared at the portal, her cloak fluttering in the wind. The people around her, who she still felt were strangers to her, seemed to fade away in her mind. Before her laid a single choice: Go or stay. If she stayed, she would return home to the people she knew and live out the rest of her life as a thief and a trickster. If she went through the portal, then she had the chance to become a hero. Anna slowly gulped, and stepped forward. She said nothing, simply going to stand by Gilliam's side. After a long moment of contemplation, she spoke.

"I'll go." Anna readjusted her cloak around her shoulders, standing up straight. Her sandy red hair brushed her cheek as a stray wind swept across her face. "Look, you all might have your reasons to stay or go. You might feel like your past is holding you down, or you don't want to be in the company of people like.. Me." Anna folded her arms, her gaze hardening. "But this is bigger than any one of us. I... I think we can do this, together." Anna swallowed hard, looking at the faces of the others who stood there. Jala, Morana, Iscarus... What would they choose?

[Minkasha]

Icarus had stared at the woman who laid her hands upon him. She ducked, and he was more offended that she thought him to hit her than anything else. Her words were poison, but not a drop made him sick.

Gilliam was ambiguous, but then feats of magic became him. Yet again it only proved how much a danger the man was to this world. A victim who drew trouble to him.

“Tabula Rasa…” the man’s words slowly whispered. Gilliam’s advice wasn’t noted. The man had stripped him of choice once, should he come or stay was only up to himself now.

Everyone was running to the portal. The strong morality took hold his heart again, to save others, he must save Gilliam.

Rushing, he went into the portal.

[Kris]

"Shouldn't you go with them?", said Ogg Ermin.

Morana hardly cared and seemed only busy with her thoughts.

That only got Ogg Ermin to be even more angry. He just wanted them all gone. The others have already left and some of them that still decided what to do next waited outside.

He wanted that girl gone too.

He picked her up by the cloths as he rushed to the door with her, holding as if she was a trash he needed to throw out.

Well, Of course, the inn keeper only cared for her to be thrown outside, but what happened next took even him by a surprise.

***

Gilliam was about to answer Jala when Morana was tossed outside.

The sand got thicker, and for some reason so did the wind.

Without understanding what followed, Morana got thrown into the portal.

Ogg Ermin looked surprised. He sure didn’t want the poor girl to be thrown at the portal… just outside.

Gilliam rushed after her trying to grab her hands. After all, it didn't look like she was willing to leave. But it failed.

"Damn!", Gilliam cursed as he jumped after her, without knowing if anyone else followed.

He was sure he felt Anna, Icarus and Finbaz, but was split from them as he was sucked into the worm hole.

Next… he found himself hitting sand.

It was rough and hot…

He felt himself drained and despite the fact he didn't know where he was, he realized he was alone. The others were sent here as well, but most likely had been isolated as well. He had to find them and guide them before....

"Get up!", he heard a familiar voice. He sighed.

He knew where he was now.

It was going to be complicated from here on out, and he only hoped the others, whoever that decided to follow him that is, were safe and in one piece.

To be continued…