Wizards and Warriors RP

OOC: No problem. Also, continuing this, as it is isolated from the others. Until all members meet back up, I shall post freely.

Zarak scratches Mars softly behind the ears, though this caused Poofers to paw at his arm, making soft mewling noises, demanding attention. Chuckling, Zarak used his free hand to scratch at Poofers. He then looks at Ghorn. "I've been here for quite a while." His eyes narrowed. "What trouble is there?" He waited anxiously for a response.

Zarak stops petting the familiars, nodding at his explanation. "How could a mist like that get by the school's security?" He asked himself, then shook his head, sighing. "A question for later. For now." He stood and extended his right hand. "I call upon the spirit of light, the sun itself, the bringer of warmth. I summon thee. Come, Aska!" As he incanted the summon, a soft light radiated from his hand, eventually erupting into a brighter flash of light that engulfed the room for a moment. When it subsided, a large, two headed phoenix stood behind Zarak, staring intently at Ghorn, then nodded, keeping its wings by its side. "Aska. This mist. Can you try and identify what it is?"

Aska simply nodded and closed its eyes. "The mist is not the work of one of us spirits. The mana is..... Foreign to say the least. However, it seems to fear concentrated mana, hence its dispersal at the young kitsune's wind magic." Aska's voice was calm, analytical, but gentle as well, the voice of a king, or a lord, one who has dominion over many. "Presumably, the mist could be pushed back with a large enough blast of magic, however, with the students of magic disappearing, and the teachers and headmasters nowhere to be seen, we lack the manpower to accomplish such a feat."

"So, you're out of ideas, then?" Zarak inquired, raising an eyebrow at his companion.

Aska responded with a small, derisive scoff, a breath of warm air escaping him. "Hardly. As a being of pure mana, that fog shouldn't be able to come anywhere near me. As long as I am summoned, and you stay close, I can keep you safe." He then looked at Ghorn. "Ah, forgive my manners." Aska shimmered, his form shrinking to a man with long, blonde hair, wearing a pure white suit, his eyes glowing amber, extending a hand to Ghorn. "I am Aska, spirit of the sun, of light and fire. And you are?"

Aska shakes his head. "I can sense the general life force of an area, feel the mana exuded by various living creatures, and get a feeling for approximately how much life is in an area. I cannot sense the specific life force of anyone but my summoner." He glanced at Zarak, who gave a small nod, signalling for Aska to continue. "However, find anything on that mist in here. If it was, the headmasters would have made a countermeasure to it. They are, after all, the ones who put all the books here." He cracked his neck softly, moving to the door. "Come. If your friends are out there, we must find them." He tapped the door, the seal disappearing and dissipating, the fog that had gathered around the door scattering, forming a circle, moving away from him. "Its sentience is of no question. It does live, but seems to be parasitic, feeding off the life energy of its host. It does not consume its victims, but where they go is still unknown." Aska nodded and continued walking, his footsteps making a path through the fog. "It is very basic, living only on instinct. It fears me, so we shall be safe."

Zarak nodded and followed close behind Aska, looking at Ghorn. "Coming along, Ghorn?" He grins. "I'm Zarak, by the way. Light magic user." He patted his leg, and Poofers meowed, scampering over the floor and climbing up into the hood of his cloak.

Aska reaches out and touches Mars softly on the forehead. "Yes. Mars is a being of mana, though his is not strong enough to dispel the fog, like mine. However, he can safely traverse the fog, as can my summoner's familiar." Aska focused, the circle growing around him, dispelling the fog enough that the group could walk comfortably, without tripping over each other. "Now, let's get going."

Zarak nodded, setting Poofers down. "Poofers. I want you to go out and search for survivors outside of the fog, okay?" Poofers nodded and mewled softly, dashing off ahead of the group, towards Yunero, the fog not affecting the familiar. "Now, if Poofers finds anyone, I'll know. Be they good or ill." He stretched his arms, then placed one hand on his longsword's grip with practiced ease, maintaining a look of, for lack of another expression, casual threat, like a lion that was laying down, relaxed, but had its legs tensed, ready to pounce.

In the world of spirits, Oritigo sat in the swirling ethers, absorbing mana in its purest form, restoring himself to his full power. He knew of what was occurring at the school, but could do nothing. If he left now, he would lose the progress he had made, and have his energy drained until he returned there, becoming more of a burden than a help. Just three days was all he needed now. Three more days.

Zarak nodded and tapped Ghorn on the shoulder to get his attention. "Well, first, you must understand what spirits are. Spirits are beings bound by a pact to a summoner, with a vow being the basis of the pact. The vow gives a bond between the souls of the spirit and the summoner, allowing the summoner to call forth the spirit. This, however, only applies to major spirits, spirits of greater power, such as Aska here." Aska bowed his head in acknowledgement. "More minor spirits, usually unnamed or of lesser power, need no pact to be summoned, although they cannot hold a physical form for as long as the stronger spirits can, meaning their existence on this plane is temporary, short lived, and cannot be summoned again for a while. Obviously, it is more advantageous to form a pact with a major spirit. Summoning takes quite a bit of time and study to perform even one summon, and, should someone else in this vast world have already summoned the spirit you are trying to call, then it will remain unanswered. Major spirits, however, can only bond to one summoner. Their calls will always be answered, and need less time to recover, usually under an hour, as opposed to hours to days for minor spirits." He nodded and took a breath, hoping Ghorn followed. "Now, for making a pact. There are a couple of things you need to know. First is where to find the spirit you wish to make a pact with. Most major spirits like to take up a single point at which they appear, associated with their preferred mana type. For example, the spirit, Undine, resided in a cave nearby, near a lake that was within the cave, the lake connected to various lakes and to the ocean through underground waterways. Others have temples devoted to them where they reside. One such example is Shadow, the spirit of darkness. He has a large, complex temple made in his honor, and half the challenge is finding his altar, having to navigate through pitch blackness." He smiled. "However, there is one more thing that one needs to make a pact." He holds his hand out to Ghorn. "A ring, blessed by the spirit you wish to make a pact with. Some spirits will test you, and give you the ring personally. Others will leave their ring somewhere in the world, relying on destiny to bring them a strong pact maker. And, in a few cases, some form labyrynthine traps to hide their ring, letting any who want the reward work for it." He nodded. "However, what you must realize is that the vow you make to the spirit at the time of making the pact is one you must uphold. If a summoner breaks the vow they make to the spirit, the bond between them will be severed. This is a particularly painful experience for the summoner, as part of their soul would be ripped out of them. However, if your vow is not strong enough, there will not be a strong enough bond between summoner and spirit, and, though the pact would have been successful, you will not be able to summon the spirit. It would be like trying to pull a boulder with a silk thread." He nodded again. "That's about it. Any questions?"

Zarak smiled at Ghorn. "No need to worry. A familiar is a creature that has its existence tied to its master. Normal creatures can, over time, become familiars if the bond between them and their master grows strong enough. Poofers is one such example. If Mars has been with you for as long as he has. If you want to talk with him, though, you'll need to research that. It's gotten to the point with Poofers and I that I can just tell what he's trying to say, but he's done more than just be there for me." Zarak sat down, Aska having already taken a seat for now. "But, to me, it does certainly sound like Mars has become your familiar by now."

Poofers reached the courtyard and let out a meow, looking around, seeing if anything moved in response, trying to find someone.

Poofers saw the orange glows, and mewled, rushing towards the light, and gently pawing at Yurnero's leg, looking up at him, his eyes shimmering, giving the best innocent look he could.

Zarak nods. "Yep. At this point, Poofers has been with me so long that his life is based on my mana. As long as I live, he lives. When I die, he'll hopefully have enough time to find a new partner and live on." He smiled and looked at Mars. "Nah. Chocolate isn't really my thing."

Aska cleared his throat. "As much as this conversation is riveting, don't we have some survivors to find?" He gave the group a stern look.

Zarak winced slightly at Aska's words. "A-Ah, right." He stood up and stretched. "Let's get moving." The two waited for Ghorn to stand up before moving.

Zarak nods. "All right. Poofers has found someone, but he knows that now." He smiles softly. "But, either way, we could have a survivor on our hands." He follows Aska, following behind him, making sure that Yurnero didn't get left behind.

Aska sighs. "Damn. I can't contact any of the pacted spirits here." He frowns. "Undine, Luna, Salamander, none of them." He shakes his head and keeps walking forward.