forum "Wait, you... you're... magic?" "Darling, what do you think?" (Reboot Fantasy o/o Closed)

Started December 03, 2022 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

Elizabeth took a few quiet steps backward as she listened to the conversation. She wasn't happy with how the man was insulting Farah but the former marine knew better than to attack him head-on. Especially when the two magic users confirmed what he was… Which gave Elizabeth a pretty good idea why he was here. Though she hoped she was wrong.

Obviously, he didn't seem to know that she was there, or perhaps he didn't care since he locked everyone else in the bathroom. The blood witch had a target and his own goal. Magicless humans were not important to him. She continued to quietly move away but she wasn't quite sure what to do. On one hand, her training said to get the civilians out of here but she didn't know if he could control multiple people at the same time… If not, now would be a good time to launch a sneak attack and get him away from Farah.

Sebastian approached Farah calmly and stopped directly in front of her. Both of their eyes were still red as he continued to use his magic. "I could snap your neck right now if I wanted to," he hissed, lifting a hand and pressing his fingers against the side of her neck. "I've done it to others before. It would be so easy…" Farah inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. She mentally begged Elizabeth to run and prepared for what seemed to be inevitable now.

"But for some reason, Rosalind wants you alive."

Farah's eyes flew open just as Sebastian reached to grip her throat. She let out a strangled gasp, and suddenly, it was like he was drawing away her energy. No, not her energy. Her magic. He was stealing her magic.

It took maybe twenty seconds, and when Sebastian had finished, he released her neck from his grip. Then, he took a few steps backward and withdrew the magic that was keeping her in place. Farah collapsed to the ground, feeling tired and weak. She coughed and gagged on the air before glaring up at him. Her muscles had been so tense with his magic that now she was trembling.

Sebastian smirked at her and inhaled deeply. "She was right… you are powerful. Or should I say… you were," he gloated.

Elizabeth stumbled, banging into a book cart when she heard the man mention Rosalind’s name. That was something she had not been expecting at all… Why would a blood witch be working for the very person who was responsible for a massacre?

She let out a soft curse at the noise she made and quickly ran down an aisle to put as much distance as she could between her and the attacker. Regrettably, she grabbed a thick encyclopedia as one of the only things she could use as a weapon… Though she was hating the fact that she hadn't brought her gun but she perked up a little when she remembered the can of mace in her purse.

Sebastian turned his attention away from Farah quickly at the noise. He thought everyone in the library – all of the humans, at least – were trapped in the bathroom.

His eyes glowed silver-blue for a moment instead of red, and Farah realized, horrified, he was using her abilities to track Elizabeth. She gritted her teeth and rose from the floor. Before the blood witch had a chance to react, Farah leaped at him and forced him to the ground. Then, she was blown back by a startlingly powerful burst of telekinesis. Her back hit the wall, and she sunk to the floor again as the wind was knocked out of her. Was that really how strong her magic was???

Sebastian smirked. "Nice try, Farah. I'll deal with you in a minute. So please, don't try to run. As much as I'm supposed to deliver you back to the Otherworld alive, I don't tolerate disobedience. And neither does Rosalind."

With that, he set off to find Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was deceptively calm in this situation. She never thought that she would be back in a fight but it was surprising how easily everything was coming back to her. Her breathing was calm and steady, despite how her heart was pounding, as she went back to walking quietly. She did have a plan as she was actually moving closer to where she had last heard Sebastian. But she wasn't thinking about it. She didn't want Farah to read her mind and have her give anything away.

She dropped into a crouch and froze for a moment as she briefly caught sight of him through a gap in the bookshelves before throwing a second book further down the aisle to either distract him or get him to follow the noise.

Sebastian stalked through the aisles of books, looking for Elizabeth, while Farah was still trying to catch her breath. She'd only ever had the wind knocked out of her maybe twice. No one was usually able to get close enough to her to deliver that wicked of a hit. Her magic usually kept them at bay. But now it was her magic being used against her.

Farah finally managed to draw in a breath, and she winced as she tried to stand. She had to get up and help Elizabeth. Sebastian would be even more powerful with Farah's magic.

The blood witch jerked his head at the sound of the book. He narrowed his eyes and began to start towards it. "Stupid humans," he growled before stopping and listening for a moment. Farah's powers weren't what he needed, so he tapped back into his own. He heard Elizabeth's racing heart and smirked. "You can't hide from me," he hissed as he changed his course.

“Stupid yourself, witch.” Elizabeth growled back, having darted behind him when he fell for her diversion, and slammed the book against the back of his head before delivering a swift kick to his side. Hopefully he was at least somewhat winded as she dropped the book and pulled out the mace.

Sebastian's eyes rolled back into his head, and he crumpled to the ground. The heavy book had knocked him out completely.

Farah rushed over as quickly as she could hearing someone collapse. She prayed it wasn't–

"Elizabeth!" she cried out, relieved to see the woman standing over an unconscious Sebastian holding a heavy-looking book. "Oh, my gods! Are you alright?" Farah asked quickly. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Elizabeth spun around when she heard Farah call her and relaxed a little at seeing the fairy back on her feet. “Me? What about you? You're the one he was threatening.” she pointed out in concern. “Don't worry about me. He didn't even see me.” she assured as she took a slow breath to calm down.

Farah sighed with relief that Elizabeth was okay. "I'm…" She stopped herself from finishing that sentence. Whatever she was about to say would've been a lie. "He took my magic," she said instead, curling her fingers into fists. "You're sure he didn't see you?"

“He what?” she exclaimed, looking back at the unconscious male. “I didn't know that could happen. Can you get it back or…” she trailed off, closing her eyes and taking another breath. “Yes. I'm sure.” she nodded. “I've been on plenty of stealth missions before. First time I've attacked anyone with a book before.” she added with a light chuckle.

Farah stiffened. "Yes. Blood witches can steal fairy magic," she murmured. "It can only be returned if the witch willingly returns it… or is killed." Farah jerked her head over in the direction of the bathrooms as the yells reached her ears. "I worry about letting them free if Sebastian is still here," she remarked quietly, narrowing her eyes at the witch at her feet. She had so many questions.

Elizabeth sighed at both Farah’s answer and the situation they were in. “Ok… Obviously, getting the cops involved would not be a good idea.” she muttered more to herself before she looked back at Sebastian. “We need answers.” she said definitively. “How much do you think this clown weighs?”

"Definitely not." Farah pressed her lips together. "We do," she agreed cautiously. "But if he wakes up, he'll be free to access magic again. I don't have magic to read his thoughts while he's out, and I don't have any runic limiters with me to keep him from accessing magic when he wakes up." She glanced over at Elizabeth skeptically. "What are you thinking?" she asked, arching her eyebrows to accompany her question.

“I’m thinking that we can't leave him here and that we're the only ones who can deal with him.” she admitted. “So… I’ll carry him, either back to my place or the woods where we met, and I can tie him up if that’ll help any. I… I have a gun if we need it. And you can let them out once I get him out of the building.” she explained, gesturing briefly towards the bathroom where everyone else was locked up.

Farah was already shaking her head aggressively. "No, absolutely not. You're not taking him anywhere by yourself. Tying him up won't help either. He could just use his abilities and get one of us to untie him." Her eyes widened slightly. "The gun is also a no. Absolutely no weapons. He could make us use them on each other. And if anyone is going to be carting his sorry ass out of this building, it will be me. I won't let you."

Elizabeth raised a brow at the blatant refusal and met Farah’s stare stubbornly. “Excuse me if this sounds rude but have you actually had experience carrying someone any length of distance without your magic? Because I have. I’ve carried men and women at least twice my size when both of us were decked out with our gear.” she pointed out, omitting the part where they were also being shot at at the time. “Unless you have a better idea, we're still going to be standing here when he wakes up. Then we’ll be in real trouble.”

Farah straightened, subdued anger swirling inside of her. While she felt it, she no longer had magic to channel the emotion into, and she found that it was easier to manage it. "Yes, I have experience," she answered shortly. "I don't rely on my magic to do everything." Still, she glared down at Sebastian's unconscious body. "We both need to get him out of here. I won't let you go alone. If he wakes up and I'm not there…" She shook her head. "If I am there, he might spare you and take me instead. I can't afford anyone getting hurt because of me again, Elizabeth. Not you, not anyone."

Elizabeth nodded, putting up her hands at the tone. “Alright. That's fair.” she said. She’d apologize properly later. “I can agree with that… But you said that it wasn't a good idea to let the people out while he’s here and the only way around that is for one of us to get a head start with him.” she pointed out before looking back at Farah. “He might… But if you think I'm going to stand aside and let this yahoo try to take you, you need to think again. I’m a soldier. I can handle myself in a fight and I'm not letting you do this alone.”

Farah narrowed her eyes as she intently watched Sebastian. Her eyes did not move from him in case he woke. "I did, but that's also not what I meant," she muttered. A wry smile grew on her lips at Elizabeth's words against Farah's will. "Believe you, mostly," she agreed quietly, her voice softening. "I know you are a soldier. And I know you won't let me stand alone. You're two out of three."

Her gaze finally broke from the unconscious blood witch so she could look Elizabeth in the eye as s spoke with deadly seriousness in her voice. "I understand that you can handle yourself in a fight. Believe me, I do." Her eyes reflected her worry for the other woman as she finished her thought. "But not in a fight against magic."

Elizabeth met Farah’s gaze and nodded slightly. “Fair. I may not have gone against magic before but unless we can get this guy to give you yours back, we’re in the same boat.” she pointed out. Yes, she knew Farah had more knowledge and experience with magic in general but she didn't know how much Farah could handle a fight. “Or… If you have a way to contact your friends, we might have a better chance.” she added thoughtfully.

Farah opened her mouth to argue, but she realized that Elizabeth was right, much to her annoyance. She’d nearly forgotten about Sebastian stealing her powers. Though at the mention of her friends, Farah glanced down at the ring on her thumb.

“I can, yes,” she answered slowly, thoughtfully. “But I do not want them to be dragged into this mess. I’ve already done enough to them.”

“Hey,” Elizabeth said softly as she gently lifted Farah’s hand with the tattoo. “I might not know much about the Otherworld but here… You don't get a tattoo with someone and shut your back to them because of something they had no control over.” she said, referring to what the fairy had told her about Aster Dell. She figured that was what her friend was talking about with her last comment. “You didn't do anything to them. And I know, if I was in their position right now, I’d be worried about you. I’m actually a little surprised that none of them have already shown up here to check on you.”

Farah's expression softened, and she looked from Elizabeth's face to her tattoo. The woman's words were painfully accurate. She'd done exactly that while simultaneously blaming herself for the tragedy that had occurred at Aster Dell.

We should have questioned her. No. Farah wouldn't have dared. That was the problem. Rosalind knew that if she had told the battalion that she couldn't evacuate the civilization, they would've said no. And she'd have been right. Farah needed to stop blaming herself, at least for the time being. There were more pressing matters to attend to with an unconscious blood witch on the ground who had stolen her magic.

"Well," she admitted slowly. "I never actually told them I came here. A few nights after Aster Dell, I packed a bag and left in the middle of the night. I have no doubt they're worried, and they've probably searched high and low in the entire Otherworld for me… but neither of them possesses a gateway ring. So it would be impossible for them to follow me."

Farah inhaled slowly and looked around. She needed a door, but she didn't want to use the door to the bathroom since there were innocent civilians on the other side of it. She looked down at Sebastian, then back to Elizabeth. "Alright, I have a plan," she said firmly. "It requires a door that won't be seen by anyone leaving the bathroom. Preferably a storage closet, or at least something of the like."

Elizabeth gave a soft encouraging smile and listened to Farah. “Yeah. Not having a way to get here would make it hard.” she nodded, not addressing the fact that Farah had basically gone rogue. That could wait until later.

“There’s a storage closet right over there.” she said gesturing towards the room. “Do we need to take him with us? Just to make sure he stays unconscious for now.” she asked, glad there was an actual plan now.

Farah nodded. "Yes. I'll bring him over, you go to the bathroom and release the people inside. Though I'm not sure how we should go about explaining to them how they all ended up in there… Nevermind, don't worry about explaining. Once you let them out, come back over to the storage closet door. I promise I won't leave without you."

She reached down and dragged Sebastian upright so she could prop him up with her arm around his middle. "Hurry," she said before pacing over to the door Elizabeth had indicated.

“You better not.” Elizabeth smirked before running towards the bathroom. It sounded like everyone inside had stopped banging on the door in a panic. Though she wouldn't blame them if they were still scared or even crying when she unlocked the door. The lock made an audible click that she was sure they could hear but she gave the door a light push to show that it was open before quickly heading over to the storage closet.

(So, technically, gateway rings can't be used inside of Alfea's barrier… but we're going to ignore that for a second because this is easier)

Farah smirked back and made her way to the door, making sure Sebastian was still unconscious as she did so. It unsettled her that he'd taken her magic so easily, but the worst part was that it seemed as though Rosalind had sent him. But why? And how? She would still be in stasis in Alfea's undercroft unless someone more powerful than Farah removed it. Had someone more powerful than Farah removed it?

She noted Elizabeth's return and took a deep breath before pressing her palm to the door and focusing. Would it work without her magic? It should. The gateway ring was magic within itself. Sure enough, the edges of the door glowed for a moment before vanishing. Farah glanced over her shoulder to make sure no other First Worlders were looking before opening the door.

On the other side was definitely not a storage closet. The door opened into a hallway. Farah stepped through and urged Elizabeth to shut it behind her. "Welcome to the Otherworld," she murmured with a small smile. "Though I wish we were here under different circumstances."

(fair)

Elizabeth smiled a little when she saw Farah waiting for her. Though she had to raise a brow as she watched the other woman touch the door and act like she was about to use a portkey. Then again, for all Liz knew, that could be pretty close to what she was actually doing.

Deciding not to question the situation, she quickly followed Farah through the door and made sure it clicked behind her. “Wow…” she whispered as she looked around. “And where exactly are we now in the Otherworld?” she asked, smirking slightly.

Farah matched her smirk as she motioned to the end of the hall. "We are at Alfea," she said determinedly.

The fairy headed down the hall and took a step into Alfea's courtyard. It was empty since it was the summer holiday, but it still looked as it had when Farah had left. She began to walk across the opening when a door slammed loudly from across the way.

Farah's eyes widened, and she jumped in surprise. Sebastian slid from her grip and collapsed to the floor, and she quickly moved to stand in front of Elizabeth in case there was any danger. Suddenly, there was a sound of running footsteps, and a dark-haired man scrambled to a stop at the edge of the courtyard. His eyes locked on Farah, and immediately, the fairy's guard dropped, and she let out a whimper of relief.

The man wasted no more time running to her and embracing her desperately. He clung to her and she to him, both of them overwhelmed by seeing the other again.

"Farah," he murmured, cradling her body in his arms.

"Saul," she breathed, squeezing her eyes shut.

The man drew back and studied her face intently. "It's you? It's really you?" he demanded, gripping her arms tightly.

"Yes, it's me," she whispered. Once her eyes had opened again, they immediately started to tear up. "I'm sorry."

Saul looked ready to say something else before he looked over Farah's shoulder and noted both Elizabeth and Sebastian. "You… brought friends?" he asked, arching his eyebrows.

Farah looked over her shoulder too and tried to stifle her emotions, though her eyes were still watery. "Yes. Well, yes and no. She's a friend," she answered, pointing to Elizabeth. "He isn't." Farah looked back at Saul intently. "And I need runic limiters before he wakes up."

Saul's eyes widened at her words. "Gods, Farah. I always tell you to stay out of trouble."

"I can't help it when the trouble comes to me," she quipped in return. "The limiters, Saul."

He sighed and took off again. Farah watched him go before turning to Elizabeth with a shy smile.