RP Post: Secrets [Part 3 of 'Home' Plot, now opened]
LC stood in front of the paper records building, looking on somewhat dubiously. This was the address Lan had given him, but...well, he'd always had his doubts about this place being real.
It looked like an old, run down warehouse. There was a rusty chainlink fence around the perimeter, and you had to go off a half-dozen tangents to get to it in the first place. Someone had obviously gone to pains to make it look disused, because there were a few broken-down cars and their parts scattered around inside the fence.
He was not at the front, of course, nor the exact back, but somewhere off to the side. There was a door in front of him several hundred meters away, but the main problem was the fence. The building didn't look like it harbored electronics, but you could never tell. And if they wanted to keep people out, they would have done something to the fence. He also didn't have ProtoMan to check it out.
Oh well. He was wearing his armor, and if it was anything except a simple silent alarm that would probably protect him. He also had his longsword sheathed across his back, although he didn't know why he'd thought he needed it. Sighing, LC started to climb the fence. He made it to the top and jumped down, landing without anything eventful happening, and made a show of brushing himself off. Then he took stock of the area while walking.
The cars were old--very old. They looked as if they'd been gasoline powered, with tailpipes and everything. The warehouse (since that was what it looked like), too, looked outmoded. There was none of the greenery around that abounded with the modern buildings, only flat dirt. There were stains around, too; archaic substances like oil, some grease, and...blood. Why would there be blood at an old records building? He was now sure it wasn't really updated monthly, or it would have been cleaned up.
The door creaked open under his hand easily and he blinked to try and adjust. It was pitch-black inside. He crept in, shutting the door behind him so no one passing by the lot would be suspicious, and fumbled for a light switch.
He found one but it wasn't working, not that he'd expected it to. It only confirmed his theory that no one came here. LC was ready to turn back instead of just stumbling around in the dark, since he couldn't see anything anyway. Suddenly there was a tingling feeling at his fingertips. He looked down, astonished, as a little will-o'-wisp type light floated up from his fingertips and suddenly illuminated the hallway around him.
"That was an accident," he said to no one. But he did need the light, and it was as good as a flashlight, if not better. It hovered near his shoulder, lighting his way as he slowly walked down the hallway.
It was an empty corridor, which baffled him. The walls were smooth and white, and there was no hint of dust anywhere, nor were there doors as far as he could see. It was no what one expected from a warehouse like this...maybe that was the point. Something was there, for sure. But not a person, or a Navi, or a mechanical of any kind.
Magic, he realized. The building was crawling with it. That shook him. This was not an official building, no way.
There was a door up ahead, although the only real way to tell was from the faint outline in the wall ahead when the light was cast on it. The will-o'-wisp went forward a little and hovered in a position to let the doorknob cast a shadow. So it was in his control, then. LC reached out to the doorknob, which was cool to the touch and also seemed to tingle with magic. He shivered, then opened the door.
Even if it wasn't official, it was definitely a record hall. There were desks and shelves lined with books, chairs, and even a few filing cabinets. The light bobbed around him, hovering above a light switch. LC reached out tentatively and flipped the switch, which, wonder of wonders, actually worked. The entire room was lit, and the little light disappeared with a popping sound. He was a little sorry to see it go; the hovering over his shoulder reminded him of ProtoMan. Except quiet.
LC went over to the filing cabinet and opened it up. Yes, these were records. In the first, second, and third drawers, at any rate. In the fourth was the filing system for the library, which included more in-depth record books and magic books.
History of Magic. Light Magic for Beginners. (He wondered what they meant by 'Light' magic.) An Enchanter's Guide to Spellcasting. Aureola. (That one was odd. Was that Latin or something?) Basic Spell Guide. Advanced Workings in Anima Magic. There was a whole library full of magic books, shelves and shelves of them. He had never realized how much there was to it.
There, world history books. He went over to the shelves and started searching, pulling out three likely volumes. He put them on a desk before curiousity grabbed him about the others. He started taking books off the shelves, making a note as to where they would go. It was as if he knew which ones he needed. The guidebooks to magic, the light magic ones, and that Aureola one. It was an odd one, gilded trim on the front and set with several gems. The name was on its front in a flowing script, and there was a special type of seal on the side. Odd.
It occurred to LC that he couldn't stay there long enough to read all the books he had picked out. Nor could he carry them all. But he somehow felt they were all necessary. If only there was a way to...
This time he was almost prepared for the tingling from his fingers. He had almost done it on purpose. It seemed that when he needed something, like light or a getaway, it would happen. Was that how it was supposed to go? That he was considering using his magic was one thing, but he should report this place. It was his duty. Instead he turned almost automatically to the storage pocket that hovered peaceably in front of him, looking just like a backpack, and started carefully packing books in. All of the ones on the table. They all fit into something the size of a small bag, and he could take them out again. LC slung it over his shoulder like a backpack. It was one, really, and it looked less suspicious this way.
There was a cape on a hook on the wall in front of him, a brown one. Strange, it hadn't been there before. He took a few steps forward, then lifted it up and hesitated. It was definitely a magic user's cape. By putting it on, he was tacitly admitting he was one, and that he was going to strive to make up for the wrong he'd done his whole life because of it. That these people were his kind, and that he had to run from those he had thought to be before.
A few comments drifted through his head, from Lan, from Iris, from his counterparts. Beliefs changed. And besides, he had somewhere to go. He now knew unerringly he could find it again. LC put on the cape and mentally prepared a teleport spell back to his room, so he could gather what else he needed and tell Iris. And send a note to Lan. As he worked it in his mind, everything becoming oddly clear, he grasped the edge of his armor with one hand, buttoning the cape with the other. The cape would return him here when he wanted to come back. And the armor would take him home.
The portal shimmered in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through and into his room.
He gathered together his clothes, laptop, charger, and other items, packing them in the bag, then looked around. This was probably his last look at this room, ever. It wasn't really his anymore. Everything that was was either in the magical bag or in Reality Vanish with ProtoMan. Probably the only places he could ever go on his homeworld again were that magical library, and maybe Lan's house. He scribbed out a note for Lan with instructions to hide it after he read it, burn it even, and then tucked it in his pocket and the pen and pad of paper into the bag.
It was time to find Iris. He now knew what she really was and she had to come with him. It wouldn't be safe for her here.
It looked like an old, run down warehouse. There was a rusty chainlink fence around the perimeter, and you had to go off a half-dozen tangents to get to it in the first place. Someone had obviously gone to pains to make it look disused, because there were a few broken-down cars and their parts scattered around inside the fence.
He was not at the front, of course, nor the exact back, but somewhere off to the side. There was a door in front of him several hundred meters away, but the main problem was the fence. The building didn't look like it harbored electronics, but you could never tell. And if they wanted to keep people out, they would have done something to the fence. He also didn't have ProtoMan to check it out.
Oh well. He was wearing his armor, and if it was anything except a simple silent alarm that would probably protect him. He also had his longsword sheathed across his back, although he didn't know why he'd thought he needed it. Sighing, LC started to climb the fence. He made it to the top and jumped down, landing without anything eventful happening, and made a show of brushing himself off. Then he took stock of the area while walking.
The cars were old--very old. They looked as if they'd been gasoline powered, with tailpipes and everything. The warehouse (since that was what it looked like), too, looked outmoded. There was none of the greenery around that abounded with the modern buildings, only flat dirt. There were stains around, too; archaic substances like oil, some grease, and...blood. Why would there be blood at an old records building? He was now sure it wasn't really updated monthly, or it would have been cleaned up.
The door creaked open under his hand easily and he blinked to try and adjust. It was pitch-black inside. He crept in, shutting the door behind him so no one passing by the lot would be suspicious, and fumbled for a light switch.
He found one but it wasn't working, not that he'd expected it to. It only confirmed his theory that no one came here. LC was ready to turn back instead of just stumbling around in the dark, since he couldn't see anything anyway. Suddenly there was a tingling feeling at his fingertips. He looked down, astonished, as a little will-o'-wisp type light floated up from his fingertips and suddenly illuminated the hallway around him.
"That was an accident," he said to no one. But he did need the light, and it was as good as a flashlight, if not better. It hovered near his shoulder, lighting his way as he slowly walked down the hallway.
It was an empty corridor, which baffled him. The walls were smooth and white, and there was no hint of dust anywhere, nor were there doors as far as he could see. It was no what one expected from a warehouse like this...maybe that was the point. Something was there, for sure. But not a person, or a Navi, or a mechanical of any kind.
Magic, he realized. The building was crawling with it. That shook him. This was not an official building, no way.
There was a door up ahead, although the only real way to tell was from the faint outline in the wall ahead when the light was cast on it. The will-o'-wisp went forward a little and hovered in a position to let the doorknob cast a shadow. So it was in his control, then. LC reached out to the doorknob, which was cool to the touch and also seemed to tingle with magic. He shivered, then opened the door.
Even if it wasn't official, it was definitely a record hall. There were desks and shelves lined with books, chairs, and even a few filing cabinets. The light bobbed around him, hovering above a light switch. LC reached out tentatively and flipped the switch, which, wonder of wonders, actually worked. The entire room was lit, and the little light disappeared with a popping sound. He was a little sorry to see it go; the hovering over his shoulder reminded him of ProtoMan. Except quiet.
LC went over to the filing cabinet and opened it up. Yes, these were records. In the first, second, and third drawers, at any rate. In the fourth was the filing system for the library, which included more in-depth record books and magic books.
History of Magic. Light Magic for Beginners. (He wondered what they meant by 'Light' magic.) An Enchanter's Guide to Spellcasting. Aureola. (That one was odd. Was that Latin or something?) Basic Spell Guide. Advanced Workings in Anima Magic. There was a whole library full of magic books, shelves and shelves of them. He had never realized how much there was to it.
There, world history books. He went over to the shelves and started searching, pulling out three likely volumes. He put them on a desk before curiousity grabbed him about the others. He started taking books off the shelves, making a note as to where they would go. It was as if he knew which ones he needed. The guidebooks to magic, the light magic ones, and that Aureola one. It was an odd one, gilded trim on the front and set with several gems. The name was on its front in a flowing script, and there was a special type of seal on the side. Odd.
It occurred to LC that he couldn't stay there long enough to read all the books he had picked out. Nor could he carry them all. But he somehow felt they were all necessary. If only there was a way to...
This time he was almost prepared for the tingling from his fingers. He had almost done it on purpose. It seemed that when he needed something, like light or a getaway, it would happen. Was that how it was supposed to go? That he was considering using his magic was one thing, but he should report this place. It was his duty. Instead he turned almost automatically to the storage pocket that hovered peaceably in front of him, looking just like a backpack, and started carefully packing books in. All of the ones on the table. They all fit into something the size of a small bag, and he could take them out again. LC slung it over his shoulder like a backpack. It was one, really, and it looked less suspicious this way.
There was a cape on a hook on the wall in front of him, a brown one. Strange, it hadn't been there before. He took a few steps forward, then lifted it up and hesitated. It was definitely a magic user's cape. By putting it on, he was tacitly admitting he was one, and that he was going to strive to make up for the wrong he'd done his whole life because of it. That these people were his kind, and that he had to run from those he had thought to be before.
A few comments drifted through his head, from Lan, from Iris, from his counterparts. Beliefs changed. And besides, he had somewhere to go. He now knew unerringly he could find it again. LC put on the cape and mentally prepared a teleport spell back to his room, so he could gather what else he needed and tell Iris. And send a note to Lan. As he worked it in his mind, everything becoming oddly clear, he grasped the edge of his armor with one hand, buttoning the cape with the other. The cape would return him here when he wanted to come back. And the armor would take him home.
The portal shimmered in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through and into his room.
He gathered together his clothes, laptop, charger, and other items, packing them in the bag, then looked around. This was probably his last look at this room, ever. It wasn't really his anymore. Everything that was was either in the magical bag or in Reality Vanish with ProtoMan. Probably the only places he could ever go on his homeworld again were that magical library, and maybe Lan's house. He scribbed out a note for Lan with instructions to hide it after he read it, burn it even, and then tucked it in his pocket and the pen and pad of paper into the bag.
It was time to find Iris. He now knew what she really was and she had to come with him. It wouldn't be safe for her here.