Oh my. It seems we have reached a rather sensitive interlude, dear reader. And so I would request that in order for us to better understand the magus that is Alyza Lohmus Von Rootare we look back a certain day into her past.
Do excuse the interruption.
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Location: ???. Time: ???. Date: ???.
The day was dreary. Outside of a rather extravagant mansion was a black sedan with tinted windows.
Three heavily built man in suits stood around the car and observed the surroundings casually. They had been employed to confront any invasions after all.
But inside the car was a single young girl with skin like porcelain and eyes as green as emeralds. Her short grey hair was tied in a bob with a black brooch, a gift from the girl's mother.
Within the very same car was a single elderly man with the same complexion and sparkling green eyes. His grey hair, however, had streaks of snow white in it but this just did more to express the man's superiority in all matters wisdom to others.
The girl trembled and the man clucked his tongue.
"The Association shall have you. Be glad I had not chosen to deal with you according to tradition."
The little girl nodded absently. In truth whatever the man said held little relevance to her.
All she wished was that he would cease to stare at her with such disgust in his gaze.
{I'm sorry... I'm sorry...I'm sorry...}
The girl had apologized the moment she had entered the car but the man threatened to strike her down that very instant in response. And still feeling incomprehensible trepidation she apologized subconsciously. To who, no one would ever know.
But the man showed no care for the girl's clear fear. If anything he simply appeared more enraged.
"Henceforth, be gone from my sight."
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Location: Tbilisi. Time: 4:00PM. Date: 7th August 2008.
Alyza Lohmus had decided to reinforce her battle plans.
The decision had come about as a result of boredom.
This was one fault of the magus that was Alyza Lohmus. For all the years she had trained as a magus within the clocktower she had never earned the acknowledgement from her professors regarding her patience.
{Striving to surpass. Impatiently. That is what makes Alyza's personality.}
Noteably the professor who had coined this statement was one infamous in the clocktower for his own short-sightedness in the arts of magi. But that is a story for another day.
Arcane Sword.
This was the title of Alyza Lohmus within the clock tower. In terms of combat magecraft, very few could rival her natural talent.
And so she had been sent here as a master.
She swore on her honour to her professor that she would do her part and bring justice, as was her responsibility.
To which her infamous short-sighted professor responded.
"Umm... sure. Just don't get yourself killed alright?"
The man himself had been suggested by the clock tower to be a master. But he turned them down. His status as a Lord and success as a professor, after all helped in leagues for his opinion to be respected.
He had put forward Alyza in his place.
Alyza glanced through the fourth paper sheet she had been scribbling over and clucked her tongue.
"It's still not sufficient."
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Tbilisi.
The capital of Georgia.
No, not the state. But the country in Eastern Europe.
The country had a long history. Even a national saint, but this is irrelevant. What is relevant is its tradition of magic.
Alchemists were the majority in the region and golemancy was rather favoured by the old families of the country.
Tbilisi, to be frank, is considered neutral territory by all magi of the country. To step foot within it is to admit yourself under the authority of the overseeing family, Weischer.
8 months ago the Weischer family had granted all authority of the region to the Association.
How this had been achieved still dumbfounded the old families to this day, but little had they to say.
The Association wasted no time in reinforcing the city in every way they could. Safehouses, bounded fields, automated magic defense spells and whatnot. Every master employed by the Association had been accorded a safehouse and resources. This was unlike any other holy grail war seen before.
The Mages' Association held heavy influence within this war.
But even with all this, even with all the expenses, bribes, security, and governmental interference. The Association had only secured 5 spots.
The other two, Berserker and Rider, were unknown, nor which magi could have possibly taken them.
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Location: Kutaisi. Time: 3:30PM. Date: 7th August 2008.
A very large encampment.
This was how the man named David Tsereteli described his base of operation in his letter to his 6 year old son. David could afford the time for such a luxury for various reasons, but this is unimportant.
Currently, David stood with 7 other men surrounding a large rectangular wood table covered with a large scaled accurate map of the region. Everybody within the tent held significant status within the Georgian Army and held responsibility for some of the heaviest hitters within it.
This, of course, included David Tsereteli.
He was responsible for all these other men's safety so long as they were within his encampment. He had heavily armed guards around the area and some of the recently acquired anti-servant artillery he had been equipped with.
Perhaps this could help put into perspective just how serious the situation was.
Not even 3 days ago, the Magic Frontal Unit had managed to recapture this town together with three other units of different departments. They had sustained heavy injuries and though it had only been one town, the victory had been heavily celebrated.
It had led to David sanctioning one of the greatest blunders in his military career.
35 soldiers.
All died within Kvaisa town not even 2 days ago.
The operation was of great military importance, and David had been roughly chewed out. But what could he have done? It was a servant and the attack was without warning.
It didn't change the fact that he had sent young men and women to their deaths, but he'd rather not focus on that segment.
Currently, the men within the tent were discussing what to do to secure their position in Kutaisi. It was a junction city after all and ideal for resource transportation.
They discussed everything they thought plausible as their various soldiers outside secured convoys and moved resources. In the times of war, an army should never relax after all .
In the event of an attack, the men within the tent were to have their lives prioritized over everything else.
Such were the standards upheld by the army.
Suddenly, a young lieutenant proposed an idea.
"Why not have one of those masters here to secure this base?"
The idea was contemplated heavily. A master along with their familiar, their servant, would be ideally good for the safety of the area.
But...
"They would attract the attention of other servants here. A battle between masters would risk everything here."
A valid opinion. It came from a drill instructor within the naval academy. He had worked with one of the masters and knew just how much of a blessing and a curse they could be.
"To be fair, Sir. We always work with risks in this occupation."
And yet the lieutenant did not back down. He was willing to have the risk and though it would appear foolish, it wasn't without courage. He had fought along the border with one of the masters. And bore witness to the miraculous power of a servant.
Incidentally both of these men had worked with the same master and servant but that's unimportant.
"I propose we leave the matter... to the man who deals with them directly."
David raised his head from the map to meet the gazes of the other men within the tent. For the first time showing signs of acknowledging their presence.
David Tsereteli, Georgian Army General and appointed head of the Magic Frontal Unit let out a rumble of a sigh.
"I'll request one be brought here."
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The boy found his mark. They weren't hard to find after all.
A simple ancient mansion on the outskirts of the capital stood out like a sore thumb. The area that surrounded it was a suburb with simple family homes and paved alleyways. But the mansion at the top of the hill overshadowed them all, like a castle over slums.
The boy had strolled through the streets casually, no fear as he approached the mansion.
Many a housewife or child had spotted his suspicious outfit and duffel bag as he headed up the road. None dared stop him, however, for the recent days had already suffocated their peaceful lives to the edge.
Attracting danger and trouble was undesirable and so they left the boy to his devices.
Eventually, the boy reached the front gate of the house and peered past it to the front door.
A frown appeared on his face as he wrenched the gate open brute-like.
Such strength was impossible for a boy his size but this hardly occurred to him. He stomped across the yard without care for any bounded fields or traps set.
He reached the front porch and kicked the door open.
The wood wrenched off its hinges and sprayed splinter dust everywhere. Blinding the entryway for a second. But what the boy observed once it settled was enough for him.
With a cluck of his tongue, he turned around and walked away.
The girl had already left.
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