Finally reaching a building, he was pretty sure he was at the right place. It had taken longer than usual, but as he was in a city and one brimming with magic at that he wasn't overly surprised. There were places that made you comprehend the taste and sound of the color blue for example, and that was the stuff of a more benign nature after all. Still, he had something of a sixth sense regarding his friend and be it excitement or lamenting, he could hear Nics voice somewhere nearby. Ivan was curious what it was about, for once he did seem mostly overjoyed, though that was less of a surprise. If it did make sense was another thing altogether, though to his friend it probably would one way or another.
As he neared a building in lack of another word, he was noticing a lot of things that were strange. As a first it did seem incredibly tiny in the base, like a pyramid put upside down, but not the kind with straight lines but with steps, still seemingly round in build and not all that angular, if not flowing. The walls were black as tar, at least those he could make out which didn't have some kind of liquid flowing down on them. At first the smell reminded him of blood but if it was blood it had a very strange color as it was more like a green tinged blue, so it might as well have been some kind of sludge. He couldn't see a roof, but as he had seen some towers and battlements he was pretty sure it had to have those. Arguably, they might just be not really visible in the night sky, maybe he just couldn't recognize them as such. The few windows he spotted were sometimes small, sometimes big and were never staying in place for long. Eerie half-light shone out of them, Ivan felt like he was being stared at by a thousand eyes with just three or four visible to him. The door was thankfully staying where it was as the sole things of the house, everything else seemed to flow as it wished but it was shimmering and smoldering like in the darkest night, runes and signs on it glittering like stars, some brighter, some dimmer.
He couldn't see any kind of knocker and was about to just pound on the door which just creakingly opened in that specific moment, his hand still raised midair. A small girl was in front of him and caused him discomfort instantly. That was for a few reasons, the first and foremost being that as talented Ivan might be with many things, he just couldn't deal with children of any kind. Even if the person was an adult, it was enough to look that childlike that he was lost and didn't quite know what to do. Children could be small, sure, they were growing after all but should in his opinion just behave like adults would. He basically expected them to be adults in behaviour and manner, just still a bit short and be as courteous and reasonable like grown-ups would be.
In this case another part of his unease was caused by her appearance besides the stature. She had snow-white hair, her skin was a dark bluish grey, which seemed scorched at places and her eyes where vaguely almond shaped eclipses in the color of amber, he couldn't see any kind of pupil or other things he usually would expect eyes to look like. The childlike being was wearing something that probably had been dress of some kind once upon a time but now it looked like ashes and embers made into something to wear, swirling around as some kind of clothing.
"Master has been expecting you, your friend has arrived a while ago as well," she informed him, her voice was high-pitched and sounded like clinking glass.
Swallowing he entered, taking care to not touch the strangely flowing mass that was worn by the being. But also tried to look away from it as much as possible, alone the things he noticed in the corners of his eyes where something he sure would get nightmares from for weeks.
"Over there," she instructed him, pointing down the hallway, "and turn right after the second door, there is a passage."
Ivan did just that but was soon asking himself how that was supposed to work, the way had very unusual twists. He walked straight on, passed the first door and turned around to look back. Blinking he tried to comprehend what he was seeing but shook his head not a moment later. He had walked on instead, the girl standing at the entrance was one thing. That she was not upright like she should be, but more like a picture rotated at a right angle and as a whole not clearly visible but fuzzy, which was disturbing. After passing the second door, sure enough, there was the passage. Now that door had definitely been bleeding, the smell was distinctly similar to copper and the thing dripping was red. Sighing he risked it and took another look back. Right, now he could see her standing upside down. Ivan ignored his mental anguish at that and just hurried down the passage.
The corridor was normal enough, but only for the first ten steps before suddenly changing to a step and slim path that was spiraling upwards. Though he had yet to see any torches he had more than enough light and could see everything well enough.
"Magicians..." Ivan grumbled slightly peevish.
He wasn't quite sure how long he had been going upwards but he had been reasonably sure he hadn't been lost in his thoughts that excessively as he suddenly stopped in front of a door. Though arguably the thing might have just appeared at the moment just for him nearly running into it.
The door itself looked old and like it should be overgrown with ivy, like an ancient portal or a kind. Ivan also thought it was that run down that it surely was stuck or needed a good push to open, but one again it abruptly swung open without any kind of warning and didn't even make a single sound. Ivan screamed though it wasn't because the door opened but the girl from before standing on the other side of it. How had she been able to arrive here before him?!
"Ivan, there you are! Deva said you were supposed to arrive hours ago!"
Before he could even get a look at him Ivan was already being hugged tightly by a well known redhead. The moment didn't last long and he was pulled along while Nic was babbling excitedly about a number of things. Everything he had learned about was enthusiastically recounted, regarding all thing magic. Or the strange, questionable and occult. As usual most of it went right over his understanding but it was good to see Nic being well and as excitable as always.
Meanwhile Nic was equally happy as he was embarrassed over his own reaction and quite tempted to lose it completely if he thought of Ivan's reaction to Deva. As brave as his friend was taking on whatever task at hand, confronting him with children was the one thing sending him running for the hills, you couldn't even see much with the dust he kicked up while dashing away.
"For once you seem to be in one piece, right?" Ivan probed briskly.
Nic just nodded, scratching the back of his head. He wasn't about to explain what exactly had happened down there and would just leave it at that.
"Hey master, is that your lackey?"
The innocently voiced question had a very significant effect – Nics face looked somewhere between surprised, shocked and absolutely flabbergasted. His mouth opened and closed without him uttering any sound. Ivan on the other hand took a moment to catch on what the cat implied. You could see the moment he did so very clearly, as he started frowning heavily, snarling with gnashing teeth.
"Now listen, you flee bitten –"
"Kwez! Ivan is –"
"– to pieces –"
"– and sure as hell –"
"– gonna show you, you –"
Both were loudly talking over each other, so naturally they were many things, but understandable was not among them. They fell silent as Alistair's deep voice cut through their exclamations with bellowing belly deep guffaws. Nic flushed, even his ears turning red at that, looking down to the floor, hoping it would swallow him whole just then and there.
"I remember having had a terribly similar situation once. Deva, as you may have noticed, is a being from a very different plane of existence. That childlike shape took time until it was fully formed and even then it is still not the most stable one.
"Regardless, one day after she took that form she met one of my business partners, meeting another human besides me for the first time. Now you have to know, that mage was an Terramagus, who had dark brown skin and was about a head taller than myself. Through a misshap with a ritual in his youth his hair had been turned green permanently and on that specific day he had gotten into a tussle with a weather witch. She had hit him with a powerful lightning strike, so his wavy hair looked all frizzy and stood up from his head in every direction," he explained, stroking his beard in reminiscence.
"Long story short, he looked rather wild and as he was still a bit peeved he didn't keep as tight a leash on his powers as he usually did, so parts of his robes were overgrown with lichen and ivy. He made quite the picture. Deva, when seeing him, just in all seriousness and full of curiosity asked me whether that was one of those trees I had told her about. Me laughing uproariously didn't endear me to that fellow for a while, let me tell you."
Ivan couldn't help himself and cracked up, howling at the image presented. Nic was a bit more restrained, but couldn't help snickering as well. The small being smiled, trying to look especially innocent, but that fell a bit short when you saw the smile. Some things just shouldn't smile, it was rather creepy, as Ivan just saw an opening with too many teeth.
"So, who is the small fella?"
"If I may – this is Kwez. It seems I kind of started some ancient ritual weeks ago and it has been concluded with his appearance. As it was still ongoing the people around here have something of a non-interference policy regarding that," Nic clucked disapprovingly, sounding rather sour about the whole thing, "but to not even hint about it wasn't nice. Someone could surely have given me some kind of hint. He brought me here after manifesting."
"My name is Alistair, Chronomagus14, at your service," the old guy took that as a cue to introduce himself. "You have already met Deva. As mentioned, my element, so to speak, pertains time and is a field that is subjected to many thaumaturgical fluctuations and is rather volatile in its own nature. So, it would really be appropriate to say that I expected your companion to arrive much earlier, much later or not at all at the same time. Time is one of the few disciplines that are facing a lot or scorn and ridicule, so many elementary mages view it as a nonsensical object of study. Coincidentally, according to many of my colleagues, I should be dead by now about a three dozen times over."
Alistair suddenly started laughing again, though this time it was far from joyous or the kind that would be the reaction to a good joke. No, it was rather maniacal and tinged with madness.
"But as I already explained many times, you just need a certain mindset, certainty that all I ever did, all I am doing and will do just happens as it has, would and will. Therefore, I am not creating paradoxes or such silly things as time loops on accident. Especially the last are just useful for extensive studies or broadening your knowledge or some old texts. A bit tricky to get rid of without specific code phrases though. I remember a guy, he once in his drunken stupor used a groundhog as an anchor and a few other specific conditions that had to be met. Sadly, I hadn't been present and finding what they were was a chore. That day happened much too often for my tastes."
Nic had been listening attentively, soaking up every piece of information like a sponge. Ivan on the contrary was just smiling politely and trying to nod at appropriate places. And the old guy had been waiting for Nic specifically, because...?
"Listen, boy," Alistair chided turning to Ivan, he really should stop running his mouth at times, "I am one of the very few who is handed books and scrolls that are of a unique nature whose sole existence alone is lacking. Those I bring together with who should read them or should get them in their possession at least. Sometimes the other way around, really. Those written pieces can only be opened by predestined beings, who bear the suitable characteristics, from birth spanning to but not limited to magical affinities, even just the successful completion of some ritual or other might be the key. At this point I am entering the scene, so to speak. I bring together the written word with the doer."
Nic quietly sighed. He was thinking about that blank scroll he had been handed without much further ceremony. It was thick, but upon opening it had been empty. Patience was the key, as the thing had somewhat refused to be left behind. He had put it on a table, down in the basement, but later had found it in a bag beside him. Neither Alistair nor Deva had put it there, he did think that at the first moment. And no, Kwez hadn't done anything either. Somewhen in the future it would surely have something to read on it, as he couldn't write anything on it either. And not for lack of trying. If he did believe the strange bloke the thing was somewhat alive, in lack for lacking all that might count as being so.
Regardless, it was a priceless thing and he was curious as to what secrets he would find there in the future.
**********14Chronomages are as a whole even weirder than cranky old wise men climbing mountains. Strangely enough though their life expectancy is much lower they most of the time do have long lives and usually die quite peacefully with a high age in their own bed than what other people prophesize them.