Log:A World Out of Balance

Arbiter of Balance 2021/08/25 	 Radical Grimm

2

Radical tries to follow across the dimensional barriers to the other dimension where she ends up.

Radical keeps his eyes on Grimm the entire time as he shifts across dimensions...trying to make sure he keeps track of where they're headed. And where they came from. They need to get back.

For Radical, Gabrielle never truly disappears from his dimensional sight. Even as she's pulled against her will across dimensions ahead of him. The magic involves is volatile, pulling her through at different rates. She ends up in a dark place, and wherever she is, she finally sinks to her hands and knees with a pained expression.

What Radical steps into is a dead world with cracked, dark earth with no vegetation. Dark storm clouds gather above. Grimm is collapsed within an arcane barrier, surrounded by a circle of white robed mages casting a summoning ritual, with one older and in more elaborate robes than the apprentices joining him. There are glowing red runes encircled around Gabrielle that are maintaining the barrier, and summoning sigils etched on the flat stone ground within. There's a magical suppression spell within the summoning circle as well.

Outside of the circle of ritual casters is a group of heroes. Not superheroes, but the sword and sorcery type. A motley crew on a mission. The strongest among them, a knightly looking man with a green tabard and a great sword shouts, "They've done it! At last, they've trapped the Dark One!"

Radical appears outside of the circle, and just outside the circle of mages...ninety degrees around the circle from where the heroes are. "You had all better explain yourselves! What are you doing?!"

This part of what would be wilderness is just a flat plane, a wasteland, with dark mountains surrounding in the distance. The heroes suddenly look to Radical, while the mages keep their focus on the spell containing Gabrielle.

After some surprise from the heroes on understanding who he is, the leader points his blade to Radical, able to hold the greatsword with one hand. "Are you another of the Dark One's servants? If so, you will perish with her so the world may be restored!"

The rogue of the group, wearing dark leather and a hood, starts to circle out to reposition himself around Radical, keeping distant while the knight speaks to Radical.

Radical shakes his head, "I am not a servant of this 'Dark One'. And neither is the woman in that circle the Dark One, either. My name is 'Radical', and that is Grimm." He also points to the rogue as he tries to circle around him, "And if you CLAIM to be on the side of right, positioning yourself to backstab me doesn't exactly help your case, now does it?"

The rogue stops and considers Radical carefully, then backs up a step.

The knight listens to Radical, his helm concealing his face. "You say she is not the Dark One, and yet you call her by the Dark One's name."

Radical puts his hands on his hips. "There is NO way that the woman in that circle is this Dark One. But I'd wager that there's another woman by the same name with similar powers. A dimensional analogue. There are...infinite dimensions. And infinite versions of me...of you...of her." He holds up a finger, "What other names does this 'Dark One' go by?"

The revelation of infinite dimensions and infinite versions causes some confusion amongst the heroes. The mages are stalwart. Mostly. One of the youngest glances over before he archmage barks at him to focus.

There is some despair among the lesser heroes, some carrying spears, maces, and staves. "An infinite number of the Dark One...?"

"What hope have we of restoring the world...?"

"Then once we slay this one, another will take her place?"

The lead hero tries to rally them. "We cannot lose faith on the word of a stranger trying to deceive us." This causes the murmurs to stop. A woman an elegant robe and a stave says, "The Dark One's servants and worshippers call her by many other names. The Grimm, the Mistress of Tenebration, the Empress of the Eclipse, The Lady of Lightlessness, the Dark Queen of the Void."

Grimm feels herself bound and chained mystically in place. There's some panic as she feels trapped, remembering that awful feeling when Price's cultists held her down to be sacrificed. She grits her teeth and manages to keep from lashing out in panic. For now. The pain could be making it hard to focus enough energy to do so, anyway.

Radical narrows his eyes, but they're only barely visible through the lenses of his mask, "And you don't think the way she's dressed is odd? Or how I'm dressed for that matter?" He looks to the ones who were bemoaning the infinite number of 'Dark Ones', "Infinite means that some are good. And some are evil. I guarantee there are evil versions of each and every one one of you somewhere in the vast multiverse."

The Heroes of this world went from preparing for the ultimate battle to bordering hopelessness. The Knight looks to Grimm crumpled in the center. "She is a Goddess. Of course she is dressed different from us. But then, what are you, to be dressed oddly as well?"

Radical chuckles. "You think...she's dressed like a GODDESS would be?"

"Having never seen a Goddess or the Dark One, I would not presume to know," the Knight says.

There's silence for a moment. A short, stout man with a warhammer complains, "I thought there'd be more skulls and spikes."

"I was thinking more skin," the Rogue quips hopefully.

Radical looks to the knight, "You asked me who I am. I am...not a god. I am Radical. I am the former Cartesian of Order. I travel the many dimensions and planes...and have experienced more than just my world. And I have seen more than one version of Gabrielle Grimm. I have even seen more than one version of myself in my time." He then adds, "I can command the darkness to a degree...but I can also command the light to the same extent. I am the one who achieves the balance. I am the one who evens the scales between chaos and order." He pauses..and adds, "And I guarantee that you have the wrong woman in that circle."

The Heroes don't look familiar with the Cartesian at all, nor the acolyte mages helping maintain Grimm's prison. Grimm is struggling to just keep on her hands and knees, her arms trembling. The binding spell is hurting her.

The Archmage halts his chanting, while the others continue, and looks to Radical. "The Cartesian?" he says in awe. "There was legend of one such, but...the Cartesian was a woman." Possibly Connor's grandmother.

Radical looks to the Archmage, "There have been many. The first of my family that was the Cartesian was nearly 200 years before I was born. And that was a woman. My grandmother was the Cartesian. And my successor was a woman as well, though not of my family."

The Archmage considers this. "And now you are an agent of balance? Then...perhaps you can bring balance back to our world and undo the Dark One's influence."

Radical nods. "I can certainly try. But...on the condition that you release Miss Grimm, so we can work together to help you."

The Archmage hesitates. "What guarantee do we have that she will not smite us all?"

Radical says, "You don't. But if she tries, I'll fight her. So...there's that?"

"And as the Once Cartesian, you are powerful enough to slay her?" the Archmage asks.

Radical thinks about it. "I think so. But that will not be necessary." He says it with complete certainty.

Grimm's head turns toward Radical slowly as he makes that claim, teeth grit in pain. She'll remember those words.

The Archmage consider this carefully. He halts the gesture he was maintaining for the spell. "Cease the chant!" he raises his voice, and the startled Acolytes cease. The binding ritual disperses and the magical field holding her collapses. And Gabrielle collapses shortly after at the sudden relief of not trying to fight anymore.

The Knight says, "You may very well have doomed us all, Archmagus." He readies his sword for the worst, as the other heroes ready their weapons, just in case. Silence falls as they all wait.

Radical nods to the Archmage, "Thank you." He walks over to check on Grimm's status, and he crouches, "Are you okay?"

Grimm is panting and curled up on her side. She looks paler than usual, and has broken out in a sweat from the pain. "I...I will be. I think," she says between breaths, then tries taking a few long, slow breaths to compose herself.

Radical nods...and puts an hand on her shoulder. He channels some magic to heal her as best he can. His hand glows white very briefly.

Grimm lets out a sigh of relief as his spell takes away the pain. "Whew...much better. Thanks," she says as she manages to sit up, moving slowly since everyone's antsy.

Radical stands back up, "They think you're the 'Dark One', which says to me that there's another version of you here someplace on this plane. I offered to help, on condition that they let you out. Up for lending a hand dealing with it?"

Grimm climbs to her feet. "Thanks for saving me. Again," she grins as the soreness leaves her. "Yeah, I'll help."

Radical turns back to the Archmage, "So...tell us more about this 'Dark One' that you're dealing with."

The heroes are uneasy, and the magi are spent from channeling their mana. The Knight says, "The Dark Goddess was unleashed on our world and spread her curse long ago. She darkened the skies, blackened the earth. Our crops withered."

Gabrielle raises a brow at all that.

Radical tilts his head, and looks to Grimm, "Is that something a version of you might be able to do?"

Grimm's brow furrows in thought. "Possibly? It's not something I'd ever try. Not permanent like this, anyway."

Radical nods, and looks back to the Archmage, "Can you give us some details on where this Dark One might be found? And some details on that spell you all used to pull Gabrielle across the dimensional barriers, summoning her here?"

"The Dark One has not been seen on our world for some time now," the Archmage admits. "She returned to whatever Hells she rules," he explains, then begins to sort through some curled scrolls set up upon a flat stone alter nearby. "It too much work to uncover a spell powerful enough to summon a deity. The scroll was recovered by our mightiest heroes, but not without great cost," he nods to the Heroes in question.

Radical looks to Grimm, "You've been elevated to 'deity', by the way." He smiles, though it's not entirely visible through the mask. At least his voice has hints of mirth to it. He goes to take a look at the scrolls in question. And perhaps see what language they're in.

Grimm blinks at that. "Oh, hell yeah," she smirks. "Wouldn't be the first time I was mistaken for one." The spells are written in some foreign language, based off of pictograms.

Based on past research in the Great Library and his knowledge other languages, there are some similarities he's able identify to extrapolate some of the meanings. How to pronounce them? Entirely different. The chanting was in a language he's not familiar with. But from what he can understand, it is meant to call a specific being from another plane.

Radical nods as he looks over the spell. "I don't recognize the language, but based on what I can piece together, it's designed to pull a specific being from another plane. So...it looks like you cast it correctly. The only question is...why did you get THIS version of Gabrielle, rather than the one you wanted. What did you use to focus on your target? A hair? Or...an item they owned? Anything like that?"

The Archmage explains, "This was the land she first appeared; the very center where the rot spread into our world. We chose here to cast the ritual as we believed it the closest to her. We did not know--never dreamed--that there existed more than one of the Dark One. We focused our thoughts on the tales, tried to summon the Dark One from beyond the veil, concealed from the known world of man, and hoped." A powerful summoning spell, to reach across the dimensional veil, with little to go on, would ultimately have unpredictable results. It could be because this Grimm was beyond the normal physical planes while in Equity, or just happened to be talking about veils and concealment in latin at the same time. Magic is weird.

Radical nods slowly, and says to Grimm, "It might have been because we were outside of the normal plane when you were summoned." He rubs his chin, "Any ideas on how to track down their particular Dark One?"

Grimm takes a deep breath and sighs weightily. "I can track across dimensions to some degree, but it's been a while. Sort of like...following a scent, the trail's too cold here. Maybe your spell? You know," she hints, not giving it away in front of strangers. She leaves that for him to reveal, if and when he wants to.

Grimm adds, "I'm more concerned with figuring out how to fix whatever she did here. However she did it."

Radical nods. "This might be too big for me to undo, but I can...try? Let me see if it's even possible." He starts to look around at the magic that's been used here in this place...to see if he can use one of two spells. First...unweaving it entirely. Failing that...perhaps he can undo the damage by healing the land, and restoring its pattern.

It's not an ongoing spell. At least...not any longer. To have this vast a reach, the qliphothic rot must've spread like a virus, transforming what it touched. Mutating it. There's something chaotic about what was left behind, entwined with qliphothic taint. Just a resonance with that force. There's nothing to dispel. But perhaps, in theory, with enough mana and focus, order could be reasserted.

Radical nods to himself, "I may be able to restore the land. But it might take some time. It's hard to say how long." He puts a knee down...and he places a hand down on the ground. Only then does he start to channel mana to try to undo what was done. "I do not know if I have the power to do so, but I can but try."

Grimm watches Radical take a knee, then looks about at the distant dark mountains. "Do you have enough...mana, energy, whatever...to do this? Is there anything we can do to help?"

Radical chuckles. "Probably the best thing I could do is teach this magic to the mages here, if they can learn it. But let's see if it will work at all."

As the spell begins to work, the rot in the land has a rhabdophobic reaction to the spell to reassert order. The blackness flees away from his touch, rapidly and further than his spell usually would go, and in a 16 meter radius around them, the earth goes from cracked and black to rich brown soil and sprouting grasses. There's gasps all around.

Radical knows that the rate of spread of the healing will slow as the area gets larger, but he continues to pour more Order magic into this world, trying to return it to its former state of being.

The radius around Radical widens, and more of the earth is restored and brought back to life. Near him, a few flowers begin to grow and bloom. It's not that he's making them grow with his magic. He's just restoring what was here once before. Grass spreads along the outer edges of his spell. "You're really doing it," Gabrielle says hopefully, trying not to distract him too much.

Radical chuckles. "So...how far does this extend? I sure hope it's not the planet." He keeps pouring his personal energy into the spell, restoring more and more of the land. "If it's like miles...I'll have to teach the spell to the mages here, and then they can fish for the rest of their lifetime."

"From ocean to ocean, as far as we know," the Knight replies solemnly, but still in awe of this magic. There's no telling how far that spans. An island? A continent?

Saplings begin to rise in the closest part of the circle. The center becomes more lush as the outer edges of the spell show the beginnings of sprouting. Like the land recovering from a recent brush fire versus an old brush fire.

Radical lets out a long whistle. "A....continent? Or are we talking an island a few miles wide? That sounds like a continent to me."

"A continent," the Archmage adds in. "Tens of millions of acres."

They stay silent and watch Radical work. It takes every bit of mana, but the vast valley is restored by the time his mana is spent. Maybe even some of the land beyond the mountains is restored, but it's out beyond their sight.

Radical sits down heavily, and looks to the Archmage, "Were you able to see what I did, exactly? I'm going to have to teach it to all of you, so you can continue the work."

The Archmage nods. "I saw the energy flow from your hand," he says. "But how did you accomplish this without incantations, gestures, or any ritual items?" he asks, sounding like that achievement is beyond belief. The Archmage draws back his hood, and he looks familiar. Like...Connor, if he were much older, with long graying hair with a bit of color still, and a beard. "Only the Gods can do such things..."

In just saying that, some of the young acolytes drop to their knees out of respect.

Gabrielle doesn't notice the resemblance in the two, but smiles as the Archmage reveals himself. "Hmmm. Not a bad looking guy. I thought all archmages were supposed to be ancient and withered." She might be flirting a bit with the older man. Or lightly teasing.

Radical looks up at the Archmage, and smiles to himself, and he pulls off his mask. "I'm not a god. And I can teach you this."

The Archmage chuckles at Grimm's comments. "I'm not a young man anymore." He stops talking and looks at Radical in surprise as he takes off the mask. "You're..."

Gabrielle doubletakes as Radical takes off the mask. "What're you doing?!" she whispers urgently. Even though they're in another dimension, she's concerned about his secret and safety.

Radical says quietly to Gabrielle, "I'm proving a point." He stands to look the Archmage in the eyes. "Look at me. If I can learn this magic...you know you can learn it too."

Grimm nods and remains silent. She knows she should trust Radical's judgement on this. She just still struggles with old habits.

The Archmage steps closer and squints as he observes Connor's face closer. His eyes widen in realization and acceptance after. "You...-are-. My eyes aren't what they used to be, but...fascinating. Infinite versions, you said." He looks over the Radical outfit and gear. "And such strange fabric and style." His eyes return to Connor's. "I believe you. If you can teach me, and I study your methods, I can pass on the knowledge to my students," he smiles. "Our world can come back to life again," he says with hope.

Radical looks to Grimm, turning so she can see both of their faces with a simple glance, before he turns back to the Archmage. "Infinite versions. Indeed." He smiles. "Show me a simple magic spell that you know, so I can try to help you incorporate what I know with what you know."

Grimm isn't quite catching on with that. It just may be cognitive dissonance at play. "Well, I'm not torching the land, so...yeah. Whoever did this wasn't me," she says in her defense, but not too defensively."

"Is she from your world, too? And not a destroyer. I am sorry the ritual's net cast to someone innocent." Archmage Duran says. The heroes are gathering amongst themselves, amazed and studying the grass and trees, and the clearing of the sky. It's night still, but the storm clouds have departed as well, revealing...a brilliant starry sky, untouched by light pollution. The Via Galactica is clearly visible. The Archmage looks at Gabrielle as Radical does, and looks back his younger alter. "No spell is simple. There is preparations to make. But some less than others. A moment," he says, and begins walking to his apprentices. One, a female, nods and runs to a cart left a little distance from the circle. It's where the horses and supplies were parked.

Radical nods to the Archmage, "She's from my world, yes. And I'm sorry I can't really help you actually track down your culprit. But at least we can try to make this right."

The Archmage nods at that. "I'm curious to learn more about you and this multiverse you spoke of." Some of the apprentices begin asking him questions, and he offers calming words, and then says, "Gather the stones and artifacts and return them to the cart. It seems we will no longer be needing them."

The knight protests, "But the Dark One is still out there! She may yet return!"

The female in robes offers more calmly, "The ritual worked once, we could try again.""

Grimm says aside to Radical quietly while the others debate, "How long do you think it'll take to teach him magic? Or that spell?" Occasionally the heroes eye her like they still aren't certain this isn't some trap.

Radical shrugs, "I'm not sure. It may take some time. Days, even. I might have to leave..and come back."

Radical chuckles. "You don't need to stick around for the entire time while I'm teaching him."

"I don't know. It wouldn't be all bad," Grimm says as she glances at the Archmage with a grin. "Besides, I always try to leave dimensions at least a little better off than how I found them. If there's anything I can do to help undo some of the damage this other me did, it's the least I can do. Or at least put things in motion to getting right."

Radical nods. "One of the best things we can do is track down the cuprit here. Could it be that main evil version of yourself that you've run into a couple of times?"

Grimm takes a breath and sighs it out, looking at the now lush landscape within the valley as she thinks it over. "I don't know. Maybe if they really pissed her off? But she likes ruling. I don't know why she would just..curse this world and leave it. Unless she didn't feel it was worth serving her? It seems pretty...y'know, swords and sorcery. Like that Kingmaker movie starring Titan."

Radical nods. "Maybe it was someone else. Can you maybe detect the dimension of the original magic? I know that might be difficult."

Grimm looks like she's worried about disappointing him. "I can try, but it's been a long time. If it happened sooner, probably. Though...this had to be really powerful magic. Maybe there are still some active remnants I can follow?"

Radical smiles, "If you can't get a trail, it's okay. I understand. There are limits to what we can do." He motions to what he healed, land-wise. "I can't heal an entire ocntinent. Not in my lifetime."

The young apprentice who went to fetch a small lockchest comes back, and Archmage Duran and the apprentice walk back to Radical and Grimm. The apprentice sets down the chest, her hood down. It takes a moment to recognize her, but she reminds Connor of Rira. But older, and less rebellious looking. She may be in her late thirties.

Grimm doesn't seem like she's being so hard on herself after Radical says he understands. "You did a lot already. You can get things started at least. With more people to use the spell, they'd get it done. Thanks to you," she smiles. "I'll keep trying to get a trail," she promises.

Radical does a bit of a double-take, seeing Rira. Or rather her equivalent here. "Hmm, thanks, Gabrielle." He goes ahead and pull his mask back on.

Archmage Duran goes down on one knee with a grunt before the chest and opens it up, searching for materials. He withdraws a small box, some parchment, a feather, a quill, and a small corked pot of ink. "The simpler of our spells is a Spell of Sending," he says, grunting again with a little effort to stand up. Mage Rira touches the Archmage's elbow to help him up a little, and he chuckles. "I may be getting old, but I am not -that- old," he smiles. "Still. I appreciate the concern."

Radical chuckles quietly, but he doesn't interrupt. Instead, he focuses on their magic, watching their techniques, so he can try to help them use their methods to achieve the result that he generated with his own style of magic.

Mage Rira nods. "Of course, Archmage," she says and pulls out a wooden board from the box and holds it for the Archmage to set the items upon. She does this without him asking, so she must be anticipating the need. He marks some symbols upon the small parchment, a scroll the size you'd place on a carrier pigeon, and then writes a message upon it. "We have never seen one cast a spell such as yours, save for the Dark One. Our magic requires intention, practiced writing, dedication, and ritual. It is passed on by tradition. My late uncle taught me all I know. If there is an infinite realities, and witnessing what you have achieved, it stands to reason there may be infinite styles of magic beyond our own." He chuckles fondly. "If only my uncle could be here to witness such discovery." He writes a message after carefully inscribing sigils, then rolls it up and places a feather in the small box.

Gabrielle still hasn't made any connections, and is focusing with her eyes closed to sense the magic about them. But there's no magic she's channeling to do so. Not yet.

Radical smiles sadly. "My uncle taught me as well. Though...we were both groomed to be the Cartesian. That's how I learned the basics of...controlling magic. He managed to retire, and is working on...well, gardening now."

Archmage Duran smiles sadly in return. "Gardening. That is...good to hear," he says with some difficulty, longing that such was his uncle's fate. He sombers some. "My uncle died trying to halt the Dark One's curse." He places the scroll into the box, enclosed with the small feather, places both hands on the box, and utters an incantation in some arcane language Radical isn't familiar with. There is a small fwooshing sound and a puff of smoke. Radical witnesses the magic spark with that sound and the smoke. When he opens the box, the feather and message are consumed into ash. "To cast this again, I would need to gather the right reagents."

Radical then hears in his mind, a soft message, as though directly whispered in his ear, the voice of his elder self. "Are you sure you can trust this version of the Dark One? Some tellings of the tale claim she was a trickster."

Radical chuckles quietly, and then says to the Archmage. "Yes, I'm sure. But I did get the message." He taps his temple.

Radical nods to himself. "I was able to see the magic you're using...and how the tools worked to generate the mana you're utilizing...and then shape and control it. I think...I can probably come up with something which will use what you know, and allow you to control the magic of Order like I did, to achieve the same effect. Now that I've been able to see the...component parts of your magic."

Radical takes a deep breath. "I'm not sure there's enough time to try to get you to the point where I am currently: Utilizing magic with pure thought and will, as opposed to...gestures or incantations, or tools. But at least I can help you get the right effect with what you do know."

Radical chuckles. "On the bright side...you also won't suffer some of the same effects I do from channeling magic, based on what I've seen. You're not taking the mana into yourself while casting, so you'll be immune to the issues involved with that."

"The magic of Order? As the Cartesian of legend once did? I...hm." Archmage Duran suddenly comes to a realization. He smiles slightly at that amusing thought. "If there is a method to perform magic with mere gestures or incantations, it would be far advanced to the magic we know of. What ill effects are you warning about?"

Grimm walks over to the heroes, who are wary of her, and begins to ask them questions. She tries to move in slow, non-threatening ways as she converses.

Radical nods, as he considers what to say. "I...can channel the magic of both Order and Chaos. Both of those aspects have...a nature to them. They infect the personality of the bearer. When I was the Cartesian, I was infused with Order magic all the time. As a result, my personality was...very rigid. Very orderly. Very formal." He then tilts his head a little bit, "Chaos magic, on the other hand, can make the wielder feel...frenetic. Manic. Unfocused. Like you're working entirely on stream of consciousness."

He chuckles. "Because I wield them both...but generally for short periods of time at a time, I tend to have short stints of personality change due to wielding whatever magic I was using. It fades after a few minutes."

That causes him to pause, "Though...even though I used Order magic for several minutes here, I didn't feel the personality change as much as I'm used to. I'm not sure why. I'll have to look into it later."

Archmage Duran nods. "I suppose it takes a certain mindset to wield such magics? As I said. Ours requires intention. We must set and focus our minds on a sole task and block out all other thoughts." He then smiles and looks to Rira and teases fondly, "Something my apprentice still struggles with even after years of practice."

Rira, even older, still has some of her sass. "Gods, Archmage, I haven't been an Initiate in years," she says, embarrassed and miffed.

Archmage Duran chuckles. "But you will always be my apprentice."

Rira folds her arms over her chest and turns her head away, muttering stubbornly, "At least until the apprentice surpasses the master."

Radical chuckles. "This...sounds familiar to me. I have an apprentice too. And I think...she's our version of your apprentice. Is your name Rira? Or something similar?"

Radical nods. "But to answer your question, Archmage, it does require a certain mindset. And intention. And lots and lots of practice. I don't think I could have learned to do what I can do now without the experience of being the Cartesian, but also the assistance of more than one magically inclined friend who aided my research."

Mage Rira's furrowed brow uncreases at the mention of her name. "Yes...yes, it is," she says, off balance about that. Her eyes narrow as she tries to recall what it was about Radical's face that was throwing her off. Then she gasps. "Oh...oh, the hair is different, but...it -is-."

Archmage Duran smiles at that. "Fascinating. The commonalities," he muses. Archmage Duran doesn't have the awkwardness Connor does. He has the confidence of Randal in some ways. He looks past Radical and makes a beckoning motion to the heroes.

The knight nods and says some parting words, and begins walking over, and Grimm comes with him. The knight removes his helm and holds it under his arm. There's a resemblance in the young man. "Yes, father?"

"Prepare the party to return home. There is much to do," Archmage Duran says. He turns back to Radical. "I am no stranger to practice. I'm eager to learn what you have to teach."

Radical looks at the knight for a long moment. "Now...it is I who have some questions." He looks to the Archmage. "I have no children, as of yet." He takes a deep breath, and looks back to Rira, "Continue practicing. The Rira Gonzalez that I know...is far more of a natural talent than I am, or ever will be. And she will definitely surpass me someday. You likely have the same kind of potential, and could very well be in the Archmage's shoes yourself someday. Of this I have no doubt. Just keep practicing and working toward it."

Rira chuckles. "Maybe we are different. I am Rira Gonafir." This world's cultures must be different from his home earth. But this definitely looks like the equivalent of Rira Gonzalez in this world. "Hmmm. Archmage Rira. I like the sound of that," she smiles.

Archmage Duran chuckles. "Perhaps she will be more adept with your new method of magics." He turns his smile to Radical. "It was some time before I married and bore children. Perhaps due to being carried away with my studies."

The Knight Duran nods to his father's instructions. "Very well, father. Are these strangers coming with us?" he asks, eyeing Grimm reluctantly in the hopes the answer is no in her case. He seems to be about Gabrielle's age. Maybe a bit younger. The stubbly growth on his face could be making him look a bit older, but it seems he is usually more clean shaven if not for the travel and whatever preparations they did here taking his time away from grooming.

Radical nods. "If I'm going to teach you all to use this spell that I used here, I'll need some time to formulate a...lesson plan. But if I come with you, can I find my way back to your world, so I can teach you. That way...we won't be in your hair for a protracted time, and I suspect that will make a lot of your people more comfortable."