Grimoire

@beatrice_dubois: @stuart_sion: @csill:

This mage was not the first to make Grimoire an offer along those lines and it had only taken one misstep for him to learn better. It was during the beginning of his conquest that he fell for a similar trap laid out for him by a mage similar to this one. This wouldn't work though, not this time, and not ever. "If you know of his location than...tell me...however, I will not....fall for such novice trickery. You have proven yourself...untrustworthy...always carrying yourself as if you know have a...trick up your sleeve."

The creature allowed his magics to silently begin crafting his tool to gain the truth from this man. How could he believe someone who spoke as if they were one step ahead in a room of people cowering in fear. It was behavior he had seen before and had deemed many Maxwell's ago...untrustworthy. Instead he crafted a way to get information from beings like this; break their confidence and the truth will flow.

"Even if you plan on...telling the truth...I must be sure for...I have met many...like you in realms...like this. So...I must extend my own sincerest...apologies mage but...I need to be sure."

The space around the mage did as Grimoire wanted it to. His magic contorting a small portion of where Csil existed in this space with twists and bends. Should Csil stay within that space he would contort with it becoming trapped. His body would suffer no physical harm from the contortion but he would find himself unable to move from its boundaries. It would be then that the Blazing Beast would fragment the space around them and wield bits of it like large spines of glass. Each one would angle themselves towards him and begin digging into not his flesh but his existence within the space. As if his entire past, present, and future were being dragged across a cheese grater.

"Now tell me...truthfully...where is the Hastings who wanders?"

As long as the mage answered than Grimoire would release his spell however, if the mage didn't answer or found some way to avoid his magic than this place would soon become naught more than rubble.

If I cared for the opinions of roaches I would ask

Weak

@stuart_sion: @beatrice_dubois: @csill:

"You pry too much mage...you answer questions with...questions."

The being of flames brought his face closer to the mage, so close that he would be able to feel Grimoire's breath. His found themselves interlocked behind his back as he spoke. His eyes looking deep into those of the man in front of him.

"It seems you desire naught more than to withhold information however....I shall play...your game."The Lich pulled his face back away from Csil, his hands slowly drifting back down to his sides. A smile formed along his blazing visage as his own magic worked behind the scenes. He wouldn't destroy this place...not yet but, he would ready himself should this game go on longer than he desired. "I seek his...soul...to add to my collection of many souls. Many souls of many...Maxwells. Now I've answered your question so...where...is...he? Or would you rather I...break you...would you rather I...destroy...this place?"

@stuart_sion: @csill: @beatrice_dubois:

"You show great confidence in your.....ability.....by choosing to stand so.....close." Surely the woman had felt his presence, surely they all had or else they wouldn't have to hide the cowering children. They clung to their mothers much as many had done in other realms, hiding amidst their skirts as if they were a shield. The poor children had no idea that their mothers skirts did nothing but delay the inevitable by less than a moment. There was no joy in killing children, no joy in killing anything other than Maxwell's, instead the deaths he had caused in the past were merely consequences of circumstance. The life and death of mortals bothered him no more than a man is bothered by the crushing of a fly. Now though he could see them, see the fear brought upon them by the pain of being near him, and he felt nothing. "My time has not been...wasted....and I shall....write off your current lie as naught more than...a lack of information...for the sake of those children's futures. For you may not know where he is but....he does."

Reality moved around him, his mastery over the manipulation of physical space allowing him to transpose his position from where he was to where the two men stood. He was close, unbearably close, and depending on their own power levels as mages this could potentially be the worst pain they had ever experienced. His fiery gaze glaring deep into the eyes of the one called Marcus he spoke again. "You...know him....you speak as if...you know him. I simply wish to rip the life from him as I've done to so many others and will do to...many more."There was no threatening tone in his voice just simply calm and collected truth. He spoke with no added malicious intent, nothing that hinted at any kind of motivation, it was as if he was simply stating a fact. "Now...where is he?"

Voting for Kaija and Icefire

@csill: @stuart_sion: @beatrice_dubois:

They came to him now, their eyes falling upon his towering form, and their fear almost palpable. To think that he exerted so much power from just existing within the same realm as these beings that he could cause them to fear. He had done nothing of offense and still they were on edge. He need not move just simply stand and watch them try to hide their squirming.

"The one who wanders...Maxwell Hastings...I can smell him but its only faint so I implore you to tell me where he....is."

He spoke not to anyone in particular but, to them all with the intent of getting an answer. Perhaps they had it and perhaps they didn't as long as the truth was given than no harm would come to this place. However, his faith in their ability to speak the truth faded when the woman allowed her fallacies to fall from her lips. His attention would be drawn from the crowd to specifically her now, the one who lies. He spoke directly to her and directed all of his own fiery gaze in her direction. She would begin to feel the oppression from his presence more than the rest of them. A side effect of becoming the target of his attention.

"Why do you lie to them...they have every right to...be afraid. They are not safe here so why fill their heads...with delusions."

The very fabric of space around him began to crack and fragment like glass when its hit. His own magic taking hold of the very strings that held this reality together and pulling them whichever way he desired. Those that found themselves close to him began sparatically popping in and out of existence in different locations of the library. They let out grunts of pain before appearing back where they were and he allowed everything to return to normal. It would be exactly the way it had been before he interfered.

@beatrice_dubois: @AnyoneCurrentlyInsideTheAthenaeum

At first they would only feel a slight shift in the air; a noticeably small change in the atmosphere. It would be as if they were alone in a room but, suddenly something else entered. The air would become a little bit hotter, a bit thicker, weigh a bit more, and so forth. Their words would linger in the air for a bit longer or their stomachs would begin to feel slightly upset. Even the flow of magic would shift ever so slightly as if something was calling it but, it was hesitant to respond. This was a sign, an omen that came with an inherently sinister context, something wicked this way came.

This strange shift would begin to intensify as it approached the mystical library. Its very presence made the atmosphere heavy, the air hard to breathe, and to those who were connected to magic...it made the latent mana in the air shutter. Gravity would begin to increase within the confines of the library making it harder to breath the thick air. It would make it harder to move, harder to escape whatever was coming. The distant beating of drums began to emanate through the building and would begin increasing in volume until they were all that could be heard. THUM THUM THUM THUM THUM the wind began to scream as if it was telling anything within the building to escape now. THUM THUM THUM THUM THUM Books flew open allowing their pages to flip wildly back and forth. THUM THUM THUM THUM........BOOOM It ended with a powerful drum beat and there it stood.

Beings near him would struggle to stand as his aura of raw malicious power forced them into the ground. Their hands would grab for their throats as they tried to suck in the unbreathable air. He gave himself a moment to allow his fiery gaze to take in the building around him. Dark maroon and Eminence colored plating covered his flaming form which was comprised almost entirely of mana. The flames themselves were just an overwhelming amount of unrefined magic energy that gave off little to no heat.

"This place...I can smell that he was here..."His voice was almost primordial in the way it seemed to echo throughout the space despite the confined size. Deep, powerful, and almost godlike in the way the words slammed through the air. "Where is he...the one who...wanders."