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In Paraasilan, Esmaar, a pair of roommates are about to break a rule that, compared to the one about running in the corridors or even the one about unlicensed teleportation, is there for a good reason.
In unison, they complete their shared spell.
Brilliance in Elcenia
"...Did we do it wrong?" says the younger of the girls. "That looks like a box."
"Well, it's from another world. Maybe there's a sprite or something that size in it? And the box came along?" suggests the elder.
"Well, it's from another world. Maybe there's a sprite or something that size in it? And the box came along?" suggests the elder.
cardistry
The box declines to comment.
(Brilliance does not know what just happened, but he is scared and confused, and that makes it harder to keep a lid on the control program. He doesn't even have the spare concentration to try a teleport or a dimensional transfer.)
(Brilliance does not know what just happened, but he is scared and confused, and that makes it harder to keep a lid on the control program. He doesn't even have the spare concentration to try a teleport or a dimensional transfer.)
"We can't show Nemaar this. Look, Nemaar, we summoned a box, aren't you impressed," says the younger girl.
"Yeah... I don't know, we could try again, but maybe whatever we got will come out if we wait a bit? I could cast a translation spell, that might help, there's no way it speaks Leraal."
"Okay," says the human one.
"Yeah... I don't know, we could try again, but maybe whatever we got will come out if we wait a bit? I could cast a translation spell, that might help, there's no way it speaks Leraal."
"Okay," says the human one.
cardistry
He totally speaks Leraal. Leraal is a language, and he speaks those. But he wouldn't see any profit in saying so, even if he wasn't—busy.
The older girl looks something up in a book, says something that isn't a language, and then says, "Will you come out? We won't hurt you."
"Maybe it can't talk, like a sprite," suggests the younger one. "Did you do a good enough spell to compensate?"
"I think so. Yeah, it says it's rated for non-sonic language."
"Maybe it can't talk, like a sprite," suggests the younger one. "Did you do a good enough spell to compensate?"
"I think so. Yeah, it says it's rated for non-sonic language."
cardistry
Okay. Calm. Calm. Calm. He wrestles with his destructive compulsions until he can think about something besides fear and not letting off a damn planet-buster on a couple of kids.
Does he want to answer them?
What will happen if he does?
What will happen if he doesn't?
Pretending to be an inanimate object is a safe bet on worlds without magic, and - whatever they've been doing, they weren't using mana for it. Not magic as he understands it. He tentatively decides to stick to his story, despite their reassurances. ('Won't hurt you' is something he reflexively doubts, all logic aside.)
Does he want to answer them?
What will happen if he does?
What will happen if he doesn't?
Pretending to be an inanimate object is a safe bet on worlds without magic, and - whatever they've been doing, they weren't using mana for it. Not magic as he understands it. He tentatively decides to stick to his story, despite their reassurances. ('Won't hurt you' is something he reflexively doubts, all logic aside.)
"Are you sure we did it right?" asks the younger doubtfully.
"This was definitely a spell that should have got us a person and if we'd botched it, it would've blown up in our faces," says the other. "I don't know what happened. And it's not like we can ask a teacher."
"This was definitely a spell that should have got us a person and if we'd botched it, it would've blown up in our faces," says the other. "I don't know what happened. And it's not like we can ask a teacher."
cardistry
The more they talk, the more Brilliance feels like maybe they are not as frightening as circumstances suggest.
But - well. How long has it been since he talked to anyone...?
(The control program pushes him to shift forms, assume his human shape with its ability to cast combat spells unpartnered. He resists.)
But - well. How long has it been since he talked to anyone...?
(The control program pushes him to shift forms, assume his human shape with its ability to cast combat spells unpartnered. He resists.)
"Maybe it is from a world of box people," says the younger girl. "But try convincing Nemaar of that."
"Maybe. I don't know. Maybe it's dangerous and wants to trick us into breaking the ward, the book was crawling with warnings about how you never break the ward, blah blah. But I don't really feel like breaking the ward so that'd be a weird sort of trick."
"Maybe. I don't know. Maybe it's dangerous and wants to trick us into breaking the ward, the book was crawling with warnings about how you never break the ward, blah blah. But I don't really feel like breaking the ward so that'd be a weird sort of trick."
cardistry
...hm. Ward? What's that supposed to mean, exactly? It doesn't seem to match the concepts he's familiar with. He listens some more, with what attention he can spare from the struggle.
"Hey box person," pipes up the younger girl, "no way you're getting out of the circle, but we'll send you home soon as we can show Nemaar what we want to show him."
cardistry
No way he's—? Fuck that. He tries a teleport, destination: anywhere else.
It doesn't work.
The next step will kind of complicate his inanimate object impression, but right now he's a little too freaked out to care: he deploys his spell diagram, rainbow-hued counter-rotating five-pointed figures inscribed in concentric circles, and tries a dimensional transfer.
That doesn't work either.
A glint of light flashes rapidly along one of his upward-facing edges in an involuntary expression of dismay. The spell diagram fades.
It doesn't work.
The next step will kind of complicate his inanimate object impression, but right now he's a little too freaked out to care: he deploys his spell diagram, rainbow-hued counter-rotating five-pointed figures inscribed in concentric circles, and tries a dimensional transfer.
That doesn't work either.
A glint of light flashes rapidly along one of his upward-facing edges in an involuntary expression of dismay. The spell diagram fades.
"Well, it's doing something," muses the older girl. "I dunno what though. And I don't know why, and even if we could get to do it whenever, it probably wouldn't convince Nemaar."
"It was pretty, whatever it was," says the younger.
"It was pretty, whatever it was," says the younger.
cardistry
Brilliance is deeply worried. Which means he has to spend another few seconds getting ahold of himself. But—fuck, do they even know what they've done? It really doesn't look like it.
"It was," agrees the older girl.
"So now what?" asks the younger.
"I dunno. Let it sit another degree, I guess, we'll have time to try it again even if we don't catch Nemaar right after he comes out of class."
"So now what?" asks the younger.
"I dunno. Let it sit another degree, I guess, we'll have time to try it again even if we don't catch Nemaar right after he comes out of class."
cardistry
No. No. Definitely not. No. No way could he handle being left here, trapped—
"You have to send me back," says the box, in perfectly fluent Leraal and an urgent, strained voice. "Right now."
"You have to send me back," says the box, in perfectly fluent Leraal and an urgent, strained voice. "Right now."
"...Why?" asks the younger girl.
cardistry
"I can't— I hate being trapped," he says, and he means it to be the beginning of an explanation, but instead what comes out next is "I can't stand it I can't stand it Ican'tstandit—" scaling up into a wordless wail.
The girls are momentarily stunned into silence, and then the older one says, "I should have known this was a bad idea - okay, shush, we have to be able to hear each other when we co-" She stops.
"Korulen?" asks the younger.
"...co-cast the reversal. You can't co-cast a reversal. I should have known this was a bad idea, this was such a bad idea."
"Korulen?" asks the younger.
"...co-cast the reversal. You can't co-cast a reversal. I should have known this was a bad idea, this was such a bad idea."
cardistry
Brilliance manages to stop screaming around when Korulen trails off midsentence. He doesn't say anything else immediately, because he is trying very very hard not to freak out in any destructive ways.
"What do we do?" exclaims the younger girl. "We don't have the CC to do it alone, even you, what do we do, what do we do, do we just let it out -"
"No - no - I think I have to tell my parents," says Korulen, sounding wretched.
"I'll get expelled," whimpers her roommate.
"No - no - I think I have to tell my parents," says Korulen, sounding wretched.
"I'll get expelled," whimpers her roommate.
cardistry
"Let me out, please let me out," he says desperately, "I'll go far away and I won't come back, just let me out—" He cuts himself off before he can start screaming again, but little gleams of panicked light skate along his edges, faster and faster.
"We can't we can't we can't Saasnil don't touch the chalk, I'll get Mom -"
"We're in soooo much trouble," whimpers Saasnil.
And a moment later, the door opens, and there is a green-haired but otherwise human-looking woman there, looking alarmed and severe.
"We're in soooo much trouble," whimpers Saasnil.
And a moment later, the door opens, and there is a green-haired but otherwise human-looking woman there, looking alarmed and severe.