MTG Salvation

*Somewhere deep in the Forest surrounding Greevan, but close enough to Greevan to have the [Greevan] Tag, there sits an odd looking hut. it would be a rather normal hut, except that the wooden exterior is clearly metal reinforced and has an array of small gaps in it where one plank doesn't quite meet up with the next.

Inside is one large room set up to be a workshop, though one might find it unusual that all the furniture is nailed into place.

And sometimes the cabin expands outwards, readjusts, and settles back into a new layout according to the whims and fancies of Jacques, the Clockworks mentor of the Machinists Guild.*

**Misty enters the hut and heads to the workshop, waving hello to anyone there.**

Misty - "So, I'm going to perform an ancient pact ritual to gain the protection of a guardian spirit. Since location matters, I'm going to do it here! Is that okay?""

Misty's noise making probably just made the curmudgeonly Jacques hide wherever he had stashed himself. He wasn't ready for company quite yet, for reasons that I can't say IC or maybe even OC.

Misty encountered an empty Cabin in the Woods.

**Misty could swear she heard a "whatever" but it MIGHT have just been the wind. Okay, it was probably the wind.

But no matter! The woman performs the ritual using her tigereye.

She also can't help but mentally note that the design of this hut is simply amazing.

-----


After the ritual concludes the fenette calls out "Thanks!" and exits the shop.**

Eventually, Mike woke up.

He was strapped down to a slab in a Dingy room with no windows and a single source of light in the ceiling. He was awfully groggy, and noticed that when he closed his eyes, the world did not go black. Just blurry. He tried closing his eyes again, to the same result.

As he built his strength again, he heard a noise. A door opened in the ceiling and a ladder automatically descended, holding a cloaked figure. The cloaked figure was holding onto the ladder with one hand, and his other hand, concealed from veiw, seemed to be holding something.

When the ladder reached the bottom, the figure stepped off, and turned around, looking at Mike. Now Mike could see his face. He was clearly an elf, and his previously concealed arm was just a radius and an ulna hooked up to wires and gears. He set the package down on a table and studied Mike with his eyes.

Jacques - "Hmm. Eyes appear to be moving today. Heart rate is different."

Mike did not move. Maybe he could pretend to be asleep. Jacques gathered one of the devices in the box of gear he just brought in, and fiddled with it using his skeletal hand. When it appeared to be active, he spoke into it.

Jacques - "Day 2. Subjects heart rate appears to be fluctuating. Eyes in a different position from yesterday. I'm going in for a better look at the heart. Preparing to make first incision."

This frightened Mike, and he opened his eyes and began struggling. His left hand restraints snapped off.

Jacques - "Subject is struggling, possibly awake. Restraints proving ineffective."

Mike - "WHERE AM I?! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!"

Jacques - "Subject is awake. Sedative was ineffective. Remember next time to increase dosage."

Mike screamed in rage. Rage at his own confusion, about apparently being ignored, about feeling unsafe and confined on this table. Then, he snapped his restraints and fled up the ladder, soon finding himself in the Greevan forest.

**Somewhere in the distance Misty makes her way to the meeting place. So many delays! She really should have said something to Christov but she.. she was afraid doing so would just confirm it had really been the hum all along.

But she was almost there! Assuming he was still waiting. Maybe he was going to wait for her to arrive and then message him? That could be WOA-

Something squeezes the woman's leg and hoists her into the air.

She screams.

**He finds a silver-haired woman hanging upside down from a tree. She was meekly trying to cut herself down, but looked a bit sedated for some reason. It was like Christov could feel the drowsiness just from looking at her. Blood trickles down from her leg.**

**The woman feels something, and looks away from the rope in time to see Christov begin his approach. Her dazed eyes widen as he seemingly rips out one of his own ribs in hunger.

Misty - "Sto.. Stop.."

**The terrified woman tries to cast some sort of spell, but the lingering sedative is making it So. Very. Hard. Her breath quickens and then abruptly stops as she starts.. choking herself? For some reason Christov knows something will happen if she goes unconscious.**

**The magically and chemically pacified woman still managed to turn out quite the heartbeat when Chistov dashed up to her, but she just isn't good enough at self-choking to finish the deed. She does stop when he asks though. That seems like an odd thing to ask someone you're about to kill. She calms down the rest of the way. And then goes unconscious.

Oddly enough, nothing else happens after all. Huh.**

**About an hour passes before the woman begins to stir.**

Misty - "Wha? The trap!"

**She tries to get up, but isn't very successful; her limbs are still a bit groggy. The half-fennette continues the sitting up process as she speaks. It looks like the sunglass'ed man wasn't trying to kill her at all! ...wait...**

Misty - "Hi. I'm, um, Misty Wydberg."

**The woman had tensed up as the man began to speak, but the tension broke into a smile when Christov gave his name**

Misty - "You're REAL! Hahahahah... you're real...

**She manages to sit up. It looks like the sedative's effect will completely wear off soon.**

Misty - "Yes! I thought I was going mad too. Well, moreso. I'm sorry I didn't respond to you since the tourney. I was afraid that it would turn out you were just an oddly strong synching after all. I mean, I didn't even know half-vampires existed."

**Misty tried to stop smiling as Christov's story took a sadder turn, but it wasn't easy for her to do.**

Misty - "I won't know for maybe a day or so if this works like normal synching. I think it doesn't though. I'm sure the ancient book of knowledge knew I'd find you if I kept learning mind magic! Oh - I think whatever is linking us grows stronger whenever I learn a higher level spell. Like, the third level awareness spell let us mentally talk to each other?"

Misty - "When I reached the book of knowledge, I asked it about my condition. It told me that I should continue learning mind magic, even when it seemed like it was making things worse.

**Misty smiles, but then suddenly realizes she should continue:**

Misty - Oh! The book is known to be a surprisingly benevolent knowledge artifact that doesn't do any of the mean "be careful what you wish for" tricks, so I'm pretty sure this connection is a good thing for me.

**She just keeps talking, it seems.**

Misty - But if you want me to stop I guess I could? I'd like to attain the spell that blocks mind-altering stuff first though, I think that might solve first stage synching. Which is the worst.

**Misty gives a nod of agreement without a moment's hesitation.**

Misty - "Thank you so much! And yes, I'd like to work with you. Bringing a serial killer to justice seems like a great way to earn gold! I'm a member of the mages and the machinists, although I really haven't done much machinist work yet."