Chapter 71- A New Order Begins

  Denmark- Odense, Safe House- 4- Nov. – 2008 (07:30 am Local time)

  Master Keacilius Anker-

  He was already awake and lying in bed when his arm started to go off. He let it buzz twice before reaching over and shutting the old digital clock off. With the time difference, he still had more than a few hours till they needed to think about creating a portal to the Savage Lands, but the mystic arts user was just too nervous to not be up and getting ready already.

  So he got up and left the small bedroom. He walked passed his study, but stopped and went back after a thought. He moved to the bookshelf, after pulling out the proper books the shelf popped open to reveal his hidden magic sanctum. In the middle of the sanctum was an altar that held a thermos, the same thermos that he carved to trap his dead wife’s captured soul in.

  "Today is the day dear… the day that we reunite," Keacilius muttered, before weaving the spells to remove the protections and wards he had pced around the altar.

  As he peeled back the st ward, Hugh stepped into the study. He looked passed his master at the magic room as he gave his report. "Lucian called. Ortani's managed to keep only a handful of his remaining students to stay on."

  "I am shocked that any agreed to stay on after what the professor had done to the others," Keacilius admitted.

  "I think it's more because of our coming to their aid than anything the professor said or did." His disciple theorized.

  As the master reached for the thermos, he heard his disciple tap his own body, probably checking to make sure he carried his own artifact that held his loved one's soul, a brother if he remembered right. Yet before he could turn to see a confirmation of that, the colors in the safe house shifted. Bck became white, brown became grey, and the red fmes in the hearth became blue.

  It sted only for a second, but that was all that it was supposed to be. As it was the warning he picked when he cast warning magic on this house's door, to warn them when anyone not of their group entered the grounds.

  All the cheer and good mood left the master and disciple as they quickly realized their paranoia had paid off.

  “Check on the others.” Keacilius quickly ordered Hugh, before conjuring a astral dagger and ran first to and then down the stairs to the main hall.

  He was greeted by two people, a man in a mostly white suit of from-fitting armor, there were also red lines reminding him of a tiger's stripes, or judging from the circle in the middle of the armor’s chest, the sun’s rays. Even the mask that covers most of the man's face had this color pattern. While the woman standing beside him wore a now purple Japanese kimono, and her bird familiar perched atop her left shoulder.

  “I thought I recognized you back in japan. You’re a former x-man. Sun something.” Keacilius said after pcing the man’s armor.

  “Sunfire.” The mutant confirmed in perfect English.

  "We're not here to fight." Master Takeda expined, a moment ahead of his three disciples coming down the stairs. Each of them wielding a conjured weapon or two, made her add. "But we will defend ourselves if we have to."

  "Then why are you here?" The rogue master asked.

  “And how did you find this pce?” Katrina asked upset.

  "Wasn't hard, we just had to search for property owned by a dead person," Sunfire answered his disciple's question first. Making Keacilius wince, as he shielded the thermos in his left hand.

  Yet Takeda quickly answered his question too, saying. "As for 'why' we are here, we are here to tell you, that after a lengthy and highly passionate meeting of all of the Masters and Defenders, you and your fellow disciples have all been dismissed from the Order. Should you approach any of the Sanctums or Kamar-Taj again you will be treated as an enemy, and attacked on sight.'

  “That said. Should you successfully form a new organization under Nath’aniel’s protection, the Ancient One has assigned me to be your liaison, so we can minimize future conflict between our two orders. Which future contact shall continue through this safe house, until that is that I join you.”

  “Join us?” The rogue master repeated surprised.

  Instead of answering right away, she looked at the mutant beside her. The former X-man cleared his throat before admitting. "With each year that passes, my powers become stronger. It's no longer just a matter of keeping my emotions in check. I have to actively withhold fmes and heat." To prove his point a heat haze appeared around the man, and then fmes began manifesting in the air around him and Takeda. "My original pn was to go out in a bze of glory, sying the enemies of my nation and family."

  Then the Master Takeda expined their new pn. “But in five to ten years all of my grandchildren will have graduated college. And I will have a harder time expining my youthful body. So at that time, should your group have a positive reputation… Well helping my cousin may not be the same as bringing back a dead wife.” The female master had a smile on her face as she left them figure out the rest.

  A vibrating noise made everyone look at Hugh. He reached into his robes and pulled out a cellphone. He flipped it open before reporting. “Lucian sent a text. The professor isn’t waiting for the usual start time; he’s heading to the Savage Lands now.”

  "And I thought it would have been you being the most impatient," Takeda muttered, but still waved them to go, even adding. "Go, reunite with your wife and loved ones."

  Keacilius nodded his thanks, before dismissing his astral dagger and donning his sling ring.

  His disciples quickly followed suit. Hugh quickly tried to send a reply with the phone, while Auria and Katrina quickly went to their hiding pces in the main hall retrieving the storage items holding their loved ones. By the time he had made a portal they were ready.

  He didn't hesitate to lead them through into the jungles near the gathering point for Entreatment Day. He wasn't surprised to find Ortani and his disciples already present in the area, but he was surprised by the three animal-faced armor-wearing knights sitting with the two blonde Asgardians trying to cook what looked like a medium-sized dinosaur.

  "You're early," Freya announced. The goddess held a mixing bowl in hand as she seemed to be seasoning the not-yet-cooking meat on a table near the fire.

  Yet before either exiled masters could say anything in their defense, two more portals popped into the clearing, and the st eight disciples of Keacilius’ joined the gathering. The rogue master ran a hand through his shaggy hair, trying to think up and excuse, but looking at the still bck sky he was again reminded of the time difference.

  “They’re all still sleeping aren’t they?” Keacilius asked them.

  Frey ughed loudly before announcing. "You don't know mages very well, do you? They don't sleep, unless they have been to battle. But he was hoping that you'd let us have breakfast before you showed up."

  Hearing the god say that caused the professor to look embarrassed and scratch his balding head.

  "As long as you are here, you can help set up." The goddess barked. She pointed at a pile of metal folding tables and what looked like chairs, before adding orders. "Chairs and tables are stacked over there, since you're all a bunch of spell slingers I don't think I will need to expin to you how to set them up will I?"

  The newly banished master looked over the confused faces of his disciples, before walking over and spping his fellow banished master on the back. He added some ughter of his own before he said. "They're right, us being too eager means that we have enough energy to help out.”

  With a few nods and leading his disciples in act, he, Ortani and the young mystic arts users spent the next couple of hours unfolding simple metal chairs and some simple tables. During it one of the girls the professor brought asked about why they weren’t staying at the Lost Sanctum, and all the Asgardians did was ugh at the young woman.

  It wasn't until they were sitting down, hot food and sads set out in front of them that one of his disciples asked a question that had completely slipped his mind. "Isn't the food in the Savage Land poisoned?"

  It was a wolf-headed knight who answered the young man. "Being able to use magic makes you immune to it, and we Newmen are bred to be immune to it as well. The only ones that should need to worry about it are those three." The wolf-knight said the st bit pointing at the two gods and the shield maiden.

  Frey just smiled before taking in a mouthful of dino meat. Freya also didn't seem too concerned either. However, the brown-haired warrior woman stared at her food for a moment, before digging into a pouch on her belt and sprinkling some powder from it over her food before eating.

  Keacilius was confident in his skills, and so when he dug in, his disciples again followed his example and dug in as well. Only Orinita’s students seemed really worried after hearing the wolf-man’s answer, but even they eventually lost out to their hunger.

  As the meal neared its conclusion, they were joined by the leader of the Brotherhood, Magneto. He was accompanied by two other members of his group. Exodus was known to them, but the blue-skinned boy with the tail was only vaguely known to the users of the mystic art.

  “Where’s Nath’aniel?” Ortani asked when they three mutants neared the tables the two masters were eating at.

  Magneto looked over the tables. It seemed to the rogue master that he was counting them, as he said. “Nath’aniel is setting up for the demonstration that he has pnned for all of you, however, he wanted me to discuss a few things with you first. Go over some logistics and details.”

  Keacilius' table was filled with some of his disciples, while Ortani sat alone, so he stood up and gestured for the mutant leader to join them at the professor's table. He stared over the now obvious illusion over the mutants' shoulder and asked. "And would part of this discussion be about where this demonstration will be?"

  "It would, but some things need to be made clear as well," Magneto answered, as he pulled out his own chair without touching it. He also only needed to wave, to cause the metal chair and him float closer to the table. "The future Order of Masters will not be based out of the Citadel. Because while the Magi and the Order have the same leader currently, this may not be the case going forward.’

  “After all, Nath’aniel is only an ‘acting master’ of the Citadel, meanwhile he will always be the Founder of your Order… that and he is a little worried about some of the taint in most of your members.”

  Keacilius and Ortani share a look at the st bit, and while the newly banished master is wise enough to keep his mouth shut, his companion was not. “What taint?’

  The mutant leader shrugged like it wasn't a big deal before he said. "While the magi did not go into detail as to what they saw when they looked at you and your people, but given that Nath'aniel defended your study of necromancy, but were quite bothered by whatever they learned of you I would strongly suggest that you discontinue whatever forbidden practices you’ve dabbled into.” Yet as he continued his answer his tone made it clear that his suggestion was anything but one.

  "That won't be a problem for me and mine," Keacilius stated pinly. The professor rubbed his thinning hair before nodding in agreement as well.

  “Good. On to the next topic.” Magneto said with a smile, before pulling out a folded piece of parchment. "The magi have crafted four sets of the equipment for turning regur mystic arts users into Masters. They have given me a list of components to give to you, so you can start gathering the materials for either them, or yourselves, to make more of the tools." The mutant leader id said list on the table once he was done expining things.

  The rogue master slid the page to the professor to read first. "Nothing too exotic, surprising enough, although that's a lot of Abyssal Ink," Ortani said before handing him the list to read.

  He did, and had to agree, the materials were not that rare. Uncommon certainly, but still common enough that he had everything on the list in his own safe houses, so he asked. “These measurements are for a set?” Magneto nodded that they were. So he added. “Then between all of my stashes I have enough to make two more.”

  “And while it won’t be cheap, we can find all of those items on market.” The professor added.

  "Or we can gather our own," Lucian added from Keacilius' shoulder, as he read over it.

  “Four sets?” Keacilius asked, to which the mutant leader nodded.

  Then Magneto started talking more about their future Order. "And the final topic before we set off for the demonstration. Organization. Nath’aniel pictures the Order having two branches, with a deputy head in charge of each of them, with members of each branch swearing to serve him, and the leaders reinforcing their oaths with this."

  Exodus pulled out a ceramic rod from a bag and handed it to his boss. Keacilius wasn't sure what the rod was, but Ortani confirmed it when asked. "Is that an Oath Rod?"

  The red-skinned mutant nodded and then stated. "The magi say that if you break an oath sworn on this rod, you will burn out your ability to use magic."

  The rogue master took a deep breath, as he heard the professor compin. “And that is a death sentence for our Servants, if we lose the ability to wield magic…”

  “And all it needs to save yourself and them is that you would need to stay true to your oath of service.” Magneto interrupted the other exiled master.

  "I will swear, so long as I am not required to harm my family," Keacilius admitted.

  "The exact words of your oaths can be discussed ter, but remember that you are expected to keep this Order intact and loyal to the Magi," Exodus said for his leader.

  “Two branches, why the need, there are not even twenty of us here?” Hugh asked back from their previous table.

  Magneto nodded before answering. “One branch, led by the Arch-Master will be tasked with duties and missions of a more militant nature. The Servants whose masters serve in this branch will need to come from one of the combat csses. Nath’aniel was expecting you to take the position of Arch-Master.” The mutant leader admitted pointing at Keacilius.

  That slightly surprised the rogue master, but at the same time, he had gotten used to leading his disciples. So he admits. "My wife wasn't much of a fighter, but if a test can be set up, I am sure I can prove that I can overcome the duties of this position, even if I am alone in combat."

  Magneto nodded in understanding, before continuing. "The other branch, the working title the Branch of Artisans, will be led by the Senior-Schor, this branch will be pnned to be more of a support role for the order. As well as setting aside some minds to dedicate their time to researching the bonds between Servant and Master, as well as other problems that might arise ter in the Order's future."

  The two rogue masters share a look, but before either could say anything else one of Ortani's disciples asked a question. "Unlike Professor Ortani, I and my other cssmates, none of us have any idea where we are supposed to get a candidate to become our Servant? How are we supposed to find somebody for that position?"

  Both masters were taken aback from the young blonde woman's question, and even Magneto was quiet at first. In the end it was the young blue teen that gave a suggestion, saying. "Why not ask some of the locals from the Savage Lands, I am guessing becoming a Servant will make them immune to poison native here, and the people out there sure know how to and have been in several fights."