Dark Artifact
TSONM 07/10 The groups of Private School kids that Alison's group had met needed their help in controlling and disposing of a dark artifact they had called out.
Alison saw the flickers of magic as they approached the back of the building. Alison and her friends looked at the small, black wooden box that lay open on its side. Small ribbons of pitch-black shadow curled and evaporated before forming a few inches away again. The bare dirt had been painted a deep purple by the contents of the box. It was supposed to be some fun that would let them play with magic for an hour. . The magic felt malevolent. Luke growled as his wolf surged forward.
We’ll envelope it in our own magic and crush it,” Alison said. Emma and Ethan stood side-by-side looking at the black cloud as tendrils slowly stretched out as though tasting the air. Alison circled around it. When she got closer, she could feel pure violence rolling off it. Something within her told her that if they didn’t squash it soon, then it would lose whatever bound it to the box, and then blood would be shed. She wasn’t going to let that happen. Emma had been working hard on her magic, and she hoped it would be enough to help direct and guide Ethan’s more erratic magic. He had talent, but he was still struggling to really get a grip on it.
Alison rolled her shoulders and slowly allowed her magic to slip out of her fingertips as she focused entirely on the black cloud before her. It was unlike anything she’d seen before. It looked as though it were draining the life and color from around it. Alison’s magic combined with Ethan and Emma’s magics forming a kaleidoscope of colors in her vision. It slowly wrapped around the dark cloud engulfing it. The darkness pressed back against her magic, and she felt chills running down her spine. Emma was growing pale as their magic gradually compressed the cloud tighter. Alison gritted her teeth. She pushed more of her magic into the effort, and suddenly the cloud was gone. Emma took a shaky breath, and Ethan put his arm around her shoulders. They didn't know if they had destrpyed it or sinmply chased it away.
TSONM 07/27 Alison's next meeting with the artifact was in the forest/cottage/ root cellar. where Scott had hidden it. After killing him, they went huting for the artifact. “The artifact is some weird stone statuette made of the darkest black stone. He said it has something to do with shadow and the natural transformation from day to night and the between.” Christie walked next to Alison, trying to seem as strong and confident as the older girl. “So, we can destroy it with light.” Kathleen looked at Alison. “I mean we destroyed his magic and that made him vulnerable to my blast of light.”
When they searched the cellar, they found it, in its box, under the altar, where Scott had hidden it. The box was covered in a net of slate grey magic. When she ran her fingers over it, the grey magic shivered and moved away. It was just a little man holding a large disk in his left hand. No human would have guessed at the amount of malevolent magic packed into such a tiny vessel. They focused as much light magic as they could summon on the small black statuette. At first, it looked like their magic wasn’t doing anything at all. The statuette swallowed up the light but didn’t change in appearance. The friends were beginning to feel dismayed that their efforts weren’t working. They didn’t know what else to try. They hadn’t studied how to destroy dark artifacts. Just when they were ready to admit that the light magic plan failed, the statuette moved. Only a small fraction, but it definitely moved. Something was happening. Then it started to wobble and rattle around inside the box. The group was tired and wouldn’t be able to keep up this level of magic for much longer. Their hands trembled as they maintained their focus.The statuette’s rattle increased in violence until it stilled entirely.
Suddenly the statuette exploded. Small black shards of stone flew through the air and disintegrated into dust when they struck the walls. The students hit the ground and covered their heads. They didn’t have a moment to recover. The walls and the ground started shaking. Clods of earth fell from the ceiling and showered the students in dirt and grime. The statue was demolishing the cellar, and they had to get out. They tried to run to the stairs, but the steps were slowly being buried, and the exit was growing smaller by the second. Emma summoned her magic. She looked at the exit and forced herself to speak the words to move the dirt aside. The fresh earth exploded outward, causing Dorvu to cry out in alarm. Emma pushed Aya and Christie up the stairs and out into the cold night. They had all gotten out safely.
