Zack closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, then started to wiggle his finger, channelling his own mana, reaching upon the magical energy of Gearhaven. He focused inwardly, tracing a ball of energy pronouncing an incantation. "Magica, Incantem, Orobis!" A ball of black and red energy appeared in his hand. He slowly approached Justine's tattoo to see if it reacted.
"Do you feel anything?"
Justine jerked backwards on the bed, her head reeling. A swirl of lights and an unfamiliar landscape rising in her vision, disappearing too quickly to recognise anything. "Aahhhh! Yes! Stopstopstop!"
Zack quickly stopped his spell, the light fading out immediately. "It's reacting to arcanic energy...strongly..." Zack bit his lower lip for a moment. "That...is not good..."
Justine turned to Zack, a look of concern on her face. "Not good...why not? I mean...how bad?"
Zack took a deep breath. "Two possibilities...and hopefully, I HOPE that one of them is the one I think. First possibilities if...you have been gifted with the ability to use the arcane with those tattoos, which is the option I highly hope, the other--and that is the one I do NOT hope happened--is...you got marked."
Justine's eyebrows rose. "How do we find out?"
Deebs stepped forward. "Let me try something..."
Justine looked hopefully at Deebs, a smile on her face.
"Zack, I am going to work a little something which should at least blunt any...linkages. Once that's up, gently, GENTLY raise a touch of arcane energy. Right?”
Zack nodded, stepping back to give her the space to work. "Go ahead."
Justine’s eyes widened in alarm as the tattoos began to give off a dark smoke in response. "Deeeeebs?????" she cried, gripping the edges of the bed tightly. "Deebs!"
Eyes closed, Deebs intoned. "Protokol: Against The Opener Of The Ways." And after another breath, "Protokol: Arcanus Magnus."
Zack stepped forward, resisting taking her hand. "Breathe, Justine...it's okay..."
"There," Deebs said, "Rift Energies should dissipate and break, as should any unacceptable linkages."
Zack whispered, biting his lower lips. "That might be painful..."
"It won't remove them. Just stop them. For now," Deebs said. "Removal, if needed, would take more than we can do here."
"Justine? How do you feel?" Zack asked.
Watching with relief as the black smoke emanating from the tattoos dissipated and the itching, burning sensations eased, she replied with a whimper, "I've been better? Actually, I think....I'm gonna be sick."
"Ok. It's ok," Deebs said in a soothing voice, "That was a whipsaw."
Zack looked to Deebs as the light surrounding Justine changed colour. "Can we get close to her without risk with that scela over her head?"
"Sure thing," Deebs started as the energy intensified and Justine arched back on the table, crying out. The tattoos flared, issuing black smoke around her.
"Dammit!" Zack shouted, "It's fighting it, Deebs!"
Justine curled up on her side on the table, biting back a scream. Zack took Justine's hand and looked at her. "Justine, stay with me...look at me, focus only on me, not on the pain."
Zack looked up. "That mark is resistant...If we need to seal it temporarily, I will help Deebs to do so...two types of magic is better than one and maybe it will work...I can try....do you trust me, Justine?"
Deebs began to intone again. "Protokol: Second Ward." Her shield grew bright. "Protokol: Fiat Lux!"
Justine squeezed her eyes shut against the brightness of the magickal light, flashing green to blue to white, burning through her lids. Zack kept a tight hold on her hand. "I am here."
"Take the flux, Zack." Deebs said somewhat breathlessly. "Seal the Sign, while I keep the Way open for the Light."
Zack nodded and released Justine's hand, clapping his hands together. Focusing quickly he reached for the magical energy surrounding them and pronounced his incantation. "MAGICA ABJURO MALEDIC SCEALIS!" He imposed his hands over the mark and white magical energy appears. Focusing on his intention to seal the mark on her back, he pushed his energy, hoping to make it stop.
"A Elen Sila Lumenn Omentiellvo!" Deebs's forehead began taking on a fine sheen, eyes glowing hotter, brighter yellow. Justine gritted her teeth, losing the battle to stay still and quiet. "Deeeeeeeeebs!"
"Justine." Deebs answered calmly. "Here. Here. THIS MOMENT. NOW!"
(Continued in part CXII.)
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