nexus_crossings | Return of the Mage

The stone tower has remained in its distant reaches of the Nexus, a constant looming landmark at the border of the Wilds. But its owner and inhabitant has been silent and missing for so long now, hasn't he? The only reassurance that he's not dead is the family that has made their home on the outskirts of the tower, tending to the chao and rebuilding their own life after fleeing Azeroth's Westfall. Only they have been graced with rare glimpses of the Mobian mage, who otherwise has locked himself inside, working obsessively on...something.

So the sudden pillar of smoke that rises from the landmark might be cause for notice, if not alarm. It swirls and grows, soon gathering itself into a singular column of dense smog and streaking towards the central plaza. And there in the middle does it descend, pulling its billowing shape into something more solid. The gruesome form it ends up taking is none other than the long-absent Ixis Naugus, jeweled staff in hand, cape pulled around his shoulders with his claw.

He casts a surveying look around, taking in the usual views and the present people. After doing so, his face splits into a toothy grin and he poses his question:

"Well? What have I missed?"

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"Fair enough. Although, if something fictional can become real here in the Nexus, nothing really can be left up to chance, am I right? The good thing about any sort of research is that you can stop and move onto something else at any time." Wait. He quickly corrects himself. "I'm not devaluing your research, by the way."

"I spend my time reading up about lots of different things: geography, science, pop culture. Whatever catches my interest is worth looking into." He's deliberately ignoring the comment about his mother, as thinking about her doesn't put him in the best of moods. "Knowing lots of things is pretty important if I want to test the knowledge and worth of society."

"You clearly don't dedicate yourself to research overmuch, do you? When in the grasp of breakthrough, there IS no stopping or moving on. The only time moving on comes into play is when you've been stopped by abject failure and Ixis Naugus does NOT fail." His tail, no longer coiled around one leg, thumps onto the ground once with emphasis.

"Worth of society isn't necessarily something that needs to be tested, at least when you're one such as myself." The mage takes a moment to buff his claw against his chest. "But simply because everyone else is beneath you doesn't mean they're without USES."

"Well, I was mainly implying that research you found useless could be ignored, but it sounds like something you'd never do anyways." That tail gets his attention, but not in a spooked way. "Failure. Wow. That's, um...pretty good if you can do things without fail...yeah..."

Someone clearly has started reflecting on his own mistakes upon hearing how perfect Ixis is. Does he really want to give Ixis more questions that he can brag about? By accident, yes. "So, what kind of uses are you referring to? Do you kidnap people and have them do things for you? Siphon knowledge and power?"

"No research is entirely without value. Even if things are stalled or in a dead end, they can be cannibalized piecemeal into OTHER efforts eventually." Naugus is probably one of those people who doesn't throw away any paper document ever.

"Kidnapping? Vale's Bones, I've never done something so passé. What an inelegant and thuggish practice. No, the only way to get people to do what you want is to never let them know you're using them in the first place. Better yet, make them think it was their idea to begin with. They'll never think to question the order of things if you maintain this secret status quo."

The fact Naugus has yet to pick up on all these red flags about Josh is probably saying a lot about either his bluster, his lack of observation or just being that focused on himself.

"Wait a second...You just told me that comics are useless, yet you won't give up on any type of research? Me thinks you're a walking contradiction." Don't worry, Naugus, everyone has a little hoarder quirk. This dummy stores jars of blood, which is probably worse than collecting newspapers.

"Does that really work? Aren't people smart enough to avoid getting themselves into questionable deals?" He can't help but give a skeptical look, arms crossed over his chest. "It sounds like a twisted form of slavery." Not like he objects to that concept either.

Naugus frowns and sputters. "No research is without merit, assuming you start from somewhere with value! Besides, I barely want to know about fictional depictions of residents here. It all seems so...intrusive. Gauche." This might be for the best, or the mobian might someday find comics on the shelf depicting the Quickster and what a disaster THAT'D be. ~~Good thing the comics are probably cancelled now, womp womp.~~

"Of course it works! You require a degree of subtlety and finesse, of course. Willingness to work for the long term rather than the short. And a great deal of cleverness to put the pieces in place." He grins and plants a hand on his chest, beaming in pride. "Thankfully, I have all that and MORE in abundance. And it's hardly slavery if you're overall working things into angles that benefit EVERYONE. It's just with you at the top, pulling the strings."

"Important for getting into the minds of potential victims?" He says that with a smile, but quickly eases off the conversation. If he could at least get his point across without completely enraging Mr. Bat-Lobster-Rhino man, he's done his job.

"Alright, prove it to me then." Clearly this man has no fear or really just wants to see Ixis's skill at coercion. "Let's go find someone to trick right now. That is, of course, if you're up to the challenge? The way you talk, it doesn't seem like you'd have any trouble at all getting someone under your thumb."

"...Maybe. If it is someone I have absolute CONVICTION about besting or destroying, then maybe. Otherwise, the idea of idly browsing someone's entire history, usually with uncomfortably lingering emphasis on their sex and trauma? Intensely profane. No thank you very much, please. I am not a voyeur."

Naugus scoffs at the urging for demonstration. "You act as those this is some kind of parlour trick! I can't just meet a person and bend them to my will with the bat of an eye, if that's what you're imagining. What I do requires time and patience! And a great deal of cunning and foresight. If you're eager to rush these things, you've already failed at it. Instant gratification is ruining the youth. Honestly."

"Voyeurism is overrated. Once someone has seen uncouth acts, it's really hard to be taken off-guard again. Not saying I've done anything that questionable...I just find it to be insignificant." Really, he's only out to test the intelligence of people. Stalking helps with the kidnapping, but he doesn't delve into the sexual preferences of his murder victims. The less he knows, the better.

"I figured you were powerful enough to just snap your fingers, er...claw and get whatever you wanted. Magic and hypnotism must not have any ties together like I thought they would." He can't help but laugh at Ixis regarding his choice of words. "I'm the type of person who wants results quickly, no room for error in my field if I give people lots of time. So that's a flaw I'll happily embrace to the end."

"Do you make a habit of peeping? This is why I don't allow transparent windows in my tower. Who knows what you maniacs would try to do when I'm trying to get some privacy.

"And no, while hypnosis is not part of my repertoire, I have better methods. More elegant." The mention of Josh's line of work again gets an ear to twitch. "So...timed games? What do you offer as prizes?"

Return of the Mage

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