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the Project	By : theLureln Category: +M through R > Magic: The Gathering Views: 11901 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Magic the Gathering characters or settings, anything else is mine. This story is not being written for profit.

Chapter List
- 1-the Project
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-10
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-15
- 16-16
- 17-17
- 18-18
- 19-19
- 20-20
- 21-21
- 22-22
- 23-23
- 24-24
- 25-25
- 26-26
- 27-27
- 28-28
- 29-29
- 30-30
- 31-31
- 32-32
- 33-33
- 34-34
- 35-35
- 36-36
- 37-37
- 38-38
- 39-39
- 40-40
- 41-41
- 42-42
- 43-43
- 44-44
- 45-45
- 46-46
- 12
- 13
- 14
  He woke with a pounding headache and a mouth full of dust. Awareness came to him slowly, long before he could muster the strength to open his eyes. For a while he simply laid where he was, awake yet unmoving as his body tried to fully rouse itself. Every inch of him was sore, as if he'd overexerted himself for an extensive amount of time. He tried to think what he could have done to put such a strain on his muscles but came up empty. He normally preferred working in his lab, flexing his mind. As his limbs awakened, pain started shooting through his nerve endings with acute intensity. It was almost as if he'd fallen asleep in an awkward position, except the sensation was in all of his extremities simultaneously. It increased with every second, until he thought he might scream from the intensity. His lungs struggled to get in enough air, moving hesitantly as if from disuse, the very act of drawing breath an oppressive endeavor. The frightening feeling finally forced his eyes open and he let out a shout of surprise when he realized someone was standing over him. Coupled with the odd experience he'd had so far, it was enough to put him on the defensive and he tapped into the environment, drawing on an incredibly rich mana supply he found at hand as he summoned up a shield.
            The person immediately backed away, hands raised to show they held no weapons and a soothing voice said, "We mean you no harm."
            He didn't release the spell of course, well aware they could be lying, instead mustering all his strength to lever himself up onto one elbow so he could take in his surroundings. His vision was as blurry as if he'd tied one on, but he could make out half a dozen humanoid shapes in his vicinity, all of them standing at a respectful distance with hands in the air. Some of his tension dissipated, but he remained alert as he battled to sit up further, wincing at the effort. Empty hands could still cast spells, after all, often far deadlier than mere weapons.
            "You might want to reconsider getting up," the speaker replied, her voice tinged with obvious concern. "You've been under our care for over a month, going in and out of consciousness."
            "Where am I and how did I get here," he managed to growl out between stiff lips, his throat raw from lack of use, talking even that little painful in the extreme.
            "You're in the medical facility at New Prahv," the woman told him, her voice more than a little puzzled. "As for how you got here, we don't know. You were found unconscious on Azorius Senate grounds."
            He had no idea where any of the places she'd mentioned were. Somehow, he was on a plane he'd never been to before. How was that even possible? Had Elspeth or someone else brought him to this place? For that matter, why couldn't he remember anything at all about his arrival there? He tried to focus his thoughts, to seek his last memory, but nothing came to mind. He felt a surge of panic until he reminded himself he'd apparently been in a coma for weeks so his brain was going to be a little sluggish. He could remember who and what he was, the most important things in his opinion. Hopefully the rest would come in time.
            He glanced around the chamber as his vision slowly cleared, taking in the area as best he could. The space was small but clean, with a table and chairs in addition to the bed he was in. The colors were in soothing shades of blue and white, the solitary window stood slightly ajar to let in a breeze. The atmosphere was designed to be tranquil but he ignored it as he turned his attention back to the other people in his vicinity. They seemed to match the room as far as the shades they wore and each of them bore a crest of a triangle with some circular design in the middle. The person who had first spoken to him had backed away slowly so the entire group stood by the door, bodies still relaxed and making no threatening signs towards him. She was a tiny thing with long blond hair and enormous brown eyes, still lovely even though she was several years older than he was. The other people in the room dwarfed her but she was clearly the one in charge, her demeanor at once authoritative and kind.
            He gazed down at his clothing, noting he too was dressed in their choice of colors. He'd been bathed and shaved while he was unconscious and strangely that realization made him more at ease than anything else. He didn't think someone who planned on killing him would take care of his five o clock shadow. He finally lowered his shield and leaned back down against the pillows propped under his head.
            "Thanks for watching out for me," he said, confused but convinced of their good intentions for the time being. Their motivations were another matter, which is why he was keeping his mental guard up if nothing else.
            The speaker waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "It was nothing. Unfortunately it seems to be all we can do for you at the moment, since you appear to have lost your memory."
            An assumption on the woman's part, though not entirely incorrect. There were definitely things he couldn't remember, but he knew very well he wasn't from this place and he had no friends or contacts there. He needed to scout around or possibly even walk, but he couldn't do that until he recovered his strength. "Is there an inn nearby where I could stay? It feels wrong imposing on your hospitality for so long."
            "Don't be ridiculous, we do what we can for those in need," she responded. "My name is Salinda deCar. I'm in charge of your care, my superior Lavinia has asked me to keep her informed of your status so I'll let her know you're awake. You are free to remain here as long as you'd like, but if you'd feel more comfortable looking for other lodgings you may do so."
            He sat up and winced as his body shrieked in protest. He considered his options. He was on a strange plane so he had no idea where to even begin looking for suitable quarters. It was clear he'd been treated well by this Azorius Senate but he didn't care for being under so many watchful eyes while he figured out where he was and what the hell had happened to him.
            "Perhaps you'd feel more at ease staying in less intimidating surroundings," she suggested, tilting her head to the side as she studied him. "I've been keeping watch over you for several weeks and you were never violent even in your worst moments of delirium. I believe you to be a peaceful man, as such I'd welcome you to stay at my home. It's quite large, I have three children and they've all moved out to their own places so there are several spare rooms you could use."
            The overture was incredibly magnanimous and somewhat foolish, he could be a murderer for all she knew. He told her, "How do you know I wouldn't hurt you?"
            The people behind her stiffened but she gave him a gentle smile. "I'm afraid of no such thing. Even if my impression of you were wrong, I'm not defenseless nor is my husband. As I said, the choice where you stay is up to you. I just thought I'd give you another option."
            There was also the possibility she wanted to keep an eye on his activities, but if she did he couldn't blame her. His appearance at their door had to seem highly suspect indeed. He reviewed a few alternate plans in his head and concluded her offer was the best course of action for now. Better to be under the watch of a few people rather than an entire organization. "If it's not too much trouble I'll take you up on the generous offer."
            She actually clapped her hands together in pleasure, a warm expression on her face. "Wonderful, the house is so quiet lately it will be lovely having a guest."
            Her reaction surprised a laugh out of him, he'd rarely met someone who seemed to be as genuinely gracious as this lady. "I'll try not to be too much trouble. By the way, the name is Venser, it's a pleasure to meet you Salinda deCar."

            "Well, he seems to have survived the process with his mind in tact," a man replied to his companion as they stared out over a rolling plane of heaving flesh and putrescence, his nose wrinkled in disgust. "By the way, you pick the worst places to meet up."
            The other being smirked at his obvious irritation. "My interest in your approval of the decor is negligible. Keep in mind such areas decrease the likelihood of crossing paths with others. At any rate, is there any news of the Mind Sculptor?"
            "He's all over Ravnica, his influence over the guilds is growing to dangerous levels. Even some of the guildmasters are becoming uneasy with his amount of power, although they can't really see a way around it yet," the man added.
            "Unpleasant news indeed," the other grumbled. "One can only hope my pawn will be in action before he becomes unreachable."
            "He isn't easy to approach to begin with, thanks to his ability to sense thoughts. I have no chance of catching him unawares, at least your puppet is operating under masked intentions so won't give himself away."
            "Assuming he does as I wish to begin with," the other sighed. "I do so detest convoluted plans, it's so simple for them to go awry."
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