110 - Man in the Mirror
The echoes of the Seer song clearly revealed Hob's location to Magnus - once he focused his senses he was able to sense every detail of Hob's movements, even overhearing his low mutterings - at the same time Hob hadn't noticed Magnus in the slightest.
Where is he going? What the hells is he doing?
Magnus hesitated a moment. Everything that he knew - all the things in the memories he'd absorbed, Hob knew them too, right? Thats right . . but I don't know all that Hob knows - that much is obvious . . there is a hell of a lot he ain't telling me.
Hob might know everything I know . . but that didn't mean he was omnipotent, right? It didn't mean that he was immune to the same formations and techniques that anyone else would be vulnerable to.
As Magnus deliberated with himself in the forest clearing Hob drew further and further away - quickly nearing the edge of Magnus' perception within the woods. He seemed to be going towards a distant part of the Ether - still within the sleeping forest, but the more Magnus waited the hazier Hob's form became.
I have to chance it!
I have to take the risk! If Hob finds me . . if he senses I am following, what the hells can he do to me anyway? What am I risking? Being found out? To hells with that! There is practically no risk - even if he finds me out, I'll just . . I'll just . . what can I do to him?
Can I actually fight Hob? Would my threads actually do anything against him? And he can just bind my body, leave me helpless in the real world . . what power could he have over me in the Ether?
No matter . . no matter, I have to move forward!
In the memories of the Alchemists, especially those of Pontus, there were numerous concealment formations made from Animus - Magnus applied them all on himself. Magnus methodically went through the Seers memories next, extracting songs and chants of concealment, then turning his attention to the Martial Courts and circulating several strands of Mens in particular patterns.
This was all the work of a minute - the air around Magnus buzzed with coloured strands of light, quickly imprinting themselves on his person - at last he was satisfied with his efforts. Any one of these techniques would most likely make Magnus entirely invisible to casual observation, layering one of top of another in such a fashion amplified their effects tremendously - but at the same time caused an enormous drain on the Logos circulating around his core.
If it were not for the power of ley lines that had flowed into his body and the fact that he had the accumulated Logos of several powerful practitioners Magnus would have never been able to use, let alone sustain such an energy draining method of concealment.
As it was, he felt the layers and layers of formations draining his source of Logos at a rapid rate - at this pace it would only be a matter of minutes before his energy reserves would be drained entirely.
This was the very first time Magnus had ever thought to use his Logos in such a fashion - to use so many powers at once. It was the first time he felt the limits of his powers - the energy within him, although vast, was no where near infinite, and when it ran dry all the formations would fall apart.
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Right! Right! No time to waste!
Magnus set off at a furious run, darting between the trees after Hob. Running between the trees Magnus soon found himself surrounded by a soup of white mist. The mist swirled around every tree trunk, layered thick on the ground - but, as he moved it parted way - wherever he looked the mist would clear - a clear path always in front of him as he ran.
Hob was just ahead - the mist did not move out of his way - Magnus used the lingering effects of the Seer song to pinpoint Hob's location - just ahead . . just ahead . .
He ran in a direct path to Hob - the distance between them had seemed far greater when he was in the clearing, but as Magnus began to move he felt as if the ground between them had shrunk - for every ten paces Hob ran Magnus had only to run one, while Hob had to watch his step and occasionally stumbled on roots hidden in the white mist, Magnus' path was clear.
In a matter of moments Magnus had caught up to Hob, his heart thumping. Hob hadn't noticed him in the slightest - he showed not even a hint of suspicion, only running onwards through the trees and mist. Magnus followed on, every passing second he felt the drain of the many concealment formations - every moment that passed the energy around his Logos continued to thin.
"This is it, this is it . ." Hob halted in front of a tree, walking around it and examining it while muttering. "Master will know what to do . . I need to tell Master, he'll know, he'll know." Magnus watched him curiously - it looked just like any other tree, but when Hob touched it his hand passed right through.
Before his eyes Hob vanished - passing through the bark and entering right into the trunk of the non-descript tree as if it wasn't there, and, instead of passing through and out the other side, Hob simply vanished.
Magnus waited several seconds before moving - making certain that Hob hadn't deceived him or left any sort of formation on the ground near the tree. Approaching it cautiously he still could not make out anything different, anything at all about this particular tree that might set it apart - even examining it with Mens and probing it with several strands of Animus, it appeared just like any other tree within the sleeping forest.
But, when he reached out and touched the bark itself Magnus' eyes widened in surprise - his fingers, his entire hand passed through the bark with no resistance. The tree which appeared solid was no more than an illusion.
Hob was nowhere around. Every second he hesitated, every moment longer that Magnus thought was another moment less he had - his energy reserves draining fast.
Nothing to it!
Hob hadn't seen me so far - wherever he's gone . . if I want to get to the bottom of this, I need to follow!
Magnus took a deep breath and in a single motion, leapt into the illusory tree.