Flashback [Solo]How does it feel?

[Crypt]

70th of Winter, 507 AV "Goddamnit Arthan! What the shyke am I doing, eating only bread and water for more than eight days, sitting on the ground for hours, trying to separate my mind and body - even though it is impossible unless I die - and not making much progress?" Frustration emanated from every pore on Crypt's body, his palm slamming down on the table, leaving a dent on the wooden table. Crypt was using the Flux in his anger to make his point, allowing the Djed to transfer to his left hand and give it a marginal increase in strength - enough to dent the old table. Releasing the Djed with a sigh, Crypt slumped, exasperated, onto a simple chair, all the while glaring at the amused master in front of him, still wearing that insufferable smile Crypt had grown to dislike over the past few days. "Crypt, my dear boy, I've had it worse. Why, back in my days, we had to fast totally - not a bit of food, only water from a spring. We could only sleep for a few hours - and then it was back to meditating continuously. Quite a few left since they had no will to continue, and others fell sick due to malnutrition and starvation. Bah, weaklings. Don't worry, my boy, you're making progress alright. Have you had... a certain feeling? Your senses are starting to become dulled? Do you feel... ethereal?" Crypt's eyes widened fractionally as the elder man described some of the strange sensations. It was enough to send Arthan into fits of laughter. "Ah, yes, you're certainly making progress. I can't say when you'll end, but it may be a few days from now, perhaps a dozen or two? Who knows? You'll know when it ends, and that's where we'll begin the real journey. Now run along, Crypt, and continue your meditations without the distractions you have now purged from your body. If I may add a comment, the servant-girls that do the chores here have been coming in much more frequently than before. Maybe it's due to a certain shirtless Drykas in here?" Crypt gritted his teeth as his infuriating master, Arthan, walked away, roaring with laughter. It would not do to do anything unwise, especially since he was already taking time to teach Crypt Morphing. Perhaps after his tutelage was done... Well, a sword in the gut wouldn't be the best reward for a teacher, but it would feel rather satisfying.

[Crypt]

77th of Winter, 507 AV Breathe... Breathe... Breathe... In... Out... The mantra that had been running through Crypt's mind for the past four bells was helping the Drykas distract himself from a gnawing hunger in his abdominal area. The forced diet (of sorts) had taken its toll on Crypt. He was constantly hungry - though he did not lack water - and as a result of not having regular meals with enough nutrition, Crypt was feeling faint. After a few chimes of beginning his meditation (in order to, as Arthan had said with a smirk at the beginning of his training, clear his mind and allow him to understand and practice Morphing), Crypt had sunk into a trance, floating in the limbo that existed between consciousness and unconsciousness. He was beginning to understand the seperation of his mind and body. It was not to be taken literally - it would kill him. Rather, achieving a state of mind such that he was able to ignore all physical urges, desires and most particularly his five senses would do the trick. And now... I... feel... Free. Crypt opened his eyes to view a strange world of his own making. It was no longer Arthan's house he was in, but an empty room covered in the purest shade of white he had ever seen. A closed door to the left of Crypt was barely discernable from the walls of the room. Everything appeared to be fluid - the air itself was viscous, but he was breathing normally. And there was a strange feeling, a sensation Crypt could not quite describe. Somehow, he felt that he could change anything within the room if he wanted to. But he did not. And as he floated slowly, dream-like towards the one door that remained in his vision, even if he turned his head towards his back, the door opened. Something sucked him inside. _________________________________________________________________ "Crypt! Crypt, damn it! Wake up, you petching idiot! I swear, they're making young ones weaker and weaker with every generation." Arthan mumbled the last part even as Crypt blinked his eyes, having been jolted back to the physical world when his master had dumped him inside a large barrel filled with chilled water. He was feeling weaker than usual, and could only whimper (as opposed to scream, due to the shock of the icy water against his bare skin). Feeling a rough towel being draped around him, Crypt dried himself as fast as he could and walked towards the fire, luxuriating in the heat that it provided. Once he had recovered from his bizarre experience and subsequent dunking into a barrel of cold water, Crypt turned and glared at the approaching Arthan. HIs glare turned into a greedy stare at the small bowl of porridge he was holding. Sniffing the beautiful aroma hungrily, Crypt snatched it from Arthan's hands as the man closed the distance between both of them. As he picked up the spoon and started shoveling the much-needed food inside his mouth, a small part of his mind noted that the temperature of the food was just right - not too hot, not too cold. "We'll start the training proper after you've been fattened up a little, boy."

[Crypt]

80th of Winter, 507 AV (Night) "Morphing. One of your more dangerous arts to learn. Lose your concentration, use too much Djed, and you will lose control of your Morphing. Whatever body parts you're trying to transform will mutate, and there may be some... consequences." Arthan extinguished every candle in the room they were in except the one located behind his back, before walking back to Crypt. "This, Crypt... happened when I over-gave." Lifting the eyepatch covering his left eye, he revealed an entirely-black eye, similar to Crypt's own eye. Intrigued by such a curiousity, Crypt leant closer to examine it. "Interesting... What happened to it?" "The pupil's dilated permanently, and now it makes up of most of my left eye. I cannot use it during the day, for I would be blinded by even the faintest glimpse of sunlight if I opened it. However, this is not without its benefits. I can see better in the night - just like a cat. Not what I was aiming for - I was trying to morph it into a hawk's eye - but night vision's better than being blind." Still serves some use. Not as bad as having... say, no eyes at all. Making no mention of his thoughts, Crypt, impatient and eager to complete his initiation, decided to ignore what dark thoughts the risks of overgiving in Morphing had stirred up in his mind. "Shall we begin?" Arthan, who was caught up in listing the number of times he'd almost over-gave, nodded in reply. "Very well. Do you still remember that feeling you had at the end of the meditation? You felt the power inherent. Many a friend of mine has debated endlessly over what it represents, but I myself believe that it is a sign of our near limitless potential. And... what else?" "I..." Crypt closed his eyes, attempting to remember his feelings then, "I could change anything I wanted to." "Correct. We'll be starting small, of course. Now, what I want you to do is to think of something simple to Morph. Say, the length of your fingernails, the colour of your skin. Something not too complex." "Er... fingernails then. The one on my left index finger." "Right." Arthan took the chosen finger that Crypt had proffered to him. "It's quite simple, really. I want you to channel Djed over to the tip of your index finger - I'm sure you've done it before, haven't you? Not in something so small, by the looks of it. But you'll manage. Allow that feeling of being in complete control to remain in your mind; intent is everything in magic." Taking a deep breath, Crypt let it out slowly as he resumed his meditation, closing his eyes and focusing on the Djed that flowed through his body. Slowly tweaking it here and there, Crypt carefully manipulated the Djed in his left palm, and managed to accomplish his goal within a chime. It was harder than using the Flux to augment his strength, as he had used it for entire limbs, but he was able to succeed. However, keeping the Djed from melding with his muscles would be another problem for the Drykas. Ordinarily, when using the Flux, he would have simply allowed the Djed to saturate his muscles once it reached the desired location, but he did not know what to do yet. "Imagine your fingernail lengthening about two inches. Use your other hand to push it out, to help the transformation. Don't think this is unnatural - any resistance on your part will only make it harder." His advice earned him a questioning look from Crypt after another chime. Naturally, this being the first time Crypt was attempting Morphing, he would take some time to grasp the basic concepts of Morphing. Crypt could feel Djed draining away at a steady pace - although the drain was minimal - but he could neither see nor feel anything happening. His fingernail was still the same. Allowing some of the Djed Crypt had held back for fear of using too much Djed to seep into his index finger, Crypt was rewarded with a small, but definitely noticeable change in his fingernail. It was slowly extending itself as Crypt pushed it outwards. "Huh. Interesting. I don't feel anything except this strange tingling on the tip of my finger. My fingernail feels like clay." "You'll be feeling a lot of that once I'm done with you, boy. Now, restrain your Djed. Allow some Djed to continue flowing in order to maintain the Morphed body part, but don't spend more." Doing as Arthan ordered, Crypt attempted to halt the growth of the fingernail, which had already grown to a length of two and a half inches. After a few attempts to balance the Djed consumption, Crypt suceeded in stopping its growth. "Now what, Arthan?" "Leave it there for a few seconds, then stop the Djed from being used up. The transformation should reverse itself." Quietly, Crypt observed the elongated fingernail as he exerted his will over the Djed, forcing it to retreat back to his body. Several times he failed, for his control over his Djed was not quite precise, but eventually, after using his other hand to guide the Djed back, he succeeded. Watching the fingernail slowly shrink with mixed feelings - that of horror, disgust and some fascination - Crypt was struck with an idea for combat. The possibilities Morphing could open up for me... I could cut someone quite deeply with longer, sharper nails. Of course, I'd have to reinforce the nails somehow so they don't break off that easily. I'd have to modify my gloves to allow for that too. I wonder if one can Morph bone? "I'll try it again. My Djed reserves won't be taxed too deeply for this." He looked up to Arthan, seeking his consent for what he was about to do next. "Go on, you know what over-giving can do to you anyway," Arthan shrugged as he replaced the eyepatch over his left eye, then started to light the candles again, "I'll be in my chair if you need me." And so Crypt was left to his own devices. Deciding to repeat the Morphing again, Crypt reversed the backflow of Djed, pushing it into his fingernail. Using his right hand to mould the fingernail, Crypt slowly elongated his fingernail once again. Right. It's faster this time, since I know what to do. Darn, this Morphing is fun! I'm starting to enjoy this. The fingernail reached a length of five inches before Crypt decided to see if he could manipulate it further. Carefully placing the first two fingers of his right hand on top and below the nail, Crypt applied a small amount of pressure to the nail, and was delighted to see that it flattened out. Apparently, the fingernail was malleable enough when Morphed for him to accomplish such a thing. Once Crypt began to maintain the transformation, and not perform any more modifications, he felt a hardening of the nail. Testing it gently, he found out that it was almost as firm as his other fingernails, albeit more flimsy due to its thinness. The Drykas grinned as he allowed the transformation to become undone, watching the fingernail spring backwards, forming its original shape. Gods, this is fascinating. And I can do so much more than this once I've mastered this Art. A new goal for you, Crypt! And woe betide anyone that stops you from achieving it.

[Fallacy]

XP Award! Name:Crypt XP Award: +1 Rhetoric +1 Interrogation +1 Observation +1 Morphing Lore: Intro to Morphing Notes: Please write up your NPC and present to me for further use. PM with questions or concerns. Any questions or concerns about the rewards gained please send a PM