Solo Define 'Zephyr'

Lenz sneaks away into the wilderness to practice her reimancy when she comes face to face with a beast

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Define 'Zephyr'

Postby Lenz on February 3rd, 2014, 7:41 pm

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76th of Winter, 513 AV


Waking up and stretching to a wonderful morning, a woman with fiery red hair rubs her eyes to be reunited with the morning sun.

Uncovering herself from the shroud of a winter blanket, she rubs her hands together in hopes to warm them up before taking a glance at a child beside her.

The child breathes slowly, her chest rising and falling at a normal pace. The woman breathes a sigh of relief before planning her day.

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It was a day of moderate temperature. It wasn’t too cold, but it most certainly wasn’t warm. No matter how often Lenz wished and prayed for spring to come and for the snow to melt to reveal flowers, it just wouldn’t happen.

That said, early in the morning, before most people had even waken up, Lenz decided to sneak out and go into the woods in terms of practicing her magic. She didn’t leave without letting Ipisol know however, so the poor girl had to be awaken before she needed to be. Lenz also made sure she took along her double bladed dagger just in case.

Once outside the tent, the flap securely zipped closed behind her, the redheaded woman traipsed through the rest of tent city, her greenish brown eyes strictly glued to the many bare trees off in the distance.

The sun had hardly risen yet, but the light that was available to her sent strange rays outlining a shadow that followed Lenz with every footstep she took.

The naked trees’ branches felt cold and slippery as Lenz dragged her fingertips across their surface. Rime covered the bark resentfully almost as if it was trying to melt into the tree itself. It was a fairly beautiful sight when described accurately.

Now that Lenz had travelled into the forest far enough to have privacy and to not be discovered, yet close enough to the city to be classified as safe, the woman decided to start her self-teachings by preforming a few deep breaths which would in turn progress into a state of meditation.

“Clear your mind, Lenz,” she said to herself aloud, her soft spoken voice seemingly loud in the silence nature created.

It was peaceful, but it was daring to cross the over the border line between tranquil and eerie. Paranoia was soon to greet her, for if she were to be caught practicing her magic, she was sure bad things would happen. Magic wasn’t accepted all that much in Sunberth, or in any city for that matter except for a few.

“You have to clear your mind,” she said again, quieter this time as if to not disturb the trees that surrounded her on all sides.

Her voice sent the previous negative thoughts away for a while. She then began to take a deep breath, the palms of her hands pressing together as she created a sort of “hands to heart centre” kind of pose. Then she exhaled the large gulp of air she had taken and closed her eyes as she listened to her heartbeat as its pulse ticked a rhythm she began to follow.

Lowering her hands so that they hung to her sides, she slowly swung them up and around her head until they were back to the centre of her chest with her palms pressing together again, this time her fingers meshed.

During this motion she had inhaled and exhaled slowly and methodically twice, each time she did so in sync with the beat of her heart.

“Open your mind to all the possibilities,” she breathed the words as her left hand came out in front of her, palm side facing upwards.

With a deep breath filling up both of her lungs, Lenz felt the Djed rushing through her body and localizing itself to her open left hand. With a visualization locked into her mind, she paced herself as a small sphere of res manifested.

The res swirled in her palm, the translucent gaseous appearance mesmerizing to look at. Soon, the air currents around her were provoked with a cock of her wrist. Air circled the res and was stable in her hand until she flexed her arm in terms of pushing it out in front of her.

This did not go as planned, however, when the ball of air fluctuated at last minute and changed its direction so that it was aimed slightly to the right- a little more than Lenz had anticipated.

The blast was loud and the powerful effect sent Lenz flying back a few feet. The air she had conjured with her reimancy had hit a tree not more than a few feet in front of her, and with the abrupt extension of her arm, the final effect had proven more powerful than she would have wanted.

Of course to any master reimancer, the outcome might have been not as exciting and frightening as Lenz had made it out to be. Perhaps it was just the silence in the wilderness that sent shivers down her spine, but she knew that she was getting better, at least since the first day she begun.

Standing up from the impact, she had made with the forest floor, Lenz went to examine the damage she had done to the tree she had accidentally hit. Upon closer observation she noticed that small fragments of the bark had been blown off.

“Great job, Lenz,” she praised herself with a smile beaming across her face, “good job!”

However, there was a tingly sensation present in her gut and a soft chant whispering into her right ear, “Do it again, do it again, do it again.”

She hadn’t realised it at the time that the words that weren’t really there and that funny feeling in the pit of her stomach were the first signs of a possible situation of over giving, something even the most advanced reimancers feared of doing. Although instead of calling it quits, Lenz agreed with the voice in her head and decided to practice once more.

Letting her eyelids fall closed again, Lenz initiated into a pattern of breathing, taking two quick and deep breaths and then slowly releasing them until she couldn’t exhale anymore. After she had done this repeatedly, she opened her eyes and prepared herself.

She felt the Djed well up inside her again as she encouraged it to destine itself into her left hand. A spherical object of res presented in its gaseous form, larger than the last, soon manifested itself into her palm.

Its presence was comforting, giving Lenz a sense of satisfaction, as though she could control anything she wanted and without it, she could lose everything she cared for.

Contorting the air currents around her so that they rushed to suffocate the ball of res, she raised her hand slowly. Unlike the last time, the trajectory was not going to be off course.

All was ready to go, Lenz’s position corrected and everything when something suspicious caught her attention, giving her momentary distraction. It threw her off balance and the sphere that hovered in her hand flew in the air and into yet another tree.

Lenz cried out in surprise as her poor balance propelled her backward into the underbrush. Her pants got all wet and her hands, dirty; she was sure that there was a mud stain on her rear.

With her eyes like blinding rays of sunlight, she tried to seek out the figure that had caused her to lose her focus. She scanned the bare trees, the snowy areas among the grassy ones all to no avail. That was until her gaze rose to find herself looking at a beast.

I’m dead, I’m so very dead, she thought to herself as her eyes widened. The beast took a hasty step closer to the woman before baring its teeth in hostile greeting.

“Nice dog,” Lenz whispered, trying not to provoke the creature. If she was getting out of this difficult situation alive, she was going to be sure to find a different place to practice her magic!
Last edited by Lenz on February 7th, 2014, 12:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Define 'Zephyr'

Postby Lenz on February 5th, 2014, 12:17 am

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From what Lenz could observe, the wolf’s eyes were a stunning yellow, its dark fur a terrifying contrast. The teeth the creature revealed were as sharp as daggers and the way it glared at Lenz gave her not the best of feelings.

She could see her breath in the air, and although she tried her best to stay as still as possible, she was also trying to slowly stand back up so that she had some sort of fairness in her situation.

Putting pressure on her left foot proved to be an unwise idea, as a twig snapped under the weight. The woman cringed, her hazel eyes shutting tightly before opening them to see the damage she had created.

The beast had not moved.

A weight had been lifted off her shoulders, as the redheaded woman sighed. However, the sigh turned out to be much louder than she had intended, giving the wolf reason to be threatened. With a loud growl, the monster lunged forward.

Screaming, Lenz jumped to her feet and spun around so that she was facing the opposite direction. Somehow she had confused herself with all the trees and found herself running in a direction away from the Tent City.

“Shyke,” she mumbled, her breathing already ragged.

She heard growls from behind her and knew that the beast was catching up with her. She was going to die and her remains wouldn’t even be recognizable when the wolf was finished with her.

What would happen to Ipisol? She would either grow up pretending to still have Lenz to care for her or she would be caught and thrown into some sort of orphanage, and Lenz couldn’t put the child through that.

Racing between trees and almost running into one, the woman was becoming fatigue and out of breath. She needed a break, but with an oversized dog bearing swords for teeth and with paws near the size of her head, she rejected even thinking about such a thing twice.

“Please,” she pleaded as she snuck a peek behind her.

Dark fur and yellow eyes were glaring like laser beams at her from behind. He had gotten very close in the few seconds that had ticked by and butterflies started continued to fly around in her stomach.

Suddenly, her shoe caught onto something, may it be a branch or some tangled weeds, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she was heading straight for the ground, face first.

Her mouth had been open mid scream when it became full of snow and even dirt and grass. The taste was terrible, but before she had time to spit it all out, her instincts kicked in as she remembered bringing along her double bladed dagger.

Pulling the weapon out of the waistline of her trousers, she tried to get a good grip on the handle, but the wolf was already among her, mid lunge as it landed on the poor woman.

A few seconds went by before Lenz realised that she was still alive, still conscious and breathing in fact, but there was a warm liquid pouring out and onto her upper shirt.

Trying her best to wriggle free from the wolf’s heavy body, Lenz ended up pulling herself out of the carnage, the blade with her. It made a sick sound coming out of the beast’s body, almost causing the woman to gag.

Although her mind had gone blank during the entire scenario that had played out before her eyes, she could faintly recall sticking the blade up in the air the exact moment the wolf had jumped on her. The dagger had stuck into the wolf’s chest, ending his life on the spot. The blood wasn’t hers, but the creatures and although she couldn’t breathe, it was only because she had just ran like the wind to try to escape its wrath and not because she was slowly dying out.

Taking a moment for herself as she played the chain of events that had led her to this exact point in time, Lenz’s eyes widened in both surprise, relief and disgust. All of those emotions were almost too much for her as she exhaled the breath of air she didn’t know she had been holding in.

Looking from side to side with disbelief plastered onto her face, she found her gaze locking onto the dead animal to her right. Had she done that? Had she just taken a life whether it be from an animal of nature or from a hostile opponent?

She shook her head in denial telling herself, “No, that didn’t just happen.”

But it had and as Lenz found the strength to hoist herself up and onto her feet, she made out to set things right. First, she had no issue in moving the wolf so that he was positioned in a more formidable fashion. She pushed him over to a tree only a few feet away, her arm muscles burning as she did, setting herself in a squatting position as leverage. She tried her best to do this, however, given that the wolf weighed much more than she was capable of moving. In the end, she had moved him a considerable distance to be acceptable.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to it as she soothingly pet its head.

Taking a quick glance at the blade she still held in her hand, she noticed the blood of the animal glistening in the sunlight. Appalled at herself for killing such a beautiful being, she also couldn’t help but appreciate herself for saving her life.

It wasn’t a sacrifice per se, but it certainly was one or the other. There was no alternative and as a saying she had heard once before, ‘if you and someone else are strapped together with rope by a fire, who would be the better one to save?’

“I think I would just cut the rope,” the woman mumbled as she took one last look over her shoulder before walking through the woods to emerge near the many tents that gave Tent City its name.
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Define 'Zephyr'

Postby Lenz on February 5th, 2014, 12:47 am

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Lenz touched the last tree she met before she exited the wilderness completely as a sort of sentiment for all she had been through in the last few chimes. It was all so overwhelming and honestly, the majority of her had yet to believe it all had truly happened.

Gradually trekking through the many tents posing as obstacles in her path, she came to her own shelter and unzipped the flap that served as a door.

Peeking her head inside, she found that Ipisol had just woken up, her knuckles still rubbing her eyes as she yawned, making a sweet gurgling sound as she did.

When the child could see clearly, she found Lenz staring at her and blushed, but the woman wasn’t bothered by the strange noises that had left the girl’s mouth. She had a story to tell that was much more gruesome than that.

“Hey, Ipisol,” she started, stepping into the tent after taking her shoes off. She set them to the side so that when the snow melted they wouldn’t make a large puddle. She didn’t set them outside for fear of someone stealing them. She was protective that way, or was it paranoia?

Lenz also secretly slipped in the dagger, still bloody and everything, into her shoes so Ipisol couldn’t see it. She didn’t want to frighten the little girl by the sight, and in doing so would have to sacrifice the cleanliness of her shoes.

In the end she would clean it; she made a promise to herself that that would come true later on in the day.

“Yeah?” the auburn haired girl said, her eyebrows raising in interest at the excited tone of voice her guardian spoke in.

“I have something to tell you.” The pause the woman added to the end was antagonizing for the little girl as she leaned in closer, an action that told Lenz to go on.

“I just had a run in with a wolf.”

“No way! Really?”

“Really,” Lenz said, a warm smile hinting at her lips.

“What happened?”

The smile vanished as soon as Ipisol had said that as the ending wasn’t a happy one, at least not for the wolf. However, the girl had asked and it would be cruel to stop so soon.

“I will tell you everything from the beginning, so get comfortable.”

Ipisol did as she was told, but she didn’t have to do much seeing how she had just woken up and was still wrapped up in the blanket she had fallen asleep in.

When the child was all ready, she looked up at Lenz and pressured her with a simple, “go on.”

Taking a deep breath and trying to recall exactly everything that had happened, she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, her pupil’s dilating; a dramatic effect.

“Remember when I told you that I was leaving the tent?”

The girl nodded, a small look of annoyance crossing over her face. She remember, for she had to be waken before what was necessary.

“Well, I went into the wilderness to practice my magic. Once I was there, I made sure that I was far enough way that no one would find me practicing, but I also made sure that I was close enough for safety if I needed it.”

Ipisol cocked her head, probably questioning Lenz as to why she had met a wolf if she was close enough to the Tent City. Don’t wolves not stray too close to civilization?

Seeing her confusion, Lenz went on, “I was practicing my reimancy when I accidentally lost control. The power threw me back and I landed on my rear in the snow. Well, guess what happened when I looked up?”

With her mouth agape in either horror or surprise, Ipisol answered, “you saw a wolf!”

With a nod of her head, Lenz continued, “I saw a wolf staring at me with yellow eyes, dark fur, the whole deal. It was something scary to see, but I kept my cool and tried to crawl backwards closer to the city. Well, my hand accidentally stepped on a branch…”

“Oh no!”

“I thought the sound would have provoked the wolf to attack me, but I was wrong. It was my voice that sent him running after me. I had sighed in relief when I realised that I was still safe. I guess in doing so, I was no longer safe, huh?”

There was a giggle from the audience as the woman went on.

“I jumped to my feet as soon as the wolf lunged forward. I started running like my feet were on fire! The wolf was closing in on me and I knew for sure that I was going to die, but I didn’t… obviously.”

It was here that things started to get a little sad, a damper already hanging in the air, getting ready to settle itself on everyone’s mood.

“I tripped and fell on a branch and it was here that I began to panic. I was so scared, Ipisol. I was so scared I thought of you and hoped that if I never got to see you again that you would grow up to be a smart and happy young woman. My hopes and wishes might have been necessary, but they weren’t essential, however, because I had remembered I had brought my dagger along with me on my trip into the woods.”

“You didn’t do what I thought you did, did you?” Ipisol asked, a gasp escaping her lips before her hands covered her mouth in anticipation.

“The wolf jumped on me Lenz, but I had pulled out the weapon just in the nick of time. I would have died if I hadn’t, but believe me, I feel terrible for taking the life away from such a beautiful creature.”

The woman placed a cold hand on the child’s warm one and squeezed it three times before she waited for her reaction. When she got none at first, she made sure to finish the story so that there were no loose ends.

“I made sure to move the wolf so that he was in a better position. It was the best I could do without going all out and digging him a grave. After that I left and now here I am.”

The girl’s hands came together as she clapped, startling Lenz as she did. She didn’t expect the girl to applause for her amateur storytelling, but it felt good, so she accepted it, even adding a little bow.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Ipisol said as she leant into her friend for a hug.

The two stayed that way for a few chimes with smiles lighting up their faces, before Lenz came up with the idea to sleep a little longer.

“I’ll be right back,” she said before grabbing the knife and slipping on her shoes. Then, she was out the door.

With the blade firmly grasped in her hands, she crouched down a few feet away from the tent and dragged the sharp side of the knife across the snow, wiping away the blood that dirtied the weapon. It wasn’t until it was perfectly clean that the woman tucked it back in her trousers.

With a heavy sigh, one she was able to let out without almost being mauled by a wild animal, she headed back into the tent, for a nap was clearly in order. And then breakfast. At the thought of a meal, Lenz’s stomach growled.

But first, she needed to rest.
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Lenz
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Define 'Zephyr'

Postby Vanari on March 11th, 2014, 9:29 am

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Lenz
Observation +2 XP
Reimancy +2 XP
Storytelling +1 XP
Running +1 XP
Dagger +1 XP
Meditation +1 XP
Rhetoric +1 XP

Lores :
  • The Importance of Hiding Magic in Sunberth
  • Blasted Back by One's Own Djed
  • Nice Dog...?
  • Killing a Wolf with a Dagger
  • Ipisol: Let Me Tell You a Story
  • Cleansing with Snow


Notes :
Good job!

Please don't hesitate to PM me with questions, comments, or concerns! Also, remember to edit your grade request as "graded."

Cheers :D
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A lonely heart is better than a bored one.

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