[Training Grounds] Raise That Shield!

by **Sei Tendo** on March 18th, 2014, 7:39 pm

13th of Spring, 514AV
8th of Bell

Earlier...

Sei's eyes shot open. He looked around him, waking up to the same dream in reality. He was a squire. He continued to believe he would wake up one day and his squirehood life would vanish. He looked at the ceiling, and wondered what today's training would be like. He moved his arm up, rubbing his eyes with his hand and sat up to hang his legs over his bedside. The night had been welcomed after what he'd gone through the day before, and he especially welcomed the sleep. It was probably around the third bell of the day.

He could tell the other squires in his wing had already left, but he still waited a few ticks before climbing down from his bunk-bed. In spite of his 'newly squired' status, he had still managed to get the top of the bunk. He stifled a yawn and turned to his stuff. He pulled on his regular leather armor, slipped on his leather boots, and went to grab his shield. There was a small letter attached.

'Sei,

You've brought to my attention that you are unsure if you will pursue the rank of Mage-Knight or Knight when you reach the mark for your Knighting Quest.You have the necessary skills to become a Knight however, in the event you chose to become a Mage-Knight you are still missing some things. Today you are to report to the Anthonius Training Grounds by the seventh bell. There you will be instructed on a necessary skill you'll need in order to qualify for Mage-Knight. Bring your gear and your focus because you will have a different instructor.

Your Patron,
Ser Erik Barker'

Sei removed the note from his shortsword and slung it's sheath across his back. He then grabbed his shield and pushed his arm through the grip. He proceeded out the door, heading straight for the Training Grounds.

Present..

Sei stood at the Anthonius Training Grounds, wondering why the petch he was staring strangely at a Mage-Knight as she spoke to his Patron. Today was another day full of practice, training, and more practice. The only difference was the feeling that he knew the Mage-Knight from somewhere. She had light blonde hair, pale light skin, and vibrant green eyes. She wore the knightly Crest as all ranked knights on her armor, but one thing was aloof. Her height. She was at least one foot shorter than himself. Then it hit him. Sera Alicia Frostfawn. I wonder if she remembers me? He mentally shook his head. Probably not. After all, that was two whole seasons ago. He fixed his posture as Ser Erik and Sera Alicia finished conversing.

"Sei, this is--"

"Sera Alicia Frostfawn. I apologize for my interruption, but perhaps you might remember me after hearing my full name? I'm now squire Sei Tendo."

"Hm.. Sei.. It sounds very familiar." A light tap of her boot on the ground. "Ah! You were one of the civilians in the hunt for the leecher, correct."

A nod from Sei was all the recognition that was needed. Sera Alicia gave him a congratulation, then turned to Ser Erik who had watched happily. The Kelvic knew his Patron was just glad he had less to explain, but it was all the same to him. After a bit more conversation Ser Erik stepped in to explain the lesson plan for the day.

"Alright Sei. Today you will be taught by Sera Alicia Frostfawn, Mage-Knight of Syliras. She is here to teach you a supporting magic called Shielding. You will be on your best behavior, and will not sway her away from her work. Understand?"

"Yes Ser." He said, creasing his brow in thought. What the petch was Shielding? What exactly did it do? And worst of all, what was the risks of being overgiven? He was rolling all kind of questions around, so it got quiet when Ser Erik left. Sera Alicia waited patiently, glancing over occasionally to see if Sei was ready. When the silence became to much, Sera Alicia's voice broke the silence.

"Come, you must have questions about Shielding. Ask away."

Sei turned to face her, noting the bright smile plastered across her face. He gave her a curt nod, then let a thoughtful expression play his features. He 'hmm'ed, turned to Sera Alicia, and spoke awkwardly. "What's Shielding?"

by **Sei Tendo** on March 18th, 2014, 8:50 pm

"Well as you know, Shielding is a type of Magic; Personal Magic to be exact. As in the name, Shielding allows you to weave your Djed into three-dimensional barriers that can serve to either block or absorb Djed. Shields are primarily used to block Djed, but can also be used otherwise as I said before."

Sei absorbed the information, processing his thoughts around the subject. So if Shields can aborsb Djed and block it, does that mean they can't be used for offense? He pondered this for a bit. He had a few questions, but only one was very important at the time. He would save that one for the end. Do Shields have time limitations or can they be made permanent? He was still wrapping his mind around this new concept, so he moved on to the next question.

"Um, can you see Shields? And can they be used to attack?"

"No, Shields aren't visible except to master Shielders, and as far as I know there are no Gnosis that can see through them. As for offense, there's no way to use a shield to cause damage. Laying a Shield over a weapon only makes the weapon useless, because it's the weapon that causes harm, not the shield. Keep this in mind; When you make a Shield, it can only be put in three-dimensional objects, and when you apply a Shield it covers the object."

"Is there anything else a shield can do?"

"Well as a beginner, you won't be able to layer Shields. As for your question, you can 'task' a Shield with a particular job, but it won't be very strong or last very long. First I'll demonstrate, then you'll try. At your current level, your shields will be small, and will only be able to block djed. It will take al ot of focus and patience as well. You may want to practice focusing you Djed first, then try releasing it, finally try to cover something in it. Sound good?"

"Alright, I'll try. It's better than trying to learn through talking anyway. It's decided. Lead the way Sera Alicia." He responded. His mind was doing backflips, so he would have to try before he got to confused. Sera Alicia nodded and took a few steps back. She inhaled a deep breath, exhaled, and closed her eyes. She opened them a few ticks later and walked toward Sei. When she said she was done he was a little confused. It hadn't taken that long at all, and she still looked the same.

"Now, take your sword and try to stab me."

"If you say so?" He stated it in more of a question. He trusted Sera Alicia enough to try and stab her, but he was a little nervous. He wasn't exactly sure where to stab her. He grabbed his shortsword from it's sheath, pulled the blade back, closed his eyes, and shoved the blade forward. He was expecting a scream of pain. Instead, he got his blade bounced back. He opened his eyes and tried again, faintly seeing something transparent.

"That, Sei, is called a Shield. Now I'll guide you through it."

by **Sei Tendo** on March 18th, 2014, 10:58 pm

Sei was now sitting on the ground, trying to focus on his Djed. He inhaled a deep breath, closed his eyes, and exhaled. He focused on blanking his mind, and finding the weird stream of strange energy know as Djed as before when he used his flux. It was harder to focus than he thought. Just trying to clear his mind of his questions was challenge enough. He focused as hard as possible, while trying to maintain a steady flow of breathing. In the nose, out the mouth.

The Kelvic focused on the steady beat of his heart until he couldn't hear anything else. He'd at least managed to drown out the sounds of the city, now if he could just clear his mind. He tried to listen to his heart with all of his senses, and suddenly he was done. His mind was blank, but now was the hard part that Sera Alicia had explained. Actually finding and exdruding his Djed. I've got to at least try.

Sei searched for that weird sensation inside him, but only got a tiny spark before he lost it. He tried again, rembering that odd feeling, and managed to grasp a bit of it before losing it. He was getting there. Somewhat. He tried to feel the flow, the sensation, anything strange. He found it, about a fistful, and then it dissapeared and he threw a fit.

His eye's shot open, and he stood quickly. He was about to shout the two words when he rembered the promise he'd made to himself and his Patron. He swore he qwouldn't do it, so why did they come to his mind so quickly? He was just a little fustrated, right? No big deal, and no need to say 'I quit' and leave. He took a deep breath and turned to Sera Alicia and spoke. "Can you walk me through it again?"

"Of course. FIrst off regulate your breathing and calm yourself." She said, sitting cross-legged and pating the dirt next to her for Sei to follow her steps. The Kelvic sat crisscross beside his new teacher. He took a deep breath through his nose, exhaled through his mouth, and closed his eyes. He nodded his head for Sera Alicia to continue.

"Now clear your mind. Focus on the sounds around you and nothing else. Soon you'll find your mind clear. This is a type of meditation. Now, you said you've practiced magic right? Focus on the feeling you experienced while practicing your Flux. When you find it, try to feel the flow cover ou person. It could take a while, so be paitent."

"Here goes.." He said silently, focusing on his heartbeat. It beat against his chest, and filled his ears. The stead thump of his heart began to drown out the city. Soon he found himself in complete an utter darkness. He searched for anything uncommon. After four tries, he was finally able to grasp and keep the Djed follow in himself. He was getting a headache from the exertion, but he tried to work through it. "I.. I got it!"

"Perfect Sei! Now, just imagine the flow circulating through your body, and then pouring out of it."

"R-right." He tried to picture the tingling sensation all over his body, started to feel like somethng was crawling under his skin. He ignored it, and finaly when he could feel the tingle all over, he tried to release it. Now he could feel the tingle on the ouside of his skin as well. He stood slowly and opened his eyes. He'd done it. He'd made a Shield. Harder than he thought, but he'd done it.The kelvic could feel his own Djed. He looked exhilirated.

by **Sei Tendo** on March 30th, 2014, 4:03 pm

"Great job Sei! Now all we need to do is test it."

"How do we test it?"

"Well, we can't use a sword, that's for sure.. Hmm.. I got it! I'll just poke around." Sera Alicia said, and before he could protest she began to poke him. That's when he could see something transparent-ish where she poked him. It was like he was wearing a see-through cloak. He chuckled a bit, but then he felt exhausted. A few ticks later, the shield disappeared on it's own. When she poked him this time he could feel it. Sera Alicia noticed it to. It was fun while it lasted, I guess. He said before dropping to his knees. He felt weak.

"Ah, so your shielding only lasts for a few ticks then it's gone.." He was visibly sweating, had ragged breathing, and felt numb all over. If I would've knoen how much energy it took, I probably wouldn't have tried. Of course, there was no way he was going to say that out loud. He'd be mindful to watch his tongue and be thankful Sera Alicia bothered to teach him. He concentrated on regulating his breathing, the he waited a few ticks until he could stand again.

"That was intense! How do you make it look so easy?"

"I've simply trained my Shielding longer than you have, but I'm positive that if you keep trying you'll be as proficient as I soon." Sera Alicia replied, making the Kelvic frown. He sighed. She sure is easygoing. He let out another sigh before nodding to his superior. He had gained a bit of energy, but not much, and truly he was still exhausted. Yet he sat down in the dirt as before - cross-legged and ready.

Just focus on a sound.. Connect to my Djed... And let it flow everywhere and extrude... He forced his Djed to circulate after tapping into it, and focused on releasing it. He could feel the odd sensation covering his body, and stood up when he had it. He slowly nodded to Sera Alicia, who poked around only twice before the Shield dissolved. And with that the training was done. He felt all his strength leave him in a rush, and blacked out about a tick later, hearing only the dull calls of Sera Alicia before losing consciousness.

6 Bells Later...

It was dark.

To dark to see.

"Why is it so petchin' dark..?"

"Open your eyes Sei." Came a gruff response. Definitely Ser Erik.. He thought, a bit embarrassed by his stupidity. His head hurt a bit, and he was still dizzy. He looked around. The Squire Dorms? How did I get here? Oh, right. He groaned. Sera Alicia had to find Ser Erik to get me here. He got up and rubbed his head.

"How long was I, ya know.."

"About six bells. You can take the day off by the way."

by **Serendipity** on April 11th, 2014, 11:19 pm

Sei :

Notes :

If there are any problems/issues or questions with the grade, please don't hesitate to drop me a PM!

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+3 XP
Socialisation	+2 XP
Shielding	+2 XP
Meditation	+2 XP

Completed [Training Grounds] Raise That Shield!