When the man who had tried to sneak up on him finally did attempt to defend himself, he did so in a very predictable way. In retrospect, Clyde could have almost said word for word what he would say. Besides the fact that it was interrupting his tirade, it was obvious, a certain ploy to explain away something by a feasible but untrue statement.
“I had no reason to call your attention earlier, I was patrolling the path and saw you ahead of me. I’ll admit, you piqued my interest…”
Once he was done speaking, the man seemed to have more words of appeasement, trying to explain away and make himself appear innocent. However Clyde was not one to be easily fooled, and felt he already had a good idea of what was going on, and what this man was up to.
Clyde felt a slight tingle across his neck as the man transmuted his res. For a moment Clyde almost acted in defense, tensing up at the action and preparing to billow forth his own res in defense. However instead of some offensive element, he turned it to air. Surely a much less threatening action would have been to reabsorb it, instead of transmuting it before him in a show of magic.
“About the res.”
“It was merely a precaution. I’m sure you’ve heard about that disaster with the Denvali that happened earlier this season? Even though it’s been a while now, it’s hard not to be a bit wary of strangers.”
“Allow me to try and make amends for earlier.”
Though he kept his hands out were they could be seen, it did little to assuage Clyde's feelings about the man. After all, he was a mage, and a Reimancer, so clearly physical attacks were not the most likely method of attack. Hand gestures and spoken words, these would be far more likely signs of his magic being prepared, as they often were for Clyde's own magic.
“My name is Tallis. I happened to be on the road for patrol when I saw you. I had a fairly strong… “suspicion” that you were a mage – and a very interesting one at that. At least, very different from the mages down at the university…”
Clyde frowned at his words, at Tallis' words, saying he had a suspicion he was a mage. Clyde could only think of a few ways how such a thing could be told, mainly Auristics, or perhaps some other magic Clyde did not know of. But to learn so quickly he was a mage, even with Auristics... Either he was a really strong Aurist, which for some reason Clyde did not think likely... Or he had some other mechanism at work that had said he was a mage...
Or the all more likely conclusion, he knew he was a mage because he had been told, and he was in fact after Clyde for some reason or other. Clyde could not let such a thing pass, not if it was still a possibility. He also couldn't just let the man leave, not if he could be going off to report Rhysol knew what to someone or other.
“I thought that maybe you had come out here to practice your magic - it’s something I’ve done as well – and I was hoping to see you in action. I’m very sorry for disturbing you. I’ll leave you alone now.”
As the man indicated he was about to leave, another frown would come over Clyde's face, and he would take a step closer to putting himself between the man and the path back to the road. Still a fair ways away from him, more of a symbolic motion than one of truly blocking him.
“I think before you go anywhere, some things should be made clear. Namely why is it that you say I am a mage? Do you have some magical mystical means of detecting magic and such? Where exactly do your abilities lie. You say you had a suspicion I was a mage, but that does not tell me why you thought I in particular was a magic user.”
Taking a breath, Clyde eyed Tallis, and then broken into a long line of logic upon the situation.
“Also, perhaps I am wrong, but if I was a mage, or so I would imagine, and coming far away from people to do whatever this magic is you imagine I can do, wouldn't the most likely reason for that be privacy? Considering that, it seems a very rude action to then follow said person if that was their intent, since you would then be doing exactly what they have come out to avoid, being seen. That being said... If said person being followed did not want to be seen, and then you chose to follow them anyways... I cannot imagine said first person attempting privacy would react well to said privacy being broken. And yet believing that my intent in coming out here was that I was a mage, one who wanted privacy to practice magic, you decided to then follow said person anyways?”
“To be honest, I think you are rather stupid. On the one hand, should I not be a mage as you imagine, you would have followed someone for nothing. If I however was a mage, then in that case you would have been following someone who clearly did not wish to be followed, and who likely would react violently to being followed. I don't really see how you thought you would gain from such an endeavor, since either way your reception seems to be negative.”
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