Closed [The Bronze Wood] Witch and a Smith (Ashe)

[Terag]

2nd of Fall, 515AV - Noon Another day spent out in the woods that surrounded Syliras. Today he was able to enjoy the warmth of the sun in full force once more, and with days like this it seemed hard to believe that fall was coming and that it was sure to get colder. The sun shone beautifully through the leaves above, illuminating various spots along the grassy floor. As he walked, Terag ran his right hand along the trunks of the threes he passed by and tried to commit the feeling of bark against his fingertips and the warmth of the sun to memory. Both of these were still somewhat strange to Terag, despite living in the land above for a few seasons now. Today he had brought nothing else except for the clothes on his back, even deciding to leave his knife at home. Granted it was nothing more than a knife for food, but he figured he could protect himself better with his fists than he would ever be able to do with such a small and flimsy weapon. He was endlessly singing it seemed, and today was no different. His song rang out as he traveled onward. "...Our home, will be protected with stone and steel. Our home, will be saved with the work of our forge. Our home, will be defended by the city we love. Our home, will be safe in the heart of the mountain..." He made his way into a familiar clearing as his song came to an end. A smile spread across his face as he looked around, the placement of trees and even the small rises and dips in the ground were well engrained into his mind now. Slowly he made his way out to the center of the clearing as he took deep breaths. He enjoyed the smell of the Wood; it was different than the musky and damp caves he had grown up exploring. Maybe not better, but different. Different was good, different led to new ideas and better techniques. It led to progress and learning. In his favorite cases it even led to something new that he would be able to make. Now in the center, he opened his hands and pointed his palms down towards the ground and began to focus. Slowly an ethereal mist began to seep out of his hand and into the ground; this was his preferred form to use his res in. Sure he could turn his res into a gel-like substance and move it that way, but that wouldn’t do. The mist wasn’t for how effective it could be or possible uses, but rather just more for looks. Intimidation was a valid tactic in fighting, something that he had used in his work making weapons: a scarier weapon meant people would be less likely to mess with you. Magic was already scary enough for many of the population due to its mystery, making it seem flashy and even more mysterious could intimidate a foe enough to get an edge. Once the res reached the surface of the ground it seeped under and then came together in front of Terag. Attracting the earth and stone beneath it he pulled the ground up in the form of a short spear with the end of its shaft still connected to the ground. Closing his fists he broke the connection and quickly reached forward to grab the spear before him. Already he could feel something was off; it just felt weaker in his hands than he had expected. As he lifted the spear and threw it forward toward a tree he saw what he had felt. The tip of the stone spear had dug into the trunk, but the shaft of the weapon broke off from the impact. “Strange, I had thought it would hold together better. Is the stone I manipulate with res become weaker? Not as sturdy?” With a frown he tried three more times, slightly changing the density and process for the weapon though all ended with the same effect. “I suppose that is how that works… Changing it with magic does make it weaker. I suppose that explains why they built our city by hand rather than by Reimancy.” With a sigh he scratched his goatee with his left hand and tried giving it more thought, and tried to think of other ways to use his magic other than creating spears that he could continuously throw at targets.

[Ashe]

Ashe was resting with her back behind a tree, backpack held tightly against her chest, and head lying next to the iron staff strapped to the side of her pack. The shock of seeing a new environment such as the fortress city of Syliras stole whatever ounce of energy she had after the first day of entering the city. She was so excited to see a different place other than the bloody city that was her home, the most impressive discovery was men and women clad in strange armor that easily shined with Syna's light bearing marks of a gang so different to what the young woman had ever seen. However no matter how many times she dreamed about seeing the emblem again Ashe couldn't figure out what it meant. So on her fifth try Ashe heard something, It sounded heavy, moving against the grass, and eventually she heard a deep voice. The voice, to her, seemed to be in some form of song written in gibberish and the young woman tried to listen but the voice seemed to be repeating itself with no differences. The young woman was sleeping and only caught the first sentence on the song before drifting off again. It was only until she heard the loud thuds of a weapon beating into a tree next to her the woman woke up and Ashe pushed the backpack away from her to then stand up. She quickly pushed an ethereal mist out of her hands and formed it into a gel-like sphere above her hands then ignited it into fire. The young woman was prepared to fight the Vagik who nearly made her nap permanent and she turned around the tree to find a light blue man. That man was a strange sight to behold, he had dark blue hair goatee included, deep dark green eyes, stood almost half a foot taller than her, his left arm was very much darker than the rest of his body, and the only saving grace proving that he was normal was that she could see strong muscles on his arms. It wasn't even long until Ashe noticed a tattoo on the darkened limb and with the discovery she asked "Why are you here?" She made a slight glance to the tree that was being impaled by a spear to find a rock embedded in the trunk but no shaft.

[Terag]

He first noticed the light appearing behind a tree close to the one he had practiced his new weapon against. Immediately he began to release res from his hands again, forcing it to take the form of an ethereal mist as it left his palms and soaked into the ground beneath him. He didn’t yet have the ability to accurately hit anyone or anything at that distance, but at least he might be able to create a wall or something to protect himself if the situation turned sour. That was when the form rounded the tree and he saw the source of light, a fireball floating near what seemed to be a girl. Another magic user? Out here, the chances… that doesn’t matter. This could go poorly, I don’t have the skills needed for this. He assumed hostility, and so made no movement to halt his actions of pushing his res into the ground. Between this and his previous exertion he was already beginning to feel the affects – he wasn’t nearly practiced enough yet in reimancy. From here he could make out a few of her features, such as her dark hair. He could also see her tan, perhaps showing that she was outside more often or not. It sure was a stark difference to Terag who was pale and slightly blue though it was more a fault of his race than his own. That and the light from the forge did little to make a tan. She also seemed clean at least, or at least well kept. Hopefully that paired with the magic she used would prove her not to be a bandit, perhaps there was a chance to bring this away from a fight – especially since she had deigned to speak first. She spoke in common it seemed, so he took a moment to think the words over in his head before speaking “I am here to visit this clearing. For a stroll, I take them often in the wood. There is not many trees like these back home. My name is Terag, what is your name? Only common courtesy to speak of such things, yes?” He did his best to smile and seem not a threat to her. His accent made a few of the words have a strange sound, but it should still be easy enough to understand. “What about you, it is not a safe place to be even during the day. You look like you can take care of yourself, but why do you come out here to the wood?” If she didn’t show any signs of hostility then Terag would slowly begin to relax his stance and cease releasing res into the ground below him. This was both due to try to end the possibility of a fight, and that he had put enough res into the ground to pull up enough earth to make a short wall for him to duck behind should she decide to throw that fireball of hers his way. He may be used to the flames of his forge, but working with a flame and taking the fire directly to one’s body were two very different things.

[Ashe]

Ashe could see the gel-like substance oozing out of the strange man's hands and for a second she lowered her guard before picking it up again. She was happy to see another reimancer but at the same time she did not want to be on the receiving end of what the res could be attracting. The woman did not know that this new city was not as hostile to magic users as her hometown of Sunberth was and this fact made her weary of the intentions of the people she was surrounded by. The young woman listened to the strange man, the way he spoke was odd compared to the accent of her hometown, and she tossed the flaming fireball into a nearby tree far from the two when the man named Terag let her know of his name. 'I am here to visit this clearing. For a stroll, I take them often in the wood. There is not many trees like these back home. My name is Terag, what is your name? Only common courtesy to speak of such things, yes?' Such a common courtesy she didn't know very well, especially when people died left and right in the streets for crossing the wrong people. Perhaps it was common courtesy to stab someone in form of a hello, something she never followed for obvious reasons, especially in the new city. The people dressed in shiny armor made her leery of their intentions. 'What about you, it is not a safe place to be even during the day. You look like you can take care of yourself, but why do you come out here to the wood?' Terag asked and truth be told: Ashe didn't mind telling him why she was not in the city, but first introducing herself would be nice. "You may call me Ashe, Th' people in shiny armor scare me an' I have no other place t' sleep" The young woman answered. She soon hid the most of her body excluding her head behind the tree to make sure that she wouldn't be attacked by the res Terag put into the ground.

[Terag]

He jumped a bit and got ready to raise the ground as she threw the fireball, though it ended up landing much too far for it to be considered an attack and so he relaxed some what. The fireball splashed against the tree, burning the bark on contact though they were fortunate as it did not ignite it. Setting the woods on fire would probably be a bad thing. He relaxed further as he began to speak after condensing all of the res in the ground into a stone. No stray res left over at least, who knows how poorly that could go. "Ashe, huh? There is no reason to be scared of the knights, unless you break the law. Not an issue with you I hope?" Terag raised an eyebrow as he asked this, thinking back to the fire reimancy she had been using earlier. Most reimancy wasn't prohibited in Syliras - though fire sometimes tended to be the except. Regardless of how she might answer he continued on. "As for a place to sleep I know there are a few places within the walls that you can get a bed to rest in. It might not be the best, but if you get somewhere not too far from an exit of the city you might be fine, yeah? Besides, it has to beat living out of a tent." He shrugged a bit, taking a few steps closer to her. "So Ashe, where are you from? You do not speak like the others in the city." Of course that was true for him as well, but at least his color and dark arm showed that as well. Most humans tended to look the same to him still.

[Ashe]

Ashe watched as the dirt around the strange man turned into stone and she raised an eyebrow to Terag. "Ashe, huh? There is no reason to be scared of the knights, unless you break the law. Not an issue with you I hope?" The man said. The meaning of the word was never in her vocabulary even until now and if she was doing something another person did not approve of the young woman would want to know so that nothing bad would happen to her. The young woman wanted to inquire about this 'Law' but the strange man continued on to speaking about another topic. "As for a place to sleep I know there are a few places within the walls that you can get a bed to rest in. It might not be the best, but if you get somewhere not too far from an exit of the city you might be fine, yeah? Besides, it has to beat living out of a tent" Said the strange man and Ashe nodded at that statement as Terag drew closer. The man still could easily overwhelm her just by brute strength, yet Ashe didn't reach for her staff, strapped to her backpack, in case he got too close, and the young woman listened to another statement. "So Ashe, where are you from? You do not speak like the others in the city." It was true, there was not many people in the city who spoke like her, and it seemed like Terag wasn't hostile towards her so the young woman deemed it safe to let him get closer. "I came from Sunberth and what's this 'law' you speak of? And the people in strange armor are called knights?" Ashe asked folding her arms around her breasts. The city had little concept of law and the concept was either taught by the individual gangs that presided over their own turf, the mercenaries who protect goods and lives of the merchants then there was the angry mobs whom chased suspected magic users into the dust bed. "It anything like new rules that concerns me?" added the young woman.

[Terag]

Terag thought for a moment, reaching his onyx arm up to scratch his goatee before he responded. "Well I suppose the law and the knights are not too different from what I understand. You break the law and they come cracking down. I have not had a run in with them yet though. " With a sigh and a shrug he walked forward until he was just a few steps from her, the normal distance that people usually talked at. From here he finally got a good look at her, and he could see that she was a few inches taller than him, two or three at the most. Her hair was well kept, and she had intelligent eyes. Perhaps even a bit inquisitive. The freckles on her face were visible now and they seem to fit her. He perhaps took just a bit long taking in her details, it was part of his job to watch the small details. "Also, if you do not mind me asking, where did you learn your magic? and why did you learn fire?" Magic still interested him, he grew up around bits of magic after all. With his father being part of the silver tower it was hard not to hear or see it quite often. Learning how other people thought about it sometimes would bring insight, he might even learn something new that he could use from other people.

[Ashe]

Ashe watched Terag stroke his goatee in silence for a moment, to her it had appeared that he didn't know what this law was either, then the man said "Well I suppose the law and the knights are not too different from what I understand. You break the law and they come cracking down. I have not had a run in with them yet though" and the young woman looked stumped for a moment. 'Then this law is somethin' you can touch and hold in your hands? Perhaps even break by smashing it against the floor or tearing it apart like a book, and the knights will come?' Ashe thought to herself. Why was this strange man looking at her for an odd amount of time without saying anything? The young woman looked down at her dark colored tunic and couldn't find anything amiss other than some dust caked on her stockings from sitting on the ground. Her attention was averted from her clothing to the strange man when he said 'Also, if you do not mind me asking, where did you learn your magic? and why did you learn fire?' That question proved interesting for her, mainly because of family tradition, even in Sunberth, and she to this day felt proud of the power given to her through the scarring initiation. "I learned my magic still, in Sunberth, in secret, because people get in groups to kill those who they think know magic, I also know water but wit' fire I could help family friends with tasks like lighting a hearth and stove" said Ashe.

[Terag]

Terag's brow furrowed when Ashe spoke of how she had to learn her craft in secret, and more so when she revealed that people get together to kill those who know magic. That didn't make any sense, back home magic was encouraged. Granted, it was always under watch but still it was allowed. Even here in Syliras the same held true usually, it was allowed within reason. "That sounds terrible. I like your logic though, I chose mine for a similar reason. If I use it, it has to be useful for more than just hitting enemies, yes? I can do the same with a hammer or a sword if need be." His furrowed brow was replaced with a smile again before he continued on. "How much do you know, I wonder? I know a fair bit about it in theory but I am always curious as to what others know. You do not seem to be aggressive. Perhaps you are willing to discuss such things for knowledge and the sort." Terag turned and stepped back towards the clearing, motioning for Ashe to follow. Out here they would have much more room to ply their craft. He could feel the excitement beginning to build within him again, after he was over that this newcomer might be a threat to him he couldn't help but wonder what she could teach him. Even his usual mistrust of strangers was cast aside at the idea of new information he could use. "Do you know only fire? Or are you experienced enough for more?" At this point Terag turned back towards Ashe before taking a few more steps back, ending at the spot he had been standing that Ashe had found him in. The stone he had created was at his feet, the only thing that made it seem unnatural now was the fact that was no dirt or grass on top of it yet. It was also too dark to match the grey stones of the area, it was a habit of his to create darker stone usually with his reimancy as to better match his left arm. Maybe it had something to do with pride or vanity, both of which were not uncommon faults for Isurs.

[Ashe]

Ashe could recognize that something was going on inside Terag's head judging by the furrowing of his eyebrows during her explanation, she couldn't blame his reaction to the answer, especially if the end result was being chased around until death and people weren't very keen on knowingly helping a magic user. 'That sounds terrible. I like your logic though, I chose mine for a similar reason. If I use it, it has to be useful for more than just hitting enemies, yes? I can do the same with a hammer or a sword if need be' The man added, earning him a sly smile from the young woman, and Ashe thought better of the man as he also smiled. Ashe didn't think magic was really the subject that always brought destruction in it's wake, instead it is to be used to bring comfort, and fuel happiness for those who are willing to risk their health. While she had this other magic user why not ask about things to bring more comfort to her life through the use of both of their gifts of magic but before she asked the man cut her off. 'How much do you know, I wonder? I know a fair bit about it in theory but I am always curious as to what others know. You do not seem to be aggressive. Perhaps you are willing to discuss such things for knowledge and the sort' said Terag, turning back towards the clearing before motioning her to follow. Ashe was reluctant to follow the Terag, wanting to rest some more against the tree, and she collected her backpack before walking forward. The offer of potentially learning something new was slightly interesting to her but she felt fatigue in her legs and doubted that she could learn more at the moment. However, maybe this would be a fine place to have a discussion and the young woman nodded at the strange man hoping to continue to conversation. 'Do you know only fire? Or are you experienced enough for more?' asked the Isurian, earning himself a head tilt as Ashe thought she had already answered this question before but she didn't mind answering again. "I also know water and I think I can create steam with both" The young woman answered placing her back pack on the other side of the tree so the two could see the bag.