Solo Fires and Ice Part Two

[Kynier]

Timestamp: 31st of Summer 518

Kynier strode down the stairs to the common area of his home. The sparse furnishings left it feeling larger and more open than it actually was. With only a desk, a table, a chair, an empty bookshelf, a food cupboard, a wash basin, and Laurie’s pen, there was very little to behold. Laurie clucked in greeting as he came down. Kynier went to the cupboard and took some feed to give to the solitary hen. While she was occupied with that he checked on her nest for an egg. He paused when he saw it. Yes, there was an egg but it was blue. Solid blue and gleaming like ice. Kynier thought that the old man at the Slag Heap was spinning a wild tale. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Bending down to grasp it led to another surprise. As his fingers enveloped it a bitter cold sensation greeted his hand. Startled by it, Kynier stood and exhaled in surprise. It felt very cold to the touch. But there was a twinge of something else, magic. With a readying shake of his hand Kynier stooped down and grasped the egg. Unlike other eggs it didn’t feel fragile to the touch. Which was fortunate because his grip was tight from discomfort. Kynier walked away from Laurie’s pen and set the egg down in the center of the open floor area. Curiosity welled up inside. A barely noticeable bit of djed emanated from the icy egg that he could feel standing right next to it. When he stepped away to get Laurie fresh water he immediately lost that sensation.

Kynier took ten chimes to clean out the pen as well as get something to eat. When that was done he knelt down beside the egg. No water nor condensation surrounded it. While the day had not yet reached the peak of heat yet, it was clearly warm enough to melt ice and quickly at that. Would it melt at all? Unwilling to wait around to see Kynier went upstairs to retrieve a candle. He brought it back downstairs and set it next to the egg before sitting on the floor himself. Kynier closed his eyes and tried to push his thoughts aside. The inquisitiveness of the egg made it especially difficult. Ultimately he was able to silence his mind long enough to comfortably reach for his djed. From the depths of his soul he warped the power into res and willed it to the surface. After a chime there was a small liquid coating on the tip of a finger. Ignite.

The res sparked into a small flame on the tip of his finger. One that he used to light the candle on the floor to keep the flame alive. Then he closed his eyes again and called upon the raw form of his djed. It was still in the shallow parts of his soul and took less time to draw forth. The power shifted throughout his body as his will began to form a weave. Kynier held out a hand to the fire and sought to draw it into the Shield weave he was forming. It sputtered for a moment before winking out. The heat of it lingered in the power his mind manipulated. Then Kynier set both hands down around the ice egg and laid the shield down to cover the floor under and around the egg. A small glimmering shield covered the floor and reflected the blue radiance of the magic egg.

Kynier took several deep breaths as he tried to keep hold of his power. It wanted to retreat to its source though he wouldn’t allow it. With it still close to the surface he conjured it into a gaseous res. The magical mist danced between his palms as it grew in size. When he had a comfortable amount he acted. Ignite. The sphere of gas between his hands turned ablaze and his will made the fire flow down to coat the egg.



Word Count: 665

[Kynier]

Flames licked his hands just before his will propelled them away to ensnare the strange egg on the floor. The shield reflected the light as it rippled from contact with the fire. Kynier dragged out an exhale for several ticks as he poured fire down from his hands. The heat was causing the candle to warp as the wax lost its solidity. When Kynier had no more breath to exhale he relaxed his will and allowed the little remaining res between his hands to just fall on the shield. As he waited for the magic fire to burn out he regulated his breathing back to normal. It was a mesmerizing sight, the fire. Rich orange and yellow flames swaying with life around…

“By my blood!” he exclaimed softly. The icy egg remained in the center of the flames, reflecting the firelight from its surface as the flames simmered and died. It looked unchanged, in size as well as texture. A skeptical finger reached out and touched the egg. It felt comparable to touching Morwen’s skin. A cold as bitter as winter traversed up his finger to the second knuckle. A bemused “hmm” escaped his throat. If the magic fire of reimancy wouldn’t cause it to melt even the slightest there may be nothing that could make it do so. But what was he going to do with it? One option was to test the integrity, but he didn’t want to do that right now at any rate.

Kynier decided to grab the bucket he kept and went out to the local well to fill it. The water wasn’t as clean as he’d prefer but it was fairly decent by the city standards. When he got back he set the bucket down on the floor by the wash basin before standing over the never melting ice egg. Quickly he stooped down to grasp it and hurried over to the bucket. With a splash he impatiently tossed it into the water and watched it sink to the bottom. For a few ticks he thought on what he should do while he waited for the next test to play out.

He decided to continue practicing reimancy since he already had a shield out to prevent the place from burning down. There was an aspect that he hadn’t experimented yet that he really wanted to try. The candle from before was nearly reduced to a glob of wax with the wick standing out like a reed. Kynier fetched his flint and steel to light it. A spark caught the wick to produce a small flame. Sitting down to face the candle he prepared to produce more res. For what he wanted not a lot was required. Once he had a hold of his djed after a chime Kynier pooled it into the palm of his hand in a liquid state. It wasn’t enough to completely fill the palm though. Holding the res near the flame he set his will to it. Not exactly sure how to go about it he tried thinking of attraction.

It was one of many words to cross his mind as he sat there staring at the space between his hand and the candle. Attraction, Suction, Pull, Magnetize, Draw. None of those thoughts worked. Kynier sighed discouragingly. The shadow behind him shifted and spoke. “What are you attempting?” it whispered in Makath. Before Kynier could answer the other shadows spoke out. “He’s doing magic.” “Trying to at least.” “But what is he attempting?” Kynier spoke put to end the circling banter. The language was intuitive rather than intellectual and still felt strange to use.

“I’m trying to pull the natural fire to the res I made to create magic fire.” The shadows moved around the floor to watch more closely. They found him a curiosity, not for being a recently initiated Nightstalker, but because he was a mage with the most prejudice for those with his talent. From upstairs another shadow emerged. Older, darker, and larger than the rest. It slithered across the surface towards him. Kynier had felt that particular shadow’s presence before but they had never spoken. “Hello,” he said to it. When he did it stopped in its tracks. The other shadows fell silent in its presence.

“What is the method you’re using, young one?” Its voice was higher in pitch. Kynier looked at the res still in his hand.
“Thinking of terms to focus on that would bring the fire closer.” The older shadow hissed disapprovingly.
“Use imagery, not words.” Kynier arched an eyebrow.
“What is your name?” The shadow almost seemed to fall still at the question.
“Nurxan.”


Word Count: 773
Total Word Count: 1,438

[Kynier]

He knew what Nurxan meant and was mentally kicking himself. It felt like something that he already known and had set aside only to forget about it. Intently he focused on the res in his hand. With his mind’s eye he tried to see the fire from the candle leaving its roost to become one with the res. Nothing happened as he sat there for a while. The firelight of the candle was creating discomfort in his eyes. After the long pause Nurxan hissed at him. Kynier squinted at the shadow. The nuances of the creatures were still outside his understanding, so he couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be encouragement or disapproval.

But perhaps that wasn’t it either. When igniting the fire it was all about the intent. Same as when weaving a shield for a particular purpose. With a mental shake and a sharp exhale he regathered his focus. Now he stared directly at the flame and held the res out before him. The feeling of his intent washed out everything else. The mental desire for that small flame to fall under his control grew as he harnessed the unused power of the res in his hand. Come. At the thought filled with power, feeling, and intent, the small flame broke itself way from the wick to glide through the air. A short laugh of accomplishment broke the silence when the res was ignited by the candle flame.

“Well done, young one,” Nurxan said in a way that sounded condescending. Kynier scowled at the shadow.
“You deliberately gave me bad advice, didn’t you?” One of the other shadows came out from under Kynier’s foot.
“Nurxan is despicable like that.” The older shadow hissed in a way that was clearly displeasure. Its form also warbled as it chased off the younger of its kin. The sight was a mixture of amusement and alarm. Had he always lived with such a creature in his home? All the other shadows retreated to parts unknown, leaving him with Nurxan. It didn’t seem bothered by the soft light coming from the mage’s hand and kept close by.

“I was testing. It has been a very long time since I last spoke to a Nightstalker, let alone one that was a mage.” Kynier felt the pressure of nonexistent eyes upon him as the being continued. “And I have been observing your story with interest, young one. Sometimes it takes a while, but you manage to find the right questions.” Nurxan began slivering back to the stairs. “But don’t expect me to give the answers. You’ve no earned the privilege.” It crawled its way back up the stairs and beyond sight. Kynier closed his fist to snuff the flame out.

It was a fair assessment. Nurxan was feared by the other shadows, who still hadn’t returned. Kynier worked on relighting the candle. Thinking of what was required to earn the respect of one of Akajia’s children. Personifying human characteristics was a natural assumption, but in truth he didn’t understand their nature. Kelski described them as being immortal creatures. It was difficult to form an opinion about it. At times they seemed like youths will unrestrained wonder, and then there were the Nurxans.

When the candle was lit Kynier closed his eyes. He rested his hands on his knees, palms up, as he meditated to clear his thoughts. He struggled a little to unify his conscious and subconscious mind on his breathing efforts. The words and actions of the shadows were still thought provoking and difficult to quell. After a time all that existed was his breath. Upon a deeper exhale his will reached deep into his soul to gather more res. As it was drawn to the surface he felt the mystic energy make the hairs on his arms stand on end. In each palm res formed a cloud of gas. When he consolidated the two sets of res into tight spheres he opened his eyes to look at the flame. Reaching out with his left palm forward he concentrated on his intent. Come.



Word Count: 680
Total Word Count: 2,118

[Kynier]

This time the flame did not respond to his will. But rather than let that discourage him and force the process to begin again, Kynier sought to try again. Brow coming together and left hand extending out, he focused on the act and intent of bringing the flame to his hand. Come! And it did. The candle fire jumped the distance to his palm to ignite the res cloud that floated there. Tucking in his elbows Kynier held his hands so the palms faced each other. The effort to control both collections of res was straining his abilities. His muscles in his legs began to spasm a little. A moment was spent watching the flame burn before looking at the empty space before him.

Kynier concentrated again on that intent from before. This time to have the fire shift to his other hand on its own accord. With a deep breath he willed it so. The burning res of his left hand pulsed and flickered. Kynier strained his will further, feeling the tension collect in his ears and brow as his body flexed in response to his concentration. Come! As though he had thrown it with malicious intent, the mage’s fire leapt from one hand to the next. Kynier took a sudden deep breath and threw the fire down upon the shield. Quickly he scooted away as the flames attempted to lick his clothing. When the fire was no longer in reach he worked on messaging the muscle spasms from his legs.

When he wasn’t looking a few of the shadows had returned. “A Nightstalker that plays with fire…” The tone did not sound like a jape, but one of slight reverence. Kynier wondered how shadows were… how these children of the Night Mistress came to be. As a new one formed each time a new shadow as cast? If that were the case then he could understand the reverence. Fire made light, which made shadows. In a way that made Kynier an instrument in multiplying the goddess’ children.

For a few chimes he watched the fire burn and the darkness it cast in his home. Eventually it burned itself out, leaving no scorch marks on the flow due to the shield. No one would be wiser about the pyro activities that occurred within his home. With the exhaustion from so much reimancy was already starting to settle in Kynier got up and went to the bucket with the ice egg inside. The water hadn’t turned to ice. But when he dipped a finger into it he found it refreshingly cold. Kynier retrieved a glass from the cupboard and dipped it into the water. It was the best cup of water he could recall having in Sunberth.



Word Count: 457
Total Count: 2,575

[Kynier]

Grades!

Skill Rewards

• Observation +4
• Reimancy +4
• Shielding +1

Lores Learned

• Laurie: Lays icy blue eggs
• Ice Egg: Unmeltable
• Ice Egg: Chills water really well
• Nurxan: Gives bad advice
• Reimancy: How to attract Fire to res
• Reimancy: Use intent, not imagery or words
• Reimancy: Activating one collection of res and not the second
• Shielding: Tasking a shield against fire

Penalties

• Overgiving- For the next 4 days Kynier will suffer from random muscle spasms in his legs.