Solo Shielding Ignorance

Mixing magic disciplines is more complicated than a Novice realized.

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Shielding Ignorance

Postby Kynier on October 6th, 2018, 10:57 pm

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14th of Fall, 518 A.V.


That morning he awoke, and she had already gone about her day. With a groan Kynier got up and went to the wardrobe to get dressed. While he would’ve liked to have laid in bed for another ten chimes and enjoy the ability to relax there were too many concerns to deal with. The first being that he had a report that was due for Doler. And there were several questions that he wanted to ask the wizard. Once he was dressed he moved out to the kitchen and quickly put together some dried meats and cheese for a meal. Then he gathered some fruits for later. While he ate his breakfast, his mind called forth his djed. Early morning magic was easier than any other time it felt. The mind was clear of distraction, so the djed came to his summons quickly.

With a small burst of power, he dislodged his astral hand from the physical one. The physical hand fell limp at his side while the astral reached up to a bowl that rested on top of the tallest shelf in the kitchen. It was a bowl that had been given to him by a ghost hunter. It wasn’t truly any different from the rest of the kitchenware. But he kept it separate simply due to its function. Setting the bowl on the counter, the mage took out a bit of flour, some more cheese, and an egg they had collected the day before from the chickens. The astral hand mixed all three things together in the bowl until it formed an unappealing brown paste.

Then Kynier reattached his astral limp to the physical. It was a faster process than before but still took quite a while. Once after flexing his fingers a few times he drew the dagger strapped to the back of his belt and made a small cut on the palm of his hand. Thin droplets of red seeped from the cut which he added to the mixture. As he stirred it, the color darkened just slightly. Now it was time for the part he disliked the least. But for a moment Kynier stared down at the past, thinking on what it was that Anja had said, about regurgitation. Since the incident at the Dust Beds, Kynier had taken to forming some soulmist each day as a precaution. It was still very weak when he formed it, but he had not tried regurgitation yet. Would that make it stronger?

After a few breaths for mental preparation, Kynier lifted the bowl and tilted the contents into his mouth. His jaw worked at grinding the paste between his teeth. An expression of discomfort that almost looked like physical pain covered his face as his eyes were tightly shut. Kynier concentrated on the djed within the paste and manipulating it physically and mentally. After a chime he paused and nervously tilted his head back. He swallowed once, getting part of the paste to slide down his throat. The thickness and foul taste made his arms and shoulders shudder. With two more swallows he had all of it down.

All of it could be felt sliding down. Already his body wanted to expel it back but he tried breathing through it. Eyes still closed he continued to concentrate on pulling out the djed from the three ingredients. But the nausea continued to grow in intensity. Kynier’s face felt blanched and he realized that he wouldn’t be able to hold it in much longer. Gripping the Spiritism Bowl with both hands, Kynier leaned over the counter and opened his mouth, chin tilted to align his mouth more with his esophagus. A convulsion rippled through his body as his stomach tightened and forced the paste back up.

Eyes watered in discomfort and his breath stilled as the diaphragm assisted in the regurgitation. With a sickening cough that nearly sounded like a wet belch, an off-white material came from his mouth and dropped into the bowl. Kynier took a few steadying breaths as he straightened his back. The back of his hand brushed the wetness of his eyes away and he looked at the result of his little experiment. The soulmist was still not nearly as white as what he had seen the Ghost Hunter produce. But it did look… more potent. Whether that was due to the extra time in his body, or the process of regurgitation, was something he would have to test more. Kynier swallowed the remaining bile and took a drink of water to wash the taste from his mouth. Eating before the test had also been a bad idea.



Word Count: 772

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Last edited by Kynier on October 7th, 2018, 12:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Shielding Ignorance

Postby Kynier on October 6th, 2018, 10:59 pm

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Although it was finally a day without rain, the city itself was still very wet. The moisture was beginning to pool without the fresh rains to keep it flowing. In Stumble Alley, that meant an odor was starting to develop. The smell was getting so rancid it seemed possible to disguise a dead body. Kynier moved through the streets trying to cover his mouth in a futile effort. He felt sure that he would have to wash his whole attire just to get the smell out. So he walked faster towards the Majestic, boots stomping through the never ending collection of puddles on the street. Though nothing bad had occurred yet, the day was proving to fill his senses with disgusting input. Was it just going to be a rough day for no apparent reason?

Never did Kynier think he would be grateful to embrace the stale air and smell of brat shyke that loomed inside the abandoned shop of the Majestic. It did not smell of rotten eggs, decayed meat, and piss though. So he took a few grateful breaths of the more familiar smell before walking to the other side of the abandoned shop. There he pounded on the back of the empty book shelf with the side of his fist. Knock Knock… knock… knock knock knock. Then Kynier walked to the center of the room to wait for his employer to answer.

As he waited the mage’s eyes half closed in meditation. Trying to empty his mind of thought and ignore sensory input was more difficult than normal. The putrid smells alone challenged his techniques at quelling his mind. Eventually he pushed past them and worked at dislodging his entire left arm with Projection. This time it started at the shoulder rather than the elbow, working on getting more of his astral form removed than he was already comfortable with. By the time Doler opened the secret passage of the abandoned shop, Kynier already had the whole astral arm detached. The astral hand took hold of the envelop holding the report of his last task and extended it out to the wizard.

Doler never offered much in greeting. A few times there’d be a nod or a grunt. Otherwise he just would look at Kynier expectantly. The wizard took hold of the report and immediately ripped it open to begin examining the contents. “You seem rather comfortable with your Projection,” he commented slightly off-handedly. Kynier brought the limb back and went about setting it back into place. He would’ve given a reply to the wizard’s remark but doubted it would’ve been acknowledged. After a moment of the wizard reading and rereading the report, Doler began to turn to retreat to his study. “No tasks for your talents today,” he stated as the shelves began to shut.

“Doler!” Kynier called before the door closed. The wizard paused and sighed frustratingly. Disinterested eyes turned on his employee and asked “what” on behalf of his voice. Kynier swallowed nervously. Until the end of the summer he had taken care to not press for magical assistance from the wizard. Their arrangement had been of the Spy and Contractor and not the Master and Apprentice variety. Right now though, Kynier needed the wisdom of an experienced mage. Doler was the only person he knew in Sunberth that fit that description. “There are some questions I have in regard to Shielding.”

The wizard was a recluse, but sometimes Kynier wondered if the man desired the company of other mages. If not to teach, then to at least engage in theoretical discourse. The wizard neither rolled his eyes or sighed again, but Kynier saw in his body language some annoyance. “Shielding is the construction of weaves to formulate barriers that require time and experimentation to develop and strengthen before expanding its uses to cover a vast array of purposes and surface area,” he quickly rambled rather matter-of-factly. “So then, any questions you have can be answered with your own time and dedication without needing to waste any more of mine.” Doler began to shut the passage again.

“Weaving a shield to keep out a ghost!” the less experienced mage shouted. The shelf paused when there was only a small crack left. Then it opened again rather suddenly as the wizard gazed at him with sudden interest. “What methods do you employ to keep the ghosts from entering your,” Kynier indicated the room behind the wizard. Whether that was actually his home or not Kynier did not now. “Is it as simple as incorporating soulmist into the Shield’s task?” He did not have any idea what it was that Doler did and did not know about the various disciplines of magic.

“Incorporating soulmist into a Shield,” he said with an impressive pause at the end. “Is completely foolish and will generate more issues than whatever it was you had been dealing with before.” Kynier felt the blood drain from his ears. Before he could get his mouth to work any more the wizard continued. “Shielding is not capable of warding away everything. Be mindful of that boy.” The remark felt rather insulting since both men were of about the same age from what Kynier could determine. While he had a master wizard to teach him the fundamentals, Kynier expected that Doler had been born into magic in a way that very few ever were. “Jebediah provides me Ghostbeads which is capable of warding off the less impressive entities. There is no perfect defense against all apparitions. The wise thing to do would be to dismantle any shields you have set with soulmist in their weave, before the ghosts consume them.”

Doler’s third attempt to leave him went without interruption. For a moment Kynier thought over the words. If what Doler said was true, and there was no reason to really doubt what it was he said, then that means that the Midnight Gem…

Kynier nearly crashed through the door as he sprinted back home.



Word Count: 999
Total Count: 1,771

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
Kynier
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Shielding Ignorance

Postby Kynier on October 6th, 2018, 11:02 pm

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There was no time to pause or even slow down. Despite how his lungs were burning and that his calves were growing tense, Kynier pressed on. Running as fast as his stride would allow him, caring not for the people that were in his way. Some were knocked over when the stepped in front of him and the mage never bothered to even give them a backwards glance. The place he called his home was in danger. The people he had grown to have an affection, even love, were also in danger. And it had been his fault it had happened.

How could he have been so stupid? So ignorant in his abilities to think… to know… that his applications of magic were absolute and beneficial? Darvin had not been dead for very long and yet he had seemed so strong when he forced his way into Kynier’s body. Stubbornness and determination were what the mage had claimed to be the explanation. That in death somehow those feelings had only intensified in the former Dragoon. As much as he’d like to think the man was just a brute, he had been a Chevalier and close to a promotion to captain. The man… the being was smarter than Kynier cared to admit.

Somehow, he had been waiting for them at the Dust Beds. Only four days had passed and yet Kynier had not given much thought to what allowed the circumstances to unfold. Only to how they had. Darvin must have been following them for some time, watching Kelski’s movements. But what else had the ghost been doing before his ambush?

Once Kynier made it to the front of the Midnight Gem he slowed to a gradual halt. Once his feet had stopped he doubled over and braced his hands on his knees to catch his breath. After a chime he had recovered enough to stand and walk around without falling over. Kynier tried to reach for his djed and failed. Interlacing his fingers and resting his hands on the top of his head, Kynier closed his eyes and forced his stressed breathing into a slower regulation. Meditating, Kynier imagined the feeling of his djed coursing through his body before attempting to reach for it again.

When he was ready, Kynier accessed his djed and muttered the incantation he learned as a child for Auristics for good measure. The power flowed into his eyes to activate his Sight. When he opened them, his eyes filled with the presence of the Midnight Gem’s aura. Not long ago, during its awakening, the structure’s aura was weaker. Now it had some density in its appearance as the turquoise mist accented with silver emanated from the building. Kynier turned his attention on the amethyst colored weaves that were woven around the structure. To his horror, most of them had diminished drastically. No longer was the structure coated in shields. Shields that took bells to form in the quantity required to cover the whole building.

The few remaining weaves looked deteriorated, and ready to fail several days sooner than expected. Casting his Auristic empowered vison around, Kynier saw no other auras to indicate ghosts nearby. Stepping forward he focused on the largest remaining weave. The strands of magic were visible to him even before he set his hands against the normally invisible barrier. Never had he tried to untangle a weave he had set before. Kynier’s shields still had a relatively short period of use before they wore out. He wasn’t sure where to start, so he looked for an end to the magic to begin unraveling it. When he found it, Kynier reached out with his mind to grasp it.

It was depressing in a way to see how poorly constructed his shields were. When he pulled on the strand there was very little effort needed on the follow through. The shield itself came undone rapidly and was completely gone before a mental count of ten could be accomplished. While it still hadn’t been explained why tasking a shield with soulmist was not a wise maneuver, Kynier could see that the lifespan of the shield was somehow shortened.



Word Count: 693
Total Count: 2,464

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
Kynier
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Shielding Ignorance

Postby Kynier on October 6th, 2018, 11:04 pm

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In less than ten chimes, Kynier approached the last of the shield weaves that surrounded the Midnight Gem. As he focused his Sight on the faded amethyst aura to see the details of his weave, Kynier noted that it had a characteristic like all the other shields he had just undone. The formations of the weaves were all different. The Strand, as he came to think of it, that could be pulled to unravel the shield was never in the same location, causing him to have to search for it. Yet when he found and pulled on it, the shield collapsed just as quickly. More uniformity would be needed for other dire situations. While he hoped to avoid them, Kynier would no longer assume they would not appear.

Kynier sighed in relief. It was done. It would take some time to reapply the shields against fire with how the weather had been behaving. Though adding water to the task would be far simpler too.


Word Count: 164
Total Count: 2,628

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
Last edited by Kynier on October 17th, 2018, 2:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
Kynier
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Shielding Ignorance

Postby Kynier on October 6th, 2018, 11:07 pm

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Invalid Material

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
Last edited by Kynier on October 17th, 2018, 2:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
Kynier
Player
 
Posts: 851
Words: 1156083
Joined roleplay: May 13th, 2018, 3:14 am
Location: Sunberth
Race: Human
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Medals: 7
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Shielding Ignorance

Postby Kynier on October 6th, 2018, 11:44 pm

Grades!


Skill Rewards
  • Auristics +4
  • Endurance +1
  • Intimidation +2
  • Investigation +1
  • Logic +2
  • Meditation +2
  • Projection +3
  • Research +5
  • Running +1
  • Shielding +4
  • Spiritism +3
  • Stealth +1
  • Subterfuge +1
  • Tactics +1
  • Weapon: Short Sword +2

Lores Learned
  • Auristics: Examining a Shield Weave
  • Auristics: What Darvin’s aura looks like
  • Auristics: Tracking an aura that’s out of sight
  • Auristics: Feeling another's pain during combat
  • Darvin: Too big of a problem for Kynier to handle
  • Intimidation: Scaring an opponent after injuring them
  • Meditation: Ignoring sensory input to clear the mind
  • Projection: Can interact with ghosts
  • Shielding: Not capable of warding away everything
  • Shielding: Ghosts consume shields infused with soulmist
  • Shielding: How to dismantle a shield Kynier cast
  • Shielding: Novice weave patterns are inconsistent
  • Spiritism: Using regurgitation to make soulmist
  • Spiritism: Spreading soulmist on a weapon
  • Subterfuge: Making an opening to be attacked
  • Tactics: Goading someone to attack
Kynier
Player
 
Posts: 851
Words: 1156083
Joined roleplay: May 13th, 2018, 3:14 am
Location: Sunberth
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 7
Featured Contributor (1) Featured Thread (1)
Overlored (1) One Million Words! (1)
Sunberth Seasonal Challenge (1) 2018 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)
2018 Top NaNo Word Count (1)


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