63rd Day of Fall, 519 AV
Manipulating and directing djed was something with which Dess was familiar. For Flux to work, his djed had to be guided to the area of muscles he wished to strengthen. So driving it to his hand was not as difficult as a newcomer to magic might experience. It was the production of res that needed tuned. Of course, in his profession and position, one of the first thing Dess considered when he chose fire the night Kelski inducted him into Reimancy was that fire could be a weapon.
It also caught things on fire. Wisdom dictated that exercises with Reimancy be conduced at the relatively safe location of the beach. The Reach insisted Dess practiced at a great distance from the docks, for good reason. found a rock outcropping near the shore. surrounded by sand and water, it proved a safe arena for the neophyte Reimancer.
In the forty days since the induction, Dess had made time for regular training along with his other disciplines. He had learned to call res to his hands and ignite it. He toyed with manipulating fire in the tower hearths, until the Gem politely used its own reimancy skills to take the fire from him and ask him to play with his fire outside.
His current goal proved more challenging. He wanted to throw fire as a weapon. Repeated tries had revealed that, for the ball of fire to reach its target, it had to be completed and ignited before leaving the small range of Dess's power. Essentially just after it leaves his hand. Attempts to coordinating it all had failed to that point.
With resolve, Dess once again worked up the green cloud of res and gathered it in his hand. It was a wobbly sphere roughly formed by the man's will. Once roughly globe shaped, he focused on the sphere's surface as separate for the core. It was the only way to ignite the ball without setting the whole thing on fire. It was unwieldy and dangerous if the whole thing was ignited in his hand, as the smell of burnt hair on him would reveal.
Once the outer layer was separated, Dess willed its ignition. A flame licked at the res and a moment later the ball was on fire. The core remained the original res. Planting his feet in the sand, Dess looked towards the outcropping not far into the water. He couldn't wait long, or loose the res, so he quickly aimed then cocked his arm and threw. The burning res left his hand in a wobbly fire wrapped ball. But Dess ignited it too slow, and it dissipated into the air, already beyond the reach of his influence.
"That is just sad." The voice of a young woman lifted above the wind and waves behind him. Dess turned to see Keesha standing in the sand, her long wool dress shifting around her in the breeze. Her dark hair was braided in intricate rows on her scalp that draped over her shoulders in braids, her mocha skin tone refusing to fade even as Dess's summer tan turned paler. "Why don't you learn to use a bow like a normal person." She teased Dess with a trademark teenage unimpressed countenance.
"Because mages don't use bows." Dess jibed back with a smartass grin. "Besides, an arrow is not as impressive."
"Kelski uses a crossbow and she is a real mage." Keesha shot back, folding her arms arcross her chest and quirked her dark brow.
"That hurts, Bug." Dess replied, feigning hurt feelings. "What are you doing down here anyway, doesn't anyone need a sass-mouth kid's help?" His smile then drew wide to prove he was teasing. Dess walked towards the young woman. There was a reason she would come all the way down to the beach. Keesha was one to keep busy and not wander idly.
"Grandmother sent me." She answered matter-of- fact. "She wants you to meet her at the cave where she kept us before we came here. The one where you found Darcee. And bring these things. " Keesha handed him a scrap of paper with two things written on it. Armor and Razors. Dess took it, then looked to Keesah quizically.
"It only has two things written on it. She didn't think you could remember two things?" Dess asked squinting.
"I don't know, Dess," the girl answered with some exasperation, clearly over the task given to her, "... you know her, she is crazy." With that, Keesha turned and trodded off through the sand. "You still owe us the second self-defense class, don't forget. See ya later, fire boy." She fired one last jibe before leaving.
Dess looked at the paper, then up at the retreating teenager. He tucked the note in his pocket. Turning, he gathered his djed again, formed his res, working in a smaller, tighter ball. Then he willed it on fire, again leaving the core untouched. He flung it, triggering his command for the center to ignite. The smaller sphere engulfed in flames, a fiery projectile that slammed against the rock in a mini-explosion. If she had only watched one more time.
Dess turned to head up to the tower. If Hattie wanted him up in the woods with his battle gear, she was definitely up to something.
