An Initiation Like No Other (Eryss Waldu)

[Eridanus]

There were certain activities that made time pass faster than it should, and certain activities that made time pass way longer than it was supposed to. This was one of the latter, and it was unfortunate that Eri was in the middle of experiencing one of the longest few minutes he had ever experienced in his life. It seems that Time itself wanted to lengthen his agony, and it slowly took its time to tick by, making a second seem like a minute, and a minute seem like an hour to Ethaefal as his body trembled involuntarily from the trauma it suffered. The wizard released his grasp on the Ethaefal's throat, and he fervently prayed that this marked the beginning of the end of his torment. Sure enough, the pain assaulting his senses decreased somewhat, and there was a sort of relief as he felt the uneasy presence within his body slowly withdrawing. Now that his eyes were open, he could clearly see a gaseous sort of substance that seemed to be emitted by Eryss withdrawing from the various orifices and ritualized wounds in his body. Finally, Eryss stepped back, marking the end of the initiation procedure as the last tendrils of Res escaped through Eri's mouth. Strangely, the conclusion of the process left Eri feeling somewhat empty, for his body had begun to get used - paradoxically speaking - to the idea of being completely filled and invaded by another mage's Res and, despite the agony of the event, had began to adapt to this new situation, only to be left 'high and dry' when the wizard withdrew the Res. The Ethaefal tried moving his fingers, bringing a dull ache to his body due to the ritualized wounds on his palm, causing him less hurt than it should be as his body was already conditioned to tremendous pain by Eryss. What was a little flesh wound compared to what he had suffered? ”How do you feel? Alive?” The mage asked, though Eri's throat felt dry and he found it hard to reply. Alive? I feel goddamned dead, if that's what you wanna know. Still, he felt glad to still be alive after his ordeal, and he nodded in response. Eryss continued with several pieces of advice and despite the mess that his mind was in trying to deal with the aftermath of the incident, Eri tried his best to memorize all of it so that he could properly understand it later when his mind was clearer. The wizard seemed to know the current unstable state of the Ethaefal's mind, and paused for a while before telling him about his own first element. Eri had not really thought of that, but when the mage mentioned fire there was a little spark of joy within him. Perhaps it was his old psychotic self that enjoyed watching his victims twitch in pain as they were being incinerated, or perhaps it was an affinity with the element, but the reformed Ethaefal consciously and strongly denied all ties to the former, choosing instead to believe in the latter. "Thank you Master Waldu," Eri cleared his throat and found enough of his voice left to croak. "Fire would be delightful to me." He added, wondering what the mage would think seeing that they might very share the same first element. Would he treat the Ethaefal more kindly due to some form of nostalgia? Or would he see Eri as a threat because of some irrational, paranoid reasoning? Eri would not be thinking about all that, but instead in the mean time he tried to slow down the heavy panting that he had built up while dealing with the torment, and trying to orient himself as his mind came to terms with the fact that he had survived the ordeal.

[Eryss Waldu]

[Nostalgic value because they might have shared a fondness for the same element? Hardly. Eryss only heard what Eridanus said and smirked beneath the hood that concealed his features wondering if the Ethaefal truly appreciated the brilliance of flame or if he had said as much because he was trying to insight a kinship with the Mage. Either way it was neither successful nor was it a failure. Eryss could appreciate another who respected fire and its beauty as much as he did but he also glorified in the fact that though who offered false admiration to the flame were often quickly consumed by it. Fire was not something you could just hope to command and its destructive nature deserved your respect; Eridanus would learn that if he didn’t already know it.] [While Eridanus tried to regain control of his breathing which Eryss associated with the trauma he just experienced the Mage would go about setting out a list of rules for the Ethaefal to consider in the case he didn’t follow them. “Now that we’ve went through this process I’ll warn you not to try anything tonight. Your body is weak and the wrong kind of magic will likely rip it apart.”...well it was a practical way to begin even if it wasn’t entirely prudent and letting that knowledge sink in Eryss would pause before continuing on...”When you’re well attempt to produce your own res and nothing more. It’s a prudent place for a novice to begin.”...and Eridanus should make no mistake that he was quite the novice in the eyes of Eryss who was a capable Reimancer.] [Now that he had said his piece the Mage would turn his attention to the surrounding area. Observing it quietly he’d ensure that there was no sign what had been done here was discovered and that the Shield he had created was also still intact. Once he was satisfied with all of this Eryss would have said...”I’m going to leave you here, alone. This Shield should hold for several hours at least or a day; I made it quickly so I’m uncertain which.”...it seemed as though Eryss was curious to know which it would be as well and he may have even made a mental note ask Eridanus when they next met but then he continued somewhat reassuringly...”Regardless of how long it lasts it should keep you protected until you’ve regained some strength.” On that note Eryss would await a response or acknowledgement seeing as how he wanted to ensure Eridanus heard him and knew to stay within the boundaries of the Shield.] [Despite his malicious nature the Mage cared enough about what he invested in to ensure it lived long enough that it was useful to him. Lucky Eridanus.] [Underneath the hood he wore Eryss eyes were drilling against the Ethaefal as though he were a new pet project of his, it was his first encounter with an actual Ethaefal as far as he knew so this was at least mildly exciting to him, training Antar had been relatively simple because the man had prior knowledge of reimancy but Eridanus had nothing. Truth be told Eryss was looking forward to offering him a lesson so that he could see if Eridanus proved as apt with this type of magic as Antar had and he would inform the man rather pleasantly...”When you’re ready we will begin some basic training.”...in reality that sounded all to pleasant which should clue Eridanus into the idea that training might be unpleasant for him. There would definitely be a learning curve in any event.] [Backing away from the Ethaefal Eryss would have turned and left the Shield then. Leaving Eridanus behind while he moved off into the forest and the surrounding darkness on his way back to the Crimson Edge encampment. With some much happening lately Eryss had started to think it might be ideal to develop a Shield he could routinely power that shrouded the camp from sight or helped defend it against unwanted visitors. It would be a good test of his own boundaries which were growing exponentially if nothing else which was more than enough reason for him to move ahead with the plan. Anyways, it was something he thought of as he moved away and faded into the darkness.]

[Eridanus]

The wizard warned him of immediately wielding his supposed new-found powers, and Eri whole-heartedly agreed, for his body and mind was in no shape to be wielding anything, be it known magic, new magic or even wielding in a physical sense. He was far too spent to be trying anything, and he wanted nothing more than to simply collapse and just simply dream. He had to hold himself there, simply out of respect to his new mentor. ”I’m going to leave you here, alone. This Shield should hold for several hours at least or a day; I made it quickly so I’m uncertain which.” The wizard told him, and Eri gratefully croaked out a reply, for he was not sure he could drag himself to his safe house in the library without getting waylaid, for he would then have no strength to defend himself. Not to mention that the library happened to be in the middle of Sunberth's most dangerous place, Stumble Alley. The wizard's consideration would allow him to pass out at this spot without repercussions and muster enough energy to handle himself when the shield disappeared. Hopefully the shield would last at least a day instead of just a few hours. ”When you’re ready we will begin some basic training.” Eryss finished, and he turned around, leaving the area and the Ethaefal. Eri was simply too exhausted to sense any undertones in the wizard's voice, though if he had he would not be deterred, for he had already survived this, and he was confident that with determination and discipline he would overcome the obstacles ahead of him. Before he collapsed, he studied his palms, and he found the wound still trickling blood, for it was a rather big wound. He closed his eyes, focusing on what little bond he still had with Leth and he channelled a part of the Moon God's power, as all Ethaefal are able to do, and aged his wounds by a day. There was no significant change for it was no substitute for Rak'keli's Gnosis, but at least one day was enough to form a thin scab over his wounds and stopped further bleeding. Satisfied that he would not accidentally die from bleeding overnight, he collapsed on the ground, his elbows first supporting his weight instead of his hands due to the frail state of his palms. Turning himself over to look at the moon, he closed his eyes, his mind wandering off to fantastic landscapes and impossible scenarios, though the very last thing he saw was that of the beautiful moon.

[Ink]

And in the Aftermath . . . The Rewards are Revealed. Eridanus : Skills: Auristics 4 Meditation 1 Reimancy 1 (To signify you have the skill, an element must be picked prior to any further XP gains in Reimancy) Observation 2 Lore: Eryss the Mage (Basic) The Pains of Being Initiated Recognizing a Shield Eryss : Skills: Intimidation 1 Reimancy 3 Shielding 2 Stealth 1 Teaching 2 Observation 2 Unarmed 1 Weapon (Dagger) 1 Lore: The Art of Timing an Entrance Ethaefal (Basic) Eridanus (Basic) Initiating Another in Reimancy Written in the ink : If there are any concerns or problems with my grading please feel free to toss me a PM. I am more than happy to explain my reasons or reevaluate them if you feel I've been unfair.