A Magical Trade (Clyde)

by **L'orlei** on April 10th, 2013, 6:45 pm

The more Clyde resisted, the more she knew she wanted to learn his magic. Reimancy, he called it, which allowed him to control the elements. L'orlei had indeed heard of such a magic, during her studies involving shielding, in fact. Some believed that shielding was developed as a direct counter to reimancy. L'orlei did not know this for a fact, but she recalled hearing it somewhere.

"Even healers need to learn to defend themselves. One day I will be Called away from this island, and I will have to go out and face the world. Usually we learn the suvai, a weapon, and one day I probably will. But I don't see myself being very good with weapons."

L'orlei paused, considering everything Clyde had said. From what she had told him so far, despite her need for self defense, he was probably right. Reimancy was, at least as far as he was concerned, a tool for battle. But L'orlei could not believe that. Shaking her head, she spoke again.

"I think you underestimate your own magic, Clyde. Controlling the elements? Yes, very deadly. But think of the good you could do. Glyphed scrolls that give water to those in the desert, or fire for the camp. You could use it to build. You could use it for so many other things than killing. A dagger is a weapon, but can you not also use it to cut your food, to pry things open, or to create a beautiful carving out of wood? Just because something has one purpose does not mean it has no other."

She didn't think her argument would convince him, however, even though she did try to make it sound convincing. If it did, L'orlei would be surprised. And if he did not think the Vian wood was valuable enough, she really did not know what else she could offer him. L'orlei was not a wealthy, or even wise, konti. She did not have great powers, or valuable possessions to trade to him. But maybe he didn't want those things? She wasn't sure what else to offer, so she decided to ask.

"What would make it worth it, then, Clyde? What would you like me to offer you, then?"

by **Clyde Sullins** on April 10th, 2013, 7:40 pm

Clyde shook his head, but he could not deny the logic of her words... He himself had used some of those usages for Reimancy... But then, the danger alone was not a physical one.

"I do not deny what you have said... Reimancy can be used as such. And while it would be easy enough to start a fire for a camp, as I have done, gifting water in the desert from a scroll, would be foolhardy, if not fatal. Creating large masses of such things, is very costly, in djed. A fire can be started by a spark, but a mass of water great enough to quench many throats, would be costly even for a master of the magic as myself. And anything you store with Glyphing, must be made purely of res, you cannot store mundane waters."

"And the danger alone is not found in physical threats. Your mind and life are as much at risk. Do you think such a power, is easy to cast aside? Do you think once you do it, you will not be tempted to use it whenever possible? Do you think that it is not addictive, and that you will not be pushed to do just a little more. A little more. What would it hurt, to do a little more? Or if you are in danger of dying, of being killed, might you not be pushed to do whatever it takes, and push yourself to hard, beyond your limits."

Clyde held both hands out, palms up, and began to exude a small bit of res, out of them. For him, it was a bright silvery substance, in this case a gas. He floated it up, exuding it and shaping it into the shape of a ball, about the size of a large nut, or a small fruit. Then with a series of motions, moving his hands up and down and side to side, he moved the ball over his body, starting at his head, and slowly crisscrossing and moving slowly downward, till it reached his feet.

All the time of doing this, he used water attraction, and pulled the water off of him, drying himself. Were once he had stood miserable and drenched, he know seemed as dry as if he had toweled himself down. Even his clothes and boots were dry, along with his hair.

That done, he was left with a tiny bit of res, which had not been spent in his actions of attracting res. He used the tiny bit unspent, and cast it out into the rain a good 20 feet. Once it struck the ground, the water fell apart, no longer clinging into a over sized droplet, as the last of the res was spent, which had been holding it together.

"You have done other magics, Shielding, and Glyphing. But neither of those, are a danger to oneself, and what you are, as Reimancy is. Neither allow you to overgive. Neither are addictive. Do you truly think, that the man standing before you, is not different, and changed, from what I would be, had I never used this magic? I was forced into this magic, when I was young, and nearly died in doing so. I am lucky to be alive at all. I was initiated, without my choosing. Surely you can see then, with what I know now, why I think it foolish to choose to teach it. Do you really still want to learn it, knowing what I deal with on a daily basis, to not use this magic constantly. To not succumb to the constant desire to cast, and eventually giving in, like I just did now."

Clyde let out a sigh, filled with a bit of joy from casting his Reimancy, a pleasurable sensation that thrummed and filled him upon casting... But all to soon it was calling to him, to do a bit more... Just a bit more... What would it hurt... As the joyous sensation slowly bled away...

Her question, in response to what he had said, puzzled him... Honestly, he did not know, what it would take.

"I do not know, what would make it worth it to me. I do not know, what you should offer. Honestly, I do not. Perhaps nothing you could offer, would convince me... I have no need of your healing, you cannot heal what ails me. And your other magics, are less than what I already can do. I have no need for coin, I likely have greater than you, and can acquire more should I need it. So what can you offer me, that I cannot gain myself? What do you have to offer, that I need or would find of use?"

Oftentimes though, as he reminded himself, possibility, was worth more, than any mundane or specific thing someone could offer in the now...

by **L'orlei** on April 10th, 2013, 9:17 pm

L'orlei watched as he produced the res, it reminded her a bit of what she would use to create a shield, and she watched as he sucked the water right out of his clothes, drying his body completely. It was fascinating, mesmerizing, and beautiful. Clyde, he feared his magic so much, for one who was a master. L'orlei knew there were dangers to it, she understood that. But the world was a dangerous place. She was young, and ready to face it, but how could she convince the mage of that?

She was also a bit surprised, or rather relieved, that he did not know what he wanted. If she had offered that to any other man she could have thought of a number of things they could have demanded from her, but Clyde made no such request. Unfortunately, it still didn't help her get what she wanted, and that was frustrating. In the end, L'orlei let out a sigh and responded in a somewhat subdued manner.

"I don't know what I can offer you either. My people live a very long time, but I am still very young, and I do not have anything to offer you." Sighing again, L'orlei began putting away the things on her blanket, placing them back in her bag and wrapping everything up. "I can offer you friendship though. And I will help you find your branch. You just have to promise that you will treat it with the respect it deserves. I wasn't lying when I said Vian wood was special."

Truthfully, L'orlei still had not given up. She may have lost the battle, but she could still win the war. Clyde was going to have to be alone with her for a while, and that was plenty of time to figure something out. She just had to make sure she didn't close up or get timid like she usually did. This was still business, she had to remind herself, and she still had a goal.

"First we need to stop by my house so I can drop off some things, then we can head out if you are ready."

Assuming that he was ready, L'orlei would lead Clyde back to her home. Luckily, she lived in a dwelling that was entirely above water. It was small in comparison to most of the buildings, but still possessed of the signature konti elegance that everything in Mura had. If Clyde cared to step inside, she would invite him so he could escape the rain, he would see that the house was more of a work space with a bed crammed in the corner than it was a home. There were cooking utensils, random scraps of papers, philtering and herbalist supplies, extra supplies for her shop, and other random things stashed around the place. L'orlei could not afford a separate place to do her work, and so she did it all in her home.

L'orlei quickly gathered up everything she would need. Her dagger was tucked into her belt, she did not expect to use it as a weapon but as a tool, and she placed her herbalist toolkit, some snacks, her waterskin, and a few other random supplies into her backpack before turning back to the mage.

"Okay. Did you need anything before we head out? Do you have a change or clothes, or do you plan to hike in those?"

by **Clyde Sullins** on April 10th, 2013, 9:38 pm

Clyde stared at the Konti, as she finally replied, to his long speech. At times he did get as such, especially when he spoke of magic. He often would get lost in his words, in his desire to explain his thoughts... But so often, words fell short of what he wanted to truly say and explain.

"As long as we look for it, why only one branch? For my endeavors, two would be better. I would prefer an extra, to be able to try on, instead of only having one. The risk would be less, with two. Though I can promise, I will give it the respect it deserves, and use it in an endeavor that would glorify it."

Clyde nodded to her next works, and headed after her, were she led him to her home. He was a bit surprised it was not into the ocean that they headed, after what he had heard of Konti on occasion. Luckily, it seemed, she lived on land.

He did step inside, to get back out of the rain. It was so thick and heavy, he was once more already soaked. It only took a moment to step out of cover, to be drenched. But it was still good to get out of direct rain, if only for a bit.

"I suppose I am ready as I am. I have the clothes on my back, and my staff. They will have to do. Hopefully I will not need any more, for this trip."

He went back outside, and waited for the Konti to direct him. As he waited, he spoke once more.

"You offer me friendship, in the moment, but how long will that last? Soon enough I will be off the island, and will never see you again. And you say yourself, you may some day leave, so even coming back here, does not assure me of it. It seems we will likely never meet again, so what hope would I have of any future gain, from our meeting now? It seems I gain nothing, beyond what I gain now."

by **L'orlei** on April 10th, 2013, 10:06 pm

L'orlei paused. Actually, she stopped dead in her tracks. L'orlei was perhaps not the most social of konti, far from it, but she understood friendship. Her friends, few though they were, were each and every one special to her. Iris, Hadrian, Galene, and all the others. They all meant something to her, whether her friendship with them was short, no more than a few bells, or long and spanning years. She turned around, facing Clyde, and wiped the rainwater from her face before speaking.

"How is a friendship in a moment any less valuable then one that lasts a lifetime? Without me, without my offer to help, you would still be wandering around lost, wouldn't you? Besides, we konti are guided by destiny. We call it the Call. How do I know the Call will not one day bring me back to you? And if it doesn't, then why place any less value on this moment? In fact, wouldn't it be more valuable?"

L'orlei shrugged at her own words. There was no way she could know if she ever see Clyde again. In fact, she probably wouldn't. She didn't even know where he was going. But it didn't really matter. She had to live in the moment.

"If there was one thing I learned from my mother, it was that I should cherish each moment, and take advantage when I can. Because you never know when you are going to wake up and find them gone."

Philosophy class was over, however, and L'orlei was ready to find some branches. She fell silent for a while, leading Clyde through the city, and making sure to stick to the land routes. Eventually though they reached the edge the city, and the beginning of the Silverwood. The Vian tree itself was not incredibly rare, though it was certainly not common, but finding one with downed branches, or ones that were ready to break off, large enough for what Clyde wanted would be hard. They certainly did grow that large, but she would not harm a healthy tree that was not ready to give up it's branches. Especially in the beginning of spring, when the fruit was about to bloom. But, perhaps luck would be on their side.

"It's good that it's raining today. Maybe the storm will have knocked some branches loose," she commented as they headed out into the forest.

by **Clyde Sullins** on April 11th, 2013, 2:15 am

Clyde stared right back at the Konti, as she clearly disagreed with his statement. Or perhaps, he had even struck a nerve. He took a moment to think on that, before responding.

"Perhaps. But in this case, we both want something, and are trying to get it. Why should I give something away, that will last forever for you, for something that only lasts a moment for me. For our "friendship" as you call it. Not to mention, I feel like we are more acquaintances than friends. Perhaps I just have a stricter definition, as to what I define as a friend."

"To me a friend is long term, someone I can count on when I need them, and who comes when I call. Someone who genuinely wants what is best for me... Perhaps as I say, my definition is different and stricter, and I do have few friends by that... But by my definition, I would not call us friends, but acquaintances. Clearly you define the word differently.

Clearly this Konti thought of things differently than he. But that was not how Clyde existed. Momentary pain. Momentary pleasure. Was avoiding or gaining either one worth the future? Certainly not... All he could do was drive on, to find his future, to make of it what he could... Perhaps with the path he was taking, it was a good thing that he considered few to be his friends. Perhaps on the path the Konti walked, it was fine to have many many friends.

As the Konti descended into silence, Clyde simply walked along. He was not bothered by silence, enjoying it instead, as he darted his eyes around, looking at what he could. Making sure he paid attention to the land about him, lest he get lost, or should one day need to return.

Clyde nodded, as she made reference to the storm. He supposed that was true, he had not thought of it. It did not really matter to him. He had set out on a purpose, he would find what he needed, he was quite sure. he would not have come here, if he would not. Perhaps this Konti would help... Perhaps not... He knew what he needed to do, even if it meant starting over, and asking another.

Now they were in the woods, a nice enough place. Clyde had spent a good bit of his life with trees, and in the woods. In the Bronze Woods growing up in Syliras. Later visiting the wilds outside of Ravok. And all of the traveling he had done, trees had been one of the few constants.

"What exactly do they look like?"

by **L'orlei** on April 11th, 2013, 4:41 pm

"Pale blue," she answered as they continued on through the forest, "And not tall, in comparison to most trees. They grow near water, and their branches spread outward, and often dip down into the water."

L'orlei paused next to a tree, kneeling to inspect a cluster of small blue flowers. Arbutus flowers, she realized. They were mostly useless, even for decor, though the blue flower could perhaps be grinded and used as a dye. They didn't even smell all that good. Shrugging, L'orlei stood back up and continued on.

"It is spring now, though early. We might see a few flowers on them. In the summer they become a fruit, but they are not edible until the fall. But if you see a tree with large white flowers, it is probably a Vian tree."

After a while they came to a small stream, and L'orlei stopped to sip some water, inviting Clyde to do the same. She had her water skin, of course, but there was no sense wasting it when there was fresh water to be had right in front of her. As she drank she spotted another familiar and common plant, which brought a smile to her lips.

"Clyde, you should see this. It might even save your life one day."

L'orlei quickly led Clyde over to a patch of plants growing next to the water. They were tall, about two to three feet in height, with green stalks and brown, almost furry looking heads vaguely resembling the tail of a cat. L'orlei knelt next to one of the plants and dug into the soil a bit, uprooting the entire thing, then held it up for Clyde to see.

"This plant is called a cattail," she explained, using the konti name for the plant rather than the human one, since she didn't know it. "They grow almost everywhere that there is water, in large amounts, and every bit of it is edible. The top part tastes kind of like corn, and the roots can be boiled, giving you food, and a tea to drink. You can even eat the stalk and leaves. All of it can be eaten cooked or raw.. but, even better, they are good for you. We use them in medicine all the time. If you extract honey from the roots, you can use it to help heal wounds. And if you burn them, you can use the ash to help clot the blood and stop your wounds from bleeding, and they also help prevent infection. Really, there is all sorts of stuff you can do with them, and I only know this little bit."

L'orlei quickly removed her pack and uprooted a few more of the stalks, stuffing them into her bag, before moving over to the stream and washing her hands clean. If Clyde wanted to take some, she would show him how to properly uproot them, and then they would be on their way again.

by **Clyde Sullins** on April 12th, 2013, 12:55 am

Clyde simply nodded, in response to the Konti's words, describing the tree he was seeking. He had a few vague tales of them, but he only now realized he had never actually heard a description of them. Or at least, not one so concise, that he could recall.

As they walked along, Clyde did as she had said, and looked for a tree with large white flowers. It seemed a hard thing to miss... Though admittedly, his eyesight was not the keenest.

When they stopped to rest, Clyde took a sip of the fresh water, after L'orlei, since he assumed she knew what was safe and would not go killing herself.

Though he had to admit, his interest was piqued, by her words. What would it turn out to be?

Clyde watched as she dug a plant out, one which looked like it ended with a bushy cats tail. An odd thing, to be certain. He listened further, as she explained what it was, and what it could do.

He dug back into long long ago, to a brief lesson on herbalism he had... Which for some odd reason, had been given to him by a tiny dirt person... A pycon... He certainly did not know a great deal about plants, but it seemed such knowledge as this would be helpful. He doubted he would ever be a great healer, or knowledgeable of plants, but a bit of information on common herbs and plants could not hurt, nor how to better handle them.

"Do you burn any part of it to ash, to use it as such, or only certain parts? And how do you store it? Or use it? Just rub it in the cut or burn or wound? Or is there a certain way?"

Once she answered his question, he would follow her instructions, and carefully take one or two of the plants out of the ground, to take along with him, in his pack. If it did as she said, it might be useful. He doubted he would keep the entire thing, but perhaps turn it to ash, and use it as she had said. And if he later did initiate her, it might be useful, to rub into the cuts he would need to make for the initiation. It was a tough enough initiation, without worrying about getting an infection.

"What kinds of places can it be found? In just Mura, or in bits of Sylira also? And also, can you use your healing gnosis on yourself?"

by **L'orlei** on April 17th, 2013, 5:14 pm

L'orlei was actually a little surprised at his interest in the plants. Many people, especially of the non-konti variety, would find the topic boring, but he had specific questions. L'orlei was delighted to answer. Not only did she enjoy talking about plants, it meant that she didn't have to make attempts at random small talk. It was a win-win situation.

"Usually, you just burn the leaves. But you can burn all of it, if you need to. To store it you would want some sort of container that keeps out air and moisture, preferably. To use it, you want to dab it on. Don't rub it, or you'll just smear it and mix it with the blood. Dab it on and pack it in if you can, that way it can stop the bleeding. The ash will still have some of the plants infection fighting properties, but it will also keep anything else from getting into the cut. If you have bandages, wrap those around the wound as well, to keep the ash in place, and just for added protection. Oh, but clean the wound out with water before you do anything. You don't want to trap any dirt or anything in the cut when you put the ash on."

L'orlei helped Clyde to get his own samples, showing him how to dig into the ground and get his hand under the main mass of the root. It required getting a little dirty, but it was effective.

"You want to get as much of the root system as you can. Don't just yank it up, because the roots will break. Pull from the bottom and dig it out."

After they uprooted the plants, Clyde had a few more questions, including one about her healing gnosis. L'orlei answered them as they continued on their way, leading him along the bank of the stream.

"According to what I've read, they can be found in most places that have water. I am sure they can be found in Sylira, though I've never left the island myself, so you will just have to take the book's word on that. And yes, I can use my gnosis on myself. Rak'keli wants her healers to be healthy too, of course."

As they traveled the stream widened a bit, forcing L'orlei to alter her course somewhat. She still stayed very close to the water, however, and often times they were trudging through the mud. L'orlei didn't seem to mind, but if Clyde complained she would guide them further away. She knew that the trees grew closest to water, however, which was why she was staying next to the stream. Chances are it would lead them to the trees.

by **Clyde Sullins** on April 17th, 2013, 8:03 pm

Of course, it was not so much that Clyde was in general interested in learning of plants and such. It was more, the particular effects of this plant, which piqued his interest. They actually seemed useful, since people often got cuts and wounds, and needed to stop bleeding. And infection, was always something you wanted to be wary of. He supposed he could simply burn wounds with his Reimancy, to disinfect them, but it would be better if it was done with a simpler approach. Not to mention, a bit less damaging.

Clyde thought for a moment. A container, that kept out air and moisture? That seemed a bit vague. "Such as what? What would be some examples of how to store it? I think I have some old glass vials I have cleaned out. Would those work? What else?"

He listened as she went on, telling him how to apply it, and the importance of first cleaning out the wound, and then dabbing it on, instead of smearing.

Next was to take them out. It seemed a bit more difficult than was first obvious. But that was more the part of getting out the room more or less intact. He had to dig into the soil with his hands, and get down deep alongside the roots, before he could pull it out. Only when the soil around the roots was well enough loosened, could he do so.

Clyde followed along after that, near the bed of a stream. It was a bit of tough going, but he supposed she knew what she was doing. After all, she was the guide. She would not be walking in a more difficult area, if it was not for a purpose.

Considering it was pretty wet in places around Ravok, what with it being a lake inland, he was fairly certain he would be able to find some of these when he got back there to home. He could not recall if he had seen them on or near the shores though.

"Lakes maybe? Would they perhaps be found on the edges of lakes, would you think? If so, there might be some close to were I live."

He thought for a few moments, as they walked on, wondering why she was even bothering with the plants.

"Though now that I think of it, couldn't you do the same thing this plant does, with your gnosis, perhaps even more safely with less risk? I mean, cleaning wounds and stopping bleeding, surely that would be easy enough for you to do with it?"