Master of the Grounds

[Miro]

35th day of Spring, 513 AV

The Prairie had almost become home for Miro. It was a place so simple that it brought peace to his mind. Despite this, the Drysalla Infection still whispered horrible things to him constantly. ”This place will consume you whole. These lands, they will become your grave. These Nuit around you, they are your murderer’s. Hide your secrets, or else suffer.” Miro was unsettled by its speakings as usual. In the past he had known magic to cause issues with those around him. Now on an island full of other magic users, maybe now was time more than ever to conceal exactly what it was he could do. Perhaps those around him had been using him. The worry struck pain in his heart, enough to break his concentration.

Ender sensed this discomfort, but only enough to know he was upset. Often in the past, when no apparent cause could be found, it was his arm. ”Hey Miro, it’s alright, just focus. We are here for a reason, so don’t lose heart before you even get started. Block out all distractions and just focus. You promised that after you were done with your lesson, you would train me, so let’s get through this. You can do it Miro.” The concerns of mistrusting onlookers was still present, but it was indeed reassuring to have his Familiar support him. It was this that kept him from slipping away to wreak havoc about the island. Lately the duo’s relationship had taken a turn for the best.

All of Sahova was unpredictable, but in this area one could see anything that might catch them by surprise before it was even near them. It was his choice place to be when it came to exploring magic. For as long as he had privacy, his mind could remain at rest. As a Wizard, being without Djed is like being naked in a blizzard to one not bearing a mark of Ice Reaving. Being exposed to that degree meant that even he could be overtaken and killed. And the Drysalla Infection did have a point, it was very dangerous to have one observe him in a weakened state, especially after witnessing his power. He was a threat to all, as long as he was the most powerful wizard on the island. To combat the loss of Djed, Miro activated the skill of Leeching, drawing in Djed form the environment. It would only benefit him slightly for now, but after some time had passed, the amount really added up.

The Reimancer secured the Mask of Many to his face. The object had become harder and harder to remove the more he used it. ”Alright Ender, watch our back. If you see anything, you’ll let me know. I’ll focus on training, you focus on looking out for potential spies. Unseal yourself from my wrist, prepare yourself for the lessons. Today is a very special day for you. I am excited to share this time with you.” Finally he could focus. The wizard sat and resumed meditating for some time, a deep reflection. For a long time now he had been brooding on how to better grasp the concept of changing himself. Morphing required him to think long and hard whenever he hoped to use the magic, and yet he hardly seemed to get anywhere. To truly understand, he spent days unlearning all he had about the Flux and his pathways. To constantly have contact with his pathways, the condition of his body, and to keep mind and body in perfect balance, it worked against him. Getting past this was the most difficult task.

In the past a Morph was only possible with the assistance of Glyphing. He would use a technique of manipulating the skin with his other hand and transfer Djed to achieve the effect. It was difficult, and even a simple concept required him to massage his arm until the process had any real effect. There were only two simple techniques he was willing to attempt. A minor alteration to shape and one of color, which seemed to be the basics of the magic. If he could master these two concepts, he would be able to expand outwards from there.

The first was one he already achieved, and it could be dangerous if abused. He could massage his body to stretch, but only to a degree. It could be useful if he could mold it to hold a shape, yet that was another step still. Maintaining a form put strain on him. While his body was warped the pathways within become twisted and warped as well. When the body's shape is distorted, the pathways inside share the alteration. The latter of the two techniques would not distort shape however, but practical applications seemed to be few.

The second technique he needed to learn still. To distort the color or even substance of his skin was a new challenge. This was an idea he had thought long on, and came up with a theory to test. He would glyph his hand as he had before with paint and use it to massage the Djed into his skin. But he would also create ash with his Reimancy and massage it in also. He hoped to borrow its color and Morph the substance of his flesh to match it. The most difficult part would actually be to glyph his hand. Luckily he was a resourceful man.

Miro removed his sandals and envisioned the flaky black substance of ash. So many times in his youth Kinneas had made a fire, and if it was cold enough he had even enjoyed being able to endure the fire. Afterwards he had often taken to playing with the ashes, though they would always stain his hands black. He had always thought it would be a great substance to glyph with, but it would wash away so easily. This meant it lacked any extended permanence, and with that came both good and bad. In this instance, if the color washed from his skin, it meant the spell had failed.

The Reimancer produced Res on his right hand in the shape of a circle. Inside of them he created more of the substance to fashion runes made of four intersecting circles. He focused on the feel and scent of a fire burning. All of the heat and burning, and when it frittered away, the scent of the ashes. He could almost see them in his hand blackening his flesh. The undead held his palm upward and transmuted the Res into a small pile of ash. Now came the tricky part. He lowered his hand down and used his toe to rub the substance into his skin. As odd as it was to contort in such a way, his motor control made this possible with ease. His hand was glyphed with ash.

The Chained One focused his Djed into his left leg and created a layering of Res that he transmuted to ash. He placed his hand on the black substance and began to flow his Djed downward into the leg. The wizard began to massage the substance into his skin and with each strong stroke willed his skin to absorb it. An image of his flesh blackening deep down, becoming more than just stained, filled his mind. For a long while he would continued to massage Djed and ash into his leg to set the Morph.

After several chimes Miro finished with the process. Even after he stopped massaging the limb, he continued to flow Djed directly into the limb. His attention turned to the rune on his hand. It was smeared, and he could see the design of his palm painted black. He produced a puddle of Res in his palm and transmuted it to water and began to wipe it on his robe. The ash had mostly washed away and left few traces, which proved that plain ash would not resist water. Now he needed to test his leg, and he hoped that there would not be a similar washing. Miro created a wash of water down his leg and wiped away the ash. Still he focused hard on applying Djed to the Morph. Though black water ran down, his leg remained mostly black, though somewhat faded.

[Miro]

In the past a Morph was only possible with the assistance of Glyphing. He would use a technique of manipulating the skin with his other hand and transfer Djed to achieve the effect. It was difficult, and even a simple concept required him to massage his arm until the process had any real effect. There were only two simple techniques he was willing to attempt. A minor alteration to shape and one of color, which seemed to be the basics of the magic. If he could master these two concepts, he would be able to expand outwards from there.

The first was one he already achieved, and it could be dangerous if abused. He could massage his body to stretch, but only to a degree. It could be useful if he could mold it to hold a shape, yet that was another step still. Maintaining a form put strain on him. While his body was warped the pathways within become twisted and warped as well. When the body's shape is distorted, the pathways inside share the alteration. The latter of the two techniques would not distort shape however, but practical applications seemed to be few.

The second technique he needed to learn still. To distort the color or even substance of his skin was a new challenge. This was an idea he had thought long on, and came up with a theory to test. He would glyph his hand as he had before with paint and use it to massage the Djed into his skin. But he would also create ash with his Reimancy and massage it in also. He hoped to borrow its color and Morph the substance of his flesh to match it. The most difficult part would actually be to glyph his hand. Luckily he was a resourceful man.

Miro removed his sandals and envisioned the flaky black substance of ash. So many times in his youth Kinneas had made a fire, and if it was cold enough he had even enjoyed being able to endure the fire. Afterwards he had often taken to playing with the ashes, though they would always stain his hands black. He had always thought it would be a great substance to glyph with, but it would wash away so easily. This meant it lacked any extended permanence, and with that came both good and bad. In this instance, if the color washed from his skin, it meant the spell had failed.

The Reimancer produced Res on his right hand in the shape of a circle. Inside of them he created more of the substance to fashion runes made of four intersecting circles. He focused on the feel and scent of a fire burning. All of the heat and burning, and when it frittered away, the scent of the ashes. He could almost see them in his hand blackening his flesh. The undead held his palm upward and transmuted the Res into a small pile of ash. Now came the tricky part. He lowered his hand down and used his toe to rub the substance into his skin. As odd as it was to contort in such a way, his motor control made this possible with ease. His hand was glyphed with ash.

The Chained One focused his Djed into his left leg and created a layering of Res that he transmuted to ash. He placed his hand on the black substance and began to flow his Djed downward into the leg. The wizard began to massage the substance into his skin and with each strong stroke willed his skin to absorb it. An image of his flesh blackening deep down, becoming more than just stained, filled his mind. For a long while he would continued to massage Djed and ash into his leg to set the Morph.

After several chimes Miro finished with the process. Even after he stopped massaging the limb, he continued to flow Djed directly into the limb. His attention turned to the rune on his hand. It was smeared, and he could see the design of his palm painted black. He produced a puddle of Res in his palm and transmuted it to water and began to wipe it on his robe. The ash had mostly washed away and left few traces, which proved that plain ash would not resist water. Now he needed to test his leg, and he hoped that there would not be a similar washing. Miro created a wash of water down his leg and wiped away the ash. Still he focused hard on applying Djed to the Morph. Though black water ran down, his leg remained mostly black, though somewhat faded.

[Miro]

He had found success, though not total. Assistance was needed in achieving it, and even still it was not as dark as he would hope. Quickly before it had a chance to fade anymore he began to massage more Djed into the leg. He focused hard, much like he did when creating the ash element. Now without the ash to assist him he continued to work on the morph, to complete the black skin Morph, and to even spread it. The process was slow, but the progress was noticeable. For several chimes he worked on pushing the black color further down his leg, but began to worry of straining himself too much. He declared the sell a success and released the channeling of Djed, and before long the color faded. It was amazing to watch his skin fade back to a pale tone.

In the process his glyph had been ruined however. Without another hand to glyph this one, and only Reimancy to use, things could be difficult. However, if he could learn to shape this color at will, then it would hold some permanence, as long as he sustained it with Djed. The real difficult task would be in creating a shape with not only a lack of massaging, but ash as well. Hard work offered the reward of progress. If he could complete this task and run it through some tests, he would definitely be willing to mark it a success. But this was not all he came to test on this day. The applications of a switch in Glyphing was another subject that he wished to expand upon.

But of course Glyphing would come after his Morphing lessons. Miro held his right hand palm up before his face and focused on it. He needed only to make a simple focus on his hand, and of course to sustain it while casting through it. The shape would be simple, a circle with a cross. He began focusing on the transmutation. Blackness, deep down, black to the bone. He envisioned his skin changing, becoming like the ash, taking it into his skin. He began to focus his Djed into the palm of his hand, shaping it to match the rune in his mind. He imagined the dark color laid out overtop his palm, and slowly pulled his hand closer to his face.

The wizard began to chant to himself, nonsensical syllables that brought him greater concentration. He began to clench his fist in rhythm with this mumbling and his eyes shot open wide. His eyes wavered as he saw the spell in his mind’s eye imprinted onto his hand. Slowly the blackness started to take form onto his skin, and though only vaguely, the rune’s shape began to take shape. His body’s Djed was entirely focused on creating the Morph, and his mind rushed with the process of it. The pale spots began to darken as well, and after several more chimes of concentration, the spell was formed. A circle the size of his palm, and in it two intersecting lines. The edges of the shapes had spots that did not fill in completely and blackness that leaked out, but still he was proud.

What was left now was to see if it served its function as a glyph, but he would have to maintain the spell while casting. To be sure of its stability, for a chime more he focused on retaining and adjusting its shape to be more complete. Pale spots were darkened, and some of the leaked black was retracted, as best as he could at least. It was not much better, but the fact that it showed some improvement gave him confidence. He would now create the sigil needed to test his second theory out of Reimancy, and then cast using his Morph Glyph. As to avoid causing his rune to fade, he would not create Res using it. Instead, he opened his pores and leaked an aura of gaseous blue Res.

Miro shaped the gas to form into a liquid in the usual shape for Glyphing, a thin plate. It consisted of three round sections that joined together with a common sectioning. The congruent section was large enough to host a switch with one oblong side, and one of the three protruding areas was slightly larger than the rest. Now he would need to begin shaping it, but also paying mind to the Morph on his hand. Luckily his expertise in Reimancy made it simple to cast without drawing much attention away. To create the runes, he would lift away a section of the Res in the proper shape.

He started with the switch in the center, a circle with a swirling pattern inside and lifted it to hover. Around it he formed another solid circle that connected to a pattern of interlocking ‘X’s. Then the focuses, a circle with four intersecting circles inside, one from each ‘corner’ of the circle. Finally he would do the barriers, a series of connected rings that encircled each rune, and those too were lifted to hover. The base was transmuted to earth, then the runes lowered back into their slots and turned to ice. The pattern of ‘X’s, a trigger, its condition, “When struck, release connected barrier”.

[Miro]

Instantly after completion, the novice Morpher returned focus to his hand. Nearly all of the black was faded, almost gone. He shot his eyes open widely and returned the entirety of his focus and Djed to the Morph. It still took chimes to form, but this time was easier for him to recreate. The shape darkened back to its former state, possibly even of slightly better quality. Now with his sigil completed he could test his second theory, combining magic. The goal was to take two disciplines he knew and combine them. This was something he had been struggling with for years. Long had he known of this ability that Glyphing possessed, but never an application. They would need to share some ability of combination and practicality. One day it had come to him, Reimancy of course, and added to it a Hypnotic effect. Hypnotism could cause happiness, and Reimancy always caused him happiness.

The spells in specific to be combined would be icy cold water, his most pleasant element, and a Hypnotic coupling of an emotional response and suggestion. The emotion would be that of happiness, like the water caused him to feel, and the suggestion would be that of success, so he knew it worked. Still with great focus on his Morph, he began to concentrate Djed behind his palm with another purpose. Very gradually he began to produce liquid Res that would float into the air. He actually found himself struggling to pace the production. It was quite easy, more so than usual, proving the glyph a success, but as it flowed the Morph faded. He found himself slowing and even stopping the process intermittently to repair the rune on his hand. It was difficult, but he managed.

After finishing the Res production, he repaired his Glyphing one last time. He took his hand and placed his hand atop the first of the small ice focuses and called his Res to hover atop the other. The liquid Res was cast down at it and transmuted to freezing cold water, and the rune quickly drew it in. He placed his hand down onto the rune and began to draw a great amount of Djed to build behind his palm. He began to channel emotions of happiness and pleasure, though the split of his focus caused him to waver on maintaining Morphing. He then switched the hypnotic spell to that of the suggestion. It was a simple one, ”Success!” And with those two input focuses complete, their magic could flow through the switch and finally emerge from the output focus. All that was needed now was to release the trigger by striking it.

The undead lifted his hand and looked at his palm. The Morph had completely faded. He sighed, unable to use the technique practically. At this point it was more burden than anything to his magic. ”Ah well, he thought to himself, ”the beginnings of greatness is filled with great struggle.” What was important was that he saw potential for success in his future. He took his hand and turned it into a fist. ”Okay Ender, I am done, but not quite. But it is okay, for you are perfect for this last bit. I need your help, if you would be so kind.” Without pause, he found himself assaulted with an eager reply. ”R-really? Well, yeah, of course! Whatever you need, I am ready. Finally, I get my chance. I won’t let you down!” The Irylid was very excited at his master requesting assistance from him, as he so rarely did.

Miro smirked to himself and built up a well of reassuring confidence in himself. He was sure some of it would leak over to his Familiar and assure him that his master believed in him for the task. ”I need you to start by producing your Res. Since you already know enough of my Reimancy, this should be easy for you. Still, the first time is always an experience, but I have faith you will do this with ease. Hover your Res above the output focus here, the largest rune, and attract the water that releases from it. Be ready, it will come when I strike the trigger. Can you handle that?” The wizard felt himself receive a wave of excitement, able to sense his partner’s obvious pride. ”Yes, of course I can!” The wizard nodded, ”Good.”

The Irylid broke focused on the making his master proud and gathered Djed from within himself. Finally, he would start to take his share of their Djed, and not just to sustain himself. For casting, using magic like his wizard master. He pushed a opalescent fluid from his body and called it to hover in a rounded mass before him. He willed it to move to float above the rune and anticipated the spell’s release. Already he was willing water to attract to it, eager for the chance to prove of use. The Reimancer redirected a bit of his Djed Flux to his fist and slammed it down against the trigger. The mass of water shot up, and the Familiar called it to float about his Res. ”You did it! Excellent Ender, a dandy job indeed. Now, and listen carefully, cast it at me. To do this, move your Res at me, and when you have built enough movement behind the water and aimed it properly, release your grip. Let it splash against my skin. After this we will work on your fighting skills.”

[Miro]

Ender pulled the amount away from the sigil that had crumbled and steadied it. The water floated around the mass of translucent white Res as he prepared himself by drawing it back. He then flung it forward with as much force as he could, keeping it at face level and waiting for the right moment to release. When it was only inches from Miro’s face, the Irylid released it, and the water splashed against him. It hit with some force, and though it would normally be somewhat painful, he found only refreshment.

The wizard was hit by a shock of cold refreshing water, and could not help but to close his eyes and clench his fist. No doubt, his Familiar had been overly cautious with his order, but done very well. He deemed to himself that his casting was a success. Though he did not realize that the suggestion and emotional response that likely lead him to this conclusion. He was satisfied either way, confident his combination of magic had to do something. Djed did not simply disappear.

”Great Ender, truly great. You have picked up on this quite quickly, and there is no doubt you have been observing me closely. I am very proud of you. Now, I have another task for you. Open yourself up, absorb the Djed from the environment around you. Use Environmental Leeching, for it will assist us in sustaining our Djed reserves. Whenever possible, I advise you to use this skill. Return now to your natural form, break from my wrist, it is time to see what you can do.” The Irylid with great pride in his Djed kernel obeyed this order and returned to his natural form of a silver orb. Since first binding, he had grown somewhat significantly. At first the orb could only be compared to a fist, but now was comparable to the wizard’s head. They had certainly come a long way.

The Frydenese focused hard on drawing in Djed from the surrounding air, and after a bit of struggle managed to tap into the instinct. ”Okay, I’ll start by producing Res. How though should I form it, cast the spell?” He focused on drawing Djed in, building it within his icy body. It continued to build and he pushed it towards the surface, harder and harder. The Irylid pictured the substance that he had witness leaking from his master so many times, and he forced his Djed to transform as it broke the threshold of his ice as a translucent white fluid. It floated up from his body and formed a pool above him with his remaining supply. Miro was pleased to see this.

”For now, form spheres, several of them. We will practice the form of casting your Reimancy effectively. First, focus on your Res and your target. Then start to accelerate your Res towards your target, of course, with some force behind it. When you have its path set, and the force behind it, ready for transmutation. As you transmute it, use your last moments of control to adjust it to be sent the remaining distance. Account for it becoming autonomous, adjust it upwards, push it forward, then sever connection with it. Once your spell is cast it is no longer a part of you. You move on to the next spell. So, start by casting those spheres at me, but make some distance.”

Ender floated away as he adjusted his Res to form spheres and Miro drew his gladius from his belt. The wizard adjusted his stance and gave a nod of acknowledgement. The Irylid started by taking a sphere and drawing it back slowly, then sending it forward quite quickly and transmuted it to ice. It was not the most developed Res fling, but for such an inexperienced caster, it was quite impressive. Though it was obvious there was much work to be done. Though at the rate this was going, it would not be long before he was perfect.

The spell flew high and right, but this was fine. Ready to receive the attack, Miro crouched down and drew Djed Flux from his arm to his legs, then leapt up to strike the orb. While in the air, he reversed the redirection to empower his arm, and at just the right time, he thrust the blade to stab into the orb. The fine point of the gladius would definitely cause the orb to shatter, but that would have been if he made proper contact. It was hardly coming towards him, and his accuracy was not the greatest, even with the enhanced Flux. It hardly chipped any of it at all, and he allowed his Flux to fall back to balance and landed.

[Miro]

”Damn it.” He was not quite able to hit it, but his partner was not quite able to hit him. He decided that maybe coaching his partner again might help. ”You will get the hang of it, no doubt. But for now, try to cast in rapid succession. Rather than casting one large spell, cast several small ones. I am impressed that you can do so well and transmute ice. Keep it up, and practice firing spell after spell that accommodate a dynamic target.” However the wizard didn’t plan to move if he didn’t have to. Ender had about five shots, and that was plenty of time to get the hang of it on both sides. The Familiar began to cast again, this time drawing each shot in less and accelerating the spells with care. It was launched and transmuted the first spell quite well, and the others would follow.

Miro held his right foot forward with his left behind it and poised to the side. His hip was pointed forward, as was his blade. He kept his knees bent, coiled to move in an instant, but his focus was drawn to his right arm held out before him. The first spell came at him, and he drew his blade across his chest and snapped it back to shatter the ice. With the confidence the wizard held, the Familiar knew he would attempt to show off. The next three spells came together in a formation, the forerunner aimed low, then a pair of spells, one high and one low. The wizard redirected the Djed from his legs to his arm and thrust it into spell, which sent shrapnel across his leg. It also put him in an awkward position.

”Ah, damn it. I can’t...” With the awkward downward stab he hadn’t the time the ability to line the attacks and destroy both at once. Miro cast his Res outward and guided the spells to collide and transmuted them to one much larger spell. He adjusted his stance, right foot back, body coiled, arm drawn back, and readied for the strike. This time he wouldn’t have room for error. Though he would have room to cheat. He guided a strong burst of Djed as he launched the blade forward, and at the same time tapped his mark of Ice Reaving. As the blade met the ice he caused fissure marks in it and caused it to explode. However the wizard did not see the final spell, though sensed a rush of confidence coming from his partner.

The Reimancer’s attention was drawn to the left, and that is when he saw it. The last spell was directed at him in an arc from the left, and he could not react quickly enough. He reversed the flow of Djed back to his legs, but would not be able to dodge. His Res wouldn’t have time to reach it either, so the only option was his Gnosis. The wizard shattered the spell just as it made contact, and again was showered with a mess of ice. It hit hard enough to cause him to stagger back. ”I hit you, I win! Yes, instant mastery. I am the best!” But the undead could not let things go down that way. ”I broke the spell, though you did show some talent. I am exhausted for today, but you shall have your reward. I am done.” They would continue things tomorrow.

Miro clenched his shoulder and scowled, and Ender took it as the ultimate victory. The feeling of pride sent by the Familiar caused a return of shame from the wizard. It was not how he wished things to go, and that angered him. ”The Ice must be dealt with. It has gone too far, and you must take action. You must use your Hypnotism to set him straight. Even him out.” It was right, though he could not deal with it now. Ender would have his time to feel on top. ”I broke your guard. I hit you with a spell, you staggered. Your blade did not even come near my spell. You are a sore loser, completely unable to handle defeat at the hands of your Familiar. Someday you will acknowledge me as your better. Someday.”

[Wrenmae]

XP Award!

Miro:

XP Award:

• +2 Meditation
• +2 Morphing
• +3 Familiary
• +2 Glyphing
• +1 Leeching
• +2 Flux
• +2 Gladius
• +2 Acrobatics

Lore:

• Reimancy: Paraelement, Ash
• Magic: Pacing yourself
• Familiary: Training Ender in combat reimancy
• Flux: Overgiving

Notes: Flux Overgiving- Miro's right arm will not always move correctly. It has acquired a small permanent tremor that grows more exaggerated the longer he uses it in a combat or strenuous situation. This tremor grows more pronounced when utilizing flux, as he has damaged his own pathways.

Comments :

Miro. You can double check Mirage with this, but I think you're using too much magic in your training threads sometimes. Your familiar uses magic, you use multiple disciplines...it's why I feel it is necessary to hit you with this overgiving penalty. Also, a note. It may be hard for your uldr body to show the effects of Leeching, but your familiar will grow weaker and more frail...it is NOT blessed with an Uldr body and thus is susceptible to the Leeching problem. Also, I did not award you hypnotic reimancy because I don't feel you put enough work into its construction or theory. Sorry to seem like a jerk on this one, mate...but I would stick to one-two disciplines a thread, three if one of the three is glyphing.

WRENMAE