Closed Man of Clay and Magic [Spike]

[Annalisa Marin]

77th of Summer, 513 AV

Power. It was a difficult word to define, one that Anna in particular had difficulty defining as of late. Her philosophy on how she viewed the world itself was being twisted as of late, first it had been her overgiving and now her mother's return from the grave. Each one left doubts lingering in her mind, and each time she was left changed in some way. She became less of what she had once been and more of something else. She thought she knew what power was, the definition had been so simple as to be laughable to her now.

Once, she had thought power was the ability to destroy all of one's enemies and exercise one's will upon the world. That was merely an aspect of it, she could see that now. Power, true power, was the ability to compel others to do as you wanted and manipulate them into advance your own goals. To control others to one's dirty work, or manipulate a situation so that one was always on top or only set back in minor ways.

The wizard contemplated this recent revelation as she sat cross-legged on the shores of Matthews Bay, a few bells from the city of Zeltiva. The wizard was trying to clear her thoughts, both for casting reasons and for contemplative ones. To philosophically challenge herself to look at a simple term differently. Yet, by looking at that one term differently her perspective was altered in a way. She learned more, to see that she was not always right and that being slightly mutable was a strength rather than a weakness.

The wizard cycled her breath, the waves no longer a distraction but a calming effect that she incorporated in her meditation. Focus Glyphs adorned her hand and feet, and intricately drawn pathways stretched highways up her legs and arms. The focus provided smoother casting, allowing her to more easily retain control in the heat of the moment. The paths made the travel of Djed along her body much more quick, thus increasing the speed of her res generation. Both together made her a much more potent force to reckon with.

The wizard opened her grey eyes and stood, surveying the beach for a moment. Spots of blacked sand marked locations were her magic had hit the beach rather than the waves. Black rocks jutted from the surf in certain area, the left over remains of lava. It felt strangely gratifying to have created something rather than destroyed it, but the feeling passed as the wizard started up a low chant in the Ancient Tongue. Her incantation was actually a legible verse now, though some common words were mixed in. The words formed a prayer to Rhysol, the god of lies and evil.

"Lord Rhysol, I dedicate this display of magic to you in the hopes that you will take note of your servant's progression. Know that my every action taken is that I may better advance your goals and spread chaos in your name. I gladly welcome your teaching into my heart."

The prayer simply repeated itself after that as she focused on generating res in her hands. Djed moved within her body, the precious life energy snaking its way along the pathways of her arms and pushing out of her palms on both hands. Clear translucent res pooled in her hands, slowly moving to envelop her hand in gloves of the precious liquid. The urge swam under the surface of her mind, common by this point and easily dismissed with such menial res generation.

Anna willed the liquid to slowly detach itself from her hands and gather in the air before her. She moved this further out before her on the beach, already focusing Djed down the pathways on her legs to form res at the bottoms of her feet. The warm liquid pooled between her toes and moved to slowly envelop both feet. The urge was slightly more prominent but the wizard pushed it aside.

The wizard detached it from her feet and moved it out to meet the other res, forming a large ball of res that floated in the air before her. Anna willed the res to begin to form in a different pattern than normal, creating a circular shape from the res. Soon the res looked like a round shield of translucent liquid, a large disk of sorts. The wizard willed the res to sharpen around the edges, this would be useless if the finished product had a blunt edge.

As the res began to take shape Anna willed the outer layer to transmute and harden. Smooth and hard earth soon began to take form as the res changed as she directed. The wizard felt the urge more strongly now, it was now becoming a bit distracting but not enough to deter her or mess up this new spell. Soon the disk's outer layer was entirely smooth and seamless earth, the edges looking sharp. The inner layer was still res, granting her complete control over the stone disk.

The wizard was pleased, phase one was complete now came phase two of this new spell. Anna continued her chant, and willed the res within the disk to move so as to cause the disk to spin in the air. She willed it to move faster and faster, to keep moving in this single motion as she maintained control of it. Soon it's movements were nearly imperceptible to the eye, so fast was it moving. This control required all of her concentration to maintain, if she was distracted over much it would likely collapse.

The euphoria was always there though, tempting her with untold power and sending waves of blissful pleasure coursing through her body. In moments like these she felt like an all powerful goddess, though her rational mind knew that to be untrue. Despite these distractions she kept focus.

The wizard allowed it to spin on its own, confident it was moving fast enough and started moving it around her in a circle like motion. She wanted maximum speed here, increasing the velocity slowly and gradually. The wizard took aim at a large piece of driftwood nearby, increasing the speed even more. When she was confident it was both spinning and moving fast enough Anna directed the disk to slingshot out from her zone of control as she transmuted the inner layer, and watched it zoom towards the driftwood.

If one had blinked they might have indeed missed the effect, and would simply be left with the results. The driftwood was splintered into two broken halves and the disk was carving an explosive path through the sand. It was a most satisfying end result if the wizard said so herself. An earthen disk of sort, likely it could be altered to suit other needs. Already her mind was frenzied with different ideas regarding alterations to the design. She felt a strong urge to test each and every one, but it was merely the urge finding insidious ways to push her onwards.

The wizard felt tired from the test and a little hungry as well, not to an extreme degree where she might be in danger of overgiving if she cast another spell but certainly not in a hurry to do so again. Anna strode over to her pack and pulled forth her waterskin. The wizard took a grateful draught from it, closing her eyes as the cool liquid soothed her parched tongue and slid down her through in long, greedy gulps.

Anna put the cap back on her waterskin and plopped down on the beach once more, stretching her legs out and relaxing. She would rest and then perhaps try another prototype spell. Taking things slow, that was the key to success.

[Spike]

77th day of Summer, 513 AV A rustling of the sand and an irritated huff was all Spike left behind each time he successfully jumped from one tall object to the next in an acrobatic leap, almost flying as he twisted in the air, testing the elasticity, aerial agility, and coordination of his body. Unfortunately, his abilities weren't improving as fast as the impatient Pycon would have liked. For example, if he tried to push his body to twist even just a little too far, he'd end up with a literal face full of sand that he'd have to brush off. This happened quite a few more times than he was anywhere close to being comfortable admitting, much to the already irritable little clay creature's further ire. Of course, the sand didn't really help matters much, constantly moving under toe and actually absorbing the force necessary to propel him upward, rather than resisting it as he needed. Still, it was far better than falling snout first into the flagstones, mosaic tiles, or hard wooden floors of Zeltiva, and then getting laughed at by his human "peers" as a fool might. He grimaced, thinking 'No... this is infinitely better than that particular form of humiliation... even if I must sacrifice a little of my safety to be so near the wildlands.' He bared his gray, animalistic fangs at the sandy area around him as he surveyed it, as if that alone would cow whatever misfortune or beast that probably awaited just outside his line of sight, seeking a moment of weakness that did not exist to pounce upon him. Seeing nothing for the moment, he grumped a bit and sat down atop his current rock for a short break. This wasn't the way he'd prefer to spend his day... but there is only so much one can do to learn magic without a proper guide. As much as he hated to admit it... he'd need a mentor if he wanted to practice the practical side of magic. Theory, while mostly fascinating, was simply not enough. His contemplations were quickly interupted when something loud and sudden happened to startle him, setting him tumbling backwards off his perch. With quick thinking and quicker reflexes, he managed to avoid falling on his face for once... Though the landing was still a little less than graceful, depositing him into the sand's embrace once more. Scowling as if whatever had caused him to fall had been specifically triggered just to spite him, he surged to his feet. And no, if you think that a metaphor, he did not simply stand. He quite literally surged to a standing position, like a liquid filling a balloon in the shape of a small, angry beast that looked like the unholy bastard spawn of a hedgehog and a man. He attempted to leap back atop his rock in a single bound, though his current environment hindered him once again. He managed to save face (and his face from smacking the stone) by using his pliable, extensible clay arm like a whip, catching a crevice and pulling himself the rest of the way up. Once more in his claimed spot, he looked around for whatever had managed to knock him from his seat... and saw what looked like someone shooting fire from their fingertips, just a short run back the way he'd come. Naturally, his first thought was not of safety, or the odd faint, smoky smell he now noticed. No, his first thought was of magic, and his deep envy of this person who wielded it so readily. The emotion was as green as the harshest, densest jungle one could imagine. It didn't even occur to him that it might not even be magic at all, much less hers. His single minded focus had been captured and flipped on, spurring him to jup down into the sand and run towards her as fast as his tiny legs could cary him over the traitorous sand towards the figure. An odd sort of gidiness overtook his small frame... and he grinned. It was a fleeting, unfamiliar gesture that he often found distasteful and others found disconcerting, due to his feral form's fearsome fangs. Still, it stuck there as his eyes were stuck on the mag-... lady mage, he could now tell. His pace slowed now that he was close enough to discern most of her features, but still far enough behind her as to perhaps be mistaken for one of many small grey rocks to the unfocused or unobservant. He watched her breath, a roiling, impatient curiosity manifesting itself upon his shoulder spikes and face. He slowly started to move forward onc again when it became apparent she wasn't moving. He soon started to notice odd markings making their way up the uncovered portions of her arms. He didn't recognize them for what they were, but he'd seen them before, and knew they were often used for magic. He didn't know or care how... only whether or not he could learn what they meant, copy them, use them for his own plans and devices... The sand crunched oddly and quietly underfoot, and the pycon smelled that odd odeur once more. He looked down, then smirked slightly. "Well, looks like I'm in range..." He joked sourly to himself... then promptly placed himself behind a nearby rock as he noticed his subject stir. A breeze brought the quiet canter of the ancient tongue to the pycon, and he listened intently. He wasn't close enough to catch much of it, but he did manage to get that it was some form of request before the soft breeze died, once more quieting the voice beyond Spike's ability to hear it. 'A prayer, perhaps?' he wondered, glancing around the rock at the (now standing) woman. He watched, transfixed, as some form of liquid that the pycon assumed to be water covered her hands and pooled at her feet, shining slightly in the sunlight. After a moment, he noticed it swirling in the air, then grimmaced. "What's she doing? Playing with it?" He frowned at the thought. He thought that, surely no self respecting mage would use their wonderous art in such an utterly useless pursuit such as simple entertainment. She had to be preparing for something. He was glad to find he was correct, as mere moments later, the water started to change, becoming opaque stone. He smiled slowly as he watched the sharp disc take form. From his possition, he couldn't even see the disk even start spinning, much less attain its final speed... though he did see it start orbiting her, slowly at first, gathering speed and momentum until it flung itself away from the mage and destroyed some nearby driftwood with a crack and a rather satisfying display. Spike actually smiled at the destructive aftermath for a moment before he realized the woman was approaching. Idly wondering if he'd been caught for only a moment, he watched her pull that disgusting mass of matter humans called food out of her pack before he decided to make his pressence known. He jumped up once more, though this time he remembered his suroundings and hauled himself atop the boulder without incident. He hopped from stone to stone across the beach as he had before, though this time he made sure he could handle each and every maneuver, so as not to make a fool of himself. Again. Once he was within earshot, he called out to her in the ancient tongue (or his somewhat rough version of it) to catch the mage's attention more readily and thus, hopefully, decrease his chances of being cleft in two or some such inconvenient fate. "Yomis djed-dala! Djas rozassotla-nader chanoch het!" Once he got closer, he bowed, then repeated himself with the rough common translation... "Lady Mage. I would like to speak with you..." As if the concept of requesting something of someone was absolutely foreign to him, he quickly decided to add a relatively polite "Please" as something of an afterthought. His envy may have dripped from his voice slightly, but it certainly didn't overpower his honest desire to speak to or learn from the woman, and he'd do pretty well whatever it took to achieve that goal. Spike was very excited to find what appeared to be a capable mage, one who seemed completely unafraid to practice her magic. That eagerness and certainty she'd accept his request showed. "I ask you to share your knowledge with me... I would very much like to learn whatever magic you'd be willing to teach." He paused with a heavy frown. It sounded... insincere to him for some reason. After a short moment of contemplation, he realized why: Nothing can be gained without a price. Considering his heavily depleted funds from enrolling in the college, however, and his few and relatively worthless possessions... only one idea for payment occurred to him. "I would not ask you to do it for nothing, of course," he offered, his tone factual and assured. "I know a little of the art of summoning... If you so desire, I could show you what I know in return."

OOC note :

Yomis djed-dala! Djas rozassotla-nader chanoch het.

Understood literal translation:
Precious backbone-shaper! I seek conversation in our interrupted length.

Intended translation:
Honorable mage! I seek conversation between us!

[Annalisa Marin]

Hearing words in the Ancient Tongue was hardly common, especially ones offered in a clear sentence. Immediately the wizard went from relaxed to alert, willing Djed to push up through her palm once more to form just a small amount of res. She sat up and started looking about, her own knowledge of the ancient tongue piecing together the meanings of the words. Her eyes picked up on a curious sight bounding towards her, one that seemed to put credence on the theory of her own questionable sanity.

A small feral looking creature was wandering up to her, it was no bigger than a girl's doll but yet it spoke as far as she could tell. It bowed and repeated its meaning in the common tongue, confirming to her that it had witnessed her display of reimancy. That didn't concern her so much as having a creature like this actually displaying cognitive processes. The res was still pooled in her right hand, the urge suggesting to simply attempt to blast this thing and be done with it. She easily held the temptation in check and instead continued to regard it somewhat wearily.

The request it put to her next was beyond bizarre, it wanted to learn magic and whatever she had to teach it. Anna being who she was this amounted to a respectable amount of knowledge regarding multiple disciplines of magic, something only a fool would just give away when asked. It's offer of a trade piqued her interest, but not nearly so much as the mere existence of this creature. It warranted some form of study or interrogation, though playing along might yield better results that simply conjuring a firebolt and threatening it.

Reluctantly Anna willed the res to recede back into her palm, she then moved towards the creature slowly on her hands and knees. The wizard still loomed over the creature but most likely looked less intimidating than if she had stood to her full height.

"You'll excuse my lack of manners, however its not everyday when one is confronted by a creature like yourself. I'd appreciate an introduction, as well as an explanation of what you are. We can get to the impoliteness of prying in a woman's private affairs after those are out of the way." The wizard said, a ghost of a mocking grin finding its way to her face.

Levity might take some edge off, make the creatures tongue more likely to wag in the desired fashion. Threats were all fine and well, but charm and a silver tongue proved to be just as effective if not more. She was still adapting but it was much easier now than it had been weeks ago.

[Spike]

Spike pointedly ignored the liquid pooling in the mage's hands. He'd received a few surprised, even hostile reactions to his appearance from humans before, and was beyond tired of being annoyed by it... Not to mention the fact that he thought it would be a fairly bad idea to show that he irritated at a mage... Especially one whom he knew so very little about. Still, he couldn't keep from crossing his arms in a gesture that was both somewhat defensive and in a more than a little indignant. Of course, his grimace slowly dissipated to be replaced by an amused smirk when she crawled towards his small stone platform. He could barely contain a dry chuckle, though he managed to just stare at the now-eye-level mage. After all, it wasn't every day you saw such a display of raw power, only to be followed by an act that seemed so... ahem... juvenile. He could not prevent his smirk from changing in turn to a small sneer as he literally bristled at the glib jibe, however. "Yes, because a woman's affairs are private when she's outside of not just her home, but the city, as well. In the wilderness. On an open beech. While in full view of anyone who might happen to pass within, oh, a mile or so of her spells? I find that extremely doubtful." He shook his little, horned head incredulously at her, his lips pursed. Still, he wanted something from her, so he reigned in his ire before continuing in a more sedate tone. "Regardless... I'm called Spike." He cocked an eye-ridge in a fair imitation of a gesture that seemed to say "guess why" as his spikes extended slightly from his shoulders, drawing mass from his over-sized fore-paws. As they settled back to their original sizes, he continued. "I am of the race known as Pycon, sentient clay beings created and animated by magic..." His smirk returned, though he made absolutely certain to keep the derision from dripping off his acidic little clay tongue. "Though I'm sure a brilliant mage such as yourself would have been able to deduce that just by looking at me." He hopped down off his stone perch into the sand, then looked up at her. "If you want to learn something you don't already know... Well, perhaps I'll let you study my makeup some as part of my payment?" He pretended to contemplate that for a moment. "That might take a while, though... I think it might be more prudent to start teaching me before I let you dissect and interrogate me." His smirk changed forms again into an eager smile as he quickly bounced over to where she'd been standing earlier, then looked back over to her. He clearly expected her to teach him before he offered anything further, holding little to no reverence for the generally respected practice of paying for something, then receiving it.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna currently felt bemused at best, annoyed at worst. Her pride, coiled below the surface writhed at the creature before her in angry and indignation. This creature dared to insult her prowess as a wizard? This insect dared to talk down to her? She was marked by Rhysol and possessed power over more magical disciplines than this Spike could ever control. She had emerged from the ashes of overgiving a stronger weapon for Rhysol to wield, a feat that would have broken others. The desire to strike this creature down or curse it was very strong, but Anna held back. It had piqued her interest somewhat, lashing out now would leave questions unanswered.

Comically, Anna realized that this Spike resembled her before her episode of overgiving. A brash and arrogant individual that grated the nerves of those around them, now the wizard knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of such treatment. It was less than pleasing.

Rather than let a scowl crease her features the wizard let a wry grin creep onto her face. A little banter couldn't hurt, besides the creature was looking to be mostly bluster and no substance compared to her. She lazily laid down on her stomach, resting her chin on her palm. Her grey eyes examined the little creature with some small mirth in them.

"Indeed, they are private as most people have the common sense to head in the opposite direction from the scary wizard. You either lack that or a fair deal of intelligence my little friend." She replied.

"Spike, not exactly the most creative name but I suppose it will do. I am Annalisa Marin, professor if you are feeling the need to use titles." She said at length.

Pycon, not a race she was familiar with, though she was certainly going to become much more acquainted with then if they were indeed products of magic. It would be a topic to research in the Library at some point, more specifically the strengths and weaknesses. Being caught off her guard would be unwise when dealing with strange creatures.

At his offer of this other exchange the wizard chuckled mockingly, amused by this extremely lopsided proposal. It either thought her to be incredibly stupid or very gullible, perhaps a measure of both. Anna was neither, she was however cunning and manipulative.

"Lets see here, you have clearly stated exactly what you want from me and its quite clear you want it very badly. You, however, possess only words offered and the promise of letting me dissect you. I'd say that puts this negotiation very much in my favor." The wizard said at length, with much more cheer than it warranted.

"I'd suggest you find a way to sell yourself better, little jester, otherwise the amusement you are giving me will give way to annoyance." She said, the mirth still in her tone but her grey eyes flashed dangerously.

The wizard saw two ways this ended, he found something that really could hold her interest or she encased him in stone and locked him in the chest back at her house for experimentation. She did not form res just yet, though from their close proximity breathing out a gaseous cloud would be simple. It was only fair to give him some time before reaching a decision as to what his worth was, test subject or potential holder of useful information.

[Spike]

OOCSorry for the long wait. Again. Accidentally deleted this as I tried to post it the first time, then broke my wrist the next day. FML

Spike glanced skeptically at the wizard as she made herself comfortable in the sand. "Humans call that sense?" He shook his head grimly, obviously bemused by the fearful nature of humans. "It hardly seems particularly sensible to me to flee from knowledge, rather than persue it. If I see magic with even a glimmer of the possibility I'd understand it better than I do, then I will study it. Knowledge is too valuable to allow it to slip through your fingers... and the reward tends to be far greater than the risk. Of course..." The ridge over his eye rose, imitating the gesture humans called 'cocking an eyebrow.' "I'm sure you already knew that, as well." He listened as she spoke, though he grimaced darkly. She'd insulted his creativity and inteligence by insulting his name. "Shyke, woman, it's not like I came up with the petching name. It's a nickname your kind gave me, so of course it's simple. Besides," He waved a hand vaguely at her as he smirked. "It's significantly more descriptive and consise than your own appelation. "Profesor Annalisa Marin..." Doesn't quite roll of the tongue, does it?" He shrugged derrisively. "I'll just call you Professor, all things considered." As soon as she chuckled at him, he started bristling again. Her tone and barely veild threats grated upon him, making his spikes grow and his features twist in anger with each word. By the end of it, he looked no less than the demonic personification of pure wrath, though he hadn't moved from his possition upon the ground. He kept himself in check only through pure force of will. After a tense moment of silence between the two of them, he slowly spoke through his nearly-fused, elongated fangs. "Djas Canoch Djas Abase Darat." He said slowly, quietly, then repeated it once more, as if it were a mantra. He certainly looked calmer for the effort. He repeated it one final time, though this time, he said it in common. "My word is my life. I do not make empty promises... Or threats." He glared at her accusingly, though his form was slowly returning to normal as he vented his pent up venom verbally. [b]"In addition, I am no jester. I am not here for your amusement. Other pycon may choose to make fools themselves, but I will not have that be said of me." He stood slowly, his form mostly normal by that point. "I have told you what I want, and made an offer. I have done this in an attempt to be frank with you because you are a mage, and I thought you deserved that respect." his eyes narrowed as he stepped up to her slowly. "Now, allow me to be absolutely blunt." "I do not like you. You do not like me. I want to learn all forms of magic, not just what you know. To be perfectly clear, it is not your knowledge I want, but the knowledge of magic that you just so happen to possess. If I cannot have even the fraction of it I am asking for, I will leave.. And if we never see eachother again, it will be too soon." He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Now... proffessor... My offer stands thus:" "You teach me enough of what you know of the symbols adorning your budy and the magic you displayed for me to use them myself. Whether that includes just the basest of basics or all you know, I do not care. In return, I offer all the knowledge I possess of the Pycon and that neccesary to use the magic of Summoning... Including a reasonable sample of my physical make up, should you think it neccesary." He crossed his arms. "If you find this sufficient, just say so, and we can end this petching farce once and for all. If not, feel petching free to make a counter offer, or... Well, good luck finding me or another of my kind willing to do so, since it borders petching sacrilege for a pycon to do so." He paused briefly, then deflated. "I understand very few hold their word to the level I do, however... So I offer a brief demonstration that I can, in fact, provide the knowledge I promise." With that, he started carefully drawing deep lines in the sand, forming two perfect, large, concentric circles. Around the inner of the two circles, he drew sixteen smaller circles, aproximately the size of a large man's hand. In absolute silence, he finished the summoning circle with a cross through the middle and a third circle, concentric with the first two, but the same size as the sixteen smaller ones. Finally, he drew a series of numbers in each of the sixteen circles... Or, at least, they vaguely resembled numbers. The pycon's handwriting left something to be desired. At this point, he stopped, then glanced at her. "In the interest of... "selling myself," I must explain this next act. I must give a piece of myself to the circle to catalyze the magic... But humans can simply use a drop blood to achieve that same effect." He turned back to his circle, but smirked slightly over his shoulder. "And... First lesson about Pycon: We don't have blood." He twisted the tip of his finger off, then pressed it quickly into the circle. It glowed briefly, then light poured forth from the center, swirling slightly. With that done, Spike closed the portal before it unleashed some form creature upon Mizahar. "And the first lesson about summoning... Use a sturdy medium to draw your circles. One break or flaw in its structure after catalyzing, and the best you can hope for is nothing to happen." He turned back to her, his eyes calculating as he stared at her. He frowned at her, his face caught somewhere between hope, uncertainty, caution, and irritation. "So... Is my offer sufficient, Proffessor? Shall we call this an accord?"

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna felt her pride stung slightly by the Pycon's insolent tone, enough for a spark of anger to light itself deep inside of her. Insidious desires and thoughts swam below the surface of her mind, the desire to unleash Rhysol's blessing upon this creature very tempting. However his demonstration provided some interest to her, not nearly to the degree something like Voiding or Flux did but still it was interesting. If she was too be the judge of things it was a world magic, one that did not feed upon the user's Djed but rather was structured in a specific way with rules a limitations. His explanation was filed away, something to follow up on and his circle was quickly memorized. She would have to attempt something similar on a larger scale, this so called summoning could be very useful.

The wizard considered his offer, it was still very much geared in his favor. A personal magic and a world magic for the knowledge he offered was hardly fair. More to the point, Anna had reservations in empowering this creature further. A potential threat was best to be kept as low as possible, this was a basic fact. A Chaon that did not cover all angles was a dead Chaon.

Teaching him Reimancy was out of the question, there was no petching way she was going to initiate this creature into such power. Voiding was also out, giving him that knowledge was a poor idea. Spiritism was unlikely to catch his interest and Glyphing was useless to him unless he possessed another personal magic or intimate knowledge about the nature of Djed.

There were a few options the woman was currently musing over, simply killing the creature to nip the threat in the bud. Considering the close range and her ability to form res anywhere from within her body it likely wouldn't be too challenging. Capturing the creature and interrogating him was a possibility, Rhysol's curses could make any stay with her very uncomfortable. Teaching him Glyphing was also possible, it wasn't very dangerous and he wouldn't find much use for it.

After some deliberation Anna opted for the latter option, he was no use to her dead and his race might possess resistances that would make torture difficult. The tall woman stayed in her lazy position, deciding that it was best to approach this situation as one with barely a care in the world. It seemed to anger the Pycon and anger was an emotion she could bend to her own uses.

"Your rather uppity for such a small creature, if you had met me a few months ago there would be ashes left where you now stand. Fortunately for you I've seen enough and experienced enough in this short season to mellow somewhat." The wizard said with all too much cheer.

"Djed, the force which makes all life possible. It is a potent source of power for those that know how to properly manipulate it, and for those with the strength of will to seek its inner most secrets. You seem to possess the drive to learn, to discover these secrets but I have to wonder the purpose behind this drive." She said at length.

"Are you merely another fool, as I once was? One who plays with fire and allows that fire to become their sole purpose? A power hungry slave that believes fire to be a way of life? Or are you something else entirely?" The wizard mused, her grey eyes gaining a slightly distance tone to them.

Anna found a simple pleasure in verbally stringing one along for a ride full of twists and turns, skirting around the issue, never fully addressing it until she herself desired too. It was a part of her personality only recently developed, born in the renewal of her faith in Rhysol. Words were a magic all their own when used in the correct ways, twisting and turn preconceptions and molding thoughts.

"Your offer is, quite frankly, insulting and obviously borne of an ignorance of a medium you know nothing about. You are but a child hoping to play with the tapestry of creation, a speck beneath my notice in every respect. However, that is merely what you are now." Anna stated, her eyes narrowing.

"Who is to say what your potential might be if allowed to foster and grow, to change and shift as the world always must? All wizards were specks once, all adults were children. Who am I to stand before potential growth and progress? To end something before it becomes great?" She went on, shrugging her shoulders.

"Therefore, despite your youth I will contribute to your growth in a small way that you may one day achieve understanding. That the flame becomes the tool rather than the purpose." The wizard said.

"I will not teach you reimancy, the power that allowed me to summon the liquid from my body. It is far to valuable to be exchanged for what you offer. I can however teach you what these runes are, how to create them, and how they are connected to the inner nature of Djed and magic itself. If you do not like that offer, then you can go elsewhere." Anna said, finally touching on the heart of the matter and offering her counter proposal.

The wizard had perhaps drawn this out far longer than it needed to be, however as far as she was concerned that was her right to do so. Spike had approached her with this offer, therefore she was entitled to drag this on as long as she wanted. It was her patience that he had infringed upon, on not the other way around.

[Spike]

Spike considered the woman's words as she spoke them, managing, for once, to take them without offence. Once she finished, he slowly nodded. "I have been called many things. "Uppity" is one of the kinder epithets ascribed to be, if no less irksome. Still, you are right. I am but begining on my path... despite my years of thinking on it. Searching for it."[b] He growled, obviously aggitated at himself for taking so long to realize what he believed should have been obvious all along. Afterwards, he huffed and shook his head. [b]"As such, I accept your offer. Any knowledge I can garner puts me down the path I seek... And to answer your question..." He paused slightly. "I do not seek magic or power for its own sake. I seek it... because knowledge and power are the best way for me to reach my final form." Again he paused, then sighed. "The second thing about Pycon. Our form is mutable, as you've seen, but we always revert to the mental image of ourselves that we hold subconciously." "That image is subject to change with every encounter, every new experience. With our souls showing so, we, as a whole, seek to perfect that form by experiencing everything life has to throw at us." He crossed his arms slowly. "I decided the best way to persue my final, perfect image was to learn. To garner knowledge and power and magic until it was etched so deeply into my mind that my form became the very image of the power of magic... and an account of all I learned long after I've passed." He shrugged. "Not that it matters any." He paused, then smiled slowly. "By the way... I'm not sure how interested you are in alchemy or ancient magic, but... The Pycon are technically humunculi, creatures born of Alchemy. But unlike other humunculi, we are unique in our ability to breed. While it is..." He shifted in disgruntled discomfort. "Taboo... for Pycon to study Alchemy for this reason... perhaps to you, my kind's origin and makeup it would offer some insight into that art, as well?" His hope that this new bait would sway her to teach him more was thinly veiled at best, the eagerness that had befell him earlier returning just under the surface. "I am honestly unsure whether the study of the result of an ancient experiment in the art that created us will help you learn alchemy... But the possibility is there, yes?"

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna frowned slightly at the Pycon's thinly veiled attempt to perhaps push the issue of learning more. Alchemy was a field of magical study that Anna had considered delving into, casting it aside in favor of Voiding and Spiritism. It was a potent World Magic from the rumors, powerful and capable of many seemingly impossible feats of creation. However, the wizard saw very little benefit in pursuing the discipline at the moment considering her already wide spread studies.

There was also the fact that initiation to reimancy would require precision and a clear head, after her exertion that was certainly not in the cards at the moment. Voiding would only require a brief explanation of some concepts and information regarding initiation, however its destructive potential was not something she wanted to grant this Pycon. So Glyphing was the only thing he was getting, a world magic for another world magic seemed fair.

"I've made my offer, it is quite final be assured of that. I have no use for knowledge regarding alchemy at the moment, so the bargain is still very much favoring me. I'll teach you how the concepts of glyphs and two specific glyphs, in return you will tell me what you know about the art of summoning. I'm displaying a gross amount of generosity by teaching you that much." The wizard said, slowly standing.

Her bones creaked and her joints popped slightly as she stretched skyward, standing on the tips of her toes. She held it there for a little while before dropping her arms to her side and looking down at Spike. The size difference truly registered at this point, the Pycon was roughly the size of one of the dolls she played with in her youth. It was rather amusing.

"As a sign of good faith I'll teach you the concept of glyphing and the first Glyph, after which you will teach me what you know of summoning. If I'm satisfied then I'll teach the second glyph. Got it? Good." The wizard said, not bothering to wait for his response.

As per usual she started by pacing, it helped to gather her thoughts and moving while teaching was her best method. Anna knew she was going to regret it later, the sand was already starting to irritate the sensitive flesh of her feet. The tiny pieces of sediment always found ways to cause annoyance to her, she was fairly certain she would be brushing it from the worst of places as soon as she got home.

"Now then, lets start with Djed. Djed, as I hope you know, is the force that exists in all things. Its required for basic tasks and is the fuel that keeps living creatures going. It is also what makes magic possible." Anna started.

"The magic I used to create that liquid you saw earlier, res, was essentially a physical manifestation of my Djed. I expended my own life force to create it, manipulate it, and shape it into earth. Once that force is used its gone. Most rules governing the laws of magic are hard and unyielding, they aren't subject to bending or breaking most of the time, to do either usually places one in mortal peril." She affirmed with a nod of her head.

"However!" The woman said, raising a declaratory finger as she briefly stopped near Spike and turned her grey eyes upon him sternly.

"There is a way for one to bend those rules without such tremendous risk. A way to manipulate magical fluctuations with minimal risk for harm, only subject to the error of the crafter. That is where glyphing comes in." Anna said, stepping over the Pycon and moving out onto the beach a little ways.

The woman widely gestured her arms to the Bay, displaying it as though the Pycon couldn't see it. Visual representations seemed to work in helping to convey a concept.

"Imagine that all of that water is magic, seems like it would be difficult to change the amount of water or move it right? Well, a glyph could make all that water fit into a container the size of a thimble. It would require a great deal of skill and patience, but all things do." She said, before returning to the Pycon and kneeling down before him.

She calmly displayed the triangular glyph on the palm of her right hand.

"The rune in the center of the ring of smaller glyphs is called a Focus Glyph, its the most basic glyph one can make and the most widely used in magical manipulation. Traditionally its function is to store magic, but for me it can make my generation of res focused to only a few areas. In this case, I can generate res from my hands and feet with barely thinking about where I want it to generate. However, it can likely be used for other purposes that even I am not yet aware of." The woman affirmed.

"Glyphs drawn by different wizards often look different, everyone has their own style. Mine tend to look like geometric shapes, but they can take practically any form. They can also be drawn with anything, blood, sand, ink, you name it and its been used." Anna said, placing a hand on her hips.

"Why don't you try to draw a focus? Remember that it is simply a single large glyph, do not worry over much about if it looks like mine or not. Create your own, feel what you are trying to achieve and you will achieve it." The woman finished, stepping over Spike once more and casually seating herself next to her pack again.

It was up to the Pycon at the point whether he succeeded or not, it was unlikely his first glyph would be any good whatsoever. However that was the process, learning from mistakes, trial and error. Since it was his first it would also likely take him some time to finish, giving her opportunity to attempt meditation while he worked.

The woman crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and started to cycle her breathing.