[The Elements Sanctum] Lets make this interesting...

by **Annalisa Marin** on November 12th, 2013, 11:16 pm

87th of Fall, 513 AV

The Caverns were dark and spacious, only illuminated by the soft glow of the magelight placed at regular intervals. The tall dark haired apprentice walked the path with easy direction, her notes had instructed her to follow the arrows that glowed the brightest. They hadn't been difficult to locate, from there it was just a matter of navigating the maze with these directions in mind. Indeed Sahova as a whole was rather mazelike in her eyes, constantly turning her around when she thought she was going the right way. It was rather irritating to say the least.

Annalisa Marin felt a little lost as of late, her encounter with Celeste a fresh memory. If she were being honest with herself she was still confused, she still lacked answers to her questions. That was actually part of the reason her steps were taking her towards the Elements Sanctum, the domain of Roknus Maelstrom. Rhysol lacked the answers she sought, in fact she suspected he was obscuring them. One thing she did know about herself though was that she was a wizard, and that still resonated true in her core. That was her power, hers to wield and command. It was hardly her identity, but it was a start to finding answers to other questions about herself.

The apprentice was a bit leery about entering this place, the last time she had her welcome had been a little much from what she understood. Maelstrom had nearly killed her, his casting perfection and his weaves complex beyond imagining. Considering her part to play in the death of Daren Marlow Anna suspected he was less likely to horribly murder her, however one never knew. Maelstrom was apparently quite the mad man, a whim might very well take him and then she'd likely be very dead.

Her steps could have taken her to the Testing Grounds, indeed they might later in the day but this morning she felt the Elements Sanctum warranted more attention. She didn't normally feel kinship towards other wizards, but those in the Sanctum were reimancers as well. They had undergone the same initiation and felt the same pain she had once. There was an odd feeling of connection there.

Finally the woman stood outside the iron doors that led inside of the Elements Sanctum, which she looked at with weary grey eyes. She was stronger than she had been since last she had visited, Amaryllis gift of two meals a day granting strength to her body. She was also more prepared than last time, purple liquid res already gathered into her palms and Djed gathering under her tongue. With a deep breath she place her hand upon the doors and pushed inwards.

The iron doors opened effortlessly, almost inviting her inside. She stepped inside, and was met with the sight of a fire bolt shooting towards her. The apprentice's grey eyes widened in shock, barely ducking in time to avoid getting blasted in the face. She could feel the heat licking at her as it whizzed overhead and out through the doorway. The near hit had sent her heart racing and adrenaline was already beginning to course through her veins.

She brought up her hands, willing further Djed to gather under her palms and push outwards to sheath her hands entirely with the warm purple liquid. The arrangement in the room was a little different than last time, a ring of individuals was arranged around the room with some cheering at what was going on in the middle of the room. A Pulser apprentice was facing a man wearing the distinctive robes of a master, whose back was turned to the doorway.

The Pulser fired off another fire bolt, which the master simply stood there with not a single movement made. A cloud of black res was at his side with frightening speed however, the air seeming to whip up around it. The fire bolt was cast carelessly aside before coming near the master and the wind was set out towards the Pulser. A sickening crack sounded through the air a moment later, the intense gale having jettisoned the man off of his feet and into the wall of the Cavern. He looked limp from where Anna was standing.

Anna couldn't hide a flinch at the sound but felt extremely impressed with the sight. Air was normally utilized as a defensive element in her experience, blowing aside projectiles. Killing someone with it by generating enough force to blow them back was rather difficult, yet another reason to fear and respect the Master of the Elements Sanctum.

"Time?" Roknus Maelstrom asked to seemingly no one.

"One Chime, twenty seven Ticks" A nervous feminine voice called from the ring.

"That's it!? Terrible! Petching terrible!" The Master roared.

He certainly didn't seem pleased by the offered time and Anna noted a figure from the crowd taking a cautious step back. She didn't exactly blame the individual, and was silently wondering whether coming here was such a good idea as she watched two apprentices carry away the body of their fellow. Maelstrom was caught up in his own ravings and apparently hadn't noticed her.

"No, that can't stand. Next! One of you whelps has to be able to last longer than that. Better yet, two, no three! Yes, that should make things much more interesting!" He nodded to himself, pleased by his apparent logic.

The gather apprentices looked more than a little nervous, again the woman couldn't blame them. The Nuit had effortlessly deflected an attack and killed another reimancer with the same spell, three more opponents likely would make no difference. It would likely just mean three more corpses.

"Uh, Master?" The same voice from before called out.

His tone had sounded rather infuriated a moment ago, switching to a near nonchalant level. The Master was certainly a fun filled emotional ride, rising and falling at seemingly random. He turned slightly in the direction of the voice.

"What? Are you volunteering? If not then I'll volunteer you myself." He said, from where Anna was standing she could make out the corners of an almost manic grin.

"No! I mean, as you say Master, but I think there is someone here to see you." The woman sounded rather afraid at the command, but she pointed in Anna's direction.

Maelstrom slowly rounded, his insanity filled eyes falling upon her hard and fast. The apprentice swallowed hard as she felt rather like she was pinned to the spot, another feeling that this might not have been such a good idea washing over her. Another grin found its way onto the Nuit's face and he held his arms out wide, the gesture seemed mocking to her but she got the message from it.

"Ah, the apprentice of the great Amaryllis returns! Welcome back. Are you here for another go?" He said, his words dripping with acidic sarcasm.

Anna heard the door shut behind her with a flinch, she didn't really have a desire to fight Maelstrom himself again. However as she opened her mouth to politely decline his offer his expression became almost thoughtful, seeming to consider something for a Tick. He nodded quickly to himself again and gestured for her to come forward.

The apprentice swallowed and made a few cautious steps forward, moving towards the center where Maelstrom stood. She halted about a yard from the insane Master of Reimancy, who had another grin on his face. Anna really didn't want to know what was making him amused but she really, really felt uneasy about it.

"Its good fortune you stopped by today actually. You see I'm trying to see just how long my newest servants can last in combat, unfortunately it seems like the Judges sent me a number of weaklings. None of them seem to know a thing about real fighting." The Nuit raised his voice at the last bit, earning some snickers from more seasoned apprentices.

The man slid up next to her, wrapping a hand around her shoulder and inching his face close to her ear. The apprentice noted that her notes had been spot on when they placed personal space issues as being attributed to the Master. Being this close to him was certainly sending warning bells off in her head.

"Here's what I'm thinking, Annalisa, maybe they are holding back. I mean less than two chimes is rather pathetic all things considered. Maybe they don't want to try and hurt their new Master. Sooo... maybe they need to be given a little more incentive and an opponent more at their level. Do you get me?" He whispered conspiratorially to the tall woman.

Anna turned her head slightly towards Maelstrom, noting that his expression looked deadly serious. An odd thing to see on the manic Nuit's face. She still felt ill at ease, but the absolute best chance of getting out of this alive was to agree.

"Of course, Master Maelstrom." She responded, very certain to keep any unease out of her voice.

He cackled loudly, delivering a forceful pat on her back. Anna grunted slightly at the blow, noticing again how his mood had shifted.

"Excellent! Now listen up you lot! Amaryllis' apprentice has volunteered to see if you new meat are actually worth the air you are breathing." The Nuit declared.

Was that what she had agreed to? Petch.

"Lets make this interesting... two on two combat, Annalisa can decide who fights with her." He said, nodding to himself.

Okay, that wasn't as terrible as she had feared. She'd have a partner here. Anna had never actually fought alongside someone in combat, so this would be a new experience. She'd also never fought multiple reimancers before, that would make things interesting. Still, being roped into this was rather jarring. Still, this was more a spar than a battle. She could hold back if she needed to, after all Maelstrom likely just wanted to assess them. She doubted he'd care if someone died though...

Holding back, it was something she wouldn't have previously considered. Perhaps Celeste had effected her a little more than expected, still considering that she was fighting more than one reimancer it was likely she'd need to reign herself in over much. Just enough to avoid killing someone.

by **Annalisa Marin** on November 13th, 2013, 2:31 am

Three individuals stood before the tall reimancer, a motley bunch that only Master Maelstrom could have working under him. Anna raised an eyebrow at the trio, this was certainly going to be interesting to say the least. Her gaze lifted to Master Maelstrom, who stood a short distance away with his hands clasped behind his back. His expression looked a little bored, though considering that there were not yet any spells flying around she supposed that was to be expected.

Anna lowered her gaze to the ground and sighed, blowing one of her bangs out of her face. She had opted to not wear her ponytail today, letting her hair fall loosely about her. Considering the black mane now obscuring her vision the wizard had to wonder if it would prove a detractor for her current odds. She shook her thoughts away from that and back to the situation at hand.

The first one she regarded was the only Nuit of the three, the undead bore the stitched up skin of a small and ratty looking human. He certainly didn't look like much based off of appearances, but Anna knew that appearances meant nothing. His gaze possessed the static intensity that so characterized the race of corpse jumpers, simply watching her with a blank expressionless face.

The question was, how did she decide who to take on her side and how to choose them? She considered the question for a moment, one of many questions to consider as of late. This one had a much more simple and practical answer, the elements he commanded. Obviously she'd need her partner's arsenal to compliment her own, number of elements would also denote skill.

"What element's do you possess access to?" She asked.

"Air and water." He replied, his voice sounding a little raspy by Anna's judgment.

Air and water, so that would mean that he could utilize the ice para element if her memory served her correctly. The only two elements missing from her considerable arsenal, that would compliment her abilities very well. Clearly he had at least some experience with the elements if he could claim control over two prime ones and a para-element. A good possible choice if the other two didn't appear that promising.

She nodded to the undead and turned her attention to the next person in the line up. He was a tall and broad shouldered human, his status as a pulser given away by the rise and fall of his chest. He stood a hand above Anna's own height and his muscles were corded and quite strong looking. He certainly didn't look very worse for wear in staying here in Sahova, she idly wondered how the man had managed it. Perhaps he'd brought food with him from the mainland.

"What about you, big boy, what elements do you command?" She inquired, noticing what looked like a ghost of a smirk from the Nuit beside him.

"Earth and Fire. You won't find a better reimancer in Sunberth!" He stated proudly.

Anna raised an eyebrow at that statement, Sunberth, from what she'd read was not exactly welcoming to wizards. Earth and Fire granted control over the Para-Element of Lava as well, very destructive and highly dangerous at the best of times. A useful candidate if she wanted to overwhelm the opponents with sheer offensive force. However, that might also increase the likelihood of casualties which Anna wanted to avoid going into this. She weighed it carefully as she turned to the last one.

This one looked like the sorriest of the trio, a young woman that was shorter than Anna by a good foot or so. She looked dirty, tired, and a few bruises marred her arms. Her blonde hair was dirty and frayed slight, some singing to be seen here or there. Anna could certainly relate to her current state, the majority of the living were not exactly well off here. What interested the Chaon was the runes scrawled upon her arms, denoting her status as a Glypher. That was certainly interesting...

"What about you? What elements do you command?" Anna asked.

"Water, miss." She responded, lowering her head slightly.

Water only, so she was a newly minted reimancer most likely. If that was the case the apprentice had to wonder how she had passed her Judgment. Perhaps she was more familiar with Glyphing than reimancy, so the Judges just gave her over to Maelstrom. Considering how easily and carelessly the Master had killed the Pulser when she had first entered, it seemed his lab made an excellent sink or swim ultimatum.

She turned from the trio, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. So her options were the Nuit, the confident muscle bound human, and a girl that lacked much in the way of offensive abilities. The woman glanced over to Maelstrom, unlike before he was now gazing at her intently. It was like he was gauging something, or perhaps he was just imagining taking her head off with a well placed bolt of lightning. His mad mind was as brilliant as it was warped.

It all came down to who could defend themselves best, a moral question rather than a pragmatic one. The fact of the matter was that if she went toe to toe with the girl alongside either the Nuit or the large man she'd likely die. Glyphing was a useful world magic, but in the heat of battle it wasn't much good unless one had scrolls. If she wanted to minimalize casualties then she needed to fight those who could actually fight in a real sense, not fight an unfair and one sided battle.

Was that part of who she was then? Really Anna shouldn't have been concerned over much if the girl lived or died, if she was weak then she wasn't worth the bronze ring on her finger. Without Rhysol to cloud her vision though she felt... concern. Was that part of the real Annalisa Marin? Something outside of the lies or facades? Was she right to use her power to help not just herself survive, but others as well?

She turned and pointed to the girl, her grey eyes steely and her expression resolute. If nothing else, this would make things a little more challenging for her.

"Okay, Bruises, you are with me. Meaty and Stitches, good luck." She said, smirking slightly at the use of joking names.

The girl looked a little surprised, but seeing as the other two had pretty distinctive nicknames gifted to them and she was the only one whose skin was so marred she stepped forward. The apprentice nodded slightly, pleased with her decision and glancing Maelstrom's way. He looked rather amused by the choice.

"The girl eh? Good, maybe you'll rub off on her. Gods know she sounds petching useless." The master stated, earning a wince from said girl.

"Take your positions then. You'll all keep fighting until I'm pleased with the performance." he stated, waving a hand errantly.

Anna and her new companion walked back towards the direction of the doors, the Nuit and Pulser man walking in the opposite direction. She looked down at the girl, she seemed more than a little uneasy about this whole thing. Considering her apparent lack of combat skills Anna could say she blamed her, still a heartened team mate was likely better for her during this fight.

"So, do you have a name? Or should I just call you Bruises?" The tall woman asked on the way to the starting position.

"Uh, Lea, miss." She replied, obviously still a little uneasy.

"Well, Uh Lea, you can call me Anna. Don't worry over much about this, just stick close to me and do what you can. Let me handle the offence and you handle any fire Meaty might send our way." Anna replied, giving the Lea what she hoped was a comforting a grin.

The smile she received in return was nervous but still better than her unease a moment ago. Good, she'd need some confidence going into this fight as Anna was probably going to need to split her attention between fighting and making certain they both didn't get overly damaged. Stitches was likely going to be the first target, his spells could neutralize a number of her attacks that were fire and air related. Hopefully her partner could handle the fire Meaty might send their way.

The pair turned, Anna already willed Djed to gather beneath her skin to prepare for res generation. Lea started whispering something under her breath, most likely incantations. Their opponents looked to be similarly preparing.

Maelstrom glanced at both parties, an amused grin on his face as he observed how either side prepared. Once he was satisfied he spread his arms out wide.

"Begin! Oh, and try not to die, the clean up is always so messy." He said, stepping back slightly towards the ring of spectators.

by **Annalisa Marin** on November 13th, 2013, 4:44 am

As soon as Maelstrom's go ahead was given Anna willed the Djed gathered beneath her skin to push outwards, more purple liquid forming at a rather quick rate. Along with this her breaths were heralded by puffs of lavender mist, gaseous res escaping her nearly as quickly and with no need for gestures or incantations. She was at an advantage here, not unlike the one Maelstrom had possessed over her. Her opponent's generation was more sluggish by comparison, though it likely wouldn't be long before they were ready.

The apprentice stepped forward in a measured manner, her right arm rising up with the motion and coming down in an arc. A crescent of purple liquid shot out from the motion, a clenching fist the gesture used to signal the igniting of the outer layer of res. Purple flames sprung to life and the crescent of fire arced quickly towards the end of her zone of control. She was pleased that by the time she'd done this that her opponents had generated their res.

Not one to rest on her laurels and now taken up by the heat of casting, the woman spun as she stepped forward again with her left arm mirroring the right's previous motions. Another crescent of res was sent outwards and again the outer layer was ignited, two flaming constructs now heading towards the pair of reimancers across the way. Anna for her part felt the act of casting awash her in pleasure, feeling powerful and far less unsure of herself. This was indeed a part of who she was, a wizard, it felt so natural to bend the tapestry of reality to her whims. Power was hers to wield, however it was how she used it that defined who she was.

As the res neared the edge of her zone of control she willed the first crescent to split off into four smaller crescents, send two at the Pulser and two at the Nuit. She repeated this action with the second one, only this one split off into two rather than four. Anna was already calling more liquid res to sheath her hands as she noticed their hasty reactions to the spells.

The Pulser had gathered orange res at the ground before him, moving it upwards and transmuting it directly to earth to form a barrier to protect him from the barrage. The Nuit meanwhile had done a similar action, only pulling up a barrier of pure, glistening ice. The smaller flames dug groves into the barriers, the larger one exploded into the barriers and took advantage of the weaknesses in them. The earthen barrier crumbled to mere rocks and the ice barrier shattered and melted, steam rising from it.

Anna noted that her companion finally had res sheathing her own hands, her face a mask of utter concentration as the volume of her incantations increased. That was slightly worrying but to be expected from one who only controlled a single element. The girl was keeping a bit of distance between them, but had advanced slightly as Anna had.

The apprentice noted that the Pulser was using his remaining res to attract the rubble from his destroyed barrier, spinning the multitude of sharp rocks about in the air. Meanwhile, the Nuit was gathering more res into his hands quietly. Obviously he was getting ready for a bigger spell, unfortunately Anna didn't have much time to interrupt him as a storm of rocks was threatening her at the moment.

The apprentice was suitably impressed by the way the Pulser manipulated attraction, using the res itself like a slingshot to send the pellet like projectiles towards her. It was creative, it also meant he wouldn't lose as much Djed via generation. He might look rather meat headed and prideful, but clearly he knew his reimancy.

Anna willed the liquid res she'd generated up to this point to gather on the ground, holding out both hands before her with her legs spread in a ready posture. She curled her fingers upwards and pulled the res upwards, utilizing a combination of attraction and transmutation to create a thick earthen shield before her with a few defined segments placed onto it. It was a smaller version of the barriers she'd used against Maelstrom those days ago, large enough to shield both her and her companion from harm.

The stones bit into the earthen barrier, Anna could hear the clatter as they impacted however she was focused upon turning her defense into an offense. Once the barrage of earth was finished the apprentice concentrated on the segments she'd created in the barrier, willing them to become more defined as she took control of the res within and around the segments. She punched outwards with her fist, sending a segment speeding towards the Pulser. She repeated the motion again and again, sending five large projectiles of earth careening towards him. So caught up in the heat of the moment, Anna nearly forgot to lower their velocity as they neared her limits of control. She didn't want to kill, just push them a little and flex her muscles.

There were few feelings that approached that of casting, it was a primal sort of pleasure that resonated with her very being. Still, the exertions certain were felt upon her as she continued to draw res. Maelstrom had tested her limits to the extreme, she couldn't afford to push herself that far into near overgiving. If she lost control then ay hopes of keeping casualties down would lower significantly.

The Pulser decided that the best bet for him here was to send out his res in five small segments as molten liquid, intercepting her constructs and slowing them down long enough for him to leap out of the way. Anna's attention was quickly drawn from him however as she noted that the Nuit had finished his spell and four glistening icicles were being aimed in her general direction.

Anna moved further out towards the center once more, the cloud of lavender gaseous res gathering before her as the projectiles were sent careening toward her. She curled her fingers upwards before her, motioning with her hands upwards. The cloud moved up and away from her body, splitting into five smaller clouds. The air about them crackled malevolently as she gestured downwards, five small bolts of lightning being sent out with four to intercept the projectiles and one toward the Nuit.

The urge was by this point making itself very prominent in her mind, willing her onwards and upwards to greater heights of casting. She wanted this feeling to last, for it dispelled the emptiness in her mind and the questions from her thoughts. The projectiles of ice exploded in the air as they met the lightning. She noticed that the Nuit had managed to narrowly avoid the bolt and again she mentally reprimanded herself, she needed to hold back more. She couldn't push these two over much.

So caught up was she in this that she didn't notice the ball of fire heading in her direction until it was nearly upon her. The increasing heat caused her to turn around, she then noticed it getting closer and closer. The Pulser had apparently recovered and had opted to attack her while she was preoccupied. Anna was caught completely off guard, fear quickly rising in her mind as the thing was almost upon her.

If she were being honest with herself, the apprentice hadn't expected it to end like this. Killed at the spell of a lesser reimancer, perhaps it was irony of a sick sense of fate. The apprentice stared wide eyed at this, her quest to know herself had barely begun and this was to be her end.

A ball of shimmering and shifting liquid shot out from seemingly no where and intercepted the ball of fire, a cloud of steam rising as the heat smacked the apprentice in the face. She stumbled back and actually fell on her rear, her gaze numbly following where the ball of liquid had come from. Lea gave her a nod as she started generating more res, her lips moving and her face a mask of concentration. Perhaps Anna had made the right call after all in selecting her.

by **Annalisa Marin** on November 14th, 2013, 3:46 am

Anna quickly managed to find her footing, shaking off her near death experience and preparing for more casting. The Pulser was looking rather ready to engage Lea, leaving her to handle the Nuit. This was a boon as it would be best not to have her attention split between two opponents, she had a teammate after all for a reason. Her ally had res coating her hands, but fire was already wreathing the Pulsar's as he fired off a quick succession of tiny bolts towards Lea.

Anna had to turn her attention away from the conflict over their as her own res was quickly forming on her hands, ready to deal a few incapacitating attacks towards the Nuit. She spun on her heel, purple liquid sheathing her hands as she readied for another attack. Her opponent was similarly preparing, however it was likely he was far more exhausted for his exertions than she was. The weight of casting was certainly felt on her, both physically and mentally however she was more seasoned in terms of reimancy. She knew how close to the fire she could dance towards, overgiving was easy for reimancers but the sorceress was confident in her own abilities.

Warmth was felt at the bottoms of her feet as she focused Djed down there, pushing outwards to generate the precious purple liquid vital to all reimancers. The liquid seeped through her boots and into the ground beneath her, which warranted her to step back. Noting that her opponent was in the midst of incantations and transmutation the woman decided now was the time to strike. Anna stomped on the ground, triggering a combination of attraction and transmutation to occur. The floor before her shattered, two earthen constructs forming and floating in the air. They looked rather like two fists of earth, possessing clearly defined joint areas and knuckles.

The Earthen Fist was a rather simple spell, minor compared to the rest of the devastating spells in her repertoire. It was however a good non-lethal spell, made to incapacitate rather than kill. It might break a few ribs but likely the target would survive. She flicked her wrist and willed the two fists to shoot out towards the Nuit.

The undead seemed to actually not even notice something was being shot towards him, it took something like a half tick before he seemed to get the message and attempted to move, his res splashing to the ground. To his credit he managed to dodge one, the other however clipped him on the shoulder which sent him swiftly spinning towards the ground as a loud crack sounded through the air. Likely he had broken a bone however he'd live, figuratively speaking of course.

The apprentice turned to assess the situation with Lea, confident the Nuit was incapacitated however she noticed something black moving at the bottom of her vision. Anna looked down just in time to watch two hands sprout from the ground and firmly wrap their grip around her ankles, effectively immobilizing her. She vainly fought against the bonds, jerking her legs this way and that.

"What the petch!?" She cried aloud, frustrated and confused as to who could have done this. She was certain she was out of that pulser's range.

Loud cackling was her answer, her gaze drawn towards Master Maelstrom who was doubled over in fits of mad laughs. His gaze moved up to meet hers, the insanity burning inside of them chilling her to the core. He'd immobilized her, but why? Then again, he was a mad man so perhaps it had simple amused him. Whatever the case was she was now at a gross disadvantage, her mobility halted until she removed the shackles.

Her gaze lifted towards Lea and the other Pulser, noting that the girl was giving ground very quickly. The young woman only barely managed to match the man spell for spell, foiling the flames sent her way with water. Unfortunately for her, fire was not the only element the man possessed as a large earthen spike was formed over the man's head. Anna gritted her teeth, willing the res sheathing her left hand to phase change to a purple gas.

She felt alive in the heat of this battle, her mind a blur of excitement and the urge roaring in her skull to push her towards greater heights. Naturally this meant that she needed to check herself even more, giving too much at this moment could be extremely dangerous considering she was actually fighting against actual opponents. Carelessness would cost her more than just her own life, but that of her partner's or her opponent's.

The cloud sped out towards the edge of her zone of control, moving to try and intercept the spike hurtling towards Lea with frightening speed. The cloud crackled malevolently as it near the edge, unfortunately this speed proved to be rather ineffectual and was in fact too little, too late. Anna's grey eyes could only watch in growing horror as the scene played out.

Time seemed to slow down, the actions taking place apparently wanting to burn themselves into the sorceress' memory. The spike spun and rotated in the air rather like a drill, the aerodynamics of the thing only aiding in its speed. Lea only seemed to register what was happening when it was too late, the spike firmly punching into her gut mercilessly as the sound of tearing flesh pealing out through the air.

Her scream of pain was what brought Anna jerking back to reality, her eyes changing from helpless horror to vindictive rage in the span of a tick. Her eyes locked square upon the pulser, who seemed rather pleased with his handiwork and was turning his attention towards Annalisa. The sorceress called the cloud back towards her, splitting it off into two smaller sections. The air around them crackled malevolently as she gestured upwards with curled fingers and down sharply. The small bolts of lightning crackled and were aimed towards the bonds trapping her feet, shattering them and sending a jolt of numbing pain up her body. It was enough to add fires to the anger she felt, the emotion ripped from her chest in a primal way.

Ignoring how close she was to overgiving the woman generated more liquid res, willing it up into the air as the vital fluid formed. Sweat was formed upon the woman's brow as she acted, her urge indulged and her desire to keep casualties down vanishing entirely. The sorceress shaped the res into sword like shapes, four of them encircling the air before her. She allowed herself to indulge in the sheer power she felt by calling forth the constructs, before willing them to ignite as each one passed her by.

As the purple flames sprung up she felt more and more willing to just give into the urge, which fueled the flames of her rage towards the pulser as he struggled to call upon his last remaining reserves for a defense. The sorceress felt the heat from the swords of fire as they danced around her, spinning in the air as they circled her. Her grey eyes fell upon the pulser, each blade sent outwards one after the other.

Their inner layers were kept liquid until they reached the edge of her zone of control, fully igniting and hurtling towards their target wickedly. To the man's credit he managed to get off a fire bolt that intercepted one of her blades. He leaped out of the way of another, only to find himself directly in the path of the other two. The first blade of fire made contact with his shoulder and the other exploded into his stomach.

He screamed as the flames burned into his flesh, Anna felt no satisfaction for it however indeed as the fires of her rage died down she felt slightly sickened by the smell of burning flesh growing pungent in the air. The urge was still roaring in her mind, and a dribble of blood was felt trickling down her left nostril. The unpleasant taste of iron was well on her lips and sweat now poured all over her body.

Bloodshot eyes narrowed and flicked behind her as she half turned to witness her other opponent getting to his feet, his res starting to shift. Anna knew that to engage him would be to overgive, however it didn't appear to be a choice she possessed in this battle. Silently she prepared anew.

"Alright! I think that good enough. You can stop now." Came the voice of Maelstrom, tearing through the haze over her mind.

The Nuit seemed relieved as he started to gather his res from the ground, trying to regain a bit of lost Djed. Anna's mind was quickly occupied elsewhere, turning and making quickened strides towards the thing that had activated her anger. Lea.

by **Annalisa Marin** on November 14th, 2013, 5:37 am

Lea's form had been pitiful to look at before, however now it tugged at something in Anna's chest that she could only identify as pity. She didn't particularly understand it, petch she had just met the girl not chimes earlier. Perhaps it was because she had failed to protect the girl, one who had so readily protected her. If it wasn't for her intervention then the sorceress would have been very dead. It felt rather like a debt had gone unpaid, if she were to reduce it to practical terms. The practicality left a bitter taste in her mouth, seeming to reduce the worth of the dying woman.

Anna hated these feelings, these crushing emotions of helplessness and regret. Petch Celeste for bring her softer side back into the light of day, this was all that happened. She'd open up only to be hurt in someway, people who'd depended on her or trusted her left in the dust by the wayside. It hurt too much to open herself up, bleeding wounds left in her heart were far more difficult to heal than physical ones.

Betraying Velia had made her feel disgusted with herself, she'd remembered the tears flowing from her eyes with every stroke of her brush. She'd slain her own heart that day shattered it, sweeping the fragments under the rug. Her mother and Celeste had brought the pieces back, they were still broken and she herself was confused. Now it seemed that grief was her reward.

She knelt down, shaking hands moving towards the spike. Blood flowed freely from the wound, indeed it certainly looked as fatal as fatal got. A wet whimper sounded from the girl's throat as the sorceress' finger's brushed against the protrusion. Anna pulled back, looking into the girl's eyes in an almost comically confused look. What the petch was she supposed to do? What did she say? The world was so much more easy when it revolved around a single easy to understand person, namely herself. Caring about others again was painful, to say the least. What did she say?

I'm sorry your dying?

I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough?

I'm sorry I failed you?

I'm sorry I was too weak?

In the end any words she might have said caught in her throat, her mouth opening and closing rather like a fish out of water. This was all her fault, she had taken her on as a teammate with the intension of preventing casualties and instead two people were dead. One by her own hand and the other because of her own ineptitude. She barely knew this girl, yet her near death state was leaving Anna shaken to her core once more.

"I-I should ha- have listened to my parents. They told me Sahova would do this to me." Lea stated, her breathing shallow and a little wet sounding.

The sorceress bowed her head, shame overflowing by this point. Another person's daughter stolen from this world, another person whose promise was snuffed out in an instant. This time she had wanted to do good, or at least what seemed good to her and yet death and sorrow was her reward. What was the point in pursuing this path if it only resulted in more pain? What if she failed again?

"I'm sorry, Lea. I failed you." She said, her tone a little shaky.

"Hey, you got the guy that got me. That- that's got to count for something." Her words were interrupted by a coughing fit, droplets of crimson escaping her lips.

Anna felt her gut wrench, she had indeed killed the other pulser when her rage had over taken her. His smoking and charred remains were a distance away, another reminder of her failure. Wetness stung at the corners of her eyes, tears forming as she gripped Lea's hand. It felt cold, almost dead but not quite there.

"I-I should have been faster. I owed you that much at least for saving my life." The sorceress responded.

"You did what you... could. Its my... fault for not... being stronger." She responded, her breathing becoming more and more shallow before finally stopping entirely.

Anna stared into the glassy and unfocused orbs, her emotions threatening to tear her mind apart at the seams. She simply sat there in the slowly expanding pool of vital fluids, trying to keep it together. She was not going to break down, not here of all places. Anna knew that she couldn't afford to lose it all here, not in this place.

"Well, one out of three. I'll be honest, more than I was expecting to last." Came the familiar voice of Roknus Maelstrom, sounding slightly disappointed.

The woman clenched her fist and stood slowly, turning to face the mad Master of Reimancy with sorrow weighing heavily on her face. Her jaw was clenched, staying the many curses she wanted to level at him for this. Nothing good would result from lashing out stupidly and getting herself killed. Instead she slowly attempted to steady herself and her thoughts, though Maelstrom was regarding her with a quirked eyebrow.

"I didn't peg you for the sentimental type, wench." He noted bluntly.

"Why did you immobilize me?" She asked, just as bluntly and detracting from the subject of her emotions.

He shrugged slightly, the gleam in his eye still screaming of insanity but there was something that looked buried beneath it that Anna couldn't make out. Was it the cunning Amaryllis attributed towards Maelstrom, or something else entirely? The mad man was certainly an enigmatic force, one never knew if what he said was the ravings of a shattered mind or the cunning of whatever he had one been.

"Adaptation, Annalisa. A vital thing for any reimancer. Do you always think the tides of battle will go as you please? Do you think your little plans and strategies flawless? No! They are subject to reality like everything else!" He declared, matter of factly.

"You lost a resource, spent her to gain more time to handle other matters. She was expendable. The tides of battle dictated she die, so she died and you finished the mission. Good for you." He finished with a mocking applause, chuckling to himself at some private joke is insane mind had bred.

A resource. Was that what people came down to? Once she had been certain that the answer was yes, but now she was not so sure. Certainly viewing them as a resource protected her emotionally and hardened her against loss, but that had been her previous mindset and she had recognized it's flaws already. Was there a middle ground then?

"Also!" Maelstrom declared, pointing an accusing finger at Anna and jabbing it roughly into her ribs.

"You held back! You could have annihilated those two right at the beginning! I've seen you fight seriously and you were pulling your punches until the end! Unacceptable!" He accused, his face contorting in something approaching annoyance.

Anna had indeed held back, perhaps if she hadn't then Lea would still be alive. Instead, in trying to keep everyone from dying she'd lost two with one being her teammate. The lesson here was harsh indeed, that she had allowed an ally to die so that the enemy might live. Was she wrong to have done so? It certainly seemed that way where she was standing.

"Honestly, do you think the Heartlands will appreciate your mercy? No! You can't hold back then and you shouldn't have held back now. You are a reimancer, try and act like one!" He said, his face inches from her own.

He held her gaze, shoving her roughly backwards once he felt his message had been delivered well enough. The tall woman felt petching tired enough as it was, being shoved around certainly didn't help.

"Get the petch out of here and don't come back until you regrow that spine of yours!" He snarled, his eyes glaring holes into her.

Charming as always, such was the way of the Master of Reimancy. One minute he sounded suspiciously like he was teaching you something, only to whirl around and berate you for something he perceived as stupidity. Having no wish to invoke the wrath of the master, Anna simply inclined her head respectfully and made her way towards the exit.

Her eyes swept over Lea's corpse, a determined thought rising in her mind. Never again. She wasn't going to make the same mistake again that she had today, once the lines were clear she would fight to defend her allies and crush her enemies. She couldn't hesitate, if she did then anyone she might care about would be at risk. A question among many had been answered today, what she fought for. To protect her friends, those she cared about. It seemed natural to her, a noble if selfish goal.

Anna managed to make it out of the Elements Sanctum without breaking down and letting everything out. She walked through the Caverns and still she kept her composure. Even in the Dungeons with her memories of Celeste still fresh in her mind she kept up the mask. It wasn't until she reached her room, shutting the door firmly behind her that she dropped it all and just let herself feel. She let it all come out to the surface, everything she'd bottled up. Betraying Velia, her mother's return, Celeste's ultimatum, even Lea's death. It all came out as a wave of utterly soul rending and raw emotion, tears flowing freely and sobs allowed to wrack her body. It felt horrible, but it was actual primal feeling. Not a mask or a façade but genuine regret and remorse. A beginning on the new path.