Completed [Various] A new kind of fighting [Daniel Connor]

[Ellen Ansgot]

52nd of Fall Another day spent training. Today Alexander was sending Ellen to the stone gardens to meet someone he thought could teach her something interesting. Ellen had never known much of magic aside from some letters her brother had sent to her telling about reimnancy that he had learned. It never meant much to Ellen, and she hadn't bothered to learn from anyone for a few reasons. One being she didn't know much about magic, and the second because she never was around anyone who could teach her magic. Alexander had sent her to learn flux, a magic he said could help her fight efficiently. Her patron set up a meeting with a mercenary by the name of Daniel. Ellen was told that Alexander was asking about flux, and had been intending for her to learn it for a while. Daniel had heard this from others and set up a meeting with Ellen's patron, who in turn set up a meeting with them. Or so she had been told. Either way she continued her trek to find Mr. Daniels room. She had been given simple directions to the flat, and was expected to be there rather early. Ellen was always early though, leaving almost a bell in advance, and arriving at least half a bell early. By the time she got there the sun had barely risen, and she was hoping this Daniel would be up and prepared as early as she. Checking her slip with directions making sure she had followed them all properly, Ellen lifted her fist to the door and gave four swift knocks taking a step back after the last to give a bit of room to the rooms owner in case he decided to step outside. After waiting for almost a chime no one had come to answer the door. Perhaps he was still asleep. Ellen walked up to the door again, and gave it another few knocks, stepped back again and waited for an answer. She was eager to learn, perhaps she was being a bit impatient. Hoping that she wasn't being too rude.

[Daniel Connor]

A knock at the door roused Daniel from his thoughts. He had woken up hours before the training was supposed to start, before the sun was even up. The usual nightmares about his parents’ death continued to plague him. It had been better with his bond there to comfort him, but at the present time she had to make her morning deliveries. So now he prepared for the Flux instruction, that would have been on the next bell. He was wearing a simple, loose fitting shirt and Needless to say, he was surprised at the knock so early, when he was not expecting company. Walking to the door silently, standing in front of the door. If this was a break in, the intruder would be sorry. He did not hear the sound of a lock pick in his door, so he said in a firm voice, “Who is there? Are you the girl I am supposed to train?” At this point he opened the door, deciding that it was probably his pupil. He smiled at the girl, sizing her up at the same time. She was strong, looking well trained. Lopsided arms. but not overly so, maybe a two handed weapon or a shield. She carried herself with an air of a leader, not a bad quality to have. His eyes turned a leafy green, happy with what he saw. “Welcome to my home! You must be Ellen, no? I hope you come early because you did not need the time to mentally prepare yourself for the things I am going to teach you,” he raised an eyebrow at her in mock disapproval. She was young, but that did not mean much. He had been around her age when he had been taught the magic of Flux. His master had altered his Djed flow so he could try to imitate what he felt, by using symbols he made while his master demonstrated the techniques. “Let us get started. Here, let me take of your coat, and you should take your boots off,” he said, putting it on the rack by the door. “Now, take a seat on the floor, if you would” he instructed, pointing to a thick, soft rug that he had put in the middle of the floor. He down on the other side of the rug from where he pointed, then asked, “Are you ready?”

[Ellen Ansgot]

When the door was opened Ellen found her teacher to be a man who was a bit taller than herself. Daniel was also older than her, but many others she interacted with were too, so Ellen had grown accustom to spending time with those of superior age. It had not bothered her much, she didn't feel as interested in things those her age were. Ellen was focused and driven, she must become the best knight she could and make her family proud. Flux was supposed to help her achieve this, or so Alexander believed, and so here she was. "Apologies if I awoke you, I mean no disrespect. I've never tried any kind of magic so I haven't a clue as to my needs" She said as she entered the house. Ellen smiled in thanks as her coat was taken, and she left her boots near the door, but out of the way in case the door was to be opened again before she left. The house she wasn't too accustomed to. After living so long in the squire dormitories, normal houses we almost alien to her. It wasn't any kind shock, it had just been a while. Ellen took a while to walk around and observe the house, not prying in any closed rooms, just looking around as she walked. Once they arrived in the main room, Ellen walked over to the rug that Daniel had pointed out just a moment before. She stood on it for a moment, appreciating the soft rug on her feet. Not often did she allow herself to just relax. The rug was easy to walk on, and felt almost like it conformed to her feet. She sat down, still enjoying the softness of the rug, almost enough to make her sleep again. There was magic to learn though, and she had to remain focused on learning. It seemed that even when she could relax, she still had some form of training to attend to. The young squire always kept herself busy with one thing or another. There was always something to train in, someone that wanted help, or something new to learn. Maybe someday soon she would take a day for herself. The idea was nice, but improbable. As much as she would love a day at the baths, or roaming the grounds, Ellen knew that part of her would want to be training. The chances that Alexander would allow her this kind of a day were slim as well. Shaking away all the daydreams, Ellen prepared herself to learn this magic. She took a few deep breaths, and cleared her mind, prepared to absorb information on an entirely new subject. It was time to start her training. "I believe I'm ready, yes."

[Daniel Connor]

Daniel smiled at his eager pupil. This would be interesting, as he had only taught another person the art of unarmed combat. While that was all well and good, this required a higher level of thinking. "First off, close your eyes, and do the best to empty your mind of distractions," he instructed, then smiled, "I am sure you will be good at that, as it is virtually required in the heat of battle." He closed his own eyes, masking the now deep blue orange irises. It took him half a second for his mind to clear, as he had been practicing it for many years. "Breath slowly. It is important." He took a deep breath, and let it out. Another followed, and this cycle repeated for a quarter of a bell, until he finally said, "Enough, next step, now that your mind is clear." Daniel took off his shirt, reviling carefully drawn lines in black across his bare chest. The skin was blotted with scars and a tattoo could be seen on his shoulder, and another on his lower back. "See these? They are where the Djed flow in you body is most concentrated, but it flows to everywhere. Starting from the top of the head, going down to the chest and into the arms and legs, then back up the back side of the body to the head once more. Right now we will only try for the arms, as it is usually easier that the legs. Undress your top half to your undergarments, if you will," he finished, a little bit uncomfortable, but not showing it in his face. His master had done the same thing to him a week into his training, though he had not known how to breath as she did. Waiting patiently for her to comply, Daniel traced the black ink on his arms, deep in thought on how to proceed. Seeing that she had done as he had asked, he continued, "Okay, now I will widen the flow of your Djed through a few pressure points, influenced with my Flux magic. Now, a master that this could control your body as I can my own, where as I can do very little. Here, arms out towards me." He scooted himself a bit closer to her, so he could have better arm mobility. He measured the distance between the second and third knuckle of her middle finger, keeping the measurement in his hand. Using that, he moved two lengths down on the underside of her wrist, on the right arm and pressed firmly, but gently also. With his spare arm, he pressed the crease of her elbow. Her veins bulged due the the increased blood flow. He consentrated and directed his Djed through his arms, will it to influence hers. Having never tried this before, he was a bit worried that he might not be able to do it, despite the long hours with his master. But soon, he felt the tingle of her Djed flow picking up speed. He smiled and asked, "Feel that? That is Flux for you. Now as I do this, I want you make these gestures with your other hand, okay?" Daniel moved his left hand into a position where his middle finger was resting on his thumb like a branch from a log. His index and ring fingers were a centimeter away from the thumb and his pinky was almost fully extended. He nodded his head, signifying her to mimic him. "That is the symbol for right arm, or at least the one I used to use. Left is the same but the ring and middle fingers are switched. The left and right legs are with the index and pinky respectively, but that is for another day. How are you feeling?" He knew how taxing and foreign this could feel the first time.

[Ellen Ansgot]

Up to this point it had been easy. Ellen thought she was getting a good handle on this. Breathing was simple, clearing her mind, in and out. It was soothing to sit there and listen to the breathing of two people, not having to say anything, or even think it. She was tired already, and this wasn't helping her too much in that aspect. She had slept rather roughly the night before, if it could be considered sleep at all. Every bell on the bell she woke up, and had no idea why. Perhaps she was too exhausted and needed to take a day off from all of this training. She heard a bit of movement and opened her eyes for a moment, seeing Daniel take his shirt off. Ellen took note of all the tattoos her teacher had. A few of them had different styles, one looking like a snake, and others looking more like runes than any kind of tattoo she had seen. When Daniel spoke to her she paid attention to everything he pointed out. Then she was asked to disrobe. Though it might have bothered her from some, Ellen complied without question. Her patron would not have sent her into this situation if he did not trust Daniel. If Alexander trusted Daniel enough for Ellen to be sent to him, then it was not her place to ask questions. Once her shirt was off, she watched Daniel tracing his arms, obviously contemplating something. The squire waited for her teacher to decide what they would do next. She complied with every with everything Daniel had told her, listening and making sure to pay attention to everything being told to her. It was an interesting feeling, having all of these pressure points pushed. On any other day, she would never guess to just touch pressure points to use magic. It was an interesting concept for her. This so far had been the most relaxing thing to happen in quite some time for her, as the only other contact she usually had with others was in combat. With the few exceptions of a patrol every now and again. The squire nodded when she was asked if she could feel the flow. It was nothing like anything she had ever felt before. She was speechless. There was an unexplainable feeling in her arms. She almost felt stronger, but she couldn't quite call it that. The easiest way this feeling could be explained was that there was no way to explain it at all. Ellen marveld at her own arm, as if it wer a completely different extremitey, entirely forign to her body. The thought of all of this made her a little light headed, but she would push on. Concentrating yet again on nothing. Clearing her mind of all thoughts other than the steady flow of instructions coming from her mentor. His touch kept her a bit anchored, always allowing her to fall back on the idea that there was another person here, who could experience the same thing she was going through right now. As instructed, she touched various finger to her thumb in immitation of Daniels example. First index, then middle, ring, and pinkey fingers. With each one, the resounding though came back to her of how simple Flux seemed to be, but how difficult it was at the same time. Even though she hadn't really done anything yet Ellen was already tired. A different tired from earlier, now she was exhausted, feeling a bit drained. Along with the strange new feelings of magic, it had all seemed so simple. The touch of a knowledgable teacher, some hand gestures and thoughts was all it took to unlock this hidden ability. She was very excited to give the new magic a test, but she knew that if she pushed herself now it would throw away everything that just happened. "I feel.... I don't know. Tired and awake at the same time. This is all very exciting, but also rather draining." After a moments pause and thought, Ellen formulated another question. "What would be the repurcussions of working your flux too much?"

[Radiant]

Ellen :

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+1 XP
Socialization	+1 XP
Meditation	+1 XP
Flux	+1 XP

Lores

Lore Earned

Daniel: Mercenary

Personal Magic: Flux

Flux: Influencing The Flow Of Djed In One's Body

Loots

Notes :

Shame to see it fizzled out. Oh well.

Ellen, Syliras is one huge fortress with dwellings in the form of apartments built into the walls, there are no houses in the Fortress. Do keep this in mind on your future threads.

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.