Solo It's better to burn up then fade away

[Adam Michaels]

48th Fall 513 AV

It seemed as if his journey to Ravok was nearing a close, he'd managed to keep himself alive by staying close to the well traveled roads. Beaten by feet and hooves the grass non existant where the travelers before him treaded.

It was cool outside but his cloak provided warmth although his frailty still felt the chill to his bones wend the stark bitter winds hit him just right, although the silver eyed man bent over to pick up a stick. As his fingers clasped it he looked at it and marveled at how serene it all was. It was a nice sound the only thing he could remember was the laughter; at him. They mocked him openly, ridiculed him and then drove him out. They were either scared or envious, he'd survived the trials of the initiation of leeching and had grown with the personal magic. He not only did this, but he managed to do it with reimancy. So very opposite, the trick to mastering this combination of sorcery was to breath in and exhale. Hidden contexts and meanings within those very words, but it was the truth to be successful leeching was his toxic air and reimancy was what he ushered out.

He let his mind sink into a state of well being as he drew out Djed concentrated within his palm, as it began to pile the gelatinous clear blob hobbled haphazardly in the air as he focused on controlling it. It floated capriciously in momentary harmony before the transmutation process caused the balls outer layer to warp into a roaring flame that danced. It's inner core still jelly like allowed him to keep it aloft until he reached out his stick and forced the fire onto its tip turning the piece of timber into a makeshift torch to provide a much necessary warmth.

[Adam Michaels]

Adam seemed to reflect upon the fires image, he could see something within the flames the visage a damsel with flowing long hair she seemed to sway to the cackling rhythm of burning wood. There was something about that, like looking into a cloud and seeing what you want to see. This was no different, a hushed murmur escaped his lips.

Jaclyn

Promises that he never fulfilled or kept, he still felt so wasted on himself. He could have dealt with betrayal from anyone, anyone but her. He only felt the psychological scorn and that forlorn that came just after it. His heart sank in resentment, it no she was but a memory now but every once in a while the wound resurfaced only to be mended and tucked away.

He gave that no her up for power, and it was by her hand that he'd been found out as a leecher. His bright career in the university was over, she turned her back on him as did them all. Shunned, persecuted and mocked but he would one day return.

[Adam Michaels]

Aye, you there chum how's bout you put your coins on the ground.
Less you want us to give yous a pummelin.

A gruff voice interrupted Adams thoughts, as his silvery eyes began to move away from the recently created fireball he saw the outlines of two figures. By the looks of it an archer, she had long blond hair and green eyes that seemed to sparkle when the canopy light hit her just right. She was a beautiful creature if ever there was one though he would not make the mistake of allowing her aesthetically appealing features to blind him from how dangerous she was. The next a warrior in some piece mail or maybe he was a martial artist of some relative skill it was clearly trouble. As the iron clad bandit drew his long sword in a frightening display of wanton disregard of his life cutting short the oppurtunity to try and talk his way out of this mess. They were close enough to be uncomfortably so, no more then 11 to 12 feet away.

By all outward appearances Adam looked frail and helpless, an easy target that seemed without means of personal protection. There was still res within the center of the ball of fire. He willed the Res above the torch applying the technique of elemental magnetism, as the conflagration took off above its perch the remainder of burning wood reached out levitating in an eerie fashion towards Rez. The ball of Res swirled evenly dispersing the extra fire like a lathering of spread. Finally he gave the ball life spreading two protrusions out like wings and stretching the back out like a tail.

It had an ethereal beauty as it took on the appearance of a hawk, it swirled and swayed as Adam kept its center as Res so that he could continue to manipulate it. It soared or appeared to soar as if it had been given life, the two bandits were left a bit mesmerized by what they were seeing. They stopped to gander, precisely what he wanted. There was a fear the warrior would charge but they were awe struck by what was happening before there eyes and the attention was wavered from himself in the process.

The archer drew back the string of her bow at what she believed was some kind of infernal beast from the darkest pits of the ukalas. She loosed his arrow with the grace and skill befitting an archer of competent levels only her arrow never slayed the beast. It zipped into and through it but the monster did not shriek in pain as it made its downward descent. It was without surprise that the manipulation lost its shape as it sailed beyond the grasp of his will.

Those emerald green eyes dilated to the size of saucers as a once confident look was washed away by horror as she realized her mistake. Her hand reached back for a loose arrow shaft within her quiver but by then it was too little too late.

But it wouldn't last long as the fiery bird came screeching down onto the archers face, as it hit the form of the bird was lost as it became a blob of fiery jelly, Adam proceeded a few steps forward to put him back within the limits of his reach. The only thing that was left was the transmutation of the core. Adam chose his newest element, air.

What happened next was a pyro clastic explosion an oxygen fire that smoldered with a sizzling plume of sparks that for all intensive purposes was radically different than mere fire. It burned fiercely concentrated like a high intensity torch. So hot inside the meat of his face would evaporate while charing the bone too a chalky pitch black charcoal that crumbled to the touch. As the target hit the ground what was left inside came spilling out like piping hot soup hot vapors emanating while the thick liquid goo bubbled and popped, a really ugly mess with a distinct odor the reek of burnt hair that lofted capriciously in the serene wilderness air.

Fire was his forte, an element he knew rather well.

[Adam Michaels]

The warrior dripping in iron clad armor was bewildered by what had happened. He was stepping back looking down in terror to what was left of a friend or lover. Hand reaching out trembling towards what was left of her charbroiled visage, Adam was a monster in his eyes an abomination a freak of nature.

Adam once again began to release Djed from his hand as he dropped the flame less torch. And willed the ball a few feet from his hand, he wanted to test a new idea and what better a test subject then this guy?

As the Djed ball hobbled forward lazily held adrift through shear force of will the gelatin ball flattened out and confined itself into an a straight line then arced out. Elemental magnetism came into play again as he channeled air into the narrow channel. He could feel daft drafts of wind billowing in from all sides as he collected what he could.

By this time the warrior got up, there was a frothy rage in his eyes the kind of anger where you dripped from the nose. His assault forward was relentless as he charged forward like a clumsy barbarian, he raised his sword above his head to come down upon
Adam.

But by then he transmuted the arc, and released his spell. All that air he'd channeled into that line released with a booming burst, a narrow pressure shockwave exploded forward hitting the warrior square in the chest flailing him off his feet, and sending him rocketing backwards. He landed with a thud, his back on the ground moaning in dizzied confusion trying to figure out what happened. He was like a turtle on its back clamoring his arms at the ground half heartedly attempting to roll himself over.

The armor saved him from being split open, as the mark of where he'd been his visibly marred his chest plate in a scar that caved the metal in slightly in a streak. The concussive force of impact was what had done the real damage as his chest piece smashed back into chest breaking ribs and possibly rupturing disks in his spine from impacted whiplash.

[Adam Michaels]

In magic often times too much of a good thing was in fact bad, he could taste it in his mouth a metallic tang that was followed by a trickling from his nose that trickled past his lips as scarlet droplets spattered on the ground. He could hear her voice it was Jaclyn's whispering with her lulling tones telling him to press forward, the sweet nulling sounds of forgiveness that he was proving her wrong that she would take him back if only he completed this one task. He was filled with euphoria and was left in a state of jubilation it was pure satisfaction.

It was true he wielded powerful spells, but his saving grace in the matter was elemental magnetism. It allowed him to wield what was around him, as Res manipulation allowed greater versatility in his spell play turning that fireball into a hawk then into a smoldering pyroclastic burst. What was doing him in was his trifling with his newest element, Air it was consuming more out of him then he anticipated and now he was facing the dire consequences.

He started to hack and cough, and as he wiped his face clean blood smeared across his sleeve. For most mages this was it, a final spell to push him over the limit and eliminate his target potentially killing himself in the process.

But Adam was flexible, he could do things that other mages could not. He could push back this mild state of over giving and suffer further or he could do something else. He could be like the battle mages of the suvan and use the fallen as resources, he opted for option number two as his third option would not provide enough power to charge a spell in the limited window of opportunity he had.

[Adam Michaels]

His head wrenched with a mild mannered headache he staggered forward dragging his feet in slow methodical steps that scrapped the dirt beneath him. He was close to victory, he could visualize it. But first he had to get himself there, towards the fallen women.

Adam slid his sandals off casually, and placed his foot atop the open palm of his felled adversary and began to dabble in the ghoulish art of focused leeching. As skin make contact with the bare ball of his foot the absorption process began. He could feel the energy swelling inside of him, as his veins around the foot began to blacken from sucking in the contaminated Djed. It wasn't alot but he willed what he could, every morsel every last little speck he ripped from her recently departed being em gorging himself.

Viewed no longer as a threat, just wasted potential meat long past it's expiration date he withdrew his foot and began channeling Djed from out his right hand as he pointed it at the warrior. It was as he expected, saved from a quick finish he would be left to experience a terribly slow gruesome one instead.

His hand fell limp to his side and allowed the res to smear across the handle of his sword before willing it out its sheath slow and steady. His hands reached for his hood as he pulled it down. And his voice slowly murmured something it was chilling a frightening incantation in Nader Canoch, as Adam focused his mind on the manipulation of a Res covered blade.

The words where audible but extraterrestrial a dead language reserved for true wizards. The sword floated with an eerie atmosphere as each step brought him closer to the fallen warrior if he was to be called that. Each word ushered was a step closer to his demise as he loomed over him, it was over. As he propelled the sword down to stake him in the throat using the res to drive it in slowly, his opponents iron clad hand griped the sword to no avail as the res acted like lubrication sliding ever so slowly through his grip as the tip of the sword punctured flesh and drove its way home.

The bandit was trying to say something but he kept choking on blood, coughing it spattered spray like a weak and feeble geyser.

It was over, Adam was done