Closed Fool Me Once

[Russell Wood]

Russell paid attention to the answer his teacher had given him, nodding to show that he did understand. Russell furrowed his brows, he found the fact that his body already knew how to make Res frustrating. How was he supposed to start his body off in the creation of Res? Russell had no answers to that one. It was frustrating and him mentally moaning about that wouldn’t help to speed the process up, so he shut the world away at that moment. Not even paying attention to the invasion of his physical space. a deep sort of meditation was needed, he had already tried to have the djed flow out of his body, but simply doing a failure variation of voiding wouldn’t do, nor a screw up of flux. A mixture of the two might provide the answer that he needed, but then again what he tried was already that. Maybe he had the answers right in front of him and couldn’t see the worth of the answer.

Russell being completely unaware of the hypnotism that was being done to him merely concentrated on his djed. He could call it out and try again to create Res, but that would be merely wasting energy at this point, he needed to think about this rather calmly. His head began to pound once more and his body felt as if it was going to burn him from the inside out, it was a rather horrible feeling, and not one that he could get to leave. It had nearly ruined his sleep the night before and bothered him the rest of yesterday. There was something about that feeling that Russell hated, entirely loathed with his entire being. Him being vulnerable and weak, just that thought had him push through the pain once more to draw at his life essence. He would master this process as fast as he could, and then learn to manipulate the elements. The hypnotism helped to boost his already great confidence.

Russell thought about Res once more as he slowly pulled on his djed, a liquid and a gas, it could transform into an element; even having it turn into multiple ones was possible. Now what could make his djed transform into that, rather than having perverting it, Russell thought about the initial product and then the final one, his body would know what to do in between. Russell guided the djed toward his pathways and through to just under his skin, just as he had done so before. Maybe he hadn’t put in enough last time? If djed was going to be in a truly visible form, then there had to be a lot of it right? Well, Russell went with that idea, gaining a boost in his confidence, greater determination and a wave of calmness washed over him.

For a second he envisioned himself producing Res, it was clear; as if he had actually done so, Russell thought about that image, the res that surrounded him. Russell didn’t need to think about anything else, that single thought had given him what he needed. He could produce Res, his body knew how to, he could move his djed through and out of his body, it was something that he had been accustomed to for years. He concentrated on the waters around the boat, it was the easiest to do, the water made a calming sound; a few hours ago Russell could never think of water as something calming. He continued to pool djed underneath the palm of his right hand. It would come out as Res, it had to, nothing else would do, until he could get it in one shot, Russell would continue to pool it there, as if he was using flux. This would hopefully be a short-trip.

[Miro]

Miro continued to flow the hypnotic spell for quite some time, a matter of several chimes, maybe even a quarter bell. However by then the effect of the emotional response would be mostly moot, and even somewhat strenuous. The muscles in his arm began to ache. His palm and finger tips felt as if they were on fire. But there was only so much a master could do for a student. The rest was up to Russell, but they had plenty of time.

The boat trip would pass slowly for the undead, only able to watch his student. There were ways for a master to pass his time however. Sadly most of them involved use of Djed, and today was possibly one that would take a toll on his soul. But there were other things to do, but most of them boring. Like working out the next step in the lesson, or at this point just reviewing it. By now Reimancy was all too simple, and so too now was teaching it.

But if there was one thing that was not trite, it was Auristics. Indeed this would tax him some, but not as much as the other disciplines it seemed. The strain tended to be more mental, and only abuse truly encouraged strain. Another thing that was useful was meditation itself, much like the apprentice partook in. Of course, mental preparation assisted in casting, and this would reduce any strain caused. Auristics was useful for insight, but only if there was further insight to be gained.

Had the Hypnotism pushed Russell in the right direction? There was no way to tell by mundane methods of observation, but still, it was a fine line to walk between magic use and abuse. A session of meditation was indeed the perfect answer. The wizard sat himself down and relaxed his entire body. His arm fell limp into his lap and his eyes closed. A rhythmic breathing began, in through the nose, out the mouth.

Miro slowly drove all outside distractions from his mind. Petty concerns drifted away, and all of the sounds of the world became simple noise. The presence of it all still existed, but its impact on his mind faded as the chimes passed. Though not all things could be shrugged off so easily. The thought of Russell and his progress lingered still. The itch to use Auristics on him hounded the Chained One, so eager to see progress.

But the truth was that they would not see Res produced until they hit shore. At least, it was not expected. To perform in front of others, a wizard knew better, and that mental block alone might be enough to stifle progress. But to not reach the sought release of Res, to have the desire build up inside, it was good. It brought the apprentice closer to his goal. Perhaps to borrow from his background in Voiding would be best.

The Chained One continued to muse on this, his mind becoming locked on this one subject. Ironic as it was, seeing as he assured himself of his ability to teach, but nonetheless created an innovation. After he had decided on what to do, he cleared his mind further. No longer was he stuck on Russell, he could finally blank out the world, all but his rhythmic breaths. Inner tranquility overtook him for a time.

Finally Miro was ready to continue, ready call upon his Auristic insight once more. But first he had another hypnotic spell to cast, although this one was simple. Rather than talk, interrupt meditation, a sudden thought would be used to convey a message. Again the hand was held outward and Djed was pushed forth. The thought would appear in Russell's mind, "I should use a word or phrase to help center my mind, like I would in Voiding."

Yes, that hint, it would do well to help Russell. How far already the newly initiated Reimancer had gotten was still a mystery however. It was about time for the Aurist to learn. The only thing that could be observed however was the physical state of the target, their feelings and whatever magical activity was present. It was mostly the last thing that concerned the undead. Perhaps it would reveal some way of further instructing the student. But that was only likely if there was something blatantly wrong.

The wizard closed his eyes and concentrated his Djed to heighten his other sense. He forced his eyes open and directed his attention toward Russell, began to expend his Djed to attune himself to the apprentice's aura. Slowly the aura came into sight, back into focus. It hummed a soft melody and flickered brilliantly with colorful light. Almost instantly information began to flood into the caster's mind.

So much information flashed into Miro's mind, it was hard to decipher it all. To refocus on an aura so recently viewed, it accelerated the process, though it was a bit overwhelming. All of the raw information that flashed in his mind's eye, it was like a barrage of Hypnotism being cast. To try and retain focus and filter at the same time, it was so difficult. The undead clenched his eyes shut and began to chant softly to himself. So much of it was irrelevant.

But ticks turned to chimes, chimes into clarity. Yes, it was difficult, but with focus on the area of the aura wished to be viewed, progress came easier. It was a slow process of gaining any depth of sight into emotions, but the magical activity became clear. The Djed that poured from the man appeared like steam rising off a body. His skin was aglow and reminded of a simmering pool. It seemed that everything was going well.

Yet again Miro ceased the flow of Djed, let the burden of Auristics slip from his mind. Along with it left a great deal of the wizard's vitality. He felt dizzy, his body weak, his connection to his Djed faint. That was the cost of Auristics use. To focus especially hard only made it worse. He rolled back onto the boat, his metallic robe clinking against the wooden surface of the boat. It was nice, the calm blue sky above him. Yes, ever so pleasant, the Reimancer would remain like this until their arrival at the Post.

[Russell Wood]

Russell spent his time on the trip trying to constantly collect djed in one place before letting it go just as fast. He was certainly losing a good deal of it but he was put off whenever he thought he heard someone approaching the area or a far off voice of a person. It was strange thing trying to practice magic on a boat filled with people, but then again trying to practice something that couldn’t be seen on the outside at the moment was something that he doubted a normal person would connect to magic. He exhaled rather loudly, it was taxing to lose so much djed on a task like this, he had already lost the djed pooled in his hand.

He concentrated once more on the flow of his djed, this time though he wasn’t going to do anything, for a good while too. Making Res would only get impossible once they reached land, so he was instead going to concentrate on making it an easier task, he thought he already knew the trick behind it, at this point concentrating on the elements was perhaps the better task. But doing so was going to be difficult; how would Res be transformed into an element? Unlike voiding which was clearing an area of matter and making it truly empty, turning Res into an element seemed to be rather…Strange.

Russell spent a good deal just sitting in a meditative position, he was calm and had finally learned how to shut the world away, still every few seconds the sounds of people moving would put him off, and he’d have to start concentrating again. It was at this point that using an incantation came to mind, but he couldn’t decide on what to use, whether it was the one he used to use for magic, or a new one meant specifically for this purpose? Russell decided that a new one would be fine, he concentrated on the air around him. A single phrase came to mind as he felt the wind slowly blow through his skin. ”Still” Russell usually didn’t use single words, but at this moment it felt just right, a word that described what he needed to do; something all the elements could do…be still.

As the hours passed, Russell felt himself calming as he continued to repeat the one phrase on his mind. ”Still” The beads of sweat that had been littering his body since the end of the djed practice had all but disappeared. The air above him and the water surrounding the boat had been the number one focus for him, concentrating on things that weren’t here was a waste of time for Russell. He felt the hard wood below him, and found that sitting down on it for so long was making his behind sore and his legs stiff, he needed a way to unwind and stretch. But that would mean putting all his hard work to waste.

The far off voices of the fellow boat riders could be heard as a wave of noise was beginning to spread around the ship, land was in sight, and Russell hadn’t even noticed. He was simply that calm at this point. He felt the wind pass through his hair, and could feel the ever so slight rocking of the boat. It was a calming ride, one that he hadn’t appreciated yet due to his frustration, he could certainly do this, the elements were a part of him, it’d come instinctually; Russell had not been as sure of his skill as he was at this moment, Reimancy as his to claim.

[Miro]

It seemed that perhaps Russell was going to get somewhere soon, but they could not stay on the ferry any longer. It had arrived and come to a stop, and the flow of traffic out of the city would need to include them too unless they were to take the trip back so soon. But no, they came here for a reason, for a few of them. Miro flung his arm forward to shift his weight to sit up. He carefully jostled his apprentice to disrupt his meditations.

"Russell, c'mon, it's time to go. We haven't far to go, and then we will start again. You have done well, but I think it is time we take a new approach." Perhaps to have had the apprentice focus on such an approach was a bit cruel, for nobody learned to produce Res in such a way. But it was not the actual production that mattered thus far, but instead the actual meditation. The burn of the struggle, to strive for it, burn the visualization.

The forced himself to his feet and began to walk off the vessel and towards the shoreline. "Come now, we shan't go far. Just enough that we are away from everyone, but not so far we can not see our ride home. I think I have the answer you need." It was a simple enough thing to do too, so maybe they would be able to achieve success. After a few short chimes of walking the wizard stopped.

"This here is fine, don't you think?" It was a rhetorical question, so any response would likely cause a scowl. Like such a thing really mattered. "I have a new way for you to attempt this. By now I am sure you've been able to gather your mind well enough, to meditate long on what you were supposed to. Now it is time to achieve success." With a few instructions it was highly likely they could move on.

"Your rune on your hand, it is the key to your success. I want you to pool your Djed behind it, but do not release it. I want you to focus on that one point in your palm, gather as much as you can, and I need you to visualize your Res. Once you have gathered enough focus and Djed, you will feel it. At this time, speak an incantation as firmly as you can. Put all of your feeling and will into it, and force out Res from your body."

Now the Reimancer would demonstrate the pose to take. He held his hand out before him, took a squared stance, as if ready to take some impact behind his hand and closed his eyes. He drew in a deep breath and heaved it out loudly and began to focus on his outstretched hand, his fingers splayed as far as they could manage. Finally he roared with the incantation, "Fiise!", and an orb of Res began to bubble before his hand.

The odd stance was shifted back to a much more normal one, then instead Miro sat himself down. The Res still hovered in the air where it was first produced, the aqua colored liquid that defied the logic of gravity. It would serve as a reminder, though it was small enough to be grasped by a single hand. "Just like that Russell. You can do it. Have faith in yourself. You show more promise than any of my former apprentices. Make me proud!"

[Russell Wood]

Russell was brought out of his meditation by Miro, the second he opened his eyes Russell flinched, the sudden change from darkness to light was startling and it appeared that his eyes agree with him too, Russell was looking forward to what his teacher had planned. ”Sir, what was wrong with the old approach?” He asked as he stood up, and stretched his stiff knees, staying in one position for so long was rather harrowing. Russell took in a deep breath of lake air, before following Miro, this would be a rather interesting training session. As they stepped off the boat; Russell felt a wave of dizziness pass over him; and then heat spread throughout his body.

”That’s good, I think we should be careful of picking easy to see areas; our training should be a need-to-know thing right sir?” Russell said as he attempted to gain proper footing, a few deep breaths and the heat slowly dissipated, it really was a pain to have to deal with these hot surges? Flushes? Russell didn’t know what it was, but it was frustrating, he shook his head and cleared any distracting thoughts before following Miro once more. A few chimes of walking had brought them to a place Russell could approve of, he looked around and nodded; opting to keep quiet; he wasn’t here to view the scenery.

He took in a deep breath, and listened to Miro. ”I almost felt like I was mere seconds away from grasping it, but it kept slipping away from me.” He felt frustrated at not being able to have grasped it on the boat, all that energy lost to a near impossible task. He stood stock still and watched his teacher, it was an interesting site, especially as he could not tell what was going on inside, how the djed was flowing. But even then Russell could grasp what was going on by simple listening to what he was saying. Though the rune was lost, Russell was determined to make it work, he was able to void fine and without it, plus he knew flux and hypnotism all able to be done without it, no aid was needed.

Any thought of even asking for another rune was gone once he saw his teacher release res through his hand, it was quite possible without it, but Russell was prepared to do it. ”I see, the rune was used up earlier, but I’m sure I’ll be able to do it just fine sir, I’ll be surprising you soon enough.” He felt a bit of pride well up once he had heard he was the most promising student; it was certainly an honor. He took the same stance as Miro, a squared stance with his right arm held out. Though Russell was supporting his right arm with his left, he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes clearing his mind faster. He let his djed flow to his arms and then into his palm to collect below the skin.

The process was slow, the wind blew past Russell’s hair but it was ignored, djed continued to flow through to his hand. While nothing could be heard on the outside world, Russell felt as if he could only hear a roaring wind. The djed pooled up until Russell felt as if he would drain himself, and released it, willing the res to come out; at that point he literally threw out a piece of himself, corrupted a part of his soul to be thrown away. Russell opened his eyes as he willed the djed to flow out all at once. What he saw was a black ball of liquid slowly coming out of his hand only to fall straight to the floor, he could almost feel a connection to it, the sensation of having created it had chills run down his body, but the ball of Res was pitiful, small and he couldn’t even control it. Any pride he felt was taken over by mirth as he began to laugh. ”Well I did say I was going to surprise you sir; I guess along with most promising apprentice you could add least promising Res creator.” He collapsed onto his bum as he began to laugh once more. That had been tiring but certainly worth it.

[Miro]

Miro was eager to get on with everything. Apparently the rune drawn had been wasted in the trip across the lake. Likely from the Djed released from the body, enough to wear out the glyph. It had been a long trip, and the focus was previously used to open a rather impressive Void. Russell's Voiding was always so impressive. Impressive enough to cause envy just to muse over. To think of all the problems that could be thrown away into the abyss of the Void.

But the apprentice would not let anything hold him back. Little did the newly initiated Reimancer know, but he had already been through an incredible trial. It was not the kind that was entirely dangerous on the surface, but rather hidden just below, and easy to slip into. Much like a walk on the surface of a barely frozen pond. But Russell was quite nimble it seemed. His ability to navigate Miro's field of trickery was exceptional.

Too bad the best way to navigate it was with a guide. A wicked guide that would lead you across his pond and into your new cage. At least the Chained One was a good owner to have. Truly, to be apprenticed to him, it meant an exchange of freedom into power. At least this one, this Voider, he did not need to be chained down. As long as he knew where his home was and was smart enough to wander back.

Miro watched his student assume the stance he was shown and follow the instructions given. Impressively enough, despite not having a focus to aid him, Russell managed to produce an amount of Res. It took a while for the act to happen though, and the amount was more or less pitiful. All in all, despite the struggle, it was an impressive feat. Finally they had completed the first step in the training.

The master was quite pleased with what he saw. "Good Russell, very good! You've done it. And you shouldn't belittle your achievement. I am quite impressed by what you have accomplished." But there was still more to be done. A lot more they would both have to work at. "Your Res, it is still connected to you, to your will. Move it, practice its manipulation, like I showed you."

It would be good for the Reimancer to practice with his Res for a bit. It was something that took a bit of getting used to, but quickly became second nature. "Remember, as a novice, newly initiated like you are, your control is very limited. Guide your efforts with your hands and focus on your Res. You must have faith in your connection to it, in your ability to manipulate it." Though they would have to progress to the next step soon.

Res produced by such an unpracticed wizard would not last long. Res naturally was unstable and decayed. A slight amount as this, made by an inferior wizard, it would be gone within chimes. It would give some time to gain a bit of experience with the substance. Hopefully that would make the next emission come easier, but that was just the easiest of the steps. To learn to transmute an element was even harder.

When finally Russell was done with his Res, Miro would be ready to start again. In the time that the apprentice spent practicing, the master prepared for the next step. His Glyphing materials were unloaded from the bag and he waited eagerly to begin. "Since your runes have worn from use and still succeeded I know you are capable. I could draw another set and you would have greater success. Next I want you to practice manifesting Res between your hands and controlling it there. You must learn to transmute an element now."

If the apprenticed wished to continue without the assistance of his master, the undead would not object. It would disappoint him, but he could admire such rebelliousness. To break the defiant ones was always the most fun. However if the hands were offered he would begin to draw a powerful rune. Only the front of the hands would be painted upon however.

This was not quite a sigil, just a single rune, a focus. It would allow ease of casting through the hands, and to a degree even more control. While combined with the aid gestures gave, it would greatly assist the novice Reimancer. To create an element for the first time was a hard thing to describe. Like an epiphany of the soul, a sudden spark of clarity. Your very understanding of the element itself transmuted.

The Chained One would of course insist that they do things his way. In a demanding tone his voice poured over his student. "Russell, I believe in you to master transmutation. The key is to find your affinity with an element. You must find it within you, like you did with your Res, but deeper. It is locked within your Res, the elemental part of your soul. Find which of the elements call to you."

"But there is a catch." The Reimancer insisted Glyphing be used. "To achieve transmutation requires Djed, concentration, control over your Res. I insist you let me assist you in every way possible. That is what it means to be a master, for you to be my apprentice." He spoke in a plain and serious tone, but with a hint of sincerity in his delivery. "You're my star apprentice Russell. Work with me and you will become a revolutionary wizard."

Miro would now all but force himself upon those lovely magical hands. He uncapped his paints and took his brush and went to work. First the right hand, though the designs would be the same for both. The Glypher began to draw a pattern of decorated triangles all reaching in to cross the center all across the apprentices hands and fingers. In the center was a rigid circular star shape, if one could call it that. The process was repeated for the other hand as well.

Next the wizard would switch brushes, and as well paints. He used now his red paint, usually only done on switches. He called what of his Res still remained to gather around Russell's hands and transmuted it to a gust of wind to dry the paint upon them before he began. Until now it had not occurred to him that he might layer Glyphing in such a way. It allowed him to expand the medium of painting greatly.

With the red paint he drew a circular patterning across all of the triangles. A set of waved lines that wove into each other and framed the center star. And within the star he began to draw another shape. It was a stylized triangle filled in with three words. Posed against the walls were the words, "Control, Element, Transmutation." In the center of the triangle and star he drew an inverted triangle with a point directed at each word.

Of course the process was carefully repeated on the other hand. The two runes were hardly identical, but their effectiveness was not based around symmetry. They would serve Russell well. "Now, produce your Res, focus your mind. Utilize gestures and incantations as much as you can. The closer your Res is to you, the more control you have. Manipulating it between your hands is your best shot. Good luck."

[Nemesis]

Miro

Knowledge :

Skills

Skill	XP
Auristics	+3
Drawing	+2
Glyphing	+2
Hypnotism	+2
Planning	+1
Rhetoric	+2
Teaching	+4

Lores

*Teaching: Praise is Useful
*Voiding: Use Glyphing to Assist

Micellaneous :

Injuries

*None

Loot/Expenses

*None

Russell Wood

Knowledge :

Skills

Skill	XP
Skill ?	+?
Skill ?	+?

Lores

*?
*?
*?

Micellaneous :

Injuries

*?
*?

Loot/Expenses

*?
*?

____________________________________________

Notes

*Russell, if you decide to return, please update your ledger to reflect play and PC me. Then I shall post your grade.

Feel free to PM me with questions, comments, or concerns, if you have any.
Also, remember to either delete your grade request or edit it as 'graded'.
Thank ye!