Open [The South Woods] Magic in the Woods

[Ashe]

15th day of Summer 10th bell of the day Ashe scanned the surrounding trees as she stomped into a clearing, armed with an iron staff, and her wandering wits. She quietly listened to the sounds of tiny birds, the crunching of leaves made by small animals, and their predators hunting for food. The young woman sighed, the sun was starting to beat down on her, and she wanted to continue practicing what was taught to her but in a larger area. It was a couple days after the evening incident with the mob of drunken brawlers and Ashe gripped her staff at the passing thought of them being after her until death if they witness her practicing what was taught to her by her family. "I want to get better in peace...How hard is it to ask for without paying anything..." She muttered to herself and the young woman sighed to herself. "History is history, I understand that...but is it really that evil? I find the most comfort in what I know...No need to rely on a shrewd man for comfort...Just a little flame to keep me warm in the coldest of nights...and a little water to keep me from dying of thirst. That is all" Ashe said, visibly shaken by her own verbal argument as she wandered to the center of the clearing and stared into the blue sky. "This should be a good place..." Ashe muttered to herself as she clapped her hands together, dropping the staff, and started to moving her hands about to make magical gestures.

[Ashe]

The young woman's hands stopped moving as she focused her djed into of her hands to create a cloud of green res and with her will, she shaped it into a haze a few feet in front of her, and watched it ignite into flames which dissipated into the air just above the treeline. The thought of using magic brought a smile to the young woman's face. Making things happen without the use of mundane tools or the brute strength of a muscular man and have something actually useful at the end made what is normally seen as a curse appear more like a gift from her family passed down from generation to generation. With magic in mind, Ashe continued to pour res over her hands to quickly mold it into a ball of water and let it rest above her palms. She focused on the ball of water, wanting to turn it into a cloud of steam, and move it around like a gust of wind. However instead of the water turning into steam, the smooth ball of clear liquid fell to the ground, watering the grass, her iron staff lying on the ground, and her slightly dusty hands. The water felt much cooler than the summer air when it hit her hands and it perplexed the young woman. It was hot outside and she was starting to get covered with lukewarm sweat just like anyone else within walking distance of the city. 'How is it that...this water is cooler than the air?' Ashe asked herself, befuddled by this discovery she looked to the sky for answers, there was a couple clouds within her sight in the blue environment above. 'Perhaps the air is colder up there? Or is it that the air is colder on the grass? Hmm...this is very interesting' Ashe thought to herself as she continued to stare at the sky above her.

[Vairial Blackhand]

Vairial was a magic user himself, although he did not dabble in the arts of reimancy. His trade was Hypnotism, a more stealthy and equally feared magic, perhaps even more feared than reimancy by the common man of Sunberth. It was a very subtle magic, and he did not have to come out into the forests outside of Sunberth to practice it, so why was he here? Well, in truth he had decided to follow this strange girl, perhaps curiosity getting the best of him.

He was just outside the gate when he spotted her, iron staff in hand. Just a moment after she had veered off the main road into the forest with nothing but the clothes on her back, it seemed she was subtle enough for no one else to notice. Now she was in a clearing, and Vairial figured out why she had come to this secluded forest clearing, she was a magic user just like him, a reimancer however.

The Symmenestra watched for a while as she made her magical gestures, fire conjuring from seemingly nowhere as well as water. Eventually he decided to make himself know, but in his own way. He decided not to practice his craft on this individual, instead coming clean from the start. So, once he detected her aura, which was quite hard without engaging in conversation or making eye-contact he sent a message in the form of a sudden thought in her mind, although the nature of it would immediately alert to her that it wasn't her own thoughts, 'You know, there are worse things that can happen for playing with fire around these parts than burning yourself.' Vairial smirked now, just waiting to see her reaction from where he hid.

[Ashe]

'You know, there are worse things that can happen for playing with fire around these parts than burning yourself.' Ashe immediately looked down from the sky, looking disturbed from a child-like wander, and she turned her gaze around at the sudden thought brought around by hypnosis. 'That is odd, No one is supposed to know about this spot' She thought to herself as the young woman picked up her iron staff then walked forward to the edge of the clearing prodding at empty bushes and the trunks of trees. The poor woman started to get agitated after prodding a couple bushes and a few empty trees so she asked "Who's there?" Ashe wasn't expecting an answer but who knew, maybe instead of a knife being plunged into her back, or a sword being ran through her small frame, it could be her imagination, and it could be proof that she would be better practicing at home. The young woman knew how many ways she could die and most times she flat out didn't care so long as she didn't actually die. Ashe soon took a deep breath and thought 'Perhaps my imagination. I should go a bit further into the woods next time and find a better clearing.'

[Vairial Blackhand]

Vairial smirked as he watched her reaction, fangs glinting viciously as they were exposed to the light. As he did, his eyes glittered with amusement as well.

"Who's there?"

"No one." Vairial's voice rang in the clearing as a rustling of bushes were heard as he walked into the light of the clearing. He wore all black except for a dark grey sort of carapace armor on his torso. Red eyes looked over the girl now for a moment, a moment later a disturbing grin spread over Vairial's face, his fangs on display once again. "Like I said, it is not hard for death to find any type of sorcerer around these parts. Most display hatred for magic here but their hatred is only on the surface, the real driving emotion is fear, and fear makes people do things they normally would not."

[Ashe]

The young woman turned to the direction of the response, almost at the brink of casting the entire woods ablaze to ensure that her secret remained so. However she didn't, Instead she watched an grey armored and black clothed being with piercing red eyes emerge from one of the many bushes Ashe was prepared to set ablaze. The presence of the man was enough to send a chill down the young woman's back, what was the cause of the odd feeling, she didn't know, and she didn't like the ominous feeling of the man's insidious red eyes moving around her. The grin made her even less comfortable as the being bared his fangs like a wolf circling his prey and waiting for the time to strike. "Like I said, it is not hard for death to find any type of sorcerer around these parts. Most display hatred for magic here but their hatred is only on the surface, the real driving emotion is fear, and fear makes people do things they normally would not" The man said. "You say that as if you know...Whom may I be speaking to?" Ashe inquired, the introduction to this strange man whom found her hiding spot made her slightly curious rather than fearful for her life. If the being were to try to flee then she would have little choice rather than to burn him or the surrounding area in an attempt to stop him from getting into town. "A man who now knows my secret? Perhaps he would want to run to the town have my neighbors burn down my home thinking that I am a witch?"

[Vairial Blackhand]

The Symenestra could already tell his presence unsettled her, his craft relied heavily on reading emotions. This only made him more pleased however, sharp fangs still remaining visible, he came a little bit closer, not too close however.

It was true, in direct combat with the reimancer he did not stand a chance. Vairial relied on deception instead of combat and he threw that chance out the window already. He held his hands out, with slender fingers and sharp black claws as if he was to show his intent of non-violence. His voice laced with a friendly tone that contradicted his overall appearance.

"A man knows many things about what makes people tick, without this knowledge one could never become a hypnotist worth mentioning." Vairial started walking about the clearing for a moment in a circling pattern as a predator would circle his prey before stopping for a moment, "It is true, I know your secret now, but fear is such an easy emotion." Vairial drew a blade, a long knife too long to be a simple dagger but too short to be a sword, a kris. He eyed the blade as if inspecting it for a moment as he fell into a deep thought, a moment later he turned towards Ashe again.

"All it takes is a simple push and fear turns into something more, with or without knowing your secret I can make one do whatever I please at the simple notion of magic being present. Facts do not drive people, emotions do."

[Ashe]

Ashe looked into the wooded area to find a pair of pale hands with sharp black claws on the tip of each slender fingertip. Was that thing a monster? Just like the stories told to her as a child? Or was it a being that dwelled in the woods looking to aide lost travelers? The young woman didn't know but the pale figure sounded like someone visiting an old friend from across town. "A man knows many things about what makes people tick, without this knowledge one could never become a hypnotist worth mentioning." Said a manly figure before strolling into the clearing, fangs where Ashe could see them, and making a circle pattern around her before briefly stopping. "It is true, I know your secret now, but fear is such an easy emotion" The being added and by then Ashe lowered her staff. This being was foreign to her, Most of the people she knew until now were human in ever shape, and form. "Because, I do not know what you will do with what you saw" Ashe responded as the woman heard the disheartening sound of metal sliding across a sheathe. She fought the urge to strike out of fear with the sense of not rushing into problems that may or may not arise from having another person nearby and she watched as the being moved the blade, in deep thought, and soon the being glanced at the young woman again. "All it takes is a simple push and fear turns into something more, with or without knowing your secret I can make one do whatever I please at the simple notion of magic being present. Facts do not drive people, emotions do." The being said and for a moment Ashe thought for a moment. If fact does not drive people would that mean that lustful people would be more likely to be compelled to do whatever? That question made Ashe want to ask the strange being and she asked "So...if one wanted to burn down buildings fact wouldn't stop them from doing so?"

[Vairial Blackhand]

Vairial laughed then, like on would among old friends telling jokes, it was completely out of place with the tension that hung in the air however. "A man could compel an arsonist to burn down a building pretty easily, yes; that was not the point I was getting at though."


Twirling his knife idly now, as one might twiddle their thumbs he continued on. "What I meant was that people fear magic so much that it is not hard to make them believe anyone could be a magic user even when they are indeed not. The whole city is rife with superstition around magic."

He sheathed his knife now, "All it takes is a single thought at the right moment or many thoughts over a couple days, or perhaps a week, and most in Sunberth can be made to believe anyone in their midst is a witch, or dark sorcerer. All I would have to do is take advantage of the paranoia that already lies within them. And, depending on who I manipulate the effects would trickle down to others. If someone people listen to and respect believes in something others will follow them without question."

Vairial yawned then, as if bored, "It would be almost too easy to have a common mob burn down your house, or for that matter anyone's house. So what does it matter if I knew your secret or not?"


He clapped his clawed hands together then, "Well! Enough of that talk then." He drew a little closer as if to converse in a more friendly matter. "My true name is Vairial and I followed you here today because I was bored honestly, and it seems I found something interesting. So from whom did you learn reimancy from? That would be quite the handy magic to have around."

[Ashe]

Ashe wanted to protest further, ties made in Sunberth weren't to be broken so easily, like her alliance with several other families of magic users in hiding, and the merchants her family bought from for years. However the pale white man clapped his clawed hands saying "Well! Enough of that talk then." And he drew closer in a friendlier tone almost in disarming tone, one that made the young woman think of resting her staff against a nearby tree. But alas she refused to let go of the piece of metal that had yet to save her life but was a good idea to keep at her side and Ashe listened to the man. "My true name is Vairial and I followed you here today because I was bored honestly, and it seems I found something interesting. So from whom did you learn reimancy from? That would be quite the handy magic to have around." The man said before Ashe responded "My late parents and some family friends"