Completed Blinded

[Caesi Starguide]

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Spring 85th 516av
Blinded

Caesi's body took the whole two days to recuperate from the energy she spent practicing Reimancy. Liras warned her, she should have paid more attention. However, she knew it would become easier once she had a better grasp on the new magic. Today was another training day and she was excited to meet up with Liras once more. Spring was coming to a close and she hoped she was able to learn enough that she could practice on her own during the Summer season.

Giving a yawn, her knees barely griped her Strider as they slowly rode to the Moresta River. Caesi had woken extra early that morning, half from excitement, half from her nerves. Patting the horse's neck, she tapped her heels gently, making the Strider go faster. The sooner she was at the river, the sooner she could get to learning more about Reimancy. She dreaded how tired she would feel afterwards, but it was a price she would happily pay to better herself and to better serve her people once she joined the Watch.

Pyxis nickered as the river came into view. The Strider loved to play in the water. “I swear you were a creature of the water before a Horse..” Caesi said with a chuckle, stroking the mare gently before dismounting. Caesi removed the Yvas from Pyxis, placing it under a tree and tapping her rear so she knew she was free to go to the river and play. The Strider danced on her hooves happily, heading towards the river.

Teal eyes searched the area, looking for that familiar figure. However, Liras was no where to be seen just yet. Shrugging her left shoulder, she walked a little ways away from her Strider so she could begin practicing a little before Liras arrived. Once far enough away that she would not cause harm to her companion, Caesi sat down closing her eyes to begin meditating.

Sitting with her spine straight, she crisscrossed her legs and placed her hands on her knees relaxing her arms. She inhaled deeply through her nose, exhaling all the air from her mouth. She continued the breathing exercise for two chimes. Bringing forth the image of a wild-rose in her mind, she focused on the flower. How the petals looked to be made from satin, the vibrant pink color of them, the sweet aroma it gave off, and the thorns that protected the fragile and beautiful flower. Inhaling and exhaling she stayed focus, clearing her mind of all thoughts, worries, and stresses. Anxiety began to drift away, nerves stabling, muscles relaxing. She felt as if she was weightless as all her muscles tension disappeared. Caesi sat like that for half a bell, focusing on the rose, breathing in and out, and just relaxing her body, mind, and soul.

[Caesi Starguide]

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Once the meditation was done, Caesi opened her eyes. Her muscles were no longer tense and her mind was clear. Standing up she stretched her arms above her head, rotating her neck and loosening the muscles further. Peering around her once more, she looked for Liras. He had yet to make an appearance. They did not settle on a time to be there. Caesi peered up at the sun's position, which was near the same place in the sky it was last time. Giving her shoulders a shrug, she closed her eyes once more, this time to concentrate on producing Res. Forming a small ball about the size of her fist right in front of her she opened her eyes, smiling at the floating teal, gas ball of Res.

She concentrated and willed the Res to go into the ground. As it was entering the earthen surface she ignited it, willing it into a spike formation. Caesi kept her body close to the spike, bending at the knees as she willed the spike from the ground. The earthen spike protruded from the soil slowly. Caesi gestured a rising motion with her hands, willing it to rise out of the ground further. Once it was completely out of the ground she took aim at a nearby tree. Moving both hands back then forth in a swift motion, she sent the spike forward.

Once the Earth Spike was a good distance away from her, Caesi could not control it any longer. She attempted to put it back on it's original direction, however the thing swerved and decided to come back to the person who cast it out. Caesi's eyes grew wide with shock as she saw the Earthen Spike hurdling towards her. At any moment the spike would embed into her person and that would be it for. The end of her life. She could not move, could not scream, nor did her life flash before her eyes. She stood there frozen in shock as the spike raced towards her. Squeezing her eyes shut she knew in a couple of ticks this would be the end of her.

The Earth Spike however never came. It did not make contact with her person. Part of her was scared to open her eyes. Afraid that once she did it would then stab her. However, the other part of her, the more curious side, wanted to know what was going on. She kept her eyes closed for three more ticks, before she could no longer wait. Barely prying her eyes open she saw Liras, controlling the spike with his own Reimancy, directing it with Air and forcing it into the ground at his feet. He was standing in front of her like a knight of magic. Producing and directing his Res with ease, as if him and his Res were a bonded rider and strider. The Earth Spike was now no longer a cause of concern.

Liras spun around with a look that told her he wanted to kill her. The Spike may not be a cause of concern, but Liras on the other hand... “How dare you do something so dangerous?!” Liras yelled at her, stomping the mere feet from her and grabbing her by the shoulders giving her a slight shake, “Do you not realize that you could have died from your own spell just then? Or that the Spike could have went into your Strider and killed her?!” Liras yelled at her, all the while shaking her smaller body. Once he stopped shaking he ran his hand through his hair, ruffing it up in exasperation, “I thought I warned you about this. Do you still not understand how dangerous Reimancy can be until you have been fully trained? Are you dumb in the mind?” Liras continued on with his lecture, yelling at her and calling her names in Pavi. Caesi tuned him out after he asked if she was dumb in the mind, her own rage being sparked by such an insult. His voice droned on in the background until she could no longer handle being treated as if she was eight summers.

Caesi stomped her foot on the ground, “Just stop!” She yelled back at Liras, making him go silent as he stared at her in shock, “I understand that there is dangers with it. I get it. I am not dumb in the mind. I was just going to practice a little until you arrived. That is all!” Caesi folded her arms across her chest, staring at him, fires of anger danced in her Teal eyes as she stared him down, “It has happened there is nothing we can do about the past. Instead lets focus on the present.” Caesi suggested softly, her body hunching in apology, as she gestured with her hands, begging for forgiveness from Liras.

Liras let out a large breath, his shoulders slumping forward in defeat, “You are right. I am sorry for calling you those names. I am late and should have been on time, I am sorry.” Liras offered up and Caesi gave him a smile, shrugging one shoulder gesturing with her hands 'it doesn't matter.' “Now that I am here, we can try something new though. Your Earth against my Wind.” Liras offered, backing away and standing far enough away that their Reimancy would not be too far from their control but not too close that it would hurt either person. “A battle of Elements.” Liras said, giving her a bold smile, which she returned. “Now that sounds like fun.” Caesi said with a soft chuckle, spreading her legs shoulder length apart, preparing her body, mind, and soul for the battle of Air and Earth.

[Caesi Starguide]

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Caesi produced her Res, turning it into a ball of teal gas in front of her hands. She looked over at Liras who had blown the Res from his mouth onto his palm, igniting it and throwing a small ball of air her way. He was fast and wasted no time, Caesi concentrated and struggled with igniting her ball, usually taking her time to make sure it was absolutely perfect. By the time she went to ignite the ball of Res the ball of air slammed into her. She fell back on her rear, looking at Liras with a frown.

Liras gave a shrug, “You have to learn to produce and ignite your Res faster. Sure it needs to be done carefully, but you also will be put in situations where you do not have time to think too much about it. Try again.” Liras said, gesturing for her to get up.

Caesi gave a small growl as she lifted her body up off the ground, her small ball of Res was still there floating in front of her hands. She brought it to floating right above her palm, throwing it like a regular ball she ignited the ball with her Earth Reimancy and once she released it she projected it at Liras a small clump of earth. Liras was faster however, more educated and a more skilled Reimancer. He blew the Res from his mouth, instantly igniting it to blow the earth away. Her small clump of dirt landed on the ground in different small balls, defeated.

“That was pretty good. But you could do better.” Liras taunted Caesi, giving her a wink to let her know he was only joking. Caesi's eyes squinted in frustration, he was better but she could do this if she tried harder and stopped taking as much precaution as she was.

Caesi produced her Res, forming it into a ball and igniting it. Pushing her hands outward she set it towards Liras again, this time with a greater force and a larger size. The dirt ball this time was the size of her head instead of her fist, and it projected faster than the last. Liras fumbled around trying to get his Air ignited, but the dirt clump hit him on the chest, making him fall back on his back.

Caesi laughed and gave a fist pump, excited that she finally got him. Liras however groaned shaking his head, as dirt flew in all directions, “That was better.” He said coughing, spitting the dirt from his mouth, “You did well.” Liras stood brushing dirt off his clothes, giving her a smile. “Do you see that in some situations you may have to throw caution out and just do it to protect yourself?” Liras asked and Caesi nodded, “It wasn't until I stopped being wary of the Res that I was able to ignite faster.” She told her teacher. Liras nodded, “Yes but we should always take caution unless the situation calls for us to act fast.” Liras warned and Caesi nodded in agreement, signing that she 'understood' what he was saying.

“So now what?” Caesi inquired, ready for the next lesson in Reimancy. Liras was a decent teacher, his knowledge on Reimancy was helping her better understand the magic. She could not imagine people who was initiated and left on their own, how they survived. With out the caution Liras instilled in her when it came to Reimancy, she would have surely hurt herself or others by now.

[Caesi Starguide]

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“Now you need to learn how to make a barrier with Earth. It will take a lot of practice, but it would make for a great defense.” Liras said, gesturing for her to come closer. Caesi walked to Liras, standing near him, “I can make a barrier for both of us, like a shield in a way. It will reflect attacks, but it takes control and concentration in order to keep it in place.” Liras explained as he produced his Res spreading it on her left arm and his right arm igniting it. The feel of his Air reimancy swirling around her arm made her tingle with awareness. Then he produced a small ball of fire, tossing it at her arm. Caesi flinched out of instinct, bringing that arm up. The small ball of fire was put out and blown away by the air that circled her arm.

“I am not sure what kind of armor you would use with Earth, it is up to you to imagine and create your own personal barrier. Just know it takes a lot of energy and concentration, so I would not try this over and over. Just practice with putting the armor on one specific area first, not the whole body.” Liras suggested.

Caesi nodded, producing her gas like Res she willed it to spread itself on her arm. Once it covered everything but her hand and fingers, she slowly ignited the Res, igniting the outer-layers and keeping the center just Res so she could have better control on her magic. Transmuting the Res into tree bark, it covered a small portion of her arm. The bark did not look like her skin, it hovered a little above it. Also the bark was not very thick, it was still fine and thin, easy to break under a strong attack. She kept her focus on her arm, looking up at Liras who nodded approval. Then she slid her arm out of the back, flinging her hand downward to make the bark land on the ground. Upon impact it broke into two pieces.

“It wasn't as strong as yours.” Caesi said a bit disappointed, her shoulders slumping forward slightly. Liras chuckled, “You are not as skilled as I am. But it will come in handy later on, once you practice more and have a better understanding of it. When casting these spells it isn't always about power, but knowledge of the Res. As time goes on it will get better, don't get so down.” Liras reached out, patting her back as a sign of encouragement. Caesi sighed and nodded her head, although she was still a little down and out about it.

The young Reimancer knew she would not be as skilled or powerful as Liras at the start. She understood that it took practice, like with all things she had learned. The more practice the stronger and better she would be. However, it still disgruntled her a little that her bark armor was not stronger. She supposed she would have to study bark more closely and understand the properties and durability of the different types of bark first. That way when she transmuted her Res she could use the stronger of barks she knew, and that could possibly help her Bark Armor be stronger as well.

[Caesi Starguide]

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Caesi sat down, her legs were becoming tired of standing there. Liras followed, sitting in front of her. “Why don't we try something a little easier.” Liras suggested gently, giving her a small smile. He could tell she was irritated at herself, hoping to be better a little faster than what she was progressing, even though it had yet to be even two weeks.

Caesi shrugged her shoulders, “Sure. What do you have in mind?” Caesi asked a bit wistfully, her voice coming off bored as she was still sulking about her armor. Liras just shrugged his shoulders, “Why don't you try making Amethyst. That is your Clan right? So why not make your Clan's gemstone.” Liras suggested, making Caesi blink in confusion.

She knew that stone's were part of the Earth, that it may be possible. However, she did not think she was capable just yet and so never asked, “Can I actually do that? Or will I fail again..” Caesi asked, the last of her question trailing off into a whisper.

Liras sat there and stared at her for a moment, with his head tilted slightly, “You can not make anything that is worth anything. You can make smaller pieces of Amethyst that you can use to decorate your hair, but that would be all they would be worth.” Liras explained with a shrug, “Perhaps when you are more skilled the stones can become bigger, but if you were to try to make a big gemstone right now, you would surely over-give and that would have dire consequences.”

Caesi sighed and nodded, she did not expect that she could make anything big and glorious yet, she understood it would take time. However, she was a little impatient when it came to waiting it out. She wanted to be as best as she could be, as soon as possible. She was, after all, hoping to join the Watch soon. She needed to learn and be better so she could go before them as a strong woman, not a weak child.

Tossing the thoughts from her mind, she cleared it, focusing only on her Res as it poured from her person. She cupped the small amount of Res between her two hands. Closing her eyes she started igniting the Res, transmuting it into the Amethyst she loved and adored, as it was seen in her Pavilion frequently, she knew what it looked like. She willed and formed her Res into tiny little pieces, only big enough to fit on strands of hair. Igniting the smaller pieces she transmuted them into rough pieces of Amethyst. Opening her eyes, she opened her hands, as she focused on each individual ball of Res. There was about ten different balls of Res, all the size of a small pebble.

She concentrated and focused on one ball of Res at a time, transmuting them slowly. Igniting layers one at a time, until all but five were turned into Amethyst. Then she tried to turn the last five into Amethyst all at once. Her brows contorted in concentration, as sweat appeared on her brow. Energy was seeping from her body, as she tried to transmute the tiny balls of Res at once.

It did not end well however, as the balls of Res ignited all at once, they also transmuted into something other than Amethyst and ended up exploding dirt in her face. Although it was a weird dirt that stung her eyes as it entered them. She cried out, dropping the rough stones of Amethyst as she went to rub her eyes.

“Do not rub them!” Liras called out, making her stop her movements. “But it hurts so badly! Help me!” She yelled back, panic making her voice rise in pitch. Tears formed, she felt them, making it sting even more as she sobbed softly, “Please do something!” She begged of Liras, who she could hear fumbling around with something. Finally, a healing and cooling water that was nice and cool splashed on her eyes, clearing them of the weird dirt that had landed in them.
It took a couple of chimes for the dirt to be completely rinsed from her eyes, but it finally happened. “Open your eyes, Caesi.” Liras asked and she did so. Her vision was still blurry, as he guided a small ball of water to her face, making it explode water on her face and into her eyes. She flinched and squealed, as the water tried to rinse the rest of the debris from her orbs. “Is it feeling any better?” Liras asked of her, worry etched in the tone of his voice.

Caesi cringed slightly, “A little. I can not see well, it is all blurry.” She explained to Liras who sighed, “You may not be able to see properly for a couple of days until it rinses from your eyes completely. Rinse your eyes three times a day with cool, clean water and it shoulder clear it up. Until then you are stuck with blurry vision.”

Caesi gave a sigh, “I tried turning five balls of Res at once into Amethyst and it backfired on me...” She said slumping her body forward. Liras patted her shoulder, “Sometimes you have to learn from your mistakes. You are not yet ready to do that. That was too much for a beginner to do. You better be glad it backfired instead of you over-giving, the consequences could have been worse.” Liras said and Caesi heard him stand up. She kept her eyes closed for a few more chimes, letting Liras do what he needed to do to get ready to leave. Her body was tired from producing Res as it normally was, she was ready to go home and rest.

She patted the ground before her, feeling for the stones she was able to create. Although they were not nothing special, nothing large, or worth anything, they were something to her, meant something to her, and was worth a lot as well. Finally feeling them out she gathered all five of the tiny pieces of Amethyst she was able to create. Prying open her eyes she squinted towards wher Pyxis was, which she was now very close by, shifting on her hooves nervously.

“It appears your Strider is worried about you. Your screams made her come and she does not seem to like me much. I think she blames me.” Liras said chuckling, holding his hands up at Pyxis, “She did it to herself mare.” He tried to explain, but Pyxis just snorted, turning her head away from Liras. He gave a shrug and turned his head to Caesi. “I brought your Yvas close by, so it will not be too difficult for you. I think you should take these couple of days as a lesson to doing too much before you are ready. Do not let people help you with tasks, do them to the best of your ability. It will make you stronger.” He said, not offering her any help, as he began to walk away. “I will see you soon.” He promised her, as he went back towards his horse, leaving her with Pyxis.

“I messed up.” She told her Strider, as she struggled getting up off the ground, stumbling towards the Yvas. Caesi placed the stones in her Yvas bag. Picking up the Yvas Caesi carried it over to Pyxis. She squinted as she tried placing the Yvas on her horse, but missed several times until finally she got it on, securing it on her Strider. Grabbing the hand grip she hoisted herself onto the back of the mare, clicking her tongue sending her into a slow walk. All the while Caesi swiped at her eyes, squinting in the distance, hoping they were headed in the right direction. Everything around her was a blur, nothing appeared as it did on the way to the Moresta River. Sighing she dug her heels into the mare's sides, sending her off into a fast run, making everything disappear into one big blur, making nothing visible out of Caesi's teal eyes.

[Khida]

Caesi Starguide

Skill	Points
Intimidation	+1
Medicine	+1
Meditation	+1
Persuasion	+1
Philosophy	+1
Planning	+1
Reimancy	+4
Riding	+1

• Being quick vs. being perfect
• Caution is wise, but can stifle action
• Intimidation: raised voice and angry words
• Medicine: use water, not fingers, to clean dirty eyes
• Persuasion: a rational justification
• Philosophy: the past is done
• Planning: study to improve knowledge
• Reimancy: forming amethyst stone
• Reimancy: knocked over by air
• Reimancy: larger creations risk overgiving
• Stone: amethyst (appearance)

Consequences: Caesi's eyes will be irritated by residual dirt for the next two days. They will be reddened and tearing up until the particles work their way out, causing blurred vision in varying degree during those days.

Notes

Another rather eventful practice thread!

Small comments. Tree bark is not elemental, but I see this thread was submitted before I graded the earlier one, so just consider the relevant comment reiterated. Studying properties of stone will serve the same purpose, so I went ahead and gave Planning for that bit.

I'm also not clear on why the earth spike ricocheted back towards Caesi, so I didn't award anything there. If she lost control of its movement, to my understanding it should have followed basic physics, like a thrown ball, and the only direction I see clearly described is "away". It wouldn't "decide" to go anywhere else on its own, unless there's something special about res-filled spikes that I don't know... PM me if so!

Let me know if you have any question or concerns regarding this grade. Also, please edit your request to show this thread has been graded.