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As long as I was trapped in this ice encasing, I was too vulnerable to anything Leorn had in store. The problem was that the ice rune was still up, meaning it was quite possible for the ice to re-freeze if I didn't melt it fast enough- if I could even manage to pull off any of my own magic spells. I still needed to try one last attempt at fire, though.
If the first two tries at conjuring an actual image wasn't correct, maybe I had to do something else. I thought about how Leorn had told me the Schools were linked to Arcane energy. Maybe I just had to see it in a different way. This time, I tried to list the properties of fire and tried to somewhat will my sword to comply- heat, brightness, light- but as an added twist, I also tried to envision the pink light of divinimancy almost reform itself into a flame. All the while I tried to physically struggle against the cold embrace of the ice, even though I knew doing so would be practically futile unless I actually managed to find a way to create magic. That I wasn't so sure about. |
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TikobeJoin Date: 2011-08-12
Post Count: 6366 |
This time, a small flame appeared. However, it wasn't exactly a fire. It lacked the levels of heat characteristic of a flame, and even lacked smoke.
From behind you hear Leorn's voice, "Good, good. You're starting to understand things a little: In a Standard School it isn't that you're manipulating the element, you're manipulating the energy that controls it. Of course, considering that puny thing, you're not doing it right."
Leorn walks so he is in front of your vision and holds his hand out. All of a sudden, a nice strong flame appears from his hand.
"This is what pyromancy should look like. Of course, there's a simpler way to break this spell: We call it ice magic," Leorn says, as the ice breaks into little shards all of a sudden. "In accordance to the Law of Two Minds, it is possible to counter a spell by using the magic of it's element to control it. This is assuming, of course, you can exert a stronger influence than the mage who is casting the spell. Usually you should just want to use a counter spell, but that's divimancy. I think we all know what happens in that case with you. Either way, by now you'd have been dead if you were my enemy, so I believe that concludes this match, don't you?" |
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"I... I don't understand," I responded, confusion creeping into my voice. I took one glance at my sword, letting my image of the divinimancy dissipate, before lowering it and rubbing my arms to get warmth back into them since my fire magic completely failed.
"How am I supposed to conjure my magic? I... I just envision molding arcane magic into what I want, or am I missing something completely important?" I asked, gently swinging my spellblade back and forth out of habit- which actually didn't seem that much different from when I was without the focus, surprisingly.
"And I'm supposed to use the same kind of magic to counter a spell? Fight fire with fire, and water to water?" |
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TikobeJoin Date: 2011-08-12
Post Count: 6366 |
"Well, that's one way to counter. Once more, there is the trick of counterspell, as well as the Law of Dueling Elements. The Laws of Two Minds and Dueling Elements might be your only way to get things done. This is largely due to counterspell being an aspect of the School of Divimancy," Leorn says. "As to your vision, it's close. However, what is probably going on is that you're picturing the arcane energy in the wrong way. If you think of it as a whole thing, you ignore the properties of that element, which in turn causes the spell to, even if you keep concepts associated with it in mind. You seem to like fire, so lets start with that."
Leorn holds his hand out, and summons a small fire.
"Arcane energy isn't one whole thing," he begins, "it's actually of things so small and so compact it appears as if it's one thing. The Standard Schools work by picturing arcane energy as small spheres. Take a vision of a flame, and turn it into a black silhouette. In that silhouette, picture lines of these small spheres all in them, they should start out straight. And then imagine them move in wave like forms. The faster the waves, the stronger the flame, and the more lines of arcane orbs you can picture, the more complex things you can do with the fire. Pyromancy is simple enough to learn control, since the fluidity of it's element allows one to need only the Pheonix Test, which is as follows."
All of a sudden, Leorn's flame turns into a shape similar to a bird's.
"When you have mastered this technique," Leorn continues, "You will have mastered control over Pyromancy. This, of course, doesn't mean you've mastered it, not anywhere close in fact. There is a very solid difference between mastering control and mastering the school. And the Phoenix Test isn't the only such thing out there. Every school has one. It's just that the Phoenix Test is the easiest to complete." |
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"I think I'm gonna need to sit on this idea for a while," I frowned at Leorn's firebird shape. It wasn't as easy as I hoped it to be, but at least I now knew how to exactly form fire.
"If fire's so easy, then what of the other Schools? Do i just envision the same rows of arcane spheres, and make an image the same way?" I asked, tilting my head as I sheathed my weapons once more. |
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TikobeJoin Date: 2011-08-12
Post Count: 6366 |
"It'll always be in the shape of spheres, but not in lines. That is just how pyromancy works. For example, my own school of hydromancy requires that I envision these spheres all over in random position, not necessarily in lines. When I move one, I have to think about how that moves all of the others. That being said, it does have a much more difficult version of the Phoenix Test, but when you finish I promise that manipulating water is no issue in the slightest," Leorn smiles.
"And what is that?" Na-Lor says, finally joining you two. You notice that the other Reshi have wandered off following the conclusion of the duel.
"It's a tree. We have to make a tree. Out of water. It's not as simple as it sounds," Leorn replies.
"Doesn't sound simple, but then again I'm still trying to figure out how you replaced yourself the that fake Leorn. I know when it happened, the instant the haze cleared up I knew that wasn't you as it felt no emotions. But even in the haze giving us the slip was no simple matter."
"Well, one of the policies of the Arcanum is to train their mages so they need no one to help them. Part of that is teaching them how to escape. It's all about applying my knowledge where I need it," Leorn says, smiling. |
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"Yeah, I think I should have stuck to simple sword-and-shield skills. Hopefully I'll figure out this magic when we get to the tar p1(filter)ts," I sheepishly noted. I was somewhat eager to move on from my failure, albeit a second part wanted to practice and truly get the hang of my spellblade.
"Speaking of which, when do you suppose we should get the show on the road? I mean, I'd imagine we can't stay here talking about spells forever..." |
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TikobeJoin Date: 2011-08-12
Post Count: 6366 |
"My father said we should start sometime tomorrow," Na-Lor says. "We need to recuperate after that venture into Nevalur after all. I'll be at the training grounds if you need me."
"And I... I'll be wherever," Leorn shrugs.
If you're ready to start the journey, you should go to sleep. Rest while you can. |
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When I woke up today, it was noon and I had slept through the entire morning. I just hoped that didn't happen this time.
"All right, I think I'll get some rest. Maybe think over this magic stuff in my dreams, too," I said before turning around and walking away. I couldn't help but keep in mind how the Resh-Mar had reacted negatively to Leorn's use of magic- not to mention Qas-Norn's disdain when we were talking earlier. I should ask Na-Lor about that. Maybe tomorrow when we're out and about. |
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(Bump. Just checking in on how I'm doing on RPing, too, as a whole with Sophie. Notably her tendency to apologize quite a bit and her feeling of having the burden of responsibility for everything going on.) |
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TikobeJoin Date: 2011-08-12
Post Count: 6366 |
(It's fine. She's your character, either ways) The Next Day --- You wake up, feeling rested. Thankfully, no Leorn to surprise you, although you did hear his voice. Seems like he and Na-Lor were having a leisurely chat with each other while waiting for you to wake up. You couldn't #### ### what they were saying, but it sounded pretty mundane from their tone of voice. |
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Rubbing my eyes silently, I figured they were likely waiting upon me once more, ready to head out. I wasn't keen on going back to sleep considering other people counted on reinforcements, so instead I slowly pulled myself up to my knees, hindered by the fact that I definitely wasn't so strong in the mornings.
"...So, I guess we're ready to go? How long did I doze out this time?" I asked groggily, proceeding to flex my shield arm to get it warmed up considering it still was just a couple days ago that I got burned by the mages. I also reached instinctively for the spot where I though I had last kept my weapons. Can't go without them at all. |
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#### up£:81:88£3429;87;47£ Nee naw nee naw |
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TikobeJoin Date: 2011-08-12
Post Count: 6366 |
"Not long, I suppose. That is good enough," Na-Lor replies.
"So, where is this valley thing anyways?" Leorn asks.
"It's name is Thun-Thes, and I can show you to it easily. The only problem is how to get in there. It's a valley sacred to the Resh-Mar as a land to hold rituals in the name of Thes-Li, our almighty god and the brilliant sun. I would prefer that if the land must be damaged that the damage is kept at a minimum," Na-Lor replies.
"Lovely. So a mage, a cat and a demon walk into a valley, and the cat says he doesn't want the god who may kill everyone in a heartbeat to destroy the place because it's sacred to a god of an entirely different religion. Arbiter almighty, if only Gesis were coming with us he'd have a plan for this stuff, or at least a point to make about why we cannot expect that demand to be reasonable.," Leorn mumbles. |
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(If it helps, we can... move to Banananachair, if that's more convenient to you? I know you and a few other people still hang out there.)
"Well... It's not like it's impossible. I mean, obviously the tar will be a problem. But if all else fails we go loud. We have nothing to lose," I pointed out as I picked up my weapons and rubbed my neck to finish my morning stretch. After that, I'd finally get off my knees to stand up, glancing at my two companions.
"Besides, none of our previous plans were exactly reasonable anyways, right?" I pointed out to the pessimistic sorcerer. |
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TikobeJoin Date: 2011-08-12
Post Count: 6366 |
Okay. I'll put up the thread there soon. I'm a little busy right now so don't expect it immediately. |
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