Practice Makes Perfect - TT 27th Samheen (open)

Corbin Dillon · Post by **Corbin Dillon** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:35 am

Corbin had allowed himself some time out after his alchemical duties to wander the corridors and the gardens of the University. He had needed that freedom to focus his mind. He still had some confusion - partly from the malevolent, lingering affect that the demons intrusion into him had had, partly the Rosestone, partly Bregana's death, partly.... the more the pondered it, the more he smiled. He had many reasons to be confused. Naturally they could nto all be reasoned out at this moment in time. They must simply be forgotten, or at least pushed aside.

Thus he had walked in what would have seemed a daze to most other people that observed him, but he was in fact focussing his mind, pushing away the concerns he had. He had a days preparation before he was due to face the demon, and it was necessary that he was fully focussed on that.

He took a long time over his walk, but by the time he had finished it his mind was calm, and clear. He had his preparation worked out. He was going to work on his magical skills now - specifically shielding, which he felt needed some work, and of course some offensive magic. After he had done that it would be to the library to read up as much as he could on demons. He knew something of them - indeed he had a glimpse into a demonic plane - but there was much that he did not know, and that would be rectified somewhat he hoped. A good nights sleep was obviously in order, and then back to his magic the next day, finishing off with some sword exercises, after all why have an enchanted sword if one did not use it?

But, to matters at hand. It took him a little while, but he found an empty practice room. Stepping into it he stood in the centre of the room and began the steps that had become second nature to him as he grounded and centred himself, then taking the strands of magic that were floating around him he began to weave them into a tight shield.

He knew from experience that he had a weakness under his armpits, so he attended to that especially. Once he had what he assumed to be a water-tight shield. He began to examine it, keeping the shield firmly in place he tried to send out probing strings of magic to test where it was stronger and weaker. It was something he had never tried before, nor been told to - but his recent experiences had imbued him with a new found confidence and he wanted to experiment with his magic.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 5:28 pm

The shielding came more readily to Corbin. All that he had experienced in the last few days brought a focus and clarity to his mind formerly unknown. He felt much more secure in his second skin than before. Testing it however proved more difficult that he expected. Conjuring forth a blast of water or rock to hurl at himself proved possible after some practice but Corbin found that he subconciously thickened his shield at the known point of impact, the mental equivalent of bracing for a punch. While the instinct might serve him well in actual combat, it was a hinderance to an accurate analysis of his shield.

"Would you like some help with that?" A quiet voice asked timidly. Corbin remembered Shema from his previous classes. The petite girl with the long red hair should be one to stand out in the crowd if her quiet demeanor did not cause her to fade into the background. "I couldn't help but notice you trying to test your shielding and it so happens that I was looking to test my offensive magics." She went on. "But I could just leave if I'm disturbing you." She offered.

Corbin Dillon · Post by **Corbin Dillon** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 6:52 pm

Frustration mixed with determination as he tried to strengthen his shield, and his knowledge of how it worked. Perhaps on another day he would have given up for the moment, but he knew full well that every ounce of practice he used would most likely be called upon the next day. So he set to it again, working and working - throwing water and rocks at his shield.

It was indeed just after he had sent a torrent of water against himself that he heard the diminutive voice. He turned to see from whence it came and noted the pretty girl from his previous class - it was so long ago now, before he had known of demons, and before Bregana had died at the hands of one.

"Thank you Shema - that is a generous offer, and one I would gladly take you up on." Corbin said with a smile. "It is one thing to throw things at myself, but I am always aware of where it is going to strike. It defeats the purpose, somewhat."

He brought his shield up as strong as he could make it, again remembering to cover under his arms.

"Well, my shield is up - now see if you can pierce it." He said with a grin, his mind focussed on the aether, watching his shield, but also looking to detect where the offensive magic was destined to strike. He had discovered that by watching where the magic would strike he could strengthen that part of the shield. He would remember that, but for now he was more concerned with spotting flaws in his defence than actually keeping the magic out.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:50 am

Shema took position across the room and sunk down into a crouch. Either Shema had been practicing often since the Fireball 101 class or fire just wasn't her element. Shema summoned forth strong jets of water and hurled them with accuracy.

Corbin's shield stood firm against the assault earning him nothing more than a light spray of mist from the spots under his armpits. As Shema still threw her attacks by hand, Corbin was able to anticipate where the blows would land and strengthen the shield accordingly. Corbin doubted that he could do so while maintaining other magics but if he concentrated on defense his shield stayed strong.

For her part, Shema seemed upset that she could not penetrate his shield more readily but pleased with the amount of power she could wield and her aim. As her assault went on though, she started adding one-two bursts to her attacks to draw the strength of his shield to one place while her second burst penetrated the now weakened shield elsewhere.

Corbin Dillon · Post by **Corbin Dillon** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:00 am

It was satisfying watching the bursts of water fizzle out against his shield of flames that he maintained around him. It was strong, but he noted that it was still somewhat weak under his armpits, and he redoubled his efforts to keep the shield strong there. If there was to be a weakness in his strength, it would be there.

Corbin was also pleased with the experimentation of changing the emphasis of the shield to block the incoming blow. Yet Shema adapted quickly to that ploy and took advantage of the weakened shield to blast a quick second through it. Corbin considered this for a moment, what if he were to take strength from the rear? She didn't have a line of sight to that, and it would take longer for her magic to reach his back, which would give him time to equalise the shield again. He tried it as she blasted one-twos at him.

He decided that whilst it was an interesting thing to practice, it would only really benefit him if he was tired and his shield wavering. Then it would be important to strengthen the spot where he was being targetted, but in a battle of equals, or one where he was stronger then the normal shield would probably be best. Still, magic was about experimentation, and another thought came to mind.

He waited until Shema had shot a stream of water at him, and it had been blocked. Then he worked on the fiery visage that was protecting him and instead of trying to increase its defensive capacity he worked to increase its brilliance, intending to suddenly brighten it and catch Shema off-guard and distract her for a moment. Had it been a contest he would have used the opportunity to send a blow out at her, but of course it wasn't. He simply wanted to see what affect it would have on her.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:05 pm

Shifting the energy from the back of the shield proved to work admirably and Corbin was again blocking even her one-two punches with great effect. From the look of frustration, understanding and returned frustration on her face, Corbin could tell that Shema understood his countertactic. Alas she had not had moved on from thrown attacks to attacks guided by her will and was unable to strike at his under defended rear. She did however start to increaese of her attacks hoping to best him by striking before he could react. Corbin proved to be of equal mental agility there and it gained her no advantage.

Then Corbin caused his shield to flare up. It did not have the effect of blinding her but it did catch her attention as Shema wondered at this new event. It might have proved enough of a decoy to allow a strike through but Corbin would never know for sure. Shema let up her barrage and bowed to him like she'd seen the duelist's do. "It would seem we are an even match for each other." She acknowledged as she smiled softly. "Did you learn what you needed to?"

Corbin Dillon · Post by **Corbin Dillon** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:27 pm

Corbin was pleased with the success of his stratagem. Of course it was against a fellow pupil, but still experimentation was how he expected he would better himself. He suspected that his tactic of brightening his shield would be one that would need refinement and practice were it to be a success. Still, it was something else to consider, another weapon in his armoury.

Corbin smiled as Shema spoke. He suspected her comment untrue - he felt he was a stronger mage than her, if only due to the experiences he had had. Yet it would be impolitic and needlessly offensive to draw attention to that.

"Indeed, a good contest. Your assistance has been very useful, Shema. I thank you for your assistance." Corbin said with a smile as he bowed to her. If only she knew why the assistance was necessary - she might have been even more willing to offer her aid. "I think that I can draw lessons from my shielding. It shall be much improved after this."

He paused for a moment.

"I do not know if you have other duties to attend to, but if not I need to practice my offensive magic. I can, of course, blast away at the walls - but I suspect it would be more useful to practice against someone who can deflect the attacks." He began. "If you have a spare flicker or two I would be grateful for your assistance." He asked.

Defending against the Changer was all very well, but he wanted to hurt it.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:23 pm

Shema nodded enthusiasticly at Corbin's request. "I'd love to help. Turnabout is fair play after all." Shema took a moment to ground herself and then brought forth her shield. At their class together, Shema's shield resembled a patchwork quilt, a comfortable reminder of home to cuddle up in on a cold day. Today, her shield had the look of sailcloth: strong, sturdy, and ready for the oncoming storm.

"Take your best shot, Corbin." She challenged with a grin.

Corbin Dillon · Post by **Corbin Dillon** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:24 am

Corbin smiled back and began to take control of the threads of magic that weaved through the air. As he did so he willed them into a ball of fire, not large and not too powerful - he wanted to test her shield first in case it was too weak. One crafted, Corbin sent the ball, about the size of a fist, towards her shield. He did not send it at great pace, so that as it was released he had time to shift his use of the magic so that he could probe her shield and try and detect how strong it was, and if any weakness could be seen by the impact of the ball of fire.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 3:40 am

Shema visibily blanched when she saw Corbin's choice of energy but her shield and her will wavered but an instant. The ball of fire struck true but where mortal fire would set cloth alight, Shema's shield held firm.

There were no obvious weak spots detected from that initial blast nor did Corbin sense that she had used the trick of strengthening the shield at the point of impact.

Corbin Dillon · Post by **Corbin Dillon** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:44 am

Corbin paused for a moment. Sheme clearly didn't like the fire, and he wasn't here to frighten her unduly. Besides, he realised that he couldn't hit her shield as hard as he would like in case it did get through, which pretty much made the exercise null and void. Perhaps he could try the water too? He had not done it before, he had only used fire. But, well, he was here to practice and learning new things would strengthen his knowledge of magic.

As usual he began to draw the strains of magic that were all about him together, but instead of the process by which he forced them together to make a ball of fire, he tried to stretch them out, make them weaker and fashion them into water with his will and this technique. He aimed to get a small ball of water to throw, rather than a stream, though he intended this ball of water to be as strong as he could make it. The technique was similar to the fire, simply the initial bit where one chose ones element, was different. Assuming he could summon a suitable ball of water he intended pounding Shema's shield with several of these attacks.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:52 pm

Exactly as Corbin assumed summoning a ball of water to throw was simply a matter of using water energy in his weaving. In fact, it was easier than the fireball as there was more water than fire energies within the chamber. The difficultly came with throwing it as the water was heavier than the near weightless fire. Perhaps this was why Shema had thrown short jets of water rather than balls. Either way, it only required an adjustment of how hard to throw before he was hurling the water spheres with nearly the same strength and accuracy as his fire.

Shema relaxed instantly upon the change to water and nodded to Corbin in thanks. Her cloth shield was strong against Corbin's assault. If her shielding had any obvious weak spots, Corbin was unable to find them. However, he was able to launch attacks with greater speed and strength than Shema had managed. Shema needed strong concentration to maintain the shield in the face of it.

Corbin Dillon · Post by **Corbin Dillon** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:47 pm

OOC: Sorry - I forgot about this thread in the whole move thing :oops:

Corbin nodded back at Shema. He had no desire to care her - he was not that mean spirited. As he began to find his pace he started to send the balls of water at varying paces so that Shema couldn't get into a routine. Then he decided to try something out - he sent out a ball of water at the front of her shield, and then immediately after he sent out another ball that he aimed upwards and tried to send it over her head and then pull it back again so that it struck her back. It was another new technique that he was experimenting with, and he wasn't quite sure how the ball would react to it, but if he could pull that off then he could greatly increase the angles of attack and if she did have a weakness he could find it by throwing balls at her back, sending them down on top of her, coming in from the side. It opened up several new avenues of magic that he could perhaps apply to other areas of his craft.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 8:46 pm

Corbin had Fauna to thank for this gap in his education for had she not chosen to show off her dark powers in class, Professor Acantha would have instructed him in the basics of how to guide magical attacks.

As it was, Corbin had only his wits and experiences to fall back on. The basic problem was this. As he had been taught by Professor Acantha, Corbin severed his energy flows to the ball at the moment he hurled it so as to prevent energy from escaping back down the flow. Thus once the ball was thrown he had no ready link to the ball to influence its movement. Clearly their must be a way around this as Corbin has heard of such magics in story and song. He would have to learn by trial and error.

OOC: Give me a few descriptions of what he tries and I'll let you know how each works.

Corbin Dillon · Post by **Corbin Dillon** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 6:15 pm

The water was summoned, it was woven into a ball and sat motionless in Corbin's hand as he controlled the magic that created it. He pondered for a moment how he was to curve the wet ball so that it would trick Shema and evade her defences. Then he tossed it. As he threw the ball he severed all the energy that he had turned into water, yet maintained a strain of magic connected to the ball and as it flew over her head he intended to control the trajectory to swing back towards her.

So that was one method, but he would not settle with simply one solution to a problem, for he was sure there must be more than one. This time the ball was summoned and as he tossed it he envisioned the path on which he wanted to send the ball, and this time he threw it out wide and as he sent it swinging out he imagined to himself the path, using the strands of magic to apply something akin to the physical property of spin to the ball so that its path was deceptive.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 6:04 pm

The first attempt worked well in terms of making the ball go where Corbin wished it too. However, the attached strand also made it easy to see where the ball was being directed and Shema held off the attack with ease. Adding spin to the throw with a bit of air threads thrown in was more effective and only the general strength of Shema's shield protected her.

Shema held up her hand for Corbin to stop. She was starting to look tired and Corbin was starting to feel some fatigue himself. "I can see why most magical battles are either really short or really long." Shema commented.

Corbin Dillon · Post by **Corbin Dillon** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 9:01 pm

Corbin smiled as he relented on his magical assault, feeling a touch of fatigue himself.

"Indeed - it's either all out assault or careful probing." He said with a grin. "But I must thank you for the work out - it is useful being able to attack someone without worrying about my magic failing, and then getting fried." He said with a smile.

"I think I should be going though I have some....pressing duties. Thank you once again." He said to Shema with a smile.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:24 pm

"My pleasure, Corbin." Shema actually curtsied to him with a silly grin. "Be careful out there, huh?" She asked. "You can feel it on the air. There is a danger out there and somehow I see you running towards it. Come back alive."

Corbin Dillon · Post by **Corbin Dillon** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 11:26 pm

"I shall endeavour to do so." He said with a final grin and a wink at her. And with that he turned and strode from the room.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 12:14 am

Thread Skilled.