When the Battlemage finally looked up at her, a feeling very much like pure dread seeped into her thoughts. First … blood? The young Adhiel looked up in time to see the hawk become more solid and take a keen interest in showing her just how solid its features were. Being that Naddali was a female with a large bow in her hands, the first image that popped into her mind was that of a typical human girl squealing in disgust and swatting an imagined rat with a severely oversized broom. In any other situation, Naddali would have had a good laugh at this. This wasn’t exactly “any other†situation. Ok. Focus. Little hawk with sharp talons, sharp beak, and intending to maim is flying straight towards me. Incoming!
She sidestepped quickly as the little hawk swooped past her, its talons barely missing her skin but managing to cause a small rip in the arm of her shirt. A quick loop a second later and the hawk was once again diving towards her. Removing an arrow from her quiver, she notched her bow and took aim only to have to sidestep again as the hawk flew past. It’s too fast for me to use my bow. So, now what? The little hawk was faster than her, more agile, and definitely more focused. A game of cat and mouse ensued. Naddali sidestepped more times than she could count, and the little hawk kept on flying by within centimeters of drawing blood.
It’s obvious this is going to be close quarters soon. Why didn’t I let Harine teach me how to use a dagger? It would have made things so much easier! She took a second to glance at the Battlemage before focusing her attention on the hawk. I bet he’s enjoying himself. As the hawk circled about looking for an opening, Naddali took the chance to get her bearings and take stock of the situation. What do I have available for use? Bow, arrows, and a flute… By the Mother, did I ever come unprepared! A few more sidesteps and near misses later, and Naddali started to really worry. I can’t keep on dodging this thing or else he’ll just get bored and end it here. There’s got to be a way to stop that little prat…
She was running out of time and options. Maybe an arrow would work, if nothing else. Pulling an arrow from her quiver, she barely was able to dodge the hawk’s talons before another bloodless rip appeared on the opposite sleeve as the first. I’m sick and tired of dodging this damn thing. Either it happens or it happens. Clutching the arrow in her right hand, she waited for the hawk to move in for another swoop. As it dived toward her, she held out the arrow like a dagger and made ready to fend off the little nuisance.
Proving it to the Master - Naddali, Samheen 25, MT
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Sevti
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With each swoop and dive, it was obvious that the hawk had much more experience in this kind of thing that Naddali did. Each dive it made, each time Naddali needed to defend herself, seemed to weary her a little more until it was impossible to tell if the hawk was getting quicker or if Naddali was getting slower.
One thing she did notice, however, was that the hawk had a definite pattern in it's movements. Even if it did come from a different direction each time, the angle it swooped at her from was the same. It made it easy for her to position the arrow to impale it as it dove this final time.
And for a moment, the young adhiel thought she was going to be successful. The hawk seemed to be coming straight at the outstretched weapon, unwilling or unable to change it's course. Until the last moment when it veered sharply to the left, raking it's talons down her arm in a long, bloody, painful scratch.
First blood was drawn.
"My hawk has drawn first blood," Falgan's voice rung through the air with the same impassiveness that defined his voice after her first physical test. "And the trial is done. Come have a seat, friend of Tyrol's." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the magical construct until the only wildlife were once again natural.
He remained completely still, fingers steepled before him, until Naddali had complied. "You'll need more drink. These kind of trials take much out of one who is untrained." Fluidly he leaned forward to fill her glass once more before returning to his position of observation.
After several burns in which he allowed her to drink and regain her strength uninterrupted, he finally spoke. "You seem to have a natural talent for magic. Tyrol has trained you well. Though," he cautioned, "you still have very far to go. In battle, however, you have much to learn. A bow is not the best weapon for a battle mage to use against a foe. You would have done better to have been trained in sword or staff."
A small glitter started to take up residence in his eyes. "The only advantage I can see to that is that I won't have to teach you to forget bad habits. I expect you here tomorrow morning, 3 marks into morningtide."
He let the words sink in before adding, "Though before I let you go for today, I should see to the wounds that my hawk has caused. Are you ready to learn your first spell?"
One thing she did notice, however, was that the hawk had a definite pattern in it's movements. Even if it did come from a different direction each time, the angle it swooped at her from was the same. It made it easy for her to position the arrow to impale it as it dove this final time.
And for a moment, the young adhiel thought she was going to be successful. The hawk seemed to be coming straight at the outstretched weapon, unwilling or unable to change it's course. Until the last moment when it veered sharply to the left, raking it's talons down her arm in a long, bloody, painful scratch.
First blood was drawn.
"My hawk has drawn first blood," Falgan's voice rung through the air with the same impassiveness that defined his voice after her first physical test. "And the trial is done. Come have a seat, friend of Tyrol's." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the magical construct until the only wildlife were once again natural.
He remained completely still, fingers steepled before him, until Naddali had complied. "You'll need more drink. These kind of trials take much out of one who is untrained." Fluidly he leaned forward to fill her glass once more before returning to his position of observation.
After several burns in which he allowed her to drink and regain her strength uninterrupted, he finally spoke. "You seem to have a natural talent for magic. Tyrol has trained you well. Though," he cautioned, "you still have very far to go. In battle, however, you have much to learn. A bow is not the best weapon for a battle mage to use against a foe. You would have done better to have been trained in sword or staff."
A small glitter started to take up residence in his eyes. "The only advantage I can see to that is that I won't have to teach you to forget bad habits. I expect you here tomorrow morning, 3 marks into morningtide."
He let the words sink in before adding, "Though before I let you go for today, I should see to the wounds that my hawk has caused. Are you ready to learn your first spell?"
"First let's just unzip your religion down" - [i]Crazy[/i], Tori Amos
Tickle-fight champion.
[i]Avatar is At the Edge of the World by Electra[/i]
Tickle-fight champion.
[i]Avatar is At the Edge of the World by Electra[/i]
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Vesatra Ruis
Naddali nearly hissed as the hawk made short work of her arm. It stung painfully and throbbed somewhat as she applied pressure to the wound to prevent too much bleeding. As the trial ended, she sat down upon a chair near to the Battlemage. After he had filled her cup, she took it in hand and tasted of its contents. The wine was bitter on her tongue, but she drank nonetheless. A warm and refreshing sensation filled her as she took the chance to really rest.
After she had taken her time to drink and rest, the Battlemage began to speak and Naddali gave his words her full attention. He spoke of her skills, positively towards her magic and neutrally towards her skirmish with the hawk.
I would have learned to use a sword or a least a dagger had my mother not seen it as unseemly. The bow was acceptable because it would be my father teaching me, and I could use the skill to provide for myself in the future. She always saw swords as the area of soldiers and warriors, not the daughter of a talented musician. Besides if I had learned how to use a sword, then Bregon would not have lived through his one-sided courtship of myself.
She shook herself out of her thoughts in time to hear the Battlemage essentially accept her as his student. For just a moment, she was rooted to where she sat. Pleasant surprise, shock, and a slowly increasing feeling of joy warred within her as she suppressed the urge to fling her arms around the older Adhiel in gratitude.
Three marks into morningtide… I shan’t be late.
When the Battlemage began to speak again, she returned her focus to the present and listened attentively. The prospect of learning a spell, although she was still quite drained from the previous events of the day, excited her. She was all too eager to begin learning all that she could about magic and its nuances.
“I am more than ready to learn, Daini.â€
After she had taken her time to drink and rest, the Battlemage began to speak and Naddali gave his words her full attention. He spoke of her skills, positively towards her magic and neutrally towards her skirmish with the hawk.
I would have learned to use a sword or a least a dagger had my mother not seen it as unseemly. The bow was acceptable because it would be my father teaching me, and I could use the skill to provide for myself in the future. She always saw swords as the area of soldiers and warriors, not the daughter of a talented musician. Besides if I had learned how to use a sword, then Bregon would not have lived through his one-sided courtship of myself.
She shook herself out of her thoughts in time to hear the Battlemage essentially accept her as his student. For just a moment, she was rooted to where she sat. Pleasant surprise, shock, and a slowly increasing feeling of joy warred within her as she suppressed the urge to fling her arms around the older Adhiel in gratitude.
Three marks into morningtide… I shan’t be late.
When the Battlemage began to speak again, she returned her focus to the present and listened attentively. The prospect of learning a spell, although she was still quite drained from the previous events of the day, excited her. She was all too eager to begin learning all that she could about magic and its nuances.
“I am more than ready to learn, Daini.â€
Last edited by Vesatra Ruis on Mon Jan 23, 2006 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sevti
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Falgan nodded, pleased with the young woman's enthusiasm. "Very well then. First, look into the Aether as you have been taught. This time, I will show you what must be done. The next time you are injured in my presence - and I assure you, it will happen, for I am not an easy teacher - you will do this yourself. And eventually, I will have you teach the spell to another. It is truly the only way to be sure things have been learned."
No physical change seemed to come over the battlemage as he himself slipped into viewing the Aether, but there was something else, something about the way he looked through everything around him that told his vision had changed. He waited for Naddali to center herself and enter before he began to speak.
Once he was sure she was ready, the lesson began. The world was once again the weave of colors that Naddali had seen about a mark before, though this time she could see the faint rent in the life energy that was her arm. It didn't look nearly as damaging here as it did in the Tether - only a faint line disrupting the weave that made up her being.
"First, you must identify the problem," Master Falgan was speaking. "It isn't nearly as damaging as it seems and would actually heal well on it's own. But we can't have you leaving the Palace on your first day here looking as though I've been abusing you. Wouldn't do to have such a lovely adhiel lass thought to be abused." His voice moved smoothly over his student in a gentle caress.
"Now," back to business once again, "once you have identified the problem - that thin line upon your skin - you need to find some way to replace the life energy that was taken from it. The easiest way, and the way surest to cause the least amount of damage, is to either find the hardiest non-sentient living thing around and judge whether you can take enough energy from it to prevent damage. If there is nothing that meets those requirements, the next step would be to find many non-sentient living things and take a little from each. While you CAN take from other thinking beings, I advise you not to unless you have their express permission first. Sometimes, things such as their own magic could be woven into their own life energy and that could cause... reactions. Better to stick with those that cannot complain. In this case, we won't seem to need much energy, so this plant should do the trick with no harm to either of you."
From Falgan came a thin strand - a combination of all the colors of the rainbow to Naddali's eyes - and he sent it forth to the large plant that he had earlier had the aspiring battlemage focus on. It wound around some of the weave of one of the larger leaves, insinuating itself into it's being. One thin thread from the plant spiraled toward the ground, anchoring itself there, and then Falgan pulled a small portion away, leading it gently toward Naddali's arm.
"Always remember to ground before pulling any energy," he warned her as the bright spot of green settled into place above her arm, waiting for the silent command from the Master BattleMage to begin it's work. "Even energy you may think of as harmless can still do damage if not properly grounded. Once you have what you wish to work with, move it to the affected area and gently..." The weave began to lower itself, lengthening as it sank to cover the rent until it was a perfect match. Within a flicker, it rested on her arm. "... gently draw it forth into the shape you need and overlay the damage. You may need to prod it to begin to integrate itself with you own energy, though that is usually not the case. Like, quite often, calls to like." In fact, it seemed that this strand of energy was quite willing to weave itself into Naddali's own life energy until soon it was impossible to tell where Naddali's old energy ended and the new began.
Carefully, Falgan pulled his "hand" away from the patched place, used it to release the ground once the weave was in place, and drew that knot of energy back into himself. "If you think you have a good view of what has happened here in the Aether, you are free to once again disengage yourself and see what has changed in the Tether."
When she returned her view to the world of her eyes, she found that it was impossible to tell - other than the tears in her clothing - that she had ever lost a battle to a light hawk. The physical damage to her body had quite disappeared.
Falgan picked up his glass once more, settling back into his seat comfortably. The fatigue that had plagued Naddali's earlier attempt at moving the candle flame didn't seem to plague her instructor. "Now there are a few pieces of information I MUST give you before you leave, things that you are required to remember as my student.
"One. There is to be NO magic practiced outside of our training sessions. If I hear that you have been, you will need to find yourself someone less skilled than I to train you. The same goes for arms, though those can be less deadly in the long run." He watched her, all hint of humor gone from his countenance.
"Two. You will be here for the time required every day, no exceptions. You seem serious enough, but I won't have a young man turning your head and me finding that I've wasted my time training someone who would rather go off googly-eyed with some handsome, full-of-himself noble for a fine glass of Kislovani White and a roll in the proverbial hay.
"Three. You are to follow my instructions without question. There may be times that what I ask of you doesn't make sense. Do it anyway. There is always a reason."
He took another long draught from his glass, letting all of this sink in to the young woman beside him. "Now, do you think you'll be able to follow these rules? And do you think you'll be able to do the healing on your own the next time you are damaged?"
No physical change seemed to come over the battlemage as he himself slipped into viewing the Aether, but there was something else, something about the way he looked through everything around him that told his vision had changed. He waited for Naddali to center herself and enter before he began to speak.
Once he was sure she was ready, the lesson began. The world was once again the weave of colors that Naddali had seen about a mark before, though this time she could see the faint rent in the life energy that was her arm. It didn't look nearly as damaging here as it did in the Tether - only a faint line disrupting the weave that made up her being.
"First, you must identify the problem," Master Falgan was speaking. "It isn't nearly as damaging as it seems and would actually heal well on it's own. But we can't have you leaving the Palace on your first day here looking as though I've been abusing you. Wouldn't do to have such a lovely adhiel lass thought to be abused." His voice moved smoothly over his student in a gentle caress.
"Now," back to business once again, "once you have identified the problem - that thin line upon your skin - you need to find some way to replace the life energy that was taken from it. The easiest way, and the way surest to cause the least amount of damage, is to either find the hardiest non-sentient living thing around and judge whether you can take enough energy from it to prevent damage. If there is nothing that meets those requirements, the next step would be to find many non-sentient living things and take a little from each. While you CAN take from other thinking beings, I advise you not to unless you have their express permission first. Sometimes, things such as their own magic could be woven into their own life energy and that could cause... reactions. Better to stick with those that cannot complain. In this case, we won't seem to need much energy, so this plant should do the trick with no harm to either of you."
From Falgan came a thin strand - a combination of all the colors of the rainbow to Naddali's eyes - and he sent it forth to the large plant that he had earlier had the aspiring battlemage focus on. It wound around some of the weave of one of the larger leaves, insinuating itself into it's being. One thin thread from the plant spiraled toward the ground, anchoring itself there, and then Falgan pulled a small portion away, leading it gently toward Naddali's arm.
"Always remember to ground before pulling any energy," he warned her as the bright spot of green settled into place above her arm, waiting for the silent command from the Master BattleMage to begin it's work. "Even energy you may think of as harmless can still do damage if not properly grounded. Once you have what you wish to work with, move it to the affected area and gently..." The weave began to lower itself, lengthening as it sank to cover the rent until it was a perfect match. Within a flicker, it rested on her arm. "... gently draw it forth into the shape you need and overlay the damage. You may need to prod it to begin to integrate itself with you own energy, though that is usually not the case. Like, quite often, calls to like." In fact, it seemed that this strand of energy was quite willing to weave itself into Naddali's own life energy until soon it was impossible to tell where Naddali's old energy ended and the new began.
Carefully, Falgan pulled his "hand" away from the patched place, used it to release the ground once the weave was in place, and drew that knot of energy back into himself. "If you think you have a good view of what has happened here in the Aether, you are free to once again disengage yourself and see what has changed in the Tether."
When she returned her view to the world of her eyes, she found that it was impossible to tell - other than the tears in her clothing - that she had ever lost a battle to a light hawk. The physical damage to her body had quite disappeared.
Falgan picked up his glass once more, settling back into his seat comfortably. The fatigue that had plagued Naddali's earlier attempt at moving the candle flame didn't seem to plague her instructor. "Now there are a few pieces of information I MUST give you before you leave, things that you are required to remember as my student.
"One. There is to be NO magic practiced outside of our training sessions. If I hear that you have been, you will need to find yourself someone less skilled than I to train you. The same goes for arms, though those can be less deadly in the long run." He watched her, all hint of humor gone from his countenance.
"Two. You will be here for the time required every day, no exceptions. You seem serious enough, but I won't have a young man turning your head and me finding that I've wasted my time training someone who would rather go off googly-eyed with some handsome, full-of-himself noble for a fine glass of Kislovani White and a roll in the proverbial hay.
"Three. You are to follow my instructions without question. There may be times that what I ask of you doesn't make sense. Do it anyway. There is always a reason."
He took another long draught from his glass, letting all of this sink in to the young woman beside him. "Now, do you think you'll be able to follow these rules? And do you think you'll be able to do the healing on your own the next time you are damaged?"
"First let's just unzip your religion down" - [i]Crazy[/i], Tori Amos
Tickle-fight champion.
[i]Avatar is At the Edge of the World by Electra[/i]
Tickle-fight champion.
[i]Avatar is At the Edge of the World by Electra[/i]
-
Vesatra Ruis
When her vision returned to the Tether, Naddali rested comfortably in her chair. She was more tired than she had ever felt before. Tired but content. She had passed the trials put before her and succeeded. When the Battlemage began to speak, she gave him her full attention. The first rule mentioned would be easy enough for her to follow. The second rule he set forth made her nearly want to laugh out loud.
I’ve had more than my share of pathetic and overly egotistical suitors knocking on my parents’ door. None have yet to catch my interest. There will definitely be no problems following this rule.
The third rule set forth confused Naddali, yet it also piqued her curiosity. What was in store for her after she left these halls? What, in the coming days, would she learn about magic and the world? The possibilities were endless. The outcomes almost beyond her wildest dreams.
She mentally shook herself out of her reverie and returned her attention to the Battlemage’s words. His questions were straight-forward and easy for her to answer.
“The rules you have set forth will be easy for me to follow. I will do my best to make sure that you have no reason to regret having accepted me as a student. As for the healing, I believe I could perform it should the need arise.â€
After taking a good look around the light-filled atrium, the young Adhiel stood slowly from her chair. She turned to face the Battlemage Royal and curtseyed out of respect. Picking up her belongings, she smiled warmly to the older Adhiel. Elation, gratitude, and respect filled her with warmth and contentment as she bid the Battlemage goodbye.
“I shall not be late, Daini. Tomorrow, three marks into morningtide, I will be here and ready to learn what you would teach me.â€
With a quick smile, she turned and left the way she had come. Only this time she crossed the threshold of the Palace with a sense of belonging rather than fear and self-doubt.
I’ve had more than my share of pathetic and overly egotistical suitors knocking on my parents’ door. None have yet to catch my interest. There will definitely be no problems following this rule.
The third rule set forth confused Naddali, yet it also piqued her curiosity. What was in store for her after she left these halls? What, in the coming days, would she learn about magic and the world? The possibilities were endless. The outcomes almost beyond her wildest dreams.
She mentally shook herself out of her reverie and returned her attention to the Battlemage’s words. His questions were straight-forward and easy for her to answer.
“The rules you have set forth will be easy for me to follow. I will do my best to make sure that you have no reason to regret having accepted me as a student. As for the healing, I believe I could perform it should the need arise.â€
After taking a good look around the light-filled atrium, the young Adhiel stood slowly from her chair. She turned to face the Battlemage Royal and curtseyed out of respect. Picking up her belongings, she smiled warmly to the older Adhiel. Elation, gratitude, and respect filled her with warmth and contentment as she bid the Battlemage goodbye.
“I shall not be late, Daini. Tomorrow, three marks into morningtide, I will be here and ready to learn what you would teach me.â€
With a quick smile, she turned and left the way she had come. Only this time she crossed the threshold of the Palace with a sense of belonging rather than fear and self-doubt.