[Flashback] I Can See Again! (Solo)

[Eridanus]

Day 25, Spring of 503 AV 42 Chimes after the 14th Bell The Lyceum Eridanus knocked on the door of squat-looking tower, a note in his hand and an expression of nervousness and curiosity on his face. It was the same kind of feeling as one who enter a room filled with unknown things, with the thirst for knowledge driving him forward but the fear of the unknown pushing him back, and finally a sense of apprehension throughout, making him wonder if he could deal with it. In his hand was a note of recommendation signed by Master Oliver Camlach of famous Academy of Denval who, by a stroke of luck, was also his personal trainer in the art of sword fighting. Denval did not condemn magic practitioners unlike other more conservative cultures, perhaps due to their understanding that magic played a huge role in increasing combat effectiveness, and as a small martial town constantly fighting for survival, they acknowledged all the help they needed and as a result that included magic. Magic was not openly discussed or flaunted here like on Sahova, the ultimate gathering place of wizards continent-wide, but it was accepted as well and no one raised an eyebrow when it was brought into the conversation, seeing it as say, merely a proficiency of another sort of weapon. It was not uncommon to see a mage and a warrior debating the merits of the blade against projection, and from observation it was clear that both Denvali merely viewed magic as another sort of weapon, and did not attribute unnecessary importance to it unlike other more close-minded cities. This observation caused him to declare freely on his application form that he tended to dabble in Flux, and Master Camlach had brought this topic up, clearly approving his choice of a martial magic. The instructor was quite competent in the art of Reimancy himself, and after a chat the instructor decided to help him develop his skills in the arcane further by directing him to the Lyceum, where more qualified instructors in the art of magic worked. He had a friend there, and thus he wrote a note of recommendation for Eri as a favour to him and so the Vantha found himself before the scholarly abode of wizards and wise-men, waiting for something to happen. With a creak, the heavy wood moved, and he found himself looking at a wizened man, frail-looking but somewhat pudgy, with a grumpy look in his eyes. "What's the matter, young'un?" The old man grumbled, his hands already ready to close the door. Immediately, Eridanus wedged himself into the door to the man's surprise, and he quickly gave him the letter. The scholar reacted with surprise, but took it in his stride and read the note, inspecting the signature below for a moment as if he could somehow detect its authenticity. After a moment of silence, he sighed and gestured for the 'young' Vantha to close the large door and to follow. They walked in silence up the winding stairs of the tower, Eridanus keeping silent because he was unsure what to talk about, and the grumpy man not uttering a word for he saw no need to. He had seen the world already and had interacted enough with its denizens to know that he was no longer interested in them, instead choosing to pursue knowledge in research in the Lyceum. They climbed up a series of stairs, finally stopping at a floor and the scholar went down the corridor, letting himself into one of the rooms and waiting for the Vantha to do likewise. "Close the door, young'un", the wizened-looking man sighed impatiently, and upon doing so Eri found himself at the end of a rather intense stare. It was not the hostile I-want-to-gut-you stare, but more of the studying kind like he was some sort of specimen. He coughed uncomfortably, and it apparently reminded the man of his manners, and he harrumphed, breaking the awkward silence. "So you're this Eridanus, and somehow young Oliver seems to think highly of your potential", the man began, indirectly affirming him to be the man that Master Camlach had spoken so respectfully of. By the way he referred to Eri's instructor it was pretty much obvious that Master Camlach had once been this man's student or apprentice. Eridanus found the man peering at him again, and he continued, "If you don't know already, people around call me Master Redrux. I have no need for such honorifics, and so when we're alone you are free to address me as ol' Red or whatever the hell you want as long as I know you're calling me. Do you know why this only applies when we're alone, Eridanus?" The Vantha shifted uncomfortably, and ventured a guess, "Is it because the city takes a serious view on discipline?" From what he gathered, the city had two strengths that lay in its serious view on martial preparation and discipline, which included respect for authority. He suspected that the city would not take too kindly to an outsider treating their respected mage with perceived disrespect. "One point to you, lad", Redrux snorted with approval. "What brings you here then? Elemental crafting like my boy Oliver? Or something else?" Eridanus knew of the city's strong focus on magic that could be utilized for combat, as a result of their military-focused stance, but he shook his head, and said, "I'd like to know more about seeing, sir. Master Camlach mentioned that knowing one's opponent was half the battle won." The wizard seemed momentarily stunned as he seemed to be recalling certain events in the past unknown to Eri, and he burst into laughter, which settled into a hacking cough. "I've taught that boy well, I have. Indeed, young Eridanus. You made the right choice, indeed!" He coughed up a few bursts of laughter, then put the note on the desk that was nearby, and he proceeded to sit on the chair, shifting it to face the standing Vantha. "Denval is so god-awfully obsessed with combat that you'd think she'd have died without them. And while I agree that it is important, many young lads like you have burst in to my other peers screaming for ways to throw fireballs, to create spikes of earth, to turn their arms into claws and whatever imaginative ways they have in their minds to seriously mess up their opponents. Since Oliver, no one have came to me about this. Except you now." Eri felt the tiny hairs in his neck raise as he somehow felt that the man's stare was intensifying, even though Redrux had now leaned forward on his desk, one palm supporting his chin as he studied the Vantha with an interested expression. "Felt that, didn't you? Most people wouldn't. I guess that boy really knew his stuff to send you here", Redrux chuckled. "But, sir, what-" Eridanus began, feeling lost this whole time and not exactly understanding what was going on. The wizard raised a hand to silence Eri, smiling in bemusement, and answered, "Ah... the curiosity of the young never fail to amuse me. 'Ask, and you will receive', I always tell my lads. And as you ask, receive you shall." Chuckling once more at some sort of joke that only he would understand, Master Redrux paused a moment to gather his thoughts, and he launched into a short speech. "What you're asking for, lad, is Auristics. It is the art of sight, and most people may call it a gift but I would heartily disagree. If they're Konti then maybe, but Aurists are not born but made. It is studied, practised, and mastered with a science so precise that calling it a gift would be insulting. Make sure that you bear this in mind. Much like how your legs get fitter the more you run and your hands get stronger the more you swing that sword, your sight will improve the more you use it, though with all magical arts moderation is always advised." "Now what is Auristics, you ask. I already see that thought bubbling in your mind, so just keep that thought there and listen to me. As a user of Flux - don't ask how I know; I already see it quite obviously in you - you must be aware of the djed in your body right? You will agree with me that everyone has djed, yes I see you nodding. Now comes the real realization. Everything, and I mean everything have djed in them. That means me, you, the chair I'm sitting on, and that clothes you're wearing. Yes I see you struggling against that idea, but for now just trust me for the time-being and assume that everything have djed. You'll agree with me shortly afterwards, mark my words." "Djed projects an aura of sorts, and so everything and everyone will logically have this aura, if you accept that they have djed. The only difference is the magnitude of it, and you will surely agree that this chair that's supporting my weight has barely an ounce of djed in it, thus its aura is limited largely to the physical space it occupies. What Auristics actually is, is that it is the science of seeing this aura, and reading information about it that you can't glean normally. This is how I know that you use Flux, for that's what your aura tells me. Oh right, my manners fail me again. Go grab a seat." Redrux had stopped halfway when he noticed the Vantha fidgeting, and he gestured towards a bunch of stools in the corner for Eri to take and in front of the desk opposite the wizard. "You can take the time slowly to digest what I said, but time is ticking and Lhex waits for no man. For now, just trust what I said is true and work with me", Redrux finished, rubbing his stiff back. "Ah, my troublesome back. Always finds the wrong time to work its brand of mischief on me", the eccentric mage remarked to no one in particular, and after a moment he realized that Eri was still looking at him in curiosity, and he harrumphed again as if to cover up his moment of weakness, and he addressed the Vantha. "Now that we got the basics out of the way, I will instruct you in basic usage. You already know how to work flux, yes? The beginning stage is similar. Wait, I can see you trying to work it. Stop now and listen to me finish first before you implode your eyeballs or something", Redrux chuckled as the Vantha stared at him in a half-horrified expression, unsure if the scholar was being serious or just screwing around with him. "Well, it won't be that serious, but just listen alright? You bring up the djed within your body, but instead of redirecting the entire flow somewhere else, you imagine yourself consuming a tiny bit of that djed by redirecting a little bit to your eyes, or whatever physical sense you feel comfortable with. For myself I started out with the eyes like most people, but as I got older and my physical sight began failing me, I redirected more to my ears. Aha, that curious look again. You see, they may call it magical sight, but it actually really is more like magical detection. An aura is so much more than well, a shape. Well it is for some people, but while you're my student I'll be damned if you don't learn this the proper way", he ended with a note of disappointment as he probably recalled more memories. "You perceive an aura - note how I didn't say see - through your five senses, and we will go through each of them quite mechanically to drill that into you. I don't want people to say a student of Redrux had a screwed foundation in Auristics, I tell you. That would be the death of me. What we will do next is that I will instruct you properly on how to unlock your vision, and you will focus entirely on my words. Don't talk, don't ask, don't complain, just do. Agreed?" The mage waited for Eri's assent before he continued. "Now first direct it to your sight, since young lads like yourself will be most familiar with your vision. Right, that is correct. I can see you trying not to blow your brains out with too much flux; sorry personal joke there don't mind me. Now look at me and unfocus your eyes just a bit so that my figure blur into the background. Very good, you look a little funny while you're cross-eyed. Okay sorry didn't mean to disrupt your concentration. Do it again. Hmm... yes fine that is most fine. Now do you see a vague outline protruding out of my blurred figure? Okay wait don't say anything wouldn't want to break that focus. Just do something to let me know if you do - I don't know - maybe shake your bum or something? Okay okay I see that finger wagging. Yes... you catch this pretty fast, no doubt due to your flux background and your openness to new information, not like those bloody conservative narrow-minded folks elsewhere. Did I wander? My bad. Okay, what you want to do is now direct your focus at that vague... thing protruding out of my figure. It should look like a smoke, but I wouldn't know for you since everyone perceives things differently. I know it sounds contradictory, but you still must remain er, cross-eyed, while doing it. Don't give me that confused smile while you're cross-eyed it's disturbing. Imagine yourself separating your physical and magical sight. It's easier to do it while you're already cross-eyed. Now imagine using your magical eye - I know it sounds lame - but use your magical sight to focus on the 'smoke' or whatever the hell you see around me. If it helps, it's the same 'sight' you use to 'see' the djed streams within your body. Ah yes I see a shift in confidence, do you see something now? If you see a somewhat clear but blur shape coming out of my physical frame you can stop focusing now." With a sigh of relief and a triumphant grin, Eridanus shook his head and blinked his eyes several times as tears started to hydrate his eyes that he tried to keep open as long as he could being forced to blink. He had steadily fed djed into his eyes while straining to see, and could physically feel the drain in strength in his body as he struggled to get a glimpse of this elusive smoke. Finally, he had glimpsed it and it didn't seem like smoke to him but more like a cloud of thin mist that hung around the figure than the gray emissions that result from a source of fire. He couldn't really tell much from it, but he could feel that it pulsed with some sort of hidden power, and decided to let it go at that for he felt like he had been staring at a single point for bells when in effect it had only been a few chimes. "How was it? What did you see?" The wizard inquired curiously, and Eridanus told him everything, even describing the process in detail as the mage nodded at some points but frowned at others. Finally, he finished and Redrux grunted with approval. "Not perfect, but acceptable for your first try. What you need to do is not to repeatedly consuming djed unnecessarily. Wait until you feel that you have seen as much as you can, then slowly feed more djed. What you were doing was wasting it, especially the front bit when you were still adjusting your physical vision; there was no need to feed your djed as you did just now." "Alright, we have established that vision is typically the main source of detection for Aurists, and it seems that you are no different. Now that we know what your preferred sense is, we will try to enlighten your other senses as well. I'll give you a moment to blink those eyes", the wizard paused to give Eri some time for mental preparation, and he reached below his desk to retrieve a dubious looking loaf of bread, inspecting it briefly then tearing out a portion at the side, throwing that portion into the inconspicuous bin beside his desk and began munching on the bread. "You ready, young'un? Okay now stop nodding and remember what I told you earlier. Unfocus your eyes but do not channel djed until you feel that you have reached the limit of your sighting capacity. Yes I can see that you are reaching that stage faster than the previous time. Don't rush though, do it gradually. Hmm... alright I can see from your surge in confidence that you are seeing my er, blob of mist or whatever you see. This is my aura, Eridanus, and this is what everything will have. Wait, don't divert your views. Before we continue I want to quickly tell you that you can overgive with Auristics. If you don't want your eyeballs to pop out," Redrux coughed while hiding his laughter, "then don't focus on more than one thing at a time. Not until you are more experienced. And you are only more experienced when I tell you that you are. God knows how many bloody wannabes think that they're good enough when they aren't." Redrux coughed again, and continued, "I'm wandering off again, aren't I? Apologies, young'un. Don't give me that look I tell you it is pretty disconcerting especially with the way that you're looking at me. Don't worry you'll not look funny while practising it when you get better, but for now this is what we'll have to work with. Alright, still focusing on me aren't you? Now try sniffing the air. Don't worry it's just me and you no one will laugh. Well, except me but that's not the point. Anyway, sniff the air. You'll smell nothing unusual right? That's normal. Now do the same thing I told you earlier with the djed, but direct a little bit of it to your nose. Nice... you're getting better at this. No wait, not your ears too. Just your nose for now. Okay stop feeding djed there and try sniffing again. What do you smell? Move some part of your body if you can smell anything unusual. No? Hmm... okay try this. Direct a little bit more djed to your nose and imagine sniffing, instead of sniffing for real. Do it mentally, like how you achieved your magical sight. Okay I can see the djed streams being manipulated from your aura. Now can you smell it? Hmm yes I see you wagging that finger. Okay I see it stop wagging now. No, don't unfocus your er, unfocused state. This will be easier to do it all in one go once you unlocked your main sense. Now imagine the same thing, but direct your djed slightly lower to your mouth, or your tongue, to be precise. Open your mouth slightly, no you don't have to stick your tongue out don't be foolish. And don't protest either I can see that emotion welling up in you. Just do what you're told. Can you taste the air? The air should taste what you expected it to taste from your sense of smell." "Most people can't tell the difference in the beginning but when they get better there are distinct advantages to be had by using more than one sense to read auras. Correction: to taste, smell, hear, touch and read auras. Most people don't see a difference when they started, only to realize too late that they will have revisit their basics. Bah! You will learn foundations from me, and if I catch you being lazy and using your sight only I will turn you into a frog", the mage rambled on, before catching himself and quickly returning to his still concentrating student. By then Eri had cold sweat forming on his back and palms, and it was visible that his concentration was straining as his djed was slowly being consumed as he fought to maintain his vision. "Sorry, we will try to speed this up a little so I don't kill you on your first lesson. I take it that you can taste the air. If you smelled lemons you should expect to taste lemons, or oranges, or something similar. You're still inexperienced and both will be the same for now, but keep in mind that advanced analysis will require both 'senses' or more. Now do the same for your ears. Okay, I will stop saying anything for the next half a chime or so. You will attempt to hear my aura. Ready? Go", Redrux finished, looking down on the loaf held in his hands and chomping down on it as if it were succulent meat. Eridanus by now began to felt like he had ran quite a few miles continuously without stopping, and his head began to develop a slight ache. Not one to disappoint his new mentor, he mentally focused his thoughts into a razor-sharp point into one objective and shoved off all other thoughts and sensations. As he focused inwardly, his perspective externally seemed to improve. It was like he was in some sort of dream-trance, and he began to pay less attention to his physical senses and actually perceiving Master Redrux's aura the same way he had intuitively seen his own while casting Flux spells. He heard a low humming that sounded ominously with power and mystery, and nothing else, for it was too soft to infer anything from that sound. At the same time, his hair began to stand and he felt uncomfortable, like he was brushing against something that he shouldn't. At this moment, he felt a similar sort of euphoria, but on a much smaller scale, as when he was using Flux, for he felt like it was only now that he was truly living. He had been so blnd to the world before this! Except now he still felt blind, being forced to focus only at one. He felt at one with his senses, all five senses working simultaneously, working in harmony. It wouldn't hurt to take a peek at say, that desk he had his hands on right? Or maybe the stool? It wouldn't hurt to- Eridanus gasped as he felt a hard slap on his cheek, bluntly pushing his face forward into the desk as his concentration broke, the pain that resulted from his nose being unceremoniously flattened into the wooden desk bringing tears into his eyes and suddenly the dreamy state disappeared, returning to the clarity and 'broadness' of the physical world. He felt a sort of relief, for he had felt so narrow, so crushed while being forced to only look at one object, and he relished his broadened senses now, marvelling the different colours in the room and the contrast of the somewhat stale bread's stench and the musty air in Redrux's office. "That, boy, is what's gonna get your eyes blasted out of their sockets", the wizard grunted disapprovingly, but still with a tinge of satisfaction in his voice, for his student had quite beautifully captured the sense of using all five senses simultaneously and optimized the reading of information from a single target as much as he could. The problem was his bloody curiosity that may get him killed one day. "Like I said, Eridanus, you never - I repeat - never focus on more than one target until I say that you can. Try that one more time - and trust me I will know - and I will no longer teach you. Promise me!" Master Redrux had a serious tone now that brooked no nonsense. He was using a weak threat, for he knew that if Eridanus pushed his curiosity too far, this ban would be the least of his concerns. Sight can be a powerful thing, but if one stared at the sun one risk going blind. "Promise me!", he repeated with a commanding voice, and Eridanus was shook out of his reverie, nodding weakly and giving a sheepish grin. Finally, the wizard sighed and sunk into his chair, his frame drooping and suddenly looking more tired than he was a second earlier, while he was brimming with energy. "Bloody magics take more out of me now than I was younger. Session's over, remember what you learned and practice as much as you can everyday. Try to instantly get all five senses working at the same time instead of having to slowly activating them one by one as you did today. Not that I'm asking you to force the process, mind you, but just repeat what you did today again and again until you can instinctively bring it all up. I believe you feisty ones call it muscle memory. It's the same concept with Auristics." The scholar dismissed the Vantha with a wave, and remained deep in thought at his desk. Eridanus opened the door of the office, and was about to step out when he was interrupted one las time. "Oh, and before you go, remember your vow. Do not look at more than one target. Always keep that in mind before you go into your trance. Try to look more natural when perceiving an aura so that you don't get a scrunched up face whenever you try. If it helps, try to perceive the aura of a mirror and you can look at your expression every time you try. How funny you look is secondary though, I'd rather you look idiotic and grasped Auristics than fail to master it but look magnificent. We have actors and conmen for that. Not you. Come back a week later and we'll see how far you've progressed." Eridanus acknowledged the tip, and with a wave he was dismissed for real. His mind wandered as he found his way down the winding steps to the door and let himself out. He felt more tired than normal, like he had used flux continuously many times, but yet it was a straining sort of exhaustion which told him that though he felt as crappy as he would have using the above example, he would recover much faster also. With a singing heart full of enthusiasm and optimism for the future, he left the Lyceum, eager to practice his new-found knowledge and a gain a whole new perception of the world.

[Legion]

Thread Award Eridanus: Auristics +4, Meditation +3 Auristics Magic Martial Applications of Auristics Properties of Djed Comments Eloquently composed and excellent NPC portrayal. We continue to be pleased with your on-the-mark observations of Denvali culture and will make the mild suggestion of potentially breaking up training threads into shorter posts in the future. It makes for easier grading. If you have any requests or concerns, feel free to PM me.