Flux is better than chicken scratch (solo)

[Marin]

6th of summer, 512 Marin had woken up an hour earlier, and had a long time before class would start. He was prepared, having done what Professor Stonemiller had asked the class, and he had researched a bit on his own in the library. Marin liked reading, although it wasn't something he did often, or for a hobby. It was something that was useful, and educational and that was all. Being in the field was more interesting, and more exciting. Book knowledge was just facts, field knowledge was really where it all was. And today was the day for that. Professor Stonemiller had sent the class home the other day with an assignment: to research flux. More than that, to write a small bit on the history, and also to have a complete drawing (or chicken scratch) of the major areas of the body one could influence with flux. Marin had completed the writing in a snap, and the drawing (or in Marin's case, chicken scratch) of the body was almost done. Hopefully Professor Stonemiller can understand my awful drawing...I would hate to have to do another! Marin snatched a quill, finishing the last few areas that were connected. This main pathway connects to all of the appendages, channeling djed to the smaller regions. Scratch, Scratch. This one leads to the brain... Scratch. Marin finished, and started getting his things finalized to walk out the door, his papers and books in his sack. He got up from his seated position and left the dorm, another student doing much the same across the way. Marin waved, but the other student, obviously younger, disregarded him. Oh well... Marin turned, walking in the other direction of the student, to the classroom of Professor Stonemiller. The air was dry, which was strange for Zeltiva, the bay air usually kept the city at a more marine feel. The dorms finally escaped Marin's view as he continued on to the class. __ Marin opened the large wooden door to the classroom, the air inside stale as a classroom often is. The seats were aligned, and all pushed under the tables. Professor Stonemiller sat as his desk, briefly looking up as Marin entered. Marin found a seat, perfectly positioned, as it was empty; most students were probably still sleeping. The seat was in the middle of the room, close enough to the front to hear, but far enough away that Professor Stonemiller shouldn't notice if Marin got distracted. Of course Marin usually was very interested, for Flux was something that he could utilize in many situations. But of course, as every student does, no matter how old, Marin could get distracted sometimes, thinking about other things, and doodling on his paper. Marin had everything organized for at least 10 chimes, and had gotten in a small catnap, as a small number of students finally filed in. Some sat down and started working on what was actually due today, other working on things for other classes. Some students immediately lay their heads on the table in front of them. Marin had been doing the same for a small amount of time. Most of the class had arrived as Professor Stonemiller walked to the front of the classroom, bringing multiple books and odd papers with him. He organized everything at the front of the classroom, making neat piles of all the assorted papers and such. Class had started. “Hello class. Today, as I had promised earlier this week, we will be starting to work with The Flux in our own bodies. First I must collect the work that you were assigned to do.” The Professor started to glide around the room, students scratching their last words on their assignments before handing them to the Professor. He then returned to the front of the classroom. “Many of these assignments look sloppy! You should all take better pride in your work!” Professor Stonemiller sifted through the papers and drawings, pulling out sloppy examples and shaking them in the air. “This? These are barely words!” The students face that the assignment most likely belonged to shifted to a red color. I hope he doesn't hold up my drawing! Oh please! Professor! The Professor set down the now messy pile, and moved to blackboard to draw a figure. He drew quietly with the chalk for a chime, some students already distracted and talking to each other. “Quiet!” he yelled to nobody in particular. When he stepped away, a rough human figure was staring back at us from the slate. The basic djed pathways were also drawn in, matching the drawings. “Lets go over the pathways. Does anybody know how we utilize these?” A student stood up and answered “Don't they connect to different parts of the body so we can move energy there?” a voice projected to the front of the room. “Mostly.” Professor Stonemiller didn't look impressed. “Nerves connect the physical body with the astral body - Djed flows through these neural pathways in order to transmit orders to the limbs. With effort, this energy powering the nerves can be harnessed and manipulated. ” The Professor moved to the blackboard again, dragging his hand along one of the large pathways in the legs. “This is the pathway we will be trying to move energy to today. We will channel energy from this main pathway to our legs, enabling us to use them better, and more efficiently. Of course, we will have to pair up to watch for overgiving, although at this point, most all students shouldn't be able to get that much energy to one point.” The Professor waved his hand over the room, as if handing the class the reigns. Marin still sat, most students getting up and finding a friend to pair with. Marin waited, hoping someone would come over and ask him. A small, young looking kid came over, and looked up, “Need a partner, guy?”

[Marin]

“Sure. The names Marin.” “Arn't you a little old to be in the university?” The kid asked Marin. “Even the best of us still have use for learning. And anyway! I'm only 23!” Marin retorted, making a face at the kid. “Fine! People call me Cat. Lets go.” Marin looked at the kid, wondering where he got his spunk. I know a cat... A sure spunky cat too! Maybe that’s where he got it! Bah! Zerren couldn't have a kid yet... Or hopefully never... What would that be like!? A tiny angry kitten... Hmm... No. That could never work... Unless its this kid! “Alright. Ready?” “Yeah!” The kid stood up, acting more confident than he probably was. He closed his eyes, focusing his brain on moving djed from his torso to his legs. His eyebrows furrowed, and his fists clenched, he turned up empty. “It didn't move! How are you s'pposed to do this!?” Cat said this just as Professor Stonemiller was walking by, the Professor stopping to see what was annoying the kid so much. “What seems to be the problem?” Cat looked up, surprised by the arrival of the Professor. “Sorry for yelling sir... It's just that moving djed is harder than one would think it is.” The kid was suddenly calm, acting like the prefect little kid. Ha! I bet you couldn't hold that for more than a chime! “Ah. It takes practice, time, and a hearty brain to move the amount of djed you probably just tried to move. Lets start with a smaller amount, and maybe move it slower?” The Professor patted Cat's shoulder; a pat of encouragement that Cat just shrugged off. “I see. Well lets try it then. Rrggg...” Cat said in anger. Yup. Less than a chime. “Another thing you could try is using an incantation or gesture. This usually helps beginners and novice Flux users be more productive with their djed movement.” The Professor continued. “Often times this incantation focuses your energy in a more effective way, rather than wasting energy on focusing, you can focus it on moving the djed. Sometimes magic users will just say random words, others say things in the Ancient Tounge. Each incantation is unique to the Flux user, just as gestures are.” Marin listened to everything the Professor had said. A gesture? Hmm... That was in the history! The military users would hide the movements in their sword strokes! What an ingenious way to disguise a flux gesture! I should try that someday...

[Marin]

It seemed that Cat had given up on trying, for he was sitting and pouting. “Here. Let me try now.” Marin stood and closed his eyes. Ok. Move a small amount of djed to my legs to power more energy there.... That cant be a problem... Focus. I wonder how I can make an incantation... Focus. Marin focused on a small amount of djed in his body, and attempted to pull it down to one of his legs. He felt the neural pathways in his body, the flowing energy pulsing through every point. The smaller nerves were harder to feel; a novice as Marin was would have a hard time finding anything past the main pathways. Marin focused on the main nerve and the energy coursing through his spine, finding the pulsing silvery djed. Marin felt it with his mind, coaxing it to move, slowly. Yes. Down this way... Yes. Keep going! Marin focused harder, the outside viewer seeing sweat form on his body. Marin started rambling things, strange syllables in languages he didn't know. The djed flowed, following his spinal chord, connecting with his leg, finally slowing as it hit the upper part of his thigh. Yes! This is when it turns to energy! Turn!! Marin focused his already stressed brain on turning the djed to energy, powering his right leg. Yes... Now change. Turn to pure energy! The djed formed energy and strength as Marin focused. At this point, Professor Stonemiller had brought the classes attention to Marin, one of the few who had successfully moved energy to somewhere in their body. The class surrounded Marin as he sweat, and fought his own body for control of its energy. The Professor started explaining the things that were happening. “As you can see, Marin is now speaking gibberish, or as I would call it, an incantation. These are unique to each Flux user. These syllables that Marin is using now are one of his incantations. You can also start to see signs of stress as he is moving the energy. If he starts getting out of control of it, he will start to overgive, and we will need to stop him from continuing, and hurting his own body.” CRAACBAM! The table leg was crushed as Marin's leg swung. All focus was lost, and tiredness overwhelmed Marin, every part, his leg in particular was in pain. Marin flopped to the ground, chairs flying out of the way, his leg now empty of the energy it had once enjoyed. His eyes blinked open to find Professor Stonemiller and most of the class surrounding him. Marin moaned, and heard the Professor starting to talk to him. “Good job Marin. You managed to channel energy!” He switched to the class. “This is what happens when a novice Flux user moves too much energy, and doesn't have control over the part to which he moved it. You can now see why this can be a very dangerous skill and when not watched carefully can hurt not only the user, but other people.” Marin moaned once again, still sprawled on the ground. Professor Stonemiller looked down at the interruption to his impromptu lecture. “Ah, yes. We still have you. Would one or two of you mind helping Marin to the infirmary? Thank you.”

[Marin]

Marin woke up later with a headache, a funny taste in his mouth, and a very sore body. Cat and another student had been asked to take him down to the infirmary to rest and recover, and hopefully explain everything that had happened to him while he was using Flux. Cat leaned over him, his small head still blocking most of Marin's view of the ceiling. “You kicked a table. It broke! You were kind of also the only one on the class to actually do anything cool... Professor Stonemiller sure likes you though!” “Wahh...” Marin tried to sit up as Cat explained. “Yeah! At first I had thought you were just another silly bum that sat in class and didn’t do anything. But you kicked a table. The leg shattered!” Cat seemed excited, as a little kid would when someone sets something on fire, or something explodes. Marin managed to sit up and lean against the pillows at the head of his small cot. Cat sat in a cot next to him, the other student standing, waiting. “I think the Professor wants to see you sometime later too... Something about the table?” the quiet older student said as Cat ran off to go see a puppet show in the next room. “Uhhh. Ill have to see about that....” Marin said as he slipped back into sleep.

[Marin]

7th of summer, 512 Marin had finally recovered enough to go and see the Professor. He had been in the infirmary for almost a day now, and had been taken care of well. According to one of the students that had brought him there, he needed to see Professor Stonemiller about the table he had broken when practicing flux. All of this seemed very vague to Marin as he walked back to the classroom. How could I have done such a thing? I remember focusing... Pulling my djed down... What happened after that? Marin had reached the Professor's room, he was sitting at his desk mumbling to himself. Marin waited outside the door, and knocked. “Professor? I was told I should come see you... About the table?” The Professor looked up, a flat smile on his face. “Ah! Yes... Come in.” He waved his hand at the chair in front of his desk. “It seems that you can use the Flux!” he said. “You broke my table! I commend your skill. I would like to warn you though, using the Flux can be very dangerous, and if a student were to get out of control with it, he or she could seriously injure themselves.” “Yes sir! I barley remember it, anyhow. It seems that I ended up overgiving, and wasn’t able to control myself. I’m sorry about your table.” Marin sounded serious about this statement, even though he was quite happy with himself. “Well good. And of course... The table leg is replaceable, yours however is not. Another students is not. I just want to warn you about the power that you can create with the Flux, and that it is dangerous.” He looked down at his desk, pulling up an assignment. “Is this yours?” he said as he held up a drawing from the day previous. Marin looked at the drawing. Oh! Its mine! AH! “Um... Yes sir.” “I am quite glad that your Flux is better than your drawing. This is sloppy!” He shook the drawing in the air. Uh oh.... “You may go.” Marin got up from the chair, leaving Professor Stonemiller to his silence. What a day... Or two... But I can use the Flux!

[Arcane]

Rewards and Treasure! Experience Points +1 Drawing +1 Flux Lores Major Muscles Influenced by Flux Flux: Djed Pathways Initiation into Flux Warning on Overgiving Professor Stonemiller the Magic Teacher Miscellaneous None Comments Congratulations on your initiation into flux! To be honest, I was highly tempted to null your initiation and declare it void, because Marin seemed too knowledgable than expected. The way he thinks and acts is as if he already knows another discipline of magic, yet flux is his very first. There should be more difficulty in grasping the concept of djed and utilizing it for flux. For reference, Voiding requires a long time of meditation clearing the mind while Hypnotism needs an indefinite amount of time of staring at a mirror and self-reflecting (refer to relevant Lore articles for elaboration on initiation process of above-mentioned disciplines). However, the later bits convinced me that you do possess a rudimentary understanding of flux, and of the idea and concept of magic, and so I barely allowed Marin to initiate with flux. If it had been done better you'd have gotten more XP. Still, do not be discouraged. Keep reading and rereading the various articles in the Lore, not only flux but also those pertaining to Djed, the Soul (it's important, trust me), and also other magic disciplines for benchmarking purposes. Ask other players about it (and me!) regularly to familiarise yourself and to learn how to play to your own skill level. Finally, I congratulate you again on your induction of Marin into the world of magic. Be careful, for magic is dangerous, flux more so than others. Have fun!