Completed Practice Makes Perfect [Mercy]

[Annalisa Marin]

80th of Spring, 513 AV This was the place, Anna could feel it. She had searched and traveled long enough to arrive at her goal, a quite place where she could conduct her practice unhindered. The tall dark haired woman set her pack down against a nearby tree at the edge of the small clearing. She was far from Zeltiva, not too far to where she feared being out past sundown but far enough to where she certainly had some privacy. The young wizard allowed a small grin to show on her face as she glanced around the clearing, it was perfect. Secluded, plenty of room to cast, and away from water ways that dangerous predators might frequent. Not exactly safe, for what was really safe in the wilds beyond civilization, but it was good enough for her purposes. Anna unclasped her cloak from around her neck and folded it roughly next to her pack. Her boots quickly followed, leaving her standing barefoot in the cool grass of the clearing. She sighed softly and opened her pack, pulling out a small brush and an ink vial. With this accomplished she sat down in the grass and set about preparing herself for her practice today. Glyphing helped when focusing res from one's body, as such it had become something of a habit for her to glyph the palms of her hands and the bottoms of her feet before a practice session with large Focus Glyphs. It made the actual casting much more smooth, at least initially. Her knowledge in glyphing had moved well beyond this basic application, of course, however every possible advantage that could be taken in regards to magic was definitely worth taking. Anna started with her feet, dipping the small brush into the ink vial she began to draw a Focus glyph on the bottom of her right foot. It tickled slightly as the brush moved against the sensitive skin, but she was completely focused on the task of drawing the glyph. Anna's Glyphs tended to be rather sharp and rigid looking, and resembled symbols more than conventional lettering. The glyphs themselves didn't take all that long for her to draw, about three chimes per glyph if she was trying to be quick about it. As it was she opted to take her time, messing up would mean that she would have to start all over. The young wizard finished her first glyph and moved on to starting her left foot, squinting as she tried to get the symbol correct. Glyphs, at least as she had noticed, took on different forms for different wizards. Some preferred more geometric shapes as their runes, other employed conventional lettering, it depended on the wizard. Anna's leaned towards geometric, though there was some resemblance to runic lettering. Anna moved on to her right hand, extending both her legs out on the ground to give the glyphs time to dry properly. She approached the palms the same way she did the bottoms of her feet, and quickly finished up her glyphs. The woman gave the ink time to dry and then examined her handiwork. The glyphs weren't perfect per say but they definitely looked functional, which meant that it was time to begin. The young wizard stood slowly, spreading her legs in a ready stance and holding her hands out before her. Anna was used to reimancy by this point, far more experienced than she had been when she had first been initiated. That weak girl was not her any longer, the elements came to her call much more easily and res generation was far better. She took a couple of deep breath before focusing on generating liquid res from the bottom of her right foot. The generation of the clear liquid was smooth and easy, almost soothing if not for the drain on her Djed. It was much more quick than if she had not drawn the glyph there. An incantation was already on her lips, words uttered in the Ancient Tongue. Mostly it was just gibberish, but it helped with the focus. Anna allowed a brief smile to crease her features, the next part was the part she loved most. She willed the res to move along the ground in front of her, drawing it up with an attraction to the ground. The young wizard then set about superheating the earth, hissing slightly from the drain on her Djed. It was good that she had attracted the earth, transmuting res directly to magma was extremely difficult and draining. The process took about a chime or two but eventually the earth was reduced to a molten liquid state. The blob of magma hovered in the air for a moment, before Anna sent it flying out into the wilderness, out of the clearing. It was likely to cause a fire, which was why Anna stalked after it, res already generating on her hands. Putting out fire was complex and required patience but it was an exercise worth doing.

[Bartholomew Mercy]

Silent footing and a swift pace, a beastly looking man raced through the forested region with a lethal grace. In broad daylight he looked ominous and out of place to near any, the Night Leather armor seemed to drain light from around the man and weigh him down little, true to the namesake of the magnificent armor. Edged and spiked, form fit, and a cherished possession, it took on the appearance of a monster, with the leather helm in the shape of an open maw which piercing green eyes peer from within. The haste was made difficult due to the weight of the massive Executioner's sword held within his right hand. The long, broad blade rested upon the beast of an armored back atop the nettled cloak, keeping pinned the metal stricken cloth to silence its light shuffle. During the day, Mercy decided to further his knowledge of the area around Zeltiva, as such his eyes kept watch. Every burrow large enough to hold a worthwhile game, any cluster of branches which could shade a deer overnight, footprints in the dirt, broken twigs or pressed grass in any familiar shape, everything he had already grown accustomed to seeing he searched out. It was when he saw something strange he halts in his step. A bipedal footprint, not of an animal but instead of a human, he guessed. His eyes followed the path they had taken. The steps were clumsy, ordinary, uncloaked. Whomever had laid them had the intention of walking, but not remaining hidden, or having no practice in doing so. A brightness even in daylight caught his attention. Further higher his gaze rose to greet an oncoming projectile of molten heat. His gaze followed it closer and closer till it passed by his right shoulder with a few foot clearance and catches a tree square across the trunk. The weight of the magma and the heat met no resistance, catching bark and grass alike on fire with a crackle and snap of the wooden structure. Reimancy, obviously - there were no volcanic eruptions to his knowledge, and a near horizontal magma blast would have been impossible anyways. In the direction of its origin, he heard the sounds of an approach. It was best to investigate from a distance when dealing with those of magic, so with a silent dash, Mercy was away from the path and retrieving his whip from under the Nettle cloak upon his back. LAshing upwards and catching a branch he swung up just enough for his legs to catch another. Flicking the whip twice to unwrap it from the first branch he rested it over his shoulder as he climbed a few foot higher with careful footing. He was still able to see the growing fire, and any who dared come to tend to it. His massive weapon rested upon his shoulder, the hand gripping it tight in case it needed to be used in defense.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna was surprised at how far the ball of magma had traveled before hitting something, it was rather impressive. Still as she approached the scene she noticed that there was much work to be done to deal with the fire. The tree itself was not overly massive, however its leaves touched a few trees near it, meaning that the flames could quickly spread beyond her ability to control. The wizard gritted her teeth, it would not come to that if she had anything to say about it. The reimancer decided that the most immediate issue lay with the tree itself and its capacity to spread the flames to its fellows. She generated res from the bottom of her left foot, feeling the beginning stages of fatigue already starting to take hold from the amount of res she was generating. The wizard willed up another large chunk of the earth but instead of super heating this one she flung it higher up the tree, well above the spreading flames. The tree snapped loudly, the squealing of bark and wood falling to the ground beyond the flames sounding throughout the forest. Anna sighed slightly, that was out of the way for the moment, now she just needed to contain the flames to the area around the lower half of the tree. This was going to be much more tricky, but it was do able if she played this right. Dealing with the magma itself would be much more trouble than it was worth, if she had access to water reimancy then it would be worth considering but not with just fire and earth. The fire itself was a much easier target, if she could contain it for long enough the it would eventually lose any fuel and tire itself out. She would simply have to draw the flames to res and keep it in a contained area around the tree. The question was, did she have enough in her to accomplish this without overgiving? It would certainly be a test, which was what today was about testing her abilities to their finest edge. She began chanting once more, moving the res sheathed around her hands out towards the hungry flames. The young wizard gritted her teeth slightly as she willed the floating globes of clear liquid to split in half, forming four small balls of res in total. Exhaustion was starting to cause her breath to come out in heavier gasps and the intense heat was not helping any either but still she pressed on. She was not going to let a little fire defeat her. Anna willed the fire to be drawn towards the balls of res, drawing just enough to keep it contained and to deprive it of further fuel. The flames she drew simply died out eventually, not even touching the res. Slowly but surely it looked like the flames were beginning to die down, the lack of fuel was certainly doing a number on their height and reach. As she worked the flames she inadvertently added more and more res to the balls, reveling in the euphoria as she teetered on the brink of overgiving. To her credit, she did not cross over or give up complete control. Anna was one who controlled her magic, it did not control her. As the fire began to leave the dangerous heights and intensity they had possessed minutes ago Anna breathed a ragged sigh of relief.She looked rather dreadful from her exertion, a light sheen of cold sweat covered her skin and her breathing was heavy. It looked rather like she had just ran a marathon and she felt like she had. Still it was done, her exercise had been a success. Of course she wanted to cast more despite the exhaustion, the urge was always there. Despite the cost such a thing could bring the euphoria that casting brought, that feeling of god like power was near irresistible. However, good sense and experience bade her to stop before doing anything too stupid. She was tired, hungry, and in no condition to cast properly without overgiving. Still it was so tempting, to press her boundaries... Anna began to draw any remaining res that was around her slowly back into her body, sighing as the liquid worked its way back in. It made her less exhausted but she still felt hungry enough to eat three whole course meals. She leaned back against a nearby tree and watched the crackling flames start to die away, leaving only the blackened remains of half a tree in there place.

[Bartholomew Mercy]

The wizard was a female, that much was obvious. From the way she tensed her jaw at the sight of the damage, he could deduce this was a training exercise, not a stray shot fired during the heat of battle. As the woman weaved the vague res, Mercy was able to confirm his assumption of her magical skills, but something else caught his eye. Her palms appeared marked, but from his distance he could not tell with what. Did she burn herself? Should he move in and offer aid? Nay, while she suppresses the fire it remains best to stay away and simply watch. Coiling his whip and placing it back under his cloak he leaps from his branch to a trunk closer to the scene. The slight rustle overhead may be noticeable, but with such focus in her craft, the woman may be too busy to look up, at least that is what Mercy hopes for. With his oversized weapon resting on his back, he crouches in the branches to peer down closer. The way she sucked the fire away was quite interesting. The way she had chosen to use her Djed for this... Res material... it was a wondrous sight. From his new position he could see something even more interesting; her hands. The marks he had seen only vaguely before had design, obviously no scar. Was this woman a Glypher too? That was not unheard of, but not a skill he had ever come into contact with... It was when the fire was vanquished that Mercy decided it best to show himself, if only to keep from being discovered as a stalker. With a silent breath, Mercy lowers the top of his helm to cover his face. His knees bend and his back curves, the free hand reaches to the side to brace on the tree trunk. Looking down upon his next target, he leaps forward and twists his body. Lifting his bladed overhead to shift his center of weight he spirals once before the blade sinks into the burned trunk's splintered top. His feet rested on the underside of the oversized blade, crouching upon it with a hand resting upon the pommel of the hilt to keep balance. The man in Night Leather armor sat there on the corpse of the tree, peering through red died cloth slits at the woman. She may or may not know the difference between the beastly looking armor and one of the strange monsters found around Mizahar, but the way he seemed docile in his stance it may allow her a bit of hesitation before the attack. Mercy had shown himself first, now he waited for this woman to make the next move. He figured it appropriate, considering she had almost hit him with her target practice...

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna stared with wide eyes at the creature that had leapt from the trees, surprise coupled with fatigue causing her to hesitate in any action. The creature possessed the form of a man and its massive weapon seemed to be rather easily and skillfully used if it had managed to leap down in so easy a fashion. She already knew that if its intentions were hostile she was at a supreme disadvantage. The young wizard had wasted too much Djed to properly hope to cast off a spell before the thing closed the distance between them, even with the assistance of her glyphs. She drew herself up to her full height, struggling to draw some res from her hand, which was when she noticed that the creature was not making any moves towards her. It seemed odd, though now that she more properly examined it the creature looked to be more man than beast. Still it was better to be cautious, which is why she allowed a small amount of res to form in her right hand, flinching from having to waste more Djed. It would be enough for one attack that would distract rather than really do much damage. The young wizard cleared her throat, narrowing her eyes slightly. "If you are man speak your business, but be warned, few live to speak of attacking a wizard. What I did to that tree is nothing compared to what I could do to you even now." She stated in a warning tone, her breath still heavy. It was a bluff, she could maybe crack off one big spell, however that would definitely place her in overgiving territory. Still, few people were willing to attack someone who could bend the elements to their whim, so intimidation might work here if their intentions were hostile. It or he wasn't making any hostile moves yet, but it she was not one to take unnecessary risks on her life. If it came down to combat, well, overgiving was better than dying probably. The young wizard waited for the man-beast's response, the res in her hand ready in a moments notice to be transmuted to flame.

[Bartholomew Mercy]

The silence of the man remained for a chime longer when she threatened him. Her intimidation lost upon a man who knew half of the skill was hot air. When he spoke it was in a rasp, with his djed flowing to his throat, his tongue and his lips to offer words laced with a very light hypnotic coo. "You are too weak to fight me." If there was any fear imposed within her by his appearance, his words of intimidation would only aid in magnifying that. It would not pose any new emotions, just the suggestion. Fear me. Fear me. It was a show, hot air returned to display his own knack at intimidation. With his weight shifting to the right, the burned stump cracked as the massive sword tilted. His perch became unsteady, soon toppling him to the side where he twists, his hand shifting on the hilt of the weapon to drag it down with him. His feet landed near soundlessly on the ground, and with a swing of the massive weapon he held it behind his back with his right arm held overhand to clutch the cloth wrapped wooden hilt. With his body angled to the side and his posture tall, he continued the imposing stance. "Lest you wish to lose your life by my blade, I suggest your Reimancy remain dorment. The hypnotic tone was gone, but still its effects - if any - would remain till she could will herself to overcome it, or realize at least that it was a form of magic. The man-beast held silence for a moment longer, the helm tilting downwards to look over the woman. If it was for physical detail or beyond it was for him to know, she could not see past the sheer fabric in the slits of the eyes. Mercy could see she was weary, if only by the way she held herself. The control of Djed for Reimancy was a task he was not familiar with, nor ever wished to become familiar with... "I am Mercy. If you answer my questions I will show you as much and offer a meal of fresh game... First question; your hands. Are those Runes?" From this distance he could see the markings whenever she flashed her palms his direction, but he still had never seen a glyph up close, only heard mild rumors about them here and there.

[Annalisa Marin]

Under normal circumstances, Anna would have easily noticed the hypnotic power and crushed the weak suggestion under the formidable strength of her mind. However there was some fear in her, so the suggestion amplified it for a moment longer than was comfortable. Being a relatively professional wizard Anna soon recognized the artificial thought for what it was, a construct of magic. Being that it was only her and this man here, it was not difficult to infer where it had come from. He was some form of wizard then, though what kind remained to be seen. Such a power could only be a product of some magic, she was sure of it. This made her more weary if anything else. She felt a sting at her pride as, manipulation or no, she knew he was right about her being too weak. Even with the speed of res generation that her glyphs offered, the transmutation to fire would take much too long. However it seemed as though his intentions were not hostile, judging from his words. He seemed more curious than anything. Anna barely repressed a sigh at his question regarding the Focus Runes on her hands, if he had to ask the question then clearly he was not too powerful. Any professional or skilled wizard worth their salt wouldn't need clarification as to whether the markings on her hands were runes. They would know that they were runes and wouldn't need to ask such a redundant question. Runes were the language of magic, if ever there was one. Still it was a simple enough question to answer, especially since he promised food. "Yes, these are indeed Glyphing runes, Focus runes to be precise." Anna answered slowly. Mercy? What kind of a name was that? It was an odd alias to use if ever she had heard one. "I could better answer your questions with food in my belly. As I am sure you are aware, extensive usage of magic can build up quite the appetite." She said, feeling a little better as she absorbed the res in her hand back into her body. Anna was not exactly in the condition to give an impromptu lecture on Glyphing at the moment, anyone with half a brain would have been able to see that. She did not normally give out knowledge so freely, but her hunger was considerable and the walk to Zeltiva was rather long from her. She also reminded herself that she still needed to go and pick up her gear, which was still laying back in the clearing. One thing at a time.

[Bartholomew Mercy]

Though she was right about his potency in his art, he never revealed such, only ignorance in those outside of it. It was not too rare for a nonwizard to learn and practice a skill to mastery, after all. "Very well." Just the two rasped words held an intimidation which need not be powered by Djed to send chills up the spines of those already uneasy of his presence. Without another word said, he turns on his heels and strides towards the denser region of the forested area. If she followed, she may notice how he always held the oversized sword over his back, like some sort of shield guarding his head to his rear from sneak attacks, though whether this was an intinteional effect or just a simple form of carrying the blade without a sheath was another of his secrets keeping his skill level in shrouds. It may be a surprise just how close they were to his camp, not even five chimes worth of walking had him stopping. It may take a bit of observation, but eventually the wizard may find out why. Lowering his weapon to drive the tip into the ground to hold it still, he reaches up to a limb and snags the end of a rope and tug it free of a slipknot. Suddenly, he was pulled skyward as something descended swiftly from the treetops. It only slowed after Mercy collected a hanging object expertly placed to offer a counterweight: another rope in a slipknot, which hung a buck by its hind legs. When the slipknot came undone, Mercy descends, lifting up his equipment with ease thanks to the block and tackle hidden amongst the branches above. With its throat cut and blood drained from its body, it needed only to be skinned and cooked for ample meat for two people. As the buck laid upon a clearing on the ground, Mercy recleased and again began ascending, this time both hands gripping the rope. With a strategic aim he catches a branch and swings his legs up to gain leverage. Tugging down the rope to lift the large luggage he then tied the rope in his hands to the branch he sat upon for later use. The way he drops the short distance back to the ground it may become difficult to any without survival knowledge to know if this was excellent strategics, sheer luck, or absolute insanity. Now his attention turns to a pile of branches under the very same tree his belongings hung from. Lifting an armful and tossing them into a more clear location, it revealed a hidden backpack cleverly camouflaged by simple tactics. It took only a few chimes for him to settle into rummaging through his pack. Out came a Flint & Steel, which he tossed to the ground beside the pile of sticks. "Light the fire while I skin and prepare the meat." With the closed helm finally aimed in her direction he waited, watching her to see if she would comply or if she would feel herself too advanced to drop to such degrading means to produce fire.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna had simply snorted in derision when she entered the makeshift camp of sorts, this man was either courageous, stupid, or both. To camp outside of a perfectly good city seemed rather counter intuitive in her mind, it was certainly much easier and less life threatening to simply rent a room at a tavern. Perhaps he was simply on a long hunt. For all she knew he could be a foreigner, simply another traveler passing by. The young wizard had shrugged, it was rather pointless to dwell on such conjecture at the moment when there was food to be had. A large meal, by the looks of the bleeding the buck. When he had thrown the flint and steel at the pile of sticks, and given her the instruction to light a fire with it, Anna had simply stared down at the thing as if offended. Her grey eyes narrowed sharply at the device. Part of her wanted to transmute res into flame and have done with the simple task. Besides casting was an empowering experience, it would certainly put this man in his place. Anna shook her head slightly, that was the magic talking no doubt, the desire to cast more was a common phenomena after heavy casting. Her pride was certainly great as was her arrogance, however her common sense was a little more prevalent at the moment. If she released any more res it could send her into overgiving, which was definitely not a sound idea for any wizard. Knowing one's limits sometimes took the fun out of magic, but it kept one alive. So, with a melodramatic sigh the young wizard knelt down near the sticks and started striking the flint against the steel to create a spark. After all, compared to her accomplishments, how hard could it be to start a simple fire? After a good few chimes she ended up ruing the treacherous thought as time after time her efforts proved fruitless. She struck flint against steel over and over again, however not a single spark came of her rather sloppy and clearly unskilled methods. The only thing it did was increase her ire to greater heights. It was to the point where she was ready to just blast the sticks, flint, and steel overgiving or no. Anna could have patience when necessary, however exhaustion coupled with irritation did not make a very happy or safe wizard. "Light already, you stupid petching flame!" she exclaimed, her eyes narrow and filled with annoyance. Finally a spark came, then another, before finally a small flame formed. Anna let out a cry of victory, before rushing to nurse the fire before it died out. No foe defeated Annalisa Marin for long, be they man or inanimate object or even the elements themselves. She regained her composure quickly and turned a sharp eye to her... companion of sorts. The fire was as ready as she could make it without using reimancy, if he had the food then hopefully she could at least address her hunger before returning to Zeltiva.

[Bartholomew Mercy]

While Annalisa dealt with the cooking fire, the armored man removed a hunting knife from his backpack. Taking it to the deer, he cut rings around each leg, nice and low, just above the joint. He then cut along the belly, not deep enough to open the carcass, just enough to split the hide from the genitals to the neck. Driving the knife into the ground and removing his nightleather gauntlets, he begins parting the hide and the carcass with a decent skill and swift efforts. It took a few chimes, and about the time Annalisa earned herself a youthful flame, he had already tugged the legs out of the hide. With the beast laying on its side with the hide hanging loose save for the neck, he once more took up the hunting knife in his left hand and wiped the blade clean on the beast's hide. Mercy began cutting large slabs from the shoulders and back, and piling them onto his right hand, till there was a good six or seven slabs of meat. Once more stabbing the knife into the ground and rose to his feet. The hand which now fell empty rises to lift the top part of his helm and lower the jaw of the beastly mask to reveal the man beneath for the first time. With a face stricken in nonchalance and eyes of a piercing green eye eyes the surroundings. There were no sounds out of place, no stalking beasts prowling just out of eyesight... good. Moving to his massive executioner's sword and hefting it by the wooden handle, he finally kneels near the fire and props the blade upon his knee. Without care he laid the slabs on the metal of the blade and used his own sword like a cooker. The metal was too high a grade to melt by a simple wooden fire, but it would heat nicely to grill the meat. "How do you like your meat?" His rasp of a voice was casual, as if he was at ease cooking upon an expensive weapon in the middle of nowhere. If he was afraid of the cooking meat attracting monsters, he did not show it.