[Flashback] How to start a fire (Closed)

[Khalzaan]

30th-35th Summer 508 AV "Ow..." Khal complained, wincing in pain as the blade dragged along the skin of his palm, opening a small cut. "This better work..." Khal said, grimacing, "It's not a small amount of money I'm paying..." He continued, glancing up at the grizzled figure looming over him. A withering stare was his only reply as the other man grasped his left wrist and dragged the blade across the palm of that hand as well, eliciting a grunt of pain from the Vanthan. As he shuffled back away Khal rested down on his knees, peering around the simple room he found himself in, a few guttering candles provided the only illumination and the only furniture of note was a large scroll rack against one wall as well as a table. The faint sea breeze rustling the curtains before carrying the small of salt water and badly cleaned city into the room. The grizzled figure swept his robes around him, frowning down at the table on which he'd placed the dagger amongst other esoteric items, causing Khal to sigh in impatience. Finding a Reimancer prepared to teach him for money in Sunberth had been hard enough, but the man was so old and so... Weird. Talking about initiation rituals and muttering to himself, always wearing that dirty robe. But such was the price he had to pay the young man supposed, so now he knelt in the middle of this crummy little room, shirtless and with cuts on both hands waiting to be 'initiated.' "Is this going to happen any time soon?" The exasperated Vanthan asked, "I have other things to do tonight..." The grizzled old man just gave a grunt, but soon moved over to him, "Soon enough..." He said blue smoke started to swirl out of his hands as if coming from inside his body. Frowning Khal watched, leaning back slightly as the smoke came towards him and circled around his face and palms. "What..." Was all he got out before it forced it's way into his mouth and nose and thrust into the cuts on his hands. His cry of pain was cut off by desperate attempts to choke as the Vanthan fell to the ground in agony, "S-stop, stop!" He gasped out before his body shook with convulsions, muscles tensing under him as he went rigid. "Relax..." Said the grizzled mage, "Learn..." Khal scratched at his hands as he coughed on the Res filling his body, he could feel it running through him, this alien substance, forcing it's way in where it didn't belong and every instinct in him cried out for him to get it out no matter the cost. Curling up his body twitched as his hands clenched into claws, scratching at his skin as he coughed and shuddered on the ground, the urge to expel the Res from his body burning through his mind like a ravenous flame. Finally he gasped in a breath, and the flame dimmed somewhat. Trembling the man drew in another shuddering breath and the flame dimmed again, his hands slowly stopped scratching as he forced himself into stillness. The feeling stayed the same, the wrongness of it, the need to get it out. But he clenched his eyes tight and embraced it as best he could before suddenly the Res flowed out of him and the Vanthan sagged against the ground, trembling.

[Khalzaan]

Khal's hand hovered over the doorway, unwilling to commit to knocking. Further down the road a beggar hassled some passer-bys for money and it snagged his attention before he wrested it back to the problem of the door. He'd barely been able to sleep last night, tossing and turning as the memories of the last time he'd been to this shack with the grizzled little Reimancer inside it. He lowered his hand, why did he need to learn Reimancy anyway? Was it really worth the trouble? He was getting by fine as it was right? No need for all this nonsense... The man turned and took several steps from the door, except... He had paid half already, and what would that make him if he backed out now instead of going through with it? He'd never really failed at anything before, probably because he so rarely attempted anything difficult but still... The thought of failing this now, it was, annoying. He turned back around quickly and strode to the door, banging on it again before his nerve left him. Only moments later the grizzled old man opened it and grinned at him with teeth yellowed by age. "You came back." He said simply before turning and heading back into the small house, leaving Khal to follow. The pair settled down in the centre of the room, sitting on the floor as the old man pulled his robe around himself and grunted. "So you know how the Res feels, now it is time for you to make some of your own." For hours he tried, trying to remember the feeling of the substance that had been in his body and evoking it again. Consistently he failed however and the grizzled man grew more and more frustrated, his guidance becoming less about advice and more simply hassling Khal about his inability to summon the Res. Finally he stood up. "We will have to try invading your body again, the last time did not work." Khal frowned and shook his head. Not that, not again. There's no way he could go through that again, just thinking about it now... He trembled at the recollection, not noticing as a small puff of mystic smoke swirled out of his hand. Blinking in shock the Vanthan glanced down at it before it faded away again, disappearing into the air. He looked up at the old Reimancer, beaming broadly but the man just grunted. "Well, it's a start..."

[Khalzaan]

"No, you're doing it wrong." The old Reimancer told Khal for the fiftieth time that day, "Fire is fierce and passionate, you cannot transform your Res into it by thinking about it like some scholar." He grumbled and the Vanthan sighed. This was the third day in a row of trying to transform Res into flame and he didn't feel any closer than he had when they first started trying. "Maybe if you could explain it a little better?" He offered, glancing up at his teacher but a scowl was his only response. The old man shuffled over to his table, coming back with a candle. "We will try it a different way." He said, setting the candle on the ground and taking Khal's left hand, placing it over the top. "Form Res in your other hand." He instructed and frowning slightly the younger man did exactly that. "Now focus on it, focus on the transformation, into flame." The instruction came again, same as it had for the past three days. Sighing Khal did as he was told, focusing on the Res and concentrating on fire, not seeing as the old wizard's own Res crept around his hand and ignited the candle under it. Within seconds he could feel the heat, his eyes fluttering open as he looked over at the old man in alarm, trying to jerk his hand back. The teacher held it in place firmly however. "No, you cannot move it until you ignite the Res, feel the heat, feel the nature of the flame." He told him. Khal knew he was strong enough to pull away if he really tried, but instead he turned back to the Res floating above his right hand, with a grunt of pain he furrowed his brow and concentrated on the transformation. Still nothing happened, the pain continued to grow. Then, just as it became almost too much to bear, with a flash the little floating ball shifted into fire and the teacher released his hand, letting Khal pull it back quickly as he grinned down at the little flaming ball. The teacher grunted. "Good enough, now you can pay me and go."