[Training] One Misstep at a Time

[Elias Caldera]

20th Day of Winter

Elias sat once more one at his table with both parchment and ink at the ready. His brush was already in hand and prepared for use as the wizard's mind whirred into motion with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine. He already knew what it was he wanted to create, that wasn’t the issue, it was just the actual process of making it that he was unsure of. This would be by far his most complex creation to date, and its potential to utterly back fire in his face was almost comically massive. Being honest with himself, Elias felt equal parts excitement and fear for what was about to transpire.

He had created simple scrolls a number of times before this mind you, but he had been wanting to test the limits of his glyphing for a long time now and it was only recently that he found himself in an opportunity to finally do just that.

Reimancy, the subject of today’s storing, was a very different beast than a world magic like glyphing. The limits were clearly defined and different uses were needed to be explored in order to reach the extent of those limits. Personal magic had limitations but they were more dependent on the spiritual strength of the wizard in question. Perhaps in his younger, more ignorant days he would have boastfully proclaimed his ability to tear open voids or fling fireballs at his enemies was far more important that drawing silly little pentagrams, but he’d done a lot of growing since his first semesters at the Zeltivan University. A lot. He now saw the radiant truth of it all as clearly as day.

The young wizard dipped his brush in ink and started with the focus, making it near the bottom of the page to leave himself plenty of room for the barrier glyphs. Elias easily brought life to the focus as his hand moved practically by instinct. By this point his speed was exceptionally better than what it was a year ago. His brushstrokes were confident and controlled, he was less focused on getting it just right and more at ease as sheer muscle memory and natural arcane intent ensured that his hands moved as they were meant to. It took only a handful of chimes before he was fully finished with the focus.

His scrutinizing eyes briefly glanced over it for imperfections before the sight beyond sight took over. A world of auras exploded out into a plethora of colors and unexplainable shapes, each of which held the secret story just waiting for him to unravel. For now, Elias simply used his auristics to inspect the solidarity of the barrier and was quiet satisfied with what he saw there.

Unwavering. Unyielding.

Perfect.

He could not afford a single mistake so early on, and not just because he wanted this to turn out correctly for safety’s sake, but because its creation would signify a sizable growth in his abilities. What he was doing at this point however, was merely applying what he already knew to be proper form. The risk of error was minimal for now, but in the end this experiment would stand as a testament to the experience that had lead him here.

[Elias Caldera]

The dark mage moved on to the barrier glyphs, his brushwork becoming much more intricate and small in scale as he delicately encircled the focus in a barrier. His runes had evolved to possess a strange form of riotous grace as opposed to the rigid geometric designs he had once relied upon. This represented an increase in the confidence in his own work and its flow, but he also liked to imagine this was more because of Rhysol’s influence than anything else. Embracing the chaos and all that. By no means was it completely perfect unfortunately, and the barrier still took some time to get down, however his comfort with it was plainly evident.

The barrier was finished in due time, care and patience eventually paying off as the last jots of ink added the finishing touches. Instead of adding a trigger however, Elias instead started on another focus glyph above the freshly drawn barrier and slightly to the right. He was going to create three for the purposes of this task. The creation was deceptively straightforward once understood, it was just more time consuming to create three of each component for a single scroll. How it would actually hold up in a trial was going to be the interesting part. In theory though, there was no reason why this shouldn't work.

Once again the focus was finished easily enough and its accompanying barrier was up next. The Caldera dipped his brush in ink and quickly started on the smaller runes that made up encircling runes. His hunched over position was uncomfortable if not nostalgic, but as he had realized in the dungeons below Ravok, pain could be its own gift if treated properly. Then again, few things came close to the agony of having to sit in the same position for bells on end doubled over a desk.

Elias still had some worries as to if this would work, really the question was whether he should add three separate triggers or one to bind them all. He wondered if the latter was even possible within the laws of glyphing, there was no reason it shouldn't be but still he had his concerns. It was mostly due to the fact that he had never attempted anything like this before in his life.

The former option also presented with it some challenges, namely the scroll disintegrating after use. If one trigger was activated, would the scroll not crumble to dust after the magic in one focus was used? Or would the entirety of the glyph merely disappear? In the former case, which he believed to be most likely, then the scroll could easily backfire and detonate in the hands of the one using it as the barriers of the as of yet unspent magic faded and released their payload.

Not exactly a inspiring thought.

Elias quickly finished the second barrier as he pondered, glancing over it for errors and correcting them as he saw fit. With his eyes enhanced beyond mortal means, he could see all the impurities and mistakes that plagued his lines and letters. It was just a matter of looking out for telltale signs like fizzing arcane energy not being properly directed. Sometime it was even blatant, like when there was a leak in the architecture. He saw none with his auristics, but this was a highly delicate process, he needed to be absolutely sure of his course of action before acting.

[Elias Caldera]

The trigger was the important point here, the other components were easily enough used. Idly he considered the possibility of using pathway runes to bind the three sigils together, focusing them into a sole nexus point for release at the center. The Ravokian considered it for a moment before casting it out of his mind, reminding himself that the parchment size could only support so much.

Pathway runes were not something he wanted to mix into scroll creation just yet if he was being totally honest, his comfort was just not quite so much as to allow that much ambition into his work. Binding three different sigils together was one thing, adding in a rune that's potential was still unknown to his, was another entirely.

Sometimes too much innovation was disastrous.

As Elias started on the final focus, making this one to the right of the one he had just drawn, he allowed his mind to wander slightly.

The mage mused over a word that had barged its way to the forefront of his thoughts lately and simply refused to budge. Conviction. His conviction specifically. Having recently had his path made clear to him after so long running in the opposite direction, he now knew and wholly accepted that fate and destiny as his own. The question then became, how best to follow it? The answer appeared simple: Faith and devotion, obviously, but those were just words. Without something unshakable to reinforce against the onslaught the enemies of Ravok would set against him, proud zealot or no, he would just seen as a madman, not the kind that changed the world like Elias so desperately longed to do for his god.

The man that he used to be had been nothing before using magic, just another unassuming soldier to bolster the already swelling ranks. Now, at his age, he had accomplished such greatness with his arcane talent it utterly humbled the memory of the person he once was. His grasp over magic and its concepts was prodigal, his ability to learn and absorb far greater than even his skills with the blade and bow. The speed at which he had advanced was astronomical, as his instructors had been quick to tell him with praise in their greedy eyes. It was simply undeniable at this point that Elias’s life was bound in magic, or rather, magic was his life in a way.

Yes, magic was his life. When it wasn’t Ravok or the Defiler, it was the arcane that gave him reason to strive and achieve. It was so very wrapped up in who he was and what he wanted to become; a master with no equal. To be the pinnacle of man and djed made one, but more than that, he wanted power in order to gain the understanding that came with it. So much of the universe was beyond the comprehension of most of the betters he had gone to seeking their wisdom. One day, he would be the one others came to when all else failed to make sense and reason. One day he’d have the answers and the authority.

That day however, was not this day. The mage just had to deal with that for now.

With a blubbering sigh, Elias quickly finished the focus and moved onto the barrier, his thoughts returning to the task at hand for the moment. There was no doubt his mind would wander again soon, but for now he was content to dream of what all children dreamed of.

The wizard warily drew each rune with the utmost patience, the small glyphs surrounding the focus as it had done twice before. They danced before his vision and he felt his shoulders begin to tellingly ache ever so slightly. This was tiresome and repetitive, but if the outcome was what he expected and hoped it would be worth it.

[Elias Caldera]

The reimancer finished the last barrier and allowed himself a moment of reprieve as he leaned back in his chair, arms stretching wide. His work was not yet finished, but it was certainly feeling good to actually be making progress here. The tiresome part was out of the way, now came the decision making. It was either going to have to be bound to one trigger, or to three.

Elias contemplated for a moment, going back over the merits of each one in his mind. Finally after some deliberation the wizard opted for binding them all to one single trigger at the very center of the scroll. Dipping his brush once more, Elias started connecting the sigils to the center where he drew the runes for the trigger.

The Caldera opted for a phrase, one he was well acquainted with telling himself these days. "One day soon." It seemed good enough.

With that done, Elias started on his instructions in common for whoever would be using this scroll. He started it with the same warning he always scribbled down for scrolls he never intended for anyone else to us.

Hey, don’t screw this up, Elias.

For personal use it was never mandatory to write down something like that, but when you always had a problem with remembering to jot down the instructions as the Ravokian did, it helped to add this part in at the end, regardless. It made it easier to recall its necessity when the time for the real thing came along.

With that done, Elias could finally stand on his own petching feet again. The cracks his back made as he stretched were disgustingly satisfying and he let out a thundering and drawn out groan to go along with it. Now came the tricky part; the fire...

Firebolts were not that difficult to cast really, at least not for him. However three in succession was going to be taxing. Not dangerous in terms of overgiving but he was definitely going to need to lay down afterward. This was assuming the whole thing didn't blow up in his face at the end. If it did not, then this might prove an excellent gift for Alija, as there was no more excellent a deterrent to being petched with than a cascade of magical fire flung from your fingertips. His cousin would have to settle for flinging it from this scroll, but the result would be the same none the less.

[Elias Caldera]

The reimancer brought his hands out before him, a low chant in Nader Carnoch rumbling in his throat as he prepared. Res pooled in both of his hands, quickly sheathing his fingers in translucent liquid. The urge to pull more was just a dull buzz in the back of his skull at this point, nothing to really be overly concerned about, but he had begun to notice how much more often the voices called out to him recently. He couldn’t blame them for it of course, all they ever wanted was just to see what he could really do when he cut loose, but his training in the Ebonstryfe screamed for control and domination, while the university insisted upon restraint and discipline.

A lot of voices to listen to, admittedly, but he managed… somehow.

Elias willed his res to form into a ball, quickly contorting the outer layer into ignition. The flames licked at his palms restlessly as he moved the ball of fire closer to the scroll, transmuting the inner layers slowly. The ball hit the bottom most glyph and was quickly absorbed into it, vanishing completely in a brief and dim flash. One.

The scroll was now primed.

The true test was yet to come, he knew this as he generated another ball of translucent liquid in the air. Elias felt in his gut that this would indeed work, everything logical pointed towards that being that case. Still, there was a doubt that lingered even as he focused on transmuting the res to flame once more.

Elias slowly lowered the next ball of res into the second empty sigil, holding a breath in as he mutated the inner layers ever so slowly. He nodded, mostly to himself, as the fire was safely absorbed by the glyph, his face becoming a mask of triumph at the sight. It had accepted the fire and still seemed intact, just one more and the whole thing would be done and ready.

Again and for the last time that night, Elias called upon his magic to serve, the drain on the djed becoming noticeable as he coaxed the power from within him out into the world. The res formed a ball like before and he willed it to fire before lowering it into the last empty sigil.

Then it happened.

He wasn’t sure how or why, but time seemed to slow down in that instant as the flames wavered and their edges caught hold of the parchment.

Just like that, in a blink of an eye, it all went straight to hell.

[Elias Caldera]

Elias flung himself onto the floor with a girlish yelp just as the scroll ignited and wildly released the magic captured within, engulfing the entirety of the table in an intense and sudden blaze.

Panicking, the reimancer already knew as soon as he laid widening eyes on the inferno that had once been the table that the situation was kinda not great. What made it even worse was not the fact that he could at any moment catch fire himself if he wasn’t careful, but the idea of how petching pissed off Alija was going to be at him once she came home to find the mess he had created. Don’t start screaming just yet. He warned himself. Remember, you’ve fought fires before for a living, you understand it. Just deal with it like you always do.

The Ravokian, his mind abuzz with plans and ideas, was suddenly very glad that his burrowed home just so happened to be a smithy. If there was anywhere better equipped than here for something like this, he wasn’t sure what was. Hopefully he could get this under control before anyone took notice of anything… odd.

He got to his feet and quickly started coughing out incantations in the ancient tongue. Res formed in his hands and an urge surged through his skull as the heat of the moment washed over him. Elias formed more and more res, ignoring the waves of fatigue that hit him with each pull. He quickly formed massive pool of the stuff and moved it towards the flames.

The heat was becoming nearly unbearable as close as he was and the even reimancer was having trouble retaining control of the res. Still he pressed on, the urgency of the situation outweighing the risk.

Elias attracted the flames from the tables in small bursts, and the flames raged defiantly against him, but Elias was not one to be denied. Small spiraling whirls of fire danced away from the main blaze, flaring brightly in the air for a few moments before fizzling out entirely.

He pressed ever forward, moving his hands much like a conductor directing a symphony. Certainly, as he looked at them now, the flames possessed an odd chaotic beauty in the way they danced and flickered brightly, their very existence fueled by destruction. The flames began to die as he successfully tore it apart piece by piece, still choking out verses in the ancient tongue as he put to rest the final spark just as the devastated table collapsed under its own weight.

It was done.

Unfortunately, the next problem reared its ugly head just as quickly as the first had been tamed. Elias were tearing up as the smoke continued to envelop him in its sickening embrace. The substance burned at his throat, making his incantations much more difficult if not impossible. He knew quite clearly what he had to do to fix the issue, but that hardly helped. Unable to take the smoke much longer Elias burst out the door and into the street, coughing and sputtering.

He noted a confused looking couple looking at him quizzically as they passed by and Elias searched hastily for a credible excuse.

"I’m…” A hacking cough tore through him and his reddened looked heavenward for an answer. All he found there was the smithies lazily swinging sign above his head. “I’m new?" He croaked, mentally berating his self for such a stupid excuse.

The couple seemed to take that with bewildered looks at each other and were off into the night before the mad man could accost them any further with his shenanigans. Elias slumped down against his cousin’s home as the smoke aired its way out. Tired and extremely displeased, the reimancer went back to work creating strong gusts of air to push the black cloud out of the smithy and into the night air.

Not only was his experiment an utter failure, but he had undoubtedly lost Alija’s table, and the place was likely to smell of burning and botched magic for weeks to come unless he seriously started using his air reimancy to clear the place out right at that tick.

He groaned a groan every disappointed mage had groaned at least once in their lives.

The forlorn Caldera stayed out there for a few chimes, letting the smoke escape the residence as it was stewarded out by the unnatural, billowing wind he was struggling to keep up. His head was throbbing, sweat poured over his body, and the taste of iron was hot on his lips, but at least it he had not overgiven.

A brief glance at the remains of the smoldering table let him know without a doubt that both it and anything that had been on it was now completely unsalvageable. Fantastic. Perhaps, if he prayed especially hard to Rhysol tonight, Jaiden and the gang wouldn’t notice when they returned home?

I’m gonna have to get them a new one, aren’t I...

Rhysol preserve him, what a shyke show this had turned out to be.

[Dove Brown]

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Elias Caldera

Skills

• Glyphing 4
• Drawing 2
• Auristics 1
• Reimancy 2

Lores

• The comparative merits of Reimancy and Gyphing
• Binding fireballs into a scroll
• When glyphing goes wrong, it goes very wrong

Comments: Enjoy your grades