Solo Of Sense & Shield Pt V

[Alric Lysane]

85th Winter 521 AV - Taz & Alric's Apartments He had kept up his promise of practising with his Shielding, and he had made a decent amount of progress as far as he could tell, not that there was a true teacher hovering around ready to praise or chastise him. No, he was largely on his own. He had started to walk down the path of magic with Tazrae, had even started to shift some of his own perspectives because of her intervention, but he had no formal teacher. He knew there were some in Syka, that much she had told him, or at least suggested, but in Sunberth there were none. He might have been able to find one in the Outpost, he reflected, but truthfully he was still unsure on whether he could trust any he might find, or whether he felt at ease enough with himself to do so. Things were…complicated. Can say that again…crazy mages, royal bloodlines, djedlines from wherever the petch they bred them from…complicated doesn’t even begin to cover it ne snorted to himself as he stood in the middle of the room, making sure he had enough space around him, a good six foot diameter had been cleared of everything for what he was about to try to practise. It had occurred to him that though he had practised various tasks for his shields, and had practised the basics of weaving them until he felt sure he was sending himself into the beginnings of a comatose state of boredom, he had yet to actually try anything of particular size. If someone wanted to protect a teacup then he was the man to call upon, but if he wanted to protect himself, or more importantly those he cared for, then he had yet proven that he was up to the task. That changed this day, he had decided over his morning relaxation, sat with his pipe and a book balanced upon his thigh. There was nothing for it but to try, he had a monster after him and he had to find a way to protect himself – it was now or never, and though he wished it could be the latter there was no option but the former. “Alright…think…big I suppose?” he mused to himself, amused at the phrase and tucking it away for when he worked the door at Ruby’s, he felt sure at least some of the girls would laugh at their clients over it, and that made an easier night. He sighed, took a deep breath of air, and then closed his eyes so that he could concentrate properly. He knew that he wouldn’t have this luxury in battle, or if surprised, but he had to start somewhere. When thinking upon the method towards what he wanted – a quick shield that would block harm, he had decided that the first stage would have to be a quick extrusion. That was a problem because, no matter how far he had come, he still had a far from quick speed with it. Still, he had promised himself that he would try and so he centered himself, pulled upon his Djed in readiness, and then took five deep breaths to calm and gather his scattered thoughts. After a few more chimes his eyes opened and as they did so he grabbed at his Djed fully, letting it fill him quicker and more completely than he had done before. His mage sight flickered into being, eyes glowing emerald and vision augmented to see the Djed that his hands extruded as they came up and around, willing it out of him and into a larger version of the dome bubble he had been suing upon the smaller items. It formed, glistening and weak in its imperfections…but far too slowly. Even when he had tried to focus, it had taken a good five chimes to set in place – far too slow to block anything he wasn’t absolutely prepared for. Letting his Djed go he sighed sharply at himself, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. How could he protect anyone if he wasn’t quick enough, he asked himself sadly. He had seen the shield form with his Auristics, it had been much the same as the other times, metallic and like mail in nature. Scratching his chin, he wondered if that was part of the problem, everything had been so methodical so far that it took time, it wasn’t fluid or reacting. He wasn’t sure if it was even possible to do what he was wanting to do, being fair to himself, but even so he disliked his own failures. They picked at him, refusing to leave their barbs be until they were resolved.

[Alric Lysane]

“Perhaps…if I didn’t split my magic at first? Just focus upon the Shielding, at least until I have it quick enough that it won’t be a detriment?” he mused to himself, turning it over in his mind and finding the logic solid, if untested. He had nothing else with which to try to move forwards and so he nodded to himself, deciding to try it, if only to fail once more and have to return back to the drawing board. It was a funny thing magic, he was finding, filled with all sorts of unwritten rules and mechanisms of working that both hindered and aided. For those who were able to read them, or already knew of them, they must have been a boon – both delaying the ignorant and enhancing the knowledgeable. He had thought upon that many times too and had come to the conclusion that that was why magical books – including the one that he and Tazrae had been using – seemed to only give the basics. The framework was provided, everything else was either taught or learned through bitter experience. And how bitter it ahs been, and how bitter may it one day become? he asked himself with a twinge of melancholy. Not for the first time did he wish that he could resurrect one of his better ancestors and have them divulge all of their knowledge – it would help him and perhaps even give clues as to how to make the world a better place in general. “Not that anyone would listen, and rightly so too. Backwater cut purse from a violent city” he muttered, knowing that wasn’t entirely true but also knowing there was truth enough there. This time he discounted everything but his Shielding, mustering his Djed and taking a deep breath before sending his hands into motion, just as his Djed flowed through him as he tapped his ‘well’, and it burst forth out of his hands and started to form the bubble he was after. It was quicker this time, almost as if the flow had been half blocked and now was pouring out in full flow – diverting Djed into more than one magic did make a difference, which wasn’t a massive revelation but it proved the concept and so he noted that for future consideration. The shield lattice was made, and the chainmail style links were formed much quicker this time, and he could tell the difference in the thickness too, it was stronger and less patchy if still far from perfect. Or even solid given its size, he noted, but at least it had been woven up within three chimes this time. “Better…but still not good enough. It’s not even tasked or patched up in the places where the cracks and thinning would buckle too easily” he muttered to himself, rubbing his chin as he kept up his Djed link, keeping the untasked weave in place for his consideration. Still, he had to admit that progress was progress, even if it wasn’t yet enough. He had to admit too that he wasn’t even sure that he’d get to the stage he would be happy with, lately he had become far more critical of himself and he couldn’t be sure whether it was simply his usual self-consciousness mixed with lingering issues with magic, or whether it was the magic itself just wanting to be used, become addictive after a fashion and so he was making excuses to try again and again. Shaking his head he pinched his brow. Either way three chimes was still too long and had little practical use unless he was prepared and knew that he would need it. Which made it useful, but limited. He had little notion of how to improve it either, he had nothing else distracting him. Perhaps I should just hope that I get quicker after a few more seasons of practise he thought to himself sourly, preparing himself for the tasking stage of the weaving. Now that he had established that he wouldn’t actually get to be as quick as he would like he portioned off some of his Djed and let it flow back into his Auristics, feeling the familiar hum of the world beneath the world flickering back into life and turning his focus onto the Shield he had constructed, seeking out the extra little places that were weak that the combined magics helped him to discern and then correct.

[Alric Lysane]

He was pleasantly surprised, though he still disliked that his shielding was not yet completely consistent in both thickness and completeness. Still, compared to when had had first begun to try to use the discipline he had come a long way, despite his own self-critical nature. He remembered a time when even a tiny dome of a shield over his teacup classmate had been a chore, tiring and almost pointlessly weak and pathetic. Cracks riddling its surface and the weave barely holding together, not to mention the fact that it had enough holes that it might as well have been considered one of those cheeses from the markets he had noticed. Inspecting the one he had just made he was satisfied with what progress had been made, even if he wasn’t satisfied with not having made more. Walking underneath the construct, in what small space there was, he found there to be only a few small cracks and the occasional thin spot dotted about the dome. There were no full holes and the cracks felt as if they were only surface ones, not penetrating all the way through and so not a full-blown weakness. Though he was willing to bet that if an actually accomplished mage who knew shielding would come across him in those moments, they’d pick his shield apart as if it were nothing. Still, he felt that with the rest of the season, and perhaps a bit of the next, he could truly consider himself at least competent with the magic, and no longer a novice. That, in itself, was something to be happy with and as he cast his mage sight across what he had made the corners of his lips curled upwards with some small glimmer of satisfaction. He might not be able to call upon a shield in but a score of seconds, but he was able to do so in a handful of chimes and have it be strong enough to do something of note. His eyes picked out those parts that were weak, auristic glow picking upon the black cracks and faded colours and he extruded his Djed, wiping it across them to form a shield that was as perfect as he could make it, and was quite close all things considered, even if it took him a few passes with additional Djed to make it so. “There, better” he said as he solidified it all and then tugged upon the chainmail links mentally, bracing them tight and causing a shimmer to ripple across it as he plucked a hair from his head and wove it in, watching with his auristics as the weave transformed and solidified further, the small and taste shifting to match, becoming almost repugnant as the tasking set it – the tasking that blocked exclusively his own Djed. Interesting how it became hostile in sensation once it formed properly…something to remember for wards and the like in the future he thought as he brushed fingers across the smooth, solid surface of the dome now, pushing hard and finding that he could not pass it as intended. This was the first test in entrapment, having failed the first test in protection and he hoped that it would go better than the protection test. So far, circling the shield and getting nowhere fast in terms of escape he grinned foolishly, accepting that he had actually succeeded at it to provide the balance to his earlier failure. It felt good, at times, when he could find success in something at least.

[Alric Lysane]

He poured one more burst of Djed into the shield, making it as powerful and vibrant as he could, before letting it go, no longer feeding the shield and instead counting to himself silently. He had been keeping a running tally with each attempt he made, not just for general quality and appearance, but also for the time it lasted without being sustained. He knew that once he had figured out how to weave in additional tasks then he could get it to absorb the Djed that surrounded it and so last, well if not indefinitely then at least much longer, perhaps longer than expected. He was still hazy on that detail, another sacrifice to the secrets of magic, glossed over in text and left for masters to teach their pupils. He had no master, but he was willing to bet that with enough stubborn ingenuity figuring out anything was possible. He managed to get to a full chime before it had fully dissipated, a good ten ticks better than his last proper attempt, though the majority of the shield had dissipated about 45 ticks into the count, which was also an improvement in its overall longevity since he had started to learn the magic. He felt that the only way such properties would continue to improve would be alongside his overall skill and…power was the wrong word, perhaps, dexterity might be a better one he conceded after a few moments thought. Either way he would need something else in much greater quantities if he wanted to push the boundaries of his skill – ingenuity. He had been thinking upon interesting potential applications that might give him a bit more of a challenge and he had had a few ideas. What he did know, as he tried to choose which idea to experiment with, was that he felt like he was close to a tipping point. Quick returns and gains had now been replaced with small, selective positives. It felt like there was a barrier in his ability – which amused him no end in irony – that once finally slumped over the top of would lead to another series of gain and growths – it was just a matter of getting there. It was understandable to him, but it was also quite annoying, especially given he had chosen shielding as a magic that might help make things at least a little less dangerous for him. “Though I’m starting to think it’ll never stop being dangerous” he muttered as he chose the experimentation and started to pull upon his Djed. He wove several large squares, as uniform in shape as he could manage, and spaced apart as if they were stepping stones. They were about a foot off of the floor he estimated, and about two inches thick. The weaves came together and he pulled further strands from his head to weave the task of blocking his Djed once more into each of them in turn, taking a decent amount of time to smooth over cracks and thin points – thankfully there were no complete holes. Once done he held onto his Djed and settled the links with his mind, keeping the magic flowing and fuelling their strength. Taking a deep breath, knowing it was now or never, he stepped up onto the first one gingerly, half expecting to step right through it but finding it quite solid. As he stood, floating off the ground upon his shield, he grinned and then jumped from platform to platform, finally finding something to be excited and joyous about – that was at least until he lost his concentration in his haste and the magic fled, leaving him to stumble around on vanishing shields, eventually falling through one and rolling across the ground. “Note tor self,” he rebated and he pushed himself up and shook his head, “control….self-control” he sighed before rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling with a foolish smile still plastered across his face.