You and I; Reimancers (Antar)

[Eryss Waldu]

10th of Fall, 511AV. Midnight. [After their last meeting Eryss had followed the progress of Antar, the mage had come to realize that he was easily one of his most competent operatives, watching him accomplish his own endeavours until it was time for the two of them to meet again. Unlike the last time Eryss had decided to be a little more open with Antar during this meeting and would help him to gain a better control of both his Reimancy skills as well as his fledgling understanding of Shielding. Eryss was not an easy teacher however so Antar could be assured that the lessons he stood to be taught would be harsh if he was a slow learner.] [Eryss waited. Dressed in the robes that he was most often seen with, dark brown linen, he mingled well with the surrounding area at this late hour of the night on the outskirts of Sunberth. Waiting in an open field not far from the walls of Sunberth Eryss had gathered wood which he bundled together in what appeared to be a loose pyramid. Discharging a small amount of res from his hand he would ignite into a bolt of flame that fired down into the wood causing it to spark and burn with the radiance of fire as the wood began to crackle and pop.] [Crouching down by the fire Eryss would outstretch his hands and begin to feed off the heat expelled from the flame slowly. Warming himself while he waited for Antar, he’d sent him a summons earlier in the day letting him know to be at this location tonight. He let his thoughts drift to an extent while he was waiting. Tonight Eryss had set up a bit of a training course for Antar.] [Nearby two trees could be found where earlier Eryss had created a Shield tasked specifically to block biologics from crossing between the trees. It was translucent, stretching from one tree to the other, invisible until someone tried to cross its threshold and found themselves forcibly barred from doing so by either being blocked or outright ejected backwards if their momentum was too great. When this happened the Shield would shimmer as though it were water that had just been disturbed, rippling outwards from the point of impact, before calming itself again and resuming an altogether unseen existence.] [Behind the Shield that crossed between the trees he’d hung several small objects from the branches. Nothing overly important. There were a few bottles and other things such as this. Items that could easily be used for target practice which was likely the intention of having them there. Part of advancing in Reimancy involved line of sight, control, and aim; things such as this were paramount obviously as Reimancers controlled the res that they generated.] [Uncorking a flask of water that he had left beside himself Eryss drank from the water held inside of the container. Thus far Fall had been a particularly uneventful season for him though other members of the Crimson Edge, and associates of his, had been busier; he’d need to become more active before the season was over. Eryss wanted, desperately, to claim territory of his own that could supply his organization with a steady income so that they wouldn’t need to resort to constant brigandry. He had started to feel that raiding travellers and poor merchants was beneath all of them and was no way to get ahead but he understood he’d need to bide his time and wait until the groups that controlled Sunberth were to busy fighting with one another to notice his attack.] [When he had drank his fill of the water in the flask, resting and slowly regenerating his personal djed, while waiting for Antar he’d set it aside and consider events that were presently occurring in the city once more. Everything in Sunberth was like an enormous game of chess and the denizens of the city were the same as chess pieces that were being moved around the board by the various individuals controlling the game. What he needed to do, Eryss realized, was something that would transform him from a powerful piece on the board to one of the hands moving pieces around it.] [Beneath the hood of the robes he wore Eryss eyes had begun to redden slowly, his flesh saturating with the djed flowing throughout his body, he was not an entirely patient man but he had begun to show restraint and control as compared to when he arrived in this city with Cade. Eryss was still just as deadly though and unpredictable, just when someone thought they understood him or had an idea as to what his plans were he would find new ways to surprise them sometimes with adverse results. Nothing was ever certain when dealing with him.]

[Antar]

Darkness.

It was becoming more comfortable to him. A place of shelter and refuge amidst the dangerous demesne of sunberth's city. This Fall was surely to be a time of change for himself. He was getting stronger from working in the forests, and his health overall was improving. His abilities in the arcane skills were growing stronger, and he felt better for it. But he also felt himself growing more cautious. He knew when a mage began to grow stronger in their abilities the more they felt the need to practice their craft. He was determined to struggle to keep such impulses confined and chained within him. Noth was the master of his own fate, and his own destiny now. His reasons for growing stronger were his own, but there was another danger present in his work. When you were strong, you seemed to gain some reknown and with that reknown there would always be those trying to tear you back down to their level and willing to take any means to achieve it.

The Daggerhands , the Night Eyes, and the Dragoons were but the tip of the iceberg in Noth's thoughts. He was sure he made some enemies along the way, even though he tried his damnedest to ensure there were none there may always be a few that whispered thoughts of destroying them utterly. That's why he preferred to remain in the shadows and in the shadows he would stay. Lurking , and growing ever stronger in all things. Not just in the arcane arts, but other areas as well.

He was a carpenter and woodsman in training, a reformed assassin, a mercenary, a thief, and a conjurer of arcana last. So in the early hours as he waited for the moon to rise in the night the sky, he had hung his robe with pockets upon a branch and tied a small bell to it's hem. Placing a bit of a twig within the pocket he practiced reaching in and taking the twig with as little as noise from the bell as possible. This in the thiefing realm was known as a 'take' out and when the twig was within the palm of his hand he placed it has noiselessly back inside the pocket as possible in the manner of a 'put-in.' Both were tenets of a successful pickpocket, one a means of relieving someone of their goods, and for more nefarious purposes it served another means of implanting damnable evidence in the pockets of a mark.

Each facet was a tool in a thief's repoirtoire of skill and if Noth was to emulate a thief , then his repoitoire would have to grow. So over and over, up till two bells until midnight he practiced and practiced until he could remove the twig with the minimum of motion and noise and place it safely back inside. Then, as the meeting with Eryss drew closer and closer, he began to work on removing the twig at an ever increasing pace. Trying to dart his hand into the pockets and retrieve the item as quietly and quickly as possible without disturbing the fabric or the cloth. Soon enough, his training bore a bit of fruit as through the night the sounds of the bell became less and less.

Finally, when the appointed time arose, he turned away from the robe and took three paces walk away before he tensed like a cat and spin upon his heel. In midspin, his kukri was drawn from its sheathe and severed the rope in one clean cut as the bell fell to the earth. Jingling in its discord at its mistreatment at it impacted the ground. Noth smiled to himself and returned the dagger to its sheathe before reaching to untie the rest of the rope from the robes hem. In one smooth motion he flung the shadowsilk garment about his shoulder and fastened it securely about his waist. There was just one more thing he had to do before setting off into the night to make the rendezvous.

The rogue reached down and picked up the bell. and began holding it in one hand parallel to the ground, letting it's clapper hang down and be prone to the pull of the earth's gravity. Antar wore his usual mercenary gear, scale mail, and his back and breast, and he wanted to get into the practice of moving about while armored and still see if he could maintain his ability to be unheard with it on as much as if it was off. It was a futile goal, and perhapsa foolish one, but with the shadowsilk robe assisting in muffling the noise of his movements he needed the bell to determine if he mistepped, just how his posture was.

The place Eryss had wished to meet was a good mile from the camp, in a rather secure location that none but the rats dared to tresspass and Noth was all for finding it quickly. He'd take the first part of the way at a light jog, but as he grew closer he'd endeavor to pass in greater silence to get closer to the man then even he might know before he was spotted.

But the bell was there to ensure that Eryss may not be fully enough surprised to aim a fireball in his direction. So slowly he began to jog, the tinkling of the bell wafting through the air as he was hard pressed to keep pace, the breath in his lungs burning with the extra weight of the armor. He ran over two hills past the slums outskirts and out towards the copses of trees that littered the countryside. Antar knew which one Eryss would be in and as he approached the rendezvou slowed his gait to a stop. His hands encapsulated the bell, silencing it for the approach as he crouched low towards the ground. In terms of being fair he then began slowly crouch walking in the night towards the fire, placing each heel down and then a toe. He figured the easiest means of passing through to where Eryss was sitting was between two stout trees.

A clear access towards the man, who was facing in another direction. There looked to be some sort of targets set up upon this side of the grove, but that didn't matter. For noth's trick to work towards the mage, Antar knew that he had to chose the area most clear of betraying underbrush. To these ends he chose his steps carefully, and slowly, staying from the edge of the fire's light as he put one step in front of the other. He could feel the resonance of his footsteps in the tin sides of the instrument and breathed prayers to Akajia in his mind with every step which did not cause the bell to ring. If the mage had known of his presence, Eryss made no sign of it, and the rogue patiently continued on. Slowly but surely, he made his way closer, and closer, finally taking that fateful quick lunge through the trees.

The shield's barrier activated with bone jarring force and an audible snap of sound as he was thrown backwards as the shield shimmered into view. The air in his nostrils tinged with the smell of ozone as the armored rogue hit the ground hard. The wind was knocked out of him and the bell tumbled from his grip to the ground, ringing loudly once as it's tenor pierced the copse of the trees.

'Gods that had hurt;' Antar was sure he'd have bruises in a while but nothing seemed out of place or felt as if it were broken. Laughing in amusement , he levered his armored form off the ground to sit up, and pulled back the hood of his robe. Staring amusingly at Eryss, he pointed a finger towards the shield which had repelled. "That, my friend, was a very tricky way of telling someone you don't want them to approach. Good job by the way."

Thinking his bit of rest was over he grabbed the bell and hopped to his Stretching out the tired muscles in his legs out a bit, he took the time to look at the shield in front of him. Taking out his kukri again he thrust it towards the shield, only to pull it back for the last second before it made contact as he thought things through. He could just walk around, but there was probably a point Eryss wanted to be made here. Perhaps a means to see if he could break this obstacle in front of him. Finally thinking an arrow shot from his bow might have enough force to penetrate the shield, Antar drew his longbow, and gestured again towards Eryss to move away. He wanted to try something to experiment a bit, "You might want to get off to the side if this works, Eryss." With his hands on the string, Noth knocked an arrow, drew, aimed and fired towards the ground on the other side of the shield.

For a brief instant the shield wall crackled and then tore as the arrow passed thunking into the ground. With a bit of a sigh, Antar tentatively extended his hand through where it had past. This time finding no resistance. With a slight grunt and a shrug , Noth walked forwards towards the fire and sat on one of the nearby logs, just waiting in silence for Eryss to speak to him as he took a draught from his water flask. Without any preamble or words between them, he handed the bell to Eryss and waited for the time their practice was to begin... sans one major shield of course. But he presumed Eryss might have the two of them try to work together to remake it. Though he doubted he'd be much use by himself alone.

[Eryss Waldu]

[Eryss was quite oblivious to the presence of Antar until he collided with the Shield that had been tasked to repulse biologics. When he heard Antar being thrown backwards Eryss would have looked over his shoulder just in time to see the Shield, still shimmering faintly, begin to fade from view and though it wasn’t his complete intention that Antar should run into it he was now thinking that it had all worked quite better than planned. Watching as Antar sat up, pulling back the hood of his robe to reveal that it was in fact him, Eryss would wait with a somewhat amused expression painting itself across his features hidden beneath the hood of his own robe.] [Nodding however as Antar admitted to how effective the barrier had been Eryss would then rise from where he was sitting and move off to the side so that the Rogue could fire his arrow without risk of hitting him. He thought about telling Antar not to fire through the Shield but then decided it was inconsequential right before the Rogue sent his arrow flying through as he penetrated the barrier and caused it to disperse its simple purpose having now been served. With that done Eryss would return to his seat near the fire and outstretch his hands so that he could use the ambient heat to warm himself as the flames crackled in front of him.] [When Antar came to sit across from him there was a pleasant silence between the two for awhile. “That was merely another use of a Shield. There are different kinds you see. There are those that block the senses sight, sound, hearing and I’d imagine even touch. Others protect you against weapons. Then there are those such as the one you encountered which act as barriers.”...Eryss would have paused then before continuing on in his instruction...”Barriers are often tasked to repel biologics as you well saw. They can however allow things such as weapons or arrows through if they are not tasked to hinder them meaning next time your bow may be ineffective. Understand?”...Antar was sharp so Eryss was sure that he did but he wanted to make sure first and as the Rogue extended the bell to him he would take it and begin examining it carefully.] [Holding the bell between thumb and forefinger Eryss would ring it a few times before chuckling somewhat maliciously. Obviously he found some humour in using it as a training device but that was probably because he’d much rather use his magic to dampen the sound he made than teach himself to tread softly as it were. “Enough about Shielding for now though. Reimancy is why we are here tonight.”...he explained before looking at Antar and rising from the log he had been sitting on, then backing away from the fire he signalled for Antar to do likewise, his hand had started to produce a liquid res which was quickly fashioning itself into a tangible sphere.] [Using his mental command to control the sphere he was creating Eryss would cause it to hover above his palm as he outstretched it, watching as it drift inches above his flesh, looking beyond the res he too observed what Antar did. In time, after a few moments, Eryss caused the sphere to fly towards Antar at an exponential rate though it wouldn’t reach him as it came to hover several feet above the fire still under the command of the Mage as he had yet to transmute it from its liquid form into an element. “You’ve made strides in your mastery of reimancy. Have you decided what your second element will be?”...he asked the Rogue in what seemed a curious question. Antar could, in theory, choose to master nothing but flame but that didn’t mean he was limited to doing so.] [As Eryss waited for Antar to answer him he would make a subtle change in the sphere of liquid res now hovering above the fire. It was something many reimancers did that could prove dangerous if their focus wasn’t properly on target. Willing this subconscious change of his res Eryss would change it so that instead of creating an element it would attract an element. In this case the element of fire. Responding to his command the liquid res would shift briefly before beginning to attract the fire beneath it with a subtle pull unfelt by either Antar or the Mage. Both of them would see the effects though as first small pieces of fire rose towards the sphere, curling themselves around it, and then larger portions of flame would begin to flow upwards towards it. Before long the fire on the ground had completely transported itself, attracted by the pull of the res, to the sphere and Eryss, still deep in concentration would motion with a crane of the head for Antar to step aside as being in the path of this fireball may not have been the wisest idea.]

[Antar]

As Eryss explained a little more about shielding and other such things, Noth experimented a little as he thought how best to answer. Trying to call the djed and imagine it weaved upon his gauntlets. The lightning in his blood seemed to start at the pit of his stomach and travel up through his towards his hands. Concentrating he tried to match that same twisting sensation he had felt when he had called up the most rudimentary of shields. The sensation of pushing the djed slightly away from his body and shuttling back and forth over his hands.

It felt like he was pushing something his own weight and size outwards, and slowly the tingling feeling came to his skin as the hairs on the back of his wrist began to stand inside the gauntlets. As the awkward shield spread he tried to imprint the image of cloth on a loom. Shuttling itself in and out. For a moment, the strange, yet disconcertingly familiar tang of crackling ozone came to his nostrils as the shield seemed to shimmer into form. It was raggedy, full of holes and altogether mishapen as the blue energies scintilated in his sight, forming patchwork crosshatching veins of energy that soon disipated from his sight.

The effort of calling it into being was enough to make him feel parched, and wobble slightly on his feet. Or perhaps that was the afteraffects of the shock he possessed still from running into the other barrier which had hung between the trees. He didn't know. All he knew was that somehow he knew the weak shield was still there; and he wanted to test it. He drew his dagger and wrapped it against the shielded gauntlet. For the briefest second before it teared he could see the tissue thin shuttlework come alight again, filled with holes before it disintegrated off his arm like ash. He knew very well it would be a long time before he could muster a shield over his entire form like Eryss... but that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

Antar could only surmise from his little test that a shield was only as strong as the caster who created it. As such, a skilled or a very strong man in some form of attack could overwhelm its integrity at a single point if they were stronger then the total level of blunt force the shielding could take. Even if it was assumed that stronger shielders then himself could task them to repel different types of weapons. Shielding , like any skill, was a direct reflection on the circumstances and the caster who had poured their energies into it. Though from what he had seen he was only capable of creating one layered shields capable of blocking djed.

When Eryss nodded for him to move... he moved. As any sane person would, before he began Watching the reimantical display with curiousity. He saw how the mass of res began to attract the element. He understood this concept, He knew of this. Heck he had even done it once before during practice, but that had been a candle. Seeing an entire fireside's flame being sucked in like ships caught in a mid- air whirlpool was fantastic.

Calling up a new shield to take the old one's place upon his right arm, Antar set it again over his glove as he pondered the reimantical event. The setting of the shield was minutely easier this time even if it was a struggle to keep it in place long enough for it to anchor itself. The chaotic weaves of blue energy settling patchily upon the surface of the gauntlet with the same strength a frail cobwebs might attach to a wall. The djed seemed to feel more inclined to flow about the object he anchored it upon. As if it was beginning to become comfortable with it's making in that particular place, around the cold iron of that particular object. He wanted to test another thing and mused aloud as he worked, "I understand how I might work towards attaining a second element of reimancy. But I do have concerns, and questions I'd like to ask you for an opinion upon. As you know my first element was fire..."

Taking of his left gauntlet he began to exude the res, calling small drivulets of flame to cause sparks to spatter across the newly formed shield. His eyes trying to see the flickerings of his pitiful construction as he willed the shield to only block djed coming from inside itself. The imprinting was strange, as if a hundred tiny pins and needles were felt on a severed limb. And as if his brain was telling it still worked or had a property. The small sparks of his reimancy flickered to nothingness upon the cold iron metal before dissipating. He mused that this meant he could block djed from one side or the other... or from both with a shield. All in the manner of how the imprinting went. "Fire... is useful. Even as a more offensive element. And my mind is split between Air or Earth. I imagine with Earth I might provide myself the greatest asset I could ever make as an archer: I could gain cover to hide behind. No matter where I was. But if I took air then I would increase my ability to master and tackle where my attacks were going, or what harm they might inflict upon a target there."

Noth trailed off as he stopped to take a sip from his water flask. The cool water was a boon to his senses as it rushed down his throat. As he breathed a little the scent of ozone seemed to trail away and for a moment he did not continue. He looked towards Eryss and the moon, and then at the still burning ball of flame. "I tend to operate that Reimancy is my weapon of last resort, when all else fails, and that a sword in my hand will be more beneficial to me in the case of endurance. So I am unsure which may be best to choose. Do you have anything to say on such a matter?"

He lapsed back into silence as Eryss was concentrating to control the huge ball of flame that was being held withing the air and for a moment, he wondered what the mage was going to do with it.

[Eryss Waldu]

[Eryss had heard everything that Antar had said to him. He had even considered how to answer his questions. However at the moment the mage was far too preoccupied to give Antar an answer regarding his second chosen element or to critique his use of Shielding which he would offer a few suggestions on once he had completed his own task. Right now almost all of Eryss attention, or at least the vast majority of it, was on the large ball of fire he had made by attracting the flames of the campfire to the sphere of liquid res he had created and sent to hover over the fire itself. It was quite a marvellous and deadly thing to behold and fully capable of incinerating a man or blasting through a thin wall or doorway.] [Tilting his head to one side Eryss, who had thus far only extend one of his hands in a symbolic gesture to aid in his control of the fireball which still contained an inner core of res, would outstretch his free hand and move it to such a degree that it seemed as though he was caressing the flame from afar. “You see. Fire, like steel, is a servant to the hand that wields it but let your guard down for but a moment and it can turn back on you.”...it was a warning that he had bestowed on Antar before slowly drawing his arms around so that it looked like they were on either side of the ball of fire and holding it from afar. Beneath the hood he wore Eryss was smiling and then drawing his arms backwards he would push them ahead forcefully.] [When his hands pushed forward the fireball that Eryss had been maintain control over launched itself from the space where it had been hovering over the remaining embers of the campfire and towards an area of brush that could be seen on the outskirts of the meadow. Flying ahead as a gigantic inferno the last of the inner core of the fireball would transmute from res to flame before impact adding to an even bigger bang when the maelstrom of destruction impacted its target. Vegetation shrivelled, wood popped and snapped and the ground blackened from the concussion force of impact and the initial heat all on its own; the actual flames did the rest of the work and soon the brush was aflame and rising high into the skies. The fire would consume everything that Eryss had aimed it towards before slowly dying out.] [These demonstrations were not without their own taxing effect though. Eryss would raise his hand to his head and slowly begin to massage his temples afterwards before moving towards the flask of water he had left beside the remains of the campfire. Taking the flask in his hand he would uncork it and begin drinking deeply before wiping his mouth with his wrist and looking back towards Antar when he said...”Earth is a fine asset for anyone with the imagination to use it. Both offensive and defensive. It’s true you could use earth to create cover for yourself but did you ever consider that you would also have an unlimited supply of ammunition as well.”...then, pausing, he would allow that sentiment to sink into Antar’s mind before deciding it might be better to show him what he meant.] [Lifting his right hand Eryss would open it palm upwards before beginning to emanate a small amount of res in the form of smoke rather than liquid this time. The amount he was generating could have been easily duplicated by a novice so it wasn’t that tasking. He would watch Antar as he did this before remarking...”As you know I am not an archer. Though who is to say I need a bow?”...it was a rather cryptic statement and before Antar could answer it the smoke that Eryss had been generating would fashion itself into a rudimentary arrow like form before shooting towards Antar like it been fired from a bow. At the last second it would calcify and transform into a hard granite which tapered off into a thin, sharp, tip on one end and flew straight before arcing down into the ground between Antar’s feet. Eryss was rather satisfied with the results and went on to say...”That and larger things. A Sword. A Spear. Too name but a few.”...he nodded his head thinking Antar would understand.] [He wasn’t done though and the Mage was soon relaying his thoughts to the Rogue once more by adding...”Air would be useful. Once again as a way to compliment your skills or to attack or defend. No element is without a deadly application of its own.”...Eryss seemed to let his mind wander when he said that before continuing by remarking...”What of the elements paired together too. Fire and earth burn hot with one another and can create Lava. Air and fire complement one another well enough to become lightning. Do these things appeal to you too?”...it seemed as though Eryss was trying to help Antar understand his options so that he would make an educated decision. After all there was no going back once he had chosen.] [Maybe Antar thought that Eryss had missed his small display of Shielding as well but he had not and the Mage would add...”You desire a strong Shield too but go about it the wrong way I think. You would be better off trying a different application I think. Instead of a Shield that absorbs djed why not try one that blocks light. Light being so little at this hour. Wrap your hand again but this time concentrate of blocking the sense of sight from it.”...it was something a little simpler Eryss thought Antar could do for a short time and on small portions of his body for now. Shields tasked with absorbing djed or soaking damage would eventually break in most cases but even a novice Shielder should be able to maintain a Shield designed only to block one of the senses and it would expand his skills. At least Eryss was of that opinion.]

[Antar]

Eryss listened to Antar's words carefully, and Antar heeded his with the same respect. He tensed a moment when the earth arrow headed within his direction, but he held his ground stoicly. Just wondering if Eryss truly had in mind to do him harm which could be lethal. He didn't think so; and his gambit paid off as the earthen bolt sunk itself into the ground at his feet. "Your words are true in a sense, but there is a tenet that a bow and arrow or sword might be more reliable then wasting your djed on such a small attack, allowing you to save it for when it really is needed... if you truly made a sword or a spear and transformed it fully to stone or earth to lift in your hand, it would be difficult for you to entirely make use of it without practice, either in the arts of makeshift weapons or in the weapon type itself. But... you do prove an interesting point to me.

Earth seems to be the more defensive of the two elements. I view that the arcane is a tight rope game of immediacy, and endurance. Eryss, I caution you do not make the mistake most arcane users I see make: You may effect an immediate kill of someone with a spike of earth, but to shape it as a sword in your hand and use it till they are dead will require working other skills to complement and enhance your efforts. In my mind, Magic does not stand by itself alone but works in tandem with your other skills. At least that is how I percieve it."

Without another word, Noth paused to clear his mind and begin focusing his efforts towards summoning a new shield around his gauntlet. Eryss words about tasking against sight or sound rang true in his eyes, even if he was only a beginner. It would be difficult but he believed he could barely pull it off. But in order to make something that lasted more then ten seconds he would have to focus. Focus his mind and concentrate on his breathing, and then bend his entire will to the task at hand.

After a minute or so of breathing in and out, Noth felt he was steady enough to be ready for the tasking. Slowly, the djed began to acrue over his gauntlet, coursing instead of the lightning in his veins before, like a gentle breeze carrying the blue marked energies he wove as tightly as he could around the glove. Slowly, in a sparkling blue haze of ozone, Antar's mind tempered the shield, forging it as deftly as he could as his mind envisioned the threads of a loom crossing and weaving amidst each other.

Noth opened his eyes to see the structure about his wrist, flickering a brilliant blue haze of lines. Some aspects were still patchy, thicker then others, but he was getting better. Slowly, he reached out , connecting a small bit of "flavored" djed, no more then a water droplet's worth, seeking to tell it with his mind to stop the passage of light. Soon, the scarlet blue drop merged with the rest and a ripple came across the shield, dulling its surface as soon it seemed his gauntleted fingers was nothing more then a haze of grey which darkened almost to black.

With a bit of a smile Antar's head snapped back towards Eryss, only for him to swear loudly as his concentrationg broke. The shield crumbling to dust as his hand came back into view. Cursing his luck, Noth took a moment to calm down, closing his eyes once more to meditate and concentrate on his breathing to steady himself. He had found he could task against sight, and he supposed sound was a possibility as well. But the real question was for how long, and what duration would he be able to keep such shields in place. Calming his mind, he concentrated on quelling such thoughts. He still had to answer Eryss about his next element and he was considering it carefully. Turning the subtle nuances in and out as he thought upon what would be best.

When the rogue was done, Noth's eyes would open to gaze in Eryss' direction. "I believe the best element to learn for me would be Earth. It seems to go well with my current skills and would definitely enhance my abilities further. As well as serve to create uses as you hazarded before. I can always attempt to gain water, and air later if need be down the line, but I would like a straight answer. Do you believe you can successfully teach me how to task my res to a new element? If the answer is yes. You have my trust to begin."

[Eryss Waldu]

[Though he was no psychic Eryss seemed to know that Antar at least wondered if he would harm him, it was an obvious assumption to make, and even though the arrow that he had cast had only buried into the ground between Antar’s feet the answer would have been in the affirmative. At the moment they were on good terms but Eryss, ever scheming, desired everything for himself and at his core had a black heart that could turn on another without so much as a second thought. He was listening as Antar spoke, cautioning him that magic should be used in tandem with other skills, but like most Mages Eryss would not heed the advice of his associate in this case as he believed fully that his archaic power could defeat nigh any foe he came up against.] [Shaking his head once Eryss would even be heard replying as Antar began to focus on creating a Shield under the principles that he had offered in advice...”There are many that would disagree with you. You’re right that magic is complimented by our other talents but magic alone win you the day if harnessed correctly. It will bring ruin to your enemies and render them dust.”...a rather grim example of anyone who dared stand against the magically inclined in his own opinion. It was one of the few things he would say for several moments while observing Antar as the Rogue attempted to create another small Shield, this one tasked to block the sense of sight it appeared, which was at least partially successful. Antar was definitely learning.] [Next came the question of whether or not Eryss could teach Antar to task his res into the element of earth which brought on a shrug from Eryss who let his shoulders rise and fall once while staring across at Antar from beneath the hood of his cloak. “Yes. It is not as difficult as you might like to think. When a person is initiated and becomes a reimancer it is often a traumatic experience.”...he said, remembering his own initiation and how res was forced down his throat until he was all but suffocating and then withdrawn, and then after a short time of contemplation would continue...”Maybe you believe that it will be a harrowing experience but that is merely a presumption.” He seemed to be thinking after he told Antar that but Eryss had some idea of how to teach him to transmute his res into the element of earth with as little difficulty possible.] [Walking backwards Eryss would create a larger distance between himself and Antar before bending down. Kneeling he would reach out with both hands and place them over the earth while peering up at Antar from beneath his hood and saying...”Immerse yourself in the earth. Touch it. Understand what it is. You see earth all around you. You’ve felt stone with your hand and know it to be hard and capable of causing injury. You recognize that earth can flow through your fingers or be so unyielding as to crush you beneath itself.”...he wasn’t entirely sure if Antar understood but Eryss had taught himself to transmute his res into the element of earth when his potential had expanded enough. Now as he knelt down explaining to Antar he seemed to feel the connection between himself and the earth as the res inside his own body began to stir slowly.] [With both hands placed palm down on the ground Eryss had begun to secrete a small amount of thin gaseous res into the earth. Channelling it into the ground and over it as though it were a slowly growing wave that stretched out before Antar. His breath steady and slow, his mind focused, Eryss saw what he wanted to do and would will it into creation. Without warning a large stalactite of earth, a spike, would drive up out of the ground near Antar but well enough out of range that it didn’t endanger him whatsoever. Another spike of earth followed shortly thereafter, this one ripping out of the ground on an angle, but still well out of reach of the Rogue. Then there was a third spike which erupted out of the ground closer than the rest and though it too wouldn’t have reached the Rogue it came within meters of doing so, spiralling and twisting itself as though it were growing from the backbone of the world and then slowly halting, Antar could have reached out and touched the last of the spikes.] [It wasn’t nearly as large a display as it could have been but Eryss was pleased as he rose back onto his feet. Moving towards one of the stalactites and placing his hand on it as though he were admiring his own work. Eyes flickered back towards Antar next and he remarked...”You know how to make fire. Earth is different but the process is at least partially the same. Begin with a stone. One rock in the palm of your hand.”...and tilting his head a little higher he would have then went on to explain...”You control your res. Shape it; make it thick and malleable in your mind’s eye. Envision it as the earth you’re standing on now or as rock you could hold in your hand. Make it so.”...then he would wait. In his mind Eryss thought it was a simple process and believed Antar would understand; he could make fire already so he knew how to transform his res. Tasking implied that he would give his reimancy a role the same as he did when he was creating a Shield but these were two different things entirely.]

[Antar]

At Eryss' words on the subject of magic overcoming all and brining ruin to ones foes, Antar simply nodded. It would have been useless to argue any further. In his opinion, many mages had this blind spot. While strategizing how to use one's arcane talents successfully was all well and good; he knew the best laid plans of mice and men rarely survived past the first moment of engagement. But he would not gainsay Eryss' his views, that would not be right or proper in his mind. Others had a right to their opinions, just as he had a right to his.

Noth merely watched as Eryss began to expand his res into the ground as he began his explanation. For a few moments he wondered what the man was doing before the spikes began to rise like a twisting snake, eventually barreling back down into the earth just a few arm lengths away. It was an interesting display to be sure, and he saw the possibility of it being used both as a defensive and an offensive weapon if it could be controlled adeptly or made more fluid. For instance; such an earth manipulation could whip itself about the wielder, interposing its earthly surface to any incoming arrow or attack before twisting to strike like a snake upon its prey. That was something he'd work upon trying to figure out later.

For now, he did what he was told, reaching down to cup the earthen soil, or touch the spike to see the hardness of the stone. Eryss' words made sense to him, he had to know an element, to feel and understand it ; not only through the physical but to visualize the element mentally. To 'task' it in one's mind so when one's Res was transmuted it could eventually be forged as easily as one could breathe. That was the goal of perfection to attempt to achieve here. Though he would ever be cautious in his use of reimancy he knew in order to learn a new element, he'd have to understand that element.

Summoning his djed, he began his attempt, drawing forth a small sphere to hover above his palm. He closed his eyes and meditated a bit as he envisioned the soil of the earth, the courseness of a stone of gypsum and smooth feel of pebbles one might find within a stream. All of these images were brought forth and sent away with the cadence of his breaths. Each remembered sensation being only one facets of earth, and he bent the memorable experiences to the Res as he began to try his first earthen transmutation.

It did not come as easily to him as Fire, perhaps because he was using his ability in a new way, and for a moment the Res seemed to feel that odd disconcerting twist he felt just before he would ignite it. But he redrew his concentrating and 'pushed.' His thoughts upon the Res acting as if it were nothing more then sand in his hands.

For his efforts; sand is what he received.

The outermost layer of the Res sphere flashed blue before the exterior started to crumble away as grains of colored blue sand began to form, each grain flowing downwards over his hands and palm before falling to the ground. It was a pleasant sensation to be sure and one he revelled in as he opened his eyes to crouch down in wonder. In a pile by the fire's light, a small blue patch of sand lay there as physical proof for what he had achieved. Looking towards Eryss, the rogue smiled slightly before he spoke, "You're right my friend. That was a lot less... invasive as being invested. What do you believe should be the next step?"

As he listened he pondered something and raised a new ball of res, this time transmuting the exterior to fire which he slowly lowered towards his late blue sand. Watching as the heat of the blue flame began to melt it to the ground in a puddle of new formed glass...

An odd thought came to his mind, and he did not realize he might have spoken aloud. "I wonder if reimancy might be used to build things... or if they would be sturdy enough to stay together afterwards..."

[Eryss Waldu]

[Eryss was paying close attention to Antar as he began to summon his djed for the task ahead. According to Eryss once you’d reached a level of expertise it was relatively simple to transmute res into newer elements but even though he explained this it would be Antar himself who needed to experience it in order to believe it. Were it as easy as Eryss taking a portion of his res and shoving it down Antar’s throat he might have done just that but this was no initiation so the Mage was dubious as to whether or not such a treatment would be successful. Opting for mere instruction as his tool to teach Antar Eryss was now quite curious not only to see if Antar would be successful but whether or not his methods were as well.] [When Eryss saw the res that Antar had summoned begin its transmutation into sand he felt an inkling of satisfaction as well. His instruction had been at least partially successful and in a rare display Eryss would clap his hands together once as though he were applauding Antar for his efforts. A little positive reinforcement never hurt especially when the price of failure could be negative reinforcement. After all it’s not as though Eryss was a charitable man and he enjoyed letting others feel his disappointment in them. It was only fair he reasoned in such cases.] [Eyes followed Antar’s movements as he crouched down in awe before looking back at Eryss with a smile and the Mage would reply by saying...”Very nice. You’ve succeeded. The next step is much simpler.”...he didn’t much of an explanation beyond that though he would do one better and give Antar a firsthand demonstration. Opening his hand, the right, and lifting it so that it was palm up at shoulder height Eryss would begin to use his djed to create res once again which began to emit from his palm as a colorless, translucent, liquid. The liquid would rise up centimetres from his flesh and hover there under his explicit mental control while Eryss looked at Antar once more as he began to melt his sand using fire in favour of creating glass.] [Noticing what Antar was trying to do as well as hearing him when he spoke aloud Eryss would have remarked...”Yes. You may use your reimancy to build things. Stone created is real stone and will not fade. It is the same with water, air and fire. Of course these elements have different properties as well and are therefore governed by different physics.”...it made sense to him of course though whether or not it did for Antar was a different story though it was simple if one imagined it. Stone was hard. Water was liquid. Fire was a fuel. Air had no mass. Only stone, or earth, would last as it was made in the physical realm. Shaking his head Eryss would refocus and his eyes, beneath his hood, would travel back to the liquid res hovering above his palm that he had created.] [Now that Eryss had turned his attention back to the task at hand he would motion to Antar with his left hand so that he could also draw his attention to the res that had been created. This would be his next lesson and the one that Eryss believed would be most beneficial. “Despite the element you wish to create your res will always begin the same. You will decide whether the res is liquid or gaseous, thin or thick, and then you will transmute it for that point.”...the remark was meant to give Antar something to consider and when Eryss felt he had enough time to do this he would continue by saying...”When you create a fireball you ignite the outer res first so that you can still control it due to the inner res. Once the inner res has undergone a transformation it leaves your control. Summon your res and shape it into a sphere. Only change its outside into stone. Give it a shell if you will.”...then glancing towards his own res Eryss would finalize his demonstration so that Antar knew exactly what he meant.] [Willing the liquid res that he had summoned, and now hovered, from his palm to take the shape of a sphere, perfectly shaped and yet with a rippling exterior due to liquid base the res currently had, Eryss would begin to transmute its outer most layer. Slowly calcifying the outside of the sphere Eryss would purposely make the transformation slow so that Antar could watch as the outside of the sphere was slowly covered in a thin layer of stone that crept from the bottom all the way to the top where it completed the transformation. Finished the, now, stone sphere would still hover about Eryss hand instead of falling into it because the interior remained untransformed and within his control; Eryss motioned to Antar with his left hand then as though to signify he should try this himself.]

[Antar]

Antar did as he was instructed after listening to Eryss' words. They bore a ring of truth to them and he began to summon his djed, feeling it course though his veins like electricity as it made its way to his palms. There, from the place of where the ritual cuts had been made, the fluid of Res began to weep. Liquidy in its form as it seeped from the pores of his palms.

Closing his eyes, he centered his breathing, and concentrating his focus.

Bending his will to the Res he experimented, shifting it from the turgid liquid ing gas and brought it swirling slowly about his figure. Letting the mist coil about him in a controlled arc, weaving its way down around his right arm like a cirrus cloud , around his back and climbing up his left like a creeping vine winding about a garden pole. At the same time, he concentrated on this same manipulation in reverse from the Res he had gathered in his left palm, tranmuting it to gas winding it down past the left arm, over the chest and corkscrewing back up towards his right palm. With the exchanged done he concentrated his efforst in bending the gas floating above his palms back into liquid and began the final phase of his experiment.

With the right hand's Res still in gaseous form he molded a sphere in his mind, the muscles in his neck tensing as he bound it's outer rim towards stone. Remembering the texture, the hardness, and the feel of the earthen rock. Slowly, the Res formed a thin veneer of crust; a slim layer of hardened stone almost the breadth of an eggshell. A success of what he was asked for...

In his left he tried a different sort, molding the gel-like substance to be harder, denser, with less space for air pockets and other such things as he concentrated on keeping the core as centricly even as possible. The outer edges began to change as it began to harden inside-out; becoming rectangular, the shape in his mind beginning to will into creation as a brick. His entire will bending to attempt to keep it too perfection as the full Res began to transmute.

With a distinguishing pop, of the air being compressed from the shape, a hardened stone brick fell into his palm and for a moment he stared at it. Calculating with a keen eye whether the surfaces were smooth enough to suit his vision or hard enough to support the weight of its own form. The construction of reimantical origin was barely the size of any other normal brick, and for him at least it seemed quite capable for it's dimensions. 2 1/4 inches in height four inches by width, and a length of eight inches. There was only one way to test it; and it was a shame he had to do so since it risked the new stone construction. To test it, he threw it down to the ground as hard as he could, It bounced respectively and a small bit of the corners flaked off, as he left the sphere of Res hovering in the air for a moment to bend down to pick it up.

Noth's ability to concentrate and compress the Res enough to form the brick completely throughout had been a failure for his first effort, but at least he was capable of experimenting. Looking at Eryss to see if he could do better then a simple sphere by observing him ; he drew his kukri from his shoulder sheathe and drew another rectangle in the dirt, roughly sketching with straight drawn lines a rectangula four feet in width, and eight feet in length before he stood up and stepped back. The amount of Res to fill such a thing two and quarter feet high in a dense volume of liquid res would be the equivalent to the amount of Res it might take to propel a single earthen spike ten foot high, and Antar wondered if he should ask what he wished to see. Eryss had done enough major practices for one day, but Noth wished to see if he could create something extremely solid by focusing his will on something so deceptively easy as making a large stone brick.

Antar grabbed a stick from the brush pile, cut it to about two and a quarter feet and stuck it into the ground next to the drawn box and stood up to reclaim the res sphere that was still floating by his shoulder as he looked at Eryss to ask his question. "Since the density of what we create from Res is directly proportional to how we 'squeeze' out the excess air and other things to removet he minute flaws which may break a stone, I must consider to make something truly capable of bearing its load over time may prove more difficult. Could I ask you to form a stone block for me? I believe by observing another's technique in a larger form I may find out where I went wrong, or perhaps a better , more precise way of ensuring it can hold it's own shape under pressure so it is not liable to collapse."

Going silent, and thinking he'd said to much. Antar stepped back and still held the sphere of Res with the eggshell layer, his eyes looking at it perplexingly. He'd gotten practice with a full transmutation such as the brick, perhaps to even more precise levels than any other normal reimancer of his meager talents normally could. But at least with his familiarity of the item he tried to make he figured he'd had a slight edge in its making with magic. He still did not know how he might attack with a sphere of earth, but he surmised that would be the next step...