Coloured arms and brilliant flashes (Halon)

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

The 47th of winter 513AV ~ Night time

Night had fallen and Leth had claimed position, ruling the heavens while watching over the surface of the land darkened by the shadow of the sky itself. Temperatures where still rather cold, and the breath of the all oxygen needing beings formed white puffs in the air. The sky was clear for once, a relief after several days of overcast and large threatening clouds bringing both rain and snow to the Celestial city. Even today, when Syna had been attempting to warm up the people in the city where she was worshipped most with her bright rays of sunshine, there had been periods of snowfall, creating a blanket of soft white flakes. They didn’t last long though, the ground was still wet due to the rain of bells before and this melted the snow when it came into contact with each other. Eventually though, there had been to many flakes and the piled up anyhow, forming the blanket they wanted to be. Unfortunately the moist crept upwards through the snowy substance, turning it into a grey or at some places blackish drab, which was still polluting the streets of the Diamond of Kalea.

It was in this setting that the bat was found, soaring over the roofs of Lhavit, carried by his black wings. The flapping noise they made was loud and echoed through the dark sky, yet from the height he flew right now the citizens wouldn’t hear it. It was very uncommon for a bat to go out for a flight in this season of the year, most of his species were burning through their layer of fat reserves in hibernation. However, Brandon hadn’t been prepared for it, his human form didn’t quite allow for such things, and although he could have done it in animal form, he still had business to take care of this season, so he couldn’t sleep it away.

The bitter cold of winter had rid the sky of his prey, the insects so if his flight had been a hunt, it would have been very unsuccessful. However, it wasn’t to feed that he had shifted, no, the bat had just felt the urge to spread his wings again. It had been way too long for his liking and although he had to endure the freezing winds ruffling his fur, he didn’t stop till he was satisfied.

The thief very much enjoyed the diversity of forms he could assume and usually did so on a regular basis, most of the year shifting every day for food or just for the fun that flight brought him. The dull senses his human form had were replaced by his superior ones and by soaring through the heavens he felt free. Free from all rules that bound the human society –not that he cared about rules- and he could go to whatever place he wanted, easily crossing vast distances in a single flight.

Now he just circled above the city, not wanting to go too far from home since it was a bit too cold to fly for long periods of time. He rose to a higher altitude, looking up in the process, the beauty of the clear sky reflecting in his dark orbs. The bat wanted to stare at it longer, but he needed his attention for maintaining a stable flight, so that was not possible right now. If he’d land and watch from there though, he could do so for as long as he pleased.

Going with this idea, he folded his wings closer to his body, yet pointing his longest digit backwards and suddenly cleaved through the air, losing altitude rapidly. The wind roared as he dived, his screams telling him how far he was from touching the ground. Roofs and houses closed in on him, and he spread his wings once more, now gliding just above the canopy of the starry city. With echolocation he searched for an appropriate place to land, with few people in the immediate vicinity. Finding one didn’t take long, locating a more or less deserted street right below. As he pointed one wing down, the other went up and he started circling around the place, steadily going lower and lower. Before long he had manoeuvred himself between the houses on either sides of the alley. Flapping his wings back and forth he got rid of the unneeded speed and soon enough his claws found solid ground. A flash of bright light radiated for a tick, his body at the center and before one could ask himself what was going on, a naked male had appeared, eyes fixed at the moon and the stars above, the instant radiance already gone.

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Halon]

Green eyes peeked up at the star filled sky, the thrill of fear and nausea he always felt when looking up coming to a head. Halon pulled his thick robes up around him, drawing his cowl further down over his face as he looked back to the street. It was cold tonight, the bitter winter chill piercing even his tough skin and sending slight shivers up his spine. The young Isur reminded himself that his fear of falling into the sky was irrational, there were plenty of people that walked the surface everyday and none fell into that vast emptiness above. Even still, not constantly having a ceiling over his head was jarring, no comfort that something solid was above him. The short man made his way down the moonlit streets, attempting to try and ignore the presence of Leth and his companions above. It was nothing that he should concern himself with now, he needed to get home and rest for a spell. His eyes easily made the street much brighter to him, with the given light around him it looked rather clear and very little was hidden in the immediate darkness. Yet another way the Isur were superior to the outsiders. The man looked rather short all things considered, standing at a diminutive five foot flat though his well muscled body made him look far more imposing that normally for a man his size. Most people in this city were taller than him, but few possessed his natural strength and toughness which made up the difference. The sleeves of his left arm were pulled up to allow the upper half of his Izurdin blessed arm to be displayed. He never hid it, he was proud of his bond to his racial god even in this foreign land. The silver veins of the arm stood out on its glossy black surface. It looked metallic but moved as easily as his flesh and blood arm. This area of the city was rather empty on the streets for the moment, no doubt the nightly revelers had yet to enter the streets. Lhavit was a strange city but Halon found himself slowly warming to it, very slowly, but it was certainly a nice place. It was beautiful really, its skyglass domes and wonderful architecture certainly nothing compared to Isurian crafts but impressive all the same. He did rather dislike how forward many of the non-Isur were, quick to trust in his mind and a little naïve really. It was against his Pitrius upbringing, trust was a very difficult thing to give. A dark bat like shape flew from the sky a slight distance away, gaining Halon's attention. He hissed a curse in Isurian as a bright flash of light assaulted his dark attuned eyes, covering them slight before checking the spot. Where there had been a bat now there stood a man as naked as the day he was born. Being a Pitrius Isur his first thoughts immediately flew to one conclusion, magic had just been used though what type was anyone's guess. Halon focused within himself, steadying his breathing as he found the pool of energy that made up who he was. From here the man pulled Djed into his sight, his eyes narrowing as he concentrated on pushing his sight to the man's aura. Colors danced before his eyes as the naked man's aura flared up into existence, the sensation of he himself slowly slipping away coming into mind as he attempted to identify some basic facts about the man. Halon was unable to properly identify magic itself, but he compensated by looking at the basic physical properties and making a guess. A light blue flare that Halon recognized as being cold was recognized, though that was to be expected given the winter chill. He pushed a bit further drinking deeper of his sight to try and recognize basic colors that depicted feelings. It was no easy task as sentient beings possessed a swirl of almost blinding colors. That and Halon was rather piss poor at maintaining the magical sight for extended periods. It helped that it was only the man on the street, but everything around him had an aura that threatened to detract from his concentration. Finally Halon shut off the sight, rubbing his eyes slightly as they adjusted to normal sight. He felt rather tired for the small act, though considering his lack of experience with the personal magic it was to be expected. The Isur slowly approached the man, keeping his black arm out slightly for need of caution if nothing else. "I did not think they allowed magic to be practiced in the street so blatantly." The Isur commented to the naked man, his cowl still pulled up that he might maintain some concealment here.

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

The sky was always a sight to behold, whether it was under Syna’s rule by day or Leth’s by night, it was always awe inspiring. The clearness and the many stars visible, along with the shape of the Moon god tonight was really stunning. Also the few clouds still drifting slowly through the dark were fascinating when exposed to the light of the moon. They became more majestic, larger and threatening, but very beautiful as well. Leth’s light did that to them, the moon god shared some of his beauty with the rest of his realm, it didn’t matter to him if he was the center of attention or not, whereas Syna was the opposite. When her time to rise had come, all eyes had to be on her, even creating magnificent colors when she both rose and set. On other moments she shone as bright as possible, drawing all attention to herself and sharing none, not even the stars were allowed to come out and twinkle.

Footsteps approached, the bat didn’t care. It wasn’t one of the rest right now, so it was only natural people roamed the streets. However, he hadn’t expected anyone to walk up to him and start a conversation. And it was about magic of all things. He tuned his head to the man, letting go of the heavens with his dark orbs, and would study him for a couple of ticks before he answered.

The man was rather short, a couple of inches smaller than himself, but he looked way more muscular than the thief. Not that he found that annoying, he was rather proud of his lean body, his muscles were well developed, only not as bulky as the ones of the man in front of him. In a way the man reminded him of his stepfather, Gallan, except that this guy didn’t sport a giant moustache and that his stepfather wasn’t muscular at all. Actually, it was just the small stature of the man that resembled Gallan.

The man wore a cowl, hiding the upper half of his face in the shadows of the thing, something the bat liked to do as well when he wore his cape. But what was really interesting and caught his eye was the strange arm the man possessed. The man’s left arm was black, but shiny, like a gemstone, with the veins of that arm standing out even more, reflecting the moon’s light. The actual color wasn’t really visible with this darkness, but he guessed the veins had some sort of metallic color, like steel or something more precious. The thief wondered if such arm was considered a valuable good… The man seemed proud of his left arm, showing it off by rolling up the sleeve on his left side.

“Magic?” the bat replied somewhat astounded by the statement of the man. “I have no idea what you are talking about, I don’t practice magic and I don’t think I’d want to. Seems a risky business to me, I don’t even understand why they allow it to be used in this city anyway.”

A thought occurred to him: What if this stranger had seen him shift? It was possible, the light his race radiated when shifting was rather bright and blinding, especially at night. And he hadn’t picked a completely deserted street either, people walked everywhere, at the time he’d landed there had been a few people walking down this road, but they were used to Kelvic presences. They ought to be anyway, there were enough of his race inhabiting this city, and he’d met a few of them last season. Most of them didn’t even hide their nature, well, they didn’t have to keep an ace in the hole in case they were about to get arrested.

He pondered on whether he’d mention it or not, but if this guy had seen it, he couldn’t really try to play dumb. Besides, it was getting cold, it had always been, but only now he noticed. The bat wrapped his arms over his chest as his muscles started trembling and the hair on his body stood up in an attempt to keep him warm.

“Are you by any chance talking about that light just a chime ago? That isn’t magic, it’s …er..” What was it anyway? He’d never thought about it, it was there when he shifted, but other than that? He didn’t know. “I don’t know how to explain it just like that. I assume you’ve never heard of a Kelvic before?”

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Halon]

Halon's brows lowered by a degree or two as the man denied any use of magic, rather displeased that he would so blatantly and foolishly lie to him. The Isur hadn't been born yesterday and he certainly recognized magic when it was used, it was a slight against his intelligence to suggest that Halon didn't see what had happened. It also struck him as being rather foolish to deny it so blatantly, as it certainly made it seem like the man had something to hide. The man crossed his arms a kept up his look of skepticism. The Isur had a choice retort ready on his lips that died when this man seemed to realize something and answered his question with a question. That earned a raised eyebrow, especially when he seemed to have trouble explaining exactly what it was. A Kelvic? Halon didn't even know what the horned creatures that walked the moonlight and sunlight were called. The other races were foreign things to him, though he did admit to a fair amount of fascination towards them despite himself. "I'm afraid not. Kelvic... is that what your ability is? A strange thing to call it." Halon stated. Common was such a poor language, lacking the edge that Isur possessed and being far too difficult to speak besides that. Kelvic, what an odd name for a power like the one he had just witnessed turn him from a bat to a man in a flash of light. It certainly seemed useful, perhaps it might do to look into how to learn how this Kelvic worked. Changing shape was a theoretically potent power, though certainly nothing compared to the greatness of Magecraft. "How do you use this Kelvic? It looked rather obvious to spot from where I stood. Crippling in the open like this." The Isur commented. The shorter man ignored the fact he had just used Auristics to try and examine the man, it was hardly an obvious art and was rather safe so long as he didn't drink too deeply of it. None of Halon's magic was obvious besides the divine blessing of his arm, and that should never be hidden before an outsider for it was a sign of the superiority of the Isur. He gazed impassively at the man, lifting another eyebrow inquisitively as though desiring an explanation. It was not for the first time that he gave thanks to his body's perfection and strength, it always served to off set his height disadvantage. He blinked twice though his expression didn't change for a moment. The stoic Isur he remained. Though he did pull his robes up closer around him, it was getting a little too cold. Which raised another question as he looked the man's inferior body up and down, quirking an eyebrow again. Why was he standing out in the cold Lhavit streets completely stark naked? That seemed like a good way to catch cold if not get something important frozen of, especially at this hour of the night. "Do you lack clothing?" The Isur asked, his tone as frank and blunt as it always tended to be when speaking in common.

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

The short man raised an eyebrow in return for his attempt to explain what the bat actually meant, and soon after followed the admittance that he indeed had never heard of the term. The man even seemed to think, despite the thief’s statement that it wasn’t, that Kelvic was the name of one of the disciplines of magic. And as if that wasn’t ridiculous enough, he even wanted to know how to use it Like he could, ha! Though, the bat shouldn’t laugh at the man’s ignorance, since he wasn’t amongst the more knowledgeable of the region, let alone the crystal city.

He sighed deeply, shivers running down his spine as he did, and readied himself for another try at explaining what Kelvic was. “Like I said before, it’s not magic, darnit! Kelvic is the name of a group of people, myself included, who can pull this transformation off. I don’t use Kelvic, I am Kelvic.” He wrapped his arms tighter around his body. “Don’t ask me where the name comes from, because I don’t know. As for how to shift forms, I don’t have a means to explain that, I just do. It’s like moving your arm or leg, You’re able to do it but you don’t know how. You just can or can’t. “

A thought occurred to the bat, this guy had had a skeptical look over on his face when he first denied the use of magic, and when he tried to explain the first time as well. It was probable that he wasn’t convinced right now either. The curiosity and the hidden meaning of the man’s question of how to use it hadn’t escaped the bat’s ears. “And you can’t learn it, so don’t try. You can’t become a Kelvic. You are or you are not. One is born as a Kelvic, and one stays a Kelvic until the moment they die.”

As more shivers rolled down his skin, the bat took a moment to look at his arm. Goosebumps had formed and the tips of his fingers were turning darker of colour. It was petching cold tonight, why he had picked such a stupid time to shift and stare at the moon was a mystery to him, if he hadn’t he would be sitting in front of a warm fire burning in the hearth instead of having a freezing conversation with a strange armed stranger.

Thinking of which, the man had just addressed the thief once more, now asking about his nudity. He thought about it for a couple of ticks, but not too long as the cold didn’t allow it. “Lack clothes? I’d rather say I lack fur, but that’s not what you meant, is it? I’d like to continue this conversation someplace else, someplace warm preferably. Do you live close?” A rather bold way to invite himself, the bat realized it only after the words had found their way out of his mouth. “I mean, if you don’t mind I come along?”

“You could tell me why you have such a weird arm while doing so too. I must admit it’s rather fascinating to watch, it looks like a gemstone with metal imbedded, but it moves just as good as any other one. Is there some sort of secret behind it? Did you lose your original arm and had to replace it with one crafted by magic?”

If the man would accept, the thief would come closer and grab the man’s clothes before shifting, climbing up to his shoulder in bat form and sitting there motionlessly, except when moving his head occasionally. Due to his small size, the bat hoped he wouldn’t lose as much body heat as when standing out in the cold naked, and he could listen to the man as well. Otherwise he’d just walk away and go home, he didn’t feel like catching a cold.

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Halon]

The man seemed very insistent that his shifting was not magic so Halon opted to not make the mistake of calling it such while the man was around, though it certainly seemed magical enough in the Isur was to be the judge of things. However when he explained that he was Kelvic rather than could use it, Halon narrowed his eyes in confusion. So Kelvics were a race? A race of shapeshifters, was such a fantastical thing even possible? Then again he supposed one might find a race of beings that could mold metal and stone like clay would be equally fantastical. Well, since it was apparently a racial thing one could not learn it which was rather irritating to note, but the Isur didn't worry over much. There were other matters he had to worry over, such as his art and improving on his crafting abilities. His employer seemed to think that he needed to impart more when he crafted, to utilize his blessing from Izurdin to its greatest degree but Halon was conservative regarding its use. A difference in clans could make quite a difference for Isur. Halon raised an eyebrow as the Kelvic boldly invited himself along, which actually was a bit jarring to the Isur. Sure he had seen some things that were considered rather forward while living among the outsiders, but none so bold as to invite himself along to his home of all places. He didn't even know this Kelvic's name and he wanted to come along to Halon's apartment? His clan heritage certainly disliked this, even his somewhat more open minded ways were leery. "I do live close... though it seems unwise to invite a perfect stranger into ones home." Halon rumbled as the Kelvic took its place on his shoulder. He quirked an imperiously inquisitive eyebrow as the bat perched itself on his shoulder, and he considered the previous question about his arm. This was something he was never shy of discussing, he took great pride in his arm and his blessing from Izurdin. He was Isur, one of the chosen people of his god and it was indeed pleasant to know from whence he came. "My arm is a blessing from Izurdin, God of Industry and Patience. It cannot be cut or broken and makes me a superior craftsman to others." Halon said by way of reply, nodding to himself as he walked down the street. His goal was not his home but rather his workplace, A Touch of Fire, it was a much safer bet if he were being honest with himself. The walk did not take overly long but Halon kept to his silence as they walked, not speaking as he navigated the moonlit streets. It wasn't long until they came upon the mostly vacant smithy, though the clanging of metal on metal sounded out from within. Likely Aska was still at a recent project she had received as a personal order, one of her special weapons known as a Katana. Halon entered the main showroom quietly shrugging a shoulder to indicate that the Kelvic should get off, should he do so Halon would walk around the back of the counter and move towards the back area. He would first cast a glance at the Kelvic. "I need to have words with my employer. Don't touch anything." The Isur said simply, vanishing into the main work area. There she was indeed, the purple armed Terras Isur was industriously folding metal as she was known to do. She was occasionally glancing at a drawn up plan she'd placed on the wall, indeed she was apparently working on one of her famous swords. She didn't bother looking back as she addressed him in their native tongue, the cold and harsh sounding language familiar to him. "Hail, Halon. What brings you back here, Pitrius? I thought I gave you off for the night, though I have a few projects you could pick up now if you are looking to work a little extra." She said, a picking up a heated piece of metal with her purple arm and starting to examine it. It was good to speak in his native language with one of his own race, though her Terras sexism did occasionally bleed through every now and then. All in all Halon could say that she was one of the few people in Lhavit he was really fond of, despite the clan differences. It also helped that they could actually have real conversations in the proper Isur tongue. "Hail Aska. As much as a long night of work sounds appealing I was intending on taking advantage of the off night. Then I encountered a rather interesting individual on the street, someone from a race known as the Kelvic. An odd individual, he's waiting in the showroom... in the nude." He said. The Terras Isur gave him a sidelong look, a little annoyed by this but obviously not too miffed as far as things went. She looked back to her work and started hammering away. He waited for a full chime before she offered him something. "Get him an apron to wear while he's here, I won't have naked individuals standing around my smithy. While you have him here, why don't you try your hand at getting him to buy something. Might as well do something productive while your here, Pitrius." She offered, turning her full attention to her work. Halon nodded wordlessly and retrieved an apron from a nearby work place, moving back to the showroom and already switching back to common. He really hated the language with a passion. "Aska says you are to wear this while you are here." He said as he entered, holding up the apron. OOCI have self mod permission for Aska so I opted to indulge a little.

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

The bat heard the banging from afar, metal striking metal, but not the kind of high noise clashing weapons made, no, more like hammering. The cold night air in the mountain city was less effective on his smaller, with fur clothed body, however if the walk would take much longer, he’d be likely to cool off significantly. Fortunately they reached the place his transport with the blessed arm was headed to, it wasn’t the man’s home however. As he had said, it would be unwise to invite a perfect stranger into his home and so the man had moved the both of them to a place the bat had never been before, but was familiar with. At least, he knew what kind of place it was.

The smithy they entered was known as ‘A touch of fire’, and apparently the owner did a great job creating the needed tools for the citizens of the crystal city. The thief had never been inside before, and was a bit taken aback by the various metal objects displayed in the room they’d entered. The shoulder he was perched on shook lightly, and the bat crept down to the floor before shifting back into his human shape, lighting up the whole chamber briefly, the light reflected by all the metal works displayed.

He was ordered not to touch anything, which would prove rather hard on the thief’s greedy fingers and then he was left alone in the room. At first the bat wouldn’t have thought about running his fingertips over the different kinds of tools and weapons, but as he was ordered not to, the thing stuck in his head was the opposite. Orders didn’t mean much to him, unless they had to be obeyed to ensure his life, but that didn’t seem to be the case here.

Brandon slowly paced around the room, bare feet tapping it softly, his gaze wandering from side to side, examining the works of the Blacksmith. There were lots of different things, some were just repairing tools like hammers and tongs, but there were some weapons present as well. A dagger caught his eye, shiny and sharp looking, well-crafted as too, not that he could see the difference between a well-crafted one and a lesser one, but well, that didn’t matter. His fingers reached out to the piece of weaponry in the display case , almost making contact with the cold steel, when the short man returned.

Quickly he retracted his hand and pretended to be watching only, the man approaching with an apron in his hands. The bat raised an eyebrow in curiosity and turned his body so he was facing him, his look asking why the guy was carrying it with him. The reply flowed from the man’s lips immediately after, revealing that he had to wear it while staying in the showroom or probably anywhere else in the smithy. He sighed and his shoulders came up in a shrug. “Why?” he asked before recalling that people weren’t all that comfortable with nudity as most members of his race. “Never mind, if it makes you more comfortable, I guess I’ll put it on then.”

His hands grabbed the apron and bound it around his body with some difficulty as he’d never put something like it on before. When he was finished, he lifted his dark orbs from the cloth back to the man and shot him a questioning glance. ”So, anything else you’d like to know?” he asked politely, the questions he had himself burning on his lips, but he didn’t voice them yet.

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Halon]

The man took the apron which Halon appreciated, giving a grunt of approval as he moved to sit himself behind a counter, Aska's hammering occasionally sounding out through the forge. The Terras Isur knew her metal most certainly, Halon though as he gazed around the shop idly, his green eyes falling back in his guest as he pondered why he had even brought him alone. Curiosity perhaps, this Kelvic was an interesting creature if he were being fully honest with himself. It wasn't everyday one encountered someone who could shift from human to animal so very easily. The Isur wondered just how much he could squeeze out of his Auristical sight at this close proximity, it certainly couldn't hurt to try it out and see if he could see something worth noting. In response to the man's question Halon responded with a few whispered words in Isurian, closing his eyes as he found his center of energy. He focused upon the pool of his Djed, reaching deeply within himself as he forced it into his green orbs and glazed them with Djed. He opened them again and looked upon Brandon, the Kelvic's aura a brilliant vista of bright swirls and vibrant colors. Halon's face fell into a scowl as he focused upon the man, the sight requiring great concentration as he attended to the man's aura. The most obvious parts of his aura identified physical things, the residual light blue offshoot flaring slightly around the man to identify the chill that still clung to him. He could practically taste it. Halon looked as deeply as he could manage, which was unfortunately not much before his eyes started to throb from the veritable rainbow of colors surrounding the man. The Isur closed his eyes, letting the magical sight fall from his eyes as he pinched his brow with his mundane arm. A slight buzz filled his head, an urge to try and look again filling his mind which he pushed aside. He opened his green eyes to appraise the man normally, considering his question a little better now. He still couldn't detect much about him, however the Isur knew enough to feel whether the Kelvic was lying or not. It was only his gut, but the Magesmith had learned to trust his gut implicitly. "Yes. I would like to know if that... shifting tires you? It seems like quite the affair." He said, leaning a bit further back in his chair. He didn't ask anything else, simply waited to see what he would say and possibly answer any questions the Kelvic might have had for him. This was not how he had imagined spending his night off, but its wasn't exactly a horrible thing all things considered. He was learning something new after all, about a race that seemed to possess power's both great and mysterious in his eyes. Was that not part of the reason he had set out from his homeland?

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

“Does it tire me? Er, well I guess it does. When I shift a couple of times without much of a time interval between them, I do get tired, yes. Actually, when I shift more then two times a day, without rest and or without a meal in between, I already feel the exhaustion seeping into my body. Like now.” He demonstrated with a huge yawn he covered with his hand. It was quite strange he’d only noticed his tiredness when the man had mentioned it, though he guessed it was because he hadn’t been paying much attention to the state his body was in.

It could also be because the exhaustion didn’t kick in immediately after shifting, but came to take its toll a bit later, well, not that it mattered, he could do a few more transformations without really starting to feel really, really sleepy. He was starting to feel a bit hungry though, but hunger always came earlier than exhaustion. The bat knew that if he’d do some more shifting, the gnawing sensation in his belly would grow until it felt as if there was nothing but a hole where his stomach should be located.

“But four shifts are not that of a big deal, I can do a lot more before my body can’t take it anymore. It’s like running in that sense. You want to go on and on, but before you know it your legs feel like jelly and you feel as if you’re going to collapse any time soon.” he shrugged and continued “There’s exhaustion, but there’s also extreme hunger. I can shift as many times as I want, but if I don’t have the energy to do so, I can’t.” That sure did sound quite logical.

“Okay, that goes for everything. But you know what I mean, right?” he stared at his conversation partner, hoping to get a look of positive feedback, but looked away as soon as he’d laid eyes on him and muttered to himself. “Maybe I should explain it anyway? You never know, maybe he doesn’t get it, I mean he doesn’t look all that smart. All brawn and no brain…” He pondered on the thought for a tick and decided he’d go a bit into detail, one could never be given too much information if he was asked to.

“What I’m trying to say is that if I don’t replenish my energy, by feeding or sleeping, or both, sleeping to give my body some time to get rid of the fatigue and food to refill my energy, I can’t shift. So, yeah, you get the idea. One transformation, or even two or three aren’t all that exhausting, but when I have to do more, well I kinda run out of stamina and become way too hungry. Even a whole night catching bugs isn’t enough to still my hunger then, depending on the amount of shifts I would require more, maybe three or four times the usual amount of food. But when I have reached my absolute limit, when it’s impossible to go through another shift, I guess even three hunts wouldn’t be enough.”

That might have been an exaggeration, but the bat didn’t quite know himself how much food he’d need to get him back to his usual state, for the simple reason he’d never gone that far. He didn’t shift all that much really, most of the time he only did two and that was it. One before the hunt and one after, no more than that, and during Winter he rarely shifted anymore. Today was an exception.

“Okay, my turn,” he declared with a grin “What can you do with that arm of yours? There must be more to it than just making you a better craftsman! Oh, and what did you do to earn it? You said your God gave it to you, right? So, how come he did? What did you have to do to get it?” Sparkles fared up in his dark orbs, the bat smelled an opportunity, however he didn’t know yet he’d be very disappointed with the answer. For he’d desire such an arm for the things that could be done through wielding it, but it wasn’t something he could ever achieve.

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Halon]

Halon listened with much curiosity regarding this Kelvic's shifting ability, his eyebrows actually rising here and there by fractions at this man's power. It was not often the Isur was actually, genuinely impressed with other people beyond his own kin but this Kelvic was impressing him a great deal. Halon wondered what it must have been like to actually be able to fly about the head of those who remained bound to Semele's embrace. His shifting abilities must have been as integral to his beings as Halon's Izurdin blessed arm. However like all things it apparently had its limits, rather like with magic, where if one used too much then they ran the risk of overgiving. It wasn't exactly the same but it was still rather interesting all things considered, it was a pity others could not learn such an ability. Halon could think of a number of instances were being able to shift into a more agile for might be useful. Though, that idea bordered on blasphemy as far as the Church of Izurdin was concerned really. The body of an Isur was a sacred thing, a gift unto itself to Izurdin's favored children. The Magesmith was rather satisfied with this explanation as it assisted in understanding what these Kelvic could actually do. He was still wary around this odd man that could transform into a bat, however Halon was starting to see him more as a person to be respected to some degree due to his abilities, which certainly set him apart from the others the Isur had met in his time among the outsiders. Perhaps it might be worth trying to get to know this Kelvic, carefully of course but who could say where it might lead. Halon raised an eyebrow at the offered question, thinking of how best to explain it in his base command of the common tongue. He then decided that perhaps a demonstration was in order, it would certainly be better at clearing things up than his jumbled command of common would. The Isur beckoned to the Kelvic to follow him into the back room where the actual forge was, the smoke billowing out from the room. Aska turned her gaze to Halon as they entered, raising an eyebrow at him and the Kelvic before turning back to her own work. If Brandon had followed him he would be led to a small forge, where Halon would actually grip a piece of metal with his Izurdin blessed arm, place it into the fire and then withdraw it as though he hadn’t just placed his arm into a hot forge. While the metal heated he opted to answer the easier questions first, those about Izurdin and his people. He wasn’t going to give away too much of course; while Halon’s stock of the Kelvic had risen considerably he wasn’t a fool. “My people, the Isur, are born with the blessing of Izurdin, God of Patience and Industry. Each and every one of his full blooded children bears his mark upon their arm. As we mature our arms begin to harden and become denser until they become… metallic. Izurdin favors we Isur for our faith, we hold his blessing.” Halon explained, nodding to the Kelvic. “I do not think we exchanged names, Kelvic. I am Halon Mystichammer, what shall I call you?” The Isur inquired as he inspected the heating metal. Once the metal was brought to an acceptable temperature Halon reached into the forge and plucked it from the flames, setting it on the anvil and steadying it. From here the Isur began doing something that others might deem impossible; he literally started to mold the heated metal as though it were mere clay with his Izurdin blessed arm. He flattened out the heated metal and formed it in the basic shame of a spade head, curving the metal upwards with his fingers. Occasionally he would pound on it as well; attempting to make certain it was the right shape. From here he took up a hammer with his mundane arm and started pounding away to refine the metal as best he could. He smiled slightly and after a bit of pounding he simply stopped, content that was enough of a demonstration for the Kelvic. His arm could do a great many things, but it was technically his night off and as much as it might have been nice to get some more practice in he opted to just let it be for the time being. “My arm is highly resistant to harm by mundane means. I can also… shape things with it easily. I don’t know how to explain it in common.” Halon stated, nodding to his companion and preparing himself for any more questions.