Initiate Elementalism - Ver'drak the Pirate

[Ver'drak]

Brightening 3 of the First Cycle of Ioannes
Spring of Era I of the Celestine Mandate
Era X Post Fractum in the Age of the Darkening, the Mageocracy of Julos the Mad

Click. Click. Click.

Ver'drak listened comfortably as the pointed tips of his hard leather boots clicked against the marble floorway he walked upon. Each stride, each footstep brought him closer to his destination. Today he was to start his Initiate course in the Sphere of Elementalism, perhaps one of the greater and more renown arts of Arcana, if not for its destructiveness, but for its manipulation over the elements themselves. The Thelyri continued to walk down the hallway, avoiding the random cabinets and bookshelves that jutted out from the marble red walls on either side of himself. He wore his loose-sleeved white linen shirt, perfectly laced up the front. Beneath, his black woven wool pants, accompanied by his black leather pointed boots. On his belt rested the various belt pouches which he stored a vast majority of his smaller items. On his hip, the black scabbard trimmed with silver, the rapier sheathed and out of view and harm. A slight tinge of a tan covered his pale skin, surrounding his aquatic sea-green eyes, the scarlet crescent smile upon those pale lips. Golden-blonde locks adorned either side of his face, falling roguishly behind his ears, sometimes the occasional cascading down over his eyes and nose. A fanciful blue bandanna had been placed at the top of his head, and cleverly covering it was a velvet red hat, topped with a royal-blue feather.

At long last the clicking sound stopped, and Ver'drak looked down to see his feet standing perfectly still. Glancing to the side, he let out an "oh," at the sight of the door he was intended to meet his instructor in. With a wry grin he rubbed the back of his neck, before adjusting hte tip of his hat. With a deep breath, Ver'drak grasped the bronze doorknob of the wooden door, and quickly turned it, shutting his eyes in fear of what he might see. Who knew what type of gruelling, disgusting filthy beast was sent to teach him the art and damn him to the hells of Aeternia. Or perhaps it would be an old man, elderly and always leaning on his cane, never the one to show his pupils firsthand what the art was, but to put them to work on writing templates of everything they knew about it!

Shutting the door behind him, Ver'drak the Pirate turned on the ball of his foot and opened his eyes, flinching awkwardly already. His gaze fell about a small square room, which rounded in the back as a domish windows with archways led into a courtyard. The walls were still the firery bronze walls he had seen when he had entered the Academy, but they were much more homely, aligned with bookshelves, cabinets, and pictures of recent Headmasters. In the center of the room were two finely crafted cherrywood chairs, each one with a scarlet velvet padding on the cushion and armrest. And there, standing behind one of them with her delicate dainty hands resting on the frame, was one the most beautiful young woman Ver'drak had came about to know in his entire life. Startled by her presence, the poor pirate stood right where he was, as stiff as a dead man's corpse.

Lisa, who was a Journeyman Elementalist and reknown instruct at the Academy, let out a merry laugh, her mellow tone shaking her frame. She had long chestnut-brown hair that cascaded slightly past her shoulder point before flowing to a delicate stop. She was one of those women who bore a light willowy frame, her arms and legs quite slim and slender. She had puzzling hazel eyes that bore into one's soul, and a charming crescent smile that could light up even the drearest of days. She wore a sky-blue blouse and a white silk undershirt beneath it, black pants falling to her feet, where sandals had been placed snugly fitting around her foot. She smiled innocently at her pupil and walked around the chair, her hips moving from left to right and then back again. "Please come in Ver'drak, so we may begin your lessons," she spoke in a friendly tone that radiated understanding and comfort.

[Ver'drak]

Ver'drak stammered a quick smile while his mind frantically raced to figure out why his legs and feet were not moving. It was like his body to shut down in a time like this, almost as if he was shocked at the sight of a mere beautiful woman. Finally he felt a tinge of feeling in his toes, and he tipped his velvet red hat and took a few steps forward. While his mind continued to wonder on why his body had gone so stiff at the sight of his instructor, Ver'drak did what his teacher asked and took a seat in one of the cushioned armchairs. Was it fear? Was it anticipation? Or was it the woman? With a slight shrug Ver'drak felt his own self loosening up, going back to his casual, normal everyday attitude of things. He sat down into his chair and propped his elbows up upon the wooden frame on either side. With a gentle smile and a charming flash of rows of pearly white teeth, Ver'drak spoke in a modest and pleasant manner, "It is a pleasure to meet you Miss...?" He paused as he waited for her to say her name, while his aquatic sea-green orbs twinkled magestically in the sunlight that filtered through the vast domed windows.

Lisa herself had slowly and cautiously taken a seat, the mirth in her eyes laughing at the obvious piratey aspects the young man in front of her was displaying. Her keen sighted puzzling hazel eyes caught the sight of his gills on either side of his neck, and the slightest tinge of green that seemed to surround his brow. A Thelyri hmm? She had not seen too much of this man's race, but knew they were peaceful enough to be trusted. Though this man's choice of wardrobe and professioned seemed to put that very thought in question...

"Lisa. It's a pleasure to meet you as well Ver'drak. Now please, if you would be so kind, explain to me why you have chosen the sphere of Elementalism over any other? Why not Sorcery...or Thaumaturgy? she asked in a dainty and polite manner, her voice dripping with sweetness like a broken beehive dripped with honey. Her slender pale fingers ran through the tresses of her hair, her eyes sparkling mischeviously in the light, her plush red lips curled upwards in a tight smile. She studied the man in front of her intently, as if he was a prize possession out of a hoard of treasure. Her eyes rested solely on him. She crossed her long slender legs in front of her and placed her hands in her lap, her back straightening as she waited.

Now Ver'drak was met with a proposition. Why had he chosen the sphere of Elementalism to learn rather than the others? Was not sorcery a destructive art? Or Druidism, was that not a sway over Nature? It took him several minutes of deliberate thinking to answer the question, but finally he found an answer that best suited his character, and more importantly, his heart. "I...I have come to respect the elements. Air, earth, fire, water, they are something that is not to be trifled with. And through respect and admiration I have learned to learn from them, to judge their characteristics. I see Elementalism only as a doorway that is currently locked to me. If I can study hard, and learn the art correctly, I will be able to learn even more than before," he spoke in a soft and mellow tone, his fingers drumming along the wooden arms of the chair.

So he desired knowledge...?

[Ver'drak]

[b]"Then scoot your chair closer to mine..." Lisa spoke with an aura of patience as she casually beckoned her new pupil forward. "Now...for your sake, I suggest you take off any metals you have on you and lay them a good few feet away from you. What I am going to do will be a long and difficult process for us both...so it would help me, and you, greatly if you try not to move," the elven Elementalist spoke with a bit of a pout upon her plush red lips, before going silent. She sat perfectly still before Ver'drak, her head bowed quietly, her hands folded in her lap. For a brief moment it was like she had died, that she had forfeited all her time and life to the Gods.

And then her hand stirred, and she gently reached out and placed her index and middle finger upon Ver'drak's forhead. "Stay still," she spoke in a solemn, sweet voice. The process was long and difficult for the Mage, breaking into the folds of the Theylyri's mind as she pounded upon it's defences, finding weaknesses, loosening them and rooting them out. However, Ver'drak could hardly feel a thing, but he dimly became aware that his mind was numbing slight. He then began to worry about the lack of vision he was experiencing as the world he knew it suddenly became darker and darker, fading away from his sight until he was lost in an eternity of darkness. And then it came, a burst of fresh light that lapped over his mind and body in waves upon waves.

The new world, opened to Ver'drak's senses for the first time, seemed amazingly expansive. That, in some sense, was true as the man's mind had just been opened, not only to the three dimensions that nature allowed but also to the fourth - access to the astral plane, and the ability to see energies that were being drawn from this world. At the back of his mind, energy pressed, more feelings and thoughts than anything physical that he could actively study. They were surprisingly easily recognisable - or perhaps simply easily grouped. The bright, warm energies that felt of benevolence and order must have been the celestial essences, the power of thaumaturgists. Others were present, but were espicially close - the ice and flames that symbolised elementalism, the harmonic, ethereal chords of song, and those other powers that were.

"It is wonderful, isn't it?" Lisa spoke as her dainty fingers lowered away from the Thelyri's forhead and returned to her lap, the woman's voice strained somewhat as if a load of energy had been removed from hier. "I would like you to notice the energies radiating from me, particulary the ice and the fire, but you will notice small patches of earth and air currents as well. These, you must attune yourself to and be familiar with. Do not try to remove them, or take any of the energies, not yet. Simply gaze upon them and describe them to me," she spoke softly in a mellow and polite tone.

[Ver'drak]

Ver'drak stared around at the new world around him, confounded and amazed at what he could not see before. Strong energies in the forms of waves pulsed out in front of him, seeming to radiate out of everything in the room. They were thin strands simply floating in the air around him, each one a different color based on their sphere. Ver'drak glanced down, and noticed his own body seemed to radiate these strands out of itself. His were a more golden color, and they were much thicker than the ones around. Albeit he had no idea he was looking at the various strands of Ara and his personal Vis, he still felt like he was grasping a little bit of knowledge, a handful at a time. Slowly..as his tongue found the words to perform, he began to relate what he saw to Lisa. "It's...It is. I see all these different strands floating in front of me...they're thinner, and different colors. I feel like I can tear them apart and explore them more in depth...but I feel too weak to do so. There are other strands, thicker, golden ones, that are inside me and in my hands. They seem to pulse underneath my skin," Ver'drak spoke as his hands felt along his chest and shoulders, "It's weird..."

Lisa let out a chuckle, tossing her head back so that her hair would fall back behind her ears and down her shoulders. Sitting up straight, she let out an exhausted sigh, as if she had gone through something rigorous. And she had. Unbinding a person was quite difficult, and required ultimate concentration. Slowly, she became aware that Ver'drak had not yet blacked out like the majority of her students. She cleared her throat, and spoke a few simple words of comfort. "Ver'drak, your vision will dim again back to the real world as you formerlly knew it before. You're mind will grow numb, and you will eventually fall unconscious. Do you understand? Ver'drak?" but already the form of the Thelyri elf was slumped in the velvet padded chair before her, his chest rising and falling as he fell into a cumbersome sleep.

[Ver'drak]

Ver'drak's mind had steadily dimmed his conscience over the world around him. Quietly, almost without any trace, his vision had begun to dim, the strange energies that were formerly floating around him all together disappearing into the darkness. He came to the reality of the physical world as it manifested itself, with his tutor sitting patiently in the chair in front of him. But he was now frantic, only half listening to her words as she too, began to sink from his line of sight. Sweat and perspiration began to line his brow, and his hands were clenched against the cherrywood armrest. And then it happened, the last straw that broke the camel's back. It was as if someone had thrown an anvil at Ver'drak's face, his mind suddenly collapsed from the strenuous pressure it had been facing during its early stages of Clara.

However, as Ver'drak slowly entered a state of nirvana, this did not put him without dreams. His subconcsiousness continued to dream, its own mind wandering aimlessly about through previous memories, and untold visions that had yet to pass. For what seemed to be centuries Ver'drak was sailing. But this was not sailing as he knew it...no. He was leaning over the rail of some ship. Not his ship, but a larger, and more finely decorated one. But here was the thing. He was flying. The ship was sailing over the coast, hovering over the sandy shores and the charging waves by a good ten feet. It passed over citizens of various cities, it passed over buildings, docks, ports, and whatever else one would find. Its hull grazed against the tips of the leafy green tropical trees, the sails being whipped about in the howling wind. Ver'drak tried to turn around, tried to take his vision away from the tour of the sea, but he found that he could not. It was as if time had frozen aboard the ship, and his muscles had locked themselves down, his hands were like ice against the wooden railing.

Gradually the sandy beaches, the endless shores moved out of his sight. He was over water now, sea-green aquatic water, reflected clearly in his eyes. In the distance he could see the fine line where the clear water broke against the cerulean skies. He could see the fluffy white clouds that dotted the sky, the sun on his far left corner.

Then suddenly the boat jolted, and for the first time Ver'drak felt his body move...albeit the fact it was not he who was controlling it. He fell sprawling to the wooden deck, his cheek forced to rub against the wood, causing a bit of irritation. His red velvet pirate hat had fallen off, its blue feather still intact, but it was slowly sliding out of his reach. Ver'drak's head automatically turned, only to come face to face with a man. The first thing the Thelyri noticed was that he was dressed in complete black, with only a slight bit of brown from the leather he wore. From toe to head, he wore dark-brown leather boots slightly damp from the tropical environment. Black pants trailed upwards, coming to meet with his leather brown vest. In between the two, a vicious looking longsword with a mini-skull for a handle had been attached. He wore black and purple robes that trailed down to his feet, his red ruby locks falling down against his shoulders. He had a tanned dark skin, with a wide sadistic grin spread out across his red lips. With a pug nose, he also sported deep brown eyes, with a black patch hung over one of them. Lopsided upon his head, was a black hat with a gold feather in it. The man let out a cold mirthless laugh that chilled even Ver'drak's bones. Leaning forward, bending his back slightly, the stranger spoke in a booming tone that seemed to echo throughout the Pirate's head. "Soon, Ver'drak. Soon."

Ver'drak came awake with a jolt, his eyes wide and his brow sweating as his body stood up. Immediately the blood rushed to his head, and he sat back down, his hands clenching the armrest's frame. Had he just been warranted his own death wish?

[Ver'drak]

Ver'drak's eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness in the room. At first his primary thoughts were the involved in the instinct that he was still blind, that perhaps something had gone wrong in the Unbinding process. Dimly though, he became aware of the pale luminous light that belong to the moon, pouring in through the large arched windows that were on his far left. Slowly his mind gathered its surroundings, noting that if the windows were on his left, the door was on his right. He stood up, his legs still shaking from the rather unusual dream he had had. He became more fully aware of the furniture of the room, and more specifically, the fact that he was the only one inside of it. On his far left, on the right side of the back wall, was a small single bed that had been placed in the corner. Beside it, a wooden cabinet had been placed, along with a single candle that flickered upon its silver platter. At the foot of the bed was a chest bolted down to the floor for storing miscellanious items. Intrigued, Ver'drak walked over, leaving the center of the room and the two chairs.

Luminous moonlight poured onto the bed, defining the feather-fluffed pillow and the royal-blue blanket that had been draped across it for decoration. His curiosity aroued, he peeked underneath to find nothing bust dust. Slowly he got to his knees and stood up, before walking around the bed and to the chest. Slender, deft-like fingers slowly reached down to the handle, and gently pulled upwards. Nothing. This time he gave it a bit more of a tug, only to discover that the chest and whatever components it hid, was locked and required a key. With a sigh, he headed over to the cabinet,

Beside the small flickering flame was a hefty large book, with dust and age written all over it. Inside there were two fiery red ribbons, each one marking the beginning of an important chapter. The first scarlet ribbon marked the chapter over Arcana, titled A Primer to Arcana, 2nd Edition. The second ribbon marked the following chapter, Spells of Elementalism. Now we were talking. It was about time we got to spells, techniques, and magic itself. Ver'drak flipped open the cover of the book, only to find a large envelope with a letter. After tearing the envelope, he opened the letter, which said the following:

[i]Ver'drak,

You are to memorize the following terms by morning. I have no idea when you will wake up, so I pray it might be sooner than nightfall, otherwise you will be up all night studying these terms! Memorization might be a bit too harsh of a word...I simply want you to be able to recall each aspect of these techniques. Pracenda can be found in the wooden chest at the foot of your bed, the key inside this envelope will unlock it. Have fun!

~Lisa

I. INITIATE

When an individual becomes attuned to the energies that envelop every object and creature in the universe, the Ara, and the energies within, the Vis, he is considered initiated into the world of Arcana. Initiates have the basic competencies to interact with Arcana and cast spells. They are educated in the fundamentals of Arcanomechanics - spell creation and the interaction of magical forces in the multiverse, and typically learn in magic schools, institutions, covens or councils with many other students.

"Meditate" - This technique enables the mage to clear his mind of extraneous thoughts, establishing a proper basis for spellcasting. Greater profiency in this skill will enable mages to more quickly and effectively clear their minds and concentrate while under high stress situations. Often, practitioners seek the aid of a soothing drink or the relaxing perfume of incense to induce a meditative state, but once in the meditative state, physical perception declines, while arcane perception increases. When meditating, spellcasters can detect the presence of arcana in relatively close proximity. The Ancient Allerians termed this technique clara, and it is a prerequisite for casting any spell. The other two primary techniques, focus and channel are optional mechanisms to enhance the spells being cast.

"Focus" - With the essence of a person's intellect now floating freely in a meditative state, one can attempt to interface directly with the arcane energy of spells. This technique is called Focusing. One focuses directly into the nexus of energy, and upon successful interface, can begin to call upon the energy. Focusing becomes useful for when one wishes to cast spells at a faster rate by improving the exchange rate of mental energy for magical energy.

"Channel" - Also called cantrips, channelling controls the rate at which energy enters and departs a spell. By channelling, a spellcaster can magnify/amplify the effects of her spell or alternatively demagnify/deamplify these same effects. With extreme practice, gifted channellers are able to cast multiple spells in the same continuous stream of energy.

"Dispel" - Initiates can undo non-permanent effects of a spell by channelling on the original energy configuration of an aura afflicted by the offending magic, but this skill usually only works on spells cast by mages of the same proficiency level or lower. Over time and with practice, mages can become gifted and attuned to advanced dispel techniques and develop countercurses that are capable of undoing the work of spells that were seemingly permanent, but in actuality had just long-lasting effects.

Ver'drak snorted in disgust with himsef, his eyes glancing outside to hear the faint hooting of an owl. Before nightfall a mule's rear end! Though he wasn't exactly sure what time it was, he was comforted to see that there was still a bit of sunset along the horizon. Perhaps he would be able to get this done...

Selecting the key from the letter he quickly walked over and opened the wooden chest. There in the center of it was a flask of water with a lid atop it, along with a small platter of fruit, cold vegetables, and a crust of bread. Taking it all, he quickly went backt ot he cabinet and set them beside the book, before taking that as well and beginning to study r igorously. He would have to if he hoped to get this done before morning.

EDIT: Credit to the compendium for the information in quote and links.

[Ver'drak]

Lisa's hips gently swung from left to right as she walked down the stone corridor back to Ver'drak's classroom. She wore a flowing red robe, complete with various hues ranging from a dull brick to the fiery aspect of scarlet. Her chest-nut brown hair had been neatly combed and cascaded down her shoulders to a smooth flowing stop. Her puzzling hazel eyes stared out omninously, her hands folded behind her back. With each dainty step she came closer and closer to the door. Her disarming crescent smile had parted her plush red lips, and she grasped the bronze doorknob gently before giving it a quick turn and opening the door.

She quietly closed the door, before spinning on the ball of her heel and walking into the center of the room. The clicking sound of her shoes quickly faded away over the softness of the emerald-green rug that covered a vast amount of the stone floor. Her hazel eyes glanced about the room, inspecting the bookshelves and two chairs, before slowly making their way to the chest and bed. The wooden chest was open, and from what she could see at the moment there was nothing inside of it.

A small slender hand was brought up to her mouth to stifle a giggle at the sight that she now saw. The slim figure of the Thelyri elf was propped up against the marble wall and bedpost for support in a sitting position. The royal-blue blanket had been thrown over his legs for comfort, and the white feathery pillow was being used as a comforting barrier against the wall. The velvet red hat he always wore had been thrown upon the wooden chest. His head was leaned back, his lips parted as he snored aloud in the room.

Quietly Lisa walked over to him and prodded him with two fingers. With a grumbling sound the Pirate awoke, his eyes blinking before being rubbed to dispose of the sleep that had gathered within them. It took quite some time for Lisa to persuade Ver'drak to get out of bed, but eventually he had done so. Gradually the elf woke up and came to a sitting position upon the comfy mattress, his feet thumping the emerald rug underneath. Lisa had drawn up one of her cherrywood chairs, and sat opposite of the bed, her hands in her lap and her legs crossed.

"Tell me Ver'drak, what is the purpose of Meditation?"

"Meh...it's used to establish the basis of Spellcasting, and to establish a steady state of Clara."

"What declines in the state of Clara? What increases?"

"Your physical perception of the world around you declines, while your Arcanic vision increases."

"Good...now tell me the purpose of Focus...."

And so it went on, with questions and answers being exchanged for a good portion of time. Ver'drak was amazed at how much he had remembered, even when he was groggy in the early hours of the morning. He figured he had received what...maybe four or five hours of sleep the night before? He busily munched on a green apple while answering the questions his teacher asked. What was the purpose of Channelling used for? How would one dispell a spell cast by an opponent? For a good majority of the morning, Ver'drak sat, his mind racing to find answers as quickly as it could.

[Ver'drak]

Lisa ran her fingers through the brown tresses of her chest-nut hair, smiling merrily that Ver'drak had indeed studied over the terms and techniques an Initiate must now, and seemingly, studied quite intensely. "And this is where we';; begin today's lesson, seeing as I've already Unbound you, you have to learn how to shift into that same state of mind you were in earlier, minus the annoying side effects of your mind being overwhelmed and blacking out, and having to adjust to the changes - the adjustment itself is the reason why you blacked out yesterday as using arcana isn't something mortals are designed to be able to do naturally," Lisa spoke in a calm and mellow tone.

"Take a seat, trying this standing up first off won't work I assure you; I'd prefer you in a lying position, but then you might go to sleep and the darkening would be wasted much like it was at pracenda last evening," Lisa spoke, a giggle accompanying her soothingly calm voice. "The trick of Clara is to forget where and who you are, identification of yourself and others around you will mean little in the amount of powers you will be tapping into."

Lisa paused for a moment, chewing her bottom lip as she tried to phrase what she wanted to say. "With your mind Unbound, it's much easier to forget, later on at better proficiencies it will only take a few minutes when you start, whereas Unbound people can spend hours trying and only touch the simple edges of Clara. Now listen to me here. The most important part will be that at the edge of your mind where there will be four sources of warmth. You are to try to tap into them - depending on your actions now depends on which Element you'll be attuned to primarily and which will be your Anti-Element that you'll struggle to weild until you are able to reach later levels..." Lisa spoke in a fairly calm voice, a smile appearing on her lips.

Ver'drak nodded and adjusted the bandanna upon his golden-blonde locks playfully. "Alrighty then. I'll just sit right here and do what you've told me to do..." the Pirate spoke with a bit of a chuckle to himself. It wasn't like he had any other choice at the moment. Quietly he settled himself into a comfortable position, propping his elbows upon two plush pillows on either side of him, and leaning back against the wall for support. His eyelids drooped, before fluttering downwards closed. A bit of a half-smirk half-grin appeared on his scarlet red lips. Quietly, Ver'drak began to focus his mind upon the thoughts he was thinking of, and began to dispose of them one by one.

His first thoughts were about what he was trying to reach and attain to itself. He strove to get rid of these, but each time he barred off each one, closed each door, they seemed to leek through the cracks and return to fill his mind. After several minutes, he finally managed to get rid of one thought, by simply forgetting it and focusing upon another. It took Ver'drak perhaps twenty more minutes to finally become in a meditative state. His mind and body were now in a tranquil state, he was now ready to reach Clara.

He sought to do so with some confidence, but not too much. The last thing he needed to do was become cocky and ultimately blow the amount of time he had been using trying to reach the state. He found no barrier in his mind, and slowly he seeped into the Astral Plane, his vision of the physical plane dimming. His eyes fluttered open, and he saw the strands once again. Lisa's words interrupted his thoughts.

"The magical strands you see around you are called Ara. You can identify them by the fact that they are different than your Vis. Vis is the strands inside you, your own personal energy of ara that belongs only to you. Everyone's Vis is different, as is their perception of the Astral Plane. Now...try to seek out the elements I told you of earlier...look beyond the edges of your limits," Lisa spoke in a soft and gentle voice, knowing that if she spoke too loud or too firm it might disrupt her student of her thoughts.

Ver'drak did as he was told, and began to look for the four warming energies he had been described of earlier. Finally he located them, right at the very edge of his mind, yet seemingly right next to him, as if it was inside him. The first sphere to be accessed felt wild and untamed, the manifestion of fire, chaos in its own unique way. 'Fire...' Ver'drak thought. Silently and cautiously, he tried to take a very very small amount of the energy, perhaps half of a handful. He struggled at first, but gradually became more prone to do so. Smiling to himself, he placed it back where he had found it, allowing it to dissipitate back into Ara and its element.

Second up was a large orb of spinning mass, rippling with electrcity and voltages. It had a dark, storm-like appearance to it. When Ver'drak attempted to take a bit of the orb with him, he was amazed on how it seemed to take a bit of him, as if it was combined with his own Vis. It rushed him and gave him a much larger amount than he had intended to take. He gently returned it to the large sphere. The elemental sphere of Air seemed to have chosen him for a primary.

Next up was the element that had a dense, heavy feel and texture. This would have to have been the element of Earth. Heavy with tremondous age and weight, when Ver'drak tried to manipulate it, the currents seemed to bend and twist out of his reach. Frustrated, Ver'drak tried to force his manipulation upon it, only to repel the sphere of Earth away from him. This was most prone to be his anti-element.

The last element was already known to Ver'drak, having had experienced all the others. This was the element Ver'drak had originally thought to have chosen for his primary attribute. Water, the rippling sphere of whirling liquid, an aquatic blue color. Ver'drak slowly took a piece of it and succeeded. Placing it back gently, he allowed the state of Clara to slip from his mind, and he opened his eyes to see the Physical world brighten back into view.

[Ver'drak]

Ver'drak sat on the bed for a moment, rubbing his neck sheepishly as he tried to put his thoughts into a phrase and sentence. "Erm...well," he spoke, his aquatic sea-green eyes staring downwards at the emerald green rug that reached the foot of the bed. "I successfully managed to make it to the state of Clara...and I found the elements. It's hard to say. I believe the element of Air is my primary because it seemed to be the easiest control. I could hardly grasp the tendrils of Earth though...it was quite difficult to concentrate and attempt to do that at the same time...it took me several minutes," Ver'drak stated, his deft-like slender fingers rubbing the edge of his chin thoughtfully, brushing against the unshaven hairs.

Lisa watched with intrigued interest in her new pupil's description of what had come to past. A bemused eyebrow rose as she listened to the student strive to put his thoughts into words, she too had long ago faced this problem when she had chosen her primary element. Or had the element chosen her? A crescent smile surpassed her plush red lips as she thought of her efforts when trying to complete the task of Initiate. She gave a quick nod to Ver'drak, and cleared her throat softly. "Alright, very good. Now, I would like you to try and go back into the State of Clara. It might be a smidgeon easier than it had been before. This way, I can point out everything and have you go about doing certain tasks I will need you to commit to memory."

It took the Thelyri eight minutes this time to successfully reach the state of Clara. Luckily, with the added efforts of his courage and increased devotion to the cause in which he performed, he was able to maintain it steadily as well. "Very good!" Lisa spoke in a merry tone as she felt Ver'drak's presence in the Astral Plane once more. "Now...remain concentrated, for it is most important you do so. As you are an Initiate, it is quite difficult in the beginning to reach this state. But after time and proficiency, it becomes much, much easier. Understand?" Lisa spoke in a sweet tone before standing up from her chair. She walked briskly to the cabinet beside the bed, her hips swaying effortlessly, and selected the old tome that had been placed there the night before.

"Alrighty then. This book here I'm giving to you...it contains all the spells of Elementalism, and the techniques and descriptions for every level. Study it well," Lisa explained nonchalantly, a modest smile on her face as she passed the book over to her student. "Now, to start the explaining. In Clara you are noticing different strands of Ara...simply because there is more than one sphere. Each type of sphere is very much different from another...probably the two you will find most common is Druidism and Elementalism. You will be able to distinguish the two due to the fact that we only control the Elements...not Nature herself," Lisa spoke with a grin. "I want you to gather the 'Elementalism' energies, you will have to to cast spells. Simply combine the Vis within you and the Ara around you, with the specific Elemental essence you've selected and you will have an Arcalysis. Arcalysis, a magical reaction, is just a term for the reaction to the combination, which in turn produces Mana. It is Mana that you will take and then weave into the spell. You must create a sort of pattern, or weave, for the spell in order for it to cast properly. Sometimes it is an orb, for the need of a globe of light or such. Others it is different, you will notice as it varies, understand?" she continued to speak, before pausing for an answer from Ver'drak.

[Ver'drak]

"I understand," Ver'drak spoke, having already left the state of Clara in a point of listening to his instructor. The woman had talked about practically nothing...the Pirate had already obtained this knowledge through books, but then again, it was good to have an experienced Mage's opinion about the subject. With a grin, he waited for anything else the young woman would yap about. A mind such as his did not learn anything worthwhile simply by repeating words...no, Ver'drak was ready to begin experiencing with this new world he had discovered to be all too adventerous.

Lisa smiled sweetly at the man in front of her, completely naive to his thoughts and tiresome emotions as she continued to give a small lecture about Arcanomechanics, something she too, had learned here on this very island of Demios. "When the Arcalysis, the reaction, is formed, you'll only be able to draw upon one of the Essence Planes at a time - since you're an Initiate anything beyond a single spell is beyond you. When you reach Apprentice you might be able to manipulate two essences, perhaps even Mana Re-shape them as well by using some of the Create Spell processes... but that is for another teacher at another time!" she spoke with a chuckle, a laugh escaping her lips in mirth.

"To begin with, you'll be manfesting a Glowing Orb of Fire...considering that using Ice, Earth and Wind tend to be somewhat cumbersome, you see none of them naturally give off a light, so it becomes much harder and complex. I want you to draw from the Essence Plane of Fire by creating an Arcalysis - draw but do not dare attempt to cast yet Ver'drak...wait until my word," she instructed. Lisa's whole manner seemed to change then and there, she became much more stern and serious. Albeit Ver'drak did not know it, many a Magi had set themselves afire by taking too much of the essence. Lisa chewed her bottom lip busily as she waited for Ver'drak's word that he was ready to progress.

Somewhat worn out by the lack of sleep, Ver'drak sighed and began to make the long and cumbersome journey into a state of Clara. He cleared each thought from his mind, barred off the doors to them and locked them with a key. It took him several minutes, but eventually he was rewarded with the tranquil state of Meditation, or in other words, Clara. With a smirk, Ver'drak dug himself deeper into the state, allowing folds of Ara to sweep over him, almost drawing him away from his task. He quietly reminded himself not to get lost, and quickly looked about for the Essence Plane of Fire he had found before. After a moment's worth of time he came in contact with it, and quietly tried to slip partially out of Clara, enough to where he could control his own tongue and ears and be able to speak. "Er...found it, what now?" he asked in a somewhat strained voice, his tone all together seeming faraway and distant.

"Once you've held onto the Arcalysis reaction, the next process is the shaping of the Mana into something worthwhile...to be honest I expect no more than the tiniest flicker of light from you, but if you're unlucky I have met similar Initiates who have very well set themselves afire for drawing much too much..." she spoke with a slight wince as she remembered the student she had been teaching the previous cycle. Boy was that kid aflame, fire sprouting all over the room and setting himself alight until she had the sense enough to stop it.

"You need to draw from the Gate with an steady, and even flow. Makes ure it will not destabalize on you such as..." she said with a smile as she picked a part of the air towards Ver'drak's right hand and her own left away from them a good meter or so.

Ver'drak was only half-listening to Lisa as he began to begin an Arcalysis. He swiftly began taking his Vis and began to channel it outwards with the Ara around him. With inspired fascination he watched as they combined and combusted into a steady stream of usable Mana. With this he turned to the Essence Plane of Fire, and began to try and carve off a small bit of it, perhaps enough that it would cover the length of his palm. Though it was not as easy as the essence of Air had been for him, he was able to take the smallest portion and be able to spend some control over it. It was then and there that Ver'drak learned the most important thing to Elementalism. It wasn't the ability to cast spells, to wreck destruction, to manipulate everything to your own needs and desires. It was the control, the control that was needed to be able to perform all these things, the control that was needed to Master the Art itself.

Slowly, gradually he took it back to his body, focusing and bending all of his will onto trying to bring it into the Physical Plane, an inch above the palm of his hand. Gradually he felt himself slipping from Clara, and with it the small bit of fire that he had borrowed from the Essence Plane. If Ver'dral had drawn any more from the fire, he might have experienced what it was like to actually be caught on fire as well, but thankfully he had taken only a small amount. As Ver'drak attempted to release himself from Clara and regains ome concentration, along with the fire, he found himself successful. He opened his eyes to see the small flickering of a flame in his hands, before it dissapeared, dissipitating into the Astral Plane. As Lisa had cleverly predicted, only a flicker of light had come from the spell, and that was it.

[Ver'drak]

Lisa let out a squeal like most women do when they are tremendously happy or surprised. However, Ver'drak was not paying any attention, he was moreso amazed that he had successfully brought fire from the Essence Plane and had completed a basis for his first spell. He glanced up, and saw that Lisa was clapping her hands excitedly and her lips were moving, but he could not hear her. She then reached over and patted him on the shoulder, saying a few more words happily. Ver'drak only grinned and nodded, he felt incredibly stupid to be bereft of any other action. It seemed surprise and shock had taken over for the moment, and just for the meantime, Ver'drak was inwardly glad. With his first spell, he had just thought of the perfect type of spell he would create for his Masterpiece. Something beyond the tremendous amounts he had hoped and wished for. He had already set aside something he was quite sure would become useful in later levels and extremes. It would be somewhat difficult at first, Ioannes knew he would not be able to try it at the Initiate Sphere. But...perhaps later on, yes.

When Ver'drak looked up Lisa was no longer in the room, in fact he had just heard the noise of the door closing shut. With a shrug and a grin, Ver'drak thanked the Gods for this precise moment as the opportunity to write down and record his plan presented itself. Taking up his quill and ink, he began to scratch in at the back of his Primer to Arcana 2nd Edition notebook, writing down the notes he would need.

Possible Masterpiece...needs development and time to think on. Name and abstract description beneath...

Inner Being - Less powerful than the Archmagi spell Detonation, the Conjurer's primary element is sent forth from his oer her body, causing moderate damage (perhaps more? must think and develop on...) in an outwardly expanding dome, damaging all in its path. Air is electricity, water is ice, earth is stone, and fire is fire. The dome would only extend for a few feet before dissipitating...

With a grin and a chuckle, he quickly closed the book and put everything back into place. This spell was his now, he had claimed it, and the Gods knew that eventually he would use it. This was his Masterpiece, something his mind had brilliantly made up in a few seconds.

Ver'drak looked up to see Lisa coming back into the room, bearing a tray laden with fruits and vegetables, along with roasted pork meat. With a polite smile, she placed it down on the edge of the bed and settled herself down, eating a small pear delicately while constantly watching her student with a keen eye. Ver'drak thought for a moment, allowing a slight chuckle as he thought of how she seemed to be such a well-mannered, polite person all together. With a grin he moved down to the other side of the bed to join her, selecting for himself a ripe ruby red apple and sinking his pearly white teeth into it.

apparently, this was to be lunch.

[Ver'drak]

An hour or so later, lunch was set aside as was their discussion of their lives, Ver'drak had been given a great deal of Lisa's past and future ambitions, though he had chosen to reveal not so much information of himself, the majority of it was false or half-truths, though he made it a point to never blatantly lie to his instructor. With his lies came slight guilt, guilt he had not yet chosen to adjust to. It would take time to become skillful at persuasion, and until then Ver'drak would simply have to bide his time and wait until he had the proper opportunities to practice such a skill.

"Good, quite well in fact,"