Basic Sorcery [Training, please mod]

[Hareli]

Second cycle in the month of Aperitus, Spring in the Era XIII

Brightenings later

The brightening when Hareli's classes were suppose to start was a nice one really. Sunshine and a breeze. The three towers that stoof near each other were calm or as calm as they ever got. In the middle of the field still stood the building where all reception was done, there Susan Marie was probably doing her usual business. But that was not Hareli's destination. No, he headed right towards the Sorcery Tower. There he was suppose to meet his tutor. As he entered the first floor, he saw a staircase which went upwards around the tower. For the middle was filled with various rooms. One said "Dinning Hall". It was quite a climb, especially for one who was of this size. But there was more to that...

When he was in the fifth floor, he could see a corridor going around rooms. As the tower was round, so did the corridor make its round way. In some places windows could be seen, in others they were blocked by the staircase which went even further up. To the left, just slightly further from the staircase entrance or exit to the fifth floor, was a door which said 501. If he wanted to see what other rooms were on this floor, then he had to go through the corridot, for no other doors could be seen from this spot.

And as he walked towards the door which was so close, to the correct door, his vision changed and for a moment it seemed that his eyes and his gut was sucked out. And then... well. He was right in front of the door towards the Sorcery Tower. First floor. Or rather, not yet even the first floor as he was outside. With but a blink of an eye, the rodenti was right where he started and the five floors had to be climbed again. But well... this was the Sorcery Tower, some things had to be expected.

After two more attempts at reaching to door and being subsequently teleported back outside, Hareli gave up trying it the direct way. It was obvious that someone didn’t want him to reach his class and he was going to have to figure out something quick. He knew something bad was going to happen, but at least he wasn’t teleported into the sea so he had that going for him. Hareli’s ears folded back in consternation and his fluffy tail twitched several times. He felt utter frustration and his stomach ached with anticipation. This wasn’t going to be easy, but durnit he was going to make it into his class.

Pacing back and forth several times, Hareli tried to come up with an idea as to how to bypass the spell. Then he got an idea. Heading into the tower Hareli climbed the stairs again to the fifth level. But this time he didn’t approach the door right away. Looking at it intently he decided to try it. Taking off, Hareli went to all fours and ran at the door as fast as he could, but when he was about to touch the door, his vision blurred, his stomach nearly retched up and he suddenly realized that he was outside again. “Feth!” he shouted.

Staring at the blasted tower, Hareli felt discouraged. How was he going to get into his class room, tash, he might as well climb the tower wall and… Hey that’s not a bad idea, he thought. He would climb the wall and break into the window. Now all he had to do was figure out which window was the right one and he was in. In his mind he retraced his steps leading to the room and he figured that the window would be on the other side of the tower. As quick as he could, Hareli rushed to the spot underneath the window. With his claws he got a firm hold on the wall and pulled himself up.

Left hand right foot, right hand left foot, the thoughts were like a mantra to Hareli as he mechanically climbed the tower face. It was good stone, pocked in several places, perfect for hand and foot holds. As he went he counted the windows he passed, one, two, three, four, and then finally he was at what he hoped was the right window. Unfortunately, this window looked to be one that doesn’t open. Thinking for a moment, Hareli reached into the back of his coat at the belt around his waist and unsheathed his dagger. Sliding in the blade in between the casement and window frame, he giggled it a little and pushed on the window. With ease the window casement came free and Hareli quickly grabbed it as not to let it fall and break, careful not to drop his dagger. He did this all with one hand with the other holding him firmly to the wall. Twisting the casement in his grip so that it would fit through the frame, he set it down inside. Then he quickly sheathed his blade and crawled through the window. Inside he saw a woman, and he assumed it was one Mistress Silvana. “Is this room 501?” He questioned as calmly as if he had entered through the door, not thinking it strange that he had just broken into the room.

[Skay Ravendi]

Climbing the tower was probably the craziest idea that one could get. However quite surprisingly it worked. After what seemed like candlemarks, Hareli finally reached the fifth floor, or what seemed like the fifth floor. But when he started picking at the window, it suddenly opened and a very angry woman pulled the squirelly one inside. "What in Aeternia do you think you're doing?!" She seemed to be angry, she was angry. And well... who wouldn't be angry if someone would be trying to break, remove or do anything else with their window.

Apparently the woman wasn't used to such behaviour after all and after the first sight of a person right there outside her window when this was the fifth floor, from the first sight of seeing that person try and break her window, the woman got quite angry, startled and puzzled. So she stood there, her arms crossed in front of her and waited for an answer from the rodenti. This quite possibly mean that there had to be some other and less shocking ways to get round the teleportation thingy.

The woman was also dressed in a black robe, which could only mean that she was a noble. For black in Nexus was forbiden for all citizens apart from nobles. She had a bit of jewelry there and there and had her hair lose, flowing slightly beneath her shoulders. In the usual times, the woman was pretty, even if by far not in her youngest and liveliest times. Now however, her eyebrows were crossed and her lips tightly sealed.

[Hareli]

This wasn’t good. If this woman was who he thought it was then he just started their relationship off in the worst possible manner, him making her visibly angry and all. He wanted to start out on a good note with his new teacher, and this obviously blew that right out of the water. Hopefully she wasn’t a vindictive woman, otherwise he would have a master sorcerer on his back, and that couldn’t be good. Instantly Hareli began to shift his feet along with twitching his tail. His eyes couldn’t focus on one thing as he tried to come up with an excuse. “Well, uh, I, um, I just, ah, thought that, ah, well you, ah, see, there was the, uh, thing that somehow, um, brought me outside when I, uh, got to the door so, um, I figured I would, uh just climb the, ah, the tower.” Then his gaze locked on that of the woman, and he clasped his hands tight together. “I didn’t mean to offend you, honest. I was just trying to get by the trick is all. Please, you have to teach me, it’s my dream to become the greatest arcana user in all the land, please!”

[Skay Ravendi]

Silvana listened with her eyebrow up in the air and when Hareli was finally done, she simply sighed. Then she went back to her desk and slumped into her comfortable armchair. "Please sit on the pillows." And there were indeed pillows in the middle of the room, neatly arranged not too far from the desk. Most of them were purple and of all kinds of purple shades. Up in the ceiling hung an Orb of Light, which served the purpose of a lamp. Even if it wasn't overly needed during the daytime.

When Hareli was upon the pillows on the ground, Silvana spoke again. "You know, students usually find less... bizzare ways to pass that teleportation spot. They usually either simply jump over the spot or take a different corridor, even if it means taking the longer route. Your method, even if effective, is perhaps a bit too drastic. So please, when you'll face obstacles the next time in the Towers, and you will, for this place is filled with arcana, first try to pass them without breaking anything and trully without taking such risks. You could have slipped! What then?!" Silvana shook her head, she didn't even want to imagine a fall from the fifth floor.

She sighed again and then finally managed a smile. "So. Would you like tea?" She offered pointing at a kettle which stood on her table next to an empty cup, there was also a cup right by her hand with hot tea which gave a nice aroma for the room. "So you said that you want to be the greatest arcana user? Then I'll need you to answer a few questions for me. What will you do as the greatest user? How do you imagine the life of a mage and the use of arcana?" She smiled as she took a sit of her tea.

When he answered her questions, Silvana asked more. "Tell me, why arcana in general? Why not... alchemy? It's hard to find alchemy masters, much harder, but the skill... it exists and perhaps it's even more magical. So why arcana? And why sorcery? Why not druidism, elementalism or mysticism? Maybe even Ikos? Do you know of those other spheres?" She asked, brushing her hair behind her shoulders and then took another sip of her tea.

[Hareli]

Hareli felt a great sense of relief for this was indeed the correct room; it seems his calculations were spot on and he finally got past that annoying teleportation trick. Pride started to well its way up from his belly but was quickly replaced by an overpowering sensation of wonder. To be in the same room with one of the great arcana users was awe inspiring, and he reveled in the moment of being here. That is before he was instructed to sit on the pillows, which he did without hesitation.

Listening to the mistress’ small lecture, Hareli felt the urge to rebut. “But I’m Relequis, we don’t slip, no we don’t. We’re proud climbers, yes we are.” Then the woman’s first remark popped into his head. “Oh, um, I didn’t mean to break anything, I just…I just tried to get in the only way I could figure, I’m sorry if I broke your window, I, uh, I’ll pay for it if you want. I only have a hundred crowns but I’ll pay for it as soon as I can, I will.”

Tea, what was this…tea…she asked of. He had never come across tea in his surface raids; these surface dwellers and their stuff, he figured he’ll never stop finding new things. Oh well, he might as well try this…tea... whatever it was. “Um, sure. What is…tea?”

Then the woman asked some tough questions of him. “I, uh, I don’t know really, I’ve just heard stories of arcana users, but I guess, uh, I guess I would help out other Relequis in need, yes, that’s what I’ll do. I haven’t seen many around the city but, I will find them, I will, and help them, help them however I can.” Then he considered his next question carefully, which might sound simple, but the mind of a Relequis was a fleeting thing, it couldn’t hold in one spot for too long and he found the process to be difficult at best. “These are comfy pillows you have, err, um, the life of a mage, hmm. I guess it would be a lot of work, to learn all of the things about arcana, but I’m up to it, yes I am. I know I am.”

“Um, I’ve never heard of this…alchemy…before, but I know I want to be an arcana user, yes, I know. I’ve heard stories of the other schools, or what did you call them, spears, well, I’ve heard about them, oh yes. Druidism has too much to do with the surface life things, I, um, I’m not that interested in that really, no I’m not. And mysticism messes with people minds, I don’t think, uh, I don’t think I would like entering peoples heads and such. Ikos, I, uh, I’ve only heard vague stories about that, I’m not sure what it is, but I did know about elementalism, and it was a hard choice between that and sorcery, but, uh, I chose sorcery, yes I did.” Hareli hoped that his answers were sufficient to what the mistress was expecting, and he sat back luxuriously in the pillows and awaited the her response and admired the cushieness of the seat he was on.

[Skay Ravendi]

"I think it's alright..." The Mistress nodded and managed a smile. The window was certainly not broken, maybe there was a scratch or two, but it was certainly still ok. But she had to admit that she didn't know much about the race of his student. Sure she knew they... existed. She had seen them and all. But had she ever really spoken to one in length? The woman shook her head. No matter. She'd find out everything through the lessons if she could Unbind him.

When Silvana began pouring tea and heard the question, she blinked and stopped as if struck by lightning. "You... have never... tried tea?" The woman asked in natural surprise as she kept on holding the teapot above the cup and a plate. "It's a... a type of drink. Try it, maybe you'll like it. And it is calming." When she poured the tea into the cup finally and put down the teapot, Silvana realised another thing. This whole place probably wasn't best suited for the squirely. Neither was the cup. Well... Hareli had to be able to hold it and all, but still Silvana slid it to the brink of the table. "Careful, it's hot. Take it with the plate." He had to be able to hold it right? Right? The woman was more puzzled now than any other brightening of that month.

The Archmagus listened as Hareli explained his reasoning and she was quite intrigueded. This was perhaps the most sincere story she heard coming from the lips of a student. "Spheres." She corrected and didn't intrude anymore, letting the squirely finish. When Hareli finished the woman fixed a lose strand in her hair and slowly answered him.

"I suppose I don't blame you, alchemy is very rare. I suppose many do not know it. When you're a mage, knowing such things seems almost natural I'm afraid. As for your choice. You have a noble reason to learn the craft. I accept it. However, about choosing the sphere, I must warn you that there will be basically no way back. You won't be able to learn other spheres in the future if you'll advance in this one. But if you're certain, then just say your final word and perhaps we'll begin." The woman smiled, though now her smile wasn't as charming as it had been in her young brightenings. She wasn't old yet, but she was getting there.

"Now I must warn you for another thing. As you know there aren't a lot of mages in the Empire. Basically perhaps one in a thousand can become a mage. You see all people are born Bound and therefore they are unable to use the arcane energies. Powerful mages are able to Unbind people and thus grant them the ability to tap into arcana, to create spells and everything else. However Unbinding is a difficult process and the minds of the individuals are all very different and very complicated. Usually mages come from so called 'gemblooded' families, who are able to use arcana through generations. Such families almost always, but not always, birth children who we are able to Unbind and teach the ways of Arcana."

"However, some lucky people come here and we manage so successfully Unbind them. Rare, but they exist. Now you know why the Empire is not filled with mages and now you know that you too might not be one of the lucky who can be Unbound. Ah, even then some struggle simply to reach meditation, thereas others seem to flow with it." She took a sip of her tea and watched Hareli. He, probably like many others who came to study here, did not know that. "If I won't succeed to Unbind your mind then you shall be refunded. So do not worry about that."

Silvana finished and let Hareli take that all in or ask any questions, before continuing. "If you still believe that it is sorcery that you want. If you're ready to give Arcana a try, then we can begin. I must warn you though, it might not be a pleasant experience..." There Silvana was done talking, sipped more of her tea and waited for Hareli to give his final word and to ready himself for the upcoming process should he choose to go with it and not run out.