[OPEN TO PLEROMA] MAGIC TRAINING!

[wolof]

WHO: Pleroma interested in ~*~magic~*~
WHAT: Magic Training!
WHERE: Outside Greentruth
WHEN: Mid Visoseri
WARNINGS: none anticipated - if any are needed, please PM me and I'll add them!

Deep beneath Greentruth, on the forest floor, is the safest place, to keep the city free of errant fire spells or other such dangers, and a few of the paths down are lit with dancing lights -- when caught with the right angle -- point arrows down, to the forest floor, below the large trees and the city nestled up within the branches. Daylight cuts and filters in, but the entire area is lit with lanterns and fires throughout the space that was chosen. The large area is divided, different sections, signs, clearly laid out paths with torches, all to illuminate where the sunlight doesn't cut, and ensure that the foggy, deep forest is bright enough for those who want to study magic can do so. The space is...about as clear as it can be, given the location, although there is still plenty of wildlife and plant life that has been..."gently" encouraged to move out of the way, so the paths between each area is clear.

For some time, during the "symposium", at the top of every hour, a spell was let off that was all illusion, a flare that careened upward to announce the presence of the magical gathering in the forest floor below. Although there had been a communion, only days prior, to announce the gathering, there can be no mistaking where this gathering is meant to be.

[Target Practice]

Set a bit away from the center bonfire of the gathering was several wooden, human shaped frames, set up at varying distances from the cleared area. Some were tucked behind half cover, behind a tree in the far distance, or as if they were "crouched" behind a gathering of ferns. The entire area is lit with overhead lights, to keep the mists and fogs at the forest floor from encroaching too much. There's also plenty of replacements set to the side, painted neatly, in case anyone gets too...destructive. A few (although not many) seem to have a small, glowing rune carved to the base, and shine with what looks to be a veneer -- it's a weak shield working, to be sure, but they'll be less easily destroyed than the others. They're interspersed throughout the "shooting range", and there's a starting area constructed from a fallen log to set where the "shooting" space was.

Off to another side, set against a small table, are a collection of clay pigeons. There's a box to the side filled to the brim with the small... they're closer to clay plates painted colorfully, but it's rather easy to see what they're set up for. There's no mechanism to launch them into the air, due to budget -- but if you can find a way to launch them... or if you can convince a buddy to throw or magic them into the air, it's fair game to throw them off and deep into the forest, and see if you can hit them!

[Sparring Ring]

Closer to the central bonfire is a large rope barrier set into a circle. The stakes are each inscribed -- again curious workings from the hostess -- although this is designed more to keep things in, than out. Not people, of course, once in, one can leave just as easily as before, but there's a perceivable shiver when one passes through -- a shield to protect wayward spells from leaving the encircled area. A small sign posted -- with perfect painted calligraphy -- explains that this area is for practicing magic duels. Either from one on one fights -- or even two vs two or larger -- and while the space isn't huge, it's certainly set up with enough space for several people to move around in comfortably, for a friendly wizard's duel. A final rule at the bottom does dictate that participants should "avoid lethal damage".

There's even a small set of logs outside the ring for spectating, arranged neatly and purposefully as seats, one can rest up or cheer on their friends from the sides, if you're so inclined.

[Obstacle Course]

The entrance starts with a sign -- off to one side, a pathway marked clearly into the forest. It's listed as a "Practice Course", and includes a statement that warns for "sudden enemies" that are littered through the dark and dank woods beyond -- and also that it's not really set up for true beginners. (Or you can go anyway, you do you.) The path is lined with small motes of light, that guide one throughout the pathway and the course. You can run, you can walk, but eventually, you'll come upon the first obstacle, a felled tree across the path, followed by a pit dug into the earth right behind it -- nothing dangerous in the bottom (of course) but you'll come out covered in mud -- before the trail continues deeper into the forest. The lights are present to lead one from the entrance, and along toward the exit -- it's a good length, and designed for someone to make their way through the entire thing with caution. Several wooden targets are littered throughout the path -- some even move, either up and down, or side to side, to hide from cover, enchanted with another low-grade cantrip to move, so as not to be too easy. Several more "pitfalls", and even a large pit at some point, one must use their wits and magics, to get across.

Or, you know, walk around it, if you're so inclined, although that's hardly the intent.

There's plenty of creativity with the falls and obstacles, and at a good clip, takes about a half-hour to walk. And who knows, maybe there's something out in the woods that caught sight of the light, and moved closer to investigate...

[Scholarly Pursuits]

For those who are not inclined toward battle, there is always a need for more than just those who fight. Finding ways to do that is the tricky part, often. While one can go to battle, and weave great workings and spells, and fight an enemy, there's just as much merit in the pursuit of knowledge, of using your magics for more than simply war. In that vein, there is a section set up for precisely this purpose. Perhaps you want to sit and think for a bit about how to combine your own power with an ally's, or even to think through how to make it work. Sometimes just putting a pen to paper is enough to get the thoughts flowing.

It's difficult to lug furniture of any sort from Greentruth to the floor below, but molding and sculpting the area to work for this purpose is important, so there are fallen tree trunks that have been split to create large tables, and logs left everywhere to create into seating. There are large sheaths of paper, ink, and quills, all set up for theory and magic. There are no books -- although if they are brought and shared, all the better. Dancing lights coalesce above, almost galaxy-like in the way they gather together, to offer light for those that want to spend time studying.

Beyond the paper and ink are materials, small shards of metal, barks, plants, dirt, and other sorts of things that could be considered... "material components", as it were. Collected with are, and laid out along the large table in dishes, to be used if needed in ones own magical study.

[Fire Pit]

Of course, what gathering would be a true gathering without a fire? It's warm, with seats all about, reminiscent of the sort of thing one would dig when roasting a large beast. Seats all around, from cushions, to stumps, rocks, and even some blankets, all set up for relaxing after a long day of working hard -- or for those who want to spectate!

The fire has a beast on the spit -- something purchased within Greentruth clearly -- and large enough for an entire gathering of people. There is a display laid out on one of the largest stumps, with plenty of vegetables and fruits to roast on the fire or simply eat, and another stump has plenty of bottles of wines, liquors, and even some juices about to be sampled by those who need a little break, or at the end of the day. The fire doesn't seem to need fuel, and doesn't get extinguished, but burns cheerily, creating a centerpiece to the entire gathering for those who need it. The drinks aren't frosted, but there's plenty of practice to be had by simply chilling one yourself, or asking a friend to do it!

Comments

[recursive]

( it's true that yuuta's personal reservoir of cursed energy was immense — both his classmates and his opponents had run into this, and when getting a sense of it, they tend to get a mental picture of the vastness of the ocean or the weight and volume of a massive water tank. but all of that energy has to be released into the world through the relatively small conduit of his human body — either that or rika, though he will get into that a little later. the space that he had cleared probably gives a larger impression than he can even fill (or maybe that's just his perception of it), but he had wanted to err on the side of caution. )

Okay! ( said with a thumbs up.

he pauses for just a moment. he had mentally made note of a list of things he had wanted to demonstrate for her, but... he wants to start simple, just to make sure she can see everything (most people can't see cursed energy or spirits, but it seems Aions can... but he just doesn't want to assume anything??). )

First off... You can see this, right?

( and he erupts into light.

usually when he reinforces himself, he keeps it as low-profile as he can, both to avoid infusing himself with too much energy at once (which could made personal stability hard to maintain) and also not to waste too much of it. but right now he's essentially going super saiyan, though the corona of strange, pale light slowly ebbs and shrinks down closer to his form, dimming to a faint aura. it has a particularly strange feeling to it, as though instead of releasing energy into the world, he had begun to displace the world around him, sinking a miniature gravity well in the forest. it lessens as the energy itself lessens, though the unsettling feeling remains; the creeping sensation that roves up once's spine when they feel as though they're being watched. )

[wolof]

[ It's like a bright center in the dark of the woods, and Akua -- who had spent a great deal of time being linked to Night automatically shielded her eyes from it, for just a moment.

It's not like seeing magic. When certain unique magisters spellsung, she could see the warping around them, the way creation shifted and changed -- and it's kind of like that, but unique in its own way. ]

Yes, you're quite bright, aren't you?

[ Akua has nothing to compare it to, honestly. He's holding back, that she knows, but the small working she'd created to read the impression of energy had moved. She wished she had the connection to night right now, to shield her eyes from the brightness, but there was nothing for it.

She feels it, too. The way something seems to encroach, watching them, like the shiver at the back of her neck. ] It's...interesting. [ she admitted, and she's tempted to reach forward, and to touch where she thinks the energy rests.

She does, after considering it, and it feels... odd. ] I feel as though... there's something...

[ Different? Unique? Not experiencing it first hand, she can't begin to describe it. ]

[recursive]

( he laughs, though the sound is a nervous and fluttering one. ) Not all the time, haha...

( which is evident enough as he dims remarkably, shrinking down so much that it eventually clings to him close to his skin as a barely-perceivable aura around the outline of his person. he is surprised when akua reaches out toward where the strongest sensation from the cursed energy emanates — both surprised himself but also sharing in rika's surprise, who had been in the rough vicinity. she's not used to anyone having any way of perceiving her when she's not manifested. )

Wow. Um. ( his eyes are as round as saucers. ) Well... good guess? That was the second thing I was going to show you. Don't freak out! She won't hurt you.

( and then the space in-between himself and akua ripples, and a dark seam opens up several feet away from her; the huge head of the cursed apparition known as rika leans out, seemingly inspecting her severely despite having no visible eyes. )

This is Rika. She's... um... technically part of my cursed technique. ( it's... complicated. )

[wolof]

[ Eldritch creature though she may be, Akua's summoned Demons and Devils from the hells, and Rika's no more horrifying than the average Devil. She smiled, almost friendly. She'd guessed correctly at the presence, at least. ]

She has a name? Is she...sentient?

[ She asked it, but she stared at the being, or rather -- through it. To that rip in the fabric of reality. It's so close to a gate, that she wonders from where the cursed spirit is kept? Where is it she's coming from? ]

I apologize, should I address you directly? [ She added, after a moment, just in case Rika was... insulted. ] It's a pleasure to meet you.

[ She added, although her eyes were focused on the seam. ]

The place that she comes from... is that a different plane?

[recursive]

( akua's response seems to puzzle rika. she studies the woman, and after a long moment, her huge head cants to one side. she glances back to yuuta, as if looking for his cue as to how to respond to this stranger. )

Yes. But, ummmm... Well...

( yuuta's chin falls into one hand, and his shoulders round; he immediately begins to contort physically to match how he's contorting mentally, trying to figure out the best and most expedient way to explain rika's whole... situation to someone. it's not a particularly short story, and it's not a very cheerful one either. he feels as though explaining only bits and pieces of it would make it more confusing than not explaining anything at all... )

I'm still... figuring some of that out.

( rika turns back towards akua as she speaks more directly to her, silent and pensive for a long moment before replying, the words hesitant and more perfunctory than polite, ) ...Nice to meet you. ( though distorted, the voice she speaks with is both young and feminine. )

It's more like... she used to be. I, um - accidentally cursed someone into that form when I was younger. But that's a really long story, and she's not really "in there" any more. She was able to pass on, but... it still talks like her and acts like her sometimes. ( there's a beat, and he continues with a gentle, rueful smile. ) I'm not sure if she left a piece of her behind in it, or... if it just does that because of what I remember of her.

( there's a lot he's not saying, and that's apparent enough from what he does say. but even giving a birds-eye overview of what rika is... with the way he speaks of it, it's obvious it means a great deal to him. )

Another plane? ( the image of an airplane presses itself into the surface of his mind. no. wrong plane. ) No, not really. She's always around me, but not always in a way where you can see her, or where she can interact with things. Right now I'm using my cursed energy to - "manifest" her, is what my teacher said, but... I can't manifest all of her without her ring to stabilize it. ( he probably could, but it would be incredibly dangerous for him. a bizarre hybrid of a cursed technique and a cursed apparition — an entity that one could fool themselves into thinking was a shikigami except for the fact that it needed no tangible medium to exist — there was much they didn't understand about rika, but they'd found his abilities worked better when anchored by her ring. ) So I think that's less of a "place" she's coming out of and more... that's just her, but I can only give form to parts of her... rather than the whole thing.

( . . . ) Hopefully that makes sense...

[wolof]

[ Thankfully, Yuuta is talking to someone who may not know the rules of his world, but she can put it together all the same. The words are at least...descriptive enough that she can put together what happened. He said she passed on, so whoever Rika was, probably was dead. Ah, to be a specter that passed on. ]

That's quite the thing to do when you're younger. [ She turned to Rika, and with an almost conspiratorial whisper: ] Someone did it to me on purpose. I didn't get to pass on though.

[ In fact, she'd even had a body when she arrived here, but Praesi magics and constructs were truly just like that. ]

It makes sense, I suppose. She's merely your energy made manifest. It reminded me of a gate to the hells, the way it opened. I was about to start asking how you made that work, but I suppose it's too much to ask that we have a way to change the plane we're in.

[ Akua doesn't say it, but even the possibility would be a thread she would need to unravel. Alas, she hasn't found it yet. ]

And you need a ring to stabilize it? Like a...focus, of sorts? I've heard of some sorcerers who do such things, but she actually...reminds me of something else. There's a faction of the Binder's Blood, who can summon a creature that is similar to Rika, although their Bindings aren't quite so... advanced.

You're quite impressive, Rika.

[ Whether or not she's fully sentient, Akua has no shame in making sure a working is complimented appropriately. ]

[recursive]

( at her comment, his throat constricts, and he averts his eyes by casting his gaze down towards the ground. rika may have forgiven him for what he did to her, but he... still hasn't really forgiven himself. not for binding her to him, not for all of the people that she had hurt in all of those years, not for wallowing in pain and self-pity for that time instead of trying to find a way to fix it. when akua continues, however, his gaze immediately darts back upwards to her, his lingering guilt temporarily dispelled by shock. )

Wh — ( how... wait, what exactly does that mean? ) You... Does that mean, you're, um...

( "dead," yuuta. you've dealt enough with death that this shouldn't be such an awkward thing to ask, and yet...

but, um, yes, right, the ring. )

My teacher told me that curses are at their most stable when possessing an item. I use it as a kind of... intermediary, helping me channel her power. I don't really need it as much as I did back when her spirit was bound to me as a curse, but — as she is now, I can't really access her full strength without the ring. It's part of this thing called a "Binding Vow," and all...

( ironic, considering the original intention behind the ring...

the cursed apparition tilts her head at the praise, but even as impossible as she is to read, she doesn't seem displeased. she begins to fade, her head disappearing as if slowly submerging into water, but as she does so she says, ) ...Thanks.

Apart from Rika, most of my techniques involve cursed energy reinforcement and manipulation. The reinforcement means that, um... I can do stuff like - this.

( he glances up, crouches down, and then leaps nearly two stories into the air to grab hold of one of the larger, lower branches on a nearby tree. he swings once, twice, three times before flipping up to settle on top of it. from there, he waves at akua, back on the ground. )

[wolof]

[ Akua doesn't answer, when his question trailed off, but her eyes sparkled with an amusement. It isn't that she's dead, insomuch as she was... without a body for some time, after all. She'd planned to live, if Catherine tried to kill her, but she hadn't banked on Catherine being smart enough to read where her Phylactery had been.

For some time, she'd seen that as a shameful, frustrating thing. It was bad that she'd lost her body, and even worse that she was prisoner to Catherine, stuck in her mantle and given little to speak to, or do, unless Catherine called upon her in the dark. She knew how much time had passed now, but... before? She'd hardly been able to tell. It's a wonder she hadn't gone mad. Something she'd have in common with that teacher of his.

She didn't have to answer, because Rika faded from view, and she watched him launch himself up and into the air quick as could be. Akua couldn't help but blink a few times, almost owlishly, at the speed. It took a powerful spellcaster to be able to even float, let alone move at speeds like that. ]

That is impressive. [ She had needed the full force of Winter to move like that, when she'd been in Cat's body, and that had also come with the added benefit of essentially being something of a construct, the way Masego had described her...body to her, when it happened. ] I can't say I've ever seen magic used in that capacity. It's quite impressive.

[recursive]

( he... doesn't press for an answer. he realizes only afterward that the question had been pretty forward and rude anyways, and regardless of what her circumstances were back home... she's here now, isn't she? and all of them, as Aions, are all kind of different from what they were originally regardless. aren't they just bodies formed around their souls, which had been crystallized into those shard things? regardless, if she had told him the details, he might have at least understood the broad strokes, both from being an Aion for a few months now and how rika's curse had functioned. the last ten or so years have done nothing but impress to him the importance of one's soul.

he smiles sheepishly as the words filter their way up to him. he raises one hand and warns, ) Watch out below!

( and then he jumps off of the branch, falling like a stone toward the ground.

yuuta isn't a big guy. he's still a young man, just a few inches beneath six feet tall and likely still growing, but he comes by his nickname of "beansprout" naturally — he's thin and wiry, giving him a gaunt scarecrow's frame that's only ever exacerbated by clothing he makes look overly-baggy. but when he lands back to earth, he does so like a fist from God, causing the soft soil to buckle beneath his feet in a wave of destructive force. afterward he stands, brushing dirt from his hands and arms, smiling blithely. )

When I first started learning how to exorcise curses at my school, this was the first technique I learned. Initially I was only reinforcing my sword, but... I learned how to cycle the energy through my whole body as well. Like I showed you, it makes me faster and stronger than I would be usually, ( that's putting it lightly... ) and it makes me a lot harder to knock out. A lot of sorcerers use this ability, though not all the time and not always for their whole bodies... it can be considered a waste of cursed energy.

( not everyone has an astronomical amount of it like yuuta does. )

That's the risk, though. If I run out, that's it. I'd just be powerless at that point.

[wolof]

[ When he said to watch out, she did take a few steps back -- glad that she did when he practically fractured the ground beneath, and she watched, her eyebrows lifted in surprise.

That is a lot of force. Not "the entirety of a lake falling on the heads of the 10th Crusade" force, but still.

For one person, and one person's body?

She's impressed. ]

I'm sure it must use a lot of it, but... your body doesn't buckle under the pressure from it? [ Her fingers moved against the runes, trying to look through the reverberations from the force that had blown back, like bursts of wind. Really, just incredible. ]

So it's a sink for so much energy. I can see why your fights don't normally last long enough to run into that, if they look like that. [ Really, the only force that she could see withstanding that was...Mirror Knight. Who they had been throwing at monsters -- literally -- so... ]

It's impressive!

[recursive]

( he rubs at the back of his neck, growing red in the face... bashful. )

...Thanks.

( he nods to answer what she'd asked a moment before. ) That's why making sure I cycle it through my whole body in a level and continuous way is important. Like... if I had just been reinforcing my upper body there and not my legs, they definitely would've both broken, haha...

( "haha" )

What I just showed you was an example of what we call "cursed energy output," or where you kind of imbue your attacks with a wave of cursed energy. I don't really use it when I know there are other people nearby, but it's good for clearing out swarms of smaller curses. Usually I use it more like, ( he imitates swinging a sword with his right arm, though his hand opens at the last moment, perhaps to symbolize a sort of energy being flung out by the invisible "blade," ) FWOOOSH, like that. ( if it wasn't already extremely apparent that he is seventeen years old... )

[wolof]

[ There's a certain youthful energy, that Akua can appreciate. She nodded, and with a sage: ] I see...

[ She considered it, tried to imagine it. She's able to put it together, she thinks. She has to think of it like Night, when Catherine would weave it into her leg, to make it move properly, or weave a pair of eyes behind her to see. It makes sense, when she thought of the unique, and odd ways that the Warden had used Night. ]

It's a calculation.

[ She finally said, and there's a smile. ] How precise can you get with your cursed energy? Or do you...over-do it?

[recursive]

( his brow creases as he considers that explanation. but then he nods. in a lot of ways, cursed energy manipulation is calculation. it's the reason why his teacher is so good at it — he can so perfectly see the governing laws that direct its flow and transferal that he can control them with the smallest amount of energy and effort possible. in comparison... yuuta has never been so good at mathematics. he is as accomplished of a sorcerer as he is because he's a born prodigy, able to perform complex permutations of cursed energy manipulation with a near-bottomless supply on instinct alone.

it works well in the case of brute force, but when it came to more subtle and controlled approaches... he almost looks guilty as he answers her. )

If I practice a lot, I can. I had that issue for a while with reinforcing my weapon... If you aren't constant in the flow of energy or try to force too much at one time, it, uh... ( he shifts anxiously, like a child under the spotlight at a school play. ) Well, I broke a few of my school's swords, so they stopped giving me ones they didn't mind replacing. ( fortunately, it didn't matter what sort of sword yuuta used — he could use the most generic katana and reinforce it to be something fearsome. )

But if asked to do something really precise without preparation... It's much harder, given how much energy I usually have to work with. I'd have to focus really, really hard.

[wolof]

Hm, with practice, does it get better?

[ She's reminded of Catherine, with all of that power when she'd been Queen of Winter, but her tactics were... brutal, brute force and no elegance. As clearly displayed, when Akua had been able to take over her body through the Mantle, and had dazzled and delighted, with a brilliant display of power. Whereas Catherine had only dumped a lake on the Tenth Crusade.

Mind, it had worked. She'd had to learn to do better, and had, with time.

Sometimes, it only took practice. ]

Is it something you would want to learn to do?

[recursive]

( his lips press into a thin line. )

I... I think it is. It feels like something I have to learn how to do.

( tighter control, especially over how much cursed energy he releases at a time. back home, they had various methods in order to make sure sorcerers could work without concern for collateral damage — civilians would get evacuated and windows would lower a curtain so they couldn't wander into a space where cursed spirits were being exorcised on accident.

but they won't have those kinds of securities here. he doesn't want to feel limited if they have to fight in an uncontrolled environment full of innocents, but he also doesn't want to hurt anyone he doesn't intend to. )

I'm not really sure... I typically took out the more dangerous curses back home, so sublety usually wasn't something that I worked on, haha... But if I figured out a way to work on it, yeah. I think I probably should.

[wolof]

[ She nodded, then. Having to do something was often the only way anyone learned to do something. They had to progress, and they had to become smarter. Otherwise...

Otherwise there would be no hope, and they would all be turned to ash, she suspected. Like the fire from the ealamal, the corpse of a dead angel that would scour Calernia of nearly all. ]

If you would like, I do know something of controlling magic. [ She offered. ] If you can learn to let your overwhelming force be a trickle, I found it comes with trying to release the smallest, amount possible, and sustain it.

When I was learning fine control, my father would make me make a fire, and hold it between my hands, without burning my palms. Over, and over, until it was so small, and only barely warm, that I could simply clasp it -- [ She cupped her hands together, as if she were catching a firefly. ] -- and then I would hold it for hours, to concentrate on the size of it.

[recursive]

( yuuta listens with wide eyes and rapt attention; it's a small anecdote, but it speaks more to akua and her history than he's really heard from her thus far. he feels like... there's probably a part of this story that she's neglecting to say. how many times had she burned herself before learning that level of control? it's not that he's afraid of such a difficult method of learning — after being put through maki's school of hard knocks at learning the sword, he feels like he can handle just about anything. but it was certainly something to be trained in doing, and especially by one's father...

after a moment, he blinks, and then he nods. there are techniques like this that are employed at the school, though they are usually to treat someone unfamiliar with their own cursed energy on how to access it and maintain a steady flow despite distractions. yuuta had mostly not needed that sort of instruction, with his prodigious affinity for cursed energy manipulation at the jump.

but maybe his teachers neglecting to train him in this way had been a problem he now runs against now. )

Okay. So, um... I guess I could find a small object to concentrate on channeling cursed energy through for a really long time. That seems sort of like the same thing, right?