5/3 Energy Magic for Dummies and Fae

 Ser Calico Artaghh asks, "If you punch yourself and it hurts.. are you weak or strong?"
 Artaghh says, "Strong, it takes a badarse to willingly inflict damage upon ye'self, knowin' yer strength."
 Artaghh says, "A weaklin' woul' be too afraid'a follow through."
 Ser Calico Artaghh says, "Woah. I never thought of it that way."
 Artaghh exclaims, "It'sta way'a energi magi Cal!"
 Artaghh says, "Bein' foolish, doin' foolishly manly things, an' havin' no fear'a the consequences."

 Ser Artaghh would flash his rogueish, missing toothed grin as he glanced off into the distant coast of Dawn, breathing in and out calmly as he puffed away once more on his corn cob pipe. He'd had to come to terms with many internal trials this past year, his wearing injuries the least of his troubles when the ending of his engagement had brought upon far more emotionally duress. But there would always be a new dawn each day, and the commander had taken worse wounds and lived on with valiance.

"Energy is the fool's magic fer'a reason. It's....unrefined, nae moulded wit'a elements or shaped in'ta adherin' or enforcin'ta natural laws'a the world. Its jus' raw....magic! An' yer a fae, so tha' goes doubly so fer ye'! When ye' force a bunch'a mana in'ta yer muscle tissue, ye' can reinforce it, expand it beyon' its previous limits an' achievephysical feats ye'd ne'er 'fore been capable of. Bu'....the apex of energy's potential is in comin'ta terms wit' yer constan' death seekin', ta' bridge the gap 'tween the livin' an' spirit realms in yer person an' walk bot' steps in even pace an' turn. It's...sacrifice, bu' fer a good reason. "

(Artaghh)

 Calico thought on Artaghh's description of what an energy magi was.

He'd look to those tiny hands of his, energy coursing through them time and time again. The fairy's mana capacity was incredible, and much more than a normal person was capable of. That was the nature of fairies. Skilled magi, but incredibly fragile.

"Raw magic." The fairy grit his teeth, clenching his fists. The aura-shroud of energy that engulfed him now grew a quarter brighter, Calico now pulling energy from the world as well- infusing it with fae magic. "Expand beyond limits?"

"A sacrifice, huh?"

Calico was naturally in tune with the spirit realm, sharing an intimate connection to the place, as it was what contained Mother. Perhaps it'd be easier for the fae to bridge the gap that Artaghh talked about than any other human.

"..It's worth it!"
(Ser Calico Artaghh)
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 Chaaca Khan exclaims, "Heya everyone!"
Jessi Ultovex says, "Hello."
Chroma Zanders asks, "Geared and ready?"
 Jessi Ultovex says, "Of course. Just sharpened my blade."
 Chaaca Khan asks, "I should probably get my staff sharpened?"
Chaaca Khan asks, "Is that a thing?"
Jessi Ultovex says, "I can do it."
Chaaca Khan exclaims, "Please do!"
Jessi Ultovex says, "Not sharpening, but something similar."
Chaaca Khan says, "Right, right."
 Chaaca Khan exclaims, "Thank ya!"
 Sors Ultovex says, "If ya'll sharpenin' need mine improved too."
Esme Rowan asks, "An aunt...?"
Esme Rowan says, "That's crazy."
Esme Rowan says, "That must of happened fast."
 Sors Ultovex says, "Thank ya"
Jessi Ultovex asks, "Am I the last blacksmith in Dawn?"
Jessi Ultovex says, "Every time I materialize I sharpen multiple weapons."
Chaaca Khan says, "Well, there's Belle, and Dyle."
Sors Ultovex says, "There real ian't a lot o' 'em."
 Jessi Ultovex says, "I remember when there were a lot of smiths..."
 Chaaca Khan says, "I'll go grab my mythril kits, we're probably gonna need em."
Jessi Ultovex says, "Aldaren was my go to then."
Chaaca Khan asks, "Right, anything else I should get?"
Ser Artaghh would nod steadily, tapping Ser Calico Artaghh upon the shoulder with his ring finger before giving them a supportive thumbs up. "Tha's exactly the spirit Cal! E'ery sacrifice ye' make'ta achieve yer potential is a worthy one, no matter how much ye' have'ta give. When I was trainin'ta manifest the overdrive....twenty years ago, I broke.....thirty two bones, shattered all'a my nails, nearly drowned three times, dislocated numerous joints, los' an' eye, an' one'a me toes'ta frostbite. All'a it had purpose, none'a it senseless waste. Such is the key'a knowin' wha' is true sacrifice, an' wha' is blind foolishness, fer tha' is a line tha' e'ery energy magi walks."

The commander would cross his burn scarred, bandaged arms over the heavy Nyeshk plate of his cuirass, barking out in hearty, lively laughter that hadn't echoed from his person in a long, long time. The dragon hunt had...reinvigored the old swordsman, reignited the embers of passion that had felt snuffed for so long. Ser Artaghh felt at peace.

"Since ye' are small, it'll be harder'ta concentrate as much energy as ye'll require'ta manifest the light wit'ou' explodin'. Tha's wha' the diet an' trainin' is for! If ye' go' a strong body made'a hammered flesh metal, big or small, ye' can contain the energies'a the land an' beyond fer yer use!"

(Artaghh)


 Leaning his head over to the shoulder which Artaghh had tapped, he'd give a slow nod. Every sacrifice to reach maximum potential was a worthy one. And after that, every sacrifice to break previous limits. The pint-sized swordsfae was determined!

"Thirty.. two bones. An eye. All nails... That's a lot to lose, you know! I don't think that's healthy for you. I think it would be best for you to go heal those things."

Artaghh was a hardened warrior that Calico envied! Artaghh had experienced many battles and war, a tough warrior that sacrificed his own well-being in order to reach his goals. A real admirable guy in the fairy's eyes.

"Pssh. It's not that hard. It's easy, Arhthghah." A minor lie that was. Calico was sure that he had grown quite well in the past few years, and broke through past limits time and time again, but he's never tried to concentrate multitudes of energy any higher than what Artaghh wanted. It was simply too dangerous, and massive amounts of energy building inside of the fairy could very well prove fatal!

"It just hurts."
(Ser Calico Artaghh)
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 Ser Artaghh would nod lightly, though whether it was to Ser Calico or himself wasn't entirely clear. The fae's words held truth, of that there was no doubt. The commander made light of the countless injuries that had been inflicted upon his person, added them to his personal image as a soldier of Dawn with a smile upon his face. Yet, his lungs were in ruins, plaguing him every night with shortness of breathe and hacking coughs of occultic bile from the implant that held all of his metal components together.

With a practiced effort and sigh, the paladin would steadily pull off his cuirass, allowing the heavy metal to clamor to the ground with a loud thud and ringing as the full extent of Ser Artaghh's injuries. The mithril plating had meshed well with the scar tissue so many years after the procedure, and yet the phantom pains of the commander's lost muscle plagued his mind and focus in equal turn. As ever, it was not....a pretty sight.

*Name: "Major Burns"

Desc: The flesh of Artaghh's burns has been forcibly ripped away from his tender skin. In it's place now stands a metal chassis, newly generated purple scarred skin underneath it keeping it in place, aided by mythril thread and metal screws that bit down into his skin. To help with the pain, some of his nerves had been injured, damaged to the point of not working, but the body works and moves as it's supposed to. The mental pain continues to fill his mind, as well as the occasional feeling of throbbing pain from the procedure. Artaghh's burns have successfully been ripped and replaced.

"Everythin' I've sacrificed....all I've given up, I've done for somethin' I believe in. True power is nae in jus' standin' fer ye'self, bu' in manifestin' overwhelmin' strength'ta protec' an' allow'ta flourish tha' wha' ye' believe in. I've given all I go' fer Dawn these las' twenty two years, an' the nex' one's I'll do jus' the same. It's my home, these are my people, an' I mean for'm ta' survive Cal." The shirtless, maimed swordsman would rattle out a lively chorus of laughter at that, slapping his mithril plating with a grunt as he nodded to the fae.

"It's goin'ta hurt a' firs'. Yer body cannae adapt'a toleratin' higher levels'a energy o'er night. Ye' mus' train wit' the shroud, break yer limits physically while allowin' the ethereal force'ta flow in yer cracks an' breaks, an' reforge yerself in steel! Tha' is the path'a energy, the path'a the blade."



(Artaghh)
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 Sors Ultovex whispers: War is almos' here.
 Sors Ultovex whispers: How ya'll feelin' 'bout tha' vampires aid?
Sors Ultovex whispers: It is real a symbiotic relationship.
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Sors Ultovex whispers: Artaghh an' I will be sur' ta murder some heretics fer ya.
Calico's eyes widened as Artaghh took off anything and everything covering his beat up and maimed chest. Oh jeez. It was really bad under there.

He'd grimace in pain. If the same things happened to Calico.. the fairy wouldn't even exist at this point! The level of damage that Artaghh had gone through was scary to say the least. So many injuries. Some visible, while others weren't.

A sign of his sacrifice.

"You're not joking, Arghggtah.. You really HAVE sacrificed. Y-You almost look like a zombie!" Chuckling, Calico powered up. The energy that shrouded his form expanded, tightened, condensed, and flowed. More and more power, but not past any sort of limit.

"How can you stand it? Getting hit so many times? It hurts at first, you say, so how did you overcome that? Did you use HERBS? I think I have some herbs for that...
In public, shouting, straining, and training were not the best to do in the square, so Calico didn't exactly try to break any limits in the middle of everything. A one-on-one session with teacher and pupil would work much better and more efficiently than what was obtained from small talk.

"It's just that I don't want to tear myself apart. That isn't a smart idea."
(Ser Calico Artaghh)
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"Almos' is the key word there. I've ended up lookin' more undead than some undead I've me' a' this poin', bu' beneath this mithril plate is a beatin' heart, an' I inten' fer it'a keep beatin'. To master the overdrive, ta' conquer the mystic energies, tha' is to strut the boundaries o' death boldly, fearlessly. Ye' mus' approach as close as ye' can, stare righ' in'ta the sun wit'ou' fear, an' nae be burnt'a ash. Those fires tha' burn brightest, also burn fastest, an' such is the way'a the ethereal energies. Ye' live live determined, dangerous lives'a passion, take all tha' ye' can from the world, an' end yer tale knowin' ye' ne'er turned yer back on'ta opportunity fer adventure!"

The half metal commander would smile then, drawing his greatsword of dense Nyeshk and laying it on his ring finger at an even straight. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. "Such is the o'er half'a energy, Calico. It's nae jus' raw strength, pure might, fer the greates' ogre can bring fort' a wall'a muscle an' still be easily felled. Nae, delicate control wit' raw magnitude, hand in hand, tha' is the necessity fer ascension in energy. When ye' can control how much ye' bring fort' wit' precision, ye' can apply it'a yer swordplay jus'ta same as brutish strikes. An' in this case, such control will preven' ye' from explodin', so tha's a positive!"

Ser Artaghh would give the fae a thumbs up! Dying was bad.

(Artaghh)
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 Artaghh says, "I'll take ye' out'a the mountains nex' time I'm up there, we can work on yer form. I need'ta figure ou' a few kinks in a technique I'm devisin' anywho."
 "Zombies are scary, you know. They're not very nice, and they hurt nice people sometimes. What if a zombie hurt you? That wouldn't be nice.

..What if a zombie bit you and then YOU became a zombie?! What would you do then? How would you feel? How are you going to strut the boundaries if you're a zombie?!?"

Calico was flustered! But he'd listen on to Artaghh's explanation over energy. Perhaps the way that it was described could be used effectively on the field of combat if that time ever came. The fairy hasn't ever fought anything other than kaors and daemons.

And humanity had much more versatility than any old demon!

"You're saying that I should learn how to control the energy first? Before just rushing into things? Woah.. But where's the fun in that?" Calico required power quickly! He didn't have time to learn how to control that power. He couldn't.

"Why not just skip a step? I'm already smaller than an ogre! It's not like pure might won't do me any good. It'd do a lot."


(Ser Calico Artaghh)
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 Ser Artaghh would blink idly, staring down the fae wit his remaining eye for a time before barking out in a fit of laughter as he slowly began the process of returning his cuirass back to his torso. As nice as the fresh air was against his wounds, his organs always felt a bit more secure when they were firmly on the inside. "Undead dunnae work like tha', dunnae worry. Well, no' mos' undead, they'd have'ta be made real specifics like if ye' were goin'ta bite ya effectively. Nae, they'd pro'lly kill ye', an' return ye'ta a necromancer! Tha's how they do it in Dawn."

Fully rearmored, Artaghh would return his cloak to its cozy place upon his shoulders before nodding sagely to the fae. Puffing intently at his corn cob pipe, he would blow a minty cloud of smoke off towards the sea as his eye wandered into the horizon. "Ye' ain' wrong. I did it the same as ye' wanna, physical firs' long 'fore the mind. It's....easier, in a way. Harder physically, endless trials tha' will break ye' down an' reforge ye' piece by piece. Bu' the body is far more easily trained than'ta mind. Tha' is the path we shall take wit' ye' then."

(Artaghh)
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 Bhokol asks, "Good afternoon, everyone. I couldn't help but take an interest in the posting about the Relic Hunters, might anyone know if they are still a functioning group, or who I need to speak with to get involved?"

 Awww no. Calico wasn't about to hear all of this garbage about undead and zombies! He'd plug both ears upon hearing the 'kill ye' part. Shouting a bit to block out noise, Calico kicked his feet up and down, flexing his wingspan.

"Nope, nope! I've done a funeral already. I don't want to do another!!"

Only until Ser Calico Artaghh was sure that the normal Artaghh had stopped talking about dead people and the undead did Calico unplug both ears and settle down.

He'd blow out a breath of relief. "Phew." Calico was safe from having his entire life shattered for now. Sure was lucky that he didn't hear all of that undead crap!

"It is easy to train the spirit in my experience! It just needs determination, and the body will get stronger. And the power will get stronger! ..But it still won't be easier to control. Hmph." Maybe Artaghh was right to train the mind. The body was much easier, however.

The one who takes the quicker, easier path does usually succeed, but with unintended consequences. Those consequences for Calico would most likely rip him apart piece by piece until he'd train both of the ways equally.

"Some day. Some day I'll get shinier! I feel like I'm ready to get sparklier now, but I need to concentrate really hard first. And that's.. really hard."

The fae had learned some new tricks. It was about time to unlock them!
(Ser Calico Artaghh)
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Eniel slants his eyes at the word 'safe' but eventually lets it go maybe thts what dads were supposed to do or something?
(Eniel Daigal)
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Vedran Ivanovich says, "Cordelia."
Vedran Ivanovich asks, "Mind blacksmithin' something for me?"
Hathor says, "Do try to be safe when you venture to the Dragon, Master."
 Vedran Ivanovich says, "Need myself a prosthetic kit fer' my friends.."
 Sors Ultovex says, "I 'spose If I'm severely injured I'll jus' sit out fer tha' war. So long as ma injuries ain't too great it'll be satisfactory."
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 Vedran Ivanovich says, "If I'm severly injured then I'll need a snack."
Eniel is uninterested as always opening his Girmore and writting down a few new spell combinations.
(Eniel Daigal)
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 Vedran Ivanovich says, "Preferably one capable of screamin' in horror."

Ser Artaghh had the depth perception of a t-rex, and hadn't even noticed that Calico was blocking his ears during the whole charade, too focused as he was in puffing away at his pipe and ruining his already damaged lungs even further with minty tar. The commander would nod steadily as his smiled widened, returning his blade to the leather slung on his back before delivering Ser Calico Artaghh the legendary two finger guns of encouragement.

"Tha's the spirit kid! It's all abou' constan' diligence, boundless determination, an' maintainin' focus in yer pursuits. Nae easy fer folks tha' think too much or too little, bu' tha' can be fixed wit' practice an' meditation! Banishin' the thoughts from yer mind can grow easier wit' practice, allow ye'ta enter the ideal state'a mind fer precise swordplay. I know ye' have the potential Cal, I believe entirely in ye'."

The fae swordsman would be Artaghh's finest student yet, he had no doubt. "Reminds me, I'll be back in one sec!..." The commander would sprint in the direction of the manor, forgetting in that brief moment that he knew how to fly.

(Artaghh)
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 Ser Calico Artaghh says, "Some Emperor guy believes it too."

 Ser Calico Artaghh exclaims, "..Err. Potential!"

 Ser Artaghh would reappear in a burst of fiery mana, plunging down next to the fae before thrusting a brass key with vigor into Ser Calico Artaghh's hand, nodding steadily as he dissipated his shroud. "There's ye' key'ta the mansion, since yer home's all crushed an' all." The commander would give the fae a thumbs up with a flash of his missing toothed smile.

(Artaghh)
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Uhh.

...
He placed the key in his.. Inventory.
"Mansion? Where?"
(Ser Calico Artaghh)