Ice 3

[11:51] Adalyn guided Astelle to a hunting spot not far from home. She wanted to show Astelle her fighting skills at the same time, see if Astelle had any noteworthy skills in her arsenal.

"This is where we get our food. Those boars over there are stronger than they look, and their meat makes for good dinner. You need to keep a considerable distance when approaching them and the element of surprise will prove decisive in your fight. I want to see how strong you are, since you're a water magi like Theodore."

She hid behind a tree with Astelle, watching the boars go about their day roaring and defecating.

"I almost died in the mines today and the day has been tiring so I won't be fighting with you. Although, if you find yourself overwhelmed, I'm right behind you."

She patted Astelle's back and readied her weapons wearing a serious expression on her face.


(Adalyn Endore)
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[11:56] Astelle gazed at all the boars, grimacing at the idea of actually attacking them. She didn't wanna hurt animals, especially if it was only for the sake of training, but... well, maybe she could get some practice around them without hurting them? They might bump their heads and get a little wet, but...

Astelle really didn't seem enthusiastic.

With a rise of her hands, she conjured an orb of water from the lakes below, and used it to strike a boar, as it angrily gazed around the area and looked for the source of the attack. Luckily, animals like boars were dumb, and so they couldn't tell who attacked them. Astelle, meanwhile, had an expression of guilt.

"This... this isn't gonna help me train anyways! I really need to practice on people. Not even fighting them, just... something involving someone a bit more intelligent, y'know?"
(Astelle Nora)
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[12:05] Astelle's expression was grim. Her tone was different from how she usually spoke and that made Adalyn curious. She expressed a certain discomfort with attacking creatures with less intelligence. Adalyn didn't understand her reasons for refusing to practice her magic.

"What do you mean by intelligent? These creatures serve as optimal targets for someone practicing their magic. They feel pain but it is your obligation to give them an honourable death. They even provide food which you will need after a few bouts. Their offsprings are in the thousands and I feel that as a fighter, you must respect every opponent you face. Be it a harmless bird or an elemental demon."

To Adalyn, it didn't matter how intelligent the enemy was or who. The reason for fighting and the meaning behind it was all that mattered. She fought for a reason, meaningless violence was tyranny.

"All children of the Endores trained with animals, practising their skills and refining them. But if you feel uncomfortable, I suppose there's no point forcing you. You won't be able to focus through your guilt. If you need a human opponent, I suppose I can volunteer but don't expect me to be challenging. I'm tired."

Her fire magic wasn't as refined either. Her arsenal consisted of a fire aura and a fireball. Anyone could beat her.

"Your call."
(Adalyn Endore)
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[12:06] Astelle Nora says, "No, you don't get it."
[12:06] Astelle Nora says, "I need someone able to react on the fly."
[12:06] Adalyn Endore says, "You clearly haven't fought an aggressive boar. It will keep you on your toes the whole time."
[12:08] Astelle Nora says, "You'll see what I mean when we do it."
[12:08] Adalyn Endore says, "Fine."
[12:09] Adalyn stretched her muscles and prepared her spells. This was her first time sparring with someone who wasn't an Endore. She was nervous.

"Let's go to a more open area then."
(Adalyn Endore)
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[12:12] Adalyn Endore asks, "Where did you go?"
[12:15] Adalyn Endore says, "This looks fine."
[12:15] Astelle Nora exclaims, "Sure!!!"
[12:16] Adalyn Endore says, "Keep this for after the battle."
[12:17] {ITEM} You accepted and consumed a Jerky from Adalyn Endore
[12:19] Astelle held her hand up, drawing water from the ensuing area and causing it to coalesce into a small orb, about the size of a baseball.

"I don't want you to fight, I just want you to try to knock these out of the air. I'm going to try to convert them to ice midair so I can learn how to turn my water into ice in a way that's applicable for combat. If I fail, I'll need you to pay attention and dodge, but if I succeed, you'll be able to easily melt it with your fire magic. You understand?"

Huh. She seemed to actually know what she was talking about in this case, and seemed almost strangely calm in her explanation of it.
(Astelle Nora)
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[12:22] Adalyn followed her instructions intently. Her explanation was surprisingly concise and brief, a manner which Adalyn appreciated more.

"I'll keep a blanket of fire surrounding me, since I already sustained wounds from swuisame. I'll hurl fireballs at you and trust you to not die. Good luck."

She took a few steps back and channelled the heat from within. Her red hair rose up as her entire image seemed to be shimmering due to the heat generated by her body. The air soon ignited and Adalyn was enveloped in a blanket of fire. She looked at Astelle with a calm expression, ready for what was coming.

"Ready when you are."
(Adalyn Endore)
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[12:29] Astelle calmly nodded, holding the orb of water in her hands like a baseball, even though it was unnecessary to do so. She reared her hand back and focused on what she practiced, applying the principles of calmness and stillness of mind to her emotional state. Rearing her hand back, Astelle tossed the ball of water forth towards Adalyn. Her first attempt was met with rather limited success- it was difficult to apply her principles when she was actually actively moving, so all her efforts resulted in was an orb of water with a few ice crystals scattered within. Adalyn was better off dodging either way, given said ice crystals were sharp.

"Darn! I gotta be calmer about it..."

This was difficult. It was hard enough for the girl to calm herself down when still, but applying that to movement seemed like a wall. Maybe, just maybe, she'd make some progress, though, because if nothing else, Astelle was persistent. She was so close.
(Astelle Nora)
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[12:35] Agnimazud Ishwaratu says, "Huh."
[12:36] Astelle Nora exclaims, "Hi Agni!!! Just practicing with a friend!"
[12:36] Adalyn observed Astelle trying to channel her water mixed with ice crystals jutting out from the body of her water orb. The crystals barely grazed her as she stood there watching the maid try her best at focusing. Her expression seemed to be tense and because of this, her concentration wavered. The inexperience in combat prowess showed. She walked over to Astelle and offered her advice.

"Look, don't try to be calm. I can see your eyebrows being contracted and your shoulders getting stiffer by the moment. I'm not your goal. I'm serving as your target. You cannot calm yourself by trying to be calm. You need to breathe and focus on one thing only; and that is unification of the element you're trying to master. My brother Zeitan is an ice magi, if he were here, I would let him train you. But I can tell you this, whenever he practised, he envisioned himself as an icicle floating in air and being one with the coldness around him. That's how you'll naturally get into a state of mind where the element and you are one."

She patted Astelle's shoulder and pushed them down. In order to reassure her more, she decided to add a little something to the mix.

"I'm performing a ritual which will enhance your water magic for a couple of hours. You will feel a surge of energy travelling through your body, but I believe it will help you. Just close your eyes and remember what I said. Holding your breath will not help you breathe better. You have to let go."

She focused her palms on the ground and performed a ritual. Being a fire magi, her power would be significantly weakened upon performing a water ritual but this wasn't a real fight. She could handle it. She nodded to the person who just joined them and performed the ritual.
(Adalyn Endore)
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[12:36] Agnimazud Ishwaratu says, "I didn't expect to find you way out here. But I guess find you in some place you have no real reason to be in is fitting when it comes to you."
[12:36] Astelle Nora says, "I'm nothing if not predictable in the fact that I'm unpredictable."
[12:37] Agnimazud Ishwaratu says, "Yeah... right."
[12:38] Agnimazud Ishwaratu asks, "Anyway, who're you, red-head?"
[12:39] Adalyn turned to the person who just called her a 'red-head' and gave them a fierce look.

"Adalyn Endore.", she observed them while watching Astelle. Her concentration completely directed on the ritual at hand.
(Adalyn Endore)
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[12:42] Agnimazud couldn't help but smirk at the female's demeanor. "Agnimazud Ishwaratu." he spoke, first and foremost.

He took a few steps forward, but kept a little bit of distance. Clearly, this was something important. He rubbed at the bottom of his chin with his left, unarmored hand. Was Astelle about to get even stronger?

Good. It was her natural prowess that drove him to improve enough to defeat her prior. It this created another rift between their respective power levels, that would make his motivation increase exponentially in return. "Funny. You seem like the complete opposite of Asty already."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)
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[12:50] "This universe is but a harmony of opposites.", she replied to the stranger whose name she found it difficult to pronounce in her current state of mind. She had to succeed in seeing this ritual through because she was afraid of the risks it posed if performed incorrectly. Nagic was a fickle thing, and so was the girl's mood. She kept an eye at the stranger's approaching footsteps, ready to act in case something out of the ordinary were to occur. In foreign lands, safety was priority.


(Adalyn Endore)
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[12:51] Astelle didn't pay a bit of attention to the conversation that was going on, her focus solely on what she had to do once the ritual was completed. Adalyn's advice was noted, but ultimately discarded. There was more than one way to skin a cat, just as there were multiple ways to utilize the same tree of magic, and she found something that bore fruit. However, if all else failed, she at least had something else to lean on.

"I don't really need advice because what I do works well enough, but thank you for the effort! It's about application, not changing my method!!!"

Another orb of water coalesced within her hand, and she once more calmed herself down. While she could just turn this into a ball of ice and toss it for a perfectly serviceable ice attack, she needed to be able to manifest it on the spot to actually cast ice magic. So, with her previous failure in mind...

"Think fast!"

...she tossed the orb of water forth, and this time, her calmness managed to drain warmth from the water. It didn't turn it into complete ice though, not yet. Instead it turned into a ball of slush that, while not as damaging as ice, would still hit Adalyn with a surprising amount of blunt force if she didn't either dodge or melt it.

She made progress with every step. Despite being dense in most matters, when it came to magic, she had some idea of what she was doing.
(Astelle Nora)
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[12:57] Yet another trio would be found by the leather-clad knight.
He'd keep an eye on the flaming one, however he seemed quite off, tired.

"Lo' there..."

He'd adjust a scrap of iron to keep it's way into his leather jacket.
(John Bardsman)
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[12:58] "Whatever floats your boat.", she replied indifferently as she stepped back again. A different rush of orbs came forth from the magi's hands as Adalyn dodged the iciles which seemed to carry a certain momentum in their flight this time. Her flames wouldn't vaporize them instantly as before as she had to actually try to dodge them. The progress Astelle had made between two successive attacks was significant.

Different methods work for different people.

"You're doing good, but not as good enough as Zeitan. But keep going! You'll get there."

A few particles of ice grazed her sleeve as she winced upon the cold hitting her warm skin. Ice was really a fire magi's worst enemy. She found the flurry of slushy icicles unpleasant but she was glad she could help her friend progress. A smile could be seen forming in her face despite the unpleasant nature of opposite elements meeting in combat. She enjoyed the thrill of the fight and this was her first too.

"You're not half bad -ah!!", she stumbled as her knees felt weak. The ritual had finished as her flames diminished in intensity. Astelle however, should have grown powerful.

"Not the best time for the ritual to activate.", she grimaced as another stranger joined the party. She nodded, acknowledging their presence as she braced herself for impact.


(Adalyn Endore)
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[13:00] Agnimazud stood quietly, with arms folded at his chest. He gave a nod to the leather knight that showed up, but overall his eyes and attention never peeled away from Astelle. She really was going and getting herself stronger--by another teacher, at that!

Eh, he shouldn't have been surprised. With how addicted this weird girl was to making friends, this was more or less something that was bound to happen sooner or later realistically. "Asty, when you're in top form after this is all over, you better show me a good fight."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)
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[13:01] John Bardsman says, "Ritual? What do you three have going on...hehe..."
[13:02] Adalyn Endore says, "I performed a water ritual on my friend."
[13:02] John Bardsman says, "Interesting."
[13:02] Astelle Nora says, "Hmmmmm."
[13:03] Astelle Nora says, "Maybe trying to do it through a fight would be best..."
[13:03] Astelle Nora exclaims, "Wanna fight, Lyn?!"
[13:03] Adalyn Endore says, "Sure."
[13:04] Astelle Nora exclaims, "Yesssssssss!!!!!!"
[13:04] Agnimazud Ishwaratu says, "...Damn, I kind of want to fight now too."
[13:05] John Bardsman says, "..Heh...A spar is always a good time..."
[13:05] Agnimazud Ishwaratu says, "Yeah? We should go at it ourselves, then."
[13:05] John Bardsman says, "Mmh? Oh, alright! Lets get this going then..."
[13:05] Adalyn Endore says, "The odds are completely stacked against me."
[13:05] Adalyn Endore says, "It will be fun."
[13:09] And with that, Astelle's demeanor shifted; from energetic and excitable, to calm and collected, Astelle's utilization of magic had a drastic effect on her temperament. At her heart, her casting was heavily symbolic, so just as her emotions impacted her casting, so too did her casting impact her emotions. The slightest of chills surrounded the immediate area too, making her budding knowledge of ice magic even more noticeable. However, she still utilized water, showing that she still had a ways to go before being able to do anything ice-related in combat.

"Show me your best, Adalyn. I wanna see what you're made of!"

Even the way she spoke became noticeably calmer. Agni only person who saw the effect magic had on Astelle, so it might end up catching Lyn off guard.
(Astelle Nora)
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[13:09] John would raise his sword, a seemingly leather tip would stop the stabby bit from being lethal, however the ragged metal blade didn't look friendly.

"Best of luck."

He'd assume a pose, something that looked, just a little too practiced.
(John Bardsman)
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[13:09] {Item} You picked up Butterfly.. Dropped by Adalyn Endore. .
[13:10] Adalyn Endore says, "Ready."
[13:12] Astelle Nora exclaims, "Not bad!!!"
[13:12] Adalyn Endore says, "Likewise."
[13:20] Astelle had some warming up to do before she could do her best, so at the start, it actually seemed relatively even. However, as time went on, Astelle's precision and focus improved drastically, and she adapted to Adalyn's fighting style. This adaptation made all the difference in the world, because towards the end of the fight, Astelle had a major advantage over the other girl.

Beams and whips were launched, and as the battle went on, the chill surrounding her attacks grew more noticeable, in tandem with the increasing calm and focus that being in a battle brought with her. Rather than being tense, like one would normally expect in a fight, Astelle instead relaxed herself while fighting, which proved vital to her ever-increasing proficiency in ice. She blew back Lyn with a focused beam of water, leaving a patch of frost on her chest, and doing enough damage for Astelle to consider this fight finished.

"Well done, Lyn! You'repretty strong and know how to move pretty well! I'm impressed!"
(Astelle Nora)
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[13:22] To say that Agni was disappointed... would be a monumental understatement. There was an exceeding ease in which he dispatched of the other swordsman. The prospect of clashing magic with someone using the same kind as him--right down to the same style of swordplay--had hyped him up for something that very much left something to be desired.

...Still! Agnimazud was not one to look down upon others right off the bat. The disappointment lay less with John himself, but more in that he instinctively desired battle when the possibility was in the air. Something akin to a shark's arousal when blood drips into the water. "You've got a lot of practice to do, looks like. Still--thanks for giving me the fight."

There was no degrading or insult from this Drakanite. Rather, he calmly hauled his sword over his winged pauldron and slid it back into place in the black sheath hidden beneath his cloak. Agni turned his head, glancing over to see that Astelle and Adalyn's battle had also concluded--with his 'pupil' as the victor. That was in line with his expectations, though.

"Good job, Asty. Makes me look even forward to our next training session--though, I kind of want a piece of Adalyn now, too."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)
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[13:28] Adalyn's wounds weren't anything severe but they were the worst she had sustained yet. The ice had cut through her dress in various places and the water beams hit her ribs with devastating force. Her chest was sore as she clutched it while getting to her feet with considerable difficulty. The combination of cold water streams and ice particles bursting through the wall of fire proved to be too much for the little Endore.

"Ouch.. I need to ask Yvel to nurse me."


For all her gullibility, Astelle was pretty strong for a water user. Almost as strong as Theodore. She was glad she got to watch Astelle improve in battle as it progressed. It was a phenomenon unique to fighters with an adaptable mind and a nature that shaped itself adapting to its magic. Water suited her the most.

"Congratulations. You did great. I commend your strength, Astelle. You're indeed a strong magi. Keep going! I look forward to more battles with you."

With a face holding back intense pain and discomfort, she quelled her flames as she turned to Agnimazud.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm but as you can see, the fight was overwhelming. I am not a seasoned fighter and my arsenal is too limited to be practical in battle. However, when I've learned enough magic to hold my own, I promise I will give you a battle worth remembering."

She smiled at Astelle and patted her head. She found it difficult to breathe as she channelled her flames internally, heating up her nerves and massaging her sore muscles. It was a clear defeat, one that she would hold close as a good memory..


(Adalyn Endore)
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[13:32] Astelle smiled and excitedly nodded her head, the energy she was commonly known for returning to her all at once. That's not to say she was ready to fight more, though. No, she was exhausted too.

She just didn't have an off switch to her enthusiasm, unless she was casting.

"Yeah, I know!!! I'm ready to head back though! We can practice more later!!!"

The sense of accomplishment she felt was palpable; not for winning, but for her advancement in her art. She was so close, and just needed that one last push to finally figure everything out.

"Thank you so much!!!! I had a lot of fun!"
(Astelle Nora)
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