Fluidity and Malleability

The expanses of verdant about them seemed boundless, stretching beyond the reach of their own magic, only creasing when a rocky bridge linked Huangzhou's vicinity to that of the plains that led to the olden Deryu to the North.

Ban gazes at Tenevan, issuing the merman a vagarious, assuring nod.

"I've had the input of many in the matter. Elementalists of all sorts- but you are of a different chaste. A siren, so deeply attuned to water, and masterful of the fundaments of Ice magicraft."

"Tell me, Tenevan. What is it that lies within the domain of the one field of hydrosophism I do not command? What makes it different? As of late, I have attempted to refine my conjuring, and taper myself to a different line in the invocation of my base element: water."

"However . . my latest advancements have not strayed too further beyond conjurations of greater power, as you have witnessed. The dome. And thus, I have come for your aid, and an angle I have not yet considered."
(Ban Heifang)
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The Merman followed along, making his way along the grassy plains. The rising sun left a beautiful gleam in the sky at this early hour, and the Siren spent a moment admiring it before Ban addressed him.

His attention snapped to the raven-haired water mage. His hands were placed together, listening along to the whole litany.

"Hm..."

Tenevan nodded along in specific points, and before long, his gaze drifted off to something in the distance. His expression shifted - his brow furrowed, he chewed on a lip and overall, seemed to be in thought.

Eventually, he turned back towards Ban. He still seemed thoughtful, yet he started, slowly:

"Water and wind come naturally to us mermen, and... yes-yes, I'd say I'm more attuned than a land-dweller could hope for. Ice, however..."

"Ice magic is a different beast, it's a combination of wind magic and water, but it goes beyond it's base elements into something more specific."

He furrowed his brow once more, bringing a hand up to his chin.

"I'm unsure how much help I can provide, but I can at least detail the way I conjure cold and ice. The first step is to build up an isolated pocket of air- then one starts focusing, chilling and cooling this pocket. When you have frost to draw upon, you must learn to manipulate that cold, shift it around, blow it in gusts - and make it flow into water."

He nodded twice, shrugging his shoulders.

"You are not a wind mage, so I doubt you will ever truly master the craft, but that is the basic process. From the smallest of ice-cubes, to a frozen wasteland- all is in the realm of possibility for a master."
(Tenevan)
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"I . . see. It is true that I am not a wind, or ice magi. However, it has just come to my attention that the ought to be one field of spellcasting I feel would greatly benefit me, were I to refine it."

"Where do we draw power from?"

Ban points an index towards Vespera, that rested against his back. The staff was composed of a mythril handle, as unselfishly scarce in impressiveness as they came. The candles by its edge, however, had been thoroughly noted as being blood, hardened into a resilient, crystallized form.

A flicker of digits, and the candles liquefy, morphing into scarlet streams that flux and churn about the air, vibrating under the pressure of a dozen unmuttered whims, as a corresponding number of maneuvers thwarted and promoted their progress, rhythmically.

"I carry with me the receptacles that produce my feats of magic. The way you describe it, however- implicates that you influence the environment to provide you with all. How?"
(Ban Heifang)
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The Siren examined the man's staff for a time, letting his gaze linger on the flickering flame. A hand is brought up, and he lifts one finger up in the air.

"The air is a simple matter, and conjuring water is... something that comes naturally to us Sirenia. It is easier to draw it from the atmosphere, but if necessary, I can morph my own mana into liquid form."

The Merman focused for a moment, and a small stream of water burst from his index finger, morphing into a bubble that he took within his palm. It was discarded soon, left to float to the ground and burst.

If Ban was paying attention, he might be able to see the blue glow within his eyes, or perceive the flow of mana about his circuitry.

"The cold, however- it's difficult. More intensive. Chilling the air about me takes time and energy, which is why I isolate a smaller pocket from the surroundings. It makes it... more controllable."

He closed his eyes for a moment, and a whirling mass of air began to take shape about him. The atmosphere around the Siren chilled noticeably, and before long, he was surrounded within a light, twirling gale. A few droplets of water solidified into snowflakes, dropping on his shoulders.

"It's... tricky, but I can control it well enough by now."

There was a constant, light flow of mana about the Siren. Some was circling about him, keeping the air moving and flowing, separated. Some permeated off his being, likely cooling the temperatures about him.

The Merman opened his eyes, bringing his hands back to his sides. One was placed on his hip as his gaze returned to Ban.
(Tenevan)
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Ban was skillful, there was no denying that- one of the Heifang's fundamental flaws, at any rate, was his inability to rely on that which surrounded him, rather opting to depend on the resources that he garnered, or was provided him. Perhaps it was a flaw in his character, or the fault of being untrusting to all but himself, but not even he was above evolution.

"Perhaps I have been narrow-minded, in my ways, restricting myself to make use of nothing but what I could reach. Finite."

The investigator's form hunches down, and his fingers crackle with effort, submitting to the will of a pair of clenching fists, as the mage exerted great vigor to bring to fruition what Tenevan performed, but in a grander scale.

Droplets of similar dimensions to those conjured by the siren were manifested in the air in large rows, before multiplying, dividing and having their basic essence extracted from the atmosphere. Ban's teeth grit, and the area surrounding his cheeks has its tone subdued to a ruddy streak.

Not before long, the effort has his casting spiral into something far less harmless. One thousand specks of azure water cluster together, distorting into a hundred motionless spears that pointed downwards, then unhastily shifting about the duo, circularly. A quick, labored exhale, and Ban falls to a knee. And so do the constructs, splattering against the grass beneath.

A hueless gaze rises to Tenevan's iridescent own. A feeble smile.

"One step at a time- I suppose."
(Ban Heifang)
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The Siren allows the gale about himself to slowly dissipate, sprinkling the ground at his feet with snow which soon starts melting. His gaze becomes fixed as Ban himself hunches down, beginning his own conjurations.

He remains silent, though his eyes stay transfixed on the investigator, calmly examining his effort to cast. A smile creeps to the corner of his lips in time, and he leans back.

His gaze finally escapes the man once the torrent of water reaches form and starts twirling about the two. He glances about himself, bringing his feet closer together.

"Beautiful work."

His voice is quiet, but he gives off an approving nod. In time, the torrent ends, and his attention returns to the man.

"Even a fish has to practice before he can swim. You'll learn in time, as we all do."

He patted the man on the shoulder, then gestured towards the town walls.

"I believe we're done here, yes-yes?"
(Tenevan)
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Ban Heifang says, "We are. I am grateful for your mentoring, Tenevan. You are indeed one of the noblest among us."

Tenevan says, "Oh, hardly."