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 Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:52 am
This Quest is for Makani who is striving to become an Mage.
 OOC
||. The quest prompt must be answered with a 2000 word reply (can be more).
||. Respond to the prompt given with an adventure of your own creation as long as it meets the requirements of the specific tasks.
||. NPCs may be used as long as they advance the quest in an interesting manner.
||. You cannot include any playable characters other than the quest taker.
||. Your responses will be graded on a letter grade scale: a grade of D or F will result in repeating the quest process, C or better will result in passing and possible rewards.
||. Questions about quests can be asked here.
IC
The winter wind bit into the air and forced a chill down anyone's spine who happened to be outside. A caravan passed through the terrain, winding its way through Makani's village, not planning on stopping on it's way through. It passed without much fuss, leaving almost as fast as it had come.
Not even half of the day had gone by before a man showed up in town from the direction that the caravan had left. The caravan had broken a wheel and was in need of assistance. When asked for a head count and description of the people traveling with the man it was found out that there was also a blind man who performed magic. It was a long shot, but they could probably be reached before their wheel was fixed.
The old man it turns out, lost his sight with his old age, but still performs magic with accuracy and ease. There could be many things to learn from him...
Quest Tasks
||. This quest should include the old man helping Makani to 'see' with his magic. He will be able to be a bridge for Makani since he once was able to see.
||. The old man might be unwilling at first, though he can be persuaded by the right cause.
||. The quest should include Makani's journey to find the man without sight, and his training with the elderly man.
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Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 4:22 am
Part One: Interesting News
Makani wasn't in the most amiable of moods at present, not after what had happened earlier, instead he was feeling a bit on the lonely side. He'd caught word that a caravan had passed by the village, not even bothering to stop, and a part of him was wholly convinced that it was the same one that Lusala traveled with. The fact that it hadn't even bothered to stop caused Makani to instantly start to think on what that might mean, most likely that his friend no longer wanted to visit with him. He supposed that it made sense in a way, Makani was just a child when they first met and hung out together. Maybe Lusala was just too busy doing merchant things to spend all of his time with a child? As much as the thought stung he supposed that it made sense in a way, he was still just a child even if he had grown up to a point, one that hadn't even quite found his way in life yet. So why would someone that knew his path like Lusala spend his time with someone like Makani? Stupid Lusala he thought to himself in a grumpy fashion, giving the crunchy snow under his feet a sharp kick.
"I think maybe I need to grow up a little and focus on other things, huh?" He said to Rae who was walking along at his side, keeping an eye on her boy as he sulked around the village. She could tell that her boy was in a mood which meant that it was best that she took care of him. At the moment Eira was away, off trying to recruit more people to her troupe and Herluin was out on a hunt, something he did often as a way to get meat both to feed his family and to trade for other things that they might need. It left Makani on his own save for his raptrix, something that made his thoughts that much more cloying... though that dark mood seemed to get brushed aside when he heard something interesting. Tilting his head to one side he listened in to what was being saying, men chatting about the caravan that had left a while ago, that it had broken a wheel, which surely meant that they weren't going to be going anywhere for a while, right? Did that mean that he could try to catch up with it? See if Lusala was amongst them?
The other things that were said though sort of dashed those hopes, it sounded as though it were a much bigger group then Lusala's merchant caravan which only consisted of two people and their work animals. How long had be been acting a bit like a raptrix puppy waiting for his master to return? Always checking for the merchant caravan, or at least the right one that Lusala traveled with, waiting for it to arrive, and when it didn't he went home bummed and remained that way for days. Now that he was really thinking about it he couldn't recall how many times he'd hurried off to various visiting caravans looking for his friend only to be disappointed when it was someone else. This time was the same, another caravan that wasn't the right caravan and he was about to turn toward home when he heard something that actually caused him to trip over his own feet.
As he knelt there in the snow, recovering both from the fall and the news that he'd heard from the nearby men, he couldn't help but to shake a bit. The caravan might not be the one that he had been waiting for but it turned out that it was still one that he was going to have to visit, wasn't it? There was a magic user aboard it, one who just like Makani was blind! That meant that it was possible to be both blind and useful he thought to himself, groping around for a moment with one hand until he found Rae, using her to pull himself up to his feet, "We need to find that Caravan." He told her, only having the most vague of information to go on, that being the direction in which one had to leave town to get to where their wagon had broken its wheel. He would need to move fast, huh? If he didn't they would fix the wheel and be gone leaving Makani with yet more disappointment.
"Come on, we have to go now." A part of him knew that it would probably be a smart thing to find Eira or his father first, to let them know where he was going, but he couldn't chance it. He couldn't waste that much time when the caravan might very well be gone by the time he found one of them. It was up to him and if he got punished later it would be more then worth it if it meant that he would be able to at least talk with someone that had magical ability. He wanted to know if he had the aptitude for it and who better to tell him then a man who could wield such a power even without sight? Giving a happy sound in his throat, his mood soaring now, Makani hurried out of the village and toward where he hoped the caravan would be.
(( Word Count: 900 ))
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Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 11:22 am
Part Two: Resolve
It was a bit strange, to be so far from the village with nobody but Rae at his side. For most of his life he'd at least stuck to places where he could still hear the village in the background when he was on his own or he was being escorted by one of his family members. To leave like this, without even letting them know, was rather ambitious for the blind boy. He didn't want to make either of them end up worried or angry but he felt that this was something that he really had to do! If there was a chance of meeting up with someone like himself then he was going to do everything that he could to meet up with that person. To meet up with another blind magic user, it was as though finally things were really looking up. The problem being that he had to get there, unlike with Rae who he could ask to lead him home, to Borra's place, or to the spot that they often waited for Lusala this was a new place to both of them.
There would be no having her lead the way this time, instead they were walking side by side, Makani's hand resting on her thick, fluffy neck. They walked ever forward in the direction that Makani hoped was the right one, with Makani tilting his head from side to side, trying to pick up any sounds that might come from the caravan that they were trying to find. The sounds of voices, of animals milling about, of people going about everyday things, those were all of things that he wanted to hear. What he heard instead was just the snow crunching under their feet, the sounds of their breathing, and the wind blowing passed. None of those sounds were really something that bolstered his confidence any, instead just causing him to sigh a bit, "I wonder if I'm thinking too highly of myself." He muttered, knowing full well that just because there was one blind mage in the world that it didn't automatically make him one too. What if his blindness was just too much? What if it dragged him down? What if it dragged others down? The very last thing he wanted was to be a burden...
He wondered if he should give up on this foolish outing, if he should just go back home and take up his sister on her offer to be a part of her troupe. While he wasn't certain exactly what he thought about being put on display as the 'blind guy who did tricks' at least he'd be amongst friends and family, not completely alone like he was now, as he would be when Eira left since their father was often away on hunts, and given that Lusala might not be coming back. It would just be Rae there with him, something he was sort of used to, but hated at the same time. It wasn't often that he lamented about his eyes not working, he was born this way after all, but in situations like this one where everything just blurred together making him feel isolated, cold, and alone, it got to him.
Turning slightly, facing the way that they had come from for a moment he found himself weighing his options. He could very well head home, forget about this endeavor, and just join Eira's troupe. It would be easier, right? Turning then so that he could face once more the way that he felt the caravan would be located he gave a sigh. Heading that way, toward a place he might not find, that was the other option, to learn whether or not he had any magical aptitude, or worse, learn that he had none. It was a bit on the frightening side for many reasons, he didn't want to learn that he had no potential and going straight to another mage might very well might end in that manner. Lifting his hands up he clung for a moment to his mother's necklace, a shiver going through him, "What do I do?" He whispered, not sure what it was that he should do from here on out, torn between doing what was easy and doing what was right. He couldn't flee from this, couldn't be a coward, he had to meet with the other mage, had to give it at least a try, right?
As though agreeing with him, giving him the sign that he needed, the wind picked up suddenly, pushing against his back in a way that forced him forward a couple of steps. Makani's eyes went a bit wide for a moment as he felt the push, "Alright, I understand." He replied. He couldn't be afraid, couldn't hesitate or fall back on the easy path. He wanted to be something more then just a Herluin's blind, halfbreed son! He wanted to be more then a member of Eira's troupe, hired on only because he was her brother. He wanted to be more then a burden and there was at least a chance that going to the caravan and meeting with the other mage would help him with that. Giving a soft sigh, moving his hands from the necklace to his scarf he said, "I'm sorry, Lusala, I can't wait for you anymore. Please, forgive me."
With those words of apology to his good friend and first crush he started forward once more. He had to find the caravan, had to find the mage, and he had to learn if magic was the path that he was meant to go down. As he finally came up over the rise in the snow that he had been standing at the foot of various sounds finally came to him, those that had been muffled by the wind until he was able to get to the higher vantage point, "Ahhh... we made it, Rae." He said to his raptrix before adding, "Best that we try to find the mage before the caravan is fixed and leaves without us." With that he and his companion hurried down the hill, heading toward the caravan, excitement building in Makani's heart more and more the closer that they got to their destination.
(( Word Count: 1041 ))
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:41 pm
Part Three: The Guide
"Hello there, are you from the village? Here to help with the broken wagon wheel?" Came a rather melodious voice as Makani got closer to where the caravan had been forced to stop. It was a male voice, one that he found himself instantly interested in if only because of the sound of it. It was one that he felt would be that much nicer were the guy to start singing... a thought that made him feel as though he had been hanging out with his sister for far too long. Her interest in those that were useful for her troupe was starting to rub off on him and it was something that he needed to put aside. He wasn't here to play recruiter for his sister after all. No, he was here to try to find the blind mage, he had to focus on that instead of one the man with the nice voice.
After he got his thoughts in order Makani finally said, "I heard rumors about a mage that is with you, a blind one, I need to meet with him." Surely since this man was a part of the caravan then he must know where the mage could be found? He could only hope that the man would be willing actually tell him where the man was, Makani was an outsider after all. Due to that fact alone this man might very well be more hesitant to do so.
In fact the man was studying Makani carefully before he cocked his head to one side, lifting a hand to hold it in front of the blond's face, waving it for a moment, and then gave pause when there was zero reaction from Makani. It was something that had the man going a little wide eyed before he finally said, "I suppose I could tell you where he is but it's not like he's going to teach you, from what I gather it's been years since he's taken on an apprentice." The man's voice was sympathetic, as though he felt bad for breaking such news to Makani.
There was a long moment in which Makani seemed to think about the man's words before giving a little laugh, "Huh, apprentice, huh? I hadn't even thought about." He admitted, never having really thought about asking the man to teach him, "All I really wanted to know was if I had any potential for magic, I hadn't really thought about asking him to teach me." Of course now that such a thought had been put into his head he was instantly finding it to be a shame that the man didn't taken on apprentices, being able to learn from someone like him might be able to aid him in learning more about magic. Provided of course that Makani had it in him to be able to wield such a force. He couldn't say that he was a powerful mage in the making, one that would be wielding only the most powerful of spells! Naw, nothing like that, more like just a hunch that he was curious about.
"Even if he isn't interested in an apprentice do you think that he might be able to tell me if I have any magical aptitude?" He asked of the man with the melodious voice. Surely it wouldn't be putting the older mage out too much to answer such a simple question, right? At least Makani really hoped not. He'd come here because he didn't want to be a burden any more, not to make himself a burden on someone else entirely. Just the one question and then he would be on his way! He wouldn't bother the man about something that he wasn't interested in, that being teaching him magic. If he had the ability to use magic then surely he would be able to figure it out on his own... right? Maybe, maybe not, but if he had the gift and the man didn't want to help him then he would just have to seek out another mage to be his teacher. That wasn't something that he was going to allow himself to worry too much about though, not until he got confirmation from the mage if he were willing.
The man standing in front of Makani gave a bit of a laugh, "Is that all? Surely the grumpy old coot couldn't refuse you such a simple request as that." He said, reaching out to take Makani's hand in his, a too friendly move that caused Rae to give him a little growl from between barred teeth. The man gave her a glance then said in a soothing, "Easy now, friend, I just want to help him along is all." He hoped to calm her before getting savaged by the large, displeased creature, but didn't let go of Makani, standing his ground so that the raptrix didn't think him a coward.
Makani lifted his free hand, reaching out to rest it on Rae's head, "She is just used to being the one to lead me around." He explained, then said to her, "It's alright, Rae, you can help too." He told his fluffy companion, scratching her behind the ears to calm her down before telling the other man, "Your help is most appreciated since I am not quite sure who it is that I am seeking out." He'd come all this way because he'd overheard others talking about the blind mage, he had no idea where to find him other then somewhere amongst those who were a part of the caravan. Now that he'd made it here he was a bit lost. This man had arrived just in time to save him a lot of embarrassment as far as trying to seek out the mage was concerned.
"It's not a problem, I like to help out where I can. My name is Bohlale, but just Boh is fine." He introduced himself, starting forward with Makani and Rae once the big raptrix had been calmed down by her owner, feeling that it was safe to move.
Giving a smile the blond said, "My name is Makani, it's nice to meet you Boh."
(( Word Count: 1022 ))
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Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:36 am
Part Four: Sango
Makani was rather excited, if a bit on edge, as the one called Boh led him forward toward where the older mage was waiting. He was so worried, what if the man wasn't interested in helping him out? What if he didn't want to deal with prentices in general? What if Makani ended up as being nothing but a bother to the man? There were so many questions racing through his head and as such he found himself asking, "Ahhh... Boh, what is the guy like that we are going to see?" He traveled with him so surely he must know what he was like, right? Maybe he would be able to give him some insight on how he should deal with the older man so that Makani wouldn't make a complete fool of himself when he started to ask favors of a stranger. It wasn't like when he was little, he couldn't relying on being small and cute to win him any favors as it had with some in the past.
Boh seemed to consider the question for a moment before he said, "Well... it's not that he is a bad guy, per say, he's just a bit of a hard a** is all. He says that his powers are a gift, not something that should be exploited at every turn. Man, he about blew his lid one cold night when someone asked him to start up a fire with his magic." He gave a little wince just as the memory of that particular night. He gave a bit of a laugh as he then added, "After a long lecture about magic, how sacred it is, and various other strict lessons about how it shouldn't be trifled with he turned and started the fire. He likes to preach but he didn't want anyone freeze to death either." Boh wasn't a magic wielder himself so he didn't quite understand it all in the same way that those with the gift might, as such he'd just been careful to keep his head down while the old man ranted.
"I am sure that you don't have to worry about him biting off your head instantly but expect him to be a bit standoffish." Boh warned Makani, not wanting for the boy to get his hopes up, "Just because you share a few things in common with the old man doesn't mean that you are going to hit it off in an instant. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if he tossed us both out on our respective asse... OW!" Boh gave a little cry of pain as he was thump on the head by a gnarled walking stick, something that caused him to whirl around, ready for a fight... until he saw who was standing there, "Ah! Oh... hey there, Sango, we were just looking for you... well, I mean, I was, Makani was accompanying me but not exactly looking for you and... oh hey! Look at the time... I should probably go and be somewhere else right now."
There was a moment of silence from the old man before he said, "Yes, that sounds like a rather fine idea, Boh, please do dismiss yourself." The old man said, giving him a rather withering look. It was impressive how well he could stare someone down despite being blind. Years of practice was the guess of those who traveled with the caravan. Turning toward where Makani stood the man demanded, "And you, stranger, what are you looking at?!"
Makani shifted in place, head cocked to one side, before he said with a bit of a laugh, "Can't say I am looking at much. How about you?" This was so surreal, to be meeting someone else like himself, and yet given his nerves he couldn't help but to make such a joke. It was something that was rewarded with a thump on the head. Jerking his hands up to his head he rubbed them against the now aching spot, "Ow... that really does hurt..." He whimpered, deciding that he probably deserved that, but it didn't make it hurt any less. If anything the fact that he had been caught so off guard meant that it hurt that much more!
Another moment of silence from the old man before he gave a sigh, "Ahh, I get it now." He muttered, realizing that anyone with the ability to be starring right at him when he took a swing should have dodged. Those that he threatened in the caravan tended to learn to do so pretty quickly but this body hadn't even seen it coming, a sentiment that he knew all too well himself. Hard to dodge what you couldn't see coming... though in Sango's case it was something that he had been able to overcome in the many years since he'd lost his sight. Giving a shake of his head he moved to walk passed Makani, "Whatever it is that you want from me I am not interested, go bother someone else little boy." Some sort of miracle, perhaps? Just because they were both blind didn't meant that he was going to be able to pull anything like that out of his backside.
Makani's hand tightened on Rae for a moment, clinging to her, before he turned toward where he could heard the old man. He was walking away? Just like that? He wasn't even curious why Makani was here? He stood there, frozen in fear for what felt like an eternity but was in fact likely only a couple heartbeats, before he moved to pursue the old man. He couldn't let him get away! Not yet at least! He had to at least get an answer to his question! Then and only then would he allow the old man to chase him off.
(( Word Count: 959 ))
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Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 3:54 pm
Part Five: The Question
The fact that Makani was following along after Sango was something that would likely be more then obvious to the older man. The sound of snow crunching under his feet was more then enough to point it out to the man and yet he'd said nothing to stop him from doing so. In fact he hadn't said anything at all passed his attempted dismissal of the halfbreed, instead leaving him to follow along after him for a while. At first he found himself wondering where it was that the old man was heading before he started to realize something important, the sounds around them, they kept repeating themselves, didn't they? The sounds of particular voices chatting, the sounds of the pack animals in charge of pulling the caravan wagons, the sounds of a couple fire pits crackling away. He suddenly came to a halt, tilted his head to one side, then finally asked, "We're just walking in circles, aren't we?" He didn't want to believe it but it was where all of the signs pointed at the moment.
There was a thoughtful sound from the older man, as though he was considering the question before he he gave a ghost of a smile that Makani would miss completely due to his lack of sight, "That took a lot less time then I figured it might. For being blind you are a lot less dense then some of those that bother me." He said, actually sounding as though he was impressed with the fact that Makani had caught on to the fact that he was leading him along in such a manner. Impressed or not though he wasn't about to go easy on the boy. Just because he was blind he wasn't going to go either on him either. In fact given the fact that the boy was unable to see meant that if anything he should be harder on him because the entire world would be harder on him.
"Listen, boy, I am uninterested in taking on an apprentice, surely that head in the clouds fool Boh told you that?" He asked of Makani in a demanding manner, wondering if maybe Boh had fed in false information that would give him hope as far as teaching from Sango went, "If you think for even a moment that I will be more easily swayed by you because you are blind just as I am you are wrong! I am not..."
"I know." Makani interrupted, "Boh told me that you weren't taking on apprentices, he also told me that you weren't a bad guy, instead he said that you were one that respected magic, I do too! I don't expect you to drop everything to teach me magic, I couldn't ask that much of you, but I hope that you can at least answer me a single question. I will get out of your hair no matter the answer to the question, I promise." It would be harder then it sounded if it turned out the answer to the question was 'yes' but a deal was a deal, right? If he could get the old man to at least let him know the answer to the most nagging question of Makani's existence that would almost be enough for him!
For a time the only sound between them was that of the chilled wind that was kicking up. Sango found himself wondering on what that question was. What could be so important that the boy would come this far for an answer? If it wasn't lessons in magic that he was after then what was it? Surely he must know that Sango was unable to heal blindness. If he could do that he'd of healed himself ages ago after all... and yet the boy wasn't pleading with him, wasn't begging him for help or for lessons or anything really. Instead he was promising to leave no matter what the answer to the all important question was. After a moment the man sighed, turning so that he and the boy were facing each other head on and he said, "State your questions but there is no promise that you will enjoy the answer to it."
Makani gave a smile and a nod, "Yeah, I kinda figured that the answer might not be one that I care for but I suppose even if the answer is no then I will just find another way to make sure that I am not a burden on my family, that's all." He told the older mage, then crossed his arms over his chest, "I just hope that I can find an option that affords me a job other then one my sister gives me... I don't quite think that counts as something I am earning of my own merit so much as it's something she is giving me because a blind act would drawn crowds." He murmured, half to himself. Shaking his head he then quickly added, "That is neither here nor there. All I want to know is if I have any sort of magical aptitude. Of late there are moments when I swear I can almost see! I know it's not my eyes though, those have never worked, but it's something else entirely. Magic allowing me to see, perhaps, or a gift from Bergchi? I can't say that I know for certain but I just... I want to know. If I have any skill, can you tell me that? I only know performers, hunters, and other prentice. I don't know any magic user so there is nobody else I can ask."
The old man found himself at a loss for words. When it came down to it what the boy was asking him was so very simple, a yes or no questions on whether or not he had a gift for magic. His reasoning behind it being a lot more complicated. He gave a soft sigh, then reached down to take off the thick, Raoti skin gloves he wore, tucking them into his pockets, before lifting them up, "Alright, let's see if there is any hope for you then when it comes to the magical arts." Now that he knew what the boy wanted he felt that it would be rather easy to get this done and send him on his way. Easier said then done though after learning that it was either walking the path of a mage, something that the old man saw as a worthwhile if painstaking path, or the boy got to be a blind act in a freak show... he found himself actually routing for the kid as he held his hands up in front of him, setting to work searching within Makani for a fount of magic.
(( Word Count: 1121 ))
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Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 10:50 pm
Part Six: Sango's Discovery
The old man was rather eager to see this through, to answer the question that Makani had posed to him, and send the boy on his way. He had other things to do, better things to do, then entertain a child who had delusions of grandeur he thought to himself. He wanted nothing more then to rest until dinner but here he was. Still, he'd agreed to this he reminded himself as he held his hand in front of the boy. He moved them slowly from side to side, then up to hover in front of his face. After a bit of time inspecting the boy's magical lines he gave a soft, sighing sound, "Geez, what a pain." He muttered to himself.
This wasn't what he was expecting at all. While the boy wasn't going to take over as the most powerful mage ever to walk the land anytime soon he could sense the potential. There was enough of it that it made the fact that the boy might end up a side show entertainer something that didn't sit well with him. In fact it left a sour feeling in his stomach. The boy had agreed to leave if he answered him, all that he had to do was giving him said answer and send him on his way... but what if the boy's gift was left to wither and die because he had nobody else to aid him from here? Lifting a hand he ran it through his white hair, grumbling to himself, before he turned on his heel, "Follow me." He snapped at Makani, starting forward toward the wagon that he oft traveled in. Lucky for him it wasn't his wagon that had broken a wheel meaning that heading inside wouldn't stir up a fuss. It also meant that he could sit down and chat with the boy at his leisure.
Confused beyond belief Makani reached out, patting Rae on the head, before he hurried along after the old man. This was odd... what was going on? Why was he following him? Did the man want him to sit down first? Was it bad news? He supposed that he would see soon enough, wouldn't he?
It wasn't long before the two of them were sitting within the warm wagon, Rae settling down behind Makani, and he found a think blanket being tossed at him. He worked on untangling himself from it before he wrapped in such a way that it would cover both himself and his Raptrix, not wanting to leave her out, "So... what is it? Is it bad? I have no gift?" He asked after a moment of toying with the fringe on the edge of the warm, hand woven blanket. A part of him wanted to change the subject, to ask the man about it, hoping against hope that he could hold off what he felt would be bad news. He refrained though, a deal was a deal and if the man meant to send him away after telling him that he lacked any magical talent at all that was that. He'd just have to figure out a new path was all!
The man settled down in front of him, reaching out to sweep up a cup that was sitting there, holding it, and poured himself a warm drink. It was something that he could do easily these days though not that long ago he was like Makani, blind as a newborn raptrix pup. After he set the kettle aside he finally said, "I will describe this to you in a simple manner, one that I know even a child like you could understand. Picture a mass of rope, all tangled together, that is the state your magic is in at the moment. It's being yanked in various directions, it's trying to compensate for your lack of sight, trying to aid you in staying warm despite the weather, trying to aid you in so many ways... but because it's so tangled up it's not doing terrible well at anything that it is attempting to do." He took another sip of his drink, allowing Makani a moment before he continued.
"There is only way for you to access your magic in any consistent manner is to untangle it, to get it to flow more freely. The best way to go about this is through meditation, it will allow you to concentrate on the process, and once the knots in your magical flow have been undone I believe that you will be able to access your magic more easily." He gave a soft, sighing sound as he said, "I suppose, since we aren't going anywhere until the other wagon is fixed, that I can help you with your meditation as well as learning to better channel your power."
Giving the young man a bit of a smile, one that showed in his voice he then said, "You will never be able to see, not in the way that normal people do, even with access to the magical energy within and around you, but I can teach you to use that power as a suitable replacement. If you accept my help that is."
Instantly Makani was nodding his head, "Yes! Please, I accept the help! I will do whatever I have to do! This means so much to me, thank you! Thank you so much!" He said in a rushed, all but bouncing in delight.
"Heh, we will see if you are thanking me later." He didn't mean to make it easy on the boy. He hadn't been looking for a teaching job, they were supposed to be just passing through this area. Bah, such a pain... but this was something he had to do. He couldn't just leave this kid on his own, he was flailing about like a fish out of water, and a blind one at that. He would be cruel to just leave him on his own. He'd help out for a time, until the wagons were fixed, and after that it would be up to Makani to do the rest.
(( Word Count: 1013 ))
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 11:13 pm
Finale: The Flow or Magic and the News of War
Meditation was a lot more intense, as well as boring, as he might have expected. Still, he was willing to keep at it until he better figured it all out. It wasn't something that he'd ever done before now, wasn't even something that he'd considered, but Sango was more then happy to help him to figure it out. That help including giving Makani the occasional thump on the head when he set to yawning or nearly nodding off while going about the meditation process. Relaxing was good, yes, but sleeping on the job was far less so it would seem. It was a strange line that he had to walk, figuring out how to stay awake but also remain completely at peace so that he would work on untangling his twisted magical lines.
It sounded complicated when he thought of it like that so he tried to instead think on it in the simple terms that Sango had used, the idea of untangling rope. That was actually something that he'd done before in the past, often finding himself given tasks that involved a keen sense of touch. He was good at such things so he couldn't really recall how many times his father had handed off the task of untangling ropes after they were used to catch an animal. Beasts could tangle them fiercely and his father never had time to untangle them. Makani was only to happy to help with that and it seemed to actually aid him as far as untangling his magical lines as well. The downside being that it seemed to be a slower going process then he'd like. What were his family members up to at the moment? Had father gotten home from his hunting? Was Eira back from her recruiting? Had they noticed he was missing? Perhaps they just thought that he was out on a walk or once more waiting for Lusala's return? It was hard to say really.
Shaking his head he forced himself to returned to concentrating on the task at hand. He couldn't worry too hard about things going on outside of the wagon, not if he wanted to finish what he'd started. This was something that he had committed himself to and he meant to see through to the end even if he ended up grounded when he got back home.
"You are doing well, I can sense it, the fact that your magic is starting to flow again. It is no longer choked off, no longer sitting stagnant. It isn't completely undone though, you have to keep at it. Concentrate harder, Makani, think about what you want to use your magic for, who you want to use it for." Sango encouraged his temporary student. This wasn't how he'd expected to spend the day but now that they were here he would see to it that everything that could be done before his departure was done.
Makani gave a nod of his head, shifting himself so that he was sitting in a cross legged manner, the blanket draped over his shoulders, eyes remaining closed as he tried to concentrate on that ever loosening knot that he felt within himself. It was strange, now that he was aware of the problem, now that he knew that he had the magical gift and knew what was holding it back, he was actually beginning to sense it. To be aware of the gift was something that was just too exciting... how he wanted to whoop and holler in delight over it. Something that would have to wait until later, he had more important things to do. That being the exact opposite of cheering and bouncing around funny enough.
He just had to keep at this meditating with everything he had in him was all. Reaching within himself, toward the heart of the knots in his magical lines so that he could tug on them. It was as though the right line was pulled when suddenly there was a feeling like a rush that went through him, something that almost left him feeling almost dizzy for a moment. Lifting a hand up he rested it against his forehead, "W-Woah... that was a bit of a head rush." He murmured, turning his attention to the man before him. It was like those few times when he swore that he was almost able to see. It was like Sango said though, it wasn't like what normal people could do but it was something else entirely. He couldn't figure out how to describe it, not exactly, as though he could sense things around him with his freed magic somehow. On top of that he knew that now, unlike before, it wasn't something faint and fractured. With more time he felt that he would be able to be able to 'see' even better then this as well!
Sango clapped his hands together, "I can feel it, the magic within you is flowing like a river once more, most impressive." He said, sounding most pleased with the fact that Makani had been able to do it, "That is all that I can really do for you today save for encouraging you to meditate daily. It will help you to keep your power flowing freely, you don't want to allow your magic to get itself tangled again now do you?"
"Ahhh, well... actually, I suppose there is one last thing I can do for you." The man said as he pushed to his feet, moving around, digging through his things, before he took out a few old books. He blew the dust off of them. He considered for a moment how long it had been since he'd learned such basic magic before he handed them over to Makani, "You will need to find someone to help you to read these, maybe a family member. They are spell tomes, those that will aid you in learning how to turn the power within you into true magic. There is a book for each of the elements as well as one about the healing arts." He explained to the boy as Makani took the books that he offered, "I suggest that you make good use of the healing tome, learn all that you can from its pages, especially with what is coming at us from the South."
"From the South?" He asked in a confused tone, wondering what the man meant by that. What was coming this way? Something dangerous if it was being suggested to him to learn the healing arts to help with dealing with it he'd suspect.
The man seemed to fall silent for a long, drawn out moment before he finally said, "War, son, it is said that the Warrior King from Oba has set his sights on taking the entire world as his own. There will be a great battle, one that will likely shake the land, and all those like us can do is try to stem the flow of blood." He told him, patting Makani on the head. He could only hope that the boy take his advice to heart, that he would practice where the healing arts were concerned instead of putting all of his thoughts into the more destructive spells as some of his apprentices had in the past.
"Ahh... war..." Makani breathed, then pushed to his feet, hugging the books to his chest, and bowed to Sango, "I thank you, for everything Master Sango, but if what you say is true I need to get home! I need to see if my father is aware of this, see what his plan is for the coming war." He could only hope against hope that his father wouldn't go, not wanting to lose him as he'd lost his mother, "I will do what you suggested, I will study hard, I will work on my meditating, everything, I promise!" He said, bowing again before he turned to Rae, "Come on girl, it's time to get back home!" He told the Raptrix.
A moment later the two of them had left the wagon. Once outside Makani was climbing onto Rae's powerful back, "Let's get going! We have to check on father and Eira, I wonder what they know, if they are hiding it from me, and if either of them are planning to go or not. Let's hope not." He said, giving her a nudge with his leg, holding onto her with one hand and his new books with the other. So much had happened today and he felt that it was still just the beginning since there was still so much that he wanted to do.
(( Word Count: 1435 ))
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 6:46 am
Class Quest Result
A-
Makani has passed and received a rank of Mage!
Congratulations Makani!
Due to the finesse shown in the quest, Makani will be able to choose one Fairgrounds item from the shop to put into his inventory.
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