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 Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 6:30 pm
"BLAST IT!!" The foul tempered female roared, throwing one of the study books against the wall in her room. She couldn't understand this spell stuff for the life of her! She was a warrior! Not a mage! Why her mother wanted her to learn this crap was beyond her. Grabbing her sword-belt off the bed, the 5'7" drow clasped it on about her slim waist as well as over her shoulder, fitting her sword in the sheath on her back. Pulling her long, white hair out of the way so it wouldn't be caught under the straps.
A fierce frown set upon her ebony features, she stormed from her room, giving up her studies to go spar a bit in the practice grounds that were next to the mage academy. It's not like she was suppose to get out, it's just that she didn't really care right now, she needed to vent her frustration, so be it if someone wanted to try and stop her.
Her blood red tunic and pants fit snuggly, boots making much more noise than they were suppose to with her angry steps, and a long, expensive green cape billowing behind her as her quick steps brought her closer and closer to freedom from the irritating halls of magic.
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:23 pm
(A few mistakes I see are a fragment at the end of your first paragraph (either that or it's just awkward). Also, unless in reference to years, you shouldn't use "5'7"" in numeric form; write it out (it's a pain, I know, but still). Another typo I see is 'suppose' instead of 'supposed,' but that could've been something that'd happen to any of us. Hm... 'snuggly' might have an extra 'g' in it in this case. It might be 'snugly,' but I could be wrong. Other than that, it seems okay.)
There was a small rumble as the obsidian doors to the academy shook slightly, almost a sure sign to any that were close enough to see or hear that they had been affected magically, probably sealed.
If the female Drow had turned, she would've seen a Drow male standing behind her, clad in black robes, and bearing an ebony staff. His robes were rather ornate, designating him as a wizard of higher rank than most others who came here. As such, even for a male, he deserved a bit of respect, a bit more than males typically got, which was next to none anyways.
"May I inquire as to where you are going?" The wizard spoke in an elegant, polite tone. "I would hate to impede your progress, my lady, but as a prefect of this academy I must attempt to halt any growth in our level of truancy." He added, as he drew slightly closer.
His robes swished along the floor as he walked, and even with his robes on, one could tell he was a scrawny being. He stood three inches shorter than the female before him, and was probably half her weight, if not three-quarters.
His robes, as previously stated, were quite elegant. Though hooded, he had the hood down, hiding the fact that it was adorned with a crimson edge to it, stitched with golden runes. His sleeves bore the same kind of decoration with the same pattern of colours and runes, along with the bottom of his robe. Where his robes opened, revealing his crimson shirt, it could be seen that he wore an amulet of some sorts, with any Drowish senses revealing it as almost blatantly magical. What kind of enchantment that was upon it, however, was unable to be determined. Only this wizard knew, most likely...
He extended a hand to her, his slender, dexterous fingers adorned with rings, any Drowish senses revealing these as magical as well, though similar to his amulet, their functions remained a mystery.
He held his staff in his right hand, his left outstretched. The staff seemed...serpentine. It had a sort of shimmer to it, as if the wood had been lacquered, but it was not so; one could tell by touch. It seemed twisted, as well, somehow, as if the wood had been warped, which was a very odd quality for any kind of wood, save for some certain kinds. It, too, must have been magical...
"I can tell by your...accessories," he began, noting her sword, "that you are not exactly of magical inclination. However, I believe that if you are here, you might benefit, nonetheless, from at least a small amount of magical learning." He said, smiling slightly. "Come." He said, offering his hand, his crimson-irised eyes surprisingly honest.
From what could be seen of this Drowish wizard, he seemed rather...sheltered. One could probably guess that as a prefect he had his own quarters here at the academy, and as such was sheltered from the outside, more harsh world of Drowish society. His hair was cut short, hardly even dangling down to his white, feathery eyebrows. Most likely this was done in order to keep it out of the way while casting magic, to distract him as little as possible. After all, one could not brush away strands of hair from one's eyes while casting a spell.
(Oh, sidenote. Except from speech, you want to stray away from contractions as much as possible. It's okay to have a few, but it kind of makes your tone sound less formal and less...fancy, I guess. I dunno xd It's just something I've picked up from essay classes and stuff.)
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RogueKazimeras Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:38 pm
((Rightio ^^ And I'm not sure about snuggly either.. it just looked wierd to me with only one g... ))
Halting in mid-stride so abruptly that she almost tripped over her own feet, the drow female regained her footing and turned on heal to confront the speaker behind her. Quickly running a critical eye over the person of this... male, she sneered openly at his finery, prefering her own well cut, but plain clothes, even though her station would allow her anything she desired. The only thing really expensive on her was her green cloak and of course her sword. Green was a rare color in the underdark, since sunlight was needed in the dying of the fabric.
Black eyes narrowing at this.. lesser and obviously under-wieght threat, she turned to test the doors, finding them sealed tight, she let out a rather rough curse before spinning back to the wizard.
"Look, I have no want to be in this place, I'm only here because I've been forced to be here, and if you do not open this door imediately, I shall have to.. convince you to.." The brazen threat said through grit teeth showed her fury, her eyes blazing behind the strikingly beautiful, yet spoiled face. She was used to getting her way, especially with males, no way was she going to let this upstart drow undermine her like this.
Totally disregarding his clothes and jewelry as finery, she ignored the buzzing in her mind that would have warned her about the very aura of magic this man seemed to carry about himself, and that those jewels weren't just baubles for visual pleasure. Silently, she was almost hoping he would refuse, since then she would have someone to vent her anger and frustration.
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:45 pm
("Heal" was used improperly. Should've been 'heel,' the body part. Everything else seems alright.)
It was noticeable that the wizard swallowed. Why he did so, however, was up to anyone's interpretation. It certainly, however, was not out of anxiety. Anyone could tell that much.
"I must apologize, my lady, but I cannot allow you to exit this building until academy hours are over... the Headmaster would not appreciate such...audacity." He said calmly, though sternly at the same time.
"Now... if you please..." He said, turning and waving a hand towards the hall that she had walked down. "You would not want your mother being upset, now would you?" He asked, cocking his head slightly.
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RogueKazimeras Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:55 pm
((Ack.. yeah.. I've been playing way too much WoW xd ))
She stiffened at the wizard's last comment with what could be taken as fear, but was actually rage, he had touched a nerve, she was finished listening to him. Tell her mother would he? In less time than it would take one to blink, she had her sword out in one hand, her dagger in the other. Only the dagger being very ornate, the sword was very plain looking except for the fact that runes burned a brilliant red on the blade. The sword was a very large, but obviously light, scimitar, and right now, as she rushed him to teach him a lesson, both blades were held in a very offensive manner.
Yelling out in a rage she attacked, her cloak billowing out with the sudden actions and her hair almost bristling with indignation and firey rage. Her teeth were bared in an almost animal-like way, she wanted to tear out his very throat for that.
They weren't that far apart to begin with, and she closed the distance quickly, her dagger going in to slash his throat, while she used the blunt side of her sword to knock against the staff, attempting to hold it aside as she went in try and cut the tendon on the inside of his elbow in case he tried to use that staff to defend himself.
He was soon going to be a very dead mage.. at least that's what she thought in her anger-frenzied mind.
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:59 pm
She had made, as he expected, the mistake of attempting to block his staff, as he moved it, almost too slowly, in front of him.
As the blade and staff connected, it slithered, snakelike, up her arms and reached over to the other, wrapping around both arms and yanking them down to her sides, squeezing her arms in such a manner that they forced her to drop her weapons. More than likely being halted in such a way caused her to fall, if not it was for her extreme surprise of being disarmed by a living staff.
As she tipped forward, the frail mage caught her with surprising strength.
"Now, perhaps we are willing to listen?" He asked. He did, however, show a bit of common sense, with a dagger made of bone pressed to her abdomen.
"Or I could simply demonstrate the lovely enchantment placed upon this dagger... I am sure, also, that your mother would forgive me after a couple of lashings... after all, it was simply because her daughter refused to go to class." He smirked.
Checkmate.
Or at least...that's what he thought.
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RogueKazimeras Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 8:14 pm
As soon as her sword touched the staff she knew something wasn't right. Then, her eyes widening in shock, she saw the staff come to life, and wrap about her. She dropped her weapons as it bound her arms to her sides in a very painful manner, her long white hair brushing the ground by the time he caught her. She began to struggle but then felt the sharp point against her stomach. Common sense stopped her from moving anymore, but as he spoke about what the dagger could do, she laughed in his face, not caring anymore that he had the advantage.
"You won't be the first to scar me, niether will you be the last you magic-reaking fool." Her grin was mirthless, he could cut her yes, but he couldn't kill her, he would be practically slitting his own neck if he did so. But deep inside, where she would never show it, a slight, grudging respect appeared for this before-thought-weakling. And anyways, it's not like she had never had pain before, and she could stand quite a bit of that.
Just because she was beaten didn't mean she had to act so. Just the rush of actually charging the twerp had drained her of most of her rage anyways. Now, instead of ripping his throat out, she felt like only flogging him a bit. The Il'haress wouldn't care either way if she was marked or not, she would care though if her daughter refused to give in without a fight, she would care if her daughter let a male speak to her in such a way.
As the prefect held her just off the floor though, she wondered about this boy, he probably wasn't much older than her.
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Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 6:31 am
(You have the 'i' and 'e' switched around in neither, and 'reaking' would be 'reeking.' Other than that, seems okay.)
"Scar you? Oh no, my lady. I believe that this would not exactly give you time to heal..." He said, looking down at the dagger's crosspiece, a small ruby flickering within it.
"But enough of this bickering. You've still much to learn in your studies here, I am sure of this. Another benefit may be the patience and the intelligence to examine your foe thoroughly before attacking." He smirked.
"But allow me to introduce myself. I am M'elzar DeMirro, prefect of the Wizardry Academy, and House Mage of House DeMirro." He said, standing her upright and with but a magical word, causing his staff to retrace its slithering and release the female Drow. He bowed slightly, but did not take his eyes off her.
The dagger, mysteriously, had vanished, probably underneath his robes or up his sleeve...it was difficult to tell. Or, for all she could have known, it could've simply been in his hand the entire time, floating about his fingers and invisible until he grasped it...
Just full of surprises, he was.
"However I believe I may know what you are thinking..." He looked around at the hall and doors around them. "You believe that this place...magic itself... it is boring to you, yes?" M'elzar asked, looking at her again.
"Perhaps, then, I should show you..." He smiled. "How some of our magics make...blades like yours... quite worthless."
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RogueKazimeras Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 7:45 pm
Oh fan-bloody-tastic, she had to go picking fights with the head mage of house DeMirro, just bloody smart of her. Cringing inwardly, she made a mental note to take his suggestion of inspecting her prey a bit better next time, but of course she would never voice the choice aloud.
As the 'snake' released her, the drow just stood there a moment before crossing her arms.
"And I suppose introducing myself to you would be rather useless since you seem to know who I am in the first place." She drawled in a bored-like fashion. Lashantha, Heir to the Al'Carne throne, was looking to be a terrific general, but would make a poor leader.
She perked up slightly at his last comment, her stance changing entirely from haughty and snobbish royalty to a curious, but eager, young drow, slender eyebrows arching in question. Make her sword useless? What kind of magic would this be? Lashantha almost wasn't sure she wanted to know, but curiousity got the better of her.
"What kind of magic is this?" She asked, beckoning before her for him to lead the way.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 5:19 am
"If I remember from what I know of you," M'elzar began, "then your sword is undoubtedly magical. There are...spells, you see, that render magical weapons useless against a certain person. While temporary, it lasts long enough for an individual such as yourself to attack, have their weapon merely bounce off the caster's flesh, and get nailed with a rather nasty spells, such as one that corrodes away the flesh, or simply snuffs out the victim's life force." M'elzar continued.
"But of course there are those in our number that have prepared themselves against such magical assaults." M'elzar noted, probably indicating that he himself had taken such precautions.
"Enough of my ramblings, however. Allow me to demonstrate. Come, follow me to the Demonstration Chamber. If memory serves, it is not currently in use by any of the staff, and is open for individuals of ranking within the Academy, such as myself." M'elzar turned on his heel after waving a hand silghtly to indicate that she should follow, walking with a slight limp, using his staff for balance.
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RogueKazimeras Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:03 pm
Shocked that there were such spells that would render her sword useless, the young drow followed the mage, but at a slightly slower pace since her long, brisk strides would make her pass the male quickly, and she did not know the way.
Lashantha had resheathed her sword and dagger by this time, and was absently fiddling with the hilt of her dagger as she walked.
((Umm.. not quite sure what else to type...))
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:49 am
(It's alright, I realize I didn't leave you much to work with.)
M'elzar soon found his destination. Strangely enough the demonstration chamber could be accessed from multiple points in the academy itself, all magical doors that when stepped through actually took the visitor across hundreds of feet...and down about a mile into the ground.
He opened the door, which was scribed with various, spidery runes, and gestured for Lashantha to follow him as he made his way through. A 'ladies first' attitude probably would've insulted her; it was improper unless you were of family or a guard to walk behind a female, better that you throw yourself in the way of anything potentially harmful.
The Demonstration Chamber was less of a 'chamber' and more like a cavern. Its walls were still rock, though moulded through magic, and it consisted of three primary parts. The first and foremost part was what M'elzar lovingly called The Pit. This round, deep depression in the middle of the stone structure was dotted with gates around one side, the other side, where it rose up, was lined with seats, as if it were, and indeed it had been, a gladiator's arena. However, the newest structure was installed to make it more of a place for magical demonstrations.
The newest structure was a bell-like building, hanging down from the cieling and capable of viewing The Pit and the spectators, though there were none, and both with relative ease. It was this bell-like structure that they had entered, through a door on the side that seemingly led to a fifty-foot drop into the pit, but actually led back to the Academy, a simple selecting device at the side of the door selecting which area of the Academy they were sent back to.
"Here we are." M'elzar said, waving his hand out into the open air around the bell-like structure, which was held together by four, spindly stalactite strcutures dangling from the upper part of it. He recalled the first question he got from most newcomers, concerning this structure's stability, but they could have an Umber Hulk up here and the observation bell would remain intact...so long as the Umber Hulk didn't start swinging. But that was besides the point.
"Now... to demonstrate the effectiveness of magic against swordplay." M'elzar stated. This was hardly a challenge. Most of those in Drow society understood and sometimes even feared magic-users, unless their inborn magical fortitude was supernaturally high. A few flicks of a switch upon a control panel and a press of a button, and a gate rose, revealing a battle-captive Drow. She was a warrior not unlike Lashantha, but instead bore a scimitar and an axe. Her jade, bloodshot eyes were wide, and by the look of her tattered clothes and unkempt look, she had probably been kept down here for some time. She would've been grateful for what M'elzar had planned for her.
"Now, as you probably know, most Drow are inherently resistant to magic. However, we can only typically bypass simple spells and cantrips, or at times stronger spells of those above the surface." M'elzar explained. "Logically, then, any mage studying such spells is worthless to us, ergo we study only the strongest spells." M'elzar continued. "Her equipment is standard enough: an adamantine scimitar and axe, standard adamantine chainmail, and so forth." M'elzar recounted. "None of it magical; she was most likely the grunt of some low-influence House. She will not be missed."
With this stated, he began to weave a spell. He moved his hands in front of him slowly, magical energies tracing from his fingertips as he wove it. Then, with the spell finished, he moved his hands together, and a copy of himself appeared upon the battlefield below, which utterly confused the secluded Drow warrior maiden.
"Behold, a personal favorite spell of mine, the Simulacrum." M'elzar explained. "It creates a slightly weaker copy of the caster, spells and all. I will tell it what to do, and it will do it." M'elzar smirked. "First off...an insult, perhaps."
The M'elzar below made a rude gesture towards the warrior maiden, which inspired a rather bestial charge.
"Now, since he bears most of my enchantments, he would probably not be harmed, but allow me to demonstrate..." He instructed, mentally, his 'clone' to cast a spell.
The Simulacrum did so, and finished the spell right before the maiden closed to attacking range. A bluish-white bubble went up around the Simulacrum, and both of the maiden's weapons bounced right off the sphere.
"Behold, the Sphere of Invincibility." M'elzar chuckled. "It lasts for but a short time, and can be penetrated by certain spells. However, it is quite difficult to penetrate; normal weapons cannot hope to pierce it, and only the mightiest of magical weapons can break through."
The warrior maiden let out a shrill cry as the Simulacrum walked off, distancing itself once again, before the Sphere faded.
Noting that the enchantment was gone, the female sought to strike again, but the Simulacrum was busy casting another spell. This time, it flung out a ball that struck her squarely in the chest; it had been far too fast for any to hope to dodge. She found her feet locked squarely in place...as a matter of fact, her entire body was frozen where it stood!
"Hold Person." M'elzar stated. "Quite useful, as you can imagine. Being of low blood, she probably will be one of the few Drow to actually succumb to this spell..." M'elzar noted. "Now you're probably wondering...why haven't I killed her yet? Well, to satisfy..." He grinned.
The Simulacrum began to weave another spell, a green ball of energy forming before it as it moved its hands through the air, chanting with M'elzar's voice. With the spell nearly finished, M'elzar's Simulacrum thrust its hands forward, into the green, luminous sphere, causing it to streak into a green ray, lancing forward with surprising speed. It struck the wide-eyed warrior mistress, and with a bright, near-blinding light, one could see what little was left of her.
Her form had been reduced to pure dust.
"The aptly-named Disintigration spell." M'elzar said. "Turns a person, the unlucky victim, completely to dust...that is if the spell succeeds. It is rare when it does, but I had a feeling it would work against her."
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RogueKazimeras Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:10 pm
Feeling almost at home in the hanging structure, Lashantha leaned against one of the supports comfortably while watching the demonstration. As each spell was shown, the drow's eyes became wider, untill it was almost comical, mouth hanging open in awe and wonder. Then, shutting her mouth so quick her teeth clicked, the female realised that if M'elzar's clone could do this, so could he, and he had said the clone was a weaker version of himself?
Now, the eldest daught of house Al'Carne, felt very foolish indeed. She felt quite glad that she didn't get too far into a fight with him.
"And I can learn all this?" She asked in a voice that betrayed her excitement and growing respect for magic. Since she had been here, all she had done was read books, and more bloody books, and stupid exercises that were suppose to 'relax' the pupil. Still leaning against one of the supports, she was looking straight at M'elzar, her black eyes bright with a child-like wonder and curiosity.
The warrior below was already forgotten, not even noticed for the pile of dust she was now.
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:31 pm
(A few mistakes I saw: "untill" should only have one 'l.' The question mark at the end of the paragraph is somewhat awkward...I think you maybe should have divided it into two sentences. You didn't finish the word 'daughter' (perhaps a product of editing, since I've done that myself), but other than that, it seems alright.)
"In time, yes." M'elzar said, his Simulacrum vanishing from below. "It took me years and years of constant study to get where I am...that, and some natural talent." M'elzar added.
"Along with this, I am fortunate enough to be under the wing of the Headmaster himself." M'elzar admitted. "Were I not, I would not be where I am today."
He shook his head. "But enough of this. You must, as all of us did, start with the most basic of cantrips." M'elzar stated, taking a deep breath. "Without those, it is unlikely you will be able to control magical energies properly; if you cannot, spells are likely to simply fizzle out during casting, or worse, backfire, which, in the most lucky of circumstances results in a small explosion, and with the most unfortunate of incidents, simply redirects the intended spell at the caster..." He noted. He figured that at the moment she would be imagining herself casting the Disintigration spell, having it backfire, and turning her own form to dust... Certainly a poor way to go, that would be.
"Also, I would like to reveal something. When I cast the Simulacrum, I actually switched places with it, so I was really below, my Simulacrum simply communicating my thoughts to you. Earlier I realized I would only have access to the Disintigration spell at my full strength; the Simulacrum would not have been strong enough." He admitted. "When the spell was nearly finished, I switched places with it yet again."
Why had he admitted doing so? Well, he certainly didn't want to intimidate her, nor did he wish to get her hopes up. Such spells were the knowledge of only the strongest of mages; locked up tight in warded cabinets by the Headmaster, only instructed to those who showed the most magical promise, usually the prefects and instructors.
"Now, perhaps I should take you to the Practice Chamber, or perhaps you could use some more time studying. After all, memorization is the key to being a mage. It takes a focused, precise mind, something not all individuals have." He informed her. "But in my opinion, all are capable of doing so, if they are willing to try."
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RogueKazimeras Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:50 pm
Years? Years she had in plenty. A spark of eagerness had egnited inside her, instilling a will to learn these spells to better herself as a combatant and perhaps as a mage...
Maybe this was a good thing she was in here.
When he mentioned the practice chamber, she was shaken from her thoughts quite abruptly. Then he mentioned bookwork...
"No more bookwork.. at least not now." She said defiantly, feeling the slow burn of her anger welling up at the sound of the words. Oh! how she hated studying! Though she was eager to learn some of the things she had been reading about hands on, maybe he would teach her, in a way books never seemed to communicate. Lasha was willing to try, so she nodded and stood up straight, waiting for him to lead the way once more.
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