The Power of A Guardian
Echoes faintly filled his ears as the grogginess of his trance finally wore off, the heaviness of his eyelids no longer a prevalent issue as he slowly began to differentiate sounds. First was the waterfalls within the landscape, their ambiance a constant source that helped pull him back to the world of reality. But for Rickter it wasn't just the roaring crash of the water, it was the occasional melodic tone that, he realized, called out to him time and time again after a period.
Finally, his eyes slowly opened as he felt the tingles in his body dissipate, allowing his corporeal form to actually regain his sense of touch, as the pins and needles felt throughout his limbs faded away entirely. The wolf's eyes opened fully to gaze upon the night sky, before the blonde bard was seen peering down at him with worry.
"Rickter!" Telion called out once more with some relief in her tone, garnering a soft groan as Rickter moved to push himself off the ground. He sat up with a seriously confused look at his surroundings, surprised to see that the sky was littered with clouds and stars. Even the moon had shown itself over the mountains, illuminating the entire valley the Circle of Wandering rested within. "Gods you were out, I was beginning to wonder if I needed to make camp here..."
The wolf shook his head with a pinch at the inner corners of his eyes, his blue eyes drearily locking on Telion when he looked to her in turn. "Not a good idea really," he remarked before realizing his throat was dry, clearing it as he ran his tongue over the dry areas in his mouth, "don't know what kind of dangers may linger here." As if on queue Telion was already grabbing one of the waterskins brought with them, popping the cork from the mouth before handing it over to Rickter. The wolf accepted it with a brief nod of thanks, guzzling the liquid down heartily a few times before tilting the bottom back down.
"Danger?! I haven't seen anything since we've gotten here, even practiced for a while before it got dark..." Now it was Telion who looked confused, with Rickter slightly shaking his head to her before elaborating.
"Not the wildlife, the circle itself." He remarked before looking from her to the surrounding area. "Come to think of it I don't know if wildlife actually comes up here... But the circle is rumored to cause Dread Mists if we're not careful." At that warning Telion jolted back a little, taken aback by the sudden realization.
"Wait a second, you mean Dread Mists occur here often?!" Rickter started to shake his head but then, after pausing, winced with a shrug to show how questionable his certainty really was.
"I've never seen it happen, but the word is that powerful magic will cause them. Given the fact the circle helps with initiations, I'd say it has something to do with the veil between this world and the other." He reasoned as his eyes returned to Telion, his gaze both alert and curious when he looked to her next.
"Huh, that's interesting." She remarked thoughtfully before looking at him with a cheery grin. "Speaking of which, looks like it helped with yours too! Although there was never any doubt really." She clarified with a teasing tone as she rose off her knees to a stand, Rickter briefly chuckled before shifting to rotate around and pushing himself onto his feet.
"So I'm a guardian now." He pointed out almost with a tone for inquiry, garnering a brief giggle before Telion answered him back.
"You're on a path to become a guardian," she corrected him with a sharp tilt of her head forward, her tone however, was a mix of sagely and teasing when she spoke, "it is the journey along the way that counts!" The wolf simply stared at her then, eyebrows furrowing as he watched the corners of her lips fidget. The bard broke out into another bout of mirth before him, loosening his features as he gradually began to smile at her in turn. "Seriously though? I'd say you're just getting started."
"Alright then," Rickter simpered to her coyly, "what's the first step?" Telion raised her eyebrows at him then, her hands planted at her hips as she then bit her lower lip in thought. Clearly, she didn't expect him to be ready so quickly, either that, or, she was likely trying to figure out how to explain it to him. But her lips were still glibly tucked upward as she eyed him, a light laugh made out before she cleared her throat with a small grin.
"Okay," She started with a nod and demonstrated with her instruction, "put out your left hand like you're going to push something." Or someone is what Rickter would've thought humorously. "Now focus on drawing your aether out, and then channel it into a spot in your palm." The amused grin lessened when he realized she had started to get serious, his eyes dropped to a close as he breathed in deeply, tapping into the power of his soul to do exactly as told. The wolf felt his aether swirl about the sleeves of his shoulders, caressing his very arm as he drew it towards his palm. With it coalescing past his fingers towards his palm, he then focused it into a central point of concentration.
"Does that aether feel dense?" She inquired with a tilt of her head, to which Rickter nodded to her with confirmation. He looked to her then, waiting to see what came next, intrigued with how quickly his aether changed into a state. "Good, channel more aether into it now." At the command Rickter channeled more towards the same point, the aether swirling about like the aurora of the Night Lights dancing in a frigid sky. It clustered towards the spot Rickter had generated earlier, wrapping around it almost in a pooling manner as he pushed for more. How much more though? He didn't know. He only did a whimsical amount, channeling for only a moment before the aether rushed forth, causing the radiant aether to burst as though a droplet plummeted into the ocean.
"Shit!" Rickter called out as the aether actually seemed to even fizzle, before the aether dissipated and returned back to its origin. Telion looked just as spooked as he was by the accident, her ears partially covered as she'd almost dunked for cover. "I'm! So! Sorry!" He started nervously before being cut off by a burst of laughter, as Telion straightened out with hands cupped to her mouth.
"What happened?! You were doing so well!" She teased him viciously with her arms partially up in the air. "Here, watch." Telion then put her hand out like before, a small space over her palm glistening with aether. Within a moment after closing her eyes a glimmer rippled from her palm as aether swirled about before spreading outward in uniform. Generating what looked like actual glass within the outer lines of her hands, as aether began to ripple and spread the edges further until their span covered most of her upper head and mid-torso area. "The key is to channel the aether incrementally, else your shields can lose density or will even be incomplete."
As she eased her arm away from the area she generated the shield, the glossy surface still lingered within the air even after her hand pulled away. "Patience and focus are very pivotal here, as shields can only maintain themselves for as long as their anchors have aether." As she finished instructing the epicenter of her shield began to soften to a gradual fade, the anchor dissipating into glittering particles as the shield dissipated.
"So that was an anchor we made, in the beginning?" Rickter inquired thoughtfully from his observations, leading Telion to grin at him before tucking strands of her hair behind an ear. "Shields take time to craft perfectly," to which the bard nodded in turn, "and don't cause a barrier to fucking explode in the circle." To that Telion heartily laughed, and a feigned look of being impressed was given before she giggled at Rickter.
"Definitely!" She agreed with enthusiasm, before looking to him once again in thought. "Try again!" The statement daunted him for a moment, but the wolf didn't see the fault in trying after all. He'd learned the first time, after all, therefore this time his approach would be better practiced. Rickter put out his hand in the same way as before, channeling that incremental portion of aether to generate the anchor point. Then from there, he channeled, or rather, lightly pushed his aether into the anchor as small trails of light shimmered around it. Rickter projected it further and further, only lightly testing the reach of his span as he continued pouring aether into the anchor. Gradually the glowering trails bonded before spreading, their uniform bond hardening into the same glossy-like state, as the type of shield Telion generated earlier in her demonstration.
Rickter's spread further out though, his aether spread a head taller than him as the lower portion nearly spanned over the knee. The barrier itself was thinner in comparison, to which he looked test with a tap from one of his fingers. He simply phased right through it, as though something invisible permeated around his skin. He looked to the hand he held out, the left palm still hovering at the anchor, while he left behind a residually small portion of aether left at the shield's core. He felt strangely elated in doing so when he pulled away his arm, almost aloof even as his focus seemed to suddenly vanish. Had he actually just done that? He felt damn near exhausted just now, not realizing how awkward it was to channel aether into the new rune he'd acquired.
"Look at that!" Telion cheered with her hands gesturing at the finished product, the construct still lingering as the residual charge gradually became consumed. "Granted the edges are nowhere near even," she lightly poked at with a chuckle, "this is almost a good shield. I think you already get the grasp of Shieldcrafting for now."
"So what next?" Rickter asked as the barrier gradually faded away from the center between them. "How do they block things?"
Telion smiled at him warmly then, lightly amused by his hidden enthusiasm. "We'll cover that when you've practiced construction more. You'll want stable shields by the time we start there." Rickter's eyes narrowed on her briefly before he thought on it, seeing the value in perfecting this art of Shieldcrafting she spoke of. "Besides, we should probably head back... or set up camp?" The wolf looked to the gear that he'd brought along with them, a little relieved he remembered to bring the damned tent along also.
"We'll head back at daybreak." He assured her before moving to start setting things up, Telion smirking at him before following along to pitch in.
Ash 22nd, 120th Year, A.o.S.
Finally, his eyes slowly opened as he felt the tingles in his body dissipate, allowing his corporeal form to actually regain his sense of touch, as the pins and needles felt throughout his limbs faded away entirely. The wolf's eyes opened fully to gaze upon the night sky, before the blonde bard was seen peering down at him with worry.
"Rickter!" Telion called out once more with some relief in her tone, garnering a soft groan as Rickter moved to push himself off the ground. He sat up with a seriously confused look at his surroundings, surprised to see that the sky was littered with clouds and stars. Even the moon had shown itself over the mountains, illuminating the entire valley the Circle of Wandering rested within. "Gods you were out, I was beginning to wonder if I needed to make camp here..."
The wolf shook his head with a pinch at the inner corners of his eyes, his blue eyes drearily locking on Telion when he looked to her in turn. "Not a good idea really," he remarked before realizing his throat was dry, clearing it as he ran his tongue over the dry areas in his mouth, "don't know what kind of dangers may linger here." As if on queue Telion was already grabbing one of the waterskins brought with them, popping the cork from the mouth before handing it over to Rickter. The wolf accepted it with a brief nod of thanks, guzzling the liquid down heartily a few times before tilting the bottom back down.
"Danger?! I haven't seen anything since we've gotten here, even practiced for a while before it got dark..." Now it was Telion who looked confused, with Rickter slightly shaking his head to her before elaborating.
"Not the wildlife, the circle itself." He remarked before looking from her to the surrounding area. "Come to think of it I don't know if wildlife actually comes up here... But the circle is rumored to cause Dread Mists if we're not careful." At that warning Telion jolted back a little, taken aback by the sudden realization.
"Wait a second, you mean Dread Mists occur here often?!" Rickter started to shake his head but then, after pausing, winced with a shrug to show how questionable his certainty really was.
"I've never seen it happen, but the word is that powerful magic will cause them. Given the fact the circle helps with initiations, I'd say it has something to do with the veil between this world and the other." He reasoned as his eyes returned to Telion, his gaze both alert and curious when he looked to her next.
"Huh, that's interesting." She remarked thoughtfully before looking at him with a cheery grin. "Speaking of which, looks like it helped with yours too! Although there was never any doubt really." She clarified with a teasing tone as she rose off her knees to a stand, Rickter briefly chuckled before shifting to rotate around and pushing himself onto his feet.
"So I'm a guardian now." He pointed out almost with a tone for inquiry, garnering a brief giggle before Telion answered him back.
"You're on a path to become a guardian," she corrected him with a sharp tilt of her head forward, her tone however, was a mix of sagely and teasing when she spoke, "it is the journey along the way that counts!" The wolf simply stared at her then, eyebrows furrowing as he watched the corners of her lips fidget. The bard broke out into another bout of mirth before him, loosening his features as he gradually began to smile at her in turn. "Seriously though? I'd say you're just getting started."
"Alright then," Rickter simpered to her coyly, "what's the first step?" Telion raised her eyebrows at him then, her hands planted at her hips as she then bit her lower lip in thought. Clearly, she didn't expect him to be ready so quickly, either that, or, she was likely trying to figure out how to explain it to him. But her lips were still glibly tucked upward as she eyed him, a light laugh made out before she cleared her throat with a small grin.
"Okay," She started with a nod and demonstrated with her instruction, "put out your left hand like you're going to push something." Or someone is what Rickter would've thought humorously. "Now focus on drawing your aether out, and then channel it into a spot in your palm." The amused grin lessened when he realized she had started to get serious, his eyes dropped to a close as he breathed in deeply, tapping into the power of his soul to do exactly as told. The wolf felt his aether swirl about the sleeves of his shoulders, caressing his very arm as he drew it towards his palm. With it coalescing past his fingers towards his palm, he then focused it into a central point of concentration.
"Does that aether feel dense?" She inquired with a tilt of her head, to which Rickter nodded to her with confirmation. He looked to her then, waiting to see what came next, intrigued with how quickly his aether changed into a state. "Good, channel more aether into it now." At the command Rickter channeled more towards the same point, the aether swirling about like the aurora of the Night Lights dancing in a frigid sky. It clustered towards the spot Rickter had generated earlier, wrapping around it almost in a pooling manner as he pushed for more. How much more though? He didn't know. He only did a whimsical amount, channeling for only a moment before the aether rushed forth, causing the radiant aether to burst as though a droplet plummeted into the ocean.
"Shit!" Rickter called out as the aether actually seemed to even fizzle, before the aether dissipated and returned back to its origin. Telion looked just as spooked as he was by the accident, her ears partially covered as she'd almost dunked for cover. "I'm! So! Sorry!" He started nervously before being cut off by a burst of laughter, as Telion straightened out with hands cupped to her mouth.
"What happened?! You were doing so well!" She teased him viciously with her arms partially up in the air. "Here, watch." Telion then put her hand out like before, a small space over her palm glistening with aether. Within a moment after closing her eyes a glimmer rippled from her palm as aether swirled about before spreading outward in uniform. Generating what looked like actual glass within the outer lines of her hands, as aether began to ripple and spread the edges further until their span covered most of her upper head and mid-torso area. "The key is to channel the aether incrementally, else your shields can lose density or will even be incomplete."
As she eased her arm away from the area she generated the shield, the glossy surface still lingered within the air even after her hand pulled away. "Patience and focus are very pivotal here, as shields can only maintain themselves for as long as their anchors have aether." As she finished instructing the epicenter of her shield began to soften to a gradual fade, the anchor dissipating into glittering particles as the shield dissipated.
"So that was an anchor we made, in the beginning?" Rickter inquired thoughtfully from his observations, leading Telion to grin at him before tucking strands of her hair behind an ear. "Shields take time to craft perfectly," to which the bard nodded in turn, "and don't cause a barrier to fucking explode in the circle." To that Telion heartily laughed, and a feigned look of being impressed was given before she giggled at Rickter.
"Definitely!" She agreed with enthusiasm, before looking to him once again in thought. "Try again!" The statement daunted him for a moment, but the wolf didn't see the fault in trying after all. He'd learned the first time, after all, therefore this time his approach would be better practiced. Rickter put out his hand in the same way as before, channeling that incremental portion of aether to generate the anchor point. Then from there, he channeled, or rather, lightly pushed his aether into the anchor as small trails of light shimmered around it. Rickter projected it further and further, only lightly testing the reach of his span as he continued pouring aether into the anchor. Gradually the glowering trails bonded before spreading, their uniform bond hardening into the same glossy-like state, as the type of shield Telion generated earlier in her demonstration.
Rickter's spread further out though, his aether spread a head taller than him as the lower portion nearly spanned over the knee. The barrier itself was thinner in comparison, to which he looked test with a tap from one of his fingers. He simply phased right through it, as though something invisible permeated around his skin. He looked to the hand he held out, the left palm still hovering at the anchor, while he left behind a residually small portion of aether left at the shield's core. He felt strangely elated in doing so when he pulled away his arm, almost aloof even as his focus seemed to suddenly vanish. Had he actually just done that? He felt damn near exhausted just now, not realizing how awkward it was to channel aether into the new rune he'd acquired.
"Look at that!" Telion cheered with her hands gesturing at the finished product, the construct still lingering as the residual charge gradually became consumed. "Granted the edges are nowhere near even," she lightly poked at with a chuckle, "this is almost a good shield. I think you already get the grasp of Shieldcrafting for now."
"So what next?" Rickter asked as the barrier gradually faded away from the center between them. "How do they block things?"
Telion smiled at him warmly then, lightly amused by his hidden enthusiasm. "We'll cover that when you've practiced construction more. You'll want stable shields by the time we start there." Rickter's eyes narrowed on her briefly before he thought on it, seeing the value in perfecting this art of Shieldcrafting she spoke of. "Besides, we should probably head back... or set up camp?" The wolf looked to the gear that he'd brought along with them, a little relieved he remembered to bring the damned tent along also.
"We'll head back at daybreak." He assured her before moving to start setting things up, Telion smirking at him before following along to pitch in.
"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."
