As I understand it, it's a bit of both. Azorius is the justice system. Law makers and judges and inspectors and such. Boros is city guard. They are the ones thats to uphold The Law.
Metamorphosis
- Thread starter Hiver
- Start date
Magpy
Very Curious
- Location
- Australia, but actually USA (or is it?)
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hey, i just read through "That First Step..." and I'm wondering how this connects to that? Are there any other parts to the story that I'm missing? Or is this a direct continuation.
Edit: Never mind, found the other parts.
Edit: Never mind, found the other parts.
Last edited:
Yeah, it would be nice if Hiver kept some sort of reference of his stories updated.
But he usually links the sequel of the next story at the end of the previous one.
PurpLexed
The girl(!) in the Snow
- Location
- Maine
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Im pretry sire the Azorious are responsible for the creation and sentancing of the laws in Ravnica; similar to the judicial system in American government. They have their own force of Guards, yes, but the Boros make much better 'men on the ground' as it were. IE the Legion would be a police force, where an equivilent to the Azorious guard would be the FBI or CIA.
So the Boros Legion would capture you, and then Azorious would sentance you to jail - 'detaining' you.
- Location
- Australia
Also bare in mind that Atreus was throwing around entire lands worth of mana, and that anyone capable of that is usually worth at least a single group of soldiers in combat, essentially making a military response a valid move by default.
"And that's when you cast the spell?" The goblin asked, looking up at me, her pen tapping against her notepad.
I nodded, "Yes, ma'am. In all honesty, I didn't expect it to have that much of an effect. He was clearly capable of magic of his own. I expected him to defend himself."
She frowned and me and then glanced over at the remains of the body that by now had been covered by a formerly white piece of cloth. Now mostly red.
The other attackers were on the ground with cuffs behind their backs. One of the other riders had taken Zrazta some dozen meters away, talking with her in turn, an identical notepad in his hands.
"Low ranking Rakdos member," she said and shrugged, "he likely knew a couple of tricks and little more. Wasn't wearing the uniform so this clearly wasn't Guild business," before she turned back to me, "You came into the alley to get away from the crowds. Then what happened?"
I sighed and told her the entire story again.
"What spell did you cast?" she asked after writing down something on her notepad, "I don't recognize the effect."
"An airspell," I said, "That was actually the weaker version of it. I expected him to have some sort of defenses, not to just… explode."
She nodded, "Your accent is unusual. You're not a local?"
I shook my head, "We're from quite a bit away."
"Reason for visiting the sixth district?"
"Looking to learn more about magic," I told her honestly, "I'm mostly self taught."
She nodded and made a small note, "And you're staying?"
"Sendora Hotel. Do you know where it is?"
"I know it," she agreed as she wrote it down, "nice place, Selesnya run. You should try their baths, I heard they're good."
"...Might do that," I said, "Look… are we free to go?"
"One moment," she said and made another note, "So you left the cafe, then what?"
I told her the entire story again.
"I see," she said and nodded, flicking her big ears once, "And that spell you used? Was it lightning based?"
"Air," I sighed, "Air based. It basically makes a shockwave from the point of impact. I didn't expect him to just explode from it. Thought anyone with that much magic would have some defenses up, just wanted to fight him off."
"I understand, sir," she said with another nod, "And the spell he used against you two?"
"I don't know it," I said once more, "It was like tendrils of darkness. I didn't wait for it to reach us, I countered it and counter attacked to make him back off. Was a bit more effective than I expected."
Sergeant Kelmik flicked her ears once more, "Took this route to get away from the crowds?"
"Not a big fan of them, either of us," I said before I sighed, "...Look, it's been a long day. Are we free to go?"
"Just a couple more questions, sir," she said and looked at her notepad, "Where were you staying again?"
"The Sendora Hotel," I answered and crossed my arms, "We weren't looking for trouble, just trying to get back to our room for the evening."
She nodded again, "and your name?"
"Atreus. Just Atreus."
Kelmik closed her notepad and looked up at me, "Please remain here, Mister Atreus. I'm just going to confer with my colleague for a moment," before she wandered over to meet with the goblin that had talked with Zrazta. They talked for a couple of seconds before Kelmik motioned for Zrazta to follow as she made her way back to me.
Kelmik waited until Zrazta joined us before she spoke up, "To me this seems like a case of self-defense," she said, "Some Raktos punks played stupid games, and for once won stupid prizes. You two are free to go, but I advise you to stick to the main streets if possible, the back alleys aren't always safe, even during the daytime. Especially to people from outside the district. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Boros Legion Barracks at Selcora Street."
I nodded, "Thank you for your assistance, officer."
She smiled slightly, "Just doing my duty, sir. Of course, if you are looking to learn magic, the Boros could always use more guild mages. It's easy to sign up. In fact, two days for now there is going to be a recruitment drive in Gloster Square. There will be a parade of troops, and some of our mages are even going to hold a demonstration," she said before looking thoughtful, "I'm not involved in the planning of the event, but usually they even teach some of the basic spells so the public can see what they can learn if they join. You might want to check it out."
"We might do that," I admitted, "that does sound interesting. Not sure I'm looking to join any of the guilds, but that sounds like fun."
She nodded and put her helmet back on with a smile that showed sharp teeth, "You're free to go. Please, have a nice day… and please, stay on the main streets."
Zrazta nodded and took my hand as we quickly left the area, heading back towards the main street, "That was…"
"Professional," I agreed, "And ended way better than I expected."
I nodded, "Yes, ma'am. In all honesty, I didn't expect it to have that much of an effect. He was clearly capable of magic of his own. I expected him to defend himself."
She frowned and me and then glanced over at the remains of the body that by now had been covered by a formerly white piece of cloth. Now mostly red.
The other attackers were on the ground with cuffs behind their backs. One of the other riders had taken Zrazta some dozen meters away, talking with her in turn, an identical notepad in his hands.
"Low ranking Rakdos member," she said and shrugged, "he likely knew a couple of tricks and little more. Wasn't wearing the uniform so this clearly wasn't Guild business," before she turned back to me, "You came into the alley to get away from the crowds. Then what happened?"
I sighed and told her the entire story again.
"What spell did you cast?" she asked after writing down something on her notepad, "I don't recognize the effect."
"An airspell," I said, "That was actually the weaker version of it. I expected him to have some sort of defenses, not to just… explode."
She nodded, "Your accent is unusual. You're not a local?"
I shook my head, "We're from quite a bit away."
"Reason for visiting the sixth district?"
"Looking to learn more about magic," I told her honestly, "I'm mostly self taught."
She nodded and made a small note, "And you're staying?"
"Sendora Hotel. Do you know where it is?"
"I know it," she agreed as she wrote it down, "nice place, Selesnya run. You should try their baths, I heard they're good."
"...Might do that," I said, "Look… are we free to go?"
"One moment," she said and made another note, "So you left the cafe, then what?"
I told her the entire story again.
"I see," she said and nodded, flicking her big ears once, "And that spell you used? Was it lightning based?"
"Air," I sighed, "Air based. It basically makes a shockwave from the point of impact. I didn't expect him to just explode from it. Thought anyone with that much magic would have some defenses up, just wanted to fight him off."
"I understand, sir," she said with another nod, "And the spell he used against you two?"
"I don't know it," I said once more, "It was like tendrils of darkness. I didn't wait for it to reach us, I countered it and counter attacked to make him back off. Was a bit more effective than I expected."
Sergeant Kelmik flicked her ears once more, "Took this route to get away from the crowds?"
"Not a big fan of them, either of us," I said before I sighed, "...Look, it's been a long day. Are we free to go?"
"Just a couple more questions, sir," she said and looked at her notepad, "Where were you staying again?"
"The Sendora Hotel," I answered and crossed my arms, "We weren't looking for trouble, just trying to get back to our room for the evening."
She nodded again, "and your name?"
"Atreus. Just Atreus."
Kelmik closed her notepad and looked up at me, "Please remain here, Mister Atreus. I'm just going to confer with my colleague for a moment," before she wandered over to meet with the goblin that had talked with Zrazta. They talked for a couple of seconds before Kelmik motioned for Zrazta to follow as she made her way back to me.
Kelmik waited until Zrazta joined us before she spoke up, "To me this seems like a case of self-defense," she said, "Some Raktos punks played stupid games, and for once won stupid prizes. You two are free to go, but I advise you to stick to the main streets if possible, the back alleys aren't always safe, even during the daytime. Especially to people from outside the district. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Boros Legion Barracks at Selcora Street."
I nodded, "Thank you for your assistance, officer."
She smiled slightly, "Just doing my duty, sir. Of course, if you are looking to learn magic, the Boros could always use more guild mages. It's easy to sign up. In fact, two days for now there is going to be a recruitment drive in Gloster Square. There will be a parade of troops, and some of our mages are even going to hold a demonstration," she said before looking thoughtful, "I'm not involved in the planning of the event, but usually they even teach some of the basic spells so the public can see what they can learn if they join. You might want to check it out."
"We might do that," I admitted, "that does sound interesting. Not sure I'm looking to join any of the guilds, but that sounds like fun."
She nodded and put her helmet back on with a smile that showed sharp teeth, "You're free to go. Please, have a nice day… and please, stay on the main streets."
Zrazta nodded and took my hand as we quickly left the area, heading back towards the main street, "That was…"
"Professional," I agreed, "And ended way better than I expected."
Krazyfan1
Worrying for the future.
- Location
- Australia
Good and bad.
MangoFlan
Cold... I feel cold...
If I remember correctly, Blue magic, Bronze time, Red life, and Black earth. Not sure if there's a fifth, but I recall there being green whelps in Warcraft III.
- Location
- Belgium
The Green Dragonflight can control the dream world.
Vaalintine
Wild Wondorous Wolfalope
Green Dragons are more Nature/Druid types. They have access to the Emerald Dream, but I have no real idea what it involves other than druid type magic and some nature spirits.
Enthusiast#117
This is not the Profile you are looking for
- Location
- United States
Might be misremembering, but I'm pretty sure the emerald dream is the dreaming mind of the nascent titan for whom Azeroth is their crib/egg/body.
So you could say that the Greens were in charge of mental health, the Blacks were in charge of physical health, the Reds manage the immune system, and the Blues and Bronzes... handled external threats I guess?
With the Aspects to give stability and direction to the dragon flights as a whole, you can make the case that The Dragon Species was purpose-crafted to act as autonomous titan-midwives.
So you could say that the Greens were in charge of mental health, the Blacks were in charge of physical health, the Reds manage the immune system, and the Blues and Bronzes... handled external threats I guess?
With the Aspects to give stability and direction to the dragon flights as a whole, you can make the case that The Dragon Species was purpose-crafted to act as autonomous titan-midwives.
Last edited:
I listened to Zraztas soft breathing against my shoulder as I stared up at the ceiling of our room. It was the middle of the night, the room at the hotel was almost pitch black, lit only by the slight light from the small open window close to the ceiling and small flashes of blue light.
I lay on my back, one arm around Zrazta as she slept with her head against my shoulder, one arm across my waist.
I had my right arm bent at the elbow, holding my hand lifted as I once again spread my thumb and index fingers, drawing a line of mana between them. One of the simplest magic manipulations in existence and one of the first ones Targos taught me.
Focusing my magic, the line of magic almost instantly unraveled and overloaded in a small flash of blue light.
Closing my hand again, I then drew out the line of magic again, trying once more with a tiny change in the matrix.
Flash.
Damn it.
"What are you doing?" Zrazta grumbled and cuddled closer.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," I said and ran my fingers through her hair, "Go back to sleep."
She groaned and stretched before relaxing again, "What was that?" she asked softly.
Sighing softly, I pulled her closer, resting my cheek against the top of her head, "Just me getting stuck on a stupid idea again."
"Doing what?" she mumbled softly, relaxing against me.
"Enchanting magic," I answered with a small sigh, "It's...almost impossible. The calculations and theory says it's possible, but in practice it is a completely different thing."
Zrazta shifted up onto her elbow enough to look down at me in the darkness, eyes slightly shining in the slight light from outside, "...A spell. What you are talking about is spells."
"It's not a spell," I protested, "It's enchanted magic."
Zrazta frowned before she settled down again, cuddling close, "I don't see the difference," she said, "You weave magic into an effect and then it's used."
"Couple of differences," I said and tickled her ear, getting a shiver from her, "For one thing, spells are temporary effects. Enchantments aren't. If I could make enchantments with nothing but magic, it would bypass any material restraints. Enchantments are already basically just channels of magic flowing through something. This should work."
Zrazta groaned and sighed, "You'll figure it out. But do you have to when I'm sleeping?"
"...Sorry," I said and sighed and stroked her back, "Couldn't sleep."
"Worried about tomorrow?" she asked quietly.
"Not worried, really," I said and frowned up into the darkness, "More like… concerned. But it will be interesting to see the Boros exhibition. But then there's… you know…"
"Sheila?" Zrazta sighed softly, "I know. Me too."
I pulled her tighter, "This was not well timed. We shouldn't have left."
"No, we should have," Zrazta argued, "We couldn't have helped, and all it would have done is to cause me to worry and you to camp out in your lab or outside the ritual chamber."
"Instead we left Rengosa alone to worry over the ritual," I sighed, "We shouldn't have left."
Zrazta growled at me, "No. This was the right thing to do, and both I and Rengosa agree that it was. It's better for all of us to keep our minds busy with other things. Rengosa is assisting Jaina, and is going to be at least as busy as we are."
I sighed and ran my fingers through her hair, "...I know. I know," I answered, "I just worry and think too much. Go back to sleep, I'll stop."
I could see her frown but she settled down again and I kept running my fingers through her hair, "I'll try to get some sleep."
"Mmm," she answered and closed her eyes, relaxing once more.
I looked up at the dark ceiling for a long moment. I couldn't help but worry, but the least I could do was to do it quietly so I didn't keep Zrazta awake. It wasn't fair of me to.
But I couldn't get the image of Sheila being obscured by the light of the ritual out of my head. I was outright terrified that I would never see her again. But Zrazta was also right, there was nothing I could do, and if I didn't focus on what I could do, Sheila would be pissed at me.
If I had stayed at the Wyrmtower and just retreated into my workshop instead of doing something healthy, she would have yelled at me when she found out.
She chose this. But she was my lead consort and my wife. I worried. I was allowed to worry.
But if I didn't get my head back in the game, I could get hurt or killed. Or worse, Zrazta could get hurt. I held her a bit tighter and she stirred in her sleep slightly again, nuzzling at my shoulder.
I couldn't let that happen.
I lay on my back, one arm around Zrazta as she slept with her head against my shoulder, one arm across my waist.
I had my right arm bent at the elbow, holding my hand lifted as I once again spread my thumb and index fingers, drawing a line of mana between them. One of the simplest magic manipulations in existence and one of the first ones Targos taught me.
Focusing my magic, the line of magic almost instantly unraveled and overloaded in a small flash of blue light.
Closing my hand again, I then drew out the line of magic again, trying once more with a tiny change in the matrix.
Flash.
Damn it.
"What are you doing?" Zrazta grumbled and cuddled closer.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," I said and ran my fingers through her hair, "Go back to sleep."
She groaned and stretched before relaxing again, "What was that?" she asked softly.
Sighing softly, I pulled her closer, resting my cheek against the top of her head, "Just me getting stuck on a stupid idea again."
"Doing what?" she mumbled softly, relaxing against me.
"Enchanting magic," I answered with a small sigh, "It's...almost impossible. The calculations and theory says it's possible, but in practice it is a completely different thing."
Zrazta shifted up onto her elbow enough to look down at me in the darkness, eyes slightly shining in the slight light from outside, "...A spell. What you are talking about is spells."
"It's not a spell," I protested, "It's enchanted magic."
Zrazta frowned before she settled down again, cuddling close, "I don't see the difference," she said, "You weave magic into an effect and then it's used."
"Couple of differences," I said and tickled her ear, getting a shiver from her, "For one thing, spells are temporary effects. Enchantments aren't. If I could make enchantments with nothing but magic, it would bypass any material restraints. Enchantments are already basically just channels of magic flowing through something. This should work."
Zrazta groaned and sighed, "You'll figure it out. But do you have to when I'm sleeping?"
"...Sorry," I said and sighed and stroked her back, "Couldn't sleep."
"Worried about tomorrow?" she asked quietly.
"Not worried, really," I said and frowned up into the darkness, "More like… concerned. But it will be interesting to see the Boros exhibition. But then there's… you know…"
"Sheila?" Zrazta sighed softly, "I know. Me too."
I pulled her tighter, "This was not well timed. We shouldn't have left."
"No, we should have," Zrazta argued, "We couldn't have helped, and all it would have done is to cause me to worry and you to camp out in your lab or outside the ritual chamber."
"Instead we left Rengosa alone to worry over the ritual," I sighed, "We shouldn't have left."
Zrazta growled at me, "No. This was the right thing to do, and both I and Rengosa agree that it was. It's better for all of us to keep our minds busy with other things. Rengosa is assisting Jaina, and is going to be at least as busy as we are."
I sighed and ran my fingers through her hair, "...I know. I know," I answered, "I just worry and think too much. Go back to sleep, I'll stop."
I could see her frown but she settled down again and I kept running my fingers through her hair, "I'll try to get some sleep."
"Mmm," she answered and closed her eyes, relaxing once more.
I looked up at the dark ceiling for a long moment. I couldn't help but worry, but the least I could do was to do it quietly so I didn't keep Zrazta awake. It wasn't fair of me to.
But I couldn't get the image of Sheila being obscured by the light of the ritual out of my head. I was outright terrified that I would never see her again. But Zrazta was also right, there was nothing I could do, and if I didn't focus on what I could do, Sheila would be pissed at me.
If I had stayed at the Wyrmtower and just retreated into my workshop instead of doing something healthy, she would have yelled at me when she found out.
She chose this. But she was my lead consort and my wife. I worried. I was allowed to worry.
But if I didn't get my head back in the game, I could get hurt or killed. Or worse, Zrazta could get hurt. I held her a bit tighter and she stirred in her sleep slightly again, nuzzling at my shoulder.
I couldn't let that happen.
Activatable items! Or passive abilities? Ok, ok interesting direction. If active, will he make ones with a cooldown (tapping), a cost (spend mana), both, or a sacrifice? I guess after that it would be making an artifact creature, and then a creature with activatable abilities.
- Location
- Washington, USA
Or, he's talking about Enchantments. You know, like Abundance or Agoraphobia.
You know, permanent effects that just sit there, without taking physical space.
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Random question: is there, like, an ebook version of previous entries in the series floating around somewhere? That seems like it'd be easier to navigate than SV for rereading purposes.
Metal against stone made the cobblestones underfoot tremble with each synchronized step as heavy footsteps of massive suits of armour, flames leaking out around their joins, marched across the square in formation.
Griffon riders soared above us in formation before splitting up, swooping and turning, twisting across the skies. Some released smoke to draw lines after themselves.
I slipped my arm around Zrazta's waist as we watched the airshow. She shifted a bit closer with a smile, taking a small bite from the caramel apple on a stick in her hand. I had declined to buy one for myself, never was a big fan of caramel.
"I wonder how they did those suits?" I said quietly, "Wish I could put my goggles on."
Sadly, they would make us stand out more than we wanted.
"Not sure," Zrazta admitted, "But those flames… are you sure those are suits and not constructs?"
"Don't move like constructs," I said before I frowned, "But I suppose that it would be possible."
Nobody was paying any kind of attention to us, so I raised my left hand, "What do you think, Library?"
"I estimate that the odds are in your favour when it comes to them being suits of armour, sir," the mind construct answered, just loud enough for we to hear him over the crowd around us, "According to my information and analysis of known methods, I set the odds at approximately seventy three percent that they are armour and not constructs. Of course, there is always the possibility that they are both."
I nodded, "Good point, thanks," and went back to watching the show.
Zrazta shook her head a bit, "I can't believe you managed to create that thing."
"Most of the hard work was already done by somebody else," I said, and followed a swooping griffon rider with my eyes, "I just imprinted the mind matrix of the summon into the enchantment. It was already a magical intellect."
She smiled and nibbled at her candy, "Come on, let's go see the guildmages. It's what we're here for."
"Crowds getting too much?" I asked with a frown.
She shook her head, "I'm good," she said before she smiled again, "But the apple is making me thirsty, and it's in the same direction as the market stalls."
I laughed and gave her a quick kiss, "Come on, let's find something to drink."
Despite the crowds, it didn't take long to make our way over there. A few minutes in line later, we left towards the place the mages had set up for their demonstration with a wooden cup of hot spiced wine in our hands. I held mine in my left, giving me an excuse to hold my ring up.
"Library, record and analyse," I said softly as I pretended to sip the wine, "Let's see what we can learn."
"Proceeding," Library answered quietly.
Moving towards the side, I lead Zrazta through the crowd to a place near one side of the cordoned off demonstration area.
A pair of armored soldiers in full plate, carrying wooden broadswords stood facing each other. Behind each of them, about a couple of meters away, stood what I could only guess was one of the guild mages. They were wearing white and red cloaks, wearing mostly cloth but with strategic armour over their vital parts.
We watched for a couple of minutes as they got ready, before the soldier closest to us started the duel. His opponent blocked and counter struck. It went on four a couple of moments before the mage closest to us moved her hands quickly and white magic danced.
Her fighter suddenly sped up, his wooden weapon dancing. He flowed past the parry of his opponent, his sword seeking his throat.
It hit, but not the neck. His opponent's sword flashing up and burning with orange flames it slashed the other wooden sword in two. A kick sending the attacker stumbling back.
The fighter with the burning sword went in for the attack with a mighty slash that left a burning after image in the air. It didn't hit, it bounced off a white shield appearing in the air before the other fighter.
He recovered his balance and threw his ruined weapon away. A new one was tossed to him by an attendant and they were back at it.
They traded blows. Sometimes on their own, sometimes boosted by their mages. Sometimes protected by shields, sometimes erupting in cloaks of flame, driving their opponents back.
It was impressive looking. Flashy.
Exactly what you would expect from a demonstration meant to attract applicants to join the guild. What they used in a real battle may be similar, but I suspected they would be way stronger then.
What's more, it was all Land Magic. They seemed to limit their casting to White and Red spells as well. I suppose everyone has their favorites, but as it was a Guild, I also suspected that spells from those specific colours worked well with their doctrine and field tactics.
I glanced at Zrazta. She was watching them closely with a smile.
I sipped my wine. Zrazta wasn't all that interested in magic outside of her field of study. Which was potions and everything involved with them. She had learned just enough land magic to be able to bond to a swamp and create soulstones so she could travel with me, but that was pretty much it.
Not to say that she was weak in any shape or form, she was a dragon, and hell, likely smarter than I was.
Resting my free hand on her waist, I sipped my wine again and returned my attention to the demonstration, making sure to give Library as unobstructed a view of the fighting as possible. It didn't matter too much, the construct wasn't limited to such simple senses as mere eyesight, but every little bit would help.
Griffon riders soared above us in formation before splitting up, swooping and turning, twisting across the skies. Some released smoke to draw lines after themselves.
I slipped my arm around Zrazta's waist as we watched the airshow. She shifted a bit closer with a smile, taking a small bite from the caramel apple on a stick in her hand. I had declined to buy one for myself, never was a big fan of caramel.
"I wonder how they did those suits?" I said quietly, "Wish I could put my goggles on."
Sadly, they would make us stand out more than we wanted.
"Not sure," Zrazta admitted, "But those flames… are you sure those are suits and not constructs?"
"Don't move like constructs," I said before I frowned, "But I suppose that it would be possible."
Nobody was paying any kind of attention to us, so I raised my left hand, "What do you think, Library?"
"I estimate that the odds are in your favour when it comes to them being suits of armour, sir," the mind construct answered, just loud enough for we to hear him over the crowd around us, "According to my information and analysis of known methods, I set the odds at approximately seventy three percent that they are armour and not constructs. Of course, there is always the possibility that they are both."
I nodded, "Good point, thanks," and went back to watching the show.
Zrazta shook her head a bit, "I can't believe you managed to create that thing."
"Most of the hard work was already done by somebody else," I said, and followed a swooping griffon rider with my eyes, "I just imprinted the mind matrix of the summon into the enchantment. It was already a magical intellect."
She smiled and nibbled at her candy, "Come on, let's go see the guildmages. It's what we're here for."
"Crowds getting too much?" I asked with a frown.
She shook her head, "I'm good," she said before she smiled again, "But the apple is making me thirsty, and it's in the same direction as the market stalls."
I laughed and gave her a quick kiss, "Come on, let's find something to drink."
Despite the crowds, it didn't take long to make our way over there. A few minutes in line later, we left towards the place the mages had set up for their demonstration with a wooden cup of hot spiced wine in our hands. I held mine in my left, giving me an excuse to hold my ring up.
"Library, record and analyse," I said softly as I pretended to sip the wine, "Let's see what we can learn."
"Proceeding," Library answered quietly.
Moving towards the side, I lead Zrazta through the crowd to a place near one side of the cordoned off demonstration area.
A pair of armored soldiers in full plate, carrying wooden broadswords stood facing each other. Behind each of them, about a couple of meters away, stood what I could only guess was one of the guild mages. They were wearing white and red cloaks, wearing mostly cloth but with strategic armour over their vital parts.
We watched for a couple of minutes as they got ready, before the soldier closest to us started the duel. His opponent blocked and counter struck. It went on four a couple of moments before the mage closest to us moved her hands quickly and white magic danced.
Her fighter suddenly sped up, his wooden weapon dancing. He flowed past the parry of his opponent, his sword seeking his throat.
It hit, but not the neck. His opponent's sword flashing up and burning with orange flames it slashed the other wooden sword in two. A kick sending the attacker stumbling back.
The fighter with the burning sword went in for the attack with a mighty slash that left a burning after image in the air. It didn't hit, it bounced off a white shield appearing in the air before the other fighter.
He recovered his balance and threw his ruined weapon away. A new one was tossed to him by an attendant and they were back at it.
They traded blows. Sometimes on their own, sometimes boosted by their mages. Sometimes protected by shields, sometimes erupting in cloaks of flame, driving their opponents back.
It was impressive looking. Flashy.
Exactly what you would expect from a demonstration meant to attract applicants to join the guild. What they used in a real battle may be similar, but I suspected they would be way stronger then.
What's more, it was all Land Magic. They seemed to limit their casting to White and Red spells as well. I suppose everyone has their favorites, but as it was a Guild, I also suspected that spells from those specific colours worked well with their doctrine and field tactics.
I glanced at Zrazta. She was watching them closely with a smile.
I sipped my wine. Zrazta wasn't all that interested in magic outside of her field of study. Which was potions and everything involved with them. She had learned just enough land magic to be able to bond to a swamp and create soulstones so she could travel with me, but that was pretty much it.
Not to say that she was weak in any shape or form, she was a dragon, and hell, likely smarter than I was.
Resting my free hand on her waist, I sipped my wine again and returned my attention to the demonstration, making sure to give Library as unobstructed a view of the fighting as possible. It didn't matter too much, the construct wasn't limited to such simple senses as mere eyesight, but every little bit would help.
Krazyfan1
Worrying for the future.
- Location
- Australia
I wonder if they could make a sport out of that....
Non-lethal (you'd be surprised what you can live through when magic is involved) Duels, the combatants boosted by their Magic using teammate, the pair having to use a mixture of enhancements and skill and talent in order to win.
The Mage having a limited amount of Mana, so just spamming buffs is discouraged, and the Fighter having to actually do the physical stuff...
is there a series about that already?
it sounds familiar...
Closest i can think of is some of the later Bakugan series...
Non-lethal (you'd be surprised what you can live through when magic is involved) Duels, the combatants boosted by their Magic using teammate, the pair having to use a mixture of enhancements and skill and talent in order to win.
The Mage having a limited amount of Mana, so just spamming buffs is discouraged, and the Fighter having to actually do the physical stuff...
is there a series about that already?
it sounds familiar...
Closest i can think of is some of the later Bakugan series...
MangoFlan
Cold... I feel cold...
Perhaps you're looking for Pokemon? or maybe Digimon?
Krazyfan1
Worrying for the future.
- Location
- Australia
Thought of those, but at least for the show, the trainers call out strategies, except for Mega evolving and Z moves i suppose...
Maybe some later series of Digimon maybe?
the one where they could use their defeated enemies abilities?
"You know," Zrazta said, slowly flipping through her copy of the pamphlet she got from the Boros exhibition as we left the courier service, "I think we should visit the Izzet League."
"You think so?" I asked and finished putting my money away. It had not been cheap to send a courier with a letter to 'Chandra of the Gatewatch', but it had not been hilariously expensive either. Apparently we were quite far away from there, several districts over.
Zrazta nodded, "I do," she said before she closed the pamphlet, "I asked around a bit while you were busy in there. Apparently the Izzet not only makes spells and contraptions, they also sell them. In addition to making the technology of this place work."
"Could be risky."
"Could. But so is everything we do," she countered and put the pamphlet away, "I think it's our best chance to find what we want. Atreus, we could spend months wandering around this city and not find what we're looking for."
"...We don't have months, I know," I sighed, "three more days before we have to leave."
Zrazta nodded, "Hence…"
"...Hence why we need to go see the mighty wizard of the Izzet," I sighed again, "Did you happen to get some directions?"
She smiled brightly, "Of course I did, come on. It's not that far."
Unfortunately, we got a nasty surprise on our way there. Fortunately, however, it was nothing worse than the clouds that had been gathering for the last hour or so opening up and releasing a heavy torrent of rain on us just a dozen meters from the entrance of the Izzet compound.
The guard there, did a quick double take when he spotted us rushing for him, but quickly slapped a button next to him, making the gate swing open.
"Thank you!" Zrazta said as we ran past into the entrance hall.
"Y-my pleasure, ma'am."
I glanced at him briefly. That was a strange reac-
I looked at Zrazta. White dress + heavy rainfall equalled a… distracting sight. I suddenly didn't blame the guard for being put off balance, "Uhm, love? You may want to dry off a bit?"
She blinked at me and then down at herself before she sighed and rolled her eyes, muttering something about mortals under her breath before she started to channel some magic, sending it rolling across herself. The water steamed away and some thirty seconds later, she was dry.
She smirked at me, "Better?"
"...Now, I wouldn't say that," I admitted, "but at least not quite as distracting."
Zrazta gave me a slightly smug look before leading the way over to the circular desk in the middle of the large entrance hall. People walked back and forth, carrying notes or boxes or just talking. The place wasn't packed, but there were perhaps some ten or fifteen people passing through at any one time.
The room itself was interesting. It was coloured in blue and red, the colours of the Izzet guild. The soft humming of electricity could be heard somewhere despite the muted conversations and people walking around. On each side of the door a pair of massive metal golems were standing, what looked like tesla coils sticking out of their shoulders.
I wanted one.
Badly.
I turned to follow Zrazta. Wonder if they'll let me buy one of everything? Did I have anything to trade they might like?
"Hello," the woman at the desk said with a smile when we got close enough. She was an elf with short blonde hair and she was wearing red and blue robes, "Welcome to the Izzet League. My name is Sahala, Izzet something I can help you with?"
Hah! I like these guys already!
Zrazta smiled at her, "Actually, yes. I'm Zrazta and this is Atreus. We're looking to purchase some books if it would be possible. Primarily on mana theory and some on spells of all colours of lands?"
Sahala pursed her lips a bit and then nodded, "I think we should be able to handle that. Was there something you were especially looking for?"
I shook my head but let Zrazta do most of the talking.
"Not really," Zrazta admitted, "Just mana theory and theory of magic in general, something above the level you can find in any 'magic store'. Then some books and scrolls with some spells of each school. Something you can use as a basis for learning more?"
Sahala smiled and nodded again, "Ah, I see. I think we can help you with that," she said and pulled out a book. She flipped it open and ran her finger down an index before flipping it to the indicated page and copying something to a notepad on her desk. She repeated that a couple of more times before she tore the note from the pad and rolled it up. She slid it into a small bronze tube, which she sealed and put on a small circular pad on her desk. There was a zap of energy and it was gone.
She turned back to us, "Three books in total, one of medium to advanced mana theory, one on casting spells in general and one book with samples of all schools of magic. Now, I feel like I should warn you that the last one you could gather yourself, it contains a collection of the generally available spells as well as the spells each guild gives out to the general public for recruiting. You could gather all of that yourself for significantly less."
Zrazta smiled, "That's fine. How much?"
"Hundred and fifty Zinos."
Gulp. That was most of our remaining cash. So much that I was glad that we had paid for the hotel room in advance.
Zrazta turned to me with a small smile, "Atreus?"
"Of course," I agreed and pulled the small bag of money from my bag. When I was done counting, it was significantly lighter.
Sahala counted it out again and slid the money away before writing us a receipt for it, "Thank you," she said with a smile before motioning towards a bench by the right wall, "If you'll please have a seat over there, somebody will bring you your purchase shortly."
As we made our way over there, a small sound made me glance back to see a small cat sized golem following behind me. It crackled softly with faint power, tipping along on four rubber-tipped spider legs as it scrubbed the floor where water had dripped off of me.
"...Sorry…", I said to it, and then moved to catch up with Zrazta again.
"You think so?" I asked and finished putting my money away. It had not been cheap to send a courier with a letter to 'Chandra of the Gatewatch', but it had not been hilariously expensive either. Apparently we were quite far away from there, several districts over.
Zrazta nodded, "I do," she said before she closed the pamphlet, "I asked around a bit while you were busy in there. Apparently the Izzet not only makes spells and contraptions, they also sell them. In addition to making the technology of this place work."
"Could be risky."
"Could. But so is everything we do," she countered and put the pamphlet away, "I think it's our best chance to find what we want. Atreus, we could spend months wandering around this city and not find what we're looking for."
"...We don't have months, I know," I sighed, "three more days before we have to leave."
Zrazta nodded, "Hence…"
"...Hence why we need to go see the mighty wizard of the Izzet," I sighed again, "Did you happen to get some directions?"
She smiled brightly, "Of course I did, come on. It's not that far."
Unfortunately, we got a nasty surprise on our way there. Fortunately, however, it was nothing worse than the clouds that had been gathering for the last hour or so opening up and releasing a heavy torrent of rain on us just a dozen meters from the entrance of the Izzet compound.
The guard there, did a quick double take when he spotted us rushing for him, but quickly slapped a button next to him, making the gate swing open.
"Thank you!" Zrazta said as we ran past into the entrance hall.
"Y-my pleasure, ma'am."
I glanced at him briefly. That was a strange reac-
I looked at Zrazta. White dress + heavy rainfall equalled a… distracting sight. I suddenly didn't blame the guard for being put off balance, "Uhm, love? You may want to dry off a bit?"
She blinked at me and then down at herself before she sighed and rolled her eyes, muttering something about mortals under her breath before she started to channel some magic, sending it rolling across herself. The water steamed away and some thirty seconds later, she was dry.
She smirked at me, "Better?"
"...Now, I wouldn't say that," I admitted, "but at least not quite as distracting."
Zrazta gave me a slightly smug look before leading the way over to the circular desk in the middle of the large entrance hall. People walked back and forth, carrying notes or boxes or just talking. The place wasn't packed, but there were perhaps some ten or fifteen people passing through at any one time.
The room itself was interesting. It was coloured in blue and red, the colours of the Izzet guild. The soft humming of electricity could be heard somewhere despite the muted conversations and people walking around. On each side of the door a pair of massive metal golems were standing, what looked like tesla coils sticking out of their shoulders.
I wanted one.
Badly.
I turned to follow Zrazta. Wonder if they'll let me buy one of everything? Did I have anything to trade they might like?
"Hello," the woman at the desk said with a smile when we got close enough. She was an elf with short blonde hair and she was wearing red and blue robes, "Welcome to the Izzet League. My name is Sahala, Izzet something I can help you with?"
Hah! I like these guys already!
Zrazta smiled at her, "Actually, yes. I'm Zrazta and this is Atreus. We're looking to purchase some books if it would be possible. Primarily on mana theory and some on spells of all colours of lands?"
Sahala pursed her lips a bit and then nodded, "I think we should be able to handle that. Was there something you were especially looking for?"
I shook my head but let Zrazta do most of the talking.
"Not really," Zrazta admitted, "Just mana theory and theory of magic in general, something above the level you can find in any 'magic store'. Then some books and scrolls with some spells of each school. Something you can use as a basis for learning more?"
Sahala smiled and nodded again, "Ah, I see. I think we can help you with that," she said and pulled out a book. She flipped it open and ran her finger down an index before flipping it to the indicated page and copying something to a notepad on her desk. She repeated that a couple of more times before she tore the note from the pad and rolled it up. She slid it into a small bronze tube, which she sealed and put on a small circular pad on her desk. There was a zap of energy and it was gone.
She turned back to us, "Three books in total, one of medium to advanced mana theory, one on casting spells in general and one book with samples of all schools of magic. Now, I feel like I should warn you that the last one you could gather yourself, it contains a collection of the generally available spells as well as the spells each guild gives out to the general public for recruiting. You could gather all of that yourself for significantly less."
Zrazta smiled, "That's fine. How much?"
"Hundred and fifty Zinos."
Gulp. That was most of our remaining cash. So much that I was glad that we had paid for the hotel room in advance.
Zrazta turned to me with a small smile, "Atreus?"
"Of course," I agreed and pulled the small bag of money from my bag. When I was done counting, it was significantly lighter.
Sahala counted it out again and slid the money away before writing us a receipt for it, "Thank you," she said with a smile before motioning towards a bench by the right wall, "If you'll please have a seat over there, somebody will bring you your purchase shortly."
As we made our way over there, a small sound made me glance back to see a small cat sized golem following behind me. It crackled softly with faint power, tipping along on four rubber-tipped spider legs as it scrubbed the floor where water had dripped off of me.
"...Sorry…", I said to it, and then moved to catch up with Zrazta again.
Krazyfan1
Worrying for the future.
- Location
- Australia
I wonder how sapient they are?
Cause i'm not sure how many would thank them, and if they are sapient, they might like the change of pace