Private Tales An Educational Meeting

[Selina Della Altas]

Selina walked alone through the forest somewhere in the Allir Reach. She walked without direction, away from any path or road to guide her, but she was far from lost. She spent a long time in these woods, learning the area, its animals, its monsters, its plants and herbs. She wasn't a druid of any kind, but she had learned many new skills besides magic from joining the witches coven based only a few miles from where she walked now.

She held an oak staff in her hand with a gnarled crown of twisted roots which held various crystals and a few arcane trinkets hung from tethers tied to a few of the protruding roots. Living out in the wild she had taken to dressing more primitively, sparing her finer clothes from damage over time. She wore a well made dress of dark animal hide secured in the middle by a belt of rope from which hung several more trinkets of an arcane nature, including a fine leather sheath which held her spellbook and a pouch containing more ingredients. Her arms and shoulders were bare save for the woolen mantle and arm wrappings inscribed with magical text.

Spoiler

She was about in the forest, sifting through bushes and looking under plants, seeking herbs and other alchemical ingredients, perhaps even mildly abnormal creatures that have some magical property that can be exploited in a spell or potion. Both her spellwork and her skills in enchantments and potion crafting had excelled in leaps and bounds since she joined up with the witches, it almost let her forget her regrets for leaving her friends and family behind.

She stopped by a little babbling brook that cut a light path through the forest floor, partly to look for ingredients and partly to drink and take in the beauty of the scenery if only for a moment.
She reminisced like this a lot, looking back on her life up to this point and comparing herself now to the person she used to be. Quite the difference she would say. Her repertoire of spells had increased as well, if she went back to the college she wouldn't be a novice in her craft, she might even excel and possibly become a teacher... Providing the college still remained standing...

And she was far from done learning things herself.

 

[James Lanvarok]

James was lost.

He hadn't been lost several hours ago when he had left Alliria, but as the trees grew darker and the sun began to set, he began to doubt his chances of finding an inn by the time night fell. Crossbow on his back, he raised a hand to his brow and squinted, looking around at all the trees, rocks and patches of grass he had seen before.

He groaned, both frustrated and afraid. Hand on his head, he gripped his hair as he painstakingly recalled his surroundings. He strode forward, and stepped into a clearing which he had most certainly seen before. There was the same brook and waterfall, but there was something that hadn't been there when he had walked by last time.

There was a young woman, who looked close to his age, drinking from the water.

He couldn't see her face, but he liked the curve of her arse. Heat rushed to his cheeks and recoiled into his dusty, brown cloak, wondering if she could help him find out where he was.

James walked forward with his hand on his head. He maintained a tight grip on his brown, wavy hair as he approached the girl, his eyes fixed to her behind. She appeared to be gathering herbs, and with every movement she made, James eyed her figure.

"Ahem," he coughed, trying to get her attention.

"Hi," he stated.

"I'm kinda lost, think you could help me out?" He asked, his eyes never failing to divert from her body. He lusted after her, his gaze intense and carnal.

He noticed the wooden staff in her hands and the runic markings engraved in it. His expression immediately hardened and he raised an eyebrow. "What are you, a witch?" He asked accusingly. James had nothing but bad things about witches. That they kidnapped men and preformed rituals on them. It was nasty stuff, and he didn't like them one bit.

He reached out to the girl with his empathy, trying to sense something he could trust.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She heard someone approaching from behind her, the footfalls heavier and not nearly as adept at traversing quietly through the woods as her sisters. She stopped drinking but didn't turn, using her other senses to discern whether he was a threat first before deciding if she needed to jump into action.
He cleared his throat and greeted her, so he likely wasn't up to no good.

She turned when he spoke, looking up at the man that stood a short distance away at the edge of the clearing. He seemed nice until he noticed her staff and asked if she were a witch, which was a sensible question to ask in these parts since they were so far from any formal school of magic, only adventurers, rogue spellcasters, druids, and witches would be out in these woods.

She examined him before responding. He had a crossbow on his back and might be a few years older than she, though not by a large margin. And what was more, he seemed to not be over fond of witches, a trait that she held herself once when she attended the college of Elbion.
But at his accusation she couldn't think of any good way to disarm his suspicions, except that when she thought about it, it seemed silly to her for someone to automatically assume a girl in the woods holding a staff must be a witch.

So that's how she responded.
At first she regarded him with a smile, but that turned into a smirk, and suddenly she couldn't hold it anymore and broke out laughing, her? a witch?
"Hahahahahaha! I'm so sorry, I'm not laughing at you! I just have never had that asked of me so directly! Hahahahaha!"
She recovered after a minute and stood up, taking a deep breath to compose herself. His accusation was genuine, she just had never thought of the fact that her being in a coven learning occult magic probably did indeed make her a witch.
She sighed, a smile still playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Let's see... How should I put this... I suppose I'm more of an intern, an apprentice magic user learning a new field of magic. I suppose no matter what I'm doing I'm still a student, whether at Elbion or here."

She took a step towards him with a warm and welcoming smile, extending her hand to him.
"I'm Selina Altas. Former student wizard of the college in Elbion."
She'd invoked her affiliation with the college in the past when she was required to go into villages for supplies, just so people would trust her and not turn her out on suspicion. Magic users of the college often found themselves seeking solitude in the wilderness, so the common people asked less questions that way.

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The spells effect​

Her emotions were jumbled at first, suspicion of her own growing, and maybe a little fear at the stranger she met in the woods. Then after a blast of mirth she was searching a bit for the right thing to say, presenting caution at his sudden switch to a more hostile tone.

 

[James Lanvarok]

The woman broke out in a fit of laughter. Heat rushed to James' cheeks. He felt humiliated, and he had no idea why. Shrinking into the collar of his cloak, he curled his hands onto balls and shook, a vein protruding from his temple. The woman then said that it wasn't him she was laughing at, but his question. Since it was him who had asked the question, it still felt very much like she was laughing at him.

"You're a creepy bitch who lives in the woods, how the fuck was I supposed to know you were anything but a witch?!" He shouted.

The woman took a moment to regain her composure, but James was still fuming. There was nothing strange about his question, and she had laughed at him for it. Hands still rolled into fists, he stared her down, his blue eyes wide and terrifying. She explained that she was still learning the ways of her craft, and that she had formerly been a student at the college of Elbion. She waffled on quite a bit, which annoyed James.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Hands held out, he rolled his eyes.

When she said that she had formerly been at the college, his features softened. He uncoiled his fists and cocked his head to the side, scratching it.

"I'm a mage from the college, too," he stated, top lip turned up as he stared at her.

There was a pause, and the woman introduced herself as Selina Altas. James furrowed his brow and looked down, apprehensively rubbing the back of his neck.

"James," he mumbled, "James Lanvarok." Avoiding Selina's gaze, he sheepishly looked at the ground and kicked a stone, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

He slumped his shoulders and sighed. He sensed Selina's caution, and tried to chill out a bit. Taking a long breath, he threw his hands down and shifted his eyes, trying not to stare at her. His bottom lip hung open dumbly and he looked at the brook, still worried that he might not make it to the next inn by the time night fell. Breathing in, he turned around and faced Selina, his eyes darting all over the place.

"Look, I'm lost, and I need you to help me find the next inn," he grumbled.

"Is it close by?" He asked, shoulders rising with emphasis.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She felt a little hurt at his outburst and withdrew a little, taking a hesitant step back. She was trying to be friendly, but it seems her lightheartedness was taken the wrong way. He didn't shake her hand but he did introduce himself, calming down a little bit. Her smile had faded at his shouting but when he said he was from the college and explained his situation she forced it out again.

"James Lanvarok, A... Pleasure... to meet you... I apologize for laughing, it was uncalled for. It's a reasonable question, just being from the college like yourself it's not one I'm accustomed to."
Well, she reasoned it was a better response than trying to burn her at the stake, but her extroverted nature drove her to seek approval and friendship from others, so she felt a pain in her heart to have messed up so quickly in getting to know somebody. Now she needed to make up for her blunder and not reading his personality correctly.
"The next Inn is at a village about five miles North-East from here. If you want I can guide you there and you can tell me what's happening in Elbion and what you're learning at the college."

She secured the flap over her ingredient pouch. She hadn't had contact with the college for a long time, so meeting with another student from there put her a bit on edge. Had things changed? Where her friends still there? She could have scried a bit and found this out but she was honestly afraid of what she might learn.

She turned sideways to him, ready to go.
"Do you have more questions, or are you ready to go? I can have you in the next village just after nightfall."

 

[James Lanvarok]

Selina's unease radiated off her. She was clearly hurt by what James had said, but he didn't feel bad. She had laughed at him, after all. He scowled hard, his hands curled into fists. Selina then apologized and James' features softened, although it was an apology he didn't trust. She was probably just saying sorry to stop him from being mad at her.

Selina explained that she was just surprised, something James could understand. Huffing, he uncurled his fists and slumped his shoulders.

"You're just saying sorry to stop me from being mad at you," he snapped.

His eyes narrowed, and an awkward pause followed. He didn't want to trust this girl, but she was his only chance of finding his way out of the woods. He sighed, raised a hand, and ran his fingers through his matted, wavy hair.

"I get it," he shrugged. "I'm new to the college and everything is surprising," lowering his guard for a moment, he spoke more softly than he had before.

"I used to train at the dreadlord academy in Vel Anir, but I ran away." He looked at his feet and rubbed his arm awkwardly, still ashamed by his betrayal of the academy. Recoiling, he shrunk into the collar of his cloak and looked at the ground, lightly kicking the dirt with his toe. It had been years since he had been at the academy, but the memories were still fresh. The beatings, his friends being pitted against him, being forced to fight his fellow students.

James groaned, the memories becoming too much. Slamming his eyes shut, he violently smacked himself in the head, internally berating himself for his failure as an apprentice.

"No! No!" He shouted between clenched teeth.

Selina said that the next village was about five miles, north-west from where they were, which relieved James somewhat. A rare smile crept onto his face and he relaxed, slumped his shoulders and sighed.

"Thanks, I'd like that," he said bashfully.

"Let's go." A nod, and he walked forward, waiting for Selina to lead him through the forest.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She opened her mouth to say more, but decided against it.
He was interesting. She had never met anyone who actually left the academy, but that told her that he was most likely born in Vel Anir.
She turned and began walking, leading him but also walking beside him.
Her extroverted nature brought her to smile and try again.

"So, what have you been studying at the college, if you don't mind me asking?"
She was trying to keep things lighthearted, she just hoped that he would let her.

 

[James Lanvarok]

Breathing in and out, James tried his best to calm his emotions. Understanding and kindness radiated off Selina, which brushed off James, calming him down. Eyebrows lowering, he looked at the ground like a guilty dog and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. Selina went to say something, but decided not to and lead him through the forest instead.

Leaves fell around them, littering the undergrowth in a mirage of colours and clinging to James' hair. Shifting his eyes from one end of the forest to the next, he beheld Selina with suspucion, as the plucking of a stringed instrument reached his ears. He listened closer and could hear witches chanting in the distance. A shudder ran up his back, and he jumped to the side, standing closer to Selina.

She seemed pleasant enough, modest and demure, which vastly contradicted the rumors James had heard about witches.

She asked about what he was studying at the college, and he raised both eyebrows, struggling to answer. Raising a hand, he ran it through his dark, wavy hair and scratched his head.

"Well I've only been there a few weeks, but I'm double majoring in elemental magic and empathy," he slurred.

"Elemental is way different to how it was taught at Vel Anir," he said, screwing up his features. "Back there we just drew elements from our surroundings, but at Elbion, we conjure them in the form of spirits, which is fucking stupid," he barked.

Looking down, James shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers and kicked the grass in frustration. He didn't want to have to summon a fire spirit whenever he wanted to cast fire, he just needed to use the oxygen in the air. It was a bunch of dumb hocus pocus he didn't have time for. The dreadlord academy may have been cruel, but at least their arcane studies were grounded in logic.

"There's no such thing as spirits," James grumbled.

He sighed, and let a pause follow.

"My empathy is a natural ability that I was born with, so I'm taking a course in that to learn how to control it properly," he shrugged.

"It's a pain in the arse," he huffed. "Makes me angry all the time and gets me in trouble, I'm at least hoping the college will help me get a handle on it." Looking down, he rubbed the back of his head and pulled his feet through the grass he followed Selina through the forest.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

So that's why he was a little touchy. Just knowing he was an empath put her more at ease, so it wasn't necessarily her fault, he was doomed to have a bad attitude by having such an affinity for emotions. She knew a little about the power emotion held, some of the spells she knew required a certain emotional state in order to cast.
It also made her a little more cautious with her own emotions around him, some people could read emotions to the point that it was close to reading their minds, and even though she felt she had little to hide as a wizard it was nearly second nature to try and hide whatever secrets she had.

Looking past his emotional instability he wasn't that bad a person.
"I know what you mean about conjuring elements from spirits, but I can surmise why they rely on such beings to conjure the elements. They provide a safety net, an intelligent focus to control their level of power and keep students from blowing themselves up, it's cautious but good for beginners."
She had to smile a bit at his comment on the existence of spirits.
"I have to disagree with that opinion, however. My time here in the forest has shown me that the spiritual world is very real and has more to do with our world than you might think. I don't understand all of it, yet, but someday I will. Familiars are actually spiritual beings as well! I have one, and she should be nearby..."

They walked through the forest, stepping over logs and around great oaks under the deep forest canopy.
"But tell me about your empathy? I've only studied it insofar as emotions can apply to some spells, but you practice an actual form of magic that relies on emotion. What is its capability? what are its applications? Perhaps you can give me an impromptu lesson as we walk?"
Her dark waves bounced on her shoulders as she skipped sideways, looking at him hopefully as they traveled along an unseen path

 

[James Lanvarok]

As James walked, he groaned, Selina's desperate attempts to avoid conflict radiating from her. He didn't understand why she couldn't just tell him what she thought of him, rather than gloss over it with diplomacy. It was exhausting to listen to, as well having to navigate the unease stirring beneath her modest words. He sighed, scratched the back of his head and pulled the top of his scarf over his mouth. Selina agreed with him on his point about the college drawing elements from spirits, but he could he could tell she was just trying to be polite.

She continued to explain in mechanical, long-winded detail about the benefits of summing elements from spirits, and James was having none of it. He tried his best to listen, but started to zone out, focusing instead on her chest rather than her words.

"Lady, you sound like my summoning lecturer," he said, eyes rolling far into the back of his head. "Don't you ever shut up?" He shook his head, his shoulders rising in a hefty shrug.

James wasn't very good at digesting words or learning through text or writing. He needed to practice magic in order to learn it, which was the only thing he liked about the teaching methods at Vel Anir. It was more practical than theoretical. When Selina waffled on about summoning, he found it harder and harder to pay attention the more she spoke, especially when her boobs were bouncing up and down as she walked. Hands in the pockets of his trench coat, he dragged his feet through the grass and groaned, teeth clenched as he tried his best to listen.

When Selina explained how divine beings provided a safety net for students when summoning, James smirked.

"It's just a shame they don't exist," he spat, eyes narrowing in disdain.

All of Selina's theory about how spirits secured the process of summoning elements was lost on James, because he simply didn't believe in them. Even if spirits did exist, he thought it was dumb that they would be used as some kind of barrier for students when summoning elements. They needed to learn to cast them without relying on a safety net, otherwise they would never learn how to cast them independently of spirits.

"Casting elements is dangerous, that's just magic," James shrugged. "Just supposing spirits exist, students will never learn to draw elements directly from their surroundings if they rely on some kind of safety barrier," he raised his voice, spraying saliva into the air. Maybe it was the dreadlord in him talking, but he thought a safety barrier, divine or otherwise, hindered a mage's progress. Sometimes, students blew themselves up, but so what? Magic was magic.

Finally Selina expressed genuine disagreement with one of James' points. She did so calmly, and with tact. He had to respect her for that, even if he didn't agree with what she was saying. She said that the time she had spent in the forest had taught that spirits were indeed real and that she even had her own familiar. James rolled his eyes, head swaying back and forth as he struggled to pay attention.

"What else did that teach you? How to seduce men and sacrifice them to your "goddess"?" He spat, his tone clearly mocking.

There was a pause, and James turned around to face Selina, scratching his head in thought. "Look, I don't believe "spirits", or whatever you want to call them are actual beings, they're just energy, enchanted by spells that make them seem like they're alive." He shrugged, waving his hands in dismissal of the notion.

James sighed. Turning around, he followed Selina though the forest, stepping over logs and avoiding puddles. He walked with a hunch, his hands deep in the pocket of his trench coat and his stride clumsy, like that of a small bear. He had his crossbow on his back, and wore a wide scarf underneath the collar of his coat, the edge pulled up over his mouth.

Eyes forward, James kicked twigs out the way, trying not to ogle over Selina's figure. She asked him about his empathy, about it's capability and how it was applied. Stepping over a log, James placed his forehead in his hand and sighed, running his fingers through his wavy hair. He was not opposed to teaching somebody about his empathy, but was apprehensive, as he couldn't control it very well and it was a school that was heavily stigmatized. When she asked if an actual form of magic could rely on just emotions, he mumbled something that sounded like "mhm."

"Yeah the school relies entirely on emotion," he kicked a twig out of the way as he spoke. "Like for instance, I can draw the rage from an enemy to subdue them, or draw somebody's stress to calm them down, but then the emotions I siphon get transferred to me." A shrug, and he continued walking.

Selina asked James if he would like to give her an impromptu lesson as they walked, which caused him to smirk.

"I dunno, I've never taught anyone anything before." An uncharacteristic smiled crept onto his features, denting his chubby cheeks. He wasn't sure about teaching her, as he had never taught before, and he couldn't control his empathy very well. "I was born with it, it isn't something I just decided to learn, so I can't control it very well," he turned around to face Selina and said.

"A good empath keeps their emotions in check at all times so they don't overwhelm them and I, well..." His voice trailed off and he shifted his eyes, knowing his fiery temper and sour moods weren't the best example of a good empath.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

Selina couldn't help but chuckle at his comment on her 'goddess', seemingly joining him in his intended mockery. She definitely felt like she was talking to a Vel Anir Acolyte. Only that sort of arrogance could bring her back to that tournament and fateful day when her life began to change. But she was unaffected by it, now that she knew the source of his attitude she's become tolerant of it.
"Well, I don't worship any 'goddess', though I might pursue that realm of magic someday. Clerics get their powers in a much more unique way than other magic casters. I would value the opportunity to know first hand how it works."

She didn't comment on the seducing part, mostly because she was a little embarrassed that she had never smooth talked a guy or used her feminine charms to persuade anyone in one way or another. She always simply relied on being herself and her own merits to attract or repulse anyone of the opposite sex.
A fact that her far more promiscuous friends in the college used to tease her about in spite of her extrovertness and popularity. But she wasn't totally naïve, she noticed how his eyes would linger on her.

He had an interesting view on spirits, being simply automated forms of magical beings.
"I followed that theory too for a while, I experimented and tested with as many conjuration and summoning spells that I could find just to see if it was true or not."
She held out her hand like she was holding an invisible teacup, with a slight exertion she summoned a tiny little fire spirit in her palm, like a little candle flame with two brighter spots for eyes.
"This is what you describe, a simple enchanted creature that I made. It has no freewill of its own and no real thoughts or intelligence beyond that of a mouse. It's a simple creature that, as you say, is just energy enchanted to seem alive."

She closed her fingers around the minor summoned flame, extinguishing it.
"That little flame was summoned through magic. But what I discovered with the greater conjurations and summons what that, instead of using magic to create, I was using magic to transport. I wasn't using magic to form their bodies or program their spirits, the only magic involved on my part was creating a portal and calling out to whatever was on the other side. Thus, my familiar."
With that a small spotted cat dropped out of a tree and landed on her shoulder. The little Margay cat familiar adjusted itself on her shoulder till it was draped across her neck with its own stunning eyes meeting the gaze of the human.

"This type of familiar is different from the familiar spells that are taught at the college. When you make a summon that is purely of your own creation it doesn't know anything that you yourself do not know. They act as loyal companions but are nothing more than what you described as animated energy. But my friend here has been my teacher for over a year now, she's been showing me different forms of magic that I never thought of before."
The little cat nodded smugly and the corners of its mouth turned upwards, almost like it was smiling at James.
Selina turned her head sharply at the cat, as if it said something.
"Don't be rude Annabelle, he's not exactly into wasting his time on the more scholarly pursuits of magic."

She thought about what he told her about empathic magic, siphoning and subduing others magically, that definitely had its uses. And she could already think of many more applications for it if they were possible.
"Could you possibly use the emotions stored up inside yourself to some purpose? it goes without saying that keeping them all caged up inside yourself isn't healthy, but can you then use those caged up emotions and put them to a better use?"
She turned to him fully again as she walked, "How about this. You teach me everything you know about Empathic magic, and I'll teach you everything I know about conjuration magic. Deal?" She extended her hand to him.