Dreadlords Earn your place

[Zana]

"You did really well," Zana murmured softly to the Guardswoman who - despite limping - was grinning ear to ear as Zana walked her to one of the fortresses four entrances. This one was the quickest way to the healers. They came to a stop in the threshold and the woman - Lola, Lola who had been one of the first guards she had ever asked the name of, Lola who had fought at her side in the Revolution and lost an eye because of Zana's hesitancy to kill a Dreadlord from her own House - gave her a smart salute before walking on alone. Zana wouldn't wound her pride by escorting her there herself. The Archon watched her go until she turned the corner then let out a sigh and rubbed the heel of her palm over her heart.

Would there come a day she would not have to ask people to risk their lives?

Zana walked back to the centre of the training square and turned the sand over with her boot to hide Lola's blood. She'd asked for use of this fortress for the specific reason its training arena was a sandpit instead of hard rock or ground that might churn up after prolonged use and harsh weather. Fort Astaerix was - had - been one of Luana's strongholds in the Eastern territories. Jiya had given it over to her without question when she had asked. That had hurt too. She didn't deserve the admiration or the loyalty shown to her when she had turned this world upside down. But she would earn it. She would earn it from each and every one of those in the Taskforce.

A low growl from Grey who lounged in the sun told her her next student for the day was approaching and so she pushed the self pity and worthless feelings aside, squared her shoulders and met the gaze of the next Taskforce member with an easy smile as they came into view.

"Thank you for coming," because none of them had to. They had a choice every day. "How are you this morning?"

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Of course, I wouldn't miss the chance to train with someone of your experience. And, I'm doing well. My days move slower...but faster, it's strange."

In truth, Alistair now had to wake himself up an hour earlier than normal just to accomplish his usual morning routine. That was just to account for his bumbling around. He still had not fully ground accustomed to his blindness, especially without magic in the vicinity to help him see. True, he had ways of seeing using his magic, but he could not afford to spend his magical energy on brushing his teeth and combing his hair.

Walking around without sight often felt like he was wasting his time. He could no longer occupy himself with reading or any of his work without being willing to use some of his magical energy. However, in those few moments where he did interact with the arcane, suddenly he was flying through tasks that would have taken hours.

Alistair had arrived at the training yard in simple combat attire with leather armor. While the attire and armor were standard issue training gear, every inch of the clothes and gear had been outfitted in expansive runes providing a myriad of effects.

He still had chosen not to bring the runesaber, in fact, he had not used it around the taskforce, yet. It wasn't that he was hiding anything, but with his new abilities, his understanding of the runesaber had changed. He was currently planning out some changes that he wanted to get some feedback from Ralene on, but knowing when the letters would find her was always a bit random.

Alistair moved to pick up a practice sword nearby before offering a bow to Zana.

"Thank you for providing your assistance."

Zana

 

[Zana]

"Have you tried a stick?" Zana didn't move for one of the swords but merely slid her feet into the age practised defensive stance. Feet wide, shoulders back. Her hands hung loosely at her sides. She hadn't bothered with armour either, preferring the simple combination of a white shirt and dark breeches. If anyone had seen them they might have thought it was she who was the novice come to train. Except, of course, Alistair could no doubt see the agony of magic that pulsed about her. She wondered, briefly, if he would be able to sense the magic of her unborn child too.

Curious.

"It might help with the day to day, it might also make you more invisible. People don't look at a blind man with a stick," she motioned for him to try and attack her.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair did his best to hide a small smile. He had actually been told about how he might need to use a stick when he first had doctors look at his new blindness. He had decided against it, using the reasoning that he could still see if he used magic, but in truth, it was probably his pride that stopped him from using a stick. The idea that he would be looked over by Dreadlords, if he looked too blind annoyed him.

"I'll look into it."

Before he dove into combat, Alistair took a good long look at Zana's aura, and it...confused him, maybe even scared him. There was so much. The first aura he recognized from fighting against Maseno. It had that malleability and dominance, that was her telekinesis, but when he was steady and controlled, there were parts of hers that would suddenly fluctuate. It looked like it was going one way and then it would go another. It played tricks on his eyes looking like it was moving forward, but somehow going backward. He had to stop focusing on it for too long.

The next aura was spongy but looked firm...something defensive? Lastly, there was another there but it was small and...generic. In fact, it was pure mana, something he had learned was a rare occurrence. Mana tended to want to take on some characteristics it was connected to. How did Zana have so many different styles? Was she more than one person?

Not wanting to psyche himself out anymore, Alistair activated several runes on his person and then swiftly move to attack her with his wooden sword, all the while casting two separate spells that fired off at her, one being fire and the other ice. Spellcasting like this had become much easier for him since the accident. He had always understood how to cast these spells, but now his connection with mana made them so fast and required less focus.

Zana

 

[Zana]

Zana's lips tugged at the corners; had that been a joke?

The Archon watched impassively as he swung with blade and magic - an impressive feat in itself. There were fourth level Dreadlords who could only do one at a time. Even Adamir had struggled to focus on both and he had risen into the higher Virak ranks. She wondered, as the wooden sword passed her by as she shifted out of the way, what had become of her odd nemesis. Using her foresight to side step the attack as though the swipe had been nothing, she brought up a tendril of her magic to deal with the two spells. One smashed into a shield of purple energy whilst the other hit harmlessly off a slab of rock she had brought up.

Three strands of her magic in harmony.

"Did you see how that worked?" she asked of the blind man who could see the very essence of magic. "Your spells are the same, not different but from the same root. You. Even if you fire ice and flame, they are the same. Weave them as though they are one strand. Again."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair could have been more focused on the battle, but Zana's defense was far more impressive. She had used each of her three magics without batting an eye. Alistair could duel cast some spells, but he also had a built-in cheat code to help him, and it was all just college magic.

However, Zana's magics weren't generalized but each a unique specialty. It was the equivalent of using a specific arm, leg, and back muscle in perfect harmony without using the other muscles.

He took a step back as he tried to put together exactly what he had seen. Her explanation made perfect sense to him, especially since his magics were all college magic, it should be easy to bring them from the same root, right?

"I think I got it."

Alistair came at her again, this time, he imagined his mana in its pure form before it turned into elements. Once the magic was gathered then he shaped them all at once, letting the magic take the form of ice and this time spike of earth that shot from the ground. He noticed he still had mana that would get wasted by the spell and instead used that to help power his runes, increasing his speed as he lunged in to attack her.

Zana

 

[Zana]

"Good, much better," Zana said over the noise of ice shattering against a much stronger shield this time whilst she moved to avoid both the earth and the lunge. The earth forced her to jump back and there he was, predicted the move to cut down at her with the staff so she danced away again, ducking low into a roll before bounding to her feet in one fluid movement. Before giving an attack of her own.

The same earth he had just thrown at her now launched itself at him in pellets that seemed to glow surrounded by the flickering purple energy. Two attacks disguised as one, each requiring a subtly different way to counter. Ironically, if he had had his sight he might have had a harder time seeing the multi layered attack.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

He understood the concept, and the magic felt more...efficient to Alistair, but that did not mean it was not still a little rough around the edges. It was like Alistair had just been taught how to hold a pencil differently. Still the same muscle, but it required a bit more focus until he got used to it.

Once again Zana had seen through his sword attack, and once again he had seen that warping. It had to be something helping her, as he could not clearly see any signs of magic. Maybe it was a battle sense. He had fought against many with that type of specialty...Still, that did not really seem like Zana's style.

She effortlessly sent a spell while she was coming out of her roll. They confused him, he had clearly seen the spell begin from earth, as she had used his own spell, but they did not hold that mana. Taking safety over his own confidence, Alistair simply attempted to move out of the way of the majority of the blast. However, he wasn't quick enough to dodge all the pellets, so he threw up a shield for the last few.

Thank the gods he did, because when only a few of the pellets made contact with his shield he was sent flying. He managed to land on his feet, but not before being pushed back several feet. The shield had been shattered, and Alistair would be feeling that in the morning.

"That's...some really nice earth you got."

He had experienced that magic now, and quickly began putting up defenses that would better detect the hidden force behind those pellets. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but he could narrow down his options.

Zana

 

[Zana]

Zana's laughter seemed to echo off the walls of the training arena; a decidedly undreadlord like sound.

"You did well to shield yourself from as many as you did - Lola did not fair so well," it would always be the edge the Dreadlords in this Taskforce had over their Guard counterpoints - not that Zana would change them. There were things the Guards saw that a Dreadlord did not, fuelled by that more human instinct and mortal need to survive. She wandered across the arena making a slow circle around the newly graduated Dreadlord, watching his stance as much as the magic he was wielding.

"Remember, the magic is all the same. Look closer," she brought the earth up once more and coated it in that crackling, raw energy, letting it dance around the boy in a makeshift tornado. "You only need one spell for both, find it. Find the core of what my magic is, counter it," then she let the pellets fall again.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

That was easy to say, but hard to perform. From Alistair's view on magic, most mana immediately found something to connect to and began mimicking it. Fire mana became hot and active, while ice its opposite. Sometimes mana would connect to people, and even those were where some people got their specialties, but they still took on some sort of characteristic. Even, Zana's aura did that.

What she was suggesting was like asking a chef to take off the salt from the food they had already made. But...it wasn't impossible. Alistair strained his vision to look closer at the magic. Zana was right in that regard, all mana started off as pure mana...So, it would make sense that Alistair just had to wipe away the characteristics and bring it back to its base value.

Miraculously, when he looked at the spell, he thought he saw it. Instantly, his fingers traced out his own spell that moved to strip the magic away. Unfortunately, it wasn't perfect. He was on to something, but he only stripped away the raw energy failing to completely counter the earth pellets themselves.

Alistair grimaced as the backlash from the failed spell felt like a headache.

"But isn't mana always changing, so how can you focus on the one thing?"

Zana

 

[Zana]

As the attack ended and the dust settled, when Alistair turned those mana-seeing eyes towards her he would find she had made herself a throne of sand and was perched upon it, thinking.

"Mana isn't what changes, not from what I've seen and read anyway. It's us that changes. As generations go on or new magicks impress themselves upon it, it adapts itself in some way but it does not change at its core. Pure mana sits right at the core of it as old as the world itself," she brought to life an orb of that crackling purple magic. Very carefully she stripped away the details that made it hers; the hue, the crackling, the build of energy. Concentration was written on her face until all she held was pure, raw mana.

"Alistair, you have a very rare gift, that if focused correctly will mean you don't just see this, but I believe you'll be able to control it. The heart of every spell, every gift, every magick. In these lessons that's what I'm going to focus on trying to teach you."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

At first, the briefest moment of annoyance flashed across his face, but he quickly washed that away. That was a past reaction from the Academy, seeing someone sitting on a throne during a spar. However, he was wrong to think of this as some light spar. This was him getting trained. It had been so long since Alistair had so clearly faced a skill gap like this that it was hard to admit that he was just being taught and not the two of them being on equal footing.

The most helpful example to Alistair, so far, was watching Zana peel away each level of her spell until it was pure raw mana. It was easy to see and easier to understand for the young Dreadlord, especially when he realized that he could break spells down into layers to break them down.

Alistair quickly gathered up a ball of fire in his palm and then attempted to do the same thing as Zana, although maybe slower. First, he removed the heat, then the movement. Next came its consumption of oxygen. Slowly, the fireball froze and then morphed into a ball of pure mana. It was still slow, he would need to be faster to use it in battle.

"I can treat it all like building blocks...with pure mana as the base."

Zana

 

[Zana]

Zana nodded in encouragement and made the throne she sat upon vanish along with the ball of mana in her hands.

"Exactly, and once you learn the feeling of pure mana, you will be able to find it at the core of attacks that come your way," the stronger Alistair got, the harder other magic users would find it to put up a resistance to his magic, what with their own being stripped away and turned against them. It would take years that they did not have, but Zana could set him on the path to that future. Whatever he could master between now and when they faced Nassau would be enough.

It would have to be.

"Practise stripping mine now," she instructed, lifting a nearby bench off the floor and hovering it over to them. "Locate the magic, strip it back."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Strangely, Zana's magical telekinesis felt easier to break down compared to the previous spells. The other spells had a signature to them that had been manipulated to a further degree. Like fire was so hot, and the previous energy ball had been so volatile. The telekinesis was far closer to pure mana it was just...domineering, so he just had to loosen that magic.

His eyes clearly showed him the path to take, and what he needed to do, but it was still hard. It was like trying to pull a toy from the grip of a baby, it was strong.

With a great deal of effort, he managed to stop the bench, and it just hovered there for several seconds before Alistair finally forced the bench to just drop to the ground.

He took a deep breath and gathered himself, but it still wasn't battle ready. It was slow and it required so much energy, maybe he could open a locked door or something though.

"It's like I'm working a muscle I've never used before...How long did it take for you to figure this out?"

Zana

 

[Zana]

"Sit," Zana cupped the boys elbow and guided him to the bench where she bade he stay as she went and fetched the pitcher of water and a cup. When she returned she sat beside him and offered him the glass once she had filled it. Then from her pocket she produced a packet that had the direwolf's ears pricking upwards then quickly trotting across the sands towards them. The archon ran a hand through Greys fur as she passed a slab of chocolate to Alistair. The wolf watched hungrily.

"Years," she admitted with a grimace. "I got my first inkling back when I first... acquired my energy manipulation. I could see the energy weaves in other magics, noticed that at their core there was something similar. I've been studying it for nearly a decade now, honing it myself. I know there are other Archons who know about it and wield it far better than I can. It will take you time, too. Do not rush it or you risk burning the magic out of you entirely. Like with any muscle you must do it little by little."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair obediently took his seat, his eyes following the large dire wolf across the yard. The idea of keeping such a towering creature around was crazy to him. Did she keep them in a stable? He accepted the chocolate awkwardly, but could not help but feel the wolf was looking at him hungrily...He hoped that was just for the chocolate.

The next words that followed from Zana were a bit of a buzzkill. It had taken her a decade and she was one of the heroes of the revolution. Maybe he could learn this magic, but if it took until he had gray in his hair then it was really defeating the purpose. He needed to be strong now. That meant he would have to be faster than Zana...that felt unlikely.

"When will we start hunting archons?"

As much as he wanted to believe that he could take his time. He knew there was an unspoken clock. He needed to be able to do this when they started fighting.

Zana

 

[Zana]

"Soon," Zana looked up at the skies above as though searching for something. She had told the dragons who hunted the Archon with them not to follow her here but if she found another hint of Nassau, they would ignore her orders and come to fetch her immediately. They knew even their magicks were not enough to take on the Archon alone, that what resonated in Zana was as much of a match as could be found. She would be pivotal to their plans of freeing their kin and as such they would not let a bunch of 'jump start humans' get in their way, as Azhrak had so elegantly snarled.

"Talus and I have been hunting him from afar, we're close to finding his location but..." she took a breath. "There are other things I must train you all in before then. Others in this Taskforce who you must meet," how the Dreadlords would react to the dragons she had no idea but... their fates were twined. She would deny either the chance to fight.

"You did well today, Alistair. It takes others months what you have managed to grasp today," Zana smiled and clapped the young lad on the shoulder. "Go, rest. We'll go through it again on the morrow."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

She never gave him an exact answer which he was quick to notice. More worrying, she looked to the sky. Was she looking at the sun? Were they going to start today? No, that would be ridiculous, which Zana quickly confirmed when she explained they all needed training.

"Thank you for your guidance. I will not let you down."

Alistair curtly turned and left the training grounds, but constantly looked at his hands. The magic around them continued to warp as Alistair was already practicing with the teachings that Zana had given him.

Zana

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Patience was a fickle thing for Livia, but while she had waited her turn after Alistair had volunteered to go first, she had been summoning her magic in small bursts. She was also nervous, afraid that her magic at any moment could crack and the corruption would show. That first day the task force had assembled and showed their talents, Livia had been knocked to the ground many times. Even though she got to her feet each and every time, it still bruised her deeper than her flesh. She was no force... at least not while her magic had this hindrance. Her marksmanship was excellent, perhaps one of the best on the team if that first day was any indication, but the strangeness to her magic was ever present, ready to strike.

Livia spied Alistair making his way out from the training grounds, and before anyone else could take notice and make their move, she was on her feet and advancing. Careful not to bump into the returning individual, she hurriedly followed her magic directing her to where Zana waited.

"You know, I am curious about the real reason I was invited here." She opened their session as a way of greeting. "Anyone can track if they trained themselves to... so why chance it with an Initiate with known corrupted magic?" Private lessons at the Academy lead nowhere with wielding magic with full confidence. They only helped Livia in identifying minor triggers and calming herself from succumbing to the magnitude of overwhelming power. "The Proctors say I am volatile at best."

Zana

 

[Zana]

Zana watched Alistair go with a half smile, still stroking her hands through Grey's thick ruff as the wolf hopefully gazed at her pocket. Too much pressure. She was putting too much pressure on these young people. A voice whispered darkly in the back of her mind; but wouldn't it have been worse under the Houses? She blew out a breath. Now wasn't that a loaded question?

One she was saved from answering.

"The Proctors thought me a Level Three weak telekinetic and then two years later they awarded me Archon status," Zana pointed out and fished inside her pocket for a treat. The direwolf when wholly still and as Zana stood he dogged her steps, waiting, waiting, until the biscuit was revealed and he sat, trembling with impatience. Zana tossed it in the air and the great wolf leapt, snapping it up in his jaws and trundling off not wanting to share.

"Looks can be deceiving and from your reports, I'm not the only one to believe there is something bigger dwelling in you Miss Quinnick. Are you ready to discover what lurks there?"

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Liv furrowed her brows at the potential Zana saw in her. There were only a select few that had ever regarded her with such genuine interest in helping her realise her full potential. What else was there to her ability to locate lost things?

This was an Archon willing to take the time to train her. All Livia ever had were Proctors and a few Dreadlords taking a crack at working out her triggers... but the way the Archon spoke, they would be digging deeper than Livia ever attempted alone. There was a confusion of emotions in her, excitement at the challenge of seeing her magic being taken seriously... but even that alone filled her with dread. "What if it is not--" Liv pursed her lips, clearing her throat before starting again. "Do you think there is more than just my tracking ability?"

For the few years she had been at the Academy, the Proctors that worked with her, and there were many that tried, only ended with helping Livia figure out a few triggers. Her corrupted magic tended to take control of itself, acting like a stray thought instead of an extension of her will. If Liv did not realise her magic being channeled, disastrous results were often soon after. It had happened the first day of the task force coming together; magic going beyond what she wanted to command and even that did not hold up for long before she was knocked to the ground.

"So... where shall we begin?" What remarkable growth hid inside her that Zana could see? Or perhaps Quinnick will only prove how harmless she truly was in comparison to the greatest powers in history.

 

[Zana]

"As you said, anyone can track. That's not why you were selected," she ambled back into the centre of the ring and with a wave of her hand the bench she had been sitting on earlier returned to its spot by the wall. Unlike with Alistair outright attacking the girl would not work, at least, not from the reports she had ready. Naturally that had been the first thing the Proctors had tried. Pain and fear. Zana had a few theories but...

She stopped in the sand, crossed her ankles and then sat down, motioning for Livia to do the same across from her. Once seated Zana held out her hands palms facing upwards. She did not grab at her hands, did not demand it, but offered that choice. Every person in Aniria knew of her foresight and many avoided her touch because of it. She wouldn't take the choice away from her students.

"I want you to tell me about what you're calling your corrupted," Zana's lips twisted at the word. "Magic. How does it feel when it awakens, when was the first time you realised it was there?"

 

[Livia Quinnick]

When she first was told about getting her chance for a one on one training session with the Archon, she expected her strength and might to be tested and valued against the others. Livia had not expected Zana to simply sit on the grass and invite her to do so. Unable to hide the confusion knitting her brows together, she walked over to close the distance and sat before the Archon, glancing at her offered hands.

"I first remember it bursting from me when I found my father, dead...." She sucked in a sharp breath and decided to place her hands onto Zana's, trusting whatever judgment of training she had in mind for the Initiate. "Everything felt out of my control... As if summoning my tracking power enough could make him wake up but... something else answered the call. Mother swore I cracked some windows in the front of the house... but I do not know for certain."

And all the other times magic expelled from her in such reckless eruption were times she was left defenceless, backed up against the wall or unable to take control back on a situation. Her first year at the Academy saw her fugue, memories she could not remember but was left feeling guilty over the loss of a few lives of those Initiates that were responsible for dragging her from her sleep and leaving her blindfolded and lost in unknown territory. The exact report was never told to Livia, but she was grateful that she could eventually be ignorant and sleep at night.

"I say it is corrupted like everyone else that has examined me. It does not behave the way it should be commanded by me... and, well, I guess it is such an odd use of magic. One Proctor suggested I go to the College and be examined by them after I could not hit him hard enough with a simple spell."

 

[Zana]

Sympathy, understanding and grief flickered across the Archons emerald eyes. She had tried to rip a hole in the fabric of time to save the woman who had been like a mother to her; she could understand that pain. Still felt it especially when she looked at her children's faces and wondered what she would have loved them.

"Corrupted is a word people use when they don't understand something. That does not mean it is broken or useless, it means you need to find the right key," not trigger. Gods did she hate that term. Magic thrummed beneath her hands and her eyes were consumed by a brilliant gold. There was something ancient and powerful that echoed her next words as though something higher spoke through her.

"To understand it, you must first learn the truth Livia. Are you ready to see what really happened when you used your magic that day?"

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"To understand it, you must first learn the truth Livia. Are you ready to see what really happened when you used your magic that day?"

Her hands flinched slightly, pulling out from Zana's grasp in shock.

"Then I would see him again." The thought terrified her. To revisit the time her life's outlook changed was still a sensitive subject for the young noblewoman. There were too many unanswered questions from that night, and those answers always gnawed at her overthinking mind. What if she did not like those answers? Or they were better left unanswered?

And yet this Archon believed Livia had more to offer than the power to find what was lost. Livia bit down on her lip hard, placing her hands back into her hands and holding tight. "We can stop anytime, is that right?" The Initiate asked, ignoring the lump in her throat.

Before they could even dig deep, the scene was already recalled to memory. The front gates, her father's body slumped against them, and the rain. It had been a heavy down pour, the kind that saturated you within seconds, and Livia still could make out the motionless figure at the gate as her power pulled her forward.