Laue — Roleplayer Guild

Mages

A day has passed. Everyone was exhausted from practice, but it gave some fruit. Rivain went to discuss something with the Witch overnight. The next day, after eating the breakfast, they were to continue the training, though a woman teleporting in interrupted it. "Master Rivain, a tunnel outside The Sunlight Shroud was found. You may proceed. I can take care of instructing the whelps - after all, you're a shitty teacher." Azure stopped for a moment, trying to think of a reply. He grasped a rather bloody amulet on his neck. "Hmph. Well go on, do better, Miss Teacher.". "You will HIM, Rivain. This will not be a fight you can win easily. Be prepared." the woman warned him before Azure teleported out.

"So, our fearless leader has instructed you with developing practical skills he loves so much. That's why his teaching isn't doing much good to anyone. I'll keep this brief but useful - you will find the details in your own library here. First - countering Light. As you know, Light reacts to magic in any form, be it a fireball, or a magical lock, or a bolstering spell, and destroys it, setting aflame any remnants of mana. If it hits a mage, the mage's mana, which is coursing through his or her entire body, and burns him or her from within, completely.

Now, what you do not know is that the Light can only block an equivalent amount of magic to it's own force. A very powerful spell will only be partially stopped by the light, the rest of the spell rapidly vanishing due to the burn. Luckily for you, all Paladins have a maximum amount of power they can unleash. All uniform. Whatever grants them that power, gives it equally. So, sufficiently powerful magic will not be completely stopped by a paladin, and even a fraction of it can reach him. Of course, not every paladin spell uses an equal amount of their power, so, don't think that the Paladins and their light is unstoppable against your magic - it is quite false. Do they have an advantage? Yes. But far from unbeatable. Be warned, however, that Inquisitors have access to far greater power. Always assume that higher ranking paladins and inquisitors are more powerful than those of lower ranks."

The woman's tone was captivating. Her slight gestures, her pose, the way she walks around captivated majority's attention. Whoever she was, she knew how to speak to crowds.

"Now if a Light spell hits you directly, do not panic, but do hurry. Just like you tear out your clothes if they are on fire, do the same with mana." She demonstrates by flicking her arm, as a sprinkling blue energy particles were expunged from her arm. "Fling out the aflame mana before it spreads, simple as that. Of course, if you get hit near vital organs, you less than a second to do it, so don't get hit there."

An useful piece of advice, yet one that will take a bit of practice.

"And lastly, about practical learning. It is silly to just force you to do something like just LEARN a new spell. This isn't how it works, unless you're Rivain, I guess. Communities across the ages progressed from sharing knowledge, and yours should not be different? You like the spell another can cast? Ask him to try and teach it to you. Try it yourself. Maybe it will succeed, maybe yours will be a little different. Both of you profit, as teaching a spell isn't very easy - you have to understand how you performed it yourself, leading to ideas on how to improve it.

As for more advanced spells, be prepared to use spell names and gestures. Spell casting comes naturally to us, which allows us to cast spells quickly and effortlessly. However, the more power you try to use, the harder it becomes. It needs extreme focus, something that not everyone can do it. Having a name and a gesture linked to it, however, makes it a lot easier. Maybe you will feel silly waving your hands and shouting out the name of your spell, but that's how you will use your big ones. And eventually, after many successful casts, you will rely on verbal and somatic components less and less, and it will become second nature to cast it. And then, the cycle repeats with even greaters spells. Moreover, this will allow you to share spells with one another far far easier. And that's what you will find in many spell books your library contains.

And now, I will leave you. Continuing Rivain's idiotic test is up to you, as ineffective as it is. Some of you will ascend to greatness, maybe even rival the capabilities of the legendary Grand Archons. Either way, a storm is coming, a great storm, and all of Altea will suffer it's wrath. Be prepared, as will we be."

Her speech ended. After a graceful bow, she waved farewell, and disappeared. The mages were left to their own devices.

"[The mages now know how to deal with The Light.]"

Paladins

A day of training passed. When another came, the candidates were far more capable in wielding the weapon, at the very least, not accidentally firing it. Their practice was interrupted by a high-ranking officer walking in. He grabbed one of the Stingers lying around, mounted it to his left wrist, and walked to the range. Aiming it at one of the targets, the next bolt to fire started glowing with light. When fired, it either split or multiplied itself, it happened too fast to notice. Either way, every target was hit on the bullseye, at the same time, with trails of light indicating the trajectory of the bolts. As the conjured bolts vanished, only one was left - the one target the officer was originally aiming for.

"Showoff." One of the instructors mumbled. It wasn't just any officer, it was the Grand Inquisitor himself, and he came to fetch the candidates.

Grand Inquisitor Sebastian [+]

After leading them to his own personal office, he explained the situation.

"It is decided - The Witch Hunters are needed once again. They were our elite, beings fused with the very essence of Light - stronger, faster and tougher than any human, wielding light with terrifying power. You all, except Alicia, were chosen for your potential to pass the trial. Alicia, while extremely talented, does not possess certain qualities Witch Hunters need. She does, however, fit in into another role, just as important - a Templar. A Templar is just a fancy name for a spy and assassin. The nobility in this land isn't exactly on our side, with Deliah Eternus being the rare exception. Also, outlaws and they underworld is a big problem, and yet one we cannot directly tackle. And just as it happens, Alicia is of a very noble birth, well versed in their manners, and a very capable fighter. So, my dear, do report to the Templar wing."

Alicia was not sure if she was angry or happy, as she left the office.

"Now, the trial itself is designed to exhaust you, physically and mentally. If you succeed, by the end, you will be starving, exhausted and barely able to think. That's the state where you can receive the infusion safely. Anything less than that, and your body will not be able to contain all that energy and you will violently explode. You have to be completely empty, body and mind - and that's what this trial will do. You can perish during the trial, and you can say no. But you were chosen because we see the qualities that will allow you to finish, be it determination, stubbornness or zeal. Alicia possesses neither of those. Take a day off, think it through."

Sebastian eventually pulls out bags of coins, handing them to everyone in the room. "This is your first payment for your service. Why don't you take this day off and shop in the Dwarven Bazaar. I assure you, there is something for everyone. Buy something for yourself, and consider this proposal. And do have fun. This is an order. I will await your answer tomorrow morning. Also, don't worry about Alicia - her father has for more money than the entire Paladin Order combined, heck, he is constantly donating to us, which is our single biggest income source. She will be able to buy anything she wants anyway."

And the rest of the candidates finally got a chance to unwind. And get something for themselves.

"[The candidates are given gold to shop around in The Great Bazaar - the exclusive and the greatest market in Altea, where only the rich get to visit.]"

Alicia

The officer they met the next day was definitely a showoff, but he did clearly demonstrate the capabilities of this new weapon. Was that his goal? Though memories of that massacre still haunted Alicia at night, excitement took over her during daytime - there was so much to do and see.

The showoff turned out to be THE boss around here, second only to Grand Master Grinnoc himself - Grand Inquisitor Sebastian. It was rather odd, however, that Sebastian was extremely young, barely older than Alicia. Was it a display of skill, or something completely else? As he led the candidates towards his office, he revealed a plan to revive elite paladin forces - Witch Hunters. Except Alicia. At that moment, her heart sunk - she worked so hard all her life to be the best, and she was refused this chance? Explanation came soon after, as her skillset would fit a Templar more, it seems. Templars - spies, infiltrators, assassins. Usually chosen from the more... highborne paladins, they are simply left to roam the land, mingling with the other nobles, looking for any signs of treason. Removing undesirables and uncovering secrets, quite similar to what Alicia is doing right now. Disappointment gone, she knew now how perfect this is. Her family is doing exactly what templars try to uncover, and her becoming one gives an immunity, of sorts. And the ability to freely sew chaos and dissent.

Leaving for the Templar wing - which also featured a prison, she found herself being inspected by the people there. After she seemingly passed, it was now a matter of learning another skill - subtlety. In a month's time, she would be a Templar.

William

Another training session passed, this time with a different teacher. This time, even William learning something new. Something useful. Either way, he wanted to continue his studies - he and Sera discovered old blueprints of the fortress, and if they are both correct, it has still quite a bit of undiscovered secrets. And soon, they will know where exactly to look for them. Whatever is in this "Lumisenca's Vault", it's gotta be big.

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