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In listening to Lillianna, Simon's attention was taken away from the poor adventurer he'd been lecturing just long enough for the young man to get away. He mulled over Lillianna's request for a moment, before double-taking at the empty space where once stood his victim. "Hey, I've not finished telling you about Dormes & Fretias blessings."

"It's okay, I'll figure it out," the young man said as he disappeared around a corner.

Simon shrugged and muttered. "Suit yourself." Then he looked at Lillianna. "Yeah sure, I can spare some time. Combatting spirits huh? This way." And with that, he led Lillianna into the maze of tall shelves, passing by the odd student or attendant. "So..." he said over his shoulder. "A new student, you say. Are you an adventurer or just a researcher? For your sake, I hope you're not a Cleric."

When they arrived at the right aisle, he fished out some books on foundational understanding of Spirit Magic and Introduction to the Light Domain. "These two books should give you a broad perspective on the subject." He handed them to her. "But for combatting spirits specifically, I'd suggest you get to grips with your Spirit Bolt spell. It's pretty easy to get the hang of, but there's some tricks that will speed up your casting and reduce the cost of your energy, enabling you to fire more often without getting too fatigued." He walked her down the aisle further and grabbed another book. "Reading this will deepen your understanding of the spell." He thought for a moment, then mentally made a decision. "Hey come on, let's see what you've got."

He took her to an adjoining study room that was empty and he pointed out the Spirit Bolt spell that lay within the first few pages of the book he was holding. "It should already be sitting in your mind somewhere, just think for a second."

When she was ready, he walked ten paces away from her and turned to face her. "Fire a Spirit Bolt at me. Don't worry, I'll block it with a Magic Ward."



The light emitting from Adam's forehead started to stay more consistently green. Old Gilligan was pleased. For the first time, his voice even softened slightly and he managed to say the younger Druid's name correctly. "That's it, Adam. You're close. Stay focused."

Not too long after, the ghostly form of a bear manifested in the middle of the clearing. It blew out of it's mouth loudly, then barked an almost-human sounding noise. Then Adam, eyes closed, spoke back to it.

Gilligan looked at the animal with interest. It was beautiful. And powerful. "Rise Adam," he commanded as the Black Bear slowly turned from a ghostly form into a physical one. It shook it's body and fuzzied up it's black fur, then it stood up on it's back legs to match the height of Adam. "Your spirit animal has manifested. Now you must subdue it and gain control. Now you must fight it."

Before Adam could react, Gilligan looked at him. "No magic. You must fight it on equal footing. Bare hands versus Bear hands. Heh." The bear growled and shouted once more, then dropped to all fours to charge. "Now Adam! Make it sumbit to your will."

The bear attacked, closing in on Adam then took a swing and a miss, then swung with it's other paw and clubbed the Druid in the shoulder, knocking him to the floor. The Black Bear stood up once more to it's full commanding height, then pounced at Adam again with another massive swing for his head this time................


Gilligan was stunned for a moment at the sheer speed of the tree's growth. Adam didn't even look like he was trying either. Bronze Tier party. Ascended - not sure. Specialization - not sure. It made no sense. Quickly the old man fixed his face back to normal.

When the tree was done, Gilligan walked over and rested his palm on the trunk. He could sense no complications with the internal structure. For all intents and purposes, it was perfect. "Hmph," he grunted.

"One thing though," Adam said after he was finished, Gilligan turning from the tree to young Druid, "she isn't pointless."

Gilligan cast a glance at MacKensie, then back to Adam. "Aw, offend your mommy, did I? Or is she your girly?" Gilligan somehow managed to laugh with an annoyed facial expression. He hobbled a few steps toward them and shook his head with disappointment. "Soft. But not to worry - walking this path will toughen you up... If you survive it."

"Can we begin the lesson please?"

So, it would actually be a long day. Glee certainly knew how to pick them. Gilligan spoke to MacKensie. "You. Pretty Miss Pointless Distraction. If you're not going to leave then at least go over there." He pointed at the campfire. There was a wooden seat next to it, if the Ranger wanted to sit down. "No talking," he told her.

"And you. Adahl," his angry eyes turned back to Adam. "Take that jacket off. And your shirt. And your shoes. Then sit down at the tree and cross your legs."

Once he was bare-chested and bare-footed, sat in a meditative position at the tree of his own making, Gilligan began hobbling back and forth in front of him. "Meditation is an important practice that will benefit many Adventurer Classes for different reasons. And Druids are no exception."

Without warning, he muttered a spell and blasted Adam with it, the green sphere hitting the younger Druid dead in the chest. It wouldn't hurt, but Adam would feel the impact, and he might feel a little strange. What he wouldn't realise is that his forehead was glowing with a red light.

"Close your eyes and search deep within your heart. Find your spirit animal." Gilligan kept pacing, managing to keep his eyes on Adam the whole time. "It's there. Rid yourself of thought. Rid your sense of touch, taste, sight and smell. Hear my words only."

And so began a long and difficult process that would last the day. Gilligan was tireless with his walking cane, hobbling up and down, speaking advice to Adam.

"Stop thinking about irrelevant nonsense! A day thinking about what could happen, should happen, or what might have been is a day missed."

"Nothing beyond this tree matters. But distractions are everywhere, even in your mind. Notice what takes your attention, acknowledge it, and then let it go."

"In letting go, we cease trying to make something happen, and then the mind naturally opens. It is like watching a flower grow - free from effort, its petals naturally unfold to reveal its beauty. Reveal your animal spirit. You will know it when you see it. And it will know you."

Five hours passed without success. But there were moments when Adam was close, the red light on his forehead teasing to turn green a couple of times. Yes, he would find his spirit animal, even if he had to sit there all night. The sky began to darken......................


It took a minute for the door to open up after Adam knocked. When it did, the door moved sharply and angrily, but only wide enough to show the head of an old man who wore an annoyed expression. This was Old Gilligan: Master Shapeshifter and, once, a Diamond Tier Druid.

"What?" As soon as Adam started talking, he was interrupted. "Not interested."

And the door slammed shut. Old Gilligan rarely got visitors and he liked it that way. The fact that someone had managed to find his home was infuriating. He grumbled about the rudeness of showing up at someone's house unannounced and uninvited, but then his brain registered the last thing he'd heard Adam say: 'My friend Glee...'

"That big-headed rascal giving out my location, Quinity damn the man," he cursed. But this was Glee John Artorius. An admittedly good student and insightful Druid. Gilligan sighed and shook his fist. "Alright, Glee, you bastard," he muttered before turning around and hobbling back to the door. Then much louder and just as angrily, "Alright!"

The door sharply opened again, this time all the way. Old Gilligan was tall and slender like most elves. He wore long sleeves and pants of basic brown furs, walked with a wooden cane and had an unchangable resting bitch-face. He looked at each of the adventurers, sizing them up, before hobbling out and up to Adam. "So, Glee sent you, did he? What was you name? Adahl?" If Adam even tried to correct him: "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME IS!"

Then he hobbled over to MacKensie. "And you... look like a Ranger to me. A pointless distraction."

Now back to Adam. "Adahl... rank of your party - speak." After that. "Ascended? Specialization?"

He gestured to the soil. "Show me your skills. Replicate a small tree native to this moutain. You walked past enough of them right? Well, chop-chop!"

Best case scenario, Adam would not show the necessary skill and speed of casting that signified a potential student. Or better yet, he wouldn't even try, unwilling to take the rudeness and vitriol of Gilligan, and just leave. Worst case is that Glee John Artorius was a good judge of student, and this would be a long day.
@xenon Simon and Appsro look like fun. Please make them recurring somehow xD


I'll see what I can do.


As the large clock on tower in the courtyard struck 12pm, the bell chimed throughout the campus. Lillianna was just in time to see a sudden surge in traffic as students began moving from one lecture to their next. These were not just students of magic, Source, elemntal theory etc. But also history, mathematics, the natural sciences, engineering, art and much more. The Academy boasted 2000 students, mostly of middle and upper class backgrounds. And of course there were those who possessed the Gift - The Source Crystal - something that changed life and limitations for a person, no matter their station.

Most of the campus was open to Lillianna, but there were particular places that might interest the twin-element mage:

1. The Grand Library of the Light and Dark Domains

2. The Grand Library of the Water and Air Domains

3. The cliffedge gardens where many important mages and academics were an audience for some fiercesome debates

4. Anywhere else that might take her fancy


______________________________


Among the men and women in the main hub of literature pertaining to the Light and Dark Domain, a Cleric named Simon was giving a lecture to a younger and newer Cleric. The library itself was dominated by light, the thematic decorations showing the difference in the number of shelves commited to each Domain. Dark magic was largely illegal, and what wasn't illegal was highly regulated behind licensing laws. However, there was information available, just not nearly as much as the books, scrolls and tomes dedicated to the Light Domain.

Simon's lecture was nothing academic. He was simply venting to an up-and-coming adventurer about why he retired early and became a teacher.

"Restoration magic is a perfectly valid school of magic," he grumbled. "In fact, it's probably the most important. But do you get the thanks and the credit for that? Quinity, no! Clerics are constantly overlooked and underappreciated. People would rather be enamored by the fancy light-show of fire and lightning, while we Clerics are doing all the work."

__________________________

Over the other side of the campus grounds in the Grand Library of the Water and Air Domain, Simon's friend was giggity-giggling to maniacally to himself while holding a book in one hand to read, using his other to summon Air magic and manipulating small spheres of lightning into various shapes. This was Appsro, who was part of a group of best friends and academics that included Simon and two others.

Appsro was nothing like Simon. While Simon was always complaining about something or other, Appsro was always making a dirty joke, often employing the phrase, 'That's what she said.' He'd been with the Academy as a part-time teacher and engineer for his entire career. He was a person who happened to wake up with the Gift of the Source Crystal as a toddler - something fairly rare - but he'd never desired to be an adventurer.

Consistently thematic as the other libraries, this library was decorated with magical lights and illusions, depicting snowy winds, upside-down waterfalls and blueish lighting.

_________________________

The open courtayrd and gardens on the north side of the Academy had one of the best views in Valhiem, due to the area hanging right on the edge of Citadel Moutain. At this moment, a formal debate was being conducted on the some questions and challenges that the scientific world had for the acolytes of traditional magical theory. Such deep philosophical battle was a senstive and volatile challenge of beliefs, and so the debate was fierce and audience participation in the form of grumbling and heckling came after almost every point made.

Some people simply watched from further back, interested but not quite as invested as those at the front shaking their fists or calling out.
<Snipped quote by Zapdos>

My Brain: "Spider MacKensie, Spider MacKensie, does whatever a Spider MacKensie does~"


Zool might be a bit young to remember that one, Crusader. Post a pic/gif so she gets the reference


Sister Idril was naturally suspicious of the Juliet. Experience had taught her that the younger woman attracted trouble like a flame would a moth. In addition to this, the beads of sweat on Juliet's forehead and the fact she'd scurried off a little too quickly, was enough to raise an alarm. But apparently there were people who'd come to the church in need of help related to ghosts of the dead, so there was no time to investigate.

"Good day to you, children of Iris," she said on approach to Lillianna and Fenna. "How may I be of help to you?" After listening to Lillianna, Idril considered the best course of action. "Your information is unfortunately sparse," she told them. "But perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The sister of the deceased... it is possible you might be able to track her down. Just a moment."

She left Fenna and Lillianna in the antechamber at the end of a corridor, disappearing through a door. The wait was no more than twenty minutes and when she returned, she handed Lillianna a piece of paper.

"Here is a list of village churches in Central Mytheria. I have used my best judgement to narrow down the possibilities. If the woman is from the local region, you will find her in one of these places. If or when this list is exhausted, we can always broaden our search to the regions beyond. I am afraid this is the best help I can offer you." She showed them out of the church. At the entrance, her old eyes managed to miss the mess that was drying up. "I hope you find the peace you looking for. Best of luck to you."

The shortlist was only five names long. Sister Irdil had managed to strike out a great deal of possible locations. Once Lillianna and Fenna cross-referenced the names with a map of Central Mytheria, they would see that the villages were spread quite far to the north, west and south of Valhiem. One village however would be the obvious place to look first:

Cherrad - It was right next door to the big city. And it just so happened to be on the way to the Temple of Hades.


Sister Juliet hadn't even realised anyone was watching, so she went from in pain to squeaking with alarm when Fenna and Lillianna appeared by her side.

"Oh, thank you, thank you," the servant of Iris responded as she allowed the women to help her to her feet. Halfway up, she paused, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Lucinda?" Who was that? She couldn't recall anyone by that name. But on Lillianna's revealing that she could see ghosts, the Sister realised she was dealing with someone gifted in...

...gifted in slipping and falling too. "For the crystal tears of Mother! Sorry!" Still in Fenna's grasp, she managed to stand up straight. "Thank you," she said to her, then looked back at Lillianna with a frightful expression. "I am so sorry."

Tentatively stepping from out of the wet floor zone, she looked around to make sure none of the other Sisters had come and seen the mess she'd made, then helped Lillianna to her feet. "I am extraordinarily sorry."

She looked about the young woman to make sure her clothes were not ripped and she wasn't hurt, residual pain on her face amongst the worry. Then she rushed around the wet zone to fetch the ladder and bucket and put it to one side. After that, she looked at the wet floor, biting her fingernails with that same look of worry she always wore when she knew she was close to getting into trouble.

"I should..." she went to run into Church, then paused, looked back at Fenna and Lillianna, her eyes bouncing from one to other. "You said you were here on behalf of a Lucinda? About a... ghost?" With a look up and down Lillianna to reconfirm that she wasn't scuffed or bleeding or anything, she added a final mouthed, "Sorry."
Apply is on. 🤔


Hey Remuri! Yes, you're free to apply, I've sent you a PM so we can chat about your entry.
Hi, are you still accepting new applications?


Hi Vec! Yes we are, I've sent you a PM, brother. Let's see what we can do about bringing you into the fold!
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