[center]EliteCommander and Blizz[/center]

[hr]

With a nod, Kareet removed her backpack and set it down beside her. She took a few moments to pull from it a blanket, unroll it, then lay it out gingerly on the ground in front of her. She sat herself down cross-legged on the blanket, careful to keep her feathers out of the dirt. Her gaze settled down on the Iriad before her, examining them. “Indeed, though I shall offer a counterpoint. How would it be that anyone could hope to meet you, specifically, [i]without[/i] stalking you?” She remarked, accompanied by a chuckle.


Kareet leaned forward, her brief moment of levity fading quickly from her voice. “I am Kareet of Arcaeda, Seeker of the Order of Sages. Allow me to make it known from the start that my purpose here is nothing more or less than the pursuit of knowledge. You are…a rumor, a myth in some places. It is a courtesy we would like to extend to you to allow you to tell your own story, free from…misinterpretation.”

Shirik was familiar with the Seekers. They were the scholars of the Ascendancy. Its scribes, its scientists, and its researchers. Shirik had never met one of them however, and hadn’t expected to. [color=D68300]”A myth. In what stretch of the Ascendancy do they whisper of someone who simply minds their business?”[/color] Shirik asked, slightly more passive aggressive than they really intended to come off as. 

“You would be surprised how far and wide stories can travel, especially given time.” Kareet answered, though her gaze was still taking in all the little details of the Iriad’s unique form. “A caravan from Mythadia made it to Arcaeda a few weeks ago, speaking of an Iriad who was ‘one with fire’ that had been seen near the border.  A fantastic contradiction, to most. Yet, not actually an [i]original[/i] tale. Our records have stories from hundreds…a thousand years back that tell tales of a burning Iriad. Reclusive, mysterious, and evidently…quite real.”

Pausing a moment, Kareet straightened her posture slightly. “Of course, the notion that all of these disparate stories could refer to the [i]same[/i] individual is quite far-fetched. I am, I would say, curious what might cause the people from these stories to break so sharply from their people’s traditional attitudes towards fire.”	

It was true that all of those stories spoke of the same individual. Shirik was no longer the isolated hermit they once were. Their presence in the world was bound to elicit curiosity, but hearing someone say that stories stretched across time, all the way back to the Day of Black Clouds was something Shirik hadn’t expected. Being told that stories were written down since that day took the aggression out of them somewhat.

Shirik paused, and took a deep breath before continuing. [color=d68300]”Your presence is abrupt. I expected to be alone. My anger is unfounded. Forgive me.”[/color]

Kareet shrugged lightly, gesturing towards her own body. “I am unharmed.” She answered. Not an uncommon expression for accepting an apology, in Arcaeda. “From my understanding, you move frequently, and unpredictably. Were there a way to find you in a less surprising fashion, I would have chosen it. I am not sure if you are familiar with the Seekers, or the Order of Sages, but I genuinely just wish to learn from you.”

[color=d68300]”You followed me looking for objective understanding. As you can see. I do in fact, exist. The stories are real. There is an Iriad who is one with fire that walks Kanth-Aramek, and they are sat before you.”[/color]

Shirik fidgeted with that magic staff that lay across their knees. [color=d68300]”I am more than one thousand years old. I did not know the accounts stretch that far back..”[/color]

Kareet tilted her head, raising the brows of both of her right eyes. The claim this Iriad made had not been entirely unexpected, but at the same time, it felt like it could not be possible. For now, Kareet had to press forward with cautious skepticism. “Those accounts fall well into the category of myth. Fables. A story of an Iriad who merged with flame in the wake of the Day of Black Clouds? Well, most scholars today see that as story meant to highlight the cruelty of the Kolodon Empire. And a warning of what could happen if they could not stop them. At the time, at least, flame was considered a dangerous evil to the Iriad. Moreso than it is today. A story about how the Kolodon could force this evil thing into them seemed like a story meant to motivate them to fight harder. But you are saying that this story is…more than a fable?”

[color=d68300]”I am the one these myths speak of. I was [i]there.[/i] The day they first set fire to our home… I would not have made it out of there alive had this not happened to me.”[/color]

Shirik raised an arm up, the wood that made their skin was charred, and broken around their joints. Their hands were completely bare, and made of faintly glowing endomatter underneath. [color=d68300]”The flame embraced me, and it changed what I was. I became something else. The antithesis to my people. I left when the fires dwindled, and I did not go back.”[/color]

There was just a brief interruption from Kareet, once it felt appropriate. “Forgive me, if you would permit me, I would like to record this.” Reaching into her backpack beside her, Kareet produced a leather-bound notebook. With her hand held above her backpack, she rubbed her first and middle fingers together, then flicked her wrist. From one of the pouches on the side, her metal fountain pen magnetized up into her hand. From the Iriad’s perspective, either a show of Force or Lightning magic.

“If I might ask, do you have a name?” Kareet questioned, opening up her notebook to a blank page.

Shirik could not squint, but they had something akin to scrutiny written on their face. [color=d68300]”My name is Shirik. You’re a Psion.”[/color] The term “Psion” was a distinctive term some people used to describe those who were skilled in the domain of Force. Few people were familiar with magic, and even fewer knew of the terminology.

Already, Kareet began to write down what Shirik had told her so far, though after a few moments, she divided her attention enough to give them an answer. “Psion? Hmm, not a common term, really. Not within the usual schools of study, at least. You must be well-traveled. But no, I am not. You are close, though.”

Holding up one hand, Kareet flicked her thumb across the talons on her fingers, prompting sparks of electricity to arc between them for a few seconds. “You are plainly a being of magic, and I believe it fair that I give you the courtesy of knowing the same about me. So we both can approach this encounter on equal ground.”

[color=d68300]”A Stormcaller. Yes, I am familiar with that magic. I was… Likely the first living creature in Kanth-Aramek to experience any form of it. History tells us that magic has only existed for the last four centuries at most. The Day of Black Clouds was six centuries earlier. We did not know of such a thing, and I did not call it magic until I heard others refer to it as such. When I rejoined the world after six hundred years in isolation, the world seemed to have caught up to me. I sought the understanding that others would have hopefully come to, in order to fill the gaps in my own. Therefore, I am the first, and oldest master of the domain of Heat.”[/color]

There was a brief delay as Kareet wrote. While focused on that task, she did not give much in the way of a reaction. It was only once she lifted her pen that she let her curiosity express itself. “To claim an awakening so early in history is exceptional. It has never been known, truly, for how long magic has been with us. Has it always been here, but we were blind to it, or did something bring it in to our world? Your story may suggest the former, though it is not entirely proof of it. The case may simply be that magic was introduced to the world a few centuries earlier than we thought.”

After a moment, Kareet looked at them intently while hovering her pen over her notebook. “I have met many a Heat domain mage in my time, but none have seemed to embrace flame so deeply as you. Forgive me for how this sounds, I mean no offense by it, but how can you be alive? You seem burned so deeply, almost to your core. Your protective bark is gone, and I see no way for you to feed from the sun.”

[color=d68300]”I feed from the fire. These flames are what sustain me. The notion that I am one with fire may be a sort of poetic metaphor in the accounts you’ve heard, but it is more literal than that. I did not embrace the flame, it embraced [i]me.[/i] It opened me to the power, or awakened me as most prefer. It is an intrinsic part of what I have become, and is inseparable from my physical form.”[/color]

“Fascinating…” Kareet muttered to herself. For a few moments, her writing became almost frantic in pace. “This is something entirely unique, something new. Well…new to us, perhaps. If you were indeed the first of the Heat mages, then I suppose this would be the oldest form of magic. Yet, it is not something that the world, as a whole, understands. Would you say that it is something you understand, yourself? The way that you describe it, it sounds as if this is something that happened [i]to[/i] you, rather than something you discovered as a result of those circumstances. If you wanted to teach someone to be able to embrace flame, would you be able to do it?”

Shirik measured their words very carefully before giving Kareet an answer. [color=d68300]”I experienced something the greatest minds of our time could not fathom. I have suffered pain that is quite literally mythic in nature. Could I teach others to control the power of fire? Yes. But, there is nothing in this world that could do to anyone else what has been done to me. There is a degree of understanding I have stumbled upon through this pain. It is not something any other person deserves to bear the weight of. What I have become is not something to aspire towards.”[/color]

Kareet gave a light nod, this time not returning to her writing. She rested her pen down on her notebook and clasped one hand over the other. “The Sages have a saying which I believe is apt: ‘Every life is a lesson’. From our childhoods, to maturity, to old age, to death, we all walk a path of our own. Every experience teaches and builds us. In the end, who we become is a product of every lesson life gave us. Yet, only we see through our own eyes. Left as is, no one else can experience our lessons. Now, I realize that the Iriad experience ancestral memory, so perhaps this philosophy is less applicable to your kind, but for the rest of us, the only way for others to benefit from our lessons is to teach. That is, fundamentally, the purpose of the Order of Sages. We learn, not only to build ourselves, but to build the experience of everyone who can read our works. Our struggles, our joy, our suffering, we give to others so that the generations that follow will be able to climb higher on our shoulders. With the…creativity of the mind, you never know what one might take from [i]your[/i] lessons. Can you be so sure that what was pain for you might not end up helping someone in the future?”

[color=d68300]”To live as long as I have, one must spend a lifetime detached from the world. For over six hundred years, I retreated into the depths of my mind to wade through pain like an ocean. I was not the only one of my kind to be burned alive, but I was the only one who survived it. The power and control I possess over the Heat domain is something many could benefit from, and I have helped a great deal of people along the way. If there is ever a way to recreate what I experienced, what changed me to what I am now? I would not wish it upon my worst enemies.”[/color]

“And if you could give this knowledge without the pain, would you? Do you feel your expertise would be able to help the world, if only the price were not so high? No one would take on the pain you describe willingly. But, maybe there is some way to achieve those ends without such terrible means? If not, if it truly is impossible, then that part of your story will likely remain in libraries; a testament to what you have been through. But, perhaps one day, maybe in decades, or centuries, someone will figure it out? Maybe those steps you have taken in your life will lead someone else to even greater heights?” Kareet spoke softly, intending to be as encouraging as possible.

[color=d68300]”What you are describing is nothing more than indisputable mastery of the Heat domain. Without what I’ve become, there is only what I can do. That is something that can be learned and taught. Doing something can be passed on, but being something is not the same. Are you suggesting I give others the mastery I have, somehow?”[/color]

Kareet shook her head. “I am asking only that you describe, as best as you can, what you have become. How does it interact with your magic, and what does it do within you? I am not suggesting that someone would want to…become like you willingly. You have described what you had to sacrifice, and I agree with you when you say you would not want to encourage someone to go through that. But I am not exaggerating when I say you are entirely unique. To understand you is to bring to the world entirely new knowledge. To simply understand the nature of your being and how magic has become a part of you could lead to other discoveries down the road. Perhaps kinds of discoveries we cannot even imagine.”

Leaning forward, Kareet gestured her hands forward. “I will give an example. When I traveled to Torant, I noticed them using a clever arrangement of pulleys and metal gears to operate a lift, driven by a Lightning mage. Now, in most places, they use Force mages for heavy lifting. It is a natural solution, if you are moving around something non-magnetic, like stone. But, it is easier to use magnetism to move a certain weight than to use Force magic for the same weight. The person who created these magnetic lifts was inspired by watching mages who fought in gladiatorial competitions. He noticed that Lightning mages would almost always overpower Force mages when they were struggling over something metal. Now, using that lift, one Lightning mage can hoist up slabs of stone that would require a small team of Force mages. Yet, those gladiators weren’t trying to make better construction equipment. They were just trying to hone their own craft. Someone else took that bit of knowledge and made something new with it.”

[color=d68300]”I’ve been to Torant. I have seen what you’re describing…”[/color] Shirik said, thinking for a moment. 

[color=d68300]”Earlier, you described yourself as a being of magic, as if to imply you are a mage. My experience tells me you are a mage, but you are not a being of magic. You are a being of flesh and bone that wields magic. I am a being of flesh and magic, because magic has been infused with my form down to the core. I do not simply wield magic. For me, it is an extension of my being. Fire is my life force, the essence that fuels my existence in this world. Without it, I simply do not exist. You, as a mage of the Lightning domain, simply direct the storm and command it. But it is not a part of you. You can be separated as a person from your magic because you do not exist at the behest of the Lightning domain. I cannot be separated from mine, because there has never been a line between me, and the flame.”[/color]

Kareet did not have a reply for Shirik’s comments on her own perspective. Rather, she was happily scribing every word they spoke, along with her own notes in the margins. “I see. It is not a conscious part of your mind, it is a part of your being. I have never heard of any case of magic having any will of its own, though. It is a force of nature, not a living thing, yet that force is so clearly fused with you. Maybe it is a part of your mind that has coupled with it; just not any part that your consciousness is aware of? I don’t think to beat my heart, but my heart would stop beating if my mind were to die. Either way, the end result would be the same.”
 
Kareet tapped the end of her pen lightly against her beak. “Might I see some of this magic in practice? I am curious to see if it behaves any differently for you.”

[color=d68300]”Very well.”[/color] Shirik stood up with a creaking noise, and gripped their staff in one hand. With the other, they undid their clasp on their cloak, letting it fall to the ground.

Shirik formed an elaborate sign with their right hand, and pressed it to their chest, which prompted the flames swirling under their skin to glow brighter. They raised their staff and pointed it over the cliff, in the direction of the moon. Suddenly, the stones woven into the staff burst into flame, and a stream of fire sprung forth, brilliant and bright like a morning sun. 

The blast climbed into the air for miles with a noise like a howling beast, as the veritable shooting star eventually faded into nothing. Once it was gone, Shirik turned to Kareet once again.
[color=d68300]”That is the power I control.”[/color]

Flipping to a new page, Kareet started frantically sketching what she saw, not from the demonstration of fire itself, but of the techniques Shirik was using to create it. A plume of flame, visible for miles around, was the sort of mastery she expected from a mage with so many years of experience. Without more testing, and comparisons to other Heat mages, she could not know if Shirik was stronger, and by how much, but that was immaterial at the moment. What mattered to Kareet was [i]how[/i] they were casting. Kareet herself was a Lightning mage, but just because she did not have the practice to use the Heat Domain herself, that did not mean she could not understand it on an academic level. She, and many others in the Order of Sages, were educated in all Domains of magic. Even those who could not use magic at all. She was still capable of comprehending what she was witnessing. These forms were so distinct from how the Heat Domain was normally taught. The base patterns were still there, sure, but Shirik was not lying when they said fire had become a part of them. The way the flames had flared within their body, flowing along with the motions, was elegant and, obviously, entirely unique to this Iriad. She could only begin to imagine how the flow of magic within the body might interact with how the effect manifested in the end.
 
This time, Kareet did not have a quick response. She was still in the midst of sketching one image after another of Shirik in each successive step of the spell’s casting. Though, if they were familiar enough with Tekeri to notice, Kareet was not hiding her excitement.

[color=d68300]”You seem oddly ecstatic for someone who has met Heat mages before.” [/color] Shirik could feel a sudden wave of heat begin to roll over the meadow they rested in. It would have been uncomfortably hot to others, so Shirik forcefully slammed the bottom end of their staff into the dirt, which resulted in what Kareet may have perceived as a gust of wind. The air suddenly felt much cooler, and pleasant as a result.

For as long as she was still drawing, Kareet did not pull her gaze away from the pages. She had taken care to remember the motions as accurately as possible while observing, and so now she had to get them down on paper while they were still fresh in her mind. “Um, yes…I suppose I am. Your technique is new. Unusual. Everyone’s individual gestures and forms are a bit different, of course, but yours are [i]quite[/i] different. Even if the end result is the same, how your process can be so different is something worth understanding.”
 
Eventually, Kareet did give a quick, fleeting glance up at Shirik. She had noticed the heat washing over them, which was something of an unexpected side effect. Obviously, fire warmed its surroundings, but the way it covered the area well-after the plume was gone made it seem like it came from Shirik themselves. She wondered if that was a result of their unique forms, though that was a question to explore later. “You are using the staff as a focus within your forms. Is that a technique you learned from others, or one you came to yourself? I do much the same in some of my forms, when I need to defend myself.”

[color=d68300]”I learned this myself. There are only so many motions one can make with their limbs alone. Eventually, an instrument of some sort becomes necessary to open new potential. For me, it is this staff.”[/color] As if to demonstrate,  Shirik rolled the staff over their wrist, as a spark appeared at one end. The motion formed it into a large ring, and Shirik swiped across it with the staff, causing stick figure shapes to dance across it like pages in a book. They resembled S’Tor, Iriad, and all the other major denizens of Kanth-Aramek. This seemed to merely be something to satisfy Kareet’s fascination, but was a display of fine control nonetheless.
[color=d68300]”Everything is done through motion, and fortunately, that doesn’t change for me.”[/color]

It was perhaps amusing that, compared to a plume of flame that had lit up the night, this little show of sparks captured so much more of Kareet’s attention and curiosity. Great raw power, while not easy to execute, was easier to understand, conceptually. This little light show hovering above a staff, though, spoke of an entirely different sort of control. Using magic for entertainment was hardly a new idea; indeed, it was a concept almost as old as magic itself. These little figures of light, though, were something that would be deceptively difficult for a Heat mage to create through movement. A caster’s thoughts were also an integral part of using magic, so a part of Kareet wondered if, perhaps, thought was a bigger part of Shirik’s casting, proportionally? In any case, although deep in thought, Kareet did seem to be more relaxed. For once, she was no longer drawing or writing, and instead looked almost mesmerized by the simple light show.

Eventually, the shapes disappeared into thin air. [color=d68300]”The overarching rule of magic is that to do it requires movement. Somatics. The more powerful a spell is, the more it demands from its user. One might argue that there are spells so simple that one need not move at all. If that is true, they do not apply to me. The use of magic is like a sword. Harming someone with it requires movement on the part of its wielder, but even a weapon that remains completely still can hurt someone. I don’t wield magic as a weapon, but as part of myself, as I’ve already mentioned. Therefore, everything I do involves greater dedication to somatic casting.”[/color]

Kareet still wondered if there was something more behind it. There was clearly motion, but perhaps also thought? Intention? There was something that made it seem like it was a part of Shirik’s being, and that was a question that she did not know how to answer at  the moment. Kareet had already learned enough to be worth bringing back. A historical account, as well as a potential avenue of research in the Heat Domain; both had fulfilled her mission. Yet, there was still more to learn. More that could not be ascertained in just a night’s conversation. This was a subject worthy of greater understanding.
 
“With everything I have learned about you, all that the rumors have said, I do find myself curious why you are so…elusive? Separating yourselves from the Iriad I understand, your…nature is in conflict with your people’s traditions. It is through no fault of your own, but that is the reality of things. Yet, you do not seem to want to isolate yourself. Not anymore, at least. You’ve visited towns, you’ve helped people, you even visited Torant, capital of Mythadia. There are places where you can live openly. The world has changed through the centuries; you don’t have to hide anymore.”

[color=d68300]”I don’t hide. I never have. I simply keep to myself, because I find it easy to do.”[/color] There was more to it than that, but Shirik did not know this woman enough to divulge past that. [color=d68300]”We live in Kanth-Aramek. We do not live in Torant. We do not live in Uldrakir. There is an entire world laid before us, and I slipped away from it to avoid harming others. I missed more than enough in that time. I don’t intend to miss more.”[/color]

“A fair point.” Kareet nodded. “But how much do you truly see if you move so far, so quickly? There is so much of the world that is…hidden in the details. You might meet a lot of people wandering from town to town, but can you say  you really know them? To form friendships, to learn about people more than just for a few stories around a campfire, but to know their principles, their dreams, their ambitions. And that’s just one person. Cities can be like an…ecosystem of different groups, all interacting in ways that can take years to just start to wrap your head around. I am not suggesting you pick somewhere to settle down for life, but maybe you would find it fulfilling to spend a few years really getting to know a place?”

[color=d68300]”I am content to move as I do. Where I go, I help people who need help, and rest in places where they do not. I have seen most of what this world has to show. If I decide to stop moving, I will have no trouble finding a place to do so.”[/color]

“Well, I do not intend to try to argue that you should change your whole life. I merely wish to offer my perspective.” Kareet remarked. After a moment, she picked back up her notebook, pulled her pen into her hand, and resumed her notes. “Do you mind if I stay here for a while? I would like to try to get down what I can while I have you here. Should you tire of conversation, just ask and I will take my leave. And if you have any questions, well..I suppose it is only fair that I answer in return.”

[color=d68300]”I suppose you can. I had considered traveling from here to the Ascendancy, so I may decide to leave soon. If I do, you may as well follow me there if you wish to ask me more questions.”[/color]

Kareet nodded in return, peering up at them from her notes. “Is that so? Well, if you are wanting to see my homeland, I would be happy to show you Arcaeda. That will be where I shall be returning.” She opened up to the sketches she had made and began to add more detail to clarify what she remembered of the techniques.

[color=d68300]”Very well.”[/color] Shrink walked over to a tree and hacked away at some thin branches, and then laid them in a pile between themself and Kareet. Shirk then lit them up in a campfire. They weren’t going to rely solely on their own body to light this area up, and oddly enough, the campfire Shirik made didn’t burn the grass it was sat directly on top of. 

Shirik rested against a tree and then tuned out the world as the night went on.