Hekazu

Warlock in distresss (hekazu and FaihtfulMuse)

I have been a bit busy lately, and unfortunately things will not be getting any better any time soon.

You may have guessed correctly by now: The Finnish defence forces called. They want their soldier back. I will be leaving for service on 7.7 and I have no honest clue when I will have the time to post for the next time. Possibly before that, these preparations are nearly done anyway.

Warlock in distresss (hekazu and FaihtfulMuse)

"Well, it... I... I think I just agree with the way my family does things. Even given the fact I had no say in it when it happened. I don't see that being wrong... although I kind of do... but not all that much. Yeah, I mostly agree. It is hard putting it into words", Harol explained himself, or at least made a crude attempt in doing so. He noticed that Freya had placed her daggers aside, but did not pay all that much attention to it. Instead he extended both of his arms before him and stretched his shoulders while yawning under his breath (that meant he closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath more or less through his teeth). "But I'm sure I'll figure how to put it soon. It surprised me but I'll live with it. I've done so for quite a few years already have I not?"

Harol shifted a bit farther away from Freya and fell on his back, now stretching with his hands extended beyond his head, and then moved them behind his neck. "It will all come together eventually. There is no use wondering how things could be for me had this ritual not taken place. I'm content as is. I'll need to think about it on a larger scale, but now I'm feeling fine. Helps when you can talk about it with someone, so thanks for lending an ear." Harol rubbed the tattooless side of his face with his other hand and then placed it back behind his neck. He had said what he had to say on the subject.

But then again, what would he do now? He most likely should now focus on getting his opinion on this full matter clear, but then again focusing one's thoughts on something puzzling was not always the solution. Most often he had figured out problems when doing completely unrelated tasks and letting his thoughts wander free... he also should really continue studying, given his gift since birth permitted him to do it. Hell, if nobody else from the house Arkdal had survived, he might just as well be the last mage of such capability... after all, even if he found someone who would have a child with him, he would not know how the ritual was done. Now was not exactly the correct time to be thinking about procreation though, that could be a matter of importance after this whole crisis with the king was over. Now he had to have his hopes on surviving to the next day.

Warlock in distresss (hekazu and FaihtfulMuse)

Harol listened to Freya's argument, and could find himself agreeing to some degree. However, he did not feel like she was completely right, as he had always deemed his life as it should be: He liked being what he was, be it that it led to some kinds of trouble... And he knew the background of his family, so he could correct some of the misunderstanding here: "Well... you could put it like that. Thing is, the family has been like that for... I don't actually remember... well, for a good while, and it is not impossible to turn your back to the life of a mage. If one decides not to pursue the path of magic, they will find something else to do. The house will not turn their backs on them, but the amount of support will be different... not that vastly but it becomes more difficult to look after a family member when they live away from the others. So it is not completely forced, even if it locks one out of the life of a lesser mage. Not that I'd ever seen anyone want to be one. We are unique as the only house studying magics like that."

Harol had told his view of the situation. Wait, that was not correct! All he had done was defend the choices of his family, and somewhat swiped past his own interests. "I had a cousin who worked for the king's army as a knight. I do not know if he is still alive or if he was executed like many others who bore the name. We did send him a letter telling we were going to speak up, and he said he would stand his ground with the king, although he still agreed what we were doing was the right thing to be done. Indeed, he lived, or lives, a life different from the rest of us, even with the same ritual upon him. So it is not just black and white like that. Most of us stay though", Harol went through another monologue. He was unsure if he was simply drowning Freya in a stream of his opinions, so he decided to keep his mouth shut for a moment, seeing if she had anything to add.

However his mouth being shut did not exactly stop his thoughts from wandering free. He placed the fingertips of his right hand onto the family tattoo and couldn't help but wonder if his family really was only repeating the old mistake of Ishul'Shog, if they were only hogging the power... but it was unlikely. After all, the Arkdal family strived to research the magic, not to actually utilize it as he had had to in the late days. And that was why they were in danger: Because they intended no harm. Ishul'Shog had taught them well on this.

Warlock in distresss (hekazu and FaihtfulMuse)

Harol listened to Freya tell him she did not know how to read. Harol's eyes somewhat widened upon hearing it, but then they returned to the usual size. Yes indeed, rich and influential families could easily teach each and every single one that belonged to the group or served it to read, but that was not so easy for the peasants and especially not so for the wanted outlaws. Harol did not know how much there was behind Freya that kept people wanting to turn her in, but it was surely enough to deter her from learning to read. "Of course, how foolish of me not to remember the possibility. Well I think it will help me deal with it if I can discuss this with someone that has the understanding of the matter, so I'll tell you briefly..."

Harol flipped through the pages to the part where Eldritchian Battery was discussed, and quickly checked if Freya was ready to listen. She was in the process of taking off her hood and veil, so Harol decided to wait before starting, and was rewarded with quite a relieving bit of information: He was a person this wandering rogue found "safe". At the very least that would tell him he did not have to fear a dagger into his back. Most likely. She could mean that Harol was not a threat and thus she would be safe but that was not very likely. Harol formed a little smile as he could once again see his travelling companion better.

"But now...", he began, "the thing. Yes. You see, us in the Arkdal family... we do learn powerful spells that most mages are unable to cast. Their magical prowess is just not enough. But we are no different from them, as in, we are all still humans. How is this possible? Well here is the solution: The Surgeflow ritual!" Harol deliberately chose to use the more common folk-ish version of the name, as Eldritchian Battery really would not sounds as impressive to a non-educated person. "The mages of House Arkdal are thus granted a greater flow of magical power through them, so the maximum magnitude of their spells soars. This has to be done at young age so the body learns to adapt to such amounts instead of choking the flow. Which is also why lesser spells are impossible to us: The great flow will choke if attempting to extract just little amounts of might." Harol took a deep breath at this point and then slowly closed the book. "Now that was not exactly word-to-word, not that you wouldn't have understood, but it helps if I am able to put it 'in my own words'. Just imagine how crazy this sounds now that I've found out? It adds up, it does so perfectly! It is just... it makes me think differently on things." Harol could not really find a good way to express his state of confusion, so he simply chose to turn his head facing the rogue. He wondered what she thought of this.

Warlock in distresss (hekazu and FaihtfulMuse)

Did I just post only two paragraphs?
...
Apparently I did. Oh well, I'll probably figure out more content for the next one.

Warlock in distresss (hekazu and FaihtfulMuse)

Harol returned to the room, clutching Paw's tome against his chest, and somewhat hunched over. His eyes stared blankly in front of him, but it could be seen from his movement that he knew exactly which way he was heading, and from the movement of his mouth, one could tell he was pondering something. He stepped to the side and did let the servants out before turning around to close the door behind him. He then straight up walked to the bed and gently placed the book down, and proceeded to sigh. "Now, you might wonder what on earth is on my mind", Harol said, now standing upright with his other hand stroking his family tattoo while the other was clutching his opposite side. "This book. It... told me something. Things make more sense now. Why I never learnt to throw a simple fireball. Why I never could throw a spark of lightning... It is all written here."

Harol scratched right below his left eye and sat down next to the book, now moving on to scratch his neck for a moment before setting his arms onto his lap. "So... I might need a moment to adjust to this knowledge. If you are interested in knowing what it is, I can read it for you... or you can do it yourself, whatever goes..." Harol truly needed some time to think about this, but just as well he would like to get his thoughts off it for a moment. He was unsure which one of the needs he would give in to. Now turning his head to look at Freya, he remembered something from last night: "By the way... you are wearing your veil here. Last night when I said you might still do it... you were offended. Just came to my mind, that one, probably not even worth the mention I gave it." Although Harol certainly would not object to her taking it off, it was always more pleasant to talk with a person when you could see their face.

Warlock in distresss (hekazu and FaihtfulMuse)

Harol placed his finger onto the page he was reading and flipped the pages to the end of the book where he consulted the reference number 186. It simply stated No solid proof on the matter has been concluded thus far, but theories point to the direction of magic potentially harming the flesh if tried to drive through in a flow too slow for the volume. Refer to the book Collection of magical theories, vol 2, gathered by yours truly. Flipping the pages back to where he was reading earlier, he muttered "Well that was not exactly very informative", and returned to the text where he had left:

but as is evident by the upcoming section Bloodlines commonly utilizing the rite, this is usually not a problem. Nevertheless, while Eldritchian battery does indeed lock one out of the lower spectrum of spells, the mages are compensated with access to spells and ordinary fireball flicker can only dream of, such as Rooftrellen's complete grimoire, and even the dreaded incantations of the school of Demonology, Eredar's New Moon.
The ritual in itself

Harol did not bother reading through said section, nor was he interested in the history of it, he skipped straight to the aforementioned "Bloodlines commonly utilizing the rite" section, and the very first sentence made him raise his eyebrow: As is evident by the lack of an actually coherent The ritual in itself section - Harol quickly headed back to see what this was about. And indeed, the section merely excused itself for not knowing how the ritual was performed. No wonder it was so short! He then returned to the text about the houses that used it, and the message was simple: The House Arkdal was the only one to openly utilize the rite, and they were most likely the only family that really knew how the ritual was performed in the first place. The author of the book had asked about the specifics, but had politely been denied access to the secrets. Most likely it was for the better. Not all families might be as devoted to merely studying the art.

"So... my family only raises mages of mass-destruction because of this? Because we are all bound to that as soon as we are born? Why did they not - !" Harol was about to start a rant, but was stopped by lord Mortimer: "Now, they would have told you. Eventually. Not bluntly like this though. They start leaving hints around, more obscure at the first, but becoming more and more to the point as time goes by. The more curious sort gets them first, as it should be. But everyone finds out at some point, asks about it, and has it confirmed. I am very sorry I simply threw it at you, but it was all I could do." Harol swallowed once again. While he did not exactly react the best to the news he had received, the old man was right. He had needed to know why, and given his family was now who knew where, this was the way that made sure he got it. "Very well. Please excuse my temper." "No offence taken. Now, I do believe you might want to take a while to adjust. Tell you what, you may bring that book out of the library with you. It is usually prohibited, especially with tomes of such value, but you will need the time, I am certain. And you will be seeing me in the coming days, so your questions will not be left to dwell." "I will do just so. Many thanks", Harol said, still fighting back his conflicted feelings of dwelling frustration, odd feeling of relief, anger, and somehow Freya was in his thoughts just as well. Grabbing his staff, he started his return to the room, the familiar clinking accompanying his steps.

Warlock in distresss (hekazu and FaihtfulMuse)

Harol moved his eyes between Freya to the two servants for a moment whilst following their conversation, but then turned his attention to his pile of belongings and grabbed the staff he had instinctively reached out for before. "Well, as I am most definitely not needed in the upcoming treating of my friend's arm, I think I'll just head for the library. There was something that caught my eye down there. I trust you all can direct people my way if anyone comes looking for me? I'll be right back here once I'm done!" And with that, he was already on his way back to where they had originally met lord Mortimer for a brief moment, staff making the clinking noise it always did as the rings kept bobbing in the "horns" of the staff.

As he had entered the hallway and closed the door behind him, he let out a sigh. He wondered if he had gone too far calling Freya a friend, but really, he had just been in a hurry to get out before the wound was to be taken out from it's bandaging. He hated to see blood, and Freya only got this wound thanks to him... Harol would rather just forget about the thing existing. Promptly continuing his walk towards the library he said he was going to visit (and his staff announcing it at least halfway through the hallway), Harol wished the book really was as interesting as it had first seemed to be. However, he did not quite make it all the way to the library before somebody called out for him just as he was heading into the stairs. "Sir Harol! Please wait!" Harol did not recognise the voice, but soon another more familiar one could be heard "Oh, we found him already? Good!" The latter voice was of no other than lord Mortimer. Well it did make sense: the servants were scheduled to arrive after Mortimer's eyes had been treated. "I had something to show you Harol. Come to the library with me, will you?"

It was a quicker walk with lord Mortimer actually knowing where he was going (with the added benefit of a servant with a working pair of eyes making sure he didn't collide with anything) than Harol could've done alone, and they were quickly back in the big library. "I think I did let Cyrus show you to your rooms if my eyes were to act up... yes, I did. Not his fault we had to take that little detour. Anyway, I left a book around the table here... Harol, you've got eyes, please fetch it for us and open it where the mark is placed", Mortimer instructed, and Harol did as told. It was, after all, what he had planned to do here anyway. "You see... The Arkdal bloodline does indeed utilize a certain birthrite... they don't tell it to their young at first, as they might rebel against the thought... they are usually told as they finish their studies and are comfortable with how they are... but now, I trust you deserve to know, Harol. Read as much as you'd like, and ask away if needed... for you have always carried the blessing, or curse, depends... of the Eldritchian Battery."

Harol found it hard to believe his ears. What was this all out of a sudden? He swallowed air and slowly opened the book where he had opened it once before, to see the now familiar words: Eldritchian battery, a.k.a. Surgeflow ritual. Another empty gulp followed as his eyes scanned over the first section:
The effects
The Eldritchian battery is to be performed onto a human in their first week, for anything after that will not let their body accustom to the sheer flow of magic the ritual will bring, and will usually render them unable to cast a thing for their lives if performed late. Nevertheless, a properly performed Surgeflow Ritual can, and will greatly amplify the magical prowess of a mage, but on the other hand renders them completely and utterly unable to cast spells of lesser nature, thanks to the sheer overflow of power being absolutely choked in an attempt to produce a weaker spell. Such chokes have also been deemed detrimental to a mage's health[186]
Harol couldn't believe his eyes. Had... had this been... what... ho... I... But all he could muster to as was: "What is this number here?" "It points to a more detailed part on the matter addressed in the end of the book", Mortimer answered. "I can see you find this all hard to swallow. I will give you all the time you need." Harol almost sobbed, but managed to keep the tears within his eyes, and read on. After all, he needed to know.

Warlock in distresss (hekazu and FaihtfulMuse)

Please pardon my yet another absence. Ongoing entrance exams and visiting my friend's graduation party kinda eat away my time. At the very least the last exam is tomorrow, so I'll be able to post afterwards I believe!

Warlock in distresss (hekazu and FaihtfulMuse)

"Three, huh?" Harol tilted his head upon asking this confirming question. He really did not expect an answer if this was in fact the correct way to have heard it, and it seemed to be so. She was selective, that was for certain. Had to be with a life like that though, that was something that had been very evident in the past few days. It made Harol think how many people he had trusted... and how many of them had actually survived the so called "cleansing" ordered by the king? It was not yet time to mourn a potential loss, but Harol couldn't help but feel sad about the incident. The smile on his face faded bcak to a neutral expression, but it was quick to return as Freya told him that she had found their brief companionship a pleasant time as well... or at the very least Harol did interpret her words as such.

That led him into thinking: If she had enjoyed his company... and there was something different in her voice too now... Harol couldn't quite place his finger on it... but it could be that he had been one of the three she had ever trusted. Quite the accomplishment for a random stranger... at least that was what he was to her when they first met, and it has really not been that long since that. A little over the time it takes for the sun to set and rise again to the same place high in the skies. All this was however assuming that he was on that list of three people, and that was not certain.

"But who actually says we won't see each other for now anyway? We are around the same building I assume, so running into each other should not be an impossibility", Harol pointed out. He did not know how long Freya would enjoy the hospitality of house Clasz, but he assumed she would not leave just immediately. Before Harol had the chance to continue from this, the lock of the door made an audible click, and then the door was shaked, as if to confirm it had locked itself. Harol's heart jumped and he was about to reach for his staff and lantern, but then he could hear a voice saying: "Oh, it was open after all..." and a key rattling in the lock once more. Soon enough another click could be heard, the key was pulled out and the door opened. Two young female servants were behind the door, the other looked something around the age of Cyrus, while the other was most certainly only a child. The child was carrying a bunch of cloth, while the older one had several pouches on her belt.

"Oh... well we found them!" the older one said and then turned to Freya and Harol: "Please excuse the intruding, we were simply seeking miss... uhh... ehh..." she stammered, evidently unable to remember Freya's name. Harol laughed out loud: She was kind of cute, and this situation just seemed so far off from having to escape for his life. He simply couldn't help but let the light heartedness of the situation to make him laugh. "Well I trust you found her, because you would remember the name if it was anyone who lived here I trust", Harol replied after managing to pull himself together. He then glanced at Freya's wounded hand, it would be treated properly. It was something that made Harol feel good about himself: He had suggested this, even if Freya could have done it herself... but also it was thanks to him that she even got said wound. He had to make it right somehow, now didn't he?