The Water Magic Scroll [Solo/Training]

Ivris reaches for her wand, staring at the parchment she'd purchased from the market which described five techniques for water mages. Although it wasn't much, it was definitely a start, and after getting a picture in her mind of what she was supposed to do, she got up and began.

Moving her arm forward slightly, she focuses on commanding the rukh to do her will. First, gather the water. A simple command, one would think, but not in Heliohapt. It was one of the main reasons she'd chosen water magic - in an arid, dry climate like hers, clean water was scarce. It was also so sunny and hot, and nothing grew in the desert sand that surrounded the city. To gather water in an area like this, a magician had to be resourceful, due to there being very limited quantities in the air. If you knew where to look, however, you could find it. The easiest way, of course, was by getting near the water, as Ivris was now. But when she was in the city, away from and obvious source of water, there were other ways. One of the most useful she'd found was unusual but very helpful: sweat. In the heat, everyone was sweating. This moisture, if collected from enough people, could be combined into spells of moderate sizes by commanding the rukh to generate it into more water. It wasn't always the best way, however. To solve this, Ivris had begun carrying around a water skin on her hip, and to create her spells she drew the water she used from it. She always made sure to recycle the water she'd used if she could, although sometimes it was unavoidable.

After collecting the water from the sea, she commanded the rukh again, this time telling them to push the water forward. And so they did, forming it into a jet. But it was very thin, not what the illustration had shown. No, for this spell, she needed to use lots of force to push her opponents back, and that meant a big surface area. The smaller the attack, the more damage it could do to a single area, but this spell was not about attacking; it was about gaining distance for her, something that was important for a magician that didn't enjoy close combat. She tried it again, this time focusing on the size of the spell. Taking a deep breath, she used Water Jet which shot out over the water. Smiling at her work, she could see she'd done it right. Still, practice would always help, so she drew the water from the ocean once more by commanding the rukh. She sustained Water Jet in order to act out the functionality of the spell itself, casting Ice Blade in order to blast it away with Water Jet. The ice blade was knocked back 10 meters, exactly as Ivris had hoped for. Happy with her work, she put her wand down and sat back down to look at the next spell on the parchment.

508/500

Abilities:

The next spell Ivris would be learning was of a very different kind. Not only was it an offensive spell, as opposed to the utility that Water Jet offered, but it was also made of ice, which was always exciting to work with. Whereas water was fluid and changing, ice had a strength and solidity to it which made it more reliable, but also more rigid. Ice was dangerous, and whereas water was diverse in its uses, ice was almost always deadly. It was a cold and hard thing, able to freeze people that were unaware in their tracks. Still, it wasn't going to be stop her no matter what. She was determined to become not only a stronger magician, but also a more knowledgeable one. She knew that she would have to use force when the time came; she must be prepared. Of course, that didn't mean she would take a life if she could avoid it; honestly, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to. Life was precious, and almost nothing was worth destroying it. But if she had to choose, she would do what she had to save the people she loved from anyone who wished to do them harm. Life was fragile, and if she had to take down one person to save the lives of many, then so be it. So she commanded the rukh to draw the water from the ocean, then again in order to solidify it into ice. However, what she ended up with was a ball of ice, and what she needed was a drill that would pierce through to the muscle of whatever she attacked it with. Commanding the rukh to revert the ice to water, she took a quick peek at the parchment before realizing what she had to do. She ordered the rukh to shape the water, turning it into a cone. Slowly but surely, it came together, until at last she had her drill. Still, she wasn't done yet. At last, she cast Ice Drill, and after seeing that she'd done a job well done, proceeded onto the final part. Sending it up, she lifted it to its maximum range before causing it to flip upside down. This would be the true test of the spell's power. After letting it hang there for a moment, she send it flying downwards, the shard of ice spiraling towards the ground at 15 m/s. She almost couldn't believe her eyes at the result; it tore through the sand in disappeared below the ground. Of course, it was just sand, and the results wouldn't be the same when coming into contact with a creature, or even a human, but still... It was far quite a difference in power compared to the spells she'd learned from her tutor. This was definitely not something to use without reason, and good one too. But still, it would be valuable in time, she knew that much. Especially after her run in such monsters as anacondas, she'd need this spell more than ever if she was going to protect herself from all that wished to do her harm.

522/500

Abilities:

The last spell that she'd work on today was called Maelstrom, and it was definitely something to behold. It gathered a large amount of water into an area and rotated it. Somewhat similar to the other spell, Ice Drill, except made of water. It would deal damage in a large area as it spun and the water hurt those inside as long as she sustained the spell, which would be useful if she were to fight large groups of enemies. It was also useable in water to create a Maelstrom that would cause damage to any enemies inside of it, which seemed very promising indeed. Still, she had work to do.

Taking her wand in one hand, she began the process. The rukh gathered once more gathered large amounts of water from the ocean nearby, until the 10 meter area in front of her was practically full of water. Then came the next command, which was simply to spin, as fast as 15 m/s. The water would move so fast that it would cut through the skin and into the muscle of anyone inside, and she didn't envy anyone she used this on. After a moment, she cast Maelstrom, causing the spell to begin. And what a spell it was; it seemed like she'd created a small storm right in front of her, and even more impressive, she was able to move the storm around in a 20 meter area. She could keep the spell moving and move out of range at the same time in order to perpetually damage anyone in its radius. She walked around it, staring into the raging maelstorm. The powerful intensity of the spell was almost overwhelming; it was so much power in her hands, which she couldn't have ever expected. Not, she needed something to test it on, and fortunately for her, she could easily find a willing subject that would feel no pain. Casting Ice Blade once more, she sent it into the storm, but was taken aback when, just as it entered the storm, the spell was shredded to pieces. She'd had no idea how truly powerful this spell was... to be able to destroy something without even giving it a chance. Her shock caused her to stop sustaining the spell, which died down immediately and disappeared, albeit leaving behind a trace of its presence; the sand below it was damp and had obviously been worn away somewhat. It was a lot to take in, but now she was confident in her ability to succeed. With spells like this, she was sure that'd she be able to protect herself once she finally left Heliohapt to go out into the world. She knew that it wouldn't be easy, but this wasn't over, either. Tomorrow, she'd return to learn the last two spells the parchment spoke of; however, they seemed even more complex and, surprisingly, more powerful than the ones she'd dealt with today. What did she have in store for her when she resumed her training the next day?

505/500

Abilities:

Making her way down to the shore, she let out a small yawn, the last of her sleepiness still leaving her body. An orange from another land was in her hand, half-eaten as juices ran down her forearm. She was determined to begin her training early today in order to make the most of her day, and so she'd forced herself up an hour early to begin meditation before she would begin. It was nice to be up, although she usually didn't like it - the beauty of the time before morning, the world completely still and silent around her, captivated her thoughts. There was no hustle and bustle of everyday business, and all she could hear were the soft waves washing up against the sand. It was something to behold as the dark sky turned to blue and the stars twinkled out of sight. Still cool, the morning air was refreshing and welcoming, helping her wake quicker and easier. Something inside her wanted to go curl back up inside, where she knew she could snuggle up tight in her sheets and be warm and cozy, but she knew she had to continue forward. She had no tutor anymore, and it was up to her to learn the next steps in her journey. Today, however, was different from yesterday; the scroll's final two spells were beyond anything she'd achieved so far. The detail and precision that she would have to put into them was far greater and yet more minute than anything she'd ever attempted before, but she was up for a challenge.

It was early in the morning, long before the sun would rise up over the horizon. Yet Ivris was awake, so to speak. She'd sat down in the cool waters of the shore, not wasting any of her magic and had begun meditating in preparation for the work she had ahead of her. Her eyes glowed a bright light blue as she faced outwards over the horizon, seeing nothing. She was already deep within the recesses of her mind, searching for something, something important. A long lost memory that was hidden in the labyrinth of her mind, but not forgotten. She saw her past as though watching a story run backwards; she saw herself meeting Tenma, rebuilding the temple and finding the hidden room, telling the children stories of dragons, and more. She saw the years turn back, her adulthood turning into adolescence. She could see herself working hard but laughing and smiling in the house, doing what she could to help out. As she grew younger, things became fuzzier, but she was almost there now. She could see herself running  to her mother and father in excitement after they'd returned home from the festival, overwhelmed with joy. However, she didn't stop there. It was around the age of seven where the memory existed, a fragment of what it had once been, but still a core part of her best memories. She could see herself splashing in the water as her mother and father looked on, smiling at her. The waves rushed in and covered her in their salty embrace, but she let them wash over her. The ocean had always been a part of her, and she knew it was probably the reason why she was a Blue Magician. No matter what, she'd always felt safe there, as though there was nothing in the world that could harm her. Nothing else mattered when she could hear the waves crashing behind her, smell the ocean's fresh breeze, taste the salt in the air from the ocean's spray, feel the water wash up onto her feet, and see the endless blue river that covered the world spread out before her. It was these feelings she harnessed as she left her mind calm but ready to take on the final two spells that she'd learn from the water magic scroll.

Taking her wand in one hand, she focused her strength into commanding the rukh to draw moisture from the air, casting Water Knife. Not a step that was usually practical in Heliohapt, but it was still cool outside, the sun not having risen, and by the ocean there was a bit of humidity in the air. In any case, all she needed was a small amount, for it was a spell smaller than her finger. The small amount of water gathered, she began to test out her control over it, moving it here and there within a range of 30 meters. She kept her eye on the extremely small spell, making sure to not lose track of it by following the movement of the rukh she commanded. She spun it in a tight circle, trying to see how fast she could make it go. Around and around it went, hitting 20 meters per second before reaching its maximum rotations per minute. She then began to expand the loop is wove outwards, testing her control to make sure that she didn't lose it for even a moment. With a spell of such pinpoint accuracy as this, no mistakes could afford to be made. Wider and wider she expanded the spell, and the father out the circle went the harder it was to control. It began to becomes more and more erratic in movement when the diameter was at 25 meters, so she slowed down in order to gain control. It took getting used to, but after a minute she'd sped it back up to 20 meters per second and had a nice, wide circle in front of her. At least, it seemed that way; the spell was going so fast that it could cover almost all the distance in a second, faster than her brain could register. As she expanded it outwards to the 30 meter diameter mark, she could see that slightly more time was required to make a full rotation, but it made no difference; she'd only been testing her control over the very small amount of water she was manipulating. Now, the actual application would begin.

Taking her little jot of water and letting it zoom back and forth, she got a full handle on its movement. The way she was currently controlling the spell was probably the way she usually would be, which made sense for her next step. She cast Ice Blade and zigzagged the spell around it for a couple of moments before letting it slice through the ice blade, through which it cut cleanly. And yet, there was something lackluster about this spell... the way it cut through was very clean, but something felt missing. She just didn't know what. Perhaps her test subject was to blame; ice was not a very good replacement for a real, living body. And yet she wouldn't hurt a living being if she could help it, even if it were to improve her own ability with water magic. It seemed she'd just have to wait for a chance to use it to see how devastating the spell really was. Until then, however, she'd make sure to practice it, and make sure to keep her control. It'd been relatively easy to master, as there was only one part, albeit being very small. Yet she couldn't help but wonder what might be different once she saw it in action.

1220/1000

Abilities:

This was it. The final spell Ivris would have to learn to master, and yet probably the hardest. It was a four-part ice spell, which meant that it would require far more patience and effort than Ivris had ever had with a spell before. Thankfully, she'd brought breakfast with her, along with the orange she'd had earlier. Taking out a piece of hummus and slice of pita bread, she dipped it into the hummus and began to eat. Along with that, she had a few falafel balls and some strawberries to give her a boost in energy. She knew she'd need it after the time she'd spent working on the last spell, and after the work she'd put into this one. She took her time as the sun rose above the horizon, relaxing in front of the shore, simply watching the world and soaking in all that was around her. For all she knew, this could be one of her last days here before she was off to another land, and she wanted to enjoy her time here. While she'd be back, it would be these memories of home that'd she would carry with her during her journey. After sitting and digesting for about half an hour, she began to stretch in order to increase her attentiveness and focus herself on the task at hand. Stretching would help her blood flow and let her work much easier, as well as relieve any of the stress she was having over this final spell. It was a lot to think about, but she simply had to have faith in herself. If she believed that she could do it, then she'd won half the battle. Having a positive mindset, having hope that one could accomplish what they put their mind to - that was what gets us through our tough challenges. Not stamina nor skill, not brain nor brawn, not endurance or expertise, but a will to succeed. Ivris believed that if someone wanted something hard enough, there was nothing that could stand in their way. And no matter what, she wasn't going to let the complexity, the technique, or the various commands that she needed to issue to the rukh in perfect order to complete this spell correctly get in her way. No, she was going to do what needed to be done and finish this off once and for all.

Getting up, her long silver wand in hand, she began. The first command was simple, a basic command for practically all her spells. She must gather water, or generate it herself. Although the ocean was right there, there were times when she wouldn't have that convenience, so it was well worth it to practice commanding the rukh to create water. And so she did, focusing her will into the task as she cast Ice Daggers. Water began to form in midair, until after a couple of moments she finally had all that she needed. The next part was not that hard either, albeit somewhat trickier. She would have to split up the water she'd made from the rukh into four separate parts, enabling her to create the four distinct sections of the spell. Separate them she did; she used the full 30 meters the spell was contained in to split the four sections apart, each single piece headed off to its own side. From there, she had to shape the water to create the dagger. This was probably one of the harder parts of the spell, but she wouldn't let it stop her. She focused on the commands, shaping the tip up until the base of the daggers with precision that she wouldn't be able to afford herself if she were in a real battle. For now, however, she was still learning, and it would be later on when she'd focus on speeding up these processes. For now, however, she simply formed the rukh into the perfect shape of the dagger, until at last it was complete. Each part was a perfect liquid dagger, ready to slice through the air. However, she wasn't done yet. There was still the final, although definitely not as challenging, step of the spell which would freeze the daggers solid, turning them into ice. And it was these ice daggers that would cut into those who would do her or those around her harm; it was with these that she would defend her hopes and dreams. Sending the command to the rukh, they froze over, becoming solidified in seconds until the spell was finally complete.

There it was. Four perfect ice daggers, ready for their first trial run. However, this was time for celebration, so Ivris, smile on her face, decided to have a little fun with it. She sent the ice daggers around in patterns that would bring them near close to crashing but always kept them just barely apart as they dove and swerved through the air like tiny frozen birds. They zoomed around and looked quite pretty, but she knew that would rip right through the skin of anyone they came into contact with. Since there were four of them, they were especially deadly; it was a lot to contend with at first, having four objects to control, but soon enough she got the hang of it. At last, her work was finished; she'd demonstrated to herself that she was ready to move forward with her training, and the fact that she'd succeeded just made her more confident. Although there were lots of powerful and deadly enemies out there, she'd be ready for them.

Taking her wand, she commanded the four ice daggers to come crashing together, which they did in a burst of floating icy crystals. Beautiful and fragile, ice was nevertheless a deadly and potent component of her water magic. This was just the beginning, however. She still had a lot to learn and a long way ahead of her, but she wasn't worried. On the contrary, all she wanted was to keep learning and growing her magical ability. Bring it on.

1011/1000

Abilities: