• PM To Join • [Farms] Ilaren v. Aelig! Fisticuffs for Immortals.

[Sintih]

Zi'da, 88th, 716th Arc
Morning
Andaris Farms, Sintih's former home

[img]http://standingtrials.com/gallery/image ... ge_id=6076[/img]

espite the freezing cold of the last trials of Zi'da, Sintih had set out for his usual spot. When his parents had first left Idalos six arcs ago, he had spent time here every so many trials, trying to come to terms with the sudden lack of parents to guide him. It had taken several arcs for Sin to get rid of the chains that had bound him to them. The time he spent here was now more focused on training and practicing his magic, instead of honoring and remembering his parents. It was remote enough that nobody ever came here and it was close enough that Sin could get to it, practice and get home in a single trial. The brook that had once fed the farm where Sin had grown up was mostly frozen during this time of the year but the trees that clumped together in this little spot still provided more than enough cover with their thick trunks. It didn't take more than five bits to walk through the entire 'forest' that had grown here but it was plenty of cover for someone trying to use a loud magic without the proper permits.

Permit. Sin clicked his tongue as he stepped past the first of the trees. Why would I need a permit for magic when knights don't need permits for swords? The hood of his cloak was pulled up high over his face, covering most of his forehead and eyes. He was focused on the snow just a few steps in front of him, keeping his head down and out of the falling snow. The woolen gloves helped to keep his fingers from the cold while the rest of his body was covered in a set of winter clothes. The thick clothes had been one of the better investments Sin had made this season. A brown gambeson covering a simple grey shirt and a pair of matching trousers tucked into his boots to keep him from the cold. In combination with the cloak, they seemed to do well against the cold. On the back of his belt his short sword hung, out of sight but not out of mind. You never knew who you might meet outside of the city.

He walked for another bit or two before ending up at the brook, cutting through the middle of the forest, or rather the grove as it wasn't nearly big enough to qualify as a forest. In between these trees, the cutting wind was much less but the snow was still falling. Without any leaves on the trees, there was very little to keep it from touching the ground. As expected, the brook had frozen to a solid piece of ice. It wasn't much and someone could easily jump over it if they so desired. Following tradition, Sin first stopped near the two piles of dirt near the edge of the brook. Somewhere deep underneath here, a backpack full of crystal had been put to rest, their physical forms useless to his parents now. At some point, this ritual had gone from remembering, and even talking to, his parents to simply standing there and clearing his mind.

The second part of the tradition, or ritual, had only been added to it in the last arc or so. Sin took the five bits it took to walk a full circle through the grove, making sure that nobody was in it or approaching it. He wasn't a trapper or a skilled woodsman by any sense of the word so he couldn't really spot tracks. The constant snowfall didn't make it easier to find them either. He didn't come across anyone else, not that he ever had, and headed back to the middle of the grove. He put his backpack down near the two mounds and looked around for a moment as he rolled his shoulders. It didn't really matter how stiff or loose his shoulders were for this kind of exercise but it helped warm him up, something that seemed necessary three quarters of the arc.

In an instant, Sin took a step to the left and disappeared from sight, reappearing on the other side of the brook with no tracks in the snow between his original spot and this one. He shook loose a little more and hopped back, pulling open a door in front of him as he stepped through it and out on the other side. The floating feeling where the world seemed to slow down around him, turning all shades of purple, left him as soon as he arrived back on the other side. Not wanting to go too far too quick, Sin ended his warm up there, waiting a moment to see if he felt dizzy or if a headache set in but nothing happened. Satisfied, he breathed in slowly and let it out through his lips, creating a white cloud of air in front of him.

He focused on the ether around him, present in everything, including himself. While he had managed to learn the first of many rupturing tricks, it wasn't anywhere close to the full spectrum of abilities the magic allowed. He willed the ether to move, gathering it in two places, one on each side of the brook and stretched his will to pull the ether balls together. It was mostly his own imagination but it felt like the ether was stretched out, refusing to move from it's original location too much. It felt as if he actually had to pull the ether together. His hands balled into fists as he tried to exert more force. He could feel the ether getting closer together, combined with the sound of something starting to tear, as if a rope was about to snap.

But the ether wouldn't listen, not enough. It stretched and stretched but refused to stretch enough to reach the other stretching ether, no matter how much force he exerted on it. Sin gritted his teeth and tried to force it more, pull it more but with a soundless snap, the ether jumped back and dispersed from his grip. His eyes shot open to see if anything had changed but the snow was undisturbed apart from his appearing footsteps from before. He sucked in a lungful of air through his nose and closed his eyes again. Wild ether was so hard to control. When he blinked around it was so easy to just pull open a tear and jump through it. No force, no exertion, just tear and done. He just used some of his... Sin's eyes shot open. What if...

[Varthakh]

He pawed his way through the snow in his massive form, still tipsy from the night prior. He wore his totem necklace underneath his large bag, filled with all his clothing should he need to turn back to his original form. He could only remember bits and pieces of the night, he thought as he walked. He'd scalded a younger looking man for insulting him about something to do with an immortal? What was her name? Ilaren? That's the one. And after that, the guy had somehow convinced Fridgar to start worshipping her? What a night. He pondered further what had happened as he trudged through the frozen woodlands, he was short of 200 gold nel, so he'd either been robbed or had attempted to drink the tavern dry. And with the pounding in his head, either could have happened.

He looked about his surrounding as he further tried to recollect his memories - Rey'na? She'd been there, certainly - had she started a fight? Or had someone tried it with her and he'd started a fight? With his bloodied leather jacket in mind, he'd probably been at the centre of it. He pondered whether it was a coincidence that he always found violence in the city or whether he was to blame. He shrugged through his thick fur, it mattered not. He quite enjoyed fighting, he'd been raised on it - win or lose, it was a lot of fun. His thoughts were starting to aid in the pounding of his head, he decided it best to stop and simply ask Rey about it later. Re-emerging from his thoughts, he looked about the landscape as he continued his crawl - nothing of interest to see just yet. He hadn't been out this far before, it would be nice to discover something, like an abandoned house that him and Rey could raid, or even an occupied house...

He shook his furry head - that would have been cruel, but then, they did need to stock up on food for Cylus still. Something caught his eye - a fence? He strolled up to it, curious. Beyond the fence was some farmland of sorts - he'd discovered something! With a bounce in his step, he climbed over the fence and pressed onward into the farm. He walked through the snowy fields without a care for his feet or claws, his thick fur staved off most of the cold and he was tough enough to thick out the rest. He eventually stumbled across a glade of sorts - what is more? It was occupied. He stared bewildered as the occupant seemed to jump from place to place, in one place then the next in what looked like time at all. He pushed up onto his hind legs then sat back, putting his claws to his eyes and rubbing - was he seeing things?

He put his claws to his bag and lifted it from his neck and tossed it to the snow, taking a mental note of where he'd left it. His bead and bone necklace stood out on his fur. With a growl and a roar, he called out to the person from a distance before putting his claws to his mouth with surprise 'Don't tell me you actually forgot you were a bear.' The poor man probably though a vicious beast had come to make a meal of him. Then a thought struck, a memory from the night prior - something about the man had reminded him. 'Immortal of lightning, sound, brawling and alcohol' someone had said that last night, he was sure. Was that in regards to Ilaren? Then another thought struck, if he were to worship this immortal, would it be his religion to beat people up for no reason? Did it count in bear form? Hell, why not start now!?

He pushed back onto all fours and looked to the man in the glade before roaring fiercely and charging at a frightening speed. In truth, he had no desire to kill this jumpy man, but certainly the desire to exchange blows with him. He aimed to charge through the man, he'd start the fight with a tackle - though he'd probably seen it coming. After the man had avoided his attack or gotten up from his feet, he'd continue to rush him down, charging for him from dodge to dodge without using his claws - if it weren't for his snarl, it might have looked playful.

[Sintih]

[img]http://standingtrials.com/gallery/image ... ge_id=6096[/img]

hat if that huge bear roaring at him was trying to eat him? Sin spun around, half in shock, half in awe at the noise the thing made. A bear? Here? Wasn't it supposed to be sleeping during this time of the arc? Too many useless questions and thoughts popped up in his head as he watched the bear at the edge of the glade. What to do? Sin glanced left and right but couldn't see any other wild beasts approaching him. He could probably get away from one bear. He had food in his pack that he could use to distract it while he made a run for it. But why was a bear here? And now? Something wasn't right here. Sin forced the useless thoughts of his mind and focused on his survival only. He reached underneath his cloak and drew the shortsword in a reverse grip. It was by far his most skilled stance, which meant nothing in the face of this wild beast. He reversed his grip and held the blade out normally, an extension of his arm. If this bear proved to be a wi-...

His thoughts were broken by a second, fiercer, more determined roar as the bear dropped forward and charged him. Despite the layer of snow, the cold and the trees, the bear's speed was much faster than Sin had expected and he dove out of the way into the snow, rolling further as the bear charged past him. There was snow in his clothes but he couldn't feel the cold at all. His asterism was pulsing light through his entire body in rapid succession, his illusion followed suit by flushing his face a little darker and increase the tempo of his breath. Even the little clouds that came from between his lips followed suit as he ejected light to the rhythm of his asterism beat. It all happened naturally, with no input from the Yludih at all. The only thing he was doing was pushing himself back up on his feet to come back face to face with the bear. Had it just waited for him to get up?

The bear snarled and charged again. It's speed was no less but Sin was more prepared for it this time. He jumped to the side and avoided the collision before jumping back to create a distance between him and the creature. The bear wouldn't let up, charging and turning to come at him again. While it had speed when it was moving straight, the turning following a charge was slower and wider, giving Sin some time to plan ahead. But it wasn't nearly enough and Sin knew very well that he wouldn't survive this if he stayed here. How could he get out of this? He looked around quickly to spot an advantage and noticed his backpack behind the bear. If he could get his lunch out of it maybe the bear would be more interested to go for that?

Sin turned and ran into the trees, listening for the bear chasing him. When he got close to a tree, Sin suddenly took a sharp turn towards it, hoping the bear wouldn't be able to follow so quickly. He glanced back to see if the bear was on him. The moment it came for him again, Sin disappeared from his position, pulling himself to the pocket of ether next to his backpack, some forty feet from the tree he had just disappeared from. As he stepped back into reality the instant it took to move the distance, Sin stabbed his sword into the snow and grabbed his backpack. He fumbled with the strings tying it closed for a moment before he managed to pull it open.

He looked in the direction of the bear, trying to see how far it was from him still. When his hand grasped around the standard salted meat ration the Iron Hand issued to every single person in it, Sin felt a moment of relief. Even if it took the bear only half a bit to eat it, Sin would have enough time to get out and towards safety. Worst case scenario, he'd bunker down in his old home until the beast was done playing around. The bear wasn't stealthy in its attacks and the noise it made pulled Sin from his thoughts. He had barely enough time to throw the handful of meat into the bear's face before it charged into him. Just before he went flying, Sin wondered why the bear had a necklace on. Then he saw the blue sky flash past before turning into a full white as he landed in the snow, rolled further with the momentum and came to a sliding halt on the frozen brook.

The white cloud in front of his lips had long turned permanent as the illusion of his breath was keeping up with the pulsing of his asterism. The demand for light and energy by his entire body was putting strain on it already. Sin shook his head and tried to get his eyes to focus as the spinning world around him slowed down. Father... Sin prayed, put all his asterism and soul into the one word, hoping his plea would be strong enough to get a glimpse from the immortal. He could do with some chaos on his side right about now. Sin turned to look at the bear once more. That was definitely a necklace around its neck.

[Varthakh]

To nobody's surprise, the blue man had evaded his first attack, he'd given plenty warning. The second too, he'd given him time to recover and he surely would have expected his next attack, but boy this weird-blue-jumpy man was starting to annoy him. He was smart, he'd figured out that his turning mid-charge was lacking and was blatantly using that to his advantage. He had a sword, why not use it? Did he really think he could doge forever? That running would save him? 'Fool! Nobody can escape the mighty Grizzly!' He followed after him as he ran for the trees ahead. He kept hot on his tail, easily keeping up with the two-legged man, his jumping couldn’t help him anymore.

Fridgar wasn't done however, while he could easily have struck the terrified man with his massive claws, why would he want to end this so soon? Well, he WAS hot on his tail, the blue one had taken a sharp turn and sent Fridgar skidding across the icy ground. He grunted, digging his claws into the snow to stop himself. With a roar, he continued his pursuit. The endurance of the Grizzly bear was shocking, he couldn't chase him much longer. With gusto, he bombed at the blue man - now it was time to end it. The blue one turned around to see him a good 6 feet from his back before disappearing? Fridgar skidded to a halt, creating a wave of white snow as his momentum forced it apart. He looked about confused, where had he gone?

Within trills, he'd spotted the man at his backpack, a good 35-40 feet from where he'd been previously. He spent a moment catching his breath, goddamn - he pondered if he'd be able to lose some weight in his bear form. Probably not, he might have to harvest a totem from a leaner bear. Once half ready, he bolted forward once more - this time, he'd take him out, nothing would stop him! What was he even doing in his bag? Did he have a crossbow of some kind? Like one of those pistol ones? 'Oh no you don't!' he grunted with his thoughts, breathing clouds of white with increasing frequency. Just as he was about to impact, the man had drawn his secret weapon - a piece of meat. He threw it at Fridgar's face a split trill before being sent flying by the sudden impact of the bear.

'Oh, free food.' He thought with a grunt, picking the meat from the snow and watching the blue man tumble away. Without a trill to spare, he bit into the meat once or twice before swallowing it. He looked down to the floored blue man and gathered his breath before running off, grabbing his bag with his teeth and carrying it back over, returning within a bit. With a growl, Fridgar approached the edge of the brook and sat at its edge, dropping his bag between his legs. The blue man looked so pitiful, no fun at all - he was barely a challenge when he had his sword, he'd be even less entertaining now. The bear sighed, hanging it's head and he quickened the ether within him, preparing for an unleash. Once he'd picked up enough speed, he gripped his totem necklace with intent, roaring with agony before quickly shifting into the scream of a Lothar, along with his form.

He waited a couple of trills before reaching into his bag, feeling around inside briefly before drawing his undergarments and slipping them on. He stood up with his bare feet in the snow and looked to the fallen man. He widened his stance "Declare me the victor!" he demanded, raising his fists. "Or have you not had enough?" he silently prayed that the man would accept his defeat so that he could get dressed. While the man replied, be it action or word, he reached behind his neck and tightened the totem necklace so that it hung less loosely on his neck. 'Goddamn, this is so freaking cold!' he thought to himself, but didn't flinch in the physical.

Within trills, that had changed. He scrambled for his bag and removed his leather jacket, throwing it into the snow and standing on it while shivering - why did he think turning back to a Lothar in the snow of all things was a good idea? he dressed quickly, adorning himself with his cotton and wool clothing, then above it, his leathers. "Alright, now I'm ready." he declared, raising his fists.

[Sintih]

[img]http://standingtrials.com/gallery/image ... ge_id=6096[/img]

hile it didn't impact his breath, as he didn't have one, Sin did feel the entirety of his chest pulse with a dull pain. There was a sharper stinging from his shoulder and from his lower back, where a piece of frozen brook was poking him through his clothes. His cloak lay spread out next to him on the frozen brook. There were scrapes and sore spots everywhere and the illusion followed suit by projecting bruises, scrapes and scratches where necessary. When the world stopped spinning around him, he let out a soft groan as he looked at the bear. So Father had once more decided to leave him be to his own devices. Why did he ever expect anything else from him?

The bear just finished devouring the meat in less than five trials, food that would have lasted him a whole day. As it finished and looked up at him, Sin prepared to roll into his next portal and get out of here. The bear, however, decided that he'd finished. It turned and ran off, throwing up snow as it went. Sin let his head drop back on the ice in relief once it had gone from sight. Oh Father. I'll never doubt you again, I promise. Groaning in pain, Sin rolled himself over and tried to push himself up on his hands and knees, doing his best to keep his balance on the ice. Sliding, more so than crawling, he moved to the edge of the brook and climbed onto the snow covered side of it. Stupid, farking bear...

The unmistakable noise of a bear approaching had Sin spinning around in fear. There he was, once more, ready to go. From the surrounding trees, the bear popped out, walking back to play some more. Sin scrambled to get up properly and reach his weapon, intent on defending his life if need be. But the bear didn't move from his spot. Instead it dropped something from its mouth. First a necklace and now a bag? What was going on here? The bear just sat there, looking down at the snow while Sin looked at it, not letting it out of his sight for even a trill. Slowly, trying not to spook the bear, Sin edged closer to his weapon.

When he was just about to get it, there was a sudden roar from the bear. Somehow, the bear was holding one of its paws to the necklace around. In trills the bear form turned less hairy and thinner until the roaring turned into screaming and he was looking at a hairy, naked man, standing barefoot in the snow. Farking becomers! Sin cursed quietly in his head while most of his fear dropped from him like water. He was alive, he wouldn't be bear lunch anytime soon.

When the man finished turning back into his original form, Sin knew him immediately. It had been less than twelve breaks since he'd last seen him after all. Rey'na's new friend. Despite being naked, Sin still felt threatened by the man as he asked him to declare him the victor. For a moment, Sin considered a few actions against the man. He could just blink behind him and cut his throat, it wouldn't take too much effort. He could test his portal on the man, even if he wasn't really sure what would happen to him if he did manage to open it. But last night's scene was still fresh in his mind, the man had taken down a big Biqaj, twice. He didn't really want to get into it with him in the end. "Syroa's bloody fury!? What victor!? Fine, I don't care anyway. You won. The fark is wrong with you?"

As the initial shock from being attacked by a bear dropped, Sin was overcome by anger. What gave this man the right to scare the living shit out of him like that. He didn't go around portalling people left and right because he felt like it. Then again, he didn't doubt that the man lacked several important brain functions that Sin did have. Sin stepped back and picked up his shortsword, quickly putting it away in its sheath, and checking his backpack to make sure the bear form Lotharro hadn't broken anything important before looking up at the man as he finished getting dressed.

He looked surprised to see the man bringing his fists up, declaring he was ready. "Ready for farking what, you bloody idiot. You could have killed me just then, in your stupid bear form. Do you even think before you do anything?" Sin was tapping the side of his forehead as he yelled at the Lotharro. What was his name again? In all the chaos last night, Sin had forgotten whether he'd even heard it mentioned. "How did you even get here?" If he'd been followed here, then that meant Sin had to find out why and start looking for a new spot. Use of magic was forbidden after all.

[Varthakh]

A grin formed at the corner of his mouth as the blue man spoke, satisfied. He stumbled a little as he took a step closer - goddamn, he couldn't feel the effects of the alcohol from the night prior with all his added mass in bear form, but in Lothar form the hangover was real. He put his palm to his head and looked to the blue man. "Have we met before?" he asked, baring his fangs a little with a wince. The man checked his belongings, it was only then apparent just how upset he was about the whole thing. The grin at the corner of his mouth faded with the rest of his features, drooping a little. He cast his eyes to the floor and put his hand to the back of his, rubbing up and down. 'Don't be sorry dude, He should be grateful that it wasn't a real bear.' He reminded himself, though it didn't help much.

He lowered his fists and started to approach the blue man. "Idiot?" He asked, scornful. His eyes shifted from their guilty appearance to look him dead in his pupil-less globes "I'm not an idiot." He snarled. "No, I couldn't have. There's a good reason I never swiped for you, buddy. Come to think of it I never tried to bite you either, that's not fair..." The aggression in his tone had all but faded nearing the middle of his sentence, and descended into sorrow by the end. "I do think. I did it for Ilaren..." he spoke, ignoring the burning sensation in his throat. "...Brawling isn't as fun in bear form." He confessed, rubbing his eyes into his jacket. 'Whoa, dude. I'm sure he didn't mean to call you an idiot, don't get all upset about- never mind.' spoke his inner voice before tears started down his cheeks.

"I went for a walk and found it!" He barked through a sob. Both of his hands moved to his eyes, drying the tears as he whimpered like a blubbering baby. "I know I'm not as smart as other people, I get it." He sobbed, his voice shaky and painful. "People just get things faster than me, they think before they do stuff - maybe I am an idiot." he wiped the last of his tears away with his sleeve and looked to the blue man, shaking a little. "But I can do things that normal people can't do..." He spoke, calmness in his tone before building into anger. "Like break you into teeny-tiny pieces." He bared his teeth, furrowing his brow. His claws seemed more apparent too, brandished at his sides and ready to go. He widened his stance and growled in a feral way, looking to the blue one like a piece of meat.

Within trills, he dropped it and straightened up. "Fine, I hurt you and you hurt me - are we square?" He asked with a hint of frustration but otherwise calm. "I don't really wanna breaking my clothes - they were expensive. He sighed. "The name's Fridgar, a fellow mage apparently".

[Sintih]

[img]http://standingtrials.com/gallery/image ... ge_id=6090[/img]

in couldn't help it. He was glaring openly at the man for putting him through the experience. There was very little he liked about the feeling of dread and imminent death by a wild animal. In his anger at the man, Sin realized that he might have said a little too much but he didn't care. The man was an idiot, a careless lout who deserved to live in the lowtown dump that he lived in. Why did people like that ever get born? Couldn't they somehow stop idiocy from progenating? All these immortal abilities, all this magic and yet stupid people still walked around Idalos. His attention was brought back to the present as the hairy man questioned whether he knew Sin from somewhere or not. Obviously, the man had drunk too much last night. What could you expect?

When his outburst was finished and the hairy man snarled back at him, defending himself, Sin instinctively reached for the blade behind his back. While he didn't expect much from idiots, it had always seemed like stupid people had a tendency for being stronger than him and enjoying the beating up of people, something he had witnessed firsthand last night. The aggressive way the man answered kept Sin on his toes but as he continued to talk, his tone changed as if he started to realize his own mistakes. Did he really think people would notice a bear wasn't using his claws or teeth in a fight when it suddenly popped up in front of them in the wild with a roar? Sin stared at the hairy Lotharro. He actually was an idiot. Maybe not like a dumb idiot but a clueless one, he didn't even realize how bad the things were that he did.

When the aggression turned to calm and then slipped further down to sorrow, Sin wasn't quite sure what he was looking at. Not half a trial ago he'd seen the man lay waste to a large Biqaj twice and now he was about to cry. No, scratch that, he was actually crying. "No, hey, I didn't mean it..." This big lump of muscle and hair was actually crying? Sin let out a sigh, looking around awkwardly, not knowing what to do with that. For a few trills, Sin just stood there, watching the man whimper and blubber, his hand on his blade. But as he answered his question through his tears, Sin couldn't even muster up the will to feel threatened by the man. What was going on in the world?

the more the Lotharro cried, the worse Sin felt about himself. How had they gone from a fight-for-your-life against a bear to... well, this? "Hey, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I... I was just angry, ok. You really scared me with that bear." Sin tried to talk and walk closer while the man was explaining what sort of idiot he was. He was almost next to the man when he suddenly looked up to Sin again and bared his teeth. Sin stopped dead in his tracks as the man explained just how badly he could screw with Sin. He didn't even need to wonder about it if it was true. It was only when the man seemed to calm down again that Sin dared to answer him. His words were lead by a harsh laugh of self loathing. "It's not difficult to break me into tiny pieces so it's not that big of a thing. But I'm sorry I said you were an idiot. As I said, you really scared me with your bear form there."

"I think we're square, yes." He nodded, waiting a moment for the bearded man to calm down a little more before he stepped up, keeping a safe distance still but close enough for the two of them to hold a normal conversation. Well, Fridgar, nice to meet you again. I'm Sintih, Rey'na's friend. We met last night. You might not remember it after all the drinking you did, though." While he would never have considered him to be a mage of any description, even after having seen his transformation first hand, Sin didn't want to go into an argument with him over it. Certain people would never be a real mage no matter what they did, just like he'd never be a swordsman of any description.

"You mentioned Ilaren last night as well. You're really interested in her, aren't you?" While he didn't see the appeal in a drinking, brawling, immortal woman he knew all too well about wanting an immortal to pay attention to you. Despite his best efforts for many arcs he still hadn't seen one yet. "I'm not an expert on Ilaren but I think you're going about it in a wrong way." He spoke casually but he was tense, ready to dodge the incoming punch of 'no critique'. These types of people rarely accepted differing opinions, although he had seen firsthand how the man had wanted to learn more about his immortal of choice.

Despite his hesitation, Sin kept talking even if the man didn't seem like he wanted to hear what he had to say. "I think you're going about it all wrong. Last night was a good start, especially because you started a big party and brawled that big Biqaj guy but what you did today, that doesn't sound like something Ilaren would appreciate or pay attention to." He waited a trill to try and see what the big Lotharro was thinking about his words before continuing. "What do you think will look better to her? That you beat up some scrawny, scared twig like me or that you go toe to toe with another big, burly guy like yourself? Let me ask you something. What do you think the immortal of strength appreciates more? That you pick up a handful of snow here..." Sin knelt down and picked up a handful of snow, letting it fall through his fingers as he stood up again. "...and walk to Andaris with it to present it to the King or that you uproot one of these trees, carry it on your shoulders and do the same?"

Sin didn't leave Fridgar much time to think about it as he continued talking. Somehow death by bear had turned into immortal class for a big, emotional muscle man. "If you're 2 meters tall then you should brawl a guy who is 2.1 meters tall. If you can lift hundred and fifty kilo then you should brawl a guy who can lift hundred and sixty. If you can't find someone that tall or strong, then you should brawl more than one opponent at a time instead. Two opponents of 1 meter eighty are as challenging as one of 2.1 meter tall. Do you understand what I'm trying to explain to you?"

[Varthakh]

With a nod, Fridgar crossed his arms - they were even. To say that he'd completely forgiven the blue man would have been an exaggeration, how long had it been since he last cried? Not in arcs, for sure. But then, not many people acknowledged his stupidity, that or they didn't have the guts to say anything. He sighed " Nice to meet you too, Sintih. I'd like to say the booze from yesterday had something to do with my behaviour, but then I'd be a liar." he walked closer to the blue man. "Any friend of Rey's is good in my books. Oh, and I'm sorry about not remembering you, I can't even remember how I ended up in the dungeon this morning..." he confessed, a look of worry about him.

"I guess. I mean, I didn't think I'd ever go religious..." he shrugged. "Makes for one hell of a drunk story though, right?" he spoke with a smile before sitting himself down in front of Sintih and crossing his legs. This felt like a conversation that would require a lot of thinking, he thought better while sitting. "What do you mean?" he asked in regards to Sintih's suggestion with a tilt of his head. "Yeah... I see what you mean- Wait, I got in a fight yesterday? How sorry was the poor bastard?" he spoke with a chuckle, as if he already knew the answer. "But yeah, you're right. I don't always beat up smaller guys, that's no fun. But i got a little excited when I put two and two together and got religious brawling. You were just the closest person at the time..." He explained, perhaps the blue one would understand his train of thought now.

Fridgar leaned forward, watching intently as Sintih fiddled with the snow and explained his ideas. He was sure as hell smart, no doubt about that, and he explained in a way that Fridgar could understand. "Yeah, you're right, the tree is a lot cooler. Are you comparing yourself to a handful of snow by the way?" he asked with a tilt of his head. As Sintih continued his explanation, Fridgar continued to listen - the man was easy to follow and he spoke in a way that made sense. "So you think that would get her to notice me? Just go and beat up the guys that other people are scared of, if not him then lots of little guys?" he quizzed, just wanting to make sure he was understanding properly.

He exhaled, blowing a cloud of white into the cool Zi'da air "You're really smart, Sintih. And hey, you're still standing after I tackled you, so you can't be the scrawny twig you said you were, right?" he grinned, a man like this was worthy of his compliments. "Okay, yeah. I'll do it! I'll beat up a snake dude or something! hell, I'll beat up seven blu-!" he stopped himself mid-sentence and looked to the blue man awkwardly briefly before making amendments "-bird dudes if I have to!" He jumped to his feet, enthusiasm in his movements. "Yeah! This is gonna be awesome! You better keep an eye on me, Ilaren! So many sorry arses are gonna get floored in your name!" He roared to the heavens triumphantly with a powerful stance.

His gaze returned to Sintih, light in his eyes. "Thank you, Sintih. I'm sorry for scaring you earlier, oh and uhh... thanks for the meat!" he scratched his chin in thought for a moment. "I can buy you some food if you want, I mean - in a straight kinda way, I sorta owe you anyway." he offered with a shrug. "Totally cool if not though, you could tell me about your jumping magic and I could tell you about the transformation magic if you'd like?" He spoke looking awful proud of himself.

[Sintih]

[img]http://standingtrials.com/gallery/image ... ge_id=6090[/img]

omehow, the fact that Fridgar didn't remember how he ended up in jail came as no surprise to the Yludih. Despite the fight having been started by the other guy, Sin had never had a moment of doubt when it came to Fridgar's willingness to participate in the brawl. It had gotten much messier in the end, with the knife drawn and the guards there. Sin vividly remembered the moment Saeri had suddenly walked into the bar. That same tinge in his asterism had jumped up, reminding him that staying out in the cold seasons of Zi'da and Cylus was not a boon to his health. He wondered why his body kept telling him that whenever he saw her.

By now, Sin was used to the fact that Fridgar forgot things under the influence of alcohol and that his idiocy made him misunderstand common logic. "No, no. It's not about just going and beating people up. I mean, I guess it is, sort of. That's what brawling is but it needs to be more... challenging and not just done for the beating up of people, you know?" Of course he wouldn't know. The childish brain of a drinking, brawling, burly man could never know. Sin shook his head slightly as he was about to continue his explanation when Fridgar complimented his endurance in a somewhat backward way. But it was a compliment none the less. While it had been more of a grazed pushed than a proper tackle, he still had stood up after taking it from a bear. Maybe there had been some improvement over the arcs after all.

When Fridgar come to his own conclusion from Sin's lessons, Sin just sighed as the man jumped to his feet. This was getting them nowhere. Why was he even trying? As long as he the man left him alone what did Sin care who or what Fridgar decided to beat up in the name of Ilaren? When he suddenly roared out his challenge, Sin covered his ears. A flash of memory with Doran in a quiet room, both of them silently peering over books or tomes came to mind. What he wouldn't give for a moment like that right now. But Fridgar quieted down and thanked him, quite sincerely, Sin had to admit. The loss of a lunch worth of meat in a few trills was a small price to pay for surviving a bear attack.

"Actually, I do think you owe me. That was an entire trial of food for me and you just ate it in a few trills. I think you should buy me something for lunch today. -Then- we'll be even." The corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly as he finished speaking. When Fridgar asked if he could tell him about rupturing, Sin's smile froze on his face. What good would it do to teach an idiot about magic? Wasn't he dangerous enough already with his Ilaren worship? Although, with what little he knew of the man he would have forgotten the information by sunrise the next trial but Sin would remember most of what Fridgar would have shared with him. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all. If he could figure out how becomers did their thing he could possibly hide his natural abilities as a magic instead.

Sin nodded, after a moment of silence. "I'd love to learn some more about your magic, actually, but I guess I should go first. You might want to sit back down for this." Sin waited a moment for Fridgar to decide whether he wanted to take this lesson sitting or standing and then continued, his illusionary Eídisi form taking that moment to take a deep breath. "I assume you know about ether and stuff, seeing as how you're using your own form of magic there. Rupturing is much the same as becoming, really, except that I don't turn from one form into another but I go from one place to another. Rupturing works by making doors that connect two places away from each other so I can move from about quicker."

As he spoke, Sin knew that Fridgar wasn't understanding much of what he was saying. Or at least, he expected it from the man. "How should I explain this?" Sin fumbled for a proper analogy that could work here. Neither the snow nor the trees around them would do the trick. There wasn't really anything in nature that could explain magic, as that was the nature of magic. Worshiping immortals was much easier to explain, it seemed. Actually, snow might help. Sin reached down for a handful as he continued to explain. "It's like this snow. If I say that this snow is the same as the distance between this side of the brook and that side and my fist is the magic I use." Sin squeezed his hand tight on the snow, compressing the loose powder down into a much smaller but more solid piece of half melted ice. When he opened his hand again, he showed the little, wet piece to Fridgar.

"My magic does the same with distance, pushing it closer together so that it is not as far as before but it only works for myself, at the moment." Hopefully that did the trick. Somehow, using strength to explain magic seemed completely wrong but for people like Fridgar it might just be exactly right. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

[Varthakh]

He'd stood up too soon, it would seem. For as soon as Sintih had started to explain his magic, he felt dizzy. He dropped to his behind once more and listened, or tried to at least. His attention drifted to the birds in the trees to his right as the blue one kept speaking. 'I should get a bird totem...' he nodded to himself agreeably. He kept nodding, even after Sintih had asked if it had made sense to him or not. The sudden silence caught the Lothar's attention, forcing his eyes wide with a deep inhale, he'd nearly fallen asleep. He turned to Sintih half a bit after he'd last spoke and spoke a single word "Yes." with a firm nod of his head.

"Want me to explain becoming?" he asked, standing up once more and brushing off his leather trousers. "We'll walk and talk, I still need to buy you that food." he spoke with a wave of his arm, allowing Sintih to go and fetch his things before they set off. "So, I don't know much about other magic, apart from everything you just told me, of course" he bluffed, in truth he had no idea what Sintih's magic was even called. "But becoming works with objects, we call these objects 'totems'" he lifted his necklace with his thumb and index finger to emphasise his own totems. "You make totems with things we call 'The three sovereign substances' for whatever reason. Those three substances are bone, blood and hair. They all have to be from the exact same animal or person to make a working totem out of it though."

"A totem holds all of the information that a Becomer needs in order to become an exact copy of whatever it is you've made a totem out of." He clarified, putting a lot of emphasis on the word 'exact'. "Everything, age, mass, gender - it's all carried through the totem. Once you've got your hands on one of those you can turn into the creature by focusing on its essence, stirring your inner ether to initiate the process." he shrugged "I touch the totem, it gives me a better feel for the creature I'm becoming". The Lothar didn't seem to realise that he'd given a lengthy and detailed explanation of his magic, one that would have otherwise seemed too complex to have left his mouth.

"You get me, Sin?" he asked with a turn of his head as he continued to walk through the frozen fields with his new pal. "You need to make a totem of yourself if ever you want to turn back, but most Becomers relinquish their old forms by the time they're regarded as an expert at what they do." he trailed off, looking to the distance for a moment. "You're probably wondering if it hurts, right? Well imagine the last time you say, sprained a joint, for instance. Now imagine that pain all over your body, breaking your bones too, add that into the mix. Trust me when I say I've never been in as much pain as when I'm using my magic. But it's..." he started before shaking his head. "Nah, don't worry. It's a bad ass magic but self-destructive even before initiation - if you've got the willpower I'd be happy to teach you."

The Lothar looked to Sintih with a smile, becoming was evidently something he was passionate about - perhaps even more than brawling. "So, whatchya want for food?".