After a particularly active afternoon of training with the fighters Ethelred submits himself to Gustav for some bandaging. While watching the ranger work a phrase from the scrolls pass through Red’s mind.
“Gustav, what do you think about when you are healing people? Does the skill you have flow out of you like water? Are you a river or an ocean of healing?”
Red, for the first time, seems genuinely interested in the healing arts.
When Red delivered the killing blow to the crocodile something in him stirred. He felt for a moment some kinship with the true fighters of the group. As if a small flame that had been growing within him caught a gust of wind.
Each morning he would rise, eschew his studies and join Rask and Ca’armine for morning training. The work was hard, and Red gained many bruises. Each day seeing small gains in how he held himself, how the weapons felt more like an extension of him.
After the fight training Red would then lead his own lesson in swimming. The cold water felt good, washing away the sweat, calming the wounds. Swimming made Red miss his home and the pools he helped build, and swam in, in Aigier. Aigier seems like such a distant memory now. Home but yet not as familiar as it once was.
As the days wore on Red finally was able to learn some new skills from the fighters. The path of a hero was visible about before him. But that changed…
An off hand comment from Alexis about Ezrin struck Red to the core. The memory of the last time he saw Ezrin laying on the ground, a lump. Could Red have picked up Ezrin and carried him out? Maybe. What would be different now if he had rescued the best magic teacher he has known.
When Red returned to his bed that night he takes up the scrolls, that all seem to echo with Ezrin’s voice in his ears. That night be does not sleep, does not rise to train. He turns his focus from the physical, to the material.
Ethelred waits for Gus to return from his morning ‘prayers’. As he approaches the trees Red stops him near on of the fallen trees outside of the Grove.
“Gustav, I have been thinking, studying.. pondering…”
Ethelred looks around walks a bit farther away from the Grove and indicates for Gustav to follow him. Red touches the fallen tree, ensures it is does not talk.. which as he does this seems crazy. But then talking trees, also crazy.
In a hushed tone.
“As I was saying I have been studying some ways to protect use in battle. While I have a path that is simple.. there is another path that would be more.. effective.”
Ethelred takes another few steps farther from the grove and indicated of Gus to follow. Even quieter he begins to talk again.
“But it would require a bit of a sacrifice.. and I would need your blessing to even start. This tree (indicates the a closest fallen tree) for example could be utilized to give a protective blessing of Raiden… could form a sort of armor… But it would require removing the bark from a fallen tree….”
Ethelred pause as waits to see what reaction Gustav has.
After categorizing the materials around the rabbit the next task it to actually source the desired material from the creature. Red turns to Gustav for help.
“Gustav can you help me with this rabbit. I want to use and save as much of it as possible. I have a desire to preserve the heart, the eyes, the ears. As well as use the fur, skin and guts. One paw I should keep, for luck… if there is such a thing.
I do not posses the skills with rendering an animal that you do. Can you please help me?”
When Ezrin is gone or very deep in his own work Red approaches Alexis.
“You asked if I could create an object to hear at a distance. And while I do not quite have the skills to do that, although I am happy to make an attempt, I do have an idea. It was something that Ezrin said when teaching me about the ‘true nature of light’. He mentioned how for him to bring forth light he needs something that has a connection to light.”
Ethelred bring out a pair of rabbit ears.
“These have something of ‘hearing’ to them. Could we use one ear, placed somewhere, to hear in the other? I didn’t think this would be the sort of.. divination… meddling that Ezrin would appreciate. He didn’t seem to approve of my… collecting of the rabbit and it various parts.”
Notes. So many notes. Ethelred should have known. The warning signs were there. Both Ezrin and Alexis have notes. So many notes. For building in Aegier there was always plans, receipts, measurements, invoices. But those were are temporary. Sure his father had a ledger. But he didn’t carry it around, didn’t read over it at night.
Ethelred realized the proper book he order wasn’t going to arrive anytime soon. So he did what creators do, he made a temporary note book. Quarter master wouldn’t give him more than a few sheets at a time. But with some patience he gathered the materials to make a book, of sorts. Neither Ezrin or Alexis seemed too keen to let him take apart on of their books. So Ethelred has to improvise a bit. He used too little glue. Stitched to far from the spine. Didn’t use the right weight of leather.
But he was able to take notes. And it was a good thing as Ezrin had many words. Early on he decided to record the other magic users on the right side of the book.
On the left side he would keep his notes. Which at first were very few. But as he learned a bit more, reflected on the little magic he already could do, his notes grew.
In the back he began a list of material he had gathered. He made a few columns. He wanted to able to keep track of his thoughts, his uses and other opinions.
He kept a few pieces of paper loose. These he used to ‘capture’ Ezrins words. Then, later, he could review and copy into his notebook, the ones that still made sense and he could make reason of. He marked through the idea copied over. Left the one he didn’t quite get, for future talks with Ezrin.
After returning with Gustav from the woods with much materials an idea struck Red. He cleared a space in their tent. Stashed all this tools and such under his bed.
He laid the rabbit he had captured in what he considered ‘the middle’ of the area he had cleared. He got out all his materials. He worked tentatively. Looking over the object. Viewing the rabbit. Placing thing in an order than made sense to him. Sand above the head on the left. Stump of tree at it’s feet (which will become a bowl). Pile of rocks on the right. And so on with many such items.
For a moment, placing the moss, he pauses and looks about. Ezrin has opened his eyes to how magic is more subtle and more available than is obvious. Could this arrangement of materials conjurer forth some chaos? He steps back, and reflects for a moment. There is not intention to use magic in what he is doing. Contemplating the material, their connection, their power, their place, their utility… that couldn’t cause any issues… could it?
Red’s next idea is to start drawing connection between the materials. Sketch in the ground lines, circles and connect the materials to each other. But before he does this he will consult with Ezrin… reluctantly.
“Ezrin, can you help me for a moment. I have been collecting materials and as you can see have been started to… categorize and organize my thoughts. What I want to do next is start to draw connections between the materials. Once done I was going to sketch and copy these diagram onto a page and then add more notes.
But with all the talk of sigils and protection, and how excited and worried you were about my bowl of water… I didn’t want to make any mistakes here. Any advice how to do this type of work and not cause magical effects… I desire to use not power… just to study”
While out in the woods Ethelred ask Gustav some questions.
“Gustav, you have seen that Ezrin and I have been talking much… well Ezrin has been talking much about his take on magic. You clearly have some…. magic yourself.
Now, I see you shake your head. But… the berries.. the crows… the protection.. how the mantle fit you just so…
And the glade of trees, come on the glade of trees.. that wouldn’t let me climb them! Trees! you clearly had a hand in the effect, of that place.
Just tell me something of your understanding… of your connection with magic. Don’t let Ezrin be the only voice I hear.”
After the lessons in light have ended the very next morning Ethelred brings up his next interest in magic.
“I have seen how there are ways to sense the world around you through sense beyond the ones given at birth. For example Ezrin you have been able to sense that items contain magic. Alexis you have been able to detect the location of objects.
My naive sense would be these two detections are connected. I have some ideas on how I could sense where at type of material is located. But I have little idea how to tell if some item contains within it something more that just the basic materials.”
During a breakfast after a few days of resting in the tent Ethelred addresses Alexis and Ezrin.
“I have been thinking much about new possibilities for manipulating matter. Many times I have seen Alexis bring forth light using a copper coin. From the limited time I have closely observed this happen his mechanism is clearly outside of my abilities. I am interested in the role the copper plays in bringing the light forth.
Ezrin do you have the ability to make light without normal fuel? Clearly creating light with wax, oil or woods is trivial. But I have been looking over the various supplies I have gather and I sense there is a way to bring forth light, but I need some guidance to make it actually happen. Seeing another non God way, as Alexis does, would be very helpful.”
After a few days of resting and working on mundane tasks Ethelred turn to Gustav…
“Gustav, would you be willing to head into the woods and help me sources some materials? I have a keen need some some natural resources and you are the best at locating and hunting things of this nature.”