NationStates Jolt Archive

Resa nods, and goes back to planet-gazing.
*****************************************************
Rhenna kisses Cougar again, feeling herself starting to be pulled into the depths of sleep. "Good night, James."

He smiled, and kissed her back, feeling his own eyes growing heavy,"Good night Rhenna." He put his arms around her, and drifted back into his sleep

I'm not THAT skilled in Necromancy. El is, but I'm not.

I'm not THAT skilled in Necromancy. El is, but I'm not.
Shame

Cougar woke up, feeling immesnley refreshed and having a happy aura surrounding him. He looked at Rhenna, who had slept with her back to him. He just lay there, happy to have such a beautiful wife and to be able to be with her

That's allright, Hexart is a fully trained Necromancer. Even though we don't practice it, our veiw is, how can you stop it is you don't know how it works? We aren't out to destroy Necromancers entirely, just the bad ones.

That's allright, Hexart is a fully trained Necromancer. Even though we don't practice it, our veiw is, how can you stop it is you don't know how it works? We aren't out to destroy Necromancers entirely, just the bad ones.

Good. I am no Necromancer, but part of my magick could be viewed as such

Cougar woke up, feeling immesnley refreshed and having a happy aura surrounding him. He looked at Rhenna, who had slept with her back to him. He just lay there, happy to have such a beautiful wife and to be able to be with her

Rhenna was still comfortably asleep next to him.

Rhenna was still comfortably asleep next to him.

He moved one of his hands to stroke her bare arm. He wanted to sleep again, but something was telling him it was time to get up. He ignored it

Good. I am no Necromancer, but part of my magick could be viewed as such
Rs -- A class is rumored about that has necromantic abilities...two classes, if you actually listen. Nothing more than rumors, though.

He moved one of his hands to stroke her bare arm. He wanted to sleep again, but something was telling him it was time to get up. He ignored it
*Not opening her eyes* Good morning.

E -- There is always some truth to rumours of that nature. Do not dismiss them so easily.
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C -- Good morning to you too

Stellas kept quiet. He knew about the Black class. Warfare had told the Archmages about them.
"Yes, but sometimes a Rumor is just that, a Rumor." Stellas says.

Rs -- That is a scary thought, to be honest with you...if either of them are real...it could mean very bad things.
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Rn -- You didn't seem to sleep too badly, for having warned me that you would.

E -- *eyes still closed*You may try and convince me otherwise, but I am just a rumour. Thats leads me to believe that other such 'rumours' would be true.

**********************************************************
C -- *lazily*Change of plans

Rs -- *private thought* How much does he really know?
*******************************************************
Rn -- I see.

Hexart was a "Rumor" at one time. But after recent events we decided to hell with the secracy. If anyone wants to know, we'll tell them. If they have trouble dealing with it, oh well. We don't care anymore.

E -- Some secrets are needed to maintain the security of a country, or an organisation. It is simply the way
********************************************************

C -- Would you rather I hadn't slept? And kept you awake?

Rs -- True enough, I would suppose.
**********************************************************
Rn -- No...I'm glad you managed to sleep.

C -- So am I.*kisses her cheek*How did you sleep?
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E -- I can see this fighter in the future... it will see use outside of the military... but I cannot identify the pilot... or the reason for his movements...

What security? As far as most people know, Warhaven is a country filled with Slivers. we only recently came back. We haven' deliberatly made our presence known, but haven't deliberatly kept it either.

What security? As far as most people know, Warhaven is a country filled with Slivers. we only recently came back. We haven' deliberatly made our presence known, but haven't deliberatly kept it either.
E -- You should try living in Snake Eaters. SHADOW, and my organization, we all live in secrecy. Only then are we truly effective

C -- So am I.*kisses her cheek*How did you sleep?
**********************************************************
E -- I can see this fighter in the future... it will see use outside of the military... but I cannot identify the pilot... or the reason for his movements...
Rn -- Very well.
*************************************************************
Rs -- Set a specific time period in the future. Three months, for starters.

C -- Good

**********************************************************

E -- *Focuses briefly*It will not be used until almost two years from now. I do not wisher to delve any further, it is too unclear

Rn -- What time is it?
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Rs -- Interesting. Tell me...what does the person that will be standing there *points to the doorway* Look like?

Me and my fellow Archwizards hail from long long ago. We are used to a diffrent way of doing things.

E -- Then may I respetfully suggest you adapt to this one, and very quickly*To Resa*I see... a mage, garbed in red, two days from now. His face is hidden, but he has an aura of fire energies.

**********************************************************

C -- It's about seven fifteen

Rs -- Is his face hidden, or do you merely not see it because you do not know him?
************************************************************
Rn -- Then I need to get up in no more than ten minutes, to make it to my first class on time.

E -- I do not know him... but his face is masked as well, I believe

**********************************************************

C -- Fair enough. But that's ten minutes

Sounds like a fire wizard to me. I appreciate where your coming from, but, we're all old people in the twilight of our life. The other Archwizards and I, we are 700 years old. 1,000,700 if you count the years that passed from when we were put into the Temporal staisis spell. Its not easy for us to adapt quickly.

E -- I do not know him... but his face is masked as well, I believe

**********************************************************

C -- Fair enough. But that's ten minutes
Rs -- Half mask. He's actually my brother...don't know why he'd be coming here, though.
*******************************************************
Rn -- True.

E -- I see. He is of similar rank to you then?
**********************************************************
Cougar sat up, running his hand across her arm as he did so,"So, what are you teaching today?"

In power? Maybe. In rank? Not even.
***********************************************************
Some basic spells. I ought to be done by three.

E -- No matter then.

**********************************************************
C -- Sounds good*Kisses her*

Stellas resumes his study, until he has something relevant to add.

E -- No matter then.

**********************************************************
C -- Sounds good*Kisses her*
Rs -- Why did you want to know?
*****************************************************
*Kisses him back*

E -- No particular reason. I am interested in your culture, and one of my orders was to further diplomatic relations

**********************************************************

They continue in this vein for a few minutes, before he glances at his watch,"I hate the way time flies when you're having fun"

Rs -- Wrong person to talk to...wrong orgainisation, actually. Culture, I know. Diplomacy...you'd have to talk with an aristocrat.
*******************************************************
Rn -- Time to get up all ready? *She teleports, winding up fully ready for the day*

C -- I'm going to have to learn how to do that one day*gets dressed the old-fashioned way*I'l see you later

**********************************************************

E -- Diplomatic relations can take many forms. By learning how to understand a culture, it becomes easier

He removed his helmet, revealing short cropped black hair, with eyes like ebony stones set into his light skin.

"That feels better"

Rn - *smiles at him and gives him a kiss* Well, you'd have to learn conjuration first. *teleports out*
********************************************************
Rs -- Perhaps. We have been very isolationist until recently, so I wouldn't be able to tell you.

C -- *After she's gone*I guess I will... not today though.

He paused briefly, then decided to do something physical. Sword-fighting. He found a moderate difficulty room, and set about restarting his training.

**********************************************************

E -- So I heard. Cougar must have made more of an impact than we thought, for relations to start

*muttering under his breath* This is harder then Chinese Algebra.

Eldrad looked over,"What are you working on?"

Having nothing better to do, I am trying to figure out if the theory that there is space of somesort inside black holes is true or not, but thus far I have been unable to find any information on the subject. I might just have to give up and enter one to find out.

OOC: Yes, I have a lot of time on my hands. I have been wondering about this almost daily for years now.

*muttering under his breath* This is harder then Chinese Algebra.
Chinese Algebra's fun. Actually, the human 'orient' is very interesting to read on.

*Raises an eyebrow*Enter a black hole? I've heard of stranger things

Like what?

The River of Sorrow and the White Flame to name but two

I can't say I've ever heard of those, could you maybe explain them more to me?

Which would you prefer?

Cougar sat down, panting. HIs training was more wearing than he had thought. He rubbed at his ribs, feeling the bullet holes beneath the fabric of his bandages. Those had hurt when he got hit, but he hadn't noticed, the adrenline acted as a natural anesthetic when he was like that.

He rested his head against the wall, giving himself time to recuperate. He flickered gently, the Flame burning softly, giving him an eerie glow. Rhenna had described his eyes like that. It still puzzled him, but no matter. He simply rested

"Why doesn't it work!?" Shan fairly exploded as the apple still hadn't moved after the dozenth try.

"Because it never does immediately."

"But, Rhenna, I've teleported before..."

"And you've never had proper training. This is so that when you teleport, you don't accidentally wind up in a pile of goo somewhere."

The River of Sorrow first. Then the White Flame.

The River of Sorrow first. Then the White Flame.

The River of Sorrow... it's an ancient Snake Eater legend. The tale tells us that the original Assembly, the leaders of Snake Eaters, at their death, were made to walk what became known as the River of Sorrow. Legend states that whilst walking the river, the soul of the deceased must endure emotional pain far in excess of what they had ever expierenced in life... normally loved ones in extreme pain or something other. This all combines to one of three results: either they break, and are let through despite this (OOC: Snake Eaters has no hell, heaven or purgatory). Second is that become closed within their own mind, and cannot feel emotions at all. Finally, they fight through it and some ascend to join the angeli... angels that fight for Leviathan when he calls them. It's all legends, no living person has ever seen or returned from the River.

Now, what was the second one?

OOC: Guess what my next Cougar storyline is!

As he rested, James slowly became aware of another strange vision.

The scene was similar to before, but he swore he could hear screaming in the distance. He began to run towards it, his boots splashing in the shallow waters of the river. The screaming was getting louder, and more frequent. But it wasn't someone he recognized. Nevertheless, he kept running. His lungs burned, and his legs threatened to give way beneath him. But he pushed on.

Eventually, he came to an opening, a clear space in the mass of twisted mangrove trees. He froze, and his blood turned to ice in his veins. In the middle, a Helghast solider... the same one who had shot his parents, for Cougar never forgot a face, was torturing someone... but he couldn't tell who. The solider noticed Cougar, and smiled, stepping aside. Cougar nearly collapsed as he recognized the person. Rhenna. She looked at him, her eyes begging him to rescue her. The Helghast smiled meanincly, and raised the device once more, plunging it into her. She screamed once more, then collapsed. Silent.

He screamed also, as if something inside him had shattered. The scene then changed, she was in his arms, and he was sobbing. Suddenly, her eyes opened, and she looked at him,"You failed me". Her head fell backwards, and she was truly gone. He merely knelt there, sobbing, unable to bring himself to do anything. He had failed her, failed his wife, failed the woman he loved so dearly...

The scene changed once again. This time, Cougar could feel his life force ebbing away, part of the deal. If one of them died, the other had three days to live… maximum. In front of him stood a child… or at least it looked like a child. He had pale grey skin, not quite Drow black, but not caucasian either. He had flowing light blond hair, which cascaded down his back, and scales accentuated his cheekbones. ‘My son’ thought Cougar, looking at him. The child looked at him, “What happened dad?”

Suddenly, he faded from view. As if he had never existed. The scene shifted once again. Kaelis Ra was hoveirng in front of James. Alpha Team were all nailed to the wooden crosses, stakes through their hearts. Wolf had her throat torn out. Kaelis Ra cackled as he feasted on Watt’s heart, leering at Cougar. Snake Eater Prime burned around him… all because he had failed Rhenna.

He awoke with a yell, cold sweat all over his face. He was shaking, and he felt cold. He brought his knees up to his chest, and hugged them, trying to force the vision away. He hadn’t done that since he was six, when his parents had been murdered in front of his naïve eyes. He sat there, trying to hold back the tears, trying to convince himself it wasn’t real, that nothing he had just seen was true.

I'd like to hear about the white flame now.

I'd like to hear about the white flame now.
White Flame... let me see. Ah yes, the White Flame. Yet again, another legend... although this currently seems to have a basis in fact. The Black Flame, excuse me for digressing here but you need to know in order to understand, is reputed to be a gift from Leviathan, the patron deity of Snake Eaters, in order to defeat a being known only as Kaelis Ra. We belive he is an incarnation of Lucifer, the Devil if you will.

Anyway, the legend goes that anyone who defeats him and survives is blessed by the gods, and thus the White Flame emerges. More powerful, and holy to the core. It's believed that the White Flame is given via a random gene mutation that only occurs, at minimum, one in a trillion births.

You mentioned Colonel Cougar earlier? He is said to be the bearer of the White Flame, and it is said that he unlocked it's true potential nearly a year ago. Other than that, I cannot tell you anything more, for I do not know myself.

Yes, I had the chance to meet Col. Cougar recently when MY patron Deity, Warfare, fought and destroyed Death, the Grim Reaper if you will.

Yes, I had the chance to meet Col. Cougar recently when MY patron Deity, Warfare, fought and destroyed Death, the Grim Reaper if you will.

And Death was replaced. Yes, the souls of the dead have informed me of that much. The Webway helps to faclitate information distribution, so I hear much of what is occuring in the galaxy

Yes, I'm sure. Warfare seems to know who the New Reaper is, he knows much more about the higher workings than I do, of course he is far older than I am too and has had much more time to study it.

Warfare, being a god, would know many things. It is in their omni-present nature to know.

Aye, true. I'm just a long lived Human.

I will not live much longer, I am already fifty four years of age, and I can feel my body detoriating away. The armour and nanites help to maintain my fitness and physical health, but I will not be long for this world. The Webway awaits me

Aye, Normally humans live not much longer than perhaps 60, 70 years. Due to Warfare's blessing, I am 700 years old. Death cannot find me though, for I go to the Undying Court.

I have no wish to do so. I have heard of the Undying Court, but I am content to spend eternity wandering the Webway, lending my hand to those who ask for it

It is the fate that has been handed to me. Who am I to argue? Perhaps you should visit the Undying Court someday, from what I understand, there is a wealth of ancient knowledge there.

I doubt I will ever have that honour given to me.

The Undying Court? any living person may visit it, provided they are not evil. As for the dead, from what I understand, only those who have done some honored feat, like help defeat the evil Death that ruled previously, get the honor of rest in the Undying Court. That or have lead a really really really super good life. King Arthur rests there, along with Merlin.

I may vist it when I have finished my training here

OOC: CAre for a tactical review? Post here http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=415084

OOC:Intresting. Guess this means the Queen will have to make an offical state visit.

OOC: Hey, I'm going to kickstart an embassay thread soon, so you can do it then

OOC:Okay, just let me know when.

OOC: It'll be in the Analysis thread, I'll supply a link

OOC:, Really, I've run out of Ideas for witty banter, I guess we're just waiting for Kay to decide to start posting. I know she's on, it shows her as logged on at the council boards.

As he rested, James slowly became aware of another strange vision.

The scene was similar to before, but he swore he could hear screaming in the distance. He began to run towards it, his boots splashing in the shallow waters of the river. The screaming was getting louder, and more frequent. But it wasn't someone he recognized. Nevertheless, he kept running. His lungs burned, and his legs threatened to give way beneath him. But he pushed on.

Eventually, he came to an opening, a clear space in the mass of twisted mangrove trees. He froze, and his blood turned to ice in his veins. In the middle, a Helghast solider... the same one who had shot his parents, for Cougar never forgot a face, was torturing someone... but he couldn't tell who. The solider noticed Cougar, and smiled, stepping aside. Cougar nearly collapsed as he recognized the person. Rhenna. She looked at him, her eyes begging him to rescue her. The Helghast smiled meanincly, and raised the device once more, plunging it into her. She screamed once more, then collapsed. Silent.

He screamed also, as if something inside him had shattered. The scene then changed, she was in his arms, and he was sobbing. Suddenly, her eyes opened, and she looked at him,"You failed me". Her head fell backwards, and she was truly gone. He merely knelt there, sobbing, unable to bring himself to do anything. He had failed her, failed his wife, failed the woman he loved so dearly...

The scene changed once again. This time, Cougar could feel his life force ebbing away, part of the deal. If one of them died, the other had three days to live… maximum. In front of him stood a child… or at least it looked like a child. He had pale grey skin, not quite Drow black, but not caucasian either. He had flowing light blond hair, which cascaded down his back, and scales accentuated his cheekbones. ‘My son’ thought Cougar, looking at him. The child looked at him, “What happened dad?”

Suddenly, he faded from view. As if he had never existed. The scene shifted once again. Kaelis Ra was hoveirng in front of James. Alpha Team were all nailed to the wooden crosses, stakes through their hearts. Wolf had her throat torn out. Kaelis Ra cackled as he feasted on Watt’s heart, leering at Cougar. Snake Eater Prime burned around him… all because he had failed Rhenna.

He awoke with a yell, cold sweat all over his face. He was shaking, and he felt cold. He brought his knees up to his chest, and hugged them, trying to force the vision away. He hadn’t done that since he was six, when his parents had been murdered in front of his naïve eyes. He sat there, trying to hold back the tears, trying to convince himself it wasn’t real, that nothing he had just seen was true.
Rhenna could sense her husband's anguish...however, she couldn't get away, so she nodded toward D'anthe, who went and sought out the human, perching on his head.

"Krrrawwwwck?"

Cougar shook his head,"Get off D'anthe"

D'anthe moved to Cougar's knee, ruffled his feathers, and chattered for a few seconds.

Rough translation -- What, you think I came here on my own?

No D'anthe, I'm not that stupid. I'm... alright. Just a very strange vision

*tilts his head*

OOC: This is a question. ^_^

It would too long to explain, and I've got work to do

*Makes a sound that rather resembles a raspberry*

He laughed, but it was humourless,"Go on, D'anthe. I'll talk to her later, just tell her I'm alright. Please"

"Caarw." D'anthe flies off...and Cougar'd get the distinct impression that he'd just been called a liar.

Cougar smiled softly, knowing what D'anthe had called him was true... but it had to be done for now. He still couldn't get the vision out of his head. He tried to train, but couldn't find the energy. Eventually, he just gave up, and went back to the room. Rhenna would find him looking at the ceiling when she returned

*It's about mid afternoon when she gets there. She sits down beside him.*

So, want to tell me what happened?

He tilted his head to look at her,"Another vision. Longer, and a little more extreme."

As in?

He paused, then recounted the whole thing. As he spoke, his voice became choked with emotion, mostly fear, but also sorrow and regret. By the time he was finished, he was hugging his knees again

Rhenna ran a warming spell through her hands, then gently embraced him, hoping that it would help ground him back into reality. "So they've stopped coming only in your sleep."

He relaxed, feeling her arms around him made him feel even more secure,"Yes. It was the worst yet... by a long way"

She nods. "It sounds it"

I don't know why this keeps happening to me... and its scaring me

She shakes her head. "I've never run into anything like it."

I don't know what to do. I know what I'm seeing, but I don't know why

She starts stroking his hair. "Neither do I."

He smiled weakly,"Thanks, Rhenna"

She kisses his cheek and sits with him.

He put his arm round her,"So, what did you teach today? And did D'anthe call me what I think he called me?"

I taught Shan how to teleport...he managed it on about the fiftieth try. And D'anthe only told me that you said to tell me that you were fine...although he didn't belive you.

I didn't think he would believe me. I didn't want to tell him though

Rhenna nods.

A few hours passes by, and Cougar finds himself beginning to fall asleep,"Sorry, Rhenna. I'm feeling really tired suddenly"

She kisses him. "Go to sleep, then." She starts gently rubbing between his shoulderblades.

He kissed her back, and couldn't help but visibly relax at her massage,"mmmmmm, that is nice"

She smiles. "That's the point."

I don't recall you doing this before... seems like I was missing something good

You were half asleep, the other times I did this.

Damn... at least I'm mildly awake this time

*She smiles* I take it you'd rather be mildly awake more often when I do this.

He smiled, and sent ghostly fingers running up and down her spine,"I wouldn't say no to it"

She lets a smile cross her face. "You're getting better with that."

It's going to take centuries to completley master it, and recently combat hasn't seen it, so I can work on the little things

I'm not going to complain.

Well, thanks to Warfare, I've got that time*kisses her*And I'm glad you don't complain.

She kisses him back. "Go on to sleep...I'll stay up, and wake you if your dreams start to go bad."

He smiled, and lay down,"Yes M'arm! Thanks for this, I know I'm a bugger from time to time"

Yes...*she starts stroking his hair* But I love you anyway. I never quite figured out why.

That's what makes this good*yawns softly*Sorry... as I was saying, this is good because we don't know why we love each other, we just do. Good night, Rhenna*kisses her*

God, I love this woman.

She kisses him back. "Good night."

His sleep is fairly uneventful until about three in the morning, when he suddenly sits up without warning. His eyes are wide, and his pupils dilated

She'd been next to him, awake and doing work. Her gaze snaps over to him as his sits up.

"Are you all right?"

WOuld I be doing this if I were? Another one, not as severe... *to himself softly*where do I know him from?

She puts her work aside and turns to face him. "What happened?"

Same location and everything, but it felt like the end. I saw a figure, and got a glimpse of his face. Then I woke up. And I know that face, but I don't know where from

She nods.

He shook himself,"It's nothing... I'll figure it out in the morning"

If it were nothing, it wouldn't have so great an effect.

I've had worse nightmares before. Although I don't know why this one is having more effect. Off to the library in the morning

You seem to be there a lot lately.

Until I get these banadages off, tomorrow hopefully, I'm pretty restricted

True.

I might go to Mithdelmar, just get myself checked over. Not right now though

They're used to getting visitors at all sorts of hours.

He shook his head,"I'll leave it a few hours, see if I can't get to sleep again"

All right, James.

He smiled, and lay back down. He closed his eyes, and his mind went blank. He managed to get to sleep, but it was likely to be short-lived

As he drifted back to sleep, she placed her hand on his forehead. A spell worked through her hands and into his head, making the section of his brain that dreamed to not transmit it to the rest of his awareness.

The spell worked its way into his mind, blocking whatever came it's way. A faint light danced around him, but otherwise he slept like any other person. He would remain that way for a good three hours

Rhenna stayed up while he slept...the last time she'd cast that spell, it hadn't worked.

He woke up three hours later, and groaned slightly as he got up,"Bloody bullets"

And here I thought they weren't bothering you. I thought that SHADOW were the only ones that used bullets?

They don't bother me... much. Have an annoying habit of stinging. And you're right, we use bullets because we prefer them. However, these rebels hadn't got their hands on phaser rifles. Otherwise, I'd be sporting second degree burns

That would be fairly uncomfortable.

Yes... something tells me I wouldn't have been allowed home

If your people let you back, I'd have sent you straight to Mithdelmar.

I'm sure you would have*kisses her*I'll be back soon

She kisses him back. "Have fun."

"Oh, I will," he said, dissapearing in a flame column. He emerged in Mithdelmar, and went inside, looking for someone to check him over

A gray class mage looked at the human. "Good morning."

Morning. I need someone to check my bandages, I came back from a mission a few days ago, and was told to wait

I can handle that. Come with me. *He leads Cougar to a room*

Cougar followed him, and sat down once they entered the room

The mage checked the bandages and the wounds under them.

"Who healed you, a monkey with a flashlight?!" The mage casts a couple of healing spells and removes the bandages. "You should be all right now."

Hey, Snake Eaters doesn't use magick. Battlefied surgery is sketchy at best

So it was a monkey, only it had a needle and thread. Big difference. You're healed now, you can go.

He shrugged off the insult at his friend, and returned to Rendelmar. He felt much more full of energy than the previous day, and instantly returned to his training regieme

S -- So, with your whole magick bit, want a sparring partner?

Why not? I've got to catch up

Shan enters the room and stands about 15 feet away from Cougar. He gathers a form of white energy in his right hand, and dark energy in his left.

"That's a new one," said Cougar, as his eyes went white. It couldn't be helped, it was what had happened at the battle with Death all those months ago. He gathered energy into both hands, forming two orbs of energy to crackle around them

The dark energy lances out at Cougar as the white energy spreads into a sheild.

Cougar brought his hand up, absorbing the energy, and using it to fuel the other orb. The first disintigrated, and the second lanced out, seperating into three, all coming from different angles

Two of them crashed against the sheild, and Shan caught the third in his hand. He drained the energy from it, and sent an electric wave across the room.

He brought up the Flame, shielding himself from the blast. It searched over the barrier, finding one crack and exploiting it., Cougar jumped backwards, firing a glowing disk at Shan's feet

Shan crashed his sheild, against the floor, some of the stone chipping away with the force. The disk spun around, coming at Shan from behind, and the young mage had to jump quickly to avoid the attack.

Holding his right hand up and pulling it back, he clawed his fingers and thrust his hand out. A ghostly clawed hand raced for Cougar's chest.

Something tells me I don't want that to hit me

He side-stepped the hand, it narrowly clipping his arm. He winced slightly, then lanced out with a beam of pure Flame energy. He'd been working on this one, and now had a chance to test it

Where the hand hit Cougar, it drew blood. It went past him and smashed into the wall, tearing out a chunk. Shan held out his sheild again against the flame, but it broke through after a few moments and smashed into the young mage. He slid backwards, before repelling the attack. Where it had hit, the flame had burned through his shirt. To prevent his shirt from burning more of him than the attack had, he disintegrated the shirt. There was a circular burn on his belly, where the attack had hit, but there were also scars on his torso and arms. A blue energy began to encircle him, as he charged his next attack.

Cougar noticed the marks and scars, but dismissed them. His left bicep was bleeding, but it wasn't so bad that it would bother him unduly. He crouched, making himself as small a target as possible, whilst fuelling the shield that stood between him and Shan

The attack grew and spread throughout the room, as merely a sort of energy, before turning into an attack. It rushed at Cougar from all sides, attempting to crush him.

Careful now, Rhenna'd kill me if I actually hurt him.

"Intersting," said Cougar, a wry smile on his face. He simply ghosted away, falling into the floor, escaping the attack, before coming back up, and sending a wave of Flame along the floor, at waist level, and at head height

Shan swore mentally, before dropping. He plunged forward along the floor, under the attack, toward Cougar. The air swirled in a cone in front of him, and a shield formed above him.

Cougar felt Shan hit him, and went flying backward. He braced himself for the impact, and gasped as he hit the ground. The breath had been knocked out of him. He struggled back to his feet, the Flame still burning strongly. He checked himself quickly, and then went back into his normal stance, energy crackling along his fingers

A red energy swirled around Shan, while white energy crackled at his left hand and black energy crackled at his right hand.

"Come on, Cougar...it's been interesting so far."

"I can always try," he said, letting a spit of flame leap away from him. His eyes still glowed white, and his entire manner was different to normal. Coming an inch off the floor, he fired three of the disks, then teleported, albeit shakily, behind Shan, unleashing another orb

The red energy deflected the fire easily enough, and Shan thrust his right hand backwards, sending the black energy crackling at Cougar.

The energy crashed into the barrier, straining Cougar further. His body still wasn't completley itself, and suddenly his energy dissapeared. The barier fell, and he flew backwards, crashing heavily into the back wall

The red energy disappears from around Shan, but the white energy remains in his hand as he whirled around.

"Are you all right?"

Cougar grimaced, as he cracked his neck back. It was just twisted, and would leave him sore for the rest of the day,"I need more structure"

...

That didn't make any sense. I wonder if that smash against the wall did something to his brain. Rhenna would kill me...

Shan teleported to Cougar. "How many eyes do I have?"

You've got two eyes, one nose, one mouth. I'm not concussed, Shan. This just highlights how unstructured my training is. I have all this power, but no means to control it

That's because you don't seek out anyone to really help you. Renor took you on as his student, so you could go to him, or you could ask Vedt or Rhenna, or just about any of the adults, really.

Hmmmm... Vedt does not like me, therefore training with him would be sheer hell. Rhenna is busy teaching others, and I don't like to disturb, and Renor... well, I don't see him around at all

Vedt doesn't like me, and he teaches me anyway. Vedt doesn't like anyone, really. It's just who he is. You're not any more special in being hated by Vedt than is anyone else.

OOC: LOL at shan's statement

He just took a dislike to me. It doesn't bother me unduly... but sometimes I feel so alien

Weeeeeeeeeeeell...techincally speaking, you are an alien. You come from a different country, speak a different native language, have light skin, darker hair, and you're not even elvenkind.

I'm very tempted to slap you for being stupid. You know exactly what I mean

You still are, techincally an alien. You are not a native of Rendelmar, like the rest of us are. You are not only an alien to Kaymiril, you are an alien to us.

He shook his head,"Sometimes I wonder why I came... then I remember"

Rhenna. You only really have one reason...you could have given up your training after you'd defeated that demon-creature.

Why not? I love her, Shan. And now I've got enough time to truly master this.

Yeah, I know, I was at the wedding. *He crosses his legs and sits on the air, keeping himself eyelevel with Cougar.*

I know you were. Oh well, what to do, what to do...

Find a training schedule that suits you.

I've been trying for the best part of a year. Physical, mental, and magickal. You need a good balance to progress

So, find it.

He smiled,"I'll keep going until I find it. Good talking to you Shan"

He got up, and went back to his room. By now, the day was late, and he just wanted to read. He didn't know why, he just wanted to read.

Rhenna comes in later and collapses on the bed. "Remind me to never volunteer to work with ten year olds all day with no help ever again."

He folded the page back, and put his hands on her shoulders,"Give me prior warning, and I'll warn you"

I'll try. They're really cute...but they can wear you out like nothing else. So, how'd your day go?

Well.. first the Grey class insulted Charlie, then I came back here, sparred with Shan and got beaten

Well...you'll find that in any class of mage...There are only a few that would understand why you were treated as you were, among the Gray class. And was it a physical or magickal match Shan beat you in?

Magickal

Ah...he has the edge there.

Yes... it hits home how poor my control of this power really is

Want help?

Shan told me I needed help. I've been going nearly a year without any true direction. So yes... help would very useful

Tomorrow, then. I'm not doing anything else today.

He smiled, and rubbed her shoulders,"Perfect. Thanks, Rhenna"

*Closes her eyes* That feels good.

Good. You sounded as if you needed it today

I'm certainly not going to object to it.

I didn't think you would

What time is it?

Getting on for... oh, eight thirty

...Still too early to just go to sleep.

What would my wife like to do, to while away the hours?

To be honest, I was hoping it was nine thirty. It's been a long couple of days. There's probably still something I have to do.

He put his arms round her,"I feel sorry for you"

Such is my life. *She gives him a kiss.*

*Kisses her back*We have very odd lives

Yes, it's true.

*D'anthe flies up and drops a paper into her hand, which she reads.*

Beautiful. Just perfect.

You got to head out?

First thing in the morning.

He shook his head,"How ironic. Oh well, at least you don't have to leave right now"

She leans back against the headboard, looking over the details.

Cougar summoned his journal over, and bgan to write. He knew he wasn't permitted to know what was in the letter, so he ignored it

Why doesn't she just have those of us who have been working on this take it down? It would cause a lot fewer troubles in the long run.

Banishing the paper, she leans over and kisses her husband on the cheek. "I'm going to go on and sleep...I'll be gone before you wake up, and I probably won't be back for a few days."

*kisses her*All right. I've got one final thing to finish... shouldn't take more than thirty minutes.

She nods, and lays down, closing her eyes.

He went to the libary, finding somewhere quiet to write his mission report. He'd had a few days to do it, but it needed finishing. He completed it as it came up to nine fifteen, and transmitted it via the nanomachines. ONce that was done, he went back to the room, and laid down next to his wife. She'd be gone when he woke up, but he no longer truly noticed. They had gotten used to it over the months. He smiled, and crashed out

When she left in the morning, Rhenna kissed her husband, and teleported out.

He stirred as she kissed him, but stayed asleep. It was a few hours until he woke up, and he went about his daily business. By mid-afternoon, he was back in the training rooms, drilling himself even harder than before

V -- All your training will get you nowhere if you don't know what you're doing with it.

He stopped the exercise,"It's a slow change, slower than what you might be used to. But it'd getting there"

Show me.

Show you how?

Hit me, physically or magickally...if you can. I will use defensive spells only, and will launch no physical attacks.

Cougar thought about it for a moment.

Attack Vedt? I won't be able to lay a finger on him, he's faster than me. And magick... he's got centuries over me. A pointless demonstration in esscense... but I never turn down a challenge

"I personally think this is a mistake. You have the advantage of years and natural ablity over me. But, having said that, I'll try anything once"

He let the Flame roar around him, and allowed Fieros to mingle with it. He didn't like using Fieros, it was so much more power, but he felt he would need it. He let it gather around his hands, and then fired the lance, but with more energy behind it than he had ever used before

Vedt held out his hand, his index finger pointing out. The air seemed to ripple, but the flame was merely being dissipated.

"You're not trying very hard."

"You're trying to goad me. And it's not going to work," said Cougar

This exercise is pointless. Why attack someone I know I can't hit?

He let loose another attack, using much more energy than he thought was wise

You're using too much energy to too little effect. You're trying to draw something from deep within you...no, that's too mild...you're trying to rip something from deep within you, when all you have to do is relax and let it flow out of your blood. That's where it is, that's where it should come from. You shouldn't be working anything but your arm if you're trying to do that.

*Vedt keeps up the dissipation spell.*

Cougar had to stop where he was,"This power runs through my veins, but to achieve its power, I have only what I have been taught on the spot... which is haphazard."

Nonetheless, he saw what Vedt was saying, instead focused on drwing the energy more efficiently, applying it in the right ways. He tried again

This isn't going to work

Vedt changed the spell this time, letting the fire flow around him.

"Yes, much better. Now, draw the energy from outside yourself. You're using much more tupora fashka than you ought to be. You'll exhaust and maybe even kill yourself like that, and what would your wife say about either of those?"

"She'd kill me herself for the first... and die because of the second," said Cougar, retuning his energy draw. To anybody watching, it was like the Flame was actively snatching energy from the air around him. Again, he tried

The fire around Vedt increased so that it was a solid cylinder, but it still did not hit the mage.

I'm never going to break that wall, no matter how much energy, inner or exterior, I put in

Cougar was actively drawing in more energy, the beam itself taking energy from the air around it as he kept it up.

"Will you fail even at this simple task, Cougar? What sort of mage do you expect to be?"

He's trying to goad me... ignore him

Cougar shut his ears to what Vedt was sayin, but also subconciously, the power levels he was using increased even further. The white light from his eyes was steadily getting brighter and brighter

"Come...let us see these 'divine powers' that fate gave you."