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Kamala flung herself backwards, stunned at what she had said. "But, but...aren't you an elf though? Your grandparents wouldn't be to happy." She said, scratching her chin.
Shirrai smiled. "I have studied elves thoroughly. They value magical strength and knowledge. As an elven female, even a halfling, I have more magical strength than the males, but I have barely any knowledge. If I am to be the heir of Caer Mallos, I must have that knowledge and becoming a Sage is the best way to do that. No one I have met has had more teachable magical knowledge than Sages." This wasn't a careless decision on her part; she had thought it through carefully.
Kamala leaned backwards a bit and smiled, giving her a thumbs-up. "Sages aren't as strong at Elves in magic but we are the smartest things out there when it comes to knowledge and knowing what to do." She said, putting her hands behind her back she rocked her head.
"Exactly," Shirrai said. "Sometimes, brute force strength in magic isn't enough. You also need to know your opponent's weaknesses and tactics to exploit those weaknesses. Sages are unmatched when it comes to that. Will you help me?"
Kamala nodded happily, grabbing her hand she ran to the front of the academy. "Do you have money on you? You'll need quite a bit to enter." She said, coming back to the man who they talked to.
He lifted his head and tipped it in wonder. "What would you like now?" He said, resting his chin on the hand.
Shirrai nodded to Kamala. "I have money." Turning to the man, she said firmly, "I would like to start on the path to becoming a Sage, if I may."
The man smacked his hand on his book, getting up. He smiled. "Good going! The cost to enter is 70,000 gold." He said, sitting back down.
Shirrai pulled a velvet bag out from under her cloak and placed it on the counter. It clinked, the sound of coins-on-coins. "This should be enough," she said.
He took the bag and looked at it, putting it away. He smiled and handed her a scroll. "Go to Kaiser. He will give you the written exam to start with, and hand him this scroll. I was wanting to give it to him but I'm too busy." He said, turning back to his work, scribbling with his pencil.
Shirrai took the scroll carefully, with the feeling that it was important for some reason. "Thank you," she said, and turned down the hall, pleased that she remembered the right way to go.
Kamala bowed to him, and followed after Shirrai. "When you graduate, they will give you a pair of clothes like mine. Unless you don't want them, you don't need to." She said, hopping through the portal once again, only to appear in another room they where in earlier.
Shirrai nodded to her, to show that she had heard her, and walked up to Kaiser. "Hello again sir," she said. "I would like to study to become a Sage. I was told to give this scroll to you." She offered the scroll to him.
Kaiser looked at them. Fixing his glasses he took the scroll and read through it in what seemed like fifteen seconds. "Interesting." He said, putting the scroll in one the large pockets he had.
Shirrai waited silently, hands clasped behind her back.
Kaiser looked at them, then just at Shirrai. "Well...let's begin then." He said slowly, handing Kamala a large book. She fell over under the book's weight. She struggled and brought it up, making it float in front of her so it wasn't heavy. She looked at it.
"Ohh..this." She said, floating it over in front of Shirrai.
"You must study this knowledge. When you have, come back to me and take the test." He said, turning to the scroll again.
Shirrai looked at the book, then back at Kaiser. "Thank you sir," she said with a curtsy.
Kaiser nodded and didn't even pay attention. Kamala walked over to a desk and sat down in a large chair on her knees, one hand on her lap. Her red strands lay beside her and she smiled.
"Let's get started. I'll help you if you don't understand something." She said, taking out a book from the shelf behind her and starting to read it very fast.
Shirrai also took a seat and placed the book on her lap. She started to read it, very intrigued by what it contained.
Kamala scratched the back of her head, her hand in the book to keep it open and her bright blue eyes following the words.
 0o- Somnium -o0 · Sat Aug 26, 2006 @ 03:06pm · 0 Comments |
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Juno: An Amulet of My Own |
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Kaiser nodded and turned around, fiddling in a large cabinet. Shirrai waited patiently, hope shining in her eyes. Kaiser turned around, an amulet in his hands that looked similar to Kamala's.
Shirrai noticed the similarities in the amulets and smiled, wondering if it was elven-made.
Kaiser held it out and gave it to Shirrai, it glowing brightly in her grip. "It is the same as the one Kamala wears, except a different curse mark." He said, Kamala holding her hand over hers.
Shirrai slipped it on. "Thank you," she said quietly. "It is hard to resist the change, though I am able to do it. But...it hurts like nothing I've ever felt before, when I succeed."
Kamala nodded. "That's how it felt here too...but it's sure as hard as heck." She said, scratched the back of her head.
"Yes it is," Shirrai agreed.
Kamala stretched out her long arms. "Now what?" She asked, walking back through the portal.
"Well, for starters, who can teach me to control my magic?" Shirrai asked.
A large sweat drop went down the back of Kamala's head. "Ummm...That I don't know..." She said, giving a weak smile.
Shirrai stopped dead in her tracks. "Then why did you bring me here?" she asked incredulously.
"You said you needed to control your bad side. So i got Kaiser to give you the amulet. We'll go ask some other people then." Kamala said, going through a portal across the hallway.
"That is true," Shirrai mused. She brightened at the mention of 'other people' and followed Kamala hopefully.
Kamala giggled as she came to the other side and a bunch of potions and tables with experiments on them covered the room. A man stood in the middle, fiddling with some bottles and shining liquid.
"Who is he?" Shirrai whispered to Kamala curiously.
"He's the person who gives the fighting test in the Sage exam." Kamala whispered back, the man lifting his head. He accidentally poured something in the wrong bottle.
BOOM!
He turned grey, his eyes slanted at Kamala in a funny way and his hair stuck back, his arm still in the position it started. Kamala burst out laughing.
Shirrai didn't dare laugh, but merely smiled at him kindly.
He shook his head, the grey stuff rubbing off a little. He gave a little glare to Kamala.
"Look what you made me do!" He said, his voice very awkward. He then laughed and put the bottles down, scratching the back of his head.
"What are you trying to make sir?" Shirrai asked.
"Ohhh...Just another spell potion." He said, wiping some dust off of his face with a cloth.
Shirrai, wondering if she could make her magic work on purpose, concentrated hard on willing him to become clean again. After a moment, all the dust was gone off of him.
He blinked and smiled. "Good job. You did well with your use of magic there...uhh...who are you?" He asked, looking at himself all clean now.
"I'm Shirrai Half-Elven, granddaughter of Jeran and Iris, rulers of the 2nd elven city of Caer Mallos," she said, and curtsied.
The man, a little confused nodded. "Such a pretty name." He said. "I'm Sikair, giver of the fighting exam for the Sage test." Sikair greeted, trying a curtsy but fell over instead.
"Thank you," Shirrai said as she rushed over to help him stand.
Kamala put a hand on her hip and waited. Sikair looked at her. "Oh. Sorry Kamala. I forgot to say Hi." He said. "Hi."
Shirrai laughed, both at what Sikair said and the expression on Kamala's face.
Kamala smiled and patted him on the head. "Good boy." She laughed, Sikair giving a pitying look.
Shirrai just shook her head, smiling, at the exchange.
Kamala shook her head. "Oh, right!" A lightbulb appeared above her head. "Sikair, we need some help." She said, snapping her finger, a little fireball appearing above her hand.
Shirrai jumped slightly as the fireball burst into existence.
Kamala smiled and turned it into a water ball, playing with her magic a little. She shook her head at Sikair and motioned Shirrai to tell him.
"Well," said Shirrai to Sikair. "I need help in controlling my magic. What you saw me do was my first attempt at trying to use my magic on purpose, but usually it just does things according to my will without me even working a spell. I really need help getting control over it. Can you or anyone you know help?"
Sikair nodded and pointed to her amulet Kaiser had given her. "Won't that help? You just did a spell and got that five minutes ago." He said, looking at Kamala's as well.
Shirrai looked at her amulet. "I got this to help control my werewolf side, to help stop the change. I don't know if it has any effect on my magic or not."
Sikair nodded. "It's brimming with power. I think it will." He said, putting a hand on his chin.
"Wow, I had no idea it was so valuable," Shirrai said. "I will take good care of it." Coming to a quick decision, she turned to Kamala and said, "Thank you for all the help you have given me. I can never repay you." Her expression altered from gratitude to one of firm conviction. "I want to become a Sage."
0o- Somnium -o0 · Mon Aug 21, 2006 @ 02:48am · 0 Comments |
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Shirrai felt a little intimidated by the grandeur of the Sage Academy and her knowledge of what lay inside, yet she had put her trust in Kamala and so far had not been led astray. She waited for Kamala to stop twirling, a smile on her face.
Kamala smiled and bowed to her, holding the door open.
Shirrai got all flustered. "You don't have to bow! Oh, Kamala, please don't! You're my friend," she pleaded with her.
Kamala giggled. "Sorry, that's a bad habit." She said, walking inside. Shirrai followed her in nervously.
"Don't be nervous. They won't harm you. Although there is a Sage in here that bothers me sometimes." She said, walking into a small room with a man behind a counter.
Shirrai followed her into the room and looked at the man. Was he a Sage? She kept quiet, watching Kamala for clues on how to act towards him.
The man smiled and looked up from what he was doing. "Why hello Kamala. Who did ya bring today? Another person who wants to become a Sage?" He asked very friendly, holding out his hand to shake with Shirrai's.
Kamala smiled. "No, but have you seen my leader anywhere?" She asked, scratching her head.
"Yes. He’s in the room he’s always in." He answered, poiting down the large and well-decorated hallway.
Shirrai shook the man's hand. "Pleased to meet you," she said respectfully.
He smiled and shook back. "Nice to meet you too." He said smiling. "I'm the Sage Academy's registration person." He said, beginning to write in a schedule book again.
Shirrai smiled at him and looked to Kamala, wondering if they were going to meet the leader she'd mentioned.
Kamala bowed at him and walked out the door, a bell in her hair jingled and she walked into the hall, the decorations and magic glowing with wonder, she started down the long hallway.
"Sorry if this is confusing. The doors in this place a warp portals." She said, standing in front of one.
"Wow," said Shirrai, impressed. "You guys sure aren't shy about using magic."
Kamala giggled at that and stepped through the portal, appearing quickly in the next room her boots clacked as she landed on the ground. She stood beside the portal and waited.
Seeing Kamala disappear through the portal, Shirrai rushed through, not wanting to be left behind. She appeared on the other side, grinning. "That was an interesting experience," she remarked.
Kamala nodded and walked down a small hallway and turned and leaped through a portal on the left, then appearing in a small library.
Shrugging, Shirrai followed suit, muttering, "I'll never get used to this."
Kamala smiled. "It's ok. You won't need to." She said, walking up to a desk.
Shirrai positioned herself so that she was half-hidden behind Kamala. She was always shy meeting new people, especially if they were powerful.
Kamala knocked on he desk, a man popping up really fast, sending Kamala back a little.
"Yikes!" She yelled, then positioned herself straight. He looked at her and positioned his glasses as if he were having a hard time seeing her.
"Ah! Kamala!" He said in an old, wavering voice, rubbing his glasses then putting them back on. "What are you doing here?" He asked, looking behind her to see a shy Shirrai.
Shirrai scooted a little more behind Kamala. Kamala tapped Shirrai's shoulder from behind, showing her it was ok. Reluctantly, Shirrai stepped out from behind Kamala, and bobbed a curtsy.
The man smiled and gave a happy face. "No need to be shy young lady." He said, fixing his glasses again. "My name is Kaiser. I am the leader of the Sage test. I give the written part." He said, nodding.
Shirrai, emboldened by his attitude, said, "Well sir, it's like this: I'm not sure if I'm studying to become a Sage or not. You see, I really just need to get control of my magic. It keeps doing things on its own accord, without me working a spell or anything."
Kaiser got up and leaned at Shirrai, holding his glasses frontward. He was making her lean back slightly. He went back and put his hands behind his back.
"Well," He said. "We'll have to do something about that then." He said, sitting back down at his desk. Kamala nodded and smiled.
Kamala whispered to Shirrai. "He's older than me."
Shirrai mouthed 'wow' and looked at Kaiser with new respect. She felt she ought to explain a bit more. "Also, though my elven grandparents don't know, I need to see if there's anything that can be done about being a lycan. Kamala hinted that there might?" she asked hopefully.
0o- Somnium -o0 · Sun Aug 20, 2006 @ 09:51pm · 0 Comments |
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Juno: The Museum of Monsters |
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Shirrai watched her go with a sly grin on her face. After Kamala was a little bit farther away, Shirrai shifted into her white wolf form and raced after Kamala, catching up easily and pouncing on her to keep her from getting away. Shirrai shifted back to human form, still keeping Kamala pinned in place. "Soon, I hope," she said with a grin.
Kamala gave a snarl, pushing her off. She smiled and spun around, a blue circle appearering around her, a white wolf with three tails jumped out after, leaving human Kamala no where to be seen. The wolf barked.
Shirrai laughed, holding up her hands in surrender. "Okay Kamala, I get your point."
The wolf barked again, giving her a slobbery kiss she leaped out of her arms and ran towards the monster museum, sitting and waiting in front.
Shirrai grimaced, wiping the slobber off her face, and followed Kamala-the-wolf to the museum. She was amazed by the size and said so to Kamala.
A pink glow came from Kamala and she went back to her normal form and stood there.
"This was another part I had to do for my Sage test. I had to gather items and bring them here, then put all the information from the monsters into one book." She explained, looking at the large doors. "You might hear some bad noised come from the monsters inside, for they have some of the toughest ones in there." She said, pushing the doors open and walking inside.
Shirrai looked a bit nervous at the mention of tough monsters, for she had never been much of a fighter. Elvish women were never typically very strong physically. However, trusting Kamala, she followed her into the museum, gawking a bit at the magnificence of it.
Kamala smiled and looked at her. "Don't worry. They won't attack you for they are in a specail container meant to keep them in." She said, knocking on the glass with the Violy inside, playing her Violin in a scary way and a dark look on her covered face. Kamala stumbled back a little as it looked at her maliciously.
Shirrai looked curiously at the Violy for a moment, decided she didn't like the aura it gave off, and shuddered.
Kamala walked to the back of the room, where there was another door. She opened it and walked inside, a man facing a big machine.
"What do you want?" He asked, not turning around.
Kamala giggled quietly. "Guess who!!!" She yelled right behind him, the man slightly falling over.
Shirrai jumped slightly when Kamala yelled. She looked wide-eyed at the man, wondering what he would do. Kamala seemed to know him pretty well.
The man turned around, looking as if he were ready to yell until he noticed it was Kamala and he got up. "Oh it's just you..." He said, turning around with an evil glare. Kamala smiled and motioned Shirrai to come see him.
Shirrai took a step forward and bobbed a respectful curtsy. "Pleased to meet you sir," she said.
"Yea yea." He said, rubbing his glasses. Kamala rolled her eyes and walked towards some more monsters, these ones weaker than the others though.
Shirrai felt a little awkward standing there. The man didn't seem that friendly and she wasn't sure what to do, other than be respectful towards him.
The man looked at her. "Kamala was one of my students. She shows power in her soul." He said, putting his glasses back on. Kamala walked around, poking the glasses.
"Oh," said Shirrai. She smiled slightly, imagining the spirited Kamala giving this man a hard time while learning. "Yes, Kamala does have power. Even I can sense it...sort of."
The man rolled his eyes and turned back to what he was doing. "Now shoo, shoo. I have work to do." He said, opening a big book that floated in front of him. Kamala ran through the doors and waited for Shirra outside.
Shirrai hurried out of the room. "Is he always like that?" she asked Kamala quietly.
Kamala nodded. "Yup. Hes Mr. Grumpy to everyone so don't feel bad." She said, walking towards the East near another big building.
"Oh." Shirrai felt a lot better after hearing that. "Where are we headed now?"
"Where else? The Sage academy!" She said, twirling around outside a very large and well decorated building.
0o- Somnium -o0 · Sun Aug 20, 2006 @ 03:03pm · 0 Comments |
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