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Assallya (played by Slain)

Sitting atop her perch atop the vardo wagon Assallya's blue eyes scanned the area as she pretended to languish. Her long copper blonde hair shone where the sun's rays caught it and she occasionally took a breath from the shisha pipe at her side.

So far all seemed quiet but inevitably their small group began to break up and isolate themselves. Rolling her eyes she noted even the tactically sound paladin woman who so annoyed her was brushing her horse. Linota was off pestering Liothryth instead of studying her runes and sigils. Oh, and there went Cairo, the little brat was running off on his own and looking to get picked off by goblin marauders.

Yes, she thought to herself, typical adventurers...
Aislinn didn't make any effort to conceal her approach from Cairo. She wasn't built like Liothryth, Robin or Linota -and definitely not like Assallya. She had the little body of a hunting cat and moved like she was ever ready to drop into a somersault.

He also found that her armor didn't make the racket that the stories claimed as she moved. She calmly walked to the edge of the small clearing Cairo was practicing in and adjusted the shield slung over her pauldron and leaned against a tree and watched, trying to assess the lad's overall skill.

She would say nothing, just observe silently.
Ren Hemmberg (played by Revereen)

Ren and Azumi simply stayed inside the wagon, occasionally looking out for any bandits and animals they could hunt. The two seemed to be preoccupied with the crystal left behind by their squadron's leader. Ren was especially obsessed with it, checking it every so often just in case something happened.

"It's out of magic, Ren", the kitsune told her son. He acted as if he didn't hear her even though he knew as well she did that it was hopeless to expect anything more from the rock. He finally accepted that worrying too much won't do him any good and decided to talk a short walk near the wagon with Azumi. They observed everyone doing their own thing. It all seemed rather peaceful, even for someone like Ren, who was almost always nervous. It was then he saw Aislin looking at Cairo, which made him start feeling that something was off. Ren and Azumi slowly approached towards the woman as quietly as possible that is until Ren tripped over a rock the size of his foot, causing him to grunt. Azumi quickly helped him up and looked at Aislin before saying a soft, "Hi".

"Huh", he said to Aislinn and removed any dirt from his cloak, "If he wanted to practice fighting or something he could've just asked me or Azumi"

"I think it would be for the best if I were Linota's and Cairo's instructor", Azumi said to Ren, "You were a little too aggressive with your fighting style"

She suddenly materialized some leftover dried meat in her hand and asked Aislin and Ren if they wanted some. Ren took it eagerly and proceeded to sit down and observe Cairo while doing so.
"My thanks."

Aislinn accepted the jerky with some small curiosity. Conjured food had no sustenance unless it was divine in nature. Then again, the meat was probably just stored- "elsewhere".

Chewing she listened to the Kitsune and her ward bicker about who would train the youths. The young man hadn't even indicated he was interesting in anyone's training.

"Perhaps it behooves one to simply watch, to take the measure of the man.," Aislinn said after a long moment, "He willst prevail who prepares for nothing but is ready for everything."
Cairo not knowing aislin was watching him he readies his katana again but this time he takes a deep breath while keeping his eyes closed and focusing his mind, body, and breathing as the scroll guides he imagines himself standing face to face with a samurai as he slowly re-enact the combination from the scroll once more a downward slash, a horizontal slice and a piercing strike. He completes the combination and says to himself "okay one last time" as he sees himself facing the same samurai as his foe he quickly draws his sword and uses the combo trying not to miss a step but his attacks are guarded even though his opponent is imaginary his mind treats it like a real sword fight but as his incorporeal enemy charges in for the killing blow Cairo parries the attack and uses him newly learned combo it was slightly sloppy but worked in his favor. Cairo exhausted tries to catch his breath as opens his eyes he sees aislin and ren watching him his face immediately becomes red with embarrassment as he asks them "how long have y'all been there?" With a hint of worry in his voice
The scarlet haired knight considered her reply for a moment. She didn't want to be insulting of the young man. Youths often had fragile egos and did not take well to criticism.

Still, didn't Liothryth say Cairo was a street urchin? That would imply he had no formal training. If so, the young men was quite gifted indeed. Also, why was he using a style from the far east, seemingly from Nihon?

"Nay, nary you fret. We have not been here long," Aislinn answered him, "I wouldst know, if ye be so kind, if you've had a master and what dost thou aspire to?"
Linota (played by DoogieMeowser)

Liothryth’s response made Linota look around to think and, as her anger faltered into confusion, she asked, “Mages don’t have more than one? What if yours breaks or gets stolen?”
At whatever the answer, Linota would stare at her staff until she grew angry again.
“I’m not just throwing it away,” she stated firmly, as if Liothryth had just told her to. The old mage might have given her a look that questioned as much, to which Linota would bristle.

At Lio’s explanation of magic, Linota just kept shaking her head. At her question, Linota shrugged. “I haven’t tried anything with the staff since it was last used in the fight. Not after.. what happened. I’ve been working with Assallya’s sigils and artifacts, but they do less than nothing! I breathe like I’m supposed to, control my emotions like I’m supposed to, think magical thoughts like I’m supposed to, and nothing works.”
She said it in a way that made clear the disdain she held for Assallya’s teachings. She could control her emotions just fine! And she would be damned if someone was going to tell her she didn’t know how to breathe correctly. She met Assallya’s instructions with all the stubbornness in the world, but she still ended up trying them. Nothing she did on her own had worked in conjuring any magical energy and her options were limited. But even with following the teachings, Linota saw equal results.

“I just don’t have it,” Linota told Liothryth after a short pause. The decisiveness in her tone was but a symptom of the confidence she lacked. She had always held hope that she was one of the gifted, the powerful, but now she knew that she wasn’t. She felt foolish for trying so hard, for believing so hard, and now she just wanted to forget magic existed.
She looked out at Cairo and all the others, save for Assallya, watching him practice. He always tried so hard, and he usually did get the desired results in the end. Linota tried to compare their situations, but decided that magic was a different kind of beast. You either had it or you didn’t, and that was that.
Robin (played by Jaws)

She accompanied the party with excitement and mostly sat at the edge of the wagon whenever she got tired of running. Though one time out of curiosity, she drank out of the goblet and chugged the drink despite its foul taste. She thought the taste was worse than cold wolfhook juice and never had touched the goblet ever again after that incident. She simply stayed in the sidelines, watching the members of the party interact while she attempted to fix some of her arrows.
Liothryth Terandes (played by Mirafin) Topic Starter

"If it breaks then I make a new one," Lio answers, "but I've had this one for about 600 years now and it's still doing fine." She paused and took a good look at the young woman in front of her.

"Linota, I started studying magic formally when I was 50 years old and it took me 75 years before my people considered me a master. And I had be studying informally since I was a toddler. You're what, 20 years old? These things come easily to me, and to Assallya, because we've been doing them for a very, very long time.

"I know that might sound discouraging, but Elsen, the wizard who's tower we're going to, who had so much power that it's still effecting the area centuries later, was human too. And remember, I'm a mage and Assallya is an enchantress, we know how to do magic our ways but we don't have as much experience with other ways."

Lio smiled at her, it was a tender smile, something like a doting aunt. "There is something inside you bursting to get out, but I think you haven't been given the chance to do it. Let yourself be you, Linota. That's plenty, whether you can do magic or not. We can teach and help you as much as you want. If you want to keep trying to do magic, we would be happy to teach you. But my staff also makes a pretty good non magical weapon, which sometimes is preferable, and I can show you that as well. You're not alone anymore."
Linota (played by DoogieMeowser)

Linota listened to Liothryth with cautious skepticism as she explained how powerful beings, herself included, just needed time before their magic showed itself. She wanted desperately to believe that it was just as possible for her as it was for them, but hope was a dangerous thing. It was when Liothryth told Linota that she could be herself that she gave the old mage a look of utmost betrayal.

What was she doing? Linota’s eyes searched, as if for an exit, and she shifted awkwardly.
”You’re not alone anymore.”
Linota stared at her, the understanding clear on her face.
“I was never alone,” she said, despite her face. She knew she only meant it superficially. She hadn’t been physically alone, but she was suffering in silence, which equated to the same feeling. Always the caretaker, never the taken care of.
“Maybe that's all I need,” Linota suddenly said, growing defensive again lest she crumble instead. Her tone heated, the emotion of it drawing out tears that didn't fall. “To be alone. I can never be alone here, with all of you. It’s suffocating.”

How dare she try to make me feel things!
“‘Be myself’,” Linota scoffed as she began to walk away, but the inner fire made her turn around to face Lio again. “What does that even mean? I am myself. There’s no other way to be! I’m me and that's the problem, isn't it?”
She gave Liothryth a challenging look, begging for more kerosene. She didn't know why she wanted to fight the woman, but she did. Her, with her stupid powerful magic and her stupidly strong staff and her years upon years of stupid, ancient wisdom. Linota’s eyes were glistening, the tears on the cusp of spilling, but she held her chin high.
How dare she make me say things!
Aislin Rowanmantle wrote:
The scarlet haired knight considered her reply for a moment. She didn't want to be insulting of the young man. Youths often had fragile egos and did not take well to criticism.

Still, didn't Liothryth say Cairo was a street urchin? That would imply he had no formal training. If so, the young men was quite gifted indeed. Also, why was he using a style from the far east, seemingly from Nihon?

"Nay, nary you fret. We have not been here long," Aislinn answered him, "I wouldst know, if ye be so kind, if you've had a master and what dost thou aspire to?"
"well... I never really had a master other than those scrolls in my bag there even then its been so long since I've read that specific language i havent read since i was a kid so its tough to understand it so it's kinda embarrassing to say but... I kinda just get mad at myself and force myself to do it over and over again until i get it right" Cairo says explaining how he understands the scrolls and learns how to fight with his katana "its strange to say it but i kinda aspire to just stick by Lin she's had my back since we met so i guess i feel like i owe her something so if i get strong i could protect her if she ever got stuck in a bad spot, ya know? Its just i don't want want her to get hurt when we were with radigan we got beaten alot by him and i mean i can take a hit and all that but seeing Lin beaten and covered in bruises and i couldn't stop it...it just hurts in a way i cant explain but what i do know is that i don't want to see her or anyone in pain like that ever again..." Cairo tries to explain his lack of a dream but finds himself rambling about his life and tries to come to his own conclusion as to not bore aislin with his emotions "so i guess i wanna be the strongest swordsman to protect her and the others"
Ren Hemmberg (played by Revereen)

"Might as well excel at everything else", Ren told Cairo and chuckled a bit, "You can't stick with one weapon, sometimes you gotta use a different one based on your foe". He materialized a swordspear out of thin air, a weapon that could be broken apart into different weapons (A sword, a spear, or even a magical staff that can double as a shield) or reformed into a single spear and offered it to him. It was, unfortunately, the same weapon that Linota was nearly hit with when the group fought Radigan, making him unsure as to whether or not he would accept the gift. He also materialized a pistol, which he explained was meant to stun, not kill. He offered this weapon to him as well.

"Your choice, dude", he said, "Sword and gun or just a trick weapon. I'll only give you one of these since you probably don't have any way to phase too many weapons out of reality... Unless you want me to teach you how?"

"You might as well take these, I can use magic instead", Azumi said offering what seems to be several kunai and smoke bombs. She smiled towards Cairo and wagged her tails.
"Thanks for the offer, Ren but i cant use magic even if i wanted to so i'll just stick to fighting with my sword the offers nice and all but i need to learn better sword fighting technique to overcome my lack of magic but the only way i can pull it off is becoming an absolute master of this type of sword, it might sound weird but the scrolls call a swordmaster these strange letters that mean kensei i remember that writing but im not sure about what it fully means but if i want to be the strongest im gonna have to become better than any kensei or any weapons master out there magic or not" Cairo explains to ren his situation and brings his attention to both ren and azumi "sorry but i'll have to pass on the stuff you guys are giving me i don't wanna end being the reason you guys have half of your stuff missing plus if i end up relying on other people for help i'll just end up slowing everyone down" Cairo kindly rejects the offer while putting his scroll back in his bag and pulling out a new one.
Aislinn nodded. Now it was clear. Cairo's form was near perfect, his stance excellent, his balance good, but he was lacking in the basics. His eyes were telegraphing his blows and his parries and made him subject to feints. Worse still, those scrolls, usually focused on sword on sword combat. They didn't cover tentacles, claws, fangs, or even spears and axes. Further, the scrolls didn't teach the basics.
That was what a mentor was for, to show him how to use his eyes, how to think, and how to use his surroundings. The problem was that he wasn't interested in learning. He needed help. He needed training but he was far too proud to accept it. How could they convince him without breaking his spirit?

"Upon the isle of Wa," Aislinn said as she stepped away from the tree and drew out her bastard sword, "The Kensai wield their Tachi- T'would be proper name for thy sword. -and strike with their Ki, their inner spirit. T'is the magic of the self but t'is magic none the less."

"It works something like this," Aislinn said and whispered a small prayer and a plea for forgiveness to Azuth for frivolously using his gift. Her long blade shone white, appearing hot as a star but shed no heat. She neatly cut through a thick sapling with nearly no effort and it crashed down behind her.

"Nay. This I cannot teach for my gifts come from Azuth but perhaps Azumi can?"
"So how am i supposed to even figure out how this spirit-y stuff works in the first place? The only thing i know about that 'isle of Wa' place is how to read its language but its a bit foggy and what does Wa and weird spirit energy have to do with sword fighting anyway?" Cairo asked due to the name 'isle of wa' catching his ear but not understanding where to begin connecting the idea of the isle and using his spirit to fight "by the way what do you know about wa? What is it like? I only heard about it from an old man that ran a bookstore but that was back when i was a kid working for radigan"
"I knowst little of the Isle of Wa," Aislinn admitted, "beyond their arms and magic. I art a warrior and Kara Tur lies far to the east. But a single day wast spent on the subject. I wast taught to be wary of Kitsune-tsukai, Kitsune-Mochi, Wu-Jen and Oni.

"I wast also taught that the Samurai, like nobles hither are a craven weak sort, their Tachi most used on their own serfs and that a ronin couldst be worth a dozen samurai.

"I didst read about a farmer that didst make me smile. He didst make a deal with a terrible Oni, to be trained in kenjutsu for one hundred days. At the end he would be duel the Oni and be eaten for the Oni would never share his hidden techniques!

"Yon farmer was cunning, however; He cooked for the Oni and fed him rocks in his stew. This caused the Oni to grow weary and sleep. He would consult the Oni's secret scrolls while he slept, learned all his forms. When the hundred days ended, since he knew every move the a Oni had the farmer easily slew the Oni and went on to become a great ronin."
"Are you saying i need someone to teach me how to swordfight? Or does you mean i have to kill an oni to test myself?" Cairo asks wondering where to even find an oni "how am i even supposed to find someone to teach me? Who would teach me? Cairo says upset he would have to ask for someones help
Aislinn smiled, suppressing a chuckle.

"The Battle Sages of Candlekeep wouldst go on at length about knowledge being key to winning all battles.

"I wouldst say that fighting is hither," she stated, tapping her chest plate above her heart with a gauntleted hand, "and hither." She then tapped her head.

"Ye have heart," she said, "but ye have much to learn. Mine masters taught me how to fight, how to protect and most importantly, how to die.

"Ye must learn how to wield more than this mere tachi. Yer foes will not be so kind as to use a tachi against ye. Ye must learn the spear, the axe, and the hammer for only in knowing how ye would use it against someone will ye know how to they will wield it against ye."
Azumi Hemmberg (played by Revereen)

"That's the reason why you have us", Ren told Cairo.

"Especially me!", Azumi said gleefully, "I think it would suit you to learn a bit of weapon enchanting, you know!"

Azumi walked over to an open space far from everyone and proceeded to gather the rocks around her to make some sort of makeshift training dummy. To Ren at least, it looked like a stone snowman, which made him chuckled a bit. Azumi simply rolled her eyes at Ren and proceeded to materialize a katana. She immediately sheathed it and proceeded to perform a stance that enchanted her blade. The grass around her withered and froze as she muttered multiple incantations. Every breath that she exhaled seemed to become a strong gust of wind surrounding her.

And finally, she struck the training dummy with an incredible amount of force, cleaving it cleanly in half.

"That... was a rather bad example of that. It was too advanced!", She giggled and wagged her tails, "I think we should start with the basics like enchanting your blade with the heat of your anger and determination or something similar!"
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to force his way into being a master swordsman Cairo swallows his pride with an inhale and asks "so...maybe... you guys could possibly teach me how to do all that stuff?" As he scratches the back of his neck with embarrassment on his face not making eye contact.

Hearing azumi bring up enchanting and demonstrating its effects Cairo stares wide eyed at the sight of azumi slicing the training dummy so easily "how did you do that?" Was all he could ask

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