A Day at the Library

[Culix]

Flip. "Potion Making: The Subtle Magic." Tempting, but I want something a little more... flashy. Flip. "Flash McGreg's Guide to Big Noises and Shiny Things in Magery." Ooh! Now we're talki-- Oh. Checked out... Flip. "Professor Tenzenevich's Phantasmagorical Perlustration of Thaumaturgic Anomalies." ... Your made-up words aren't fooling anyone, "professor." Flip. "The Necronomicon." What a shame I'm so attached to my sanity. Flip. "Naming the Unnamable, by Arthur Felt." Way to kill your credibility in the title, Artie. Flip. "The Magic of Cooking." ... Stupid cross-referencing...

Jannin sighed. He'd been leafing through the 'Magical Research' directory at the Sereza Grand Library for almost half an hour, finding disappointment after disappointment at the head of each page. The lad briefly considered looking through each page's other listings, but decided against it. He believed that, since the organization methods seemed to have neither rhyme nor reason to them, the library staff must be putting the most important books first on each page. Compared to 'judging a book by its cover,' 'judging a book by its position on the page' was about as deep as a puddle.

The boy took a break, turning away from the directory and supporting his chin with one of his hands, his elbow resting on the mahogany table. The library in which he sat, staring listlessly at the countless bookshelves around him, was the largest for miles around, and one of the only reasons to visit Sereza. Jannin had quickly noticed that, while some sections of the library were a tad mustier than others, all of the books were in remarkably good condition. This observation had given the mage a lot of confidence in the rumors he'd heard of the place: a vast repository of tomes from all over Althanas, assembled by great sages with a love of knowledge, and nestled in Sereza's neutral republic. However, the apparent lack of a spellbook, or even a reasonable approximation of a good sorting system, was beginning to irritate him.

With another sigh, Jannin returned to sifting through the directory, hoping against hope that the next listing would make his visit worthwhile. And so it did. The Complete Book of Spells. ... Huh. Cheered considerably, he studied its location and then set off, hoping his journey across the titanic library's carpeted floors wouldn't take too long. The tyke remained in blissful ignorance of the declaration he'd somehow missed at the top-left corner of the page: "Spellbooks, 1." He remained equally as unaware of the word that preceded it, which he had somehow missed once per page he flipped: "Category: " Together with the title page he had also thumbed past, these seven syllables would have saved him a great amount of time.

But such was the life of Jannin.

[Lighthawk76]

Blank was amazed to hear the difference that walking into the library made. Sereza was small town, and like all small towns, was noisier than the people in it should be able to make. Inside the library (the one thing Sereza was known for) it was utterly quiet, with only the occasional sound of footsteps and the occasional turning of a page. It was definitely a change from the hustle and bustle of the living city out side.

The journey from Radasanth had been easy going until he and Alan had reached the most northern parts. Rocky and inhospitable, the land area was a mere blink when compared to the road to reach it, but it took the same amount of time crossing it. They had made many stops along the way in little random spots. They had even shacked up with what was apparently a coven of witches in a small, out of the way forest. Yes, Alan had left with a large grin on his face the morning after.

Blank wasn’t sure why they made all these stops, but in every one, Alan would leave him to his own devices while he went and chatted with one of his contacts. By contact, Blank had assumed he was meeting with certain significant others, but had come to learn that Alan was looking for someone in particular, someone who was apparently in the north of Corone.

Blank let the strange journey fall away from his thoughts as he turned back to his reason for visiting the library, the small leather bound book he held in his hands. It was utterly unremarkable, and anyone just looking at it would think it to be nothing of importance, most likely a diary and nothing more. To Blank though, it was exceedingly important. It was the only thing he owned that connected him to a life he wanted so badly to remember.

Along his travel up to Sereza, he had tried to find places and people of knowledge to help him find out something, anything, about the book. The real problem was what was inside of the book. There were… well, there were a whole lot of words, and symbols, and pictures. All of these apparently put together in some random fashion, which made no sense to Blank.

He had first taken it to be some sort of code, but no pattern made itself apparent, and those he had asked, learned man and women, had said it had looked like no code they had ever seen. After this first guess, Blank was out of guesses. He had no idea where to go from there. He knew Alan had some inkling of what the book held, or even was, but knew that the man would help him naught, already admitting to have some mysterious reason for not telling him. Blank had kept his searching and questionings quiet from the old man, hoping to get it done without him trying to keep him from getting the information.

As they had made their trip north, Blank had gotten hold of a piece of information that helped him along. A great library was in the small town of Sereza, and it was a thoroughfare for learned people and those looking to be enlightened. If he could find someone there who could help him, or even point him to someone that could, he might finally get a look into what he couldn’t remember.

Looking up at the rows and rows of books and not seeing many people gave him one more hurdle. Where to begin?


* * *

As Blank began to move into the library, he didn’t notice the old man coming in after him, a sly grin on his face. Alan knew exactly what Blank was up to, and even applauded his efforts. The young man definitely deserved to find out what the little book was, if it was what Alan believed it to be, but he would be getting no help from Alan.

Truth be told, the wily old man didn’t really know how to help Blank. The book was something else, a real piece of work. Alan had friends that could probably get the thing put back into order, for Alan knew enough to see that the book had been heavily tampered with, but wanted to get a few things straightened out first.

Either way, his trip to the Sereza library had nothing to do with the little book, though it had everything to do with Blank. Specifically Blank and the Lornius Corporation Challenge. On their trip to the north of Corone, Alan had explained to the younger man exactly what the LCC was. He had led Blank to believing they were only going to watch and see what promised to be some of the greatest heroes partake in this one of the greatest tournaments on Althanas. Truth be told, Alan planned to have Blank watching from the contestants seat.

All that was left was to find a partner. Alan had chosen carefully, though with a little bit of randomness. He had taken those that had come out of the last Serenti, looking for someone that hadn’t made it very far but showed real promise. Janin Relm fit part of the equation. The final pick had come down to if he would make an interesting pairing with Blank. From the stories he had heard of Janin’s ego, he knew that it would be.

His search for the kid, something that hadn’t been easy, had been exceedingly lucky, finding him on the way to Lornius. Now though, he needed to find the best way of getting this young man to come over on to his team. He had dropped some sparse descriptions of the boy that he had picked up in his searching for Janin, and had learned that he was now in the library.

If Alan knew mages, and he knew a few, the kid would be in the magic section, looking for new spells. Thankfully, Blank was heading in the other direction. With a spring in his step the old man began heading off towards where he believed Janin would be.

[Culix]

With the fruits of his "laborious" climb safely in tow, Jannin hopped down from the ladder and approached a nearby table. The mind-numbing search through the directory was behind him, and, as he pulled up a seat, he was almost surprised at how excited he felt. The boy had always loved libraries, and it had been months since he'd come across the last one. As he opened 'The Complete Book of Spells,' the soft crack told him the large tome had not been opened in ages. Combined with the ceiling-high bookshelves, the sound brought back pleasant memories of the first few books he had opened at his home town's small library. As a smile crossed his face, a fragment of a thought crossed his mind, I can hardly believe it's been eight years since I first...

The lad's train of thought went no further. An inexplicable feeling of unease compelled him to stop. It sent a chill down his spine, despite Sereza's temperate climate. Disconcerted, Jannin shook his head and dove into a random page of his book. The uncharacteristic anxiety lasted only a few moments and was soon forgotten. The feeling wasn't new, but it was always an unpleasant surprise whenever he tried to recall memories from a certain period. Soon enough, the boy was sifting through the book for useful bits of magery as cheerfully as ever.

About five minutes after finding a spell that caught his fancy, Jannin heard a voice from behind and just above his left shoulder. "Lightning Surge, eh? Sounds like a keeper." The boy started at the interruption and, giving a yelp of "Gah!" whirled around in time to see a little old man finishing a light chuckle. Of course, 'little' was a relative term, as the man had three inches and a good sixty pounds on Jannin. "Y- You-- What do you want!?" the lad eventually got out, flustered at being spied upon.

This response elicited another chuckle from Alan. The old man was pleased his guess had hit the nail on the head. Kid seems upset, he noted. Guess I should probably soothe his ego a bit. "Sorry to interrupt your important work," Alan told him with a broad smile, "Just thought I'd compliment your fine taste in spells."
"Err..." Jannin answered, genuinely unsure how to respond. "Thanks?" he tried. No, his hindsight told him. He shook his head in annoyance. "I mean..." he tried again, rising to his feet for leverage, "What in blazes were you doing peeking over my shoulder!?" Better, his hindsight decreed. Again, Alan gave a chuckle at the comical display. "Well, how else was I gonna see what the great Jannin Relm was up to?" Had the boy been a mite less conceited, he would have probably reached for his staff and wondered why the apparent stalker had decided to reveal himself in a library, of all places. However, because of Jannin's vanity, he responded quite a different way.

"Heh... Well, I guess I can understand that, geezer," he said, as a self-important smirk spread across his face. "It's not everyday you get to meet someone like me."
"Oh, I agree," Alan replied, with complete honesty. Jannin leaned against a bookshelf and hoped doing so made him look suave. It did not. "So, if you want an autograph, I'd be happy to sign. But you've gotta supply your own paper."
"Oh, shoot," the old man replied, snapping the fingers on his right hand and giving an exaggerated display of disappointment. "Looks like I'll have to miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity." Jannin presumed the sarcasm with which Alan's voice had apparently been slathered was a result of senility. "Of course, there is one thing I'd like to ask about," the old man continued. "Mmm-hmm?" the small mage asked. Smiling, and finally ready to get to the point, Alan voiced his request: "I'd like to know if you'll be a part of the Lornius Corporate Challenge."

((Bunnying of Alan approved by Lighthawk76. ... Probably))

[Lighthawk76]

((Bunnying of Alan approved by Lighthawk76… Definitely))

On the other side of the library, Blank was sitting at a table, his little brown book open in front of him to a random page. He wasn’t sure what he was doing really. The books randomness meant nothing to him, save that it had something to de with his past. He had started looking at bookshelves, reading random titles and hoping that something would come up. He knew what a library was, and that there was some sort of order to the books, having found s section full of nothing but recipes books, followed by a section of animal studies, and finally a section on history, but had no idea how he was to go about looking for a book that could help him to decipher the writing in another book.

He had kept his eye out for someone who may have helped him get around the library, but everyone that he had bumped into had been caught up in browsing, or reading, or taking down notes from large tomes. He didn’t want to be a pest for anyone, so he hadn’t bothered them, though he knew that all he had to do was ask to be pointed in the correct direction.

That was just the kind of guy that Blank was though. Even if it made his life a little less bearable, he would rather that others weren’t pestered by him. It wasn’t that he was overly nice, he could be plenty mean if he wanted to be, but he wanted to make sure no one was angry at him for some slight, and because of that he didn’t easily open up to other people. Even to ask for a simple favor.

It was while he was running his hands through his hair, racking his brain over what to do, that a woman walked by him. Looking up as she passed, she gave him a kind smile without missing a beat, apparently knowing exactly where she was headed.

She was only a few steps away when Blank, allowing himself to act before his thoughts could tell him other wise, quietly called out to her. “Umm, excuse me, ma’am?”

The woman turned quickly, her straight brown hair spinning a little slower than the rest of her, with a kind and open smile on her face. Her bright eyes blue eyes were bright, and her eyebrows were arched up in curiosity. “Can I help you?” She said in such a way that made you feel you could ask her anything.

She reminded Blank of a younger Mrs. Smithen, the woman that had taken him in after washing up on a beach. She had been a motherly woman, who refused to allow Blank to be shy around her, and expected him to bother her if he needed anything. This woman gave him that exact feeling, and it definitely helped him feel better about bothering her.

“Uh, yeah, umm… It’s kind of a weird thing, and you may not be able to help, but I haven’t had any luck with any one else. Uh, you don’t need to help me if you have to be somewhere…”

The woman gave a short chuckle, and walked over to Blank, placing her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. “Don’t worry. I’m always willing to help. My name’s Cassandra, I keep my study in this library, so I’m pretty sure that I can help you with just about anything that this library can.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m just not sure if what I’m looking for is even in this library,” responded the young man, smiling abashedly, “You see it’s a little complicated and long…”

The woman gave another laugh as Blank trailed off again, walked to the chair across from Blank and took a seat. “Why don’t you start by giving me your name and then you begin this long and complicated problem. I don’t have anything to do, just read in my study, so I think I have the time to help you.”

It definitely helped to calm down, and after passing on his name, which got a strange but curious look from the woman, he proceeded to tell her about him washing up on a strange beach without his memory. Her face became crestfallen as he explained his amnesia, and she elicited a heartfelt condolence. Bypassing most of his trips with Alan, he brought forth the book and explained to her his troubles.

“So you see, this book probably has something to do with my past, but I’m just not sure what.” Cassandra picked up the book, flipping through the pages and seeming to study the symbols and runes throughout it. “I need to find a way to read it, or at least a way to figure out what it about.”

Placing down the book, Cassandra put two fingers onto one of it pages, mumbling something under her breath. The symbols on the page suddenly flashed an angry red, and behind them, letter appeared, as if held back by the randomness. It only lasted for a couple seconds, enough time for Blank to read a few words that made sense, but didn’t give him any sort of information.

Cassandra looked up with a playful smile on her face, “I did tell you that my study was a magicians study didn’t I.”

Blank was too excited to worry about that, his face a look of amazement. “Can you make the other symbols go away? Can you make it so I can read those words?”

Cassandra bent over the book, apparently getting ready for something. “It’s a strong spell, but I just may be able to.” Placing her hands over the book she began another spell. With bated breath, Blank readied himself to finally find what he needed. He was finally going to get some questions answered.

[Culix]

The words 'Lornius Corporate Challenge' bounced around in Jannin's head for a second or two. Failing to connect with anything, they scooped up an idle question mark and made for the boy's mouth. "Lornius Corporate Challenge?"
"Yep. One of the most chaotic tournaments in the whole of Althanas! I mean, two teams of great fighters goin' at it? Toppin' that isn't easy!"
"Uh-huh..." the lad replied, halting his lean and taking a step back from Alan; he didn't want the old man's body to fall on him when the inevitable excitement-born heart attack overtook him.

"So, you competing?" Alan asked, countering Jannin's movement with a slightly longer step forward. "Err..." he answered, frowning at the invasion of his personal space, but refused to play the old man's game and stood his ground. "Well, I hadn't really thought--" Don't you dare end that with 'about it!' Omniscience is like omnipotence. And if you haven't even thought about something, how can you expect to project that? ... Dah! He's staring at you! Just... make something up! He coughed. "I mean... I hadn't really thought it was worth my time." Jannin smiled and nodded at his fib. Yeah... That'll fox the old coot. "I mean, I've got more important things to do. Like... uhh... brushing up on my magic. Speaking of which..." The lad then moved past Alan, careful to avoid contact, lest he risk contracting the man's "elderly germs." The boy returned to his seat and resumed studying, trying to look as coolheaded as he could. "So, sorry gramps, but I'm gonna have to pass."

Heh... Playin' it that way, are we? Alan thought, smirking down at Jannin. "Ya sure about that?" he asked. "I mean, think of the fame an' the glory! You could give the audience a performance they'll never forget!" He was pleased about how little he had to lie to the boy. However, this remark elicited a most peculiar result. Jannin began to shake a little. "Err... You okay, kid?" the old man asked, genuinely concerned. His question was answered by some quiet, mirthful sounds. While Alan wondered where he had heard them before, they then gave way to a bout of maniacal laughter. The deep-toned cackling resonated throughout the library for a good six seconds. For the first time in years, the wizened veteran had no idea how to respond. Fortunately, he didn't have to. "Please," Jannin said, looking up from his book, "I don't need fame and glory! You're lookin' at the guy who's gonna rule the world someday! Besides, competing'd be a waste of my talent! Sure, it'd be cool to blow through the whole competition without breaking a sweat, but it's just not worth giving up a Saturday. Or however long this thing lasts." He returned his attention to the book. "Anyway, I've got work to do. Later days, gramps."

Alan's smile returned. Heh... Thought I'd get to him with that last one. Guess I didn't count on his... "aspirations." The old man had seen a lot in his life. Enough to read almost anyone like a book. And, while the book of Jannin may have been a tad more difficult than it had seemed, it was still aimed at kindergartners. "Well, if that's how it is..." Alan said, sounding defeated. "But I'm sure Thoracis'll be disappointed..."

The name was all it took. The boy looked up, eyes widening as his smirk evaporated. "Thoracis..." Jannin said to himself. The name had haunted him since the Serenti's first day and, if memory served, first loss. Only when thinking of Thoracis would the boy allow self-doubt to enter his mind. In fact, the mage was the only reason he had wound his way to the Sereza library, hoping to undergo a vast improvement in spell-casting prowess. I've gotten a little better since then... But is it gonna be enough? Frowning, he looked at the floor. Maybe not... Maybe I should sit this one-- This line of thought ceased when he smacked himself in the face. No! the boy mentally declared, his self-confidence rushing back in the form of a determined expression, I'm not gonna let Thoracis think I'm a coward! I'm gonna enter, and show him just how much I've improved!

Shouting was in clear violation of the library's 'Silence is Golden' rule, but, the boy reasoned, so was enjoying a hearty maniacal laugh. Turning, he cried, "Hey! Geezer!" The old man was struggling to remain his composure; watching the boy go from the depths of despair to the heights of optimism in the span of a three seconds had tickled him. Oblivious, Jannin soldiered on, "Tell me where to sign up for this Lenin Coronation Ceremony!"
"Heh... Ya mean Lornius Corporate Challenge?"
"Yeah! That!"
"Well, you'll need a partner. That's actually why I asked you. Sure, he's not much to look at, b--"
"If he stays outta my way, I'll take him!"
"Alrighty, then!" Alan responded, sporting a larger grin, "Right this way." Jannin hopped off his stool and began following the ancient manipulator. Heh... I thought he'd be a little more subdued about it. Guess he really wants that rematch. Catching another glimps of the boy's defiant face as the walked across the carpet, another chuckle slipped out. Looks like this'll be even more fun than I thought!

[Lighthawk76]

It was only after a few minutes of trying more magic than Blank had seen in a life time that Cassandra fell back into her seat gracefully, her face a picture of pity at her failure. Each one of her tries had elicited no new reaction from the book. The same thing occurred over and over. The symbols and runes flashed that angry red, and for a moment the letters behind them became visible, not readable sadly, and then went back to the way it was.

“I’m sorry Blank. This magic is beyond my own.” She closed the book with a sigh and handed it back to him. “I’d be surprised to find anything in this library that could break it. The fact that it hasn’t weakened or shown any type of change based on the type of spell breaking shows that it is something very strong.”

Blank was a little crestfallen. He hadn’t come in here really expecting to find this out. He had expected it to be some sort of code or other language. He didn’t expect it to be some sort of seal.

“How could it have been sealed like this?” he asked Cassandra.

“Someone doesn’t want that book to be read.”

It was a conclusion that Blank didn’t want to hear. It looked as if the book had told him something. If the book had anything to do with him, someone out there was against him getting into it. Did Alan guess as much? Was he protecting Blank? Or maybe he knew something more. Maybe this wasn’t the only conclusion available. Maybe…

Blank shook his head. Those were questions for another time.

“Thank you for your help Cassandra. I had better get back to my companion. He doesn’t know that I’m out and I don’t want him worrying about me if he finds me gone.”

“Blank, where are the both of you heading?” she asked, her face looking as if she had come up with some idea.

“To Lornius. We are going to watch the LCC matches.”

“Keep your eyes open while you are there. The LCC draws some of the greatest and most powerful people from all over Althanas. You may just be able to find someone who can help you.” She thought for a second. “Especially some of the competitors, though I am not quite sure how you would be able to get in touch with them unless you were competing yourself.”

Blank smiled, images of his tattered body lying before some great barbaric hero flying through his mind. “I don’t think I have near the skill for that.”

“You never know,” she responded rising from her seat, “sometimes great heroes are just waiting to emerge from those who think they are weak.”

She came around the table and extended her hand to Blank. “It was good meeting you. I hope you can find what you need.”

“Thank you.” They shook hands, and with a last smile she walked off, falling right into the step he had pulled her from.

Picking up the book and grimacing over the failure. He made his way out to the front of the library.

After walking for a good while, he came back out into the open street. And lo and behold, he was quite unsurprised to find Alan waiting for him.

“Ah, Blank, I thought I may find you here.” Without any further explanation, Alan motioned to a small boy standing beside him, dressed in a blue tunic and a midnight blue mantle, and carrying a staff with a gaudy jewel sitting atop it. “Allow me to introduce you to the great magician, Janin Relm, who is also to be your partner in the Lornius Corporation Challenge.”

Blank took his quizzical stare away from the small boy and stared at Alan in pure amazement. He had guessed it on the road, what with the man bringing him to see witches and all, but now it was official.

Alan was going to lead him to his death.

[Culix]

Outside the library, Jannin stood a safe distance from the old man, impatiently tapping his foot. Once Thoracis had been mentioned, the lad had felt rather pumped to do something. However, following Alan outside of the library and then being told to wait for his prospective partner had not been his desire. As lovely as the sunset was that evening, Jannin could only bask in its glow for so long before the wait began to put him off. Once his enthusiasm had been sufficiently curbed, he ceased fidgeting and ennui set in. Bleh... he thought, gazing through half-closed eyes at the setting sun. It was a shame he was too bored to appreciate the view, because, in the twilight glow, the normally drab town of Sereza was stunning. Oblivious to this, the lad stared into space, thinking random, meaningless nothings. He was roused from this stupor when the old man began to speak. "Ah, Blank, I thought I may find you here."

The lad turned, but failed to fully regain awareness of his surroundings. Once his introduction was complete, he frowned and mumbled a critique: "Coulda used a few more adjectives..." And Blank? he continued, mentally, What kind of a name is that supposed to be? Did his parents get lazy when filling out his birth certificate or something? Nevertheless, he decided he would at least look the young man over. Jannin noticed Blank was a clear foot taller than him, had brown, tousled hair, and wore clothing that, aside from the mildly fashionable gloves, seemed like that of a commoner. The boy also noticed that the young man looked rather pale. Hoping to get out of the way should the youth lose his lunch, the lad took a step back and to his right.

Jannin had supposed that his ally wouldn't matter; unless fighting Thoracis, he believed he had more than enough firepower to handle things on his own. However, he had hoped his opponent would not appear to have one foot in the grave. "Uhh... Listen, gramps," he said, turning to the old man, "I'm... starting to have second thoughts. I mean..." The lad gave an exaggerated gesture with his right arm. "Look at him. You mentioned he wasn't much to look at, but... Oye... I'm actually feeling kinda worried about this guy..." He looked up at Blank with genuine concern in his eyes. It was a rare sight, to be sure, but not nearly as rare as Jannin would have others believe.

[Lighthawk76]

Blank wasn’t sure what was more crazy. Hearing that Alan was planning to have him enter into the LCC, was very much akin to having Blank sign his own death warrant in the young man’s eyes. The kid seeming to be worried about his health was something that may have been just as crazy. It was true that Blank wasn’t in the greatest warrior shape, missing the bulging muscles normally used to swing a sword two sizes to large, but he didn’t appear to have one foot in the grave.

Did he?

Blank thought for a moment and looked at his hands, just starting to get hard and calloused. He could use a little more sun...

That was besides the main craziness though. Forgetting about the boy’s slight for a second, he turned to Alan. Glancing at the boy, he grabbed the old man by the arm and pulled him aside.

“Are you insane?!” he asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to slight the boy. “First off, putting me in the LCC is crazy. Second off, having me get in with a little kid is also crazy. Thirdly... Well I don’t have a third. Either way, even if I did compete, why couldn’t you be my partner. I could hide behind a rock while you made mice-meat out of the competition.”

“There is nothing to worry about Blank. Putting you in the LCC is great training...”

“Overkill training.”

“...and there is no need to question young Janin’s skill. If I remember correctly you lost your last battle to a young boy.”

“That was different.”

“As for me being your partner, well I’m an old man, and getting in the field with those younger and far more powerful than me, may just finally snap the fragile grasp I have on my sanity.”

“Bull.”

“Janin!” said Alan, turning to the boy as if he was his star pupil, “My companion is questioning your mighty skill. Why don’t you show him what you’re capable of?” He gave Blank a smile.

Blank wasn’t sure what the crazy fool was up to, but the young man was quite sure he was getting a signal sit back and watch what the boy could do.

Or maim, thought Blank, imagining what an inept mage might do.

[Culix]

Jannin was relieved to see the color return to Blank's face. Heh... Guess I overwhelmed him for a coupla seconds, he thought, smiling again. While true, the boy presumed Blank had simply been unprepared to behold him in all his glory. I really should start saying, "Avert your eyes, peasants!" wherever I go, he added with a nod. After another moment's thought, the lad decided against it. Shouting it all the time would tire my voice. And I need that lungpower for maniacal laughter. Jannin then looked up to see that, while he'd been staring off into space, Blank had pulled Alan aside to whisper things to him.

The boy frowned and slipped closer to their chat. Hmph... Didn't even bother to say, "Hi," or "Excuse me." Can't believe I gotta work with such a boor... Jannin planned to eavesdrop on their conversation, but was thwarted when the conversation came to an abrupt end. "Jannin!" Alan said, turning as the lad was in mid-creep. "Deh!" he managed to repress, merely looking startled as he took a step back. With marginal success did Jannin try to hide that he'd reached for the cookie jar. Once he learned that the old man actually wanted him to give a demonstration to the understudy, relief washed through the lad. The usual confident smirk reappeared as Jannin turned, walked back a reasonable distance, and then spun his gaze back to the odd couple.

He removed his bag of belongings and set it gently in a small bit of shrubbery to his right. After giving himself enough space, Jannin addressed the younger of the pair, "Alrighty, ye of little faith! Get comfy, 'cause you're in for quite a show!" The minute magician then set his right hand half a foot below the bauble of his staff, took a deep breath and began to strut his stuff. The spectacle that followed consisted of a great many weapon routines, mostly involving spins and swipes around the boy, and carrying on for almost a full two minutes. As the last thirty seconds approached, the boy seemed to slow, then quietly intoned a few arcane words. With the small orb of flame in hand, adding an unearthly glow in the twilight, the speed of Jannin's dance crescendoed. Throughout, each movement progressed with much confidence and polish. A little too much polish, Alan thought, smiling lightly. Heh... He's obviously practiced this for weeks! But I'll give the kid three things: that weighted staff's gotta be pretty unwieldy, using a fireball and staff in tandem's pretty interesting, and everything looks impressive. But anyone with any real experience knows most of that stuff's never coming up in battle. The old man glanced at his protege out of the corner of his eye. Wonder if Blank's picked up on that...

Meanwhile, the grand finale of Jannin's little exhibition drew near. After twirling the staff around his body three times, he spun his body alongside it. After a complete revolution, accelerating near the end, he used his body's momentum to toss his still-whirling weapon skywards. As it began its descent, the lad threw his left palm's magical blaze to its side, watching the two pass each other as the surrounding darkness began to grow. With a spinning hop, Jannin caught his weapon with no apparent effort and landed, face to his audience and staff at a halt. Without looking up, the boy ended things: he thrust the staff's gem upward at the tiny, returning fireball, and so extinguished it with a quiet 'puff.'

Once he stopped moving, it was clear the lad had sweat buckets during the production. In what little remained of the sunlight, Jannin's soaking tunic appeared to have become as dark as his mantle. The smirk still on his face, beneath his weighted hair, seemed to spite the panting. The phrase, Still got it, danced through his mind. "Im... pressed...?" he asked, between gulps of air.

[Lighthawk76]

Wow.

It was all Blank could say. He had definitely misjudged the kid. His knowledge of the staff was more than Blank’s, being able to keep control of it as it was spinning. To Blank’s untrained eye, his technique looked near flawless. The young man thought the boy would be coming to a stop as he slowed his pacing and was quite surprised to see a rolling ball flame appear in his hands.

Blank watched with fascination as the young boy continued his routine, the ball of flame creating a halo of light around him in the twilight hours. The boy was more skilled than him and Blank thought that maybe, just maybe, the kid could carry him through the LCC. Blank had seen very few warrior’s save the common bandit, so he didn’t know the skill of some of the greatest. What he saw in front of him now though impressed him, and for all he knew, Janin was one of the best.

He looked to Alan with an incredulous smile as Janin came to a close with his movements, the small ball of fire going out with a single puff. The old man smiled back at him knowingly, though with a bit of an “I told you so” look. Blank didn’t have to know that the old man had seen right through Janin’s practiced routine and saw the lack of real skill that it hid.

“Bravo, my young friend, bravo,” Alan applauded, moving around Janin to stand behind him, much as a teacher proudly stands behind his pupil. “Well Blank what do you think? Is he your perfect partner for the LCC?”

Blank couldn’t deny that being the boy’s partner was tempting. He knew enough about the staff that what he had seen in the boy was real skill. All Blank could do was block and hit with it. He couldn’t control the staff and show it off like that as Janin had. Add to that the boy’s use of magic, and he was quite the partner.

The fact of the matter was that Blank himself was not yet ready to take on the LCC. He could hold his own, he was pretty sure, but he wasn’t yet ready to deal with one on one, or two on two, combat. He tasted it for the first time in the citadel, against a kid who, to this day, Blank was not yet sure if he was off the deep end or just so good that he could act infantile. Janin was a lot like him, but instead of infantile, the boy acted utterly confident about everything in general.

Maybe that’s how he got so good, maybe he was confident. He had learned how to wield the staff and how to use magic, all at an age that Blank was pretty sure he couldn’t, (though, for all Blank knew he could have been a great magician, and just forgotten his spells along with his memory). This could work. He just had to be more confident.

Blank nodded, trying to keep his skepticism out of his visage, though some still probably came through.

“What other magic do you know?” Maybe the boy was even stronger?

[Culix]

... He wants to know my other magic, Jannin thought. Had he not been panting after the routine, the nervous, statuesque nature his smirk had adopted would have been obvious. That's no good. The fireball spell was all he had. Though lightly exhausted from all the coordination it had just devoted itself to, his mind whirred furiously on the most graceful answer to give. It's gotta be something that'll make me look good... keep me from doing any 'presentations' at all... and stop all further questions. In the meantime, the beads of sweat from anxiety went unnoticed amidst the sea of their exertion-born cousins. I should take a bath, quietly attached itself to the boy's mental to-do list.

For several seconds, Jannin, by holding up a finger as he breathed deeply, conveyed that he was catching his breath before he answered. However, he knew he couldn't stall that way forever. And no other viable delays came to mind. Granted, setting the field ablaze would certainly put off his reply, if it didn't wordlessly answer, "I don't need any other magic." However, that particular distraction had too many unpleasant side-effects. Like first-degree burns on his ankles or convincing his audience he was a bit of a pyromaniac. After tossing out a few such ideas, the lad decided he would be better off devoting all his energy to puzzling out a solution. Lousy fatigue... he thought, still keeping his inner struggle from Alan and Blank, I'd have gotten it ages ago, if it weren't f--

"So, c'mon, O Great Jannin," Alan pressed, derailing the lad's thoughts, "What other magics do ya know?" The boy sighed, an act that coincided perfectly with one of his gasps. After putting it off for almost forty-five seconds, the truth just seemed easiest. "To be honest... I can't actually do anything--" And, for the second time that hour, the mage's ego caught him and insisted he come up with something mid-sentence -- though it was certainly cutting things rather close this time. "-- Err... more than that... today." He felt better, and pressed on, more secure. "You see, I already used up most of my power takin' out a giant... troll... army. So... Sorry, but I'm outta big spells now." Phew... Almost didn't think I'd get outta that one.

Unfortunately for him, it seemed he wasn't yet out of it. "Well, that's a shame," Alan said, unfazed, "But I think I heard Blank askin' what ya knew. And I could be wrong, but I think if ya know how to shoot, say, a lightning bolt, you can say that without showin' it. So, how about it?" Luckily, inspiration decided to strike the panic-stricken Jannin almost immediately. The lad's smile widened and he threw back his head for a short, deep laugh. "And ruin the surprise? No way." He gave another chuckle. "You'll find out soon enough."

[Lighthawk76]

Blank was really hoping that the question’s answer would give him even more admiration for the young man’s talent. Watching the boy become as winded as he did got him a little worried, though, and then seeing that the boy seem to flail around for an answer made him wonder even more.

Was what Blank saw not the tip of the iceberg, but the bottom of it? Though if the boy was able to conjure fireballs and wield his staff like he just had in battle, maybe it was fine to use the bottom of the iceberg. What worried Blank was the fact that the boy was trying too hard to impress him. If the boy had this much trouble with his ego when it came to someone as unskilled as he, what would happen when he came up against some of the better one’s in the LCC. Would he push himself this hard just to look better? And thus not have the strength to actually win a battle.

He gave Alan a skeptical look as Janin appeared to continue thinking. Alan had always told him to make sure to not exert himself overly so and that sometimes you had to wait for the right blow. Blank hadn’t yet learned to find when the right blow came, but he had learned not to just attack blindly. It was something that had been shown all too clear to him against his last opponent. The kid had laid him out with a kick and had nearly pushed him to rolling off a cliff.

What did Alan have up his sleeve?

Before Blank could speak up, Alan gave Janin a helping hand, a different take on what Blank had said. His look became even more skeptical, wondering if Alan was just trying to give the boy a way out.

Surprises. That was Janin’s answer. Blank didn’t like surprises. Surprises were a group of bandits jumping you on the road, or your traveling companion bringing you to meet a group of witches. Surprises were never good things.

Alan smiled grandly at Janin’s proclamation though, and walked over to Blank. “Well then, that should answer any questions about young Janin’s powers. And don’t think I use young as a bad thing, my good friend,” added Alan quickly, before the boy could see it as a slight, “Youth is a good thing, you already have the power of the elders, so keep that youth.”

“Blank, Janin. Why don’t you two get to know each other?” Alan turned to Blank in order to hide a mischievous smile from Janin. “You should ask Blank to show off some of his skills. I’ll be in the library, I need to talk with someone.”

With that Alan took his leave of the two, and reentered the calmer library.

“So,” said Blank awkwardly, “Where are you from?”


* * *

Alan had a hard time trying to keep from sniggering in the library. The meeting was going just as planned. Blank had a partner for the LCC, Janin’s ego was mostly satisfied, if it ever could be, and the old man had a good show to look forward to.

He continued walking on through shelves of books, each holding pieces of more obscure work than the last, moving towards the back of the library. He had a feeling he knew why Blank had come in here earlier, and if his hunch was right, the only help he would have gotten was from someone who made her home in the back of this library.

The rows of shelves did little to disorient him, and he was able to reach the back relatively quickly. There he came to a small oaken door.

Knocking on the door, he waited quietly. As the door opened, a brown haired woman was ready to greet him with a smile. As she saw who it was though, her eyes grew round, and an intrigued look came upon her face.

“It’s been a while Cassandra.”

[Culix]

"Where'm I from?" Jannin asked, continuing toward the bag. He hadn't been asked that question before, so he considered it an odd thing to ask. The boy had also found it odd that Alan had gone out of his way to assure him 'young' was not a bad thing. Of course it's not a bad thing. Young people look their best. Why would he wanna drive that point home...? Oh, right. The senility. I guess some things just take him a little longer. Although he did remind me of something... And that something was his appearance. After such an exertion, Jannin had decided youth needed a helping hand in maintaining his looks. To this end, he had started for his bag, the keeper of his mirror and hairbrush.

"Well, if you haven't heard of me, you haven't heard of it," the lad continued, by this time reaching the bag. Fishing through it, he cheerfully removed the mirror. This cheer drifted into a more ambivalent outlook once he gazed into the reflective surface; though his reflection looked much better than expected, his vanity refused to let him consider that a victory. As Jannin ran his fingers through the wet hair, hoping to use the sweat to his advantage, he finally gave Blank an adequate answer. "It's a fair-sized town in Corone, around..." The boy fumbled for the correct region as his fingers considered their work, and decided they'd need help from the brush. Leaning his staff against the library and reaching for the object, he guessed, "Oh, around... twelve miles in... that direction." He broadly gestured at random with one hand and began brushing with the other. After a few moments, Jannin frowned at the results. Geography and beauty don't mix, he told himself sagely.

With a sigh from its owner, the brush vanished into the bag. The vain little boy then devoted all his attention to one last maneuver: setting his forefingers on his temples and pinkies at his forehead's center, he pushed back the violet mane. Jannin smiled at himself. That'll do nicely. Finally content with his grooming, he joined the mirror with the brush and faced Blank. "Oh, and it's called Telsan," the lad added hastily, realizing he'd forgotten to mention the name. Coughing he bent down to scoop up his staff, the gem of which reflected the sun's final, fleeting rays. "So, Blank, right?" the boy inquired, "The old guy mentioned something about your 'skills.' Mind giving a demonstration? I wanna know what I've got to work with." With the mention of Thoracis's name still on his mind, the boy had instantly agreed to join with Blank. However, with a cooler head, he had decided the matter might need some further thought; if his potential partner was going to give a laughably pathetic display, he might be better off simply snatching someone off the streets at random. But he would first watch how the young man performed.

[Lighthawk76]

Alan stood in the doorway for the few moments, waiting for the woman surprise to subside. She was as beautiful as he remembered. Slim, but still curvy. The few age lines around her face were the only deterioration he could see, though it was something he never held against a woman. He had plenty of age lines himself.

“I’m debating whether to drag you in here and show you the time of your life, or to slam the door in your face after scorching it with my strongest fire spell.” It was said with a strange look on her face. It seemed to combine both emotions that she verbally explained.

“That could be understood my lovely lady, but we both know that you would be wasting your time on a face already gnarled enough, and sadly I do not have the time to take you up on your first offer.”

Cassandra looked the old man up and down seeming to have become another person from the one Blank had seen earlier in the day. Her eyes were now the eyes of a haughty sorceress sure of her powers. All traces of the motherly woman had been wiped away from her face. This was the Cassandra that Alan knew. This was not a woman to fool around with. Well, it depended about what kind of fooling you were planning to do.

“Did you talk with a young man with a book of gibberish?”

“A friend of yours?”

“Yes, a traveling companion.” Alan made to move into her study but was blocked by her body.

“I don’t want you anywhere near my magic Alan.”

“Oh, come now Cassandra, I don’t know the first thing about magic. Swords are specialty.” The old man smiled mischievously. “Many kinds if you remember.”

“Oh yes, I remember your specialty. Show off your sword skills, disappear for while, and show up when your weapon needs polishing. More often than not with more trouble than I want to deal with.” Cassandra put up her head in mock remembrance, placing a finger to mouth. “Remember last time? My magic tipped off that lich to your location, and my study dealt with the consequences.”

Cringing at the memory, Alan nodded in agreement. “Fine, we’ll talk out here. Amazing that you didn’t scare off Blank.”

“Amazing that the boy’s even traveling with you.”

“Alright, I get it. I’m on your bad list. Anyways, did you have a look at the book?”

At this Cassandra calmed down, allowing the conversation to turn away from her anger at the man. “”Yes, I did. It’s sealed by one of the most complex spells I’ve ever seen. Do you know what it is?”

“I have my suspicions.”

“And these suspicions are…?”

Alan looked off pensively. He didn’t want his suspicions getting back to Blank. Not until he knew for sure. Cassandra could be trusted though. Still, not even those that could be trusted were foolproof.

“He’s part of my circle,” he answered enigmatically, “So nothing at all on the book?”

“Someone doesn’t want it read. What’s your circle?”

“You haven’t pieced it together?” That playful look had come back to his face. “Maybe you’ll have it next time. Until then my lovely lady.” With a flourishing bow, Alan headed back to the entrance of the library.

“Yes, until then,” Cassandra whispered to herself, “I’ll be old and you’ll have aged not a day.”


* * *

The boy was amazing. Blank hadn’t ever seen a person so worried about his appearance. Of course, Blank was really only used to watching fisherman and fishmongers, so had little experience when it came to vanity.

As Janin finally came to the end of his grooming, and finally getting out a name, Blank was asked that which he didn’t want to answer. His skills.

He took the worn staff from his back, and prepared to show off his stuff. “I’m not that good, but I think I know enough.”

With that, went into one of his battle routines, imagining Alan was coming at him with his own staff. His moves weren’t horrific and he knew the basics. It was painfully obvious that he was no master. And it had nowhere near the flash of his future partner.

After a few moves he came to a close. Smiling awkwardly at Janin, hoping the boy wouldn’t look down too harshly on his lack of skill.

It was at this time that Alan also showed up from the inside of the library. “What did I miss?”

[Culix]

Jannin had expertly ignored Blank's display of unencouraging facial expressions as the former had grappled with both his first answer and his appearance. Not that this was difficult, of course; the lad had devoted the lion's share of his attention to these activities. He did, however, note his partner's somewhat awkward bearing and speech in the old man's absence. Guess I'm still overwhelming him, crossed his mind, thinking back to Blank's initially ill appearance. I thought he'd recovered, but I guess he needs more time. Oh, Jannin... he thought, with a sly smile and a shake of his head -- both of which Blank likely assumed were directed at him. Who'd have thought your bounty of power'd be such a curse when dealing with lesser beings...?

These thoughts and gestures frolicked through his mind and over his features just after the 'lesser being' before him made his self-assessment. Once Blank began the demonstration, the lad observed him with the air of a master -- he'd been working with conveying the impression on-and-off for the past week and was quite pleased at how convincing he'd gotten it. Behind the facade, Jannin was about as skilled at judging ability as he was at fighting. Or, for a more colorful analogy, as skilled as a chicken was at doing long division. Blank's movements, though lacking flair, at least demonstrated to a master that the youth had received some basic instruction. The bulk of the mage's staffsmanship knowledge came from observing. Specifically, observing himself in a mirror, as he worked out which maneuvers looked most impressive. Still, from what little he knew of actual combat, he could see his potential partner holding his own with those moves. Not bad, I guess. This could work.

Before he had a chance to share this opinion with the artlessly grinning Blank, the geezer returned. "Nothing you haven't seen before," Jannin answered the question cheerfully; though he'd simply meant Alan had watched his protege's displays before, this statement came off sounding rather pretentious. Particularly because of the words that followed: "But you're just in time for something important." The lad cleared his throat, and then announced, "I've decided Blank's gonna be my partner in the tournament," sounding for all the world like the whole thing had been his idea. He waited a moment, smiling all the while, for the no doubt ecstatic responses.

Regardless of these replies, Jannin turned away with a flourish and pointed dynamically. "Now!" he cried, "Onwards! To Lornius!" And then he was off, racing over the blades of grass toward that random spot on the horizon. It was a testament to his stamina that he could attain such a speed so soon after his taxing display. However, his endurance wouldn't carry him to his destination, as he'd decided to run in the opposite direction of the nearest port and, apparently, to circle the globe. With only the odd torch attached to the brick walls of Sereza to light his way, Jannin rushed away from the library -- and 'The Complete Book of Spells,' which lay alone and forgotten on a table -- with only one thought on his mind: Get ready, Thoracis. I'm comin' for ya!

[Lighthawk76]

Alan stood back calmly as he watched his companions partner finally announce his approval of Blank. He had been a little worried about leaving the two alone, thinking of the small slights that Janin could take from the smallest things. In Alan’s experience, those that fed easily off the golden platter of praise, drank just as easily from the dirty pipe of humiliation, sometimes a little too easily.

Either way, everything had apparently gone for the best. Janin was willing to take Blank as his partner.

Alan looked over at the young man, as the overeager mageling began running off in some strange direction. His face took on a somber expression and he began wondering just what he was about to do.

Was Blank ready for something like this? The LCC had made some of the most unknown faces on Althanas into household names. It had also driven others to insanity over their loss. It wasn’t something you did at the tip of your hat. Alan had his reasons for wanting to have Blank join. It was there that something could happen. If Blank was what he thought he was, then this would be the place for something to happen.

The only question was: who was Blank?

“We better get going,” the young man said to his old companion.

“Yes.” Alan turned than, making his way towards the inn they were staying at and farther on to the nearest port town. “Please be quick about getting Janin. We don’t want him getting too far off.” He turned back to Blank and gave him another mischievous grin.

Blank stared at him in perplexity. “You mean he’s…”

“Better run.”

Blank quickly began running after the boy, screaming his name and pleading with him to stop and turn around.

Alan simply smiled. It was the beginning of what hoped to be a good time and a good run in the LCC.

[INDK]

This thread does not have any real glaring weaknesses. Therefore, my complaints are going to seem quite nit picky. Please don’t let those comments give either of you the impression that I don’t think you are good writers, or that I didn’t like the thread. I just did, but to save a bunch of “oh it was very good!!” comments, I’m going to give you one generic good job on everything here, and then focus mostly on your weaknesses below. Congratulations on a thread well done.

Total Score= 67. Nice job guys! This is a really high score, especially given what a simple plot there was to this.

Introduction – 7 The only thing these introductions really lacked was a hook that made me think that this story was going to be a great one. Nothing here really drove me away, but it was just that your introduction didn’t have me wetting my lips in anticipation of the rest of the story. I think to an extent this was hurt by the fact it seemed you were presenting the relatively mundane plot of getting LCC partners. If Culix’s post had teased a bit more of the plot, this would have been a superb introduction. As it was, it was still good.

Setting – 6 You both could improve by working other story elements into your setting.

Strategy – 8 I like the way you guys thought out getting to join each other for the LCC. It wasn’t the world’s biggest problem but you solved properly, and I liked all the little touches, like Janin insisting defensively that he doesn’t need any other spells.

Dialogue – 7 Culix’s dialogue is very strong, Lighthawk’s is also good. The thing I really like about Culix’s dialogue is that it seems to be quite natural and emotive. Lighthawk, your dialogue never seems out of place, but notice how Culix does a good job of making his dialogue seem character specific. Also, another qualm I had was that Alan’s speech mannerisms changed depending on who was using him.

Character – 7 Culix, Janin is great. You do a great job keeping him from being too gimmicky. Lighthawk, I think you still need to flesh out your character a bit more.

Rising Action – 6 I’m not sure I really got the point of the interactions between Alan and Cassandra. They were well written, and some of your better dialogue Lighthawk, but I fail to see how they had anything to do with the plot.

Climax – 4 The climax of this thread was rather ho hum, especially because it was so predictable. Not really your fault, this thread was a prelude to further adventure, not an adventure in and of itself.

Conclusion – 8 These conclusions had me rooting for the characters. They were amusing in a very warm way.

Writing Style – 6.5 This is admittedly a minor thing, but Culix, please work on your punctuation. It is annoying to see paragraphs that aren’t formatted correctly. Yes its nitpicky, and I didn’t really take much off for it, but please fix that. Also, separate speech from different speakers into separate paragraphs.

Lighthawk, the only problem I see from you is misuse of commas. Check out this website ( http://annex.ncwc.edu/writing_lab/nc/handouts/setiv/prints/SETIV6P.html) for tips.

Wild Card – 7.5 Good work guys.

Spoils=

Lighthawk receives 600 EXP and 200 GP
Culix receives 600 EXP and 200 GP

[Thoracis]

Rewards added.

Culix is level one now. Congrats buddy!