Fantasy For my Family

[Ninja_Onions]

Gerza's sandals slowed their momentum gradually, before halting entirely. "The same field...", he exhaled, slightly winded from the faster than normal pace of movement. "Glad to see it how I left it." He chuckled slightly, touching the ground to find it similar in smoothness to when he resealed it. "Let's see if it can take another beating then." He pulled out many pieces of parchment and started writing sentences, as quick as his hands would let him. His pen strokes flew across the paper, almost like a cartographer making a map of words. After a few more minutes, he stopped, hand throbbing from the sudden activity. "Now this...this is a spell." He slowly started to read page after page of words, each sentence screaming past him in his head as he picked up his pace of reading. Each page that he finished emanated a soft glow that grew for each new page. The words...they're feeding each other. Like co-operative power sources. It's...incredible. Only mere words remained on the last page, which when finished set to glowing like the rest. They slowly moved, to stack over one another, so that each sentence overlapped many like it. ...! This is, they are amplifying each other even further by stacking upon themselves! Am...am I doing this? All this, power, this untapped potential...is me? Gerza blinked. And in that same blink, the papers spread, streaking across the ground leaving cracks and fissures in their wake, which slowly oozed a fiery substance from their bases. "That's...lava?" Gerza questioned. How deep do these cut into the earth? Wide eyed, he quickly sealed the openings with the very stone that ruptured from the ground, the lava slowly cooling at the surface. As the molten rock began to harden, Gerza fell back on his haunches, unsure what to make of the power behind this type of casting. "The only downside is that it takes paper to cast, or at least, wor-" Gerza stopped mid sentence. "The catalyst isn't what its written on, its the words themselves." He looked down, at his hands, then back to his backpack. What have I rediscovered? But more importantly, why do I want to... He slowly moved over to his bag, pulling out his pen and rolling it in his hand. Steeling his determination, he dipped it in ink, before super heating the tip. The wail of agony and pain resonated out from the field and towards the wilderness that expanded past that as it lasted. Gerza's form collapsed onto his rucksack, dropping his pen and passing out, the flesh on his inner arm slowly sizzling as the wound and ink began to slowly bleed and scab.

 

[HilgenHoffer]

Rudd's face resembled the war murals hanging from the walls as he approached the door. He put a single hand on the rice-paper door, puzzling over its design for a moment before sliding it open. The room inside was spartan; a bed, a window, a mat. Upon the mat, facing the window, he saw a muscled back draped with white hair. He stood in the doorway, hands at his sides, gazing down at the meditating figure as he waited to be noticed.

 

[Ixidor92]

There were a few woven pictures hanging on the walls. Valk sat cross-legged in front of the balcony, while his mother had one hand pressed against his back. She gave Rudd a smile as he entered the room.


"I'll leave you two then."


"Thank you mother."


The woman with long white hair left the room, silently closing the screen behind her. Valk turned his head just enough so that his mouth could be seen by Rudd


"Guards. Leave us."


"Milord?! But the visit--"


"Did I stutter?"


"No--milord."


There were footsteps from the hall as the shadows of the guards left the premises, leaving Valk and Rudd alone.


"I wasn't certain you'd actually come."


------------------------------


"What . . . is this?"


Aatron was standing several feet above the earth, riding on his naginata. Where the outpost had once stood, there was only a great trough plown through the ground. Whatever remained of the outpost were only small chunks of the wooden building. Whatever had made this was both large, and did not stop for anything

 

[Cyrionessa]

"I think...." Cerys used her claws to playfully pull him closer. "That you're stuck with me. I chose you and you made the mistake of not tucking tail and running away. So, now you're stuck with me. Forever." She turned her face to the sky in mock evil dramatics. "Mwahaha!"


----


Estelle was surprised as well. The odd creature was keeping up with her dancing as if it was a leisurely task. Granted, they weren't exactly doing the most vigorous dancing at the moment, but few kept up with her subtle movements. She paused. "A moment, please." She directed herself out of the dance floor and back over to the table. With a few muttered words and delicate hand movements, she created another Mr. Sunshine. "....go do some more looking about for me, will ya?"


The cat purred and nodded, jumping off the table and walking out the door. Estelle rejoined Jyterra on the dance floor a moment later. "Where were we?"

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax raised an eyebrow. "Turn tail? Run away? From YOU?" He mimicked her, throwing his head back and laughing. "Gahahahahaaaa! Why would I need to do that?" he asked. "I can't imagine why I'd need to flee from YOU. What's there to be afraid of?"


He seemed to have conveniently forgotten the fact that the first night they'd met, when he'd followed her into the deep forest, she'd had him pinned and definitively shaken.


-------


A cloaked figure strode slowly out of the forest, entering the clearing where a half-frozen pond rested, still and silent. His slightly hunched posture moved slowly and deliberately, and the withered hand that held a tall staff betrayed the man's age. He was old, very old, but also very powerful. He crouched at the water's edge, and with a wave of his hand collected some of the residual mana left behind by the man who had earlier covered the water with ice. "Hoho...interesting..." he softly laughed. "You seek to control it? It would appear it is time for me to finish what I started, all those years ago..." He rose, raised his staff, and brought it back down forcefully. A low rumble and cracking resounded as his magic forced the very earth to obey him, and several constructs of gnarled root and rough stone broke from the ground. He did not so much as mutter a single word of command: his mana had instructed them on what to do when he created them. Their bodies shifted and morphed until they resembled small humanoids, about four feet tall. Their bodies consisted of several rocks held together with twisted roots and clumps of dirt and clay. A single eye of translucent quartz sat in the center of their 'head', and they all collectively departed in the direction of the Neutral Grounds, their gait something resembling a monkey or small primate, propelling themselves with all four limbs.


Beneath the cloak, the old man smiled, satisfied with his work. In a way he knew this particular bit of maneuvering was needless: all he had to do was make his presence known, and Ryrax would come to him. Still, no harm in having a bit of fun in the meantime. Why rush when he has all the time in the world?

 

[HilgenHoffer]

Odom traced his fingers through the torn earth, lifted them to his nose, and breathed deeply. Mixed in with the wholesome smell of roots and growing things was a foul stench, like rotting eggs, but less sour and more burnt. His face wrinkled, and he brushed the dirt off on his soft leather boots. "Evil has visited here. Whatever we once knew, it took it with when it left." He looked in either direction, in an attempt to discern which direction the destroyer had come from, and where it went. The destruction was so neat and so final that it was difficult to tell.


-----


"I am no coward to hide when called. My father raised me with enough honor to heed my summons." He could not look the princeling in the eye, but he did his best to place his gaze where he imagined his eyes would be, on the other side of his head. Whether a man is your friend or your enemy, his father had told him, it is always worth the effort to look him in the eye.

 

[Ixidor92]

"That way."


Aatron was pointing towards Odom's left, still floating several feet above the ground


"I can see the darkness on the horizon . . . but what worries me is where it seems to be headed . . ."


The massive trench in the ground seemed to be heading towards the neutral grounds


-------------------------------------------


Valk gave an almost impercevable smile. It was could not be seen with his head turned, but he let it out none the less. Now was the moment of truth. This man held the answer to a question that had been burning since the match


"My mana channels are next to nonexistent right now. I can no longer release my artes with even a third of the power I used to. I have dismissed my own guards, and no one else is present. You could not ask for a better opportunity for revenge if it was handed to you on a silver platter."


Now . . . what will your answer be?

 

[HilgenHoffer]

Rudd almost spat, but he had always found the gesture distasteful. "Striking an enemy when he is weak is not vengeance. That is only spite. Defeating an enemy at his strongest, in a fair fight--that is proof of victory. That is the only vengeance worth seeking. Now speak your piece or let me go--I did not come here to be taunted.


-----


The destruction was so complete that Odom had to leave its impact to find a suitable instrument. "We must warn the families." He waited patiently for a moment, and then his arm struck the air, returning with a small wren cupped gently in his hand. He set it down, whispering to it softly as he scrawled out a note and tied it to its leg with some stray grass. He lifted it to the sky, and as he gave it a slight push into the air, he gave it a farewell with a surge of mana that fueled its wings with a grand momentum, speeding it towards the neutral grounds. He then found another supple branch, pulling it to his feet as he had so often on this journey. "We should hurry," he said, looking to Aatron in the sky before being slung towards the horizon at an impossible speed.

 

[Cyrionessa]

Cerys' tail twitched and her ears flattened. In an instance, Ryrax was flat on his back with the cat-like woman on top of him. "...now, this seems familiar...." A grin covered her face. "Ah. I do believe it was when we first met that I had you pinned down and shaking in your boots!"


----


Mr. Sunshine trotted along, ignoring the cat girl and the wild man outside the door. Where to wander tonight? The cat stopped short as he smelled something in the air. There was a mana in the air that he definitely did not recognize. In a flash, his paws began to take him out towards the forest, unsure of what he was about to find.

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax was caught flat-footed by the sudden attack, so it took him a moment to regain his wits. "Eheheh...Okay, fine. But that was the cat, not the woman, that had me worried, so cut me some slack, eh?" A familiar, devious glint crept into his eye. "Besides, I'm gettin' better. Last time I was pretty helpless, I'm sorry to say, but...not so much, anymore."


In an instant he rolled over, turning the tables on Cerys. "Hey, lookit this. Who's got who pinned, now?" he asked teasingly.


-----------


The constructs, five in total, rushed through the dense forest with ease. No bramble or branch could impede their progress. It did not take them long to reach the near edge of the forest. The Neutral Grounds lay not far off from there. However, before they could leave the cover of the trees, they spotted a glowing cat approaching. They observed in silence and stillness, their faintly-glowing single eyes of quartz staring unblinkingly at Mr. Sunshine.

 

[Cyrionessa]

Mr. Sunshine stopped short, all of his senses tingling. This mana that he could smell seemed so dark and rotten. He likened it to rotting eggs. A few seconds past as he debated whether to move forward or not or report back to Estelle. After a few more seconds, he decided that although he wasn't a coward, he wasn't stupid either. His four legs turned tail and took him back towards the Vejta estate as fast as they could carry him.


----


Cerys looked amused, like at any moment she could break his grip and put him back on bottom. "Who's pinned goes to the one of us who puts in the least effort. I'm feeling lazy tonight, but..." She lifted her face up towards for a moment before using her flexibility to throw her legs up around his neck from behind. The strength of her legs, which were honestly the strongest set of muscles in her body, pulled him downwards and she rose up against the hands pinning her down. "Maybe I'll put in a bit more effort and see how it pans out."

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax grinned, as though he'd once again been caught off guard, he hadn't taken his grip off of her wrists. He pulled his arms, and thus her arms, out to the side. As his arms were longer than hers, he easily stretched her arms taught out horizontally, which forced her body against his. "Y'know, a pin isn't so much who is on top, as who is disabling who," he noted. "Especially when you're dealing with someone like me," he added as he rose a few feet into the air. For Ryrax, with his control of telekinesis, up and down (and thus top and bottom) was all-but meaningless. "Oh, think you could let go? I'd like to breathe," he said with a little difficulty as her legs were still around his neck. Of course, if she let go, the only thing holding her in the air would be Ryrax's hands on her wrists.


----------


Realizing they had been detected, one of the constructs made the executive decision that Mr. Sunshine had to be eliminated. It aimed its 'hand' at the cat and from it shot forth several spikes of darkness, roughly the size of railroad spikes (if this world had railroads). Many of them fell short, spearing the ground and dissipating in seconds. One, however, founds its mark, squarely in Mr. Sunshine's back.

 

[Cyrionessa]

The cat shuddered when it hit and felt the darker mana attempting to deconstruct his form. Realizing he might not be able to out-run whatever these things were, he elected for an emergency dissipation. He undid the very fibers of his being and allowed the tendrils of light that had created him rush away faster than any being in this universe could move. Once all of the interweavings of his body were dissolved, the light rushed back towards the Vejta hall.


----


"....put me down, and you can breathe." Cerys was perfectly aware of her precarious position. For extra incentive, she squeezed her legs more. "I'm not letting go till you put me down."

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax growled a little as they drifted away from the Vejta area and out into the grassy fields between the forest and the Neutral Grounds. "Grrrr...we're barely four feet off the ground, just leggo...so what if it's a fall as tall as you are," he teased. "Gack...you know...I wouldn't be complaining about bein' in between your legs if it were higher up..." he quipped.


--------


"Oho," the old man laughed. He was watching the events through the eye of one of his constructs. "Nice trick, little light kitten. Where are you going off to, I wonder...your master, perhaps?" he mused with a small smile of interest on his lips. "I wonder who it is?"

 

[Cyrionessa]

Cerys reddened and her legs dropped. Her cat eyes glared at him with mild irritation as she hung from her wrists. "You'd better not drop me. I'm still hurt, ya know. You don't want to make it worse, do you?"


----


The light flew into the Vejta, though most didn't notice them at all. Estelle was dancing still since the night was still young. She was actually feeling enlivened, like her mana circuit was being healed faster than usual. Was it that estus drink perhaps? Did it speed recovery? She was about to ask Jyterra when the streams of light flew between the two of them, then slammed into her chest.


In an instant, she saw the memories of her construct. She smelled the rotten smell of the dark mana. She felt the stabbing pain when the dark spear hit Mr. Sunshine's back. She felt her knees go weak as she felt the power of this dark aura. This was no ordinary mana riser was it? A couple of seconds later, she shakily walked over to the table and sat down.


"....we've got a problem."

 

[Twizinator]

Silia and Mythia, who had been idly chatting, stopped at Estelle's sudden arrival and comment. "What do you mean?" Mythia asked curiously.


"Yeah, what's up?" Silia added in between bites of a whole baked potato. It was currently half-consumed in her hand.


---------


The guilt-tripping was super effective and Ryrax lowered them to the ground. "Alright, alright, yeesh..." His descent was gentle and his grip slackened until they landed, when he let go entirely. A smirk returned to his face when he saw her blush. "Oi, oi...yer not embarrassed are ya? After a little comment like that? I mean, first night we met I was lickin' yer chest clean, so why turn red now?" he teased.

 

[Ninja_Onions]

Gerza awoke and pain immediately shot through his entire left arm. With a wince, he lifted it and looked down at the bloody scars made of ink, slowly scabbing over. Bandages. I need bandages. If this get's infected, I can kiss even more years of my life away, all of them to be precise. He stood shakily, the pain leaving him winded as he hobbled over to his pack and took out some gauze. As he began to wrap his arm, pain exploded through the scar, and most of his mind at this point, but he needed to finish to keep it sanitary. D-Done. Agh. Whatever made me decide to do this in the middle of, well, almost nowhere, hopefully has learned that remedial pain killers are a necessity for something like this. After the bandage was complete and tied off, he flexed his arm to see how much motion he had left. The response was a sharp pain, that quickly subsided, but he could still use his arm. I know it's soon, but...I have to test it, now. He thought, motioning himself back towards the barren and dusty land. He concentrated, willing his mind to read the words subconsciously in hopes that it had succeeded. His arm began to glow where the words had been written. Just concentrate, concentrate on whatever it is you want to do. Then...release. Gerza's eyes shot open, and as he did so, the ground below him visibly compressed downwards, leaving a sizable crater along the dusty earth, at least a foot or two deep. He blinked, looking around to see what he had done. I had only wanted to put a small hole in the ground, but this... He looked down at his arm, the glow slowly fading. I need to be getting back, I've been out here for quite some time I would guess, and people are probably wondering where I am. Gerza felt a twinge of loneliness overcome him as he finished his thought. At least, I hope they are... His head drooped a little as he gathered his things, putting the pack on his back, and slowly started out towards the Neutral Grounds, his left arm faintly glowing through the bandages as he walked.

 

[Cyrionessa]

"...that was...different...." Cerys winced visibly at that comment. "I wasn't entirely myself. I was a primal monster who has primal urges that satisfies herself in whatever way she feels is correct. That is not me, though...." The thought of that night brought a little of the Demon Cat into her eyes, flickering just beneath the surface. Suddenly, she felt like hunting. Pair hunting with Ryrax. And she knew this was a really bad idea.


----


"I send out light constructs as scouts to make sure nothing going on is harmful to the gathering here." Estelle put one hand up to her chest and withdrew the same beams of light that had just come back to her. They were discolored, heavily tinged with some sort of dark aura. "....this darkness that attacked my light construct is a high level mixture of powerful, corrupted mana artes. Something close by created this. I'd rather not risk having something like that around honestly..."

 

[MControl]

"Ooh! Thats soul energy! And its a pretty nasty soul at that." Jyterra says, popping up almost directly behind estelle. "Estellle, why did you never say anything about being able to use souls? I thought I was the only one who could!"

 

[Twizinator]

Mythia's eyes widened in horror. "What the hell...?" She wondered aloud. "You're right, this IS bad. Do you know where that was encountered?" She asked. If Estelle knew when and where her construct had been attacked, they could try tracking the assailant.


Silia, meanwhile, tilted her head at Jyttera's comment. "You...can use souls? What do you mean?"


-----------


"I see, I see..." Ryrax scratched his chin sagely. "So...that's not you...then who are you?" he asked, a more profound question than what one would expect from Ryrax. "What do YOU want?"


---------


The golems, heeding their orders to search, spread out and began making their way slowly and quietly through the plains. One of them spotted a young man with a faintly glowing arm.


"What...?" The old man said from his throne. "Interesting. Is that what I think it is...?"


The golem following Gerza crouched low to the ground, slowly stalking up to the man on all fours. Its quartz eye stared intently at the man's glowing and bandaged arm. It had orders to investigate that arm in close proximity - disabling its owner if necessary.

 

[Ninja_Onions]

Gerza trudged along, still slightly upset from the thought that had run through his head. I mean, they would have to wonder where I was, right? They're my friends...at least, I hope they are... His feet shuffled as he headed toward the Neutral Grounds. He slowed as he thought he heard a noise in the brush behind him. "Hmm?" He turned to see what could have made the noise behind him. As he turned, a golem made of roots, stone, and darkness standing up and beginning to run towards him on all fours, much akin to a primate. Gerza's eyes were as big as dinner plates as it slowly closed the distance. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. It's going to maul me. 300 meters. I'm dead, I'm already dead and can't think anymore. This isn't happening. 200 meters. Gerza's arm slowly raised as he panicked. Wh-what's going on? What is... 100 meters. Why does my head, oh god it hurts. It...it... As the golem leapt at Gerza, his eyes shot open, but instead of eyes, he had black pits with white dots for the irises. "DESTROY" As if on queue, his arm's glow intensified ten fold, the rock around Gerza shot up, throwing the golem back, then amalgamating together to form an incredibly dense sphere of earth, before launching it at the golem as it stood, embedding it deep in its chest. "IMMOLATE" The rock slowly began to super heat, before combusting, then exploding, sending pieces of the golem in every direction. Gerza stood there, unwavering, breathing deeply as his eyes began to fade back to their normal shades. His arm fell to his side, as he moved his other one up to his head. "Agh! My...my head. What happened? I...I need to lie down, my head is killing me." Gerza said, his legs shakily moving him back to the Neutral Grounds, while the remains of the golem slowly burned themselves out around him.

 

[MControl]

Looking at Mythia quizzically, "What do you mean, 'what do i mean'? I can manipulate and use souls, the condensed life-essence of a being." Pulling out a large, black soul from a special pouch on his waist, he says, "Fell ones have quite a lot of power, making their souls quite useful for my experiments and research." The 'soul' produced small waves of wrongness that Jyterra seemingly ignored, before being placed back into his pouch. "Who are you anyway? I don't remember meeting you, and I don't believe you were at the party..." As if suddenly remembering why he had been so happy just a moment ago, he rushed over to Estelle. "Oh, its so nice to finally meet someone else who uses souls! I always wondered what a person with actual talent with mana could do with souls, but everyone just ignores them." All but bouncing in happiness, Jyterra was like an excited puppy as he asked his questions. He had always assumed that no one had any interest in souls, or that their use was looked down upon by others, which is why he had never really let anyone else know how he created his artifacts of power.

 

[Cyrionessa]

"....I don't know...." Cerys didn't look at Ryrax. "I really haven't thought about what I want in a while..." She sighed slightly. "I've just been living day to day, moment to moment, just trying to enjoy my life as best as I can."


----


"....Jyterra, I do not use souls of other creatures." Estelle raised an eyebrow at the eccentric mana riser. "Each piece of light that I manipulate for my constructs are pieces of my soul." She turned her eyes back on Mythia. "Back to more important matters, we need to go deal with whatever created this darkness." She then looked around for a moment. "....where are our two love birds?"

 

[Ixidor92]

They came ages ago, bringing mankind to its knees. The fell ones, creatures of blood and night, who sought nothing more than the destruction of all living creation. For decades humans fought against this menace, and for decades they lost ground. Then it surfaced. The power known as mana. Humans learned to harness the primal energies within their bodies, and became "Mana Risers". These first risers finally stopped the endless tide of fell ones. As the generations continued, humans stopped trusting in technology. The bloodlines of whose with strong mana were becoming more evident, and producing more powerful mana risers. In time, separate families, each with their own ideals of how mana should be utilized and what it means to be a mana riser, have risen to power. These five families watch over the world, protecting it from the fell ones. However, they inherently distrust each other, believe other mana risers to be improper at best and downright primitive at worst. Two centuries ago, the rift between families descended into outright war. Only through the emergence of a fell one more powerful than anything ever seen were the families able to unite under a common cause. Since that day, a gathering has been held between the major families every three years. This gathering is a place where the leaders can discuss peacefully between each other, and the more competitive-minded risers can fight each other in an acceptable setting without igniting open war. Now, the eve of the next gathering has begun, and the young mana risers ready themselves for competition . . .


Mana


Mana presides in some small capacity within all living creatures. Through generations of arranged marriages and training, humans have cultivated a much greater capacity for mana than other species. This mana is cultivated in the use of "Artes", powers that channel mana through the user's body and even the elements.


-Mana soul: This is the center "pool" of a riser's mana. It is the source from which all their mana flows. Once someone's pool has run dry, they must rest to let it replenish. Someone with a larger Every creature has a set sized mana soul at birth, and nothing can increase its capacity during life. Some mana risers in the past have tried to do so . . . some took it too far and were expelled as a result.


-Mana circuit: The body has many systems to operate properly. The circulatory system carries blood. The nervous system gives commands from the brain. The mana circuit allows mana to flow from the mana soul throughout the body. While the soul determines how much mana a riser has in reserve, the circuit determines how much mana can be released at once, and how quickly it can be utilized. Unlike the soul however, the mana circuit can be trained and improved. Most simply train at a basic level, increasing how much mana can flow through their circuits. Those with exceptional skill regarding the mana circuit can actually create additional routes throughout the circuit, lessening the time to shape large amounts of mana. At birth, most risers have either a highly effective circuit OR a very large soul, but not both. This is primarily a defense mechanism for the body.


-Shaping and utilizing mana: Mana is channeled through the body from the soul via the circuit. This travels to where the riser is utilizing their Artes, and then the mana must be shaped. The more mana utilized, the longer shaping takes. Someone with additional circuit channels can do this faster.


-Forms of mana: when one uses mana, it must take form to have an effect. Usually, it remains inside the riser's body, and has an internal effect. When released, it is in one of two forms. Either it is channeled through some natural element (fire, earth, etc) or it is in a raw form known as Aether. Aether looks different depending on who utilizes it, and most riser's give off a cloud of Aether when channeling large amounts of mana.


Artes:


Artes are the name given to mana given form by a riser. There are several different categories of Artes, and just as many kinds of specialties within them. The primary three categories of Artes are below, along with some ideas for what different levels of training can do.


Flow Artes: Flow artes focus only on channeling mana through the riser's actual body. A master of flow Artes has physical ability beyond superhuman, capable of defeating an entire army with his bare hands. Nearly every single riser practices flow Artes to strengthen their bodies, and several choose to focus on their practice. This is because flow Artes are often considered the most reliable form of Artes.


-Base abilities: Increase the body's basic strength and agility, toughen one's skin to block blunt metal.


-Moderate abilities: Dash several feet in a second, lift easily twice your own weight, block bladed metal, increase your natural healing.


-Master abilities: Move so fast you appear to be teleporting, withstand a building collapsing, regenerate lost limbs.


Burst Artes: Burst Artes are often thought of as the most powerful techniques used by a riser. This is not entirely untrue, but there are some falsehoods to the claim. When one talks solely about power, burst Artes are indeed the most powerful form of Arte. This is a single, momentary happenstance caused by a release of mana by a riser (think Goku's kamehameha wave). However, burst Artes are also the most inefficient in terms of mana use. They require a massive amount of mana to pull off usually, and once the effect is finished, there is usually no lasting mark upon one's opponent. It is a very "all-in" style of Arte. Several risers will utilize burst Artes, but very few choose to train specifically in their practice.


-Base abilities: Push small objects with the force of mana, create a small construct out of a particular element, strike someone with a small bolt of Aether roughly equivalent to a punch.


-Moderate abilities: Create a large force of your elemental affinity. Release a torrent of destructive Aether. Create a telekinetic shockwave.


-Master abilities: Release so much Aether it is dangerous for anyone in the area, not just the intended target. Summon the force of an avalanche, release the tide of a river, create a vortex of air with the strength of a tornado for a few seconds.


Mystic Artes: Mystic Artes are the most complicated of the Artes. This is because such Artes involve actively shaping the elements around a riser's body with mana. Several risers never attempt to to learn these Artes, as they don't see them worth the time to learn them, but those who do often devote their entire lives to mastery. Of the three Artes, Mystic Artes are the most difficult to achieve high-level Artes, but are universally accepted as some of the most powerful techniques.


Base abilities: Manipulate the elements immediately around your body, such as air or heat.


Moderate abilities: Coat your figure in the element of your affinity, increase the natural healing of another, deflect Artes within a few feet of yourself by mana pressure alone.


Master abilities: Fly, disrupt another's mana circuit by dispersing your own mana within through touch, create an arena of your elemental affinity, coat yourself in an element besides your affinity.


The five families:


The majority of mana risers fall under the banner of five extended clans. Each of theses clans has a "head name" within them, that are the purest descendants of the original founders of the clan. The leaders of these families are so powerful that they can could stop an entire fell one incursion by themselves. This also means that they have the ability to keep unruly members of their clan in line, should the need arise. Each family has different focuses when it comes to Artes, as well as different ideals on what it means to be a riser.


-Trevastos: If any clan could hold right to be the most influential among the risers, it would probably be the Trevastos. They are the oldest of the clans, dating its founders back to when humanity was still trying desperately to survive. They focus on flow Artes, and firmly believe that Artes without a strong body to back them up are worthless. As such, every single member of the Trevastos family, regardless of Artes or mana affinity, is taught the ways of hand-to-hand combat. On the battlefield, the Trevastos clan is brutal, ripping apart fell ones with their bare hands. Most members focus entirely on flow Artes, with a few burts Artes for good measure, believing in their own body's strength.


Head: Erin Trevastos. This man is so physically capable he once punched his way through a mountain to reach battle, stating that going over the damn thing would take too long.


-Naejor: Where the Trevastos train their bodies and focus on physical combat, the Naejor are the philosophers of the clans. They are the only clan that chooses to focus on mystic Artes rather than the others. Masters ensure to teach discipline before anything else when training young risers. The result is a clan of very disciplined and calm individuals, who fight only when it is called for, not because they wish to do so. They often view the other clans as someone barbaric, focusing too much on battle to realize what mana risers should truly be. Members focus on mystic Artes, usually to the exclusion of all other Artes, though a good number do at least learn the basics of flow Artes.


Head: Varu Naejor. A man who almost always has a cowl over his head and has revealed his face to a select few. His control of mystic Artes is so great that he can supposedly manipulate an entire structure.


-Maveret: The Maveret clan identify closely with the the Trevastos, focusing on flow Artes. However, they choose to adopt the practice of channeling mana through weapons, resulting in more than a few focusing on mystic Artes as well. Every Maveret has a weapon they hold close, and is worth keeping at the cost of their life.


Head: Tirium Maveret. Tirium is a woman of great beauty and skill. She is known to carry a blade only a few centimeters thick, but several meters in length, which she wields like a whip. She also is capable of effectively using any weapon that is known to mankind.


-Aatron: The Aatron clan are scions of the elements. They focus on the manipulation on the base elements, focusing on their affinity and then moving to other elements. They are the only clan that focuses on burst Artes, creating massive bolts of lightning, torrents of flame, and avalanches of rocks.


Head: Keshel Aatron. Keshel is an avatar of the wilds. His natural affinity is water, but despite this he has perfect control of all the natural elements of the world.


-Vejta: The Vejta are sometimes seen as the outcasts of the primary clans. This is because unlike the other clans, they do not primarily consist of extended families loosely connected by a common ancestor. They instead have a core family, and then the majority of the Vejta family members are from other places. Some are outcasts from the other main families, others are mana risers who have come out of seemingly normal families. The Vejta believe that diversity and the following of one's own path is strength, and therefore specialize in no specific types of Artes.


Head: Yuri Vejta. Yuri is a man of exceptional skill in seemingly all kinds of Artes. His only weapon is a chain wrapped around his arm. This chain is noted to be much heavier than one would normally expect.


Fell ones:


Dark creatures of blood an night, fell ones crept from the dark corners of the world. Most of the time, they have the base form of some creature that once lived on earth, but are deformed with mutations meant to kill. Black skin coats their bodies, while red veins and claws add texture to their appearance. Fell ones have been classified roughly over the centuries.


-D class: D class fell ones are barely more dangerous than wild animals. Mana risers with any modicum of skill can take these creatures down, to the point where even children have been known to destroy them. More often than not, these are left to capable warriors that aren't risers.


-C class: C class fell ones are the bog standard among the ranks of their corrupt kind. Any fairly skilled riser can take out one fell one by themselves. More often than not, these are used as trials for risers in the early stages of their training. C class fell ones usually travel in packs, almost always with a B class in their midst.


-B class: B class fell ones are the fell ones that actually start to cause worry to mana risers. They usually take on the form of large creatures, but have so many mutations they are barely recognizable. A highly skilled mana riser can take one of these out, but more often than not it takes a team. Unprepared or unskilled risers are in definite danger of being killed by a B class.


-A class: This is the danger zone as far as fell ones go. A class fell ones are monstrous in their power, able to use something similar to Artes, but much darker. They also seem to possess some kind of alien intelligence. If a team of highly skilled risers doesn't organize, one of the clan leaders usually has to step in to take care of these monsters. This is often the case, as A class fell ones usually travel with three or four B class fell ones, along with an entire legion of C class fell ones. A class fell ones aren't isolated attacks, they lead armies of fell ones to battle mana risers.


-Tyrant: two centuries ago, when the clans of risers were at war with each other, a fell one of such immense power rose that it could not even be considered A class. Three clan leaders died in the assault to destroy this creature, and the legions of fell ones took even longer to destroy. No creature of this strength has been seen since then, by the good graces of whatever gods exist. It has since been referred to only as "tyrant" for the chaos it caused.


Not much is known about the fell ones. They dissipate after they are killed, regardless of size or strength of attack. They form far away from the civilized lands, and come to kill all living creatures. Most of earth's life besides humanity has perished by now, merely a snack for this force. They possess some kind of attribute similar to mana, but it corrupts all it touches. This is known from the wounds fell ones inflict, creating an orange tint on the skin and attacking at the mana circuit. High level fell ones can use something akin to Artes, releasing a blood-red form of Aether. However, why they move and what they are born from is not known, nor do most families care at this point.

 

[Ixidor92]

Ixidor92 updated For my Family (Reboot) with a new update entry:


For all interested . . .

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