What Wonders There Are {Mila}

[Morrigan Reid]

There was never really TOO much to Lycia. Morrigan had yet to see all of what the nation, or republic, had to offer, but as far as she could tell it was perhaps the simplest of them all. There were those strange, horrid monsters that kind sage had told her about, yes. However Morrigan had been fortunate enough to not actually come across them.

Though she had seen the damage said to be caused by them. She'd been to Worde and seen smaller villages, ravaged and abandoned, yet with so many valuables still left behind. Brigands would have taken those valuables. May even have resettled and fortified the village if they were confident no knights or mercenaries would come to deal with them. What she had witnessed was the result of mindless violence, with no discernible goal.

Still...was that really the case? The monsters were said to be undead, or believed to be so. At least the common ones. Yet the man had told her of gigantic spiders and other monstrosities. Surely those were not also undead, at least not all of them. So where did they come from? The “nether” was often to blame but, from Morrigan's experience, the nether was naught but a void. Nothing ever emerged from it...things were only taken.

Morrigan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her train of thought was ruined by that reminder. Here she was looking for meaning in the actions of monsters, when she nearly forgot about her own objective. Her people back home needed her mission to succeed. Raine needed her to succeed.

The raven haired druid opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. A small clearing, neither too far from the nearest village nor too close. There was the sound of the wind gently rustling the leaves and bushes, along with the chirps of birds and insects alike. Peaceful. The sounds of nature.

Morrigan focused her mind, separating it from her surroundings. From her emotions. Both things were obstructions to the pathways she needed to open. Her body was naught but a conduit. It could not come in direct contact with the void. Neither would her mind, nor her spirit.

Spreading her arms wide, she felt the call of the nether. The breath of the beast at the back of her neck. She felt it, and yet did not acknowledge it. Taking a strong step forward and pivoting, she formed a solid orb of raw nether in her palm, firing it at the nearest tree. The magic shot through the air, faster than a novice's Flux would fly, and cracked the bark upon impact.

No more time to think about strange beasts. No more time to think about her convent or her lost friend. Now was simply the time to train.

[Mila]

Another stop, another village. Mila had been traveling up and down Lycia in the pursuit of of knowledge. She wanted more information about the monsters that were supposedly ravaging the country side. More information on the supposed forest of baels. Yet for all of her searching she could not find any substantial information. Only rumors, whispers, and rude people telling her to mind her own business. She sighed softly and peered over her own journal. She was busy scribbling away at her notes. Trying to separate fact from fiction. She compared her prior notes of Vinland's indigenous monster population to that of Elibe's.

She had seen plenty of signs of monster activity. Raided homes, abandoned villages, dung, and monster tracks. But, no monsters. This worried the young sage. Monsters didn't actively hide. Many followed a sort of base instinct that relates to themselves. doogs and Gyliwig traveled in packs like wolves. Baels hid in the mountains out of sight and used their webbing to trap prey. Gargoyles flew in packs and also stayed in the mountains, unlike baels they were acive hunters. Sought and willingly raided human settlements. Where as Baels, doogs, and Gywilgi, usually struck whatever comes across their path. And the undead.. were undead. The reanimated corpses of humans. They had some intelligence but only in the presence of another stronger undead.

The sage sighed. She struck that sentence off of her notes. The undead were actually much smarter then she was giving them credit for. They appeared to have some sort of memories of their old lives. She had seen plenty of them wear armor and wield weapons of the highest caliber. She waited for the ink to dry before closing the book. There were simply too many things she did not understand about monsters and what made them tick. She shook her head. I need a break.

The sage got up, dusted off her plain cloak, and grabbed her tomes. She heard something. A noise. No, not just any noise. She knew this noise. The familiar slither, if she could call it that, of nether moving across the air. She heard Drei cast flux enough times to have the sound memorized by now. Mila had nothing else to do so she went to investigate the source of the noise. She gathered her things and started walking. She came across a woman in black who was casting against a tree. She waited patiently for the woman to finish. Mila knew nether magic required absolute concentration, lest the nether takes more of you then you want it to. Once, the woman was done with her spell, only then did Mila speak.

"Uhm.. hi?"

[Morrigan Reid]

Had Morrigan stopped to think about it, perhaps she'd be disturbed how comfortable she was with "the beast" breathing on the back of her neck. Maybe she'd question it. Then again, if she stopped to think about that whilst casting, there was a risk she'd lose something to the beast. It would bite into her and take a chunk of her being that she'd never have back yet again...at least in theory. Instead she acted as usual whilst casting: impartial. She paid no mind to the darkness that clung to her shadows, to her frame, to the very back of her mind. All her focus was on the nether she was channeling before her.

Another crack as a Flux bolt struck a tree, and Morrigan paused before taking a breath. Flux was a solid warm-up, good for establishing the connection between power source and conduit. However, before Morrigan could move on to advanced spells she was greeted by a young woman, roughly around her own age, with green hair dressed in a plain cloak. Morrigan took a deep breath, letting the connection slowly shut down, before smiling back at the young woman.

"Hello. Sorry I didn't acknowledge you sooner." It was not as though she couldn't communicate whilst using elder magic. That'd be just silly. It was more that she'd simply been too focused on her training. Morrigan carefully brushed a lock of hair from her face and cocked her head to the side a bit. The woman didn't seem appalled at the site of Morrigan's elder magic, so it didn't look like she'd have much drama to deal with on that front. "Is there something I can do for you?"

[Mila]

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry to have interrupted you." Mila responded to the woman's comment about not being acknowledged sooner. Mila understood that Nether magic took a great deal of time and concentration. With out it the caster steadily loses a part of themselves to the dark energies. She had seen this effect with Drei already. The young man was steadily losing his memories and it pained her to see him struggle with that thought. She couldn't heal his pain away. She had also seen this effect with her "uncle" back home. He slowly lost his self control to the dark. The only way he could cope with that loss was by drinking. Lots of drinking. Drinking until he passed out and couldn't hurt anyone.

This woman seemed to be rather experienced with Nether. Unlike the Drei and her deceased uncle. She seemed to have most of her wits about her. And much to Mila's pleasant surprise she was actually kinda pretty. The clothes were a bit different. But whom was Mila to judge. Mila had worn several mix and match pieces of clothes through out her life. She couldn't afford to be picky about her wardrobe. Not when there were more important things to buy like ink, quill, books, medicine, Food ect. Mila realized it had been a bit since either of them said any thing. Don't stand there like a foot stool.. say something.

"You..." Look really nice! Damn it. Focus. She cleared her throat.

"Sorry. You are pretty.. uhm good with Nether magic. Are you a Druid?"

[Morrigan Reid]

The young woman was polite and understanding, which relieved Morrigan. She didn't want to seem like she had intentionally ignored her, though she did wish she had been able to get a bit more practice in. Morrigan hadn't even begun to channel any real elder magic, like Luna, before this interruption. Regardless some company was...usually welcome, so she smiled gently nonetheless.

Morrigan blinked as the young woman stammered a bit. Perhaps she was shy? The druid could relate to that on some level. She wasn't exactly the most outgoing person either. However she did get her words out soon enough, revealing that she had at least some moderate knowledge of magic. She had even referred to Morrigan's casting as "Nether magic" over "Dark magic". Granted both terms were correct, the use of "Nether" or "Elder" over "Dark" belied a lack of prejudice and instead greater understanding of the true nature of such magic. More than the average, superstitious villager at least.

"A druid..." It was not a bad term. Certainly preferable to "witch" at any rate. "I suppose I am, yes, though I don't exactly use that word to describe myself. I've dedicated much of my life to the study, practice, and application of Elder Magic, and am more proficient with it than any other magic." Was Morrigan's full reply to her question. Her tone was gentle, rather than stern or "matter-of-factual". Perhaps a bit too wordy of a response, though? Even so, Morrigan would prefer to be seen in that view rather than merely being categorized as a "Druid".

"The fact that you asked is a little surprising. Are you a practitioner of magic as well?"

[Mila]

"I apologize if Druid isn't the right term. But, I don't really know what else to call you. The last druid I knew was my Uncle. And the other folks I know who practice Nether or Elder magic aren't nearly as skilled. I also haven't learned your name yet." She paused for a moment. She quietly studied the curious woman in black. Her clothes were different. Very different. She knew that the locals around here didn't wear anything like that. It was as if she wore colors of the raven with pride and sex appeal. To which Mila was pleased with. She liked seeing strong, smart, independent women whom weren't afraid to show off. Those are really nice looking gloves and the corset looks to be in good quality too. She especially liked the high boots and fancy stockings. She turned her head up to talk to the woman face to face. It probably wasn't best to be staring at certain body parts while the person is looking at you. A faint blush was on her cheeks.

"Let me fix that. Hello, I'm Mila. Traveling Sage and Researcher of monsters." She introduced herself in a casual manner. She pushed the ends of her cape over her shoulder showing off what she could of herself. She held out her hand so that the raven haired woman could shake it.

Mila's attire consisted of a short sleeved green tunic top. A simple leather chest guard that was worn over the tunic. The guard did a fantastic job at hiding her bust, and it kept her safe. She wore a simple pair of tight black pants and plain colored, calf high boots. She didn't look nearly as impressive as the woman in front of her. But this get up is what she had to wear whenever she went out to travel. Her nicer more fancier garb was tucked away in the far reaches of her bag. She did put far more effort into her hair and face then she did to her own clothes. Her hair was neat and in it's classic high ponytail. It was de-tangled, clean, and held together with it's signature clip. Her face was done up with some light make up and her nails were neatly painted.

"I specialize in Anima and healing magic."

[Morrigan Reid]

Oh dear, now she had the poor woman apologizing. In truth Druid really was a fine term, Morrigan was just...gah, why did she have to be such a stickler sometimes? "No need to apologize. Druid is a fine term." Hopefully they could end that at that. The fault really was Morrigan's but she didn't want to start an apology train. She'd...done that before, and it was as embarrassing as one could imagine.

What was more interesting was that she actually knew others who practiced elder magic. That was something that greatly interested Morrigan: how did mainlanders practice her craft? She'd never really had the pleasure of really discussing or comparing techniques or studies between herself and main-lander on the subject. Only her fellow sorcerers and sorceresses back home. Like...

No, don't go there again.

...Anyway. It seemed as though the people she mentioned were either not very skilled or otherwise occupied. Ergo: not here. And it would be rude to simply start asking about them, there may be a time for that in the future. Just as the woman brought up a good point she began to scrutinize Morrigan's attire. Why was she staring? Did it...did it stand out too much? She felt some heat rise to her cheeks but did not let herself shrink under the woman's gaze. There were plenty of elements from the types of clothing she wore back home, but she had hoped she made it look "mainland-ish" enough to not stand out. Then again she HAS been called a witch practically on sight. That should have been a sign. Ah well, she liked what she wore nonetheless. It allowed her to feel bold, and it was remarkably comfortable. More so than it appeared on first glance.

After her...observation? The woman introduced herself as "Mila", a travelling sage who specialized in nature magic and staff-work or the art of healing. Mila extended her hand towards Morrigan politely, which the sorceress took in her grasp, shaking it with a smile. "Well met Mila. My name's Morrigan, and I must say it's excellent to meet another practitioner of magic, regardless of specialization."

Morrigan was able to get a glimpse of what Mila wore beneath her cloak, and while she did not fixate on it, she remarked that the clothes seemed rather practical but still relatively fashionable. Besides, she was FAR more interested in the fact that this woman was a mage. Beyond that, even, was the statement that stuck out the most. "Monster...researcher? So you study those creatures that are said to lurk about Lycia?"

[Mila]

Mila shook Morrigan's hands and smiled. It was always nice to meet a friendly practitioner of magic.

"If I may. I really like you outfit. Your leather smithy must be very talented to craft something like your guard and boots." She digressed. She really just liked every aspect of Morrigan's clothes. The crow feathers were an unusual touch but yet they seemed to work with the whole attire. Mila understood the concept of themes and it seemed Morrigan had some sort of crow theme going on. Crows were wise animals. Often associated with death or change. Some were seen as messengers to the gods. It seemed very appropriate that a druid like Morrigan dressed the way she did.

"Yes, I do. Uhm I do do research on the monsters that roam the land. Not just in Lycia." She grabbed her bag and fumbled around until she found one of the research journals.

"There are even some that roam the newly discovered Island too. However those seem to be entirely different then the ones found on Elibe. I've.. been trying to figure out why that is." She flipped open to a page on doogs. On the left side of the book was a well drawn and well detailed drawing of the reddish doogs found on Elibe. The one of the right was a similarly detailed drawing of the Vinland one. With size differences, possible fur color combinations, and track patterns scribbled in the corners. She'd done many inspections on the dead corpses of monsters. She had seen how the living ones responded in kind. The Elibian ones and the Vinland ones had different temperaments. Sizes. Coat colors. She even theorized that they may have an entirely different magical component to them. Something closer to nature as in anima then the Elibe ones whom seemed to crawl from the essence of Nether magic.

"It's terribly dangerous but someone has to do it. Someone has to figure out how, where, and what these monsters are. My goal is to one day take what I have learned and publish a series of books. One for the academics and one for the common people. Hopefully the knowledge in them might save a few lives down the line." She glanced at the page and blushed lightly.

"I know that page looks like a huge mess but, it's a rough draft."

[Morrigan Reid]

After the handshake Mila...actually complimented Morrigan's outfit. Here she thought she disapproved of it or thought it strange, which would have been fine enough, but it was at least a small relief to hear that this was just the opposite. "Oh, why thank you. Back at my home there are a few talented tanners and leather smiths, I'm sure they'd be delighted to hear that a mainlander was impressed by their work."

Indeed. At the Convent those without magical talent took up other jobs to keep the community sustained. They were, honestly, far more important than any of the mages. Even the Council was nothing without them.

Mila had gone on to speak about the monsters, and she revealed that their ranges were not just restricted to Lycia, which...actually worried Morrigan a bit. At first she was led to believe they were just limited to Lycia, that the rest of Elibe was safe from them, but apparently Morrigan would be at risk of dealing with them in other nations. Of course her fear, as she quickly rationalized, was unfounded. She had yet to encounter any, even if she did genuinely believe in their existence.

That and she was undeniably interested in them. Her fears were positively tiny compared to her curiosity. Discovering the unknown, studying that which has yet to be explained, were the ultimate joys in being a practitioner of magic. Elder magic in question had a tendency to lead to such a path. Perhaps that was why those who walked that path found it impossible to turn back. Impossible not to lose themselves in the journey.

Mila mentioned something about an island after she searched her back for some journals. Vinland...yes, Morrigan had heard of it before. From sailors, on her trip to the mainland as well as on Gar's ship during that relief mission to the Isles. Mila opened her journal and held it out for Morrigan to read, so the druid leaned forward to get a better look. From what she could gather of her sketches it seemed as though some sort of monster, canid in appearance, roamed Vinland as well. It looked to be different from the creatures that wrought horror on the mainland, but the similarities were strong. A relation of some sort could be seen.

The sage spoke of her goal, aware of the risk, and Morrigan couldn't help but smile softly as she heard it. Morrigan could respect and relate to such a drive, especially since it entailed a thirst for knowledge. Her entire reason for even being on the mainland was a mission for knowledge as well. To spread the knowledge of her Convent, that they may enter Elibean society proper for the first time in centuries. To obtain knowledge of how magic is taught, studied, and practiced by the different schools and nations on the mainland.

And, of course, her personal mission. The promise she made to her best friend.

"For a rough draft it's not too bad, really." Morrigan spoke once she finished looking over the sketches, making eye contact with Mila once more. "And thank you for sharing. It's honestly quite admirable that you're willing to head this research into these monsters, but you must be confident in your abilities if you are willing to do so all whilst knowing the risk."

[Mila]

Mila blushed lightly at Morrigan's comment regarding her notes. The sage quietly shut the book closed and put it away. Mila wasn't quite used to praise from other people. At least not praise for her work, most praise she got was due to her battle abilities. Being able to heal or to blast an enemy to bits in the heat of battle usually earned her a few thank yous.

"Thanks. I know I've got more work to do regarding these monsters but I like to think i'm making good progress." Morrigan's inquiry regarding her skills with magic.

"Confidence is something I've been working on." She grinned sheepishly and scratched her head. The Mila of a few years ago wasn't nearly as confident as she was now. The Mila of Eturia would hide behind her books and try to keep to herself. Confidence in Eturia, especially during Kraft's purge, often lead to death. Or the death of other people close to you.

"I just hope once all the issues with Eturia and Lycia are settled my work is good enough for publishing. All of these wars and infighting has really put a hamper on my ability to travel and do research." She shrugged.

"So far Lycia seems to be the central hub for most monsters but I know there are more out there. Monsters I haven't seen or recorded yet. But, i'll get them one day." A girl's gotta have a goal. She thought to herself for a moment.

"It's a mix of confidence and trying to do what's right. These monsters of Elibe won't hunt themselves. If they aren't hunted then they are just going to end up hurting more people." She shrugged softly.

"I'm a bit curious though about you. Your clothes kinda give you away as being from somewhere else. But, your magic casting is so.. refined. It's like you've practiced it your whole life."

[Morrigan Reid]

Morrigan smiled, Mila appearing to treat compliments in a similar manner to how she herself did. It was rather endearing...at least one someone else did. That had to be good for Morrigan, yes? That aside it was still hard not to respect Mila's drive to understanding these monsters. When Morrigan thought on it more she realized that they hadn't been around for very long either. That just made it more impressive that there were brave men and women like her to seek out these strange, new threats in an attempt to understand them, rather than just eradicate them.

...Even if, in the long run, they did need to be eradicated: it was nice to see that there was a bit more sense to such violence.

Mila went on to briefly touch on the political struggles Lycia was currently dealing with, which...was a bit of a blank area for Morrigan. Oh she knew plenty about politics, the politics of her Convent that is. All she knew of mainland politics was almost predominantly what she had read. She knew their political structures and hierarchies, but was not entirely up to date with current events.

Etruria was a military threat to many of the other nations on Elibe, though. That much Morrigan did know. And skirmishes and war did make it dangerous to travel. However, after nodding in solemn silence, Morrigan couldn't help but giggle a bit. Mila was essentially complaining about threat of war being too dangerous to allow her to seek out dangerous monsters. It was ironic in a sense, and did not downplay the threat of either, but Morrigan still found it strangely humorous. She did hope Mila didn't think she meant to belittle anything she said.

"I do agree. Without confidence you would inherently lack the inner strength to stand up to these monsters..." Morrigan spoke up after Mila essentially reaffirmed her resolve. She agreed, and began to trail off in thought. Confidence not only in your abilities, but in your own success. Without that one would truly be weak. Goals cannot be attained if one truly believes they are incapable of attaining them. That didn't mean realism need be abandoned either. A balance of idealism and pragmatism...

"Hm?" Mila had spoken up again, making two clever deductions based on observations of Morrigan's apparel and casting. Rather than become embarrassed or shy away from the truth at all, Morrigan smiled softly and nodded. This was part of why she had come to Elibe, after all. To bring the Convent out from the shadows.

"You're right on both accounts, very astute. I come from the Western Isles, north of Jutes. I was born and raised there, in a community hidden deep in the forests and mountains. We call it 'The Convent', and for centuries, millenia even, we have been studying and practicing all forms of magic, passing down the fruits of our efforts for the coming generations, that they may become true archsages."

Morrigan took a few steps from Mila, headed towards a large stump. She sat down lightly, crossing her left leg over her right, and gave the space beside her a pat, gesturing for Mila to join her. "To that end, children are tested for their magical potential at a very young age. If they have the potential they are taught the basic theory behind all branches of magic, before their specialty is determined for them based on their natural talents towards one."

The sorceress paused, thinking her next words over carefully. In reality she could prattle on and on about the Convent, but that may not have been what Mila wanted. "I suppose things get complicated from there, but from my understanding the way the Convent teaches magic is very unique. Different from the mainland. That's part of the reason why I am here, to see those differences for myself. To learn what may not be known to the others at the Convent, that I may share that new knowledge with them."

"And also to bring the Convent out of the shadows. Our community has been almost completely isolated, even from the people of Jutes, for far too long..."

Those were two of Morrigan's reasons for being in Elibe, at least. Not all...but they were true nonetheless.

[Mila]

As Mila listened to Morrigan talk about her self the more she was mesmerized by this woman. She was fascinated with her life. It sounded something out of a story book. Or out of one of the stories her mom would tell her. She used to fill her tales about strong women and men who come from humble places and did good things in the face of adversity. Morrigan was a woman whom came from some secluded place in the isles, which studied magic, and now she was out in the world with noble intentions.

"Fascinating." Mila blurted out. She was looking at her with a face that was a mix of awestruck and joy.

"Absolutely fascinating." She realized what she was probably looking like and quickly composed herself.

"There are literally millions of different ways for one to learn and experience using magic. And your clan.. your Covenant seems to take one of the best and possibly one of the most extreme measures of learning. I couldn't imagine being in school for life." She shook her head.

"I barely survived the eight years in mine." She shuddered lightly.

"Typically here on Elibe, one has to enroll in a magical academy in order to learn magic. Enrollment usually starts at around age 10.. exceptionally gifted children maybe less. Depending on their craft.. money... status.. er.. education is usually until they are 18. At least that's how it was for me. School's here don't just focus on magic though.. they teach other things like writing, mathematics, history.. anyway.. there are other circumstances to learn magic.. Parents can pass the knowledge down to their children. Tutors to their students. Some folk just pick up the books and learn to cast by trial and error." She counted the ways on her fingers.

"I wish to learn more about your Convent. Heaven's above.. I can only imagine the vast amounts of knowledge and understanding of the craft." She suddenly had a very good idea.

"Say.. uhm.. would you be interested in a mage duel?"

Ooc- on hiatus until morrigan returns