[History] A Lesson Learned

Bracken takes to her final Initiate examination in the Order of Battle

Tviyr was the first boundary to be created when Fellsgard was freed from Bhelest. There is a diverse magnitude of adventurers that trek through this countryside. Decorated with grassland, coastline, forest, and jungle, it's quite the vision. Read more...
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Bracken Olivefrost
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The Blade of Glass
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[History] A Lesson Learned

Post by Bracken Olivefrost »

The flowing shift of the canopy was deafening in the silence of Bracken's mind. Her thoughts were not quiet themselves, the small voice of measured consideration had not stopped talking since she woke this morning. Yet, where there was supposed to be confidence, serenity, and purpose she found only a dreadful echo of nothingness.

'Perhaps this is what it meant to fear the self, as Master Lyrium had always said,' she felt the thought come unbidden and could not refute it. She was to take her final test, for the final time. So many attempts, so many failures, and today she would prove herself or be dismissed. She became aware of her heartbeat growing faster, pounding away at her resolve like a thundering storm tearing at a frail farm door.

"Initiate Olivefrost, your bout is to begin," an Instructor repeated, the words cutting through Bracken like a chill wind as their tone vibrated on the edge of annoyance for having had to say anything twice to a student.

Bracken shook herself minutely, trying to still her inner demons as she had been taught. Then, with a fortifying breath, she rose from her kneeling position and gave Instructor Marynes a half bow. Without truly waiting to see if she received the nod of acceptance, she turned to stride gracefully into the sparring ring while her eyes bore into the soil just ahead of her feet.

"Welcome, Initiate, to your examination. You will prove to me your competence and be elevated," Master Gyrtu began, her words rote and calm as she looked over Bracken with a kind smile.

"Thank you Master, I hope that I may impress," Bracken offered back, giving the Ue'drahc a deep bow of her head before lifting her gaze. It was not the first time she had stood across from the caring draconic woman, and if the Idols were willing it would not be the last. A powerful mage and deft blade user, Master Gyrtu had captivated Bracken when she first arrived at the Order of Battle's enclave. As the years had progressed, Bracken's deep respect for the Master of the Empty Vessel had only grown.

"I regret to remind you, Initiate, that this is your final opportunity," Master Gyrtu said, the pain in the words marring her usually cheery voice. "Leave nothing behind, show me your finest work," she added afterwards, hopeful warmth filling her eyes.

Bracken became very aware of the intense stares of all the other initiates. She was the last to perform her trial, an event that came only once a year to capture the entire Order's attention. She was also the first in memory to have taken all the admissible attempts, having not yet proven herself to have the necessary potential in any of the Schools of Battle.

Bracken nodded sharply and pulled forth her practice blade from the simple loop at her back. Weapon drawn, she took a ready stance and turned her focus inward to encompass only the sparring ring. 'Know the battlefield, know the self, know victory,' sure spoke the mantra in her mind and felt everything but the battle fall away.
Last edited by Bracken Olivefrost on April 5th, 2021, 2:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Word count: 524
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Bracken Olivefrost
Character
The Blade of Glass
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01
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Race: Shapeshifter and Human
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Posts: 15
Joined: November 9th, 2020, 5:12 am

Re: [History] A Lesson Learned

Post by Bracken Olivefrost »

"Good, your form is always impeccable," Master Gyrtu called as she brought her own practice blade up into a strong guard. "Begin," she barked out a moment later, instantly stepping to the side intending to circle Bracken.

The Master's words were like lightning for her muscles, bringing life and motion by reflex more than thought. Bracken entered a familiar counter circle, her steps short and smooth, ensuring she did not lose any balance as she ensured her opponent could not move outside her forward arc.

A few steps in, before she had completely turned away from her starting stance, Bracken darted forward with her blade high. The crack of wood meeting was thunderous but the two combatants had already separated before the sound faded, each returning to a guard stance.

"Firm, quick, precise. Again," Master Gyrtu called with a small smile on her lips as she shifted her guard to her outside. Bracken obliged, bringing her blade across in several quick strikes, bouncing from side to side high and low. Each time her weapon reached it was for an unprotected area or one that would force her Master's guard to overextend.

The rapid series of clacks ended with Bracken stepping back with her guard high, ready to intercept or redirect a counter strike from a safe stance. Master Gyrtu's blade went out wide, an open stance inviting her Initiate to test her. "You have stopped attempting to overcompensate with speed on your weak side, good. Again," the Ue'drahc said with clear appreciation.

Bracken took the invitation, feeling the familiar rush of amazement as Master Gyrtu's blade came across fast enough to whistle through the air. The counter was far from all speed, the strength behind it testing Bracken's grip fiercely in both power and angle. She held though, twisting her wrists and core to bring the edge back under control just in time to catch the follow through strike.

"Perhaps another hundred years," Master Gyrtu offered in her usual false mockery. "You still rely on your swept foot too slowly, press down more firmly and you will return faster," she explained, nodding her head towards the offending limb.

"Thank you Master," Bracken answered dutifully, doing her best to ignore the faint sheen of sweat attempting to bead into her eyes.

"Now then, onto the true test. Show me your arcana," Master Gyrtu prompted, bringing her sword back to a central guard and taking a long stride back. Bracken felt her fears threaten to rise again and she clamped down on them brutally.

"As you say, Master," she said to further drown the anxiety, flexing her fingers briefly before placing them into a particular arcane configuration.
Word count: 445
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Bracken Olivefrost
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Re: [History] A Lesson Learned

Post by Bracken Olivefrost »

Master Gytu's eyes flicked to Bracken's hand for an instant and she nodded. "You've selected to demonstrate the abjuration of the Empty Vessel," she stated calmly, though a flicker of a smile showed at the edge of her lips. "Do you hope to earn favor by selecting my school?"

Bracken didn't answer with words, instead she looked deep inward to the power welling within her. With a well-practiced exertion of her will she drew forth her magic, guiding it through her body by the shift and balance of her fingers. Along its path it changed from energy to power, something to force changes on her surroundings. It reached her fingers, and her will became reality.

A shield flickered to life as a thin shimmering shell of barely-visible force around her body. It would halt or absorb any blow fast enough to harm her but do nothing to hinder her own magic or blade. Bracken let her hand relax, adjusting her grip on her blade minutely in an effort to settle her nerves.

Master Gyrtu began to circle again, and this time Bracken did not turn to follow. "A mage's armor is their will, their belief, their strength," the Ue'drahc recited as she paced, inspecting the force around her Initiate intently. "And your will shines strongly today, Initiate, but how does it fare against my steel?"

Bracken reacted on reflex, shifting her magic to solidify more firmly at her back. She succeeded, and just managed to suppress a flinch as the solid crack of metal meeting force resounded behind her. She felt her magic bend, flex, and twist as it struggled to absorb all of the force behind the Master's strike even with the instantaneous reinforcement.

There was a moment of silence, only the faintest echo of Master Gyrtu's strike still repeating in the distant trees, and then the Master spoke, "You have increased your efficiency, I see no cracks or warping. How does it fare under repeated strain though, Initiate?" She continued her circle around Bracken, coming to her front and raising her blade again into a high guard.

Bracken lowered her own weapon, loosening her hold on it as she readied herself to defend with only magic. The strikes came before she was truly prepared though, and she found herself scrambling to shift the weave of energy around her more by feel than anticipation for several long seconds. Then, just as it had begun, the endless assault was over.

Master Gyrtu finished the flurry of strikes with a decisive sweep of her blade outward, dust swirling into whirlwinds around the pair as the forces at play sought somewhere to dissipate. Bracken sucked in a breath, not realizing she had been holding her jaw clenched so tightly until the twinge of release swept through her.

Her silent self-chastisement was lessened as she took some small solace in her sudden awareness of the shimmer of sweat on her Master's brow. 'At least I am not being given an easy hand,' she reassured herself, trying to remain ready for another onslaught. No blade came though, only the damning frown and narrowed eyes of Master Gyrtu.

"You are relying too heavily on reaction, drawing too much power to each impact point and weakening the whole," her Master said quietly, the words cold and emotionless. Bracken felt the pit of her stomach fall out as she finally processed the criticism. She was aware her fist clenched in devastated frustration outside her control. A rising bile burned her throat and her vision blurred.

"I- I will show you my edge then, Master," Bracken managed to choke out, slamming her emotions back into herself. 'You have failed- but there are other chances,' she silently berated herself before taking in another deep calming breath.
Word count: 629
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Bracken Olivefrost
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Re: [History] A Lesson Learned

Post by Bracken Olivefrost »

"You will listen until I have finished, Initiate," Master Gyrtu said sharply. Bracken flinched, trying her best not to look away though her Master's features softened a moment later. "Your weakness is not your magic, nor your speed, but your application," Master Gyrtu explained, raising her sword tip and moving it forward slowly to Bracken's side.

The steel slid through the magical barrier, the spell unable to block such slow movement without active intervention. "The Way of the Empty Vessel is not a path for all, it requires a particular aptitude, something that cannot be replaced purely with effort," her Master recited. The words were so familiar to Bracken she felt as though she could have finished the speech herself were she not struggling to contain her emotions.

"Flex your shield. Eject my blade, and I will announce your elevation. You have proven you are strong, proven that you have the dedication required to match any challenge, but I cannot in good faith allow you further without proof you possess what you will need," Master Gyrtu said, locking eyes with Bracken.

Even in her inner turmoil, Bracken saw the hope there in her Master's draconic eyes, the belief in her student, the desire for her success. Drawing on this external strength, Bracken pushed at her will. She shoved and strained, flexing the network of mental muscles that controlled her arcane shield.

For several moments there was nothing and then a sound like shattering glass broke the tense silence of the practice arena. Bracken felt terribly cold as arcane backlash tore through her and deadened her fingers and tongue. She fell to her knees and could do nothing to stop a single mournful sob from slipping out.

"Your shield hardened- became stronger than even many Journeymen could manage- but it did not flow, did not flex. If I were to allow you to continue Initiate, you would be unable to use much of what I can teach," Master Gyrtu explained softly, her voice no longer cold but comforting instead.

Seeing Bracken struggling to keep herself together, the Ue'drahc extended her hand to the fallen Initiate. "Now then, you have promised to show me your talent in the Burning Edge. I am ready to be impressed by the strength of your elements. Rise. Again, Initiate."

The command in the final words cut through Bracken more completely than any blade ever could have. She felt her resolve return, felt her belief in herself fill her, and with a scrub of her cheek she shakily rose to her feet. "Yes, Master," she whispered out, tightening her grip on her sword and adjusting it to a low guard.
Word count: 443
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Bracken Olivefrost
Character
The Blade of Glass
Level
01
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Joined: November 9th, 2020, 5:12 am

Re: [History] A Lesson Learned

Post by Bracken Olivefrost »

She brought her hand forth only noticing the tremors coursing through her as she attempted to twist her fingers into the proper forms. Her body refused to listen, refused to suffer more demand until the maelstrom of emotion was contained or dissipated. A wave of fury sprang forth, forming a searing ball of heat in Bracken's chest. She latched onto it, harnessing it to burn away the weakness that held her captive.

Suddenly her fingers contorted into the needed shape and all the fury within became blazing arcane flame feeding into her palm. The fire danced atop her hand, straining to break free and unleash its energy outward in uncontrolled chaos. Bracken glared at the flame, tightening her control until it was held safely.

"Good, you have the necessary emotional depth, but anger is brittle; bright but easily broken," Master Gyrtu prompted encouragingly. Bracken nodded and refocused her will, turning the anger she held into conviction. The fire shrank fractionally, becoming an intense blue as it began to pulse with the fill of her lungs.

"Excellent, control sharpens the edge and a sharp edge takes less effort to cut deeper," her Master congratulated, stepping back and bringing up her own sword in a guard. There was a visible wave of power from the Ue'drahc and a sheath of ice grew from her hands to encase her weapon. "Can you overcome your fire's counter though?"

Bracken ran her sword through the fire above her palm, feeling the turmoil within leave her as it clung to the steel instead of her heart. She let her hand drop when the last lick of flame sprang to the blade, bringing the weapon up before her as she came to a ready stance.

There was a moment of stillness, only the hissing of Master Gyrtu's ice and the hungering rumble of Bracken's flame filling the practice ring. Braken broke the moment, stepping in and raising her weapon further to bring it across in a series of quick strikes to each side. Her Master moved with great sweeping counters, the movements more bombastic than before.

'She can fight with all the styles, at least well enough for the proving,' Bracken noted with a detached interest. She continued to strike, reinforcing the flame in her blade as she rained blows against Master Gyrtu's impenetrable defense. There was a sudden ring of steel against steel and Bracken stepped back, returning to a guard stance.

"Well done, Initiate," Master Gyrtu praised, turning her blade so she could examine the point where the ice had melted away. "Your swordwork remains impressive, and your strength of magic as well," she continued, flicking her blade to dismiss the remaining elemental sheath. "Now, show me how you handle lightning, Initiate."

Bracken nodded, focusing in on her remaining magical fire and looking inward to her will. She felt the thrum of her magical pathways, seeing the necessary lines to call forth air primed by their adjacent element. She reached for the pathways, calling them forth and guiding them to the hungry flame. Lightning crackled into existence, running up her sword in a burst of energy.

Snapping her will into place, she attempted to contain the furious energy that sought to spread and dissipate as rapidly as it had come. For a moment, she kept it reigned and felt the elation of success. Then there was a thundering crack, and she felt the lightning slip from her sword.

Master Gyrtu's hand came out, her fingers moving faster than Bracken could have hoped to track. Power sprang forth from the Master's hand and collided with the errant lightning. There was a distinct pop and Bracken's magic vanished. Unfortunately for her, she was still feeding her own magic to the lightning. The dispelling didn't halt at her blade, continuing its purpose to tear opposing magic asunder as it followed the line of energy deep into Bracken's body.

Bracken felt like she had taken a horse's hoof to the chest. Her heart clenched, her lungs protested, and she crumpled to the hard-packed dirt of the ring. She was vaguely aware she had nearly ended her own life and that she likely wasn't dying now, but the pain wracking her body provided a strong counterpoint.

Master Gyrtu was there immediately, a strong hand on her shoulder offering comfort. "Your magic is strong enough that much greater harm would have come if I had not dispelled it so completely," the Ue'drahc explained softly. "You could not feel the lightning as you needed, and I cannot allow you to risk such again. I am sorry, Initiate."
Word count: 766
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Bracken Olivefrost
Character
The Blade of Glass
Level
01
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19 / 19 MP
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Race: Shapeshifter and Human
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Posts: 15
Joined: November 9th, 2020, 5:12 am

Re: [History] A Lesson Learned

Post by Bracken Olivefrost »

Bracken choked, her body wanting to sob but unable to overcome the rictus of pain the loss of so much energy had inflicted. The words felt even worse than she could have imagined; all the pain in the world proving to be nothing before the monolith of her failure. She felt a consuming rush of despair begin to overtake her.

'Nothing- all your effort- all your dedication- nothing left- nothing,' her fears and sorrow mocked her, calling out from the inescapable expanse of her own thoughts. She became distantly aware Master Gyrtu had moved away, though this fact was immediately discarded. 'You couldn't even get through failure without almost killing yourself,'[/speech=Bracken Olivefrost] the internal assault continued. [speech]'Had to ruin things enough that someone else had to save you.'

She felt another attempt at a sob shiver through her, her muscles finally beginning to relax enough to allow her sorrow to visibly manifest. 'You weren't good enough, never good enough, and now you're nothing again,' the demons continued and she felt herself falling inward. 'Alone, worthless, only able to ruin everything you try.'

Bracken felt tears come from her eyes, the physical and emotional pain fully betraying any attempts to seem composed. 'Not that it matters, no one cares, again-' the inner demons railed and she finally found her voice. "-again," she whispered out, feeling a surge of resolute indifference course through her. "Again," she croaked, her voice cracked and brittle.

Master Gyrtu called out to her, only a few steps away, "Do you need-"

Bracken interrupted her, hardly hearing the kind woman who had taught her so much. "Again," she demanded, beating back her fears and disappointment with a relentless tide of dedication. This time the word was sharp, clear, barked like the orders of the Instructors. Master Gyrtu seemed confused and narrowed her eyes as Bracken struggled to her feet.

"I- am- not finished, Master," she managed through gritted teeth as she felt the pain slowly fade into the background. 'No worse than any day of training- nothing but another obstacle- I will go again,' she shouted back into the sudden emptiness of her thoughts. The resounding silence was more soothing than any healing balm.

Bracken raised her blade to a low guard, extending her hand into a configuration similar to the first she had used to call forth her initial shield. "I can impress you without lightning," she called out and Master Gyrtu finally relented, raising her own blade to a high guard.

"You have beyond impressed me, Initiate. You need only prove your style," the Master countered with a hopeful smile.
Word count: 439
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Bracken Olivefrost
Character
The Blade of Glass
Level
01
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Posts: 15
Joined: November 9th, 2020, 5:12 am

Re: [History] A Lesson Learned

Post by Bracken Olivefrost »

Bracken finished her arcane motions, calling forth a shield the size of a small buckler to her unburdened wrist. Master Gyrtu nodded, understanding the spell well. "The Serpent Fang?" she questioned with a faint tinge of interest. Bracken merely nodded and stepped forward, bringing her blade out in a flurry of controlled strikes.

"A style with no Master; it suits you, Initiate," she continued as she easily absorbed the attacks. "You are, as always, adept at testing my defenses, but what if I attack instead?" the Ue'drahc questioned, putting her words to action as Bracken's next strike came in.

Bracken moved her buckler of force to absorb the strike and Master Gyrtu's own weapon snapped to the side to knock aside Bracken's return stab. There was the sound of colliding steel, but it came a breath later than it should have and Master Gyrtu dodged backwards a long step. Even before she landed she called out with precise command, "Hold!"

Bracken returned to a guard stance before lowering her blade, immediately dropping all pretense of combat but keeping her current spells active. Master Gyrtu reached a clawed finger to her lip and frowned as it came away with the faintest black of her blood. "Explain how you managed to pass my guard, Initiate," she commanded, moving forward again with clear interest in her eyes.

"Master, the weapon you blocked was nothing, a fabricated illusion," Bracken explained carefully, her voice still ragged from earlier.

"And how did you manage to construct it so quickly? Let alone give it weight sufficient to not give away such a ruse?" Master Gyrtu pressed, her interest growing into amusement.

"The Serpent Fang- teaches one to hold two smaller wells of force energy. One as a shield that can harden and shift, the other a fang to augment the blade," Bracken explained hesitantly.

"And you lined it with illusion while obscuring your own blade?" the Master urged.

"Yes, the mind will believe what it wishes, the simplest answer. If the blades interchange and there is never plainly more than one for more than an instant it will become lost in the fight," Bracken replied, growing more confident by the moment.

"The fang is hidden, relying on deception and obfuscation until it must strike. The reach of a serpent is always further and faster than one expects," Master Gyrtu recited, as though reading from the ancient texts Bracken had poured over for months. Bracken felt pride well in her chest as she realized her Master understood what she had attempted.

"There is no Master of this style in the Order, and the records show none living," Master Gyrtu said suddenly. "Would you accept your elevation knowing there is little we can teach you?" Her face became a mask and Bracken realized she was to make the decision alone.

So she waited, a breath, two, as though carefully considering the offer. Finally, Bracken could restrain herself no longer and she let her face split into a grin. "I would, Master. If reviving a lost school is what must be done, then I will do so."

Master Gyrtu nodded once and held up a claw. "Show me then. The shifting fang," she commanded with all the gravity she reserved for the elevations. Bracken marshalled her features and raised her blade to a mid guard. With precise movements drilled relentlessly for months on end, she swept the blade forward in a series of sweeping strikes at half speed.

There was a second blade beside the true one, sometimes ahead and sometimes behind, flickering in and out of existence in the space of a blink. "Good, Initiate. Now show me your range," Master Gyrtu prompted, calling forth a dense mass of fog in a small cloud before Bracken. Without breaking form, Bracken stabbed forward, twisting her blade and calling forth the full power of her Serpent's Fang.

The center of the cloud was split clean, near to the very end despite Bracken's weapon not entering the mist. "Impressive, I see now how your proclivity for hardening your shield had not improved quite as I expected given the intensity of your practice." The Ue'drahc dismissed the fog and gave Bracken a sharp nod before she spoke to all gathered.

"Congratulations, Initiate Bracken Olivefrost. I, Master Gyrtu of the Order of Battle, pronounce your elevation to Journeyman of the Serpent's Fang. May you know strength of mind, blade, and magic for all your days."
Word count: 741
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