Dreamer's Training

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Dreamer peered through the open door that led into the library. There was no one there, good. Dreamer closed the door behind him and leaned against it with his back. He sighed; he had been exploring the guild for most of the afternoon and needed a break.

He breathed deep for a moment and let it out with a sigh. Pushing his hair back, he stood straight and looked around again. The room didn't seem as grand as he expected. He had anticipated a large room full of old and dangerous books of powerful magic’s. Instead, he was met with a few shelves packed here and there with new or ill kept works.

He walked along a bookshelf and tried to read the titles, but barely managed that. Ever since joining the guild Dreamer had a feeling his lack of knowledge over words would set him back, and his feeling was correct. Dreamer grabbed an old, dusty, book from a shelf and opened it to a random page. He was met with pictures of disgusting looking plants and words that meant nothing to him.

With a sigh, Dreamer ran his finger across the edge to try and flip the page, which was stuck to the next one. He felt a pinch and dropped the book to hold onto his finger, which he had cut. He sucked in a breath as he watched the cut start to bleed. The blood began to run down his finger, and Dreamer looked around desperately for something to patch the wound with.

All he found was a bunch of parchment and old books. He didn't wish to ruin the books, or ruin them any worse than they were, so he grabbed a piece of parchment. Dreamer pressed it against the wound and felt the stinging pain from pressure being applied. Dreamer started to make his way to the door to leave and find a bandage, when a memory hit him.

A large part of white magic is healing that which is broken, be it physical, emotional, live or inanimate

Merlin had told him that not to long ago. Dreamer had the gift of White magic, the ability to mend that which was broken. So what’s to say that he couldn't heal a simple paper cut? It was worth a shot, a rush of excitement ran threw Dreamer as he realized he was about to perform his own magic.

Dreamer knew he was alone in the dusty library, but he was still nervous. He looked around the room for anyone who would be watching. Even within the confines of the Magic guild itself, Dreamer wanted to keep his gift a secret. When he felt assured he was alone, he took the parchment off the cut and watched as it began to bleed again.

Taking in a breath, Dreamer began to sing his magic.

Stinging pain in a breathtaking moment
I see the trouble that I cause
And in this moment, without pause
I wish myself to make atonement


Dreamer felt his magic, his own power; reach out across his body and into the wound. For a moment, Dreamer couldn’t see any change; He failed to see the blood stop running. Then the wound started to close on itself, and his skin pieced itself back together until there was no wound. Dreamer wiped the blood off with the parchment and examined the finger.

Not a cut in sight

Dreamer smiled and threw himself into the air, yelling a cheer of triumph. A moment later, an old man decided to open the library door and peek his head in to utter a loud, "SHHHH" before retreating into the hall. Dreamer smiled and gave himself a whispered, "Yay!".

*Finished*

[Merlin Emrys]

Dreamer I have to say I'm very impressed with this first post, especially as you didn't have an example post or anything to work from, and you did exactly what was asked of you. I liked that you started with something small for your first post, a papercut on your own hand, and your description of the healing process was really good.
Also well done for going so beyond the word count on your first post!

You've achieved the level of novice with flying colours. (You may change your signature) And you can proceed with your training as soon as you wish. (All training will be completed in this thread, so if you could edit the title to just 'Dreamer's Training' instead of first training. And also if you could change the word 'threw' in the first line to 'through' then I think this will be a perfect post!)

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Crash!

Dreamer opened his eyes to the blunt pain he felt in his head and the pressure on his arm from his body. It took him a moment to remember where he was, his eyes scanning the darkness for clues. It was only after he picked himself up that he remembered he was in an upstairs room at the Magicians guild.

Dreamer picked up the chair he had been reading, or rather sleeping, in. Then he scanned the room for his book that he had been trying to read. Ever since he arrived to the guild he had been studying his letters with slow, and sometimes no, progress. He was determined though, he would succeed.

As soon as he found that book.

He scanned the room, but to no avail. It was too dark to see anything so mundane in the upstairs room, even with the shades open and the moon's light seeping in. Dreamer almost smacked himself for not bringing in a lantern to guide him. Unfortunately, in the midst of his excitement he had not thought about that.

He sighed, it seemed to be a lost cause. He made his way to sit down, but missed and fell on his bottom. He sucked in a breath as he tried not to yelp from surprise. Picking himself up, he rubbed his sore bottom. Dreamer wished he had a light, if only so that he wouldn't kill himself walking down the steps.

He sighed and felt for his seat so that he could sit down. He rested his head down on the edge of the table in front of him, thinking. His thoughts soon led to the Ram, where he performed. After a moment his thoughts drifted to his wishes to sing for his audience, but his magic seemed to be in the way.

Sing?
Magic?
Eureka!

Dreamer almost jumped from his seat in excitement. He could sing a light, or at least, try. The thought of it didn't seem to scare him this time. Usually his magic scared him, but he would only be conjuring a light, nothing harmful. Dreamer tried calming himself down as he closed his eyes, his magic flowing threw his voice.

Oh darkest night
I feel your blight
you've hindered my sight
now i fight you ,with light

Dreamer could feel the magic coursing threw him and out into a conjured physical form of magic. He kept his eyes open for a moment before opening them for a peek, and then closing them again. Dreamer put too much into the light, and it shined much brighter than he expected. He wished the light were dimmer, and suddenly it was.

He opened his eyes again, and he could see the room as if it were midday. He scanned the room again and found his book in a moment. He Jumped with glee and grabbed it, setting it on a shelf nearby. When he pushed the chair back and gathered his bags, he was gone from the magicans guild. His light left him as soon as he escaped the doors, no longer needed.

*Finished*

[Merlin Emrys]

Well done Dreamer, a very good second post. I like that your exploring different veins of Dreamer's magic. You may add apprentice to your signature

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Dreamer left the Ram with his head hung low again. Not out of guilt, shame, or even disappointment. In fact, the crowd seemed to fluctuate each night and he met new people each time he played. No, it was memories that were bringing him down this night. He saw flashes of his old caravan, his mother, and Scarlet.

His heart longed to see them, to hear there voices and feel their warm embraces. He wished to so them so dearly, but his place was in Camelot. He had not been there long, and he wouldn't duck out of his future. He was doing well in Camelot, learning his letters, practicing his magic, and earning a steady income from playing at The Ram. Life was good to Dreamer, and he couldn't help wondering what it would cost one day.

Because everything had a price

Dreamer was walking along the side streets of the deserted Camelot. The moon had cast her shadow over Camelot and its people were sleeping soundlessly in their beds. Comfortable with their lives and ready to get back to them when the sun returned the next day.

At least, mostly everyone

Dreamer was walking nearby an alley when he heard a woman crying. Curious, Dreamer advanced into the alley to see what the problem was. Dreamer found, deep in the alley, a man standing over a cowering woman. His words were hard to make out, not from distance, but because his words slung with drunkenness.

"You zink you can zust...Che-at on meee do ya".

The woman was crying, pleading for him to stop.

"No, you want'z me to stop, you know what you have to do, everything haz a price baby".

The irony rested coldly in Dreamers throat.

Dreamer knew he had to do something and something fast. He plunged into the depths of the dark alley, the sound of his feet causing the man to turn and face him. He couldn’t get a word out before Dreamer was in the air and bringing the full force of his fist into the man’s face. Grabbing a hold of the man’s shirt, Dreamer landed on the man’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Dreamer lost it; his fists were on the man in quick succession.

After three blows to the face, the man was moaning and Dreamer was able to grab him by the collar of his shirt and speak threatingly, “How does it feel you vile Scum”. Dreamer slapped the man, who was now crying the whisky from his system. Dreamer didn’t know what had come over him, but he hated this man with such a passion that burned deep within him. Dreamer looked over at the woman, who was now cowering into the wall, staring at him. Dreamer looked back at the man, the vile waste of life, and sang.

You evil man, what have you done
I will banish you away, with the words to be sung
A flash will go off, and then away we will be
Just her and me

Dreamer’s eyes burned gold, his already golden one even brighter, as the first spell dent off a brilliant flash of light erupting thought the alley light it for all around to see. The man was blinded, only temporarily, since he had been cowering under the strange boy, Dreamer. The woman had he eyes down in fear, and had not noticed him, so she was unaffected.

The second spell was a spell on time. Dreamer didn't know exactly what he did, did he slow them down or speed himself up? Whatever it was, Dreamer ran for the woman and lifted her up. She was light, surprisingly light, and he was able to lift her onto her back and run away.

As Dreamer left the alley the spell ended, and Dreamer ran down the street. They were home free, the woman crying into his shoulder. He was happy and scared,not only had his magic come to him instinctively, but he had felt such a powerful rage for the man. Dreamer didn't feel proud of that fact, but at least he had saved the woman and done some good.

Now, all he had to do was explain himself to the guard coming down the street.

*Finished* XD

[Merlin Emrys]

Well done Dreamer- another well written and original training post. Remember now you're reaching the higher levels to make your magic more powerful and the situations more difficult in your next post.

You have now reached the level of Caster, congrats!

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Dreamers morning began simple and without problems. He washed, ate, and was making his way to the Magicians guild to study until he had to go to The Ram to play for the night. He was whistling as he walked down to the old building, a skip in his step. He passed two other mages, regular looking apprentices, both patted his back and shook their heads.

Dreamer didn't know what that was, people tended to leave Dreamer alone at the guild. Some were intimidated by his progress in the guild, saying he was too young to be ascend so high. Others, either didn't want to get in the middle of it or didn't wish to anger those who were intimidated.

Dreamer shook off the strange occurrence and wrote it off as an act of simple kindness. He didn't know the reason for their "kindness" until he opened the guild door, and found a knight at the door speaking with another, older, Magician. The two didn't turn to look at him, so he listened to their conversation.

The magician was speaking first, "Sir really, i must insist that i go, my experience could assist you and your men greatly". The knight shook his head, probably again, "No, this man was recommended and we need his assistance, now again i ask you sir Mage, where is this..." the knight looked down at a scroll,"Dreamer?".

Dreamer stepped forward and closed the door behind him, probably a little harder than he should have. The door made enough noise for both the knight and the mage to look back at him. The knight looked him up and down, waiting for Dreamer to speak. The magician was, well, glaring at him with daggers in his eyes.

Seems he must be a little intimidated

"How can i assist you sir?" Dreamer asked the knight. The knight looked at him puzzled,"Certainly, may you tell me the whereabout of..." he looked down at the paper again, probably to check, "the caster named, Dreamer". Dreamer took another step forward and smiled, "I am Dreamer, how may i assist you again, sir".

The knight looked at him unsure, then back at the Magician, then at the scroll. He seemed uncertain now, that whatever taste he was here to grant Dreamer may have been too much. In the end though, he rolled up the scroll and handed it to Dreamer. The Magician stomped away, furiously defeated. "Caster Dreamer, you are hereby summoned to join me and my men on a hunt to rid Camelot of a beast that threatens the people of Camelot".

Dreamer nodded and left the scroll rolled up, he probably wouldn't be able to read most of it anyway. "So be it, when do we live sir Knight?"Dreamer said. The knight nodded and began to walk out the door, "Now, please meet me and my men at the gates in an hour". With that, he was gone, and Dreamer was left to prepare for a hunt. Dreamer was exited because of his forcefully curiosity.

He had never been hunting before.

*Two Hours Later*

Dreamer looked to the sky, or at least what little of it there was. Dreamer and seven knights had entered the forest only a few minutes ago, and already it was hard to see. Dreamer asked the commanding knight if he wished Dreamer to caste a light, but the knight refused. He said it would give away their position, and it was better to stick with the dim light of the torches.

Dreamer had sighed and fell to the middle of the party again. He was growing bored of the place, and he wouldn't admit it, but slightly scared. The last time he had entered the deep regions of the forest he had faced a Griffin. Of course, he didn't find out what it was until after he had run for his and his friends life.

Good times...Good times....

A russel in the bushes farther ahead caused the knights to halt suddenly. The lead knight started to give signals, that dreamer couldn't read, with his hands. Each knight advanced around the area, trying to trap whatever had disturbed the area ahead. When they had circled it, each advanced upon it until they were surrounding a single bush. All swords were drawn and ready, when the knight gave the signal, each sword stabbed into the bush.

There was a low shriek as something was hit, and each knight withdrew its sword. Caught in the middle of one of the swords was a kitten sized lizard, struggling for life. The knights chuckled at the fact that they had been spooked by such a harmless creature.

Then, It attacked

There was no warning, just an immediate assault on the unsuspecting knights of Camelot. A giant lizard, easily as huge as long and massive as a wagon, landed on the knight holding the dying lizard. It began stomping on the unsuspecting knight until his shrieks of terror ceased. Then it turned its attention to the other knights, who had now backed into position in front of Dreamer, ready for battle.

The Giant lizard growled and charged forward to ram into the knights. The knights split into two groups and dived to the sides, trying to dodge the beast. One knight had caught his foot in the mouth of the beast as he was jumping, and the lizard bit down. He was dragged until the lizard stopped, ripped off his leg, and began stomping on the knight until its death.

Dreamer would have vomited if he had the time. The Commanding knight wasn't using hand signals to give off order's now, he was just shouting. He gave his men commands that Dreamer didn't understand, then looked at Dreamer for a moment. When no one said anything he shouted, "Well do something!!!!", then turned back to the advancing monster.

Dreamer was forced out of his shock, and began thinking of what exactly he needed to do. The knights had just been rammed through a second time, this time leaving two knights with gashed across their bodies. Dreamer couldn't stop to heal them until the monster was destroyed, so he only had one option.

Destroy the monster

Dreamer stood up and walked away from the knights, who shouted at him to get back. He then began to sing,

With a flash i command light
to do cast this monster from my sight
With arrows of power
I command you to shower
this monster, with my might

Dreamer felt the drain this time, until any other time he had felt before. He had casted two spells with this one, and had not thought of how much power he should have put in to kill the monster. A flash went off and blinded both the knight and the monster for a moment, but only the monster was hit with what looked like arrows. As the flash went away and everyone could see again, the monster was laying down with arrows of pure light protruding from its body, until they finally faded away.

Dreamer on the other hand, was laying down on the floor, passed out from exhaustion.

*Finished*

[Merlin Emrys]

Brilliant Dreamer! You've done excatly what is asked for a stepped up the complexity of your magic with a really well written and original post- also way over the word count so well done. I really liked how you showed Dreamer's magic sapping at his energy when he performs such powerful spells!

Well done, you are now the level of Magician!

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Today was the day, he could feel it. Walking into the Magicians guild, everyone looked at him for mere moments, longer than they usually bothered to. The day was supposed to be kept a secret, but information had a tendency of being passed around in the magical community. It must have been too irresistible to pass around the news that he, Dreamer, would be taking his first test in becoming a white mage. All the others he would receive after the title was given to him.

If the title was given to him

He’d have to earn it

The funny thing was, Dreamer didn’t even know how he was supposed to. All Mage qualifying tests were kept between Merlin and the Magician in question. Even then, not much information would be leaked if it did. Every test was supposed to be different for every Magician; no test was the same as the last. Even worse, there were few with the actual Mage title. The majority of those had to take it two or more times, and they were much older than him.

The odds were stacked against him on this one.

He made his way threw the guild to Merlin’s official study, something he didn’t use very often, and saw a note attached to the door. Dreamer was fairly certain that it was Merlin’s handwriting, so no one seemed to be playing a trick on him. It said to report to the Armies training courtyard. It was a clue, Dreamer thought, as to what his test may consist of.

Dreamer crumpled the piece of paper in his hand and pocketed it, making his way back down the hall. Again, the stares were following him, before turning back away. They were warnings; there was only danger in the path he was following now. He could have stopped then, but he didn’t, he couldn’t. He had gone so far, and he wasn’t about to give it all up because of what everyone else believed.

He wasn’t that weak.

*~~~Fifteen Minutes Later~~~*

Dreamer walked into the training grounds for all army recruits, and saw the wreckage from the day’s conquests. Scattered pieces of armor, broken or lost weapons scattered here and there. There was Archery targets with arrows stick sticking out of the hay. It looked like a battleground, all the more to add to Dreamer’s stress level.

*~~~Twenty Minutes Later~~~*

Merlin finally walked into the courtyard, and scanned the remains of the day’s training. He had specifically requested that Arthur help him with this test of his. A request that Arthur assured him would cost nothing less than a foot rub. A shiver passed down his spine as he approached Dreamer, smiling. “Hello there Dreamer, you seem ready for the task” he said, “Are you sure you wish to go threw with this?”, Everything was planned perfectly. From the Twenty minutes of waiting to the way he asked Dreamer if he was sure he wished to continue. He was pushing him to give up, something he felt necessary if he was about to promote such a young boy as a Mage.

Dreamer looked at Merlin as if he was stupid, of course he was going to go threw with it. He had walked all the way there and waited god’s known how long for him to even arrive. He wasn’t about to back down, that, and he didn’t want to go back and face all the faces at the guild. He was sure that they were betting for his defeat, and he was hoping for them all to lose their silver and copper coins. “Duh” was the only response he could give, politely that is. If it was anyone else he would have said more, but Merlin was his friend, he was going to be nice.

Merlin smiled as Dreamer exclaimed “Duh” at him, making a face. He couldn’t resist a chuckle as he raised his hand and signaled for their “Guests” to arrive. On the signal, two doors opened up. Out of one door came two knights suited in chain armor, holding the chains to a young man. The man had cuts and bruises all over his body, and seemed to drag his feet as he followed the knights until they stopped in the middle of the courtyard. The knights leaned down and tied the chains to two hooks coming up from the ground. The prisoner just leaned down on his knees and sat their quietly.

Threw the other door came out two Mages. He knew they were mages because they were dressed in the “traditional” robe attire. That and they were both two of the many members that scoffed at the thought of a sixteen year old mage. He could see it in their eyes, they were underestimating him. They saw him as a young spirit that needed to be broken, and they were just the ones to do it.

Dreamer glared daggers at them until Merlin coughed, grabbing his attention, and spoke.

Merlin could see mixed confusion and anger in Dreamer’s face, so he quickly brought his attention to him. When Dreamer was looking at him now, only confusion in his eyes, he said “This is your test Dreamer, Protect that prisoner for three minutes and thirty seconds, a minute and forty-five seconds for each opponent”. With that, Merlin walked a few yards away, a possibly safe distance.

Dreamer was stunned, and just stood there for a moment as he watched the knights walk away. After a moment he walked towards the prisoner and inspected him more closely. They were roughly the same age, although the prisoner may have been a year older than him. He had Dark hair that lay down in front of his face, making it hard to see much else. Dreamer was curious as to what the boy had done, but had little time to wonder.

Cause out of nowhere he heard Merlin’s voice, clear as day, and it was telling him it was time.

Three minutes on the clock.


Dreamer was able to look up just in time to see both the mages smiling at him, a wicked glee in their eyes. One was muttering a few words, while the other taunted Dreamer. “Dear Boy, hand over the prisoner now and we will let you cry on home, alive”, he said, chuckling after his emphasis. All Dreamer had to comment was a wad of spit on the ground.

The mage didn’t take to kindly to that, and started to build up his own spell. As he did that, the first wave hit. The other mage, well call him Smokey, casted a spell that seemed to cause fire to erupt from the earth towards Dreamer’s direction. Dreamer’s eyes light up as he sung a high note,

“Shield between me,
Keep me be”

An invisible force field sprang in front of Dreamer and stopped the spell cold. It was a weak one, he knew it, a Mage had more power than that. Which meant that it was a distraction, Dreamer turned his head instinctively as he sand another shield spell for the prisoner.

“Please, Please
Leave him be”

Dreamer felt the force of the spell this time. The second mage, well call him bubbles, has sent a jet of water towards the prisoner, obviously intending to kill. Dreamer was mad that they would attempt such a low trick. He moved in closer to the prisoner, closing the gap between them to make it easier to do his job.

*~~~One Minute and Twelve Seconds~~~~*

Merlin was impressed with Dreamer’s stubbornness and will to protect. He only wished that they were enough to get him threw the test, sadly it wouldn’t be. The first minute of so had already passed, all much as the same. They kept Dreamer on the defensive, assessing his ability and trying to find gaps in his spells. Surprisingly Dreamer wasn’t an easy target to expose, but the usage would eventually start to drain on Dreamer. The game would have to change if he was going to last.


Dreamer gritted his teeth as he blocked another barrage of spells, weak ones, but effective enough to keep him on the defensive. He couldn’t see a gap in their timing; it was all set to perfectly. He had to keep blocking their spells, hoping they would give him a split second chance. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, it was only about to get worse.

*~~~ One Minute Twenty-Three Seconds~~~*

Bubbles and Smokey started to put more pressure in their spells, and Dreamer started to doubt his chances. The whole time the prisoner had not moved an inch, at all, an odd thing when his life was on Dreamer’s shoulders. Speaking of shoulders, Dreamer was starting to feel the drain bad back their. Pressure was building up fast, and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to shake the aftermath of the battle for at least two weeks.

*~~~One Minute Fifty-Two Seconds~~~*

Dreamers mind was working on desperation now, he had to think of something to do. Then he got it, he would have slapped himself if he wasn’t a little busy. It was risky, downright stupid really, but he was desperate for a solution now. His voice was quivering as he sang.

“Protect us, save us
I give you life
Now show me you’re tough”

The words were probably not the best he could have done if he had been given anymore than a split second. But it seemed to work, because all of those pieces of armor and weapons started to rise up from the ground. They each had a life of their own now, with one purpose, to protect and to serve.

Unfortunately, Dreamer’s concentration on his shield had been put somewhere else, and so it weakened. So when Smokey and Bubbles combined spells knocked against it, it sent him to the ground with his shield in pieces. They both saw their chance now, casting quick spells towards Dreamers direction. Dreamer would have defiantly been dead, had it not been for the wall of armor pieces putting themselves between him and the spells. A few of them were destroyed, but they were easily replaced.

Dreamer brought himself to his feet as he heard Bubbled and Smokey screamed in pain. The weapons had made themselves useful, and started to attack the two mages. The mages were able to bring up spells to push the weapons away, but not before the blades brought a few cuts across their flesh.

The tide had turned

*~~~Two Minutes and Thirty-three Seconds~~~*

Merlin resisted the urge to scream at the top his lunges in triumph. He had a feeling Dreamer would figure it out eventually, the resourceful little devil that he was. He suppressed his chuckles into his sleeve as well as he watched the two old mages dancing around, dodging the weapons. They eventually did figure out that one would deal with them, while the other continued the barrage on Dreamer and the prisoner.

*~~~Two Minute Thirty Four Seconds~~~*

Smokey VS. Dreamer
Bubbles VS. Weapons

*~~~Three Minutes~~~*

Dreamer applauded himself, mentally that is, for his quick action. It was slightly easier to deal with one Mage instead of two. He was now able to keep on the defensive, while playing a bit in offensive as well. All in all, it was still the most difficult challenge he had ever faced, but he had a shot at getting through it.

*~~~Three Minutes Fifteen Seconds~~~*

Fifteen seconds to go and Merlin was crossing both his fingers and toes.

Dreamer felt sweat dripping down every inch of his body, causing him to itch like crazy. Plus the aching in every part of his body, even parts he didn’t want to even mentally think about. All in all, he didn’t know how much time was left, and he needed to end things quickly. This was when he saw his opportunity. Bubbles had had his back turned on Smokey and Dreamer for the last minute, dealing with the assortment of killer objects. Dreamer licked his lips quickly before screaming,

“I shout
Lash out
With all your might
My heavenly light”

A wipe-like tentacle of light fabricated itself and shot out towards bubbles. Smokey attempted to stop it, Giving Dreamer his chance to react. Using as much energy as he could muster, he casted a quick spell.

“Time
Go slow
Give me time
To defeat my foe”

Everything seemed to slow down, while Dreamer only sped up. He darted away from the prisoner and cleared the distance between him and Smokey easily. Dreamer didn’t even bother with magic, He brought his fist back and cracked it right into the old mans jaw. The man didn’t even know what hit him as his words faltered, his spell was gone, and everything went black.

*Three Minutes thirty Seconds*

Dreamer lay down on his knees and just fell to the floor from exhaustion. Instinctively, Dreamer went over the last few seconds that he seemed to not even be apart of. The old mage had wasted too much energy trying to lash out at too many targets, and when he broke his concentration to watch Smokey go down, a wooden club smacked him right in the back of the head.

It was lights out for the two Mages.


Merlin, unable to hold it in much longer, screamed at the top of his lungs in triumph. He knew Dreamer could do it, and even made his own flashy ending. Merlin couldn’t even predict the boy’s last daring move towards victory. It was something he would have to give him a toast for later. He ran as fast as he could to Dreamer’s side, and kneeled down next to him.

Merlin pushed on Dreamer with two fingers, worried that he was injured. But after another stab with the fingers, Dreamer groaned. Merlin helped him roll over, to see a very worried look on Dreamers face.

“Did I pass?” was all he said.

Merlin chuckled and patted the boy on the stomach, “Welcome to the ranks, Mage”.

As this occurred, Dreamer didn’t even see that the two knights un-hooked the chains to the prisoner and walked him away. To which the prisoner silently whispered, “Congratulations”, the first word he had spoken the whole time.

[Merlin Emrys]

I know it was a difficult task to be the first to train for the level of mage...




...




...




...





...
(building suspense ;D)

... But this is brilliant! You've passed with flying colours! The idea was original, entertaining and showcased a variety of Dreamer's skills. You power-played Merlin well, and I loved the feeling of suspense and timing you built up by having it timed and counting down. I really like the way you write, it's exactly how Dreamer would be thinking and you definitely gain an insight into his character. Even with the seriousness of the battle, I liked the humor of the nicknames for the mages and how you challenged Dreamer throughout. The only tiny negatives I'd say where the occasional misspellings of threw/through and their/there but the content of the post was so good it overshadowed that!

Officially now,

Congratulations Dreamer Masters, you have achieved the highest rank of White Mage .
You have full access to the Castle and Guild and may include "Mage" before your name [much like knights would include 'Sir']. You will be PM'd with details concerning your presentation ceremony.

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

*New Magic: Dark Magic*


Dreamer sat in a corner of a darkened room, crying, lost in his own personal anguish. Memories wouldn’t stop flooding his mind, crushing him with his own guilt. Guilt over things said, and things that could never be said. Dreamer was in pain, the kind of pain that could break men. The pressure’s he’s had to suffer as of late had all crashed into him all in one single moment, with one single piece of news.

Dante was dead.

And it was Prince Arthur who killed him

*1 hour earlier*

Dreamer was having another long day and the bags under his eyes were evidence enough for it. Trying to keep himself awake, Dreamer took another sip of a bitter tasting drink that had been brought to him earlier. Rising from his seat, Dreamer finally decided that he should take a stroll through the guild to wake him self up. He left his study and locked it behind him and began walking downstairs.

There was a lot of bustling around among the guild today, a lot of voices whispered into a silent chorus. Dreamer looked around curiously; he had never seem such happy excitement in the guild before. The talk seemed to be over a battle that had recently ended an epic battle it seemed, that involved the killing of an evil man at the hands of Prince Arthur. Dreamer smiled at the thought, Arthur must be a very popular man.

Then he heard it, the one name he never thought to be spoken in the guild.

"…And then Arthur stabbed Dante, and it was all over from there”.

Dreamer turned to look at the boy who said it with desperate eyes. When he locked eyes with the young apprentice, Dreamer rushed him. He got close to the boy and asked him what he said. The boy was obviously flustered, and stood frozen in place from fear. A sudden impatience took him over and Dreamer grabbed the boy by the neck of his shirt and pressed him against the wall, urging him to repeat his words.

The boy did

Dreamer stood there as his mind began to rush to the point of explosion. Every logical part of him told him he should walk away, that Dante was alive and that they were all mistake. Dante would show them, he would turn up in less than a day with another scandal. That’s right, it was Dante, and Dante couldn’t be defeated.

But Dreamer wasn’t listening to logic; he was listening to his anger

Dreamer didn’t want to believe in the boy, but he did, too bad for the boy. Dreamer didn’t know what happened in that moment, all he could think of was his carefully placed words, “And not one of you did anything to stop it”. With that, Dreamer felt something snap in Dreamer, not anything physical, something much deeper in that. With his few words, Dreamer’s eyes began taking on their glow, but seemed much darker, as if filled with the essence of pain. Dreamer’s veins began to darken quickly, crawling from his face, down, and then up his arm to the boy. Dreamer knew something bad was happening, he knew it in his heart.

But he was too pissed off to care

The boy just looked at him in fear, and it wasn’t until Dreamer clued in on the sudden purple tint to the boys face, and the dark color of the boys own veins, that Dreamer let go. He took a surprised step back, looking down on the boy. Dreamer didn’t know what he had done, or how he had done it, but the boy was gasping for air. Dreamer looked around, and no one did anything, they just stared.

Cowards

It was Dreamer who called another white mage to aid, not wanting to touch the boy himself, before he finally dragged himself to a deserted room. There, he cried and he cried, lost in his own anguish and guilt. Thoughts of what Dreamer had done to the boy often came to mind, but they only fueled Dreamer self loathing. With the death of his friend, and the fear of his new power, Dreamer felt like his world was ending.

Little did he know, it was only taking a new beginning.

[Merlin Emrys]

This is a good intro to Dreamer's new magic, I like how you've linked the emotion of Dante's death with his new found power

You have now reached the level of novice.

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Dreamer leaned over a glass of Ale, sniffing it, before he pulled his head back and wrinkled his nose. Dreamer wasn't a fan of Alcohol, he didn't have a stomach for it, but it had been one of Dante's favorite Drink. Actually, it was the only thing Dreamer could remember him drinking. At the thought of Dante, Dreamer's spirit dropped, and he grabbed the glass and tiped some of the liquid into his mouth.

Dreamer struggled to let it down his throat, setting the glass down and pushing it away from himself. It burned his throat slightly and made him feel awkward, which meant he still wasn't suited for it. That, for some odd reason, brought Dreamer down a little farther, that just meant that he would never cheer for his old friend with a glass of ale, he could only watch and mourn over the memories.

Picking himself from his stool, Dreamer grabbed his bag and moved to the stage at The Ram. He climbed up and then brought his violin from the bag. Feeling the cool touch of the wood, Dreamer felt a bead of sweat down his forehead. He removed his bow and then stood in front of the crowd, looking at them for a moment before playing.

His tune started slow before picking up and dancing, Dreamers attempt to bring some cheer to his mood. Unfortunately his tune only came out low and mournful, and brought thoughts of cool and calm sadness. Tears started to run down a few customers cheeks, which made Dreamer feel even more awkward. Something was beginning to build in his stomach, probably the alcohol.

After a few moments the feeling grew though, and Dreamer had an impulsive urge to sing. It would be the first time Dreamer would ignore his fear of the magic in his voice, and sing in front of a crowd. Opening his mouth, the tune came out without a second thought.

Rock a by friend of mine Ill see you again
Drift away peacefully
Feel nothing again

This world was so harsh
And you went in to far
How long will we have to grow
Farther apart

Rock a by friend of mine
Ill see you again
Drift away peacefully
Feel nothing again...


Dreamer felt better, lighter, as if something was leaving him and a chain was being unfastened from his heart. Tears streaked his face as he sang, memories of his friend in his head. Then he was rocked from his own world when he heard a Thud from the audience. Dreamer started to look out into the crowd, and his mouth opened when he did.

No one moved, as if hit by a sudden wave of "ohhhh nap time", all were asleep. Barmaid and patron alike, Dreamer was too afraid to ponder if his boss was asleep. Glasses were broken, chairs were pushed over, and again, everyone was gone in their Dreams.

Dreamer had forced all into a slumber, made them see their Dreams.

The irony was almost humorous.

[Merlin Emrys]

A very good development. I love how Dreamer's new power is linked with his emotions, and I appreciated the irony at the end (y) You have now reached the level of apprentice.

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Dreamer was scared

He couldn't sleep, his mind kept racing through what he had done in the last few days. The death of Dante, and then the strange things that kept happening to him. Strange powers rising up and doing things he never expected, even worse was how it felt when those things happened.

It felt so good

Dreamer had never felt such a rush of pure, unrestricted, power. Even his White Magic, which he had plenty of, didn't feel so good when used. Dreamer was rightfully scared, because he wanted to do it again. He tried keeping his curiosity in check, but he just couldn't. He had to know what was going on. Spending days in the Mage Guild Library, he found a passage on a specific type of magic, and it made his heart stop.

Black Magic

It didn't make sense, reading what he could, Black magic was exactly as it was described. Often used for evil and malicious purposes, it's power drew from negative energies and Darkness itself. Dreamer couldn't make the connection. He was a White Mage, how could he be able to perform Black Magic? "It's Impossible" Dreamer said aloud, slamming the book closed, he turned and walked to the door before stopping.

He realized it wasn't impossible, he had already did it.

He closed his eyes and shook his head, it couldn't be. He battled with himself for a few minutes before he finally came to the conclusion, he would test himself. Looking around the room, Dreamer found a shadow in the corner of the room. He glared at it for a moment before raising his hand to point at it and almost began to sing.

Then the fear hit

What if it was Black Magic? Dreamer knew there were Black Mages in the guild, there were all sorts of Mages, but none of them came out much. Black Magic was seen as pure evil, and all Black Mages were watched carefully for even one slip, a reason to be severely punished. Dreamer was already an oddity in the eyes of the Council, if he could do Black Magic and they knew, he was screwed.

But what if it was Black Magic, and he didn't do a thing about it? Dreamer knew what happened to Magic when it wasn't polished and kept in check. Especially for a Mage who had Power, Dreamer knew it would be irresponsible of him to not find out. That won the battle, and after licking his lips nervously, Dreamer sang

"Shadows Come,
Be with Me
Shadows Run
Be with me"

Dreamer knew it wasn't a master verse, but unfortunately, it got the job done. The shadows stretched out toward him, touching his own shadow. As they did, Dreamer could feel the potential power, and it was delicious. Dreamer stood there for a moment, paralyzed in his fear of the awesome power at his grasp. Then he let the spell go and sat down to fight back the tears he wanted to shed.

He was turning into such a baby recently, such a powerful baby.