vibrafinal | 26th moon [action/voice]

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26th moon [action/voice]

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Should anyone be visiting the item shop in the morning or early afternoon, they'll be graced with the presence of a paladin! ...Which would normally be an extremely banal and commonplace event, but today said paladin happens to be a) turning the whole place upside down while looking for something, b) muttering some nasty curses that are directed at the items available in the shop, not at its patrons, promise, and c) wearing a long-sleeved turtleneck shirt over his mouth that happens to muffle most of point b). In the middle of July, if one must be reminded.

Some weeks, waking up is just not worth it.]

[Voice

The journal message comes later during the day, weary-sounding and still slightly muffled by that turtleneck.]

Would anyone be kind enough to help me find a razor? My visit to the item shop was... very fruitless. I'd owe you a favor in return, of course.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It makes tidal waves..?

[He'd protest that that must be impossible, but, well, they were just talking about some pretty impossible stuff.]

I'd offer you my knife, but I doubt my Family'd appreciate it bein' used for somethin' like that.

Very useful in battle, not so useful when you need a regular knife.

[That poor bathroom.]

Of course not. Family heirlooms deserve better than to be used for such mundane purposes.

[...Not quite that sort of family, Cecil.]

I see that.

Oh, I didn't mean it's an heirloom. That probably wouldn't be the best thing to fight with. We just have rules and stuff for when you draw your knife.

It's something of a code of honor, then? It's good to know that certain traditions are shared between worlds.

...Yeah, you could call it that. We don't draw our knives unless somebody deserves it or if it's for the Family.

Is that how it is back where you're from?

Baron's knighthood has one: protecting the innocent, defending the country, aiding its allies... And as a paladin, I have one of my own that is slightly different.

A paladin..? Isn't that just a bigger knight? What's your code, then?

Not quite. Unlike regular knights, paladins can wield holy weapons and use some degree of white magic, though not a lot of it. They must also never raise their swords for a purpose other than protecting someone, or they risk losing their powers. ...Sparring matches and training do not count, obviously.

Magic? How exactly do you lose somethin' like that?

[That could be pretty scary to have the possibility of your powers removed hanging over you...]

The same way I gained it when I became a paladin but in reverse, I imagine?

[Actually, he kinda has no idea.]

Or in the same way the barrier reduces it, but completely instead of partially.

How'd you get 'em?

[He wonders if it's anything like the elixir, or perhaps some weird ritual?]

The spirits of a sacred mountain gave me their power after I passed their test. It is a very rare event.

[Also, the spirits were his father. Family reunion!]

[It all sounds a little fishy to Firo, but nevertheless he's even more intrigued.]

Spirits..? What'd you have to do?

I had to allow an illusion to strike me a few times. Painful, but I've been through worse.

[That's skipping all the important spiritual parts, of course.]

An illusion? What's that got to do with magic? To see if you're tough enough for it?

To see if I deserved it. Learning white magic is normally much easier, but I started with a bit of a disadvantage.

[Firo reflects that he's probably overwhelming this guy with questions, but he can't stop his curiosity.]

...You can probably already guess what I'm gonna ask, but I'll ask anyway, if it's all right with you. What's a disadvantage when you're tryin' to learn white magic?

[He imagines it could be something embarrassing, so he tries to sound casual in his question.]

It turns out that the ability to create blade of dark energy with your life force and the ability to purify evil are not compatible. Who knew?

[He says that looking completely serious.]

Not compatible..? I didn't know either one was possible. You can do both of those? Did you hafta do the same thing to learn the first one?

[He shakes his head.]

I had to go through years of military training for that, and I lost the power the moment I became a paladin. Considering the side effects, I'd say it was an excellent trade.

Seems to me like that magic stuff isn't all that great if you can lose it just like that.

[At least when you train your body you'll always remember it.]

...That was something of a special case, one that was more a trade than a loss. People usually only forget their spells when they reached an age where they forget everything else.

[He speaks surprisingly fondly, considering the subject.]

Edited 2013-09-13 00:15 (UTC)

Are there a lotta people who forget all their spells?

[He supposes it must be similar to aging and losing strength, but even then he knows some old men who fight very well.]

Not too many. It's mostly a problem for those who know many spells, and most mages limit themselves to a handful. Perhaps they become too much for their brains to hold.

Whenever I read about magic in stories I never thought there'd be restrictions on it.

[Constraints might be a better word than what Firo chose. If a body can learn almost limitless ways to lash out, then shouldn't spells be the same way?]

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