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Post by Circe on Mar 7, 2021 20:22:38 GMT -6
Gaerlen nodded, "I will help. Because my friend asks." How could he not? Catherine had been emphatic in her letters, and expressed an urgency that he had never seen from her before. What had happened? It was concerning, but would have to wait for later. "If what you say is true, then madman risks us all through his decisions. You are wise to make this choice." Madmen never meant anything good, anywhere. It didn't matter where either, they tended to poison everything they touched.
"Gaerlen, I only asked this because Lamreak taught us both and you took his legacy. It is only right that I come to you and ask for your aid." Catherine finally said, grateful for once to not having to do most of the talking. But manners be damned, dancing around the subject of needing help was difficult enough as it was. "Tyrus is still like a child in this manner, and I can barely withstand his attacks myself."
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Post by demikara on Mar 8, 2021 9:51:51 GMT -6
"I've only had these abilities for a year." Tyrus explained. "I can do basic shields and speak mentally. I can't do much past that. I haven't needed to." He had other magic to fall back on. But his other magic wouldn't suffice for what they needed and they both knew it. Not when a single attack from Grigore would currently cripple him. "I still project my feelings, when I'm not paying attention. I read surface thoughts by accident, sometimes." He didn't mean to do either but Catherine was right. His abilities in this form of magic were still very much like a child's.
"I appreciate you being willing to help a lot. I will do my best as a student in your care." He planned on giving it 100% plus whatever else he could manage. He'd need to practice his other magic, his battle skills, as well if he wanted to stand a chance. This was a battle he wasn't looking forward to, and they had to somehow handle it without destroying half of Dallas. Which meant close quarters combat. He preferred mid range himself, but he could do close quarters as well.
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Post by Circe on Mar 8, 2021 18:36:26 GMT -6
Gaerlen frowned as he listened to Tyrus. "I will not fight this mad man for you... but I will teach you. Only because she vouches for you." He replied plainly. This was utter madness, children were taught for a reason. They were still young and malleable, not prone to the prejudices and preconceived notions adults were. They also tended to withstand the trauma necessary to instill the strength and resiliency necessary to live among such a group.
"This is a very big ask my friend. Are you even certain he is capable?" He then said to Catherine who had spent much of the conversation between the two in silence. "I could understand a child, but not a man." Gaerlen added looking over at her, uncertain.
"I have no other choice, Gaerlen. He will have to survive it." She replied shaking her head. Something had to be done, and they had already been backed into a corner by the complicated matters surrounding the solstice alone. Grigore still hadn't gotten wind of what had happened, and they had assured him later that it had been taken care of. His own greed and paranoia had aided them in that lie.
But the fact of the matter was they ultimately had to stop running and fight.
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Post by demikara on Mar 8, 2021 18:43:43 GMT -6
"I wouldn't want you to fight him." Tyrus admitted. "That is our battle. Mine more than Catherine's." That Catherine was willing to fight and not just stay in the fae realm was more than he really expected. He was going to handle this and he'd do the training to the bet of his ability. "I understand that it's usually children that learn. I will do my best to be as flexible as a child." And to learn just as swiftly, if not faster. He was going to do his absolute best.
Somehow he had a feeling that this was going to hurt. Children and adults learned very differently. And children could handle a lot more than the average adult and bounce back. Especially mentally. This was going to be tougher than he really liked. But he would do it.
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Post by Circe on Mar 8, 2021 19:38:07 GMT -6
Gaerlen nodded, "We will begin tomorrow. Sleep tonight, you will need it."
-- What followed could only be described as hell. Gaerlen was true to his word that he would have Tyrus whipped into fighting shape by the time a year was up. It was a tall order, and one that he normally wouldn't have taken on if it hadn't been Catherine making the request. They had both been taught as children under the master Lamreak. One because that was the nature of the Novori, and the other because they had no other choice.
To say that the training had been kind would have been a lie. Frequently subjected to psionic attacks, the young children had quickly learned to defend against them. Once defense was mastered, the attacks increased with frequency and severity. Sure enough other techniques and methods were taught, but the main foundation of the Novori was psionic resiliency.
Defense and meditation methods were easily taught, but the subtleties of retrieving information without being detected and offensive techniques often required more than just a year. But somehow, some way, Gaerlen managed to condense it into such a short time frame. Possibly due to the fact that for Catherine this was nothing more than a refresher, and could readily come to Gaerlen's aid, offering assistance if necessary when dealing with Tyrus.
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Post by demikara on Mar 8, 2021 19:50:31 GMT -6
Tyrus spent his days with headaches from fending off psionic attacks and failing, at least until he got better. And he worked hard to get better quickly. True to her word, he had worked on fighting with Catherine, though not without undergoing psionic attacks at the same time. The training was intense, left him exhausted at night, and too tired to do more than get into bed and try and cool his head with a cloth spelled to feel like ice. It helped some, at least. But he could certainly say he had come a long way in a year, and he could now withstand attacks from Catherine and Gaerlen alike. That had been the important part.
He had also gotten very used to speaking mind to mind rather than out loud. It would be an interesting habit to break once he was back in Dallas. There is was considered rude to simply speak in someone's mind. Here, it was perfectly normal, and really the only way he could make himself known as he rapidly learned the language. He had certainly not expected to get as good as he had in the year of time they had. But he felt much more confident fighting Grigore now, having managed to practice fighting together with Catherine as well, so he'd know how she moved and wouldn't hit her by accident in their fight against Grigore.
All their training would have to do. They were out of time. There was only so long Xiaolian would have been able to stall the council in wondering where Catherine was. And there was only so long that they could stay away from Grigore before he figured out where they had retreated to as well. No doubt by now he thought of himself as prepared to face the two 'fledglings' of his line.
Tyrus intended on proving Grigore very wrong, very quickly. If he had his way, it would be done within seconds. That may not happen, but he fully intended on bringing down overwhelming force on the elder vampire. He had been practicing close quarters combat, destruction without destroying everything around him, and he had it down to an art now.
"I suppose it's time to go, isn't it?" He knew their time was short. Now for the uncomfortable part. "I appreciate all your help Gaerlen. If you ever need my help, for some reason, feel free to contact me. I'll come." He had also gotten much better at acknowledging his debts without specifically saying thank you. But this was a debt he fully intended on paying back one day, somehow. the other had given him a serious boon with the intense training he had undergone.
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Post by Circe on Mar 8, 2021 21:01:07 GMT -6
"Yes." Catherine answered.
Another chapter it seemed was coming to a close and they both stood on a precipice of change. What happened after this was anyone's guess, and whether or not they managed to succeed was up for debate as well. Grigore was formidable, after all he had survived the politics of the Florentine court and it's chaos this long. His ascent to the throne in Dallas had left a trail of bodies both mundane and unseen in his wake.
While staying longer was tempting for Catherine, to be able to remain meant a further violation of a 200 odd year parole that the Council had placed her on. She knew that eventually someone would find her, and she would rather it be Xiaolian or Molly with a message instead of one of the Council's bounty hunters.
"I do not say this lightly Gaerlen, but Tyrus is right, we are in your debt. Both yours and Aduin's for everything you've both provided us over this time here." She added. It was bittersweet to be leaving again, but their time running was now over. It was time to face the madman and force the fates to deal at least one of them a hand worth playing, even if it was just for a short while.
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Post by demikara on Mar 8, 2021 21:10:42 GMT -6
"I should be able to provide you with some magic so you aren't too worn out for the journey back." They'd need to be in good form. And let it not be said that Tyrus was lacking in magic. Between the two of them, they'd have enough magic and he was familiar enough with hers to cast with her. He owed more than he would like to admit to Aduin and Gaerlen. But he would have a chance to pay the debt at some point he was sure. He had eternity now, and he was beginning to understand what that meant at least, given this was the end of his second year as an unaging immortal.
He was, however, glad to be going back to where he could have a proper meal of blood from a human. Animal blood was alright, but it didn't have everything he needed in it and he knew it. It was better to drink the blood of a sentient. He had very politely not snacked on any of the novori while he was there. He had decided it was in poor taste. Still, he would miss his time here. The fae realm was growing on him, slowly but surely. This had been a nicer stay than the cramped room in Molly's place meant for a single man and somehow housing two.
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