Arcane Attraction (Me x Irvine)

[Zero Morality]

Azalia sighed, she hated going on trips with her parents, they never taught her anything and she just ended up tailing behind them the entire time. It was different this time though, they were in a new town and there was a tower, she figured that looming tower would hold something for her to learn, something for her to be able to fight for once. When he parents were distracted in the bustling market, it was the perfect place to make her getaway, it was full of people, her parents were distracted, and she could see the tower in the far off distance.

When the opportunity presented itself she smirked and then took off easily maneuvering through the crowd her reflexes making it easy for her to get closer and closer to the tower her shoulder length hair tied behind her in a ponytail and her blue eyes were on the tower. She was dressed in an odd outfit, a short skirt which showed her long white legs only covered by thigh socks and a black spaghetti strap shirt which revealed the shoulders of her arm because the rest was covered by a small sweater and her small golden pendant. "Lost them" she said after she stopped running a few minutes later and she was much closer to the tower. She walked from here on out, she wondered if the rumors of the tower would be true, would there be a powerful sorcerer there for her to train under, would he even accept her?

She thought that question over until she finally reached the tower. Once there she looked at it, it was huge, she couldn't believe it was this big, she had seen big castles before but this one tower was huge and she felt a bit scared as she just stood outside nervously biting her lower lip as she stepped forward to the large doors and she knocked stepping back nervously, "Crap... This may have been a mistake..." she said taking a deep breath and shifting nervously, she wondered what the person in this tower would be like, she hoped he wasn't some evil sadistic man.

 

[Irvine]

Azalia’s worries were more than warrented given the state of the town that her parents had brought her to this time. The town was small but it was very heavily reinforced. The tower that the girl had forced her way through the crowds to reach stood in the center of the town. It was an impressive structure by any standards, reaching ten stories into the sky and made of white brick and mortar. The buildings in the direct vicinity around the tower made up the town’s bazaar and past the assorted shops and stands lay a sea of homes. Nearly every building in the town was made of the same white brick and mortar; the materials for the bricks being easily obtainable from the local mountain ranges. Surrounding the town was a twenty foot high wall made of the very same brick. If anything, this small town would be reminiscent of a military outpost more than a town.

The area surrounding the town was harsh and unforgivable. A dangerous marshland filled with undead monstrosities, lizardfolk, crocodiles, and quicksand. Far beyond the marshlands lay mountains on all sides, trapping the town in a swamped valley full of horrors. According to the natives, a large black dragon inhabited a cave in the mountains somewhere to the north.

Most outsiders would have compared this terrible place to a humid and wet hell. Oh yes, if there was anywhere that the poor, neglected girl was going to find a twisted and sadistic man then this tower would have been a prime place to find one.

It took several moments for someone to answer the door after the young woman knocked and when it did at last open, she might have been shocked to find that it was not an old man who had answered. The man who had answered looked to be in his early to mid-twenties. He stood at about six feet, perhaps a few inches more with a toned and fit physique. His skin was dark in comparison to most of the other townsfolk and his hair was darker, a rich raven black. Brown eyes peered down questioningly at the young woman from a face that seemed a day or two overdue for a shave. His attire was simple; plain linen boots with brown leggings and matching robes which were not tied shut in the front. The only thing really noteworthy about this man was the buckle on his belt; silver with a swirling blue jewel.

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia looked at the man who was standing in front of her and she was surprised, his looks were not what she expected, he was actually quite handsome but he was also scary a bit threatening and she barely stopped herself from taking another step back. He hand gripped her shirt and she was pushing it down her feet scuffing the ground as she inspected him nervously. Her parents were still in the town, she could probably find them if she ran back because if this was the man who lived in this tower she wasn't so sure she should be trying to get him to teach her, not only was he scary but she was barely 20 years old and he was close to her age, close enough that she could see something happening. She shook he head and tried to calm herself thinking over the few options that were worth considering.

After another minute, long enough where the man had to be getting irritated she looked him in the eyes, her own ice blue colored eyes beautiful, they had a way of attracting people and she didn't smile, she was too nervous. "U-Um... I wanted to ask the person who lived in this castle if they would... Um teach me magic..." she said her voice matching her cute looks perfectly. She was tall now that she stood up straight though almost 6 feet an inch or two less at the most and that was strange for a female, it obviously signified that she wasn't from around here, that she was a traveler. She actually came from a small village in a tundra area, she had been raised in harsh environments from a young age and she was mentally and physically strong for a woman, mostly because of her parents who although not letting her fight sure as hell made sure she could if she had to condition wise.

 

[Irvine]

Judging by the young man's tanned skin, one could easily assume that he wasn't from this area either. Between the mountains, the trees of the swamp, and the gasses that hung in the air above the hellish marshlands, very little sunlight reached the denizens of this place. This young man was from the south, born in the deserts that lay on the other side of the southern mountain ranges.

Upon hearing the young woman speak, the young man crossed his arms over his chest and allowed his eyes to drift over her form in an appraising manner. His gaze wasn't much more flattering than the looks that one might give a fresh slave locked into the stocks on the auction block of a pirate town. Azalia's nervousness was completely unwarranted in the presence of this young man though there was no way for her to know that having just seen him.

"You want to learn 'magic'?" His voice was deep, rich, and noble; fitting for a man such as he. While his voice would have likely been harmonious to the girl's ears, his tone was a little condescending. "Look, Princess, I don't think that you quite understand what it is you're requesting. The fact that you requested to learn 'magic' is proof enough of that for me. Your 'magic' is an infinite universe of power with many branches. To come in here expecting to understand all of the possibilities speaks for a significant ignorance of what you request."

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia looked at him with a confused expression, "Excuse me, did you just call me a fucking princess?" she asked her true personality coming out now that she wasn't embarrassed or nervous but angry and her eyebrow raised, "You have no idea who I am... I am so far from being a princess you pompous ass... If you don't want to help me learn to defend myself, to see if I have the gift for the arcane then say no, don't insult me." she said her voice firm but strangely calm, she didn't yell, she just stood there and once she stopped speaking to him she began eying him up. "Besides you don't look much like a teacher, more like an apprentice Mr. Know It All" she said with a now innocent smile as she tried to look around him, she wondered if she had just made a mistake and insulted the actual main arcane expert of the tower, if so she would be even more nervous than before but hell he insulted her like he knew she was some spoiled child, she grew up in a hard environment, she had mercenaries for parents, now she wanted to learn to fight in the countless battles she had seen and not been allowed to partake in. Besides she figured she had arcane in her blood and wanted to see if she could utilize it, maybe just maybe.

 

[Irvine]

A smirk slid across the young man’s lips when the young woman suddenly lashed out with passionate aggression at her little nickname. His grandfather, the master of this tower, was never one to consider taking on students but he was getting rather old and if nothing else this girl could help him around the tower. This young woman’s fiery attitude would only serve to help her in her quest here. Mastering the Arcana was a lifelong pursuit and it would take someone with a passionate heart to ever hope to touch half of the knowledge that the old master of the tower held.

“I am not a teacher, nor an apprentice, Princess,” the robed man answered in a calm manner without a hint of insult. “The very aspect of myself that prevents the master of this tower from passing any powers down to me also prevents me from being able to pass my own on to anyone else.”

His dark eyes gave Azalia’s form one final appraisal before rising to meet her own. He was silent for a moment then as his eyes seemed to bore into the young woman’s as if he were looking past her body and into the very fire that had suddenly sparked within her. After several moments, the young man stepped aside and swept into a low bow to signal for Azalia to enter the tower. “I believe that the master of this tower would like to speak with you personally, Princess. Unless you’ve lost your nerve, that is.”

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia raised an eyebrow when the man eyed her up as well and she thought about his words confused her, passing down of power hmm, she didn't know much about magic like he had said but her grandfather was a celebrated mage back in her town before he died, he had specialized in cold, ice type spells, which were strengthened by the environment had lived in, to be honest she would settle for that kind of skill but if it was a place like this, a mage answering the door and promise of a stronger mage inside she was very eager to see how powerful she could be in the use of the arcane, if she even could.

When he invited her in, taunted her even she just took a deep breath as to ignore the taunting comment and smiled, a very cute but oddly mischievous smile as she stepped in, "Why thank you, it looks like your a good doorman despite our bad introduction... And for the record my name is Azalia Alexandria Strowen and I am not a princess" she said smirking and looking around the tower, it was an amazing thing indeed and she was glad to be invited inside.

 

[Irvine]

The interior of the tower was just as impressing as the exterior. The floor and walls weren’t given any attention in the ways of paint, the white brick appearing grey in the dim torch lighting of the tower. The walls were lined with wooden shelf after shelf of books and tones. Large wooden tables dotted the central areas of the floors, each with a number of chairs and a decorative round carpet beneath them. It wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing of decor but considering where exactly the tower had been erected, they had done what they could with what they had. To the right of the doorway, along the wall, was a ramp spiraling upward along the outer rim of the tower wall leading up to the next story.

The large wooden door was shut behind Azalia as she made her way into the sanctum of the man whom she had come seeking with the hopes that he would teach her. “The Master is on the third floor, Princess,” the young man spoke again, pointedly ignoring her introduction. “He is the one whom you will have to impress and he is the one whom will teach you what it is that you’ve come to learn. If he believes that you have the dedication, that is. This isn’t work fit for a dainty little girl.”

The man only smiled at the girl after spewing a stream of what she would most assuredly take as insults. That is what he wanted, however. She would need that fire and that passion if she wanted to earn a position here in the tower.

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia continued to look around for awhile and then the man began to speak again and as she had already become accustomed to he was being, and this was an understatement for how she felt, being extremely insulting. She hated hearing that she was some dainty little girl. She was a 20 year old in shape intelligent female and she hated when a guy like this one insulted her just for the sport of it. "Well thank you, I am sure if some feminine egotist such as yourself is allowed to study here I will be permitted to as well" she said walking towards the stairs and quickly ascending to the third floor, once there she stepped inside and began looking around, wondering where this master was and even more so what he would be like, she was hoping he wasn't like the other guy whose name she had not recalled getting.

 

[Irvine]

It wasn't by accident that Azalia did not get the young man's name and it wasn't out of any sense of egotistical superiority that he had made sure to fire her up for the old man upstairs. In this tower, magic was not a study. Here, magic was an art form and like all forms of art, passion and desire were needed to truly tap into a person's inner-most depths of prowess. The two men needed the extra help if they were going to find a way to counter-act this undead infection in the valley but the old master would never jeopardize their art for the sake of one extra set of hands. Azalia needed that fire if she was going to get her wish.

As Azalia ascended the stairwell, she would assuredly notice that the second and third floors looked very much like the first. Shelves of books, large wooden tables, and decorative rugs seemed to be a popular theme here in the tower. Thus is the price knowledge for one with so many tomes.

The Master, as promised by the young man who had answered the door, awaited Azalia on the third floor. He was seated at a table in the middle of the room, his nose buried in a book until the young woman's presence brought his attention from his book to the staircase. This man looked much more like one would expect and old master wizard to look. If he were standing, he'd barely be five and a half feet tall. His skin was much paler than the other man's and his hair was a starch white. Brown eyes peered out from a face framed by a full beard and moustache. His attire was identical to the other man's, though the elder magi had the courtesy to keep his robes tied closed.

"Good afternoon Young Miss," the old man spoke in a haggard voice that seemed to speak even more for his age than his appearance. "I do hope that my grandson did not give you too much trouble. We have been fairly busy of late and he's been quite testy."

 

[Zero Morality]

When Azalia found the older man, the master of the tower she was so much more excited, she could seriously learn from someone like this, he seemed like a nice enough looking man and of course the fact that he was ancient made him easier to trust since old people whether they were or not always seemed less threatening. Then he spoke about the young man from earlier being his grandson and she bit her lip, she hoped her rudeness towards family would not sway this mans decision on whether or not he trained her.

"No no words can easily be forgiven besides I was not exactly polite either. Actually if you are busy that makes this so much harder to ask... I was wondering though, could I perhaps learn to study here... I mean at least see if I have the gift?" Azalia asked her serious expression and strong tone telling how much she really wanted that, while she was speaking she remembered her grandfather, he was a well know wizard in his day, perhaps a name drop? "I am the daughter of Alexander Nimbus Strowen." she said a smile appearing on her face after saying his name, she had loved him so much, he had been so good to him in the short time he remembered.

 

[Irvine]

A smile crept across the old man's lips though his facial hair would have made it nearly impossible to tell. "Dear child, you look as though you are at the age now where you would already know if you possessed any gifts such as my grandson's. That isn't to say that you cannot be taught, however, but it seems as though you are quite unaware of the worlds held within this tower."

The old man closed his book now and slid it aside as he motioned for Azalia to take a seat across from him at his table. "Have a seat, Child. Tell me about yourself. Where do you hail from? Why have you travelled to this hellish place to learn an art that you seem foreign to? Why have you chosen this foreign art? Are you willing to dedicate the entirety of yourself to this art? If you are not then there is nothing that I can teach you. Any civilian can pick up a sword and defend his home but only a true soldier is a frightening foe with a blade. This logic does not apply to this art; not just anyone can pull together their feelings and defend their homes with a blaze of projectile flame. You will need to put forth that same dedication that the soldier had if you hope to be as frightening as the citizen."

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia walked over and she took a seat at the table and she took a deep breath. "Well... About me... Okay I am the 20 year old daughter of two mercenaries, my grandfather was a great Wizard. I hail from the lands in the north where the snow falls almost everyday, it is a beautiful place..." she said a small smile on her face, it had a been a long time since she had been back there. "As for why I came here well that was with my parents, for as long as I can remember they have been dragging me along on their missions, they train my body but not my skill and they will not allow me to fight, so I decided I would come here to such a famous tower and see if maybe I had the talent my grandfather had locked within me somewhere or if I am doomed for the rest of my life to follow my parents around without the power to do a damn thing otherwise. So about me that is all there is to tell, the rest is useless."

 

[Irvine]

"Yes, well as I have already said, Child, if you possessed any innate abilities in the arcane art then they would have made themselves clear a long time ago. That is not to say that you cannot learn, of course, you will simply have to do things the hard way like myself and, I'd imagine, your own grandfather." As the old man spoke, his eyes stared distantly into Azalia's own icy orbs in very much the same manner that the young man from before had done. They were looking for something but what? What could they possibly be able to tell from just looking into her eyes?

After a few moments, the old man chuckled and shook his head. "I will never understand how my grandson can tell so much about a person's power by gazing into their souls. I guess I must have slept through that class sixty years ago. Tell me... Azalia, was it? You did not answer my most important question. Are you willign to give all of yourself to this pursuit; body and soul, blood and sweat?"

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia listened to the man and she understood, she didn't have a knack for magic but she did hear that with hard work she could become something and she smiled, if there was one thing that she knew it was hard work and that was the best thing she could have really heard, "Well if you asking if I can give myself to this, if I can give my body and soul, both blood and sweat than my answer is yes, I can do anything for my goal, for my ambition." she said confidently and her icy blue eyes stared right back in to his her use not to intimidate, not to read him, but to allow herself to be read more clearly, to open herself up because inside she knew she could do this.

 

[Irvine]

The old man slid his chair out from the table and rose to his feet upon hearing Azalia's answer. He was much shorter than the man from downstairs, even shorter than it appeared that he was when he was sitting; just a few inches past five feet. "It is one thing to make such claims, Child, but it is another altogether to prove your words," he spoke as he shuffled his way toward one of the shelves.

For several minutes, he scanned the shelf in silence until he had found what it was that he was searching for. A big, leather-bound tome of intimidating thickness was pulled from the shelf before the old man shuffled his way back over to his seat and sliding the tome across the table toward Azalia. "This tome is a product of all of my studies; eighty-three years worth of arcane art has gone into its writing." The old man paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on Azalia's. "As I have said; we are busy here at this time and I cannot be bothered to teach one who is unworthy of the power of the arcana. That tome is your first trial; your tool to prove to me that you want this. The first part is an introduction to the arcane, the second is an introduction to your common basic-level tools and materials, and the third is an entry-level spell book. Do not be afraid to ask questions if there is something that you do not understand but try not to make a habit of it, hm? The purpose of this is to prove that you are capable of expanding yourself with the tools that you have or are given and with little guidance, after all. You are still only human, however, and I will accept the room that you need for error and misunderstanding. You may have as much time as you feel that you need. Simply come to me when you are comfortable with your own grasp of the basics and I will consider you for more personal training at that time but not until."

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia was a bit nervous when he stood and brought back the tome, the explanation of why she was being given it she bit her lower lip, she was expected to learn arcane arts by herself, not that she didn't think she could do it but she was thinking this was going to be much more difficult than she had thought without proper tutor and she only nodded, "Okay, I will get to work immediately..." Azalia said and she stood up the tome in hands and she just looked at it for a moment, she wondered if they had a place she could stay in the tower since she didn't want to practice magic outside of it and she looked at the man, "Um... Is there a place here I can practice without getting in the way?" she asked her voice firm as she asked, no nervousness in it at all, just determination.

 

[Irvine]

The old man did not answer for several moments. The tower did not hold a training room and, unfortunately, he could not think of anywhere in town that this girl could really practice her new art. "By the time that this tower was being constructed, I was already an accomplished wizard. That said, I am afraid that this tower was not designed with teaching or training in mind."

As another thought rushed through his head, a smile slid across the old man's visage beneath his beard. Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to peddle a beautiful young dame off onto his grandson. Heavens knew that the boy could use someone with whom he could connect with emotionally. "If you cannot practice at home then might I suggest borrowing my young assistant? You will need to leave this town and enter the marsh to collect some of your materials if you do not have the coin to purchase them in the market. Of course, he guards won't let you leave unescorted due to the dangers in the swamp and my grandson is authorized outside of the gates."

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia grimaced, 'Fuck not him...' she thought but if it was the only way she would do anything for his help, she had to show the old man that she was prepared to give anything for this, this was all she wanted. She smiled and nodded, "Okay sir I will certainly do so, I will come back to you only when I have completed the task appointed" she said and walked off the tome in hand and she walked downstairs and looked for the grandson, she was kind of man though because she knew he wouldn't help her willingly, he would probably demand something absolutely ridiculous, not only that but they hadn't exactly been on good terms from the start, they were like dragon and tiger, they would always be arguing she assumed.

 

[Irvine]

When Azalia reappeared on the entry floor of the tower, the young man from earlier was just at the bottom of the ramp as though he was waiting for her. His eyes snapped nearly instantly to the tome that the strange young woman now held, a smirk found its way across his lips, and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, well, the little Princess isn't afraid to get her hands dirty with a bit of work then?" His tone was arrogant as his words. "Or is it that you don't understand quite what you've been asked to do? You'll have to go outside of the towns protective walls, you know? You'll get mud on your shoes and I'd wager that you might break a nail collecting your spell materials. There are crocodiles out there, quick sand, and hordes of undead. There might even be a powerful lich or a few vampires; we've heard rumors that they keep near the mountains."

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia sighed, the whole princess thing really getting to her, nobody called her a princess, she had grown up more like a man than like a woman despite her feminine looks of present. "Shut up... Your grandfather has told me to take you with me, you will be accompanying me out of town and into the marshes to collect reagents for the many things I will have to do to conquer this tome, so hurry up and prepare I wish not to wast time." she said in a dull tone showing she had no interest in his jests and games as of now, she was serious and she wanted to get her long quest started so she could start becoming that which she desired, a user of the arcane arts.

 

[Irvine]

The tan-skinned male barely contained his laughter at the young girl's ignorance of the matter at hand. She couldn't possibly believe that she could just wander off into the swamp and collect her reagent materials immediately. There's no way that someone who had just walked into the tower off of the street with clearly no prior knowledge in this field would have any clue what she was looking for. Even if she did know what she was looking for, she wouldn't know how to get some of the materials from their source.

"It isn't that simple, Princess. Do you even know what you are looking for?" The man spoke as he turned to move toward the closest table and take a seat. He kicked another chair out from the table for Azalia to join him. "I have seen many people come to learn from that old man, I have seen many people take up the challenge that you hold in your hand, and I have seen every one of those hopefuls turned away because they didn't have what it takes to teach themselves. I would advise that you do not start barking orders at me unless there is a 'please' to accompany your request. Your success depends on you but do not forget that your safety depends on me."

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia was pissed, she had to wait hand and foot on this bastard as she assumed and she took a deep breath calming herself as she took a seat and opened the tome, she flipped through it until she found a list of sorts and she read over it, this had to be the reagents she required though some of them had notes telling her to flip to other pages where harvesting of the reagent was written and she showed it to him, "I assume this is what I need to collect, now if you would please be so kind as to lend me a hand by protecting me as I acquire such items I would be in your debt" she said in a polite tone but she revealed her true feelings on her face, a mad expression that still did not take away from her beauty, a surprising thing as well, her eyes almost seemed to glow as she looked at him something that rarely happened in her life and nobody had know why.

 

[Irvine]

The young man could only sigh as he watched the young girl make the same mistake that nearly every failed wizard who had come to learn here had made. She knew little of the art and she expected to get to work immediately. Sure, she could collect some of the materials and the book would instruct her on how to collect what reagents from where but how would she use them? What spell was she intending to learn first? She could spend all day in the marsh and collect dozens of materials but that would not guarantee that she would have the proper components for any given spell. Normally, the young man would just step back and allow her to fail but he and his grandfather needed an extra set of hands. Besides, she was pretty cute and as exotic as he, himself, was in this swampy wasteland; a princess from the frozen north and a desert rat from the burning south. It looked like he was going to have to hold her hand though this, so to speak.

"I'll make you a deal, Princess," the young man spoke as he sized Azalia up again. Of course, he knew better than to assume that this girl was a delicate little flower by her physique but the nickname seemed to bother her and he always found women to be even more attractive with a flush. "I'll help you go get some materials if you will allow me to treat you to dinner this evening."

 

[Zero Morality]

Azalia sighed and she knew she was being rash but then the an gave her that ridiculous ultimatum type deal and used that nickname she hated oh so much, "No thank you I think I will refuse dinner and go read this book, when I believe I have studied enough and once I have a reason to leave the village I shall ask again but try not to dupe me into going to dinner with you, if your that desperate for a date women who do that kind of thing usually hang out at the tavern." she said a smirk on her face as she moved to another table a good distance away so there would be silence, opened to tome to the first page and began reading, she was into it now but she was just barely holding in a small angered huff, she had been asked out before, to dinner and such but never from a man like him, he was very annoying and teased her and not to mention she was still naive when it came to love, well not so naive and innocent as scarred and she shivered the idea getting her distracted for a brief moment.