quest log | wilder training

[faileas]

Who: Those who signed up for the High-Risk Quest "Wilder Training"
When: 08/09 to 08/12
Where: A camp on the south-western edge of the Wilde.
What: From the quest information itself: "Outside of the recruitment, the Wilders are also offering training for anyone who'd like it regardless of bonds and experience. They'll be taken into a safe, slightly infected area in order to hone skills of magic (both Witch and Monster based), how to handle different weapons available, have lectures on things to look for in the field, and finally a test to see what they've learned. No notes allowed."
Warnings: None in the log post itself; if anything comes up, let us know, and we'll make sure to add it here.

The Way There

The training camp party gathers just outside of the city's walls before the sun begins to rise; once heads are counted and everyone is accounted for, Yvette Tressa - the same Witch who led the expedition into Smugha Cave - will start the march through Dead Man's Land, following the river. It isn't quite dark at this period of dawn, the bare landscape painted a washed-out blue by what small light there is, and as the sun settles into the early morning sky they reach their first destination - the edge of the Wilde. Rowboats large enough to fit five or six people (or a few significantly larger people) bob gently up and down where they're tied, the runes marking around the area marking it as protected by a barrier; keen eyes will notice these are the same as what the Wilders and the Coven have been setting up around Smugha Cave.

The party is herded into the boats and sent up the river into the Wilde, the boats gently rowing themselves against the current. The trees of the Wilde have slowly, almost imperceptibly, been shifting to a new color as summer turns into fall outside of it: browner and fully dead, with fewer leaves hanging from their branches, as if winter has finally come. The air is also significantly cooler the deeper they row into up the river, the breeze a sharp string of cold when it blows, and several Wilders shiver despite their being used to it. The journey is a quiet one, the river ducking out of the Wilde when the sun is at its highest point - the area is changed from the familiar fields around Aefenglom around this small bend, with dozens of flowers waving their faint scent in the still chilly breeze. No two flowers look the same, but the boat ride doesn't stop there: it continues back into the Wilde, leaving the sweet smell behind them.

The sun is still visible where they dock, noting it as a little later in the afternoon; further ahead, the river splits two ways, and it's to the left side the party will be guided. As they come upon the split's left side, the trees begin to thin in a way similar to the area around Smugha Cave, their branches cleaned up and the start of infection scraped from their sides - and then abrupt barrenness as it becomes clear just what the trees now suddenly missing have been used for: A fortified camp, well-protected by its high, sturdy wooden walls, the tops of them sharpened to a point. As the party draws closer, runes of protection are easy to notice, carved line after line in the thick, wood logs.

Training Camp: Sauf

Located on the edge of the Wilde (the red dot; the navy dot is Smugha Cave, for a point of reference), Sauf is a fairly large camp equipped with all of the basic necessities. Used year-round for various training exercises, Sauf is home to around twenty "permanent" residents - that is, those who have volunteered to stay the year - and otherwise hosts trainees, instructors, researchers, and so on. Look-outs are positioned all around the camp's edge, manned by at least one pair of Wilders, and a large communal fire pit sits in the middle of the camp. The main entrance is on the south side, with smaller ones located on the other three sides.

The north side of the camp is where characters will find their living quarters for their weekend stay: large, sturdy tents designed to hold several dozen people comfortably. Given the Wilde's chill, these are kept toasty and warm through the use of small piles of heat stones similar to the larger ones found in the city during the snow last month. Also on the north side is the mess hall, where characters can get some grub or hang out and mingle with their fellow trainees, mirrorbound and native alike.

The east and west sides of the camp are where the training takes place. Each side has a different function, however: the east side is for more individual-based training, with dummies and moving targets, both magically-repairing, and instructors, while the west side is for arena-based training - that is, fighting one another. Any type of match-up is considered fair and reasonable, and fights go on intermittently over the days, as does betting.

Finally, the south side of the camp is home to the meeting hall, a large stone building; while not currently in use, it remains an important fixture nonetheless. The healer's wards are also located here as two tarped areas that hug both walls, which provides medical help for those coming in or who have been injured during training, and protection for those venturing out.

I. A Primer On Witches


In addition to weapons training - which, specific to Witches, comes in the form of long-reach weaponry such as lances, quarterstaffs, or halberds - they offer instruction in spells that come in handy while needing to defend oneself and others in the Wilde.

• Abjuration 1: Barriers, shields, alarms.
• Abjuration 2: Healing (both lower level and advanced courses), dispels.
• Alchemy 1: Potion-brewing for healing draughts, magic draughts, potions that can cure basic ailments (poison, paralysis, sleep).
• Alchemy 2: Arrays to create on-the-go bombs (palm-sized) of the offensive and smoke varieties, weapons of various types, all from materials able to be found around and on oneself.
• Conjuration 1: Temporary camps (tents and campfires), various magical weapons, food and water (not very filling nor hydrating, essentially as a just-in-case thing).
• Conjuration 2: Living creatures such as animals and insects, a variety from the harmless/watcher-type to more offensively-based ones.
• Divination 1: Scrying on the fly using pocket mirrors, running water as a medium, speaking with animals (sometimes not extremely helpful given their lower intelligence).
• Divination 2: Finding magic via a scavenger hunt, how to enter a dream-like trance to access the subconscious and interpretation of signs found there.
• Enchantment 1: Charm spells that work against either humanoids, Monsters, or animals, which make the target more friendly or a straight-up ally; some target will know they've been charmed.
• Enchantment 2: Strengthening spells such as for physical, mental, or magical power, as well as elemental imbuing for weapons and other objects.
• Evocation 1: Single-target elemental spells and how to control them, particularly fire and ice for the latter, with elements also including earth/stone, water, lightning, and wind.
• Evocation 2: Multiple-target elemental spells with the same instruction and types as above, as well as multiple-target healing spells.
• Illusion 1: Visual illusions (people, animals, items), larger illusions (areas, buildings, bigger varities of aforementioned types).
• Illusion 2: Audio illusions, how to tie them together with visual illusions.
• Transmutation 1: Transforming oneself or one's items and back again, as well as mending minor objects.
• Transmutation 2: Transforming other people or other people's items and back again, as well as how to do it sneakily.

II. A Primer On Monsters


In addition to weapons training - which, specific to Monsters, comes in the form of short-reach weaponry such as swords and axes - they offer instruction in the special traits and perks each Monster has, particularly ones that come in handy when defending oneself or others in the Wilde.

• Arachne: Speed/jumps and web-spinning, either as traps or in use as rope, whip, etc.
• Chimera: Fighting blind and/or deaf to avoid charms, illusions, and curses.
• Dragon: Breath abilities, both how to use them and the finer points of control.
• Fae: Creating illusions and seeing through them, with a heavy focus on landscape and areas rather than creatures or objects.
• Faun: Plant growth, with a focus on naturally revitalizing plants and ones with more offensive uses, such as bomb-nuts and carnivorous flowers.
• Harpy: Singing lessons, as well as flying lessons with the use of wind magic should one have it.
• Merrow: Water magic, with an experimental focus on purifying it for drinking or bathing purposes.
• Naga: Speaking to water and empathizing with it, as well as instruction on the proper and ethical usage of hypnosis.
• Puca: Impersonation practice, with shapeshifting into someone they know or see and mimicking their voice and way of speaking.
• Turnskin: Sense training, particularly smell and hearing, with the use of blindfolds.
• Vampire: Casting thralls, and proper measures to take against the sun.

III. Partnering Up


Skills and spells are both useful while out in the Wilde, but one's biggest asset is their partner - or partners, plural. The Wilders will pick at random two or three people to partner up and do a variety of things in order to build trust and clear communication, such as your ordinary trust-falls or a game of telephone, as well as things that might be a little more on the side of seeing just how far they can go: clothes-switching (you don't know a man - or Monster - until you've walked a mile in their shoes), taking care of an inanimate object together, and being connected to one another for several hours, courtesy of some enchanted pair bracelets that won't allow their wearers to move more than a foot from the other half of their pair.

Outside of that, they'll be offering up the opportunity for those without Bonds to try temporarily Bonding to whoever their eyes land on first (with a quick, non-ceremonial shot of silver liquid), as well as fighting together against other pairs or tamed beasts (with or without the Bond) in the arenas.
IV. A Little Exploration


On the final day of the weekend training excursion, everyone is once again gathered - this time for the test promised to them. It isn't a pen and paper test, however, but one to test how well they've retained the training offered to them. In the early morning, the group will set out north-west of the camp; the path begins well-trod, but overgrowth soon begins to get underfoot. Patches of frost begin to show up as well - perhaps it's the Wilde's odd season at work.

Or perhaps it's something else.

Entire trees are encased in ice, their branches looking like arms reaching out or twisted around themselves; the bark resembles faces, with hair curled to their chins, and while some may have the sinking feeling that appearances might not just be appearances, the humanoids frozen mid-stepping from similarly frosted trees may all but confirm it.

Dryads, frozen in time, the Cwyld dark and trapped beneath the ice - or maybe those are remnants of the fire that was an attempt at culling the infection before it could begin. Some of them are cracked and broken, their limbs lost, while others are perfectly preserved.

There won't be too much time to stop and stare, however; this is a test, and the enemies of the day become apparent:


• Ice wolves. With a chilly bite and a tendency to work in pairs and groups, it's worth doing just the same to take them down. Their paws are black and crusted with mud and Cwyld infection, their eyes bright and unseeing - and though they may be blind, the rest of their senses have become even stronger in response.
• Snow elementals. Large and actually made of a mix of ice and snow, their patches of Cwyld streak across their white bodies - it makes them easy to see in all the white, but gives them some resistance to the traditional use of fire to melt them. They primarily rely on ice spikes and other related magics, ut will throw a heavy punch if gotten too close to.
• Withered ents. Ordinarily peaceful, these normally massive moving trees are as tall as a one-story house due to hunching over from the cold and ice that covers them. Similar to the wolves, their large, gnarled hands are covered in the black of the Cwyld, but only one eye is the blind white that marks infection - the other is hollow and sunken in. Roots and heavy earth shakes are their primary skills, being otherwise slow to move, and they avoid fighting where there are dryads.
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Comments

[eightleaves]

[He steadies Elliot, but there's nothing beyond that touch. No bond, no feeling whatsoever. For some reason, he says, but Rean just looks... guilty. It takes a moment for him to form words ahead of the voice in his head-- a moment, and once he makes sure Elliot is steady, he pulls his hands away.]

I... I think it's me. No, I'm sure it's something to do with me.

[He sighs with some frustration.]

I thought if I tried it with someone I knew, it would-- turn out differently.

[fiddlestick]

[He appreciates being steadied. He's not dizzy, but the feeling in his chest is really distracting. But even that is overridden by what Rean says. ]

W-Wait... [Excuse him as he tries to wrap his head around it] Your bonds have been breaking? You?

[It sounds so hard to believe. If it was one of the others, like Machias or Fie, at least there was a history of it. But...]

B-But you've never had trouble linking before.

[How?]

[eightleaves]

... Yeah.

[He folds his arms.]

It's been happening since I started these exercises this morning. Everything goes fine for a little while, but then something happens and I just—can't. I don't get it. It doesn't sound like it's all that different from the ARCUS, so I should be fine.

[He bites his bottom lip a moment.]

... I'm sorry. If I knew it was a risk, I should have told you beforehand.

I think it's best we stop for now.

[fiddlestick]

Don't apologize. You couldn't have known... [Elliot bites his lip. With his expression, you don't need a Bond to tell that he feels worried and confused. Rean's bonds were breaking? He didn't even think bonds could easily break, so how...?

He did have a point about stopping. He gives a little nod before giving a "time out" signal to the Wilder trainers. They give concerned looks of their own, before nodding and using spells to restrain the beasts. The arena gate opens up, allowing them exit.]

Come on. Maybe a break will help.

[He doesn't think it'd be that easy, but something tells him forcing Rean into bonding right away again will just make the problem worse. ]

[eightleaves]

[And now he's gone and made Elliot worried. He truly is the worst.]

Maybe.

[He doesn't sound all that convinced either-- just tired. And while the feeling of the bond breaking will eventually lessen for Elliot, Rean's endured it enough today that his left hand doesn't move from the scar on his chest for long. He's got that 'I'm in pain and enduring it' look.

He finds them a quiet place away from the noise of the arena and the training dummies, a place with a bench to rest on. Rean flops onto it without much ceremony, and sighs so much his shoulders deflate. He rests his scabbard against the bench. Despite everything else, he still has it-- and it feels good against his fingertips, steadying him when not much else does.]

You have a permanent bond, right? Or at least, do you know what it's like?

I know they told us when we got here, but... I want to hear it from someone I know.

[fiddlestick]

[Calm down Rean it's Elliot. He gets worried when food's two days away from expiration dates it'll be fine.

He'll follow Rean along to the quiet spot, not wanting to leave Rean alone for now. Something was clearly wrong here. Plus, if he had experienced this chest pain from the break, surely Rean did too. Possibly more so if this wasn't the first time today. It's too bad he didn't exactly know how to heal this.

While Rean flops, Elliot sits down properly, his hands sit in his lap. ]

...Yeah, I do. [It wasn't a secret, Elliot never hid his bond, but for some reason it felt weird telling Rean.] I didn't want to risk, um, exploding like witches can, so when Eren offered I took him up on it.

[Exploding is terrifying and he has no idea why so many witches don't take it seriously. ]

It... [Ngh, just get it out] It's a lot like a Link, just a lot stronger. Like it's really easy to feel your Bond's emotions. I-In fact sometimes I have to practice not letting myself get influenced by them, but apparently not everyone has that issue. [Blame his high aptitude for combat links for that one, honestly]

H-Honestly, it's got some strange other quirks to it for sure, but it's not bad.

[eightleaves]

[Oh, Eren. That makes a lot of sense, now. He'd met him during Lunasa-- he was a good dude.]

I'm glad he's helping you.

[Rean closes his eyes and listens. Nothing is helping the way his chest stings, even though he's sort of... subtly rubbing at it underneath his shirt like he used to when it bothered him before.

It's really easy to feel your Bond's emotions, Elliot says, and something in Rean tightens that much more. He winces inwardly. Yeah, okay, so maybe a Bond wasn't a great idea right now. Maybe it was something about his emotions that made him unable to sustain one. Maybe people could feel what was so deeply wrong with him, and then they pulled away, and that was...]

It doesn't sound all that bad. I don't know why I can't do it.

[If there's people he can trust they're in Class VII. Emotions or not. They've seen him at his absolute worst, ogre form and inconsolable; they've seen him wracked with grief, clinging to the jacket of the man who Crow had killed and knowing they had lost something irreplaceable.

But... at the same time...

He straightens a little and looks at Elliot.]

When I asked someone about the pain, they said that it should fade soon. So you should be okay in a couple hours.

Sorry about all this. And uh, thanks for telling me. I know it's not the easiest subject from the way people talk about it-- it's pretty personal just by the nature of it.

[fiddlestick]

Well that's good to know. [About the pain. He sighs and rolls his eyes slightly as Rean remarking that it's "personal"] C'mon. It's really not as personal as some people make it out to be. Of course I'd tell you about it.

[Sure, people can use it as a sign of their relationship, or bond with someone they were really close with, but it wasn't as big of a deal as people kept making it out to be.

But still, that didn't answer why Rean couldn't bond. It honestly made no sense. He knew Rean trusted him, and he trusted Rean. So why...]

Do you...want to bond? Truly? I know it doesn't work if someone's not willing.

[eightleaves]

[He smiles in a way that doesn't quite reach his eyes. It's more and more common lately.]

You're probably right, but still. It helps to hear that from you.

[If Elliot's okay with it, then why the hell can't Rean be okay with it? He runs his hand through his bangs, though they go right back to where they were before. He's still thinking on that when he hears that question, and there's a breath and a pause that are very telling.]

I don't see why I shouldn't. I've formed Links with people outside of Class VII just fine.

[That is... a very roundabout way to not answer a question.]

[fiddlestick]

[.... Elliot takes a bit of a deep breath. ]

R-Right, but I'm not asking about should. I'm asking do you want to?

[You are not the evasion tank Rean, don't try to dodge the questions]

[eightleaves]

[He probably shouldn't try and yet he can't help but try, because the last thing he wants to do is be a burden on his friends-- to worry them, when he's just going through some stuff. He'll be fine. He'll... figure it out.]

I--

[That stabbing is in his chest again, that visceral ache, and it steals his breath for a second. His fingers tighten in his shirt.]

I thought I did, [he manages.] But maybe it's not a good idea right now.

[Not if he's going to feel like this. Not if he's going to hurt the people around him. But if he goes feral, then that's a possibility too.]

[fiddlestick]

[The pain in the chest still ached, but somehow it hurt more watching Rean struggle with such a simple question. Elliot knows...things have been different since the end of the civil war. That Rean had been going through a lot. It'd been hard, watching his friend have to deal with so much, while having so little power to help. And now...it's gotten so bad he can't even make a bond with his close friends.

Elliot wishes he had a song that could fix all this. He wanted so badly to soothe Rean's pain. But he didn't have such a song, or even an instrument to play. His violin got left back in town.

Still, he wanted to do something to help his friend. Rean meant the world to him.

....

Without words, he'll scoot closer and wrap his arms around Rean in a gentle embrace that's meant to be lasting, loving. Something to combat that lonely and empty feeling inside]

It's okay. I'm not going anywhere.

[eightleaves]

[Rean doesn't stiffen, which surprises him almost as much as the hug. But then he wraps his arms around Elliot again, nice and tight, so close that he can pet Elliot's hair a little. Not a whole lot, not enough to be uncomfortable, but to comfort his best friend, too. Rean can feel it warring with that gnawing emptiness, that loneliness. Instead of one cancelling the other out, he just feels lost and spinning...

He needs to get a grip, but all he can do is hold on.]

... Thank you. [His voice wavers and he hates that, but it is what it is.] Thank you so much. And I'm-- I'm sorry. Something's wrong with me, I can't figure it out, I just--

[A soft, shaky breath.]

I don't want to hurt anyone.

[fiddlestick]

[It does surprise Elliot to feel Rean hug back and start petting his hair, but he doesn't fight back against it. It doesn't mend the loneliness as easily if it were normal loneliness. It still hurts. It'd be tempting to try to seek out Eren, to find comfort in his permanent bond, but he doesn't want to leave Rean. Not when he's like this.

He almost tries to reassure him that he's not going to hurt him, that he doesn't have to apologize, but then he pauses, thinking on things ]

...Even if you hurt me, I'm not going anywhere. I'd heal.

[Rean would never intentionally hurt him, he knew that. But he also knew how easily scared Rean could be of himself, with his ogre power. What if this whole monster thing resurfaced those old fears?]

Is it okay if I ask some personal questions, Rean?

[eightleaves]

Don't say that, [he murmurs. The last thing he wants to hear is that it's okay if someone takes his abuse because he doesn't want to hurt anyone. He just wants to-- wants to stop being like this. If it's not his ogre side it's something else entirely. He can't trust it. Can't trust himself. Can't trust the Harpy powers that have been manifesting, most of all.] I'm supposed to be protecting you. All of you.

[That's exactly what this is about.

His grip on Elliot starts to loosen for a moment before he changes his mind. He needs this right now, because otherwise Elliot will see the face he's making and he just... doesn't... want to deal with so many things right now, especially that.]

... Okay.

[fiddlestick]

I know...I'm not inviting you to hurt me, believe me. [But sometimes, accidents happen. Sometimes you will make a bad call. It's like playing an instrument, sometimes in a performance, you are going to make a mistake. It's a matter of learning to accept that while doing your best to prevent them that's important.

But he'll get to that eventually. He doesn't move, letting Rean continue the hug. He takes his own deep breath as he talks]

Okay, so...sometimes, when I'm anxious about performing [which is almost always], a good strategy is saying what's the worst I think can happen, and then make a plan on what to do if it were to happen. L-Like, if I'm worried about the stage starting on fire, I'd check for any fire hazards and make sure there's ways to put out a fire.

So...what're some bad things you think could happen with a Bond?

[eightleaves]

[Rean can tell coaching when he hears it, but it's a welcome thing right now. He listens to Elliot's voice and coaches his breathing-- when did his chest get so tight? was it always like this?-- and he listens. Perspective, perspective is important. Even though part of him doesn't want anyone to be involved, he knows he can't live like that.]

... Some things that can go wrong...

[well]

Ever since I heard about Monsters going feral, I can't get it out of my head. [As one would expect.] It's just like my power. What if I lose control again? What if it causes the person who's Bonded to me to lose control, too?

[There's something deep and twisted and sick inside him and he knows it. He can feel it every time he breathes.]

I don't even know if that side of me is gone. I'm... afraid to try. Whatever I'm becoming, it feels the same way to me-- fierce and furious and unrelenting. I can't--

[He bites back the rest of what he's about to say, and tries again.]

I can't let it win.

[fiddlestick]

[He listens to Rean talk. It doesn't take a Bond to tell how upset and scared Rean is. He gets, to some extent, where Rean was coming from. Not from any of his own personal experiences, but from watching Rean struggle with that "ogre power" back home. How long it took him to open about it, how it always made him hold back. ]

Rean...

[This wasn't an issue that could be solved by a single speech, even if he was as good at those as Rean. He could try to help today, but this was going to be a long process.

He remains where he is so Rean can continue having his facial privacy. But he's seeking out one of Rean's hands to hold onto it. ]

First, thanks for telling me. That couldn't have been easy, and you did really well.

[He means that. Conversations like this for Rean are never easy. So him opening up like this is something that should be praised]

Anyway ... Witches can't really go feral. Bonding with a monster lowers our chance of exploding, not raise it. [So you won't make them blow up promise] There's a chance of influencing emotions, but that can be stopped with a little practice. Can't say bonding with a Monster's a good idea, but ... a witch would be alright.

[But those are the easy fears to rebuke. As for the rest... oh boy. It's a good thing they aren't bonded in this moment, because he sure is taking a moment to rack his brain because Rean's current attitude is going to get him the opposite of what he wants]

But Rean ... do you remember what they told everyone about fighting the monster changes?

[eightleaves]

[He's quiet for a long moment, just breathing out shakily and doing his best not to break down. Maybe that's what he needs, but in the middle of a training ground is not it. He's afraid of what else might come out besides his anguish. Elliot's gentle praise goes a long way toward mollifying him, though he hasn't let go just yet.]

So you'd be safe? [Rean thought it was a given that they'd form a bond even before they talked about it. He's linked with everyone in Class VII, that's why he's there, that's why Sara chose him for this. If he can't do that, then what's the point? But... he's reluctant now.] Theoretically, I mean. If I lost myself and I was bonded to a Witch, it wouldn't hurt them?

[That's really important... so important. Because even if Rean can't trust himself at least he can trust the people around him.

That pointed question, however, makes the wound in his chest (real or imagined) twinge painfully. It's a nasty reminder of what he has to look forward to.]

... They said not to. I know that, and I'm not trying to keep myself from changing. [Not consciously, anyway.] I just don't want it to take control of me.

[fiddlestick]

[As a member of Class VII, Elliot doesn't think twice about Rean's implication they'd bond. Of course he'd be a first choice, they've linked countless times in the past- just like any member of Class VII.]

Yeah, I'd be safe. Towa too. [And Lloyd but-- yeah let's not bring up Lloyd right now for Rean's own sanity] Witch-Monster bonds benefits both people. You'd be helping us as much as we're helping you.

[Sure, that's playing a little into Rean's own neurosis about always wanting to help people, but it wasn't in any way untrue.

Though mentally, he's totally slamming that doubt button about Rean's explanation. Rean was the master of trying to hold back stuff. Even if he's not realizing he's doing it. Then again, who could blame him? He spent his whole life holding back his usual power, and now he was expected to do the opposite? That'd be asking a lot of anyone. ]

Right... [He takes a little breath] Listen, you'll still be you. I've gotten to know a few monsters here as they've been changing. Some of them have picked up some...strange habits [Eren], but it's never felt like I'm talking to a different person.