RP:Smoke and Mirrors

Summary: Sykule approaches Kovl to return the books he borrowed to increase his illusionary skill. He shows interest in joining the Guild, and Kovl observes Sykule's talents and teachability to determine if he is a good fit for admission.

Mage Tower

Sykule walked towards the Mage Tower, with a large travel bag strapped on his shoulder. He came to return a book he had borrowed from the tower's library during the war at Frostmaw. Now that the war is over, he felt relaxed and eager to find out if the mage's guild was everything it appeared to be, it seemed to be the perfect place to learn and hone his own skills. He was greeted by the guards, and escorted by them once he stated his name and business. "I'm here to deliver a book to Kovl, a Provost Esoterica of the guild."

Kovl zips down the spiraling banister of the Mage's Tower lobby as he hears his name uttered by the young visitor at the door. The Provost Escoterica zooms past the Arcane Guard and greets the child with a smile. He glances to the bag on the boy's shoulder and nods. "You're back. Did you enjoy the book?" The pixie nods assuredly at the guards and waves for Sykule to follow him inside the tower.

Sykule smiled at the pixie and followed him through the tower. He gives a pat on the bag while they talk. "Yes, I could understand it a bit more this time, thanks to the book, but I still can't do it very well." The boy paused to look back at Kovl. "You said I could train here, right? Maybe you can help me figure it out, I definitely need to get stronger."

Kovl glances at the book. "What have you learned? You said you like illusion, correct?" The pixie's eyes scan the boy from head to toe and then back up. "You're wanting to be a student of the Guild? Why?" Kovl's question is more inquisitive and curious than accusing.

Sykule isn't surprised by Kovl's question, the guild had to determine if someone was fit before joining. He tilts his head and hums, thinking about it, before answering. "Yes, and no. I do need training in illusionism, but above all, I want to learn more about magic." He looks away from Kovl, inspecting his surroundings, as his smile fades for a second. "I've been roaming this land for some time, but now I have a home at Frostmaw. I want to be stronger, so I can protect my friends when they need me. " He looked back at Kovl, and he gave another pat to the bag. "But there's also something else. As an Illusionist, I mostly use light manipulation, and that's not why I got this book. I have another skill. I'm not sure what it is, but I can influence people's thoughts and emotions. This is the only book I've read that had something similar, I hoped it would help me figure it out."

Kovl's eyes show a hint of interest as Sykule speaks. "You want to use your illusion magic for protection? For battle?" The pixie's eyebrows raise. "And you want to use magic of the mind as well?" The pixie laughs and motions for Sykule to follow him as he hovers over the spiral staircase, leading him toward the Guild's training area. "You know, illusion magic is more than bending light." The pixie looks over his shoulder at the child. "It's about manipulating the mind. There are spells that allow others to smell what you decide they smell, to hear what you decide they hear, to feel what you decide they feel. So many young mages like yourself want to learn for power. Destructive power. Power that people can see and feel... tangible destructive magic. And yet, you decide you'd like to take the indirect approach, guiding others to believe what is not in order to gain the upperhand." Kovl laughs again. "This is the way I chose, although I did not learn for destruction. I learned for laughs until I learned the true power illusionary magic can hold." As Kovl approaches the training area, he says, "Show me what you can do with your illusions. And show me what you learned from the book."

Sykule nods and stands at the training grounds, facing Kovl. He looks down as Kovl mentions the power of illusions and the lust of young mages. "You see, it's not like I couldn't manipulate other senses, but I'm not as good at it." The boy sighs and relaxes his stance, closing his eyes and concentrating. "I'd rather keep it simple. I have seen other illusionists giving their all to create perfect illusions, trying to match all the details, but all it takes is a simple mistake and it all falls apart. I don't need to create another reality, all I do is making someone doubt their own. At least that's all I've done so far." Once he finished his speech, he opened his eyes, and took a step sideways, splitting himself into two. He looked more serious than when he came into the tower, but his eyes still sparked with excitement. "This is just a simple illusion, I've been practicing it a lot so it's quite easy to do. I've never practiced the mind-bending on someone willing before, but I think as long as you want it to work, it would work, so I won't try to force it. Do you want me to try?"

Kovl inspects the unspeaking clone of Sykule and is impressed. His green eyes scan the details of Sykule's illusion, but is more impressed with Sykule's understanding of illusionary magic. "Your understanding of the goal of this school of magic is advanced. However, you don't want to make someone merely doubt their reality... You want them to reject it completely to have full effect. But doubting is a start." Kovl smiles. "Your mind magic may not work well on me. I've found myself and my race are resistant to magic like this, especially if you take into account my role as an illusionist. Perhaps you can show me what you've learned when we have a test subject. Have you tried to make any other images than of yourself?"

Sykule cleared his mind, and took a deep breath. Multiple images of him started to appear on the room, splitting himself until there were almost 20 Sykule's in a row, looking a Kovl, exactly identical. "It's simple, if I just mirror them." The real Sykule, on the middle, spoke. Two of his copies started to climb on the back of a third, until they comically fell to the ground, and a couple of clones chuckled. "It's a bit harder if I have to control them individually, but I still can do it." The real Sykule then disappeared, as the others started to look around confused. His voice came from the middle of the room. "This is also rather simple. Bending light around something can make it invisible. The hard part is hiding my magic signature, I still can't do it very well." After a few seconds he reappeared, sitting down with his legs crossed in the middle of the room, right in front of Kovl. He started to move his mouth, but his voice came from the opposite side. "And this is another trick. Since I'm bending light, you can't really see through it as an illusion; You can see me but I'm not there. Or maybe I'm just projecting my voice from somewhere else." The boy concluded, giving the pixie a playful smile. "You can simply sense the magic being casted to find me. "

Kovl scans the room, raising his eyebrows as Sykule splits himself into more images. "That takes an incredible amount of arcane energy, I'm sure. Now, I see that you're able to copy yourself multiple times. Many students without training would fail to do such a thing. Now, can you make a sound? Perhaps of a wolf howling or a bush rustling?" The pixie puts a hand on his chin.

Sykule dismissed his copies and stood up. The white-haired boy closed his eyes, raised his hand and cleared his throat. He then opened his mouth and leaned forward, as if he was screaming, but the sound of a draconic roar filled the room instead. The sound echoed through the room for a couple of seconds before fading. Sykule exhaled, then opened his eyes and looked at Kovl. "Sorry, I'm usually a bit loud. Was that fine?"

Kovl chuckles as Sykule lets out his roar. A common trick, he deduces, since the boy's scream resembles the Provost Esoterica's first attempts at sonic illusion. The pixie remembers a wise wizard's actions when Kovl displayed his skill as a prospective student. A small sentence is whispered under Kovl's breath and suddenly a large boom directed directly at Sykule eminates from Kovl's presence in a cone. As the deafening sound fades, the pixie asks, undeterred by the possibility the boy may have ringing ears, "Try harnessing your scream to be more directional." Kovl nods. "Go on."

Sykule raised an eyebrow at Kovl's request, his ears were still ringing a bit from the noise but he was able to hear the pixie. "More directional? I can try." He stood at balanced stance, concentrating for a few seconds. He then slowly raised his arms and clapped his hands lightly, magically sending the sound of thunder in a straight line towards Kovl.

Kovl's eyes widen at Sykule's spell, but he makes no attempt to dodge his sound blast. Twin sirens begin to blast as his ears ring. The pixie closes his eyes for a moment, recovering from the spell. "Have you ever done that before, child?" Emerald eyes meet Sykule's.

Sykule blushed a bit, scratching his neck. "Well, I am very familiar with the roar, and I've done it twice, I think, to impress a couple of soldiers back at the camp, the thunder too. But it's the first time I try to control and restrict the sound."

Kovl motions for Sykule to follow him back down the spiral staircase. "I must say that I am impressed by how teachable you have proved yourself to be. You have to be teachable if you were able to redirect your magic in that way on short nortice. I will be in touch with you over the next couple of days. You will be receiving your verdict on whether you are accepted as a student into the Guild soon enough. Please be looking for a sealed letter from me within the week." Kovl leads the boy outside the tower. "Be safe as you return home. I see promising things from you. Goodbye." The pixie waves before returning inside the tower.