The Old and Young (Camarat)

[Quetzal]

Camarat was in the area, Eragon had told them, and wanted to speak with them. Isrydia and Arlyn waited in a large square for them to arrive. They were excited to see the wise old man again, both because they enjoyed his company and because they thought he might impart a little of his great wealth of wisdom on them. They fought as any Rider and dragon did, to protect those less able to and to preserve what they believed in, but knowledge was where their true passion lay. Since the battle she had worked more on the invention she began making in Ellesmera, a telescope she had thought of based on magnifying lenses the elves used. She had discovered that by using two lenses, there was an optimal shape and distance between them which enabled a person to see far without the aid of magic, and had then worked on creating a tube which clicked into place at the optimal distance between the lenses but allowed the user to adjust it slightly to focus on different distances. She had made one, but the war had kept her too busy to work all the spells she had wanted to on it to allow it to see the stars clearly. When she looked they were still tiny dots, although some looked a little larger, though blurry. The star maps she made showed these larger stars were all the wandering stars, which was most curious. There had to be a spell to bring them into focus. She guessed they were much closer than the further stars, but didn't know how to work out how far away they were. Now there was more time she intended to find out.

That very telescope was at the abandoned house she was currently living in in the city, though some of her notes were in her bag presently. You never knew when inspiration would strike! Also on her was her sword, Iarmailt, which was currently the pale blue of Arlyn's scales as it always was during the day. Peaceful times these may be, but not so peaceful a Rider should leave their sword behind. She wore no armour, just casual trousers and a top, with a white cloak of the Air Branch. She was leaning on crutches thanks to her newly missing leg. Arlyn was investigating a couple of streets nearby. "I reckon I could fit down all the streets off this square without upsetting people too much," he told her proudly. He was about the width of a horse-driven cart by now, and in all honesty did not wish to grow any larger.

Isrydia looked down them all. "Yeah, I think you could. I noticed that when they started rebuilding they've been making the streets wider where they can. I think it's for dragons, but even the narrower roads have room for horses and carts. You can fit down all of those, but bigger dragons can't." She replied aloud. She used to wonder if anyone thought it weird to only hear half the conversation when she talked aloud to Arlyn and he replied in her head, but was too used to it now. Having been unable to use any magic, including mental communication, before becoming a Rider, it had felt odd to communicate into Arlyn's head so she had grown accustomed to speaking aloud to him and never shook the habit. Another glance down one of the streets caught a familiar figure. "I think that's Camarat there!" She grinned. Arlyn turned to look immediately, energised by his excitement.

[Aelodil]

Hobbling through the streets of Uru'baen with a wooden staff in hand, and a sword strapped to his waist, was what seemed to be a flimsy old man with barely enough strength to keep upright. In reality, this flimsy old man was among the oldest, most powerful and wisest of the few Wizards left alive. Other than the two seemingly visible weapons, he had one visible addition to his array. A shield that glimmered a bright pale blue. The shield was very elegantly made, with special adjustments made to it. The rims were tinted with gold to fit with the pale blue, which matched Arlyn's scales. The shield was shaped with a rounded shape to it with an acute angle at the top, making a small V.

Camarat had heard from Eragon. Isrydia and Arlyn were waiting for him in the town square and he was trying to make his way to them without any trouble, rather than the last time in which he had tried to go to a town square and had been thrown into a small argument with some brutes. Hopefully, this time he'd be free to wander peacefully this time. As he walked, he noticed the improvements and changes to the city. He noted, mainly, the increased size in the streets, as well as some of the buildings. If he were to wager a guess, it would be that the relatively larger houses were owned by Riders with considerable wealth to be able to build such an elegant and large house.

Camarat thoughts drifted towards Isrydia and Arlyn. The last time he had seen them, they were both well and fine and as he pictured an image of them in his brain, he couldn't help the smile that broke the surface of his stern-looking face. He had taken to a liking to many of the youngsters he had met, but none as much as Isrydia and Arlyn. He felt a special bond with those two, and appreciated their passion for knowledge. Over the years, their company to Camarat had proven invaluable and he looked forward to enjoying it once more.

Soon enough, Camarat reached crossroads and he stopped, confused. He was so much more used to the buildings in Vroengard where the Wizards had erected large castles as their abodes, and the Dragon Spirits enjoyed the wilderness around those castles as their home. Thinking back on it, Camarat recalled how many times skirmishes had broken out between Dragon Spirits and Wizards and shivered as he recalled the brutal battles that raged from it. Rarely did it end with one battle, as one vendetta led to another. Lately, however, he had been used as the Wizards' Elder's ambassador and had spent time tying up loose ties between the two involved parties. He would be sure to tell Isrydia and Arlyn of how things were going back in Vroengard. The two seemed to enjoy learning more about anything mysterious and they never passed up the chance to juice even more information out of him whenever the opportunity arose.

As he snapped back to reality, he decided the easiest course to finding it would be following the large sign that had an arrow and said, "Town Square". As he strode down yet another enlarged street, he also saw remnants of the grief that hung over the city after the war. It was devastating. He delayed his arrival a little as he stopped every so often to slip a few coins into a little boy's hands or to point an elderly in the right direction, along with words of advice and some coins to give them relief. Finally, after much wandering, he arrived and saw Arlyn. It definitely was him, as it was hard to miss those pale blue scales. They were quite unique. As he caught sight of Isrydia and where her trousers dangled, he took a swift intake of breath. He rushed over to them, showing surprising strength and agility for his age. He smiled as he neared them and said, out loud, "Hello Isrydia, hello Arlyn. It's a pleasure to see you. I'd ask what happened to your leg, but frankly, I'd rather keep that scar of yours in the past. I will mend it. It won't be easy, granted, but I can do it. And maybe while doing it I can teach you something about complex healing spells. Nothing more, of course. Last thing I want is to teach you destructive magic. But first, take this as my gift to you, Isrydia." as he handed her the shield and continued, "I built this myself. As you may or may not know, but Wizards are known to build some of the strongest equipment. Their blades can rival that even of a Rider blade. This shield is lightweight but extremely tough and nothing save the strongest could put a dent in it. Arlyn, my gift for you will not be armor. I know how much you value your mobility. Instead, my gift will be this." as he put his hand to Arlyn's forehead and concentrated on sending him parts of Camarat's thoughts. He showed him his birthplace, as well as the large castles erected by Wizards other than him.
(I'm gonna have Camarat get Isrydia her leg back, as I think he's the only one who can do that without forbidden magic just now. Hopefully, you're fine with it?)

Proceeding to turn to Isrydia, he closed his eyes, raised his eyes, and began humming a tune of words in the Ancient Language. They were words long forgotten by anyone. Words of power. He began to weave in and out of this fabric, slowly bringing back parts of Isrydia's leg back from the past and stitching it to this fabric of reality. It was a difficult process and by the time he finished, his staff shining a bright blue, his forehead was beaded with sweat from the exhaustion. As he looked to Isrdyia, he smiled happily at his work. Her leg was back, just as it was, and sped up in time to match her other leg so as to avoid any oddities. He sat down with a huff and gestured for Isrydia to do the same and for Arlyn to come closer as he said, "So, I have many a tale to tell you two. But before we get to that, tell me, how have you been, where have you been, and what have you been up to?"

[Quetzal]

"Hi, Camarat!" Arlyn said cheerfully. "It's good to see you," Isrydia added as his eyes wandered over to the shield. They snapped back when Camarat mentioned healing his Rider's lost limb. Both their eyes widened. "You can do that?! I thought it impossible, growing an entire limb is beyond the skill of the Varden healers..." Isrydia exclaimed in amazement. She had been planning to ask Throkk to make a new metal leg for her, or find some other skilled metalworker. A mechanical one might serve to walk, but nothing could match a real one for mobility. Weather and wear would make it malfunction, and it would never be as well balanced or controlled. To top it off, she was being offered a shield as well. She accepted it gratefully, admiring the craftsmanship. She tested it; as he said, it was light, light enough not to be a burden and heavy on a tired arm in a fight. "It's perfect, thank you," she said, strapping it to her back for now. There was no need of fighting gear just now.

Arlyn felt a burst of memories that were not his own, seen through eyes that were not his. It was a little odd experiencing the images of castles from the perspective of someone in a completely different body. He closed his eyes for a moment to go through the new knowledge. Places of old, secret or lost now, locations he felt an urge to visit. Perhaps some were still around. Vroengard was still in use, though it was a long way away.

With that the wizard healed her there and then. Isrydia felt the skin where her leg ended at the knee stretch and grow, new muscle and bone forming. It was vastly unpleasant, but she gritted her teeth and held onto Arlyn's neck to get through it. Neither said a word for fear of distracting Camarat from what was clearly an intricate and difficult spell. When it was over, she slowly tested her weight on it. Dropping her crutches, she took a shaky step and beamed. The scars from the stump had stayed where the skin formed new leg, but a little scarring was nothing compared to having no lower leg. She flexed it, bent the knee, and wiggled her toes, delighting in each movement she had been unable to do before. It felt exactly as it had been before. Arlyn hummed louder than she'd ever heard before.

"I can't thank you enough for this. Seriously, if there's anything the two of us can do for you, say the word. We're in you debt," she could hardly express her gratitude. Arlyn helped that, letting Camarat feel exactly how overflowing with gratitude they were instead of saying anything; it was easier than trying to put emotion into words. "We've been well, aside from the obvious. After the battle we went back to Kuasta, my hometown, to see my family and check up with old friends. Since then we've been roaming wherever we felt like going, until we ended up back here." Arlyn took over. "It makes a nice change to not have run into trouble through all that. Usually someone or something turns up and tries to kill us if people realise there's a Rider and dragon in the area," he added.

[Aelodil]

Camarat smiled at Isrydia as he listened to her exclaim in surprise as he offered to heal her leg. He responded to them, "It's good to see you, too. Though it seems you have forgotten, my dear. I do not combat much, so that may be why, but you seem to have forgotten, my dear, the fact that I am one of the few remaining Wizards still alive, as well as one of the oldest and most powerful. It's not a simple task, that is for sure. It is, however, a task I am more than willing to do for you." his voice kind, and gentle, but along with that kindness and gentleness he added in an edge he normally didn't - that edge that showed you just how old he is, and just how much he has seen and experienced. He waved away her thanks as she tested the shield. "Among us Wizards' expertise is the art of crafting. We can craft anything, from gear to a house to a limb, as you have noticed. Though few of us remain with enough power and knowledge to bring back a limb." He said to her, a smile playing on his lips.

Camarat listened to the hum of Arlyn. It was very loud, and Camarat's heightened senses picked it up more sensitively than normal. He smiled in pleasure. Of all the friends Camarat had met in Alagaesia, Isrydia and Arlyn were easily among his favorites. He watched as Isrydia let go of her crutches and walked experimentally, testing her leg. He seemed pleased to see her be back to normal. As she turned to him and thanked him, he once again waved it away. As Arlyn's thoughts flooded Camarat, he felt their emotions his and was close to moved to tears. He waved it away and said, "Do not thank me so, Isrydia, Arlyn. It is my pleasure to help you as much as I can. I want both of you to think of me as your grandfather. Do not ever hesitate to come to me with any sort of problem." Unable to express himself in words, Camarat flooded his emotions to Arlyn. The feeling of truly being their grandfather, his love for them, and his pleasure in helping them and seeing them grow.

Camarat nodded. "Yes, it is quite gratifying to finally be able to travel in peace, for once. Though, it has been quite hectic in the shadows. That is one of the tales I have to tell you, actually." He told them, voice back to his normal kind and gentle self. He took a deep breath as he began his first story to tell, "Considering we have all the time, not having to worry about anyone popping up and demanding our heads, let me tell you some tales of back in Vroengard. This first one is quite recent. Just the other day, in fact. First, you must know that there are not many Dragon Spirits or Wizards left. There are only nine of us left alive that still work officially. There are a dozen others, but they do not bother working official business. Of us nine, two, the Elders are the oldest. They are both fifteen thousands years of age, and I am just waiting for the day they walk into a meeting and fall over and die. Of the remaining seven, I am the oldest, after me come the other six. They are all younger than me, but quite old non-the-less. The nine of us form our own council in which we listen to the Dragon Spirits' grievances and the Wizards' and work to solve them. The nine of us nominate someone to send out to solve the problems, and I'm always the one being sent. I'm not quite sure why, but I am. The latest problem had been quite troubling. One of the Dragon Spirits had apparently gone rogue and killed another, then fled here, saying he would seek shelter with the Elves. As the Dragon Spirits heard this, they threatened to destroy the Elves' homeland for sheltering him. Why? I do not know, Dragon Spirits and Wizards all have quite short fuses. So I was sent to hunt down the rogue Dragon Spirit, bring him back to Vroengard, and allow judgement be passed upon him. The Dragon Spirits called for his head, the council wished to imprison him for eternity, and the other Wizards called to make him their pet gladiator. In the end, after much argument, we decided to imprison him, and now here I am. I will tell you other tales, but for now, let us have some tea."

After finishing his long tale, Camarat raised his staff and hummed a little. He opened a rift in the fabric of reality between here and his castle kitchen, reached in, and took out two cups of tea, a little of sugar, as well as a fish from a lake in Vroengard. He tossed the fish to Arlyn, hoping he would savor the delight in the rare delicacy. He put two spoons of sugar into his tea, then asked Isrydia, "Sugar for your tea?" as he took a sip of his own.


When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

((That's a terrifying quote at the end there. Cue existential crisis))

That wizards had great skill in crafting and healing was in no dispute with Isrydia and Arlyn. Camarat was the only wizard they had ever met, but if he was anything to go by, making and knowing were what wizards did best. They created where others destroyed. It was a breath of fresh air to know someone who lived to make rather than to fight. They themselves fought but considered that as part of their duties rather than an activity to enjoy. "We'd be honoured to think of you as a grandfather!" Isrydia thought he suited the role well. Having someone like him so close was certainly a good thing. She and Arlyn liked and respected him enough.

The pair listened to Camarat's tale, realising they knew nothing of how the dragon spirits and wizards organised themselves. They had never heard of this council. Something like this had to be a huge part of a big group of people's lives, and yet word of it had not reached their ears. Perhaps they ought to spend a little time learning more about the other races. Working hard to discover new things, lately they had neglected to study the old. She wasn't surprised to hear his kind had short fuses, having seen a few of them blown on a number of occasions. All aside from Camarat seemed prone to jumping to violence if they detected any knock of their pride. It could be stupid as the wizard was wise at times. "I had no idea any of the council stuff was going on. Funny how there's so much going on without you knowing. Big communities living out things that are important to them without you hearing a word of it," she said, though the part in Du Weldenvarden was familiar. "That dragon spirit, though, was that Nelfarion? Or... he had a different name when he turned back into a dragon spirit from whatever monster he had been..." the name was on the tip of her tongue, but she and Arlyn couldn't remember it. It hadn't been mentioned since they left Ellesmera.

She stared at the rift and stood frozen for a moment. Arlyn caught the fish but did not eat it, just as surprised. "How did you do that? I've never seen anything like it, except rifts leading to the Nether," he said, starting to chew the fish. It tasted different to any he'd eaten before, very good. He ate it slowly to keep the flavour in his mouth for longer. Noticing Isrydia was lost in thought, he batted her with a wing. "Er - no thanks," she said at the offer of sugar.

[Aelodil]

(Funny thing, it's not a quote Carpe Diem would mean "seize the day" from a Roman poet. It's something I thought up)

Camarat smiled sadly as he shook his head. "No, it was not Navarog. Though he is still imprisoned, just not for much longer. He's made leaps and bounds in controlling the spirits within him and soon I will be able to free him without fear of him going rampant. Though Navarog had done substantial more than this certain rogue Dragon Spirit. He killed his friends, shattered the bond between himself and nature, and worst of all, caused the destruction of much nature in the world. Had he been brought back to Vroengard, no one would have allowed his imprisonment. They would have called for his death through torture. They would subject him to a lengthy torture over the span of a century which would slowly kill him in agony. When the council had asked me if I knew of his whereabouts I lied. As they lacked the ability to force into my mind to tell whether or not I was lying, they simply took my word for it. I'm afraid however, if any Dragon Spirit or Wizard would see him they would more likely than not make a move against his life." his voice drowned in sorrow as he remembered t he time Navarog and he had spent in the past with their old friends. Friends Camarat had had to bury early in their lives.

He remembered it as if it was yesterday. Awakening to the pool of blood. The sound of liquid dripping on the hard, dry ground. The crazed look on his friends face as he woke up. The knife, coated in the same blood than now pooled out of his friends' throats. He had chased Navarog, but to no avail. His old friend had decided to fight him, and Camarat knew he could not win. He would not murder his friend, no matter how much his friend might take from him. The Shades within Navarog however had no quail against murdering him. So he had to resign to himself that he could not stop him. Not yet. Not as a Dragon Spirit but rather as a Wizard. He tried his best to keep his mind off the topic, hoping Arlyn and Isrydia didn't catch up on it through his thoughts which were bound to theirs.

He smiled at Arlyn and Isrydia's surprise. "Perhaps I will teach you. It is quite complicated, however not as draining. The same concept of restoring your leg, really. To restore your leg, I opened a rift. To open a rift, you must have complete control of yourself and much concentration. Think of it as if you were cutting reality with a sword. This sword is invisible and made purely of your energy and concentration. After I opened a rift, I opened another rift of back in the past when I had last seen you. That was the tricky part, opening a rift in another time and tethering it to this time. In order to accomplish this, you create your own tendril of energy and concentration, send it through the two rifts, connect it to what you wish to retrieve, and tether it to what will be its current host in this reality. All of this, however, must be done through your mental power, rather than physical." he said to her and Arlyn, preferring to use mental speech rather than say it out loud. Last thing he needed was to teach some hooligans how to do this.

Thanks to their minds being entwined, Camarat noticed Isrydia and Arlyn's thoughts on Wizards and Dragon Spirits and he laughed out loud. They were right, of course, but the Wizards and Dragon Spirits would only be confused when faced with that logic. Regaining his composure, he told them, "Wizards and Dragon Spirits' main downfall is their arrogance and pride. Of the seven deadly sins, Pride and Wrath are easily our main two. They believe that due to their larger capacity of knowledge they are given the right to look down on others. This is, of course, wrong, but they know no better. Most of them were raised by people with that same mind set." his voice playfully mocking his kind.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

It was good to hear that Navarog was recovering from whatever had possessed him. Isrydia and Arlyn thought this was proof cruel punishments like the one Camarat said the dragon spirits would have most likely sentenced him to were not always the best option. Sure, it felt just to make criminals suffer as they had made other people do, but they were sceptical of how much could be achieved through it. Causing yet more suffering solved little. Even the most twisted individuals still had feelings. Punishments should be a deterrent and perhaps should just be enough to make the criminal see the error of their ways, though that might not always be deterrent enough. It was a tricky thing to know what to do, what truly was justice. Best leave it to those who knew what they were talking about.

The two sensed his sadness at some memory, but felt little else since they didn't want to pry and Camarat was skilled enough at mental defence naturally very little got through. She eyed her tea and sipped it. Yes, it was indeed perfectly ordinary tea. No weird magic about it. The pair were puzzled at first as to why he switched to mental conversation with them, then realised he must simply not want such information overheard. Opening rifts would be a fine trick indeed. It sounded difficult. Such control and concentration Isrydia doubted was at her disposal at any time. Maybe after a while meditating, though her patience would be tested, but nowhere near enough to make rifts at will. There was other less advanced magic she had yet to learn besides. "That sounds an incredible skill, but I doubt I have the ability just yet to use something so advanced." She was honest.

"I didn't know there was magic you could do with mental strength alone. I thought it was all physical, which is why you feel drained after using it," Arlyn inquired, curious to find out more about this new type of magic. "What sort of things can you do with mental magic?"

"I've definitely met a few arrogant people in my time... I suppose you're right. If someone's told their whole life, especially impressionable children, that they're better than others, they're going to believe it." Isrydia agreed with his comment, thinking it didn't just apply to dragon spirits but a number of people of any race.

[Aelodil]

Camarat shook his head. "You most definitely cannot do it at will as you are now, no. That is not to be expected of you. In fact, being able to do it in itself is quite the accomplishment. Though I believe you can do it if you put your mind to it. Though it will take quite some time. Don't be fooled though - it can come quite in handy in some situations. If something were to happen and you need the help of a friend, you can always take your time to create a rift to drag your said friend to the situation." his voice kind, making sure she realized he did not mean to doubt her abilities, but rather that it was just an extremely hard trick to pull off in general.

Camarat scratched his head, pondering over Arlyn's question. At first he was slightly loath to discuss that. It would delve into the much more complicated magic, of which Camarat more or less was of the only few who still remembered. Of those magics were some of the most destructive magics with enough potential to destroy an entire city ten times over. Then again, he did trust these two enough to discuss this topic. He sipped his tea and began to explain, "There is the more advanced and complex healing, for one. It requires both physical and mental energy. For instance, if you were to heal a man who was, essentially, dead." he paused for effect before continuing, "You would need to revert his entire state of body back through time by basically opening tiny pockets through the fabric of reality back to the time just before he died. After which, you will need to counteract what had killed him with your own physical energy. For instance, if it were a blade that killed him, you must enact a healing spell strong enough to counteract the damage in time before he died. This way, when you snap back to the current time, it would be as if nothing happened to the man."

Continuing to sip his tea, Camarat eyed Isrydia and Arlyn. He would much prefer if they could defend themselves better - in case of emergency that is. Perhaps he will offer to teach them the more offensive magic sometime. Sighing, he told them, "You know, Isrydia. Some day, I would like to teach you more offensive magic. There are still many dangers out there. Of course, this is just a precaution. I do not expect you to run into trouble that you can't handle with simple physical prowess but still. Better safe than sorry." his voice tactful.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

Isrydia wasn't in the least bit surprised by what Camarat said. In fact, she was more likely to object had he said she was capable of such magic now as it would sound like he was lying. "Perhaps one day then, yes, if I work on magical skills," she said. Magic was something she had neglected a little more than other Riders. She had learned and developed in detail spells to do with her studies on the stars, but in other fields she only knew limited magic. Her imagination leant itself to dreaming up new spells so she got by, though was still limited further by a lack of knowledge of the Ancient Language.

Isrydia and Arlyn were both silent for a moment, in awe of what he had just told them. This type of magic felt almost too powerful. "Doing something like that's fraught with so many moral questions I don't even want to think about it," remarked Arlyn. Was there a reason for death, was their anything afterwards and was the person happy there, was immortality a good idea, all kinds of things. Best not to meddle with things like that.

"I've heard of great magicians bringing people back from the dead before. It's used as a key example of the limits of power a lot. They always say trying something that big is like to kill you," Isrydia said. She along with everyone else new to magic had had learning their limits drilled into their head since they cast their first spell. At his next suggestion, she nodded. "I didn't think you thought much of offensive magic," she said, not rudely, just because she was puzzled as to why he was wanting to spread knowledge of it. "But that would be helpful. Who knows what the next big danger will be these days. Hopefully the Riders can be unified again, so the only danger to us won't be from ourselves but from any other forces out there." As nice as it was to think they were in a time of peace, there was never a point in history where there wasn't something, however small, going on. There was bound to be something crop up.

[Aelodil]

Camarat was glad that it was Isrydia he was talking to. Some other more indignant Riders might have taken offence at his observation. Some others might even go so far as to attempt it without sufficient training. Something which could be disastrous. He knew, though, that Isrydia wasn't too skilled at the more physical magic. That being said, he rather preferred it. If she could train to improve her abilities in the magic he had explained to her, it would be better. For one, it would be more effective for her field. After all, she wasn't going to be running around looking for trouble. Another note was that his arcane magic required mostly mental ability over physique. That way she wouldn't wear herself out as easily. After all, she was still young. Her reserves of physical magic weren't as deep as his, therefore making the more intensive physical magic much harder to use.

Camarat nodded in response to Arlyn. "That's why I told you rather anyone else. You may be young, but I can tell you that you're wiser than plenty of the older folk who fancy themselves as wise and mature. I know that you would not use this power unless it was a completely dire situation. After all, if a corrupt man were to get his hands on my knowledge he could become, in a sense, immortal." he stopped to take a sip of tea before continuing, "If he were to keep a process such as that going on and on then no matter what happens to him he would never die. Of course, that would take much concentration and much prowess, but it's still possible. In addition, I've never used this power save once when I saved a certain Dragon Spirit after he was attacked by Ashendale back in Ellesmera when Navarog was still Nelfarion. The reason why I've never used it more than that one time is because I'd get too used to it. Cheating morals like that is what made Galbatorix who he was." he explained.

Glad to see that Isrydia understood her limits and respected the boundary not to cross in magic, Camarat winced slightly at her latter comment. True, he wasn't much for destructive magic. If anything he'd rather avoid it all. That being said though, he knew what was going on in Alagaesia. Politics were turning deadly and he would hate to see anything happen to Isrydia. "Indeed I do not. Though I have an excessive knowledge on the subject I do not believe I've ever actually used destructive magic in front of any of my friends. I can count on one hand how many times I have, actually. That being said, Alagaesia is still dangerous. Slightly less so in quantity than Galbatorix's rein but definitely just as bad in quality. I'd hate to see any harm befall of you. Again, though, we'll speak of it some other time. For now you should try practicing on how to heal more complex wounds. We have all the time in the world." he told her, his voice gentle though slightly warning.

(Reason why they have so much time is because when this thread had been started, Camarat still wasn't a part of the Council so *Thumbs up*)

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

Being called wise by someone he looked up to as much as Camarat made Arlyn feel proud. He made note of the warning. As he said, in the wrong hands magic could do terrible things. It was no different to giving a sword to a bad person. Magic didn't know whether it was being used for good or evil, it was simply a force to be mastered. It wasn't quite a tool, it was too mysterious and tied to nature to fit that description, but when a magician called upon it there was no refusing their commands. The same good force could be turned evil depending entirely on the person wielding it. "That's sensible then, to limit who know about it. Magic doesn't know if it's being used for bad or good. All those things, the big questions like immortality, death, what even is right there... that sort of thing I haven't got a clue about the answer to. It's all subjective, of course, but I don't even know where I stand on most of the big questions," he said. Camarat may call him wise and mature for his age, but his youth did still limit his experiences. Some he had seen through Isrydia's memories, but she too was young. As the years past he might see more to form a proper opinion.

"I guess the answer to those would depend on what happens when you die. I don't want to die, but if there's an afterlife it wouldn't be such a bad thing. There must be, if you remember those ghosts that appeared on the Day of the Dead," Isrydia had heard many stories of communication with the deceased, but nothing was as good proof as seeing it with her own eyes.

It was still plain to them that Camarat didn't like teaching destructive magic. It was necessity that drove him to practising it, not will. "Yes, and I'll work on destructive magic to better fulfil my duty as a Rider in protecting people. It's still an important thing to learn," she agreed. Learning to heal was an exciting prospect. Out of all magic, she knew the most about stuff that helped her learning and battling magic due to her training as a Rider. Healing was something that had hardly been touched on. She could mend cuts and bruises and relieve pain. Arlyn's tail had been hit in the battle for Uru'baen, and all she had been able to do was dull the pain and move the bones so they weren't in danger of cutting anything. She hadn't been able to knit them together and restore it's movement, they had to wait to reach the Varden's healers for that. Healing was such a useful skill to have. Riders were supposed to save lives, and what better way to do that than healing? "I know very little of healing, I'd love to know more. It'd be a huge help to me. I know little of the details of anatomy, so I never know what should be patched back up where. Sealing up cuts is one thing, but reconnecting muscle, bone, and blood vessels is much harder and disastrous if done wrong. I'm anxious about getting it wrong."

[Aelodil]

Camarat nodded at Arlyn, glad he had picked up. After all, morals were meant to keep people in check. If morals such as death, the bare basics, were thrown out the window, what would become of the world? Shaking his head, he told Isrydia, "No matter if there is an afterlife or not, immortality was not given to us for a reason. Even those who can live in eternal youth may die to a sword or poison or magic. Death is a basic moral that must be respected. If it isn't then people will begin to avoid it. When that happens, the world will have effectively ended. It's not a question of 'if' or 'if not'. Those questions will more often than not lead a person to their destruction. What I want to explain is that immortality is not something to be sought out. In order for something like that to be achieved, you must give something of great power. One person on their own would struggle to keep that heavy toll up. However, if he were to absorb the souls of many others and use those souls to fuel his immortality, then.." he didn't finish his sentence. He was certain they understood what the rest was.

Smiling again, Camarat responded, "Well, you don't need to rush it. For now, it seems peaceful enough that you shouldn't worry about anything like that. Besides, if it comes down to that I'll make sure to somehow fix the situation." for once, Camarat stopped repressing his aura of magic, just to emphasize his magic. In contrast to Navarog whose aura would be malevolent due to the Shades, Camarat had a deep blue the same color of his robes. The color of the arcane. Rather than gathering into a form, his aura simply seemed to give off the power and taste of magic. For one, he wanted to emphasize his point though that wasn't mainly it - he refused to 'show off' as it were. For another, he had felt a rather unpleasant mind in the area roaming. No magic, but rather your simple bandit. Certain that the guards of the city would handle it, Camarat was hoping that with the slight display of raw power at his disposal the man would ignore them and continue on his way.

Patting Isrydia slightly, Camarat told her, "No matter in that aspect. I can teach you, and if you know me, you can guess how I'd go around teaching you something so complex." a slightly amused grin on his face. Reaching out with his mind, he allowed his memories of training on human biology flow through to Isrydia. He made sure not to rush it so that she could comprehend it all. Though it might have been faster to simply give her a copy of his own memories, that wasn't safe. Rather, that wasn't humane. That would be nothing but creating an abomination. Finishing through the delve in memories, he said, "So, there you have it. Go ahead, try to open a rift now. Hopefully with this and enough practice on rifts you'll be that much more effective at healing the more diverse wounds."

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

The duo had to admit that while immortality sounded attractive at first, when they thought more about what it meant it didn't seem like such a good thing. The Branch Guardians had been around for billions of years, before people, and would still be there after as they couldn't be killed by any ailment or injury. There would come a time when a person had visited places all over the world and learned many things from all fields. An immortal person would meet many interesting people but would see them and their friends die. Eventually one must grow tired of all the world had to offer, and must get bored and lonely being the only person left. Destroying other souls for the sake of yours clinging to this world wasn't right to them. It would be the highest form of selfishness to kill someone out of your own fear of dying, doing to them what you were so scared of. No one could commit such an act and emerge without being spoiled somehow.

The aura surprised them. They had never seen one before, and had thought the idea of an 'aura' was just something made up or meant as a metaphor. "Huh, I've not seen that before. It speaks of your power somehow," Arlyn could feel the power radiating off the blue shape from where he was. Lacking the same senses that came with being a wizard like Camarat, the two were oblivious to any unpleasant minds around them.

A large amount of knowledge came in a rush, making Isrydia light-headed. "Phew, talk about passing things on to the young. That's certainly one way to learn," she said in a daze. Learning by sharing memories almost felt like cheating. It was definitely useful. If people could catch up to the furthest point in anyone's knowledge of a field without having to spend years studying, that freed up those years of their mind to be spent making more advancements. Especially if the mind was a great one, that led to faster development of ideas or inventions of new gadgets. She ran through some of the new knowledge, relieved to know so much detail if any of it ever got damaged.

"A rift? Now?" The suggestion took her and Arlyn aback. It seemed soon to try such strong magic. She concentrated and focused energy on a point, but little happened. She realised she was thinking more about trying to open a rift than where specifically the rift would go to. She chose a place she knew better than any other; her childhood bedroom. It was still there in Kuasta, used as a guest and storage room. Camarat had said it worked through time though, so she pictured the familiar version it had been while she was growing up. Finally, something stirred in the air. It wasn't a proper rift, but it was trying to be one. She gritted her teeth with the effort and concentrated even harder. The shimmer took on a more promising look, but before it could manifest properly it disappeared as she exhaled heavily. She was sweating with the effort, and had a slight headache. "That's exhausting. You must have practised and awful lot to make them so casually," she said when she got her breath back.

[Aelodil]

Smiling sheepishly Camarat said, "Aye. I tend not to go around flexing my magic as it were. I'm sure you two know this by now but I don't believe in the use of force unless necessary. Ergo I have no need for using magic so preparing my magic is not necessary." with that being said, he suppressed his magic once again, feeling the unpleasant mind pass by them and continue on their way.

Laughing slightly, he said apologetically, "My pardon Isrydia. Though more often than not I'd much rather actual training over the span of years, I figured it'd be much more practical this once this way. Especially considering now you can help people in a pinch if it came to it. Hopefully no one will get injured to a point you'd need to mend their body but if it comes to it then at least you're prepared."

Camarat nodded at Isrydia's question. He didn't want to rush her but all the same it was an invaluable skill. After all, if she and Arlyn ended up in a pinch with no way to get out of it at least Arlyn could buy her enough time to make a rift to summon him or any of her other friends to help. Besides, he knew how much it hurt to watch a friend die in your arms due to being powerless to rescue them. He'd not let them know the feeling.

Taking in a quick sharp breath, Camarat was surprised. He had not in all honesty expected to see this much success on her first try. Smiling at her, he said, "Aye. See, I've had a hundred years to practice this." resting a hand on her shoulder for a moment to let some energy flow through her to help her relax.

Stroking his beard thoughtfully he said, all serious, "I'm surprised, to be honest. Not to be rude but I did not expect such a level of success on your first try. Don't try to be modest - that was more success than can be expected. Many people train years to pull off what you just managed. I guess I was right. You do seem to have a knack for the more mental arcane magic. My pardon for asking such a request of you so suddenly. I thought it'd be better so that if a situation arose where you would need this kind of arcane magic you'd at least have a basic knowledge and experience at it."

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

Isrydia and Arlyn agreed with Camarat on avoiding force. Words were enough most of the time. Things were more peaceful if you avoided harming others wherever possible, and if they resorted to violence, that was on them. They might be restrained and shown the error of their ways. From the wizard and by comparing his actions to those of more violent individuals they had seen often it was harder but more rewarding work to show kindness. "Yes... and out of interest, I suppose, how many situations do you think had better outcomes because you didn't use violence? Lately all I've really seen is force. Even from people like you, just because there was no choice to defend people," most events she had witnessed had included physical force in some way, however small.

She smiled. "See, you can do cool magic stuff! We'll work on learning the Ancient Language more though, perhaps by heading to Du Weldenvarden at some point in our wandering. Hey, this stuff beats the nether magic by a long shot, doesn't it? Looks just as old and mysterious and powerful, but way less soul-consumey and evil." Arlyn was pleased by the attempt. He was excited at the prospect of learning an ability he'd never seen anyone else do. So far, aside from all the research into the stars, he and his Rider had been stuck to training the skills others passed onto them. After all, in the better times, Riders had trained for years if not decades before completing training. In these times all of them didn't have that luxury and had to take things in quicker and finish at what was probably a much lower level of competency and skill than past Riders. That included them. They still had a lot of what was no doubt basic training for old Riders to learn. It was good to find something they could do and work on that was more advanced, an optional extra rather than something all Riders had to learn as a standard.

"I'll keep practising, then. Eventually I'll manage it. Then maybe I could play around, see what else there is to do," she said. "Carefully, of course! I'm assuming this stuff can get strange and dangerous. I'll not spend too long on it at least at first, either. I've already got a bit of a headache just from that, and don't want to know what happens if I pick at it," she had seen and heard of enough ancient things to know bad things happened when you overexerted yourself on them.

[Aelodil]

With a sad smile, Camarat listened. Shaking his head, he responded, "I'm afraid not as many times as I wish. After all, when you say better you base it on whose perspective? In this person's perspective violence would have been better. In another person's perspective no violence would have been better. Though if it were from the perspective of the general people, then violence would have been better in six of ten situations." knowing well how it sounded. Sounded slightly like a hotheaded person who enjoyed combat. "Don't get me wrong. If I used violence in a situation while confronting a murderer then he wouldn't ever have the chance to escape and kill again. The people who hated him would no longer hate him as he would be dead. Overall it'd be better. Unless you look through his perspective or the people who love him. After all, horrid as they may be, murderers are still live creatures much the same as you or I. The difference is this: they either enjoy the murder or have been given the wrong outlook on the world. Or anything such as that. What of the people who love them? What if the man is a father or the woman is a mother? Would you leave a boy an orphan for such a reason? No, I would not." he told the two.

Raising an eyebrow and giving a soft laugh, Camarat said, "Cool magic stuff indeed. Yes, it is much better than dark magic which is used by some darker Shades and was used by Galbatorix. Also, I think you might enjoy the feeling to it after you have enough time to meditate and some training. It will take you a long time to master it but I daresay you'll appreciate it later on. Plus, as you are now you could potentially pull through in a pinch."

He smiled, glad to see how enthusiastic she was about it. "Aye, that would be great. Just make sure you are careful. Anything like this can get dangerous. And as you noticed, it is quite the mental exercise. With Arlyn at your side you could have him help you concentrate. That way you'll have less of a headache." he told her.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Quetzal]

That was a good point Camarat rose. People rarely though of the effect of action on the criminal, only on the victim. They had far less sympathy for the criminal themselves, but their family and friends had likely done nothing wrong. Stopping a criminal was more important to Isrydia than how upset the family might be, especially if it were lives on the line, and when it came to punishment the feelings of those who cared about the criminal were again not such a high priority. They could be offered support and a lot of the time would turn on the criminal, depending on how serious the crime was, but things would only be worse if no one took action to stop more crimes being committed.

While she had never used dark magic herself she had seen plenty of it. It had a different feel to the magic Camarat demonstrated and she had nearly used, feeling much more malicious. Of course magic wasn't inherently bad or good, but dark magic felt like fear and a disease that fed off the goodness in its user, while the ancient magic felt like knowledge and old lost secrets. It was more mysterious, which was also a potential source of danger. "Of course, it looks powerful enough to be dangerous if uncontrolled. Especially since I don't know as much about it as regular magic. Are there many records still kicking about, or is it another one of those things lost in time?" she asked. Perhaps the elves had a book or two on it somewhere in their big stores of knowledge. Some humans had vast libraries, too, though usually less to do with magic.

Arlyn was eager to help. "Yes, with me helping, that's too minds working on it! This isn't so tied to the Ancient Language, it might be something I can help a lot more with than just supplying energy. Sounds like fun!" any time a dragon used magic weird things happened. Maybe this was a way to chip a little of that off and use it in a more controlled way.

((I feel like this thread is getting to an end. Shall we wrap it up soon?))