dontsplashme - Tumblr blog

[dontsplashme]

That's cool. I guess we don't need something like that for water, since it's harmless on it's own.

Swimming is fun

It doesn’t normally. This is what we call children’s fire, basically a toy that adults have tamed. I’ve had this since I was tiny.

[dontsplashme]

All the most powerful water mages live in lakes. I think spending half your time with your feet in the water helps you feel more connected to it somehow.

Swimming is fun

[dontsplashme]

-He jumps back, startled- Where did you get that from? I didn't think fire liked being kept in a bag. 

Swimming is fun

-She sighs- Unfortunately. I’ve still got plenty of scars from trying though. I suppose the advantage to fire is that it is a lot of fun to play around with once you get the hang of it. -She smiles, pulls a ball of fire out of her bag, and begins playing with it. - See?

[dontsplashme]

Exactly. Even little kids can run around in the water without getting hurt. Somehow, I don't think that would work with fire. 

Swimming is fun

Yeah, I suppose so. I can touch fire without getting hurt, but that took years of training.

[dontsplashme]

Well, fire is a little more.. dangerous than water, isn't it? I mean, drowning doesn't sound like fun, but at least we can touch water without getting hurt.

Swimming is fun

I guess watermages must be more attached to their element than firemages. I mean, I like fire, but I wouldn’t want to live in it all day.

[dontsplashme]

No, just a water mage that lives in a lake.

Swimming is fun

[dontsplashme]

-Shudders- I can't imagine living in a place like that. Just staying out of the water most of today was hard enough.

Swimming is fun

That sounds wonderful. I’m jealous. I live in a volcano, where it’s always hot and dry no matter what the outside weather is like.

[dontsplashme]

It's great! The water keeps it from ever getting too hot or cold, and we get to spend almost all out time with our feet in the water.

Swimming is fun

  Oh, I’ve never been there. What’s it like?

[dontsplashme]

I missed dinner? That stinks. Ah well, I guess I just got excited because I'd spent so long out of the water.

Swimming is fun

[dontsplashme]

I'm Dax, from Lake Borque.

Swimming is fun

I don’t believe we’ve met. My name is Drysta, what’s yours?

[dontsplashme]

Swimming is fun

Sorry I'm late guys, I found the lake.

[dontsplashme]

   After Richard moved, Dax forged ahead. After the first collision, people listened to him, moving when he told them to. After a few minutes of intense concentration, he directed the last cube, directed by a boy whose name he still didn't know, into the center. He looked around, and jumped when he saw mastermage Iroh directly behind him. He was looking at him curiously.

   "That was well done, pupilmage. Have some tea to calm you."

   Dax took the tea, then looked around. None of the other groups had finished as quickly, although one finished as he watched. He noticed that only one cube had made it in, leaving the other four stuck where they had collided. Looking closer, he realized all of the other groups had one person  still focusing, the others to the side, clearly having collided. Apparently his group was not only the first to finish, but the only one to have three make it to the center.

   He looked at Richard, then noticed he was kneeling on the ground, apparently absorbing more power. Dax frowned. He was feeling a little low, but there didn't seem to be any water around. He hoped there would be no more magical challenges until he made it to some water.

   Richard stood up, then looked at him.

   Dax smiled, "Good job; it looks like we won."

Brain Drain II Dax & Richard

[dontsplashme]

   Dax walked over to the table, examining the maze. It would be tricky. He could see that while there were five different paths, they intersected all over, making getting to the center without bumping into each other very difficult. What's more, there weren't many side passages, so it would be difficult to prevent collisions beforehand. He looked at his teammates, and was about to ask their names when he heard a voice from the front.

   "Begin now." He looked down, and saw that the cubes had appeared in the slots, and were starting to move. He quickly scanned the board, then realized two cubes would collide soon, and there was only one side passage before then. 

  "You," he said, pointing at the girl who's cube needed to turn. "Turn into that passageway, quick!" 

   She just looked at him, and her cube missed the passage. Annoyed, Dax turned to his own cube just in time to realize he needed to turn it. He did so, than realized it was going to collide with Richard's soon, unless the other boy moved his cube. 

   "Richard, turn there, now!"

Brain Drain II Dax & Richard

[dontsplashme]

  As Iroh walked away, Dax glanced at Richard again. He had to admit, he was surprised. Usually, he finished anything well before anyone else. It was the Murphy way. He supposed that magical section had slowed him down. The work of mages had never seemed that important. A chief didn't need magic, just loyalty. With a grimace, Dax realized everything was different now. All his training was less important than the magic he would need to be selected for advanced training. Perhaps if he got someone to help with the magical stuff... As he was thinking, Iroh finished handing out his tea, then went back up to the front of the room and announced: "The second part of this exam will be done in teams. You will work with those in the same row as you."

Brain Drain II Dax & Richard

[dontsplashme]

Dax Announcement Ceremony

“Our champion is... Dax Murphy!” Dax groaned. Why him? He was probably the only one here who didn’t want to win. He had a plan, he knew what he was going to do with his life. Or at least, he’d thought he did. This changed everything. He went through the congratulations ceremony, pretending to be happy. However, once the ceremony was over, his father pulled him into their hut and sat him down. “I know this isn’t what you expected.” “I’m sorry. I knew I should have held back but, it just didn’t seem right.” “That’s what comes from teaching you to always do your best. Don’t worry son, I’m not angry. In fact, I have come to realize this could be exactly what we needed.” “What? But this way, I’ll never be able to lead the tribe.” “I know. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be a leader. We don’t talk about it publicly, but the League has some problems. The leadership has been doing strange things lately, and I don’t know how it will end. It’s good there will be someone there who I can trust to make things right.” Dax gulped. Fixing the League of Elemages? There’s no way he could do that! Then he saw the look of trust in his fathers face, and realized he had to try.

[dontsplashme]

  Dax smiled uncertainly. Tea? What did tea have to do with anything? Then the test landed on his desk and he got to work. The questions were hard, covering everything from basic math to complex problem solving. TH longest section covered magical theory and history. Some of them made no sense to him, but he did his best. When he was finished, he looked up, then waited for the others to finish. He noticed the guy next to him, Richard, finished about the same time as Dax. That was unexpected.

Brain Drain II Dax & Richard

[dontsplashme]

"I'm a watermage, from Lake Borque."

Brain Drain II Dax & Richard