Test Drive #1

[magicademymods]

Test Drive #1



The Airship There

By carriage or coach, spellwagon or ship, perhaps even on the wings of magic, the Sundered heed the call to gather at the Tenzin High Dock of Vulbaria. On this, the appointed day, a great passenger airship sits in the dock, the seals of the six Houses fluttering from flagpoles along her length and her wooden planks atremble as if it is eager to be off. At last, the gangplank descends, and the Hand of Diatu opens her doors to the Sundered so they can take their first step on the path towards protection and salvation.

Inside, you may choose from long comfortable couches, broad circular tables surrounded by straight-backed, cushioned chairs, or viewing seats at the glass front of the ship. Sundered who need special accommodations are quickly provided for, ensuring everyone travels in comfort. Trays drift through the air periodically, offering snacks and drinks to the passengers.

This may be the first chance you've had to truly relax since being swept to this strange world. Certainly it is the first chance you've had to meet your fellow Sundered. As the airship lifts gracefully off from the High Dock, your journey to Diatu begins. Excited? Nervous? Simply angry? Or perhaps searching among the crowd here for a familiar face or some sign of hope?

Rain, Rain...

Welcome to Diatu Magicademy. It's raining.

Seriously raining. One of those downpours that feels like a curtain has dropped on you, that soaks to the bone within a second of stepping into it. Obviously, this won't do, and a civic-minded cluster of Purifeul students has taken it upon themselves to solve this problem. No sooner do you step through the gates then you practically run into a giant and complex runic diagram being drawn out with long staffs by several students, all of them speaking seeming nonsense about derivatives, limits, and equations. Magic! In action right before your eyes!

And yet, just as their mathemagics wind towards the center of the diagram and they all make their final stroke -- one student slashes his line off on a weird tangent, speaking an equation that sounds nothing at all like what his fellows utter. The spell completes... weirdly, as the students look in horror at each other. The temperature abruptly drops seventy degrees, and a cold wind begins to blow.

Welcome to Diatu Magicademy. Please get out of the blizzard before you freeze.

Thaumaturgy 101

After some fifteen minutes of grumbling from Professor Loshakle, followed by half an hour of theory and basics, the grouchy old man finally gets to drawing a magical symbol on the board. "This is straight out of Fundamental Principles of Wizarding," he says, writing Sense Magic next to the symbol. "As is everything you'll learn here. I'll emphasize yet again, you MUST know the name of the spell and the proper gestures. You can't simply wave your wand in any old pattern and say any old words. That isn't how it works," he says, glaring around the class as if daring someone to question him.

But he gives no one the opportunity, instead producing a wand and making the gesture to trace the symbol he'd drawn in midair. "Sense Magic," he intones, and the air and his wand both shimmer.

"Now. You all try." Just like that. What the Professor doesn't mention is that this spell can produce some very interesting results if the symbol is off, or the timing...

Bala-inlota Practice

Bala-inlota is the main interaction the Magicademies have with each other -- the sport of wizards! Two teams take the field, with the goal of heaving a ball through their opponent's hoop. The rules primarily revolve around not inflicting lethal injury, because bala-inlota is a free-for-all at best, where each team relies on both physical and magical might to win the day.

You kind of wish someone had told you this BEFORE you got hauled onto the field so the coach could see if you've got what it takes.

Now half a dozen players are charging down the field at your ragtag group of semi-willing recruits, while another half-dozen are preparing spells that you've been absolutely assured aren't as nasty as the ones deployed in actual play. On your side: the ball, your wits, your physical ability, and maybe three classes's worth of magical education.

On the upside, magic is pretty good at healing.

Comments

[perpetual_underdog]

That was not a courtesy that would be extended in both directions mind you. Joey didn't really care what the other students thought about him or his actions towards Kaiba, in time they'd realize he hadn't done anything that the jerk didn't deserve. "What's dat supposed to mean!?" Narrowing his eyes as he questioned the other. Gazing into the puddle he could finally see what what the problem was. "Aw man!" He groused as he cupped his hands over his face and tried to rub the "f"s off in vain. They would fade in a few moments when the spell subsided and not a second sooner. This was getting ridiculous. If he didn't figure this out soon, Kaiba would and then he'd never hear the end of it. Hearing the incantation being spoken again he dropped his hands off of his face and looked to Kaiba's wand. Disappointment flashed through his features. " I can't believe it- of all the rotten lu-" but before he finished the statement he realized Kaiba's lips were moving too, only nothing was coming out. "Heh- heh! You really had me going there for a minute." He leaned close enough to nudge the brunette with his elbow. "I guess you are the better magician out of the two of us. You pulled off the one thing I could never could, shutting yourself up!" He basked in the silence, though the expressions were piercing. Kaiba could say a lot without actually saying it.

[blue_ice]

Kaiba's glare when Wheeler dared to nudge him was withering. If it could talk, it would say 'touch me again with that elbow and I'll hex it'. Alas, he was not that lucky, so all he could really do was shift backward in his chair and continue to look ridiculous.

After a moment's pouting, he whipped out a quill and scribbled a note, shoving it in Wheeler's direction.

You're hilarious. But we may have to ask the professor for assistance if we're to get anywhere today.

[perpetual_underdog]

This was like a dream come true, oh if only that spell would last for....... at least one semester. No more quips, put downs or one-liners from the peanut gallery for a whole year! Joey knew he was letting his daydream get away from him, and that there was no way with their level of control over magic (which was virtually none) could Kaiba have cast such a powerful spell but he could revel in it for as long as it lasted. "Eh, what's dis?" Frowning briefly as Kaiba found another way to communicate. Then he shrugged his shoulders and took a hold of the note. "Guess you have a point.... and if the professor gives us dhose pointers before you can talk... then you can't very well say the incantation." He probably should have kept his scheming to himself, but so what if Kaiba knew his plan? He started obnoxiously waving his hand in the air. "Yo Professor! We could use a little help over here!"

[blue_ice]

Oh, it was on. Kaiba raked a hand through his hair, willing himself to control the (unfortunately) silent outburst that was brewing inside him. He certainly couldn't look much worse in front of the professor, but that wouldn't help.

The professor finally wandered over, asking what seemed to be the problem. Wheeler would get the first word in, of course, but Kaiba wrote as quickly as he could.

We'd like another demonstration of the spell's timing. In addition, I've accidentally muted myself and I'm concerned.

The professor waved off the worries with a "Failure is one of the best teachers, but you'll need to succeed at some point. Your spell should wear off before the end of class, but if it doesn't, come see me. And here."

There was a demonstration, one slow and one fast, and a free turn for Wheeler while Kaiba silently fumed. Good show all around!

[perpetual_underdog]

You're darn straight it's on! Kaiba's frustration with the situation was still an endless source of amusement mind you, but Joey would keep his comments to a minimum now that the professor was in the mix. "Look, uh we're just having a problem with dis here spell. Is it supposed to be two swishes to the right then one to the left, er... or are we using the wrong tone of voice? I'm completely stumped here," He readily admitted in haste. The sooner the teach could get to teaching the quicker Joey could leave his competition in the dust. He watched the demonstration a lot more closely this time since he'd been too late to see it the first. "It looks so simple.... " Mimicking the motions a few times first, he then set out to cast it in earnest. "Sense Magic." Then his wand lit up, and......... we have shimmering! His eyes lit up as he watched the fireworks before him. Okay, now if only Kaiba wasn't a mute so he could really vent his frustrations. Still, Joey stole a glance at his expression.

[blue_ice]

Wheeler had gone and done it. Kaiba looked like he was about to snap his wand in half for a moment, but he refused to give him that extra layer of satisfaction. He took in a completely silent breath, running a hand over his throat. Biding his time.

He silently practiced the motions, driven by the absolute unacceptability of failure where Wheeler had succeeded, and when his silent breathing became heavy panting, he stretched his shoulders.

"Now that that's over...let's try that again, shall we. Sense Magic!"

At last, the air shimmered. He waited, preparing to dodge thunder or wind or something, but all seemed well. The professor nodded his approval.

"Nicely cast, Mr. Wheeler. And thank you for showing Mr. Kaiba how it's done."

On that oblivious note, he departed, leaving behind a victorious blond and fuming brunette. Oh, he did not like that at all.

"You may have won this round, but this isn't over," he muttered.

[perpetual_underdog]

By the time Joey looks to Kaiba he's already composed himself leaving the blond a little confounded. Maybe this meant more to him than it did to Kaiba? Heh. Whatever, the important thing is, he won. For once in his life he had excelled at something rich boy did not. Remember this moment because this isn't where it was going to end. One day he'd prove himself in a duel arena too.

"Go ahead, let's see what ya got Kaiba," Might as well stick around for the show, though he really should be looking for an unoccupied desk to claim. "Well, what'dya know. You pulled it off." He wanted to say more and make a dig about how a staunch skeptic was going to have to believe in the supernatural now, but he couldn't very well push his luck with the prof.

"'Tanks teach," And thank you even more for phrasing the next part in the way you did. "I'm happy to help- I wouldn't want mone- er Kaiba to fall behind da rest of us". Once the professor had departed Joey cupped a hand around his ear and leaned slightly towards Kaiba, "Huh? What was that? I couldn't make it out so well over your ego deflating." Grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Bet it realllly hurts to say I won anything."

[blue_ice]

"You're pushing your luck," he groused, immediately flipping open the text book and getting a head start on notes for tomorrow's class. "And that's all it is. Luck. I won't lose next week."

He'd inject more venom when his wounded pride recovered from this grievous blow. But why should he care, anyway? Magic was all nonsense that he was being forced to study under duress.

Of course, the problem was it was impossible for Seto Kaiba not to put his all into whatever he did. This school was going to be the death of him.

"I'll truly be impressed if you manage to best me in modification," he grinned, all but assured that such a feat was impossible.

[perpetual_underdog]

"Luck had little to do wit it." It had everything to do with it. "It's called skill, Kaiba and we'll see about dat." He wasn't as keen on diving right into his textbook, but the way Kaiba was pouring over the pages had him nervous. "We're not like.... turning people into frogs in the next lesson are we?" Because if they were, then Kaiba wouldn't hesitate to ship him out to the next available lily-pad. The irony was, that Joey was actually thinking about taking his studies a little more seriously this time now that he'd struck up this sort of contest with Kaiba. Maybe it had been a mistake to push the guy. "Modi-fa-whata?" It's almost as if he hadn't done any research before heading into his classes. "The important ting is, I beat you this first time and you can't ever take dat away from me".

[blue_ice]

"No, that's at least a few months away, but I'm definitely looking forward to it."

Kaiba scribbled out another page of notes. This would be fun once he had everything under control...it was just a matter of getting it under control first, but there was nothing he couldn't do with enough effort.

"Modification is the alteration of existing matter using a thorough understanding of the concepts of physics and geometry," he answered, eyes bright with mirth. Oh, he'd definitely run circles around everyone in that area. "Every dog has his day...but victory will be in hand soon enough."

That was what he told himself, at least.