Getting to a training field, Nhieling turned back to Mortimer. There isn't much to do for the first part, I just have to remember the felling of usind. Just shundo at random place into a 40meters radius around me. Oh, and summon some kind of armor, if I miss my timing you could end up with 10cm of iron into the stomach. Don't worry if you feel a little weaker than ususal
Then Nhieling used his cripple curse on Mortimer
As Mortimer start doing so, Nhieling start concentrating. His puppet weren't moving at all. Mortimer started to loose patience, went suddenly the puppet pop in front of him right after his shundo. At something like 3cm from his face. Surprised he instantly shudo away multiple time, but without getting rid of the puppet, like she stuck to him.

Okay we can stop, I think it isn't too bad for a start.
The principe is easy, as you know the difficult part of shudo isn't moving, it's targetting. Since once your able to target an area to shudo too fast enought it becoe easy to shudo multiple time. Since this ability is maybe the most dangerous too me since it make my opponent able to ignore my slowing curse, I came up with a original counter into the past. Using my cripple curse as a jalon, right at the moment where I sence you shudo, it make me able to sence also the targeting location, and so it become easy for me to make my puppet follow you.
Since I'm bad a targetting myself, I can't use it freely, but at least it give be an area where I can keep up with shudo user, if they aren't faster than the level of skill I can pull through.

I have something else, that our discution make me think of, but I'll have to ask you if your okay because it'll imply attacking you head on, and I don't know the amount of damage it can do yet.

He was already feeling weak and drained from Nhielings spell but that only seemed to extend to his arms and legs. He could feel them as lethargic things swaying from his body. They felt like they did shortly before he fell asleep, weak and unable to fully contract. Thankfully his magic was still fully intact.

"You don't need to worry about attacking me directly... Just let me call up an extra layer of protection first." Mortimer was already wearing a vest of shadow, modeled after the typical kevlar bullet proof vest. Still for the next exercise he thought he should go a bit farther. This time he extended the shadows around his whole body and when he was done, he was wearing a suit of plate-armor. Being made of shadow it offered him full protection but was still incredibly light and so did not detract from his field of movement.

Banging his guantleted hand against the helmet a few times to test its security he called over to Nhieling, Ready!" The shadow mage hunkered down into a hunched stance ready to shundo at his instructions or take a blast full on.

Nhieling closed his eyes. His recent conversation with Mortimer gave him an idea. Since the raw energy of his inner feeling was enough to create curse, what would be the effect if he were to materialize it?
SInce it wasn't really trained to use spiritual element, he took him some time to gather his power. Then suddenly he focused on his puppet, materialize all of his power : His hatred, his suffering, everything into the form of a scythe into the hand of his puppet.

The scythe seemed made of darkness, but it was shivering like some mist, even through being solid.

It seem that I wasn't right about what darkness could be in his spiritual form, then let's try what it's worth.
Then Nhieling throw his puppet right at Mortimer. Hitting him straigh. His armor block the strike, but the scythe seemed to have dispelled the magic it was made off.
Another effect oof the attack appear. Since the scythe was made of the darkest feeling of human, at it strike on Mortimer, all feeling like hope, hapiness, seemed to be drained. It was like the weapon couldn't let anything except from bitterness, sadness and despair.

Mortimer felt as the misty scythe penetrated through the chinks in his armor. It seeped in as if it were smoke and penetrted his skin. It felt like a true scythe had just cut through his left shoulder and down through his right hip.

Then came the feeling. The pain was gone as quickly as it had come and what was left was the feeling of gravel in his chest. The dull ache of bittterness, and sadness. It was as if rain was falling on his heart as his whole being was frozen by the agonizing emotions. Looking up he saw the puppet, its eyes glowing as it maintained its evil smile.

The feelings were pervasive and all encompasing, unceasing and relentless in their coldness and cruelty. Mortimer could feel the malice of their caster freezing him in place. Had he not had prior study in curses he ma have stayed like that, trapped in Nhielings web of despair. But thankfully, the shadow mage had a curse of his own. Looking directly into the eyes of the puppet, Mortimers already red eyes glowed a bright crimson, releasing the emotions which had just ben unleashed on him.

"Evil Eye"

The curse flew from Mortimers eyes to the puppets eyes at the speed of light, entering the eyes of the puppet... Nhielings eyes, and unleashing the curse with all the negative feelings which had been heaped on him back at Nhieling.

Feeling that his emotion were back to him, Nhieling said :

I didn't except it at all... It seem that it's able to cut through defence, without harming the target, but absorbing all good feeling in the process.

What do you think of it? Add Nhieling with a grin. Were my emotions worth trying?

Mortimer gasped as the echos of the chilly feeling still remained. It wasn't as bad as the actual emotions of course, it was just the memory of them that shook him.

He couldn't feel it but he knew what it felt like. Still breathing deeply he looked back up at Nhieling as he wiped some saliva off his chin. Having experienced it now, Mortimer could sense the emotions locked inside of Nhieling.

They weren't there because he couldn't let go of something or constantly in a state of emotional duress. Nhielings emotions were fuel and weapons for his spells. He kept them around out of neccessity to utilize his dark powers. Mortimer could only imagine the emotional agony Nhieling experienced everyday, locking those things down, and sharing those feelings with Zieref... in fact Zieref may have been the root cause of those feelings in the first place.

"You know *gasping* you're one sick dude right?"

"Yes actually..." Mortimer replied still a little worse for wear speaking with heavy breaths.

If you don't mind... I'd like to see the sections on golem building, creature summoning and magical mutation... there's something I wanna work out.

"...Everything. Put all the books you have about those subjects in a room with me and I'll sort out what's useful and what's not." Allowing his shadow armor to disperss he approached Nhieling.

"Just put all the information in one spot and I'll make something fun happen." Stopping in front of the blind puppeteer he continued.

"Nothing'l be harmed in this I know that much, I'm not going to be moving brains or organic material around or whatnot. Just please get what I have asked for and I'll show you a neat trick... kay?"

Although Mortimer was smiling and happy when he said this, a dark aura seemed to permeate about him, speaking of all kinds of aggression. It was probably best if Nhieling listened to Mortimer... otherwise bad things might start happening....

Nhieling start thinking a few second about it. Trying to remember the book he could gave Mortimer, and the one he couldn't allowed him to read.
I can do this, much, just follow me.

Then they moved back to the library. Nhieling start putting a hundred of book into the main room. And then launch a magic google at Mortimer. This will act as a traductor, I modify it since the last time for it to traduce this old language into our current one.

Nhieling was curious about what Mortimer was trying to do, but has a little doubt about the fact it was a good idea to help him with this. He though : I'm hoping I won't have to regret it. It would be a shame to have to activate the defense just for one guy.

Mortimer nodded to Nhieling before setting himself down in a chair, picking a book up, opening to the middle... and then leaning back so the chair balanced on two legs with his feet on the table and the opened book on his face.

After thirty seconds, soft snores could be heard. To be honest it looked like Mortimer had just leaned back in the chair and fallen asleep... which he had technically.

It was only after he was asleep for a full minute that things began happening. The book on his face seemed to shoot off and land on the far side of the room, while one of the books on the top of the pile fell down into Mortimers opened hand. The pages whizzed passed, flipping at a lightning speed rate before a loud snap was heard as the back cover slammed shut. Tossing the book down, another fell from the top and the process was repeated. It wasn't until the fifth or sixth book however that things got in full swing.

The books stopped falling and instead began.... marching. It seemed like the books ere floating down from the top on invisible steps, like something out of fantasia as the marched past Mortimer, their spines ingling, their pages whirring and the loud thunks as each was finished and moved on. It wouldn't be surprising if one began hearing an orchestra in the background at this time.

Still things seemed to be going to slowly,and the shadow mage rose out of the chair... not rose as in "he stood up", more like.... "rose right up into the air". Really now, all the books around him were begging to swirl around the levitating yet prone mage. Dipping and diving around him, form concentric loops and spirals, each one seemingly waiting their turn to be flipped and then fall. Faster, and faster the books swirled, spiraling and falling towards him at once, forming an hourglass of books as they came down at him in a a wide spiral cone, and then fell down past him joining the heap of books below.

There was most definatley orchestra music playing somewhere now.

Floating into a more vertical position, Mortimer floated down to the book covered table. Reaching out one hand palm open facing the books, he moved it without bending his elbow, straight so that his hand faced the wall. As he did this the fallen books moved with it, arranging themselves in a checkerboard wall of books. He snapped his fingers and all of them opened at once, each flitting through their pages, as new books continued to float down towards him, read, and then join a mirrored process on the opposite wall forming another checkerboard pattern of opened flipping books.

The table beneath his feet was clear now, and so needed to be filled. Without touching the table his index finger moved in rapid fire strokes, causing the wood to tear and carve out. Still reading, he was engraving the table with knowledge. The script began small and continued that way, occasionally interrupted by an arcane diagram or equation of some kind. The inscriptions continued, even halfway down the table and underneath Mortimers feet the were magically etched. After what seemed like almost 2 hours there was only an inch of free table space left... And apparently that was where he cited the works involved. This was perhaps the strangest part as he had not only apparently memorized
the texts, but provided appropriate citations for the works as well.

Over the course of two hours Mortimer had effectively "read" over a hundred books, condensed the information to a tables surface and properly cited it all too boot....

At last Mortimer seemed to float back horizontaly on the table and come to rest gently. After almost a minute like that he stirred and rose sleepily from the table. Yawing and stretching he asked Nhieling "So *yawn* what'd I miss?"

Nhieling was sitting at the other side of the room, himself reading a book about materalization. When Mortimer ake up, he closed the book and stand up.
Oh, nothing much. I've try to use the same spell as before, with making it solid too. It was a success, but I can't at the same time keep it solid and activate the emotion drain yet. I'll have to train more I guess.

However, was your nap instructing? I was curious about the use you wanted to make out of it.

Feeling the carving underneath his hands he pulled his hand up and looked down at the table. Then back up at Nhieling "Yeah, looks like it... mind if I take this table home with me?"

OOC; Ya think this thread is complete?

[Nearly. Oh, and I've loved the reference about the orchestra]
Looking at the table with regret, Nhieling answered : No problem, since you've already destroyed a 2 thousand year old furniture...
Then Nhieling and Nhieling went out. While tracing the ritual circle, Nhielind said : I'll sent you back, but I'll stay here, I want to finished the materialization spell, even if it's incomplete right now I want it to be stable.
Then he started the ritual, with Mortimer sitting on the table...

Just before sending back Mortimer, Nhieling add :

Oh, one more thing, the only problem with people like you that don't like fame of things like this, is that they tend to act in the shadow, and disappear. But I want you to remember this well, then Nhieling grinned,
I NEVER let go one of my toy. Once you enter my game, you won't get out of it if I take a licking of you. Keep this in mind, no matter where you go you're still in my reach...

Rewards:

Alberio: 5 SP, 4 MP and 700,000 Drachma
Niheling: 5 SP, 4 MP and 700,000 Drachma