[Zanza] Arin's Training

The train station was alive with activity. The echo of dozens of conversation filled the marble stoned cavernous platform along with the whistle of half a dozen trains. In amongst the crowd of people stood a confused looking young man dressed in stripped robes of many different colours. He was holding a leather suitcase in one hand, and a train ticket in the other. As he was looking at the signs to direct him to his desired train, one of the conductors came up to him.

“Excuse me sir. Are you lost?” the conductor said. The young man was slightly alarmed because he had not been expecting someone to talk to him.

“Yes actually,” said the young man. “I am looking for the train to Forton. Do you know which way the platform is?”

“The next train to Forton is on platform ten. Just go that way and you see a big sign. You can’t miss it,” the Conductor answered, pointing to the young man’s right.

“Thanks a lot,” the young man replied gratefully. As he made his way to the platform, he gave a little sigh and though to himself, Now I remember why I hate public transportation; It’s so damn confusing.

When he finally made it to platform ten, the massive, red locomotive of the train was just beginning to start. As he boarded the train and gave his ticket to the conductor, a voice rang out from the end of the platform.

“Arin? Arin Bryant? Is that you?” the man shouted so that Arin could hear. It was one of Arin’s old classmates form the academy, Steven Motarin.

“Oh, hi Steve,” Arin said in a less than enthusiastic tone. He really did not like Steve much, it’s just that while at the academy he had to do assignments and other work together. They were not really friends, just acquaintances.

“I see you are going on a little train trip. Where are you off to anyway?” Steven said curiously.

“Im just heading off to Forton, nothing special,” Arin wearily said.

“Oh, well, have a nice trip anyway,” Steven said, disappointed that Arin was not going anywhere exciting like he was.

After saying farewell, Arin got on the train and found himself a cabin. Just as he sat on the cushioned bench, the train had begun to move forward. The trip to Forton would take the best part of the day, with the train departing from Madorian City at 10:00am, he would be on the train until it came to a stop at the Forton station at 7:00pm. As his thoughts turned to why he was going to Forton, a family came into the cabin. There where two small children, a boy and a girl, as well as the mother and father.

“Excuse me, but is anyone else in this cabin?” the father asked. He was obviously a businessman judging by the black and white stripped suit and pants with the black tie and white shirt underneath.

“No, go right ahead,” Arin said to the family. Looking at the family reminded him of his mother, all alone at home. When he got to Forton he would have to call her.

The family took their seats opposite, and beside Arin. He did not like to be crowded, but he had no choice. Realizing his close proximity to people, he dug into his suitcase and retrieved a magazine called “Mage Monthly”. Upon seeing the magazine, the family sharing the car with Arin gasped a little. This gasp was all too familiar with Arin, so without any questions being asked he said, “Yes, I am a mage.”

With that out of the way, the family and Arin continued to pass the time. As the morning turned to the afternoon, and the afternoon to evening, Arin decide to treat the family to some magic tricks. Arin did all the usual magic tricks: rabbit out of the hat, flowers from nowhere, and some of that other party magic that mages hardly ever did. Yet, all good things must end because they pulled into Forton station without realizing the passage of time. After saying their good byes, Arin remembered that he had to call his mother.

He dialed her number at the pay phone at the side of the small station, and waited for a reply.

“Hi mom, it’s me… Yea, I am glad to hear from you too, how are things … that’s good to hear… yea, I miss you too. Look, I have to get going, I just thought I would check up on you before I got started with the search … love you too, bye.” Arin hung up the telephone, and walked down the stairs in front of the train station. The cool night breeze blew through the small, coastal village, with the smell of the sea in the air.

He had come to this tiny fishing village with a purpose. While he was in the Elven City of Lletya, the elves had told him of a mysterious structure where they would send elf children to go learn the ways of combat. It was a mysterious place would only appear when a warrior desired to learn and become a great warrior. They called this structure: “The Dome”. They said that the place the Dome would appear would be near the human village of Forton, quite a fair distance from Lletya. Therefore, wanting to learn even more about Magic, Arin jumped at the opportunity.

Arin was drawn to go to the south for some reason, so following his instincts he headed south. What little light remained in the sky was failing as Arin searched the forest. He searched for hours, using his staff as a walking stick, until there was not enough light to continue. Just as he was heading back to Forton to rest, the came to a steep drop in the ground. However, it was too dark to see al the way to the bottom, so trusting in his eyesight he descended.

Grabbing onto roots sticking out from the steep rock face, he climbed down. Yet, as he descended, the night air became cooler, and his hands where becoming numb. He decided to tackle the cliff in the morning, but has he begun to ascend, he lost his grip and fell down the cliff. Thinking fast, Arin used his Wind Arrow attack spell to slow him down before he hit the ground, and certain death. The gusting of the air slowed him down enough so that instead of death, Arin only received a few bruises.

Lying on the ground, Arin looked up to see the most amazing sight ever. It was a huge, white stoned building that looked like a theatre, or a sports arena surrounded by a wall. Then, it dawned on Arin, yet he was not sure. As he stood up, he saw the main entrance with a golden banner hanging overhead the read: “The Dome.” Excited, Arin rushed to the front door and opened it slowly, taking in every second of it. When he had entered, the door slammed shut behind him. Then a strange, disembodied voice, rang out into the night and said, "Welcome to the Dome"

OoC: Alright, well done! I think I'll put you in my advanced class. You have a very good grasp of the written English language. In the advanced class, we'll do a more one-on-one basis of lessons, which I will draw up as we go along, depending on what you need work on. So here's your first one--this one will give me an idea of which teacher I shall use with you. Good job, and congratulations!

Originally Posted by Lesson 1

Your character, upon arrival at the Dome, should wander around a bit. Keep in mind that they have NOT found their room, and are still a little bewildered as to why they are here. Explore the place; wander into rooms that are unlocked (all students and teachers’ rooms are locked, by the way) and use your imagination as to what is in them. The five main rooms that never change place in the Dome are the Fountain Room, the Gardens, the Cafeteria, the Dome Center, and your character’s room. So, this basically means that if you enter ONE door one day, it might not be there the next, or it might contain something totally different. You must end up in a room that is full of fountains. No, this is not the fountain room. In fact, the whole floor is covered in about five feet of water. There is a three foot walkway around the perimeter of the room. There are various platforms of unequal heights strewn about. In one watery corner lies a whirlpool/vortex. The door will bar (much like a Zelda dungeon boss). Explore, try to find a way out. Somehow, you will touch the water. When you do, it will raise up into a creature and attack you. Keep away from the the vortex, and good luck on your first test! Minimum 800 words.

Also, make sure and label your lessons so I know where you are. Good luck!

OoC: I hope you do not mind if I took a little creative license with the doors changing rooms everytime they shut. As soon as Arin meets his teacher, the doors will only change once a day.
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BiC:
Arin was a little taken back by the disembodied voice. He looked around the entrance curiously, looking to see if there where any speakers. Yet, finding none, he concluded that the person was using magical voice projection to seem disembodied.

“Before you meet your teacher,” the voice continued. “It is advised that you wander the Dome a little bit to familiarize yourself with it. Please enjoy your stay,” the voice finished. Arin waited to see if the voice had any more to say, however, the hall was quiet. Taking that as a sign, Arin continued down the hall to the door. The hall was made almost completley of marble; you could even see the fossils of long dead animals in the walls. When he opened the door, he saw the Dome properly for the first time. At the base where colossal statues of people that Arin figured where former teachers in the Dome. At that, Arin heard a strange sound behind him. He turned around to discover that the door he just came through vanished into the wall.

Unable to go back, even if he wanted to, Arin continued to walk into the main building. He was not alone as he wandered the campus that ran all the way around the Dome. Other people where here other than him, if they could be called people that is. Some of them looked do different that there was no way they could be human. Yet, others look like Arin, suggesting that the Dome was not made specifically for elves.

His wandering led him inside the actual Dome itself. At this point, Arin was becoming a little bit confused. The marble hall he was walking in lead to a set of gold trimmed oak double doors. Above the doors read a sign that said “Dome Center.” The inside of the Center was huge; it must have connected to every single hall in the entire building. It was a cavernous room, also made of marble, with eight giant pillars on either side of the four main doors. To the left, right, and straight ahead of Arin where three more gold timed doors with signs above them saying “Gardens”, “Fountain Room”, and “Cafeteria” respectively.

Arin knew what would be behind those doors, so he decided to climb the stairs in the center of the room to truly explore. He climbed until he had reached the top floor of the Dome. At this height, the people below looked like ants on the Grey stone floor. Continuing to wander, Arin crossed one of the bridges to get to another set of double doors, this time with no gold trim. He came to a long hallway with so many doors you could never count them. There was a purple rug on top of the hardwood floor; the rung had such an elaborate design embroidered in gold. At this point, Arin began to think, What is it with this place and gold trim?

Unwilling to walk down the entire length of the hall, Arin decided to try opening some doors. He found many of them to be locked. When he finally found a door that would open, he entered it immediately. He came into a strange room that looked like a biology lab. Hundreds of dead animals in jars, hearts, limbs, and other body parts floating in acid green, glowing jars. It gave him the creeps just being in there, so he made for the hall. However, there was no hall there. In place of the hall was what looked like a bull fighting arena? He could have sworn that there was a hall here before. Well, he decided to explore anyway, there was no one was in the stands anyway, so Arin decided to look around. It was strange, for a bull-fighting arena to have no bull in it. Getting a little freaked out again, and fearing that a bull would appear from no where, he decided to go back and see if he could get back to the biology lab.

Yet, it was not there. The Biology lab was replaced with a titanic sized model train set. This was one large train set too; it must have had miles of track, dozens of towns, and thousands of miniature people. Everything was so life-like too. Arin picked up one of the model people, but to his surprise, the one he picked up yelled, “Put me down you big bully!” in a small squeaky voice. At that, Arin nearly dropped the thing to the floor in shock.

“Um, sorry about that,” Arin said in an apologetic voice. “I did not know that you could talk.” He gently placed the figure back at the miniature train station. At this point in time, Arin could not decide if he was angry at not being able to go back to the hall, or freaked out by all of these odd rooms. He then decided to leave this room before he scared the locals out of their tiny minds. This next room though, would be worth it.

It was an incredible room. It was styled as some sort of church, and for once, there where other people here too. He tried to ask them the way to the hall, but he could not make a sound. He cupped his hand over is mouth at the shock of being a mute. Then, this little voice spoke in his mind.

“I know what you are thinking,” said the voice. It was different form the one he encountered at the front door. “You have not lost the ability to talk, it is just no one can talk in a place where no sound exists.”

No sound? thought Arin. Upon hearing his voice, it suddenly occurred to him that the only way to communicate in this room was to think. How come there is no sound here? Who are you anyway? Arin continued.

In this room, no sound exists. The reason is that this room is used to meditate, sound is the enemy of meditation, and thus sound was removed in this room’s construction. To answer your other question. I am the floor beneath your feet, I am the ceiling above your head, I am the walls that surround you, yet at the same time, I am also a part of you, the voice answered.

How can that be? How can you be the room, yet me at the same time? Arin thought.

I do not know. That is just my nature, the voice replied.

I see, well, I have to get going, but I want to get back to the hall. Can you help me? asked Arin

No. However, I can give you some advice. You no doubt saw the gold trimmed doors, am I right? said the voice.

Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything? Arin though. Now he was getting annoyed at the voice.

Those doors lead to one of the fixed rooms in the Dome. You do know which rooms they are, right? the voice said sounding a bit agitated.

Of course, I’m not an idiot! Arin thought, his temper starting to get the better of him.

Well, continued the voice. If you look for those doors, you can get back to the fixed parts of the Dome instead of wandering for an eternity! the voice said, sounding just as annoyed as Arin.

Fine, I will go look, Arin thought with a tone that meant that he was done talking, or thinking in this case.

Arin then turned around and came to the door, it was not gold trimmed, but maybe the one beyond it was. The door, instead of swinging open, went into the ceiling. He entered the room to behold an odd sight. The room was full of water, at least five feet deep. Around the water was a wooden dock-like platform that encircled the entire room that was about three feet wide. In one of the corners was a small, eerie looking vortex. In the water itself, where dozens of platforms of unequal height.

Just as Arin entered the room, the door slammed shut. Then, from out of nowhere, bars dropped in front of the door, locking Arin inside. At this point, Arin decided it was best to look for an alternate exit. He searched the entire outside wall of the room, but could not find one. Maybe there is a switch somewhere around here, Arin thought. He then began to cross the rickety wooden bridges that connected the platforms. It was like a maze, one wrong move, and he would fall into the water and run the risk of being sucked in by the vortex.

After, literally, searching high and low, he could not find a switch either. Arin was starting to get worried. With the only door locked, and no way to open it, how would he get out? At that, Arin concocted an idea; he would use magic on the door, and try to bust it down. He tried every spell he could think of, and even a few of his own invention. Yet, the door would not open. In his frustration, he pointed his staff at the door and shouted, “Wind Arrow!” The force of the attack threw him back, into the water.

Then, a deep rumbling sound came from a point in the water. Arin scrambled back onto the wooden platform just in time. A huge, ugly monster arose from the depths. It was made completely out of water. “Uh-oh,” said Arin as he looked upon the monstrosity. The monster then swung one of its watery limbs at Arin, but he ran out of the way. “Okay, It looks like I have to fight it,” Arin said. He had never encountered a monster like this in all of his life.

He made his way up to one of the higher platforms, dodging the blows of the monster every step of the way. Then, the monster slammed his fist on one of the platforms causing it to collapse. Thinking quickly, Arin cast a Wind Arrow on the bridge. The force of the attack both propelled him into the air high enough to grab hold of another platform, and destroyed the bridge. Once on top of this platform, he concentrated with all of his might, and cast another Wind Arrow, this time on the monster. Yet, it had no effect and went right through the monster.

“Okay, lets try something else,” said Arin. He concentrated on another spell, but he was interrupted as the monster grabbed the pillar on which Arin was standing and crushed it near the middle. Casting another Wind Arrow, he safely landed on another platform. This time, the monster could not stop the attack. “Ice Barrage!” shouted Arin. He figured, since it was a water monster, that when Ice Barrage hit it would freeze the monster on contact. He was wrong; the ice went right through the monster. At this, Arin became worried.

The monster swung at Arin, but this time its aim was true. Arin was slammed against the wall about two floors off the ground. The force of the impact pushed him into the wall so much, that instead of falling, he slid down the wall to the wooden platform below, just mere feet from the vortex. All seemed lost, the monster was slowly advancing on Arin’s position, it was literally time to do or die. Just then, the Crystal Staff of Lleyta began to make a strange pinging sound. The end of the staff began to glow blue, and the air around it became extremely cold.

Arin could tell what was happening. “Okay, that is it. You going down monster!” Arin shouted. He moved away from the vortex and then charged at the monster with the blue tip of his staff lowered like a spear. As he ran toward it, he let loose a loud battle cry that would scare some of the most seasoned warriors. He jumped at the monster, and plunged the staff in the foul beast. At contact with the staff, the monster began to freeze. It gave a loud cry in pain before the ice reached its vocal cords and froze it completely.

This was Arin’s chance. His staff began to shimmer as he concentrated on turning it into a sword. The crystal began to morph into shape from being long and slender, to being broad, and sharp with a hilt at the end. Now that he had a sword, Arin could finish off the beast. He took a swing, concentrating with all of his might. Then, as he finished swinging he shouted into the cavernous room, “Shockwave Blade!” The attack sliced cleanly through the now crystallized monster, shattering the middle to thousands of pieces. The top collapsed onto the floor, while the bottom crumbled into ice pellets. The monster was finally dead.

The bars on the door slid up, and Arin quickly emerged, fully expecting another random room to greet his weary eyes. But no, before him lay the exact hall that he had left, the very same hall he had spent the last hour trying to find. It so surprised him that he stopped, halfway through the door.

"You should move. That door is going to close very soon, and it has no mercy," said a cold, reptilian voice. The boy quickly stepped out into the hall as the heavy door slid shut. "Well, thank y--" he began, but halted as he saw the impressive beast who had addressed him.

Before the boy stood probably one of the tallest beings he'd ever seen. Almost seven feet in height, with grey-blue skin covering a striking musculature, massive forearm and hip fins twitching with fluid grace in tempo to his head fin set from a narrow, chiseled face, the crystalline appearance awed most who looked upon it. Azure narrow eyes zeroed in on the human below him. "Welcome to the Dome, young warrior," he intoned, a deep baritone voice echoing from his chest. The words themselves moved to the rhythm of rippling water.

"You're....you're a...." Arin stammered.

"Yes, I am a Zora. I am called Jacentar Shintu. I will be your master here in this warrior's Dome." With a flurid movement, Jacentar crossed his forearm fins in front of his face, dipping his head slightly in a shallow bow behind them. "I do not know what the Dome has for you, Arin, but I will be here to help you achieve it. Now, let us begin."

OoC: So, um, yeah, you can see that Jace will be your teacher. As you can also see, I'm having serious creativity struggles this morning, so I apologize for the lameness of that. But here's your next assignment.

Originally Posted by Room Assignment

Room Post: Usually this comes either after your first lesson or after you arrive. As a general rule, new Intermediate/Advanced students can expect this AFTER their first challenge. Simply put, this lesson is a description of your room. Your character, either after arriving at the Dome or after a lesson, will be told to find his/her room. Each room is different and unique. Your character will wander around the Dome, trying to find it. Eventually, they will come in front of the door to their room. Take some time and describe it; the secret to the Dome is its many doors. Each door is unique and elaborate, and gives a clue as to what lays beyond its closed surface. Afterwards, your character will enter their room, which reflects the character in some way. Take your time and describe EVERYTHING. That means furniture, colours, décor, etc...EVERYTHING!! I want you to SHOW me the place, so I can imagine what it looks like. This post is all about description, NOT necessarily action. For help, check out other people’s training threads. Minimum 600 words.

So, since Jace is there, I will leave it up to your creativity as to how to use him. Luck to ya, and have fun!

Arin was baffled at the fact that his teacher was a Zora. Zora had been extinct since the end of the second era - almost two hundred million years ago! He began to ponder how a creature, now know only to legend and fantasy, like him could be leading him down the long hall. As they reached the door to the Dome Center, Arin felt he should voice his opinion.

“Um, Excuse me,” He said in a nervous tone. “How can a Zora be right in front of me. I mean, they went extinct nearly two hundred million years ago!”

Jacentar stopped at the door and paused for a few seconds, he then turned around and said to Arin, “The Dome is a mysterious place. It ignores the laws of physics and can travel in time and space. We are in many different places at one time you see. To you, we are just outside that little village, in this year. But to someone else, we would be in the middle of the desert five hundred thousand years in your past.”

Without another word, he opened the door to the Dome Center. Arin accepted his answer, but he could still not grasp the concept of a building being in thousands of places at the same time. They traveled down to the second floor and stopped outside the door to the northern hallway.

“This is the hall where your room is located,” Jacentar suddenly said. “You must now find your room. I will meet you later on.” With that, he began to leave.

However, Arin fearing another pointless search called to him, “How will I find my room?!” He shouted across the stone bridge.

“You will know it when you see it. Every door in the Dome is unique, it shouldn’t be that hard,” Jacentar answered. Arin watched as his teacher ascended the stairs until he could no longer see him. The Center was now a lot quieter than it was when he first entered. The noisy crowd was replaced by sound of a few light footsteps. With his teacher gone, Arin decided to go look for his room. He then turned around, and opened the doors to the hall.

This hall was similar to the hall he entered previously, except this time the carpet was Fire-red instead of purple. As he passed door after door, he heeded his master’s words and looked for a door that seemed like it led to his room instead of some random, pointless room. He took note of the designs on every door. Each was dramatically different. Some where plain and boring, while others where colorful and vibrant.

He continued to walk slowly down the hall looking for the door. When he came to the end of the hall, and had yet to find his room, he decided to do one last pass to make sure he had not missed anything. After that pass, he still had not found a door that looked like it led to his room. You would think he would give me a clue as to how to find my room, Arin thought acidly. He was beginning to get frustrated and angry; plus, his fatigue from all of the days excitement was catching up to him as the adrenaline caused by the fight faded.

Just as he thought he may have to sleep on the floor Arin noticed one door in particular. This door was made out of what looked like mahogany wood. The door handle was made out of glass, within it was a tiny white light. Upon the surface of the door was an elaborite design of gold trim going in every way conceivable. In the center of this web of golden trim was a Triforce symbol made out of, what looked like, pure gold. Below this where some ancient looking words. At the time, Arin had no idea why this door attracted his attention so.

He put his tired hand on the glass knob of the door; he hoped that this time it led to somewhere that made sense. He slowly turned the knob, fully prepared to defeat any creature that lurked within. He slowly pushed open the door, which made an ominous creaking sound as it opened. Seeing nothing but darkness in the crack of the doorway, Arin kicked at the door, to give him the element of surprise if a monster did indeed lurk within.

He charged into the room, ready for combat when the door slammed shut. It was pitch black with the door closed. Arin stumbled around in the dark looking for a light switch. He pressed his hand against the wall in search, when he found it; he turned it on to meet a beautiful sight. It was the room of Arin’s dreams. The carpet was a field green, like the forests and fields Arin walked through. The walls where made out of dark stained oak, with three church-like stained windows along the back wall, each window showing a different scene. In the one on the left, there was a depiction of King Link the first battling the ferocious dragon: Volvagia. In the center one, there was a depiction of Link: Hero of the Winds battling Gannondorf. Finally, in the right window, there was a depiction of the great stone tower, as the people called it. There where clouds and birds circling the tower. At the top where angles and the goddesses themselves.

On the white oak ceiling, where two amazing crystal chandeliers that sparkled as they lit up the room. On the left wall, there was a marvelous looking study desk made of mahogany with silver trim along the sides. Sitting on the desk was the most up-to-date computer Arin had ever seen. In the right corner of the room along the back wall, was an ornate looking four-poster bed, with a red velvet comforter, and silk curtains with gold trim along the bottom. On the right wall was a huge bookshelf made of teak that contained books on Magic, Astronomy, Physics, and a myriad of other books that could keep Arin busy for months.

Right beside the light switch was a brown leather sofa, with a small television in front of it. In the opposite corner, was a walk-in closet made out of maple. In the center of the room was a small circular table and two chairs, also made out of maple. Finally, at the back-left corner was a grandfather clock that had the same clock face as the mythical Ciroton Clock Tower.

Arin had finally found his room. He walked across the room to his bed and sat on it. He had never sat on anything so soft in his entire life. As the clock chimed eleven times Arin realized how late it was, he decided to lay down and relax for just a minute. He drifted off into the bliss of sleep within seconds.

OoC: Ok, I'm not having any creativity here in terms of writing, so I'm just going to post your next lesson. Sorry, I just can't conjure a good scenario for waking Arin out of sleep. I'll let you do that. ^_~ I'll give you one of my favourite lessons. I hope you'll see why.

Originally Posted by Lesson 3

This lesson is two-fold. I want your character to explore the Dome some more, but more importantly, I'm looking for some character development What do they think of the Dome now? What do they think of their teacher? They will end up entering a library. The walls are lined with books, and there are many comfy chairs and tables throughout the room with maps on them. Your character will hunt around and select a book, whereupon they will be attacked by said book. After defeating the first one, the character is set upon by a whole row of books. The library becomes an uproar. Kill 10 books, and they will settle down. Minimum 900 words.

The sun shined through the stained glass windows giving the rays of light a light tint as they fell upon the surfaces of the objects in the room. The morning was peaceful with the only sound being the gentle chirp of birds outside the windows. That is, until the sound of a bugle playing “Reveille” blasted through the blissful peace, like a bulldozer through a mound of Earth. Arin was jolted awake by the sound, he then groggily banged against the wall behind him and shouted, “Some people are try to get some sleep here!”

The person making the noise ignored Arin as he played his bugle and finished the song. Relieved at the songs ending, Arin wondered what time it was. He looked to the Grandfather clock on the opposite side of the bed, through the glare of the morning sun. Upon the face of the clock, the hands pointed to six o’clock.
“Six am!?” He said in disbelief. His stomach began to rumble as it dawned on Arin that he had not had a bite to eat since lunch yesterday. I wonder what they serve at the Caf here? He thought. He then forced himself out of bed, to the door of his room. He then he slowly opened the door just incase people had gone back to sleep, and went out into the hall. As he walked to the Dome Center he took note on how far down the hall his room was. Forty-fifth door on the right-handed side, he thought as he approached the golden trimmed double doors.

The Dome Center was quiet as Arin entered; it was obvious that everyone was asleep. Arin envied them, they where all cozy in bed while he was walking down the empty staircase. Arin approached the Cafeteria hoping to grab an early breakfast, but fate had intervened. A sign on the door read, “Cafeteria Closed: Breakfast starts at 7:30 am” Arin looked down at his watch, the numbers looked back at him tauntingly saying “6:15am”.

His stomach began to growl at the concept of standing in front of the doors for another hour and fifteen minuets, so Arin decided it was best to walk around and think. He then set his watch’s alarm for 7:25am so he could be the first in line for breakfast. As he walked up the central staircase, he glanced above him to see a beautiful glass dome stretching over the entire ceiling, letting natural sunlight into the Dome Center. Arin felt it was a good idea to see what the fourth floor had to offer, so he began with the northern hall. As he walked down the hall, this time with a green carpet, he began to think about the events of the previous night.

I still cannot believe how fast I found this place, Arin thought as he walked down the hall. Nothing has ever come to me this easy. Even during my first year of mage training. Man, that was one hard year, standing outside during a thunderstorm without moving even an inch, scaling the walls of the valley, and that was just the easy stuff! He continued to think, nearing the halfway point in the hall.

This place sure is big, Arin thought, his mind drifting to the Dome itself. I wonder how it was built. It must have some magical properties to it, considering my little “Adventure” last night. Especially that meditation room. I wonder how they made it so that sound could not exist in it, also, what on earth was that monster I killed, and how did it get there in the first place? And what is it with this place and gold trim, marble and oak!? Arin had reached the end of the hall, looking at a blank marble wall with gold trim on the edges. He then turned around, going back to the Dome Center.

I wonder what time it is? thought Arin. He then looked down at his watch which, as though to spite him, read, “6:35am.” His stomach gave another wistful growl, yet was denied food again. Arin then gave an exasperated sigh and continued down the hall thinking, again, of the Dome. I wonder how many people this place can hold? There must be at least two thousand doors here! How can a place so small have so many doors? Oh yeah, that’s right, this place ignores the laws of physics. This place must have some powerful magic behind it if it can ignore some of the most important laws in the universe.

Arin had reached the door at the end of the hall. When he stepped into the Dome center, it was much livelier that it was thirty minuets ago. He hung his head over the rail and watched the scene from a bird’s-eye view of what looked like the kitchen staff preparing for breakfast. He decided not to linger because the smell of the food would have made him even hungrier than he already was, if that was possible. Arin decided he would try to go down one more hall, this time the southern hall on the fourth floor.

As he opened the door to the southern hall, Arin’s thoughts turned to his brief encounter with his teacher. I wonder what his problem is, I mean he hardly ever spoke a word and when he did, he did not say very much and was very vague. I still cannot believe I am going to be taught by a Zora. I just cannot except the fact that he can be here, alive in front of me. But I guess that is just the work of what I have been taught; that Zoras have been extinct for millions of years, with no possible way for them to ever return. Even so, he did seem to know what he was doing, I will save my final Judgement until I have actually had a lesson with him.

Arin had reached the end of the southern hall. In front of him was a door with a picture of a book on it. “This must be a library,” he said looking at the door. He slowly turned the knob on the door and opened it. The room inside was definitely a library. The wooden walls were completely covered with bookshelves, save for an unlit fireplace with a sword over the mantle. In the center of the room were four tables, each covered with even more books, and maps. At each table were soft looking chairs longing to be sat on.

I think I will read a book, that is a great way to pass time, thought Arin looking at the myriad of books upon the shelves. He scanned the spines of the books until he came upon one named: “Ancient Magics: By Tim Sitomin.” As he opened the book, there came a growling noise. Arin assumed it was his stomach until the book began to vibrate in his hands. Suddenly, the book jumped out of his hand, and began to change. It grew razor-sharp teeth, and bulging, yellow eyes.

“Here we go again,” said Arin wearily, when it dawned on him; he had left his staff in his room. He looked frantically for a weapon, any weapon. Then he remembered the sword above the fireplace. Arin reached for the sword and grabbed it just in time. The book jumped to attack his face, but he sliced it in half before it could attack. Then, more books jumped out of all the shelves to avenge their fallen comrade. The once peaceful room was now alive with the sound of rustling paper, and the growling of monsterous books.

It seemed like the books had watched Arin slay the previous book because they actually dodged his every swing. If only I had my staff, though Arin as he tried to kill the jumping books. The books were not hard, far from it, they were just fast. One particular book would dodge his swings in a gymnastic-like fashion. When it was slain, the title on the front read “Advanced Gymnastics: By Anna Helpfeild.” Upon seeing the title Arin thought to himself, Figures. Another book used Martial Arts. When that book too was slain, the title was reveled to be “Martial Arts of the World: By Jack Hushima”

Eventually, Arin prevailed in the fight after slaying ten books plus the one that first attacked him. The library became quite, as though the book knew not to mess with him now. Dozens of pages where splayed across the floor, along with almost two dozen book halves. Suddenly, his watch started beeping; it was almost time for breakfast. Arin put the sword back on top of the mantle, but before he left, a certain book caught his eye titled: “Angelic Magic: By Lord William M Nira.” Intrigued, Arin put the book in his pocket. His conscience was nagging him that taking the book was stealing, but Arin silenced it by saying to himself, I am going to put it back after my training is done, therefore, it is not considered stealing. I am only borrowing it. His stomach gave a growl to remind of breakfast, he then left the strange library, and rushed to the Cafeteria.

OoC: Not too bad. I have a few notes for things you need to watch out for:

*Thoughts: All thoughts are to be put in italics only. Don't use the quotations -- the italics let us know he's thinking. Lose the quotation marks.

*'Where': You use this a lot in your writing. You are attempting the word 'were', without an 'h'. If you put an 'h' in it, it becomes a question word, not the past tense of the verb 'to be'. For example, "They were coming down the hall" as opposed to "Where on earth is my gym bag?" Can you see the difference? No more h's unless you're asking a question! ^_~

Those are the major ones I found, although sometimes you tend to overstate things. (ex: He yawned. He was tired. If he yawned, we know he's tired. ) I like active writing, so I would prefer something like "He yawned" to "He was tired." Just a tip. ^^

IC: The hungry warrior practically flew to the cafeteria, anxious to slake the demands of his stomach. He briskly moved along the green-carpeted hallway, food on his mind and little else. Suddenly, a boom rocked the hallway, tripping up the young man, and he stumbled into the shadowy figure ahead of him. "Oh, excuse--" He gasped in surprise. "Master Shintu!"

The emphatic Zora looked down at the human, bright azure face giving hardly any clues as to his mood. He was, however, slick with water. "Good morning. I trust you slept well."

"Once I found my quarters, yeah," Arin muttered a little darkly.

"Good."

An awkward silence permeated the air. "Come, let us to breakfast. Percius is working, and it's probably not a good idea to remain the vicinity." The Zora walked towards the Dome Center, his student trotting along behind.

"Who's Percius?"

The Zora flashed a grin. "Percius is an old magician who permanently resides here. He used to teach potions a long time ago. A mage he was, long before he came to this warrior's Dome. He came as a student, like you. After he completed his training, he stayed on as the Dome demanded."

"Demanded?" Arin questioned, curious to know more about this strange place he had landed.

"Sometimes, the Dome keeps those who are chosen, those who are special and unique in what they do. Me, for example." Jace indicated his being w/ a wave of his fin. "You asked how I could be here while my species does not exist in your time and place. That is how."

"I still don't really understand."

"You probably never will," the master replied as they entered the Dome Center. A small crowd had formed at the doors of the cafeteria. The two made for it, joining up in the ranks of famished fighters.

"So, does Percius still teach?" Arin asked. Perhaps the old man could teach him some tricks to help his own magical properties.

"Alas, no. The old man is now slightly addled after one of his potions went awry. He lost the formula some years ago. He's been trying to recreate the potion since then."

"What did the potion do?"

"I'm not quite sure." It was the first time Arin could detect a hint of uneasiness in his teacher's normally solid confident voice. They passed through the line grabbing the various and interdimensional delicacies reserved for the first meal of the day. Many of them repulsed Arin, and just as many intrigued him. He declined to try any this time, however.

"Here is where I leave you," Jace said as they left the line. He indicated a door off to the left which read, "Teacher's Lounge. No students allowed." Arin nodded, heading off towards the large room lined with tables and benches. "Arin," the Zora called. "I will meet you after in the Temple Room for your first lesson. Retrieve your weapons and be there at 9:30." Without another word, the tall fish swept into the Lounge.

OoC:

Originally Posted by Lesson 3

Ok, so after breakfast, you need to kill time before your first big lesson. Why not wander up and see what ol' Percius really is up to? You need to catch him by surprise, which results in a small skirmish with his rabid bunny who acts as a guardian. Afterwards, try to get him to tell you what the potion really is for. Remember, he's senile, and slightly crazy. Not everything he says is to be believed. Poke around some more until he kicks you out. Desperate for a distraction, you pull out your magic book. And what is in its old yellow pages? But of course -- Percius' magic formula, old and spattered. What does the potion do? Think about it, but do not act on it yet. Minimum = 900 words

I know this sounds like a strange lesson, but I have a plan, I promise.

Arin sat at the table in the cafeteria enjoying every bit of his well-earned breakfast. As he ate, he skimmed over the yellowed pages of the book he had found in the library. Some of the spells looked quite complicated, and some were even written in a strange language that looked like a dialect of elvish. Whoever this Lord William M Nira was, he was quite knowledgeable on the subject. Then, as Arin flipped to the next page he saw to his astonishment that the Light Cannon attack was in this book. This book looked ancient, yet in it was a relatively new spell. The guy even took credit for inventing the spell! How could he have invented it, when it was only just recently added to the mage-training curriculum?

Then, a group of people who looked like teachers came down the aisle where Arin was eating, so he hastily stuffed the mysterious book back in his robes. He had just finished eating at that point, so he decided it was best to leave. As he bused his tray to the tray return, Arin looked down at his watch and saw that it was now 8:00am. That meant he had an hour and a half until the start of his first real lesson at the dome. The mage then made his way to his room to collect his staff just in case his wandering landed him in trouble.

Arin had decided it would be best to know where exactly the Temple room was so that he would not be late to his first lesson. If there was one thing in the world Arin took more seriously than his magic, it was his punctionality. The young mage searched high and low for a door that looked like it led to a temple themed room. Now that he had learned the trick to the doors in the Dome, Arin had very little trouble finding what he was searching for. All throughout his search for the Temple room, he could not help but think about Percius’s potion. Why was it made? How come it addled Percius’s mind? How complex was it? Those where only some of the questions that were floating in Arin’s head. Then, a half-hour after leaving the cafeteria, he had found the temple room conveniently located on the third floor, at least for today.

Faced with the idea of wandering the Dome for the next hour, he decided that he would confront the former potions teacher, regardless of weather or not he was senile and crazy. He made his way back to the fourth floor and once again went into the southern hallway. The hall was just as deserted as it was over a half-hour ago, the only sound being made was Arins boots on the velvety green carpet, and the sound of escaping steam coming from a room halfway down the hall. He came to the door that was undoubtedly the source of all the noise.

Arin then quietly opened the door and walked into the room. He room was dark with the only source of light being a few torches on the wall. The room was littered with parchment, and glass tubes containing vast amounts of foul smelling liquids. The walls of the room where covered with several pieces of parchment, many of which looked like they contained experimental material due to all the crossed out words and lines. At the desk at the back of the room was an old man who was undoubtedly Percius. Suddenly, the old man bolted up from his chair and looked straight at Arin. For a few seconds the two stared into each other’s eyes until the old man shouted, “Who are you, and what are you doing here!?”

However, before Arin could get a single word out, Percius had ran to his desk with great agility for a man of his age, and opened the small cage on top of it. “Now you will feel the wrath of my most fearsome beast. Behold, the awesome power of my dwarf chimera!” shouted the old man as he open the cage. However, instead of a fierce “dwarf chimera” a white bunny came out of the cage. For a second, Arin could not understand how anyone could confuse a cute, fluffy bunny with a fierce mythological creature.

“Leave now, or die at the hands, er, paws, of my mighty chimera!” Percius shouted again. At those words, the bunny hopped to the floor, the bunny then looked up at Arin. The little rabbit then began to growl and foam at the mouth. It was obviously rabid. Arin looked down at the little bunny with disgust thinking, Wow; this guy really is crazy. Then, with little effort, he then raised his staff in the air and slammed it down with great force on the rabbit’s head knocking it unconscious.

“Wow,” said Percius stunned by Arin’s display of power. “You must be a powerful mage to beat my chimera by only hitting it with your staff! You have earned my welcome.”

I didn’t even do an ounce of magic, yet this guy thinks I am a super-powerful mage, Arin thought as he looked at the old scarred face in front of him. “Um, my teacher, Master Shintu, said you worked on a potion of some kind many years ago.” He said sheepishly.

“Oh, so you are one of Jacentar’s students now are you?” The senile old mage asked. “Ill have you know that my brain is in completely good condition, thank you very much!”

Yeah, right. You just keep telling yourself that, thought Arin acidly. “Could you, by any chance, tell me what that potion was supposed to do?”

“Why certainly my good boy!” the old mage answered. “It is no secret that I have been working on an anti-wart potion for many years now. However, after I had finally collected all the ingredients, I lost my formula! Ten years of gathering the materials, just to lose my formula inside of a book! Now those warts will never come off my feet!” Percius then stumbled back to his desk crying.

“Why did you put your potion in a book?” Arin asked curiously.

“Security! That’s why! I did not want anyone to steal my formula!” the senile mage said between sobs.

Looks like this was a waste of time, thought Arin. He then looked down at his watch and saw that it was already 9:00am. “Do you mind if I look around for a little bit?” the young warrior asked.

“Sure, go ahead. Just don’t tell anyone!”

“Okay, I promise I will not tell anyone about your anti-wart potion,” Arin said sincerely. Who in their right mind would want to steal an anti-wart potion anyway? Anti-wart potion? Ha! I bet it was something very powerful. Too bad he is now as crazy as a loon, otherwise I might have believed him, thought the young mage as he looked at all of the various potions. As he looked he happened on a potion that caught his interest, he then took it off the shelf to get a closer look at it when Percius sneaked behind him and shouted in his ear.

“I told you not to touch anything! Get out of here before I Fire Blast you ungrateful butt!”

Arin then ran for the door, dropping the potion on the table along the way. There was no way Percius would ever talk to him again, let alone the remote possibility of teaching him some new techniques. Arin then made his way back to his room to await his first class with Master Shintu. When he entered his room, he took “Angelic Magics” out of his pocket, threw himself on the bed, and began to read.

As he flipped through the pages, he came to a seriously difficult looking potion. Arin was bewildered at what he saw on the bottom of the page. Written on it was Percius’s potion! He did not hide it in a book; it was published in a book. The author had written a little note at the bottom of the page which read, “Warning: This potion has never been successfully made. Follow the instructions at your own risk.” However, there was a passage in particular that caught Arin’s attention. “The most important ingredients of the potion are:” but that was the end of the passage, in English that is. The rest was written in some strange language that looked like it was written by a fish. Maybe master Shintu can tell me what it says, thought Arin. Just then however, he realized that he had only five minuets before his lesson. The mage then stuffed the book back in his pocket, and hurriedly departed for his class.