Dextrii Agnimus's Story

Making his way for the wooded area, he glanced over the course list once more, tapping his finger twice on the one he had planned on attending. Still rubbing sleep from his eyes, he made the run necessary to head toward the instructor's designated area.

Upon arrival, he appeared to be the only one there, apart from the teacher, who stood alone by an alter. Not quite sure whether he had arrived early, or late, he scanned the schedule once more, just to make sure. Reassuring himself he was on time, he stuffed the schedule back into his robe, standing awkwardly before the man at the alter.

"Good morning, sir. No questions. Please." Gesturing for Bigsby to continue, he flipped open his readily available notebook, brushing away lead and eraser shavings from a drawing he had done the night before on the previous page. Scribbling the class down at the center of the page, he glanced back up to Bigsby, giving him his attention.

Arriv ing not long after Dextri a very lithe girl with staff almost as tall as her and wearing a long black cloak that covered most of his body stepped in. She appeared quite young and had blonde hair done up in twin buns on either side, like cats ears. This meant though she actually had long hair it did not really show. Nonetheless her general look or at least facial expression suggest a great deal of nervousness, biting her lower lip and moving slowly eyes darting around. Obviously a junior, still she finally sat herself little away from Dextri and pulled out a big book from a pocket dimension, being a mage student meant that there no schoolbags, instead most was kept in pocket dimensions they had to maitain and not lose their stuff.

Once it out, the portal popped close, and she looked up with small wide eyes, "Sorry I am late Master Hoarercrux, I promise I'll try show up on time in future." still she appeared tentative, twitching, no shivering while her fingers pressed the pages open and began to leaf through them, the rustling of old ornate paper being heard, before she spoke again, "I tried my best to study what you asked Sir, but I can't seem to pronouce the final word, could you perhaps show me?"

"Very good." Master Hoarercrux grumbled as he continued to carve the future face of the Leshy. It was only when the second arrival showed that the old man stopped carving and looked up to the young girl.

"I would imagine you would arrive sooner than later. Next time do not arrive late." The large hatted wizard set the knife to the side on the alter only to hold the pumpkin high above his head to admire his work. "Gourd leshys grow best in small vegetable patches or in sunny meadows. This lightly wooded area will have to do but regardless of whatever type of Leshy you are trying to create take into account the locale you are doing it in."

Bigsby turned the pumpkin's face towards his class and smiled like the devil as he quickly whispered a few arcane words too the carved gourd creating a small light within turning his carved creation into a jack-o-lantern. "The final word was a combination of draconic and the druid dialect of Psh'Fial, a long dead language, I did not expect you to learn it all over night but its application here and to the spirits we will be calling are very well connected to this study you will be learning." Master Hoarercrux let out a sigh as he began to continue his lesson while setting his carved work down upon the makeshift body of leaves and vines that sat still upon the alter. "Carving eyes and a mouth into our gourd is important for the growth ritual, for neglecting to do this robs the Leshy of its ability to see or speak. The exact nature and appearance of a gourd leshy's features can vary wildly between individuals."

Bigsby waited patiently for any questions only to frown slightly as he waited.

Making note of the girl as she arrived, he listened while the teacher scolded her for being late, prompting that should she choose to do so again, not to bother showing up to the class at all. Mentally, he made it a point to never get on a teacher's bad side, being in such a place of knowledge and power, it would be a shame to be neglected those teachings simply for arriving a little late.

Jotting down notes on locale and languages required to complete the spell, he couldn't help but begin doodling what he thought he might make his Leshy look like. He drew the face with concerned eyes and a dopey grin, surely something that would be entertaining to look at should he actually muster one. As the light sprang into the master's pumpkin, Dextrii couldn't help but grin.

As he continued to work on his sketch, he began the body, putting flower petals around its neck like jewelry, and various other flower colors layered within the leaves and vines consisting of the body. This prompted a thought, 'I wonder if different body structures effect a leshy's features.'

Raising his hand slightly, clearing his throat, he inquired, "Sir, would the outcome of the Leshy be effected should the individual use different natural components for their body structure?" He had hoped the momentary pause in the master's dialogue meant he was open to the submission of questions, however silly they may seem.

Biting her lip she looked over the notes rifling the pages back and forth as her eyes scoured the book, but nothing popped out. Of course she did not want to appear naive, but she had studied all this extensively and she had no idea what a leshy was. At least she had an idea it connected to these gourds. Nonetheless she hoped he would not be too hard on her lack of knowledge in this matter. It was a bother at times, that she was younger than others here, although not the youngest, nor a child prodigy, but she did have an almost innate connection with dark magik, this is why she was here... In truth her parents were trying to keep her from that side of things. Her parents were very good friends with Bigsby and had begged him to keep her away from the darker side of the arcane, hoping his influence could get her skilled in using anything else.

Nonetheless she did not feel evil, but her parents had forbid her in using any of this dark magik, claiming it corrupted her. Thus she could instead practice the other arcane lessons given, so much to study and learn. Temptation sometimes begged her to take shortcuts and use dark magic to help herself, but she knew Master Hoarercrux would know, one time she had been caught and the look he had given her was something akin to utter loathing and fury. Terrifying was best way to put it, she had apologized profusely while he had spoken sternly and made it absolutely clear he would know if she tried this again. Thus she refused to give into temptation, no matter how it knocked.

Finally she spoke up looking up from the book, "Sir, Master Hoarercrux, I studied the book extensively but it makes no mention of Leshy, is it perhaps called something else in the book? Or am I missing something?" the young blonde mage looked up defiantly, determined to not appear stupid and or ignorant.

Bigsby smiled and nodded to both of his students. Their questions not only spoke volumes about their character but showed that they did not wish to be ignorant of the world around them.

"First allow me to answer the question as to what a Leshy is." Bigsby stepped around the alter and placed his left gnarled hand upon the Jack-o-lantern which now exhumed a strange green mist and a vibrant blue light. "What we are attempting here is to bind a spirit of nature to a physical form. That, Aebbe, is what a Leshy is." The large hatted wizard continued to smile as he glanced back at the carved gourd. "I had you read over the calling of said spirits of nature but not of the rituals that I am about to teach. These creatures have a will of their own and as such they may choose to ignore you and even mock you depending on the type of spirit being called."

Bigsby then turned his attention towards Dextrii only to look upon the young man with his knowing blue orbs and chuckle slightly at the pleasing notion of what would come next. "Are you asking me because of your artistic nature or is there something more?" The old wizard suddenly seemed to explode into countless butterflies only to reform behind his young student as to get a better look at the drawings the young man created. "A bit of a side lesson and one that will offer an answer to your question. Originally they are grown as servants for more powerful fey and intelligent plant life such as elder treants. They are even created by druids and wizards alike. Even some clerics to deities whose gods represent the green of the earth we stand on or the harvest of the year." Bigsby began to walk around his students and took his place back at the alter and the still body he formed and the gourd he carved.

"Leshy are sentient plants after the spirits of nature have taken root within. Their primary objective is to look after their unintelligent brethren and serve as nature's verdant watchers. Several breeds of leshy exist, each being kindred to a broad group of plants or fungi. Among the best known are the wise seaweed leshys, strange fungus leshys, and wary leaf leshys, though others are rumored to exist, such as the surly cactus leshy, the sinister flytrap leshy, the garrulous snapdragon leshy, and the enigmatic lotus leshy. The Leshy we are creating today is the superstitious gourd leshys, it is called as such as they are known to follow a strict set of rules and orders only to change them ever so slightly when things do not go their way." Bigsby took up a single flower only to place it upon the alter as if admiring it for the first time.

"So Dextrii in short depending on the spirit you are calling and binding to your craft you would need to find a proper location and the right spirits in the area to complete this ritual. For example this locale is not perfectly suitable for this type of Leshy we are creating, however; due to the time of year and the crops nearby we should be able to coax the proper spirit to this location."

Dextrii couldn't help but stare at the lantern as it began to emit the green mist, admiring the way the light and mist coexisted to make such a visual marvel. Clinging vaguely to what the master taught to Aebbe, he had heard most of it before in his previous teachings, he was suddenly surprised when the master turned to him, bursting forth in a flurry of winged insects, only to appear a moment later behind him.

He felt nervous as the teacher took in his drawing, illuminating his mind with new facts, which he gratefully added to the pages of his notebook. "Well, admittedly it was for the sake of aesthetics, nothing more. Though I must say it is nice to know there are many different forms they can take, as well as personalities"

It was curious to think about what types of spirits dwelt in different areas that gave each Leshy their own unique attributes, which prompted another question. "Sir, seeing as how the area in which we are currently isn't usually where you would manifest a gourd Leshy, would it be safe to assume that this area would be more suitable for a fungus Leshy?"

Given that the area was forested, of the ones mentioned in the list of Leshy, the fungus seemed to him the most likely to be found in the spirits adrift in a forest.

Coughing awkwardly when he mentioned spirits, her worries were stemmed when he said spirit of nature. When she gotten over that bit, she immediately became engrossed in all he said, finding such arcane knowledge amazing to hear. Of course she knew little of the shamanistic arts, but somehow Master Hoarercrux could communicate it in a way she could easily comprehend and not feel belittled, such spark and enthuaism was dear to Aebbe. Still she thought she had noticed his voice changing in mention of spirits, but could well have been her imagination. Yes, dear Aebbe had experience with spirits, but the kind she had conjured were not magickal in nature, they were more necromatic.

It had not even been intentional, one day she was just lonely and started talking, a voice answered back, she did not realize what they were until it had suggested bringing it into this world alive. This is where the Academia came in, her parents stopped her far too soon and it was revealed that it was no mere spirits she was trying to bring back, it was Demon Lord, Abraxas. After that her parents fearing her power growth sought out Master Hoarercrux, they had known him in the past and knew he could perhaps help their daughter, he had instead suggested Academia believing she just needed to be surrounded magic users her own age. Of course he was teaching there so it helped the matter.

Taking notes she continued to listened making sure she was thorough and clear with everything she wrote, hearing about different leshy's make her have what was akin to knowledge orgasm, all this information so overwhelming yet amazing. Still she found herself wondering, "Is there a wolvesbane leshy?" she asked when she got a chance to speak.

"Keepers of cavernous mushroom forests and rotting compost pits deep within the swamp, fungus leshys preside over subterranean growth and the rot that fertilizes new life." Bigsby smirked slightly as he then began to look a round at the lightly wooded area their lesson had taken place in. "They are among the most alien and monstrous-looking of all leshys, tiny rot farmers, and though frightening in appearance they are not evil. Like all their kin, fungus leshys vary widely in form, often adopting the colors and shapes of the mushrooms and other large fungi common to the areas they tend."

Bigsby took up the gourd and placed it appropriately upon the still body only to take up his staff and wave it against the air around them causing the trees to sway and the natural energies of the life around them to suddenly become visible. The old man was about to continue only to chuckle. "A wolvesbane Leshy? I suppose there could be one or two though I myself have never encountered one in the wilds of the realms or in the service of another."

The large hatted wizard was about to say something else but was distracted and pointed to a green formless being that seemed to slip past the two students and began to hover over the plant material that was so neatly formed the Gourd Leshy.

"We have our first customer. The spell I invoked was a simple one and these woods house many a gentle spirit. We simply must wait and see if it accepts our creation and take root." Bigsby removed his massive hat and placed his staff to the side of the alter. "Now as for the idea of a wolvesbane Leshy am I detecting that you might want to create such a thing one day?"

Beginning to grasp the concept of what spirits dwelt within certain areas, he began updating what his own leshy may look like. Replacing the flower petals with mushrooms, the body patched together with bits of bark, wound tightly with roots, scattered with pine needles. He was quite pleased with how the new Leshy might turn out, making the silly concerned grin only more fitting now that it had become bulky and presumably slower.

Paying close attention as Master Bigsby began to cast the spell required to summon forth the spirit, and admittedly was caught off guard by the question as well. It seemed like a rather specific question, the previous Leshy's listed covering a variety of possibilities. He offered a quick glance of curiosity in her direction, pondering if any mystery lay within, a slight tingle creeping down the back of his neck, assuring his curiosity.

Suddenly, Bigsby pointed above them. Focusing his attention on the now floating closer to the alter green mass, a certain feeling of calm crept over him. He held his gaze for a moment, taking in the serene, admirable view of the wisp as it played precariously around the gourd.

Looking away only to quickly scratch down notes, he heard the master continue questioning the girl on the wolvesbane Leshy. It appeared he would be getting an answer to the mystery notion after all. Depending on how she answered, of course. Until then he scribbled in his notebook, waiting for the spirit to take root.

Watching in wonderment as the green transparent green mass wafted towards the gourd, before completely submerging within and giving the impressive terrifying gourd and eerie emerald glow. Both majestic and also awe-inspiring. Her eyes following the spectacle with absolute vivid enthuaism. Once it ended, she automatically clapped, having enjoyed the whole thing from start to finish.

Only now having been half listening about the Fungus Leshy, paid full attention. Then it happened Master Hoarercrux addressed her unique interest, she immediately blushed having not been expected to have been asked, nonetheless she spoke confidently despite the pink in her cheeks, "I think I have a wolfsbane Leshy before at my house... My parents grew more of their ingredients and one time while I was trying to sleep, saw a pale purple mass, well many surrounding the garden, just floating and moving. When I got out of bed, to get a clearer view I could see, they were unnatural but natural, they left trails of purple or pink mist and made strange screeching noises."

Pausing she went on, "Strangely next thing I remember is waking up in my bed, and to this day, I wondered if it was even real. But seeing another Leshy, I realize that it must have been a leshy just one that somehow could cause fatigue in a person. I don't know why they were attracted only that night, when I asked my parents, they said I must have dreamed it. They seemed really evasive about it, now I think..." shrugging she took some notes regarding the leshy, and what she had observed, certain this would intrigue her tutor.

As the spirit of nature took root the Leshy came to life and the carved gourd's face began to animate and yawn. it slowly would rise from the alter and stretch as if waking up from a long slumber only to turn its attention to the large hatted wizard and his students.

"Welcome little one, welcome, please would you stand up for us?" Bigsby offered the small creature his gnarled hand and chuckled as the Gourd Leshy quickly took it and rise up from his bedding and offered a large Jack-O-Lantern style grin too both of the students present. "He seems rather friendly." Bigsby jested as he waved both of his students to come closer. "Sadly not many Leshy have the capability of communication. Gourd Leshy such as this one need only minutes to form their first sentences and..." Bigsby found himself silenced as the Leshy began to jump and wave its arms frantically about.

"I can talk!?" The Gourd Leshy voice was almost a shouted whisper only followed by a couple of coughs and mixed chuckles. "I can talk." It spoke once more leaving the old wizard with a smile and a nod. "yes, you can talk, now if you would be so kind. Allow me to finish my lesson." Bigsby lifted the little Leshy off the alter and set it down upon the ground only to give it a light pat on the back and sent it on its way.

"Anyway, as I was saying, not many Leshy have the ability to talk. Leaf Leshy are not given mouths as their construction is very different from what I have shown you here. Fungus Leshy however can speak though their words are garbled and clumsy." Bigsby was about to go on before he turned his attention back to Aebbe. "It is possible that there are Wolvesbane Leshy, it is also possible that you did in-fact see them. However, and it is more based on my experiences, I would like to suggest that it was possibly another of natures spirits or possible something else." The old wizard was always willing to offer his knowledge and experiences.

"Any questions?"

Watching intently as the being sprang to life, he couldn't help but smile as it yawned to life, adjusting to it's new form. Dextrii approached the alter, continuing to eye the Leshy, fascinated that the spell had worked with such success. Stopping just before the alter, he began scribbling more notes into his book.

Stifling a laugh as the Leshy became overly fascinated with it's new found ability to speak, he held out the eraser end of his pencil toward it, wagging it up and down as if in an effort to wave. Watching as Bigsby hoisted it from the alter and sent it merrily down the trail, he jotted a few last minute things in his notebook.

Raising his hand when Master Bigsby announced it was a good time to ask questions, he inquired, "Sir, you said fungus leshy's were capable of speech, but their voice would likely be slurred. Is it possible to use something such as the pumpkin used today in order to grant a fungus Leshy better speech capabilities?"

He imagined the Leshy he had drawn stumbling around, mumbling nonsense. This would make it rather difficult to use the Leshy for his intended purpose, so he figured it was worth the question.

Determined to show he knowledge she spoke up, surprised that her tutor had no definable answers to this whole conumdrum. Still she maintained that their must be wolfsbane leshy. Although whether she had encountered them now that was a puzzle, but once she had learnt more about this, she intended to use the wolfsbane in her room and see if she could summon one. Most of all since she was rather curious. Nonetheless Aebbe had forgotten not even her mind was safe from the probing or attention of her tutor, still it was not dark magic merely after-curricular activities. Still this bring up another country, "In some cultures Master Hoarercrux they don't use pumpkins when carving out gourds they instead use Turnip's does this mean that Turnip or Neep Leshy could well exist and would it be able to speak since you are creating the similar ideal that we saw earlier. I know a Turnip is not entirely comparable to a Pumpkin but nonetheless I find myself wondering Master."

With that she took some notes down in the big book on the table, magically high-lighting passages to read later as well thoroughly reading up on the idea of spirits since she did not want to ever make the same mistake, "Also Sir, is there anyway or spell to define if a leshy is a leshy or if any spirit is what it says it is?" this treading close to her big mistake, but it did show she hoped to avoid it, "Like do they have different auras or something that would provide clarity on the issue?"

Upon both of their questions and comments Bigsby began to stroke his beard and ponder the very depths of his knowledge.

"Both are very fine questions and equal points." Bigsby quickly offered only to lean up against the alter. "Fungus Leshy are usually are forged into existence to take on the shape of large toad stools and redcaps, some can be other types of fungus, however not all sound the same." Bigsby simply waved his hand and created several illusionary images of redcap Leshy and the like. "I suppose it is more of a generalization due to the fact that not all Leshy are the same in some regards."

Bigsby suddenly produced a pipe and a light only to take a few puffs and began to regard his own education back when he was a young man. "I suppose if you are willing to bring the proper materials and coax a spirit that you can agree fully with then I suppose it would be a collaborative effort on both parties parts." The old wizard began to chuckle a bit as he chewed at the end of his pipe. "As for the Wolfsbane Leshy I suppose it is true that you could possibly try to use a Turnip, however; I would imagine that the carving of the face would be the most difficult."

The Gourd Leshy could be seen collecting stones and sticks and forming tools for gardening and helping the plants live and grow.

Flipping his notebook back open to where he had left off, he put more information down about Leshy's. As Master Bigsby carried on about the different types, and whether or not it would be possible for him to obtain the kind of Leshy he sought. He came to the conclusion that he would indeed be able to make his own Leshy, the appropriate kind at that, that would help him with his own research. A bit of a side project really, but he sought to advance his knowledge in solitude. "Thank you, sir." he stated, offering a grin.

Bigsby then addressed the girl's concerns about her Leshy. She seemed as adamant about making one of those as he did making a fungus Leshy that was capable of proper speech. Again this pricked at his curiosity, but he remained silent.

Turning his attention to the gourd Leshy wandering around, he skimmed to a free page in his notebook, making his way toward it, picking up a couple of sticks and stones along the way. Setting them down as an offer for the Leshy, he knelt down and propped his book open on his knee as he began to sketch the Leshy, hoping it would come closer for his offering.

Taking notes in her huge book, Aebbe watched in astrute wonder as he matrialized a different leshy. It had the Red Cap's head almost like a hat except it was part of it. The body was similar to the Pumpkin leshy except it had a more bulbous appearance and it's stumpy legs and arms were rather adorable. The head appeared too heavy for it, falling like a fresh born babe. The girl almost assumed a maternal form wishing to cradle its small skull. Of course it was merely an image, nonetheless it did bring a beautiful smile to her lips. Resuming her notes she even attempted a rudimentary sketch in her own book, of course it was nothing compared to Dextrii's but this was only interesting to her, not something she needed to get perfect. Still in her observant nature she immediately pointed out something.

"Master Hoarercrux you neglected to answer my question sir... It is just how does one know a leshy is say a leshy is there a way to prove that a leshy is actually a leshy." shrugging she went on, "It is just I know you are aware of my history sir and I wish to avoid such mishaps nowadays and instead only summon or talk too true neutral spirits." it was the first she had openly admitted that he knew. It had been a silent secret to prevent any knowledge being uttered. Now she had just hinted at what she had done and Dextri may well be able to put the pieces together.

The little gourd leshy turned to look at Dextri only to tilt its head like a curious child at the offerings made. The tiny thing quickly took the offerings just to follow it up with a simple nod as it turned away and rushed back to its work.

Bigsby smiled and watched the interaction only to then turn his attention back to Aebbe. "Aebbe Dmowska, spirits of nature are obvious in their manifestations, Leshy more in particular do not stray far from those who brought them into this world unless ordered otherwise. To be more precise a spirit of nature will indeed on occasions give off the feeling of the natural world through either smell or sight." Bigsby began to stroke his beard as his mind began to ponder of other ways one could determine such a creature.

"Natural elements might also be apart of their form. Needless to say however the lesson here is that Leshy are created by hands such as ourselves. Their bodies require our experiences and our talents." Bigsby stepped over to the girl as the Leshy continued to make stone tools to use for later.

"Determining the spirit that is before you is one that requires experience and knowledge. Sharpen your mind and use your eyes to the fullest.....otherwise you will be blinded by what is before you."

In the silent moments of the student's thoughts, processing what had been demonstrated as they finished up their notes, a strange portal seemed to open up from above them. The portal exhibited the scene taking place on the other side, a crowded background of a giant city looming over the vehicles flying through the air as the inhabitants continued their daily life. As the main action, an armoured individual seemed to be pushed through the portal by a mysterious being before quickly moving out of sight. Once the individual had fallen into the new area, the portal instantly closed; the distortions of space-time quickly dissipating into a small wisp before finally stabilising back into the norm.

Only a few meters were fallen, but the sudden contact with the ground gave off a massive thump as the heavy weighted Shadonian landed. The ground was flattened even further as the grass beneath had been crushed. Finally, a loud, instantaneous groan of shock emitted from the armoured Shadonian, as he lay on the ground, staring into the sky as he attempted to take in the situation.

It seemed to take forever for the situation to slowly calm once more before the being to pull himself upright from the ground, mumbling in some unknown language; "Fakieay'na byta'kiro... Wa'loco dekami re na'tie?" his hand raised to the back of his head, rubbing the pain away as he seemed to show an expression of worry, hoping he hadn't hit the ground too hard.

Bigsby turned and seemed genuinely surprised by the sudden entrance and even before the damned thing closed Bigsby got a rather interesting look upon the other world. The Master wizard simply looked upon the young man who had taken an impressive fall only to look over the equipment that showed whilst reading the aura of strangers enchanted gear. The elderly man simply appeared to be gazing upon the young man with crystal blue hues but in all actuality Bigsby began to plot and ponder what this could mean not only for himself but for the rest of his students present. The other student and the Leshy seemed to stop and stare at the large hatted wizard only to wait and see what would happen.

The language the young man spoke was not at all familiar and so with a few simple words and gestures the spell Tongues came into affect. At first Bigsby's words would seem garbled but within seconds cleared up for all who could hear him to understand. "Get off your ass you no good rotten scoundrel!" Bigsby shouted as he took up his staff from the side of the alter only to slam the butt of it against the ground and then pointed the crystal end towards the young man. "Identify yourself before I send you hence forth back from whence you came child!" Bigsby roared his command with the sense and role he had provided himself sense the first day he came to this academy. He was a teacher here and a student of the dragons academy back home!

"And mind your manners! Regardless if the other students cannot understand! I will not tolerate foul language during one of my leasons!" The old man placed himself now between the newcomer and his students while keeping the crystal trained on its target.