Entering the Dragon's Nest

Deep within the marshes east of Unianim, Feray had trudged and marched and stomped her way through the tarpits and th sinking earth as she did her best to find her way towards the right location. While her Raven Magic had served her well to travel the most distressing and difficult areas of the marsh, she did not have the reserves to maintain it indefinitely. She had tried once to find her destination by soaring above the trenches and the treacherous swamps, but with so many unreasonably high thickets of foliage, there was no way to locate the ruins in this manner.
After what felt like days of wandering through this muck she eventually came across what she had been directed towards; the ruins of Castle Volkmar. It was arguable whether it could ever have been considered a castle judging from what was left and the size of it. Feray had been assisted by her regent, Guan-yin Gloompond to be granted her favored spot of studying and learn under the Head of Magical Study, Hotoke Perzsike. A difficult name to pronounce and with a face she had not yet seen, she was more than aware of his purpose and importance to Toranku. And for that reason she wanted to aid, for surely they could always use an extra hand, right?
As she flew the last bit into the entrance of the castle, tired of trudging through the diry foundation this marsh had the gall to call ground, she searched the interior for some sort of center of study. Looking through the walls and floor, she was starting to get frustrated. Don't say that she had just been duped in some cruel joke?!
Leaning back against a wall she felt it budge ever so slightly. Pushing it further she found herself within a small room with a single lever on the wall with a sign above it which read: "Don't pull me!" Figuring this was the entrance she pulled it all the same. Falling through a pipe which eventually, after what felt like a freefall for a solid ten seconds, she smoothly transitioned into a ride down until she landed in a soft pile of pillows and mattreses.
Looking up she would find a massive library with unending walls of shelves filled to the brim with books and notes, traversed by a selection of scholars and mages that organized and studied their contents and tested magics to their best abilities. A man approached her with smooth and silent strides. A face that was more than familiar to her. One does not forget the face of a man who had accomplished what he had. "'Ello! The name is Hotoke. I can only assume that you are my new collegue? Would be awfully tragic if you were an intruder." He joked with a slightly grim undertone. His face was soft and with a smile on it, glasses with clearly fake lenses in place on his nose and a very... unique looking robe on him. He extended a hand towards her to help her up.
Feray stared at the man before her, an unamused look on her face as she'd just fallen down what amounted to a carnival ride. Things had turned out far different than she'd expected, though that was often the case in her line of work. Taking a moment to clear her mind, she smiled a fake smile but a good fake nonetheless. Reaching up she took hold of his hand and allowed him to help her up. "Uh, Yes... I was sent here to join your team. I expected to meet with a guide or something of the sort but all I was given was a set of coordinates and a description of the place I was supposed to find." She explained, dusting herself off as her eyes moved around the large library. Never in her life had she seen so many books in one place, "Hotoke, It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Feray, but you can call me Fey if you would like."
"Already getting friendly, are we? I like it. Fey... I'll be sure to remember that." He said, his smile remaining set on his face. "Yes, I apologize for the... crass treatment, but considering my work here, I and Toranku figured it was best to keep it as remote and inaccessible as possible. I am sorry for any trouble you had, as well as the sudden drop." He said pointing towards the pipe before turning around and walked towards a desk. "I am told that you have quite the proficiency with magic and the logistics of the magical arts. I look forward to working with you, Fey. As you can see, we are already hard at work." He said, gesturing towards the scribes, scholars and magic testers. "Practical use is a bit more on the rare end, it will mostly be numbers and study for the most part. I really do hope you won't mind. Toranku tend to make their jobs seem a bit more exciting than they really are."
Feray widened her smile, "Yes, I understand how they do like to play things up to be far more exciting than it is. I might even go as far as to call it propaganda." She jested with a short chuckle. " I imagine the pipe uh... thing, is to help out with keeping things exciting, right? Anyhow, I assure you that I am ready and willing to do my part, regardless of the task. It isn't every day that one gets to help out with such important work. Well, not everyday until now that is." She said, placing her hands together with a look of delight on her face, trying to match his energy and excitement. "Where should I start? This is my first time working with such a large team."
"Excellent! Now, excuse me if it gets a bit much, just report if so, but we have recently received 'data' about a brand new developed magic." He said as he reached behind his desk and pulled forth a big stack of datasheets, files and books. "It is a Creation Magic that is called 'Data Make'. It allows its user to create items and 'creatures' out of metaphysical information that can be used for a variety of purposes. As it is still new it is a challenging task to explore decent enough finds for it. In theory it could help with prototype testing, probability simulations and more." He explained before grabbing it and passing it over to her. "Take this to Alex down section five. He will be your partner for the day to uncover any details that might help to understand this magic further. See if there are more unique ways of using it. If you come up with a find, contact me immediately. I will not miss a second of these discoveries."
Feray's smile remained as she nodded, taking the stack of things into her hands. "Wonderful! I will be sure to find you if we find anything of note or progress worth reporting. Thank you for your help, Sir." She said as her eyes scanned the signs in the room to locate section five. Seeing it labeled on one of the signs she began walking in that direction. The smile falling from her face into a stoic frown the moment her back was turned to the man, seeing no reason to keep it up if she didn't feel the need to. 
Following the signs, she walked through the maze-like place which seemed to get messier and messier the further she got into section five. Finding a desk with a nametag on it, she realized she was indeed in the right place much to her own dismay. Her eyes looking at the man sitting behind the desk, barely visible behind several stacks of books and papers, A young man, couldn't be far off from her own age, his robe looking wrinkled and ill-kempt. She cleared her throat loudly, "I am Feray but I prefer to go by Fey. Hotoke told me that we would be working together for today, Data-Make is the topic we're to research and study it would seem. Alex, I presume?" She spoke matter of factly, the niceties she'd displayed early nowhere to be found.
"Yes-yes-put-the-books-there-and-dont-bother-me!" He exclaimed in one quick go, not seemingly caring for cohesive speech as he scribbled away on the papers. He grabbed a file from the stack and immediately got to work. His eyes darted from one end of the file to the other in moments, seeming more like he was skimming through it rather than going in depth into it. "What-are-you-doing?" He hissed so quickly it seemed more like one single word rather than a proper sentence, just wanting to get back to work without distractions. "Get-to-work!" he hissed once more, uncaring of whether he was giving her reasons to be less friendly or not.
 'So it seems everyone here is a freak...' She thought to herself with a 'tch' and roll of her eyes before grabbing a stack of the files and moving to clear herself a spot on the floor. Sitting out multiple files open on the floor, she decided that, unlike the man at the desk, she would work not only quickly but diligently. Taking a breath, checking to make sure she had to magic left to do it, her arms seemed to rip themselves apart before a conspiracy of Ravens flooded out from under her cloak. Taking position at the documents and as she closed her eyes they began to move their heads as though reading it. It was information overflow, but she'd taught herself not to become overwhelmed. While she couldn't keep it up for long, surely she could get through a few before needing to put herself back together.
For some minutes they simply sat there in silence, plowing through the files and documents to the best of their abilities. Suddenly Feray would feel the sensation of a mighty swat. Alex had angrily struck one of the ravens which had moved its way onto the desk to grab a new file. "No-pets-scratches-or-bird-droppings-on-my-table-if-you-please!" He spat with disdain in his voice. "If-you-cant-follow-my-instructions-kindly-sod-off!"
Her eyes shot open, feeling excruciating pain in an arm that currently wasn't even there. Her eyes turned toward the man with fury and the desire to harm like a fire in them as her Ravens flew back to her, jumping up from her sitting position. "That was my wrist, you ignorant buffoon!" She yelled out as the pain ran up her arm, instinctively grabbing hold of the dagger on her belt. "You bastard! I'll... I'll..."She tried to calm herself despite the black bruise that covered her wrist. "Gladly accept your apology..." She spoke through gritted teeth as she held onto her arm.
"I-don't-remember-giving-you-one." He said quietly under his breath, not loud enough to be bombastic, but not low enough that she couldn't hear it. Another raven was waved away from his table, not quite with the same violence, not wanting another outcry in his presence. "Dont-think-I-didnt-notice-your-dagger-hand-either-you-trigger-happy-little-... nevermind" He caught himself before uttering a most vile word. "Just-don't-do-that-again."
She shook with anger, ready to bite back with every insult she knew but instead she let her hands lower to her sides, taking in multiple slow breaths to slow her heart and calm herself. Her malice disappearing from her face as calm washed over her entire body. "You're right, It was my fault for not informing you." She spoke with a sincere tone whether she actually meant it was another story altogether. Walking over, she grabbed a few more documents with her own hands. "Please do not touch me again," She continued before returning to her spot her on the floor. Only able to transform a single arm now that the other was injured, she tried to continue her work, ignoring the pulsing pain in her wrist. She knew it wasn't broken and as long as that was the case she could continue without pause.
The studying continued for a long while longer until the bell for lunch rang. The break seemed welcomed by Alex as he quickly rose from his seat and moved towards the lunch table. While fragmented and difficult to put together, Feray would by now have discovered some coincidental common denominators between the rare and few instances of the magic despite the varied ways it had been documented to have been able to do. If Feray were to move for lunch herself she would find quite the banquet before her, freely to be picked before sitting down by the table, everyone taking their own seats with their own groups and cliques with only two people sitting by themselves; Alex and Hotoke.
Feray stood a bit back from the banquet table. As far as she could tell, no dangerous magic had been cast on any of the food. But that never ruled out handmade poisons... She moved away from the food, not wanting to eat any of it. She looked around the tables, most filled with people. She knew it would be best for her to find a place to fit in, a group or clique to associate herself with. But doing so would be difficult without some prior knowledge of the people she was trying to befriend. Of course, that left her only two options. The man she already had it out for, or the weirdo head of this whole thing. Neither were desirable choices in her mind but they were the only ones she had. She looked over to Alex, wanting to force an apology out of him to be sure. But doing so might jeopardize her place here and so she walked over to Hotoke. Putting on a smile as she approached. "Hello, Sir, I admit that I'm surprised to see you sitting all alone. I can leave if that's what you would prefer, I wouldn't want to bother you if that was the case." She said, a tilt of her head with a look of slight concern on her face.
Hotoke looked up from his food towards Feray, a smile immediately taking place on his face. "Fey! No, you may happily take your seat." He said with a gesture towards the seat on the side of the bench. "It is not that I am unfavorable towards the prospect of having a dining comrade. Just no one wants to. The moment they find out they can't get promotion out of me for acting nice, they bail." He joked as he pushed his fake glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "I hope you don't feel like quitting yet. I heard you from over my desk. I thought you were about to blow a gasket at the man. I wouldn't blame you. You have endured far longer than anyone else has so far." He said with a chuckle. "And if I may, if you insist on me calling you Fey, how about you just call me Hotoke then? None of the 'Sir' stuff." He requested as he dug into another bit of jerky. "So, how goes your progress? Found anything interesting yet?"
She clamed up, "Oh, so you heard that..." An embarrassed look on her face. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you or the others." She apologized, showing her wrist. "It was an accident but I let my anger get the best of me for a moment. I won't let it happen again, S-Hotoke." Correcting herself before clearing her throat. "As for what we found, I can't speak for him, but I wasn't able to find anything that wasn't circumstantial or coincidental evidence. I did make notes out of it though to come back to later if they did turn out to be more than that. I can make a copy of them if you would like? I really wouldn't mind, I'm a quick write after all." Cheer on her face as she held up the notebook with her uninjured hand.
Hotoke just waved it off. "Shouts of anger of frustration is not uncommon. Especially when working with Alex." he stated casually as he sipped on his tea. "Though usually it is related to a magical misshap, so to hear that it is just you getting mad on your first day is a good thing in comparrison." He then took a look at her injured wrist and seemed like he was about to boil. "Did he do that? That is certainly new but that won't be tolerated. I will have a word with him, mark my words. How did it even happen? He isn't exactly well built or magically fit, so how did he accomplish this?"
Were it beneficial to her, now would certainly be a good time to get her revenge on the bastard. Perhaps even win over sympathy with the others, a poor victim of an unliked coworker. But as it stood, his loss would only be for her own personal gain and thus was not worth the hassle. She shook her head, "It wasn't on purpose." She said, holding up her good hand. Her finger turned black before it sprouted feathers, then an eye, and a beak, before taking shape as a full adult raven in her hand with a finger now missing. "I was using them to get more work done without telling him and he struck one without thinking. The damage doubled when it made it back to me and thus the bruise. I should have told him about my magic, but since it isn't anything special I didn't think it was important. It was my fault, so please don't be too angry at him." She explained as the bird walked around the table.
Hotoke didn't seem to be quite convinced about her words, but he let it go all the same. "If you say so. Just tell me if it gets too much. I've longed to put that man in his place for a long time now." When she conjured forth the raven that was now walking across the table, picking at scraps and quizzically looking around, Hotoke looked upon it in wonder and awe. "This is incredible. 'Nothing special' you say? I have never seen magic like this..." Hotoke said as he reached forward and pet the raven across its head softly. He was clearly skilled with the handling of animals. "You have got to-... No, you have not got to do anything. After lunch you may continue your work and try to continue the search for these circumstances. I don't need the notes until you have found more details to these coincidences. What's more, if you need a break or just overall feel up for it, I would love the chance to learn and study this magic of yours."
She looked at him quizzically, "Surely you're only flattering me. But if you insist I would be happy to help your research in any way I can. Once I've completed my own work, of course, I wouldn't want to slack off on my first day." She chuckled as the Raven made it's way back to her and reformed as her index finger. "I'll try to find something worth your time in those documents. I appreciate your concern, I've dealt with my fair share of unruly men in my time. I don't think another will get in the way of my work." She said with a playful wink before another bell rang. "Oh no, It seems I spent all this time talking. I guess I'll have to save my appetite for dinner." She continued with her playful tone as she got up from the table and waved. "I'll see you later, Hotoke, I'll show you my magic then. I promise."
Hotoke waved her away with a smile, and once she fell from view, his expression fell from jubilant glee to a grim contemplation before he made his way back to the desk. Back at section five, Feray had begun to dig into her work once more before Alex walked up to her. "Listen here, you gnat." He spat in at a surprisingly slower pace, as if he really wanted to drive his point home. "Sir Perzsike does not need a lowly trial worker who borders unto being a mere intern disturb him. If you think buttering him up will bring you any benefits what so ever, then you've got another thing coming." He hissed before returning to his desk. "Now-get-back-to-work."
Feray looked at him with apathy on her face, "Oh. So you can talk like a human being, you just choose not to. That's good to know, I thought maybe there was something wrong with you." She said, looking down at her wrist. "You should be thanking me though, Hotoke was rather concerned with that bruise you gave me. Could easily have become a case, but I told him to leave you alone. Funny enough, he seemed disappointed not to have a reason to do something about you." She continued with a shrug, a repressed look of sadistic glee on her face. Shaking it away, she turned away and went back to work.
She worked in peace for the rest of the day, finding peace in the silence and glad that Alex had no retort or snappy comeback to break that silence. When the bell run, signaling the end of the workday, she let out an audible sigh of relief, her notebook filled nearly cover to cover with notes from all the documents, her hands cramped, and eyes tired from all the reading. Unable to use her Ravens during the latter half of the day lest she be unable to help Hotoke at the end. Grabbing hold of her notes and organizing the documents, she turned to Alex, "Now you have a nice day, Alex." She said in a sarcastic tone before taking the things back to Hotoke, unsure of where they could be safely stored or if they had a proper place.
Alex seemed absolutely livid by her response. Yet he made no mention of it and chose to continue his work. Once the time came for everyone to leave and turn in their work, Hotoke made an extra extensive notice of Feray when she approached him. His smile returned to his features when she came close. He accepted the books from her and Alex, after which he began to compare their notes. Alex' report held a bit more detail to their description, even if most of it was mostly superfluous wording. Feray on the other hand had a more readable and valuable report, for while Alex had made the most of what he could snap up, she had made a more extensive report of most and everything of note she had discovered. "You are free to leave, Alex." Hotoke said as he read through their files. Alex nodded while passing a vile glare at Feray and parted from them.
"This is quite interesting, Fey. From what I gather, the magic seems to be very much sourced in knowledge of the more intricacies of the things they create so well as the imagination of their makers. I think we can soon proceed to bringing in practitioners to test it out. For a first day worker, you've exceeded all expectations. I can only assume your ravens have had some part in you going through so much intel." He said out, more a statement than it was a question. "Speaking of the ravens..." He trailed off while storing away the files, books and reports. "I understand if you are too tired for it, but I would most certainly love to go through this magic of yours for a bit. It is quite unique and interesting, and I would love to be given the chance to make some notes of it. I am not gonna do a thorough study, yet, but I would like for you to share some of the intricacies of it."
She beamed at his praise, knowing she'd done well from the mouth of their team leader himself was something she was genuinely proud of, even if she did have other reasons to be happy about hearing she'd done a good job. "You flatter me, greatly, Hotoke. I admit I was a bit worried I hadn't done enough. I didn't use my Ravens toward the end of the day to save what little magic I have to help you with your own study." She said, taking a moment to think of how to describe her magic in a satisfactory way. "I think it's obvious that it is some form of transformation magic. My Ki natures are that of Wind and Earth, the two having combined somehow to form this specialist type magic. I can turn my entire body into Crows, the clothing and objects I'm wearing included but I cannot turn things into Ravens by touching them or having them touch me. I am capable of seeing and hearing through the eyes and ears of these Ravens as well as control them to some degree. As stated before, any damage my Ravens take are received two-fold by myself. However, wounds I receive on my body can be healed by turning that part into Ravens and then turning them back. That doesn't work if it was the Raven who received the damage to begin with though. As if it were, I would have healed my wrist my now. Is there anything else you might be interested in? I have a pretty thorough understanding of my magic. But I wouldn't want to bore you with things that might be useless."
Hotoke was nigh-frantically writing down the details she offered him while also putting his own observations and details into the document. "Do not worry, Fay, there is no such thing as 'useless' details about a magic. Anything that is necessary or part of a magics's make up is always needed to understand the magic at its core." he said with a positive and friendly tone to his voice. "I can only imagine that your quick study was thanks to these ravens of yours. I see that you exchange your body parts for ravens to do various purposes for you. I wonder though if it can do more for you if further trained. In my experience, often times the magics with the most drawbacks can hold even more and greater potential. I also refuse to accept the idea that magics cannot be further grown and improved." He said while writing all the while. He then felt that he caught himself all too late. "Sorry, I went and rambled there a bit. Alright, so other things: Can you transform your whole body into ravens, and if you can, do you lose some form of control or sense of self if you do?"
She tried to wave away his worries, "Don't apologize for having an inquisitive mind. That is, after all, what likely drew all of us point-dexters to this line of work. Besides that, it makes me happy to see someone taking such a passionate interest in my magic. Most people write it off since it isn't great in combat," She encouraged him not to hold back with his ramblings, they could be beneficial. "I can indeed transform my entire body. When I was younger I was scared to do so because I worried I wouldn't be able to put myself back together again. When I transform my entire body it feels like I'm floating somewhere far away but in exchange, I have better control of the Ravens and the information overflow I normally feel is strangely enough easier to handle when my entire body is gone. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that my body isn't confused that it is both on the ground and in the air. But that's just a theory I've come up with. I don't have any sort of data to back it up." She explained, her index fingers pressing against one another as though embarrassed to talk so much about herself. "They are a big help when it comes to reading a lot of things at once. It made sure that books didn't go unread for long in my youth."
Now Hotoke seemed to analyze Fay herself just as much as her magic in question. "You didn't strike me as the nervous or self-conscious type. Shows how much of a people person I am, right?" He joked as he continued to write down her statements. "You say that books didn't go unread for long, and that your magic was a bit frightening in your youth. Did you have many books to read back in Vroldafn?" he asked, cutting to the chase now. "Learning to read, using magic. I was not aware that Vroldafn used to treat its human 'citizens' with such 'kindness' to allow such things. Or perhaps you and your family were indeed proper citizens?"
"I wouldn't really consider myself self-conscious either. I'm just not used to talking much about myself, I've always been more of a listener." She said, her face faltering when he brought up her family. She looked down to the ground between them, "I- You're right about Vrodalfn not treating their humans well. My parents weren't born slaves, I don't know a lot about the story but I know they were captured separately and at different times. I was born a slave, however, but my mother had been favored by the lady of the household and so when I old enough I too became a maid for the house. Taking over for my late mother, I did the chores and occasionally...borrowed a book or two. My father taught me how to read, he wanted me to at least be able to do that much. As for magic, I taught myself, or discovered it myself I should say... I'm sorry, this is becoming a bit more personal than I would like. I ask your forgiveness, I'd rather not talk about the less fortunate times of my life. Not when I've been given so many grand opportunities in the present."
Hotoke nodded, genuine sympathy in his eyes. "Of course. I didn't mean to pry that far. I was just curious of how much of a prodigy you are." He flattered honestly. "I am all the same sorry that I unearthed such tragic times in your life. I won't repeat the same mistake, promise... But it is as you say, you have been granted many an opportunity now, and I more than look forward to what you will make of it. Now, back to the magic! Have you ever tried to make more out of it than breaking apart and controlling these split birds, or is that all it is capable of doing?"
Feray looked back up to him, her smile small and less bright than before but she held it regardless with a nod. "I can do partial transformation. Like, make talons and stuff like wings. But I've never tried to turn my head into a bird's or fully transform since that would probably be kinda weird. Still, the same rules apply as when I split up. If one of my bird parts are damaged then it's two-fold back on me. So there isn't a lot of advantage to be gained from fully transforming." She explained before something else popped into her head. "Oh! I don't know why they're Ravens either. I mean, I tried to make other birds but they always turned out as Ravens. I had never even seen a Raven to my knowledge when I first used the magic. My father thought they were crows at first, thought it might be an omen. But it was Ravens to be sure after he got a closer look."
"Really?" Hotoke answered, confounded on how a magic could be so deadset that it would take the form of an animal that she had never seen before. "Seeing as vultures are the more commonstance carrion in Vroldafn, it is a bit strange that it did not manisfest or was created as something along those lines... If you do not mind, I would like to study your magic further. If not now then another day. It is an intriguing one. Scouting and spying it would be nigh unparalleled, but as you say, it lacks true strength in combat. I would like to discover if there is a way to turn it into something more. Whether through training, study, different ways of thinking and so on. Even if the results won't change, then I could probably still get good enough details to add to this arsenal of ours." he gestured around him to the library. Pushing the glasses up on his face, he looked to Feray. "Maybe I can even see if 'Ascension' works on it."
"While I'd certainly enjoy helping you out as best I can, I do think we should leave it to another time. Lest we end up talking about it until the next day," She said, slowly regaining her cheerful demeanor. At his mention of Ascension, her eyebrow raised. "While I do hope that it can be useful to myself or someone else somehow, I'm afraid I don't know quite what it is you mean by ascension. Is it something I should know about?" She asked, a quizzical look on her face.
Hotoke looked up at her, removing his glasses to be polished by his nearby napkin, he put them back on and began to explain. "It was the measure of how I accomplished to turn my Forest Dragon Magic into Eden Dragon Magic. It is a rare phenomenon, one whose name became coined by me as I rediscovered it in the modern age. There is no time to explain it in detail, but in simple terms, it is a way to improve your magic. Not in the common sense of making it stronger, but rather making it better at its source." He finished, standing up from his desk, walking around it and standing before Feray. "It is not exactly commonly known, but I think it could prove interesting to see if there is a way to grow such a 'firm' magic. Would you like to try sometime?"
Feray hesitated, as though contemplating whether or not she should, her smile becoming a thoughtful look on her face. After a moment more of hesitation, a look of cheerful resolve found itself plastered on her face. "I would like that very much, if I could make this magic somehow more useful then I will do whatever we need to do." She said confidently but her resolve wavered a bit as she continued. "Uh, within reason of course. I wouldn't want to get hurt or hurt anyone else for it... But maybe that just means that I don't want it badly enough? Nevermind, I don't mean to sound like I'm unsure or anything. I'll put my trust in you, Hotoke. So please do your best too."
Hotoke chuckled. "Well, it will not come easy either way, but ultimately it will only be you in the risk zone. However, I wouldn't allow it to get to a point where it will actually become harmful. We will take it slow and systematically." He said with a soft and comforting smile. "Now then, time to head out. I am gonna stay a bit longer to work out what you have found during the day. There are chambers in the lower levels you can sleep in, unless you have some other arrangement?"
She nodded," Thank you, Hotoke, I will head to the chambers then. I do believe my things arrived a few days ago so I shouldn't be needing for anything of that sort." She gave a slight bow before walking away. 'Hm, Perhaps things won't be so bad here after all.' She thought to herself as she followed the signs to the stairs that lead deeper into this place. She looked up at the ceiling, 'I'll need to get to the surface again eventually though...'