ic contact.

[arcanepower]

[What is this strange goblin technology? Why is it not blowing up in his face?

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[deviances]

[ Eithan apologizes if necessary! ... Like if his parents catch him. Or his sister tattles. ... You know. ... Ahem anyway. ]

see you there
thanks

[ He still can't completely pull himself out of the constant negativity feedback loop going on in his head right now, but... this helps. Belth is helping. And if he can't absolutely beat away the shitty brainwaves, well, he can at least keep pretending they're not there - as well as he can.

He's there pretty quickly, playing around with a tiny fireball in one hand, flipping it between his fingers. Hey, it's something to attempt to distract himself, right? ]

[arcanepower]

[Belthazar shows up not long after. He's carrying a basket, because nothing makes someone hungrier than blowing shit up. He smiles gently when he sees Eithan.]

Are you ready to make some noise?

[deviances]

[ Eithan looks up from his mini-fireball, puts it out with a flick of his wrist. He returns the smile, just as gently, full of gratitude... though it turns into more of a grin at Belth's question. ]

Always ready. Let's do it. What've you got?

[arcanepower]

Several arcane crystals that need testing. Or I can conjure ice and we can see what happens with the pressure-- up to you.

[He lifts the basket.]

Unless you mean this. This is lunch.

[deviances]

[ Okay, now he's grinning. ]

I like the sound of all of that. Heh. But seriously, you didn't have to bring lunch... I owe you one. [ beat. ] Several, at this point.

[arcanepower]

What are my options, really? [He walks past Eithan so that he can set the basket down in a safe place, far away from everything. The Iskaulit is great for that. There's so much space, even in the unclaimed apartments.] Starve until I get back to my ship, or...

[He stretches his arms in front of him and then his fingers.]

I like you, Eithan, but I do not have any interest in eating charcoal.

[deviances]

[ Snort! ]

It's only charcoal 'cause you're a way better cook than I am, but at least I've got a leg up on the rest of my family. [ meaning he doesn't manage to set cereal on fire. Low bar to set, to be honest. ] But still. Good call.

So you crafted these crystals? What's different about 'em? Anything I should adjust for?

[ Focus is good. Focus on this means not focusing on the downward spiral. ]

[arcanepower]

That doesn't instill confidence, you know.

[He unwraps several crystals and sets them in a line on the floor, making sure to give a few yards between each. They are all shaped perfectly-- obviously by Belthazar's own hands-- but their color varies.]

The difference lies in the formula of the spell I used to make them. The basis is, of course, a simple mana gem. But instead of merely storing mana, it's supposed to produce mana when introduced to a source of light. The variable that I've been adjusting is their arcane potency. Too high and it becomes volatile. Too low and it won't hold a charge.

All of these failed the photosynthesis test. They're useless for solving my predicament as they are, but we might discover some other properties about them that could prove useful in future conjurations.

[deviances]

[ He listens, takes all of that in, ruminates on it for a second with his arms crossed, thinking...

... and then nods a few times, slowly starting to grin. ]

So, for the first one, wanna just see how much kinetic energy it can take? See if it pops, or if somethin' else happens?

[ He is so here for that right now, tbh. ]

[arcanepower]

[He curls his hand beneath his chin as he looks at it.]

That may not be a bad idea. Are you going to throw it, or do you have a different idea?

[deviances]

[ He makes almost the same expression - one fist under his chin, the other hand still across his chest, considering... ]

Levitate it. Right in front of me, like a meter or so away. That cool?

[ He drops both hands, forms a circle in front of his chest and starts muttering a spell under his breath. There's a crackling sound, but no flame or crackling energy - yet. ]

[arcanepower]

I can do that. [He wiggles his fingers a little, and the crystal levitates as he commands. Belth watches Eithan curiously, his tall ears pricked.]

Ready.

[deviances]

[ Eithan acknowledges Belth with a single nod, but with his incanations as sensitive as they are, he has to focus. His chanting turns more intense, enunciated - but there's no fire, only intense, highly kinetic energy, crackling at the very edges of the seneses. This is his focus. This is what makes his flames volatile.

That energy surrounds the crystal, seeps into it equilaterally from all sides. He has no idea if it'll pop, or if it'll react in some other fashion. Either way, he's not going to stop until Belth tells him to, or something extreme happens. ]

[arcanepower]

Oh!

[Belth can see what he's doing as much as feel it thanks to his mana sense. He perks up immediately, leaning forward a little, eyes wide.]

So far it's holding up. The energy is making it very hot, though, it's trembling, it's going to--

[POPF. There it goes, exploding not violently but rather like a snowball hitting a chain link fence.]

... Huh. That was anticlimactic.

[deviances]

[ There it goes! ... Well, there it fizzles, mostly. Boo. ]

Aww. Yeah, it really was... Good thing there's two more, right? One of 'em's gotta make a decent explosion. What should the next experiment be?

[arcanepower]

[He smirks a bit.]

I think the energy you just used is a good start... Adding fire or arcane magic-- or even both-- might make something truly ridiculous.

[deviances]

[ Eithan returns that smirk with one of his own. ]

You and me, then. What do you say?

[arcanepower]

[He reaches out again, calling sparks of arcane lightning to his fingertips. The grin he gives Eithan is not very nice at all-- a shadow of a darker time.]

As if I'd say no.

[He has to take a moment to think about how to combine them, though.]

I can make a path with my arcane spell, which could allow you to wrap your fire around it before we detonate it.

[deviances]

[ Oh. That's a grin he hasn't seen before. That's... pretty dark. But honestly, it's also pretty exciting. ]

That's what I like to hear.

[ And there's a grin of his own - fangish, that demonic half of him rising to the surface. He already effortlessly has a fireball in each hand, ready. ]

On your mark.