Ixis Naugus

Training was going to begin for a new pupil, which means preparations must be done. Said pupil may be surprised by the extent of such upon his arrival.

Outside the wizard's tower, a field of ice has been laid. Roughly the size of small house, jagged at the edges but still reasonably rectangular overall. Cliff-like walls have been raised on three sides of it, also made of ice and looming like craggy, blue glaciers. Small humps of snow are gathered in the corners of this outdoor construction, as well as the middle of the 'room' sporting a hole. Beneath it, water that can safely be assumed as incredibly freezing.

The final feature is a little strange; a fence of crystal surrounding the whole frozen facade, about three feet in height. With no gate or gap, one will have to hop over it to get inside this training room.

Ixis Naugus stands to the back of his creation, looking pleased with his handiwork. Arms crossed, staff in hand, he waits for his new student's eventual arrival.

Naugus has been holed up all day, which isn't terribly unusual.

What is is that there's been sounds coming from the sealed third floor most of the day. Muted whooshes, fizzles, cracks and something like tearing cloth are audible from time to time. Whatever he's doing up there, he's doing it with conviction and little regard for keeping it silent.

The noises carry on well into the evening, and the night as well. It's still going whatever time Verity deems bedtime, which is a little obnoxious on her roomie's part. And it's a LOT obnoxious when there's a crouching figure hovering next to her bed a few hours later still.

"Verity!" He hisses, hoping to wake her up. "Verity, I have something to show you!"

He didn't even knock. He just let himself in. Goddammit, Naugus. But going on how giddy his smile is, ears upright and his claw clicking excitedly, he might have thrown manners to the winds in favour of whatever it is that has him so jazzed.

Indeed, there is a note written on a piece of paper and conspicuously on the kitchen counter, pinned by an apple so it won't drift away for any given reason. On it is Naugus' blocky cursive:

Verity,

You should probably check the chao garden at some point today.

You're a role model.

-IXIS NAUGUS

( What's out in the chao garden? )

Now that the implications of what he's accomplished have fully sunk in, Naugus is in a delightful mood. His steps are quick, his back is straight, his grin is gleeful and even his tail is held up off the ground slightly. He's led the young king back to his tower home in the residential outskirts, just where it begins to bleed into the parklands. The place is a looming, earthen and green crystal tower, something befitting a wizard of deeply questionable morals like himself.

The door opens as Naugus approaches, the slab of green splintering and sliding back to allow entrance. He ushers Elias inside happily as he says, "I'm eager to begin, boy. You're quick and sharp, surely you'll take to the Ixis arts swiftly. Come, come, have a seat and we'll begin covering what awaits you."

The inside of the home is all formed from singular stone, all the fixtures (with the exception of a few crystal objects) fused to the walls and floor as if pulled up from it. Seams of green swirl and trace along the walls artfully, adding a bit of colour and flair. There appears to be a living area, as well as a humble kitchen, with stairs leading upwards against one far wall. There is also another green door, crafted to look like a more accessible and reasonable one, with a lock set into the knob. The place is lit by enchanted fire hovering in sconces, giving the place an eerie glow. A snap of one crablike claw and the flames glow brighter, dispelling some of the gloom.

The time that Ixis Naugus eventually decided on is obscenely late, as he stays up into the wee hours studying and working. The location given to Viatorus is somewhere remote in the parklands, with long grass and a scattering of abandoned shells of stone and mortar houses. Jutting up in the midst of what is otherwise woods and dilapidated ruins is a tower, wrought from solid stone with seams and windows of opaque green crystal. The door is made of the same, with no clear knob or handle to open it.

But when Viatorus approaches and states his business, the gemstone door fragments and pulls back, allowing entrance long enough for the young man to enter. Once inside, it slides back into place and gels into a single, solid slab once more.

The interior is also wrought completely from cohesive stone and green crystal. Furniture, lighting, various magical and practical objects; either attached and formed from the stone of the walls and floor itself or crafted seamlessly to fit into it.

The mage himself appears, staff in hand, looking down from a staircase leading to the upper floors. "Welcome! Please, come up. Let's get this started, shall we?"

The map Verity had given him leads to a humble, if run-down, stone house. Undisturbed by the vacant and possibly dilapidated venue, the mage steps inside, gazing about, sizing it up. The look and the make of it doesn’t matter; these are merely building blocks for his craft.

It will do well.

Stepping to the center of the living room, kicking aside dust and detritus, his staff is brought to bear. The chaos emerald glows, at first faintly, then growing in intensity. Making a gesture with folded fingers, Ixis Naugus gestures outward, exhaling slowly at the same time.

The stone shift, the bricks crack, the mortar crumbles. Another sweeping gesture and it all melds together into one cohesive wall of earth with a dry snap. Turning slowly, arm held outstretched, the rest of the walls follow suit. The shifting and changing splinters and pops the wooden doorjamb and window frames, falling useless and shattered to the floor.

The building grows. Pulling from the soil the very foundation is set upon, it stretches towards the sky, material creeping and crawling to thicken and heighten walls. Inside, more intricate earthshaping takes place; stairs, floors, shelves, tables, chairs, formed from the very stone.

The stone finally settles, stopping its transformation once it’s taken the form of something closer to a tower; three stories, solid dark stone, one open door and a scattering of holes as windows. Now the second part.

Naugus gestures anew, his staff glowing brighter still. The doors and windows grow an emerald, glass-like spiderweb, slowly filling in. Soon enclosed by green crystal; faceted, opaque and shining. Finishing touches inside follow: a chandelier made of the same crystal, sconces given arcane flame to provide light, seams of gemwork added to the stone to aid its strength.

As the last fixture, he kneels and draws with the tip of his claw using wide, sweeping motions. Rather than scratches or displaced dust, his claw is followed by lines of that green crystal. A mystic sigil is soon etched into the middle of the floor.

Standing once more, Naugus surveys his handiwork thus far.

It will do well.

It will indeed do well.