Moshi

Introduction: Tsumori-e Castle

Moshi paced shivering along the pillar's edge, tucking his hands behind his elbows. His spiky orange hair fluttered from the chilling wind the spiraled the castle's rim, which spun bits of ice into his eyes and face… but the belled collar around his neck stayed silent. He scanned the forest edge with each passing step, but even in the moon's white light, he couldn't see anything. Animals had long since abandoned the castle's range, knowing fully well the frequent warring that had taken place nearby. Besides, Moshi reasoned, if his enemy decided to attack, they would be stealthier than the night itself. The castle that was built to fortify the domain of Essence grew weak.
Moshi's spirit avatar curled weakly around his master's wrist. A year ago, Mjalshniyah's eyes were burning circles of white flare. Now, there were only tired half-moons of sputtering flame, rimmed with dark bags beneath. Its flesh was beginning to pale, going transparent where light shone through. Moshi tried to shelter the poor ferret. He knew it was a useless gesture, but he was unable to stand the sight of a suffering animal.
Moshi's expression was grim. The gesture was useless, because the animal was a reflection of his own health. He still felt pity for Mjalshniyah, who had never left his side. The arctic landscape was a favorite of neither avatar nor master.
Moshi put his back to the battlements. He withdrew an amethyst crystal from his cloak pocket, sparking up warmth from its depths. He brought the crystal's tip near his avatar's face, who smiled and curled up tighter. Moshi returned the smile, keeping the warmth alive for as long as he could.
The flapping of wings brought Moshi to his feet. He hid the amethyst in his sleeve, and Mjalshniyah scurried onto his shoulder. Moshi served Lord Himori-sün, who rode a massive eagle avatar that had coiling inky lines running along its wings. Himori-sün was a muscular man, just less than seven feet tall, and wore a permanent frown. He had shaved his head for religious reasons – likely the practice of Buddhism, a foreign religion from the secondary realm, "Ûrth."
Moshi jogged down to the landing circle, and stood rigid for Himori-sün's arrival. He saluted until the commanding officer returned the gesture, who was somehow unaffected by the gusts of wind the eagle's wings had left. Himori pulled the cork from a gourd at his side, and drank for a long time until he noticed Moshi watching. Himori grunted, and offered the gourd to his inferior. Moshi didn't drink much, but could already feel strength returning to him. The skin on his neck prickled, where his grinning avatar glowed fiercely. Alcohol's effect was reversed in Solaria, adding to one's magic and awareness.
"Himori-sün, sir!" Moshi corked the bottle and presented it to the officer. Himori took the bottle and strung it at his waist, then growled to Moshi, "There are twenty-four coppers from the South-west corner, moving at five miles tops. I'm going to send you to intercept them – and stop them from getting out of the forest." Moshi saluted, jogging off to the granite staircase. Himori sighed, staring after the cadet, seeing the last patterns of magic running through the amethyst in Moshi's sleeve.

Section 2: East Peak

Moshi used a single spell, laced with fire, and the castle gates swung open. He ignored the harsh Uruchi* winds, striding into the open, and made an airy gesture that swung the gates shut. Mjalshniyah chattered by his ear, grinning crazily. Moshi's hands tingled, itching to release the magic inside. The bell around his neck rang once, then twice, and at the third, energy exploded from his skin. Letters spun on his arms, swirling together to form each of the spells' names, and each more potent than the last. By the end of the explosion, Moshi was walking in a pillar of pale blue fire, melting the ice in a ten foot radius. The air crackled like static around him.
(Naturally, Moshi was nearly out of survival magic when Himori-sün arrived, which is likely why the officer sent him into battle. The reserves for combatial magic and survival are completely separate in a mage's body, so if one fails, the other can't support the mage.)
The coppers were concentrated at the far end of the forest, but Himori's count must have been off. There were only eighteen, which was no challenge to Moshi. His first spell was a selective fire spell - masking the forestry nearby from harm while bubbling the coppers' shells. His second spell was, in a sense, a virus, which would corrupt the copper from the inside out. The virus was communicable between the others of its specie, which included every single copper around him. From there, he could work on each one individually, which was simple with the use of his swords. Each sword was long, and angled with the bottom edges rising up to meet with the top. The swords were lined with silver, and filigreed in patterns of feathers.
Moshi crossed the swords' points, burying them into the last blob of metal. He raised his right arm, opening his hand to begin the absorption. Swirling balls of light spun in the air, collecting and melting into his skin. Moshi closed his eyes, waiting for the process to be complete… and his hand burst with pain**. Moshi yelled out, beating away the metal bird perched on his hand as he fought to draw his swords from the cooling copper. The swords resisted for a moment, but pulled free. A second aerial copper landed on his head, pecking repeatedly at his scalp. Moshi flailed wildly with his sword, and managed to nick the third attacker, but not enough to injure it. The third and fourth found his left arm, and raked their claws along his skin. By the time all six coppers had made their way to Moshi, the telltale ringing of the bell at his neck signified the oncoming eruption. The metal exploded, throwing shards of copper into trees and rocks from yards away. Moshi collapsed, realizing dimly that he had not deactivated his absorption. As he lost consciousness, he could feel the copper filling his veins, and his arm began to shine…


((Hm. Just so you know, that isn't quite as violent as it might sound. He absorbed it, meaning that he got the benefits of its abilities - not that he has copper in his blood. Saying that it's "filling his veins" means that it's converting his arm. You'll see why that's cool. Later.
* See this page (forum content) for more detailed information about Solaria.
** Not really. Kind of... figuratively.))