Scene #1508: TSAB Magic 102: Familiars, and Team Exercise.

Owner	Pose
Zephyr Windstar	Mid-Afternoon, or whatever passes for it on Chocobo. Zephyr's posted up the next lesson in the plan several days prior, and is busy setting up and finalizing her lesson plan with a tall woman with a stern expression. This woman has a couple of odd features, namely fan-like earflaps that kind of drape out of the sides of her head where a Hume's ears would be, and a long, whip-like tail that has a furry tuft at the end, kinda like one of those Chinese dragons. Anyone with a Magical Sight ability would also see that the woman is composed almost entirely of mana. She carries no weapon, but looks fit to fight in a modest outfit consisting of a black tank-top and drab-grey fatigues with heavy combat boots. Zephyr is in her Barrier Jacket, with Divine Wind already deployed in Windshear form. And, as students begin to gather in a marked off area of the wide open field, she turns and addresses them. "Good afternoon class! I see some new faces, and some old. This is for your new people. Everyone fights, no-one qui---" she pauses as Darma whispers into her ear. "Oh, sorry, wrong script... uh, Dee?" <STANDBY. READY!> chimes the Device in response. "There we go. To the new people, If you need me to clarify anything during this class, please don't hesitate to ask questions. I'll be skimming over what I discussed last class, so since you weren't here, some of it will likely go over your heads." she explains. "For those that were here last time, I will be going over TSAB Squad formation, standard Combat and Non-Combat doctrine, as well as Familiars, their origin, role and function within TSAB and non-TSAB magic systems." The windmage taps the end-spike of her axe into the ground three times, activating a holographic 'dome field' from projectors spaced around a rather wide area. "I will be using a Holodrome system to simulate enemies, hostile situations, as well as the rest of my team, who couldn't make it due to other duties that needed to attend to."
Souji Murasame	Souji is present, disregarding the apparently ever-growing number of kouhai who seek his attenion and acquiring Gil. But he does that basically automatically, so he's also paying attention to Zephyr's magical tactics session. He is most definately watching it intently, and there is a faint red glint in the corner of his Moogle Glasses. Is he recording the proceedings? He watches the formation of the Holodrome as well, nodding slightly as one hand strays near the hilt of the blade he always carries with him. "Fascinating." He indicates. "Perhaps some day we will should have an exhibition match between the TSAB and Alexander Academy, since our basic team formations tend to be so similar."
Cirra Constantine	Cirra Constantine is here, why? to watch observe, and ... Judge the foreign magical system. Not that it isn't without merits already, the Belkan style especially appeals to her personally, but she needs to see them in action before her final judgement. The Judge stands to the side of the demonstration area, clad in her armor as she observes.
Staren	Staren has always been a bit curious about the TSAB's magic, though his own desire for anything resembling a Device has been superceded by all the power he's gotten and getting an Abstractum. Apparently there's a class he missed, but he's able to make this one, so here he is!
Evangeline	Evangeline floats down into the area to watch Zephyr's demonstration. She hasn't been to any of these lessons before, but she also hasn't seen Zephyr in a while and is hoping her friend will be available afterwords. But for now, she just watches and listens, floating near those down on the ground. She looks toward the gathered group, then floats over closer to them.
Lyria Mason	SO here is Lyria she's again here in class and seems ot be in a pretty good mood, she d0oes wonder about the woman however who is also here with Zephyr, She has to woner buet here she is clad not in a uniform but in tradtional clothing for where she's form. Needless to say it more akint to beach wear. She has a bit of a grin on her face as she looks to Souji agreeing. "That would be a wounderful idea."
Zephyr Windstar	"I'll see what I can do. I'll ask the higher ups if we could do some mixed matches." Replies Zephyr to Souji. Since there's no questions yet, she turns to the woman, gesturing to introduce her. "This is my father's Familiar." she says. The woman turns, steps forward and takes a bow. "Darma." she states by way of introduction. The woman straightens, and turns her piercing yellow gaze across the group. Zephyr rolls her eyes a bit, but continues. "Now, basics about Familiars. They are purely magical constructs, but they use an animal as a base... at least that's what I've been told. Cats, dogs, birds... Darma is based from a species native to my homeworld. It's local name is Par'Thran. It translates loosely to Hunter. They're a link of lizard cat that roam the open plains. Strong swimmers and just as dangerous in the water as they are on land." Darma seems to puff up a little at the praise for her species. "A Familiar is often made as a servant, or assistant for the mage they creates them. Often used by less powerful mages as a force multiplier, and sometimes by more powerful mages to maintain their home and facilities. They are companions, partners, house keepers and babysitters, but take a cost of mana from their Master to maintain themselves."
Lyria Mason	Lyria Mason pause cl;ose attntion so wait they turn animals into self aware things with their magic that does boggle her a little bit she looks for them. She get the idea they are tied to the person who made them and they use a heck of of a lot of mana. "So your people are able to turn animals into people?" She's not being insulting she's curious.
Souji Murasame	Souji nods to Darma, and returns the gaze with the same stoicism he faces everything in general. He has nothing to prove to a walking lizard. "Familiars are common in your world?" Souji asks. "How common are mages in your world compared to others?"
Cirra Constantine	Cirra can respect the strong silent type and nods to the familiar. u.u "IS their role in combat strictly support or do they develope their own styles?" It's important to know how a familiar could change the dynamics of the battlefield.
Zephyr Windstar	Darma fields this question herself, looking at Cirra directly. "Largely support. We can learn Shooting-type, Bind-type, Barrier-type and Shield-type spells. Depending on our Master we may also learn Teleportation, Healing-type or other Utility-type spells." she explains in a stoic monotone. "Some Familiars are more built for combat than others. It comes down to their original intent." complete's Zephyr. She turns to Souji, but looks at Lyria as well to include her. "Familiars are an art form. Mages on /my/ world are a rarity... many of them were killed during an incident two years ago. The gift of Magic is... well I can't call it common, but it isn't exactly rare either. And not every Mage creates a Familiar."
Cirra Constantine	Cirra nods, "I see." She hmns as she cosniders this. She keeps her arms crossed. "Very well. I look forward to seeing how this works in the exercise." She turns and walks back a short distance to take a seat next to the practice grounds.
Souji Murasame	Souji nods, and crosses his arms, then. "I look forward to seeing your work in practice then." He has nothing else to say at the moment before the demonstration.
Lyria Mason	Lyria Mason Does have t wonder about thisthere's quite a lot she listens but doesn't quite get her answer but she might askl later during the lesson still this is something this is honestly. "This is certainly going to be interesting in the exercise I admot I'm more than a bit excited now."
Zephyr Windstar	"Alright, if there's no other questions, I'll begin. Darma will be running along side me in a support role. I'll be taking the Guard Wing position. That's my normal post, though I can fill in for a Center if need be. I'll have three hologram representations for my team mates. They will take the Forward, Center and Full Back positions as we go through various encounters. I don't know what will happen, the system's been set to randomize mode." The Mage then turns, and steps through into the Holodromes perimeter. Materializing in formation with her are three other young-looking Humes. A shorter blonde girl wearing what looks like an ancient Knight's suit of platemail, carrying a claymore longer than she is tall. A tall, lanking looking boy in a fairly basic black body suit. He carries a tuningfork-shaped staff, much like the 'Storage Devices' from the previous lesson. The final hologram is another female, about Zephyr's age. She has a traditional looking priestess outfit in soft pinks and whites. She doesn't seem to be carrying a weapon, but the telltale gemstone on the back of her left hand marks where her device is. <STAGE ONE. SET! OPERATION CRESCENT DAWN!> announces an androgynous voice from the holodrome system. The area within the field alters radically... a burning building with people obviously trapped inside. There's non-mage firefighters trying to tackle the blaze, but they can't get close enough.
Souji Murasame	Souji looks between Zephyr and her assistant, examining the hologram represntation of her teammates intently. His gaze shifts to the other side as he looks upon the firefighter and blazing building. "So you perform tasks like this as well..." He says, adjudting his glasses as he looks over the process. "Interesting."
Cirra Constantine	"A dungeon team's positions tend to depend on the make up of the group." Cirra asides, "If one Job is changed, it could affect team balance, but it mostly pans out to a similar arrangment."
Lyria Mason	Lyria Mason is watching and humms about what these formations have in common with a Dungeon team. She wonders about it. "That's true Cirra but you also need to learn to make due with what you do have still this is ... quite something."
Zephyr Windstar	"Mages perform civil tasks that non-mages just can't handle. Crescent Dawn was a Lost Logia incident. Someone transporting illegal artefacts let one breach containment. It started a fire that consumed most of a starport hub. The White Devil assisted the main group at the hub, while other teams were dispatched to the fuel depot and nearby residential areas that were caught in the blaze. All three Aces eventually arrived on site to help contain the fire. This is a recreation of one of the smaller team's efforts. It's used to build teamwork and logical thinking under pressure." explains Zephyr. "Alright, Polo, take the high road, give me a dispersion Barrier over the building. Honda, make us a hole! I'll get in and start pulling people out so Astra can stabilize them. Darma, you help Polo maintain the Barrier. I don't want that fire to spread any further than it already has!" The young Wind Mage's voice has taken a more commanding tone. The lanky male lifts into the air on a quartet of pale yellow wings that sprout from his wrists and ankles. "A-Alright, here I go! Withering Gaol!" he intones. The gemstone of his Device pulses with light, as a round Mid-Childan spell circle forms under the boy's feet. A wavery, washed out looking dome forms over the building, seeming to lock it into a kind of slowed time... the flames and everything within seemingly slowed to a crawl. Darma hovers nearby, hands outstretched with a Marchian spell seal under her own feet in a brilliant burning Orange, this same colour pulses across the Barrier, reinforcing it. "B-Barrier in place!" The Claymore-weilding girl, meanwhile, has kicked off the ground and surged forwards on a pair of pure white 'jets', shouting a kiai as she swings that broad sword. <BEAKER STREIK!> announces the weapon with an androgynous German voice. The blade glows a wicked white along the cutting edge, and on impact with the wall, implodes it to make an opening big enough to fit through, without firing debris everywhere. "Door's open!" she calls, pulling out to stand by. Zephyr then surges into the opening, gritting her teeth as she pours mana into a <WINNOWING WREATH!> field-type spell to combat the intense heat. "Dee, gimme a direction, I can't see shit in this smoke!" she coughs, covering her mouth as her Device pulses a seek spell, highlighting lifesigns. All this is relayed through the Holodrome to the crowd watching via a series of Holodisplays that hang in the air, showing vital statistics, mana flow levels, spell names and types, as well as a general layout of where 'people' are, and where the mages are in relation on an overhead 'schematic' map.
Souji Murasame	Souji looks over the readout and the explanation of the scenario. "I see. In a similar situation, I would dispatch Stormfist as a lead to open paths and handle primary retrieval with her durability and self-healing capacities, Valodjn to use Geomancy to stabilize the building, Eblan or Celba for secondary retrieval and mobile support, and..." He pauses. "Kyra Hyral for triage, were she willing." He does not sigh. There is a hint that he wants to, but he does not. "Your teamwork is balanced and flexible, and I can see the active applications of the systems that you described in the previous lession. This is a common example of a traning scenario, then?"
Staren	Staren's been listening quietly. When Souji offers up his own solution, Staren comments, "I guess I'd have to dispatch a lot of golems to try and clear the rubble... perhaps I should maintain a larger force of humanoids for operations like this..."
Lyria Mason	Lyria Mason has her mPhone out as sh'e totally taking videos of this as it's quite the sight to see the exterveral magic has relaly got Lyria's intrest in this whole thing there's not much else ot say as she's watching, this whole affair and in this moment she gets they have so much to learn about the extraverse.
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr grabs a pair of children from a smoke-filled room, turning to exit, flames spring up in the doorway. "Shit..." she shoulders one of the unconscious children, the other barely awake, clinging to a leg. "Dee, Gonna need a quick exit!" <YES! IMPULSE BUSTER!> intones the Device, as Zephyr points it towards the cieling. The blades crack open, spin rapidly around the haft, before spewing out a torrent of purple energy that splashes mostly harmlessly against the inside of the barrier, leaving a hole big enough for the Mage to escape through. "Alright, hang on to me!" she says to the awake kid, before leaping up and surging out through the hole she made. "Astra! Heads up! Honda, with me, the fire's getting out of control, gonna need the extra hands!" She cries as she breaches out of the Barrier. She sets the kids down gently, and the priestess-like mage steps forwards, her Mid-childan spell circle glowing a soft, warm red. Her gloves glow the same shade as she starts channeling Healing-type spellwork into her charges. Honda gives a nod. "I got your back Zee! You take upstairs, I'll plow a path through downstairs." the Holo-Mage agrees, activating her jet spell and plowing into the ground floor... unfortunately, the structure can't take that kind of abuse and begins to collapse. "HONDA!" calls Polo, as he wavers in his spell. The entire simulation collapses as it resets, the hologram of the building vaporizing in mid-collapse. "It's a common training system all around... this is just one of hundreds of scenarios we're put through." she explains, panting a little as she lands back on the grass.
Souji Murasame	"Indeed." Souji replies, nodding. "These scenarios can give you unique perspectives and give you the ability to deveop teamwork and unusual applications of your abilities." He turns away to look to the others. "Perhaps in the future we will be able to work together on such." He looks back to the terminated simulation. "I believe this has been most... Educational."
Zephyr Windstar	"Alright, I think that'll do it for this class. I hope you took notes, I'll post up the next one of these on the boards like last time." says Zephyr, as she directs Darma to start disassembling the Holodrome emitters.
Lyria Mason	Lyria Mason took noites she took full out video of just about everything and she's really glad she did take these classes it's been a heck of a learning experiance.