I think I am here. Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Rob didn't have many fond memories of his father, but there had been that hiking trip when he was seven. A beaten path slicing through the scrublands. Coldness in his lungs. An icy lake reflecting the sky, slick with winter. Rob had fallen into that lake, had almost lost consciousness from the cold when his father fished him out. But the memory of that numbing cold had stuck with him. Hateful cold. Cold that burns. He felt that cold now, in his veins and soul, behind his eyes and beneath his fingernails. Smoke filled his eyes and he rubbed them, his thoughts strangely still, mind as smooth and featureless as the winter lake. He was cold, and confused. How long had it been since his wish? It felt like years. When the smoke cleared, there was Cassie, filled with stormlight. Rob liked Cassie, but he didn't feel anything. He knew she was his friend, but it was hard to feel it. Right now she was a face with a name. Cassie. Willshaper. He had been arguing with her and James, but it felt meaningless now. James was on the ground, he saw. And there was Ben too, beside him. Like toy soldiers, frozen in drama. Rob stepped towards them and felt that searing cold through his muscles, as if they were made of ice. It was odd, to see people Rob remembered knowing. James was the second Bondsmith, Ben had healed Rob more than anyone. But oddly he felt a sort of disgust at the two of them. At their weakness. At what they defended. And Shana. Rob watched her stand in front of Ben and James, her face teary. She asked him what he did, and he didn't know how to respond. He felt nothing. He felt hollow and indifferent, but looking at her face he knew something had gone wrong. She wasn't supposed to cry. She was his partner in crime, his collaborator. She'd inspired him to end this war. A swell of feeling thumped at his chest faintly, before being swallowed by the cold. "I'm not weak anymore, Shana," he said to her. She should've been happy. "I'm going to destroy the board, like we talked about. Kill the other Radiants, destroy the Voidbringers." He knew she - all of them, in fact - wouldn't allow him. But they were weak emotional creatures, and for the first time Rob felt pure, strong, unwavering. Like stone. He looked at his hand and it was hissing smoke where he'd crushed the sphere, a black scar that pulsed with a twisted light. Then he looked to Cassie and her stormlight and her sprenless soul, to James and Ben and their troubled faces, and finally to Shana. "Don't stop me," he said, and stomped on the ground The floor rippled where he hit it, turning to thick liquid as if he'd used his surge on it. But this was different, stronger. As the floor melted, the void-surge spread to the the other four walls and the ceiling. The whole room began to melt as if it had been made of honey. And Rob remained still. Quote Essentially, the room is melting. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Sorana Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 The room melted. It was so strange, so unbelivable that it took Shana a moment to grasp. Rob. He was melting the room, drowning them all. Her feet started to slip and she froze. He was drowning them. Destroyed the ground, the walls, they would fall down, end up on the floor of the kitchen. She stared at him, tried to find something familiar in his face, something she remembered. There was nothing. Nothing but coldness, not a sliver of something. Instinct made her reach out to a wall, her feet slipping around, as the ground turned into a puddle. "Get him out." she shouted in Ben's direction and jumped. There was nothing else she could do or think of. This was no friendly match, not even one where they had agreed to go all out. He tried to kill them. He tried to end the war by killing them. They'd wanted to end this war, to find a solution. Unstoppable. Together they were unstoppable. She reached for Rob, for his clothes, tried to get a hold on him, as he was the only solid thing in the room, not affected by his own surge. She had no weapon, but in that moment in didn't matter. She knew what would happen if it came to a real fight, one on one. She hadn't been able to defeat him before, she wouldn't be able to do it now with his powers stronger than ever before. The thing was, she didn't want to defeat him. First she had to stop him from killing her, no their, friends. And then she had beat enough sense into his head that he could see how much crap he was doing. And then. Then they would end this war. Somehow. But for now - one thing after the other. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argenti Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 1 hour ago, AonEne said: Quote Makes sense! The obvious area is korea, which doesn't have a magic system I think? Also, put shades in the black forest. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunamor Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 (edited) This wasn’t Rob. Rob had saved Ben, saved all of them from the Voidbringers before. Rob knew what happened when you became one, the way it twisted your soul. He had said they weren’t human any more. Claimed they deserved to die. Unless… Ben shook his head and heard Shana yelling at him to get James out of there. Inhaling more stormlight, he hoisted James over his shoulder and waded to what once had been the doorway. Now, it looked like a hole crudely cut out of the wall. A hole that was rapidly closing. Ben considered his options. James wasn’t awake yet, so he was a sitting duck. Ben couldn’t outrun Rob, especially not while carrying James. And Shana would most likely lose a fight against him if she avoided using any of her non-lethal powers. Ben couldn’t just leave her there. But Ben was useless in a fight. All he could do was hide and hope that he could get to Shana in time if she was seriously injured. He concentrated and closed his eyes, backing up so that he was almost touching the wall. Simultaneously, he attached an illusion of Ben carrying Rob to Glint and created an illusory copy of the melting wall to obscure the real versions. The Ben/Rob illusion ran out the door and Ben prayed that his fake wall looked realistic enough to not arouse suspicion. He tried to quietly somehow keep his feet out of the melting floor, but it was becoming almost like quicksand. Then, Glint stealthily reentered the room and glided up to Cassie, then Shana. An illusory recording of Ben’s voice whispered in their ears. James and I are still in here. Left of the door. Hopefully they could find him if they needed healing. As his feet slowly sank, he felt like a coward too scared to fight and a fool too stupid to run. @Sorana @I think I am here. @AonEne @Eluvianii Edited January 3 by Lunamor 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyndlerunner Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Quote Well now seems like a good time for James to start regaining consciousness. Also, while I couldn't find anything too conclusive on it, I think it would be just fine to assume that Bondsmiths do get Plate for the sake of the narrative. In the end, it wasn't the continued sounds of confrontation that brought James back to consciousness, nor was it Ben's infusion of Light, although that certainly helped. Instead it was a pair of sensations: the first, like the floor on which he lay was beginning to shift, undulate like the water on a lake on a windy day. The second was the more bizarre of the two. A sensation that just beyond his closed eyes was a million dancing sparks of golden light. He didn't know how he knew that they were called Gloryspren, but he did. Come to me. To us. A sound like rushing water filled his ears, mixed with the pealing of a thousand bells, and he opened his eyes. When he did, he found himself coated in a suit of armor, glowing green at the nearly nonexistent seams with Lifelight. Ben was cradling him, and the floor beneath them seemed to be melting. Rob was gone, as were many of the others. At this point, with how deep they appeared to be sunken, they were not likely to be able to escape. The armor seemed to be enhancing his physical prowess, but the wounds he had endured were not wholly physical, and he knew it would be some time before his strength returned to him. He looked up to Ben. "I can protect us!" he said, voice filled with unabashed joy, and the unmistakable sense that he was crying. He couldn't save Rob, but he could keep Ben safe. The armor shifted around, expanding into a large orb surrounding the pair. Hopefully that would be enough for the time being. @Lunamor @Sorana @AonEne 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeoryi Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 13 hours ago, Lunamor said: @Aeoryi @Argenti @TheRavenHasLanded @WitIsTheBest (don’t know how to tag you so I’m just gonna quote you) Quote Just like the good old days. A character sheet huh... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argenti Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Quote I'll just wait until the arc resolves! I have no idea what you're all taking about right now! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I think I am here. Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 (edited) 9 hours ago, Sorana said: The thing was, she didn't want to defeat him. First she had to stop him from killing her, no their, friends. And then she had beat enough sense into his head that he could see how much crap he was doing. And then. Then they would end this war. Somehow. But for now - one thing after the other. Shana jumped towards him, reached for his clothes and Rob grabbed one of her arms as she did, tried to twist and push her into a melting wall. They'd been in deadlocks before, but this was different. He needed her to stop. "I could use your help," he told her. He'd seen Ben leave with James, and Cassie was still dealing with the melting room. It was just them. "You would be ferocious." He tried to push her deeper into the wall. She had been his ally for so long, he couldn't risk her being an enemy. Couldn't risk being burnt again. "Or I will drown you." She had confided that fear to him, and he had never wanted to use it against her. But it all felt meaningless now in the face of ending the war. So what a Dustbringer drowned? She was a face and a name. Edited January 4 by I think I am here. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eluvianii Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 Edwin was hiding in the kitchen. Whether they were just visits or new arrivals, introducing himself to that many people was intimidating right now. So he waited, his thoughts going idly from games, to the weather, to dinner, when he noticed Twinkle was looking at the ceiling. "Twin?" he called, curious. She turned her head slowly, and he could see worry on her face. Then he heard it. Someone was yelling. It sounded familiar but he had difficulty recognizing the voice. Was it... "Rob!?" He rushed to the entrance, Twin following as a ball of light, and saw he wasn't the only one with the same idea. The others were already rushing upstairs. He followed them to James' room. It was barely still there. The floor looked gooey, and it was stretching down. Edwin got to his knees and breathed in Stormlight. He tried pushing it into the floor. And it did nothing, the light leaving him and dissipating in the air. He knew it was useless, he could shape things, not make them solid. This was a job for a Stoneward, however... Rob was inside, but he wasn't right. He was fighting Shana. Edwin could tell this was his work, if he had done this then asking him to stop it would probably be useless. But was there anything Edwin could do? He'd been useless in every battle, was it going to continue that way? No, he had to do something, however small. Edwin needed to prove that even as a first oath he could be useful. He stood up and grabbed the door frame, then started pulling while pushing Stormlight into it. His powers were weak but slowly, inch by inch, the entrance was getting wider. It was crowded in there. He couldn't stop what was happening but he could give them a bigger way out, so the ones that were farther away could reach it a bit more easily. Quote Regarding the season, I seem to remember this started in March? It was late winter at any rate. And I'm not sure how much time has passed since then but not much. A month tops? I think the plot was moving so fast on individual days we had to make a couple short time skips, for school and prom and stuff. Also remember the cat and please don't kill it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Sorana Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 (edited) 10 hours ago, I think I am here. said: She had confided that fear to him, and he had never wanted to use it against her. But it all felt meaningless now in the face of ending the war. So what a Dustbringer drowned? She was a face and a name. Rob pushed her deeper and deeper into the melting wall. Her back felt wet, stone ran over her shoulders, along her face. His grip was tight, painful on her arm, her shoulder as he held her in a grip she would be hard pressed to escape from. "Rob." she looked into his eyes again, saw nothing there but cold emptiness. A streak von stone ran along her face and tried to move away from the wall, from the liquid that would swallow her, that would suck her in, cover her mouth and face. He would drown her. Shana reached for his hand, tried to pull it away from her, fear making her forget everything she had been been taught. She pulled, screamed, but he was stronger, his grip not changing at all. Without any stormlight she didn't stand a chance against him, at the height of his power. Shana. She tried to move her head away from the wall, away from the stone running over her neck, tickling along her face, but only managed to push her legs deeper into the pudding like substance. Shana! Her hands reached for his again and she felt his skin under hers when she tried to loosen his grip. Looked up into his face, cold like stone, his hair ruffled, his clothes covered by the molten stone where she had touched them. He felt so distant, like a person she'd never known. He's waiting for an answer. Mahad's words reached her ears while she tried to free her arm and made her pause. An answer. He waited for an answer. Taking a deep breath she felt some stormlight move into her, clearing her thoughts a little, pushing the fear back. He wasn't trying to drown her just yet. He waited for an answer. He'd asked if she'd would help him. Shaking she took another deep breath, tried to ignore the cold stone enveloping her sides and back, realized only then, that Mahad was right. Rob wasn't pushing her deeper. Not now at least. "Together we're unstoppable." she repeated their earlier conversation, her voice still shaky and weak. Hating herself for that she grit her teeth and inhaled again, filled herself with light that danced inside of her body. It was warm and familiar and she concentrated on it instead of the death looming behind her. She placed one hand on his shoulder, so that she might have a chance to hold on to him, should he decide to run and took another breath, calmed herself, wrestled her emotions back under control. Doc had told her, that being a Dustbringer was all about self-mastery, about controlling yourself. Rob had always tried to be calm and stoic, a rock she could rely on, while she was more like a flame, that burned hot and fast. She was really bad at being a Dustbringer. But still - together they were unstoppable. She looked into his eyes again, tried to come with something, with anything useful, but all ideas eluded her. She had no clue how to get him back on track. Her fingers tightened around the fabric on his shoulder, a vain attempt to hold on to the Rob he was before. "You ask for my help, but will you accept it the way I think is right? Will you accept me aswell, not only my surges and weapons?" she looked into his eyes, heard the challenge in her voice and knew that he couldn't. Not if he was as far gone as he seemed to be. "I will always stand by your side." Her other hand tapped against his chest. "Your side, not this husk you've turned into. We need to end this war and I know that it will be bloody. Change always is. But that's my job." she was crying again, but right here and now she didn't care. Rob knew it all. "It's our job. Together. Not you going on a killing spree alone that will change nothing, because everybody will hate us even more afterwards." She looked to the side, relief flooding her when she heard Ben's spren. They were stumbling out of the door, but she suspected that it was some kind of trick. At least one half of her heart was safe. He would be fine, she had to make sure that he would be fine. And that meant - her eyes moved back to Rob. That meant finding a way to deal with the one who held to other half of heart. Shana. Mahad whispered in her ear. These words aren't your words yet. She shook her head, not really understanding what he meant. Right here and now it didn't matter. "I can offer you a choice." she told Rob, her voice calm and sure of herself, an idea forming in her head. It was a desperate attempt to use what they had to make him feel again, to make him see what killing all these people would mean to others. But it also meant risking everything, maybe hurting all others she loved in the process. All for a chance to stop this war from reaching a new scale. All for a chance to save one. "I will fight by your side, but we'll do it my way. We'll end this war and I will bleed for it, I will die for it if neccessary, but we won't add to the hate and the fear on both sides." "Or, you will have to deal with me right here and now. Because I will stop you from going on a killing spree and soaking the ground in blood." There was something there, something she couldn't phrase, couldn't quite grasp. She lowered her hand from his chest, opened it to show him her empty palm. "I love you, Rob." she told him, desperation creeping back into her voice. She couldn't loose him. She couldn't allow him to do this. Because if he went and killed all these people, there would be no way back. He would destroy whatever was left of him. He would destroy all chance for peace. "You're the brother I never had." She met his eyes again, tried to find more words, but then stayed silent. There wasn't anything more to say. Quote I officially give my consent for Shana to die. She simply demanded this course of action. (And it seems like I've been wrong about her not being able to kill Rob, too. If he doesn't kill her now, she most certainly will try.) Edited January 4 by Sorana got something wrong about Ben and James - sorry 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AonEne Posted January 4 Author Report Share Posted January 4 Cassie cursed as the room began melting into itself, her feet beginning to sink into the floor. How thick was it? How long before they fell downstairs? Or maybe we plan on not falling, she thought, struggling to pull a shoe out of the honey-like mess that the floor had become. Gritting her teeth, she tried to send out a blast of Cohesion in return, to solidify the room around her. The Light swirled forward - and dissipated when it met the walls and floor. She cursed again. Right. Investiture resisted Investiture, that was basic, and whatever void-influenced Surges Rob was using right now, they were still Invested. Beyond that, while she had practiced Cohesion a little before she had gone to the Nightwatcher, it had never been her strong suit. She'd always hoped Transportation would come to her easier. Wait, Transportation! If she could get them out of the house, then at least there'd be less to melt, and the whole thing wouldn't collapse in on them. Or if she could get Rob into the Cognitive Realm somehow...she had no idea how that would affect his abilities, but maybe they'd be able to strike at whatever Voidspren he'd bonded to be able to do this. Maybe. She didn't know the details of how Voidbinding worked, but other spren appeared there, so it was her best guess. There was a whisper next to her, Ben's voice, and she jumped a little. "James and I are still in here. Left of the door." Okay. Okay. One step at a time, meet up with James and Ben. Shana could handle herself; Cassie had to trust that she could for now. She might be only fifteen, but she was a better fighter than Cassie, and it looked like Rob was talking to her. Cohesion might not be easy, but it was what she had any practice in outside of battle. Cassie focused on the fluid molasses beneath her - directly beneath her. Just the ground under each of her feet. None of the walls, just those two patches. A drop of what she could only assume was the ceiling plopped on the top of her head, and she flinched, but kept thinking about the ground that she wanted to stay stable, and aimed Light at only that. Stay there, be firm, let me walk, she begged it. Shaped it to her will. Her feet stopped sinking. Cassie let out a shaky breath. Alright. Now to do it again. She picked her way carefully across the room, focusing hard on each footfall being safe, trying not to worry about what they'd do next or make plans. Right now she just had to get to Ben and James. She couldn't see them but they were there. Step by step, the floor solidifying as she took them, then losing shape again after. Journey before destination. She reached what had been the door and realized with surprise that it hadn't completely fallen in by now. Edwin was there, shaping it, making room for them to get out. "Edwin," she said, relieved. "Thanks. I don't know what happened to Rob except for -" she waved a hand at her eyes. "Ben is around here somewhere." She took another step left, where he had said he and James were, hand raised and probing before her. It vanished into the air as she watched, little eddies of Light surrounding where she had broken the illusion. Behind it was...a wall? She touched a smooth, rounded surface, and wasn't sure what it was - you couldn't make Lightweaving physical, could you? - but it had to be them, so she stepped forward again, into the illusion, careful to keep up the solidity at her feet. It was a sphere inside, glowing like a gemstone, a soft green. It looked like Radiant armor, Cassie realized with an intake of breath, but instead of a suit of armor it was a ball. James. It had to be him. She summoned her own armor, just the right gauntlet, and knocked on the sphere of Shardplate, because what else could she do? "James? Ben?" she whispered. @Eluvianii @Wyndlerunner @Lunamor 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I think I am here. Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 (edited) 5 hours ago, Sorana said: She met his eyes again, tried to find more words, but then stayed silent. There wasn't anything more to say. Rob stared silently at the Dustbringer, watched as stone poured from above her, flowing over her shoulders, almost over her face. She had almost gone down without a word. And even now, her life was at his fingertips. She'd offered to join them, but at a compromise. It wasn't good enough. Wasn't good enough at all. Flames compromised. They engulfed whatever space they were given, fiery and adaptable. But not stone. So he had to kill her. He looked down at her empty palm, at the tears in her eyes and the way she looked at him. Like the brother he never had. He stepped forward, closing the small gap between them, his grip tightening on her. He kept eye contact, like an executioner at the guillotine. He could not allow any risk. Slowly, he pushed her deeper into the wall. The Dustbringer, he thought, and it was hard to feel it. The way she cried, how she looked at him, desperate, torn, how she had pleaded. Faint stirrings roused in his chest, like dull thuds from the inside of a submarine. Face and a name. Nothing more. He was looking at her face. Her name was Shana. She... was nothing. But she had done his debating homework. She had nudged him to ask Leona to prom. Suddenly the eye contact was difficult to maintain. She was nothing. She was Shana. He pulled her forward from the wall slightly, his grip still iron tight. He didn't know why. Underwater explosions were happening in his heart, bright and loud before being swallowed by the deep dark. Just as he felt something for her it was consumed by the thing in his chest, again and again, but it was too much. One thought came after the other, memories, and it was too many feelings to be swallowed at once. A faint familiarity, like a dying flame, shone somewhere inside him. He leaned in towards her. "I can't fall, Shana," he whispered in her ear, his voice still icy. She had to understand. He met her eyes, and then leaned in again. "If I fall... I won't be able to get up. again." He locked gazes with her again, his companion, his enemy. He did not want to slaughter her like an animal, frightened and desperate, but he didn't know why. It made sense to not take the risk. Slowly that dying flame was eaten by the smoke inside him, but its echo remained. Not here, it pleaded. Later. He met her eyes fiercely. "I will meet you on the battlefield," he said, and froze the stone around her body to keep her still. He turned and ran, his feet slicing through the liquid floor easily. When he reached the far end of the room he pushed through the liquid glass window and jumped to the grassy ground below. Pain shot at his knees but was dwarfed by the icy numbness. Then he ran. He had let the Dustbringer live, he told himself, because it didn't matter. He didn't welcome death, but it was not something he feared. They would meet again, and either he would accomplish his duty or die trying. No compromise. That was the way of stone. Edited January 4 by I think I am here. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunamor Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 As Rob pushed Shana deeper into the wall, Ben began to panic. Shana had stopped trying to fight, resorted to pleading. He didn’t think there was enough left behind Rob’s empty eyes for that to work. Ben was trapped, encircled by near-impenetrable armor and feet sunken into the floor. He wanted to do something, scream, break through the shield, but he was stuck in place. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to. James would be found out and was in no state to fight back. Cassie was barely able to maneuver through the melting room. Edwin didn’t have enough experience to fight. Rob would kill them all if Ben broke cover and drew his attention. So he took a deep, shuddering breath and prepared for the worst. He inhaled all of the stormlight he had left and mentally went over instructions for James, Edwin, and Cassie. Open the shardplate. Free me from the floor. Get Shana out of the wall. His thoughts began to rush by faster. What options did he have? A crushed throat was reversible. Fatal blood loss, a snapped neck, suffocation he could fix. Could he fuse her head back if it was separated from the body? He didn’t know, he hadn’t tried. Did he even have enough stormlight for this? Was he even capable of this? Maybe James could bolster his powers. Would Rob leave immediately after killing? Would he stay or take Shana with him? None of this would work if either of those two things happened. Maybe Cassie could transport them to Shadesmar. Ben would only have a few moments to get to Shana’s body before her soul left if she… if she… Then Rob let her go, speaking a few words Ben couldn’t hear over the sound of blood rushing in his ears. Rob jumped through the window and fled. Ben almost collapsed with relief. Shana was safe. The real Rob was still in there somewhere. He dismissed his wall illusion and looked to Cassie. Had she been speaking to him? He replied, trying to stop his voice from shaking. "Cassie, we're ok. Please go help Shana." @AonEne @Sorana @Eluvianii @Wyndlerunner 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Sorana Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 Shana sagged against the stone around her, her heart beating like a drum. She was shaking she realized belatedly Rob's words ringing in her ears. He couldn't fall. What had he meant? That he had to go on with this path, because everything else would be falling? That he needed a way out, because his current path was leading him to doom? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, slowly calming. No, she had to think about it from his point of view. He had wanted to end this war. They had planned to do this. He had wanted to be strong, a solid rock. Now he was unable to feel anything. And if he failed in his quest, if he failed and fell - then there would be no further way. She considered that interpretation and sighed. She didn't know. Before she would have been able to guess what he meant but now, he was so different now. Maybe he had talked about literal falling to the ground. "Cassie, we're ok. Please go help Shana." She heard Ben's voice from the side and pushed all thoughts of Rob aside for the moment. They would meet on the battlefield and she knew that only one of them would leave alive. There was no other option. "Ben." she tried to turn her head to see him and cursed when the stone didn't allow that motion. Gently she reached out for the stormlight in her veins, dragged it up to her skin, made it flow along her spine and face. It was wild, a tempest to be reigned in an she smiled when she focused on its power, on its wonderful raging. As she had trained she pushed it outward, reached for the stone and ripped it apart. Dust fell to the ground around her and she stood on her feet again. James' bedroom wasn't only frozen in a half molten state, but now also had a Shana sized hole in one of its walls. Not that it really mattered she supposed. He'd needed a new room anyway. Quickly she turned towards the door and saw Ben, safely behind something that looked like an energy shield, but most likely was something James could do. He was alright. Relieved she took a step towards him and forced a smile on her face. When this shield was gone, she would rush over and have him take her in his arms. Hold her for a moment. Loss made her heart weigh a thousand tons when her eyes moved over the window again. Rob was gone. The one who walked around was nothing but a husk. She still hoped that she would be able to come up with something, anything to make him remember, to make him feel again. It had worked, a little at least. So maybe, maybe it would work again. Although deep down she knew that this was a futile hope. He was gone. That he had allowed her to live had been nothing but a last tiny flame of the one he had been. "Guess we'll have to come up with a battle plan." she said pretending to be firm and relaxed, while she inwardly squirmed at her own words. "We know where he wants to go and as he's already on his way we don't have any time to prepare. I won't be able to defeat him on my own, now with his powers amplified. Any ideas?" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyndlerunner Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 As Cassie and Shana appproached, James sighed, and let the Shardplate drop. Rob was gone. A swirl of a thousand thoughts and feelings spun around his mind. He was Fifth Oath. He was only Fifth Oath because Rob had begun to act against the Ideals that bound them all. Rob had taken a Boon from the Nightwatcher. Not asked for, as Cassie had, but taken. If there is a boon, James, there is a curse to accompany it. The Nightwatcher had told him that once, but as the thought came to his mind, he heard Shana speak. A battle plan. James forced himself to stand, finally beginning to recover from Rob's assault on his soul. "Rob must have some kind of weakness," he said, "the Nightwatcher doesn't just give her blessings. There's always a price. Even without my mediation, that's just how things work. If there's a boon, there's a curse." He felt at the black metallic pen in his pocket as he said it. Storms, it felt awful to be thinking about how to take Rob down of all people. But that wasn't just Rob, There was something in that sphere. Something alive. James felt a chill as he thought about it. "But it's not just Rob that we need to deal with." he continued, turning to Shana. "Shana, you were the closest to Rob out of all of us. Did you ever see him holding a small black sphere?" @Lunamor @AonEne @Sorana 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AonEne Posted January 11 Author Report Share Posted January 11 Quote I don't remember whether anyone else knew about Nightblood so I'm just gonna vaguely talk around it lol Shana got out and Cassie exhaled in relief. She hadn't seen Rob go, but he was gone now, and the room was settling into place as it was - which was a bit of a mess. She was glad not to have to focus on not sinking anymore. "Battle plan," she said under her breath, repeating after Shana. She nodded when James mentioned a little black sphere. "If that had a Voidspren in it - we all saw his eyes - then maybe we can do something to sever the Connection in Shadesmar?" She'd never considered before how a Voidbringer might be made not a Voidbringer, but she was now. "James, I don't know if that's within a Bondsmith's capabilities...or if there's anything else we could use to do that? But I can get us in if we think it'd work." Cassie hesitated. "I don't know how to find him, though." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunamor Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 The shardplate no longer trapping him, Ben went to Shana and wrapped his arms around her. He tried to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. This wasn’t the first time she’d almost died, but it felt different. He had accepted that it would happen. He would have let it happen. He knew that Rob’s decision was the only reason she was still breathing, and it was not the decision Ben had expected him to make. He hadn’t really known if he could have brought her back. There were so many ifs, so many things that could have gone wrong. And Shana wouldn’t have known he’d try to save her, either. He’d have forced her to think it was the end. Made her remember losing that last little bit of hope as her life drained away. Left her to face the darkness alone. What would that do to a person? And what kind of person wouldn’t try to stop it? The bad thing didn’t happen, Glint said into his mind. And it wouldn’t be your fault if it did. You had no other options. Ben knew that logically, but something in him couldn’t accept that. It was his fault there weren’t more options. He could have given Shana some more of his stormlight before hiding. He could have trained to fight so that he wouldn’t have had to hide. He could have given her Glint as a shardblade. He wanted to apologize for not being there sooner, say he was sorry for letting this all happen in the first place. But he felt like Shana shouldn’t have to deal with that. While Ben felt terrible, that had to have been so much worse for Shana. She was smiling, but he knew that she too often tried to hide her pain. Her best friend had almost killed her. Rob as they had known him might be dead. Ben didn’t want to make her even consider forgiving himself, not right then. So he just whispered into her ear. “I’m really glad you’re ok.” Shana was alive. He needed to focus on that. She was alive. He could feel her heartbeat, her warmth. She was still here, and she hadn’t needed to leave first. He pulled back, standing up straight and unsuccessfully trying to stealthily wipe his eyes. He then opened his hand and realized that he had accidentally crushed the flowers he had picked for Shana in his fist. He wilted briefly, matching the crumpled blossoms. Ben turned to address the group but still kept a hand on Shana, as if to keep her from disappearing. “It will be difficult to access Shadesmar. Unless Rob is on water in the Physical Realm, we’d have to be in a sea of beads. Without an Elsecaller or Lightweaver, I’m not sure if we can do that.” Glint moved in front of Ben and piped up. “Actually, I might have some friends who can help. Mistspren work on ships. But it would be pretty awkward trying to line up a ship with Rob’s soul. And, well, the nearest port is pretty far away…” Ben tried to avoid thinking too much about what had happened to Rob for now. He needed to hold it together, and what had happened to his friend might’ve done worse than kill him. But storms, talking about him like he was an enemy hurt. @Sorana @Wyndlerunner @AonEne @Eluvianii 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eluvianii Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 Edwin slumped to the floor, letting out a long breath that seemed to make the tension leave his body along with the Stormlight. Without its influence to keep him alert he could pay attention to other things, like the cold sweat covering his body, and the slight trembling of his hands. The contrast of it all made the sleepiness settling in hit that much harder. The others were already discussing a pursuit. Edwin thought he'd be terrified by the idea, but oddly enough he wasn't. Though he probably had just gotten too tired to feel the fear. He knew they wouldn't rest though, so he wouldn't either. What had even happened? Rob was one of them, what could possibly push him to do this? Surely he wasn't a bad guy. Some people have no choice. Or feel they don't. Twinkle said in his mind. No choice. And now they didn't have a choice but to go after him. Could they get him back? Edwin just wished there was a way out, for all of them. He wished he could help them find that way out. A single pulse like a second heartbeat replied to that thought. It was warm. "If you guys know where he's going maybe going physically would be easier. Although I guess then he'll see us coming." Thinking about the travel was a nice distraction. He didn't want to think about what would happen once they were there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AonEne Posted January 28 Author Report Share Posted January 28 Quote Current magic map of the world! "I can get us into Shadesmar if I need to," Cassie repeated. "I just don't know what to do to stop him. He has more practice in his Surges than me, and -" she cut off, sucked in a breath, and started again. "I don't know how we want to...restrain him, or knock him out?" She didn't want to do either of those things. But it was better than killing him. Voidbringer or no, that was unthinkable. "Unless we have a way of bringing back who he really is. Do...do we have that?" 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunamor Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 8 hours ago, AonEne said: "I can get us into Shadesmar if I need to," Cassie repeated. "I just don't know what to do to stop him. He has more practice in his Surges than me, and -" she cut off, sucked in a breath, and started again. "I don't know how we want to...restrain him, or knock him out?" She didn't want to do either of those things. But it was better than killing him. Voidbringer or no, that was unthinkable. "Unless we have a way of bringing back who he really is. Do...do we have that?" “I…” Ben began to speak, but paused. He had an idea, but it felt foolish. Dangerous. Playing with Spiritual things could go very, very wrong. Was it really worth considering? But this was Rob. They had to try everything they could to save him. Rob would have done the same for them. “I might have a way of bringing him back, but I honestly wouldn’t expect it to work. Progression can let you see souls. It can let you fix them, too. If a soul were sliced in half by a shardblade, if I got there in time, I could rejoin the two halves and revive the killed person.” He mimed pressing his hands together. “It might be possible for me to separate Rob’s soul from whatever has infested it. Leave only Rob’s soul in his body.” He pulled his hands apart. “It would require him to die first, though, so I could access his soul while it is outside of his body. And it’d be risky. I’m not sure if trying to interact with his soul could spread the corruption or if I would damage his soul by forcefully separating it. There might just not be enough left of Rob for it to be possible.” Ben desperately hoped that last part wasn’t the case, but there wasn’t much use in denying that it was a strong possibility. “The chances of it working in the first place would be slim, regardless. This isn’t something that has been done before, especially not by a Truthwatcher only at the third oath.” He frowned for a moment, thinking. Then he turned to James. ”A Bondsmith might be able to help, although this feels like it would technically be breaking a bond more than forming one.” @Eluvianii @Sorana @Wyndlerunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyndlerunner Posted January 29 Report Share Posted January 29 9 hours ago, Lunamor said: “I…” Ben began to speak, but paused. He had an idea, but it felt foolish. Dangerous. Playing with Spiritual things could go very, very wrong. Was it really worth considering? But this was Rob. They had to try everything they could to save him. Rob would have done the same for them. “I might have a way of bringing him back, but I honestly wouldn’t expect it to work. Progression can let you see souls. It can let you fix them, too. If a soul were sliced in half by a shardblade, if I got there in time, I could rejoin the two halves and revive the killed person.” He mimed pressing his hands together. “It might be possible for me to separate Rob’s soul from whatever has infested it. Leave only Rob’s soul in his body.” He pulled his hands apart. “It would require him to die first, though, so I could access his soul while it is outside of his body. And it’d be risky. I’m not sure if trying to interact with his soul could spread the corruption or if I would damage his soul by forcefully separating it. There might just not be enough left of Rob for it to be possible.” Ben desperately hoped that last part wasn’t the case, but there wasn’t much use in denying that it was a strong possibility. “The chances of it working in the first place would be slim, regardless. This isn’t something that has been done before, especially not by a Truthwatcher only at the third oath.” He frowned for a moment, thinking. Then he turned to James. ”A Bondsmith might be able to help, although this feels like it would technically be breaking a bond more than forming one.” @Eluvianii @Sorana @Wyndlerunner It's certainly possible, the Nightwatcher sent, with a sense of hesitation in her ethereal voice. "The Nightwatcher says it's possible" James said to Ben, "It isn't something that was done frequently in the past, but I can provide a power source, Lifelight, that you will be able to use sort of like an external hard drive of magic. It will let you go beyond your current limits." James paused, his eyes meeting Ben's and growing stern. "It might be dangerous though. None of us are particularly tested with our abilities, and it's possible that it might grow wrong." James walked up to Ben, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder. "Do you truly believe that saving Rob is worth that kind of risk? I'm not saying that I think he isn't, but I need you to understand and accept the danger inherent in such a task." He looked again at Ben, hoping that he was projecting enough leaderly gravitas to get the point across. "Do you accept it?" he asked. @Sorana @Eluvianii @AonEne @Lunamor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunamor Posted January 29 Report Share Posted January 29 7 minutes ago, Wyndlerunner said: It's certainly possible, the Nightwatcher sent, with a sense of hesitation in her ethereal voice. "The Nightwatcher says it's possible" James said to Ben, "It isn't something that was done frequently in the past, but I can provide a power source, Lifelight, that you will be able to use sort of like an external hard drive of magic. It will let you go beyond your current limits." James paused, his eyes meeting Ben's and growing stern. "It might be dangerous though. None of us are particularly tested with our abilities, and it's possible that it might grow wrong." James walked up to Ben, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder. "Do you truly believe that saving Rob is worth that kind of risk? I'm not saying that I think he isn't, but I need you to understand and accept the danger inherent in such a task." He looked again at Ben, hoping that he was projecting enough leaderly gravitas to get the point across. "Do you accept it?" he asked. @Sorana @Eluvianii @AonEne @Lunamor Ben knew that it was dangerous. It would mean messing with souls. There was a chance that the corruption could spread to his own soul and they’d just wind up with two Voidbringers instead of one. Not only would that permanently condemn Ben, it would kill Glint too. There was also the possibility of him fatally burning himself out. Ben had a rather poor track record when it came to needing to heal people extensively in a short period of time- it had previously been enough to make him pass out. Splitting a soul would take much, much more out of him. He’d have to rely quite a bit on lifelight, which he had no experience with. None of his friends had Progression, and he had no idea if there would be someone with access to it wherever they confronted Rob. Ben could heal himself, to an extent. So long as he was alive, he was really storming hard to kill. He couldn’t save himself if he was killed, though, and there might not be anyone else who could. But this was Rob. He was a fighter. He was still in there. Why else would he have spared Shana? And Rob had saved his life. Ben needed to repay him. He had to try. Would you be ok with the risk? Ben thought at Glint. Glint didn’t respond. He took that as a maybe. Good enough. ”I accept the risk.” ————— Glint hummed softly to himself. A lullaby. The lullaby wasn’t working as he had hoped. Glint was sad that he couldn’t cry. He still tried to, though. Cup deserved it. Cup was gone. Gone, gone, gone. A Voidbringer had killed her. Rob had killed her. @AonEne @Eluvianii @Sorana 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyndlerunner Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 James felt a pit in his stomach as Ben accepted the risk of their plan. "That settles that then" he said, giving Ben a slight nod as he turned to leave, intending to give the Truthwatcher some space. Space to be with Shana, or space for the pair to simply be alone together. James walked over to where Cassie was standing, across the remains of what had once been his room, and gave her a weak smile. "Hey, Cassie" he said, "Could I talk to you in private for a minute?" @AonEne @Lunamor @Sorana 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunamor Posted April 12 Report Share Posted April 12 Glint tried to cry for a while longer, his ineffective lullaby trailing off. He managed a few sniffles, but it just sounded like Ben when he had a cold. Why couldn’t he cry? He felt sad. Humans cried when something sad happened because they had emotions. Glint had emotions too. Was that not good enough? Even among spren, mistspren were known for their lack of emotional displays. It was hard to make expressions when you had a crystal mask for a face. They still felt emotions, though. They were quite strong feelings, sometimes more so than most others’. Not being able to cry hadn’t bothered Glint before. He’d never wanted to. But now he couldn’t mourn his friend. He dimmed. Cup was dead. It was Rob’s fault. Her Radiant, the person she had trusted the most in the world, had murdered her. Rob hadn’t seemed like the sort of person to do that. Were any of the others like he was, too? Kind on the outside, but rotten on the inside… Glint needed to check on the other spren. He had to make sure that they were all ok. Mahad would be fine. Shana could be trusted, and she needed her spren right now. Glint slid across the floor to the nearest Radiant, still less bright than usual. He didn’t know Twinkle or Edwin very well; that meant the latter could be a prime suspect. He stopped at Edwin’s feet and whispered. “Twinkle?” Glint almost never spoke to people other than Ben, so his voice was a barely audible whisper. It sounded like wind chimes in a soft breeze and trembled slightly from nervousness. Normally he would’ve asked Ben for help, but Ben assumed the best in people. He wouldn’t like that Glint was investigating his friends for murder. Quote I’m gonna ignore the fact that Glint spoke to everyone earlier in this scene, I’d forgotten that he almost never talks to people other than Ben @Eluvianii 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eluvianii Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Twinkle almost started flying up to tell Ed someone was talking to him, before she realized the other spren was addressing her. That had been a whisper too, she figured Ed wasn't supposed to hear. This was a first for her. She didn't talk to the other spren much, or the other Radiants for that matter, partly because Ed wasn't that social to begin with. It was a good opportunity. After making sure he hadn't realized anything, she went down to where Glint was waiting. "Hi, Glint. Is something wrong?" she said, lowering her voice too. @Lunamor 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.