The Forge

[+Sorana]

Lena wordlessly shut the door behind him and locked it again. A deep breath to steady herself, over to the kitchen. Lena kept close to the table and then whatever she could find to place a hand on, to steady herself. Nice, she could be nice.

She handed him a cup full of water and spilled some when her hands shook, then left him standing there. Her face softened when she saw Mart and Eve. It was good that he had found someone he trusted. She sat down again, reliefed to remove her weight from her legs, she didn't trust them to carry her weight right now. Turning so that Eve could see the cuts, she knew that she would see the shaking, the sweat on her forehead. She felt agitated, nervous, her heart still beating to fast. All side effects that would stop in a few hours.

Gently she touched Mart's hair.

"I can take him."

She offered, although it would make sewing her wounds shut more difficult.

===========

"We should search the ghost and become his friends."

Mart decided.

"Then he isn't lonely anymore and stops hurting people."

He fell silent and moved closer when Tels stepped into the room.

@Truthless of Shinovar

@Silva

[Truthless of Shinovar]

Tels frowned as he grabbed the cup with ribbons of sand. “This is still the Alleycity? I thought I had gone farther than that... Well, thanks anyway for the water. Slatrification was one secret I could never steal from the Diem.” Tels finally looked around at the room and the people who were inside. “Everybody looks pretty shaken, what happened here?”

@Silva

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

30 minutes ago, Truthless of Shinovar said:

Tels frowned as he grabbed the cup with ribbons of sand. “This is still the Alleycity? I thought I had gone farther than that... Well, thanks anyway for the water. Slatrification was one secret I could never steal from the Diem.” Tels finally looked around at the room and the people who were inside. “Everybody looks pretty shaken, what happened here?”

@Silva

@Sorana

Quote

It is. The forge is close to the poorer districts, but you're in the middle of Alleycity.

 

[Truthless of Shinovar]

Quote

Me and my ignorance....

 

[Silva]

"A lot. Most people would be shaken too if a frying pan creature stepped out of a portal in front of them," Eve said to Tels, then looked back at Lena's arm. 

She threaded the needle and knotted the end.

"You might want to look away," she told Mart. "Or head over to your mum's other side."

The idea was simple enough. Start out to keep the knot out then in and out. Seal it shut. As neatly as possible.

Eve picked up a clean looking disposable towel from nearby to wipe away some blood off Lena's arm and got to work.

Quote

Why is it always my characters doing this? First Aderet, now Eve... 

Disclaimer: My medical knowledge still has not improved since last time either.

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by Silva

[+Sorana]

1 minute ago, Silva said:

"A lot. Most people would be shaken too if a frying pan creature stepped out of a portal in front of them," Eve said to Tels, then looked back at Lena's arm. 

She threaded the needle and knotted the end.

"You might want to look away," she told Mart. "Or head over to your mum's other side."

The idea was simple enough. Start out to keep the knot out then in and out. Seal it shut. As neatly as possible.

Eve picked up a clean looking disposable towel from nearby to wipe away some blood off Lena's arm and got to work.

 

Mart jumped of the chair and hid his face in Lena's side. She placed an arm around him, careful to turn it so that her wound wasn't touching his body. Eve got to work, and she suppressed the urge to direct her, to tell her what she was doing wrong, instead she simply grit her teeth. For a moment she wondered if sewing a wound shut counted as drawing blood, but Alask had proposed it himself, so probably there was no danger here.

She took a deep breath against the pain, despite the paste and the amphetamin, it still hurt. Less than it should, but it still hurt.
"Thank you."
her voice hitched at the end, when Eve set another stich and she made a gesture with her head towards the other jar Alask had taken out of her bag.
"I've got some desinfect, and some clean bandages."

For a moment her head swam and she had to lean against the table, take a deep steadying breath to regain her balance. Then another one. Try to ignore that eerie feeling, when Eve pulled on her flesh, the pain.

"Are you hurt?"

She asked Tels, mostly to distract herself, her voice strained.

@Truthless of Shinovar

[Truthless of Shinovar]

“Not much, mostly just the symptoms of dehydration. Better than you at least.” Tels said. This lot really looked a bit of a mess right now. “You were talking about a Haunt? Some kind of ghost? What is that anyway?”

[Silva]

"Dehydration is nothing to underestimate," Eve said, tying off the thread. She put some disinfectant on the injury then wrapped it with a bandage. "Might not be an obvious health hazard, but it's still dangerous." Inwardly she hoped he'd pass out from it like she had earlier. Tels asked a lot of questions, and while she wasn't showing it on her face, a part of her was eager to get back to Alask's papers.

She started to clean up. "The Haunt...he's an interesting case. I don't blame him for how he's wound up, but at the same time, it's not something I can condone. You know what I mean?

"I sympathize with him. He made a mistake and suffered because of it. Regretted it. Yet, the moment he has a chance to try again, to be better, he relapses. He gives in to his selfish wants again. Nothing changed. Not even after hundreds of years of watching and listening," she sighed and wiped off her hands. "Not much we can do besides try and be nice and be his friend, like he said before you got here," she said, indicating to Mart.

Edited June 18, 2019 by Silva

[Truthless of Shinovar]

“You get used to dehydration when you’re a sand master. It becomes easier to ignore.” Tels said. “Hundreds of years of giving into desires, huh? That’s something I wouldn’t mind myself... though after a while, it would probably become a living nightmare. Perhaps the best mercy we can give that thing would be death. A more permanent one at least. Being its friend though... who knows. It’s worth a shot.”

[I think I am here.]

While Eve had taken over the medical side of things Alask moved in, closing the door behind Tels and sitting back on the work table, retrieving the Phoenix folder. They were all talking about some sort of ghost, haunted figure. Alask personally had no idea what that was, but it didn’t sound good if it could give Lena scars as deep as that.

“Maybe he was experimented on,” he said idly. “There are rumours of spikes doing weirder things to people.”

[Silva]

"There are rumors about lots of things involving Hemalurgy," she said. "Spikes likely have nothing to do with it. He told me a spren in a valley made him like that which I took to mean the Nightwatcher. Without asking him, we have no way of knowing for certain."

Eve shrugged. "Maybe it was spikes though. They can tie a mistwraith down into a physical form with kandra. No reason to think the DA couldn't come up with a way to do the reverse. Make someone physical into a silenced mostly intangible thing and change their memories too so even they wouldn't know what happened..."

[Truthless of Shinovar]

“If that’s the case, would there even be a way to take the spikes out? I’d suspect we’d need a Coinshot or Lurcher to even see if those are in it.” Tels spoke.

Quote

Heheh, I’ve been on the Shard too much, when I typed in “spoke”, it autocorrected to “spike”

 

[+Sorana]

Lena packed her bag again, then rewrapped her other arm in a new bandage. She listened to Eve and Tels talk, saw Alask pick up the sheets of paper Eve had read when she had disturbed them.

Her hand closed around Mart’s and she walked over to a chair close to Alask, sat down, and leaned back. She felt jittery, her body not calming down, despite the time she had spend sitting, but she didn’t mention it. They knew she wasn’t feeling well and it was nothing that would change soon. Mart climbed on her lap, curled up against her chest, with his bear in his hand. Smiling warmly she wrapped an arm around him, gently caressed his hair. It had been a while, since she had been able to spend so much time with him. She wasn’t able to care for him in a way he deserved and so she stayed away, only visited now and then. It was a leftover from her deal with her grandmother and while she had started to drop by more often, it was nowhere as much time, as he deserved. She knew it, but to change it, to take over responsibility.

Her smile faltered and she leaned over to Alask, took a perk at the sheets of paper he was holding. Pages full of notes, every single space used. The Phoenix. She raised an eyebrow at him, when she thought about it, tried to follow his line of thought. The Phoenix was powerful. Everybody knew the stories. But as it wasn’t here right now, it only could mean one thing. Did he want to summon it? A grin touched her face. It would be funny.

"Or maybe it was something completely different. There are lots of stories about beings that only exist because they reached for immortality and failed. Some are even supposed to live inside a water bottle. And whoever drinks out of the bottle can wish for something."

She shrugged.

"If we want to know, we have to go, search for him and ask. The Haunt was so hungry for attention if we flatter him a bit, we might be able to get a lot of answers."

[I think I am here.]

2 hours ago, Sorana said:

"Or maybe it was something completely different. There are lots of stories about beings that only exist because they reached for immortality and failed. Some are even supposed to live inside a water bottle. And whoever drinks out of the bottle can wish for something."

She shrugged.

"If we want to know, we have to go, search for him and ask. The Haunt was so hungry for attention if we flatter him a bit, we might be able to get a lot of answers."

“Well, first we’d have to find him,” Alask said. He saw Lena peek at the notes, and he laid them flat on the table in case she wanted to get a further look. “And that means going back outside, which might not be the best idea considering all that’s been going on.”

He looked to Tels. “You,” he said, pointing. “Are you part of the guilds?”

[Truthless of Shinovar]

Tels grinned. “I’ve got Ghostblood running through my veins.”

Edited June 19, 2019 by Truthless of Shinovar

[+Sorana]

1 hour ago, I think I am here. said:

“Well, first we’d have to find him,” Alask said. He saw Lena peek at the notes, and he laid them flat on the table in case she wanted to get a further look. “And that means going back outside, which might not be the best idea considering all that’s been going on.”

He looked to Tels. “You,” he said, pointing. “Are you part of the guilds?”

Gratefully Lena leaned over, started to read through the notes. The phoenix. It was enormous, she hadn't expected him to have so much information, lest about a creature like this. She continued to read, her hand absently minded continued to brush over Mart's hair.

"I don't think finding him will pose a problem. We'll just stand on a roof and call out into the city, that we want to talk him. If we want to do that."

She replied distractedly, focused on the text. What was his plan, and what would he do about Tels? A Ghostblood, here. Contrasting Alask she had no problem with the guilds. They had their flaws, but then everybody had. Without them, the world would be as dark and sad, someone else would grab the power. The only difference was, that many people would die in the process. Not that she would tell Alask. If he felt like opposing them, it could only be interesting. And to use the phoenix, that was maybe the most exciting prospect after they had jumped on the plane.

"What is your plan?"

She asked quietly and drank some water.

[Silva]

"I've got Ghostblood running through my veins."

Eve restrained herself from giving Tels a glare. Guess what? Ghostblood doesn't do much good if it's just an arrogant mess of Investiture. she thought bitterly. The guilds had their problems, and while she understand that, she didn't believe that gave them the right to act infallible. A guild didn't define your use, it would only harness it if you needed it to. The philosophy of needing a guild to be worthy was one she very much disliked. And, well, it seemed Tels was a follower of that philosophy.

"I don't think finding him will pose a problem. We'll just stand on a roof and call out into the city, that we want to talk him. If we want to do that," Lena said, looking through the papers. "What is your plan?"

She looked to Alask as well. Out of all of them, he was the most likely to have formulated something to do.

[Truthless of Shinovar]

Tels noticed everybody stiffen ever so slightly as he announced he was a Ghostblood. “Relax, my ties arent super strong yet. The Ghostbloods pay well, and a guy like me needs a steady job like this. Besides, I’ve got no mission right now, no one’s in danger.” 

[I think I am here.]

14 hours ago, Truthless of Shinovar said:

Tels noticed everybody stiffen ever so slightly as he announced he was a Ghostblood. “Relax, my ties arent super strong yet. The Ghostbloods pay well, and a guy like me needs a steady job like this. Besides, I’ve got no mission right now, no one’s in danger.” 

“Sorry,” Alask said, shaking his head and trying to dismiss what animosity he felt towards the guilds. “It’s just that the guilds didn’t do a whole lot good around here,” and with Tels being apart of them, it meant he supported them, didn’t it? Supported the violence? Or was that a generalisation? One thing was for sure, Alask didn’t like the guilds, but as long as Tels himself didn’t do anything stupid, the hate didn’t have to extend to him.

“What’s your plan?” Lena asked and Alask noticed the others looking at him as well. Just like when he’d been a thief, majority of a mission was planning, planning and organisation. And if they wanted to make a difference, it was time to start.

“Well, Eve said there was nothing we could do,” Alask said, turning to look at everyone who was there. “Or nothing of impact anyway. But there is one thing we can do, and it’s that,” he nodded to the papers. It seemed that beyond providing information on how the DA had made an abomination, it had also given more information on the Phoenix than a normal person would get. Which meant he had found out things which seemed to make a pattern. And ten things about patterns, is that you could repeat them with the right tools.

“Can anyone tell me the two major times the Phoenix has been seen in public?”

[+Sorana]

1 minute ago, I think I am here. said:

“Can anyone tell me the two major times the Phoenix has been seen in public?”

"When that guy tried to overthrow the Council at Oasis City. And during the Seven Day War."

Lena replied.

"Great stories. Of heros and pain and fear. I love them."

Mart had fallen asleep and she carried him over to the bed Eve had used earlier. Lovingly she draped a blanket over him and wiped his face and hand clean. She returned to the table and grabbed a taco.

"You can grab dinner, of you want to Tels."

She offered and then focused on Alask again.

"You want to reproduce how it was called? Summon that thing to the city?"

[Truthless of Shinovar]

“Thanks,” Tels said, grabbing numerous tacos with multiple ribbons of sand. He was surprised to find how hungry he was, and how fast he got the tacos down his throat. “Who, or rather what, is the Phoenix?”

Edited June 20, 2019 by Truthless of Shinovar

[Silva]

Mart's sleeping face was so calm. So innocent. So undisturbed. So young. He reminded her of herself a long time ago, before everything had gone wrong multiple times. Hopeful of the world and worring about the wrong things. She hoped he wouldn't lose that for a long while.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Eve said to Tels. "A DA creation in the form of a phoenix."

She focused back on Alask. "The very idea that we could summon it is insane on its own, but say it were possible. How do we know it would help the situation and not simply worsen it? During the Seven Day War, when it appeared, it killed some Invested and injured many others. The second time, in Oasis, the people who fought it barely survived. The Phoenix doesn't come without a price."

[Truthless of Shinovar]

“Exactly what it sounds like. A DA creation in the form of a phoenix,” Eve said.

Tels grimaced. The Dark Alley. Like most of the sensible people in the Alleyverse, hated those guys. Sure, the Ghostbloods and DA were “allies”, but nothing good ever seemed to come from the DA. 

“What would summoning it entail?” Tels asked. The more he talked with others, the more he realized how ignorant he truly was, asking questions all the time. He truly knew nothing of the Alleyverse, it’s secrets and it’s history, it rises and it’s falls, the deeds so horrendous it would make even his hair rise, and yet other acts of kindness that would bring tears to his eyes. Yes, the Alleyverse was a complex place, and Tels still had much to learn.

[+Sorana]

2 hours ago, Truthless of Shinovar said:

Sure, the Ghostbloods and DA were “allies”,

Quote

more or less more less than more, or rather not really ^^

Lena smiled at Tels. He had never heard of the Phoenix.

"I'm not sure what summoning would entail, but as you heard of the creature."

She placed sat straighter and smiled at him.

"Let me tell you a story."

Leaning back in her stool she thought about it for a while, tried to find a good way to start.

"The Seven Day War, was a guild war that happened around two decades ago. The guilds called their armies to this very city and they fought each other. In their fight they came too close to the territory of the DA, they threatened the alleys and the worldspike itself. So at one point, the DA stepped in. Their abominations roamed the city and killed everything and everybody they could find. Even then some of the troops were focused on evacuation, the Ghostbloods, I'm not sure about the rest, but I know that the Canton opened its doors and invited everybody seeking shelter. And then the Phoenix came. Despite all the creature roaming the ground, it was the one that drew eyes, as it was flying in the sky. Many heroes died, fighting it, and in the end it flew away. Then they nuked the city, to get rid of the other abominations, created the crater we see today."

"The other time it appeared, was a little more than a year ago. At Oasis City, which I suspect you know? I've never been there, but everybody saw the Phoenix, when it attacked the shields, tried to get through. This time it simply vanished at one point, and didn't return. Don't ask me what happened in the city, people talk about a try to take over leadership, a massacer."

Thoughfully she took a bite of her taco.

"But if it was called by blood and people dying, then it would already be here?"

[I think I am here.]

5 hours ago, Sorana said:

“But if it was called by blood and people dying, then it would already be here?"

“I thought that as well,” Alask said, flipping to the last page of the document.

“But it didn’t appear in the Great Game, and clearly that was important enough for the DA to step in, so it had to be something else. I also thought that it could be if a lot of people died at once, but then again with PlasmaCore and these bird things it’s clear that might have happened. So my conclusion is this: that it’s summoned by mind control.”