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
