Reed furrows his brow at Archie and the declarations she's just made.
"It's not going to come to all that," Reed says then smiles. "I still have payback on you, and you don't get to avoid that just be being all noble and gallant."
Virro stands there listening to the conversation, back and forth, considering. “First, we need to find the technique to save you and avoid all this. So that you can continue to coexist. If that… fails… well I could, always bring you back, Archie, even though you might not be quite the same. You'd be a little... different. The soil of a woman's heart is stonier, Archie. A woman grows what she can, and she tends it. 'Cause what you buy is what you own. And what you own, always comes home to you...". Virro's head tilts down, looking at the ground, up at the Duke, then takes a deep sigh, sorry that he can't do more to help.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Corlith waits patiently as Archie has words with Reya, and lets the hellrider know exactly how she has felt since they met.
He only breaks his silence when Virro speaks, "There is an option on the table already that Archie and Ironmaiden seem to want to try, Virro. Because Archie is almost out of time. I will attempt to separate them by teleporting them apart".
He wonders about this way Virro can bring Archie back, but let's Archie address that herself.
Turning to Pherria, "You obviously have some power, and a link to Torm. Are you able to help restore someone close to death, or worse?".
"payback?" Archie chuckles toward Reed, "you can pay me back by giving IronMaiden somewhere to live when this is all done. They might need a workshop somewhere away from the city hmm? A small hamlet where maybe some halflings and gallus can watch over them?"
As Virro expresses a possible alternative to life, and waxes a little poetic with it, Archie's suit opens. Inside as per usual she is curled up, fetal, nothing but dimly firey skin and bones, her arms and legs now fully consumed and replaced with iron and cables. Her eyes are open this time and she squints reactively at the light "this woman isn't made of stone or soil, my heart burns with fire, with warmth, maybe not for. Long time but for enough that I feel... I hope, I've provided you all enough.
Since I became trapped and couldn't face the embarrassment with my family, I instead found a home with you all, to hell and back... Well, maybe not the latter... But if it comes to it, a part of me will always live in the IronMaiden, and I think, for me, that's enough. But I thank you Virro, I know my mother probably made you promise to bring me home safe, but you can live well knowing that you did your utmost, whatever happens, you all have no guilt to bear, I promise...
Reya shrugs at the compliment, "I'm a Hellrider, its what I do." After Archie's admission, Reya wants to hug the genasi, but doesn't know what to do with a suit of armor, so she kisses her on the forehead. In an almost whisper, with more wisdom than her age, "I know, Archaea, I know."
Pherrai's eyes widen as she is a addressed, "Um.. no.. I can't say I have any of the abilities you're all talking about, I'm just an acolyte. The helm was part of our order, so I knew about it, but I..." she trails off and backs up a bit, not wanting to be part of this life or death conversation.
As the suit opens, Reya audible gasps and starts openly crying now. She looks up at Corlith, hoping he can do something.
The suit, even whilst open moves without Archie having to move any of her limbs or with any physical exertion at all, it is apparent that the apparatus has been wired to her brain through the back of her head for some time, obscured by her position. It moves an arm slowly to Corlith's, gently wrapping around his wrist with a gently though cold metal grasp. Archie looks him in his eyes, "it's time, I've had enough of being trapped, free me. Please"
Reed has no idea about the magic and power required to separate Archie and IronMaiden but he does know practical.
"So where are you going to teleport her to?" Reed asks Corlith. "She doesn't look like she could stand on her own so we need somewhere that will cushion her safely."
He looks around at the others.
"And how much of all that healing magic have we got left? She's probably going to need some."
He then pats Corlith on the back and smiles "Don't screw this up. I don't need Archie following me around too with the rest of this lot."
Reed waves at something by his head, like he's trying to shoo away insects.
Corlith nods to Archie, a terrified look on his face. Partly because of the responsibility of separating Archie and Ironmaiden, but mostly because of the lack of control he has over the situation.
As Reed mentions some practical aspects, he snaps out of it a little, trying to focus on things he can control.
"Good points, Reed. Why don't we drag down some of the curtains we have seen and make a comfortable spot. I can make sure it is clean and sanitary", he directs and starts to pull down curtains and place them in a good looking spot and cleaning them.
"Reed is right, we will need healing magic. All those who can offer that, be ready. Archie's and possibly Ironmaiden's lives are in your hands I do this", he then says to the others.
Once everything is prepared, he comes back to Archie and asks one last time, "Are you and Ironmaiden both sure? I can make no guarantees this will work, or what the outcome will be".
"it's time, do what you can, I believe in you" she says trying to move her actual arms but failing. She closes her eyes and braces herself as well as she can. From under her, a small blue flame alights in the visor. Taking Archie a little by surprise "We are ready!"
The quick switch in the sound of voice coming from the armor takes Reya a bit by surprise as well, but continues to hold their hand, hoping it gives them a little comfort and looks to Corlith to watch what is going to happen next.
Corlith rubs his hands together, worry creasing his brow as he stares at the fire genasi that is literally wasting away in front of their eyes. He then holds his hands out towards the girl, fingers splayed as he uses all his concentration to focus on her. The feeling of magic begins around her and Reya's arm hairs raise as the feeling intensifies, growing and swirling as it twists space for teleportation. Corlith murmurs a few words that you all have heard before as he casts his spell to find the arcane core of the being he is trying to move and then expressing his will over his own powers to teleport that person from one place to the next.
As he summons the energy used he has to focus, the cores of these two distinct beings in his mind are interwoven, blended and hard to grasp. When he feels the time is right, his grasp on Archie definite, he expresses his arcane will and she moves, her body transported to the place in which he wills it, but in that split second he feels the arcane core split between them, looking for a place, connected to Corlith's spell and it is down to him to place it. The decision lies in front of him, Archie, bleeding from innumerable wounds on the makeshift bed of curtains, and IronMaiden, an open suit full of a tangled mess of wire and metal rope and a pool of blood where Archie used to be, dimming blue arcane flickering out on another.
As he realises that he can only save one of Archie or Ironmaiden, time seems to stand still for Corlith. Almost like someone's life flashing before their eyes, only it isn't your own life, and that life is two lives intertwined. He remembers how he first met Ironmaiden, when Archie was in complete control, and then over time the consciousness of the suit that was the real Ironmaiden gained more and more traction and independence.
He remembers the conversations with both Archie and Ironmaiden, and how he finally came to realise the suit was sentient. But he also recalled meeting Archie's parents as well, and the words he spoke to Archie's mother ring through his mind, "I promise I will do what is in her best interests".
He sees both Archie and Ironmaiden, separate and broken, and he feels anger that he has to make a choice. All of this and more he feels in that frozen moment in time.
In this split second, the group watches as Archie's body disappears and reappears upon the curtains, every wire and metal covering now removed, and leaving behind gaping bleeding holes in her, she does not react, she does not move, if she is alive the shock brings her past the point of being able to remain conscious. One of those wires was in her head, the ends of her arms are mostly just bone and blood. She is going to need healing, fast.
For corlith, the split second decision is not helped by the confused life force itself, he remembers, or maybe hears in his mind, each voice reiterating their advice, "Choose Archie"... "Choose IronMaiden"...
Beads of sweat appear on the tiefling's forehead as he wrestles with the decision laid upon his feet. A decision that somehow was placed solely upon him, one that he vehemently didn't want. The words of Archie and Iron Maiden reach him and he shakes his head, frustration and desperation boiling over.
Suddenly, his body goes completely rigid, his hands still jutting out from his body, fingers splayed. His eyes roll back into his head so that only the whites can be seen and he starts murmuring under his breath. After what seems like long stretched out minutes, only a few seconds have passed and a long ugly scar appears on Corlith's right thumb. Next, directly in front of him a glowing purple sphere starts to appear. First quite small, the size of a pea, but grows to the size of a man's fist. It starts pulsating, Corlith's eyes are still back, but he has stopped talking. The orb starts to split. It divides completely, one becoming two. Each glowing orb then descends... one into Archie and one into IronMaiden.
Corlith feels his body release, and starts blinking, looking around to see what he was able to accomplish.
Reed's eyes remain wide, unblinking, through the whole ordeal. He watches the pulsating orbs drop into Archie and IronMaiden. Reed finds he's holding his breath. Finally he exhales.
"So what was that?" Reed asks Corlith. "Did it work?"
“I…hope so”, is all Corlith manages to stutter as he drops to his knees, looking between the prone forms of Archie and Ironmaiden with a forlorn look on his face.
Archie remains motionless, though her life force has returned, the blood from her body is still leaving at a frightening pace, her firey skin pales.
Ironmaiden stirs, the now empty chest cavity closes defensively almost automatically, they sit, the blue flame growing within the visor, "did... Did it succeed? What has, oh Corlith tell me you didnt..." They pull themselves upright and survey the area, Helm turning towards where Archie lays. "No. No!" They scramble over, quickly crackling lightning across their palms as they do and begin to deliver life saving shocks to the bleeding genasi, wounds burn close and she lets out a breath, (cure wounds for 12)
Quickly, Virro moves over to Archie’s side, bending down and putting his hand on her, healing her for 8 hit points. “All of us could use some healing, I need something a little stronger…”. He starts to pray, rubbing the back of his right hand, then reaching out to Archie, closing his eyes, an image of a skeletal deer appears in the room and seems to walk around, touching its bony nose to each person in the area, lingering the longest on Archie, passing along additional healing over the next 10 minutes.
Prayer of Healing : Up to 6 of us within 30 feet can heal for 18 hit points over the next 10 minutes.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
The colour returns to the genasi, the blood loss magically replenished though the muscle wastage and dystrophy she is suffering will take time and rest to heal. She murmurs and her eyes slowly open. Taking in the scene and IronMaiden helps her sit up from the pool of soggy bloodied curtains. "How are you feeling? Corlith did it! He succeeded"
Archies eyes go wide, everyone around her, seeing the IronMaiden for the first time, wanting to thank and congratulate corlith, wanting to thank everyone, she doesn't know what to do first and is a little overwhelmed. It seems she doesn't even realise how desiccated her body and limbs are. "This is you IronMaiden, from the outside, I... I feel... Free. I feel sick, I feel thankful" she touches the visor of the suit she has been trapped in for the longest time and begins to get teary eyed, she turns to Corlith, "thank you so much. You saved them, you saved us."
"I thought I'd lost you. Well, one of you at least", Corlith says as a wave of relief flows over him. "I am so happy to see you free", he says to Archie. "And you functioning as normal", he adds to Ironmaiden.
"I think you might be relying on Ironmaiden for a little longer though, whilst you recover, Archie".
He then stands and wanders away a little, reaching his hand out to lean against a pillar facing away from the others, head bowed.
He gratefully accepts any healing from the skeletal deer, not really noticing as it nuzzles his other hand.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Reed furrows his brow at Archie and the declarations she's just made.
"It's not going to come to all that," Reed says then smiles. "I still have payback on you, and you don't get to avoid that just be being all noble and gallant."
Virro stands there listening to the conversation, back and forth, considering. “First, we need to find the technique to save you and avoid all this. So that you can continue to coexist. If that… fails… well I could, always bring you back, Archie, even though you might not be quite the same. You'd be a little... different. The soil of a woman's heart is stonier, Archie. A woman grows what she can, and she tends it. 'Cause what you buy is what you own. And what you own, always comes home to you...". Virro's head tilts down, looking at the ground, up at the Duke, then takes a deep sigh, sorry that he can't do more to help.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Corlith waits patiently as Archie has words with Reya, and lets the hellrider know exactly how she has felt since they met.
He only breaks his silence when Virro speaks, "There is an option on the table already that Archie and Ironmaiden seem to want to try, Virro. Because Archie is almost out of time. I will attempt to separate them by teleporting them apart".
He wonders about this way Virro can bring Archie back, but let's Archie address that herself.
Turning to Pherria, "You obviously have some power, and a link to Torm. Are you able to help restore someone close to death, or worse?".
"payback?" Archie chuckles toward Reed, "you can pay me back by giving IronMaiden somewhere to live when this is all done. They might need a workshop somewhere away from the city hmm? A small hamlet where maybe some halflings and gallus can watch over them?"
As Virro expresses a possible alternative to life, and waxes a little poetic with it, Archie's suit opens. Inside as per usual she is curled up, fetal, nothing but dimly firey skin and bones, her arms and legs now fully consumed and replaced with iron and cables. Her eyes are open this time and she squints reactively at the light "this woman isn't made of stone or soil, my heart burns with fire, with warmth, maybe not for. Long time but for enough that I feel... I hope, I've provided you all enough.
Since I became trapped and couldn't face the embarrassment with my family, I instead found a home with you all, to hell and back... Well, maybe not the latter... But if it comes to it, a part of me will always live in the IronMaiden, and I think, for me, that's enough. But I thank you Virro, I know my mother probably made you promise to bring me home safe, but you can live well knowing that you did your utmost, whatever happens, you all have no guilt to bear, I promise...
Corlith, I'm ready. If you are..."
Corlith just shakes his head, his eyes wide.
Reya shrugs at the compliment, "I'm a Hellrider, its what I do." After Archie's admission, Reya wants to hug the genasi, but doesn't know what to do with a suit of armor, so she kisses her on the forehead. In an almost whisper, with more wisdom than her age, "I know, Archaea, I know."
Pherrai's eyes widen as she is a addressed, "Um.. no.. I can't say I have any of the abilities you're all talking about, I'm just an acolyte. The helm was part of our order, so I knew about it, but I..." she trails off and backs up a bit, not wanting to be part of this life or death conversation.
As the suit opens, Reya audible gasps and starts openly crying now. She looks up at Corlith, hoping he can do something.
The suit, even whilst open moves without Archie having to move any of her limbs or with any physical exertion at all, it is apparent that the apparatus has been wired to her brain through the back of her head for some time, obscured by her position. It moves an arm slowly to Corlith's, gently wrapping around his wrist with a gently though cold metal grasp. Archie looks him in his eyes, "it's time, I've had enough of being trapped, free me. Please"
Reed has no idea about the magic and power required to separate Archie and IronMaiden but he does know practical.
"So where are you going to teleport her to?" Reed asks Corlith. "She doesn't look like she could stand on her own so we need somewhere that will cushion her safely."
He looks around at the others.
"And how much of all that healing magic have we got left? She's probably going to need some."
He then pats Corlith on the back and smiles "Don't screw this up. I don't need Archie following me around too with the rest of this lot."
Reed waves at something by his head, like he's trying to shoo away insects.
Corlith nods to Archie, a terrified look on his face. Partly because of the responsibility of separating Archie and Ironmaiden, but mostly because of the lack of control he has over the situation.
As Reed mentions some practical aspects, he snaps out of it a little, trying to focus on things he can control.
"Good points, Reed. Why don't we drag down some of the curtains we have seen and make a comfortable spot. I can make sure it is clean and sanitary", he directs and starts to pull down curtains and place them in a good looking spot and cleaning them.
"Reed is right, we will need healing magic. All those who can offer that, be ready. Archie's and possibly Ironmaiden's lives are in your hands I do this", he then says to the others.
Once everything is prepared, he comes back to Archie and asks one last time, "Are you and Ironmaiden both sure? I can make no guarantees this will work, or what the outcome will be".
"it's time, do what you can, I believe in you" she says trying to move her actual arms but failing. She closes her eyes and braces herself as well as she can. From under her, a small blue flame alights in the visor. Taking Archie a little by surprise "We are ready!"
The quick switch in the sound of voice coming from the armor takes Reya a bit by surprise as well, but continues to hold their hand, hoping it gives them a little comfort and looks to Corlith to watch what is going to happen next.
Corlith rubs his hands together, worry creasing his brow as he stares at the fire genasi that is literally wasting away in front of their eyes. He then holds his hands out towards the girl, fingers splayed as he uses all his concentration to focus on her. The feeling of magic begins around her and Reya's arm hairs raise as the feeling intensifies, growing and swirling as it twists space for teleportation. Corlith murmurs a few words that you all have heard before as he casts his spell to find the arcane core of the being he is trying to move and then expressing his will over his own powers to teleport that person from one place to the next.
As he summons the energy used he has to focus, the cores of these two distinct beings in his mind are interwoven, blended and hard to grasp. When he feels the time is right, his grasp on Archie definite, he expresses his arcane will and she moves, her body transported to the place in which he wills it, but in that split second he feels the arcane core split between them, looking for a place, connected to Corlith's spell and it is down to him to place it. The decision lies in front of him, Archie, bleeding from innumerable wounds on the makeshift bed of curtains, and IronMaiden, an open suit full of a tangled mess of wire and metal rope and a pool of blood where Archie used to be, dimming blue arcane flickering out on another.
As he realises that he can only save one of Archie or Ironmaiden, time seems to stand still for Corlith. Almost like someone's life flashing before their eyes, only it isn't your own life, and that life is two lives intertwined. He remembers how he first met Ironmaiden, when Archie was in complete control, and then over time the consciousness of the suit that was the real Ironmaiden gained more and more traction and independence.
He remembers the conversations with both Archie and Ironmaiden, and how he finally came to realise the suit was sentient. But he also recalled meeting Archie's parents as well, and the words he spoke to Archie's mother ring through his mind, "I promise I will do what is in her best interests".
He sees both Archie and Ironmaiden, separate and broken, and he feels anger that he has to make a choice. All of this and more he feels in that frozen moment in time.
In this split second, the group watches as Archie's body disappears and reappears upon the curtains, every wire and metal covering now removed, and leaving behind gaping bleeding holes in her, she does not react, she does not move, if she is alive the shock brings her past the point of being able to remain conscious. One of those wires was in her head, the ends of her arms are mostly just bone and blood. She is going to need healing, fast.
For corlith, the split second decision is not helped by the confused life force itself, he remembers, or maybe hears in his mind, each voice reiterating their advice, "Choose Archie"... "Choose IronMaiden"...
Beads of sweat appear on the tiefling's forehead as he wrestles with the decision laid upon his feet. A decision that somehow was placed solely upon him, one that he vehemently didn't want. The words of Archie and Iron Maiden reach him and he shakes his head, frustration and desperation boiling over.
Suddenly, his body goes completely rigid, his hands still jutting out from his body, fingers splayed. His eyes roll back into his head so that only the whites can be seen and he starts murmuring under his breath. After what seems like long stretched out minutes, only a few seconds have passed and a long ugly scar appears on Corlith's right thumb. Next, directly in front of him a glowing purple sphere starts to appear. First quite small, the size of a pea, but grows to the size of a man's fist. It starts pulsating, Corlith's eyes are still back, but he has stopped talking. The orb starts to split. It divides completely, one becoming two. Each glowing orb then descends... one into Archie and one into IronMaiden.
Corlith feels his body release, and starts blinking, looking around to see what he was able to accomplish.
Reed's eyes remain wide, unblinking, through the whole ordeal. He watches the pulsating orbs drop into Archie and IronMaiden. Reed finds he's holding his breath. Finally he exhales.
"So what was that?" Reed asks Corlith. "Did it work?"
“I…hope so”, is all Corlith manages to stutter as he drops to his knees, looking between the prone forms of Archie and Ironmaiden with a forlorn look on his face.
Archie remains motionless, though her life force has returned, the blood from her body is still leaving at a frightening pace, her firey skin pales.
Ironmaiden stirs, the now empty chest cavity closes defensively almost automatically, they sit, the blue flame growing within the visor, "did... Did it succeed? What has, oh Corlith tell me you didnt..." They pull themselves upright and survey the area, Helm turning towards where Archie lays. "No. No!" They scramble over, quickly crackling lightning across their palms as they do and begin to deliver life saving shocks to the bleeding genasi, wounds burn close and she lets out a breath, (cure wounds for 12)
Quickly, Virro moves over to Archie’s side, bending down and putting his hand on her, healing her for 8 hit points. “All of us could use some healing, I need something a little stronger…”. He starts to pray, rubbing the back of his right hand, then reaching out to Archie, closing his eyes, an image of a skeletal deer appears in the room and seems to walk around, touching its bony nose to each person in the area, lingering the longest on Archie, passing along additional healing over the next 10 minutes.
Prayer of Healing : Up to 6 of us within 30 feet can heal for 18 hit points over the next 10 minutes.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
The colour returns to the genasi, the blood loss magically replenished though the muscle wastage and dystrophy she is suffering will take time and rest to heal. She murmurs and her eyes slowly open. Taking in the scene and IronMaiden helps her sit up from the pool of soggy bloodied curtains. "How are you feeling? Corlith did it! He succeeded"
Archies eyes go wide, everyone around her, seeing the IronMaiden for the first time, wanting to thank and congratulate corlith, wanting to thank everyone, she doesn't know what to do first and is a little overwhelmed. It seems she doesn't even realise how desiccated her body and limbs are. "This is you IronMaiden, from the outside, I... I feel... Free. I feel sick, I feel thankful" she touches the visor of the suit she has been trapped in for the longest time and begins to get teary eyed, she turns to Corlith, "thank you so much. You saved them, you saved us."
"I thought I'd lost you. Well, one of you at least", Corlith says as a wave of relief flows over him. "I am so happy to see you free", he says to Archie. "And you functioning as normal", he adds to Ironmaiden.
"I think you might be relying on Ironmaiden for a little longer though, whilst you recover, Archie".
He then stands and wanders away a little, reaching his hand out to lean against a pillar facing away from the others, head bowed.
He gratefully accepts any healing from the skeletal deer, not really noticing as it nuzzles his other hand.