Tobias Stalt
04-30-15, 01:13 AM
Open to Tarot members with the addendum that they have discussed the proper timing for their post with Jack beforehand. Don't ask Tobi. Tobi is just starting the thread.
Color bled from the world around him like crimson from the wounds all over his body. Tattered, useless scraps of cloth and mangled portions of flesh sloughed off of Tobias. He felt every inch a leper, visibly appalling and physically tormented by his own body. Jagged toothmarks pocked the flesh of his hands and arms where the accursed wolfbeast had gored him with its fangs.
Still, Tobias Stalt hefted the frail form of Alyssa Snow in his arms. Agony etched on his face belied the truth of his predicament, but Tobias moved like there was nothing wrong. "Gods," a withered voice sucked in a breath as Tobias rounded the corner toward the infirmary. "Quickly, child. You need medical attention!"
"The girl," Tobias rumbled, his voice hoarse and raspy. "Tend the girl."
"That will not do!" The First Ai'Brone- Tobias knew him from a previous debacle that stemmed from a training accident- thrust a finger into the Mercenary's face. "You will die if you are not treated immediately."
Blank faced, Tobias shrugged. "Then I die," he stated simply. "First Alyssa. I have felt far worse." As he placed the Homonculus on the bed, Tobias heard the splatter of his own blood from a gaping wound and willed himself to ignore it. The elder healer was not amused by the cascade of gore on his floor.
"You're going to clean this up," the beleaguered old man ordered Tobias pointedly.
"Fine," came the terse reply. "I don't care about that." A small blue avian that had been flitting above their heads now landed on Tobias' shoulder. It chirped softly, obviously content. "And it would seem that the tiny Phoenix and I are in agreement."
He took a seat next to Alyssa as the wrinkled sage took his place on the opposite side of her bed. "It appears that she has expended an extraordinary amount of power," the monk assessed, "but this sort of residual signature is like nothing I have ever felt. It is not of the Tap."
Tobias turned his head at that. "Not of the Tap?" he inquired.
"No," the Ai'Brone shook his head, "in fact, I don't sense anything immediately or innately connected to the Tap about this girl. It feels like she's actually feeding on it, trying to close the gaping hole she opened up."
"You mean like... erm... Anathemic Mana?" Tobias recalled Brother Warren's words from less than a year past, but he hoped there was no inherent connection between the two instances. His gaze narrowed on Alyssa as he braced himself for the answer.
"Gods, no!" the monk cursed, "what I mean is, nothing so overtly dangerous. Mana that is enemy to the natural forces of Althanas occurs only very rarely," he explained, "and is generally a result of tampering by primal or divine forces. Something gets pulled in from outside periodically, but rarely are those things charged with power originating from beyond."
Tobias was about to speak, but the First Ai'Brone continued. "No, this power feels almost... mechanical. I can't quite place it. Like something that should not have been created, but was. A power that mankind should have locked away and never tampered with."
"There's a lot of those floating around," Tobias added sourly.
"Quite," the Ai'Brone pointed across the bed to Tobias, who met his gaze evenly. "Now, be quiet. I have to concentrate. This is a very different sort of healing process than what I normally do."
Tobias nodded slowly.
Color bled from the world around him like crimson from the wounds all over his body. Tattered, useless scraps of cloth and mangled portions of flesh sloughed off of Tobias. He felt every inch a leper, visibly appalling and physically tormented by his own body. Jagged toothmarks pocked the flesh of his hands and arms where the accursed wolfbeast had gored him with its fangs.
Still, Tobias Stalt hefted the frail form of Alyssa Snow in his arms. Agony etched on his face belied the truth of his predicament, but Tobias moved like there was nothing wrong. "Gods," a withered voice sucked in a breath as Tobias rounded the corner toward the infirmary. "Quickly, child. You need medical attention!"
"The girl," Tobias rumbled, his voice hoarse and raspy. "Tend the girl."
"That will not do!" The First Ai'Brone- Tobias knew him from a previous debacle that stemmed from a training accident- thrust a finger into the Mercenary's face. "You will die if you are not treated immediately."
Blank faced, Tobias shrugged. "Then I die," he stated simply. "First Alyssa. I have felt far worse." As he placed the Homonculus on the bed, Tobias heard the splatter of his own blood from a gaping wound and willed himself to ignore it. The elder healer was not amused by the cascade of gore on his floor.
"You're going to clean this up," the beleaguered old man ordered Tobias pointedly.
"Fine," came the terse reply. "I don't care about that." A small blue avian that had been flitting above their heads now landed on Tobias' shoulder. It chirped softly, obviously content. "And it would seem that the tiny Phoenix and I are in agreement."
He took a seat next to Alyssa as the wrinkled sage took his place on the opposite side of her bed. "It appears that she has expended an extraordinary amount of power," the monk assessed, "but this sort of residual signature is like nothing I have ever felt. It is not of the Tap."
Tobias turned his head at that. "Not of the Tap?" he inquired.
"No," the Ai'Brone shook his head, "in fact, I don't sense anything immediately or innately connected to the Tap about this girl. It feels like she's actually feeding on it, trying to close the gaping hole she opened up."
"You mean like... erm... Anathemic Mana?" Tobias recalled Brother Warren's words from less than a year past, but he hoped there was no inherent connection between the two instances. His gaze narrowed on Alyssa as he braced himself for the answer.
"Gods, no!" the monk cursed, "what I mean is, nothing so overtly dangerous. Mana that is enemy to the natural forces of Althanas occurs only very rarely," he explained, "and is generally a result of tampering by primal or divine forces. Something gets pulled in from outside periodically, but rarely are those things charged with power originating from beyond."
Tobias was about to speak, but the First Ai'Brone continued. "No, this power feels almost... mechanical. I can't quite place it. Like something that should not have been created, but was. A power that mankind should have locked away and never tampered with."
"There's a lot of those floating around," Tobias added sourly.
"Quite," the Ai'Brone pointed across the bed to Tobias, who met his gaze evenly. "Now, be quiet. I have to concentrate. This is a very different sort of healing process than what I normally do."
Tobias nodded slowly.