|
Post by Ashe on Oct 23, 2019 18:27:25 GMT -6
Ashe made a face, imagining what this "something" that could "go wrong" would be. Guts all over the floor? Detached body parts? He imagined Jack's pets running around with pieces of Obs hanging out of their mouths, playing tug of war with a leg. Yikes. He hoped something like that wouldn't happen. Ashe called up Inyala onto his shoulder again, for simplicity's sake, and ordered his skeleton thrall to follow them outside. Skeleton Obs walked slowly behind him, somehow managing not to trip over anything or run into a wall. Maybe a part of Obs was still there, attached to the bones like a chunk of soul or something? Ashe tried not to think about it; it was most likely just his magic holding it together anyway, and causing it to mimic Ashe's careful movements.
Maverick joined them as they walked outside, walking near silently behind them. He wanted to see this, to witness the end result of their attempt. His eyes glinted in the light outside, but that was the only sign of his presence; he waited on baited breath to see what would happen next.
Ashe stood with Jack and the Amphadron, pulling the Restore Orb out of his pocket and tapping it to activate the magic. He murmured the short incantation that accompanied it, and watched it go to work. He aimed at the legs, thinking to start from the ground up. The lower limbs were muscle and skin, not too much to them, whereas the higher they went, the more complex the organs. He watched as, right before his eyes, skin and flesh started climbing up his feet and calves.
3 4/5
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Oct 23, 2019 18:55:02 GMT -6
Tok buried his face into Jack's hair as he watched the three combined magics made the flesh and skin creep up his legs, slowly crawling to his waist where it stopped, a little skin clinging to the bones around his spine, clinging for dear life as it tried to pull off again. Squealing, Tok buried all of himself into Jack's curly hair, and Jack turned around a little to give the semi-skeleton, semi-human some privacy so Ashe could put a blanket or something around his waist. She didn't need to embarrass the guy any more than he probably already would be, considering they were bringing him back from the dead. Did he even want this...?
Jack frowned a little and turned to Ashe, wiping the sweat off of her brow, "So I didn't even ask, do you think he wants this even? I mean, I'll do whatever, but he's not going to do anything stupid when he comes back, will he?" She tilted her head a little and stroked Tok's feathers to calm him down a little as she listened to whatever Ashe had to say. She hoped he had figured something out, but if not... Well she was going to see it through, and whatever the man wanted to do, he would do after he was alive again. "Do you need help getting him to storage?" she finished with a half smile.
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Oct 24, 2019 20:46:33 GMT -6
Ashe just stared as the magic did its work. He felt the drain, even through the orb itself, as the magic bled out, the combination of other magics amplifying the result. And still, he felt the drain as if he were casting it himself. He simply stared in awe as the skin crawled and formed and muscle knitted itself neatly together and tendons strapped themselves to muscle and bone. Jack turned around, and Ashe thought the grotesque nature was too much for her at last; it took him twenty seconds to realize he was staring right at Obs' crotch. He wasn't looking, he'd just been watching the repairs happen, but once he realized the lady in the room was reacting modestly, then Ashe was looking. Huh. He'd never seen that part of Obs before. Now, was it exactly the same, or was it modified due to magic...?
Oh, right. Jack didn't need to hide forever. Ashe groped around for something, anything, and settled for tying his jacket around Obs' waist. Inyala balanced on his shoulder, completely unhelpful, during this whole ordeal, and Maverick stood by, surely wondering why humans were so strange with their bodies. As a stallion, if he felt something, the entire world knew about it if they so much as glanced at him; no one ever tried to cover him up!
"Oh, I, uh..." Trust Jack to come up with the hard hitting questions. "I never asked, technically... But Jinx and I, we talked to him through a spirit board, he told us where to find the body, maybe he would have kept that a secret if he didn't want to...?" But even Ashe knew that was a weak defense. "I can't say what he'll do when he comes back, though. I don't know...if they get brought back as they were... As he was now as a ghost... or different."
"Nah," Ashe said to her offer of help. "I can get him home just fine, with Maverick's help. Would you be able to meet me at my place around this time, once we're both rested? For round two?"
4 0/5
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Oct 26, 2019 13:44:00 GMT -6
Bane wandered off, his job done for awhile at least, back to the pond now. He glanced over his shoulder at the half there human and then shrugged, a very human like behavior. It wasn't up to him to do what he needed to do, he figured, but that was up to the woman at this point. Jack waved to him a little with a bit of a sigh and then turned back to view the body after Ashe tied his jacket around his waist. She didn't want to embarrass the guy when he came back after all.
Stroking Tok's feathers some more, she nodded as she listened to him, "Since he told you where he was, I'd say that was permission, but... he could always do something stupid after we bring him back. Was he that kind of guy anyway?" She tilted her head a little and sighed a bit, it would be a shame for that to happen, but she could possibly see someone doing that. Oh well, at least they knew this would work. "Yeah we can meet there, I'll ride Kro over with Tok here and bring Bane along too since we need him for this and all. I'll see you tomorrow then!" Jack told him with a wave.
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Oct 29, 2019 16:34:05 GMT -6
"Not... not usually..." Ashe frowned in thought, trying to remember. He and Obs had gone on adventures, had a lot of fun together, but the memories were fuzzy, clouded by time and sadness. He remembered Obs starting to act oddly, his attitude getting darker, as if something was haunting him or there was some sort of resentment eating away at him. He knew Obs and Vix had had something between them, though was that related? He didn't know, and without knowing, he couldn't accurately predict the man's actions when he came back. "But why would he want me to bring him back, if he was going to do something stupid and mess it all up?" On that note, Ashe did remember, a little less vividly in terms of imagery but more in terms of emotions, a time when Ashe had struggled himself. He'd taken on Nosferatu and nearly gotten himself killed, he'd been so traumatized by something in his life. He could understand Ghost Obs being okay with this, but Resurrected Obs being upset later... He shook his head. Obs would be fine.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He would have hugged her, normally. His head was too jumbled, his nerves on fire and tense. So he nodded a farewell, helped the half-corpse onto Maverick's back, and climbed up himself. Inyala balanced herself, clinging to Ashe for dear life as those massive wings flapped open, then they took to the sky.
4 1/5
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Oct 29, 2019 16:56:34 GMT -6
It was the next day, and Ashe was expecting Jack to come over any second now. They hadn't agreed on a specific time exactly, just 'around this time' and to be honest, Ashe didn't know exactly what time he'd said that. Would Jack? Or was she just as flustered and bewildered as he was? He knew it had to be close to that time, so he decided to get ready for her anyway.
He was at his place at Zanarkand, in the Sarane barn. There was a cellar below, where he kept a lot of the meat - Sarane ate a lot, and he had a lot of Sarane! - and it was cooler naturally underground. He'd taken the body out of the cooler, pleased to find that the skeleton part still responded to his commands, and also that the flesh part looked okay. It hadn't frosted over, it hadn't started to decay, it was still in tact. He swallowed thickly, realizing they had a lot of work yet to do. But he was feeling good today, rejuvenated even if he felt restless and mentally exhausted, unrelated to magic use.
Inyala was with him. He knew she preferred warmer climates, and it was kind of chilly down here, so he'd given her a fluffy blanket to cover herself. She'd taken to burrowing in it on the floor against a wall, watching with bright eyes from underneath a mound.
Obs was more modest today. Ashe had him stretched out on a table he usually used for chopping meat, but had plastic sheets draped over it now. Another sheet covered his waist, and he had a pair of boxer shorts ready to put on as soon as the flesh above the waistband level was healed.
4 2/5
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Oct 29, 2019 17:03:30 GMT -6
Ashe paced nervously, feeling Inyala's eyes on him as he did so. She was concerned about her master; she didn't have to tell him, though she had, because he'd woken up a couple of times in the night to her peering down at his face when she checked on him. Why she was so worried was beyond Ashe- she just kept saying stuff like 'dangerous' and 'shouldn't meddle' and nonsense like that. Why not, if he could do it? And here in the Labs protected territory of all places, where they literally created life like someone would create a robot or a boat.
Truth be told, Ashe had tossed and turned for a part of the night. He was excited and thrilled to be doing this, after all these years of chasing his dream he was finally working on it! Making great strides, progress! On the other hand, this was his 'make it or break it' point and what if he messed up, and it backfired? What if he, or Jack, suffered because of this? What if a life for a life pact came in and one of them.... No, he couldn't think of that, and he banned such thoughts from his mind while he was in this meat locker. No, he had to be strong and brave, for Obs. He just...couldn't bear the thought of something bad happening to Jack.
He made one last round, checking on Obs, checking on his nodes and the restore Orb. Among these things, and Jack's help... There had to be something to work.
4 3/5
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Oct 29, 2019 17:30:06 GMT -6
Jack had to convince Bane to come with her, and it had taken a little bit of time to get him on Kro's cart to take him to Ashe's place. Tok was with her, of course, as he always was at this point, clinging to her as Kro plodded along the road toward Zanarkand. Jack knew what was going to happen, they were bringing someone back who may or may not want to come back, but... it intrigued her, she had to admit to it, she couldn't wait until she could do something like this all by herself, which she figured Ashe wanted too at this point. She pushed her hair back and surveyed Ashe's estate, wondering where he could possibly be.
"Can you find him, Bane?" she asked the Amphadron, tilting her head. Bane stretched out as Tok squealed on her shoulder, and the larger of the two animals leaped off of the cart and headed toward a barn. Jack chuckled a little, patted Kro on the side, and slid down to the ground, steadying Tok as she did so. He was still getting used to her movements it seemed, which wasn't a bad thing. "Ashe!" the woman called as Bane stopped outside of the barn. Sarane were in there, she could tell, and she didn't necessarily want to get eaten.
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Oct 29, 2019 17:52:58 GMT -6
The gates to Zanarkand were always closed, but Ashe had left specific instructions with the smarter of his two guardians, Brazin, to open them should a girl with a thundergug approach. And so, the gates likely swung open without much fanfare, possibly without the gargoyles being noticed even, and let the girl inside. They shut behind the party with a metallic click.
Once inside, it was unfortunately apparent that the guides Ashe had left - Xaphan and Zagan - had found other things to entertain themselves with, rather than showing their guest to where Ashe was. Once they made it to the barn, the pair heard the shout and came running, most likely looking for treats. But on their way over, the Daughter Mortling remembered that they had a task to do, and darted off to go check the gate and see if their guest had arrived. Her brother followed after her, not putting two and two together. If Jack was looking up, she might see the twins running away.
Down below, Ashe heard the shout and started to head back up the steps. He silently cursed, wondering where the escort was, and why he hadn't been alerted to Jack's arrival yet.
4 4/5
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Oct 29, 2019 17:53:12 GMT -6
At the barn, several Sarane were alerted to the call. Mostly hens, thankfully, and not the resident Drake, Hobgoblin. Rapture was the first to come into sight, bumping into the wall as a fluffy white hen tried to shove past her. Jaws snapped and tails swept at each other, before they both made it through.
At Jack's feet, a shadow stretched impossibly long, twisted and gaunt. Eyes within the shadow flared, startling the hens into backing off. Rapture's nostrils flared, smoke starting to curl out of them, but a quick flicker of a shadowy arm pushed her back. The pair snorted, chuffed at the newcomer, then turned and wandered away. No treats, nothing interesting enough to keep them from lazing around.
The shadow reached out and gently seized Jack's ankle, giving a tug. Kitty formed into a flickering black fire on the ground, moving into the barn and down one of the corridors. They made it to a large door just as it opened from the inside and Ashe stepped out. "Jack! Hi, sorry. I guess my little mongrels didn't find you." He'd have a talking to with those Mortlings! "He's down here."
5 0/5
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Oct 29, 2019 18:07:44 GMT -6
She noticed them but didn't think much of them until Ashe spoke. Sheepishly, she rubbed the back of her head, "Sorry, kinda barged in I guess..." But she nodded and gestured for him to show her, Bane, and Tok the way. "How did he do overnight? What about you? Any issues?" Jack asked, tilting her head a little, it wouldn't do for him to pass out or anything from doing what he wanted to do. She didn't think she could handle her best friend having some problems with bringing HIS best friend back from the dead. A wince escaped onto her face as she thought of it, what was this going to mean for her if this man was brought back? She stiffened her shoulders and nodded briefly to herself, she would do it, she had promised she would.
Stroking Tok's feathers as almost a worry stone as she thought of it, she wondered where he had kept the man overnight. He said he had a cold place on the farm, and that was the best place to keep him for now at least. Bane stared for a moment and then started toward the basement of the barn, knowing instinctively where it was it seemed. He was... strange...
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Oct 29, 2019 18:21:11 GMT -6
Ashe gave a shrug, not at all concerned with himself and how he was doing. "I kept him downstairs in the cooler. He'll kill me when he finds out, once he's back, but it seemed to work. Kept decay at bay for now, but I want to get as much going as fast as possible." Blood would take longer to do, he knew, and hopefully his good luck would hold out. He didn't have any guidebook to go on and was just winging it, intuition and all that. He made a gesture. "You can pick a stall, if you want, to put Kro in. But he's a tough boy and could keep any Sarane at bay, I think, so he'll be okay up here."
Once she was ready, he would lead her down the stairs to the underground bunker slash cooler slash butcher shop. It was clean, with a few instruments scattered about, and of course the half corpse on the table. Ashe approached Obs and looked down at him. The skeleton seemed fine, still laying there as he had ordered it to. He poked at the flesh, finding it pale in color but otherwise decent. "Here he is, our star pupil for this project..." Ashe pulled out his Restore Orb, preparing. He wondered briefly what this looked like to Bane. The Amphadron was surely smart enough to know what was going on, but what was his opinion? He was helping, so it couldn't be too negative.
5 1/5
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Oct 29, 2019 19:03:39 GMT -6
All she could do was chuckle at that as she told Kro to find a stall and then followed Ashe down below. Obsidion seemed like an interesting guy at this point, kill Ashe for this? Hmm... interesting indeed. She stretched out, Tok almost toppling off of her shoulder before he steadied himself a little, and she nodded, "Alright, looks good still. Shall we?" Jack put a hand on the skeleton part of the body and then pushed through her light magic again, just as she had done the day before. She was going to be worn out for awhile after this was all done, but until then she would try as hard as she could to help her friend out.
Bane reached out with a paw and touched the heel of the body and flooded light magic into it again, though he seemed rather bored about the whole process, unlike the woman who saw flesh start to slowly crawl up the man's spine and cover his ribs. Jack grinned a little, there was a small seam around his waist it seemed, and she pushed her magic further into it to take it away, it wouldn't do for the man to feel like a monster more than he already might think of himself after all.
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Nov 7, 2019 19:05:16 GMT -6
While those two worked on the skin, Ashe set to the organs with the Restore Orb. True, it should only be able to do one organ or limb per day, it seemed more potent lately, and Ashe chalked that up to being boosted by the other two using light magic in combination. The three seemed to simultaneously feed off of and boost each other. Skin and muscle tissue crept up the skeleton as Ashe completed intestines, stomach and esophagus, bladder and kidneys, lungs and trachea. He felt the power draining before he could form the heart, let alone the more complex brain, and saw that the light magic had crept up and did even the face. It was a blank slate, skin covering a skull, but without much in the way of features. It looked weird, alien. Fake. Like a child's drawing almost. No eyes or eyelashes or eyebrows. Lips were barely there. The nose was... a little identifiable. But the skull was encased, and no more bone visible. Arms covered, too. Nails would need a little more growth to look human...
A wave of exhaustion washed over Ashe and he staggered a step. "Okay. Okay... I think that's all we can do for today..." He murmured, glancing over at the others. That was the first time he'd looked somewhere other than Obsidion's body through this entire task today. He shook his head, trying to loosen himself up. His mind and his body were taut, tense. He rolled his shoulders a few times. "Any chance you could come back tomorrow? We need hair... eyes... Heart, brain..." His body balked at the idea of going through this gauntlet a third day, but he couldn't leave Obs in cold storage forever!
5 2/5
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Nov 7, 2019 20:05:45 GMT -6
Tok squealed as he watched the man's body form more around the skeleton, and he wasn't sure how he felt about this. Knowing his mistress, however, he knew that he was going to have to get used to it, and so he would, no matter what at the moment. He gripped her shoulder tightly and clamped onto her hair with a paw to try and figure out what to do, if he could help her out a little, that's what he was there for after all! Jack reached up to touch him slightly and then refocused on her efforts, watching as the body grew up and over, the alien face finally stopping before features could fully be seen. Once more, one more day, and that would be the last of it, she hoped. She didn't think Ashe could take much more, let alone herself and Bane, though Bane seemed not to have any issues or anything at this point either.
Looking forward and nodding when the magic stopped, he climbed out of the basement and went back to Kro so he could head hoem still, leaving the woman, man, and halfbreed down below with the body. Jack chuckled a little and reached out to steady her friend, "Steady there, man. Don't faint on me or anything. Do you need help getting back to the house so you can rest?" She nodded a little at the question, "Of course we'll come back, we can't stop now!"
|
|