[PQ] Rock Steady

D e i m o s

Send a heartbeat to the void that cries through you
Relive the pictures that have come to pass

Deimos’ luck in the Spire had always been sparse; a momentary undulation of irritation rippled through him as the support fell inwards, not as strong, not as potent, his lapse in concentration his undoing. Unfurling only a single growl, the beast persisted, ensuring focus and determination along the midst of the next range of prowess. Wasn’t he supposed to be better than this? Jigano was hanging on for as long as he could – so the furrowed brows wouldn’t really matter, not now, metal obliging and unwinding his hands this time, ensuring they were grounded, they were whole, they were in locking pieces instead of crumbling wood contortions. He added additional supports to the bottom of the structure as bracers too, intending for them to remain sturdier, steadier, in the long run. The pace was slower, simply by way of work, sweat descending along his temples, eyes narrowed, striving to expertly arrange the support so the weight bearing exploits could do their job. -- Deimos attempts to create some metal supports instead; adding bracers at the bottom. For now we stand alone, the world is lost and blown And we are flesh and blood disintegrate with no more to hate

Patience and perseverance were nothing new to the General, and his attention to detail was impeccable when given the time to shine. With Jigano buying him that time Deimos was able to create stronger supports and to place them in the best place to shore up the weakness of the wall. The Spire would never again be the solid obelisk it once had been, but at least now it would be stable again, and he would find the rest of the supports going up more easily around the perimeter, adding strength where it was most needed and shoring up the weakest points.

Concentration was a beautiful thing for focusing magic, and the bear returned to work with a steady competence that most humans in the Hollowed Grounds would be hard-pressed to match. Maybe the stones on its side of the rubble pile were more stable, or maybe it was just that good, but either way the dent it had made earlier continued to grow steadily as the debris was cleared and moved out of the way of those who would soon be making use of the portal beyond. Now that the initial collapse had stabilized again, the Launceleyn would find his water magic no longer precipitating disaster but instead forestalling it as he plucked the upper stones away and deposited them safely to the side. The pile was only six feet high now in most places, and shrinking from the edges inwards.

Jigano held the wall steady until Deimos had done his work. When the big man moved on to the next portion of wall the bard finally allowed himself to relax, wiping away perspiration and looking around at his newly-planted garden of roots that worked to stabilize the foundations below ground. They were already well-established and flourishing, and there was little more to do with them so instead he turned his attention to the rubble. Moving up beside Loren (taking advantage of the ice shield), he looked for where the Launceleyn was working and focused on the central area, tugging at the top layer of debris with his Earth magic. He broke the larger pieces down into gravel, sand, dirt and smaller chunks that could be much more easily shoveled or swept away when the pile was reduced, and which wouldn’t pose a danger to the men (and bear) should they shift and tumble free. He was growing weary with the exercise of so much magic, but the end was in sight.

”One more big push to knock this mountain down to a molehill and I think we’ll be there,” he called to his colleagues. Indeed, all three of the men could now easily see over the top of the pile and into the portal room beyond, though some larger pieces of debris were being unearthed that Loren’s bear wouldn’t be able to budge by itself. ”If we all work together we should be able to get the path open soon!”

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Final stretch!
Loren and Jigano have successfully reduced the pile to what looks suspiciously like a manageable level, though the pieces remaining on the bottom are larger and will take teamwork to move.
Deimos has braced the walls and staved off the chance of further collapse for the foreseeable future!

No posting order!

loren

For once, everything went right and Loren breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe the Spire wouldn't come crashing down on all their heads after all. The entrance was stable, so the Launceleyn walked towards the rubble pile, removing the water from the last of the rocks to make them easier to grip.

"Hope you two are fine working together, since I got my partner already." Then, working in conjunction with the bear, the summoner did his best to life the larger chunks of stone that were left. Unfortunately, his physical strength was pretty shitty, so he let out a pained ground the second he tried to lift one, but hopefully the combined strength of him and his creature would be enough to move the last of the stones.

Never judge a book by its cover.

D e i m o s

Send a heartbeat to the void that cries through you
Relive the pictures that have come to pass

Finally, something had served him well, the dutiful metal cultivated and conjured to suit its purpose, melding into rock and earth, bracing against it with vigilance and vehemence. When the task was accomplished, he took a moment to wipe at his brow, to pull his hair back and up, the amount of work instilled within his veins enough to test endurance and fortitude – something he still held within the core of his essence in ample, bestial amounts, the type of being to continue until he collapsed. Which wouldn’t be today, with power and precision at their forefront again. His eyes cast to the bear and summoner, watching them shift larger amounts of stone, some more difficult than others. The beast then applied his muscles to the task, their undulating wake content and satisfied with the opportunity to unleash some other brand of hell, rolling and maneuvering more rocks of a circular manifestation, and then lifting quite a few that weren’t. When he came across those too large for anyone to hoist and raise single-handedly, the General waited for Jigano to grab the other side, so they could grab and snatch it out of pathways. For now we stand alone, the world is lost and blown And we are flesh and blood disintegrate with no more to hate

Loren was working smarter and harder, and it was paying off in the progress he was making. Once the smaller chunks of debris were out of the way he was left with those pieces too big to move with water without risking destabilizing things again, but he still had answers for the problem at hand. Thanks to removing the water, his grip was sure, and though the bear was doing the lion’s share majority of the lifting, he was still able to help steady the large pieces so they could drag them out of the way. Quickly they were clearing a path right to the door itself, and soon it would be easy for even those heavily-laden with baskets and packs of trade-goods to traverse.

Deimos’ strength was more than a little bear-like itself, and the General applied himself to the task with steady grit and determination on his side of the swiftly-shrinking pile as he and Jigano worked to carry individual stones until only the largest remained. The first piece of debris too large for them to manage alone was shifted between them easily, clearing a couple feet of floor at once. The second was shifted not quite as far, the bard directing them to angle the largest of the stones to create rough places for travelers to rest or set their packs down for a moment before they braved the portal or stairs, depending on their direction of travel. It was only at the end, shifting the very last two pieces of large rubble in front of the door that Jigano’s strength failed. Holding back the wall had taken more out of him than he had anticipated, or perhaps the heavy labor of lifting and carrying at the end had overcome him, but either way as they raised their block of stone the bard’s grip failed and the heavy piece slipped from his hands to land on his foot with an audible crunch of shattering bone. He let out a yell, magic pulsing instinctively to shove the large piece of rock off his squashed foot and off to the side of the door beside Deimos, and he dropped to the ground as healing magic welled up and poured into the damaged appendage. It was sluggish as he reached the ends of his reserves, but at least he could knit muscle and flesh back together, though the bones remained broken within.

Loren and the bear had already successfully moved the other block, opening the way but for a spray of gravel and smaller stones they could easily sweep away before they left. Tears still glittering in his eyes, Jigano nodded to the two men, trying to pull up a tremulous smile through the pain. ”Ah… thank you, both. Could I get a hand back up the stairs, though? I can’t seem to get the bones to knit back together right…”

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That’ll do, team! Please post your closing remarks and then we can call it a day ;D

D e i m o s

Send a heartbeat to the void that cries through you
Relive the pictures that have come to pass

Brawny, burly physique worked with vigor, applying pressure and force readily, satisfied with their endeavors and exploits; what he trained for, what he strived for. It was a sort of contentment in the labor and exertion, fulfillment in the obvious motion of their efforts and toils. Before long, they’d rendered open pathways, the columns and rubble once orchestrated in their fight against poisonous plants and toxic imbalances now fortified, vanquished – Until it wasn’t. While his grip didn’t falter, Jigano’s did, and the stone wasn’t forgetful in its tumultuous, tempestuous maneuvers. The sickening crunch was all the indication the Sword required, fighting the slightest grimace at the notion of bones crackling under immense, intense pressure and force, a summoning for Zuriel outside the confines thundering in his ears, through their fluid bond. The unicorn arrived on a slight huff, standing along the entrance, memories forgoing her attempt to manifest her way in, despite newly-established routes. The beast proffered his shoulders, if Jigano deigned to wrap his arm around them, and he could easily meander over towards the unicorn, or Loren with his potent healing, to set everything to rights. For now we stand alone, the world is lost and blown And we are flesh and blood disintegrate with no more to hate

loren

Loren’s efforts with his bear were more than sufficient. However, given the weight of the stones and the many times they’d already failed at this task, he found himself focusing his whole attention on shifting one rock after another, trying to ignore the ache in his arms. He managed to move the last of his rocks and was dusting off his hand when a sickening crunch filled the air.

Instantly he looked around for the source, and was just in time to see Jigano shift a large stone from his obviously broken foot. Immediately, the Launceleyn was by the white-haired man's side, moving past the General and Zuriel to kneel by the Provost's side.

However, Loren paused there, hands hovering over the bard's skin. "I can do you one better, and heal you up so you can walk under your own power. That work for you?" Assuming he got even the slightest hint of permission from Jigano, the Launceleyn would touch the white-haired man and heal the rest of the damage, knitting bones as easily as the bard had knitted flesh.

Never judge a book by its cover.

He accepted Deimos's help unselfconsciously, letting the General pull him to his feet and leaning on the taller man gratefully until Zuriel and Loren could make their way over. "Sorry," he muttered abashedly, embarrassed by all the attention for what had been a foolish mistake on his end. "Thanks, Loren." He nodded, and then sighed gratefully as healing energy slipped in to fix what his own power had been insufficient to accomplish. When the Launceleyn mage was done Jigano flexed his foot tentatively then put his weight back on it, freeing Deimos as he took a few steps to make sure everything was as it should be.

With the last crisis averted he looked around and gave a satisfied nod. Light filtered in from Safrin's hole in the ceiling, and there were plenty of improvements that could be made if they wanted to make the place fancier at a future date, but for now they had accomplished what they had set out to do, and he turned to give the two men a grateful bow. "Thank you. We work well together," he noted with a lopsided smile as he rose and gestured for the stairs. "Please, let me buy you both a drink at Sunjata's new bar. I think we're all earned it!"

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Thus ends the PQ! Thank you both for helping out!