[PQ] Toxicity

Isla take your medicine After the meeting in the Temple, a number of things had been decided (whether consciously or otherwise). They were going to fight the Spire Demon, but not until Flowerbirth. That gave Isla a little more time to examine the venom she'd extracted from one of the creature's fangs. The only problem was that she had gotten as far as she could with her own knowledge and experimentation. And people in the meeting had been happy to help, or so she assumed. So, feeling a mixture of trepidation and optimism, Isla placed a notice up on the board outside the Temple, inviting people to join her in trying to create an anti-venom to the poison injected through the monster's bite. Now dusk had arrived and the medic awaited those who might join her in one of the treatment rooms within the Infirmary. Signs and other helpful nurses would direct them to her, and she waited with her sample of the venom and a number of tools, herbs and other things she had collected in the hope that she might finally put this poison to bed. This PQ has three open slots and will proceed every 48 hours. <3 You will need to post 3+ times in order to gain credit! 1. Phoebe 2. Min 3. Kalt

Phoebe saw the notice and knew at once that she needed to offer her assistance. She had been the only one besides Isla, as far as she knew, that had actually witnessed the Spire Demon's poison in action. She had helped the medic in keeping Ronin alive and uncovering what little they did know about the way it affected the body. It wasn't so much of a decision to attend as it was simply knowing she was needed. And Phoebe loved being needed. She made a quick stop by her clinic to grab her little but growing midwife's bag. She didn't think she had anything that Isla didn't already but it was worth bringing some of her supplies just in case. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. She arrived promptly when indicated on Isla's notice. Phoebe smiled at her warmly and waved a little in greeting. "I saw your notice. I hope I can be of some assistance." Phoebe Be gentle to all and stern with yourself

MIN Tomorrow we'll be far away Tomorrow is the judgement day When Min had first seen the notice, she had scoffed at the arrogance of it. An Outlander woman who had already taken on far too much of their tradition now trying to solve things that had been unsolvable for years? Yet she was curious. What if Isla had found out something? What if they could defeat the demon and break the barrier? Min had been curious ever since she had been a child to know what laid behind it. As she set off that night, she told herself she was going to keep an eye on Outlander motives, but truthfully a much more innocent curiosity pushed her into movement. She did not know if her magic would be useful here, but she had good knowledge of the place that the Outlanders did not and a practical mind which was ready to find solutions to any given problem. With a sharp rap on the door with her knuckles, Min entered and nodded at the two women inside. "I am here to help. I have magic." She announced simply.

Kalt was getting to know Isla on a partnership level. Professionally, of course, though who was to say friendship was impossible? He already dedicated some of his time to working in the Infirmary with or for her, so when he saw that she put up a notice calling for like-minded people to join her regarding the Spire Demon... Well, he just couldn’t say no.    Besides, he was a magic user, a medic, and a scholar. While he wouldn’t call himself an herbalist, he dabbled in certain herbs back in Northwind that made life a little more enjoyable.    The man walked into the Infirmary to see Phoebe and Min both of whom he had yet to make acquaintances of.    A crooked smile shone on his face, as Kalt approached the gathering of women. ”Ladies,” he said, nodding to Phoebe and Min. Then, he brought his eyes to Isla with a raise of his brow. ”Isla, my magic seems to have mostly figured itself out, so I’m here to help. Whatever you need.”    That wasn’t the only reason he was here, though. Kalt’s magic made things quite interesting for him. He wanted to see just how effective his transmutation was on the Spire Demon venom because then, perhaps, it would be a tell for just how effective it would be on the Spire Demon itself. After all, it was said that the creature’s insides weren’t organic. Interesting that his magic just so happened to be able to change non-organic items molecularly. KALT darkness lives in me

Isla take your medicine Isla smiled to each of them in turn as they entered the infirmary, the doctor nodding and inviting them to take a seat. "Thank you, all of you," she murmured. "My hope today is that we might find a way to create an antivenom for the Spire Demon's poison." So saying, she held up the small vial and offered it first to Phoebe for her to pass around and let them examine it. There was a pitiful amount of poison in the vial - one last shot, one might say - but Isla had kept one of the creatures jagged fangs, too. If nothing else it was a good demonstration of what the monster was capable of. This she offered to Min so she might pass that around as well. "Having experimented with a few things previously, I feel I am now in a position to try one last test. As you may or may not know, I recently became an Ascended. From what I know of myself, I am impervious to most poisons and diseases. It is my intent to inject this venom into myself and try to create an antidote from there." Isla's voice was calm and quiet. "Before we begin, might I ask what magic the two of you possess?" No post order! This quest will move on in 48 hours.

MIN Tomorrow we'll be far away Tomorrow is the judgement day Min sat down and listened to Isla speak with a carefully neutral expression. She was handed a fang, which she turned in her hands a few times and considered it. It was the first she had seen of the spire monster, the same monster that might have killed -- no. That train of thought was unproductive and she swallowed it down. Still, she quickly passed on the fang afterwards, giving it to Kalt. Isla had ascended? As far as Min knew it was a difficult process, one she would not have seen for the doctor. Her respect for Isla grew a little, which said much for her given she was an Outlander. However, the respect nearly plummeted when she said she was going to inject the venom in herself. Idiot. "I have disintegration magic." She answered curtly. Min didn't know if she was going to be any use here, but now she wanted to stay just to see what would happen to Isla.

Phoebe smiled kindly at the other two people that entered, not recognizing either one. When handed the vial she glanced at the liquid briefly before handing it off to the other two. In silence she listened, though her expression showed her surprise. Brown eyes widened - an ascended? Phoebe hadn't known at all, and immediately she wondered why Isla had made such a decision. Of course, it was none of her business and so she kept her mouth shut...at least until Isla further explained her plan. Inject herself with the poison? The young midwife glanced at the other two people who had joined, wondering if they thought this idea as odd as she did. Well the other woman didn't. Perhaps she should express her concern. It wasn't like she possessed magic after all. What else was there for her to say? "Isla..." she said softly, a bit nervous speaking up in front of people she didn't know, "If it is true that the poison won't affect you like it would a non-ascended...will it actually be useful to inject yourself with it to make an antidote? How will we tell if it works?" If it was being injected into someone who wasn't going to have the right symptoms, how would they know if their remedy was potent enough to actually stop it from progressing in a victim? Phoebe Be gentle to all and stern with yourself

Kalt looked at the vial of poison that Isla handed to Phoebe and the fang of the demon from Min right after.    The vial didn’t worry him, at least initially. He had been around probably thousands of kinds of poisons, both natural and manmade, for so many years that it didn’t bother him in the slightest. However, the fang had a chill run down his spine, less out of fear and more out of excitement. The first thought he had was the want to turn the thing into a knife or dagger of some sort, but he figured Isla wouldn’t exactly be thrilled with the fang going missing, so he opted to wait.    The fact the doctor was now an Ascended held no fascination or shock for him, but her following statement drew piercing eyes in her direction instantly. Inject herself? Had she lost her mind?    ”Are you insane?” He questioned. ”Isla, we don’t have an antidote yet! I know how to slow the spread of poisons, but if something goes wrong, you’re going to die.” The assassin never really had an issue with people dying, especially when they sacrificed themselves for something foolhardy, but he liked Isla and thought her an especially valuable person within the bubble. It wouldn’t benefit anyone for her to be incapacitated or killed.    Regardless, the decision was ultimately the doctor’s, so he clamped his mouth shut, jaw feathering with drawn brows. ”I have transmutation,” he muttered. ”And minor healing magic.” He felt the need to stress that his healing was miniscule at best so she didn’t rely on his ability to possibly revive her from the dead. KALT darkness lives in me

Isla take your medicine Disintegration, transmutation, minor healing magic and a very capable midwife to hand. It was good enough to Isla. And was she insane? Perhaps. A lot had changed in her life in a very small period of time - she wouldn't have been surprised to learn her grip on reality had grown less than secure. But this was neither the time nor place for that, and she offered the group a calm smile at their questions (or lack thereof) and concerns (or again, lack thereof). "It is my hope that we can use my blood - well, my reanimation fluid - once it is infected with the poison, to create an antidote. I appreciate your worries, all of you, but please trust me when I say I am confident that this will work," she murmured. "If there are no further questions, then... I know that Phoebe and Kalt likely know how to draw blood." As she spoke, Isla began to prepare the vial to inject it into the crook of her arm. "If either of you could do so after about fifteen minutes, I would appreciate it. And if someone else could take down notes? Oh--" Here she glanced back at Min, suddenly struck by an idea. "Would you perhaps be able to disintegrate the fang to the point that we might see inside it? I'm interested to know more about it." Without further ado (and before anyone could try to stop her), Isla seated herself on the bed and poisoned herself. For science. Obviously. No post order! This PQ will move on again in 48 hours. Please feel free to have either Kalt or Phoebe draw some reanimation fluid from Isla. They will notice that she becomes flushed and that her breathing is erratic, but that she is otherwise stable by the time they need to do this.

Kalt pursed his lips as Isla spoke, but he trusted her enough. Besides, what she decided to do with her life wasn’t exactly his decision. That didn’t mean he approved of these methods, yet at the same time, he couldn’t help the admiration he felt stirring for her. It was the kind of thing he used to do quite often in the Guild - usually earning a scolding from Harkon.    Before anyone could protest further, Isla sat down and injected the poison into herself. A sharp frown was worn, but he wasn’t going to waste any time. The fifteen minute countdown began as soon as the injection was made.    He didn’t wait for Phoebe or Min to act, before locating a syringe and tourniquet.    Isla was beginning to look pale, and her chest was moving much less stably than he would have liked, but poison tends to have side effects, and these seemed minimal compared to what they could have been.    Fifteen minutes. As soon as the time was up, he tied the tourniquet and slid the needle smoothly into her vein to begin drawing her blood. Reanimation fluid, rather. He figured he should get used to that if he was sticking around this world. KALT darkness lives in me

Phoebe worried her lip at Isla’s explanation. It still made her anxious, this extreme course of action without knowing for certain that it would be fruitful. Kalt have been quicker than her, grabbing the needed items to draw her…reanimation fluid, whatever that was. Phoebe didn’t really know a whole lot about how ascendeds functioned if she was being completely honest. So she would attend to her as best she could. The midwife could play a good little nurse, holding a vial at the ready for Kalt to deposit the collected sample into. She did her best to make sure Isla was comfortable as the symptoms began to present, recognizing them at once as a slightly diluted version of what Ronin had experienced. ”Is it getting worse?” Phoebe asked Isla, wondering if she would remain stable or continue to become more and more ill as time passed. They needed her to be well enough to at least tell them what to do, given her expertise, and it worried her that she might become as incoherent as Ronin had been. Phoebe Be gentle to all and stern with yourself

MIN Tomorrow we'll be far away Tomorrow is the judgement day Min was quite prepared to just sit and watch what would happen, but she was glad to be given a task. As Kalt and Phoebe got ready to help take Isla's fluids (a concept she thought bizarre. Why would poisoned 'blood' help with an antidote? These Outlanders were really odd.) she took the fang back into her hands and closed her eyes, focusing energy into it. Gently, she cracked through the first layer of enamel, then through the fleshier levels and strange marrow that somehow felt different than human. It was slow because she had to be careful not to shatter it, but eventually Min felt the fang give way in her hands and then split in two, one half in each hand. She pulled the two halves apart, resulting in a mostly neat cross-section, with a few imperfections but good enough to study. Once she had accomplished this she sat with them on her lap and waited for the experiment to continue.

Isla take your medicine "I am alright," Isla reassured both Kalt and Phoebe as they checked on her, and she held her arm out willingly for the former to draw blood. Well, fluid. Kalt would notice, as he injected the needle, that what flowed from Isla's veins was not the dark crimson of a mortal's blood, but something clear and opalescent. Within it they would see, in fact, some tiny, tiny particles of venom, disintegrating very slowly into the rest of the fluid. Taking a deep breath and letting it out again, Isla was still a little wobbly but she seemed to have rallied well enough. Unlike Ronin, her Ascended nature was fighting off this poison with little trouble. "That is... encouraging. Whatever is within me, then, can mitigate the venom. I wonder if we might be able to find out what element of my blood does this, and replicate it into an antidote..." It all sounded very complicated, but that didn't make it impossible with the right tools and magic. Glancing to Min, Isla realised that the other Abandoned had successfully broken the fang in two. "Beautifully done," she remarked. "May I see it?" No post order!

Phoebe's eyes widened a bit when she got a look of what the reanimation fluid looked like. It was both strange and beautiful in a way. And terrifying. Ascendeds were very different from people like her in many ways, but to the naked eye it could be hard to discern. But seeing this made it undeniably clear just how different they were. When the needle was removed she quickly placed a small piece of gauze on the pin-prick, placing pressure on it until it was certainly either healed or would no longer...would you call it bleeding if it wasn't blood? Isla spoke of how they might separate out the various parts of the fluid to understand what actually caused the poison to disintegrate. She vaguely recalled something she had read once in a more advanced medical text (before promptly putting it away because goodness some of those concepts were difficult!). She closed her eyes, trying to remember what it was, her brows furrowing. Ah! She held her hands in front of her, fingertips lightly pressed together as she recited, "If you spin a mixture at a high rate of speed for an extended period of time the various parts should separate." She wasn't sure if it would help Isla but she was at least proud of remembering it. "Would that get you what you need?" Phoebe Be gentle to all and stern with yourself