@Ashiore Evretto Lucia had been struggling for a short while, ever since Astorea was saved with her new project. In simpler terms, it was a very difficult task, but to put it more complicated, one only had to glance over her current predicament to properly understand just how complex her issue was. She stood with a cramped expression, clearly struggling to work out her next move, as if operating without a plan, she seemed to be having difficulties improvising. The reason was the large quivering mass of flesh in front of her. Like a giant slug wrapped in human skin it's surface twitched and quivered like a water balloon being poked, it's shape occasionally twisted or churned awkwardly, like a toddler or infant oblivious to it's surroundings, innocently trying to explore. The large mass was clearly not very stimulated by the simple grassy terrain that extended into the distance, it simply wiggled around as a slug would exploring blindly while Lucia observed it. "... Abominations are a lot harder then I thought. In the end Wolf kin personalities are very strong and strict to some extent, it seems that it was too hard to adapt a core personality." Lucia mused, as if trying to consider exactly where things had gone wrong. The quivering slug like creature was meant to be an abomination, made from the corpses of all of those who died in the recent world quest, it was a monster made from the remains of many congealing and melted down together. Among those corpses were even some of the vampire wyrms that were so notorious for loitering within the basements and dungeons of Astorea's castle territory. Lucia had made this monstrosity against her better judgement not only because she just happened to have the materials, but she would also have to experience this type of undead someday, getting an early start wasn't disadvantageous. Considering her dislike of Abominations and chimera, she truly disapproved of these creatures, she still had a great many reservations about creating one, moreso now that she had seen her work exploring the world. The creature continued to writhe and explore though, occasionally it's fleshy skin surface would suddenly twitch producing root-like tendrils and appendages to better explore the world. Sifting through grass here and there, it would even lift some stones, soil or grasses from time to time, sucking them into it's fleshy body to experience and understand them. The only things safe were a few occasional flowers that it would suddenly cling to and carry on it's body as if it were a decoration. Like a child, anything colorful was quickly taken and adored while the more mundane and typical looking things were quickly abandoned or deemed uninteresting. Lucia watched it closely, still leery, seemingly on the verge of trying to decide whether or not this creature would be useful or if it was a mistake.
Ashiore hadn't had much cause to visit Pormont lately. Not much time either, given the whole deal with getting imprisoned, having to go off to assassinate a king and dealing with the aftermath of all that... But before all of that went down, she had taken occasional trips with Naixi to return to the lioness's original home. The first time they had returned, Naixi had run off, her light coat blending in easily in the golden grass and grains. For an awful, heart-stopping moment, Ashiore had thought that Naixi was leaving and abandoning her. Then she saw the lion waiting further on up a hill, and sensed her exasperated impatience through their empathic bond, the mental 'hurry up already you big slow human!'. She hadn't worried about Naixi leaving her after that. ...Anyway. Ashiore avoided the area closer to the mountains, leery of dredging up bad memories. That meant she was currently sitting about in one of Pormont's open fields, each as undistinguishable as the next. Prometheus was, for once, not perched on her shoulders, but she could still see his shadow at her periphery, as he found a nearby tree to roost in, could still feel the alien workings of his mind. She was still trying to get a feel for him. He wasn't prideful, not in the way that Naixi had been. He was shrewder, less prone to attachment. She supposed that made sense. It still ached in a hollow sort of way, though. As her thoughts drifted back to Naixi, Ashiore found herself absently growing some flowers by her feet. Expending magic in this way was soothing, akin to busywork. Her fingers twisted, tracing the incantation into the air as energy flowed from them into the ground. Gentle scents filled the air as oakleaf geranium surrounded by spiny tongues of aloe sprouted from the soil. The quiet sound of wind rushing through feathers was all the warning she had. Quickly, she drew back her hands, and watched Prometheus's beak snap at nothing. She gave the vulture a glare, and as he circled around to alight on his branch once more, she could distinctly feel his wry amusement at their continuing game. She never did figure out what was wrong with her fingers, actually. She gave them a glance. Nails still pure white, the skin still discolored. And the smell... Wrinkling her nose, Ashiore was grateful for the geraniums she had absentmindedly grown. She didn't always notice it, but it was a foul and sour odor that seemed to plague her wherever she went. Perhaps she should go find a healer? One had helped when her fingers had begun to crystallize after too long spent in Zalra. But where could she find someone who knew what this was? Her musings were interrupted as... something shambled up nearby. Fighting back the urge to scream, Ashiore scrambled backwards, staring at the mass of flesh. What the hell was that? There was a human figure nearby, though. Still keeping the wiggling thing in her vision, she looked at the woman who was following it. That was... Ashiore remembered her. She was the woman who had come along to 'help' her negotiate with Sir Murors. The one with the... zombie... An idea forming at the back of her mind, Ashiore took a few steps around the creature, heading closer to its owner? Keeper? Creator? Well, whatever the term was. "...Lucia? Is that you?" @Lucia Mierz
Lucia had been focusing largely on how to help her newest creation's instability. It was an easier task said then done, she'd never faced such an unruly thing or unstable combination of powers, thoughts and identities before. The mass, in an effort to absorb everything without rejection was becoming more and more amalgamated jumbled. With a burdened sigh, Lucia was only jogged from her thoughts when the creature suddenly stopped it's childish exploring with a sudden jerking motion. Like a snake or snail standing, it raised one end slowly. Without a head to turn, or features to really tell exactly why, she could only look at it in confusion until it's fleshy surface began to change. When Ashiore was close enough to see it with her own eyes, as if it felt her gaze, it's surface rippled as an eye appeared in it's peach colored skin. Blinking initially, the eye looked human, from it's size to it's coloration it would be normal if it appeared on someone's face, but on the writhing mass of flesh it would no doubt be a great deal more concerning. It would only become more alarming as more began opening up. Five, Ten, Twenty, Fifty, hundreds of eyes began opening, not all of them human either, some appeared large and rounded like canine eyes, while others were normal human's while a few were from other strange creatures. They all contracted briefly, turning down to look at Ashiore before coming together in the form of a single large eye gazing down at her. It was as large as a large mattress or a pair of double doors. It's gaze was blank, indifferent, simply observing something 'new' and 'interesting' very very closely as it's lumbering standing form began to lean in Ashiore's direction. The more the woman tried to avoid it and approach Lucia, the more it tried to awkwardly quiver it's way closer, lurching awkwardly over the ground without it's front end to drag it forward. Making an effort to push itself across the ground like a caterpillar. There was no murderous intent, no ill will, the large mass of flesh with a single gaping eye simply had a child-like curiosity as it pursued the poor girl who approached it's master. Lucia on the other hand, smiled briefly to Ashiore, waving in greeting as if the strange mass of flesh's interest wasn't a big deal. It would swallow and devour things to grow, but humanoid biomass was no longer 'interesting' it was no longer 'fresh'. Instinctually, it seemed to form the idea, or perhaps even understand that it would no longer evolve from consuming people, instead that would merely increase it's size and mass which wasn't as useful. "Ashiore? I remember, back when Sylvanas hadn't been completely repaired, we had a mission together right?" Lucia spoke, remembering the kidnapping. While Lucia herself wasn't particularly adept at negotiating with NPCs because of her identity as a Necromancer, she was unfortunately ideal for playing a threatening villain. That was what made it so easy for her. "Since then I've been able to repair Sylvanas, I'm sure she's a lot less intimidating now." Lucia spoke with a bit of confidence. Since her time with Ashoire back then, Lucia had grown a lot. Not only her control over the undead, but also her ambitions and goals had changed for the better in her own mind. Though the disturbing creature in front of her was also a result of that growth, Lucia wasn't yet all knowing in the field unfortunately which led to her being somewhat at a loss with how to deal with her new one. "..." Instead, it simply watched in silence, quivering, closing the distance to observe from up close. If Ashiore didn't flee or retreat, it would cozy up closer in an effort to lean over her and look down from above like a child looming over an ant hill.
The thing was still trying to shuffle closer to her. With a grimace, Ashiore continued to try and step around, but it looked like if she kept it up, she'd have to try and curve around the entire field. So, sucking it up, she just walked straight to Lucia as quickly as possible. It brought her closer to the fleshy creature than she would like, but at the very least it didn't- Eyes. Ugh. Ashiore tamped down a shiver as she tried to ignore the dozens of pairs of eyes that spontaneously appeared all over its body. "Ah, yes. That was a while ago." The memory of the elven corpse was still rather disconcerting. "That's nice. Glad to see that you're doing well," she said in response to the remark about Sylvanas being less intimidating. The squirming creature suddenly lost all its eyes, before a single enormous one bloomed across its length. It drew up and loomed over her, its lone eye blinking occasionally as it stared at her. She drew back just a bit but remained mostly in the same place, trying to keep up the conversation with Lucia. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the dark form of Prometheus appear in the air. He settled down on her shoulders, ruffling his wings a bit and staring at the creature, head cocked to the side. Vaguely she could feel something like curiosity and hunger through her bond with the vulture. Speaking of Prometheus getting hungry, she had approached Lucia for a purpose. "I, uh, was wondering if you could help me with something?" Who better to ask about a strange ailment that made it look like her fingers were rotting than a necromancer? She held her hands up, showing the mottled skin and brittle-looking nails. "I don't know what happened to my hands, but they look like this now. And sometimes, there's a smell like they're rotting...? They're not painful or anything, though." @Lucia Mierz
Lucia chuckled at the memory, back then Sylvanas might have been unsightly, but after a great deal of effort her undead commander had been largely revived and repaired. That once withered frame was now lively and fleshy. Her skin was still ashen but her blank gaze was now filled with a certain intelligence and emotion even if it was frosty and frigid most times. That hole in her head had been repaired, her damaged ear fixed, the hay like hair repaired and revitalized giving it a cotton white look. Whether or not Ashiore happened to see Sylvanas anywhere in a world quest or a boss raid by coincidence Lucia wasn't certain, but she was still proud of the difference. "Isn't it? It's good that I wasn't forgotten. I like being able to leave an impression." Lucia explained with a sweet smile. Though thinking back to those kids she kidnapped for a moment, Lucia hummed, wondering if they were in good spirits. It was no doubt harsh living the life of a hostage, but at the same time, there was no doubt a certain freedom that came with not being a noble, particularly with guardians who cared for you. "It's nice to be able to catch up though." Lucia added with a firm knowing nod. Though seeing the shadow being cast by the fleshy creature, Lucia lifted up a hand to touch it. Ashiore would be able to see how Lucia's hand adhered to the creature's peach colored hide, the creature still had a habit of trying to eat the things touching it on instinct. Lucia kept pulling her hand back, giving it a soft petting as she spoke. "Alice, you're being rude, you shouldn't look at people from so close up, you'll make them nervous." She lectured causing the lumbering fleshy slug to recoil, slowly tilting it's large body away. It's large eye blinked at Lucia briefly before glancing back to Ashiore, at least not looming over her like before. Though when Ashiore began talking about her fingers and showing them, Lucia glanced down in thought. For a moment her brows furrowed as she reached out towards Ashiore's hands for a closer look. It was a familiar smell at least, Lucia used rot damage a lot back when she was a common Malefimancer. Though the condition was unique, she'd never seen such a bizarre type of rot symbiosis. "It's peculiar, but it doesn't seem to be particularly aggressive for the moment. Is it waiting for something or perhaps building up strength?" Lucia mused with a humming tone. This was certainly something in her wheel house. Rot and undead damage was something she was infinitely familiar with, but despite her familiarity she could only form incomplete conjectures without the whole picture at her disposal. If Ashiore were dead or disectable she'd likely be able to find out what was going on, but a living subject was much more fragile. "This is difficult, but Alice should be able to help figure things out, what do you think?" She asked Ashiore's opinion since Alice's intimidating and unstable form might be off putting enough to do more harm then good to the woman.
"Yeah..." Ashiore agreed vaguely, still keeping the thing in her sights. It didn't really make any move towards her for the time being, but she didn't want to be taken by surprise if it did end up doing something. When Lucia mentioned the name Alice, Ashiore couldn't help but remember the small faerin girl she had met once. Uneasiness seized her for a brief moment, as she tried to remember if one of the multiple eyes that the thing had sprouted were the same blue shade as what she remembered Alice's being. What was possibly worse was how it still seemed to try... swallowing people? Lucia's hand clung to the thing like it was covered in a layer of glue. The fact that it didn't seem to distinguish between Lucia or anything else that it could absorb wasn't very comforting. Thankfully, after the necromancer's reprimand, the creature--Alice, she supposed--shrunk back, and no longer towered after her, though the gaze of its lone eye was still unnerving. She watched Lucia examine her hands. "Uh, no, I don't think so...? It hasn't seemed to do much." Though the way Lucia was talking about the weird infection, it sounded as if it was sentient, what with being able to 'wait', or 'build strength'. That didn't sound good. Uhhh. When Lucia suggested that Alice help, Ashiore instinctually pulled back her hands to her side. As if sensing her distress, Prometheus cave a low hiss. "W-what exactly do you mean by, um... Alice helping?"
Lucia continued gazing at Ashiore's hands even as the large creature simply continued idly observing the woman. Despite the matching name, Lucia didn't name the girl Alice after anyone in particular, instead, it was a nod to the story of Alice in Wonderland. The creature was curious and child-like in attitude and nature, not knowing right from wrong, not understanding complex or deeper meanings. As if it was a child itself, it behaved and approached the world much like Alice in wonderland in Lucia's mind. She felt the name suited the creature very well. Though the more Ashiore seemed to comment on it not doing much, Lucia cracked a dry smile. Her chuckle wry, gaze filled with a measure of pity. "That's what I mean. It hasn't done anything but also hasn't faded, why? Necrosis is something that advances or dies, Rot is something that progresses thoroughly, Corruption is something that spreads or withers but this doesn't seem to react that way. If it's not Necrosis, not Rot, not corruption, it can only be something more advanced. Something with 'intent', even if it's not sentient itself, there's at least enough intent for it to bide it's time in this stalemate." Lucia tried to explain the complexities of Dark magic. This sort of thing was always one that would consume without stopping, to see it stalling without causing Ashiore any trauma or trouble was a bad sign. Though when Ashiore seemed to grow leery of Alice once more, the creature leaned down again, it's body flopping downward to stare at Ashiore from human level rather then gazing down from above. It's large eye began to shrink back only for the creature's body to slowly grow slits. It's peach-skin coating splitting here and there all over before spreading apart revealing wide toothy grins all over. Each mouth had pointed teeth like a canine's some had normal human teeth, but most were monstrous or sharpened as a beast's or creature's would be. At Lucia's prompting to help, one of the creature's grins parted letting an awkward tongue slip out. The fleshy appendage dripped with saliva but despite coming from a 'mouth' it didn't look like a tongue. Instead, it had the appearance of a fleshy hand that lacked skin. The farther it stretched out, it seemed to be composed of more hands sprouting from the palms of other hands forming a long cord of twisted arms. An Abomination was a very unsightly creature by nature, it's appendages were naturally unsightly as well. It made an effort to use that tongue to touch Ashiore's fingers though, awkwardly feeling and groping around her hands as if trying to 'understand'. The feeling would likely be unwelcomed or bothersome, but the creature's eye closed to a half lid, a brow slowly taking shape above purely so that it could furrow in concentration and thought. "..." "Alice will be able to figure out understand it at least, at the very least she's assimilated a great deal of this sort of thing, so whatever it is, she would be able to find out if we wait a while." Lucia said with an apologetic smile.
Hmm. So there were a lot of different types of, whatever this was. Rot and necrosis had sounded like the same thing to her, but then again, there was a reason she wasn't a biologist. Though who knew whether a biologist would actually help in this circumstance or not? It seemed that even a necromancer didn't fully know what this was, so what hope did an actual biologist have? "I see," she said, though not really. What she did know was that describing this thing as 'sentient' in any way was bad, really bad. 'I've always wanted to be a medical case study,' said nobody ever. But it looked like Ashiore was getting her chance right now. When Alice leant down again, Ashiore winced. The single lone eye was terrifying enough, but this time, with all the mouths and the monstrously sharp teeth, and the nonstop smiling, and... Well. The eyes probably still beat that out in terms of creepiness, so- -oh god it opened its mouth, oh god there was a slimy, dripping hand that reached out of the maw- Scratch that, this was plenty creepy. Lucia didn't seem to react in any way, so it wasn't dangerous--? She hoped, anyway--but it was still disconcerting, as one hand appeared to split and twist into many, tinier appendages, all grasping aimlessly at the air. It took all of Ashiore's willpower to stay in place as the hand-tongue licked(????) her fingers. "A-ah, right," she said. Wait just a while, sure thing. Not like she was getting tasted by a terrifying flesh creature, nosirree. The vulture on her back leaned over curiously, tilting his head to peer down at the hands examining Ashiore's fingers. Probably suddenly territorial over what he felt was 'his' snack, if the light aggression she felt through their empathetic link was any indication. "Prometheus," she snapped, trying to turn her head to stare at him. "No! It's not going to eat me, leave it alone." At least, she hoped so. Wondering whether or not she was going to get eaten probably wasn't the best situation to be trying to think in, but she did manage to dredge up a relevant memory or two. Maybe they would help? "I, uh, think I was in Norforva a while ago. I don't know if it was what caused it, since I didn't really get a chance to check, but maybe it's something related to that?"
The creature kept exploring Ashiore's fingertips, idly licking at them still for a long while. Lucia only watched on with a soft hum of thought, musing and curious about how Alice would diagnose things. After all, this abomination was Lucia's most recent creation, made from a myriad of creatures, it's intelligence couldn't be called into question despite it's childish appearance and innocent curiosity. The brain power of several hundreds of bodies was as intense as one might expect. After only a while, finally the large creature would stall it's licking for a moment. The large eye focusing. It's iris swiveling like a camera lense, focusing, unfocusing for a better look. The eye's pupil even swelled to take a deeper look. "Examining genetic strands. Ancient Undead Qualities, Minor Human influences." It spoke, it's voice bland, monotonous like a computer, but despite it's size it was the voice of an indifferent child, a little girl speaking through each of the grinning mouths simultaneously in stereo. It's tongue slipped up away from Ashiore's hands to her arm, as if recognizing that there was no rot there, it's brow furrowed deeper. "Host infected with more Human Bio-mass. Grasper limbs poorly designed. Can Improve. Will make it better." It spoke suddenly trying to grip Ashiore's arm with it's tongue. It began pulling, as if trying to bring her arm towards it's mouth and those sharp guillotine like teeth. Before it could pull the woman too closely though, Lucia hesitated raising a hand. "W-Wait Alice, we're not here to make more undead! Stop, what I want is a diagnosis here... What is it!" She complained, thinking that Alice would be scaring the poor girl to death. Alice was meant to be her Abomination Commander, their leader and highest authority. It was because of that that Alice focused brain power and efforts into perfecting her own kind and her own body. Because of Ashiore's condition, the creature misunderstood Lucia's order as a request as a request to make Ashiore 'complete'. The sudden order caused the creature to halt and recoil almost immediately. As if a child that was yelled at without knowing why, it's gaze turned towards Lucia, that large eye refocusing as it glanced her way. "Subject: Host, unsatisfactory. Primitive structure, Minimal Biological adaptability. Vague Magical potential lacking, Cannot overcome flawed origins." As if trying to argue against Lucia without knowing the reason why, it explained the reason Ashiore needed to be 'changed'. That only made Lucia pout in response then, reaching up to give the creature a soft pat again, the sticky nature of it's surface unchanged as she tried to resolve the issue. "We won't take down friends for those kinds of things. Come on now, let go." She spoke trying to be firm with her newest creature. It only took a moment of hesitation before the tongue finally let go and slid away. It was still clearly bothered, as if leaving a task unfinished, as if someone had put a red M&M in a bowl full of blue M&Ms right in front of it. It's gaze still occasionally wandered to Ashiore as if unwilling to let the matter drop but at the same time not willing to fight back against Lucia's demands. It was trying to reason it's next move like a room full of people in it's head negotiating with one another simultaneously about what to do next.
Ashiore tried holding still as Alice examined her hands, she really did. But the sensation of dozens of miniature hands slobbering up and down her own hand was too much. She didn't pull away, but she fidgeted throughout the whole process, which probably didn't make Alice's job easier. She felt like she'd managed to mostly make it through the rather disconcerting experience, but of course the situation just had to get creepier. Alice began speaking through all of its mouths, which almost made Ashiore draw back her hand in shock. And then she registered what Alice was actually saying. The grip around her hand tightened sharply and her wrist started being tugged inwards, towards the toothy maw. Panicking now, Ashiore took a step back, trying to free her hand from the tiny limbs that formed Alice's tongue. The thing's grip was strong, though, and her hand barely budged an inch as it drew closer and closer to the sharp fangs that glinted in this one mouth. Out of complete panic, she was just about to spit out a spell, something to attack the fleshy mass with, but Lucia's command made Alice stop, somehow. Retrieving her hand, Ashiore quickly stepped away from the creature, Prometheus still anchored firmly on her shoulders despite her frantic movements. He probably sensed her agitation, as his gaze was fixed on Alice with laser-like focus. As Lucia spoke with Alice, Ashiore took the time to try and calm down. Slowly, her pulse slowed and she didn't feel like she was about to be imminently devoured anymore. But every now and then, she could still catch Alice turning towards her, which really didn't do her heart rate any favors. ...It was probably time to leave. She didn't exactly want to hurt Lucia's feelings, given that Alice was her... pet? Creation? Whatever, but Ashiore really didn't feel comfortable being around this anymore. Not after she was almost assimilated, or whatever it was that was going on. "Um, Lucia... Th-thanks for trying, but I, uh... I think I'll be going now. Sorry. But, it was nice to see you again, and it's good to know that you're doing well." She tried to muster up a smile, though it probably looked shaky. "If it's not too much trouble, if you find something about it, could you get in touch with me? But really, it's not too urgent. So, um, bye. See you around." Hopefully without Alice, but that wasn't something that she was going to say out loud.
Lucia could only form a bitter smile. Her subordinate's zealous actions had been horribly misunderstood. The Child-like mind of her abomination was likely the most difficult to relate to and follow, particularly when combined with the peculiar style of speech that made it seem more mature or possibly artificial then it should be. The creature was still largely a mystery to Lucia purely because she'd never really researched that deeply into Abominations and such. Almost as if reacting to hostility, the hesitating creature suddenly jerked when it was glared at by the vulture creature of Ashiore's. Like a child throwing a tantrum, unwilling to lose, it made more eyes to stare back at the bird. Unlike the bird's hostile glare though, the creature seemed oblivious, purely for the sake of not being the loser it glared back innocent and naively. For all of it's computing power and intelligence, it maintained this bizarre personality that troubled Lucia. Though seeing Ashiore trying to retreat after the mix-up Lucia couldn't help huffing a little. Exhaling a burdened sigh, she couldn't help a firm shake of her head. Really, Abominations were far too off putting, maybe she wasn't as ready for making Alice as she first thought... But the chance of finding better materials was just far too slim, Lucia took the chance at making the poor creature without knowing all of the information. "A-Ah, Wait!" Lucia called out a little alarmed. At the very least, she didn't want Ashiore to leave without being diagnosed. After all, if everyone developed a crippling fear of her creations who would she be left with as friends and supporters? "You-- Come on Alice, at least tell her something useful, she's a friend." Lucia pouted, visibly upset, trying to stall Ashiore at least long enough to be helpful. Though the larger creature appeared wronged in some way, oblivious to the reason it was being yelled at. It was clear it's intention was only helping too but it had no idea what Lucia was asking for in truth. It briefly hesitated once more, before finally relenting with disappointment in it's many eyes of varying sizes. "Organism 'Ashiore' fascinating. Implications Disturbing." The creature spoke before leaning in towards the retreating Ashiore once more. If the woman fled too far, it wouldn't be able to catch up easily, but that wouldn't stop it from trying to wriggle it's way around her. If Ashiore didn't flee, it would end up leaving just enough space to make it clear it wasn't trying to swallow her up with it's action. "Interweaving of Undead and Living matter subtle. Spun on Micro-scale. Not possible with Necromancy. Entity responsible for 'Ashiore' exceeds organism Alice. Recommend; Ritual Magic. Preserve organism 'Ashiore', steal useful undead sequences." It spoke trying to glance back to Lucia. A little relieved it didn't turn out like last time, Lucia let out a breath. But hearing that whatever infected Ashiore was something that exceeded Alice's ability was very unsettling. If Alice couldn't separate them then it was something that went beyond normal players, monsters, status effects and game elements. Fortunately it wasn't so unsettling that Alice couldn't diagnose it, it wasn't related to the Rule of Red which made Lucia smile, hope clear in her expression. Had Ashiore not fled, Lucia would try to explain what Alice meant with an excited smile. "Ah, if that's the case ritual magic can fix it. The only problem is Ritual Magic takes a lot to cast, things I can't just get from traveling or gathering, rare things that will take a while to achieve." Lucia couldn't help flashing a bitter smile. As powerful as her magic had gotten and as studious as she was, some power simply couldn't be contained within a single person. Outside help was needed to cast and fuel such a thing. "I can help you remove it if you have the time and money? I can't say we'll be able to make it happen soon but, nothing's impossible I guess." Lucia asked, knowing that there were some portions of the ritual that could only be bought.
Ashiore was just about to leave Lucia to... whatever it is she would do with Alice, when the other woman's sudden words gave her pause. It was only how earnest Lucia sounded that kept her there, since every instinctive part of her was telling her to stay as far away form Alice as possible, especially after it attempted to eat her. Prometheus continued staring at Alice, letting out a hiss as the creature approached once more. She didn't know precisely what he meant by the angry stare. Was it actual protectiveness? Or something merely territorial, having taken offense at something that tried to eat what he considered to be his food source? Regardless of how he meant it, Ashiore took some comfort in it. It was a pale shadow of the safety and security she felt when she was around Naixi. But there was that saying about beggars and choosers, after all. She'd waited, tense, as Alice approached once more. If it came down to fight or flight she wasn't sure which way she was leaning right now. Thankfully, Alice didn't attempt to consume her this time. The words it was saying were still awfully ominous though, and nothing that she heard made her feel more reassured. There was still a lot that she didn't fully comprehend, but it obviously meant something to Lucia. Relief at there potentially being a solution for the strange rot on her fingers broke through the tension for now. Hm. Ritual magic, was it? Ashiore hadn't heard of it. But, fine, that was all right. Lucia was the expert in this case. She grimaced as Lucia outlined what was necessary. "Time is all right, but I don't have that much money on me right now." She kept Alice in the periphery of her vision as she continued to speak to Lucia. Though it did not make any threatening moves towards her this time, the way it talked about 'preserving' her or 'stealing undead sequences' didn't sound very comforting. "If you tell me what you need, I can keep an eye out for it? I might be able to see if I can find any during a quest or something."
The moment Alice mentioned 'Ritual Magic' though, contrary to Ashiore's relief, Lucia's expression darkened from the bad news. Ritual magic was never simple, it was always something that came with great expense one way or another. After all, Lucia became a Necromancer using Ritual Magic and the price was killing hundreds of monsters, animals and humanoids and that was merely a mastery upgrade compared to removing a foreign power. The thought of what kind of 'price' must be paid for this kind of spell was a little heart breaking. Feeling that Ashiore was perhaps making light of the ritual magic, she couldn't help shaking her head. Her expression a bit bitter from uselessness and helplessness. Truly this sort of thing was definitely beyond ordinary, Lucia couldn't doubt that any more. "No, this... I something that will definitely need money. Money... some common materials; large amounts of salts and iron, though blood could replace the iron maybe." Lucia furrowed a brow as the answer got more convoluted and puzzling as she thought it through. "The tougher part is finding a catalyst, this isn't something easily found. What kind of object could even play the part? It would have to be something incredible-- I could borrow one from the temple, but they would want a donation." Lucia spoke, as if more to herself then to Ashiore as she worked her way through the process. Ritual Magic was an ordeal, it wasn't as simple as reading off a line or forming a gesture, it was the type of thing that needed days or months of plotting and planning to achieve. A part of the game meant to change things on a larger scale then simply curing an ailment. Being told about the possibility of finding it on a quest, Lucia's expression only grew a bit more bitter. If such a thing could be found on a quest wouldn't her own growth and change be a non-nonchalant thing? "Well... I don't think you'll find it on a simple quest. It would be the kind of thing you get from a world boss or an emergency world quest. Really, Catalysts aren't easy to come by. I've only ever found two really..." Lucia admitted with a dry laugh, worried that Ashiore might write off her overly grave words as an exaggeration, or at least be misunderstood since Lucia herself had found two. Of those two though, one she had to die for and meet a goddess to acquire. The other she had to slay a giant and pry out it's heart and keep it a secret from her party to get. The materials used for such an earth shattering change were either expensive or impossible to find for a reason. "I suppose the best part would be to begin gathering the cheaper or easier to find materials, the iron and salts first. From there, clean and healthy herbs or relics, things full of life or light. Vibrancy is important. Beyond that though, the key piece is just too hard." Lucia commented again stressing how irritating it would be to acquire without spending a gold piece. She wracked her brain to think of a situation to receive one, but it was far too dependent on luck and chance. "Does that help at all?" She asked with a bitter expression.
Ashiore didn't have the experience that Lucia did in this game. She had grown a lot from her hapless first days as a complete beginner, but she hadn't even begun to delve into whatever deeper secrets that Terrasphere held. Ritual magic, as a result, was a complete unknown to her. And so, as she listened to Lucia elaborate, some of her earlier relief and enthusiasm quickly faded. That... certainly sounded like a herculean task, then. Whatever a catalyst was, it sounded like an enormous ordeal to acquire. And any other materials would have to be found through battle with large, world-spanning creatures? "I see..." She tried to rally, though it was tempting to give up on that instantly. "I- uh. I'll keep an eye out?" she said, quite aware of how trite it sounded. The only such event that she had taken part in was the fight against Azog, though she had heard that there was another one some time before she joined. Perhaps these events were somewhat regular in occurrence? That was something to hope for. Her attention was piqued when Lucia mentioned something about herbs. "I could probably manage that part," she offered. "I'm pretty decent when it comes to plants. It shouldn't be too difficult to acquire them." Though that was really dependent on whether or not they were available through Naturamancy. If not, then she'd probably be in even more trouble. And, well. It really did seem as if the rest of the preparations for whatever ritual Lucia had in mind was entirely out of her range. "It was a great help, thank you." At least she knew there was something she could do. It was better than being entirely at a loss. Doing her best to ignore Alice's motion to the side, she gave Lucia a grateful nod and a quick bow. "That's a lot more than I could have managed to find out on my own. So really, thank you. I'll do my best to keep an eye out for anything that might help. Salt, iron, and lively herbs for the simpler materials, right?" And as for anything more arcane... Perhaps she'd find something while snooping around some more in Norforva. She did recall visiting that desolate, blood magic-laden wasteland sometime prior to realizing that this unnatural infection had taken over her hands. If there was a clue to be found, there was a high chance that it could be found there. "So, I- uh. I guess I'll see you around, Lucia? And, um, I don't mean to be pushy, but if you find anything else about it, could you let me know?"
