Lucia had taken the time to thoroughly prepare. Anyone who knew her would be able to recognize the 9 by 9 magical formation she'd constructed, each layer was deep and complex, with pictures carved in and runes, some letters, some symbols but most just drawings. With nine rings in the formation and nine symbols, runes or patterns in the outer most ring, they reduced in number as the rings moved inward. The formation was complicated, nearly as complicated as the runes lining her Ziggurat but this was something Lucia could move and place freely as long as she had the time. Already Lucia's various summons were ready, with Sylvanas, Lina, Gastor, Alice, Mortimer, Morgana, scattered about the sixth ring. There weren't enough summons to properly form a larger formation out of them, but each one was clearly taking things seriously. Even if Sylvanas was clearly restraining her frosty rage, Lina was flashing seductive winks, Morgana was itching and anxious to fight any breathing thing, they all came together in the formation. They were prepared clearly, for a signal, for a sign, they were prepared to work hard, it showed in the tension they seemed to share. Lucia herself was still at the center, preparing the final touch, it was a relic she'd had for a long time. Madison might recognize it as a table in Lucia's tent, but without the cloth and items over it, the coffee table's true identity was revealed to be a coffin. It's surfaces were metal, but it's cover was ornate, the table it had once been was no doubt the flat underside, the ornate cover however would be hard to remember. Lucia kept it in a different place under her sleeping bag as a cradle. The coffin itself was metal, beautifully crafted as well but it had a strange locking mechanism on it that appeared to have been tampered with and broken up by some kind of magic... Ice magic from the look of it, a magic that Lucia didn't have. It had been a long time since Lucia pulled out the casket, there were a lot of painful memories associated with this discovery. Once upon a time, she'd put so much research into the undead, learning about them, how to become them, thinking that being an undead would make her special. Back then she had a little group too, one that claimed to stay by her side forever, to care about her and be invested in her life. She couldn't help a bitter expression looking at it, both of those people ended up leaving her behind, betraying her for someone else, losing interest in her because she was boring, because she wasn't interesting. For a while, Lucia just looked inside at the plush cushions feeling the unpleasant nostalgia that showed on her face.
Madison reached for the flap to enter Luna's tent, and hesitated. Her nerves were still a bit jumpy from the... encounter, shall we say, with Luna and Ezra. She still bore the arcane burns from the former's magical javelin. Madison stared at the wound for a moment through the tear in her tunic. She ripped off the sticky leaves that covered it not long before arriving at the tent. Her skin was still a deep red and specked with dried blood where the bolt hit her, but thankfully she wasn't beginning to blister. It had been her first time meeting someone who mastered Arcanamancy, and she counted herself lucky her arm wasn't torn off at the shoulder by the impact. A sigh escaped her lips as she weighed her options. Lucia was certainly going to ask about the burn--there was no getting around it. But what would she do? Try and burn Luna and Ezra, and risk having the two women hate her even more than they already did? Blow it off with a "you should see the other guy" and hope for the best? Claim it was an accident on her way to the priestess's territory? She was in a real quandary here. If she said the wrong thing, the girls would want to kill her. If she said an even worse thing, Lucia would get mat at the girls--and then they would kill her. If she said the worst possible thing, Lucia would abandon her. Tell her to take her tree-hugging, socially-awkward, touch-adverse, emotionally-confused ass and get the hell out of her lands. Madison couldn't take that. Not after how she opened herself up to the necromancer, allowing feelings she long since forgotten she had bubble up to the surface. She would never forget the time they spent in Synra's domain. Oh, how she craved another night like that, just the two of them under an empty sky-- No, she couldn't do anything to jeopardize their relationship. She'd rather die than risk losing Lucia. Kneeling down, Madison pressed her hand to the cold, ashy earth. Now that her true potential as a Nature Magus was unlocked, her fingers could feel the soul of the world crying for help as the ziggurat continued to suck the life out of it. It sent a chill down her spine; but was a plea that she chose to ignore. From the broken earth, another clump of sticky leaves sprouted. Madison plucked them from the dirt and gingerly adjusted her tunic. The hem of her tattered garb awkwardly rested by her neck while her right arm remained in the sleeve. The witch placed the leaves on her tender flesh, pressingly lightly to make sure they stuck. A wave of refreshing numbness quickly took hold of her. And yet, Madison still hesitated when she reached out to enter the tent. "Goddammit, goddammit," she softly cursed as she spun around, taking a few steps away from the task that lay on the other side. With a few slaps upside her head, she added, "Pull yourself together, Maddy! Lucia specifically asked for your help. Nobody else's; your's. She trusts you, she believes in you. Come on, girl! You didn't grind away at the game for weeks on end just to bitch out!" The woman stifled a growl that nearly turned into a scream as she paced back and forth in front of the tent. Her heart was beginning to race as all these little nagging doubts began to form in her mind. Shit, she had Ezra on her hands and knees and ready to submit before Luna showed up to make things unfair! By all rights, she could've sent the both of them to the respawn queue; but she was the one who yielded instead. If she couldn't handle the two women (and that bastard iguana), was she really ready to help Lucia achieve her dreams and break the rules of the game? "No no no no no," Madison grumbled, slapping herself repeatedly to shut her brain up. "Don't even fucking start. You can do this. You got this. Lucia believes in you; it's time you start believing in yourself too." The witch literally just awakened herself as a druid. She finally got what she sought since the moment she first heard about it--access to the Emerald Garden. A place separate from this reality where druids could roam once they entered a deep sleep. It was a realm of endless, unspoiled beauty. The first time she laid eyes upon it, it stole her breath and brought her to tears. So much potential laid before her, an infinite wilderness to discover and tap into-- With a shred of resolve returning and giving her strength, Madison reached for the tent flap and threw it aside. She walked into Lucia's roving home-- --and was immediately greeted by the sight of all the necromancer's summons standing inside an incredibly intricate ritual circle. It was in that moment that Madison realized her stomach and left breast were both exposed, with her tunic slung over her shoulder and all. The witch's face turned a deep red with embarrassment as she quickly put the tunic back on, her aching shoulder protesting with the sudden movements. The healing leaves were visible through the fraying tear where Luna's spell pierced the garment. Madison tried to avoid the collective gaze of Lucia's summoned inner circle. "H-hi," she managed to choke out.
"If you keep making a ruckus like that, even the Witch will hear you." A voice spoke up, but it's position was strange. By the time Madison had entered everyone's line of sight, the voice came from two places; one was the armored knight Madison would no doubt be familiar with, but the other place seemed to be from her own chest. After speaking, a hand would stretch from her chest, the smoke-y and ghastly hand of a specter made from nothing but fog and smoke. At first glance Madison might think that it had been 'inside' of her, but in reality it had merely stepped through the woman from behind with a hand out. "... I don't take kindly to being called a witch." Lina, the curvaceous lich replied with a hostile glare. The woman's fiery eyes was matched in every which way with her alluring and voluptuous figure accentuated by an outfit that left so little to the imagination. The moment she glared with such a hostile and heated gaze, her red hair started to flicker and brighten, like flickering flames. Despite that though, the armored knight didn't seem to notice outside of replying with a simple "Witch..." Again making the lich grip her forehead and shout in frustration for not having the ability to just lash out and start throwing fire balls from the inside of the runic circle. Ignoring the Lich's building rage and rippling hate and anger, the ghostly facade that passed through Madison didn't just do so to be surprising. In that hand that came from her chest was gathered a mysterious black sludge of some kind. Despite the Banshee woman's hands being no more then a ghostly apparition it still gripped the physical substance discarding it with a wet 'plop'. That inky muck came from Madison's injuries; the radiation damage, the burns, the bruises, the Banshee woman was able to physically rip these things from Madison's body no doubt creating a very unpleasant sensation in the process, but it was quick and easy. "It doesn't hurt to use those slow regenerative skills in times of peace, but know the Miss is counting on you. Your injuries interfering with things would be problematic." The voice still seemed to come from two places, the knight and the banshee woman together. The reason would become clear as that ghastly image turned towards the knight prompting her to stand from her seated position. The two melded together as the knight opened it's eyes, the undead death knight's gaze slowly turned red when it's banshee returned elevating it to it's status as a Wight Knight. Despite all of the commotion though, Lucia seemed distracted. An intense Melancholy pouring off of her, it was an atmosphere thick enough you could cut it with a knife as she reminisced. Once Luna was close enough to trespass in the runic circle, Lucia would finally speak, her tone soft enough that Madison might struggle to hear her if she was distracted. "It's funny how much people can change. Funny but a little exciting." She started, her brows perking at the center as her gaze grew sadder. "When i first started, I had so much hope that I could change. Maybe there was still a little bit of shine left back then, my smile a bit more genuine, my feelings a bit more exposed. When I think about it, I became so dark so quickly." Lucia muttered with an expression that twisted from bitterness to sadness and back constantly as she spoke. As if she couldn't quite settle on a feeling. The words came to her slower as she thought back to that time, it wasn't long ago, but it felt like forever. "I fell in love with two girls back then. One was a rough and tumble martial artist-- She was the type who tried a little too hard to be a ninja... The other was more of a merchant, a weapon smith who knew astral magic. Back then, I didn't have any real ambitions of my own-- I just wanted them to be happy... When we found this washed up on the beach, we were surprised that it belonged to a Vampire Baron. It'd long been discarded, but I took his notes, and used them to study the Draining school of Black Magic." Lucia spoke, neck deep in nostalgia and her own history with that coffin/casket. For a moment her gaze listed as she continued, her tone growing a bit pained. "Back then, when they betrayed me, NPCs ended up giving me a reason to go on... NPCs in a game were all the reason I had left to live for. If it weren't for these silly NPCs, I would have given up then and there-- I wouldn't have had a chance to meet Vivian, to meet Ezra and Luna... To meet you~" She spoke, finally turning her head to meet Madison's gaze. Lucia's expression still seemed wounded. It was clear the casket had a lot of hard and burdensome memories for her. It was a relic from the harshest time in her life, it was the only thing she had left of those two who were her first loves in this game, the first romantic partners who at least seemed like they took her seriously. "Back then, I thought they'd be the ones helping me do this-- Since then, I thought I'd try to do something different, to be a supporter, let the heroes be my NPCs and take a back seat. I didn't want to have to use this thing that they helped me find." Lucia explained before gesturing at Madison for the woman to join her, slowly fixing that gentle and warm plastic smile she usually wore. The sweetness in her atmosphere as it usually was as she welcomed Madison to her side. "I'm getting too emotional though. I wanted your help to get me through this hurdle. If I keep taking a back seat ride, you all will end up surpassing me and leaving me behind. Are you ready? In good condition?" She asked, as if performing a pre-flight check.
It was a most curious sensation when Sylvanas reached into her--through her, really--and removed every ache and pain that ailed her. It felt like the very touch of death itself; a cold numbness rippling through her chest where the ghostly limb disappeared into her body. Madison felt oddly relaxed. In fact, she never felt better; even in the seconds after she spawned in Brisshal, she was maybe at 99.9%. Those stepping into a fresh world, gotta recalibrate all my movement and muscle memory blues, man. But what Silvanas did to her? The witch was sorely tempted to flick open her palm UI and check her meters. Everything shining bright at a nice 110%, more than likely. Madison could only stare at the inky glob slowly dripping all over the place as the familiar held it. Was she really carrying that much crap inside her? All those niggling little bumps and bruises from the months of constant travel? Ever little lingering doubt inside her mind that could distract her from the task at hand? Once Sylvanas merged with another to form the wight knight, she could hear the two halves speak into her mind, confirming that Lucia needed her at her most optimal for the long, grueling road ahead. The witch merely nodded in understanding and thanks at the powerful familiar. Lucia was in rare form. Madison couldn't remember the last time--or any time, really, where she felt like the woman before her opened herself up like this. The plagueslinger remained quiet as she listened to her story, studying all these little details that the priestess hid behind her usual quietly cheerful facade. The slouched shoulders. The bitter twist in her lips. The vacant, dead look in her eyes as she stared at the metallic coffin, itself a symbol of the troubles and heartbreak she racked up since the priestess took her first dive into the game and where they were leading her. Madison's own heart ached at the mention of her first two lovers. While she finally began to understand Lucia's thoughts and philosophy on love and relationships, she couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy and dejected acceptance she felt whenever her thoughts turned to Luna and Ezra--the far more skilled, far more attractive Luna and Ezra-- No. No. Don't even start. Not right now, okay? You're here. They're not. Lucia needs you for this. Lucia wants you, not them. They can't help her; this is something only you can share with her. Only you can make Lucia something more, something better. Something she can feel good about. Something that will finally make her feel powerful, feel complete--like she can finally shine bright like the rest of us. Lucia trusts you. Only you can help her through this. She needs you. ... like the good little tool that i am Madison furiously shook her head and bit her tongue. The urge to cry out died in her throat, smothered by the tang of blood and a sharp jolt of pain. Lucia put her mask back on, casting a bright smile in the witch's direction as she continued to speak. When she asked if Madison was ready, the witch glanced up at her. "Ready as I'll ever be," she said as she flashed a weak smile. ...but I have so many questions first. They were better off unasked. So, Madison kept them to the relevant topics at hand. Motioning towards the coffin, she asked, "So what are we doing with this? You really look like you don't want to, but are we sealing you in this for the duration of the ritual? And what will you need me to be doing the entire time? You mentioned a while ago that you already had everything planned out, and you just needed my help with things..." A dark thought occurred to her. "...You don't need me as a blood sacrifice or anything, right?" Madison glanced over at the wight knight, one half of whom healed her the moment she drew close to the ritual circle. Desperate for the priestess's attention and adoration, she'd be willing to do anything for her. Madison felt like this was her one chance to prove to Lucia that she deserved to be by her side, and would do anything she asked. Even if the witch couldn't have her all to herself; Lucia would know that Madison was completely, unquestionably hers.
Lucia heard Madison's questions, but her gaze remained on Madison's face for a long while even after she asked. As time passed in silence, her smile softened a little. "You know, one good thing about living with this mask on like this is that it becomes easier to look through them." She started with a mellow tone. "Maybe it's something only people who are special feel, but trying to compete for a '1st place' position that doesn't exist seems so exhausting. What do you think the 'prize' for '1st' is? What would '1st place' even be?... What's wrong with just being happy? With being special? Is being '1st' really all that different?" She couldn't help asking with a small smile. If Madison seemed confused or nervous, Lucia wouldn't be able to restrain a soft chuckle. Giving a gentle shake of her head, her smile widened as she explained hoping Madison didn't think she was upset. "You and Luna are easy to read-- Ezra... well, Ezra, is probably a lot more like me in this way perhaps." Lucia mused in thought, out of her few partners, Ezra was probably the hardest-- or the easiest to read. Lucia couldn't quite figure out if it was because Ezra hid nothing or if it was because she was just better at keeping it wrapped up like Lucia herself. Though seeing that her playful musing might not be too welcomed, Lucia turned her gaze back to the steel coffin with a faintly bitter nod. "I don't want to do this-- That's true. I really didn't want to." Lucia spoke, closing her eyes for a moment. In truth, she knew there was futility in her efforts now. No matter how hard she worked, people would always leave her, no one would ever stay by her side forever. She could only try to find temporary comfort in her companions-- or so she believed at least, her life would only have meaning in these brief moments when people cared about her. This thing that gave her hope in the past, now, after being betrayed she felt the meaninglessness in her expectations, the uselessness in her effort. Even if she did somehow become 'more' then she was, it was all meaningless if she was still boring, mundane and normal. Even so though; Ezra was trying hard to grow, Luna was finding more friends, even Madison was getting stronger. If Lucia remained complacent in her role as a Saintess, then they would all go on to forget her when they eventually surpassed her. The best way to try and stave that off was to change herself too. "But..." She finally continued, and for a moment, Madison would be able to catch a flicker of something harrowing in Lucia's gaze. It was only there for a flicker, but that sudden flash of darkness was something 'different'. It was madness, dementia, insanity-- the kind of thing people were strapped to beds with belts for-- the kind of thing that people were imprisoned for. It made Lucia's lips twitch as her smile curled at the end briefly. The feeling being stimulated was rage-- hate-- fury. If Lucia was condemned to live without shine, she had the option to give up, to die as she'd planned... but now she had people who actually cared about her. People who she lifted... but who stayed with arms out to try and lift her as well. Those loved ones she would always believe in, always have endless faith in, always cherish... were wasting their effort on her. Wasting their glorious and shining efforts to support someone as mundane as her-- Wasting their dazzling brightness trying to help someone as dull and dim as her. It made her chuckle, It made her giggle, It made her smile, It made her laugh, Like a funny joke only she saw the punchline for, Madison would be able to see that rage build-- The intensity of that Murderous intent soared and spiked but her laughter remained as reserved and mellow as ever as that hate grew until there was no where left for it to go. She was UNWILLING! She REFUSED! For those sweet girls, those precious ladies who were willing to wait for her, willing to support someone like her. "I don't want to hold you all back Madison... Even if my only value is as a villain-- As a monster, if it means I can rise just a little bit further..." She spoke, despite the distressing words she spoke, her tone was so gentle, so reassuring. "If it's for you all, tare down the skies, burn this place to the ground and carve out the beating hearts of every living thing until my fingers were worn down to the bones. If fate would not let me, I will use force to beat it back. If it is not in my destiny, I will rip it from my body until I have none left." Her smile grew brighter as she tilted her head. "Do you understand Madison? Do you understand the lengths I'd go to? And you can help me with all of this-- You can help me take this next little step. All I need is your healing-- All I need is your love." She spoke as if it were a simple thing, as if asking were enough to provoke 'love', but still, Lucia smiled, waiting for Madison's answer-- whether it was just for the healing, or if Madison was willing to give more. "Can you do that Maddy? Would you surrender everything? Give me your all?" She asked reaching out to pet the girl's head softly, that same soft gentle stroking Madison might remember from their gondola ride.
As Lucia continued to stare at the metal coffin, Madison noticed the cracks in her facade. Bit by bit, she watched as the priestess was consumed by some inner rage that had been festering and bubbling underneath the surface for untold years. And then she laughed. It should have terrified her. Madison could clearly see the psychotic, murderous fire in the priestess's eyes. But it reminded her of her own struggles, her own turmoil, her own anger. The last few years playing her old MMO, she tapped into it to wreak untold havoc upon the world. Countless years of being nothing but a disappointment to her parents, never thinking she was good enough. Constantly beating herself up over her inadequacies, and lashing out at anyone she thought might have been part of the problem. A bottomless well of hate and malice that she tapped into to achieve great things in the virtual worlds she spent her waking moments. But, it didn't. Instead, Madison felt like she finally knew the real Lucia. In her mind, they were so very much alike. The witch felt herself drawn closer to her with each passing second. Lucia's laughter died down, and the mask went back on. Madison could hear the desperate undertones in her sweet voice while she spoke to her. Maddy's heart began to race as the woman reached out with her hand to touch her hair. Madison closed her eyes and smiled as the familiar touch of the priestess ignited a spark inside her. "Of course," she quietly replied. "My healing, my love..." The witch reached up and gently took Lucia's hand. Slowly, she brought it to her mouth and gave it a kiss that lingered for a few seconds. She looked up at Lucia, holding the woman's gaze. "Anything you wish, anything you need to help you achieve your goals. No matter what." Maddy drew closer, sliding her fingers between Lucia's and squeezing her hand. The witch was mere inches away from her now. "You can have it all."
While Madison was finding similarities between them, Lucia chuckled sweetly a while longer, just feeling the warmth and gentleness in Madison's hands and frame. For a while she just settled there against her, her manic gaze slowly mellowing, that intensity slowly drowning back under that plastic smile. Her feelings were unsightly, she as a human being was unsightly, yes, it wasn't a sense of beauty she thought, or how she looked, but because of who she was, what she was. It was ugly in a way that would be hard for her to explain. The more she thought about that, the more she choked that intensity until it settled down. "Well, I'll always need you, goals or not so don't forget about me okay?" She spoke with a soft smile. Madison seemed so focused on her goal after all, she had many reasons for wanting Madison to be with her, her goals were only one. There were so many other things she wanted to keep the woman by her side for, it would be a shame if goals were the only reason allowed. Though Madison said anything, it made Lucia's smile curl a tiny bit, a flash of mischief in her gaze. Reaching out she'd try to tug at Madison's tunic, a familiar pull at least, Lucia would begin trying to confiscate the woman's clothes. Unfortunately though, she wouldn't stop at just 'a bit'. Trying to confiscate all of them if Madison panicked, Lucia would smile faintly, taking the time to reach up a soft hand to stroke her hair once more. "Just for a little while. It will make me happy." She spoke softly, it wasn't much, who would possibly go so far just to make someone happy? "I wanted to take good thoughts in there with me at least." She explained gingerly. If Madison allowed her to continue to the end, Lucia would give her a few warm looks, eyes tracing the woman's skin before leaning in to give her a soft hug pulling her close. "It's perfect. This'll definitely make it a little easier-- Just a little light to shine in all of that dark. Thank you~" She thanked again, really treasuring the effort Madison put into making Lucia as prepared as possible. Going to these lengths were probably not easy, Lucia put a great deal of effort into making sure that Madison knew just how important it was to her. Not yet letting go, she continued with a soft tone. "It's going to hurt a lot. All you need to do is keep me healed, don't let it drop my HP too low okay?" She urged, the reason she needed a healer was because the change would damage her considerably, more then enough for her to die. The reason she wanted it to be Madison though... Lucia slid back to give the girl another once over with a kind smile-- That reason was pretty clear already.
Madison blinked. Goddammit, she always had her mind on goals, goals, goals. It was the task at hand that kept her running back into the arms of Lucia. Tasks were good; tasks meant that she had value to someone. She always forgot that people might be interested in her for her, for once in her life. The witch blushed a bit. "Of course," she sheepishly said. A quiet moment passed between the two women before Lucia made her next move. Her thin fingers slowly reached out and grabbed the fabric of her tunic. Madison's breath caught in her throat as she felt the priestess removing the garment inch by inch, the chill of the springtime air kissing her pale flesh. She could still feel the embarrassment write itself across her face--still not used to the idea that someone would want to see her like this, her modestly-crafted avatar, slightly worse than average in every way. As Lucia's touch lingered near her chest, Madison raised her arms and helped her remove the last of the tunic. As it fell to the floor, the witch tried to straighten up. More color was rising in her cheeks. She tried to look the priestess in the eye, but hesitated. Fake or not, Maddy was still uncomfortable with her body. But she really liked Lucia. The woman made her feel special, feel valuable. It didn't matter what kind of self-depreciating thoughts floated around in her mind, right? Lucia's opinion was the only one that mattered. If the woman found her appealing, then who was she to argue? Slowly, gingerly, the priestess's hands drifted down, caressing the curves of her body and coming to a stop on her hips. Thin fingers inched closer and closer to the button of her pants. Madison panicked. An electric tingle shot up her spine, her heart kicked into overdrive. Every neuron in her brain screamed to pull away! pull away! And yet, she didn't. The witch's hands reached out and stopped Lucia for just a moment. The priestess simply smiled, and freed a hand to run through Madison's hair, telling her everything was going to be alright. Just a little something to make her happy. And that's all Madison wanted to do. Swallowing a lump in her throat, the witch closed her eyes and leaned into Lucia's hand as it ran through her jet black locks. She loosened her grip on Lucia's other hand and slowly began guiding it closer and closer to the button of her pants. Madison helped Lucia undo it, handling the zipper herself. She breathed in deeply as her head began swimming. No. Stop. Don't do this. Madison slowly inched herself out of her pants, letting them fall to the floor. She hesitated for just a moment, slowly getting used to the chill on her skin before looking up into the priestess's eyes. And despite all her trepidation, a smile slowly formed on her face. The woman quickly inched closer and kissed Lucia, briefly tasting the woman's soft lips once more. The witch exhaled as she pulled away, her self-doubt temporarily forgotten in the rush of emotion that rippled through her. She stood there, fully exposed, allowing Lucia to drink her presence in with her eyes. The necromancer smiled, and showed her appreciation by pulling Madison in close and embracing her. Maddy closed her eyes, buried her head in the space between Lucia's neck and shoulder, and gave her a squeeze. Hearing Lucia whisper to her that it was perfect meant more to Madison than the woman would ever know. But as much as she was enjoying the moment, they did have a job to do. "I'll keep you together, don't worry," the witch promised as she absentmindedly traced circles into Lucia's back with a spidery finger. "Won't be too hard. Just as the earth can heal itself, it can heal others. I'll tap into the errant wisps of mana that remain here and channel them through myself and into you. It'll keep you healthy and whole while you complete your part of the process." A moment passed in silence before Madison continued, her lips twisting in a sly grin, "And that's it, really." The two women parted for a moment, Lucia sneaking in a last couple glances of Madison's naked form. "Ready whenever you are, Lucia."
Lucia smiled sweetly when Madison complied. For a while, Lucia just enjoyed that time with Madison for a long while, inhaling and exhaling as she slowly began to nod. The cheer and gratefulness clear in her demeanor as she reached out for Madison's shoulders giving them a soft assuring rub. "I wish I could watch longer... but it must be cold huh?" Lucia spoke, a twinge of regret in her gaze, it was so clear from her actions that she longed to spend more time with Madison like this, but better judgement won out over her childish desires. Lucia took the time to kindly and gingerly reach down for Madison's things, folding them with care before trying to present them back to Madison. "Thank you." She spoke flashing a bright smile. When Madison gave the word about being ready though, Lucia turned her head back towards the coffin briefly, as if trying to stamp out the last few bits of doubt as she stepped towards it. "I'd always wanted to shine brightly. The harder it felt though, the more I felt I was better left behind as a supporting character--" With a burdened sigh, she flashed a smile glancing back to Madison from over her shoulder. "--We'll see if we can't change a little of that today." She mused as she stepped into the coffin, winking one last time to Madison as she pulled the door shut. It was after being shut that the others began to move. It started with Sylvanas, with a large motion she kicked the coffin back, letting it fall down as the others got to work. The skeletal Lich with a hand gesture began pouring black liquid through the center of the coffin. It was no doubt originally meant to be used for blood feeding, but this time it was serving a different purpose. The other Lich Lina clapped her hands together for a few rubs before bringing them to the metal surface causing it to slowly turn red from heat transfer. The former sorceress was particularly skilled with fire magic, it wasn't difficult for her to spread the heat evenly. It grew more intense though, slowly Mortimer added various solutions from a variety of vials after examining their contents. As time passed, the complicated process grew more bizarre and the things added grew more numerous. After a while, Madison would come to find Lucia's HP was dropping if she thought to raise a hand to check her with investigation mode or open the party window. It was slow ticks of damage, Madison might even think it was silly, every second it would drop by only a point, hardly worth noticing. As time passed though, it began to drop by two, then four. Slowly, the changes were quickening and Madison might begin to realize the gravity and difficulty of just what she'd been asked to do. Those runic circles under the coffin began to alight and glow with a dim purple color and make revolutions as those carved symbols began to turn slowly but surely. After a while, Lucia was losing large chunks of health at alarming rates, after a time it became clear that just healing enough might not support her. The undead took steps to slowly transition from the initiation process to trying to prolong Lucia's life. As things grew more dire, they took more and more emergency measures, with Sylvanas's banshee form trying to gouge more and more wounds from her body through the coffin and Lina stimulating her fires of life.
The moment the coffin's lid shut, Madison exhaled in relief and snapped her fingers. A spark of green mana erupted from her fingers as the dead grass at her feet rushed up to meet her, coming away from the earth in thick patches and sewing itself into a makeshift outfit. Just enough to cover her scandalous bits and her chest in a single piece suit. Madison clasped her hands together, took her place, and sat down on the ground cross-legged. The woman closed her eyes, straightened her back out, and breathed in deep. Lucia's familiars began work on their part of the ritual; all Madison had to do was keep the necromancer alive. She could do it, right? Of course she could. She was Madison Fucking Freebird, after all. Master of Nature Magic. The Briar Witch of Bryrwich. The Dark Druid of Dunnstads. The Plagueslinger. The Briarheart. (Actually, that last one was from her previous game. But, she always liked the nickname enough to keep it, despite not having her actual heart removed in Terrasphere and replaced with a clump of thorny vines forged from the essences of dryads.) Pressing her fore and middle fingers to her temple, the woman activated her seldom-used Investigation Mode. She cracked her knuckles as the interface clicked to life. One by one, the color-coded names and power levels of Lucia's retinue of summons and undead popped into view, along with the priestess's own information. A quick check of her vitals showed that the woman inside the coffin was doing peachy as the ritual began. Madison tapped into her inventory and produced her deck of cards. The Eye of Titanius stared at her from its spot nestled in a giant spade pip swimming in a sea of writing tentacles. Ignoring the lingering dread that always popped up whenever she looked at the cards, she shuffled up the deck to get the mana flowing. The witch looked up at the coffin. Lucia's health was starting to drain, the magic of the dark device tugging at her essence as it worked to... do whatever it is it was doing to her friend. She pursed her lips as she gave the deck of cards one final cut before laying them out one by one in an arch before her. Ace of Clubs. Five of Spades. Six of Hearts. Five of Clubs. Four of Diamonds. One by one, the cards began glowing with a pulsating emerald light as she poured mana into them. Eight of Spades. Four of Spades. Four of Clubs. Ten of Hearts. The values and suits didn't matter; all she needed was the cards to channel and focus her energy as she drew what life she could from the world around her. Holding the ritual in Lucia's blasted, withering domain wasn't optimal; but if the Ziggurat could find threads of life to draw its power from, so could she. By the time she was done, nearly half the deck had been arranged in front of her. Madison glanced up at the coffin. Lucia's health was beginning to drop rapidly. Five points. Six points. Faster and faster, pixels disappeared from her status bar. The plagueslinger pursed her lips and threw herself into the spell. An eruption of green light filled her eyes as the cards ignited with the lingering life of the earth she sat on. For a brief moment, the dead, ashen grass around her regained its color. Madison refocused the healing pulse outward, aiming it at the coffin and the priestess inside. Looking up once more, she saw her health meter's depletion slow down bit by bit until it leveled out. And then, to her satisfaction, it began to tick up point by point until it was reaching safer levels. Madison could feel the strain on the earth as her spell continued to violently tear life from it to give to Lucia. The necromancer's familiars continued to do their part. Maddy checked her own meters. Fine on health, fine on energy. Everything was going well. For now, anyway. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and steadied her breathing. While extremely talented, sustaining a focused and powerful spell like this, coaxing what little she could from the blighted landscape around her to channel into the coffin was beginning to tax her. She was thankful for the small batch of potions she brought with her to make sure she had enough mana to work with. A small warning ping went off in Madison's head. Her eyes shot open, immediately seeing that Lucia's health was starting to drain once more--and far more rapidly than before. "Shit shit shit shit," Madison cursed as she laid down another row of cards, amplifying the spells effects. Sweat formed on her brow as the healing pulse not only pulled energy from the earth, but began tugging at the strings of her own being. Lucia's dwindling HP meter began to slow down once more, but it wasn't enough to keep it from ticking away point by point by point. The woman's familiars began to scramble, circling about and changing positions as they threw themselves into healing their mistress. Madison's face twisted in agony as she joined their effort, throwing everything she had into the spell. She rubbed hot tears out of her eyes with her forearm as she tried to make out how well their efforts were having an effect on Lucia's health. Madison's heart only sank when she peeked at the priestess's vitals. Her face twisted in a snarl, her teeth gnashed together so hard her jaw was hurting, Madison tried to think of something else she could do. Whatever magic was in this coffin, it was too powerful for the whole fucking lot of them to overcome. Plan after plan formed in her mind on how to keep Lucia alive, but each of them sounded dumber than the last. And then, she remembered what she said to her in the gondola after the battle against Titanius. "I'm yours." She meant it then, and meant it now. If it would help Lucia survive the ritual and shine as brightly as she so desired, Madison would gladly give herself up. Besides, what's a Death Affliction to your name when can prove your worth and value to someone and show them they weren't wasting their time with you? The witch snatched an energy potion to give herself a boost, downing the disgusting green drink in one go. Fucking shit tasted like cough syurp, though. So it was a bit rough on her going down. Tossing the bottle aside, Madison gave the remainder of her deck of corrupted playing cards a quick shuffle, and began drawing a fresh hand for another spell. Arranging the cards in the air, this time they ignited with purple flames. The witch took a deep breath, staring at the dancing fires of the spell as she hesitated. I'm yours, Lucia. Closing shut her eyes and bracing for the pain, Madison fired the spell. Her body was immediately wracked with agony, her muscles twitching and spasming while her might fought to maintain control of both spells. She wanted to cry out, but her throat was closing up. Ethereal violet wisps began to drift off her body, swirling and collecting in the air as a link was established between the witch and the priestess. Slowly, the tendrils of Madison's life force swam through the air and pierced the coffin. Lucia's body was now being sustained by Madison's own spirit in addition to her nature-driven healing aura. Tears began streaming down Madison's face as she fought and struggled to keep herself together. She couldn't bare to look at the priestess's status. If the witch saw her spell wasn't having any effect on her, she would've given up hope. And that's not what Lucia needed. She needed her to be strong, to keep up the work, to shine brightly. However, she was fully fucking aware that her own health meter was rapidly dropping as she kept up the life-draining spell. The woman's spidery fingers twitched and froze as she slowly reached out for one of her potions--a red one, probably also tasted really horribly. Like "cherry" cough syrup, this time. Also known as lies. Madison finally managed to remove the rubber stopper and raise the potion to her lips. Drops of the thick, viscous liquid splashed on her lips and dribbled down her chin as she forced herself to drink from the bottle. The effect was instantaneous. The pain of the spell subsided ever so slightly, enough for her to regain control of herself. But in a moment of doubt, Madison wondered if it would be enough. She only had two more potions. "L-Lucia," she weakly called out, reaching out to the priestess with her mind, desperate for any progress in the ritual while the life continued to ebb from her.
The coffin was quiet. Despite the frantic situation outside, the coffin itself was quiet. All of the efforts in healing had clearly had an effect, but Lucia's health was just pouring out too quickly. Like trying to fill a bucket with water as more and more holes were being punched in the bottom. Madison wasn't the only one who had been struggling either, from the time her summons had halted their ritual efforts and concentrated on keeping Lucia's HP up. Sylvana's physical body had collapsed to offer more power to her banshee side. Lina's attractive skin and flesh was being burned away as kindling for her spells. Mortimer's herb and alchemy box was getting more and more empty as he worked. Alice was feeding more and more of herself through the hole to replace flesh Lucia lost. Gastor's inky coating grew thin as more was being used up revealing more and more bones. Morgana's mask was being worn away as she clawed the madness free as fuel for others. Everyone was pouring everything into this as Madison was, as if there were no turning back, as if their lives were equally hinged on this. Lucia's silly NPC group as well as Madison all seemed to have the same collective belief. It was only when Madison began syphoning off more and more of her health though that a change did occur. A scratching sound from the coffin could be heard, despite the layers of steel, it still managed to reach the outside. The reason revealed itself as a hole was suddenly torn open in the coffin, a long bright red object being thrust outward from the interior. It came to a sharp point at the end, widening as it went like an insect limb. It's chitin armor was a bright shimmering red, the glittering surface seemed to change, grabbing the light in unique ways like shimmering waters. That object though slipped through the steel coffin with relative ease though before sliding back little by little, awkwardly being drawn back into the coffin. "Madison. I didn't tell you to give that much." The voice that came from the coffin's interior was different. Madison would still be able to recognize it as Lucia's but it was so bland, it droned. There was an exhaustion in the tone that was very abnormal, as if existing was too much effort, as if living was painful. With a shift, Lucia leaned to one side coming into view from the hole. What was once an enchanting lavender colored gaze bad become a bleeding scarlet red deadpan stare. Like her voice, her gaze showed intense indifferent, incredible fatigue as if there was no light in her heart, no hope for her future. Her expression was so drowsy one might consider it adorable if it weren't for how intense the indifference and carelessness in her gaze was. "You belong to me... You shouldn't be the one who decides when you die right?" She spoke, and the faintest of smiles came to her face. It was so frail, so weak as i fought to climb to the surface through that depression and exhaustion, that faint smile that barely managed to spread across her soft lips though was natural, genuine. It was Lucia as she was in reality, it was 'Yuan' glancing through that hole at Madison. "You're too important to die for something like this. My Madison is too valuable to lose in this." Lucia spoke firmly not leaving any option for negotiation despite her bland and monotonous tone, her words didn't allow wiggle room. As if it were 'forbidden' for Madison to die here, Lucia leaned against the interior of the coffin while watching Madison, the hole was only enough for Madison to see one of her eyes and a portion of cheek and the corner of her faintly smiling lips, but it was enough as Lucia continued, raising her voice since she had trouble emoting when she wasn't putting on a show. "Don't die, just be stronger. Don't fail, just be better. I believe in you... You won't let me be wrong for believing in you." Lucia spoke blankly. There was a strong faith in those words, but at the same time Madison might pick up on a something different. Being 'wrong' might be an option, 'failure' might mean Lucia was 'wrong'. That harrowing thought might be torturous, might be devastating or painful to think about. Knowing that someone's value was at risk, that their place was growing unstable was a frightening thought no matter who you were. Though Lucia's tired gaze had absolute faith in Madison, a 'threat' to that faith had surfaced... And the reason Lucia had faith, the reason she still faintly smiled was because deep down, somewhere in her heart of hearts she knew Madison. Even if she didn't know, she still 'knew'. That even if Madison couldn't succeed, even if she wasn't able to do anything-- Lucia knew that she wouldn't allow that 'threat' to remain. That, like herself, that woman would crawl and claw her way to it and bite it to death if she had to. "Hurry... Don't keep me waiting in suspense..." Lucia added with a 'knowing' smile, knowing because Lucia was just like her.
"Just be stronger. Just be better." "You won't let me be wrong..." Jesus Christ, you sound like my parents. And yet, Madison knew that she couldn't let Lucia be wrong. Not the woman that took her under her wing, got her to open up and expose her feelings and desires, and trusted her with this most important of tasks. It was her time of need, and the witch was expected to carry out her will to the very end. So much rested on keeping the healing and drain spells up-- --but, oh, Lucia commanded her not to get herself killed trying to ignite the priestess's own inner brightness. Except... if she didn't try, then the woman in the coffin wasn't going to survive. Life for life, flesh for flesh, blood for blood. It was okay. Madison could just respawn. Lucia might not get another chance to ascend like this. Who knows what the ritual was doing to the integrity of the coffin, even before the transforming priestess punched a hole through it. Madison held Lucia's gaze, focusing on the unsettling shade of crimson her iris turned. Where once was brightness and life, now lurked a dull vacancy, a shell of a woman staring back at her with only the faintest of smiles. A warning ping snapped her eyes towards her UI. She was at half health once again, her HP bar slowly ticking away as she sustained the draining spell. "I-I'll be fine," the woman lied through grit teeth as she reached over for her final healing potion. How the hell did I run out so soon? Her shaky fingers working to thumb open the stopper, Madison clenched her jaw and tried to focus through the pain of the self-inflicted drain spell. But her life was quickly draining, as was her energy reserves--she had to drink the potion, now-- Her muscles jerked and spasmed. And then she dropped the bottle. "Oh god," Madison cried out, her focus starting to wane. "Oh god oh god oh god--" The witch fumbled for the potion, but most of it had drained out and soaked into the dead grass she sat on. More electronic pings sounded in her ears as Lucia's health began failing in time with her own, matching the speed pixel by pixel. 25 HP She began to panic. Her last potion was gone. Her health slowly leaking out of her body, not enough to sustain the priestess in the coffin. 20 HP Lucia's words echoed in her mind. "You shouldn't be the one who decides when to die." 13 HP Prepared to do so for someone special like Lucia anyway, Madison grit her teeth and closed her eyes, her features twisting in incredible, electric pain. Beside, she was always morbidly curious about the whole respawning process. 7 HP This was it. Every fiber of her being felt as if it were on fire. She had tried so hard, but it wasn't enough. Her body was about to fail, her life spent. 2 HP A scream built up in her throat as she pushed herself to the limit one last time. Madison reached out into the aether, wrapped her hands around the lingering strands of mana that still flowed through the wasteland, and pulled them into her healing spell. 1 HP Madison felt the last of her life flow out of her. Welcoming oblivion, she closed her eyes one last time. Instead of the inky abyss that she expected, a rush of bright, blinding white light filled her vision. And then... ...Green. The plagueslinger slowly opened her eyes and, much to her surprise, found herself staring at the dense canopy of a forest. A soft breeze stirred the air, choked as it was with a swirling emerald fog. Her voice was hoarse. "Where... Where am I?" Madison stirred on the cool, mossy ground. As she sat up, she was surprised to see that her aches and pains were gone. Everything felt so fresh and new. All around her, life bloomed and flourish and sang and fluttered and buzzed and trod and stalked and swam and bubbled and flowed. The witch rose to her feet, a sense of childish wonder overtaking her as she spun in a soft circle. "Am... am I dead?" "No, my child." The answer came so sudden, so soft. The ethereal voice touched her mind, kissing it softly, reassuringly. Madison looked around, searching for its source. "Neat. Alright, cool. Glad to heart. Can't afford to pay off a Death Affliction at the moment. So, uh, who are you? Where am I?" She could hear the voice chuckle in her mind. "Where do you think you might be, where the trees grow tall and think and the flowers bloom in all the colors of the rainbow? Where the beasts can roam unhindered by Man, and all life can co-exist in perfect harmony?" Madison's brow furrowed. "Whoever you are, I really wish you wouldn't speak in riddles right now. I got a dying friend bleeding out all over the place that could use my help." Leaves and vines and tree bark swirled together in a gust of wind. Madison's arms shot up to protect herself from the flying debris. The shapely form of a woman emerged from the mass, a smile on her face, her arms open wide as she stepped closer to the witch. "If you cannot guess, my child, then allow me to show you." The forest spirit reached out for Madison's hand. The woman hesitated for the briefest of moments, uncertain about... well, about everything; but offered it to the spirit anyway. Gingerly, the spirit crouched, pulling Maddy down with it, and pressed her hand to the damp earth. Madison's breath caught in her throat as her mind's eye opened up. What it saw stilled her heart-- "The Emerald Garden," the newly-awakened druid whispered into the breeze. The spirit simply replied with a nod. A smile crossed the woman's porcelain face. Small, at first; but soon stretched from ear to ear. Unrelenting joy built in her stomach, bursting out in of euphoric laughter. "Oh my god, I've done it! I've actually done it!" Madison couldn't believe herself. After all this time, all this study, all this practice--she finally ascended as a nature mage and could claim the title of Druid. Untold power was at her fingertips. She could reach into the soul of the world and tap into its magic. Commanding the growth and decay of all she touched--oh, shit. She had just remembered something important. Her eyes went wide as she pictured Lucia, lying in her coffin, her insectile limbs twitching, her body writhing in agony, the light leaving her eyes as the ritual tore her body to pieces. The druid furiously shook her head. Time to focus. She had a job to do. "How much time has passed since I got here--" "Time has no meaning here," the spirit calmly responded. "Not good enough," Madison violently hissed. She quickly knelt down and pressed both of her hands to the dirt, the tips of her fingers digging into the wet mossy carpet. "I need to borrow, like, fucking everything I can from this place. Got a life or two that need saving, thanks!" She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and grabbed onto the thick tendrils of mana that permeated through the Garden. The rush of energy nearly knocked her off her feet, but with the newfound resolve that coursed through her veins, she held on. Feeling her connection to the real world lingering in her mind, she began to channel the endless energy of the Emerald Garden back to her corporeal form. Back in Astorea, in Lucia's domain, Madison's body twitched and shivered as it became the conduit for the fresh source of magic. The draining spell had long since petered out, the cards that formed it collapsed onto the dead earth before her. But the green glow of the spread that formed the healing aura... began to pulsate anew with the energy of the Emerald Garden. Madison was out like a light, her body sleeping while her mind drew energy from the Garden beyond the veil. She couldn't see Lucia's health bar steadying out, inches from death. And slowly, ever so slowly, it began to tick up once more.
Seeing Madison struggle on, Lucia couldn't help but sigh, it was flattering truly, but Lucia didn't want the girl to die for her. Sure the ritual might be stopped at a particularly important point, but that was something Lucia'd assumed would happen from the start. This was meant to be a test after all, she hadn't expected to complete her project, only make a small step in the right direction as a test. Seeing the girl pushing herself too far, Lucia felt that they'd made enough progress for now. With a harrowing sound, more of those red objects would suddenly puncture the steel. Totaling at four, they slowly began to move, carving through the metal with the sound of ice melting as they cut cleanly through the metal carving an X into it. Once the lines met in the middle, Lucia leaned back from the hole, and with a thrust she forced a delicate and lithe hand through the center. With a grunt, she exerted herself to push her way out, bending the steel. Lucia lacked the Heroic Might of other possible melee characters, but what she lacked in raw power, she now made up for with undead matter. Her delicate and lithe figure despite looking frail and thin like a spellcaster could still perform feats of great power and strength. Pushing her way out, Lucia staggered at first, swaying briefly before rising up to her full height clearly unused to walking with the new weight on her body. From her back those four red shimmering limbs connected to her back like a spider's legs, she clearly had some trouble operating them, the muscle and sinew was still freshly synthesized. Like an angel with fresh wings, she was unused to operating them. Instead, the most she could do was contract and relax, bring forward and back. Not wanting them to be in the way, she flexed her back, awkwardly trying to thrust her plush chest forward as those limbs slowly jerked backwards. The occasional popping of stiff muscles could be heard as she tried to pull those limbs out from her path. The weight made Lucia's body sag a little, leaning forward, her shoulders relaxed as if fatigued, her demeanor was tired and lazy. It was certainly reminiscent of her real genuine self. She shuffled forward, dragging her feet towards Madison as if moving was burdensome, but regardless she moved. With every step, Lucia's brow furrowed, it was clear she still wasn't content with who she was, no, even if she did become a bit more unique with Madison's help, her real self was still unsightly. With that in mind, Lucia began trying to straighten her back, with a hand gesture she flexed her body sharply before her white withered hair began to return to it's previous lush black color. Her tired scarlet eyes growing warm as the lavender color from before filled them once more. Slowly those shimmering red limbs began to fade from view as she returned to her previous enchanting self, but there seemed to be a problem. She frowned a little, occasionally making a sudden gesture, from time to time, her hair would wither once more, her shimmering limbs would blur into view briefly. Like a mirage covering her up, her illusion magic wasn't strong enough to maintain her old appearance perfectly. She would have to practice that later... "Madison..." She spoke, hesitating before brightening her tone. "Madison, you should be okay. Get up, I'm fine see? We did well." She tried to encourage, reaching down to help the woman sit, even if she was unconcious, Lucia tried fanning her briefly. Madison worked very hard after all, while the pain for Lucia herself was something that didn't bother her. Physical pain wasn't something that would make her flinch, she could deaden herself the world around her and compartmentalize easily if needed. While her own body still throbbed from time to time, she pushed that pain from her mind as she tried tending to Madison.
Even as she sat there in the Garden, her fingers rooted into the soft, damp dirt, that pesky forest spirit was still bothering her. "It seems you are already acclimated with the endless life energy that flows through this place," it serenely intoned. Madison cracked an eye open wide enough to shoot daggers at it. "Yeah, I've read a book or two. Can you, uh, butt out for a minute here? Trynna' save a life right now, thanks." The expression on the guardian's face did not change as the witch continued to siphon mana from the mystical forest and channel it into her spell in the real world (well, "real" world, but you get it). Every ounce of focus and energy she could spare was aimed at keeping Lucia alive. Madison did not know how much time passed. But suddenly, she could feel her tie across the aether severed. Her eyes snapped open. Her breath caught in her throat. She immediately expected the worst. The ritual was a failure. The priestess was dead, and the witch she relied so heavily on failed. Madison's jaw hung open for several moments, unsure of what was going on. "Lucia?" And then, she heard the sweet, familiar voice. It was muffled, airy; as if coming from a far-off place. It commanded her to get up. It said that it was fine, and that she should look. She's alive! Madison tore her hands from the earth and leaped to her feet. She glanced at the forest spirit for a moment. "Hey, look, I gotta run," she said hurriedly, her heart racing and threatening to explode out of her chest. "I'll be back later, and we can go over the welcome spiel then, yeah?" Without waiting for an answer, Madison woke up. Her sapphire eyes fluttered open and refused to focus. The warning pings of low health were still buzzing in her ears. Fuck them for now, she decided. All that mattered was that the ritual was over and that Lucia survived. As the fog in Madison's eyes cleared, she could make out that the priestess... didn't really look all that different. Jet black hair, lavender eyes, the same plump lips she was familiar with... The confusion was written clear across her face as Maddy spoke, her voice coming out as nothing more than a hoarse whisper. "I... I though we did it?" She clearly remembered the scarlet limb that punched through the coffin, giving her a good look at a devilish crimson eye and hair as white as fresh snow. Where did it go? What happened to Lucia? And then, the facade shimmered, briefly revealing the necromancers new, true self. A soft smile curled on Madison's face. "So we did, after all..." Great. Just fucking great. Maybe I'm not so useless! Who would've thought? Weakly, the witch reached out, her shaking fingers hesitating mere inches from the priestess's face. She stared into Lucia's eyes for a moment, the request she had caught in her throat. "I'd like to see you, please. If that's alright." Lucia acquiesced, letting go of the illusion spell. Madison was greeted with what the woman had become. Her eyes a deep shade of red, her silvery-white hair thinner and shorter. The four new limbs the color of blood that grew from her back, twitching and swaying as Lucia grew accustomed to having command over them. The plagueslinger's hand caressed Lucia's cheek. "You're beautiful," she whispered.
With a gentle nod, she stroked the girl's hair as she tried to reassure her, after all, this was never meant to be a successful pass, Lucia wouldn't imagine breaking through immediately in a flash after all. "We did it." She reassured happily. The road to immortality as she knew it was paved through steady growth and mastery; the development of a strong foundation began with knowledge of cultivation, then changed to perfecting the body once one knew the methods to do so. One shouldn't just dive in head first to cultivating and Qi Condensation, while that wasn't what the realm was called in a game, it was no doubt the first step that Lucia intended to take. To cultivate a perfect physique took effort and practice. Though when the girl mentioned seeing 'her' she hesitated. With a bitter expression Lucia's smile cramped as she tried to explain with a dry laugh. "You know, it's not like I'm being fake like this-- maybe just a little exaggerated you know? Isn't it nicer?-- Being able to understand and see me without that 'thing' getting in the way?" She spoke, but even she didn't really know what 'thing' she referred to. To her core, she was tired, filled with resentment and frustrations that had been simmering down into a sludge before being restocked to thicken it further and further until it was what it was now. It became a natural state that she felt infected by in reality. She tried to be more refreshing, exaggerating her feelings, intentions and changing her 'atmosphere' to make such an enchanting facade so that she would be easier to communicate with. Madison was persistent though, not in her request, but in her desire, it was clear that Madison might not push the issue, but she had wanted it truly. With a breath, Lucia's shoulders slumped and almost instantly that illusion shattered like glass revealing the withered white hair that hung from her head and the hollow and exhausted scarlet red eyes. Her demeanor was depressing, her actions sluggish and filled with a sense of fatigue and drowsiness. "The game penalizes me if I try to maintain my facade while my magic isn't active. Before it was just taking away my passives-- Now it's making me stay in character..." She complained as if it were exhausting. Lucia naturally enjoyed playing her role and talking with NPCs as if she were one of them, but to other players she'd treat herself as a player in a game. She didn't 'change' for her skills, but rather the game seemed to grade her acting and actions afflicting her with different negatives or positives based on how she played. Those red limbs though continued to shimmer in the light. After a brief wince, Lucia managed to pull them forward, suddenly contracting like a bear trap squeezing shut they wrapped around her body, one set around her waist to frame her back side like swallow tails, the other under her arms up over her chest to her shoulders. Finding it to be a good relaxed position, with the limbs protecting her torso like a cage, she glanced down at Madison, those lazy sleepy eyes, the way her shoulders and arms hung down as if they weighed tons. She watched Madisoin as the girl glanced her over. Being told she was beautiful made Lucia shake her head. "You have weird tastes. But I won't complain." She spoke, a faint smile that had a bit of playful snark in it touching her face.
