Round 25 Transcript

As Halie leads Hera downstairs, the tension in the air remains palpable. The party moves cautiously, with Silra covering their six and Jeane ready with magic. The splattered blue fluid on Silra and Jeane still glistens, but so far, it hasn't spread or shown any signs of corruption. Upon reaching the ground floor, Halie stops and examines Hera's wrist more closely. "She's stable, but we need to get her into a room with some privacy to assess her properly," she says. "I'll check for any effects from that fluid, but I'm not sure what to expect."

Jeane glances at Aethera, still shimmering with an aggressive energy. "We can't let you out of our sight," she warns. "If you try to follow us, we'll stop you." Her hand remains near the hilt of her rapier, ready for a potential confrontation. Halie's eyes narrow. "I'm not sure what your game is, Aethera, but I'm not going to let you use Hera as a bargaining chip. We'll discuss whatever you're protecting in that corner once Hera is stable and we can assess the situation properly."

Aethera's form ripples, as if considering her next move. The air seems to vibrate with anticipation, the party holding their breaths, waiting for Aethera's response.

I keep my rapier pointed at Aethera's shimmering form while we back out slowly, covering Halie and Hera's retreat. Good call on the downstairs assessment—if that splatter is starting to glow or itch, I'd rather know before it spreads everywhere. I scan Aethera for any sign of movement while keeping my wire ready in case she decides to make a grab for anyone.

To Halie: Once we're settled and you've cleared us both from the fluid splash, let me know if either of us needs immediate purifying—pregnancy with corruption has taught me that early intervention matters. My eyes track Aethera's every shift. And I'm with Jeane on not letting her out of sight until we understand what's in that corner and why she kidnapped Hera for it. She showed her hand, now we need to read the full deck. As we move downstairs, keeping formation with Halie supporting Hera between us and Jeane maintaining her distance from Aethera— To Hera: You doing okay? Any weird feelings or sensations? I don't actually expect an answer yet; she's still processing trauma. But asking shows I give a damn while not stopping our movement. Once we're in the room downstairs, I immediately start checking myself for any signs of glowing fluid or spreading corruption. Nothing visible so far—but that doesn't mean it isn't incubating somewhere. To Halie: First things first: you check Hera and us thoroughly. Then we discuss strategy with Aethera present but contained, because if she tries anything else, I'm not holding back next time. Rapier might not hurt her energy form much, but my wire can still choke off air supply or at least restrain movement.*

I watch Aethera's shimmering form carefully as we descend the stairs. Thankfully she doesn't pursue immediately—perhaps she realizes forcing another confrontation here would draw more attention than even her ancient ego can explain away.

Once in the room Halie specified for their medical assessment, I lean against the wall farthest from the door, giving them space while keeping line of sight. Be thorough with Hera first—that corruption looked nasty and whatever Aethera's protection was, it might have lingering effects. My eyes track Silra as she checks herself—good initiative, stay on top of potential contamination.*

To Halie: I'm clear so far but I trust your expertise more than my visual inspection. Check me next while I maintain watch; we can't afford a surprise attack while you're busy with Hera. My hand hovers near my rapier hilt not in threat display but readiness posture—enough to suggest I'll draw if needed without starting shit unnecessarily. Once everyone's cleared and Aethera arrives, we need to approach this like interrogation rather than negotiation. She gave us a demonstration of force, so we assume she won't hesitate to use it again.

As Halie begins her examination: If Aethera enters this room expecting another round of hostage diplomacy, I'm going to make it clear that was her last free pass. Hera's trauma isn't something we'll forgive easily. I meet Silra's eye—she nods slightly, understanding the unspoken agreement: if Aethera tries more bullshit, we escalate immediately. Abby might be downstairs but she's not combat-trained like us three upstairs survivors—if this goes bad again, we can't afford hesitation. Hera needs protecting and Silra's right—peaceful resolution ends when Aethera does something violent first.

[To myself:]
This situation keeps getting messier by the minute. Aethera's clearly protecting something important in that penthouse corner, but kidnapping Hera? That was a step too far—I don't care how ancient or powerful she is. My wings shift slightly, muscles tensing for quick movement if needed. If Halie clears me of contamination and Silra stays stable, we'll have three functional combatants when Aethera reappears—assuming Abby stays out of direct conflict. That's not ideal numbers but it's better than the upstairs hostage scenario. I need to prepare at least one offensive spell just in case—something that doesn't require complex casting time once Halie finishes checks. Maybe a low-level fire bolt or stun spell, something fast and disruptive rather than outright damaging. To myself: Stay alert. Aethera might try psychological warfare first—appeals to ancient wisdom or threats about 'destroying artifacts of cosmic importance.' Don't get distracted by rhetoric; stick to the facts: she kidnapped Hera, we're not leaving until this is resolved properly.

I begin forming a fire-bolt spell in my mind—not fully casting yet but holding the arcane structure ready for instant manifestation if needed. Just because I'm prepared doesn't mean I want combat—I'd rather solve this with words than force. But after her hostage stunt, I need to be ready to back up threats with action.*

I guide Hera to sit on the bed while Silra positions herself near the door. Alright, let me examine you both thoroughly—I won't risk another corruption spreading incident. I begin checking Hera's wrist first—still healthy pink tissue from my earlier healing, but there might be lingering effects we can't see yet. As I work: You're sure you feel okay so far? No tingling sensations or weird feelings? I'm asking both of them but mainly focused on Hera right now. If either of you start feeling off, say something immediately—corruption spreads fast and I want to catch it early if there's any. To Silra: Good thinking with the wire check. You're clear so far, but let me do a full pass just in case anything is incubating beneath skin level where you can't see it yet. I move closer to examine her more thoroughly—checking pulse points, feeling along veins, looking for any discoloration or swelling.*

Once I'm done with Silra: You're clear too. Now back to Hera—I need to check your overall system not just the wound site. I place hands on either side of her head and channel divine energy into a full-body scan—searching for any corruption residue, foreign energies, or lingering effects from whatever that fluid was.

After a minute: You're physically clear of active corruption—that's good news. But emotionally you're traumatized which can manifest in ways we need to address. I sit beside her on the bed and speak softly but firmly: Aethera overstepped badly by using you as a hostage. None of us blame you for what happened—I want you to understand that. Glancing at Jeane still watch-posting: We're not leaving until this is resolved properly. If Aethera enters this room expecting another hostage negotiation, I'll make it clear that was her last free pass. Back to Hera: You don't have to talk about it right now if you're not ready—but know we're here for you and won't let anyone treat you like a bargaining chip again.