10 Cylus 724
It was either bad luck or a single poor decision that destroyed the building. Balthazar opened the small pocket on his bag to make sure that the vials weren't moving. If they crashed together in transit, it might be enough to set them off. He had conceptualized smoke bombs that were set off by being thrown. He took out the pouch where the three vials of explosive were contained and suddenly Crow cried out in his mind WAIT!Relevant excerpt from Death's Companion Ability - Invested in the fate of their companion, these spirits will usually warn an Adored if they are being followed or are in any danger. The spirits tend to be very patient and sometimes almost annoyingly calm.
BOOM!!!
He didn't know what set it off but it didn't matter in the wake of the blast. He should have been dead. Two arcs ago he would have been dead. However he was built of stronger material now. Forged and trained in surviving pain. Protected by his friends the elements themselves. In truth, he didn't feel the cushion of protection the element tried to give him. He didn't see what happened in the moment.
He only saw the aftermath.
At first it was all a blur. His body was on fire but not literally. That might have been preferable given his body flayed any flame that tried to burn it. He was losing blood but his mutations were trying to seal where the glass had pierced his sides and his arms. That was part of the burning sensation. Every single laceration was trying to burn itself shut and there were so many of then. His left hand and arm up to the elbow were red but the damage was difficult to tell. He had the ring on his left hand. He didn't die. That was good to know. There was too much blood coming down to focus on much more. His body was sturdier than most which was the only reason he was alive.
He'd probably burned out one of his eyes too but his rupturing spark was already at work trying to restore that portion of his vision.
Lyanna was a short distance away sifting through rubble and calling out for anyone who needed help. Even with his whole mind ringing he could figure out was happening around him. Rubble? Why was there rubble? Balthazar managed to get his arms under himself but when he pushed his left arm flared with agonizing pain and crumbled under him. He let out a scream. Lyanna called out to him after. He tried to scream again but the first had taken all the air he had. He didn't even realize that he was trapped beneath a beam until he felt the crushing weight and couldn't move.
He didn't panic. It felt odd not to panic as everything seemed to get worse. He'd panicked before. He wasn't immune to panic. There was just something about a moment where he did not have the time to panic. If he did, he would die. His mind knew that. His body knew that. Both fought to survive. He had limited air left but he was able to get his right arm free. He felt Lyanna grasp his arm and begin to pull but it sent more pain rippling through his body.
He limply slapped her hand away from himself and tried to focus on where everyone around him was. He couldn't feel everything perfectly but he got a line and then-
Zap!
A little bolt of lightningElemental Manipulation - The character is able to control a small amount of lightning in relatively close proximity to themselves. Limited to a single bolt of lightning that can travel 20 feet before dissipating. Capable of throwing one lightning bolt every bit. If the bolt hits, it can cause shocking pains and numbness to any struck body part. Alcohol intoxication diminishes the power of this ability. struck the side of the building across the street from the explosion and Balthazar limp body ploppedRide The Lightning - Balthazar is able to travel along any bolt thrown using his Elemental Manipulation, ending where the bolt impacts or at his Elemental Manipulations maximum distance. Alcohol intoxication diminishes the power of this ability. onto the ground. He could feel the bones in his left arm like chunks in a soup. Concentration was going to be incredibly difficult to maintain but not impossible- just impossible for the moment. Lyanna was at his side in trills and he groaned, "Help them-"
"I'll get you back to the headquarters. Robin will send for the Order." Lyanna said frantically as she looked over Balthazar. She was the only Black Cat with significant medical training and from her diagonistic- his trials of unarmed battle were behind him.
"Kura-" He groaned as he pressed his right hand onto his stomach. Even that hurt.
"You're in shock, you need..." Her voice trailed off, unsure of where to begin.
"Shock? This won't hurt then..." He took a breath and focused everything he had on mending himself. Purple flames washed forthLovalus has granted Balthazar the ability to conjure and manipulate a stream of purple flames which can encompass an individual or a large building (up to tier 4 in size, meaning three average rooms and a small room worth of space) in need of healing/repair. This purple flame is nothing like any conventional form of fire. Rather than give off heat, it seems to emit a cooling sensation like water and rather than burn it repairs damage done to whatever in surrounds slowly. This can be used to heal mortal wounds but it can not be used to restore life. Alternatively the flames can restore whatever building they encompass to immaculate condition, repairing damage done to foundations, windows, walls, etc. The purple flames leave a slightly damp sensation that lingers for a few bits after use and do not spread like normal flames would, they only spread as directed by Balthazar. These flames can only be conjured once a trial and require concentration to maintain, which in combination with their slow progress makes them ineffective in combat. from the palm of his hand and spread outwards around his body. Recognizing the fire from their work after the first attack, she left Balthazar to heal himself and began sifting through the rubble to make sure no one else was trapped.
It should be said that it probably looked easy and it may have been faster than waiting for his body to heal naturally, but using the fire of Lovalus to heal himself was excruciating. His body stitched itself together under the cool flames but their focus was entirely directed by him. He couldn't think about anything but the pain he was enduring. The pain that needed to be washed out. When he fixed buildings or other people he didn't need to think about the damage. He didn't have to consider everything he was fixing. Normally, he didn't have to feel it all shift back in place.
He nearly broke focus but he dug deepExtra Heart -As a result of frequently engaging in lengthy fights, long trials in the forge, and endless breaks traveling, Balthazar has developed a deep well of stamina that he can call on to push through exhaustion, pain, or other negative influences. While this does not help Balthazar endure the damage of what he is pushing through, per se, it does enable him to continue whatever he is doing without faltering. to push through until finally the purple flames dissipated leaving behind a repaired but not unaffected mage. His body felt spent but it couldn't be. It had just been healed. He was physically in pristine condition... but the mind didn't snap back as quickly as the body could. He felt immobilized. Just as trapped and stuck as he had been beneath the collapsed building.
It was watching Lyanna try to pull burning beam after burning beam aside that he forced the strength back into his body. There were still people to help. People who were only in danger now because he had failed in a different attempt to protect them. He tried to surge forward and his body refused. The petulant and useless thing. He was Balthazar Black. He was far from defeated. If he died, the blast that took him would be great enough to level a continent- it wouldn't stop at a building.
Balthazar Black wouldn't die. No. He might die. He would never rest. Death was not a release from duty. Death was not a release from the questions he would see answered. If death came for him and he had the chance to push forward by becoming something else- he would. The only way he saw Elisabeth again, the only way he got any closure, was if he survived. In one form or another, he had to survive. He would rip his death from Vri's clutches if he needed to, but he thought his patron would understand. Death might have been a natural and necessary part of life, but when it came- there could be nothing left outstanding. Not for Balthazar.
Balthazar took a deep breath and pushed himself up onto his feet. They held his weight for a few trills before his knees buckled and he had to catch himself on the wall of the building he'd hit. He willed himself forward to the rubble as others began to emerge from their homes. Lyanna grabbed the mage and pulled on him, trying to get them both far from the blast site before anyone could see. Balthazar was still in shock and searching through the empty rubble until Lyanna pulled him by his singed hair. The sharp shock of that pain helped snap him out of it.
"We can't be seen, we have to go!" She insisted.
"What if someone's hurt?" Balthazar asked, unable to look away from the wreckage.
"All of Almund heard that blast, let the Element's help." Balthazar was too dazed to argue and under Lyanna's leash, the two fled back to the headquarters
Back in his office, Balthazar tried to write a message to the Albarech but his hands shook and he couldn't focus enough on his sparks to soothe his mutations. Blowing up took a toll on a person. He took a deep breath and focused on what needed to be done. His hands didn't stop shaking. Robin took the parchment and quill from Balthazar.
"Tell me what to write, we'll get the message out."