[Cyberia] Re: Cyberia: Spirits in the Material World

[Cyberia GM]

Then just as suddenly, silence returned.  And only at that moment did Dot
realize that she was covered in a thick layer of ash and soot- and she
realized why this level of the building had no glass- it had been touched by
this phenomena before.  It was thus that she was spared the storm of lethal
glass that would surely have accompanied such a display.

Movement only a few yards from her caught her attention, as Grey shook off a
layer of ash, rising to his knees.  "You okay, girl?" he asked gruffly,
making his way stiffly towards her.  She could tell that he had injuries,
though the extent of them were hard to see under the layers of dust and ash
that caked his form.

+++++

Suhuy struggled under Mandor's grip, trying to make his way to where Dot was
struggling to stand. "Off! Off!" He swatted at the man behind him. "My Dot!"

Dot shook off some of the ash from her hair and coughed.  "Fine," she
muttered as she made a  vain attempt to wipe some of the ash and debris off
of her.

Mandor relaxed his grip on Suhuy's collar, then turned to look at Grey and
Asha.

"This was not Chaos," he said quietly.  "But you have come perilously
close."

Almost as pale as the ash that covered the floor, Asha nodded.  She scanned
the area intently from her position by the door, holding herself up with a
hand that gripped the frame with a manic strength that only receded when she
saw that Grey and Dot were ok.

"Rook has shown me something of what you speak, and I could instinctively
tell that this had too much malevolence to be what you sought."  She paused,
thinking, worrying her fingernails, looking into the distance.  "However,"
she said finally, looking towards Dot, "could there be enough of a
similarity in it's substance to aid your synthesis of Chaos?"

"It is close," murmured Suhuy as he waddled close. "It -smells- like it.
There are many things you forget as you wind your way down, but the bouquet
of distilled change isn't one of them. Though.." Suhuy looked up at the now
empty sky. "It's certainly picked up some nasty habits somewhere."

Mandor moved forward now to Dot.

"Are you all right?" he asked politely.

Dot limped forward slightly, and frowned.  Her eyes roamed downward over the
ash-covered landscape of her body.  "My right leg is hurt.  I think there's
something in it."

Mandor looked around for Asha and Grey.

"You will treat her," he said - a calm statement of fact.  "Suhuy, you will
observe - but you will not try to improve on what they do.  Not ... yet."

Suhuy cheeks puffed out, as if he were seriously considering the
psychological and physiological ramifications of blowing a raspberry at
Mandor. He kept his tongue where it was, though, as he trundled over to
where Dot was.

"I'm -good- at fixing things."

Grey's eyes narrowed, and it was not obvious if this was because of how he
was spoken to, or because of how Asha had been spoken to.  But a slight
shake Asha's head was enough to untense his corded muscles- to temporarily
leash the violence within the man.

Walking towards Dot, he said, "It would probably be faster if I carried you
to the infirmary."  His tone was matter-of-fact, not asking, but merely
offering the best suggestion.  But he laid not a hand on her, awaiting her
response.

Dot nodded, "okay," and positioned herself for ease of lifting.

Suhuy looked over his shoulder at Mandor. "=I= could carry!" he said in a
stage whisper.

Judiciously ignoring the statement, Grey lifted Dot into his arms, more
gingerly than it would have seemed possible for the gruff warrior.
Following, he was made aware for the first time of Asha's injuries by her
movements as she led the way to the infirmary.

"What happened in there?" he asked Dot, his eyes never leaving Asha.