Ch.3: "Silver Tide" / Nyse Lagoon

[Legendary Sidekick]

((Not sure if you're stuck, so…))


Our heroines contemplate the depths ahead and the way back, which leads to daylight…

The way back also leads to distant fwump! Kell and Sigrlinn can probably guess what the sound is, and as the orange glow in the tunnel glows brighter by the nanosecond, drowning seems preferable to burning alive. The fairies don't head for the water, however. Phœbe and Sapphire dash toward the flames! Fire envelops Sapphire's hands, and Phœbe's hands emit a pink aura as they did when she healed Vin—

A wall of fire seems to form a protective seal—but Apollo's flames penetrate the firewall like it is nothing! The world becomes orange, then white! But… our heroines do not feel pain. Their bodies are not burning! The fire is… comfortably warm?!

When the flames stop, Sapphire is cradling Phœbe in her arms. "Poor thing… I don't know if she'll be able to do that without a rest, and I don't know if she'll get one."

Phœbe gasps, "We combined… fire and… healing. But healing… takes a… a lot out of me."

Sapphire says, "Don't try to talk. Just breathe."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn

Sigrlinn flinches back from the wall of fire, but can't escape as the world burns orange and white. When it's over, she's amazed to still be standing. Shaking, she looks at Sapphire and Phoebe. "Thank you."

She turns to look back at the water, wondering again how in the world to get through all that without drowning.

Then again, if that's the way to Artemis, maybe they should just trust the goddess to keep them alive.

She looks at Kell. "I think it's sink or swim time. Are you with me?"

((Aquatics roll coming next post, after Kell and/or GM respond...))

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Phœbe asks Sigrlinn, "How will you get through all that water without air?"

Sapphire says to Phœbe, "If you could cast another healing spell, maybe you could give the water healing ability. Of course, you'd need someone with water magic to do that."

Phœbe replies, "That just helps your wounds heal while you bathe. Combining healing and water magic won't prevent drowning."

The fairies look out into the depths of the cavern, wondering if another impossibly large flame will evaporate them…

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn

"The moon controls the tide, and Artemis controls the moon. She gave me a summons, and if this is the fastest way to her, I'm sure she wouldn't let me die on the way. Or anyone who comes with me."

Unwilling to wait for Apollo to loose more arrows, she takes a deep breath and dives into the water.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Sigrlinn gets far, much further than she expected she'd be able to. But the underwater tunnel is never-ending!

She inhales some water, and after some thrashing, she somehow finds her way back. Whatever instinct brought her back to breathable air is helping her cough up the water.

Sapphire says, "Oh, my… I guess big lungs can only get you so far."

Helix tells Kell, Even in my dolphin form, I can only hold my breath for eight minutes.


((Really. Eight minutes. I was at the Boston Museum of Science and saw a film on dolphins, so I just learned this fact two days ago.))

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn

Sigrlinn coughs as she comes up for air, surprised at how far she managed to get. But she turns and glares at the flooded tunnel once she catches her breath.

"I really thought that would work." She folds her arms. "Anyone else have ideas? We can't afford to wait here until the tide goes out. Not with Mr. Sunshine up there trying to cook us."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Sapphire says, "Well, Phœbe can combine her healing magic with water spells to make the water heal. I was hoping that would make water breathable—"

Phœbe says, "But I'm sure that won't work. Trust me. I've been around drunk humans and I've seen idiots almost drown in healing springs. Idiots plural. And in all but one case, it wasn't someone who passed out. They didn't think they needed to come up for air, as if healing water can heal not-breathing!" She looks at our heroines and says, "Sorry. You two aren't fairies, so you probably find this whole magic-combining concept confusing."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn

Sigrlinn frowns and paces back and forth at the water's edge as she thinks out loud. "If we had a way to bring a supply of air with us under the water, that might help... But even something like making bubbles of air around each of us might not work indefinitely. And I don't know how I'd do that anyway."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Sapphire asks, "How would you make bubbles? You mean like, magically?"

Phoebe says, "Well, she knows how to make magic arrows so she probably knows air magic."

Sapphire grins at Sigrlinn. "I can show you how to combine magic. Umm... depending on what spells you know."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell says, "I have a spell that can push us along on a wave. But it might help if we had something to ride on. I wonder if Leto and I could mount Helix in his dolphin form, and Sapphire and Phoebe could hold on to us?"

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn

Sigrlinn pauses and turns to Sapphire. "I know Heaven's Arrow, Ascension and Ride of the Valkyrie. 'Know' being for lack of a better term, since I've only practiced Ascension so far. I'm not sure if any of those will be much help in making bubbles, though."

She turns to Kell, looking thoughtful. "Now there's an idea..."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Sapphire says, "I could make you fly really far by combining fire with Ascension. Heaven's Arrow… I'm pretty sure we could make flaming arrows or even exploding ones. Ride of the Valkyrie? Huh. I don't know that one."

Phœbe hears Kell, then says, "Well if you two know water and air… yeah, Leto. You keep talking about bubbles. You two should try combining your magic. You know how, right? You two hang out, so I imagine you combine magic all the time."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn

"We only just learned how to use magic," Sigrlinn says. "So there hasn't been time for an 'all the time' yet."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The two fairies look at each other. "Oh," they say.

Phœbe says, "Well, I guess we just count to three and—"

Sapphire says, "No we don't! Who would count while casting?"

"Humans?"

"Didn't you hang out with humans?"

"Yes. But not magical ones."

Sapphire tells Sigrlinn, "If you two cast at the same time and focus on one area or target or whatever, the spells will combine and do something they don't normally do. It helps if you two actually think of what you want to happen. The same two spells might be able to do different things, but you can't just have any two spells do whatever you want."

Phœbe explains, "She means there's probably a water spell and an air spell that can make bubbles. Maybe Kell's wave spell would work with one of yours, but definitely not the arrow spell. Either Ascension, or maybe the valkyrie spell. Or maybe not. I never heard of that spell either."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell says, "If I remember right, Ride of the Valkyrie is meant to give a mount wings. But if we combine it with Wave Dance and we all ride Helix like I suggested, maybe Sigrlinn could imagine it putting a large air bubble over him instead?"

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn

"Ride of the Valkyrie will only give a mount wings if I learn enough to give myself wings first. At this point all I can do is make a mount go faster. I'm not sure if that would be the same thing."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Phœbe says, "You won't know until you try. But if there's no air bubble, you better turn your steed the other way!"

((I'll wait until you agree on what spells to combine, then post the results. No need to roll.))

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell replies, "Choose whichever spell you think is best, Sigrlinn. But for me, I'm choosing my Wave Dance spell."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Another fwump! is heard from behind. Phœbe lacks the strength to cast her healing spell. Sapphire flies her to Helix's horn, and the unicorn leaps into the water. In the form of a dolphin, he awaits our heroines' spell combination. The two fairies cling to his horn…

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell mounts Helix, beginning her chant for the Wave Dance spell. She imagines a large wave propelling Helix (with herself and Phoebe, Sapphire, and Sigrlinn riding him) through the water away from the incoming fire blast toward safety.