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sunshardsMost progressed piece in what will be a series of 'how to make these priest spells work more realistically vs game mechanics'. Priest trainer name currently unfinalized.
Resurrection edition. Warnings for blatant animal cruelty.
-----
"So why the hound?"
The hound in question perked it's large, grey head at the sound of it's 'name', bony tail giving a weak wag. Sitting contently enough between two Sin'dorei, the beast was skin and bones, massive jowls hanging limply. Given that the pair had found him wandering the edge of the plagued lands, human masters dead or turned, it was amazing the beast lived on at all. A few tidbits had been enough to win the pitiful creature's trust immediately.
The elder of the pair, silver-haired and well-aged in the manner of their people, raised a long brow at his apprentice's query.
"Aside from the fact that it is one of the only other living things in the area for your test?" A snort answered him, and the younger elf earned himself a chiding glare for it.
"We're lucky to come across it, make no mistake. Dogs and their kin are remarkably stubborn in their will to live. Their souls linger on longer than most, which should be useful for your inexperienced attempts. You are exceedingly unlikely to succeed immediately."
"Your faith in me astounds, master."
"None of your cheek! Appropriate test subjects have been nearby for ages, and if you had simply-"
"No!" The darker elf snapped, half-rising to his feet with a billow of white robes, throwing an anxious glance toward the barren tree branches above them. A pair of corvids cawed back down at him, shifting their feathers restlessly at the tension in their person's features. The elder Sin'dorei looked blandly unimpressed by the little scene, unruffled.
"My faith in you may be lacking, but your lack of faith in yourself is equally obvious. You won't risk them on the chance you may fail-"
"I don't 'risk them' because I'm not going to hurt them for this, nor will I allow anyone else to do so either. We've been through this."
"You realize you won't have the luxury of choice on the field."
"Obviously," Iiloridan Sunshard snapped, blue eyes that had only recently gone fel-green narrowing dangerously. The white head nodded, answering smirk unpleasant.
"Very well. I hope you enjoy hobbling yourself in this manner."
"I'll take it," Iiloridan said stubbornly, rubbing his hands together.
Breathing in and out
"Focus. Sense the soul in the body. The bright light bound to flesh. The bonds of life that keep it in place."
"...they're already weak. Are you sure this will work?"
"It will if you fix it first."
Iiloridan sighed, resisting the urge to bark that he hadn't been told to do so yet. Instead, he simply allowed the Light to flow through him, warming his veins as it passed down through his arms, lighting palms and fingers aglow. Brushing fingertips along the hound's course fur, the Light leapt eagerly to weakened and starved flesh, rapidly bolstering parasite-riddled organs and purging pained paws of cuts and bruises.
It would do nothing for the starvation, but from the sudden perk of ears and a pitifully happy whine, the beast was quickly feeling much improved.
Eyes opening, Iiloridan looked the beast up and down, idly shaking away the curious licks at his dimmed hand, and gave his master a smugly questioning look.
"Yes, very good," he said, in much the same tone as one might give a slow toddler. "Now, sense again."
Eyes closing with one final glare, the young priest did as he was told, hands held out over the dog. He somehow managed to avoid acknowledging the eager licks to his palms.
"...Better. It glows...more brightly? Stronger, down to the marrow."
"The soul is as anchored as it is going to get without feeding the beast for the next month," Priest Pontarus(?) acknowledged, standing and approaching the hound with the bit of leather he had been working with. Fending off the eager tongue, he worked the straps around until they formed a muzzle over the dog's still-impressive jaw and down around the back of it's neck to form a collar. Another, longer strap of leather went around the makeshift collar, and was tied to the nearest tree. The procedure had Iiloridan cautiously peeking one green eye open from his meditations- and the small hand-sickle his teacher removed from his bag had him dropping the act entirely.
"...ah. That's the way of it, then."
The priest gave his student another bland look at the waver in his voice.
"Obviously."
Gripping the makeshift collar, Pontarous drew the sickle across the hound's throat without a moment's hesitation, unleashing a gout of blood.
The dog didn't even have time to cry out.
Resurrection edition. Warnings for blatant animal cruelty.
-----
"So why the hound?"
The hound in question perked it's large, grey head at the sound of it's 'name', bony tail giving a weak wag. Sitting contently enough between two Sin'dorei, the beast was skin and bones, massive jowls hanging limply. Given that the pair had found him wandering the edge of the plagued lands, human masters dead or turned, it was amazing the beast lived on at all. A few tidbits had been enough to win the pitiful creature's trust immediately.
The elder of the pair, silver-haired and well-aged in the manner of their people, raised a long brow at his apprentice's query.
"Aside from the fact that it is one of the only other living things in the area for your test?" A snort answered him, and the younger elf earned himself a chiding glare for it.
"We're lucky to come across it, make no mistake. Dogs and their kin are remarkably stubborn in their will to live. Their souls linger on longer than most, which should be useful for your inexperienced attempts. You are exceedingly unlikely to succeed immediately."
"Your faith in me astounds, master."
"None of your cheek! Appropriate test subjects have been nearby for ages, and if you had simply-"
"No!" The darker elf snapped, half-rising to his feet with a billow of white robes, throwing an anxious glance toward the barren tree branches above them. A pair of corvids cawed back down at him, shifting their feathers restlessly at the tension in their person's features. The elder Sin'dorei looked blandly unimpressed by the little scene, unruffled.
"My faith in you may be lacking, but your lack of faith in yourself is equally obvious. You won't risk them on the chance you may fail-"
"I don't 'risk them' because I'm not going to hurt them for this, nor will I allow anyone else to do so either. We've been through this."
"You realize you won't have the luxury of choice on the field."
"Obviously," Iiloridan Sunshard snapped, blue eyes that had only recently gone fel-green narrowing dangerously. The white head nodded, answering smirk unpleasant.
"Very well. I hope you enjoy hobbling yourself in this manner."
"I'll take it," Iiloridan said stubbornly, rubbing his hands together.
Breathing in and out
"Focus. Sense the soul in the body. The bright light bound to flesh. The bonds of life that keep it in place."
"...they're already weak. Are you sure this will work?"
"It will if you fix it first."
Iiloridan sighed, resisting the urge to bark that he hadn't been told to do so yet. Instead, he simply allowed the Light to flow through him, warming his veins as it passed down through his arms, lighting palms and fingers aglow. Brushing fingertips along the hound's course fur, the Light leapt eagerly to weakened and starved flesh, rapidly bolstering parasite-riddled organs and purging pained paws of cuts and bruises.
It would do nothing for the starvation, but from the sudden perk of ears and a pitifully happy whine, the beast was quickly feeling much improved.
Eyes opening, Iiloridan looked the beast up and down, idly shaking away the curious licks at his dimmed hand, and gave his master a smugly questioning look.
"Yes, very good," he said, in much the same tone as one might give a slow toddler. "Now, sense again."
Eyes closing with one final glare, the young priest did as he was told, hands held out over the dog. He somehow managed to avoid acknowledging the eager licks to his palms.
"...Better. It glows...more brightly? Stronger, down to the marrow."
"The soul is as anchored as it is going to get without feeding the beast for the next month," Priest Pontarus(?) acknowledged, standing and approaching the hound with the bit of leather he had been working with. Fending off the eager tongue, he worked the straps around until they formed a muzzle over the dog's still-impressive jaw and down around the back of it's neck to form a collar. Another, longer strap of leather went around the makeshift collar, and was tied to the nearest tree. The procedure had Iiloridan cautiously peeking one green eye open from his meditations- and the small hand-sickle his teacher removed from his bag had him dropping the act entirely.
"...ah. That's the way of it, then."
The priest gave his student another bland look at the waver in his voice.
"Obviously."
Gripping the makeshift collar, Pontarous drew the sickle across the hound's throat without a moment's hesitation, unleashing a gout of blood.
The dog didn't even have time to cry out.
