Chapter 439: Chapter 439 - When The Shield Doesn’t Work, Sometimes Tossing It Aside In The Fight Is Wise
"Everyone ready?"
The low voice drifting across the main stairwell where the other heroes had positioned themselves in a loose circle around a certain cultivator. Far enough from the center to avoid the immediate danger of lashing out, but close enough to respond and restrain if needed. Each had taken a spot that offered clear sightlines while keeping their own escape routes open.
In the middle of their formation, Corde hez Iralev stood rigid. Her weapon had been carefully pried out of her hand and placed well across the room so that it could not be used when the illusion broke. But even disarmed, the Frozen Duskblade was still a Primalist that remained a significant threat to anyone who approached carelessly.
"I don’t think any of us but yourself are in any real danger... still think it would be smarter to tap her on the back and run."
Lirades spoke quietly with some amusement from her position near the doorway, with Navuill behind her. His task was to use his Empath ability to try and inject enough calm, if possible... though no one really had much hope of that working. Everyone else waited in tense silence as they tried to act calm and not like a fight was about to happen.
The woman they surrounded had her dark eyes open and still fixed up the top of the steps where she had been rushing. Moving too quickly in her periphery or speaking too loudly risked triggering a defensive response... from someone whose entire spiritual cultivation specialized in self-protection against the very type of ’assault’ she had just been helpless against.
Sighing, Qat approached her just as unarmed by the others. If she really was going to rampage, then letting a sword sit on her back that could be stolen and used on the others - even a heavy blade that was not the famed cultivator’s usual preference - had been agreed to be a needless risk.
Young hand calloused from training met over the hand only a little better off. The one that had been gripping the named sword so tightly they were afraid she would wake up as they took it from her. The woman’s head turned sharply toward Ondua who shifted his weight only a little in that moment of her release from the starscape.
After a few heartbeats, she blinked in recognition and suspicion as to what might be going on. But some things just took priority for some people.
"Where is my sword?"
When no one answered in two breaths, her voice cracked slightly and she repeated the question while slinging away the teenager’s hand and taking a step back.
"We were all trapped too. In the... in the thing with the stars. But it’s over, you’re safe now."
Qatrand took a risky sliding-step forward as she chose her words. Corde repeated the word ’safe’ like she doubted its meaning as her spiritual energy was spiking, trying to rebuild the Shield even stronger. As if what she’d endured could be used as a blueprint to neutralize it sufficiently next time.
"If you don’t make him stop..."
Her arms flexed out to the sides before raising a finger at Navuill, who complied immediately. While the others thought the attempt was a good idea, he had been threatened by a certain heiress once for doing such a thing... and his cousin had told him privately before they began not to push.
"How long? How long were we... was I in that?"
Eyes tracking the room and how everyone was arranged, she trailed off and revised her question. Yatrel answered this time, from atop the steps and well behind the others - she remained the only one with anything like a weapon on her person, as her arms were coated by the Earth-formed gauntlets she used in her duels.
Part of her resented that her husband would not let her stand next to Qat. She was sure that for some reason or other, even if not whatever it was between Corde and her eldest daughter, that the adopted swordswoman deserved to be punched. And what better excuse could she have other than defending herself if the woman went wild?
"Less than an hour. But that’s not what matters right now."
Feeling her low-but-present ’hostility’, Corde’s laugh as she looked away from that set of mint eyes and toward the floor held no humor to it at all.
"Not what matters? I was completely defenseless. Completely... someone could have done anything. Could have killed all of us and we wouldn’t have even known. How is that not what matters?"
The rawness in her voice made several of the heroes exchange glances. The Frozen Duskblade’s reputation was built on an unshakeable composure. Her Astralism had even protected herself against a severe blanket interference during one of the Descent’s regular tests of various things that the Voidling leaders decided they did not like.
That’s why, seeing her this shattered drove home just how severe the spiritual violation had been - in her mind, anyway. All of them were certain at least that whatever had been done to them was almost pleasant. But they did get what she was saying... as they had been disarmed before woken too.
"Corde. Look at me."
It took several seconds, but the older swordswoman’s dark eyes finally looked up to the other’s face. Framed by raven black hair that she was aware she didn’t have to keep using, the pigeon blues were stern as she did not try to dismiss that fear. Because she’d only have to feed into it when they talked about exactly what they’d found.
’A Negavigor weapon... and an artifact that we wouldn’t have known what was without Sevra’s expertise. The other heroes didn’t seem to think it was familiar at all.’
"You’re right. Someone easily could have slain us all. But, do you always stop in the middle of a fight and dread how you were almost killed? I do not think so. And you... are *not* the only one who is upset."