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[color=Peru][b]The Great Artisan, Divine Mason, Builder of Civilisations
Level 4 God of Crafting (Masonry, Carpentry, Smithing)[/b]
19.5 Might & 1 Free Point[/color][/center]

Rain had never leaked into the new barracks, for its roof was of smooth plaster and its tents were of oiled canvas, worked to the best standard the slave class could be taught. And yet still the blood came through, filling the shallow cracks that crept further into the structure with each explosion from the inner city.

Blood condensed from the red mists outside and dribbled down the walls, blood puddled under the tents and slinked its insidious path in, pools of blood dissolved thick fabric with an acidic hiss. Its evil scent billowed through Tauga's tentacles, droplets running from her suit and dripping from her breathing mask. Behind the goggles, she watched the blood etch reddened weals into the captain's skin wherever it touched. He'd been outside for the worst of it.

She could offer no help, nor words of comfort, even if she tried. That would demand a deep empathy that she knew she lacked. In any case, Sen was past listening. His yells had quietened, his eyes were still wild and staring. He still bared his teeth when Tauga tried to come near. Whether that was the rancor of the dagon swirling to life from the Rotfly's seared soul or the fury of having stayed to do the Blowfly's bidding only to be met with the final curse of the Énas Amartia, she could not say.

All she could mumble was- [colour=antiquewhite]"See you on the other side."[/colour] Then Tauga unpinned the garnet-eyed blowfly from his breast, turned and stepped out into the dripping darkness. It felt heavier than it was.

Similar scenes were unfolding in the rows of tents of which this one had been a part, minus the spectating role she herself had played. Sporadic screams echoed from the city as the blood made its way, little by little, into every house and cellar of Xerxes. No, not even the barracks would be safe for long. The ophanim could only block so much as they swivelled low, tight circles above the complex, the dark rain running easily over their smooth surfaces to fall again.

Against the lightless storm, their glow seemed little more than a flickering white candle above the failing refuge, where the last untouched mortal in Xerxes stood tired and motionless in her mask, trying to convince herself that this was all for the best.

As Tauga watched the misery unfold, her ethereal tentacles felt a hain approaching from behind, strangely unaffected by the storm. The hain said, [color=Peru]"This is all quite terrible, don't you agree?"[/color] With a sharp movement, she caught the newcomer's eyes with her own over her shoulder. 

[colour=antiquewhite]"You're breathing,"[/colour] came the voice from the mask, stark, inquisitorial. Tauga's boots splashed their way towards the stranger, not intending to let him go. Hope was past reaching for, but caution remained. [colour=antiquewhite]"How aren't you screaming? Why are you even outside?"[/colour]

On closer inspection Tauga would notice that the falling blood did not even touch the hain's shell, the droplets deflected by some unseen force. The hain hesitated for a moment before answering, [color=Peru]"I am not an ordinary hain. Even less ordinary than you, Tauga."[/color] She tensed.

The stranger stepped over to the wall of the barracks and laid a hand on it. His eyes inspected the structure. [color=Peru]"Now of all times is a bad time to have a leaky roof. Fixing it is the least one can do, after all you've done to try and fix this city."[/color]

As he spoke, the small cracks in the ceiling repaired themselves, the gaps were sealed even against the crimson deluge, and the blood which was inside began to drain from the building. Though Tauga's limbs unseen traced over the moving mortar, they found no source for the crackling shuffle of dust and chips reforming like new. Her eyes stayed warily on the other hain. 

[colour=antiquewhite]"You're a shaman,"[/colour] she concluded uncertainly. [colour=antiquewhite]"You're not from Amestris."[/colour] Then her beak gave a little jerk, and she took a half-step back. [colour=antiquewhite]"How do you- I've never seen you but you... Know me. Are you a prophet?"[/colour]

The stranger let out a light chuckle, although it was suppressed somewhat by the macabre surroundings. [color=Peru]"Of sorts..."[/color] the stranger answered cryptically. The hain drummed his fingers on the wall in thought. Then he said, [color=Peru]"Perhaps my name will be familiar to you."[/color] The hain walked towards Tauga and extended a hand in greeting. [color=Peru]"My name is Teknall."[/color]

The gloved hand before him rose for a moment, an old reflex that faltered as the weight of the name settled in the air, leaving Tauga's hand awkwardly withheld at her chest.[colour=antiquewhite]"Oh,"[/colour] she said. [colour=antiquewhite]"Teknall."[/colour] Another slow revelation- Another step back.

[colour=antiquewhite][i]"Stone Chipper."[/i][/colour]

And just like that, Tauga was face to face with God once again. It was hard to move, so she didn't try. She let fall some toneless words. [colour=antiquewhite]"Is this about the Chippers?"[/colour]

[color=Peru]"Fortunately for you, no. It is their own fault if they oppose the local laws and customs,"[/color] Teknall said. [color=Peru]"I had actually come to commend you on your efforts to preserve Xerxes and its inhabitants against the curses of Amartia."[/color] She blinked under the goggles, subtly shook her head. The curses of Amartia- to say it so plainly grated against the barriers of doublethink Tauga had defended her god-emperor with for so long.

Teknall looked around at the tents within the court of the barracks building. The tents would not last long against the blood rain. [color=Peru]"How many of these are your people?"[/color]

[colour=antiquewhite]"All of them,"[/colour] was the simple answer. [colour=antiquewhite]"It's the only ground we could defend. Whole Watch's here. There's no point in sending out patrols anymore."[/colour]

Teknall nodded. Then he snapped his fingers and a great wind twisted around the barracks courtyard, diverting the falling rain of blood and drying away the puddles of crimson fluid with its cyclonic gusts. Once the inside of the courtyard was dry, the winds inside calmed, with just the outer winds deflecting the rain. [color=Peru]"Bring everyone into the main building. It will hold indefinitely against the rain, which should give me time to figure out how to help the afflicted,"[/color] Teknall instructed.

A brief and intense military career latched on to the order and saw clearly. [colour=antiquewhite]"Understood. Sir."[/colour] Tauga spun on a heel and set off into the encampment, calling out as she moved to the alarm gong. [colour=antiquewhite]"Dracces! Jinini! Come out! The ground's dry! Move it!"[/colour] In moments, the militia was coming to its feet, checking numbers and improvising stretchers. Their Blowfly hadn't led them astray yet. [colour=antiquewhite]"Plan's changed! We're not gonna die tonight."[/colour]

In a few minutes the courtyard had been cleared of people and of the tents, with everything brought inside the security of the freshly repaired barracks. Once this was done, the protective dome of wind faded and the cursed rain resumed outside. Inside those who had been afflicted by the rain were laid in rows along the ground, and Teknall walked along them, inspecting them.

About half of the militia had come into substantial contact with the mutagenic rain, caught outside or under inadequate shelter when it started raining. The rest were mostly fine, although many had suffered some minor contact from puddles and splashes, which seemed to not be enough to incapacitate them yet. Such harm was minor and localised. But those who had been drenched in it were in a terrible state, the harm deep and threatening their very souls.

Teknall kneeled down by Sen, one of the worst afflicted, and inspected him carefully. Sen stared angrily, his eyes bloodshot and out of focus, mouth foaming, and the red welts on his skin slowly growing with each heartbeat as his body progressively succumbed to the curse. Teknall studied Sen for a full minute before reaching over and laying a hand over his chest. Sen grew limp and comatose as his heartrate was slowed drastically, until he was in a state of deep hibernation. [color=Peru]"That should buy us some more time,"[/color] Teknall muttered to himself before standing up.

Teknall looked to be in deep thought. He was not Jvan or Niciel; to cure this affliction would be a challenging task for him. But with knowledge of the functioning of the entire Universe, there surely had to be a way. He just needed to figure out how.

Teknall attended similarly to the most severely afflicted, sending them into a coma to slow the progression of the mutation. As he did this and thought, he also spoke to Tauga. [color=Peru]"I observed as you gathered together the refugees from Xerxes and sent them away to safety. I applaud you for that, as it gives us a chance to rebuild Xerxes once this is all over, or else establish a new city elsewhere. I have sent... my servant to ensure their safe passage, and to clear some more space between them and the crystal forest. I also commend you on successfully managing Xerxes in Amartia's absence. You have a knack for caring for this city, which is more than can be said for Amartia."[/color]

[colour=antiquewhite]"Mm,"[/colour] replied Tauga distractedly, dismissing a watchhain that had been reporting how much uncontaminated water remained. It wasn't that she hadn't been listening. She just didn't know how to respond well. [colour=antiquewhite]"Thanks,"[/colour] she opened hesitantly, [colour=antiquewhite]"For the ships. I just did what I could."[/colour]

Torches were being replaced by candles as grated windows were sealed, for fear of another downpour. Things grew a little dimmer. [colour=antiquewhite]"I remember how it was, when I was a kid. The Enas had a plan for things. I'm sure he still does. I'll... Stick to what I know, until it all works out. In the end."[/colour]

Teknall was silent for a few moments. Eventually, he replied, [color=Peru]"Things change. Amartia may have a plan, one which fulfills his own interests, but whether the people of Xerxes will come out any better from it is another matter."[/color]

[colour=antiquewhite]"I trust him,"[/colour] said Tauga blandly, not really responding. Nor meeting Teknall's eyes. [colour=antiquewhite]"Um. I should go clear out the east wing."[/colour] It was an audibly feeble excuse, but she took it, and moved out past the waiting soldiers. They parted for her, and came together again behind the sound of boots, almost protectively.

Teknall did not follow Tauga, but remained where he was and thought longer. His eyes closed in concentration and his mouth moved, speaking silent calculations. Then his eyes snapped open in revelation. [color=Peru]"I have it!"[/color] he exclaimed. He looked to the two soldiers and said, [color=Peru]"I've figured out a cure. Tell Tauga I should be back within twenty minutes."[/color] Teknall then jogged out of the barracks into the rain and, once out of sight, disappeared.

Designing the cure had been a matter of following the rules dictating submaterium connections, as specified in the Codex before creation. The rules were esoteric, yes, but consistent and specific. Once an appropriate recipe had been devised, Teknall only had to obtain the ingredients; a simple task for a god. A drop of the blood rain. A sample of vampire bile. Leaves from a Holy Tree, crushed with a mortar and pestel made from an oxen's skull. Moondust from Perditus. Pure water strained through the wings of a Needle Faery. And numerous relatively mundane components. All of these were mixed together in the order required, and a bit of divine power was applied to shortcut some of the more difficult but necessary submaterium connections.

With his potion complete, Teknall returned to the barracks with the concoction in hand; a glass bottle filled with an opaque green runny oil. [color=Peru]"Tauga, I have an antidote!"[/color]

The effect of those words was immediate, even among the hardened discipline of the Watch. Jinini nodded sharply, two eyepatches jolting with the movement, and waved the general over, but she'd already moved with uncanny speed.

[colour=antiquewhite]"Does it work?"[/colour] She crouched, staring into the elixir with pragmatic urgency. [colour=antiquewhite]"How much? Do we have?"[/colour]

[color=Peru]"It will work,"[/color] Teknall asserted. [color=Peru]"It is very potent, so the dose size is small, so this bottle is more than enough for the entire Watch."[/color]

Teknall walked towards the comatose Sen. He took a needle and syringe out from his apron pocket and filled it with a fraction of a millilitre of the potion. [color=Peru]"For this potion to have full effect it must be delivered intravenously,"[/color] Teknall explained. Dracces tapped Tauga's shoulder and whispered in a knowing Azibo voice, [i]"That means 'within veins,' but..."[/i] She nodded. Memories of Help were suddenly fresh inside her.

He knelt down by Sen, laid one hand on his chest, and with the other hand gently inserted the needle into Sen's skin and injected the potion. Slowly Sen's heart rate returned to normal, and Teknall withdrew the needle and stepped back. Everyone watched in anticipation.

Sen woke with a gasp and his breathing was sharp and shallow, the blood draining from his face. But at the same time, the red weals on his skin shrunk and faded, and the rage which seemed to have filled him before was gone. In about a minute Sen stabilised, pale and weak, but cured of the dagon. Crouching at his shoulder, Tauga snapped her fingers above his face- His eyes focused. She leaned over him, and at the sight of the mask his mouth worked, saying something inaudible, but conscious.

[color=Peru]"Anaemia is one of the side effects of the cure,"[/color] Teknall explained, [color=Peru]"but he should recover from that in a day or two, especially if he eats and drinks well."[/color]

[colour=antiquewhite]"Anee-"[/colour] Another tap. [colour=antiquewhite]"Weakbloodedness. Got it,"[/colour] replied the general firmly. There was a rising tension in the field-doctors around them, a faint thrill of hope that centred and flowed from the stranger with his bottle. 

Tauga pressed Sen's wirework badge into his hand and curled his fingers over it. The garnet eyes seemed clearer than ever. [colour=antiquewhite]"Do you think,"[/colour] said she, [colour=antiquewhite]"we could share this out quicker if the sawbones were in on it? Count me with them, I've- Been taught."[/colour]

Teknall looked down to the syringe in his hands, removed the used needle and discarded it within his apron pocket. [color=Peru]"The dose is rather specific, and I'd have to train you in proper use of the syringe or else you could cause damage, but..."[/color] Teknall thought for a moment before continuing, [color=Peru]"It'll probably be faster than me doing it myself."[/color]

Teknall took out a fistful of syringes from his apron pocket, followed by a collection of clean hypodermic needles. Along with that, he took out more smaller glass bottles and decanted the green elixer into them. For a moment the sight of the promised cure held all the room's attention, until, with a jolt that spread quickly from person to person in glances, they realised the physical nature of what he was doing. 

[i]"Deep pockets,"[/i] whispered Dracces in reverent suspicion, eyes flicking from the stranger to the growing collection of vials. No questions were voiced aloud, but they were wondered.

Once all the equipment was ready, Teknall beckoned them over and gave the field doctors a crash course in giving an injection, with instruction on the dose required, filling the syringe properly, locating veins, and correct injection technique, as well as emphasising the need to replace the needle after each use to prevent mixing blood of different people. He personally supervised each medic for their first injection, and if he deemed them adequately competent he gave them more needles and syringes, each syringe sized to give a different dose, and a bottle of the potion, and sent them to deliver the cure to others.

The instructions were clear and efficient, and under Teknall's guidance, the vital task took not much more than an hour. Woozy morale swelled through the barracks as the militia lined up for the procedure, as if receiving a ration. Those administering the potion repeated what they'd learned with methodic discipline, though not a few recipients flinched back at the bizarre sensation of the needle. The field doctors themselves were not immune to a little awe at the equipment. They held the syringes as they would fine jewellery; They were, after all, not much less unique, or delicate.

In the aftermath, a warm confidence was starting to radiate between the soldiers, lightheaded though they still were, cold as the gusts outside. Something special had come to them. They were being watched over.

Tauga helped deliver the last of the shots to the doctors themselves. Curiously, the number of injectors had been exactly that which had been necessary, even with a few accidents. [colour=antiquewhite]"That's the last,"[/colour] she stated, drawing the needle from Jinini's shell joint.

[colour=antiquewhite]"I should thank you,"[/colour] said the general, awkwardly. Her mask was off now. [colour=antiquewhite]"I, uh. I don't know what I can say to pay you back. But we do owe you,"[/colour] Tauga glanced away, then back, [colour=antiquewhite]"a lot."[/colour]

[color=Peru]"Your services to civilisation and the people and city of Xerxes have paid for it already,"[/color] Teknall replied. [color=Peru]"All I ask is that you continue to do so, to protect those who need protecting and restore order where order has been lost, as you have already done."[/color]

Teknall's beak moved side to side, his eyes scanning the barracks and assembled people. [color=Peru]"There is one more thing I offer to you and the Watch. Xerxes has become a dangerous place. At present you are beseiged in this building, unable to go outside without succumbing to the blood rain. If and when the rain does stop, you will find Xerxes filled not with human, hain and rovaick but with monstrous and violent dagons. I offer safe passage out of Xerxes to whoever is willing. You can join the refugees you have already sent, if you so choose."[/color]

And just like that, the rising morale turned dangerous.

[colour=antiquewhite]"Thank you,"[/colour] Tauga hesitated, knowing what would come. [colour=antiquewhite]"But I chose to stay already. It's all I have."[/colour] Her voice was low, but she was overheard. Perhaps it didn't even matter. The soldiers already knew their leader well. She raised her voice so that it would carry beyond the stretchers and sawbones, and made it worse. [colour=antiquewhite]"If anyone wants to escape. This is your chance. For God's sake, don't be-"[/colour]

Idiots? Heroes? [i]Human?[/i]

[colour=antiquewhite]"They're not gonna go."[/colour] There were maybe two hundred and fifty fighters in the compound. Survivors. Those who would have run or died had done so already. Tonight, they feared neither fate. [colour=antiquewhite]"Fuck. Teknall, I'm sorry. We're all dead men here."[/colour] It did not slip past Tauga that it was she who'd done this- That the Watch was painfully, unflinchingly loyal to [i]her.[/i] And she was staying.

In a place where they couldn't follow.

[colour=antiquewhite]"Come back when the night is late. Maybe someone changes their mind by then."[/colour] Tauga's hand rested on the back of her neck. [colour=antiquewhite]"Sorry for wasting your time."[/colour]

Teknall looked at his feet and shuffled awkwardly. [color=Peru]"Ah, should have figured that earlier. Um..."[/color] He took a breath and looked back up at Tauga. [color=Peru]"Since you're all determined to stay, I'll ensure you have enough food and water to outlast this seige. I'll sort that out now, shall I?"[/color] Without waiting for an answer, Teknall briskly walked off towards the supplies.

Tauga motioned as if to offer an escort before he left sight, and stood for a while in his wake. Paced back on her own steps as if looking for an order to give. Found none, and was left to mill around with her troops. The good company didn't much ease her new awareness of how unique she was among their fragile forms.

Meanwhile Teknall had filled the storehouses of the barracks. Gathering fresh water was a trivial task for the god. Sourcing food which was both nutritous and long-lasting was marginally more difficult, but using his Perception it had been simple enough to locate stores of food in Xerxes not yet contaminated by the blood rain, and since the rest of Xerxes was being turned into dagons and Amartia had the power to procure food from anything Teknall had no qualms about aquisitioning some of that food for the Watch.

Teknall returned to Tauga and reported, [color=Peru]"The Watch now has enough food and water to last for about two months, which should be adequate. You may keep the remaining antidote and injectors in case of any further cases of infection. I think that is everything for now. If anyone needs anything more, just call."[/color] She nodded simply. All the necessary thanks had been given.

[colour=antiquewhite]"We'll pray, I guess."[/colour] There would be plenty of praying to go round soon enough, though it didn't quite seem like Teknall's style. [colour=antiquewhite]"And we'll be ready. We're not giving up what we've fought for yet. Ever."[/colour]

[color=Peru]"Good. We need people who won't give up,"[/color] Teknall said. He hesitated for a moment before coming closer to Tauga and speaking in a whisper only she could hear. [color=Peru]"Just remember what you're fighting for. You may trust Amartia, but I fear that trust may be ill placed. You've seen what he's done. I suggest you think long and hard about whether you really want to fight for him."[/color] Nod.

Teknall stepped back. He bid farewell to the gathered people. [color=Peru]"Goodbye. It is a tough path you have chosen, so good luck, and don't give up."[/color] Waving, he exited through the entrance to the barracks and departed. The stranger was cheered as he disappeared fearlessly into the rain, a figure of hope. Once again, Tauga was left with her own handiwork.

[colour=antiquewhite][i]Xerxes,[/i][/colour] she decided, gazing out over the dim, apocalyptic view outside the barracks, listening to its melancholy ambience. It was just dark enough to imagine something different. [colour=antiquewhite][i]That's what I'm killing for. The City. Because one day Amartia will make everything right again. Like it used to be.[/i][/colour]

[hider=Summary]
-Tauga observes helplessly as half of the Watch slowly succumbs to the mutagenic blood rain in Xerxes and blood rain slowly leaks into the barracks.

-Teknall arrives as a hain, magically fixes the barracks, then reveals his identity to Tauga.

-Teknall is here to commend Tauga on her services to civilisation.

-He says that Goliath is out protecting the refugees she sent and is clearing the Acalya forest in their way.

-Teknall manages to figure out an antidote for the mutation by using his memory of the occult written in the Universal Blueprint, and goes out to make it (-1 Might, 1/3 towards Alchemy).

-The field doctors of the Watch are quickly trained in the use of hypodermic injectors which Teknall supplies and they go and cure the entire Watch of the blood rain.

-Tauga's position of doublethink and implicit trust in Amartia is gently challenged by Teknall.

-Teknall offers Tauga and the Watch safe passage out of Xerxes. They refuse because Tauga won't leave, and Tauga feels bad about it.

-Teknall refills their supplies with two months of food and water.

-Teknall then leaves.

[u]Might/Khookies[/u]
Teknall
Start: 19.5 Might and 1 Freepoint
Spent: 1 Might
End: 18.5 Might and 1 Freepoint

Tauga
Start: 10 Khookies
Spent: None
Earned: 10 Khookies (22000+ characters)
End: 20 Khookies
[/hider]