Log:Radical Restoration

2020/01/03 Radical Grimm 1

Grimm has left a message with Radical through HeroNet, informing him that two other bugs were captured, and that from the report they got from one Arthur Aevus, there's a chance these two are human.

Radical shows up a few minutes later at Starguard. He gives Grimm a wave. "Hey there."

Grimm waves, looking tired once again. She just came from one of the briefing rooms in the back. "Hey. Thanks for coming," she says, cradling a cup of coffee from the back. "We had someone report that they think a family of three got transformed after they went into an alley. Two were caught and brought here." She beckons him and leads him towards the security area.

When he sees that Grimm is tired, he does use his magic sight, just to check on her status. His use of the mana is likely obvious to those who can sense magic. He nods and follows Grimm into the security area, "It's too bad the third wasn't caught too. But we need to save everyone we can."

"Yeah, it sucks. We're not sure which one got away," Grimm sighs tiredly. Her skin feels like it's crawling. "We have this mystery girl named Fauna who can't really communicate...but she seems to be indicating there's a lot of bugs deep underground gathering. He probably went there. I put in a report for the Commander when he returns. Maybe we'll get enough people together to go down there."

When Radical looks at her with his magic sight, he sees magical cracks throughout her body. More so than last time. Corrupting qliphothic energy is seeping out of them slowly. It's like they're dimensional cracks in reality...

Radical nods. "That'd be good. I'll help out any way I can." He tilts his head, "You're pushing yourself too hard again. I can see the cracks in reality."

"Amelia tell you to say that?" Grimm snorts. She looks down at herself, but she doesn't notice the cracks. "Trying to make me even more paranoid?" she smirks as she heads to the security desk and signs Radical in.

Radical raises a brow, "No. I observed it myself. Stop being defensive. Get enough rest."

"Hmph. She said the same thing and told me to seek help. I don't know what you two are talking about. There's nothing there," Grimm seems certain they're just trying to pull one over on her. She leads him on to the two cells with the bugs. They both look a bit different from each other...

Radical shakes his head, "I'm saying I can see Qliphothic energy coming out of you. Literally."

Grimm raises a brow and regards Radical skeptically. "No way...I'd see that if that was the case." There is a moment where she questions why she's doubting him...suspecting him of lying. But then the questions go away. "Uh. Anyway," she points to the bigger naga-like one. "Here's the first one. Looks a lot like the last one you healed that turned out to be a woman."

Radical shakes his head, "Just because you don't see it personally doesn't mean it isn't happening." His attention is then drawn to the bugs, "They might very well fight. I'm going to need time."

Grimm asks, "What isn't happening?" Did she just forget? She's a big foggy headed. She looks into the cell. "I can try and restrain it, but...this could be dangerous. The bugs are targeting you."

As if to prove Grimm's point, the two creatures who were perhaps fiddling or resting unhappily after realizing they couldn't smash or break their way out... suddenly become re-invigorated when they notice Radical. Claws and spines and even bodies scratch or slam against the cell doors.

Radical nods. "it's actually tougher with them in a Questonite cell. If it was a regular cell, it might be easier. I could reach into the cell in that case. But...some kind of restraint would make things easier."

Grimm looks towards the cell and nods. "Yeah, kind of ironic. And if it were a regular cell, I could restrain them or put them to sleep before having to open up." She looks about to make sure security is ready, then looks to the cell door. "I might be able to set up some bars of shadow over the door before we open up."

Grimm raises her hands towards the door and focuses, constructing a shadow wall that mimics cell bars over it so that the bug will still be trapped inside, hopefully, while allowing a hand to be stuck between the slats.

Radical tries to be more subtle than previously. This will be tiring, but he uses his dimensional harness to create a point portal and touch one of the bugs from behind, where they hopefully wont' notice. Simultaneously, he starts to cast his spell of healing.

Grimm tries to keep the bug's attention while preparing to defend Radical if it tries anything. "That's right, bug, keep trying..."

Radical keeps working on his spell, "I need to get faster at this." He slowly transforms them back to their original human forms.

Grimm doesn't say anything to the part of getting faster at first. She's concentrating on making sure the bug can't lash out through the dark shield bars. "Better than nothing," she eventually does say. With some time, exhaustion, and coordination between the two, the naga is turned into a woman, and the smaller bug is turned into a child.

Radical is breathing a little heavily by the time he's done. The mana battery he's using refills quick enough to maintain the spell. But the portal is tiring to maintain.

Whether presumption or rumor, the hypothesis about the identities of the two does, indeed, prove true. The smaller is a young boy, perhaps eight years of age. The serpentine one is a woman in her early thirties. Both seem to exhaust themselves in the course of the change, and the final reversion, itself, renders them unconscious from weariness and mental shock.

Radical keeps going, trying to make sure their minds are also healed, if he can. Just in case they ended up Lien did with her transformation.

Grimm removes the dark cell bars once they're human again. She fetches some blankets from security and drapes it over the woman and the child while Radical finishes his work, making sure they're covered and warm.

"What're you doing?" Grimm asks quietly, worried about interrupting Radical. "They're human. You did it."

Radical keeps going, finally satisfied that their mental patterns are back to their original state. "I wanted to make sure their minds were healed too. That kind of physical transformation can be hard on the mind, as was evidenced by the last woman I healed.

"Ugh...." Grimm winces, remember her. "Hopefully these two won't want to punch you in the face like the last one did me."

Radical chuckles. "I certainly hope not."

Grimm calls over to security to bring a medic and mental health experts just to be sure. "They're gonna need some time to recover from this," she explains to the agents. "Get statements and get them home?"

Grimm adds, "Maybe the Commander will want more done. Check with him."

Radical nods, "I think they're as healed as I can manage." He waits as Grimm tells the agents what to do next, "Sounds like a good plan."

"Hopefully," Grimm says as she leans down to pick up her coffee where she set it. She offers a tired smile. "Thanks for coming to help again. We might have a lot more bugs under the city in need of help, and so far you've been the only one able to fix them."

Radical nods. "There must be another way. But I'm not sure what it is. But...if I'm the only one who can heal them, so be it. I'll work on getting faster at it."

Radical takes a deep breath, "I still want you to get more rest, though. My warning from earlier still stands."

Grimm shrugs. "Starguard's probably working on something, but we haven't had enough time or subjects to test it on," she sighs. She chews on her inner cheek as she gets ready to eat crow. "I'm...glad you know that spell. It's really helping people," she admits with difficulty. Will wonders never cease!

Though she does look Radical in the eyes when he reiterates. First homework, now sleep? Is flossing more regularly next? "I'll try. It's just been difficult lately."

Qliphothic magic and energy is usually associated with darkness, madness, sapping energy, and nightmarish creatures. With all that energy seeping out of her, infecting her so to speak, it's little wonder she's having trouble sleeping.

Radical takes a deep breath. "You know...with that energy seeping out of you, I can see why it would make it difficult to sleep. It would be like being force-fed nightmares while trying to sleep."

Grimm looks at Radical flatly with dark circles under her eyes. "I always have nightmares. Just had a bit of an uptick..." she says. Though she looks a bit haunted as she recalls some of the nightmares. "And they're way more vivid."

Radical points at her, "Exactly. Perhaps we can find a way to shield you from it while you sleep?"

Grimm blushes a bit and looks down into her cup. "There's some things that kind of help. But...it's not really something I can keep doing," she murmurs, embarrassed by something. "If there's something wrong with me, I got to figure out what, and why. But I can't see what you're talking about," she says, sounding a bit frustrated as she looks down at herself, trying to see what is shielded from her.

Radical nods. "I can...try to come up with a way to record what I'm seeing? I'll see what I can do."

Grimm nods. "Thanks, I'd appreciate that. I've been through a lot lately...I got to try and figure out what happened when this started."

Radical nods. "One last thing, and then I'll drop this for today. Amelia has told me nothing about how to interact with you. Nothing." He smiles, barely visible under his mask, "Clear?"

Grimm sighs and accepts what Radical says. "Okay. Clear," she gives him that, offering a smile in return.