Event Log: February, Outpost Problems

[faileas]

Event Log: February, Outpost Problems

I. Adventuring We Will Go (Tomorrow) The word gets around pretty quick. Anybody who plans to journey with the group of Wilders venturing out to set up a new outpost is invited to attend a traditional gathering they have before an expedition: the packing party. On the evening of the 15th, the Wilders' HQ is bustling with activity. The whole group is present making the final preparations, sorting gear, and checking the carts for maintenance. The atmosphere is easy and upbeat, very casual, with Wilders laughing and telling jokes and stories as they work. One has to have a little fun before it's time to be serious, after all! A lot needs done, and more hands are always welcome. Camping gear and provisions need to be checked, inventoried, and dispersed into enchanted rucksacks that can hold twice as much as you might think they could - there will be enough rucksacks for each explorer in the party. Everyone is expected to carry their own. Shrunken-down construction materials for the new outpost need to be loaded into the three self-propelled carts the party will travel with (if only they were self-steering as well!). The carts themselves haven't been necessary for an expedition in a while; they could probably use some fixing up, greasing the axles and making sure the enchantments are fully charged with magic. And, too, this is a chance for the group to mingle and get to know each other. You have to be able to trust your fellows out there in the Wilde, after all. So there's a table with food bought off a few street carts: fried hand pies in meat (no one's sure what kind of meat, but hey!), veggie, and fruit varities; a pot of simmering jellied eel to be scooped into cups and eaten with spoons; fried squabs on sticks dripping grease. Beer is plentiful, as are bottles of a non-alcoholic ginger beer. Everyone is encouraged to eat, pack, and get to know each other. Especially because, the lead Wilders on this expedition will say, it's recommended that everyone going out there have a Bonded - whether it be their own normal Bonds if they're also going, or temporary Bonds with their fellow party members. The table also bears a few dozen of the temporary Bonding potions, and it's highly encouraged, though not required, that more experienced explorers temporarily Bond with those who are much newer to Aefenglom. It's nature's buddy system, you know. Whatever you're going to do, do it before the morning - the group leaves at first dawn, and will not wait for anyone too hungover to be on time. While having a Bond isn't required for the trip, the Wilders will strongly encourage it for anyone who isn't Bonded or whose Bond partners aren't going. The three-Bond safety limit does still apply to temporary Bonds, though! If you'd like to tag around for potential temp Bonds, head over to this thread right here!

II. The Silent Forest It becomes clear that, while the journey starts off easy, it won't remain that way. The group leaves out at dawn and passes first through stretches of land considered 'safe' - safe enough to be generally habitable, and the first couple of hours see the occasional farm on the way. There are few to no signs of Cwyld this close to the city, but then they start to slip into the region considered 'in progress'. These are the lands the Wilders have been focusing on, and so while there are the occasional patches of infected plants, they're easily dealt with by small, controlled burns. As the day drags on and the hike continues, though, the landscape changes. The trees grow thicker and the underbrush more dense. The machetes have to come out at points to clear the path for the carts; whoever is currently on cart-steering duty, please don't damage them! The atmosphere, too, changes around this time; the laughter dies down, expressions become more serious, Wilders are noticeably more alert to the possible presence of Shades or hostile creatures. By evening, the forest is thick and dark, the trees around them ancient and twisting. No one has ventured out to this area in quite a while, the more experienced Wilders will say, and that becomes very obvious. The once-beautiful forest is heavily infected by the Cwyld, and the small cabin that served as a Wilder outpost is overgrown, still bearing the 5-year-old corpse of a dead Wilder. Adventurers are advised to take caution when touching anything - wear gloves and heavy boots and watch your step out here, folks. The way still needs to be cleared. a. The Flora The oldest of the trees present are fully dead, thick trunks turned black and shiny, letting in light from above where their leafless branches reach out to the trees around them. The brush is thick and thorny; even small pricks and cuts in the skin are liable to be infected, a black ring forming around the wound, darkening the veins branching out from it, and need immediate treatment to keep it from spreading. It's hard to avoid other than by simply wearing thick clothing and hoping for the best. Nestled in the roots of the trees are pitcher-like plants filled with a sticky sap; the Wilders are excited to see these, and despite the dangers, comb through them to see if any remain uninfected. The sap in infected plants is black and tarry, while in uninfected plants it runs clear. This sticky liquid is excellent for smearing over wounds to seal them and draw out minor infection, and they'd be delighted to take some whole plants back for cultivation. As well, a certain breed of tree seems to have escaped infection entirely; these tall, woody trees have shiny green leaves, a contrast to the rest of the forest, and bear small green fruits that smell (and taste, should you eat one) deliciously sweet. All is not always as it seems out here in the Wilde, though - be careful which fruit you choose to imbibe. These trees are not immune to the Cwyld, they only hide their infection well. It can only be determined which trees are infected by cutting into them and inspecting the sap (difficult, because the sap of all the trees is highly toxic, and even inhaling near it will have nasty side-effects of vertigo, vomiting, and even temporary blindness). If it runs black at all, the tree is infected, and the fruit, sweet as it might taste, is deadly poisonous. Trees that are only mildly infected are a Russian roulette: you have an 80-20 chance of getting a toxic fruit or a good one. Most of the Wilders don't feel it's worth the risk. b. The Fauna The party spends a couple of days in the Silent Forest out of necessity. Initially, it seems as if there is no animal life left on this desolate patch of land. No birds chirping, no mammals scurrying about, not even an insect to buzz around the explorers' heads. It becomes quite clear that the Cwyld has consumed nearly everything, and the life left is hardly life at all. Shades are not uncommon. When camp is made for the night, capable fighters will have to rotate guard duty and patrols around the campsite, to fight off the shadows of what used to live here as they sense life and magic to consume. Dessicated, white-eyed bucks with cracking antlers, bloated and mutated birds screeching angrily, even, perhaps, the Shade of a bear, huge, enraged, and difficult to take down. But that second night, those who are alert may get the tingling sense that they're being watched. They are, in fact, by a band of nomadic Monsters, primarily Harpies and Arachne passing through. They don't approach the camp, and they won't speak to any of the Wilder group, merely watching them with something like curiosity before they flee into the forest again. It's hard to get close to them before they disappear, more at home in this dead forest than you will ever be, but close observation shows that all are scarred in some way; missing parts of limbs, eyes, or bearing even worse marks on their bodies. c. The Solution It's too thick an area to clear simply by burning. They'd set the whole dry patch of forest alight and kill who knows what along with the Cwyld. Some smaller areas can be taken care of with fire and careful supervision, but the rest of it... The lead Wilder on this expedition, a prematurely-greying Witch named Rilla Sparks, puts forth a suggestion. She admits, it's one based heavily on theory and speculation, along with the findings of certain prominent researchers in the city. If they can find the leyline, she thinks the Witches in their party can flood it with enough positive, nurturing magic to 'flush' the Cwyld out of the vicinity, so to speak. Or, she hopes, enough to make it passable in the future. It's experimental, but isn't that what this trip is about? Discovering new things? If enough of the party is game, the first step is finding the leyline in the area. This can be sniffed out by Witches and Monsters both, as they're drawn to sources of magic, even tainted magic; and, too, if anyone takes a look from the air, the leyline becomes obvious, as it cuts a much darker, more heavily infected line across the forest floor, like a blackened vein. Once it's found, it's up to the Witches in the group. Gathering over the blackened ground, anyone who wants to participate in the ritual should join in pairs or groups, down on their knees to be closer to the earth, and should 'push' their magical energy into the leyline through their hands pressed to the dirt. Each push results in a pulse of light beneath the blackness of the ground, weak at first, but stronger the more magic is expended. It will take several hours, which means the occupied (and then spent) Witches will require the protection of their Monster fellows, and interacting this closely with a tainted leyline will have side effects. A low degree of Cwyld infection is possible in the hands, but not guaranteed. Intense fatigue and dizziness is certain, along with pain when casting spells, and terrible nightmares for as long as the symptoms last - anywhere from 2 to 6 days, depending on how much magic the individual Witch expelled and how much rest they get after. It will take some time to see if their labors bear fruit. They'll check on the area again on the way back; they can't stay in one place for too long.

III. Ruins of a Past Life In the next couple of days, as the journey commences, the obvious signs of infection lessen in the landscape. The trees thin out again as they head further north. With the Wilde just barely dipping toes into autumn, and no thick canopy of foliage to block out the sun, it's a hot, uncomfortable walk. Those on cart-steering duty are considered lucky, getting to sit for a few hours, but it doesn't last - the duty is rotated between volunteers. Enjoy it while you've got it. At one point, with the sun high in the sky, they stop to refill canteens and jugs with fresh water and to take a bit of a swim. Here, the water cascades into a wide lake below, which eventually feeds back into the main river that cuts through Aefenglom farther south. At the top of the waterfall, it's much easier to see something in the distance, that isn't specifically on the route but is a small enough detour (only a mile or two off) that the guides permit it. It's the ruins of a former settlement, clusters of shells of burned out houses and buildings, a dried up well, and the crumbling remnants of a wall - reminiscent of the Bright Wall, but much, much smaller, only about eight or nine feet high at its tallest point. There is no magic left in it, though, nor any people in the ruined town. There haven't been for years and years, judging from the mossy overgrowth and state of disrepair. Some signs of the former inhabitants can still be found in the houses; the Wilders agree to make camp here for a night, to give everyone some time to explore. a. In The Daytime The ruins are depressing, but safe, in the daylight. It isn't hard to put together what happened here - a Cwyld outbreak must have come on them quickly, and judging from the hasty, half-burned homes, it was poorly contained. Some homes still contain skeletons in rotted scraps of clothing, some bones charred and others picked clean by animals. Many of their possessions still remain, except there are no books left anywhere in the town, even on shelves where books obviously were before. The patterns in the dust indicate that the books, all that survived the fires initially, were removed much more recently, within the last year or two perhaps. Otherwise, much is untouched. There are still dishes and flatware on broken tables, rotted blankets on beds, children's toys scattered over floors, axes hung on walls. A sort of thick, somewhat mucous-y grayish-green moss grows in flat sheets over most of the ruins. It isn't infected by the Cwyld; in fact, the areas where it grows seem to be free from it. Coincidence? Not? The Wilders have never seen anything quite like it, and are interested in taking samples back to study. (And for those of you who can't help but put things in your mouths: yes, the moss is edible. It tastes a little... earthy, but gives a pleasant caffeine-like buzz and burst of energy. Good for Witches still feeling the effects of the leyline flushing.) Outside the remnants of the wall, there are years-overgrown gardens, and perfectly good potatoes, asparagus, and raspberries can be found still growing, hardy and perennial even without human hands to tend to them. These people lived a more simple life than those in relatively-modern Aefenglom, as there isn't any magitech to be found, but somehow, they made themselves a home out here in the middle of nowhere. b. Ghosts of a Forgotten Settlement After nightfall, the dead town comes alive again, in a morbid sense. The party will soon find that the sunset brings the emergence of specters of the town's deceased residents - ghastly semi-transparent echoes of humans and Monsters, men, women, and children, in the state they were in at their deaths. Some are badly burnt, others were obviously infected, on their way to becoming Cwyldtid. Now, they go about their former lives every night, filling the ruined town with a sense of dread and foreboding that is impossible for the living to ignore. The ghosts cannot be touched or physically interacted with, and many of them simply ignore the Wilders and Mirrorbound completely. Spectral children play in the streets, adults tidy shops that are no longer there, or head out to the field to farm. They do so with expressions full of sadness, and desperation, as if trapped in this cycle of un-life. Others not only notice the group, but try to turn on them, enraged at the sight of intruders, though their shouts and screams are silent. They can't do any damage, but if they pass through you, you'll feel a bone-deep chill, despite the late-summer heat hanging in the air, and the specters' 'touch' will fill anyone with an aching, heavy despair, or rage - echoes of the emotions the ghosts experienced before their deaths.

IV. The Northern Outpost The sparse forest thins even more to the north. The terrain grows more uneven, rockier and hilly, with drier soil and hardy, sun-bleached grass instead of moss and leaf litter. Several natural rock formations can be spotted in the distance, growing larger as the group gets nearer. The trees here are few and far between, shorter and sturdier, casting only small circles of shade on the baked landscape. Wildflowers dot the grass in every color of the rainbow in the areas that remain uninfected. A low degree of Cwyld infection can be found here, turning the grasses overgrown, dry and brittle, and the sparse trees gnarled and blackened. This is to be expected, though. You can't venture this far out and expect anywhere to be completely untouched. The spot Rilla Sparks chooses for the new outpost is cradled between two large spires of stone, with a cliff-face at the back of it - protected on three sides to defend from animals and Shades, with a relatively clean stream within an hour's walking distance. Construction has to commence immediately. Once they land, it's a flurry of activity, as there is much work to be done. The building supplies are returned to their original sizes and it's all hands on deck to put together the low wooden building. With everyone working as quickly as they can, it should take about three days to get set up enough to consider the outpost open. Also on the to-do list: setting up the teleporter waypoint given to the Wilders by the Coven, to shorten the trip from Aefenglom to this far-flung outpost. It's smaller than the one in Dorchacht, only able to transport three people at a time, but the technology is the same. They'll need as many magitech-capable hands as they can get to calibrate it to the local energies and get it up and running. While all this is going on, exploration of the local area is high on the list as well, to ferret out any potential dangers that may be inherent to setting up here, or potential boons that can be taken back to Aefenglom, and to start work on their maps. There's a job for everyone, and while they're happy to let people do what they're good at, or rotate between different tasks, anybody slacking off will get the stink-eye - you came to work, right? This is no vacation! After the first day, though, things start... getting a little weird. Items start disappearing at random times, just out of nowhere, no rhyme or reason to the things taken. Hammers, half-drawn maps, scraps of wood, your half-eaten lunch if you look away from it for long enough. Personal items may go missing as well, if left unattended, so keep your precious things and weapons close. You may hear muffled voices - laughter, indiscernible chatter - around the times when stuff goes missing; it could be the voice of a stranger, or maybe it's the voice of someone you know, someone you've been traveling with for the last several days. But why would they want to steal your pen, or your handful of nails, or your drink cup? Weirder still, holes in the dirt start turning up in the night. Maybe six feet deep, dug at an angle like the beginning of a tunnel, and cutting off abruptly. Digging further down in these holes doesn't turn much up at first, but checking enough of them will turn up only a handful of the smaller missing items with teeth marks in them. Inconsequential, uninteresting, inedible things, or straight up trash in some cases. With enough persistence and maybe a good old fashioned stake-out, the culprits turn up: a pack of sand-colored, hyena-like animals that perfectly mimic human and Monster voices that they hear (often repeating words out of context, like much dumber parrots - they don't know what they're saying, only what the words sound like), and scavenge for whatever they can get their paws on. The hyenas are aggressive when confronted, and pack-oriented, but can be won over eventually by feeding them, or talking at them: different hyenas like different sounds and different words, so it might take some trial and error. Several bear low-level infections that can still be cured. Maybe eventually they can be trained. But then, where is everything else they stole? Please note that only a very small number of the items missing will be found on this trip! If you don't want something of your character's gone for an indeterminate amount of time, don't have it stolen. It's just possible they might turn up at a later date, however...

Welcome to February's event log, Outpost Problems! The expedition will last about an IC week for everyone who completes the trip; characters can return to Aefenglom with a pair of Wilder scouts at any stop along the way, though. As always, please direct your event-specific questions here! You can tag around for temporary Bonds in this thread, and if your character would eat the fruit in the Silent Forest, please post here for your dice roll (we did say it's a Russian roulette). Enjoy the trip outside the Bright Wall, everyone!

Comments

[zewu_jun]

[ Through the pain and the draining, cold emptiness that comes from pushing his magic out into the leyline, Lan Xichen feels a sudden wash of relief. It's not great and it isn't enough to pull him out of his focus, but it lessens the ache and causes him to open his eyes. How long as he been sitting there? Minutes? Hours? ]

My lady-

[ Still struggling to keep up the effort and surprised by her help, the words stumble out before he gives the proper thought. And then he's embarrassed that he doesn't have the energy or apparently the sense to hold proper conversation with her. Blurting that out was too much. ]

I am all right. It's working.

[ He thinks it's working. He's also trying to recover from that slip up just now and to prove that he can manage this new magic even if it isn't the cultivation he's familiar with. It's been a long time since Lan Xichen has felt the childishly stubborn need to prove himself with anything. ]

[seductless]

[ It may well be working, Grace can honestly say she doesn't know enough about this sort of magic to be able to tell. What she can very much see is the effect it's having on her friend, and the determination in every line of his body to see it through or die trying. Which is unfortunately not something she can do anything about any longer, and makes it all the more imperative that she be able to step in before it gets that far.

Still, she does have to try to get him to let up a little. ]

This is not only your responsibility. [ It's hers too, by nature of what she is here even if Grace's first instinct is to focus more on the people than on the problem.

But after a moment she finally moves, to kneel down across from him with one hand outstretched towards the leyline. ]

Show me what to do?

[zewu_jun]

[Despite his desperate need to succeed at this--succeed at something important--Lan Xichen still turns to Grace, surprise making it past the pain and grim focus he's trying to hold on pushing cleansing energy into the vein of the earth. He actually does draw back some, caught by her question and the unspoken affirmation that he isn't alone. If it were another time, that wouldn't matter quite so much, but at the moment, he exhales some of the tension he's been holding onto.]

...It is not unlike clearing the body of corruption. This is a greater current, a bigger form, but the ground has its own energy and we're touching its acupoint. If you feel your own energy flowing through you, you can draw it down one channel and direct it.

[He raises one hand and points with two fingers to indicate energy flowing down his arm.]

Draw from your center. You'll know where it collects. But getting close to a raging river is dangerous. It can pull you down.

[He lays his hands back down on the leyline, this time with more focus and less reckless pushing, if only to demonstrate the proper method for someone else.]

[seductless]

[ Her eyebrows draw together a little, frowning as she watches him. It's not how she's ever visualized her own power working, may in fact be the complete opposite to the way she's manipulated the little pockets of the multiverse's power she's found to her own ends. If there is this power in her, it's not something she's learned to see.

But. Grace has been holding her own baser instincts at bay through nothing but sheer force of will for centuries. She's no stranger to the sort of determination that makes you grit your teeth and push through regardless. And if she has to call on those reserves to make certain this fool man doesn't take the entire problem onto his own shoulders, then she will and gladly.

She presses her own hand against the leyline and takes a breath, imagines something within herself revealed the way her faith used to present power to her before. It takes a bit of a mental sidestep, but Grace is adaptable. She always has been.

The energy comes, slow at first, and then stronger as she catches hold of it, pressing it down into the ground. ]

[zewu_jun]

[ It might be strange energy, but it's not so unlike qi channeling. It drags more, wears at him more, and he's unfamiliar with the tugs and turns it takes, like trying to navigate a strange wind. Lan Xichen notices immediately when Grace kneels next to him. The second Witch adding more cleansing flow to the current he's trying to create in their little spot on the leyline form two patches that ripple out and bleed into each other, strengthening the change. He looks next to him, at Grace kneeling beside him, and finds his breaths come easier when he tries to match hers. Steady and deliberate.

And despite everything, he has a slight expression of peace come through the strain. ]

[seductless]

[ She lets herself sink into the new sensations, cataloging all of them as if to try and explain them later to the others out of sheer habit. The unfamiliar pull of energy out of some well within herself she'd never noticed before, the way it flows out into the leyline beneath them. The presence of a friend at her side, amongst the wildness around them.

But sensation is as much about the unpleasant as it is the pleasant, so when the rush of energy begins to pull in a way that's almost uncomfortable, Grace lets it continue for a long moment or so. That, too is learning. It's not until the feeling becomes properly draining that Grace finally inhales deeply and pulls her hand away, too used to leaving some little bit of strength in her to contain what needs to be contained.

A heartbeat later she pauses, then reaches out to wrap her hand around Lan Xichen's wrist and pull his hand away as well. If she can feel herself drifting away, how much worse must it be for the one who's been feeding it longer. ]

Enough. [ It's gentle, but firm. ]

[zewu_jun]

[ It is easier to treat it like another form of qi channeling. Using meditation to sink deep within the hidden layers of his consciousness and draw on the new energy at least emulates a little of what it felt like to be at home. He only notices the drain at the edges of his thoughts, used to that distant, calm space that separates him from discomfort and distractions. Maybe it is a little too easy to allow the magic to flow out of him, because unlike qi, he doesn't know how much he needs to keep himself alive. His expectations are off, and when Grace pulls his wrist back, it is a harder movement than it should be.

He looks up, startled, and very nearly buckles under a wave of dizziness as reality comes rushing back. His eyes threaten to roll back and close, and he topples next to her, only barely catching himself as his focus returns. ]

...I believe I was dreaming. [ He says at last, maybe to prove he can still speak. ]

[seductless]

[ Her reactions feel almost slow, like moving through mud, but when Lan Xichen begins to slump, Grace doesn't hesitate to shift closer, bracing her shoulder beneath his even if she has to tuck her wing slightly awkwardly out of the way to manage it. She really should have coaxed him away sooner, it seems.

Still, ] Dreaming?

[ Their first meeting aside, Grace still has no particular frame of reference for dreams. If she's had any others here, she doesn't remember them. Certainly not any while awake, which makes her wonder if there isn't something else in play here. ]

Did you see something?

[zewu_jun]

[ He feels cold. That is the first word that comes to him as Lan Xichen regains his senses and feels the shoulder pressing against his. Grace's body feels warm and stable against his, and he feels like he's been standing in the middle of a Spring lake, chilled and slightly numb. He uses the warm seeping in from the contact to steady himself, smiling faintly as he shakes his head. ]

I didn't see it, but I felt the air of my room. And the floor. It was like being home.

[ Which, as he considers that, makes the smile slightly bigger. ]

Do not worry. I have been disarmed before and I haven't died yet.

[seductless]

[ It doesn't make her any less worried, but from the pleased look on his face it could have been worse. Visions are largely not a good sign, especially if it's a thing he might feel the need to chase after, but Lan Xichen seem content and Grace will leave that be for the moment. If she has to step in later, she will. For now, all she can do is offer a ghost of a laugh and kept herself steady to support him. ]

Death is not what I'm most concerned about.

[zewu_jun]

Are you concerned?

[ The way he asks that is warm, like he doesn't think there is a reason for concern. There might be a little confusion as well as he comes back to reality, but he still looks pleased as he manages to right himself. One hand goes to Grace's side, patting her wing to make sure she is all right as well. ]

It will be all right. I'm still here with you.

[seductless]

A bit.

[ The return is dry, but her eyes hold just the smallest flicker of surprise as they glance in his direction. And maybe a hint of warmth as well. Most people know better than to make casual contact with a succubus. It's...pleasant.

When she speaks again, it's with a bit more genuine amusement. ] You are. And I would like to keep you that way, my friend. Perhaps we should find a more comfortable place to rest?

[ Somewhere farther away from the leyline, for preference. ]

[zewu_jun]

[ Lan Xichen closes his eyes and lets the next few slow breaths bring the world back into focus. The smell of the earth under them and the cool feeling of the plants and grass growing weakly next to the leyline. The sound of his own heartbeat as he finds the rhythm again. He hums an answer, something that is mostly agreement, and only moves his hand from her wing when he's really sure he can start to stand up on his own. The last thing he wants to do is stumble and have her questioning his ability to handle this. ]

You don't need to be concerned for my sake. This may be a new current, but it isn't the first of its kind I have seen. Are you all right?

[seductless]

Me?

[ Grace laughs a little despite herself, but follows him to her feet without further comment. Even if she does continue to hover by his shoulder, just a little. She's seen enough attempts at proving sobriety to have a good idea of what's going through his head right now, but as long as he can manage it, she'll refrain from calling him on it. ]

I'm fine. Just a bit tired.[ It's an easy admittance, followed by an easy smile. ] This is all very new to me.

[zewu_jun]

[ He laughs softly with a few notes that are mostly air exhaled through his nose. He's trying not to laugh, or he's too tired to laugh, but somehow her answer strikes him funny anyway. ]

Yes, it's all very new. [ The smile he has on might be a little inappropriate considering the gravity of their mission, but he's still feeling victorious and no one is really there to judge. ] And yet I think we have done well for our first time.

[seductless]

[ She flicks him a quick look, but finds her smile widening despite herself. Grace can't be sure what exactly they were doing, but it did feel right, in an odd way. The multiverse opening up a bit farther. She absently pats Lan Xichen's arm, and then begins subtly nudging him back towards the main camp. ]

It certainly could be worse.[ And now she knows to keep an eye on him if they need to do this again. ] Though it might be worth resting up for a bit.

[zewu_jun]

[ Whether they are really making a difference or not, Lan Xichen has decided to count this as a success. They have made some kind of progress, he feels, even if it is just personal progress, and he's still riding the rush of that magic that both came from him and he felt in the leyline. It's a nice feeling. ]

You think so?

[ He looks back at the spot they were sitting at, unsure. ]

If it needs more energy... [ Leaving the job half done also feels wrong. Are they allowed to relax if there is still work to be done? ]

[seductless]

Then we'll come back after we've rested.

[ That's a bit firmer than she's been, but considering he hasn't actually fought her propelling him away, Grace won't be too sharp. Not yet, anyway. ]

You can't pour everything out and then keep going. All rivers run dry.

[zewu_jun]

[ He still hesitates, but he lets Grace lead him away from the leyline with just one more glance back. Her logic is sound, and after a bit of conflict, he nods, accepting her reasoning. He won't do any good if he collapses. ]

All right. Then we will rest.