32nd of Frost, 120 AS
The 24 hours had passed quickly. Naila's body remained still, cold and still flowing with mist. Lyra had taken the opportunity to wipe down the woman's entire body before applying several coats of her infused ichor. She would need to saturate the woman inside and out with as much of her essence as possible. Glancing at a candle on the desk to check the time Lyra sighed and stretched her back. Her body was growing stiff, the price of using a corpse for so long. The rot was setting in now, and every join protested her each and every motion.
Lyra checked her tray one last time, counting the tools and instruments. Blades of different lengths and sizes, cutting instruments, a fine-looking saw, needle, and thread which shimmered slightly through her view with the Aura glasses. She also had gauze and bandages, and enough cloth to completely cover a body several times over. On the small table next to her there was a bowl of water, the bottom of the bowl was inscribed with a simple glyph that would purify the water within it. Everything was in place, and the time had come.
In a single motion, Lyra reached out and ripped the bone dagger from the other woman's chest, causing her to gasp and arch her back. Her eyes began to flutter even as her chest started to rise and fall at a faster pace. Lyra, however, gave her no more time to recover. From the tray Lyra took a long needle and syringe, slipping it into the woman's arm and depressing so that the slightly cloudy substance was pushed inside Naila's veins. Within seconds her motions stilled, and her breathing settled into a slow rhythm. It was a harsh chemical, but it was necessary. Naila would not be allowed to wake up until the procedure was complete.
Setting the syringe aside Lyra picked up the scalpel blade, pressing it against the skin just beneath the collar bones and drawing a thin line down to just past the bottom of the sternum. She kept the cut shallow, using her finger afterward to pry the skin and tissue apart slightly before going back over the cut with the blade once more. She did this in a steady process, cutting and prying cutting and prying until she saw bone. Setting the blade aside Lyra took a long metal rod thinner than her pinky and used it to work underneath the skin and tissue, lifting it slightly off of the muscle so she could cut deeper still. When enough space was available Lyra took up the fine saw and began to cut into the sternum. It was an extremely slow process, and she at one point shifted to using a different cutting instrument inscribed with glyphs to improve sharpness to finish the cutting. She would have to go back and smooth the edges before she finished and closed everything up at the end.
With great patients, Lyra worked the chest open as wide as she could reasonably get it to go in the current position. The muscles and tissue would later have to be reconnected, but for now, Lyra needed access to the deeper cavity of the body. After washing off her hands Lyra moved to her desk, picking up her bone stylus and uncorking the vial of blood ink. Using these two items Lyra began to draw along her left arm, from fingertip down to her elbow. The pictographs were woven between her other tattoos, intricate, and gave the impression of ripping, tearing, trapping the soul. The ink sunk into her skin as the ink dried, and for good measure, Lyra rubbed more of her ichor along her arm to enhance the effects. When that too had sunk into her skin Lyra turned back to the body.
After this point, she was on a timer. This was by far the most challenging portion of the entire procedure, and if she failed Naila would die and Lyra would lose the body she so desired. The thought of the difficulty though did not make Lyra hesitate, it made her chuckle.
Without any further thought, Lyra drove her hand into the other woman's chest, reaching down deep into the hot flesh, fingers searching, grasping. She could feel the organs and tissue shifting beneath her, the heart struggling to beat, the lungs fighting for breath. Blood and viscera coated her up past the elbow as Lyra reached deeper, and deeper until... She felt it. A jolt of electricity, a tingle. Lyra grabbed that feeling, and Naila's body jerked. Bearing her teeth Lyra pulled her arm out, her hand grasping a struggling light that thrashed in her hands. It fought back, whipped at Lyra, and made her hair blowback at times.
Breathing out a line of smoke wrapped the struggling soul, encasing it. As she did Lyra whispered a single command, "Be still."
The thrum of her magic coursed through the smoke, which seeped into the soul that steadily slowed its movements. In that moment Lyra grabbed the blue dragonshard from the tray by her other hand, pulling the soul toward it. Using her essence Lyra guided the soul to touch the dragonshard, and as the glyphs activate the soul was sucked inward. She heard a scream, a cry of pain that wasn't physical as the soul finally disappeared. Sparks of electricity flew from the greater dragonshard and Lyra held her hand out. After a second or two though it settled down, and began to thrum rhythmically, like the beating of a heart. With each beat, a spark would course over the soul gem's surface.
The first part was complete. Lyra set the gem down next to the body's heart, turning her attention down to the open chest once more. The heart's beat was beginning to slow, matching the pulse of the gem itself. She had just a few minutes before the heart would stop, and that would be the end. It was time to link the body to the soul gem. The simplest solution then...
Lyra washed her hands in the bowl once more, drawing off her arms with the towel before taking up her bone stylus from the table. She then took a bit of Naila's blood and added it to the ink. She needed a temporary solution to start, to keep the body alive while she made the final improvements. So for now... Lyra began to make slow, soft strokes of the pen on the surface of the heart that Lyra could see. She had opened the sack that the heart sat within, exposing the organ that was quickly losing strength. She was quick, however, as there was one glyph that needed to be made. A connected glyph that matched the one on the soul gem. With a few final strokes, it was completed, and she blew out, letting her aether suffuse and activate the glyph. She then brought the soul gem over to the heart, letting it touch the organ so the two glyphs could be linked. Both glowed softly, and when the glow faded the pulsing of the soul gem steadied and evened out, matching the now normal beat of the heart itself.
That was that. Now the soul gem was linked to the body through the heart, keeping it alive just long enough for Lyra to instill something more permanent. Now then, the body was stable. It was time to fulfill her first promise. Washing her hands again Lyra began to scan the body, seeing through the aura glasses and searching the aura for signs of the poison that was steadily draining the woman's lifeforce. That would need to be removed before she continued any further. It was not long, however, before she found the source. In the abdomen itself, portions of the liver gave off an odd signature which spread from there out to the rest of the body. Some form of magical infection Lyra suspected, yet it was so simplistic it was no wonder it had not been able to kill quickly.
It was a simple procedure. Lyra opened the abdomen, starting just below her other incision down to the hips. After carefully working the skin and tissue back, using claps to keep the flaps of flesh out of the way, Lyra cut through the fatty apron to reveal the organs beneath. There, above the tangled mess of intestines was the stomach, and above and the left of that was the liver, partially hidden beneath the ribcage. Through the glasses, Lyra could clearly see the source of the problem. The poison had created a siphon of sorts, targeting the liver. It pulled in nutrition and aether in large amounts as it filtered through the body, growing into a tumor-like growth on the liver itself. It was clever. If the body did not die of malnutrition, then eventually the tumor itself would become an issue especially if it became malignant and began to spread as it sometimes did.
It is a cruel poison. Lyra thought as she began to steadily cut away the growth, being careful not to damage the organ and vessels it was connected to, It is not intended to kill a person. It is made to create extended suffering. Though it is fortunate for her that it is the case, otherwise there would be nothing I could do.
It took the better part of an hour to remove most of the growth, which she stored in a jar of ichor she had waiting. She then used her bone stylus to create several small glyphs that would dissipate the aether trapped in portions that still remained, letting the growth steadily disintegrate over time as it was unable to collect more aether. Perhaps a true surgeon could have done all of this while Naila was still living, but as Lyra said she could not save her life. She could simply remove the problem in the only way she knew how.
The 24 hours had passed quickly. Naila's body remained still, cold and still flowing with mist. Lyra had taken the opportunity to wipe down the woman's entire body before applying several coats of her infused ichor. She would need to saturate the woman inside and out with as much of her essence as possible. Glancing at a candle on the desk to check the time Lyra sighed and stretched her back. Her body was growing stiff, the price of using a corpse for so long. The rot was setting in now, and every join protested her each and every motion.
Lyra checked her tray one last time, counting the tools and instruments. Blades of different lengths and sizes, cutting instruments, a fine-looking saw, needle, and thread which shimmered slightly through her view with the Aura glasses. She also had gauze and bandages, and enough cloth to completely cover a body several times over. On the small table next to her there was a bowl of water, the bottom of the bowl was inscribed with a simple glyph that would purify the water within it. Everything was in place, and the time had come.
In a single motion, Lyra reached out and ripped the bone dagger from the other woman's chest, causing her to gasp and arch her back. Her eyes began to flutter even as her chest started to rise and fall at a faster pace. Lyra, however, gave her no more time to recover. From the tray Lyra took a long needle and syringe, slipping it into the woman's arm and depressing so that the slightly cloudy substance was pushed inside Naila's veins. Within seconds her motions stilled, and her breathing settled into a slow rhythm. It was a harsh chemical, but it was necessary. Naila would not be allowed to wake up until the procedure was complete.
Setting the syringe aside Lyra picked up the scalpel blade, pressing it against the skin just beneath the collar bones and drawing a thin line down to just past the bottom of the sternum. She kept the cut shallow, using her finger afterward to pry the skin and tissue apart slightly before going back over the cut with the blade once more. She did this in a steady process, cutting and prying cutting and prying until she saw bone. Setting the blade aside Lyra took a long metal rod thinner than her pinky and used it to work underneath the skin and tissue, lifting it slightly off of the muscle so she could cut deeper still. When enough space was available Lyra took up the fine saw and began to cut into the sternum. It was an extremely slow process, and she at one point shifted to using a different cutting instrument inscribed with glyphs to improve sharpness to finish the cutting. She would have to go back and smooth the edges before she finished and closed everything up at the end.
With great patients, Lyra worked the chest open as wide as she could reasonably get it to go in the current position. The muscles and tissue would later have to be reconnected, but for now, Lyra needed access to the deeper cavity of the body. After washing off her hands Lyra moved to her desk, picking up her bone stylus and uncorking the vial of blood ink. Using these two items Lyra began to draw along her left arm, from fingertip down to her elbow. The pictographs were woven between her other tattoos, intricate, and gave the impression of ripping, tearing, trapping the soul. The ink sunk into her skin as the ink dried, and for good measure, Lyra rubbed more of her ichor along her arm to enhance the effects. When that too had sunk into her skin Lyra turned back to the body.
After this point, she was on a timer. This was by far the most challenging portion of the entire procedure, and if she failed Naila would die and Lyra would lose the body she so desired. The thought of the difficulty though did not make Lyra hesitate, it made her chuckle.
Without any further thought, Lyra drove her hand into the other woman's chest, reaching down deep into the hot flesh, fingers searching, grasping. She could feel the organs and tissue shifting beneath her, the heart struggling to beat, the lungs fighting for breath. Blood and viscera coated her up past the elbow as Lyra reached deeper, and deeper until... She felt it. A jolt of electricity, a tingle. Lyra grabbed that feeling, and Naila's body jerked. Bearing her teeth Lyra pulled her arm out, her hand grasping a struggling light that thrashed in her hands. It fought back, whipped at Lyra, and made her hair blowback at times.
Breathing out a line of smoke wrapped the struggling soul, encasing it. As she did Lyra whispered a single command, "Be still."
The thrum of her magic coursed through the smoke, which seeped into the soul that steadily slowed its movements. In that moment Lyra grabbed the blue dragonshard from the tray by her other hand, pulling the soul toward it. Using her essence Lyra guided the soul to touch the dragonshard, and as the glyphs activate the soul was sucked inward. She heard a scream, a cry of pain that wasn't physical as the soul finally disappeared. Sparks of electricity flew from the greater dragonshard and Lyra held her hand out. After a second or two though it settled down, and began to thrum rhythmically, like the beating of a heart. With each beat, a spark would course over the soul gem's surface.
The first part was complete. Lyra set the gem down next to the body's heart, turning her attention down to the open chest once more. The heart's beat was beginning to slow, matching the pulse of the gem itself. She had just a few minutes before the heart would stop, and that would be the end. It was time to link the body to the soul gem. The simplest solution then...
Lyra washed her hands in the bowl once more, drawing off her arms with the towel before taking up her bone stylus from the table. She then took a bit of Naila's blood and added it to the ink. She needed a temporary solution to start, to keep the body alive while she made the final improvements. So for now... Lyra began to make slow, soft strokes of the pen on the surface of the heart that Lyra could see. She had opened the sack that the heart sat within, exposing the organ that was quickly losing strength. She was quick, however, as there was one glyph that needed to be made. A connected glyph that matched the one on the soul gem. With a few final strokes, it was completed, and she blew out, letting her aether suffuse and activate the glyph. She then brought the soul gem over to the heart, letting it touch the organ so the two glyphs could be linked. Both glowed softly, and when the glow faded the pulsing of the soul gem steadied and evened out, matching the now normal beat of the heart itself.
That was that. Now the soul gem was linked to the body through the heart, keeping it alive just long enough for Lyra to instill something more permanent. Now then, the body was stable. It was time to fulfill her first promise. Washing her hands again Lyra began to scan the body, seeing through the aura glasses and searching the aura for signs of the poison that was steadily draining the woman's lifeforce. That would need to be removed before she continued any further. It was not long, however, before she found the source. In the abdomen itself, portions of the liver gave off an odd signature which spread from there out to the rest of the body. Some form of magical infection Lyra suspected, yet it was so simplistic it was no wonder it had not been able to kill quickly.
It was a simple procedure. Lyra opened the abdomen, starting just below her other incision down to the hips. After carefully working the skin and tissue back, using claps to keep the flaps of flesh out of the way, Lyra cut through the fatty apron to reveal the organs beneath. There, above the tangled mess of intestines was the stomach, and above and the left of that was the liver, partially hidden beneath the ribcage. Through the glasses, Lyra could clearly see the source of the problem. The poison had created a siphon of sorts, targeting the liver. It pulled in nutrition and aether in large amounts as it filtered through the body, growing into a tumor-like growth on the liver itself. It was clever. If the body did not die of malnutrition, then eventually the tumor itself would become an issue especially if it became malignant and began to spread as it sometimes did.
It is a cruel poison. Lyra thought as she began to steadily cut away the growth, being careful not to damage the organ and vessels it was connected to, It is not intended to kill a person. It is made to create extended suffering. Though it is fortunate for her that it is the case, otherwise there would be nothing I could do.
It took the better part of an hour to remove most of the growth, which she stored in a jar of ichor she had waiting. She then used her bone stylus to create several small glyphs that would dissipate the aether trapped in portions that still remained, letting the growth steadily disintegrate over time as it was unable to collect more aether. Perhaps a true surgeon could have done all of this while Naila was still living, but as Lyra said she could not save her life. She could simply remove the problem in the only way she knew how.
