mayfield_rpg | 4th Worm

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c: kariya matou

4th Worm

[Well, Rin's party was mostly a success, except for the part where Kariya's last regain ended up getting opened after everyone had gone home. Small blessing that only Rin and Kariya's housemates were really around to see it happen, but the package was indeed full of the Crest Worms he had carried in his body at home, and they wasted no time at all re-infesting every inch of his flesh.

Although it's been a few days, there's just no getting used to this sort of thing, especially when it happens all at once like that. And unfortunately, there are obligations that Kariya has to fulfill or risk being droned. He'd skipped work on Friday to plan Rin's party, and again on Monday while he recovered. And while being droned would be a temporary reprieve, he doesn't want to worry anyone - least of all Rin.]

[Action; Mayfield Elementary School]

[Hey there, Mayfield's brightest young minds. Ready for your writing and spelling lessons today? You might be, but your teacher is clearly not. Mr. Matou has definitely seen better days. It's clearly still him, but his hair has turned stark white and his left eye is completely clouded over. His face is gaunt, as if he hasn't eaten in days, and in a few places it's even possible to see the veins bulging underneath his skin. He walks with a heavy limp, favoring the right side of his body as he slowly makes his way to the front of the room.]

Class--

[And there it is - another heavy coughing fit. It's sickly and wet sounding, and his entire body shudders with the effort. It lasts a few moments longer than is probably comfortable for anyone in the room, and it's a few moments later still that Kariya regains control of himself with a few deep breaths.]

...Open your books to page 32.

[Action; Mayfield Streets; early evening]

[Somehow, Kariya managed to make it through an entire day of teaching. That's two more days he'll be able to go without having to come into work before he's forced into it again. Maybe in that amount of time, he can find someone or something to help him with this little problem of his. He's not holding out much hope, but Mayfield has people with talents he could only have dreamed of back home. The real problem is finding someone, as he isn't exactly in the shape to be walking all over town. But he's got at least enough strength to shuffle around for a few hours since he doesn't have the added strain of maintaining Berserker's summoning on top of dealing with the worms trying to eat him from the inside out.

...Again, small blessings.]

[Action; Salvation Church; night]

[And perhaps subconsciously, Kariya ends up at the church. He knows Mayfield's church isn't full of Executors like Kirei Kotomine, but it's a familiar locale all the same. Maybe he stumbled in here because the church is where he was headed next at home before passing out in an alleyway and waking up in Mayfield. Who's to say, really. But whatever the reason, Kariya throws open the front doors to the church, staggering toward one of the pews in the back row before collapsing into it, his breath heavy and labored.]

Tch... damn... pushed it too far...

[He can barely move right now apart from the motion of his chest as he catches his breath. Even the task of walking around town takes its toll in his current state. And while there are definitely worse places to have to spend the night, somewhere inside Kariya is kicking himself again for being so weak and so useless.]

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I won't miss it, believe me. It'll be a breath of fresh air to have every ounce of magic burned from my body forever. It's not something I ever wanted in the first place. At least this will finally be a life I choose for myself.

[Kariya's fists clench atop his legs, knuckles going even whiter as the veins in his hands bulge and pulse ever so slightly.]

[So that's it.]

Understood. I'll be taking you to a place where you may rest for a bit, then go make the necessary preparations before we begin for good. Are you ready?

[She stretches out a hand. It's an idle gesture by itself, but she is ready to carry him to the back. Into a 'blessed' room, so to speak; the grounds have been consecrated to suppress demonic influences, so it should render the worms in Kariya's body less active. The space has been set up over a year ago, but it was treated as an ordinary room because such a need never cropped up... until now, that is.

Figures that it's always good to be prepared, hm.]

Ready whenever you are.

[Kariya's going to need that help to make it to the back room, so he'll gladly take it, slowly making his way with Ciel. It's a little hard on him at first passing through the threshold, as the worms seem to immediately sense that something is up and push back, but he's able to stumble inside after a moment or so.]

[If he can't walk, she'll literally pick him up. Until it reaches that point though, she'll just have his arm around her shoulders and support his weight on the way. Her steps are steady, not the least bit affected by his handicap.

The trip won't take more than a few minutes. Even without the worms in his body, Kariya might note a sense of serenity inside the white room once they step in and the light switch is flipped on. Simply furnished with a bed, a nightstand, a table and chair by the wall, and a dresser, it really is completely ordinary otherwise. She'll be gingerly helping him settle down on the bed, and that done, step away.]

Will you be okay here for a minute, Matou-san?

[kind of a pointless question, she knows, but... Might as well ask now. She'll definitely hurry though, once she goes back out to get what she needs.]

[Ah, a bed. So much more comfortable than the church pews. Kariya gladly lies down, settling in and trying his best to slow his breathing and relax.]

I'll be all right.

[She'll give a small nod of acquiescence.]

I'll be right back.

[And with that, she'll be stepping out for a short few minutes to get a few things. Including holy water - yes, it's a reagent, a clean change of clothing for Kariya later just in case, her roll of Burial Cloth because you never know, and other things of the sort. Kariya might be able to hold his own, nothing really ought to happen inside a consecrated room, but that won't stop her from ordering Seven to keep watch also. If something serious needs to be taken care of, might as well be thorough.

She'll return with everything put inside and wrapped up by a blanket. Setting that aside on the table, she turns back to give the crippled man a final and thorough full-body glance.

...]

May I begin, Matou-san?

[Between the tranquil nature of the church, the enchantment over the room, and Ciel's reassurances, Kariya's actually looking as relaxed as he could possibly be by the time she gets back. By anyone else's standards, he still seems like he could die at any moment, but this is the most genuine relief he's ever felt while in this condition. He continues lying on the bed while Ciel prepares, turning his head only slightly to watch what she's bringing into the room.]

...Ready when you are. Just relax, right?

[...And if that's not enough?

She'll saunter back to the bedside, and give a soft but sincere smile of reassurance.]

Yes. It'll be okay, Matou-san.

[He might be blind in one eye, but the other one can still see, and all she needed to cast Suggestion through her Mystic Eyes is a single glance. Kariya Matou might be a magus and possesses more magical resistance than an ordinary human, but this isn't imposing an order. ...It's offering a quiet prayer of peace, for the soul that has no doubt already been weathered through so much.]

[She'll begin after, uncorking the bottle of holy water and letting the clear liquid flow down the hilt of the freshly summoned Black Key as she quietly plants it down into the circle already carved on the ground beneath the bed. Sacraments based on faith are different in concept and deployment from thaumaturgy based on the capacity of one's magical circuits, but as one who is versed in both, she does have the power and knowledge to use opposing crafts and have them work in tandem.

He won't feel anything yet - in fact, the best case scenario would be that he may be close to losing consciousness and falling into a sleepless dream because of her spell. If not, just having him in a calm state of mind is good enough. Just a bit more, now...]

[That's a prayer Kariya has no issues with accepting. Even at full strength, he wouldn't have enough power to even begin to resist Ciel's magic, so he nods placidly and closes his eyes. Slipping off into unconsciousness, Kariya's breathing slows to a steady rhythm. At least for now, there are no signs of activity from the worms that can be seen through his skin, since they tend to hibernate and save their energy for when he's awake.]

[It's going much smoother than she would've anticipated, then. Having never been particularly lucky in her life, Ciel won't dwell on how they're both being granted a miniscule break, opting to focus on the current task at hand so that she might finish this as quickly as possible.

A soft white glow forms within the room. She uses French for her spells, but when it comes to Sacraments, Latin worked best in conjunction with the words of God. It is so that she'll begin to quietly chant the Rite of Baptism. This one miracle that any operative of the Holy Church may learn has the purpose of returning any human body to its original, natural state, though the effectiveness depends on both the subject's condition, and the performer's faith. In this case, the goal is to purge Kariya's body of the worms. While the Rite of Baptism cannot heal dead tissues, it should be able to cleanse his being and keep him alive with what he has left. They're also operating in a calm and controlled environment, so even if Kariya's vitals start dropping after the worms are exterminated, Ciel should be able to follow it up with the Rite of Anointing of the Sick and bring him back to stable levels. She can attempt to prescribe ways to cope with what remains of him - or circumvent the physical failings, even, once he's got some rest and recovers later.

Whether it'll be painful for him or not, that she cannot say. More deployed for physical confrontation on direct extermination missions, Ciel rarely had to perform such rites, though she was educated on the how. At any rate, the glow of the light will gradually intensify, up until it's submerged Kariya's entire body by the time that Ciel's stopped her recital. The purge however isn't slow: the moment she finishes, the Sacrament comes fully into effect to systematically raze any unnatural 'outsider' within his body, that being every single worm hosted beneath his skin, within his flesh, blood, and organs. The process won't last for more than a few brief seconds, and by the time everything's faded back, hopefully he's endured okay...

Ciel will stay vigilant, either way. She's still holding close the possibility, that his body might react negatively or shift into a critical condition once/after the worms are being removed.]

[Kariya's body is stable enough as Ciel begins the Rite of Baptism, but fairly soon the worms start to take notice that something is interfering with their energy supply. Although not as violently as before thanks to the sacrament and the holy influence of the room, Kariya's skin begins to crawl as his body starts to convulse violently on the bed.

By the time the ritual finishes, there are maybe a dozen 'cocoons' that have forced their way out of various orifices lying around the bed on the floor of the room - the vessels of those lucky few Crest Worms that managed to escape their host before being cleansed, waiting to hatch into Blade Wing form.

Meanwhile, Kariya's breathing has become somewhat ragged, resembling the pattern he'd exhibited earlier in the night when he came stumbling through the doors to the church. He's still asleep, but clutching desperately at his chest and groaning loudly as he continues to gasp for air.]

[Ciel sees the cocoons, but barely pays heed. The second directive is to check Kariya's vitals and if any internal damage/bleeding is happening. She needs to get closer for that however, which might also trigger an attack from the escaped worms that've now materialized outside.

So be it, it's not like these posed any significant threat to begin with. Without so much as glancing down, she takes two steps towards the bed. One hand is now clutching onto three newly-summoned Keys, the other one is empty but starting to crackle with the faintest spark of lightning. If she can provoke the parasites to attack all at once, then she can get rid of them all at once too. Verifying Kariya's health is priority, but it won't take any longer than a few seconds to dispose of the remaining worms she's going to have to face anyhow. So if it's in the way, might as well - as long as she works quickly.

Still, no sense wasting even an instant. The summoned Keys are flung while she advances to take out three bulging cocoons in the back, and just as swiftly, a new set of blades is materialized to take the previous ones' place. She'd repeat the gesture if she had time, but if the worms are hatching and closing in now, then she'll be putting up a barrier of electricity and shift her body to slash through any that comes in close range. Her reflexes should be more than enough, to destroy any that manages to survive the jolt of lightning first. ...Unless any behaves irregularly, or manages to make through somehow nevertheless?]

[Kariya's breathing is heavily irregular, and he coughs up a few black, sickly looking spurts of blood in his sleep as his body begins to convulse. The worms were, after all, wired directly into his Magic Circuits by this point, and getting rid of them all at once seems to have shocked his system a bit. As for the ones outside, the remaining nine cocoons break open as Ciel advances, the Blade Wing Worms emerging from their shells and wasting no time in winging their way toward her. Caught unawares, any potential victim would be shredded in a matter of seconds, but a well-constructed magical barrier stopped them dead last time, so Ciel's strategy should be a sound one.]

[The worms would have to contend with much even if they got close. She might not have trained herself to the Master level, but Ciel was still very proficient in close range combat and martial arts. She wouldn't have any qualms punching the bugs through with her bare fists, possessing more than just the capacity and ability for it, but if they can be disposed of before getting near, then all the best.

That out of the way, she closes the remaining distance between them without further delay. Extending an outstretched hand, she lays an open palm on Kariya's chest as she proceeds to get a better reading of his body and administer clerical aid - as well as a small jolt of electricity composed of mana, her only way to pass onto him a small amount of her own reserves in order to assist with recovery. He might end up coughing (out) more, but that's cleaning up his lungs of any clogging fluid after any freshly injured tissue has been mended shut. The shock itself is comparable to electrotherapy, in part to ensure the nerves and organs are transmitting/receiving/functioning properly, in part to spread the magical energy so that the body would better soak up healing. With this his condition should, in theory, stabilize.

So she'll just continue doing that: keep watch over him, while continuing to maintain the Healing rite. Not going to risk another jolt, though. The move shouldn't cause any damage even on a body like his, but no need to risk overloading the senses either there. Any shift in his condition should be easily observable now, so she'll just wait and be on the lookout for any irregular response.]

[The worms don't last long between the effects of Ciel's barrier and her superior martial skills, leaving Kariya's body unprotected and ready for examination. He does indeed cough up quite a bit more fluid as she's working, as his body is now working overtime to flush out the corruptive influence. It's no different from the reaction when Kotomine healed him after his fight with Tokiomi, and an unfortunate side effect based on his altered physiology. His heartbeat slows to a borderline dangerously slow level at one point during the process, but recovers with the next jolt of mana and begins to beat at a steady pace again as his breathing begins to stabilize a bit. His vitals are weak overall, but evening out by the moment.]

[...

And so it is, the entire procedure concluded without notable incident. His vitals are a bit weaker than predicted, but this is more or less how things were expected to play out, even if all went well. She'll stay by his side for at least another hour to keep watch and apply healing if need be, and only step out once it's looking that he'll be alright as long as he gets the rest he needs. She'll leave Seven behind though, her familiar has always made for a useful third party observer so that Ciel herself doesn't have to be constantly present. Kariya will be left to sleep undisturbed for the rest of the night, but she'll physically remain inside the Church, getting a report from Seven periodically while she minds her own business in the kitchen. He'll wake when he wakes, either sometimes during the night or once the sun's up during day. Either way, she still needs to debrief him about his status, what he chooses to do after is up to him.]

[Kariya manages to sleep through the night mostly without incident as his body takes the chance to rest and recuperate. Absent the corruptive influence of the worms, his sleep is much more restful than it would normally be, though he does still thrash about and scream every several hours - his body may be healed, but the scars in his mind are much deeper and longer lasting. Still, it's not enough to rouse him fully from his slumber for more than a few minutes at a time. In the morning, he slowly pushes himself up and off the bed, pausing as he looks around the room.]

[Ahh... PTSD and the likes are another story, Ciel's far from being a qualified doctor or psychiatrist ~~even if she might've gotten enough experience to possibly pass off a tip or few~~. Apart from what's already done, all she can offer for the time being...

Would be a water pitcher and a glass on the table, for starters. He's free to pour himself a drink if his throat feels too dry. Nothing else in the room looks out of place, the windows were closed and the curtains were pulled so the sunlight wouldn't sting and he wouldn't catch a cold. He's free to linger, or get up and exit the room. Seven'll nevertheless pass on the message to her Master once Kariya looks like he's awake for good, so Ciel's likely to come over soon.]

[He'll be going straight for the water, in that case. Even considering Ciel's level of skill and how relatively painlessly everything went down, he's been under for quite a while at this point and he needs to replenish some fluids. Kariya reaches over to pour himself several glasses of water in a row, gulping them down like a thirsty man in the desert. After that, he slowly rises to his feet, touching and prodding various locations on his body to see how they feel after the operation. It's immediately apparent that the worms are gone, and he's feeling a little weak without the diffuse energy provided by his crest, so for the moment the look on his face is one of quiet amazement.]

[He can take his time, there's no rush. There's a phone here somewhere in the building too, if he needs to call people up.

At any rate, there will soon be a quiet knock on the door.]

Matou-san? May I come in?

[She knows he's awake, but well, basic courtesies before further check-up.]

Ciel... yeah, come in, it's all right.

[The doorknob clicks and turns. Ciel steps in, clad in her habit like he'd last remember her, and proceeds to give a quick but thorough glance of his body from head to toe. His posture seems okay, and his footing is steady... Skin color isn't as pale as last night, too, it's a detail to note.]

Good morning. [A small nod.] How are you feeling?

Still a little weak, but I could tell right away the worms were gone. I guess everything went all right on your end?

[She nods, arms crossed over her chest.]

Yes, and you should gain more strength with sufficient rest and a good diet. On that topic, it would be preferable to stick by food that's easy to digest for now, like bread, cooked vegetables, potatoes, eggs, and the like. [at least until his constitution improves, but with how worn down his body is even after getting rid of the worms... she doesn't feel confident making any guesses, so let's skip over that.] ...Speaking of which, are you hungry? [her posture softens, and she offers a small smile.] It's okay if you think it's too early, but please try to get some nutrients down when you can. It must have been a while, since the last time you ate.

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whelp sorry this took a while

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