Sickness in 249? (GM)

[Preston Salabim]

"I assume if the crystal is not fixed it will rupture the crystal and unleash all of that energy at once."

Which would be bad, to say the least. Either way, if Preston was not stopped by Kin or the guardian he would approach the crystal and begin to examine it, looking for flaws, deformities, and signs of corruption. He would attempt to identify the largest concentration of the corruption within the crystal, as well as where the corruption began to form.

[Rozalin Kendal]

'So, uh, guess what?' The input from Ari made Roz straighten, partially because it felt out of nowhere and partially because the symbiote seemed almost hesitant.

'...what?'

'It's pregnant.'

"What?" Not realizing at first she'd spoken aloud, the pirate turned from the crystal to the giant, then to Preston. Then back to the guardian.

"There's more than just a crystal to this, isn't it?" she asked said guardian. Very, very carefully.

'Well, more like it's an egg. Does that make it a seahorse?' Thankfully, teh thought stayed in her head, though she'd have to look into what those were later.

"There's something inside the crystal." She makes a very clear gesture to keep her hands away from her blade. The last thing any of them needed was to suddenly be seen as a threat, but the words were also directed towards Preston as well. If he was going to help, he'd need to know.

"You're worried about the egg."  Her voice softened with the observation.

[Kin Hachirobei]

Kin too would be surprised at this.

"Is that so? Is there another step we should take to be more delicate for this situation?"

He would as the Guardian.

[Zack Asiv]

The Guardian would look to Roz now, following her gestures to look at the Crystal.

Preston would find deformities abound near the base of the crystal, as well as a crack taking up about a fourth of the surface facing him. The crystal was obviously a raw crystal deposit that was shaped and inscribed while still planted instead of fully removed from it's deposit like any other crystal.

The Guardian would look back at Roz and Kin this time.

"The egg is in danger being in the corruption. Trusting those people, humans. The ones that hurt the crystal in the first place is difficult. If the corruption spreads more the crystal will rupture, as you say."

[Preston Salabim]

He stopped what he was doing to look past the crystal at Roz with a look that was polite society's way of saying 'what the fuck did you just say?'

What she was walking about was something so alien and unheard of that part of him thought he must have misheard her. But then the golem confirmed the theory. That was... something.

"And will cleansing the corruption harm this 'egg'?"

Or whatever it was...

[Rozalin Kendal]

Roz felt the look and kind of enjoyed it for the simple fact she would never have expected it from her partner. She shrugged in silence, but turned her attention to the conversation to try and piece things together.

"Is there a way to protect it if the cleanse would harm it? Like a shock to the system." Like a purge after eating a bad meal at sea.

'Ari? Can you sense anything from the egg?'

[Kin Hachirobei]

Kin would wait to hear more from the Guardian.

[Zack Asiv]

The Guardian would look down momentarily before looking at them.

"I do not know."

Ari would make a noise, more like a groan.

'Ehhhhhh, life? It's not a totally specific feeling. I just know it's there.'

[Preston Salabim]

He would take a step back from the crystal, tapping his chin.

"I can see it has deformities and is damaged from the corruption. I am confident I can fix it, but I have never encountered a Qi crystal housing an 'egg' of any type inside of it. I have no way of knowing what the results will be."

To be honest.

"Am I to assume that you are not the guardian of the crystal, but rather of what is growing inside of it then?"

[Rozalin Kendal]

Roz cocked her head to the side towards Preston with a small nod. She also assumed the egg was what the Guardian was protecting. It was an unknown risk, but was it better than the known one?

Not for her to say.

[Kin Hachirobei]

Kin would place a hand on the Guardian.

"I swear to you, we will do all we can to protect it."

[Zack Asiv]

"The Crystal created me to protect the egg."

The Guardian would confirm. He would look to the group each in turn.

"I suspect, trying would be better than not... There is a way to remove the egg."

The giant Guardian would walk through the water to the Crystal's face.

"Would that ease the outcome?"

[Preston Salabim]

"It would remove an unknown variable as far as the crystal is concerned. But I do not know what will happen to the egg should it be removed."

This was crazy, he wished he had weeks or months to examine and record everything about this from fluctuating energy levels to interviewing the golem. But that would only allow the infection to fester and more people to die...

[Rozalin Kendal]

Rozalin frowned at the offer, uncertain if the egg would become like a premature birth or an egg cracked too soon and dying. The golem, however, seemed okay with it, so surely it would have some way of knowing if it would harm the egg? It was created to protect it.

"I can observe it while you work on the crystal? At least, I'll be able to know if it's alive or not." Or rather, Ari could. She'd be making sure the crystal didn't crack and fall on Preston in the middle of his studies.

[Kin Hachirobei]

Kin would look to the Guardian.

"How will you remove it, and what will happen if you do?"