[Ow, ow, ow. Everything hurts. Asch coughs heavily, then again as the dust in the air clogs his lungs. That had been a bit of bad luck, and more is on the way, apparently, as he feels a vibration in the ground and the wall at his back. The cave. Footsteps, though, above him- Van's coming to-
....
Wait, he stopped?
Blearily he lifts his gaze to meet Van's, a mixture of wary confusion in them. Why did he...? Why is he looking so...
And then Van closes his eyes and begins to cast, and Asch understands. He's leaving Asch like that. Leaving him there.
....Fine. Asch clenches his eyes shut, sliding his sword arm upwards to brace himself against the ground, and with a single sudden push and a gasp of breath, manages to roll onto his back. He can hear the song of the hymn behind him, feel the gentle flow of fonons gathering towards Van; he'd never heard his master sing it before, but the melody is familiar. Part of the Grand Fonic Hymn, wasn't it? One of Tear's artes. He'd seen her use it a few times, mostly through the replica's eyes. Force Field, the name comes to mind belatedly, but it's already too late to try and reach it. Instead, he lifts his hand, fingers shaking in the air, but his gaze is steady. He needs every ounce of focus he's got to do this, and there isn't much time.
There's something wrong in his chest, he knows; he can feel something grating, just enough to be perceptible, and it's hard to breathe. His head's aching, too, but he pushes past it, gathering fonons carefully between his fingers. He can pass out later if he has to. The shaking of the rocks around them persists, and he knows that if this goes wrong, it'll end up becoming another Akzeriuth, this time with the both of them caught in the middle. Not that Van would die- stupid Force Field.
No time for bitterness now, though, because the rocks are starting to come down, and he can only hold on to this power for so long. Right before the whole ceiling can come down on his head, Asch releases a carefully restrained hyperresonance ("carefully" being the key word- in the three years that he's been here with little else to occupy himself with, his skills have improved considerably), blasting through the rocks falling towards him and pressing up the ones still shaking unsteadily in the tunnel above him, creating not so much a protective shield as a disintegration bubble, just as he'd done during his many practice sessions in the village. Van can take care of himself, and even if the entire place comes down around them, he'll at least have a circle of safety to keep himself alive. Though if he gets trapped and suffocates down here it'll all be rendered moot.
Well, he'd at least find some ironic humour in that before dying.]
[Action, 12/20]
....
Wait, he stopped?
Blearily he lifts his gaze to meet Van's, a mixture of wary confusion in them. Why did he...? Why is he looking so...
And then Van closes his eyes and begins to cast, and Asch understands. He's leaving Asch like that. Leaving him there.
....Fine. Asch clenches his eyes shut, sliding his sword arm upwards to brace himself against the ground, and with a single sudden push and a gasp of breath, manages to roll onto his back. He can hear the song of the hymn behind him, feel the gentle flow of fonons gathering towards Van; he'd never heard his master sing it before, but the melody is familiar. Part of the Grand Fonic Hymn, wasn't it? One of Tear's artes. He'd seen her use it a few times, mostly through the replica's eyes. Force Field, the name comes to mind belatedly, but it's already too late to try and reach it. Instead, he lifts his hand, fingers shaking in the air, but his gaze is steady. He needs every ounce of focus he's got to do this, and there isn't much time.
There's something wrong in his chest, he knows; he can feel something grating, just enough to be perceptible, and it's hard to breathe. His head's aching, too, but he pushes past it, gathering fonons carefully between his fingers. He can pass out later if he has to. The shaking of the rocks around them persists, and he knows that if this goes wrong, it'll end up becoming another Akzeriuth, this time with the both of them caught in the middle. Not that Van would die- stupid Force Field.
No time for bitterness now, though, because the rocks are starting to come down, and he can only hold on to this power for so long. Right before the whole ceiling can come down on his head, Asch releases a carefully restrained hyperresonance ("carefully" being the key word- in the three years that he's been here with little else to occupy himself with, his skills have improved considerably), blasting through the rocks falling towards him and pressing up the ones still shaking unsteadily in the tunnel above him, creating not so much a protective shield as a disintegration bubble, just as he'd done during his many practice sessions in the village. Van can take care of himself, and even if the entire place comes down around them, he'll at least have a circle of safety to keep himself alive. Though if he gets trapped and suffocates down here it'll all be rendered moot.
Well, he'd at least find some ironic humour in that before dying.]