A new chapter (Essex, England.) [w/ Fion]

If there was anything Cressida needed right now it was emotional support, which was clearly far from Fionn's specialty. Feeling the emotional impact of forced withdrawal and struggling with the fallout of the addiction craving made her want to retreat back into that state. She wanted to make the pain stop. However much to her surprise, she had a brutal reminder of what was important. However the word pride was echoing through her mind.

"My pride? That's right, I always took pride in the fact that I could always get stronger no matter what. That's what gave me the strength to face Weylin Von Wolfstain, stand up to Amelia, to slay twenty three hollows in a single night."

Cressida recalled every time she had her courage and knowing full well that she could get stronger. Knowing that any pain would make her stronger as she'd remember, but with medication she never felt anything, she was going through the motions. However it felt like pain was starting to overwhelm her as every sensation gotten clear.

"When I learned that these Toxins were clogging my spiritual abilities from growing, I felt my pride shatter to pieces leaving me with shreds, a few embers left. Without realizing it I've been huddling around them, waiting for time to pass by and for myself to slip into the dark, becoming a former shell of myself as I tolerated everything more and more, but now I say enough!"

Slowly standing up, she signaled Fionn to step back as her eyes were now reflecting a determined fury. Her voice was sharp as she projected to the other Quincy. "Get, back, now!" Cressida raised her right hand upwards as she remembered what she was fighting for now, as it was not just the lives of those close to her that needed saving, it was her own as well.

Hitting her lowest point, she couldn't help but find that fitting as she realized one truth. The lower she goes, the higher she has to reach. She felt as though her body was on fire as she was straining the last of her strength. Gathering her focus, she focused the reishi as it became apparent what she was creating, her coveted Hielig Klinge. Grabbing her blade, she bent her knee down while leaning her body from the waist up back. Taking a moment to aim, she carefully plotted her arc and scattershot. For a minute, she didn't move as she made sure her next move would work.

"This is probably the least safe thing I've ever done but it should lead to the safest way to extract them. You have the ability to heal, right? No one knows my exact power as I only use it when I want my way. As long as I hit something with a reishi construct, I can alter it's gravitational pull."

Tightening her grip, she slashed starting from her far left to right, creating an arc, when she started something was extending from the tip which extended and refined in shape until it formed a long and elegant arrow. Halfway through the arc the arrow laucned straight up above Cressida, reaching almost the ceiling.

Cressida spread her arms out and awaited the arrows downfall as it appeared to come straight for her after falling. The arrow broke off into fractions as it turned into what appeared to be a barrage of slivers. the majority of them hit the ground in front of her, while the rest hit key points throughout her body. Each one barely cut into her skin as she let out a gasp Each sliver had reduced the pull of the toxins, making them light to the touch to move. 

However she tightened her fists as she circled the reishi from the slivers into her body, circulating it through her own arteries as she forced her body into a state of awareness so deep that not even the withdrawal symptoms stop her from shear pain.

She was reaching her limit as she forced Blut through her system, but for one she wasn't using it to attack herself. Forcing the power through her very being she felt something she hadn't felt in years. Grabbing her blade in two hands, she held it forward as she charged the Blut through her veins getting faster and faster to a point where she was forcing her own heart to it's limit. Out of the small holes, the black toxins were oozing out slowly. She felt a familiar thrill returning, it was akin to the experiences of the years spent training with her blade.

"I've spent the past six years afraid, afraid that I couldn't get any stronger. The truth is, if one does not have limits, one cannot break them. For the sake of myself, my daughter, and roughly the majority of Quincy kind, I will break any limit. I came into this room afraid for my life, now I'm afraid for this feeling to end. These Toxins, I shall not allow them to seek refuge in my own essence any longer. I am Lady Cressida Therese Schade, heiress to the reformed Schade Legacy, I shall not stand for any of this any longer!"

In a single swing forward towards the empty wall, Cressida used the energy expended to send a shockwave through her own body starting at the wrists as the remainder of the toxins came out of her, oozing turned into a stream like a river out of wholes that emerged. Cressida looked ready to let out a cry of victory, but soon fell forward face first onto the floor, her blade and Blut dissipating back into the air shortly after.

"Damn, I needed that harsh wake up call."

WC 955
TWC 9563

After a few minutes since the procedure ceased, the door hummed to life once more as the locking pillars fell and the gears turned as the doors slowly opened until they locked open. The elderly Schade was there on the other side, before entering he turned and removed a strange looking piece from the console. It was a long pillar with various curves and cubic bumps. Putting it back around his neck on his chain, it would go back to looking like an odd necklace when in truth it was a key. Walking into the room, he picked up Cressida's sweater as he nonchalantly walked over to his fallen grandaughter as he saw her lying in a puddle of her own blood and toxins. From behind his sunglasses, his glare was able to strike Fionn with intimidation "You better have not tried any funny business with my grandaughter, we already had one jackass who skipped town after leaving Cressida and their kid."

He let an awkward moment pass as he tried to intimidate the younger man until he came outright laughing. "Don't worry, I saw everything. There are camera's in this room for a reason. Still, it was nice to see Cressida cut loose and break these shackles." He then raised his right hand outward to the right, gathering reishi around his hand but instead of making a solid construct he gathered a cloud of reishi and then proceeded to to have it run through Cressida. She wiped off all the blood and toxins off her. He looked around to see the blood and black toxins on the floor and smelt it as well.

As Cressida was groggily getting up, he handed her sweater to her. She quickly covered back up as she checked her skin and sighed of relief. In case she saw her daughter soon, she didn't want to raise any concern. Barely taking a knee, she was having trouble moving. "Damn, guess I went a bit overboard with that."

Her grandfather rolled his eyes as he lifted Cressida over his shoulder with a single arm and started walking towards the door, making sure to grab Cressida's glasses on the way out. Signaling with his other hand for Fionn to follow. "Because the way you made was safe completely through and through, you were secluded in a bubble and using Celeste as a crutch to hide from your own life. If you didn't take the risk with that, you couldn't break the bubble. You live off the thrill you get from combat and you were under enough anxiety and endorphins to try and take out a thousand hollows. However you were in complete control, well, for the post part."

Cressida felt immense pain as she basically ruined her own internal systems and did some light external damage. However even in her state, her priorities could not budge. "Did you remember to put Celeste to bed?" Herbert still remained nonchalant, but was annoyed as he could tell that each answer was gonna be another question. Which made the walk up the stairs very tiresome. "Yes" "Did you remember to warm a blanket?" "Yes" "Oh, did you read to her?" "Yes, I read to her the tale of Desmond Schade" Cressida's eyes opened wide as she was about to go full blown panic "What!" Herbert lightly chuckled. "Relax, your grandma and I raised you and your sister, I wouldn't read that tale to her for another decade or so. I read some children's book. Everything is done and under control." Cressida sighed relief as she was worried for a minute there. Slapping his back soon after. "Don't even scare me like that. I don't want her to think we're all like him. Aside from someone coming after her, that's one of my biggest fears and you know that."

Walking out of the dark hall and back into the foyer, Herbert Schade took a right turn to the door on the right which led to another hall. Walking into the fourth door on the left, it led to the dining room. It was a large room with a rectangular dark oak table set fit for twenty. Above the table was a chandelier, electric powered at that. Aside from a few lights connected to the wall, it was the largest source of light. Behind the head of the table was a fireplace, it was not lit and no logs were in it. On the other side of the table was a large glass window to the outside, showing the dark night sky. Herbert put Cressida seated at the head of the table before leaving the room, gesturing for Fionn to sit. "Thanks for earlier. Sorry if I scared you at some point."

WC 790
TWC 10,353

Cressida could've guessed that he was curious as to what dinner was. In response to that question she honestly had no answer at that point. However the following question made her intensely uneasy as her eyes opened wide in response. She knew alluding to previous Schades would be a disaster as all it takes sometimes is mentioning one wrong event and all of a sudden it turns into a pursuit of justice.

She had forgotten that Fionn had been listening to that, however since Fionn had shown no knowledge of the Schades by the sheer fact of being here, however she decided to explain things as simple as possible. "Oh, Desmond Schade is one of the most notable Schades. He was a linguist ahead of his time finding that the second noted Schade, altered the sacred memoir of the predecessor from almost 200 years before. As a philosopher, he tended to have a justice for family approach as he is most notable for a dark event during a party."

Cressida could recall the history of that event, and realized it was best to only give Fionn tidbits and not give him the full picture. However she figured better to just leave it as that she answered half the question and simply got to the latter half as she figured better to explain why she was worried from a personal level. "My daughter is not old enough to determine her own stances, so I'd like to keep the ethically questionable parts of her heritage out of her still developing mind.

Cressida checked her phone as she scrolled to the camera set up in her daughter's room to look at the sleeping infant, until the door opened again and Herbert returned with two covered trays in hand. He walked over to Fionn and placed on down, then taking off the lid to reveal a bowl of gumbo served on rice with a bun at the side. "Eat up boy, I got this recipe from an old friend while visiting New Orleans years ago. It's got a blend of spices to burn your sense of taste out and filled with enough hearty goodness to sustain every nutrient you need."

After he put a tray down for Cressida, she tried to stand up but Herbert stopped the young woman before she even raised herself from the chair. Pushing her back down gently by the shoulder. "Where are you going? She's alright, look we both know you're not even gonna be asleep in your bed tonight regardless so get her out of focus. Just because you're a parent, doesn't mean she has to always come first. I know you can barely stand so before you go all Ransotengai on this poor old man, at least eat while it's still hot."

He turned to the door as he walked out of the room again, itching to get away from the passive aggressive storm coming his way. "I gotta go, Gonna double check on that guest room." Cressida sighed as she picked up the spoon before slowly poking at her food, not feeling the urge to eat.

"Yeah, the old man's an eccentric, anyways, What made you ever thought to come to my estate? You must have done a extremely minimal amount of research to even think the Schades would help. Even less so on the order, it's a free for all. Anyone regardless of origin can join, but very few non-combatants join. But if I may ask, were you planning on joining the order to find your father?"

WC 592
TWC 10,945