Anonymous

Lexen
He is a herculean Idreth that stands just over six feet tall. His skin
sports an odd, black-metallic look that reflects light and leaves strange,
multi-colored hues in its wake. Shifting lines of blacks and greys stand out
along the well defined bone and muscle structure of his body, and seem to
shimmer and slide with his movements. The deep colors are more noticeable along
the sharp edges of his high cheekbones and well defined jaw, as well as other
locations where the bone is closer to the skin. A pronounced hollow slides from
just beneath his jaw along the side of his neck, the interior of the conclaved
flesh shining with a stark black and red sheen. Likewise, a series of four
evenly spaced indentations along his right cheek are accentuated by the metallic
reflection of deeply forged color. His hair is jet black, but marked with
streaks of straight silver that seem to bare no connection to actual age.
Beneath the low hanging bang line, his piercing green eyes stand out from the
harsher greys of the rest of his face, glowing unnaturally. His chest is
dominated by an inverted indentation of a falcon in flight with three teardrops
spaced above it located directly over his heart. The coloration in the skin,
however, shows a deep, blood red, stylized panther paw beneath the falcon, with
the three claw marks of the paw in perfect alignment with the teardrops. His
back is dominated by a commanding tattoo stretching from his shoulderblades to
his lower back. The image of a blue hilted longsword encased in ice, crossed mid
back by a red hilted bastard sword that has been wrapped in barbed wire stands
out starkly against the silver-ebony hues of his skin."


Phendegwen Tanarian, The Engineer says, "I've got we'll require- bit much to
carry."

You say, "There are two options.  The clearing you saw before, and the cavern
below.  The latter has water access."

Phendegwen nods his head emphatically.

Phendegwen Tanarian, The Engineer says, "The latter, then- or wherever's the
most sterile."

Phendegwen follows you to the down.

Beneath the Dais.
Stomping about angrily, a behemoth of a bull stands here. Haven Locke is here,
hidden. He wields a tower shield in his left hand and an iron-tipped whip in his
right. Phendegwen Tanarian, The Engineer is here. He wields a Shamanic
quarterstaff in his hands.
There are no obvious exits.

Phendegwen observes the spring, saying, "Already heated. Good." He goes to the
bull and begins to unload the various items, a couple of folding tables, metal
but lightwight enough to maneuver, and, a large metal-cased object. "Tables and
an engine," he explains. "Clockworks don't run themselves- the actual
heart-device is far smaller."

You have emoted: Lexen folds his arms across his chest, watching the items with
distrustful curiosity. "Seems like a lot of equipment."

"Where did you find this guy anyway?" Haven asks quietly as he mimics your stance while keeping his azure sights upon Phendegwen.

You have emoted: Lexen smirks and says to Haven, "He's an expert on Death."

Your eyes sparkle with amusement.

Phendegwen unfolds the metal tables- which are of a predicable rectangular shape,
intended for a human, and which also have a series of straps attached to affix
whoever lies upon them as securely as possible. "We can't have you lying on the
floor for this. I'm not going to be squatting on the ground while attempting to
perform delicate procedures."

Grimly, Haven Locke says, "So long as someone's comfortable."

You have emoted: Lexen unfolds his arms to rest a hand on Haven's shoulder, his
lips pressed into a grim line. "You don't have to do this."

Phendegwen turns to Haven and nods his head in solemn greeting before beginning
to extract more items from his pack and the bull's saddlebags, all neatly
wrapped in clean cloth- a few bowls, various thin, curved needles, a small but
finely-honed saber-type saw with a bone handle, and notably a pair of gleaming
devices of heavy steel which consist of a pair of bars perpendicularly attached
to a third, blunt-toothed bar with a crank. "Spreaders," he explains as he goes
about arranging all the items on panels attached to the tables for the purpose.

"I'm not backing out on you, Brother." Haven answers solemnly as he pointedly
keeps his sights off of you. "I'm ready as I'll ever be. I feel calm. I feel
hot. I feel alive." With the flesh tightening around his eyes as he studies
Phendegwen's every move, the Azudim looks otherwise content and at ease.

You have emoted: Lexen withdraws his hand, his eyes turning to the equipment
quickly overtaking the cavern. The fingers around the cane in his hand flex
anxiously and he releases a slow breath, obviously far more nervous than the
Azudim next to him. "What uh, what do you need me to do?"

Phendegwen finishes arranging these various tools, adding to them a box of fine
sinew for sutures and a pile of clean cloths, and turns his attention upon the
engine. This he pulls a lever on, followed by another, and a dull glow begins to
grow behind a thick, smoky glass panel set into the device. He positions this
near one of the tables, and extracts another item from his pack, this one with
great care. The cloth-wrapped contents of the bundle are yet another metallic
box, much smaller than the first, with a thick glass panel, a few levers, and
several attached tubes of sinew. This he sets up on collapsing legs attached to
it, and, finishes by linking a pair of metal tubes projecting from it to the
engine. "It's a pump, designed similar to the ones in the old Kelsys domes, but,
far smaller, and, greatly modified for its purpose of moving fluids, not air,"
he explains, before turning to you and Haven with a grave expression. "I will
just need some water, and, we are ready. Did you bring delphinium?"

Phendegwen gathers up a couple of larger bowls, which he fills with water from
the nearby spring.

Lightly, Haven Locke says, "I have some Delphinium."

Haven Locke says, "Though you'll want to extract it before I go under."

Phendegwen raises an eyebrow questioningly.

You have emoted: Lexen nods mutely as he looks over the collection of equipment,
his fingers numbly sliding over his belt as he blindly feels past several vials
before pulling one from his belt.

Haven Locke asks, "Actually. Will this dirk suffice?"

Haven carefully wipes all the venoms off of a needle-pointed dirk.

Phendegwen carries the water bowls back to their place and looks over all his
equipment again, eyeing each piece as if mentally double-checking a carefully
reviewed plan.

You have emoted: Lexen sighs and crosses towards the equipment, placing the vial
of delphinium at the foot of one of the tables before starting to shrug out of
his armour and upper equipment.

Phendegwen says, "Once you've taken a dose of the delphinium- not overmuch-
Lexen, you will lie here, and Haven, here." He indicates each of the tables in
turn. "I can go over precisely what I plan to do- or, we can just proceed. A
review is not going to make a difference, and, it may go easier without it." He
appears calm enough, but, only manages to keep the briefest of eye contact with
Haven, taking a deep breath before steeling his gaze upon the equipment again.
"I am going to attempt to make this all as clean and swift as possible."

"Wonderful." Haven lays down his weapons and begins to tear away his armor -
working off the clasps, buckles, and straps piece by piece until they clatter
noisely against the floor. The Azudim doesn't appear to mind even as he begins
to strip away his shirt, his chest rising and falling in a slow and steady
rhythm.

You have emoted: Lexen slides a hand back through his hair, his hand now
starting to visibly shake. His eyes sweep over the various instruments once more
and he swallows roughly, his fingers nervelessly picking up the vial once more.

Phendegwen focuses on his right hand, briefly, around which the subtlest arcing
of lightning traces for a moment. "I do intend to incorporate an element of
Shamanic art into this process- a reanimator was used to revive the heart
before. This time, I intend for death to never occur- the potencies of Dendara
are those of Life, and in Life is found pure energy." The lightning flicker
fades as he looks to you holding the vial. "I am ready when you are."

You have emoted: Lexen opens his hand, staring at the vial on his palm before
shifting his gaze up to rest on Haven. During the long pause that follows, his
features slowly contort from his typical emotionless mask to that of full blown
anxiety. "I... don't think I can do this."

Haven finally casts a glance your way before he offers a reassuring smile.
"We're in this together, right Brother?" There is an easiness about his features
that doesn't quite spread to his eyes. His eyes are like the sea during the wake
of the storm - dark, fierce, and unforgiving as they pass over you. "You'll do
fine."

You have emoted: Lexen seats himself on the edge of the indicated table, his
fingers closing around the vial once more. Uncorking it slowly, he frowns,
nodding at Haven before downing a healthy swing and telling the Azudim, "You'd
best be fine after this. Aren will kill me if something goes wrong, so come
back. Understood?"

Mournfully, Haven Locke says to you, "You bet."

You have emoted: Lexen shakes his head once as if trying to clear something away
as the toxin obviously begins to work its way through his body. With a near
drunken movement he points harshly at Haven. "Promise me."

Phendegwen stands quietly, again reviewing his implements, eyes flickering
between them one by one. As Lexen takes his drink of delphinium, he draws on a
pair of thin leather gloves lying amongst the clean cloth before moving to take
the vial from you in order to pass it to Haven.

You have emoted: Lexen allows the vial to slide from his grip unchecked as he
twitches his head twice more, still fighting the effects of the dosage. His
motor skills continue to decline however and his eyes slide closed as he slumps
down onto the table.

Phendegwen turns to Haven, handing over the vial- this time, his eyes do make
contact. "Thank you," he says, very quietly, as he passes it over, his voice
betraying only the faintest edge of nerves.

Haven takes the delphinium and stirs its contents with the shake of the vial. "This
won't do much for me as I am. Best I flood my own system, Phendegwen." The words
leave the Azudim rather hollow as he purposely ignores your request while
concentrating within for delphinium to begin pumping its way through his veins.
With his eyes beginning to droop, "I should be thanking you. A message for Lexen
when he awakes: Watch the boy." The decline takes a while to come but when it
does it sweeps through the Azudim like an avalanche.

Haven's eyes close suddenly as he falls asleep.

Phendegwen nods gravely, and as soon as Haven drops off, he immediately begins
securing the table's straps, making sure each is sufficiently tight, before
moving over to you to do the same. He watches them both for a brief moment,
taking several deep, slow breaths before picking up a finely-honed scalpel from
amongst the instruments.

Phendegwen picks up a scalpel from amongst his tools, and makes a swift, clean
incision along the line of your former scar. He then takes up a damp cloth, and
cleans the blood away, examining the gash carefully. At a few points where the
blood flows heavily, he takes up a few small hemostats, clamping them down
firmly to staunch the flow as best as possible, before taking up a small steel
spreader and inserting it into the wound in order to expose your sternum. Again,
he wipes the blood away carefully, examining the bone for several long seconds
before taking up the small saw.

You have emoted: Lexen's chest rises and falls with a soft, steady rhythm, his
skin parting beneath the blade after a bit more pressure than usual is used. The
spreader runs into a minor problem when the skin along the outside edges forms
deep veined cracks, as if it were made of fracturing stone instead of flesh.

Phendegwen frowns slightly as your skin begins to crack, an unexpected turn. He
halts extending the spreader's arms as soon as it begins, and examines the skin
carefully. He contemplates a moment before removing the spreader entirely, and,
picking up the scalpel again to make a secondary crossways incision, after which
he works to carefully draw back the flesh and tissue in an effort to expose the
sternum without causing a further spreading of the cracks.

You have emoted: The skin doesn't seem to fracture further, and while proving
mildy resistant to the sharp blade, eventually parts without further issues.
Lexen's internal bone structure stands out against the typical as each bone is
lined with a sheer steel coating, though the previous separation point in his
sternum seems remarkably barren of such obstructions.

Phendegwen pauses again as he parts your skin to reveal the metal-coated bones,
eyes widening in brief surprise, but, returning to his previous determined focus
as swiftly. He examines the steel-free line of the previous surgery before
taking up the small saw, spending a focused second positioning the blade before
beginning to cut along the exposed bone in as perfectly vertical line as he is
able to in light of the previous surgery and metal coating. During this process,
he hardly blinks, jaw clamped tight as he saws- the blade is indeed well-suited
to the purpose, the hardened steel easily slicing through the bone as he takes
great care not to slice into the flesh behind it.

You have emoted: Lexen's exposed inner core is far less fantastical when
compared to the out of the ordinary bone structure in place. His lungs continue
their steady rise and fall, shifting the ribcage over them in odd ways as the
sternum parts neatly, exposing the throbbing muscle beneath. The heart itself is
dwarfed and nearly engulfed by a crystaline black obsidian, restricting the
organ to a marginal space. The arteries and veins attached to the organ, while
completely intact, show ragged signs of strain where they seem to have been
originally attached.

Phendegwen sets aside the saw after slicing through the sternum, letting out a
sigh of relief as it parts cleanly. He immediately picks up the larger steel
spreader, setting its ends in place along the ribs, and, turning the crank to
assure that the heart will stay properly exposed. This he examines curiously,
prodding its glassy casing briefly before examining the attached blood vessels,
going over each one carefully before turning to his clockwork pump. He takes
each of the hoses, laying them out neatly on your chest, double-checking small
marking upon the steel ends of each sinew tube. He plucks up the scalpel once
more, affixing a clamp to an artery before severing it, slightly above the
ragged portions. He immediately affixes the end this to one of the sinew tubes,
leaving the clamp in place for the moment, and attaching another rounded clamp
about the end of artery attached to the device. After the first, he observes a
moment, before moving to proceed to the next.

You have emoted: Lexen's lungs give a shuddering sigh and cease their movement
for a second. Then two. After the third, they raggedly refill once more,
continuing their rhythm, despite a much shallower draw. The palor of his skin
begins slowly draining to a softer grey color, and his heart begins to slow
considerably as the bloodflow is disconnected and altered one vessel at a time.

Phendegwen immediately moves onto the next artery, performing an identical
procedure to that performed upon the first- he goes through each artery like
this as swiftly as possible, only removing the first clamps after he's attached
each one to his machine, and leaving the ones linking the arteries to the tubes
in place. He then proceeds to the veins, his method identical to the arteries.
Once he has linked each of these to his device, he removes the initial clamps
once more, and, reaches over with a bloodied hand to pull a lever on his
clockwork- a subtle whirring sound proceeds from the box after this, sounding
beneath a very slow, muffled thumping sound. He observes as red fluid begins to
appear behind the glass panel of his machine, and watches the now unobstructed
tubes hopefully, anticipating the blood to begin flowing again through your body
slow but steadily, now propelled by the pump.

You have emoted: Lexen's color improves steadily as the pump whirs into action
and his breathing starts to even out once more.

Phendegwen lets out a sigh of relief and wraps one hand about your
crystal-encased heart, working to extract it from his chest with minimal damage
to the surrounding tissues, scalpel ready in his other hand to part any clinging
bits of tissue.

You have emoted: Lexen's heart shutters to a stop as it is completely severed
from his body, the entire muscle far more fragile and delicate in its stilled
form. Even with the careful extraction, pieces of the obsidian crystal flake
away.

Phendegwen sets the heart aside in one of the bowls, before picking up some
graspers and carefully plucking out each flake of obsidian that he is able to
find. He examines the wound for a long moment before turning to move over to
Haven, scalpel and saw in hand. He takes longer to begin the incision in Haven's
chest, glancing between the two men on the table before he turns his eyes back
to the one lying before him. Despite the knowledge that Haven cannot possibly
live through the process, he cuts as swift and clean as had for you, and still
wipes up the blood as he positions the spreader to expose Haven's sternum, which
he examines for any unusual details.

Pain flows across the Azudim's face and body regardless of the fact that Haven's
lost consciousness. It's brutal and fierce as it causes his upper lip to
gradually peel back to form a half-snarl and expose his teeth while Phendegwen
cuts into his body. Unlike you, the Azudim's body doesn't appear to be much
different from a human's body - only the organs look more enhanced or larger.
Healthier? Perhaps. But certainly more than what a mere mortal who hasn't
ascended could possibly have.

Phendegwen grits his teeth at Haven's pain, evident even beneath his
self-induced drugging, and he pointedly focuses upon the hole in Haven's flesh,
working through the breastplate with the saw in carefully controlled strokes,
determined not to damage the organs beneath. These, he examines for a moment as
he breaths in deeply, letting out a slow, controlled breath as he draws off one
of his gloves, tossing it aside amongst the dirtied rags. From here out, contact
will be necessary. He takes a final breath as he examines the extremely-healthy
looking heart amongst the other unusually perfect organs, readying the scalpel
in his still-gloved hand.

While the heart may not be racing it thunders with the call of the heavens, each
beat seeming to resonate like the sound of a war drum. Da-thud. Thud. *THUD*.
Haven's heart gradually slows within Phendegwen's grasp, its pinkish exterior
looking like it has been slightly glossed over with a radiant sheen.

Phendegwen glances at the spreader with the intention of using it, but, as
pounding of the heart slows, the demand of its declining rhythm is overwhelming.
One last deep breath, before a swift severing of the vessels with the scalpel,
leaving a portion of each attached to the heart, which he tightens his bare
fingers around. Unblinking, he focuses with a need like never before, linking
into the energies of Dendara and allowing the tiniest pulse to proceed through
his fingers. The grinding of his teeth is audible as he works to draw the organ
forth, taking great care not to damage it- while allowing a tiny pulse of the
electrical potency to flow through his fingers every few seconds.

Haven's heart starts to pulse with Phendegwen's electric charge, blood spilling
every which way as the organ comes away from the body..

Haven has been slain by Phendegwen.

Phendegwen cannot stifle a sigh as he extracts the heart, but tears his gaze
away as it creeps up towards Haven's face, stepping pointedly over to you once
more. He keeps a hold of the heart while he examines you, picking up a cloth
with his gloved hand to soak up what blood has seeped into the wound before
setting the heart in place.

Phendegwen lifts his hand from the heart once it is in place, but every few
seconds, he continues to allow a pulse of energy to flow from his fingers into
the organ, stimulating its beats. He works as swiftly as possible as begins to
reconnect the vessels, clamping each one before pulling it from its former
position on the sinew tube. He begins with the veins, carefully placing the ends
of Haven's against your, and taking up the sinew-threaded needles, using a small
pliers to manipulate them, and attaching each with a few quick sutures, followed
by a few drops of restoration elixir. During this process, he never ceases to
take a second to send an energy pulse through the heart. He then removes the
clamps on the veins, in order for them to once again serve their purpose.
Turning his attention to the arteries, he performs the operation precisely as he
had upon the veins, and still not ceasing to stimulate the heart, now keeping
the pulses in time with the thumps of the machine. After he attaches each one,
he removes the clamp, with the intent of gradually restoring a normal bloodflow
through the new organ.

Phendegwen pulls in a deep breath as he watches, only now betraying any level of
nervousness in the slight shudder of its release.

You have emoted: As the final clamp comes off, Lexen's body becomes unusually
still, his features calm as stone as the heart settles into the cavity and comes
to rest. The pause this time drags on for far longer, stretching ten seconds
into a millenia before his frame shudders and the heart gives a single, vibrant
beat, then another.

Phendegwen sighs with relief as the blood appears to flow along its proper
course without any evidence of rupture along the seams. He draws in another deep
breath, and holds it, as he slowly lifts his fingers from the from the organ
watching as it beats. "Please. . ." he mutters, watching, hoping that it will
continue as he takes a cloth to clean the area once more before removing the
clamp to allow your ribcage to be brought together once more.

You have emoted: Lexen's body quivers slightly as the ribcage settles back into
place, relaxing the strain on his lungs and settling him into an easier rest.
The heart begins to pulse with a far more lively rhythm, beating with extra
enthusiasm, as if to make up for lost time.

Phendegwen grabs a coil of silver wire from amongst the implements, and swiftly
cuts a number of lengths with a pliers. These, he carefully threads through the
gaps between the steel plated ribs, running them full around to bring the halves
together smoothly along the crack. He winds together each securely, taking a
moment to file the ends- after a long moment, he begins to breathe easier, as
the heart continues to beat steady. Only when he is certain that the ribcage is
firmly affixed in a position for healing, and that the wires are entirely secure
does he pick up another needle, this one bearing a long length of suturing
thread.

You have emoted: Lexen's skin quickly flushes into a deep, vibrant black color,
his entire body showing improvements with each passing moment. The increased
circulation, however, brings a deep moan to his lips as the delphinium beings to
work its way through.

Phendegwen tosses the needle aside as Lexen moans, all thought of a perfect
finish fled with that sound. He nevertheless works with deliberate care as he
flips the opened skin back into place, especially along the cracked portions. As
soon as the flesh is in place, he grabs a bottle of health elixir from amongst
his implements with his bloodied hand, smearing it quickly along the edges of
the wound. He follows this with some of the contents of the restoration vial,
watching hopefully., smearing it quickly along the edges of the wound. He
follows this with some of the contents of the restoration vial, watching
hopefully.

You have emoted: Lexen's skin doesn't heal over as much as it simply seems to
seal along the edge, the cracks along the edges smoothing into one solid piece
as well. As the wound seams shut, it leaves little more than a small, white line
behind as the only proof it had even been cracked.

Phendegwen lets out a shuddering sigh as he watches the skin seal, and only now
do his hands begin shaking as he picks up a damp cloth to wipe off what blood
remains on your skin. He moves over to the bowls of water, stripping off his
glove with unsteady fingers before washing his hands, glancing over ever now and
again at you- and at the table where Haven had lain.

You have emoted: Lexen issues another groan, his fingers twitching beneath the
restraints holding his arms to the table. With a shuddering sigh, his eyes
flutter open, though the don't immediately focus on anything in particular.

Phendegwen turns from Haven's table on hearing your groan. His words come out in
a hoarse croak as he speaks. "It is done. . . can you hear me?"

You have emoted: Lexen swallows roughly, his gaze turning lazily to regard you,
without making it clear if he remembered where he was. "Hrm?"

Phendegwen meets your gaze briefly, but glances down to the floor as he says
quietly, "I gave him to Father, after. . . I still do not know if he has
returned, or not, I have had to focus upon you." He blinks, as if seeking to
still emotion that only now is able to come. "How do you feel?"

You have emoted: Lexen's shoulders shift, the muscles in his arm rippling a
moment before he seems to register the straps holding him down. Stilling once
more, he furrows his brow, blinking several times. "Tired. Did it work?"

Phendegwen begins to release the straps, hands still shaking slightly. He nods,
stiffly. "It appears that it has, for you. I would keep still for some days,
rest, recover. . . I. . . do not know about Haven yet. He has given you a heart
that looks. . .extremely healthy. Unlike your old one. There were, oddities."

You have emoted: Lexen releases a soft sigh as he nods, raising his freed hand
to run back through his hair. "He said he would come back. He'll be back. What
kind of oddities?"

Phendegwen picks up the bowl containing the heart after he finishes releasing
the trips. "I pray that he will. . . I thought you would not mind my giving him
to Father. It seemed only appropriate, especially in light in the fact that we
hope He shall return him. These kind of oddities." He passes you the bowl
containing the obsidan-encrusted heart.

You have emoted: Lexen furrows his brow, proping himself up onto one elbow as he
looks it over. "That... seems odd. I don't remember ever seeing a heart like
that. Can I keep it?"

Phendegwen Tanarian, The Engineer says, "Of course. . . I made certain to pluck
out all the shards I could find, as, it cracked slightly on extraction. It's a
delicate casing. If you feel any sharp pain- it may indicate a sliver that
escaped. Also, your ribs. They're steel-plated."

Phendegwen Tanarian, The Engineer says, "Your skin. . .not precisely normal,
either. This I presume may be a part of your Idreth physiology, but, the ribs
were indeed very strange and difficult to explain."

You ask, "Steel-plated ribs?"

Phendegwen begins collecting up his implements, cleaning them quickly before
packing them up. His hands are steady once again, but, his expression somber.
"Aye, steel-plated. I suppose they are far less likely to break, but, it's very
strange. Thankfully, the steel didn't cover your sternum entirely. You're wired
back together now- silver, as the body easily accepts it. It's a firm join, but,
you'll want to take it easy until the bone's definitely mended. I'm hoping some
of the restoration took care of that. . .I had to close you up very quickly, you
were coming to."

Your features contort sharply in an earnest grimace.

Phendegwen Tanarian, The Engineer says, "Haven left a message for you, by  the
way."

You say, "That would have been.... oh?"

Phendegwen Tanarian, The Engineer says, "He says to 'watch the boy'- that is
all."

You crease your brow in a frown.

You say, "When did he say that?"

Phendegwen Tanarian, The Engineer says, "Just before he went under. . ."

You have emoted: Lexen's features pale slightly and he sighs, letting his eyes
slide closed. "The Bastard. Bloody Bastard. I knew he would do this."

Phendegwen says, "If there was more, he was not awake long enough to say it. .
." He frowns worriedly, looking to you. "This? If it is my business to inquire,
that is. . ."

You have emoted: Lexen swallows roughly, his features strained. "He's been
acting strange. Different. Like he was weary of living. Like he welcomed the
chance to lose himself in the halls."

Phendegwen mutters, "Oh hell. . . I. . . if I'd thought that, known that. . . we
might have been able to find another. . .his talk of duty, I'd thought. . ." He
blinks, glancing away with a heavy, shivering sigh.

You have emoted: Lexen presses his lips together into a grim line. "It's not
your fault. It's mine. I should have realized it."

Phendegwen sighs, and turns back to you, eyes slightly glistening, but he blinks
again, and says, "It is the burden of only being able to see such a small range
of Time. There are those times when probability fails. I'd. . .just not prepared
for this to be one of them. I am sorry, Lexen."

You clench your jaw tightly, pressing your lips into a line with a grim look on
your face.

You have emoted: Lexen quietly says to Phendegwen, "Thank you, Phendegwen, for
all that you have done."

Phendegwen Tanarian, The Engineer says to you, "I just wish that. . . it had not
meant the loss of one you care for. I should have pressed harder for the
mechanical option, just, this method did seem the most likely to work for you. I
hope that this heart will last. It's. .. a good one. A very good one. I've never
seen a healthier one."

Phendegwen is unable to stifle a sudden yawn. "Forgive me. . . I. . .should
retire, or try to."

You have emoted: Lexen offers a slight nod, relaxing his head back again. "Thank
you again. I'm sure you'll forgive me if I don't show you out?"

Phendegwen nods sadly. "Of course." He finishes gathering up his equipment, with
far more haste than his careful setup, and quietly goes about loading up his
bull near the entrance of the cavern. "Please, keep well, Lexen- and take care
of that heart. And. . .let me know, if he does choose to return. . . and let me
know how you are doing."

You nod your head emphatically.

You say, "You can count on it."

You say, "Rest well, with my gratitude."

Phendegwen pats his bull, which finally stirs from where it has calmly waited.
"Until later, my friend."

Phendegwen leaves to the ether.