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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 2050998" data-attributes="member: 5808">Hey Blacklamb, welcome aboard, and enjoy the cliff.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Part the Ninety-NinthIn which: Eva takes a ...leap?... of faith.Kiara, naturally, is first to volunteer.Annika is the first to quash that plan.  (Annika: “How would you feel if I wanted to do it?” Kiara, pouting:  “You wouldn’t!”Annika: “Exactly!”)Eva bites her lip.  She’s died once before, and she’s not really eager to repeat the experience, but she feels in a certain way that this is “her” mission.  And Master Genichi seems sincere.  She takes a deep breath, steps forward, and says, “If it’s the only way… I’ll do it.”Master Genichi bows in acknowledgement.  Satsuki looks at him, incredulous.###Master Genichi takes an hour to prepare for the test.  The party takes an hour to keep Eva from going into a full-on panic.  Well, most of the party does.  Anvil asks her if she has a will written.When the hour is up, Hatsumi appears and leads the group up to the tower at the rear of the abbey built against the cliff-face.The party members remove their shoes and are led by Hatsumi into a large room, surrounded by columns on all sides.  At the rear of the room stand Master Genichi and Satsuki.  On the wall behind them hangs a huge symbol of Kettenek.  In the center of the room stands a waist-high tank of water.Anvil, who has been surreptitiously working his way through the various detection spells, scans the room and—as Satsuki comes forward to take Eva by the arm—leans down to whisper in Eva’s ear.“It’s all good.”Eva looks only vaguely reassured.  In only a few steps, Eva is standing before the pool, Satsuki standing just a little too close on her right side.  Eva steals a look at Master Genichi, but his face reveals no more than it ever has.  She is about to glance left, back to her friends when her attention is abruptly recalled by Satsuki’s hand closing around her wrist.Eva’s heart starts to pound as Satsuki twists her right arm up behind her back, not far enough to hurt, but securely pinned.  Satsuki’s other hand comes down on the back of her neck, and before Eva can fully get her mind around what is about to happen… her head is forced under the water. Master Genichi looks on, impassive.At the instant Eva’s head goes under, Lira takes a breath, and holds it.Reyu keeps her eyes glued on the scene, watching Eva for signs of distress.  Given her circumstances, the woman seems remarkably calm.A minute passes.Eva’s left arm makes a vague shrugging motion, then returns to rest by her side.  Aside from the rustle of her clothing, the room is silent.Two minutes pass.Thatch shifts uncomfortably.Anvil takes turns staring at Master Genichi, Satsuki, and Eva.  None of them return his gaze.It’s been nearly three minutes.The party members all jump as Eva’s left arm suddenly waves frantically in the air.  They turn to each other, not sure what to do.Lira, lungs burning, lets out her breath.“If you need help, stomp!” Reyu calls out, hoping that Eva can hear her.Eva’s body tenses, back arching as though she is trying to stand up.  Satsuki responds by wrenching Eva’s arm up her back and forcing her head deeper under the water.In an instant, someone might have run forward to pull her out.In an instant, Eva’s body goes limp.Five seconds pass… then ten…Kiara starts to cry.Suddnely, Master Genichi steps forward, grabs Eva by the back of her shirt and with a mighty pull, hauls her out of the water.  She falls back, lying full-out on the floor, soaking and inert.  Master Genichi kneels beside her, lifts one fist, and with all his strength strikes her in the middle of the chest.A gout of water erupts from Eva’s mouth… and she begins to cough, rolling to one side as she clears her lungs.The party comes running.  Anvil casts cure light wounds.  Lira yells for a towel, quickly produced by Hatsumi.  Eva seems quite shaken, but as the burning subsides in her throat, she starts breathing more easily and is soon sitting up.Master Genichi allows them a few moments, and then approaches the party.He bows.  “Please, accept my apologies for doubting you,” he says.  “The Goddess’s blessing is upon you, as it is upon your endeavor.  She has decreed that you are the ones to take the relics to her daughters in Cauldron.”It is hard to tell who is more surprised by the pronouncement: the party, or Satsuki.Finally, Thatch breaks the crushing silence.  “Umm…. Goddess?”</blockquote>

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