[He's halfway around the circle, halfway out of Sieglinde's path, and maybe then-
He stops running. He literally cannot run, or even move forward. He's completely frozen solid... without the cold part. It's almost like Undyne's magic, but he can't even turn his body...]
What-
[He gasps out, pulling at this feet that are completely unresponsive...]
[There is no cold, no feeling of being touched, or physically bound... only an arresting of movement, an unmistakable inability to do much beyond slight movements of mouth, "breathing".
Sieglinde's eyes are narrowed in concentration, one hand still tight in Isengrim's fur for support.]
I am sorry, Papyrus.
[It was debatable if he could hear it, but. She said it despite.]
[He can't move at all. It's a good thing he wasn't mid step here, because he's pretty sure he'd fall over. But he can talk, just barely. It's not like he really even needs to move his mouth to talk, that's actually a choice he makes. Spooky, right?]
I can't move...
[Said, more to himself than to anyone. Sieglinde did this.]
...
[He's stuck staring straight ahead, and tries shifting his foot. Nothing. He tries even harder, focusing now on just his foot, just a single movement from his toe bone, even...]
[Perhaps, Sieglinde sometimes thought, another mage could do this better. A real witch, not her, a scientist who has just been lied to all her life who found it easier to cling to the trappings of magic than to face the truth and explain it to everyone, who had received the gift of a magic universal at the cost of power. A real witch could simply place that spell and go about their business unheeded...
But now it couldn't matter what another would do.
Sieglinde grit her teeth, gaze flicking briefly over to Koltira and Achilles' fight before she was back focusing on Papyrus, mentally quashing that attempt at movement with a hiss of effort.]
[ The movement is halted, like if someone had just wrapped their hands around his leg and just made it stop. Any movement he makes seems to be met with nothing but opposition, and for a moment, he stops trying. ]
Wow...
[ He doesn't sound shocked, or angry. Just upset and impressed. ]
This is really strong magic...!
[ She'll probably notice at this point, he hasn't needed to open his mouth to talk. It's a bit muffled, but that's the only difference in his voice.
He has no idea what Sieglinde's thinking, besides that she's really determined to stop him, but even despite them being on opposites sides on this, Papyrus still loves and respects Sieglinde, of course. She's still his teacher, even if he thinks she doesn't understand him. He experiments again, trying to turn his head to look at Sieglinde. Maybe she has to keep a control on each limb as he moves it? Maybe she'll let him turn his head? ]
Humans always were much better at barrier and restraining magic!
[This was the spell Sieglinde had worked to perfect the most, even more than her shields. This could be the difference between life or death on the battle field, and not just for her. For anyone. If she could stop a rampaging beast, or an attacker... Masamune had thankfully let her experiment on him until she perfected it as much as she was able. But there were limitations as with any spell, and one was her inability to customize it. She'd tried seeing if she could freeze only legs, or let one part free, but it was infinitely harder to hold concentration that way as opposed to simply seizing the entire body.
She so grits her teeth harder and doesn't allow even for the harmless turn of the head. If she allowed that, it could all unravel in an instant.]
[ Ah. Can't move his head either... It's okay though. He's not testing the bonds at all, at the moment. Just staring ahead... ]
I just don't understand why... if you could do this, you wouldn't do it on them.
Why do you think them fighting it out will help? Koltira didn't even want to do this. We're just... letting Achilles do what he wants to, because he made a big deal about it.
[It isn't easy to talk while holding the spell- but Papyrus wasn't her enemy. He was... she did not know. What were friends, and allies, and teammates, and any of it at all? (She hasn't asked for this, or wanted this, or-)]
I doubt I could hold someone that powerful more than a few moments even at my strongest.
[He deserved a reply. And she didn't just mean powerful in ability, but in will. Achilles might have no magic to his name, but the sheer force of will he had behind his desire to meet Koltira in a duel... and then Koltira himself, she had seen first hand how ineffective her magic was against him. He had burst through her shield no slower than a crow might peck open a snail shell.]
Stopping them does nothing anyway. All it does is add insult to injury, leaves those emotions with nowhere to go-
[A bead of sweat trickled down her temple.]
... Me stopping you has not made you lose the desire to interfere, has it?
[To her, stopping them was pointless. Not only would it anger Achilles further, but it would be a slight on both of their honors, it would mean the next time things exploded it would do so more violently, more ferociously.
At least now they had warning, time to organize healers for the inevitable, time to keep innocents back.]
She forgets to reply in words, just nodding, taking the opportunity he gave where he wasn't actively fighting her to spare another quick glance towards the fight.
Still going.
But she shakes her head this time, remembers to use words.]
No.
[It didn't hurt. Only strained, like how holding up an object was easy at first, but your muscles started to burn and tremble as the lactic acid built up.]
[At least he gave her a warning. Sieglinde squared her unsteady stance, readjusted her grip on Isengrim's collar, and braced herself mentally as well before Papyrus exerted himself. Lucina was still available to push back innocent bystanders or other well-meaning people on foolish missions of stagnancy, and Olivia was on her way so she wouldn't be the only heart on site...
Another head of sweat rolled down skin, growing a bit pale with strain.
She could probably only hold him another few minutes maximum... but with the strength of Achilles, and Koltira...
Sieglinde somehow doubted she would need to do more than that.]
[ True to his word, Papyrus tries his hardest to break free. It's strange and not like any time of magic he's personally fought against before. Even with Undyne's magic, when she turned him Green- it just kept him fixed to a point, not every part of his body. He starts with his hands this time, trying to push them forward and finding it much like trying to shove a brick wall, but it's a brick wall he knows he can probably power through!! He just needs to believe in himself!! And he always does believe in himself!!
[Sometimes eternity can be found in a single second, and not just in the romantic, love at first sight sort of way.
When she's focusing on holding the spell, throwing her will to keep it in place against Papyrus' attempt to break free, there's no spare iota of thought to spare for the battle raging on the horizon. Has to shut out peripheral vision, block out the sounds of rage and the clash of weapons, growing paler, (not normal), as the time ticked by, sweat beading on her forehead, grinding her teeth.
Sieglinde doesn't know Papyrus has received a healing spell. Knows that this foolish duel of theirs is draining her own magic, but at least she's already called Olivia...
But Achilles' and Koltira's duel will be over sooner than they think.
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He stops running. He literally cannot run, or even move forward. He's completely frozen solid... without the cold part. It's almost like Undyne's magic, but he can't even turn his body...]
What-
[He gasps out, pulling at this feet that are completely unresponsive...]
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Sieglinde's eyes are narrowed in concentration, one hand still tight in Isengrim's fur for support.]
I am sorry, Papyrus.
[It was debatable if he could hear it, but. She said it despite.]
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[He can't move at all. It's a good thing he wasn't mid step here, because he's pretty sure he'd fall over. But he can talk, just barely. It's not like he really even needs to move his mouth to talk, that's actually a choice he makes. Spooky, right?]
I can't move...
[Said, more to himself than to anyone. Sieglinde did this.]
...
[He's stuck staring straight ahead, and tries shifting his foot. Nothing. He tries even harder, focusing now on just his foot, just a single movement from his toe bone, even...]
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But now it couldn't matter what another would do.
Sieglinde grit her teeth, gaze flicking briefly over to Koltira and Achilles' fight before she was back focusing on Papyrus, mentally quashing that attempt at movement with a hiss of effort.]
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Wow...
[ He doesn't sound shocked, or angry. Just upset and impressed. ]
This is really strong magic...!
[ She'll probably notice at this point, he hasn't needed to open his mouth to talk. It's a bit muffled, but that's the only difference in his voice.
He has no idea what Sieglinde's thinking, besides that she's really determined to stop him, but even despite them being on opposites sides on this, Papyrus still loves and respects Sieglinde, of course. She's still his teacher, even if he thinks she doesn't understand him. He experiments again, trying to turn his head to look at Sieglinde. Maybe she has to keep a control on each limb as he moves it? Maybe she'll let him turn his head? ]
Humans always were much better at barrier and restraining magic!
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She so grits her teeth harder and doesn't allow even for the harmless turn of the head. If she allowed that, it could all unravel in an instant.]
Thank you.
[Was that even the right thing to say???]
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I just don't understand why... if you could do this, you wouldn't do it on them.
Why do you think them fighting it out will help? Koltira didn't even want to do this. We're just... letting Achilles do what he wants to, because he made a big deal about it.
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I doubt I could hold someone that powerful more than a few moments even at my strongest.
[He deserved a reply. And she didn't just mean powerful in ability, but in will. Achilles might have no magic to his name, but the sheer force of will he had behind his desire to meet Koltira in a duel... and then Koltira himself, she had seen first hand how ineffective her magic was against him. He had burst through her shield no slower than a crow might peck open a snail shell.]
Stopping them does nothing anyway. All it does is add insult to injury, leaves those emotions with nowhere to go-
[A bead of sweat trickled down her temple.]
... Me stopping you has not made you lose the desire to interfere, has it?
[To her, stopping them was pointless. Not only would it anger Achilles further, but it would be a slight on both of their honors, it would mean the next time things exploded it would do so more violently, more ferociously.
At least now they had warning, time to organize healers for the inevitable, time to keep innocents back.]
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[He isn't pulling against her bonds. Giving her a break on purpose, really.]
Does it hurt when I pull against it...?
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She forgets to reply in words, just nodding, taking the opportunity he gave where he wasn't actively fighting her to spare another quick glance towards the fight.
Still going.
But she shakes her head this time, remembers to use words.]
No.
[It didn't hurt. Only strained, like how holding up an object was easy at first, but your muscles started to burn and tremble as the lactic acid built up.]
1/3
So...
2/3
PREPARE YOURSELF, HUMAN!! DO YOUR BEST!!
3/3
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Another head of sweat rolled down skin, growing a bit pale with strain.
She could probably only hold him another few minutes maximum... but with the strength of Achilles, and Koltira...
Sieglinde somehow doubted she would need to do more than that.]
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And then they both proceeded to strain on for at least thirty seconds to a minute, maybe, as opposed to the very long struggle originally written one tag ago.
He does start sweating as well though, and even grows a little pale- oh wait. Nevermind, that's normal. ]
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When she's focusing on holding the spell, throwing her will to keep it in place against Papyrus' attempt to break free, there's no spare iota of thought to spare for the battle raging on the horizon. Has to shut out peripheral vision, block out the sounds of rage and the clash of weapons, growing paler, (not normal), as the time ticked by, sweat beading on her forehead, grinding her teeth.
Sieglinde doesn't know Papyrus has received a healing spell. Knows that this foolish duel of theirs is draining her own magic, but at least she's already called Olivia...
But Achilles' and Koltira's duel will be over sooner than they think.
... for better or for worse.]