Artorias sees Dr. Ziegler, and approaches her as best he can. However, the corruption is eating him inside, causing him to limp and nearly lose his footing as he tries to walk. He catches himself on a pillar before he looks her in the eyes.
Artorias: I...understand this is a strange circumstance for you, surely. But-agh-do you have anything that can contain corruption? Or poison, mayhaps?
edited 29th Oct '16 5:56:18 PM by LightningLancer
'If you fall seven times, stand up eight.' The cry of the Undead.Dr. Ziegler: -to Omar- "Hm, interesting. But of course. It should not be too difficult."
-She turns to Roy, and places her suitcase on the ground. She opens it up, revealing various medical supplies taking up one half...and an extremely bulky-looking box taking up the other half.-
-to Quartz- "Ah, my apologies. I forget sometimes that not everyone knows Deustche. Herr is 'sir' or 'mister' in Englisch."
-to Roy- "Is the brand mechanical or organic? Can you remove it to be repaired, or is it more sensitive?"
-She starts as the new patient stumbles in, and she swiftly turns in his direction; to Roy- "Behalte deisen Gedanken."
-to Artorias, as she lifts the bulky box out of the suitcase and places it on the floor- "Not specifically, Herr, but I have something that may help. Keep calm."
-She flips up a panel on the top of the box, and puts in a code, then presses a button on the side. "Walküreanzug, aktivieren."
-Immediately, the box flips open, and, in the style of Iron Man, parts of what appear to be some kind of suit of armor fly out of it and begin attaching to the good doctor's body, linking together to form some form of body suit.
◊-
-A staff unfolds itself from out of the box and floats itself into the doctor's hands.-
Dr. Ziegler: "Healing stream, activated."
-A beam of pure yellow light(?) shoots out of the staff and tethers itself to Artorias, filling the knight with warmth and attempting to purge his body of whatever's corrupting it.-
Be kind.The feeling of Mercy's healing tether is like being soaked in Estus to Artorias, replenishing him with energy but still he feels the corruption sit squarely in his being. But instead of writhing to be free, it feels...sated, even quiet. He pats his chest, surprised he feels a trace of his once godlike soul beat against his corrupted soul.
-To Mercy: My...I have, not the words. Thank you.
'If you fall seven times, stand up eight.' The cry of the Undead.-Dr. Ziegler bows.-
-As she does, the staff retracts and flies into the box, followed by the suit, which flies off her just as rapidly as it attached.-
-She gives Artorias a beaming smile, genuinely pleased to see another patient cured — or as close to it as possible.-
Dr. Ziegler: "Think nothing of it, sir. How do you feel now?"
Be kind.-To Dr. Ziegler- "Strange. Or, not. It has been so long since I have not battled my own mind. I must have forgotten what it feels like to control all of my form.
But, I still feel Manus's hand on my being. I doubt anything could separate the chain he has shackled to me. But you have calmed his grip, somehow. I do not know how long it may last, but I am in your debt for this. I suppose I could start by sharing my name: I am Knight Artorias, once known as the Abysswalker. Though, I suppose that name still fits in an ironic way.
Artorias bows to Dr. Ziegler as a gesture of respect and kindness.
edited 29th Oct '16 6:04:17 PM by LightningLancer
'If you fall seven times, stand up eight.' The cry of the Undead.Dr. Ziegler: -to Artorias; smiling- "I am Dr. Angela Ziegler. It is a pleasure."
"I am pleased to hear that you feel better, Herr Artorias; though, as a doctor and a scientist, I hope you do not mind if I ask you some questions, to better diagnose your condition."
"Who is Manus, and how does he have a hand on you?"
-to Roy- "Has this sort of numbness happened before?"
Be kind.-To Dr. Ziegler- Manus, is the Father of the Abyss. The Primeval Man. I suppose this is all quite confusing for you, but to put it simply: I was a god where I am from. I was called the Abysswalker because I struck a covenant with the creatures of the Abyss to battle their kind. Then, Manus's grave was found underneath the kingdom of Oolacile, a realm known for powerful Sorceries.
By some stroke of madness, the rulers upturned Manus's grave and resurrected him, driving him to madness for the Miracles they could learn from him. They learned them well, and they also learned the consequences of a god driven mad by his own progeny. He unleashed the Abyss on Oolacile.
As I was the only one capable of traversing the Abyss, I was sent to stop the spread before it could grow. But, I failed. I reached Manus, my left arm broken from protecting my comrade Sif, and at the heart of the Abyss's corruptive realm. I fought with everything I had, and Manus crushed me like an ant before a giant. But that was not the worst.
-At this, a cloud of the Abyss starts to grow from Artorias, as his anger begins to mount-
He made me into a vessel for the Abyss, corrupting my soul and swarming it with humanity, turning me into his mad dog to unleash on anyone, and I could only watch as I slaughtered them. Friend, foe, it made no difference, and all the while I could hear that beast, Manus laughing at me from the Abyss, like I was just his perverted PLAYTHING!
-He smashes his left hand into the wall behind him, and the wall has caved beneath the force of his blow. His breathes are slow and ragged, like a dog from a wild hunt. He's beginning to revert.-
edited 29th Oct '16 6:22:07 PM by LightningLancer
'If you fall seven times, stand up eight.' The cry of the Undead.Omar: Well, if there were a test, you certainly passed it, doctor.
...Mostly.
-By the way, since nobody is paying attention to the door due to the chaos, someone just slipped right in and walked past everyone while humming a jaunty tune-
edited 29th Oct '16 6:25:12 PM by Raidouthe21st
We Are Our Avatars Forever (Now on Discord by invitation, PM)Dr. Ziegler: -to Roy- "Hm, perhaps. Though, due to what it happens to be made out of, I do not know if it will work."
-As Artorias explains, she snaps her fingers and calls the Valkyrie suit to her again, and grips the staff. She begins to heal Roy...and then all hell breaks loose.-
-Eerily calm, Dr. Ziegler turns back to Artorias.- "This is...most unusual. I did not expect the corruption to return so quickly."
-She points her staff at Artorias, and releases another stream of healing energy, but this time holds it for much longer, even after the corruption dies down (if it does).-
Be kind.-Artorias stays still, but his breaths remain slow and pronounced. He's visibly sweating by the time he calms down again, and the cloud has dispersed. He's clutching his chest now, breathing slowly before he speaks, trying to keep his temper down.-
—To Dr. Ziegler—The Abyss, Doctor, is tied to Manus. Manus, is the progenitor of Mankind. Ergo, if his soul, the Dark Soul, exists within humans, so too does the Abyss. Only the death of Manus, or my own self, can send me off with honor. But, my mind still holds some sway. So I try to keep away from any who I might hurt, let alone kill. That was how I found this place.
That is all I can tell you, doctor. I, apologize for losing control. I find the corruption has made my temper worse than it ever was before.
-Artorias slides to sit on the floor, resting his head against the wall.-
'If you fall seven times, stand up eight.' The cry of the Undead.—To Quartz—...Perhaps. Do you have anything I could drink? I feel famished. Preferrably Estus, if you have any. It looks like this
◊.
—He holds up a glowing golden flask from his belt—
edited 29th Oct '16 7:12:04 PM by LightningLancer
'If you fall seven times, stand up eight.' The cry of the Undead.

-Luckily for Artorias, the door was already open. Although slamming the knocker definitely is attention-grabbing enough to the entirety of the household-
-The man in the army suit with a face-covering mask next to the door only stares at the imposingly tall man visibly suffused with miasma with blank-faced confusion-
Omar: Will that one do?
-Points at Dr. Ziegler-
We Are Our Avatars Forever (Now on Discord by invitation, PM)