RP:Night of the Living Dead Girls 3: The Betrayal

Part of the You Must Have Been Human Arc

This is a Mage's Guild RP.

Summary: A group of those attuned to natural, divine, and arcane magics attempt to undo the curse placed on the Xalious Tree two years prior. Unbeknownst to them, the gathering is a trap laid to make the tree vulnerable to a final strike by Alithyk Caluss in an effort to fully convert it to a beacon of his new domain in Lithrydel. An ambush is launched by Kanna, freed from the Chaos Realm for the first time since her kidnapping, Quintessa, who had tried to negotiate with Caluss for Kanna’s release, and Leralynn, who would follow Quintessa and Kanna to the ends of the earth. The fight nearly kills Khitti and Khitt who struggle to come to terms with the betrayal, Penelope who becomes tormented by memories of battlefields past, and Kailani who openly mourns what becomes of the Xalious Tree. The damage is far worse for Valrae, who becomes consumed by the fires and expends her life force and magic to protect the Xalious Tree, and Lanlan, bound to Valrae’s lifeforce.

Xalious Tree

Nestled at the edge of the southern cliff is an enormous tree. It towers some three hundred feet into the air, stretching outward nearly as wide; the soft sapphire glow of its enchanted boughs filling the vicinity with a soothing aura of metamagical power. The leaves are a rich golden hue with each vein therein shining in brilliant silver contrast; each one having the striking resemblance to a large human hand. Each sun-kissed leaf seems to move of its own volition, slowly writhing and reaching in all different directions to get the best angle of the sun as the daylight passes, then to drink in any soft moonlight that shines down on the mountains. The bark is a rich charcoal black near the base, though taking on a deep brown hue as it extends upward into the canopy. The mighty Xalious Tree, which appeared when the Archmage Xalious died and ascended to assume the divine role as God of Magic, stands in majestic beauty as an eternal symbol of the mortal's ascension. As you look closer into the tree you see an inscription carved deep into the bark. There is nothing else here but a field of carefully kept grass and some of the late Archmage’s followers who have come to bask and worship in this sacred tree's presence. An old and faded note seems to have been posted on the tree's base.

Lanlan faithlessly makes his way South of the tower toward the Xalious tree. Its glory greatly diminished, it’s ascendance heavily weighed down under the curse delivered to it by three young women. The silver and gold foliage used to dance jubilantly independent of wind or gravity, now its pulled toward the mud by putrid sap, seeping out of its veins like pus. The rich brown bark was sickly gray and black; flaky, and the blue glow it once bathed the surrounding locale with was replaced by a clawing shadow. But they were going to heal it today! The only hiccup? They needed access to the flesh behind its nearly unbreakable bark. For years, the only way was through the use of an enchanted dagger which was mysteriously bestowed to an individual with no standing in the guild, and rumors of a secret technique. Lanlan believes he may have found a way around this. But he’ll need help. So here in the shade of the tree he waits, hoping the party that’s been assembled will be what is needed. As he does fairly often, he wears an enchanted tunic of black velvet brocade, littered with a matrix of embroidered runes that swirl impossibly free of their stitching, and which guarantee his garments will suffer not even one stain. His recently returned staff sticks out of the ground at his feet.

Kailani may not be the most social of individuals, but she has come to recognize in her years that there are certain on-goings in the land that she could not pretend were not happening. Xicotl was one of them. The current state of the Xalious was another. Both issues were a threat to the very balance of the lands and ignoring this threat went against her values as a druid. So when word arrives of an attempt to heal the Xalious tree, Kailani ignores her hermitish ways and makes an appearance. Maybe once these threats are addressed the druid can enjoy some peace again. The blue-haired half-elf does not arrive on foot. No, that would take far too much time given that she resides in Venturil. She instead arrives by air with the help of a griffin by the name of Grimclaw. Once in the vicinity of the tree, Grimclaw does not take Kailani down to the earth right away. The pair instead survey the area briefly, Grimclaw doing slow laps in the air above the tree before he spirals down toward the ground and lands upon the earth with a soft thud. As Kai slides off the back off the large griffin, her ranseur and buckler are taken with her, each held in the grasp of one hand. There are a few faces gathered/gathering and while Kailani might be friendly with several of them, today was a day for business and not pleasantries. Still, Nel, Khitti, and Quintessa are greeted with a nod should she catch their gaze.

Khitti || There was no Khitti today, but rather a Khitt that rode up to the tree on that massive grey tikihlee. His outfit was seemingly the usual suit, with a purple button up shirt, though within it was the same at Khitti’s outfit that Inks had made her: the coat and pants were lined with tiny true steel plates to keep him as safe as possible. His long hair had been pulled back into a braid and his hands bandaged up like he was getting ready to fight in one of his bare knuckle boxing matches. He had that same black satchel Khitti liked to carry around with her, her swords tucked away into the tikifhlee’s saddlebags on the off chance he needed them, the bow Diamond Dust strapped to his back with its quiver partner that was filled to the brim with white birch arrows fletched with dark turkey feathers and topped with obsidian arrowheads. The cat stopped when the tree finally came into view and Khitt hopped off. “Alright, you know the drill, catface,” he said, giving it a scritch on its ear. “I’ll call for you if I need your help, okay?” The cat let out a ‘mrrrowr’ and then hopped off elsewhere to keep an eye on things from the shadows. Once he reached the rest of the group, he offered a nod to Kailani and a skeptical look towards Lanlan -- he still wasn’t sure how he felt about the latter being in charge of this, but he was willing to go along with it in order to fix the damn tree finally.

Valrae floated after Lanlan, chattering at him all the while about some plan she’d made to install an enchanted shower near her office. She didn’t think he was listening. The witch wore a thick cream colored cloak that matched her wide brimmed, pointed hat. Her boots were kneehigh, worn brown leather with a thin heel that seemed inappropriate for standing around a tree. However, they had yet to touch the muddy ground as she rode atop her new besom, hovering just the ruined ground with her legs crossed at the knees. Her newest broom had been crafted from her Xalious staff. The wood had been polished until it shined, dark and glossy, the end a long bundle of pale white heather bound with golden string that held a charm of the triple moon within it. The top of the handle was curved and crooked, the center wide and smooth to make the perfect seat. As she balanced on it nearby the Sublime Master, she picked at the small crack that had appeared between the two hollow eyes of the emerald skull that sat in her lap. It was jagged and shallow, still the appearance of it worried her greatly. She looked up when Khitt neared and a wide smile bloomed on her pink painted lips. “Hey!” She calls to him, her tone a touch too cheery for the occasion. She didn’t know Kailani but she offered her a polite wave as well.

Penelope arrives timely, per request clad in flowy cotton brown pants and a tank top to beat the heat of travel–she should have taken the horse, honestly, but steps were important! Her medical satchel is wrapped around her as well, for any necessities. She would say that the mission was simple, but due to the other tree that had needed healing prior to the Xalious Tree, she had her doubts. She expended a large amount of energy–for her sake. Though, time had passed between, but not much. At least there was familiarity from the last Holy Tree experience. She does not say much, which is an actual first as she was normally, what they say, a “Chatty Cathy”. Instead, she nods to the familiar faces in the circle–she might have taken a double glance at Khitt since this would be the first time she would see him, and Khitti forewarned the girl prior. The Ardelian also maybe stared too long at Valrae and Lanlan because of the new faces, of course! She smiles slightly and gives a slow wave before waiting for… people, directions, anything really. She just stands there like a doe-eyed deer in headlights.

Quintessa was perhaps already here watching the tree before everyone had arrived, her willowy form stepping out from the shadows when people started to arrive dressed in simple black robes, her arm in her special sling. Why the changeling was lurking around so early before the appointed time is anyone’s guess, but it was at least clear that she was not doing too well. Her complexion was sickly and pale, paler than what was typical for her, and those that were not already suspicious of the claims that she was a vampire might be second-guessing that assessment now. When Quintessa approaches, the sight of her friends does not lift her spirits like they normally would have, in fact each time she looks at one of them the dread in her eyes only amalgamates, compounding with each person. Lanlan, Kailani, Khitti, Valrae, Penelope- they wouldn’t have to be here if it wasn’t for her, if she hadn’t set things in motion all those months ago. “It’s good to see you all,” she lies, though nobody would know the difference. “I suppose this is everyone we need. The process should be very similar to when we healed the Eternal Tree… Lanlan, were you able to figure out what we discussed before?”

Lanlan was waiting for Kailani in particular, but he greets everyone. “Yeah, that sounds like an interesting concept, I’d love to see how it works,” he says to Valrae using a line he spewed thoughtlessly while he considered the ramifications of failing today. “You must be Khitt,” he says to Khitti’s alter ego. He wasn’t clear on how much information was shared between them, so he assumed the worst: everything. Of course, his last interaction with Khitti wasn’t so bad. “I’m surprised it’s you, but it’s good to meet you all the same.” He only looked at Penelope, and then moved past her. Until out of his peripheral he saw that she was still looking at him. It must be his complexion. “You should wear sunglasses,” he says with a hint of annoyance. When Tessa arrives, he forces a smile. Not because he’s offended that she would come, but because the weight of their objective was pulling on his face. So he had to force it. “Of course I did. In fact…” he makes his way to Kailani, reaches one hand into his sleeve, and pulls out a knife with a deep crescent, it could’ve been modeled after the moon, but it was in fact modeled after a very similar knife.

Kailani did not know Valrae, but the witch seemed familiar with Khitt and Kai was not one to be blatantly rude, even if she was not the best conversationalist. Kai might have braved an introduction to Valrae, but the purpose at hand is not lost to her. Quintessa explains that she is of the opinion that this should go much like the last time. It is at this point that it dawns on Kailani that they are at least one person short. Last time, it was Kanna who had opened up the heart of the Druid’s tree so that she could heal it. Granted, for the Xalious tree, it would have to be done differently…but Kanna is not here today. It is right as she is coming to this realization that Lanlan seems to be offering her a blade of a particular design. The druid does not accept it, even if she immediately understands its purpose. Rather, she places her buckler on the ground next to Grimclaw so that she can reveal something else to him. Another boline, identical in design to the one that Lanlan is trying to present to her. This one looks slightly more weathered. It was the Arclandon Blessed Boline, rumored to be an artifact that was greeted by Arclandon himself with the purpose of being able to cut into the wood of the Xalious tree. Those who are sensitive to such things might be able to tell if Kailani holds the original boline or if Lanlan does. Spoilers: it’s the druid. It was thought that this artifact was lost years ago, how Kailani might have come into possession of it is a conversation for another day. The druid has walked the lands for a lot longer than appearances let on and travels the lands often. As Kailani makes her way away from Lanlan and toward the tree, with the blessed boline in hand, she looks toward Khitti, Nel, Valrae and Tessa. “Just like the last time.” Except this time in order to expose the core of the tree, Kailani stabs the blade of the boline straight into the center of the tree. Were the blade an ordinary dagger, it would not be successful in penetrating the heart of the tree. The boline slides in like butter, allowing for Kailani to begin the process of opening the tree up. This is where the rest of the team would come in, just like they did the last time. Except, Valrae might have to wing it because she was not here the last time. Look, did you think Kailani was going to give in depth directions?

Khitt gave a smirk and a half-assed salute to both Valrae and Penelope, then eyed Quintessa warily. She seemed… off, but he chalked it up to maybe still not feeling great after literally getting her arm sliced in two like a sausage. Even if she was on the mend physically, the emotional and mental trauma was likely still there as well. Silently in their shared mind, Khitti agreed with Khitt, and Khitt was left to turn his attention towards Lanlan. “You’re right--I am indeed Khitt. I can’t let Khitti have all the glory with healing -both- trees, can I? Besides, this tree affects my wife just as much as it does her husband, so I’m eager to get it taken care of.” He rolled his eyes at the drow’s words for Penelope and shook his head, but instead of snarking off at the Sublime Master of the Mage’s Guild, he just sighed and set his mind to the task at hand. “Last time,” he said, his words for Valrae, in an effort to supplement what Kailani had not mentioned, “ Khitti used our light magic, and Penelope and Kailani their druidic magic, to help heal the tree while it was being held open, so use something that would be appropriate there.” As he spoke, a pearlescent bit of light energy formed in the palm of his hand, the magic almost seeming like mercury if it had been more silver than white. “Oh, right.” Before he fully started to channel that magic into the opening in the tree, he pulled out the Silverlight Planisphere he and Khitti had found a little over a year ago now, and allowed it to hover beside him. The light magic in his hand shone even brighter than before, the magical implement empowering it. After going over everything in his head with Khitti one more time, he let out a determined ‘hrmph’, then began to channel that rainbowy magic into the Xalious tree.

Valrae offers that same polite wave to Penelope. The smile that she’d had for Khitt falters when Quintessa appears, pale and unwell, and settles into a concerned frown. She would have liked to jump down from her broom and speak quietly to the other woman, she’d still not managed her time well enough to congratulate her on her engagement or ask about the wound to her arm, but there wasn’t time for that just yet. It would wait. As Lanlan moves away from her and towards Kailani, she watches closely. The back and forth over the twin blades was not lost to her and from her vantage point on her broom the skull whispered that the unknown druid held the true artifact. It sensed the power held within and responded with hunger. The witch resituated herself on her broom, pulling her ashwand from the bag on her hip as she gripped the skull tight to her with the other. Even still, she nearly fell off of her besom when Kailani stabbed into the tree. A small, choked noise escaped her. Still, she nodded as Khitt offered her a helpful walk through. She’d missed the healing of the Druid’s Tree, and in truth had no idea what would come next. She hesitated, watching Khitt’s rainbow display of magic and light, before she lifted her wand and mirrored him. The spell fell from her lips easily, falling as softly as a sigh, and the magic that burst from her wand was as emerald as the fire she usually wielded. This time, there was no rolling heat or burn. Instead of destruction, her magic was offering what little healing ability she possessed.

Penelope took Lanlan’s annoyed quip with a grain of salt, and she played easy all-the-same. “Would be good for the eyes with this sun today, yes–smart, glad you’re looking out for me.” She plays dumb, but witty, ignoring the displeasure in his voice. Kill ‘em with kindness. Then again, she was the one staring which seemed rude, but it was not out of ill intent, she just liked staring at people. Like a nosy neighbor staring out their blinds. Either way, she feels she would look good in a sweet pair of shades on a warm day. Confident wit. Her attention, however, drifts to Quintessa who looks awfully pale and ‘off’, so she assumes. Only a glance before the knife is shown, but Kailani pulls out a boline of her own. Not really her own. Penelope smiles as Kailani comes in clutch with such a valuable item. When the druid cues ‘just like last time’, a solid nod is given before approaching the blue-haired woman at the tree. Penelope decides to sit down peacefully in this moment to harness herself and embrace nature before her. Eyes close for a brief moment of meditation to channel the energy of her earth magic to attempt to ground the tree before them just as before. It would be easier now to connect to the soul of the tree, as it was, after all, nature.

Quintessa was quiet as all her allies spoke around her, already coming equipped with the specific tools they needed to begin this task. The changeling looks up at the Xalious Tree and shallows the lump forming in her throat. She was anxious. She knew she was being watched by something just beyond the veil but she couldn’t mention it- especially with it watching. As the boline cuts in the bark of the tree and exposes the corrupted core, Quintessa steps back, giving them the space to work as she observed. “Perfect, now begin purification.” She didn’t need to say it before Khitt was already on it, moving up with Penelope to repeat the same process that had been done before, to eradicate the curse from the Holy Tree. However, as the hallowed light begins to sear away the dark infection Quintessa secretly reaches into her pocket and touches a small gemstone, a seemingly innocuous action that sets the next phase in motion. “Once it extends to the center part we can-” The warlock stops mid sentence as a powerful presence shadows the entire area, inflicting an oppressive pressure down on all those gathered. Necrotic energy begins to spark all around them, the sun dims as it is occurred from vision by dark clouds. As sinister purple lightning begins to dance among these clouds something becomes visible. A strange protrusion in reality bowls forward like a balloon inflating, extending like an engorged stomach before it splits open with a terrifying rip. Slowly, pushing itself out like an infant crowning its mother appears an insectoid face, eyeless with a too-human looking mouth. Black, sticky ooze drips from the monstrosity as it sticks its entire head out, then a long insectoid leg, and then another. Large claws reach out and seemingly grip reality once more, ripping and tearing two more portals for its undead to spill out of from its lair. Many rumors have been spoken of its existence but for most here this is the first time seeing it with their own eyes; This is Alithyk Caluss, the Great Insectoid That Dwells Between Worlds, and it is here to deal with this task itself.

Kanna trails in behind the great and horrific beauty that is Alithyk Caluss’ physical form. The woman still wears the kimono worn for her fight with Shishi weeks beforehand, but her face is obscured by a theatrical mask of comedy. Black ooze drips from the eyeholes, staining her already bloodied clothes. A patch of missing fabric exposes the spot where her heart had been ripped from her chest, but the missing organ and skin have been regenerated from the Great Insectoid’s blessing and curse upon her form. ‘Look at these mortals, fighting against the inevitable.’ The crackling tone echoes in her mind, but was it his true voice or the one implanted after eons of torture? ‘You are weak like them, but at least you have chosen the correct side of history. Make peace with it now, and eliminate these pests.’ Kanna stumbles over an exposed root of the tree, and her matted and tangled curls fall haphazardly over her mask, but she does not make a move to fix them. More black rot drips from the eyeholes of her mask, fizzling and burning the grass that they land on. Instead of fixing her hair, she raises a hand from her position, holding it directly outwards. “This… is for the best.” Her tone is dazed and emotionless as six portals are torn open in a semi-circle around the tree. Though all is silent for a moment, it is broken by snarling and groaning. Then, like children crowning through the womb, ghouls begin to pour out from the Chaos Realm’s portal, gnashing their teeth as they obey the silent commands of Kanna and Alithyk Caluss. Feast. Maim. Kill. Add to the Great Insectoid’s ranks. “He’s only doing this because he loves you so much...” Kanna straightens her back, but keeps her head angled towards the ground as her creations rush past her and towards those who would try to heal the tree.

Leralynn has been here, high up in the boughs of The Xalious Tree, for some time in preparation for today’s healing activities. She has nestled up on a wide branch where it meets the trunk of the holy tree, hidden from view from the ground by the dried, sickly leaves and branches around her. There are some flaky crumbs surrounding her on her perch, evidence of a breakfast involving a croissant or two. She wears a dark cloak with white enoki mushrooms growing out from it between her shoulder blades, enchanted to obscure her from detection by undead creatures. Accompanying her is a similarly cloaked, sans mushrooms, gnome-sized skeleton that emits a faint warming aura. The Orange Witch currently has her hands clasped together in front of her chest and is locked in silent prayer, a signature sign of the girl’s band of necromancy and reminiscent of how she played her role at the healing of The Druid’s Holy Tree, although she has made no effort to offer her assistance to those preparing to restore The Xalious Tree today, so it is unclear whether this is the same type of necromantic prayer that she offered back then… The skies darken and the portal to a realm of undeath begins to open at Quintessa’s beckoning. “That’s our cue.” Orange stands from her seated position on the ground and peeks over the edge of her branch, narrowing oceanic blue eyes down towards the group below. Simultaneously, from within their cloaks, the witch and the skeleton pull matching, featureless orange masks and pull them over their face and skull respectively. The blonde half-elf finds herself a clear lane down to the ground and both she and her little skeletal guardian hop off the large branch. During the fall, the girl snaps her fingers on both hands, igniting a blaze from each of her palms which she points downward and uses as two handheld boosters to slow her descent to a safe speed for landing. A similar ignition occurs on the feet of the compact skeleton accompanying her downward. While the magic powering the skeleton’s fire has been built up by the teenage witch over several embument rituals across several weeks, the energy Leralynn is using is her own, and is subject to the fickleness caused by the poisoning of the very tree she descends from now, so the fire spell begins to fizzle when she’s halfway to the ground. (Caluss’s presence was anticipated, but is still terrifying, so that may contribute to the poor arcane execution as well.) She curses and reflexively behind her mask her irises darken before her body completely vaporizes into black smoke that whips towards the ground in a way that one would be forgiven for thinking that Magikrios Lyastri was arriving on the scene. However it is clearly The Living Dead Girl known asThe Orange Mask that reforms her feet sliding slightly in the desecrated mud off to the side of the newly opened portal and Quintessa as she silently stares down the group of wouldbe healers. Her skeletal gnome lands violently, sinking to it’s ankles into the muck, extinguishing the flames on it’s feet and standing sentry between the tree and one member of the healing party in particular. Its orders are simple; deny access to the tree so the insectoid and the other Living Dead Girls can do their thing…

Lanlan was a little puzzled for a moment on what to do with the knife that rapidly became obsolete. After his eyes lingered on it for a moment, he realized it was actually good news! And it disappeared again into the apparently enormous void in his coat sleeve. But he wasn’t a healer of any sort. There was no placebo effect he could grant to a tree using illusions. He too rapidly became obsolete. The only thing he could do was offer advice. When Kailani went forward to the tree with the knife, Lanlan piped up anxiously. “Careful now! Careful!” Then she stabs it and cuts an enormous gash into the tree. Lanlan had no idea what to expect but it wasn’t this. “It’s not a tomato you can’t just–Actually that looks perfect well done.” Then Khitt, Valrae, and Penelope start working on it in ways he can’t. So he continues being helpful in other ways. “Don’t hurt it Valrae, remember you -love- the tree. Treat it like something you love.” Then he whispers. “Does that hedge witch know what she’s doing?” He might never find out. A triggering family of sensations are called to his immediate focus, and he spins to confirm what he already knew. The monster was here, exactly when it needed to be. “How did It know!?” He absently arrests Valrae with a grip on her shoulder, shaking her to see what he saw if she didn’t already. He trusts that they at least are invisible to the rest of the undead that spill through the portal like maggots out of a gangrenous wound. Which means they should fight Caluss, or at least distract It. “Kanna’s here too,” he says, his voice mixed with fear and remorse. She should be with them. He pulls his hand away from the witch, and summons his staff to his hands, whipping it in a circle between Caluss and himself, he summons three smoldering orbs of dripping magma. Then he flicks his wrist, and a glass wand appears, wielding it like a conductor, he commands the lava balls to replicate, and dozens more appear in the air surrounding Caluss. At his command, they all spiral in mix in a chaotic dance before one by one, they home in on a particular part of his oozy carapace. Will he know which ones are fake? Will it matter if he doesn't?

Kailani || The healing effects of the team were already noticeable, yet the group had not had the chance to make considerable progress into their efforts. An attack was incoming and Kailani was torn as to how to respond. Her knee jerk reaction would be to step away from the tree with the intention of defending it and yet her gut was telling her to not release her hold on the boline until the tree was healed, no matter the costs. Those costs could be high indeed for the druid, given that the one leading the assault is Caluss itself. Kailani steels her nerves and plants her heels firmly into the ground, not willing to give up the progress they have made in purifying the tree. The druid closes her eyes, trying to block out all of the noise and clammer of battle, so that she can focus her will and energy into healing the tree. While Kailani does not appear to be willing to engage in the battle, the griffin that she brought with her does not remain stationary. Part of Grimclaw’s charge is to keep Kailani safe when they are out and about, so the beast is very quick to place himself between the LDG and Kailani. If it was Orange that ended up nearest to Kai, then it would seem that Orange would be going toe to toe with a massive black and white winged beast rather than engaging with the druid herself. Then again…The ranseur and buckler were not the only means of defense at Kailani’s disposal. Kai may not be moving, but the druid continues to focus her energy and her will with intention, some might even call it prayer. Would Kailani’s prayers go ignored by those that has dedicated her life to serving? Unclear. For what happens next could easily be a manifestation of the druid’s own abilities. The sky may have already been darkened, but it will not have bolts of lightning flashing down toward the earth with anyone who gets too close to Kailani a target for being shocked to the core. In this case it seems that Orange and her skeletal companion are the two being targeted the most by these bolts of lightning. All Kai can do is hope that this will give her just a little bit more time.

Khitti || Today was supposed to be a good day--at least, that’s what Khitt had tried to tell himself. But much like Khitti, he too had those clairvoyant feelings that would bubble up from seemingly nowhere, and today had been no different. The cards had been the same. The Tower. Reversed Wheel of Fortune. Even the Death card had shown itself, but it couldn’t seem to make up its mind as it had begun to spin itself, neither upright nor reversed. Khitt had to physically pick up the card and shove it back in its metal box in order to get it to stop. Death. Death. Death. Death. Death. He had long since learned to trust his gut when it called out to him, even if like Khitti, he too occasionally got treated like his instincts were just worries. DEATH DEATH DEATH DEATH DEATH. His stomach lurched, every ounce of his being telling him to run back to Cenril where it was presumably safe. DEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATH. And as per usual, their shared premonitions were right. The Living Dead Girls and their insectoid overlord made themselves known and Khitt could only sneer, despite the nausea that overwhelmed him. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this.” He cringed somewhat, the inside his mind on fire with Khitti’s screams as she tried to take hold of Khitt’s body in order to get to Quintessa before things could get even worse. His hand slowly moved to the bracelet that held the spell to shapeshift them, Khitti trying so hard to get full control, but her weakness with her daughter was Khitt’s strength--sure, he knew her, but that attachment wasn’t there. What was there now was an anger that rivaled Khitti’s own. A fiery rage like that of a dragon defending its hoard. “Penelope, get behind me,” he said, his tone stern and cold through gritted teeth. “And keep healing that goddamn tree!” Khitt’s fingers curled inward into fists; one engulfed with sparkling light magic while the other erupted into shadowflames. “You’re going to regret making this choice,” he said, his words now for the Living Dead Girls. “Take off your masks, you cowards. Show the world who you are and live wholly with the decision you made! Don’t make me tell them myself, because I will and when this is all over, you will suffer for it. You will burn in the fires of your own making!” As the undead attacked, punches were thrown where needed, and where the punch themselves might not’ve done enough damage, the magic that surrounded Khitt’s fists would take care of the rest. The more Khitti screamed within their shared mind, the angrier Khitt got. Khitti showed weakness the first time around, only cutting off Quintessa from her fae magic until she was healed again, but the three of these girls deserved so much more than that now and for the hurt that they dealt his feminine self, he would make them know pain.

Valrae had rolled her eyes at Lan, biting back a cutting remark in the interest of renewed friendship. But her teeth were clenched so tightly her jaw nearly hurt. And then she felt the air shift around them as the world grew darker. It was oppressive, nearly choking as the witch held fast on her broom and continued pouring her magic into the tree. Her wand nearly slipped when she finally turned her face to the skies, her hat partially obscuring her vision as the nightmare that was Alithyk Caluss ripped reality asunder. Nausea rolled through her in waves, her body rejecting the very sight of his unnatural face. The skull wrapped protectively in her arms began to hum inside of her mind, its own aether writhing in fury at the dark and unnatural magic as undead belched from their portals. Rot and decay filled the air around them, sending Valrae’s stomach into knots. Lanlan’s grip on her shoulder nearly knocked her from her broom. She met his eyes for a heartbeat of time that seemed to span an eternity as the world descended into chaos around them, her own face cast in the familiar lines of fear and confusion. Her hand fell, the magic that she’d been pouring into the tree stopping with an abruptness that left an audible cracking sound, as she gripped the handle of her broom and angled herself higher in the air. She moved quickly, fear and adrenaline burning like fire through her blood as she shoved the skull into her bag. The witch whispered a small prayer to the gods as she gripped the gris-gris talisman around her neck, hoping that its ability to shield her from the notice of the undead aided her here. She could hear Khitt’s voice, raised in anger, but it grew farther away as she drew herself higher on her broom. Following Lanlan’s lead, the witch pointed her wand toward Caluss himself and summoned a wall of emerald fire between the giant insect-like god and the tree. This pillar of fire was no illusion though and it required all of her concentration. Beads of sweat began to glisten on her temples as heat rolled from the tip of her ash wand.

Penelope’s eyes open once she thinks she has a solid grasp on the tree. She can feel the undergrowth and the roots–her hands press into the soil beneath her until something seems… off. The heat that was radiating above was now fading. Her once mossy gaze, now hazel, peers up to see the sky filling with black clouds. Streaks of purple lightning clash through the air, and internally, her stomach drops as now there is an insectoid ripping through the sky. The Ardelian pales mouthing, what seems to be, an ‘ew’, but the horror cannot really settle in as there are too many events transpiring and adrenaline is throwing her heart off the rails. The familiar girl from the last tree healing comes into view with a mask with… black ooze leaking from the holes of the mask. It was then a curse word actually slipped out of the Ardelian’s mouth. She knows she does not want to let go of the tree, but… Kanna is not here to help with the cause–clearly. The ghouls pour from the portals that encircle the tree and Nel is quick to her feet in stealth, but Khitt is telling her to keep healing the tree. She obeys, and she backs up to place a hand on the trunk of the massive tree in order to keep a hold on it. She cannot stop the grounding, mostly for Kailani’s sake. The little earth-user would have to expend more energy–oh boy. Just in case any ghoulish henchmen sneak and gnash their way through. The druidic witch is not really an experienced combatant, but she has had her lessons in the past and has been thrown on the battlefield time and time again. A steady, thoughtful demeanor. Frontline healers gotta know something, right? Right? One ghoul angles itself differently despite Khitt’s mega-quick fury, and automatically, she lifts her free hand and multiple underground roots pulse out of the dirt to slither around the body of the ghoul who is trying to creep in past the rage punches. Her palm pushes down to shove it into the earthy ground before clenching her fist to make the vines tighter around the body of the ghoul. Good, Nel, attempt to squeeze the ghoul to death with a root-filled hug…? It was a kind thing to do-ish. Wait… they are dead–people get the point. Her full focus now wraps around the tree. "Come on, Kailani," she whispers in a mild panic, but she tries to remain clear-headed. She knows the blue-haired girl is doing the best she could.

Quintessa is frozen in place as the so-called God of Undeath appears, a large, clawed arm smashing into the ground inches from her as Caluss pulls more of itself from the small portal it had created, a long, spindly proboscis extending from its mouth. It stretches itself, reaching out for the tree, for the exposed hole that Kalini had just formed but before it can touch the tree It is smacked in the head by a glob of lava. It halts, leathery flesh sizzling until the molten rock peels off and falls to the ground. Even eyeless, the insectoid moves its head to point directly at Lanlan, indicating that he had its attention now. Without opening its mouth an eerie voice creeps on the wind, some telepathic or other ability allowing it to communicate without speaking, to direct words into the mind. Like a whisper but at the same time harsh like nails on a chalkboard, a genderless voice echoes out to those weilding Gris-Gris talismins, “You cannot hide from me any longer.” Valrae summons green fire in a wall around Caluss and it recoils its tongue with a disgusting slurp, an insectoid hand moving up to open yet another portal that swallows up one of Lanlan’s illionary globes. Above Val, a counterpart to this portal opens and splits the fireball right back out, hitting the witch’s broom and knocking her off-balance in an attempt to disrupt her concentration. With these two portals still open, Caluss then thrusts its arm into it and it extends from the other side, rushing down to smack Lanlan out of the way like a fly. This time everyone can hear the horrid voice growling in agitation. “Resistance is futile. Give up!” Meanwhile Quintessa tries to slip away, not wanting any more part of this, but Caluss needs her here. She was not given permission to leave. “Where do you think you are going, Betrayer?” This is only spoken for Quintessa. “I have other uses for you.” Underneath Quintessa yet another portal appears, this one only allowing a multitude of spectral hands to reach out and grapple her, keeping Quintessa pinned where she stood. As the changeling gazes at the chaos she had just caused by being a willing spy she wonders if it would actually pay off in the end. She wonders what consequences this day will have.

Kanna || From the strap attached to Kanna’s back, the masked ghoul withdraws her Ya-Te-Veo staff with stilted movements. A sickly green glow emits from the heart-shaped end of it, revealing that her grey hands and legs are now mottled and blackened without her usual enchantments making her appear human. Undead are incapacitated left and right as the infuriated Khitt unleashes magic of divine and shadowfire, and Penelope does her part to incapacitate with the power granted to those attuned with nature, but Kanna was a woman of many skillsets as well. As a crack of violet lightning illuminates the area, for the faintest moment, strings are visible on Kanna’s form, tethering her to the being that was responsible for this entire calamity to begin with. The light from the skies fade, and Kanna’s shuddering form lurches forward. Her head twists to one side to a sickening crack as she thrusts her staff outwards. Like Penelope had gripped the ghouls with the vines, the grass and roots of lesser plantlife elongate and twist around, seeking to ensnare Khitt and Penelope and pull them to the floor, an attempt to hinder movement as another wave of undead surges forward. In another cruel twist, fungust replaces the gaps in the ground where the grass has abandoned its post, releasing spores into the air. While these mutli-colored threats were not identifiable to the naked eye, breathing in anything created by the poisons expert was sure to yield horrible results if the clouds hovering inches above the ground were not avoided.

Leralynn takes one unsure step backwards as a whole griffon drops from the sky to split her from her target. The teenage necromancer, after that slight hesitation claps her hands together again, completing her ‘prayer’ to Vakmatharas and taking a knee before placing one hand on the ground. She draws on the lives that were lost here over a year ago when the tree was originally poisoned and the desecrated, muddy ground begins to bubble up beneath the griffon before spurting out disembodied hands, both of reclaimed bone and entirely of the accursed wet dirt that surrounds the tree. They reach out and attempt to permanently ground the beast as the sky darkens ever so slightly more. Lightning strikes down onto the gnomish skeleton and it crumbles. It begins to pull itself back together and limp towards Kailani, the heat around it intensifying severely. Then another bolt strikes it and it drops again, this time leaving it’s legs behind as it crawls through the muck towards the woman and the tree trunk, it’s skeletal hand reaching out to grab onto her ankle, the finger bones now glowing red hot… Meanwhile Leralynn is also struck by a direct lightning strike, but other than being momentarily blinded and deafened from the flash and thunderclap, she appears unaffected. She blinks beneath the mask and raises her left hand up to her face. Her nails are painted blue, the pigment taken from the ground up scales of a blue dragon. Electricity arcs between her fingertips as the color and nailpolish slowly melts away to nothing. “Holy-” a chaotic seagull caws from within one of the portals, “...it worked!” The Orange Mask then points her finger towards Grimclaw and releases the energy absorbed from the lightning strike at the griffon in the form of a thin, energetic white bolt. After that she begins strafing to avoid standing in one place and becoming an easy target for a second lighting strike, she likely can’t survive another as the nails seem to be a one time use thing. She’ll have to thank Leoxander, Mahri, Lita, and Loravelle for saving her life sometime soon, should she survive the rest of this ambush. Another flash of lightning scorches the ground directly to her left, sending her flopping to the ground and splashing mud up onto her mask and into the eye holes. As she pushes herself back onto her feet, she pulls the mask off, revealing the not-so-shocking identity of The Orange Mask, her features just a bit obscured by the sludge that made it through the face covering. The half-elf’s gaze, once again its natural shade of oceanic blue, shifts towards Quintessa and the spectral limbs holding her from moving away from this scene. Leralynn’s eyes linger on her teacher for a long moment, looking for a signal…

Lanlan hears the crackling voice echo in his head, and instantly he’s overcome with fear, he was putting a lot of trust in his talisman. It failed him. Of course a demigods senses would overcome the witch’s blessing. He had no chance of avoiding Caluss’s smack, maybe even if his voice didn’t so entirely disassemble him. It connects and he’s cast like a die, tumbling over himself in so many ways who can guess what side of him will face the sky. He rises again to his feet, takes one step, and instantly falls back down. Never mind that he’s dizzy, his leg won’t hold weight. He doesn’t need it, fortunately, he rises through the use of magic and levitates forward. The important thing is that Caluss not infect the soul of magic with Its vile ichor, and Lanlan may be powerless to stop him. But he may not be. Channeling his own vivid memories and imagination as a conduit, he makes the floor between Caluss and the tree appear to rapidly sizzle and transmute to a moat of vibrant green bubbling acid. The viscous substance would appear to rapidly eat away at his limbs, hungrily devouring him with an acrid scent. And the muddy grass would continue to be consumed, driving It away from the tree.

Kailani keeps a hard focus on her mission, though the druidic woman is slowly becoming aware of the fact that she is the only one focusing on healing while the rest seem to be trying to keep the bad guys at bay. It was not because Kailani visually observed the fighting, the druid could sense that the required healing energies were no longer being directed at the tree. It was just her. To make things worse, Orange was proving to be a challenging opponent for the griffon that stood guard of the druid. The earth begins to bubble beneath Grimclaw’s feet and the griffon avoids this by reacting instinctually and flapping his large wings so that he starts to become airborne. In his endeavors to escape the assault occurring below him, Grim does not witness the electric energy created by the druid being redirected straight at him by Leralynn. The beast is unable to evade the lightning, the force of the hit causing him to lose any upward momentum he had. Poor Grimclaw is sent flying through the air toward the very druid that he was trying to protect. The brunt of his body collides with the sickly trunk of the Xalious tree but his head and part of his wing hit Kailani directly. It snaps Kailani out of her trance-like focus, her blue eyes opening for the first time since the battle begins. They first fall on Grimclaw and then survey what is happening around her. With a reluctant frown, Kailani rips the dagger out of the drunk of the tree and turns to face the battle finally. Nevermind that skeletal hand that was trying to reach out to her armor-protected ankle. Kai is quick to settle her gaze on Leralynn, identifying her both as the one who hurt Grimclaw and…also a participant of the last tree healing? Was she a spy? Maybe Kai didn’t like to hit kids, but the boline is sheathed and the ranseur is reclaimed. The tip of the bladed polearm is pointed at Leralynn and as Kailani does this, a large webbing of lighting cracks across the ground between them. It didn’t matter of Kailani struck her with that attack or not because the follow up would be the druid literally launching her polearm at Leralynn. What Kai was really hoping to do was skewer the poor teen. Maybe Shishi should have put her in timeout more often.

Khitti || Though Khitt kept up the fight and Penelope helped where she could, the horde would overwhelm the redhead just enough to allow him to be overtaken by Kanna’s vines, snaking around him and pulling him down. He tried hard to set them aflame, to freeze them, to melt them with his acidic shadows, but they pulled him down fast and fixed him to the ground. The turmoil, both within and without caused Khitt and Khitti’s consciousnesses to blend and a voice that was not Khitt’s own bubbled up from the depths of their shared mind. “QUINTESSA! KANNA! LERALYNN!” Tears brimmed the redhead’s olive-green eyes as utter anguish clung to Khitti’s words, the trauma from betrayals and fights with undeath past taking over. “BETRAYERS! COWARDS! I’LL END YOU!” She struggled and screamed against the vines that bound her, what had once been Khitt’s body now shifted to his feminine counterpart’s, right down to the outfit, which now turned from suit to black dress. In much the same way as she had in the Sullen Siren, Khitti turned to music, not holding back an ounce of her bardic and necromantic magicks like Kanna had with her own. ♫Focus? We didn't even notice! We awake in a place we can barely recognize, yeah, hypnosis! And you can justify it all! Your back was up against the wall again! Shut up, silence! Add a little violence! And offend and pretend and defend and demand my compliance! And you can always justify the magic trails across the sky again! So, what are you waiting for? You got what you asked for!! Did it fix what was wrong with you?! Are you less than?! Go and look what you gone and done! Welcome oblivion! Did it fix what was wrong with you?! Are you less than?!♫ Khitti poured every ounce of her will into her song, breathing in the spores that poisoned the air, as she tried so hard to claim control over even at least a little bit of the horde. Something. Anything to help turn the tide. Anything… Please…

Valrae’s concentration falters as Caluss’s voice enters her mind, the violation a painful one that causes her to cry out. Anger followed, her flames burning brighter for a moment as the emotion ran hot through her. And suddenly fire was raining down upon her. It scorched the once lovely white heather of her besom, knocking her sideways as the heat of it slid along her skin, missing her face by only a hair’s breadth. Her spell failed and the emerald fire died, the words no longer being spoken as she now cursed into the wind and grappled with control of her broom as she spun toward the muddy earth below. Her hat flew away, her hair snapping behind her as she plummeted. Her hands were slick with sweat as she yanked the broom up, the ash wand trapped between her palm and the Xalious wood. She nearly landed on one of the undead that battled below, her booted heel kicking out and sinking into it’s soft skull with a sickly, wet pop. She pulled herself free as her stomach rolled again, bile rising to sting her throat. She wouldn’t look at whatever mess of decay was left on her shoes. The witch rose higher on her broom, flinging a line of fire below her haphazardly into the horde with the flick of her wrist, attempting to keep the undead back from Lanlan as he regained his footing. Pulling a small bird’s skull from her bag, she crushed it in her fist, blood trickling from the jagged edges that cut into the soft skin of her palm. Dark, wicked power pulsed from the witch and skull resting at her side as she muttered the curse. A flurry of wings followed, large dark birds that resembled crows springing from the shadows to pluck and feast on the writhing buffet below. They landed amongst the horde and began to claw and pluck with jagged beaks, devouring the undead flesh. The already unfortunate victims would find their more delicate middles the target, entrails spilling into the mud as more cursed crows rained from the skies to join the meal as they joined the battle being waged with those below. Crows that were not focused on the undead around them swarmed Caluss, perhaps no more annoying than the buzzing of a multitude of flies as they targeted his eyeless face. Khitt’s voice found her as Valrae flew in low, racing toward Lanlan as he levitated through the madness. “I’ve got to get to the tree!” She shouts above the chaos, flying beyond him like a golden and white comet. She hurdled toward the gnarled, ruined branches. As the world moved beneath her, the witch flung her power out again, channeling every peaceful, healing energy left within her as she tried desperately to aid Penelope and Kailani.

Penelope releases her magical grip on the ghoul before lifting her gaze to find Kanna almost like a puppet obeying a puppet master. The stranger who gave her a flower crown a while ago. Eyes cast off to the side to see… the Orange Witch was taking off her mask. The teenager? What the hell was even happening? Penelope had been cooped up in the Yerrel’s hut in Kelay for too long. Workaholic was right. The violet lightning makes the area glow, and Kanna is disgustingly pointing her staff at them. And in that moment, Kailani is breaking the connection with the tree. She can feel the tether and eyes briefly see Kailani prepare for battle with the kid. Penelope, however, does not split from the tree. As she is solely focused on doing anything she can to try to fix the damned thing. Eyes narrowed at the scenery before her, and the agitation was scratching at the back of her neck until she yelled a loud, “Stop!” Perhaps she was feeding from Khitt’s aggression. Her mind flashes back to a past battlefield. With Kahran. In that moment of yelling, her single hand lifts again to block the vines that are coming after her with the dirt minerals–forming rock. A vine wraps around her calf and tugs her sharply down, but in contrast, she takes the rock she is forming to try to slice through it before she is actually taken away. Gneiss. To possibly cut the vines to keep her in place next to the tree. Khitti, however, is being dragged away and singing to reach the girls that she seemed familiar with. The girl tries to form more shards of rock from the earth to throw towards the vines to sever them for the red-head, but she is reckless while doing so, so those shards of stone fly in different places, as she is trying to keep ahold of the tree. Her head leans against the trunk before she starts whispering to the Gods of Nature to spill more energy into the wood, if she is not swept up at another attempt by Kanna.

Quintessa can only gimmince at Khitt when Khitti’s voice comes out, screaming to end her for this, and for a second Tessa feels like she deserves it, but that second passes and she struggles against the spectral hands which begin to twist her maimed arm in punishment to her defiance. The changeling cries out in pain and stops resisting, allowing them to hold her there as she looks at Larelyn, no signal to give her- instead she glances at Kanna and back again, screaming at her to “Forget about me, you have to save her! You have to break-” But that was all she could get out before another group of hands covered her mouth, shutting her up. As the emerald flames disappear from around Caluss it steps forward again, more body pulling out as it lumbers closer. It takes another step and then recoils from the illusionary acid, watching in bewilderment as its arm decays quickly without a single sign that it was hurt. Before Caluss can retaliate however, Valrae’s birds swarm the undead godlet, causing it to struggle trying to pick out a target. There was too much movement, too many pests flying around. Annoyed, Callus swipes at the birds, knocking some away as it inhales deep and slowly. Caluss didn’t need to breathe, alluding to an attack, letting out a high-pitched scream in a cone-shaped direction before it. As the birds drop one by, succumbing to death magic, it becomes clear that it was a sonic-based attack much like a wail of the banshee and while Valrae had flown out of reach Lanlan was still trying to stop it with his own magic. Inhaling once more it looks directly at him and screams again, proboscis flailing about until the attack is finished. Then, arrogantly, without a second glance back to see if it was successful, Caluss extends its neck outwards and stabs its proboscis into the vulnerable part of the tree, a sickening ‘slump’ as the appendage strikes true. Then it begins to expel its rotten insides out into the tree, the bark growing darker as it is slowly corroded.

Leralynn is expending resources at an alarming rate. Her breathing becomes heavy and her eyes dart back and forth as if searching for options. From her back, beneath the enoki cloak, the girl pulls her telescoping handled shovel and shakes it violently to extend it to its full length. Her unique variant of her family’s curse is a last resort that she must turn to now, despite how distasteful she finds it. Her eyes are veiled in a gruesome illusion that makes them appear to vanish, replaced by pitch black, empty sockets as the air begins to rapidly chill all around her, moisture deposing into flakes of frost that flutter to the hardening ground as it ices over. She dips her head to stare soullessly at the oncoming chain of lightning along the ground and waves her shovel dismissively at it. The ground cracks, exposing some thick roots of the holy tree and the lightning cannot jump the frigid gap. Then the polearm comes and her reactions and strength are not enough to avoid it completely. Again she waves the shovel, now imbued with this subzero magic, to intercept the projectile, but can only deflect it enough to not embed itself into her gut. Instead it tears across the side of her left thigh, splattering blood as it rends and sails by, and eliciting a scream of agony from the teenage necromancer. She stumbles down onto one knee and casts her eyeless glare towards Kailani, or rather the skeleton still moving towards the druid. It has reclaimed one of its stubby little legs in this time and uses it to make one final, desperate leap towards the armored woman. While it is slightly airborne, the heat coming off of it becomes enough to ignite the mud colored cloak it is wearing into flame. The intention is to wrap Kailani into a blazing, skin and armor melting hug as the temperature of the fire magic imbued skeleton continues to increase, using up the magical energy stored up over months inside the gem lodged in the creature’s ribcage… Leralynn was lost to the world outside of Kailani up until the point that Quintessa’s words, cut short, reach her. Eyeless sockets shift towards Kanna and the faintly visible puppet strings piloting the ghoul. The blonde necromancer drops her shovel to the ground then and clasps her hands together as she drops further down onto both knees, this one last prayer likely all that she has left in her. ‘You have to break-’ the changeling’s words ring in her mind. Orange narrows her focus away from the pain in her leg and the blood seeping out of it, freezing as it does so, and onto a single word, “Break…” she says it aloud. “Snap…” her voice is soft and inaudible in between the words as she recites some incantation to channel the last of her necromantic energy towards Kanna, up until the final bit, “Unleash.”

Kanna falters visibly at the introduction of Khitti’s familiar voice. The undead stop in their tracks as Kanna’s head swivels back in their direction. It seemed no one lowered their guard though, as Kanna had already shown her allegiance, hadn’t she? “♫God, money, I'll do anything for you.♫” Though stilted and emotionless at first, Kanna’s head switches back to an upright position from how it had hung limply before, her pitch and tone matching the song Khitti sings to create a harmony. “♫God, money, just tell me what you want me to do.♫” With visible strain, the mottled undead’s hand tilts down, aiming the staff down with it as well. In response to the call of nature, the spores stop where they are in the air and sink back down to the ground. ‘Good, now condense it, force it down their throats and strike them down.’ The voice reverberates in her skull. Kanna shakes as Penelope’s rock shrapnel makes contact, though the blunt damage seems not to be the cause for her trembling. “♫God money, nail me up against the wall.♫” Her voice rises in volume, emotion starting to pour into it. The puppet strings catch the light of the moons above as they start to strain against her. “♫God money, I don't want everything but he wants it all.♫” The powerful necrotic energies from Leralynn’s spell make Kanna’s own form glow alight as the strings grow taut. “♫ No! You can't take it! No! You can't take it! No! You can't take this away from me! ♫” Kanna drops her staff and reaches backwards, her undead hands grabbing at the strings. “♫ No! You can't take it! No! You can't take it! No! You can't take this away from me! ♫” With a push from Leralynn’s magic the ties binding the hostage Kanna and Caluss are severed. As Caluss’ proboscis makes contact with the Xalious Tree, the masked Kanna picks up her staff and changes her stance, aiming squarely between Khitti and Penelope. “♫ HEAD LIKE A HOLE! BLACK AS YOUR SOUL! I’D RATHER DIE THAN GIVE YOU CONTROL! ♫” With each powerful line of the song, Kanna swings her staff. The vines loosen from Khitti and Penelope, freeing them, as they now search instead to gain purchase on Caluss. Her aim is horrid, as some slashes make cuts on the exposed bark of the tree, but the undead lurch past the two as well, now obeying Kanna’s more powerful emotions than that of the demigod that had granted her power over them.

Leralynn is expending resources at an alarming rate. Her breathing becomes heavy and her eyes dart back and forth as if searching for options. From her back, beneath the enoki cloak, the girl pulls her telescoping handled shovel and shakes it violently to extend it to its full length. Her unique variant of her family’s curse is a last resort that she must turn to now, despite how distasteful she finds it. Her eyes are veiled in a gruesome illusion that makes them appear to vanish, replaced by pitch black, empty sockets as the air begins to rapidly chill all around her, moisture deposing into flakes of frost that flutter to the hardening ground as it ices over. She dips her head to stare soullessly at the oncoming chain of lightning along the ground and waves her shovel dismissively at it. The ground cracks, exposing some thick roots of the holy tree and the lightning cannot jump the frigid gap. Then the polearm comes and her reactions and strength are not enough to avoid it completely. Again she waves the shovel, now imbued with this subzero magic, to intercept the projectile, but can only deflect it enough to not embed itself into her gut. Instead it tears across the side of her left thigh, splattering blood as it rends and sails by, and eliciting a scream of agony from the teenage necromancer. She stumbles down onto one knee and casts her eyeless glare towards Kailani, or rather the skeleton still moving towards the druid. It has reclaimed one of its stubby little legs in this time and uses it to make one final, desperate leap towards the armored woman. While it is slightly airborne, the heat coming off of it becomes enough to ignite the mud colored cloak it is wearing into flame. The intention is to wrap Kailani into a blazing, skin and armor melting hug as the temperature of the fire magic imbued skeleton continues to increase, using up the magical energy stored up over months inside the gem lodged in the creature’s ribcage… Leralynn was lost to the world outside of Kailani up until the point that Quintessa’s words, cut short, reach her. Eyeless sockets shift towards Kanna and the faintly visible puppet strings piloting the ghoul. The blonde necromancer drops her shovel to the ground then and clasps her hands together as she drops further down onto both knees, this one last prayer likely all that she has left in her. ‘You have to break-’ the changeling’s words ring in her mind. Orange narrows her focus away from the pain in her leg and the blood seeping out of it, freezing as it does so, and onto a single word, “Break…” she says it aloud. “Snap…” her voice is soft and inaudible in between the words as she recites some incantation to channel the last of her necromantic energy towards Kanna, up until the final bit, “Unleash.”

Lanlan clutches at his ears and cries out against the banshee wail, but its completely drowned out. He doesn’t even see himself falling, doesn’t feel his spell failing, and he hits the ground. Writhing with his hands against his ears to block the deafening sound, but he can still hear his heart beating. Faster, faster, faster! Thankfully the noise fades, and he rises to his feet in a vaguely familiar place. Statues of himself line the walls of a massive building carved out of smooth white stone, in some odd places, blood red sand trickles in from the outside. He falls to his knees in despair…but thankfully it’s just a vision. Some still unexplored tether yanks him back to life, and he sucks a deep breath into shallow lungs, and props himself up to his feet, leaning heavily on his staff. And for a moment, he’s grateful the banshee scream has ended. Until he understands why. Alithyk Caluss has already plunged its grotesque proboscis into the Xalious Tree’s wound, and is pumping its vileness into it. Already, veins of corruption pulse in the diminished Xalious tree, and its limbs begin to warp under the atrocious influence “Stop It!” No matter what, Callus can’t be allowed to finish the process It’s just started. “Valrae! Valrae we can’t let him!” He hobbles closer as he shouts. “We can’t let him take the tree! Even if–even if we have to burn it! We can’t let him take the tree.” If they couldn’t win this fight, they could at least assure Caluss didn’t either. “Khitti, Kailani! You have to help!” He never learned Penelope’s name. “Nosy Hedge Witch! Help them!”

Kailani did not take any amount of delight when her weapon makes contact with Leralynn. Nor was she dismayed that it was not the blow that Kailani had aimed for. It was just how battles go, on a normal day Leralynn was not someone that the blue-haired woman had ever imagined would be an opponent. Before Kailani could fully commit to what her next course of action is, she hears a familiar cry from behind her. It is Grimclaw. The druid looks over her shoulder to see that a flaming skeleton is headed her way and trying to pull her into a nice and tight hug. It manages to get close enough to Kai that it successfully singes some of her lovely blue-hair and causes a burn on her shoulder and neck. How about of a burn is something that will be seen after the fight. Still, it is a desperate and last ditch attempt that Kailani is able to dodge just before taking the full hit. In the process, the druid calls upon her favored element of water to dose the skeleton in a small shower. Rather than try and see it’s end, Kai turns and runs from it so that she ends up closer to the tree. Maybe she had the intention of doing just what Lanlan asked, burn the tree. But no. Kailani does not see that as being an option. Instead, in the few moments she has away from Orange and her skeleton, she tries to unleash a few lightning bolts directly at Caluss. Foolish. Reckless. Maybe a decent distraction for anyone who thinks it is a good idea to actually burn the tree…but Kailani herself? She is not sure the logic behind this thinking is sound and that the results following will not be disastrous.

Kanna would return Khitti’s song with one of her own as the ghoul broke free from Caluss’ grasp, allowing Khitti and Penelope to be freed as well. Blood trickled from her nose and mouth, the poisonous spores having started their work while she’d been singing, as Khitti pushed herself up off the ground and turned to face the tree. All the shadows, all the energy from the various portals that had been summoned coursed through the air as Khitti called to it, drawing it all to her. She had heard Lanlan’s cries, but her mind was such a torrential schism of rage and pain, there was no Khitti at the moment, only a conduit for the dark magic to gather and be released. Black lightning crackled and sparked flames here and there along the ground and throughout the tree’s boughs, joined with a massive burst of dark purple shadowflames to fully set the tree alight. There had been no hesitation, no regret, but tears still flowed freely as she screamed, forcing what was left of her magic to fuel the fire she’d started. The light from the fire mirrored itself in Khitti’s eyes as she watched it, shades of violet mixed with olive-green. If they could not have the tree, then no one would.

Valrae felt pain, blood trickling from her ears as Caluss unleashed a scream that shook her to the very marrow of her bones. Branches tangled and ripped at Valrae’s hair as she flew into the tree, ripping at her cloak and smarting against her skin. She slipped on her besom, her hands slick with sweat and blood, and almost went into a free fall through its limbs. Her wand fell then, clattering loudly as it went. And her heart skipped a beat. It stopped, suspended in time for a moment as Lanlan went down. She felt drawn out, like her soul was a cord wound too tightly and then plucked. Everything faded, Kanna and Khitti’s song, the rise of violence, the screaming of the birds. The silver cord that bound her to Lanlan shone like a beacon in the dark, tangled mess of the tree. It burned her eyes as she looked down in horror, the realization of what Lan had just been through settling into her like a shock wave. But it all came flooding back, the sound, the gods be damned smell. The entirety of the Xalious tree shook as Caluss’s proboscis slammed into the wound that had been cut into it. A cold dread clawed at Valrae’s heart as she watched the corruption spread. “No!” The witch shouted, desperation wild and bright in her dark eyes. She could hear Lanlan’s shouting, the distance no longer seemed to matter. His voice was screaming in her mind now, telling her to stop Caluss. Determination beat back the impossible fear that threatened to drown her. Tears streamed across her face as she screamed, chartreuse and emerald flames erupted from her open hands. They scorched her palms as the force of her own magic pushed her back. She fell into a snarled branch that pinned her there as her broom fell uselessly below her. Still, the magic she unleashed raged through her, around her. It funneled into where Caluss had entered the sacred tree, ignited and crawled all around her as it burned and her fire spread and consumed everything it touched.

'The sudden stark absence of the arcane can be felt across all of Hollow. Spells putter out, useless to whatever ends they might have met. Arcane seals ancient or newborn shatter. The world's connection to magic has begun to slip away.'

Kasyr || Elsewhere, the kensai Kasyr Azakhaer was glancing over a frigid office- intact, yet in disarray from the recent calamity. It provokes an uncomfortable familiarity for the man- and yet, it's not nostalgia which sees his knees briefly buckle, nor is it the source of the gradual intensifying tightness in his chest. There's a tug that rips through him, a sharp familiar feeling that hearkens the moment he was reborn as a Revenant- when his mortality nearly asserted itself. The sensation grows sharper- bringing with it the scent of decay, mingled with blood, ozone and fire. And then it snaps back, leaving him with the intense sensation of something going awry- and removing the last bit of hesitation he held in regards to retrieving Vesper from its resting place.

Penelope || Although the shards are unleashed, a vine does tend to snag her eventually. She coils fingernails into the ground. This girl is gonna have to get a manicure–stat–after this. She presses her magic into the roots below as she is tugged away from the trunk and at this point, she feels weary. Her magic is going to give soon at this rate. Beads of sweat line her forehead, and her gaze looks tense, but… exhausted. The woman is now being dragged within the poison, and like Khitti, the inhalation of toxins begin to make her nose bleed. She can feel the spill. Feel the burning poison. “This is a freakin’ nightmare! Why does everyone have to be freaking evil in this–” but the vines unloosen as the shouts are in the background. She’s… free? The music floods the atmosphere despite the chaos and Penelope is… free? What? She looks over her shoulder at Kanna before an unknown drow who is shouting at her. “Wow, you should be a motivational speaker!” She retorts in a loud, annoyed way at the man as she was just dragged across the ground to her poisonous fate. She was a little peeved now due to the circumstances–normally she was a graceful, kind, humorous soul, but obviously not today. Well, there was a little humor behind the bite. Like she does not know that they have to keep the tree away from whatever was going on. She pulls herself across the dirt before lazily getting up in her sway of tiredness. Her white tank top is now stained with soil and blood drips from her nostrils to stain her shirt. Always. Always cream or white. Choose a new color, Nel. Arms scratched up by loose dirt and tree roots. Even if they have to burn it. Burn nature? Khitti starts. Then, Val. Kailani… resists. Her own friend–mentor. The Ardelian is torn. The girl finds her gaze on the chaos around them, and even though she was one to always find peace, she lifts her own hands with remorse. Mostly because of Kailani. Fire. Her hands ignite in orangish, blue flame before unleashing onto the trunk of the tree in a pure, last effort blow. The fire pours out, and she hunches over in a loud cry as… it burns. Internally. The magic. The expelling of energy. She is tapped.

Caluss still has his oily tendril deep into the tree’s flesh when it goes up in flames, and only curled the scorched horror back when it felt the spark of divinity leave the tree. Its victory was all but attained, and then these cretins stole it from him. Rather than allow him even a taste of the power they enjoy so freely, they would burn it to cinders…so none could benefit? Free will was another thing they enjoyed far too copiously, and he would attend to that. Once they were dead. He spat from his humanesque mouth a viscous black blob that quickly spread apart into worms of his essence. They slithered toward corpses on the ground and under it, infesting them through contact. The corpses rise as one and together chant toward the summoning of a massive and horrible spell that seems to deaden everything around it. Callus himself leads the chant, its voice like a horrid death rattle that grates against the ears. Darkness coagulates into a pulsating, aqueous, abyss above those fighting for Caluss and Xalious alike. The only reason it starts gathering power seems to be the sheer weight of it, and it starts to descend. It’ll touch down and burst. Once the thin membrane containing all the vile power is torn, all life in the immediate area will begin to wilt and die, ally and hero alike. And then rise again under his will.

Kanna has her eyes trained on the being that had kept her hostage, that had been tormenting her, torturing her, brute-forcing her way into her mind until she had no choice but to go along with his undead vision for this world. As the Xalious Tree bursts into flames, she watches as Caluss recoils and begins his next assault. Though her connection to the demigod, the realization of what is about to be done courses through her like a sense that had long gone unused until now. The undead bardic necrobotanist steps forward and thrusts the edge of her staff into the soft ground as a means of keeping herself upright. Sensing her imminent betrayal, a voice like broken glass shifts along her mind. ‘Waste not the gift you have been given on delaying the inevitable for them.’ It whispers. ‘Now. Bow down before the one you serve.’ This was a suicide mission, surely. As the mass above Caluss grows in size, Kanna realizes how foolish it is to go against a demigod alone. Leralynn and Quintessa were incapacitated, and the others she had been brought to fight were focusing their energies on making sure Caluss did not get control of the tree. “♫ Bow down before the one you serve? You’re going to get what you deserve. ♫” Kanna’s own army of undead takes to her side, their rotten arms linking through hers as she holds onto the Ya-Te-Veo staff for stability. Kanna rips off the mask of comedy, her cornflower eyes glittering with red from the flames of the tree. “♫ Bow down before the one you serve?! You’re going to get what you deserve! ♫” The mouths of the other undead open as they each sing low harmonious notes in time with her saying that phrase as the death bomb is ready to launch. Kanna takes two steps in place, and the undead take two steps forward, pulling everyone behind the line of ghouls. The wave of pure undeath is released, and Kanna raises her staff, channeling bardic and necromantic magic alike using Caluss’ own magical wavelengths to hold it at bay. “♫ HEAD LIKE A HOLE! BLACK AS YOUR SOUL! I’D RATHER DIE THAN GIVE YOU CONTROL! ♫” Kanna screams at the Great Insectoid as the spell is repelled. She is still but one person, and is knocked down within seconds. The wave of harmful magic passes through the area, affecting everyone, but not nearly enough to kill or convert anyone to undead. Kanna collapses to the ground.

Leralynn’s eyes would be fluttering open and closed if they weren’t currently empty sockets, as she is on the verge of passing out. She barely understands what her objective is now after assisting in the untethering of her friend, but in the blurry, fleeting moment before unconsciousness The Orange Witch utters the innocuous detonation word for her skeleton companion, “Pirate…” but the fire magic stored in the gem that was meant to explode was all arcane in nature so exactly nothing happens. What’s left of the skeleton cools down to normal bone temperature and it just looks like Orange deliriously blurted out the word ‘pirate’ before collapsing the rest of the way to the frozen ground, getting a head start on the wilting and dying bit… The wave of undeath passes over her and the eyeless sockets fade away from her face, revealing the shut eyes of the unconscious young necromancer, the chilly aura surrounding her fading away as well. It is unclear whether or not she is breathing for the moment as she lies there in a puddle of her own frozen blood…

Lanlan can’t use his magic. He can’t run, walk, he can barely hobble. He sees what’s about to hit him though, and with one leg suspended and sometimes dragging, he moves away from it. About four steps. Then the mass of dark energy washes over him like a stiff breeze, but it takes just about everything about of him. He drops to a knee and clings to his staff, struggling to stay on his feet. But its sapped all the vitality from him, and he has to choose. Stay somewhat upright or breathe. As his face lands in the wilted grass, he believes he sees Kanna where the bomb should’ve touched. Is that why he’s still alive?

Kailani cannot believe what she was witnessing, the tree burning before her very eyes. The very being she was just trying to take a stand against fades to the back of her mind as the horror of watching the tree burn consumes her. Her command over the element of water was strong but it was no match for the will of three people trying to burn one tree. That does not mean that Kailani won’t try and resist to the very end. “Do you even understand what you are doing!” Perhaps they would come to understand when they feel their connection to arcane magic slipping away fully. They had failed. Twice. Except this time it was the final nail in the coffin. Kailani is absorbed in staring in complete shock while trying to process the ramifications of what as just happened that the final attack that is unleashed at them escapes her attention entirely. Grimclaw tries to remedy this situation by moving to headbutt Kailani back, away from the tree and to a safe distance. Grim’s efforts would have been in vain and if it were not for Kanna then their fates surely would have been sealed.

Fire surrounded Valrae as the tree burned. She was trapped inside its withering branches. The acrid smoke choked her, crowded her lungs in a way that was as familiar to her as the heat that seared along her flesh. She screamed, the sound filled with horror and agony, and didn’t know if she would ever stop. She was lost, trapped in the fire. Desperately, she called out to the besom as arcane magic slipped away from the world. She could feel it dying, even as her own power remained intact, and the skull that housed her soul mourned for it. Even cushioned by Kanna’s own power, the dark spell that Caluss cast pushed the smoke-filled breath from Valrae’s lungs. Nausea and pain flooded her. The witch saw her death in the dance of fire that surrounded her.

Penelope’s eyes glow orange against the flames that pierce the tree. Valrae’s screams flooded the area. Something was not right. Something was making her ill even more despite going against Kailani’s beliefs. Eyes cast towards the blonde in that moment of distress. She’s screaming. More than Nel is in agony of pushing her last bit of magic in. This was… cruelty. That sinking feeling eats her internally as the bark is engulfed. Flames lick each angle of the bark until Caluss is growing in size. Her eyes break and find Kanna whose mask is falling off. Those cornflower eyes. The ones she vaguely knew before until the low harmony booms from the undead. The ghouls step before her and she is pushed back into the midst of other undead bodies. The large chant within Kanna then halts the flames before Penleope and a large gust of energy knocks her back which causes the air to be sucked out of her. She tumbles to the ground and stares up at the darkened sky with the loud shrill piercing her ears of battle. She was officially out of it for a few minutes frozen in place and all she could think about was… sheer horrid memories as the magic took place. She can barely catch a breath at this point.

Khitti just stood there, watching as the tree burned for what seemed like forever before she gave a wave of her hand, snuffing the violet flames. “Do -you- even understand what would have happened if Caluss had gotten a hold of the tree entirely?” She moved a hand to her head, cringing at the blurriness she felt from that forced switch between her and Khitt. “It is better to have no arcane magic, then let that overgrown dung beetle take it for himself. Besides--” Khitti stopped and turned towards where Kanna and Leralynn lay motionless. “--You helped heal the entirety of the Lithrydelian continent’s equivalent in the Shadow Plane and that was nearly a lost cause. Forests and farmland are burned to get rid of invasive insects and plants… why is -this- any different from that?” Khitti took a few woozy steps as she spoke, her voice void of emotion, her booted feet bringing her first to Leralynn. “Fire is cleansing. Arkhen’s fire burned away my vampirism.” She reached down a hand towards the girl and poked at a few spots in the air nearby her, leaving pinpricks of light in her wake. How did she even still have the strength to do anything? Even walking? At this point, it was probably more spite than anything because it was clear that that last huge burst of energy from Caluss did as much damage to her as it had anyone else. “Stop standing there and do something about it.” Khitti then walked towards Kanna, doing similarly to her what she did to Orange, but with tiny coalesced orbs of shadows instead. Still wobbly, she put both hands out, one towards the teenager, the other to the ghoul, triggering a small explosion of each magic in an attempt to heal them both enough to keep them from death. The redhead’s eyes drifted shut for a moment as she nearly passed out, but with gritted teeth, she turned her attention towards where she’d last spied that daughter of hers.

Alithyk Caluss looms over Kanna’s corpse, his face inscrutable. Its voice crackles in her mind. “You would dare?” As she lies still, Callus considers what punishment could be severe enough. “Die like them,” It says to her, and it bends its insectoid head over her body and opens its toothless human mouth, calling to something. The blessing he bestowed to her. The head of a rose, saturated with an oily tar like substance, blooms out of her heart. A hand, then an arm, steeped in the same black substance, reaches out of Caluss’s open mouth and grabs the rose, violently plucking it out of her chest, regardless of the damage the thorns might cause along the way. A small amount of color returns to Kanna’s face, and she draws the first breath she’s needed in a very long time. It cursed her with mortality, but more importantly, severed her ability to create new pets to use against him and his quest to make Lithrydel his domain. As suddenly as he appeared, Caluss leaves in a murky black portal, the monster’s voice echoing out for Quintessa once more "Come my little forgemaster, I have much work for you." But the changeling couldn't respond nor could she resist. The spectral hands that constrict her mouth and arms pull her down into the depths of the portal they protruded from. With a pop the gateway closes and Quintessa is gone, taken away for some unknown purpose. There was work to be done.

Kanna looks up as Alithyk Caluss looms over her. The torture she has endured over the last few weeks replays in her mind and she weakly mumbles apologies in her native tongue as she inches to get away from him. Then the rose is torn from her newly-formed heart, and a painful throb wracks her body. Kanna can only watch helplessly as Quintessa turns away to follow Alithyk Caluss to the Chaos Realm. Why wasn’t she fighting, though? For the first time in years, Kanna feels a great deal of fatigue as her connection to the Great Insectoid is severed. The undead that Kanna had commanded before turn away from the mortals and march back into the portals, ignoring Kanna’s silent calls to stay and help. Though the shadowy orbs granted by Khitti are helpful, the exhaustion is too much. Reaching her hand out for the unconscious Leralynn, Kanna feels her consciousness slip away from her. With her fingertips outstretched to touch her dear friend Orange, her eyes roll into the back of her head, and for the first time in three years, Kanna Tsuji sleeps.

Kailani was too tired to try and talk to Khitti about what the redhead just said to her and how it made her feel. The frown would be the only clue that Khitti would get. Stop standing there and do something about it? As if Kailani had not spent her entire night trying to both heal and defend the tree. As if she was not as drained as the rest of them. Kai does not comment, instead she forces herself to find the will to get to her feet. Could she even get to the tree? Did she even have the energy to heal anything at this point? All she really wanted to do was go home to Orion and sleep. Would that even happen tonight? Or was this it for both her and Grimclaw?

Leralynn, as the orbs of light drift down and are forced into her body, lets out a couple of weak coughs that signify the young half-elf still draws breath thanks to the combined efforts of Khitti and Kanna.

Fear and pain clouded her mind. Valrae’s screaming became a hoarse cry as fire crept along her skin. She pleaded for the besom, for the gods, for anything or anyone who might be listening. She thought of her son, of Cenril and the plans she’d made for her new life. If she hadn’t been writhing in agony, she might have thought of the irony of dying in a fire of her own making this time around. Then again, the first time had been set by a series of her own decisions, hadn’t it? But the broom sailed through the air then, answering her call as the heather at its end smoldered where fire sparked. The witch unclasped the cloak that was now burning, letting it fall to the ground far below her, as the smooth wood of her broom found her waiting hand. It pained her to touch it, the blistered burns on her palms an agony she knew too well. But the soul of the tree remained, it pulsed beneath her ruined hands. As the fire rose and smoke crowded in, Valrae’s screaming stopped. The tears on her cheeks dried in the unbearable heat that surrounded her. She would die here, just as she had in Larket. Fire caught and into the flame, the witch surrendered herself to this fate and attempted something only the truly desperate might. She channeled the energy of her Xalious born besom into herself. The emerald skull devoured it greedily, funneling the arcane power into itself and by extension, the witch. She held her ruined hands out to the rising fire as she silently screamed. The shock wave that erupted next knocked her back. It sent her flying out of the tree, snapping burned and ruined branches as she free fell. Even still, Valrae held her hands out and returned the power that had been borrowed, pouring all that was left into the sacred tree. The last thing she saw before the darkness took her was a single, vibrant leaf rising out of the blackened tree.

Lanlan comes more to life with each breath, until he’s actually able to come to his knees. He wraps his arms around his xalious staff, lamenting his uselessness. They weren’t dead, but they still lost. The tree still burned. Nothing could save it now. But stupidly, his gaze lingered on it, as if some glimmer of hope remained, though he knew it didn’t. Then some kind of burst occurred, and a ball of fire ejected from the tree. And Lanlan thought he felt his eyebrow tingle.

Penelope is still pinned to the ground. Her body felt heavy. Her arm lifts to her nostrils where she swipes away blood which she eventually coughs up from mucus. Those spores internally were beginning to damage her, but stopped. Valrae’s screams still echoed the area which resulted in the Ardelian reflecting back to… the night of Linken. She is almost caught within the post-traumatic stress before she gulps down the build-up of blood to lift her head at the actual scene. Everyone was almost unconscious–Penelope was weak and almost the same. Due to everyone almost in their own comatose, Penelope falls back and… silently sobs due to the tiredness and strain of ability and stress. As this was more than she was anticipating. Anyone was anticipating, really. A real human, at that.

The flames fade away at the top most branches of the Xalious Tree to reveal something no one would have expected-- Nestled within the blackened branches is a single golden chrysalis. Cracks form along the sides of it, in patterns the more arcanely trained would recognize as being in the shape of runes. Large moth wings extend upward from the chrysalis, glimmering silver with golden runes like the ones that adorn the moon of Ahr'Nuk above. Crawling from the golden cocoon comes a golden moth, its fuzzy body easily the size of all the spellcasters combined. Sparkling eyes look down at the heroes before it moves to clean its fuzzy antenna with its legs. Was this the avatar of Xalious himself? The moth coos and flaps its wings once, its wings slapping down against the branches. When the runic wings lift, several tiny chrysali hang from the branches like the foliage burnt away. A proboscis like the one used by the so-called God of Undeath unfurls, and its silvery tongue touches gently on the tip of the lone leaf of the withered Xalious Tree. As if the lights of the twin moons above were focusing on the giant creature, the lone leaf glows with an intense white light. One by one, blooming buds of what will become gold and silver foliage pop outwards along the branches of the tree. Though its bark is still blackened and bruised, the Xalious Tree is alive and will soon return to its former splendor. Glowing flowers blossom at the topmost branches, and the moth moves to drink the moonlit nectar from within. Satisfied with its feeding, the flowers are plucked gently by the creature’s proboscis, and tossed off the tree, where they gently flutter down onto the battlescarred area like gifts for those who helped rebirth her home and the home of her children. The glowing Xalious flowers drift towards the unconscious parties, bestowing their magic upon them to help them weather the worst of their injuries. The proboscis retreats back into its furry body, and the great runic moth ascends, flying off into the uninhabited Xalious Mountain range as though it's following the path of the twin moons in the distance.

'While some may still be reeling from the abrupt sensation of loss that comes with a severed connection to the arcane, others may become acute aware of a new feeling. A burgeoning pulse of power that seems to emanate out from the Xalious region, bringing with it a sense of serenity- as life is breathed once more into Xalious' mighty tree.'

Kasyr had felt the bleak emptiness that had ushered through the land when the tree had fallen, just as he now felt fresh currents of energy begin pulsing through the air. But it was the fresh sharpening of his senses that saw him finally move- as pain and desperation flickered through his soul, and brought ephemeral images of Xalious' Great tree to mind. And so he answered, his lightning wreathed form slipping out from the manse and arcing through the sky at speeds that would be difficult to fathom for most mortals. When he collides into the area, those present may as well be standing still- the Kensais unnatural alacrity compulsively drawing him down to the one calling out for him the most. Though, when the Kensai realizes that it's Lanlan he's scooped up into his arms, he's -extremely- quick to release him back to the not-so-tender mercy of gravity- his left hand instead reaching out to take hold of the drow's collar in order to drag him along as the Kensai makes his way over to the secondary source of his discomfort. Valrae, whose body even now was contorting in the air, twisting on it's flight down towards the ground- a phoenix in the process of falling. In a flash of light, she finds purchase within his arms, and unlike her peer- the Kensai keeps hold of her until he lands to the ground somewhere within Khitti's vicinity. It's only then that the Kensai's augmented alacrity ebbs away- allowing him to take in the scene as anyone else would. "...So, what did I miss?"

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RP:Night of the Living Dead Girls 3: The Betrayal

Xalious Tree