RP:The Unwelcoming Committee

From HollowWiki

Part of the The Unbalanced Island Arc




Shesryn- Port Town, Chaos side


Chapter Two: The Unwelcoming Committee




Kasyr ||Even before his vision clears from the teleportation, the hybrid knows where they are. Around them, the gentle crash of waves could be heard- alongside the subtle creak of wood from beneath their feet. From above, gull's cried out, shrieking at the sudden appearance of Kasyr and his companions. And yet, for all the nostalgia held within these sensations, with the scent of the sea, and the cool caress of the evenings air- something else lurked beneath the surface. In the distance, an ominous crackling could be heard- as though countless bones were perpetually being snapped. The sounds' akin to a demonic melody, and when the hybrids vision clears- he can't help but see why. No longer was the sky clear, but instead a seemingly endless blight of crimson clouds, writhing angrily across what had been a seamless night sky. From various points in the island, countless plumes of black smoke rose up to the heavens, as though the people on the ground were attempting to blot out the sky- their cities serving as sacrificial pyres to the sky.


Satoshi's first image of Shesryn isn't of the burning sky but rather the salt-strained dock Riss has brought them to, for as soon as the teleportation comes to an end the feline drops to her knees and doubles over with a--needless--gasp for breath. With one hand clasped tightly to her stomach, the other planted against the timber to keep her from completely collapsing, the magus glares past stray wisps of her hair at Riss, growling out words through clenched teeth. "Soon as I can stand... I'm kicking you... for that..." And then, in a much quieter, more subdued tone after glancing around, "We're here, then..?"


Riss was quiet, more so than usual. Soft steps led him to the sword that was still planted into the ground, and upon reaching it, it was brought back into the hilt that hid beneath his trenchcoat. Eyes were brought to the sky, and there, he just stared, almost in disbelief, but the condition of the land was no surprise to him; it had just been so long since he was here, with Kasyr. Memories began flooding back, surfacing from the deepest reaches of his mind, happier memories of Kasyr, Estbel, and himself. It almost brought a tear to Christian's eye, but he fought it back and snapped back into the moment. "Yeah. We're here. And it was the fastest way to get here, Kitten. I gave fair warning." Christian continued his reluctant stride towards Kasyr, stopping by his side and letting a long, drawn-out sigh from his lips. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?"


Kasyr lets out a bitter laugh, before simply shaking his head and slinging his right hand over his shoulder. "Nothing ever stays the same, unfortunately. It was almost nice to have my eyes closed for a second, et hope there'd be something left. ...Still. ...We have somewhere to be, don't we?" It's on that last note, that his tone hardens- fingers of his right clenching as inked serpents lunge from fleshy moorings and into the tiefling waiting grasp. A few moments longer, and Gospel takes form anew- that most basic guise of a bastard sword now resting over the hybrids shoulder, "...Satoshi. I'm not sure how long this will take...Just..thanks for coming along, oui?" Turning his gaze back to the port town, he can't help but fixate on the simple horror of the situation- as the facade of a seemingly simple town burns away into ash and charcoal.


Satoshi stares after the pair a long moment, unmoving save to glance downwards at the arm still held against her stomach. Or more specifically the mousy skeleton poking its bony nose out from her sleeve. "Came too, Nom? 'pparently chivalry's dead, if you missed that." A twitch of nonexistent whiskers is all the undead mouse responds with before disappearing into the coat once more, leaving Satoshi to muster her own strength and return to her feet with a groan before moving to join Riss and Kasyr. "You know me. Adventure and all that. Shall we be off~?" If the magus is perturbed by the scene not far off, she doesn't readily show it aside from a precautionary retrieval of her newly acquired, and archmage-enchanted, frosty staff from the depths of her satchel.


Riss looked to Satoshi, a smile attempting to form upon his lips, though it could only make it halfway there. "Yeah, we better get going. But, like he said, thanks for coming. You really didn't have to," he offered, a slight sense of worry capable of being detected within his tone, though it was nothing out of the ordinary coming from Christian. Or, that's what he wanted it to appear as, at least. He took the liberty of taking the first firm step of their journey into Shesryn, leading the way towards the town, left in shambles due to the demi-god's sadistic sense of play. "Hey, Kasyr. You remember coming here with Esty? She always loved performing here, near the coast. Paid the best." Christian couldn't help trailing down memory-lane, and it was practically tearing him apart on the inside, but he wouldn't let the other two know. Christian's face adorned that soft, half-meant smile the whole way.


Kasyr doesn't really bother hiding his crestfallen look as the simple memories slithered their way to the forefront of his memories. It's a bizarre feeling for him really, stepping through the ruined streets of the now, while his mind traced their way back through those very same avenues. "Hah. Yeah...et it was the closest place we had to leaving somewhere that wasn't so..strict." His left hand falls to his forehead then, pressing against the skin for a few long moments, before he simply pushed it up and through his hair, "..Hah. Well. I guess It's a good thing she never had to see this place like this..." Sighing, the hybrids stride only picks up, as he moves to catch up then pass Riss, "...The sooner we get through, the better. ...Et hey, if things have gone to hell in a handbasket...maybe we'll be free to help ourselves to some food."


Satoshi doesn't have a Memory Lane to stroll down, and so keeps her focus entirely on the here and now, with a resurfaced Nom playing co-pilot on her shoulder. One ear remains trained on the two ahead of her while the other is far from stationary, twitching every which way at the slightest sounds. To say the threatening presence of fire unsettles her is an understatement, her grip on the frozen staff shifting and tightening uneasily with every few paces. "...Where are we going, anyway?" The answer isn't even entirely relevant, the feline just seeks some inclusion to the conversation, and some semi-visualized destination to work with and ease a mind put on edge.


Riss looked back. "We're going to meet the bosses. And it's not exactly a short walk. Meaning, we need to stock up-- unless you'd rather me try ~that~ again," Christian said with his first real grin of the day. Minutes passed, and Christian had made sure to take the lead again, heading towards a convenient store that a young couple used to run years ago. They were always the nicest; hell, sometimes they wouldn't charge you for half of the things in your bag. Christian noticed that the door was already cracked, so it didn't take much more that a gentle nudge to open it the rest of the way; inside was far different than he remembered, however. It was something straight out of a horror story: blood painted the walls, splatters here and there, some spots old, dried like rust-- others, fresh, still dripping down to the floorboards. "What the--" it was then that he heard a woman screaming from the behind the counter, making a desperate attempt at fighting off a ravenous man from having his way with her. "Not. Good," Christian struggled as he rushed into the store, Sebastian drawn from beneath that white trenchcoat of his.


Kasyr has been, until this point, following on Riss' heels. However, when his brother moves to rush forward, the tiefling quite simply grabs the hilt of his blade with his other hand, then swings down towards the ground with all his might. Whilst the action might prove futile in a normal circumstance, Gospel is hardly a mundane sword. Thus, Riss might be surprised when a burst of condensed air rushes by him, it's form a relative mirror of the tieflings swing. Wood and flesh alike give way before the hybrids display of strength, burrowing the ravaged remnants of the offending man into the back wall of the shop. However, rather than advance, Kasyr takes a moment to glance over towards Satoshi, figuring she'd likely be close behind, "...Cherie, I'd appreciate it if you could take a peak outside, et make sure there's noone else wandering around looking to barge in. Whilst we could deal with them- close quarters means possibly killing the person Christian just worked so hard to save." ...Because Obviously, Riss is the hero here. Obviously. This said, the hybrid then simply wanders towards Riss, just in case he needed any help.


Satoshi is more than conscious enough, upon hearing the scream, to immediately bury her nose in the liquid confines of her scarf, making scents beyond that of water null and void for the time being. She doesn't need to see or smell to guess there's blood nearby, and she has no desire to lose her wits now. So it's with an awkward nod and a regrasping of the staff that she heeds Kasyr's words, ducking her head a bit further into the safety of her scarf as she prowls off to make a circuit of the building--with Nom now balanced between her ears and masquerading as a rodenty scout, watching their collective tails.


Riss didn't have anything other than getting to the distressed woman on his mind, going so far as to hop over the counter, an "Are you alright?" following in tow. That's when he saw it, though: the corpse of a disemboweled little girl laying lifelessly on the store floor, eyes still open and peering at him as if crying out. The woman was huddled over another body, craven, bony hands holding the neck of a boy-- and that's when a snap rang throughout the store, followed by a harsh chomping of jaws into flesh. Christian was frozen, a statue until something in his mind made him lift Sebastian and plant it clear-through the skull of the woman over and over again, the sound of a bell ringing with each successive cleave. He couldn't bring himself to find the words to describe what he had seen, so nothing but screams of anger were let loose from his lips. Eventually, Christian took back over, coming to the realization he had just butchered a woman who was so nice to him in the past, and couldn't help but silently trek back towards the door, dragging his blade as he walked. "We need to get out of here," was mumbled when he worked up enough strength to speak.


Kasyr can't help but blink. Until Riss' cry of fury rang out, the tieflings thoughts are that of simple satisfaction- a clean kill, and an easy meal netted in one fine stroke. And yet...when he looks over, he simply sees the last few thrusts of his brothers sword up and down. Unable to quite comprehend the reason for his disgust and rage, the hybrid shoves his way to the counter- and then simply stops. Even as Riss' passes by him, the hybrid remains fixed upon the scene, gawking in an odd display of shock at the remains. The children, the blood and gristle painting the womans lips & her hand at one of the bodies throat- it painted a vivid scene..and yet ..."...Her feelings...They felt so genuine, There was this desperate love to protect them.. To keep them safe..with her. ...What the hell es this place..." The thoughts enough to stir a dull roar in the hybrids head, a roar which is swiftly mirrored by means of a swiftly incanted flame spell. It's only when the hybrids certain that the buildings caught fire that he slips away from the gruesome scene- once more wearing his neutral expression, albeit a bit paler.


Satoshi eventually finds her cautious way back to the front of the shop after happening upon her own gruesome scenes--some of which still mar her cheeks, where scene had become snack. Nom's even acquired a stray pinky finger during the venture and now busily chews away at it, rattling his pleasure. "Interesting town you two've got here," the magus comments as she rejoins them, her tone falsely casual despite frequent glances behind her to ensure what she's found is dead and stays that way.


Riss was still in a daze from what all had happened, brushing his way past Satoshi without a single word, heading even further into the town despite his better judgment. Of course, he would eventually turn back to the two and offer a beckoning wave alongside, "You two coming? I don't want to be here for any longer than we have to be. I've dealt with all of this before, and it's not fun to do it all over again." With that, his back was turned again, stride resuming.


Kasyr eyes Satoshi, and then the finger her particular pet is nibbling on. Pausing only long enough to place a hand on her shoulder and give her a reassuring squeeze, the hybrid then simply turns upon his heels and begins to jog after Riss, "Hey, wait up, eh?" Whilst the hybrid is already starting to relax, he still kept a firm hand on Gospel- hoping to dissuade any would-be attackers. The hybrid is not, after all, looking forward to killing any remnants of his past. "So, how long do we have until things get..." The hybrid can't help but stop in his tracks and stare at the second floor window of a nearby house, the abrupt creaking sound putting him on edge. When nothing produces itself, however, the hybrid simply jogs after Riss, "Really bad?"


Satoshi doesn't dawdle, hurrying to follow the two, save for a pause and subsequent rush past the house with the creaking upstairs. "Oi. Wait for me too~." It doesn't take a whole lot of effort for her to catch up, and then the magus is simply tailing them doggedly, staying close on Kasyr's heels while throwing wary glances in every direction. She doesn't need Riss' experience or Kasyr's empathy to find herself put on edge by this town, and it leaves her far from wanting to stray from either of them. "I'll admit... this isn't the nicest place I've been to..." Nom seems to disagree, but that may be because he's not in danger himself. And well-fed already by their trip.


Riss shot a look to Kasyr, and it wasn't one at someone complete at-ease with the world. "You have no idea, Kasyr. You think that ~those~ people were messed up? Just you wait. The taint on this place goes further than just the mind. Some people've turned into complete monsters, mutated. Strong, to boot. Why else do you think I was gone for so long?" Christian was well aware of the creak that resounded from a second-story window, and yet it didn't seem to put him any more on guard-- if that was even possible. "Just hope that the thing who turned these people doesn't notice you, Kasyr. 'Daddy' was still capable of pulling my strings until the dragons claimed me as their own, and luckily, they're more powerful than he is." It was then that they had reached the town square, a dried up fountain resting into the direct center of it-- but something was off. No dead bodies, no blood smeared upon the ground like a canvas. It was almost serene, in an odd way, despite all of the chaos that tainted even the air. "Something isn't right. This place should be swarming with those mindless bastards."


Kasyr is quick to look around, eyes scanning over their surroundings with the fixed scrutiny of a hunter. Whereas Riss had peered over the area with the eye of a warrior, Kasyrs' perspective is that of a monster.A hungry one, at that. Thus, it is no surprise he finally picks up the faint scent of blood in the air. Slowly, the hybrid advances towards the smells origin, moving away from the fountain and towards a nearby alley. The hybrid can't help but mutter his findings as he scans his new surroundings, carefully picking his way over and around the piles of rotting refuse which rested at the alleys mouth, "Offers a fair view of the city center, et cover. Someones not likely to see tu in the shade, especially not if you're lurking amidst the filth. ...Et the scents almost wholly covered. At first glance it appears to be a dead end...but..there should be..." Continuing to murmur, the hybrid moves over to a box of broken dishes, carefully moving it over with his foot. Beneath the improvised 'cover', there was a rough hewn hole that led down, rust coloured splotches painting its edges.. "...Sewer. Which explains why the scent es faint."


Satoshi lingers at a distance from the alleyway, drawn to the fountain by a cryomancer's instinct to stay near a water source--even one dried up on the surface and despite a predator's instinct practically screaming at her to stop loitering in the open. The overwhelming sent of decaying filth and its dizzying effects on her have nothing to do with her reluctance to remain at the tiefling's immediate side, naturally. She'll stick with Riss instead, for the moment. "If something's not right... isn't that all the more reason to keep going? This place has my fur standing on end worse than a house of ghosts..." Her adventurer's spirit has quite woken up yet.


Riss shook his head from side to side. "That's not how this works," he put simply, a small frown altering the contour of his perfectly straight, stone-like lips. It was apparent that Christian still felt obligated to save this place, this hellhole that haunted his memories with forsaken happiness. Christian didn't care whether or not Kasyr and the kitten would follow him; his course was set to the makeshift manhole either way, and upon reaching the edge, emerald eyes locked their gaze into the blackness. The black, dove-wing markings that Indignation lay dormant within began to writhe, squirm with excitement before erupting in a flash of light, leaving two pristine, ethereal wings hovering above Christian's back as the remnants. "Like I said before: be ready," and with that, Riss took a leap into the hole, blood-splattered walls illuminated by the light that radiated violently from his wings. His landing resulted in a soft splash of sandals into an unidentifiable liquid, though it smelled strongly of iron, and on the walls - even if it could only be seen faintly -- bits of human remains were scattered. "Lovely," he whispered, almost wishing that he hadn't made such an abrupt decision.


Kasyr can't help but smile, casting a look back towards Satoshi, "We're home, et that means, it's up to me et him to fix everything we come across. ...Like heroes do, et all that. I am sort of one, after all." Turning around, peers down the hole Riss leapt down, adjusting the blade in his hand as he waited for his brother to move from the landing spot. Bit by bit, Gospels form shifts, growing all the more delicate- until It's only a blackened Katana resting in his hand. "..That's what tu said, after all, non? Best follow, mon amour." And with that, the hybrid leaps after Riss. Almost immediately, the hybrid regrets it- as the splash of his boots and coat hitting the ground kick up the overpowering scent of blood and gore. It's difficult for the tiefling to focus now, and yet, whilst the hybrid desperately wants to feed- theres' a primal awareness. An awareness that a predator lurked nearby, and he's standing within it's lair. It's that thought that allows the hybrid to sober himself, grounding himself in the present, so that he could take notice of his surroundings. When the tiefling speaks again, it's quiet, "Riss, I'm not entirely sure this es a sewer... I don't see any real outlets for things to pour in..beyond the hole we went into.."


Satoshi heaves a sigh and glances sidelong at the skeletal mouse. "Guess we're going that way. 'least there's water. ... I hope... down there. Shall we?" A dry rattle from Nom earns a shrug and grimace from Satoshi. "That's a yes, then." Nodding to herself, the feline tugs goggles down and scarf up--whispering a spell to half-freeze the water into a sturdier scent-barrier--before stalking toward the hole, giving it a cursory glance, and jumping in blind after the duo. She's grateful for the scarf's protective status the moment her eyes adjust, for the gorey sight painting the walls alone is enough to leave her quivering with that irrepressible hunger always at the edge of her mind. "Lovely decor... 'hem." Crouching low in a predatory prowl, the feline hurriedly moves to follow the others, her footsteps a fair deal quieter than theirs as each of her bootfalls ends not in a splash but a faint crunch of ice, coaxed up by the enchantments woven into their very soles.


Riss was almost reluctant to do so, but pulled out a cigarette to calm his nerves regardless of whatever may have lurked in the depths of such an abyss. Match was met with the rolled tobacco, unleashing a sudden burst of light before billows of smoke helped mask the scent of iron that stained the inside of Christian's nostrils. "Is it just me, or is the blood getting deeper?" he asked back to Kasyr as he moved through the crimson-laced slime. Then, it happened, a soft moaning matched by incoherent mumblings and mutterings coming from deeper within the supposed 'sewer' -- more like lair -- that they had so kindly waltzed right into. If one were to have listened closely, they may have been able to understand the ramblings. Something about the pipes needing fixing, then another rant about needing fresh flesh to further progress on god-knows-what. After all was said and done, all sound was squelched by a loud clanking, wrench against the innards of a metal tube deeper in the cavernous sanctum. "Shi--" was all Christian had time to mutter before forcefully halting his speech with hand over his mouth. He couldn't rush into battle without time to think, time to analyze every minute detail of the situation, and being stuck in someone else's territory didn't suit him. Not. One. Bit. Just as quickly as they erupted from his shoulder blades, the flame-like aether of Indignation's wings disappeared, consumed by the encroaching blackness.


Kasyr s' eyes were in the process of adjusting to the darkness when Riss lit that cigarette, so it's no wonder the hybrid slogged that extra step forward in the morbid muck- just so he could properly kick his brother in the leg. From there, the tiefling simply tilted his head back towards Satoshi, his voice coming in a low whisper, "Riss es right, et es getting deeper. ...So watch your feet in case there's anything like a hole. You might not be able to drown...but, getting pulled under et knifed or something wouldn't be good." That said, the hybrid turned back to Riss, and gently pushed him to the right, "You take that side..." Hoping Christian understood, the hybrid quietly shuffled through the blood, trying not to focus on the odd manner in which it clung and suckled to his clothes. Once pressed against the wall, the hybrid slowly begins to shuffle forward, with the vague hope that the others are doing the same. The process is slow going, however, and gives the hybrid time to make a few key observations- for one thing, as he moved further in, the walls became more and more rife with bodies, as though a madman had attempted to coat every available surface in that cadaverous decor. Lastly, the hybrid couldn't help but become aware of the pipes themselves- Whilst some patchs were rusty, others shined, bits of metal seemingly battered and crushed into place- improvised repairs made to likely prevent the passage way from flooding. It isn't perfect however, as the hybrid could feel a combination of blood and water pooling past his shoulders, into the substance which was now nearly at his knees. Somewhere in the background, a particularly loud clang of the wrench echoes out- bouncing along the walls of the passage.


Satoshi continues with her game of Follow the Leader while trying to keep her focus on anything but the blood. Easier said than done, when you're wading through it--or walking atop it via glacial spells. "Kas..." Satoshi's voice comes low and strained, laced with unease and nearly a hiss muffled behind the scarf as she draws closer, keeping a deliberate span of inches between herself and the macabre wall. Treading on frosted blood is difficult enough for her to manage without likewise pressing herself to another surface caked in human remains, a fact that becomes obvious with each step she makes, the sound of boot to ice softening into squelches and splashes as her focus unravels much like the spell. But where her concentration in magic lapses, it picks up elsewhere, as between her unnerved self and the still tightly-gripped staff, an unintentional drop in temperature begins to become apparent--plummeting all the more with the abrupt clangs of metal to metal in the distance--slow creating a creeping frost over the damp 'sewer'.


Riss attempted to adhere to Kasyr's orders, but instead all motion stopped. He was frozen, for just a moment, and then it happened; something he had no control over. Knees bent, legs dropping to the ground, becoming enveloped in the remnants of decay. No warning was given to what happened next, no outer display of emotion, only a void that sapped all emotion from Christian's face, but that was far different than what was happening on the inside. Squalling, a crazed display of fright reverberated through the catacombs of Riss's mind, sapping his own energy to erupt in a violent light from his back. The wings formed slowly, feather by feather, becoming every bit more blinding as each fell into place; yet, instead of glowing with the radiance of snow's first encounter with sunlight, they encompassed the now-frosted sewer with a golden shine. "We-- shouldn't be here," Christian managed to struggle, breathing as he rose from his knees. "It's not safe. I-- can't control Indignation." Needless to say, any attempt at being stealthy was likely ruined with his little display.


Kasyr glanced to the side, before he began to fumble offhandedly through his coat. "...We committed ourselves to doing this, didn't we hero? Hardly due to back out now~ ...We'd be showing our backs to whoevers in here anyways...not smart." From his pocket a pair of cigarettes are plucked; one placed to his lips if only so he can toss the other to Riss, "Here, since you put out your other one." With a snap of his fingers, a small wisp of flame bursts to life, the likes of which the tiefling uses to light his cigarette. "So, I suppose- Mon amour...If you can freeze a path forward, we're going to rush in and put a sword into whatever the hells in here, d'accord? The sooner that's done, the sooner we can get a bite to eat et move on.." Curiously, even though the group is still somewhat moving on, and rather bright, the clanking and mumbling hasn't stopped. Likely, their query was still ahead- pounding his vexations into his roughshod reparations.


Satoshi snaps back to attention with Indignation's dazzling and blinding display, wavering focus brought to a point anew as the magus is given something other than blood and gore to draw her gaze. An ear cocks toward Kasyr as he addresses her, although her eyes stay unflinchingly locked on Riss' wings, the feline finding some source of calm from the golden light. Or perhaps it's his comment of 'We shouldn't be here' that's rekindled her mischievous spirit and erased anxieties. Either way, Satoshi's not the flinching bundle of nerves she was moments ago. "Pathway? Right. Can do~." Finally the magus' voice has its confident clarity back, a lopsided smirk visible behind the slush-scarf as she gives the frozen staff a flourishing twirl before plunging its end into the blood at their feet. A string of half-sung words later and ice spills rapidly out from where wood meets blood, darting forward in leaps and bounds to build a crimson walkway that plunges off toward the metallic noises ahead. "Go get 'em, boys~."


Kasyr 's feet hit the ice mere moments after it was made, the hybrid having apparently gotten sick of the by this point nearly waist dip mixture of blood and water. Pausing only long enough to offer the feline a hand up onto the surface, the hybrid then simply turns and rushes down the hallway, "Come on~!" And then there was a shriek of anger- not from the tiefling, but from the mysterious entity. Metal crashed, followed by a screech that could only come from metal grating against metal. The sound of water pouring out in torrents filled the end of the hallway, soon drowning out the sound of the predators voice. Rather than slow down, the hybrid simply pushes himself harder, ignoring the claustrophobic mesh of bodies on all sides as he drove himself further onwards.


Riss still couldn't get ahold himself. Why was it doing this, now of all times? Granted, the power circulating through the wings was immense, but it was too overwhelming, even for Christian, and the sudden collapse of the pipe just made things worse. Instead of pushing forward, he decided that separating was the best possible strategy, an attempt at keeping clarity under such a large amount of pressure. "Kitten! Freeze the pipe so we all don't drown. Kas, I need you to attempt to track it, and keep a lock on it, just so we know where it is at all times. We don't know its strengths." By this time, Christian's head felt like it was about to burst from the squalling, and for that reason, designated himself as the one who'd take guard over the entrance, rushing back to it as quickly as possible without the risk of rupturing his internal organs.


Satoshi doesn't need to be told twice. She's more than aware of the sudden, behemoth presence of water and is eager to pounce on the opportunity to weave her magic through it, and the much desired distraction that offers. Hands shifting their position on the staff, Satoshi gives a shrill whistle, letting the sound build in strength as it echoes down the tunnel, coaxing as it passes frosted walls and pipes to glaciate further, solidify their contents in that notorious creeping crawl. By the time the whistle reaches the source of the torrents, it's power has accumulated enough to shower the area in a hailstorm of ice amid the water, the size of the jagged pellets growing with each passing second as the slow work of frost takes hold of the rushing, muscle-numbing waters. And Satoshi's thoughtful enough to weave a further enchantment into the spell, warding off chill and ice from Kasyr during his approach, leaving only their mysterious 'prey' as a victim to her icy charms. Payback for the return of chivalry.


Kasyr ||Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Had they seen him? He was sure they hadn't... But his precious works... Cold. Cold. Cold. Moving silently beneath the waters surface, he couldn't help but wonder how many moments he had bought himself. Why was a magus here? Had they come for him? Why did she have two guardians? Cold. Cold. Soon they'd be reaching the spot he had occupied, a slab of metal protruding from the pipeline like an angry sore- He truly didn't want to damage his project...but people kept getting in the way. Cold. The waters thinning here, his wild eyes now protruding from the surface of the water as he creeps up on the last one amongst them. That solitary beacon of life- oh, how he wants to snuff it out. Just to gouge out their staring eyes. Warm. "Raaaaagh!" The scream is the only warning Riss gets, the predator having discreetly slipped from the waters surface with nary a sound nor breath, wrench firmly grasped in a misshapen arm more than twice the size of a normal -warriors-. The rest of the man is hardly noteworthy, limbs of a relatively meager proportion, save for a slightly bulkier right leg, and a portion of his chest that seemed swollen beneath his shirt. This is hardly important, however, the moment encompassed by that singular enraged shriek & the whistle of the wrench as it soared towards Riss' temple. If he was hit, he wouldn't even have time to shout, before the odd man shuffled forward, moving to wrap his non mutated arm over Christians mouth- before jumping back into the water. Corander knew the water well, after all. He had made this place. Worked on these pipes so long. So long.


Kasyr couldn't help but be grateful for the lack of icy shrapnel bombarding him, taking the time to offer Satoshi a grin and a quick thumbs up gesture. Then he's simply moving, eyes scanning the area before him. Whether it was a body that held some trace of life, or a soul, or even emotions, the tiefling does he best to locate the creature as per Riss' orders. Alas, his search offers no answers, save a particularly peculiar protrusion from the now frozen pipe. "...Satoshi... That..wasn't an accident. Satoshi! Keep ready- It's a tr-!" ..Oh. That sure sounds like a scream of rage in Riss' direction. "..Nevermind. Riss found him." Somewhere else in the tunnel, several pipes begin to rupture, the sudden build up in pressure caused by the massive ice blockage to blame.


Riss didn't have his head on straight; at least, not until the wings on his back began condensing themselves and shifting the energy flow into the palm of his right hand. With a flash -- though not nearly as bright as the precursors -- Indignation had decided to take the form of a katana, though the amount of power stored in the blade was far greater than Christian had ever seen before. Great. Why couldn't the whole picture come together just a few seconds earlier? With a wide, over the shoulder swing matched by turn-on-heel, the naga-steel katana was brought down, aiming to cleave Corander in half-- but that's not all. No, the extra power Indignation had pulled from Christian's soul was released all at once, creating an arc to match the path of the blade, and it would sure as hell cause some damage if it hit. Of course, Christian couldn't be entirely lucky; the opposing figment's wrench did a good job of smacking Riss across the face, immediately dislodging his jaw and sending him limp into the water. Christian hated water.


Satoshi is in desperate need of foresight. Of course freezing pipes solid is going to make them rupture elsewhere, if she doesn't freeze the entirety of the watersystem. And not even she has the power to stop a torrential flood if it works its way to them. This needs to be remedied before the side effects of her little spell brings the entire lair down on them, and she's in the process of doing so as she spies Christian's face-meet-wrench and subsequent plunge. "I hope Riss likes water," the magus comments, almost too coolly for having just seen her 'brother-in-law' get ambushed. "Should fish him out, love. I got pipes to fix." Obviously Satoshi's not going to be any help currently with Riss' situation, leaving that to the tiefling while she devotes her focus to the imminent threat of a deluge running through the sewer. With staff in hand, the magus sends out her magic, tracing along frozen pipes to the breaks and rushing water. Deep in her concentration, Satoshi sets about urging the waters to move elsewhere, guiding it through old pipework and abandoned tunnels to a new outlet, where the pressure can be released without barreling through them first. The faint sound then of a small eruption and downpour above ground marks the feline's success, "Good news. Fixed the fountain." Followed by a crash of stone and the entrance to the lair blacking out, "And bad news. Broke the fountain, and front door..."


Kasyr ||Pain! Agony! Darkness! "Look...Awa-urgh-ack.." Blood sprayed out from the mans body in a torrent, painting every nearby surface before the center of his body split apart. From the wound, bits of ash and organ poured out, drippling into the water in chunks. It was like every part of his body wanted to resist the sudden inalienable fact that he was dead. Arms flailed, driven by the last frenzied sparks of now sundered synapses- and then, he simply fell back quietly, folding back into the water in two neat halves.


Kasyr could palpably feel Riss consciousness slide away as the back of the tunnel flared with light- and yet, whilst the hybrid might normally be driven to intervene... The interlopers empathic signature abruptly cutting off removed a fair bit of urgency from the tieflings step. Not that he's taking his time or anything, it's just that the hybrids brisking jogging across the ice then leaping off- as opposed to dashing across the tunnel like a madman. He'd still be at his brother in a fairly expedient amount of time, "...Hey, Cherie. Take a bite to eat or something, You stopped Riss from drowning, at least- et I'm sure preventing suffocation won't be so hard. We have plenty of time."


Satoshi uses said time to slump down on the icy pathway and take a much needed moment of respite. Rerouting sewers is no easy feat, even with an archmage-enchanted item present to help, and it's left the kit-vampire worn. Nom heeds Kasyr's words though, once he makes a reappearance, and skitters off to claim a chunk of former wall decor. And he even brings back a choice bloody bit for Satoshi. Such a thoughtful skeletal rodent.


Kasyr || Away... Coranders thoughts had slipped into that sea of Darkness again. Not the chill mix of blood and water- but the waters of oblivion, as familiar as their embrace was. Darkness... How long had it been since he was just a simple worker, whose sole purpose was to keep all the fountains in town working...to ensure that the sewer tunnels didn't block up. That agony... Was it a mugging? Was it a simple act of violence? He'd been stabbed, that much was still clear, at the edge of his tattered mind. Even as the bloody waters flowed towards his body, and carried giblets of flesh to his form- even as two halves became one, and his fractured awareness slowly stitched itself together just as hastily... He focused on the moment he died the first time, of being buried... And coming back. That pain which echoed in his stomach, in his being... It coursed through him then as he did now. He had to feed, to rip out their prying eyes and swallow them- slash their throats and splay them across the walls, so they could play blind witness to his genius, as he slowly melded the town to his design. His body responded to his whims with a startling speed, legs that had buckled, that had been floating listlessly, Now they snapped forward, planting themselves firmly on the gorehidding floor. From beneath the water, one eye opened, giving the ghoul a crimson stained perspective of the room...


Kasyr is fairly close to Riss when he becomes duly aware that something is wrong. Where once there was the simple empathic emanations of Riss, Satoshi, and himself (...Surprisingly, Nom had surprisingly malicious emanations, but it's a mouse), now...now there was another one. Familiar and yet.. In the moment it takes Kasyr to look down at the creature that had been split in twain, the ghoul's risen once more- grotesque arm slamming into the hybrids face and sending him stumbling out of the water. What had once been a slight, wiry creature is apparently no more, the swathe of destruction that Riss had carved through it's body now swollen and bloated with stolen blood and flesh. Still, it's focus was not on Kasyr. No, rather than pursue this new target, the ghoul chooses to deal with a loose end instead, one hand falling into it's pocket to produce a knife- the likes of which is promptly jabbed towards the unconscious Riss' side. From there, It simply moves to press him down into the water and stand on him- to at once pin him down, and drown him- whilst still afforded a somewhat defensible position against the momentarily stunned tiefling. ...And the damn person-thing...just has to shriek again.."Raa-ghk! Gh..."


Kasyr said, "Christian~!"


Riss may, or may not have been awake prior to Kasyr's shout, but it didn't take much for Christian's eyes to open immediately and do his best to avoid the knife coming towards his side with a quick shifting of body in the water, producing a superficial puncture to his back. It was nowhere near as painful as his dislocated jaw, however. Christian knew that the water was the only place the abomination had the advantage; it could move silently through it, and for that reason, he did his best to get back to his feet. With a harsh jerk of his jaw, it was set back into place. "Bastard," muttered between a wince of unbelievable pain. "So, I cut you in half, and you just reform bigger and badder. What happens if we destroy all of your body-- at once?" Christian was almost certain that he had it figured out; you can't bring back what's not there in the first place. It didn't take long for Indignation to reform, and now that Riss was back on his feet, he decided that he wouldn't charge the creature head-on. It would have to come to him.


Satoshi and Nom exchange looks--which Satoshi finds disconcerting, as the mouse only possesses empty sockets--before the feline scrambles to her feet, rodent disappearing up her sleeve as she rests a steadying hand on the still upright staff. The cool surface under her palm still pulses with power, almost begging the mage to be put to use again. "He warned me what you could do to innocents..." Satoshi muses aloud, keeping an eye on the trio ahead of her while she tugs the staff free of the ice. "Let's see what you do to not-so-innocents? Kas~. Be a doll and duck, hm~?" The words, the building blocks to a spell and the tiefling's only warning, come seconds before Satoshi quite simply hurls the frigid rod in a javelin-style, whistling to it as it sails through the air and comes to a dead halt at the ghoul's feet. The instant the staff hits the blood beneath the madman, it bursts into a combination of blinding azure light and freezing mist that enshrouds his mutated form, the sound of rapidly forming ice issuing from the core. "3...2 ... 1..." The feline counts in an eerily cheerful voice, waiting for the mist to subside to reveal her impromptu flashfreeze spell has worked before she emits another whistle, high and shrill enough to pain her own ears. Obediently the ice plays mimic to glass, spidering and cracking throughout its surface and abruptly shattering, hurling a volley of icy, crimson spines in every direction--including Riss and Kasyr's. Satoshi doesn't have foresight, remember?


Kasyr has pretty good reflexes, and this is one of those moments he's particularly grateful for that, as proven by the zeal in which he tosses his arms over his face and huddles inside the protective barrier formed by his armoured trenchcoat. Even still, the barrier of leather and preklek plate isn't impervious to the sudden assault of ice- those countless impacts leaving the tiefling with a few sore spots- not to mention the cuts from where they breached chinks in his armour. It's only when the hybrid no longer feels anything that he finally stands, casting aside the trenchcoat to survey the damage. There's no deranged killer to greet him, however- thus, his reaction is altogether simple, "Thank you, mon cher...but I think we're leaving now, before anything else stupid, weird, or disturbing happens." Which is all the hybrid says, before pointing his hand towards the ceiling, and promptly obliterating a portion of it with a hastily invoked fire bolt. The hybrid even manages to sideste the brick that nearly lands squarely on his head. "...Right, So, I'll give a boot to you two, et we can leave. I hate this town, et this place, et I'm not eating anything that might possibly regrow in my stomach. ...Maybe we'll find a wolf or something.." Offering a grumpy look to noone in particular, the hybrid then simply clasps his hands together in preparation for helping those two get out.


Riss didn't have the reflexes that Kasyr did, not after having that run-in with a wrench; he had few choices, and none of them were enjoyable. Instead of putting forth the effort to gracefully dodge each oncoming shard of ice, Christian decided to drop to the ground, face and all soaked with that mixture of blood and sewer-water. How classy. After they had all passed overhead, Riss's discolored face was lifted from the muck, obvious displeasure tugging downwards on his lips. "Agreed," and with that, he hopped to his feet once more and started making his way back towards Kasyr.


Satoshi loiters long enough to retrieve fallen staff and Nom--who's occupied gnawing on a portion of wall--before she shuffles wearily over to Kasyr. "... 'm hungry..." the feline complains quietly, offering Riss the faintest of apologetic grins for her not so well-thought out spell and adding, "You've got somethin' on your face..."


Kasyr eyes both Riss and Satoshi, before simply shaking his head. "The first thing tu say...vraiment. Et bien, I suppose It's a good sign..." Without further ado, the hybrid simply coughs, before glancing down at the improvised stepping stone provided by his hands, "In case you didn't get the hint, I'm offering you both a boost so we can leave quickly, hmm? ...Et...Er. Did either of vous hear an ominous crackling just now?" Perhaps crackling isn't the most appropriate terms, really. Whilst the sound of ice breaking certainly can be heard, there's something behind it that's far more prevalent- an odd crunching noise coming from the back of the tunnel. Odd, because of the peculiar squelching noise which seemed to follow after it- as it grows nearer at a hastening pace, "...This is...time to leave, oui? We already did our heroic action for the day. I wash my hands of this. Oui"


Riss shot a glare to Satoshi before giving a quick wipe of his face. "Thanks. I didn't know-- it's not like I couldn't feel the damn blood all over my fa--" It was then that he started hearing the crackling from the back of the tunnel. "Kitten, ladies first. Hurry the hell up."


Satoshi hurriedly takes the offered boost out of the sewers, whilst commenting, "Could do it myself, if I wasn't tired. So ya know." A cat's got to keep her dignity intact somehow, especially while trying to high-tail it out of a ghoul's lair.


Kasyr manages a faint smirk at Satoshi, before his attention swivels back over to Riss, "Okay, et now for you- allez...et..Oh." Whatever the hybrid was about to say is lost, the source of the approaching noise finally rushing into view. Cutting through those tainted 'waters' now came a mass of rotting flesh, dragging itself along the ground by a pair of mangled, fingerless arms. It isn't the grotesque appearance that disquiets the tiefling, however. No, what bothers him is 'face' that's drawing closer with every passing moment; lacking any defining features, save for a wide gash across it's front into the form of a mouth. Whenever the creature moves forward, the corpses within its' immediate vicinity liquefy, pouring into the waters to ultimately slither into the beasts maw- or simply add onto the beasts overall mass. "...Ghoul... Mon Dieu. That's the ghoul..." It's that last revelation that forces the hybrid into action, one hand shooting out with the intent of catching Christian by the shoulder, if only so the hybrid can hurl him clear of the sewer. Which should hopefully save him from what ensues- as one of the ghoulish abberations arms shoots forward- filling the tunnel as a whole. With nowhere to go, the hybrid simply crashes into and through the back wall of the tunnel- to sprawl out somewhere within the depths of the actual sewer system. On the bright side, it doesn't seem to be able to assimilate a vampires corpse into it's body. ...Unfortunately, with the amount of bodies that -had- been strewn across the ghouls lair, the loss of one body is rather trivial...


Riss |The ground began to crack, shatter like glass, though the thing that was breaking this was far larger than any pebble. The form of a giant maggot was hardly visible through the dust that erupted into the air, dust that settled and became moist against the maggot's slimy skin. Christian, barely snatched in time from the arm-filled tunnel, was capable of getting one last, good look at it. "Damn! This bastard's getting ug--" then, to cut him off mid-sentence, a god-awful shriek rang through the air. "Donnnn't look a me!" Hard, considering the ghoul had become the size of a small building. Great-- is there any way to kill this guy?


Satoshi scrambles toward the still gushing 'fountain', determined to not be returned to the sewers she's just escaped from as the ground's broken apart. "Oi! Ugly's got more lives than a cat~!" she comments to no one in particular as she takes refuge behind the geyser of fouled water, hardly caring she's already been soaked through by the mage-made downpour. "Any ideas?" The feline, for the sake of thinking aloud, asks Nom. Only to receive an unpleasant squelching in reply as the skeletal mouse devours the last of his bloody sewer-souvenir. "...How can you eat at a time like this? ...Hrm." Lightbulb moment, quite possibly. But she's going to need a moment to gather what little energy she has before testing the idea. And a decoy. "Riss~. Keep him busy~?"


Kasyr ... is likely still on his back in the sewer, wondering if he just got sucker punched by a dragon-in-disguise. Which leaves the focus strictly on the grotesque and ghoulish Figment~ Which by this point, is just about done pulling itself free of it's ruined lair. Bit by bit, the last dredges of fleshy refuse pour out from it's lair- taking the shape of malformed claws, which are promptly slammed into the ground on two sides of the fountain. With It's arms effectively blocking off retreat from either side- it then simply drags itself forward, mouth agape as it tries to eat anything that might rest between itself and the fountain.


Riss couldn't believe how absolutely grotesque the ghoul had become, ravenous hunger incarnate slinking its way with mouth agape. Christian looked left-- blocked. Right-- blocked. There weren't many places left to go; over the fountain, or into its stomach. Christian chose the former, thankfully, backpedaling before turning on heel and running to climb through the fountain to the other side, safe from harms way. "Kas! You need to turn this bastard to ashes, got it?" he shouted, a rhetorical question.


Satoshi shoots Riss a withering look to thank him for being a wonderful decoy as he joins her behind the fountain. ... With Ugly not far behind. So much for buying herself time for a proper spell. Placing a hand on frost blade and watery scarf, Satoshi begins siphoning energy from both as she backpedals and murmurs the necessary arcane words. A few more seconds and the makeshift rain solidifies into concentrated hail, save that the pellets are... moving. And squeaking. Water droplets transform and freeze as they leave the fountain, a veritable hailstorm of living--Nom inspired--ice-rats and snow-mice pouring down upon the ghoul with one directive in mind. Eat and run. She's curious just how far his apparent regenerating abilities reach. "...Don't have enough to make it rain cats and dogs, though..." The magus manages with a lopsided grin, pouring the remainder of her energy and hopes into the voracious frost rodents that eagerly pick apart the ghoul with their swarm of tiny teeth.


Kasyr is gathering himself to his feet, by this point. Whilst he is more than appreciative of the brief respite he'd gained...He's more than aware that the others were, at least on some level or another, depending on him. ...Either that, or they had both run to the hills and hoped he'd be able to make due on his own. ...But they were probably depending on him. - On the other hand, Corrander, or at least, the horrible monstrous maggoty abberation formerly known as Corrander~ doesn't look too pleased at this latest development. What had been a simple attempt at devouring one of his aggressors had somehow turned into an ironic debacle- with numerous glacial rodents now picking apart at his flesh. Whilst individually, the mice had very little hope of causing any real sort of harm to the now more than building sized 'ghoul'- the entire swarm is enough to provoke the beast into shrieking- just before it slams its' claws into the fountain it held so dear. From there, the beast simply twists in place, moving to roll over onto its' back with full intent to crush as many of the wretched creatures as it can. Over and over it rolls- slowly cracking apart Riss and Satoshis' shared hiding spot. ...Interestingly enough, if Satoshi did care to poke her head out and risk possibly getting pelted by part of her hiding place- the beast didn't seem to be regenerating those particular portions of it's body, however small they might be.


Riss noticed that it wasn't regenerating, and that caused a somewhat sinister smile to take over his lips. Indignation, already formed, took note of the monster's key to success being stripped from it as well, and for that reason, it began to produce a certain aura around its blade once more. "Satie, you think you can keep it occupied just a bit longer? This thing is going to be gone for good pretty soon." Of course, Satoshi being in such a close vicinity to the holy-energy infused Indignation couldn't have been all too pleasant, but Christian didn't have many more choices. He had to hit him with every last bit of his power.


Satoshi hisses in a mixture of pain and vexation, although it's difficult to tell if the reaction is a result of the overgrown mutant pulverizing her short-lived rodent army or Riss' combination of question and holy weapon. Stumbling backwards, driven by instinct to keep out of Indignation's immediate vicinity, Satoshi manages something of a reply for Christian, albeit her words are heavily stained with the tail end of her waning spell and the distracted--and semi-successful--dodging of flying masonry. "No~. That's all of what I got..." Which is to say, the enchantment comes to an end and the last of the rodents to descend on the ghoul are a particularly large rat and a pair of fat mice, landing squarely on his exposed stomach with a trio of wet thuds. She can only assume the three gnawing and burrowing rapidly into his gut will prove distracting enough for Riss to do... whatever he's planning on doing.


Kasyr quite literally claws his way out of the sewer, A gauntlet guised Gospel thrust through the pavement, if only so the hybrid can scramble onto the surface. From there, he simply goes to look for the nearest house, before simply scaling up along it's side with the aid of his gauntlets, a window sill, and a creative use of his scarf and a nearby chimney. Now, while this is all good and great, it does nothing to stop the ghoul from moving. Whilst 3 rodents get under the beasts skin, the creature itself works to right itself anew- the fountain cracking as it once more rights itself. It doesn't stop there, however- the creature lifting it's arms away from the ravaged town square, if only to reach over to a house near where it emerged. Carelessly, one clawed hand is jutted forward, driving partway through the building, before the other hand clumsily reaches into the roof and tears free a rather hefty chunk of the edifice. With one more mighty screech, the beast hurls the chunk of the house towards Riss and Satoshi- quite intent on flattening the relative area they occupy.


Riss couldn't win in any situation. It was either stay and be flattened by a chunk of house, or move and lose the concentration required for Indignation to carry out a final assault; and, of course, Christian chose the latter, turning tail and flat-out sprinting from the hurled house. After narrowly escaping, his body lurched forward, Indignation lodged within the ground, for him to lean on and take a short breather. "Great..." managed to leave his lips in between heavy breaths, the beginning of a rant cut short by a chunk of stone that was sent hurling from the massive crash, hitting his right shoulder and effectively dislodging the the joint. Only a harsh wince alongside a gritting of teeth was the aftermath of this. With the left, less proficient arm, he drew Indignation from the ground and turned back to the overgrown maggot. Hopefully Kasyr could do something to slow it down.


Satoshi feels decidedly threatened and defenseless watching the mass of roof hurtling her way, and it's exactly that state of mind that's needed to bring life to the blue steel ring on her right hand. The avian Cerinii's gift, meant to protect Frostmaw's queen when she can't protect herself, erupts into existence with a blinding flash of azure light, tiny ring swiftly reshaping itself into a titanium-and-ice roundshield suitable for a giant. Without a second thought Satoshi buckles under its immense weight, ducking down and going through her own rapid form change from humanoid to fully cat as the shield clatters over her, effectively becoming a domed shell over the now much smaller feline. Half a building crashing down upon it is not enough to even dent the avian-construct, keeping Satoshi unharmed. And buried in rubble. Damn that lack of foresight...


Kasyr can't help but let out a sigh of a relief when he notices both Riss and Satoshi pull through the latest assault in one piece. Well, more sense that they're fine, given Riss is obscured by the house that had crashed behind him, and Satoshi is obscured by the house that landed on -top- of her. The 'Ghoul', in all it's grotesque and maggot-like glory, is less intuitive with what it does and doesn't know- something which leads to it crawling towards the house it had just hurled, Clawed hands grasping at chunks of the destroyed house- seeking through the ruins for the familiar touch of dead and mangled flesh. The tiefling isn't idle during this time- furiously rushing across the rooftops in an attempt to close the distance between himself and the unfortunately oversized aggressor. It's only after a particularly forceful landing upon a rooftop that the Ghoul pays any sort of heed to Kasyr, as the tieflings foot slams through the weakened clay and wood of the house that had formerly been the neighbour of the one strewn across the ground. For one brief moment, the paladins arms flail out in a sad caricature of flight, fingers futilely lashing out as though in search of some invisible lifeline. As though sensing that weakness, the beast that is 'Corrander' begins to turn in place- at once writhing and clawing it's way around so that it faces the hybrid. Raising one clawed appendage up, the maggot thing gurgles out one more scream of, "Stoph- Looooking!" before it's arm slams down towards the tiefling with every intention of smearing him across the insides of the house. The tiefling isn't panicked however.. at least, not any more than he was when generally in a life or death situation. He had, after all, been given the time to straighten up and dislodge his foot from the hole he'd made in the roof- "Et hey, Here I was worried I wouldn't be close enough." With no heed to himself, the hybrid simply swings towards the uncoming 'fist', intuitively aware of the cold black 'steel' that was manifesting within his grasp- taking on the form of the ominous broad sword he was ever so fond of wielding. "Ignite!" It's with those words that blade meets flesh- shearing through reanimated tissue with a voracity becoming the abberations namesake; that enraged sibilant shrieks rip through the air. A prelude of things to come, as both Hybrid and Blades energies pour outwards in the form of a massive flaming serpent. Poor 'Corrander' doesn't even have time to contemplate the sudden loss of equilibrium as the entirety of one limb is savagely burned inside and out- and then detonated. Hell, Kasyr doesn't even have the time to admire his handiwork- his attention snapping back to the creatures other arm. ...The one that, during it's wild flailing, is headed towards him. Once more, the tiefling begins to focus- pushing a different form of magic into his weapon. The only problem is, whilst before he had the time it took the creature to turn around- this time, the hybrid has all of a few seconds to imbue his blade with as much of his energy as possible. With the back of the things palm hurtling down towards him, the hybrid simply shakes his head, before winding back- and swinging. Yet another shriek rips through the air, yet this time, there's a key difference. Where before, it was the crackle of flame that heralded a crash- this exchange starts with one, as 'Corrander' rears back from a relatively Tiefling sized hole in the roof that leads straight towards the sewer system. Not that the ghoul can really focus on it- since it's rather busy tilting over onto it's back, and its 'remaining' hand is busy shattering into pieces from the sheer amount of kinetic and magical force that was discharged into it. ...Enough to say, send a relatively humanoid creature smashing into the ground vis a vis backlash.


Riss could feel the energy that laced the air with certain unease, so much so that Indignation became frightened, once again in the presence of the weapon that had ended its mortal life. Shatter, and the blade was gone, drifting away in the form of those brilliant, intangible feathers with the wind. Christian had thought that it was all over, that his brother had managed to end the monstrosity, but he was far from correct in his assumptions. It seemed that every movement Corrander made against the ground caused it to shake, tremor with incredible strength; the beast was hindered, but not quite dead. Riss hopped from piece of rubble to piece of rubble that had once been someone's home, reaching the top of the mound to see the beast still squirming, writhing in the pain his brother had put it through. Hell, even it couldn't take the loss of an arm. "Listen here, are we really going to let ~them~ show ~us~ up? Come on, you're just as strong as Gospel now, right?" he lied to Indignation, though even it couldn't help feel inspired, just a bit. Christian's hand moved to his right shoulder, a quick jerk setting the joint back into place, but no clenching of teeth followed afterward, but instead of half-cocked grin. The hole that Kasyr carved into Corrander partially revealed its true body, in full form despite the nibbling of Satoshi's numerous mice, and the searing power of his brother and Gospel's assault. "If we take ~him~ out, it's all over. You can rest. So, what do you say? Hm? One last time? Please~" he begged his own weapon, childishly before a small, submissive squall could be heard from inside Christian's soul. Indignation had decided that it was finally time to show Gospel up, that it would finally bestow Christian the fullest of its power: its final form. Despite sacrificing his Aeromancy in a deal with the Dragons, air currents seemed to shift, circulating around Riss, but-- it wasn't normal-- the feel of it, it was different. Tiny feathers swirled through the air, pristine, gracing every part of Christian's body with the softest of touches before consolidating within his palm, coming together to form a massive great-sword, but, like all of the other virtuous and sinful weapons, seemed to hold no weight within Christian's grasp. If Indignation had done so much work, then why shouldn't its partner too? Despite knowing the risks, knowing that his internal organs would suffer a great amount of damage, he shut his eyes, allowing the power the Dragons had bestowed upon him take shape, causing vibrations on the molecular level that shifted Christian in and out of this phase of reality. Blink, and you'd miss it: with a push of those battered, wooden sandals against crumbled house, he was launched into the air, great-sword gripped with both hands, dragging behind him. Kasyr's assault rendered Corrander helpless against whatever Riss could throw at him for the time being, and as blade made contact with decayed, maggot-like flesh, an aura surrounded it, constantly shifting, constantly ripping away at whatever it made contact with. Feet glided along the flesh, seemingly without friction, without anything to slow them in their path, sword following in suit, carving away, sawing away at whatever it made contact with until the energy that surrounded the blade dug deep enough to reach Corrander. Would it be enough to end him, Christian couldn't say for sure, but generally, any sort of undead didn't get along with Indignation's power.


Satoshi is left with the feeling that she's missing all the fireworks while cozily trapped beneath the dome shield. At least Nom is present to keep her company... while trying to chew on her whiskers.


Kasyr ...is wiggling a tooth back into place, due to the combined backlash of his last hit, and Corranders attempt at planting him into the ground. Overall, the tiefling doesn't seem that hard pressed, however- as though he's somewhat aware that Christian has the situation in hand. ...Or at least, should. That, and the hybrid doesn't really feel like using the layers of debris he's currently using as a couch to climb out of the sewer system and back into the Fray. Inversely, Corranders rather busy. Being dismembered. Well, Dismembered isn't exactly appropriate, so much as rendered into fleshy mulch- when the chunks of him weren't turning to ash, bursting into scorched gristle due to friction, or just otherwise having bits of himself being propelled in various directions due to Christians vicious assault. It doesn't even have time to roll over and crush Riss- Only managing a half-hearted attempt, before the humanoid body at it's core is rendered unusable. ...And unreviveable, due to the mass of reanimated flesh which lurked around it- refusing to heed it's owners need.

Riss eventually ended his assault, right as he realized that the monstrosity wouldn't be an issue any longer. Atop of a mound of dismembered flesh, Christian gave one final jab of his sword before hopping from it, convinced that he was still in perfect condition even after using such an unrefined, dangerous ability. Upon impact with the ground, he immediately hit his knees, a churning of stomach which led to the vomiting of blood taking place. "Oh hell--" Christian managed to squeeze out before falling face-first into the ground, Indignation disappearing alongside his unconsciousness.


Satoshi is really wishing she had a deck of cards right about now. Or was in a form with thumbs, so she could twiddle them while waiting oh so patiently.


Kasyr essentially 'sees' Coranders obliteration, his empathy allowing him to casually observe those last few moments of panic, fear and agony in an altogether different perspective. Better yet, it also allowed him the simple leisure of watching the Ghouls construct slowly slip apart- as Corranders energies flowed out from the ruins of flesh...thus robbing it of it's empathic charge. Really, the only reason the hybrid even starts moving is the concern that flares up in Riss right before he loses consciousness. With a sigh, the tiefling simply hops to his feet, and begins to climb out of the hole he fell into. ...On the bright side, it's not an overly long climb,. since he simply needs to reach the first floor- since there's a front door he can use. Once done, well, he'll just saunter over to Riss,and see if he can't be woken up by a careful mixture of a paladins healing hands...and being slapped upside the face. At the very least, it would make him useful long enough to find Satoshi.


Riss was slapped in the face, but it did little good. Kasyr would have to retrieve Kitten all on his own. Of course, one could question whether or not Christian was really unable to move or not. Wait-- was that a snore?


Satoshi doesn't care who the hell finds her, so long as -someone- does. Well... no, she'd prefer it not be another Corrander, if that isn't too much to ask.


Kasyr sighs. Not of worry, or anything- no, more like disappointment, or aggravation. "Way to fall asleep. If you ever get a woman again, I'm telling her tu snore in your sleep. Mon dieu." And, with that, the hybrid simply goes to the ruins of the house, where he begins to rummage, shove, toss, and otherwise carve through the debris that stands between himself and Satoshi. ...So, really, she'll be unburied in a sort of gradual manner. If only there was some manner to fast-forward to that point, without some pointless exposition.


Satoshi is freed! Thanks to a semi-diligent tiefling and useful fast-forwarding. Which is to say, as soon as the last of the former house is removed, the shield dissolves in a crackle of ice and the hybrid is in for an ecstatic pounce from a bundle of fluff. And the skeletal mouse decides Riss is in need of some hero-worship as well, in the form of gnawing at his hand. Not having a stomach leaves an undead mouse forever hungry.


Kasyr is pounced! And, well, that's pretty much enough to sidetrack the hybrid in the immediate moment. Really, that would almost be worrisome, given the maniacs roaming about town. ...Were it not for the fact that the hybrid has simply taken to piling the debris around Riss, with a door handily placed at the top of the pile. Hopefully, his brother wouldn't take poorly to being partially buried alive. ...It was for his safety, anyways.


Riss | It could have been the mouse gnawing away at his flesh, or maybe the stone placed around him by Kasyr, but something woke Christian from his slumber, and immediately he shouted, "Don't you bury me, bastard!" Of course, this was followed by the vomiting of blood mixed with gastric juices. Soon after, he rose to his feel, going so far as to even give a little hop. It should've been damn obvious he wasn't alright, though. Blood still trickled from his mouth, and down his chin.


Satoshi has abandoned her smaller form, but not her clinging to the tiefling. Rather, she's all the more clingy, tugging at his sleeve insistently while burying her face into his shoulder. "There's... a lotta blood here..." Not much more of an explanation is needed from the mage, is there?


Kasyr glances over to Christian, before simply wrapping an arm about Satoshi. "...There es. ..Maybe we'll find one of the denizens of the city, et such. ...I'm not trusting any of it here- since...it's tainted et all." Which is all the hybrid has to say on the matter, before he starts walking. After all, they still had to leave the city- and they'd likely be waylaid by someone..or something..else along the way.


Riss followed, raising a sleeve of his trench-coat to wipe the blood that still dripped from his mouth, staining it a deep rust color. "Ugh. I want to leave this place already. Why'd you convince me to help you out again?"