3959/Penumbra of the Old Dark

Penumbra of the Old Dark
Date of Scene:	29 March 2016
Location:	Great Painting of Ariamis <PoA>
Synopsis:	Upon his death, the core essence of Manus, the Primordial Man, has split off into several pieces and gone its separate ways, and with it, so has the Abyss shattered. It is one of these remaining pockets, over the ruins of old Oolacile, that Elites investigate.
Cast of Characters:	Tomoe, Priscilla, 168, 513, Eryl Fairfax, Ayako Hasekawa, Lezard Valeth, 941

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Priscilla has posed:
    For a change, Elites depart from outside of Lordran, without an escort. Priscilla has come in person, without knights or clerics or pilgrims. That should speak to whether the matter is less severe, or whether it simply shouldn't be handled, or trusted, with anyone else. The path is not far from the City of the Gods in the literal sense. The shadow of the improbably massive and steep mountain wall is over the party the entire time it takes for them to walk the increasingly rough and overgrown flagstone path, until the trees overhead cast a deeper darkness, approaching a moonless, starless midnight, lit up only by lone, waist high flowers that cast sizable islands of soft, golden light, causing their pollen to glitter as to floats about on the barest breeze.

    Returnees will recognize it as the Darkroot Wood, and unlike everywhere else on the continent, this place seems to have stubbornly refused change, as if no time has passed, and nothing from the outside world has ever once troubled it. Every surface is covered in green, hundreds of years and moss and vines and creepers scaling everything from the high, rocky walls that reduce parts of the forest into meandering labyrinths and sheer cliffs, the even older trees that soar so far up that their boughs leave the natural lighting and become invisible, and the frequent, crumbling reminders of buildings that must have stood here before, some of them even very tall for their advanced age. It is dark, quiet, and yet oddly cold for a living forest, where anything that isn't hidden in the dark is instead cloaked in mist. It is far from silent or still however. At all times, people can hear rustling, slithering, and what sound like footsteps, but never hear the calls of any animal or insect, as if everything is hiding from everything else, or else all of the forest's inhabitants lie in wait for travellers.

    For a change, they do little to bother the intruders. Even Alvina, ancient keeper of the wood, must have heard something about Priscilla's new position, or at least the indingenous creatures are put off by her aura. She speaks as the group walks, leading them straight through rather than cautiously around in the wake of their previous guide on the inside, towards the echoing sound of a distant, roaring waterfall. "What is to be observed today is to remain within thine, or rather, outside of the ranks of the people here." Are some of the first words out of her mouth other than directions.

    "To restore order to this country, this reality, our journeys required us to head deep into the heart of the Abyss; once an entire world beneath and mirror to our own, inimical to all known life, and unlivable to any that possesseth a soul, as surely as a fish cannot live upon land. At its heart, we destroyed its master and reclaimed it's Dark Soul, and upon breaking the cycle of this world, Fire and Dark were uncoupled, and the light shattered the Abyss into many pieces, now bereft of will and form, cloistered in the far cracks of the world." Finally, breaking past the trees, the group arrives at a massive stone bridge, likewise caked in green, but worn grey where the moss cannot cling for the rushing waters beneath, terminating into a waterfall.

    Across the opposite side, the earth simply drops away, abruptly ceasing to exist as if it had been erased for miles down. Even the dim light of the woods cannot explain the impenetrable blackness that appears less than twenty meters down, and continues off into the distance, darker than the inside of one's eyelids, like dead pixels in the world. The unmistakable sound of whispering can be heard from deep within, wafting up on nonexistent currents, accompanied by the strong, yet implacable sense that one has been here before, a long, long time ago. "I wouldst hath thee survey it." Priscilla concludes.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    It's been a while since Eryl was last here.

    Sen's Fortress was the last time, as he recalls. That embarrassing death sticks in his mind like tar. So foolish, of course there would be more to the boulders than clay... but no, no time to dwell on that. There are matters to attend to now.

    The trip along the path out of Anor Londo and under the cool canopy of the Darkroot Woods is a relatively pleasant one. Certainly much prettier than his normal walks, what with the trees and bioluminescent plants. At least, Original Face assumes they are bioluminescent. Probably for the best.

    But don't think for a second that Priscilla's lack of entourage goes unnoticed. Eryl has it pegged the moment they set off, but he remains silent. He assumes that, at the very least, it might just be a matter of her wanting to get away from it all. He wouldn't blame her.

    But from the sounds of things, there's more to it than that. "I'll not tell a soul. But I'm curious, what excuse have you given to be away from Anor Londo today? In cases like this, it's always best to get our stories straight." But before he can get an answer, they arrive.

    And what a destination it is.

    Eryl looks to the vast nothingness, his implants working to maintain his balance and expression in the face of sudden vertigo. The whispers are dismissed as the brain's desire to find meaningful stimulus in the face of such emptiness, the analysis going completely ignored for a moment as he takes it all in.

    Finally, his licks his dry lips and says, "Survey this? I certainly hope you don't mean the whole thing. That would take another 100 years from the looks of it." A meagre attempt at injecting joviality.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako Hasekawa is here dressed in her witch-ish outfit, sitting side-saddle on her floating broomstick. Of course, Ayako has already cast her Water Bubble barrier on everyone in the group. Even though Lordran has changed a lot for the better, it still is Lordran. Best to be safe! Doubly so since the group isn't here as phantoms.

    Ayako's amber gaze slowly takes in the surroundings as the group walks on. She then blinks her eyes and quickly looks in Priscilla's direction once she starts to speak. "So it broke apart and there are... chunks of it all over Lordran now?"

Mel Brock (941) has posed:
    "I think we're just here to survey this... chunk of Abyss, or whatever it is," Mel replies to Eryl.

    The psychic spends most of the time walking with her hands in her coat pockets, looking around at the landscape with an expression that's difficult to read. The whole place is... awe-inspiring. Humbling. A little frightening, especially once they reach the darkness of the Darkroot Wood. This is a place of giants, and hostile ones at that. And, well...

    "I'm also beginning to think that a psychic coming along to survey a chunk of... shadowy anti-soul, or whatever this is, was a bad idea on my part." She's not going to bail out now, of course, but she's also starting to realize that maybe she shouldn't have started. Nevertheless, she walks on.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan remains as stoic as ever. "Understood. We shall examine it with due respect for the privacy." He leaves the history uncommented on, but nods, agreeing with it. "A low-concentration state is optimal. If the Abyss remains, but stays in a scattered state of lacking growth, then ideally a form of long-term equilibrium can be established with the Flame."

    Eryl gets an emotionless headshake. "The Abyss does not obey laws of distance and size of that sort. It is conceptual. Surveying does not experience the limitations you speak of. We need only enter and explore." Mel gets a headshake. "I believe that in the current damaged state, it does not pose an excessively cognitohazardous risk to you. Please exercise due caution when staring, in whatever capacity you stare, into the abyss."

    He approaches the dark abyss and stares down into it. He is always, always worried about excursions into the abyss. "I would like another with more combat capability to act as my vanguard." He says. "For practicality." Hopefully someone will take up this request. "Priscilla, do you still have the enchantments devised by Lezard? Please provide them to the new visitors. Those of you visiting for the first time, step into the abyss. The fall is harmless, as is the stop at the bottom. One need only worry about what one finds there."

Finna (513) has posed:
As usual, Finna's chosen to deal with problems in her fox form. She pads through the forest while Priscilla explains almost entirely silently, having no trouble with the gloom and the unsteady footing. or keeping up, for that matter.

    "Pieces of shadow, spread across the land. Trouble for anyone near it?" Her voice is light and perky, but the Lunar's eyes are as sharp as her fangs.

    Then... as the group nears the Tainted Lands... Moonsilver lines shimmer in tribal patterns through her white fur, a reaction similar to when exposed to the Twilight that plagued Hyrule, but far tamer.

    Finna's brave enough to walk up right to the edge of this abyss... but no further. The white fox lowers her head and scratches her ears, bothered pretty badly by the whispering.

    "... the BIGGEST trouble ever! How do you make it go away?! It's like the Twilight. .... Worse than the Twilight."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "We do not make it go away." Nathan says, shaking his head at Finna. "We make it less harmful. Shadow is a logical result of light. The Abyss must exist in as much as the First Flame must exist. However, through understanding and guiding it, preventing it from growing, we can allow both to exist, as each requires the other." One hand is held out above the Abyss, the other above the land at its border, as if emphasizing.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako looks over to Nathan and scoots forward on top of her broomstick. She pats the broomstick portion behind her that's in front of the brush. "Nathan, I'll be your shield." She smiles cheerfully. "I might not be quite as a good as Psyber at it, but... I'll try!"

Priscilla has posed:
    "Excuse?" Priscilla asks Eryl in return, blinking once. "I hath no need of excuses as to where I set foot within Lordran's borders. The Great Lord Gwyn needed none, after all. He was a warrior as well as a king, and I supposeth I am as well, to some extent." She looks to Ayako. "I wouldst not sayeth all over. Solaire hast identified no more than four in his tour around the country with the Iron Knights, and with the aid of the Darkmoon Blades, now under his command that their previous leader is justly slain. I pray that there are no more than such." It takes a few moments for the gears to tick at the word 'psychic'.

    "Lady Brock, and Sir Hall, art correct. I expecteth thee not to painstakingly map out every inch of what couldst possibly be down there, assuming it wouldst obey such laws as distance in its diminished form. It is said that the Abyss swallowed the city once built here in ages past, so it is perhaps unsurprising that it shouldst hath retreated to this location. I simply wish to ascertain as to whether or not it is a threat."

    Of course Priscilla has the stones, if they're still needed that is. She hands them out one by one; odd crystals affixed to fine ropes to be worn like a pendant, swirling grey patterns partially obscuring bubbling black within. "It is as the General says. There is no use in scaling down carefully. Within an hour or two, I wouldst wish to see thee return. Radios hath a habit of being unable to breach the boundary."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl smiles at Priscilla, nodding at her words. "The ability to go anywhere without justifying yourself? I've never known such a thing. My apologies for such a foolish question." He then rubs the back of his head as Nathan explains the nature of the Abyss. "Things I would know if I had been there. I apologize for my uninformed statement. So, the Abyss must be kept in check and prevented from spreading. Very good."

    He quickly assesses the group. Ayako is a supportive role, Finna works best when she can move about, Mel is an unknown but seems rather frail...

    But, as Ayako volunteers before he can, he does nod a little. She has a whole extra dimension of movement to offer. It makes sense. The best defence is staying out of the way, and he can provide better tactical advice from an aerial position. He accepts the stone and slips it on immediately, allowing it to nestle against the other pendant he wears. "We'll not be long at all." The diplomat peers down at the darkness, Original Face making estimates of distance in a medium where such concepts hold little meaning.

    And so, ignoring all warnings for doing so, he steps off the edge.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan still has his enchantment, already affixed at his neck. "Your objective is thus: Locate any signs or sites of growth or expansion. Investigate any signs of current harm. Through experimentation, or through the potential conversation one may find within, discern any necessary actions to secure the world of the Flame against the Abyss." He takes a side-saddle seat on the broomstick, looking far more unsteady on it than his robotic composure and tone seems to indicate. "I will meet you within the Abyss."

    Ayako's descent will be his own, shortly.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
"If one would explore the darkness of the Abyss, I would be honored to join you."

Light bootsteps announce the arrival of Lezard Valeth, looking over the group with an amused expression. "Long have I had an interest in the nature of this place, and my own research has been... Tempered." He doesn't seem to be commenting about the circumstances of the situation. His expression and belated arrival likely say everything that respect. He looks down off the bridge, into the literal abyss which hides a conceptual one.

With a flick of a hand, he produces his own necklace, one of those produced to help displace the effects of the Abyss, and puts it around his neck. "I will see you all anon." He says, not apprently bothering to waste time on smalltalk... Or objections to his presence.

There always seems to be but one way to enter the Abyss, and Lezard does that with a knowing smile, leaping from the bridge and spreading his arms wide as he spins through the air, descending to join the others.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako nods her head once quickly. "Four. Four is good! Here's hoping there isn't a fifth hiding somewhere for people to wander into." Her amber eyes glance over to the whispering darkness and she shudders lightly. Just being near the pocket of abyss creeps her out. And... entering it? "Umm..."

    She floats over quickly to Priscilla and takes one of the stones. "I... I think I'll take one of those." A free hand takes off her large witch hat for a moment to slip the rope of the pendant around her neck. "A little help never hurt!"

    Ayako turns towards Nathan as he succinctly goes over what to do inside the Abyss. She nods her head once and then smiles once he takes a seat next to her on the broom. "Alright... here we go..." She makes sure to stay behind, or rather, as Eryl drops off the edge into the Abyss, just above Eryl. Best to let someone else go first just in case!

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe ghad come as a projection again to Lordran, even with the progress that had been made here, coming as her self? Would be a hinderance to anyone working here. Still this world that had dangers tht could harm her directly so she wasn't going to take this lightly and hopefully never would. IT been a long time since she'd been to the Darkroot wood and she was looking out at the place, it hadn't changed much.

"The local wildlife is calmer than it used to ne."

SNotes as she falls in and listnes to just what needs to be done here as she walks along the bridge and seems to be keeping pate as they need to survey it. She nods to Priscilla and thinks for a moment on what has been said.

"If that's what we need to do? I could look over things from the air for things of note if it's needed Lay Priscilla."

Mel Brock (941) has posed:
    Ayako isn't the only one now staying close to Nathan; Marshal Brock takes a step or two his way when he makes the request as well, her sidearm floating out from inside her jacket and settling into her hand. "I'll help with that." And the other hand... gets some kind of odd crystal? Mel looks at it, brow furrowed, and then puts it around her neck. Might as well. "So what exactly does this do?" she asks idly.

    When Ayako goes over the edge, Mel steps off as well. "I'd just like it on record that this is a little insane. Tiny bit."

Finna (513) has posed:
The moment Ayako hops onto her broom... so does Finna! Right on the front in fact, balanced perfectly despite having no obvious way to maintain that posture with her tiny paws. She makes one triumphant YIP!

    "Ayako for defense, me for offense, Nathan for... we all know what he's good at." She just doesn't have a simple, single word to bark out for it.

    DOWN, DOWN TO GOBLIN TOWN THEY GO!

    Hopefully no goblins. Hopefully.

Priscilla has posed:
    "It ensures that, shouldst the presence of Primeval Man remaineth, thou shalt not be consumed." Priscilla offers to Mel, much less helpfully than she has previously been about explaining things on the way.

    Plunging off the edge, there is a brief period where the wind whips through one's clothes and hair as the acceleration of gravity kicks in, roaring in ears and stinging at eyes, before one passes the threshold into the shadow, and the sensations abruptly stop. They are left floating in a deep, all encompassing blackness, the world above vanishing immediately as soon as they cross. There is still the feeling of acceleration, of speed and vertigo and blood rushing to the head, but it doesn't seem to cap out or end, until everyone comes to an extremely abrupt stop on a hard, unyielding floor. Oddly, the sensation is jarring, but not painful, despite the fact it should have liquefied everyone's organs (or turned Ayako into a puddle) at that speed.

    It's a bit of a different sight than when the couple of returnees had last been somewhere like this. As usual, the Dark crushes from all around, dramatically restricting the reach and penetration of all forms of light, barely a enough to see where anyone is walking. The irrational sense of many, many eyes being upon oneself persists, not from any particular direction, but as if the air itself is watching, save for the fact that there doesn't seem to be any, as no manner of speedy movement will conjure anything to so much as cause someone's sleeves to flap.

    What isn't quite the same however, is the irrational sense that ceiling is infinitely high, and the walls are infinitely far. Worn, stone bricks underfoot provide a welcome, grounded change from the bleached, alien bones of the world, continuing downward in a logical manner consistent with a very tall, very rambling, Renaissance city, more delicate materials like wood and shingle still halfway pristine rather than rotted away or turned to dust. It's as if the Abyss had been overlaid on top of something else, like a blanket, rather than being swallowed whole by an ocean of Dark.

    All the same, the overarching sense of /presence/ is there, as if one is always perpetually just about to bump into some stranger just beyond that island of light. This time however, it doesn't reek of curiosity mixed with intense hostility. It feels like . . . a deep, intimate nostalgia, not entirely unpleasant, but very powerful, as if one had remembered their most cherished childhood memories here, though nothing comes to mind.

Mel Brock (941) has posed:
    "...I'm not gonna get any of that explained before we go in, am I," Mel mutters.

    It's not the first time Mel has done something so foolhardy as leaping out into an open plunge, but it's the first time she's done so where she literally could not see what she was plunging towards, or even into. She keeps her arms out of her pockets for this, however, carefully controlling her descent and creating a very small psychic shield in front of her eyes to spare her the worst of the rush of air. When she passes over the borderline, it's such a surprise that her limbs actually surge forward slightly, having been holding them steady against the air pressure of the descent. "Whoa." And she also doesn't have to yell to be heard, which is nice.

    Not so nice is the sudden, surprising impact - it causes the Marshal to let out a rather uncharacteristic yelp of surprise before she gets to her feet. "Jesus. That's a good way to scare someone out of their wits." She turns, then, to check on Ayako, Nathan and Finna, offering them help up if they particularly need it. "You three all right?"

    It's partially an excuse to not pay so much attention to the surroundings.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako shudders as she passes the threshold into the shadow. There's something about this all-encompassing darkness that makes her extremely uncomfortable. And then then her witch-styled shoes hit solid floor. Even though she was floating on her broomstick, trying to 'see' the floor in a place like this is futile. Of course, she pushes off the ground again to resume floating. Pale blue flames flit into existance around her, as if trying to give some form of light. The Dark, of course, doesn't let the pale blue flames give off much light.

    Another shudder. This place is watching them. Ayako whimpers softly and spreads the water flames out more to take a better look around. Or at least try to. "A... a city of some sort?"

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl's heart crawls up into his throat as he plummets, his cape flaring out, kept pinned to his chest by that medal. He reaches up to secure his pendants, just before he hits the event horizon of the Abyss.

    And then blackness, and a sense of floating. Right away, Original Face begins to rebel, but he squeezes his eyes shut and waits for the sensation of land beneath his feet. When it eventually arrives, Original Face fails to calculate how far a 'fall' that was, and demands that a report be submitted. Eryl doesn't bother, no doubt it would fail to send.

    He opens his eyes to the fathomless blackness, the sensation of being watched making gooseflesh spring up where he still has mortal flesh, only to be suppressed by implants. Gently, he lets out a whistle to assure himself. If there really is things out there, they should reflect the sound wave back to him for Original Face to process.

    Unbidden, memories of his early days, training to become what he is springs to mind, triggered by the odd sense of nostalgia. "Onwards, I think," he says. He gives Lezard a cautious look. The man has proven himself helpful here time and again, but still...

    No. This place is making the diplomat paranoid. He begins to walk forward, weapon systems primed.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe thinks back to the encouter they had in darkness back some time ago. She wouldn't forget that place but it seems they had to go in once more. IT didn't take long and she was quick to leap in. She know they had to get this over with, even if she didn't enjoy the enviroment. She is being watched of feels like she is being watched. It feels not quite like before she almost feels like something else is there.

"...so I'm not the only one feeling like we're in a City, Ayako?"

Tomoe is on edge, but she's thankful for her previous trip here. She takes a deeo breath and attempts to keep her focus.

Finna (513) has posed:
"Wuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!" Finna's brave! ... Tries to be brave. But she ends up comically CLINGING to Ayako's broom until the ride comes to a complete stop.

    It leaves her wanting to vomit. She hops off onto the strange, hard ground... and woozily plods around in a circle a few times, shaking her head.

    THEN she opens her eyes... and just starts blinking.

    Foxes are quite nocturnal, with excellent nightvision. Yet even she cannot see very far in this gloom...

    The oppressive feeling of being watched is also such that, well...

    With a yelp she bounds for Nathan Hall, aiming to land on his shoulders and sort of scamper-drape around his neck.

    All without much warning.

    "This place sucks."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard lands in the Abyss, apparently having adapted to the nature of the plunge. He does not seem surprised by the impact, simply straightening up afterwards and looking over what he can.

"Hmm." He says simply... And reaches into the Darkness, pulling forth a terrible twisted rod that seems to resonate with the surroundings. There is a gesture of the rod, and a small ball of light - not Flame, but sorcerous, blue-white light - forms above his head. It does precious little to light the area, but another couple feet of seeing the ground is useful.

"... It's different." He comments, before kneeling down and running a hand over the stone ground. "The sense of malice, ancient and terrible, is not in this place." The Necromancer of Midgard straightens, and chuckles.

"Fascinating." He says, simply, and steps forward, the Catalyst of Manus held in his hand and prepared to strike as they begin to pick their way around the buildings. His steps are careful, as if expecting the ground beneath him to betray him at any time.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan lights his Light miracle, a swirling orb of illumination. It does very little. "Ah, one more thing I forgot to mention. No genuine, full fire here, please, except in case of hostile creature. Magical fire that is not fire is acceptable." He says to the others, as he disembarks from the broom. He's doing his best to keep composed here, and it's working. Despite how every visit to the Abyss winds up with every instinct of his body yelling to panic, he keeps a pure monotone and a stoic expression.

    Nathan settles himself, adjusting his robes. "The other Abyss was much less... Familiar. It hosted less of the works of men, and more of things that cannot be understood." He says, tapping his chin, then kneeling to examine the ground. Then Finna wraps around his neck. Nathan is very stoic about this, seeming like it's a perfectly normal event, even while he makes a confused, and vaguely helpless noise. "Oh, I see you are here now. Okay." He sort of pokes her vaguely with a finger and then makes a worried noise. "The sense of malice is gone, yes. Lezard is correct. It seems more like..." He looks around, thoughtfully. "Like historical appreciation. I wonder. We should try to locate a landmark or any sites where this sensation is most concentrated. Try to find anything in the city that indicates a site of historical importance that an aficionado or curator of Lordran history might take interest in, or any sites that the nostalgia of a more personal sort may have taken interest in, where the sensation will be most concentrated."

    "Do not worry about the darkness or the lack of direction. Simply walk with purpose; you will find your destination in due time." And that's what Nathan does. Lacking hostility, he figures he can just get going. He starts walking with intent to locate and light up any historical monuments or major landmarks that might be appreciated by a new... Freshly historically-minded abyss might have taken interest in. He walks carefully, as if trying to navigate politely through a thick crowd that only he can see.

Priscilla has posed:
    As it usually seems to be, the way down is hardly a simple task. Lordran is extremely prone to these sorts of rambling mazes of stark drops, narrow walks, dead ends and repeated vertical changes, though this place is one of the several with an excuse. The town . . . city? beneath the sky of impossible black seems to have been in a state of disrepair, or perhaps catastrophe, before it was preserved in inky amber. Many ways are caved in, and many ways are opened by fallen structures, or what seems to be temporary bridging to avoid the ground, for whatever reason that may be.

    Lezard's catalyst resonates strongly with the Dark, though oddly the pendants do not any longer, seeming to tug at it in discrete pulses, as if pulling its fabric, and the attention of its presence, in towards it, almost longingly. It quickens as the group does exactly as Nathan says, trusting the obvious ways forward to simply move on ahead; scouring the distance for a layout is beyond a pointless attempt here. Eryl whistling into the dark meets with a limited reflection around him, more distant than the light, but soon after, the noise is gently snuffed by the emptiness. Going deeper into the Dark, pinprick dots of white appear in pairs, though far be it that they be described as light, more like the photo negative of the world around them. They keep a respectful distance, though they seem to drift around halfway following the structure of this strange, forgotten metropolis, and halfway ignoring it completely.

    It could probably be presumed that trees once grew down here, judging by the odd breaks in the masonry that indicate nature had taken hold, or they were deliberately built around it to preserve it, but anything living has long since been consumed, down to the plant life, unable to exist in the strange reality that came before this descendent shard. One such place, far at the bottom, close to what could be presumed to be the city's ground floor, is at the center of a sizable plaza; rings of concentric flagstones spreading out from its circular center in extensively delicate patterns. The middle of the circle is missing, deliberately open to allow a large plot of once soil, now grey dirt, where a magnificent tree must surely have stood.

    Now all that marks the spot, are the rings of white dots all around its upper levels, flanked by twin, curving staircases, and a single figure kneeling by the dirt, insubstantial and black in a way that still stands out against the Dark, surrounded by a faint silhouette of ghostly white flame. It remains seated, sifting its fingers through the ash over and over again, as if almost expecting to find something, but not really caring, maybe even reminiscing. The sensation of nostalgia is clearest and sharpest here, recalling less the city itself, but something that used to be here. Something of great, personal importance, cherished far too much to be related to a long gone tree. Nathan, and Lezard, would immediately recognize it as one of the four figures that had split off from the Soul of Manus, the father of the Abyss, and wandered off into nowhere upon his destruction. The catalyst seems to pull magnetically towards it, and in turn, the figure turns its head to look, possessed of the same, colourless white eyes.

Mel Brock (941) has posed:
    Despite being in something which... well, SUPERFICIALLY resembles a city, at least, Mel is finding herself walking through what might as well be a maze, with walls made of inky blackness. She's fairly certain she's seen horror movies like this before. That in and of itself is a concerning thought, because she's always told herself that if she ever were, she'd level the monster, the house, and everything within a hundred feet, and then just get right the hell out. She can't really do that here.

    She's starting to sympathize with horror movie protagonists a little.

    So the plan is to just 'keep walking while planning to go to a specific place'. A specific place that isn't even really a specific place. Anyone watching Mel carefully will probably note the slightly nervous edge to the way her head keeps turning to look this way or that, her eyes keep darting around. Especially when Eryl whistles and there's that eerie feedback.

    And oh look. There's a shadowy figure wreathed in white, scratching at the place where there seemingly used to be a tree.

    Mel takes a step to the fore, placing herself where she can protect Nathan, and raises her sidearm. She does not open fire, but the implied threat is there.

Finna (513) has posed:
There's a noise from Finna when she's poked. Kind of a chirp. Would be protesty, except there's just not enough oomph in it. Something more like a 'buh!' maybe.

    "Here. Keeping you safe!" .... From what, exactly, one might question, but now that the initial panic is over Finna uses her perch as an opportunity to look around. Then... the fox licks Nathan's cheek, hops off down onto the ground... and... "A LITTLE more light!"

    The mark of the moon shines from her forehead, a silver crescent. Lunar Essence, bright and silvery-white, drifts about her like a ghostly flame. Normally it would be enough to thoroughly illuminate a room... who knows whether the light of Luna, meant to shine even into the darkest of realms where the Sun does not, can penetrate this strange space though.

    If anything could, perhaps it might do better than others.

    "This place gives me a funny feeling. Something nice, but hollow." For now, she's determined to stick with Ayako and Nathan... which leads her to the Thing in the Dark. THAT gets her growling very faintly and on edge, but she leaves the thing be for now. Observing it.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako quietly floats... and as Nathan suggested, just goes with the general flow of the city. Her amber eyes flit over to the paired pinprick dots of white. White in a place like this? But... it's not light. It still stands out to her, though.

    As she floats on, the absence of plants in locations where they should be catches her eyes. So much so that she floats over to a few of the spots to look at them. "Ah." It's all Ayako can really say when she spots the place where a huge tree should be-and the black figure with the white eyes that sounds out so much in this place.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    That Eryl receives little in echoes is not little surprise, considering that sense of endless space he feels. But then he reminds himself that this might not be correct, that the Abyss may be meddling with his perceptions.

    Briefly, his mind wanders to those engravings he received from Priscilla. 'Dark titanite,' she had called it. Dark like here? Does they have a power similar to the Abyss? Has he been rendered more susceptible to its influence as a result of having them? He shakes his head to dislodge such paranoid thoughts. Priscilla would warn him if this was the case, surely.

    But still, he would like a second opinion. At the very least, the sound of conversation might help. "General Hall, Mister Valeth. As you two are the most knowledgeable about the Abyss that I can ask, I had a query; is there any relation between it and 'Dark Embers?'

    But, some questions may have to wait.

    The fragment of Manus is an actual being, one lost to desolation it seems. Eryl stairs, Original Face rebelling at the sight of such alien proportions. But in spite of it all, he starts trying to pull a plan together. "General Hall, negotiation with beings such as this is your specialty. Mister Valeth, if possible, could you perhaps gauge the relationship between it and the Abyss? If this ends in a fight, I would like to know about any environmental advantages it has. Miss Brooks, this is to ask much if you, but would you be able to gauge its mind? Miss Finna, Miss Tomoe, be prepared to attack if it does first. If this happens, please back us up Miss Ayako."

Mel Brock (941) has posed:
    "That would be a bad idea all around," the Marshal replies, keeping her sidearm aimed at the fragment of Manus. "I'm only /barely/ telepathic. I have trouble reading human minds, I don't think I'd even be able to touch that one. And to be honest with you, I'm not real savory about what would happen if I somehow managed it." She pauses for a moment, then adds, "'Brock,' by the way."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is keeping alert as she can be in a place like this, she doesn't botehr trying to generate light in this dark she didn't think it would work, right? Still she has an idea of where she was but she just peered ou into the darkness trying to keep ber bearing as best she could. She got some of the natue of the place she did, and now she does visually find her way and keeps with theparty now also falls in to protect Nathan as well. She knows that's often here job and help from people like Mel Brock and possibly others? Is a huge boone, they should be able to protect the hates out of him.

"Sounds like an good idea to me Earyl."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
The process of travel is long and arduous. The Necromancer is not so arrogant as to attempt to teleport in this place that warps space without dire need. More appropriately, learning about the area might prove more fruitful than the time saved regardless. He moves in a group with the others, considering the meaning of the changes, the environment, the unusual spectres in the distance.

But it was only a matter of time before they encountered something of note. The nostalgic sense, the yearning for the past that coats this place like a smothering blanket... It is here. The Necromancer nods to Finna. "Interesting observation." He says, but does not explain way. He taps the side of his head, considering for a moment before he glances to Eryl. "That question is still difficult to answer at this time. This is a phenomena I have not yet encountered, and yet there are familiar elements that make me form a hypothesis... but I am loath to speak it yet."

He nods to Eryl's second assertion, and approaches, holding the Catalyst as a staff of office. He took the weapon by right of conquest, and by affinity: He, too, hungers as Manus did in his own way. "Greetings." He speaks to the shade. "I am Lezard Valeth. What is it that you pine for, fallen one?"

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan is extremely frightened of things. He is, after all, incredibly vulnerable to acts of violence. But he does his best! Pushing up his glasses, he approaches in stoic steps. "Salutations." He says, simply, lacking any other words. He steps through the plaza and goes to kneel down near the flame. His body does its best to hold back from tensing up as he approaches, while memories of fighting Manus flash through his mind.

    "Could you tell me about what you are looking for? Do you need help? What might happen when you find it?" Nathan is keenly aware of the fact that whatever way this being 'thinks' or 'communicates', asking the straightforward questions aren't the more familiar ways of exchanging ideas, much as he would like to ask "hey, is this abyss going to explode and eat darkroot?"

Priscilla has posed:
    Despite the fact that the figure, unmistakably human, continues to look at the party, it makes no moves towards them, simply remaining kneeling and hunched by its chosen spot, for who knows how long it's been there. It is difficult to tell if it is even capable of speaking however. Plenty of things in Lordran don't, do so in a strange manner, or do so in a way that is barely, if at all, comprehensible to humans. After all, it doesn't look like a mouth. It at least seem to recognize speech, and dimly, Nathan's in particular, but offers no discernible reply.

    As Lezard approaches however, it makes at least one of its desires very well known. The catalyst vibrates in his hand, rattling like a tree caught in a violent storm, tugging against his grip and towards the mysterious figure. It stands out of the dust, walking slowly, almost hesitantly towards Lezard, before lunging for his stave, grabbing hold of it with fingers of unsubstantial shadow, which cling to his hand. The moment they make contact, everything up to the elbow burns, eroded by the all too familiar feeling of toxic Humanity, burning away at his homuncular flesh and his ascended spirit within. It tries to wrestle the staff away, though it isn't much stronger than a regular human, and while it does so, all the while his heart churns with feelings of almost heart wrenching, fond memory -- given form only by the sound of some jewelry or bauble tinkling faintly in the back of his mind -- and of a suddenly provoked, overpowering desire for power; not out of greed, but out of a crushing anxiety and feeling of terrifying weakness, innately recognizing that which will complete it. The feedback is so strong that anyone standing nearby can pick it up as well, though less overwhelmingly.

    Well, either way, letting it touch him for too long will definitely kill him.

Mel Brock (941) has posed:
    Mel doesn't hesitate when that lunge happens.

    The sound her pistol makes is... odd. It's a sort of energy sound, but fading into a compressive 'puff'. Like a weapon condensing standard-issue "particles" down into a tight packet and firing through pressure. The projectiles it fires are densely-packed ovals of purple light, but hit pretty much exactly like bullets would. Because they're telekinetic power, siphoned directly off Mel and fired in a tightly controlled burst. It's her own way of making up for her lack of telekinetic finesse. It will also not do most things it hits any favors.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    The figure seemed unresponsive at first, lending credence to the idea that it was alive, but not sapient. But suddenly, it lunges with an unexpected speed to grab at that curious stave of Lezard's. Eryl moves, as if to try and separate the two. "Please, we mean no ha-"

    And then that resonant feeling radiates out from the contact, and hits Eryl like a truck. That sensation of weakness is quite familiar to him. Ever since Unification, his position as the strongest individual in the world was gone. Now, he is only a small fish in a very large pond, and every failure reminds him of that.

    Not good enough to end conflicts.

    Not good enough to protect the weak.

    Not good enough to bring civilisation back.

    His head pounds, Original Face shrieking as his emotion centres light up with seemingly no source. It is at moments like this where someone's true self is revealed, in the absence of all comfort, personal stakes and rational thought. Lezard is an ally of Lordran but an unsteady one, and a definite foe of the Union. Letting him die here might actually be somewhat beneficial.

    But Eryl only sees an unsolicited attack, one he has the means to try and stop.

    So his hand comes up, index finger pointed at the head of the fragment of Manus, to allow a single shot from his 'One Hand Clapping' system to ring out. No time for mercy here. Only time for the strength to end conflict immediately.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako blinks her eyes slowly as the figure doesn't seem to respond to Nathan's speech. And then eeps when the figure lunghes at Lezard's staff. At the reaction from touching it, she winces. "I... what?"

    And then that feeling of a desire for power hits her. She just shakes her head quickly and firmly. No. I refuse. These aren't my feelings. Ayako glares for a moment, although said glare is mostly driven at herself. She shakes her head quickly. "I... What's happening?" Said feeling seems to have unbalanaced her briefly.

Finna (513) has posed:
Finna's light growl transitions into a full on waily-SHRIEK. A vixen's scream, and it's HARDLY a nice sound to be right next to. Like sandpaper on the ears, really. But.... there's WAY worse things to be near right now, and Lezard's got the brunt of it.

    Nevertheless... she feels every weakness kick up in her gut all at once. And every response she's had to it.

    Failing to convince her father to avoid an ill-fated duel. Failing to convince her sister to leave Tusk afterwards. Failing to save several allies on operations.

    But a desire for power?

    The little fox's flesh and bones bulge and distort, bubbling and rupturing and flowing and rebuilding and reshaping in one disturbing flow of quicksilver flesh. in no time at all the creature's reached become seven feet of sleek yet muscular foxwoman, limbs bulging and flexing with beastly might. She's crouched low, silver claws casting a trail of blueish-white Essence through the air.

    She has POWER aplenty, and it's brought to the forefront defensively in a hurry alright!

    NOW those growls are enough to put chills through the bones of anything living, touching on that primal urge to live. The message is clear.

    A great predator is here. RUN.

    Maybe that strange Creature will feel it too, because Finna's certainly not pouncing it...

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan flickers. It only lasts one moment, though, and no longer. The heavy sensation surged through something, but while things could get worse if they went longer, Nathan's past the stage of his life where it would hurt him too much.

    He rushes in. Manus, he only "met" Manus a few times. A few excursions to the Abyss, one combat encounter. But it was enough. His Persona's gift takes effect; an aura of cold, calming emotional stillness surges around him. "CALM." He declares. "You will not be harmed. Nothing seeks to hurt you if you do not hurt it. Define the boundary of your fear and you will be protected against it. CALM." His tones are just harsh enough to break through an emotional surge, but just soft enough to seem more like someone trying to offer to help rather than command. The weight of the heavy Persona effect should translate a little more abstractly.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe looks at the figure before them but is hanging back wacefully as they got a plan to carry out after all, and she does howver keep ready as Lezard makes first contact as it were. She's not sure just what's going on here.

"This is not good...."

She draws her blade now as Mel uses mind bullets andf she start to chant and golden runes dance about hr as she fires several bolts of light at the hostile thing. She's acting on reflex at this point and prehaps that's for the best.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
It offers no reply, but at the same time, it needs none. Lezard feels the tug in his hand, and he clenches down on his grip on the Catalyst, his eyes narrowing...

And then the burning, his arm erupting in black, all-consuming Dark. The Necromancer cries out, his hand quivering on the thing as his body begins to distinegrate under the onslaught, as if he had plunges himself into the Abyss unprotected. "You... You would claim this?" He hisses, spitting as a terrible light enters Lezard's eyes, that intense hunger, rage, and pride coming to the fore.

Refusing to let go of the Catalyst in a mark of abject, overwhelming greed, he reaches out and slams his other hand into the face of the shade, fingers clenching as he clenches, palming into the other being's face. "You..." He hisses... "You would take this from me? FOOLISH SHADE." He spits. "THIS IS MINE BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST." With each word, that Dark spreads across his body, only augmenting the overwhelming pain. Points of light sparkle from the abyssal energy consuming him, his spiritual form showing through and roiling under the assault...

But then there is a terrible /crack/ as Lezard falls back, falling to one knee and shrieking. His arm looks like it's simply /gone/, the Dark having taken something from the Necromancer despite his attempted assertions of dominance."

"You..." Lezard hisses, parts of him still sizzling with actinic darkness. "You will know eternal suffering for what you have wrought here!"

Priscilla has posed:
    As ridiculously over the top, perhaps foolhardy, perhaps simply egotistical as it is, physically grabbing the remnant of the Abyss does at least work to the extent that Lezard is a little bit stronger than it is, and capable of finally shoving it off. It steps forward to pursue, reaching out to grab at him again on the ground, heedless to his mad ravings, either oblivious to them or spurred on by such intense emotion that everything else is drowned out, only for its head to snap back as a telekinetic bullet punches straight through its wispy darkness, and its hand to explode into shadowy pieces as the followup slug happens.

    Still, even as the shade turns to the group with the blank, expressionless dots representing the barest aspects of a human face, like less than a doll, there is none of that overpowering sense of hostility; of crushing, madness induced hate, loss and frenzy. It is clearly threatened, and reacts as such, but not in wrath. The bolts of light riddle through its frame, forcing it one step back, and then two, further holes appearing in its insubstantial form, but as it reaches the circle of dust, it staggers fully upright, plants its feet, and then not it, but the Darkness around it suddenly screams. The atmosphere itself seemingly ignites into a monochromatic fireball, blasting outwards in all directions and enveloping the plaza in heatless, gnawing flame; one that claws at the mind, body and soul with a million desperate fingers. It's a far cry from the apocalyptic Dark magic wielded by Manus, but it's far more than what a normal, mortal sorcerer should be able to do; a reminder of its progenitor's power.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    As fragment of Manus reels, that primal part of Eryl takes pleasure at watching an enemy driven back. But, even though it was not directed at him, just hearing Nathan intone 'Calm' like that brings his higher thinking back.

    Instantly, he's overwhelmed with shame at leaping straight to violence as his first action. He's /better/ than that. He looks around, glancing at the armless Lezard, then to Nathan attempting to pacify the being. Suggestions rise to his lips. "Defend the Gen-"

    And then, the flames of the Abyss engulf him.

    He flies back, even in spite of his greater weight and lands on his back, letting out a silent scream as they eat away at every part of him, rolling madly to try and extinguish them. His dark titanite engravings begin to shin in response to such an onslaught of magic, to the point that they shine through his false skin as it burns away.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    As Ayako notes Lezard wrestling control of his staff back, Ayako regains her composure and a burst of water expels itself from the brush of her broomstick. She moves quickly over to Nathan's side and takes the vanguard position in front of him. Mel's shooting and Lezard's sudden wrathful exclamation has her full on edge. One hand raises to her witch hat's brim while the other rests on the stick of her broom. Those familiar with Ayako in her witch clothes would know that this is the stance she takes when she's ready to defend and support.

    However, Ayako isn't familiar with how the entity known as Manus attacked back then. Now, she is equally unfamiliar with the power of one of the four fragments of it. But she did say she would defend Nathan to the best of her ability to stand in for Psyber! And so Ayako doesn't take any chances!

    The water spirit dressed in witch-style reaches up to her hat and grabs it by the top of the cone! Said hat is suddenly thrusted forward with the open bottom acting like a shield! "Eleven Dimension Cross Boundary Barrier!" And a dome of rippling blue energy extends out from it to protect her and Nathan!

    This is Ayako's best barrier that she continuously tinkers with. Mostly with the results of the other barriers that she uses in other situations. A series of eleven different 'soft' water barriers overlayed with each other to weaken-not stop completely-incoming attacks, and strengthen attacks made out through it!

    Just barely in time to shield both Nathan and Ayako! "Here's hoping-!"

Mel Brock (941) has posed:
    Just sensing that first emotional wave was difficult for Mel. Now she's having an actual, directed attack of malice aimed at her (and, to be fair, everyone around her) in the form of illusionary flames. It claws at not just her mind, but her very existence, and all she can do is let out a pained cry, dropping to one knee.

    One hand comes up to the psychic's head, a mere gesture of 'focusing on defense' - but with a psychic, 'mere gestures' are just as important for the psychological effect they have. In this case, it's bracing. It puts her in the mindset of hardening her mind. And that alone is enough to let her climb back to her feet, raise her mental defenses, and lift her other hand up.

    The Marshal's expression is almost wild. She's never had to endure an attack like this. It may explain why there's even less finesse than usual when she simply drops one hundred metric tons of downward force onto the Fragment.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe has a job to do aside from protecting NAthan which Ayako is doing quite a job of, She can't quite get in in time to help with that bue she can go after the attacker which is what she do. The Salmander woman lets ou a battle cry, draws her blade and charges in attempting get past the magic but it may not be going so well for her as she's going to get caught in the fireball and it's bad. If she wasn't a Salamander she might be falt out down for the count at /this/. Her charge is also pretty much over at this point.

Finna (513) has posed:
Ayako might be readying herself to protect Nathan, but so is Finna. In the split second she has to make a choice... she acts entirely on instinct.

    Thankfully, as a Lunar, this is a pretty good strategy.

    Silvery light curls and flares in wispy patterns around her claws as she leaps with lightning agility over near Ayako just as the wave's striking. With a snarl deep and fierce enough to make the greatest predator proud she brings those claws down at a harsh diagonal... drawing a silver slash through the wave of incomprehensible Dark. It ripples, it shimmers, it presses outwards in a strange kind of bow shock pattern - water flowing around the stone, with the three of them in the lee.

    Against all sensibility, this effort not only parts the destructive properties of the wave, but its subtler and stranger aspects. Still....

    Finna's simply not POWERFUL enough to divert ALL of it. Only SOME of the shockwave's parted as hoped, leaving some to slip through her defense and burn at her whole being. Pained, panicked, and confounded, she can only snarl in torment and gaze out with maddened eyes while it passes.

    Between Ayako and Finna, Nathan Hall's probably going to be saved from the worst of this...

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Ayako is here! And Finna too! Thank goodness. Nathan rushes right back from where he was, and takes his place behind the supporting water spirit, and the Lunar ahead of her, eager to not at all get exposed to that horrible fire. Hopefully the Lunar, the shield, and the spirit will hold up, and if it doesn't, hopefully it'll go a bit easy on boiling them, or ravaging at their mind! Mostly because Nathan has pretty shit endurance for both of those things, all told. For the scholar himself, he focuses. "Unresponsive to conceptual calming effort." He says. "Unknown hostility type. Stand by." His voice is utterly calm in the sea of fire, despite his mind racing with suppressed surprise and fear of exposure.

    He tries to [SCAN] the being, his glasses suddenly shininh a bright white in the suffocating darkness. "We need to determine how much it is safe to harm this being." He intones. "Scanning." With a keen sight, he tries to get some bearing... This time less on what strengths it has in life, and more on what strengths it might have in certain types of harm or death. Is this a good idea to be killing? Will there be another four mini-mini-Abysses? He'll call out the results of that, but he continues to call out to the figure itself, regardless of the hostility going on. "If you cease attacking, you will not be attacked. Your safety can be guaranteed. It cannot, if you continue to attack." He pulls out his heavy tome, opening it wide and letting its pages flutter around, glowing as he summons LAMIA, one of his Eidolons! The serpent-woman fills the extra space in the barrier

    Perhaps this thing's FEAR can be used? Lamia prepares a heavy FIRAGA attack! The Abyss before had a strong response to FIRE, so maybe he can use that here. He directs his Eidolon to only prepare it in a way that corresponds with the threat that the figure seems to pose, trying to force it to retreat in a more indirect way. He's... Not expecting this to work out, though. If it doesn't, he won't at all mind his allies taking out the creature.

Priscilla has posed:
    Perhaps expectantly, past the surface layers of his body, Eryl is actually spared some of the worse. Though not precisely made in the same way, or owing to the same source, the occultic titanite grafted to his implants repels, or perhaps repels some of the Dark. It's enough to char Finna half to death, but her efforts, and body, in the way means that the black and white fire more or less washes over Ayako's barrier, weakened too much to penetrate in any meaningful sense. Meanwhile, Mel's counter attack abruptly crushes it in place, smashing it into a mass of inky black and ghostly grey smoke, the dust exploding around it, but moments later, it begins to stagger back out of its own puddle, emerging foot by foot as it reforms itself as if climbing up hidden stairs from below.

    All in all, it's hard to get a lock on it. It's definitely different in many senses than when he had first used that ability on Manus. It's lacking in definition; raw stats or codified weaknesses, as if more of an environmental object than an enemy entity. It seems reasonable that enough force should shatter this one to pieces too, but then it was a facet of the Abyss' being to begin with, and likely sustained by it. The only definition the being possesses is encompassing a single, driving memory; a fondness for something lost, likely one of the only ones that remained in the Primeval Man's mind by the time of his insanity. In a way, this is as small and indefinite as it can get. It seems reasonable to believe that it can be smudged out for a while, but that the Dark will recall it eventually, as this pitiful ghost if nothing else. What it wants, more than anything, are the other pieces of itself. It is naked, frail, afraid and incomplete, and reaches out, as any human would, for power, security and identity. /More/ than any human would. In this state, it doesn't have the power to evolve otherwise.

    That brief, disturbing glance of insight aside, after being hit with a telekinetic meteorite, and then threatened with fire, it either finally heeds Nathan's warning, or flees simply out of self-preservation; something exceedingly lacking in Lordran's most powerful foes, out of madness, arrogance, duty or sheer bloodlust. This thing has none. It stops in mid-approach, sliding up out of the endless Dark from which it draws its fragile form, unable to gather more of it than just enough to look and act human, and then backs off, one step at a time, until it turns and runs silently into the Dark, instantly disappearing.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl manages to stifle the monochrome flames, either due to rolling or they simply fade away as the fragment makes good their escape. Either way, he's slow to his feet. Such a grievous physical, mental and spiritual attack would undoubtedly kill most. That he even manages to get to his feet speaks volumes of his own will and whatever ReGenesis did to him.

    But, he does. And, as expected of him, the first words out of his mouth are to check up on everyone else. "Injuries?" he rasps, throat still raw from the soundless screams he let out. Gradually, those glowing engravings ebb away, leaving no trace of their presence.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako sighs with relief as her barrier holds thanks to Finna helping... and swiftly produces a ball of purple healing water to fling onto Finna once the wave passes. After all, she sort of tanked that wave directly to help her!

    And then Ayako blinks her eyes quickly at the fragment retreats off into the darkness. "Ah. It ran away." Her gaze whips around quickly. "Is everyone alright?"

Mel Brock (941) has posed:
    The creature reforms itself after being crushed. The look on Mel's face would probably be priceless in less utterly horrifying situations. As it is, she keeps her hand out as if ready to deliver another telekinetic strike, but holds off on it... and is rewarded with 'seeing the thing run off'. All things considered, she can be satisfied with that.

    Especially given the way she staggers to one side and drops hard onto her butt. "Gh... fuck..." Now her hand at her head isn't so much a gesture of psychic warding as, well... rubbing an aching head. "My everything hurts," she replies to Eryl. "My /soul/ hurts. The next time some poor bastard tries to infiltrate my mind, I'm not even going to bother trying to push him out, I'm just going to forcefeed him this memory."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is in ba shape her avatar's taken a lot of damge to the point her injuries give away her true nature. She's felt it and she's feeling a bit daced from the pain also being set on fire is a deep rooted fear for a lot of people and Tomoe is no exception to this. he's thankfully. She hears the order to stand down and she stands back she looks to Mel for a moment with a sad look on her face and seems also very concerned for her.

"Damn, do you need help.... and we do deal with things like this but this is ... pretty extream in my experiance..."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard... Is not in a good way. Having been thrown back and taken refuge behind a wall, he was spared the destructive, overwhelming blast of the Dark.

But despite this, it might be preferable. His body looks like something simply /consumed/ half of it, trails of white sparkles bleeding off of him...

Oh wait, that's his /spirit/ form. Uh... don't look back where he was hiding. In his remaining hand, the Catalyst remains gripped, and his eyes seem to burn as the Necromancer stares into the blackness where that fragment fled.

"There will be only /one/ master of the Dark." Lezard states, his voice dire. "It will be engraved into this place's very soul... /Lezard Valeth/."

At that, he turns, beginning to simply walk from the group as he steps into the blackness himself, turning his attentions towards leaving this terrible place.

Finna (513) has posed:
"YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOGHHH!!!" Despite all her efforts and the mightiest guard a Lunar can erect, Finna's blasted backwards, burned all over and shivering. Her fur's strangely CHARRED without actually being on fire, and the smell makes it pretty obvious what happened to the skin underneath. She begins to GLOW however... and soon patches of flesh and fur, piece by piece, will be sloughing off and regrowing over the next few minutes...

    "Good idea - leave this thing ALONE next time!" She gets out in-between shuddering, arms curled around herself as if trying to hold in warmth. Or maybe comfort.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan dismisses his Eidolon with a gesture, snapping his book shut. "Mmmh." He says, solemnly. "Alone. That is the key word, Finna. The Abyss cannot be together with itself again. We will return to the light, and speak to Priscilla about this. From here, we need to track the Abyss influence, and determine how much, if at all, it is showing signs of making contact with other nodes of Abyss. If it is, that is our risk factor; without that, this should be a sustainable situation, so long as nobody attempts to overtly sabotage the stability of the world." His tone is monotoned as always, as if he were narrating a documentary, and not a grim threat.

    "Thank you, Ayako, Finna. Your assistance was appreciated. We should return to the modes of existence with which we are familiar now. As before: Walk with purpose. We will find our destination." He turns and leads the way back, a little stressed, but seeming to have managed things for himself here.