1329/The Fatal Flaws of Fire

The Fatal Flaws of Fire
Date of Scene:	13 January 2015
Location:	Great Painting of Ariamis <PoA>
Synopsis:	The third Lordsoul must be retrieved from the ruins of Lost Izalith. Past kindness is repaid, but Oscar's party is wearing thin.
Cast of Characters:	Tomoe, Staren, Priscilla, 168, 183, 560, Eryl Fairfax, 570, Lezard Valeth, 651

---

Priscilla has posed:
    Several people among today's party will be extremely relieved when they realize where the summoning circle is. At first, the slate grey surroundings of weathered old stones carved into the semblence of some kind of crude structure seem completely nondescript; likely to be absolutely anywhere on the continent. Without a hint of daylight, the only real clue is that they must be somewhere underground. It is only upon turning around that anyone is 'graced' with a sight familiar to a few. A woman with unnaturally silky skin, raven black hair and stark crimson eyes, fused with the body of a colossal spider-like creature, bristling with coruscating sparks of fire and drooling a steady stream of flaming liquid from its fanged maw. She appears to be busy with what could possibly be described as a massive stone door, though it appears to be a series of interlocking blocks rising and falling from floor to ceiling, with strange, vaguely primitive etchings scrawled across its surface. Beside her is a second figure; a simple humanoid shape, clad in black robes hemmed with gold, tattered and burnt.

    As she turns towards the group, those same people will recognize her as Quelaag's sister; the appearance of yet another sister's body having changed over time after Staren had transferred her soul. She fixes him in particular with an especially warm smile, but bows to the rest of the group regardless, speaking without difficulty, and without a hint of the agony that had clung to every syllable before. "Welcome, followes of Priscilla. Your lady has seen fit to grace us with her presence personally, and so Quelaag and I already know why you're here. You come for the Lordsoul enshrined within the lost city of Izalith. I can confirm it is there. It has been for over a century. I know there is little I can do to dissuade you, but please at least heed warning. Izalith was once our home. The catastrophe that claimed it was not a natural event, nor a simple disaster. Because we owe a great deal to you, we will unseal the way we have guarded for decades, as it is the shortest route to your destination, but then you will not be entirely safe. The knight named Oscar has already entered through to collect one of his companions, and has given his promise not to move ahead any further until you have joined him. We will be sealing this way behind you once you have passed, and until you return."

    Priscilla seems like she's already spoken about this, because her attention is instead on the door. As Quelaag lays her hands on the old, weathered slabs, ruby light pulses from her palms and races into the carvings upon their surface like rivulets of water, spreading throughout the entire, convoluted pattern until they reach its corners. With a great roar of shifting stone, the interlocking pieces begin to retreat into the ground and the roof of the tunnel, shedding years of dust as they move. The passage beyond is dark, but a hot, reddish light filters in from the end. A wave of heat rolls throughout the room, blasting out of the passage like the exhalation of some enormous beast.

Madara Uchiha (651) has posed:
Lordran. A land of darkness and death, with a mythology heavily featuring fire and dragons. It's like it was invented specifically for Madara Uchiha to take an interest in it. He has loosely familiarized himself with the available records of previous excursions, but not being inclined towards computer usage, the shinobi decided to visit this realm and determine its nature for himself. The warrior arrives in red armor, with a long mane of spiked black hair hanging down his back - part of his hanging over the right side of his face. His eyes are pure black, with red pupils at the center of each, bearing the three black comma-shaped marks of a fully-matured Sharingan.

The hellish environment that lies beyond the newly-opened doors is not particularly off-putting, but instead intriguing. Madara's gaze travels around, examining the others present. His first trip to Lordran, and he does not know many of those present. But some are recognized, and even those who are not are worth at least passing scrutiny.

Then the undead ninja, without even bothering to acknowledge the robed woman's words, starts striding forward as though he intends to lead the way - or perhaps to go off on his own. Not part of the plan, most likely, but it's Madara.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl rises up from his summon sign, still a white phantom. However, now he is clad in a black cloak that goes to his ankles, secured with a silver chain. He winces and shakes his head, Original Face still not used to being summoned. Although, he's figured out how to trick it, framing the summoning as teleportation. The device has roots in the Before Times, so such an event is known to it.

     Although, his cunning trick is for naught, once he lays eyes on the spider woman in the room. His head throbs at the impossibility of her form, but he manages to hide it with a respectful bow to her. He smiles and nods his head at Priscilla also. "Miss Priscilla. My apologies for failing to attend previous expeditions. Let us hope this one goes smoothly, hm?"

     But then, a red phantom stalks past him, walking through the open door. Madara Uchiha. Memories of his loss flash through Eryl's mind, and his hands curl into fists underneath his cloak. However, he does not call out after the man. Knowing this place, maybe something will take him down.

Tomoe has posed:
So here they were once more and she was on edge she fidged a little bit but then again this world always put Tomoe on edge really. She wanted to help but she couldn't discount this place was dangerous and lethal. Even here as an avatar left her wondering was she actually safe. SAhe makes note of Quelaag's sister and she's now in a new form she smiles a little bit.

"It's good to see your recovering and I understand we will do our best on this My lady. I also thank you for your warning."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Remembering how that went with Oscar's companion last time, EMIYA SHIROU isn't so sure about how this will turn out. But he's idealistic enouggh to ignore that nagging wonder. Of course Oscar will keep to his word and nothing will go wrong, right?

    "Then we just have to head in, do the same things as laast time and hope this works without a big mess." He never meet Quelaag or her siblings and the location is giving him the willies, but Shirou's keeping his eyes open. "What's down tthere, anyway? A lost city, huh?"

Staren has posed:
    Staren's /still/ a robot. He switched bodies for the mission to Aztlan and it seems like the weekend and following days have been a string of dangerous operations. Even now, when he's summoned and not actually /here/, it may be useful to have a form that won't 'die' as easily. Who knows what they might face?

    Staren takes note of his companions, giving friendly nods to most... Lezard gets a surprised, scrutinizing look, and Madara gets a cold, "You." He flips up his helmet's visor and waves to the two figures here, smiling when he sees Quelaag's sister. It's good to know you helped someone! "Good to see you. New body still working well?"

    As the doors are unsealed, though, he watches that with interest... looking mildly surprised as the heat washes over the party. Hmm. Why is it hot down there, he wonders?

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Ruins.

    It's a good thing that Mizuki likes those, because she's been seeing quite a few of them lately. To be fair, though, Lordran is more like one, supermassive speulchre than anything; it would be difficult not to run into some decaying edifices scattered about. After taking her usual time after the initial summoning to appreciate her surroundings, Mizuki would step up to Quelaag and her sister, greeting them each with a sincere, deep bow apiece. "Greetings." She would turn her attentions to Quelaag's sister in particular. "You... may not recall meeting me, but if you are who I presume you to be, it fills my spirit with untold mirth to see you so well. Your and your sister's stories very nearly became just another tragic echo winding throughout this world, but because of the way the pieces have fallen into place, you are well again, and your sister is still alive. Truly and without reservation, I... have done nothing else in the world that I consider to be more successful, or meaningful." Widening her smile just faintly, she would finish, "Even if the good general was responsible for most of what transpired, in the end."

    She would listen quietly as she goes on to explain the situation, frowning just faintly when she mentions that Oscar has gone ahead. Again in search of one of his compatriots, no less. "... mmm." There's a pause. "... I believe I am not alone in my apprehension here, correct? Oscar has already lost a great deal of his companions. Any more, and he... may have to worry more about his own well-being than theirs. We must handle him gently should we wish to keep him from falling into the depths of hollowing. Really, it's not that I don't have faith in him -- quite the opposite! But even so, I have heard of far more willful creatures succumbing to despair. This world is a tempest, after all, and it is not one that can be weathered without significant threats to one's physicality and mentality alike."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan is summoned! In his usual White Phantom form. He tilts his head to the spider-woman, recalling the situation before, and understanding immediately, even though he didn't have the chance to meet her in person. "Salutations. Thank you for your assistance. While it may be repayment for our past assistance to you, it is still very much appreciated. We will be cautious of the disaster, its effects, and its potential causes. You have our assurance that we will exercise utmost caution."

    And then, the release of the door. Nathan remains stoic and unmoving when the hot air flutters his robes and cloak, seeming to not react at all, and then intending to step right through. Not near as fast as, say, Madara Uchiha there, though. Nathan's primary goal here: Link up with Oscar. He'll be looking for signs of Oscar's passage, or his current location, most of all. And despite his heavy robes and cloak, he seems to not sweat or experience any discomfort at all...

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko arrives in shining gold, as will be no surprise to most, though not all here are familiar to her. As she rises from a kneeling position, she turns to watch Madara march forward--saying and doing nothing to stop him. She has no reason to.

    The Puella Magi is less optimistic than Shirou, but at least willing to entertain the idea that the next companion of Oscar's they meet will have met a kinder fate. If so, good; if not, they will deal with that situation as they find it. Her immediate attention is siezed by Quelaag, having never seen her before nor, indeed, any creature at all like her. She stares only for a moment, so as not to be impolite, then bowing and turning to join the others once they are ready to move on.

Priscilla has posed:
    Priscilla watches Madara walk off with no small amount of suspicion. He's obviously a Confederate, and one that both Staren and Eryl don't like. He could be making a beeline for the Lordsoul on his own, but it likely wouldn't be worth attempting to stop him immediately. Priscilla doubts he has the ability to home in on the signature of a soul like she can, and she doubts even more than he'd be able to take it from eight or nine people in a fight. She lets him go, but starts walking herself before he goes completely out of sight, holding her hand over her eyes as the darkness of the tunnel slowly gives way to that scalding orange glow. "Thou has nothing to apologize for, Sir Fairfax. Thou owest me nothing. And as to Sir Emiya . . . Izalith was lost after mine internment in Ariamis, but as I am to understand it, it was sealed for good reason. The only things that return from that place art monsters that crawl from the earth from time to time, roaming about the lands above until they art destroyed."

    Quelaan bows a second time to Staren, then returns a smile towards Tomoe and Mizuki. "Perfectly! There is no end to the thanks I wish to give you for what you've done. I wouldn't have suspected such people still existed in this world." Quelaag says something to her in the incomprehensible, untranslated language of the witches, at which she looks embarrassed, and says something back that causes Quelaag to laugh. Waiting for the last of the group to go through, the younger witch waves goodbye before the stone doors close shut behind them, and then swiftly pulse once with that red glow, marking them sealed once again.

    The tunnel opens out into an area that is still underground, but the distinction is completely irrelevant. The 'cavern' is larger than an entire modern city, soaring for over a kilometer overhead, and stretching even further in every direction. Despite the lack of sunlight, the entire place is well lit with the fiery illumination of a literal sea of lava passing underneath the towering bridge the party finds itself upon. As far as the eye can see, the surroundings have been drowned in a volcanic flow that seems to be at no risk of ever cooling down, despite the clear lack of movement and nothing to indicate any more is bubbling up from below. The air immediately grows blisteringly hot, coming in throbbing waves from the molten ocean beneath. The idea that this place was once a city is only credible once one carefully inspects the surroundings, revealing fragmented pathways, sunken pillars, collapsed bridges, and half-submerged buildings, all of the same volcanic stone, and carved in such a way as to resemble some exceedingly ancient Earth civilization.

    The reason the city can be considered lost is obvious, but despite that, it is anything but dead. Easily visible from the moment everyone enters are signs of movement. The pathways and stairs teem with strange figures, difficult to pick out against the stones with their colouration, but sporting far too many or far too few limbs, most of which are hulking bemoths compared to a humn; slithering, crawling, or outright hovering from place to place. The lava itself is host to even worse; titanic creatures large enough to loom over the tallest buildings, wading through the molten rock in packs like roaming herds of cattle grazing over a meadow. Even more strangely, what appear to be the endless roots of some unfathomably large tree spread throughout the cavern, winding into the solid rock, puncturing buildings, and plunging into the lava without effort. The single growth seems to cover almost the entire city, linking the ruins together with some form of walkable path. The air is filled with the dull roar of superhearted air venting to the surface, and the hisses, shrieks and bellows of the wandering horde.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko walks forward, taking a look over the edge, until the heat forces her back. Gazing directly on lava is an uncomfortable experience, and it's also going to be unavoidable in this place. It's not as if she has no way of dealing with extreme environments, but she doesn't have any good, clean way of negating this kind of discomfort. At the least, she's not going to summon an oven of metal armor until she actually needs it.

    "We should avoid, I think, the lower reaches." For several reasons, with the herd of behemoths being one of them. "These... roots? Perhaps they connect to something important."

    There were those massive trees around Ash Lake... though she has no idea whether this could be related.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard arrives once more, his phantom appearing in crimson and shadow. There is a pause as he looks over those present, some familiar faces present, but the hissing spider-womand drawing the most interest from the Necromancer. "Hmm." He emits, adjusting his glasses as he looks over the being intently. "Fascinating."

The sister's addressing them causes Lezard to take his attention away from Quelaag, and nods as the process to be expected is laid out before them. "Thank you for your assistance, milady. We will do our utmost to ensure the mission is a success and that all remain safe." He smiles smoothly at that, and turns to look at the others present.

He looks over those present, and considers them in turn. Most of them seem to be those who have been arriving so far, but Staren's response causes him to smile again. "Greetings, Staren." He says simply. "I am here to assist."

God knows what that means.

Lezard proceeds with the others through the opened tunnel, his cape rippling behind him from the wash of hot air. He looks out over the ocean of lava with an arched eyebrow. "Of all the nine worlds... Truly, it is like gazing into the depths of Muspellheim itself."

He turns his attenion to the city itself. "Ancient scorched ruins filled with twisted creatures. What catastrophe could have cuases this?"

Madara Uchiha (651) has posed:
Cold 'you's and frustrated stares and suspicious half-dragons go unremarked upon. Hatred comes with conflict. Madara has no problem being hated by his enemies, except in the sense that hatred itself is a problem endemic to existence that he wishes to cure. There will always be someone who seeks war in order to achieve peace. Someone who learns to hate because of losing someone they loved. No amount of 'progress' will change that. But with his Moon's Eye Plan stalled, Madara must seek other avenues of correcting this flawed universe - not necessarily to abandon the plan, but to facilitate it. For now, whatever hostility is directed towards him is barely even a concern. Instead, the volcanic landscape ahead, the molten glow, the numerous forms crawling and creeping and stomping cross the charred rock and soil - that is where his attention lies.

His superhuman vision allowing him to gaze into the distance and pick out individual shapes. The heat and scalding fumes that would hinder delicate eyes and vulnerable flesh have no impact upon him, because his body is not made of flesh. Dust and dirt. He feels no pain, barely detects the heat level. A Lordsoul sounds like a powerful energy source. As per the Field Marshal's orders, they are to work with Priscilla in this endeavor, so he probably isn't going to try to make off with the Lordsoul himself, even if he had the opportunity and the lack of opposition. Since he will likely have neither the chance nor the lack of resistance, it's not an option.

The shinobi takes only a moment upon crossing the bridge to decide what to do next, after examining the lay-out. He raises a hand and starts trying to control the massive tree that weaves its way through the rocks - to force vines and roots to stretch and grow and move in his direction. He has no idea if it will work. But if it does, then it would facilitate movement through this area fairly well.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki would clasp her hands together and allow her eyes to mist over just faintly with the glaze of reverie. "Wheresoever there exists life, and thought, there shall always be warmth and mercy. This is what I believe, no matter how deplorable the conditions of the place in question may fall to. You, being someone who made such a great sacrifice for beings you hardly knew, are living proof of that." Is she... usually this complimentary? Either she's in a very good mood, or she might actually harbor some feelings of respect and warmth for Quelaan. Either way, she makes it a point to leave the woman with as kind an impression as she possibly can before heading deeper into the caverns that might once have been called Izalith.

    ... ah, and when she does, she is completely taken aback. She... might've seen something like this before in Faruja's world, when she met Phoenix. A bed of lava and ruins illuminated by that gurgling amber mass, yes; this sight is not one entirely unfamiliar to her, but all the same it is extraordinary. And the -sheer scale- would captivate her as well, even being from a world where those things are not exactly rarities. After making a point to completely shut off her perception of temperature -- because really, it would be murder on her if she didn't -- she would sprout her wings and fly up just a smidge to get a better vantage, and to take in a deep breath of air. The atmosphere in Lordran really, truly, never ceases to amaze her.

    Although it may not come as any surprise that the... er... 'locals' she soon notices leave her wishing powerfully for the placidity of Ariamis.

    Yes, /them/. Monsters, wriggling, writhing, flying, and shambling about the cavern. Though if Quelaag has taught her anything, it is that these creatures have already experienced many lifetimes of torment already. As much as she may be off-put by them or vaguely irritated by their interruption of her exploration, she is at least consciously aware of how frivolous and immoral these feelings are. Rather, she should treat each of them as things to mourn; like all those people she had seen lying gently on their deathbed, she should offer them the most swift and loving end that she feasibly can in a world like this. And she shall. Really, after what they've likely been through, it's only fair.

    ... though, that's only if the group happens to be forced into a confrontation. Regardless of her feelings, she is never wont to go rushing into combat where she knows it is not absolutely necessary.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe looks to Quelanna and does something she rarely does when she's here she smiles a little bit at her. She will move to fall in with the others and is glad they have done some good here but she puishes ahead looking to see things that are before them and it's going to be interesting she thinks.

"This is going to be quite the ... operation."

Staren has posed:
    "We're from another world... but I hope perhaps we can inspire people to follow our lead." Staren replies to Quelaan. And then it's into the tunnels!

    Staren stops and stares for a moment when they reach the cavern. "Woah... This place is /huge/!" He stops to take it all in...

    Another surprised gasp. "Things /live/ in the lava? Geeze... are those... are those creatures all hostile if we get too close? I feel kind of like I just walked into an MMO dungeon where I can see all the monsters wandering around from safely outside their aggro distance."

    "...Were these once /humans/? What /happened/ here?"

    He's not too concerned about having to fight some of the behemoths. Monster fighting is just part of life. But he can tell if they're not careful, there are more than enough monsters here to wear down the party. Best to avoid as many fights as they can.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     "It is not about owing anything. I wanted to help, but I was unavailable. I regret that," Eryl says, smiling kindly to Priscilla. On his way into the tunnel, he thanks Quelaag and Quelaan for their assistance, entering the dimly lit, baking hot tunnel.

     Among his many capabilities granted by his implants, Eryl can dictate how much he sweats or shivers, letting him remain comfortable in any temperature. However, due to the possibility of combat, Eryl is not taking advantage of this. Thus, he is right away, profoundly uncomfortable. Stripping off his cloak, he loosens his tie and unbuttons the top buttons of his shirt. Although, this has about the same effect as a drop of tepid water into a forest fire.

     Looking about, he still marvels at the sights though, as threatening as they may be. Lost buildings, an everburning lake of lava, a grand tree. But, he does not let this distract him from the obvious threats. Original Face scans the titanic creatures, the bizarre humanoids. Despite the pain it brings him, he refuses to let down the party by letting something get the drop on them.

     "I am assuming that that tree is not natural? No sunlight, burning flames... these are not exactly ideal conditions for life to bloom," he says, in an attempt at a conversational tone. But, the heat has sapped his throat of moisture, and it comes out in a slight rasp instead.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Strolling out through the tunnel and into the cavern, Shirou makes... a disgusted face at what he finds. Disgusted and down. People DID live here.. but nooooobody's gonna be living here now. Maybe ever again. "I'm starting to wonder just what in Lordran there is to save." Remarks the redhead. Oh yeah, fixing the fire should supposedly help the undead problem but... past that? This place stinks.

    Spotting movement and the distant beasts though, he does the first sensible thing: arms himself. "Trace... ON!"

    As always, power flashes and crackles from his palms and solidifies into a pair of legendary weapons - Kanshou and Bakuya, chinese shortswords with a yin-yang theme. One light, one dark.

    "Lava and... tree roots? How come they're not on fire...?"

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    The blistering, intense heat desn't seem to faze Nathan. For whatever reason, at least the environmental heat doesn't manage to break his stoicism in the least, pulling not one single drop of sweat from his forehead. But that doesn't mean he's not in incredible danger. He's going to stay at the center of the group, but pushing it on as best he can, continuing more and more. Those monsters here are going to be trouble.

    There's a nod to Kimiko. "Avoid the lower areas, yes." And then he shakes his head at Staren. "Do not think of what they were. They have been here long enough that it is best not thought about." Then a glance to Eryl. "It does seem unnatural and out-of-place. We should consider the tree itself, the center of those roots, to be a valid point of investigation."

    "But the first priority is our rendezvous with Oscar. He, and his companion should be able to tell us more. Keep attentive for signs of them." Nathan, himself, is doing so, of course, seeking paths they likely took or watching for the men themselves.

Priscilla has posed:
    Quelaag gives Lezard a dirty look moments before the door closes. For whatever reason, she has decided to dislike him on sight. Priscilla sounds a little frosty herself when she addresses him. "For once, I am unable to elucidate thee on matters of mine homeland. This was well after I had left." Once Kimiko mentions the roots, Priscilla stops on the bridge for a moment, holding out her finger to visibly trace the tangle of seemingly impervious wood from the ground floor upwards. She resumes moving shortly, but continues to keep her eye on her place each time another knotted whorl comes into view, clearly attempting to look out for the greater pattern. Madara finds out very quickly how a tree could survive in a place like this. As far as his powers can tell him, there is nothing plant-like about it at all. It's unclear whether it's dead, inorganic, or entirely something else, but it definitely doesn't seem to be wood anymore, if it ever was.

    "That is most certainly not a mortal tree, no." Priscilla mumbles to Eryl distractedly. "It resembles one of the Archtrees, but not entirely. I cannot place it exactly. An Archtree at the very least wouldst not burn so easily." Then to Staren. "Humans were exceptionally rare amongst those who practised the original fire arts. Izalith dedicated her city to her seven witches and their generations of children. If the two now behind us are of any indication however, yes, I beliveth at least some of these creatures may hath once been something . . . someone else." Finally, Priscilla seems to pick out what she was looking for, gesturing towards a tangle of roots seeming to emanate from the peak of some enormous ziggurat, easily one of the largest visible buildings left standing in the whole cavern, though not precisely at its center. "There." She states simply, and thus she guides the group.

    Madara will be the first to run into them. Masses of tentacles and eyes, walking fanged maws, hulking skull-faced humanoids, writhing trains of pointed legs and acidic pores, distorted blobs of fire breathing flesh, faceless, crawling beasts dragging themselves over the stones. Though the sealed way in leads to the ziggurat in relatively short order, the way there is choked with demons. Some wander aimlessly and only attack the party once they come close, while others break out sprinting as soon as they come within sights, ambush them from the scenery, or else burst from the floors and walls. The going is hard; even for Lordran. Were Priscilla not taking an enormous shortcut, she'd have likely been forced to resummong several people by the time she reaches the middle level of the giant temple's many walkways.

    By a doorway leading inwards, a trio of figures sit in the remains of a recent battle, gathered around a Bonfire. Burnt and slashes corpses are scattered around the stairs, forming a loose ring around the forms of Oscar, Cassius and . . . Solaire? Cassius is intently reading a pile of old scrolls, murmuring aloud in almost feverishly intense tones.

Staren has posed:
    "Ah." Staren replies, regarding the locals.

    And then it's time to fight demons! Staren abuses flight and beamcannons, and if necessary missiles and superstrength and being made of metal. His armor is dented and marked with scorchmarks and corrosion by the time they reach the bonfire. Staren double takes between the group waiting for them and the way they came. "Just /three/ of you made it through all /that/?! Wow!"

Madara Uchiha (651) has posed:
As the first to encounter the monstrous enemies, Madara also gets first shot at taking them out. Which he does, excepting where others do so instead. The fact he is unable to influence the tree - or 'Arch Tree' - is interesting. It's no matter of conventional plant life, if it is plant life at all. But that has little bearing on the enemies he faces. He vaults over the tentacled-and-multi-eyed cone-like creatures, and breathes fire down into their mouths. The ones who charge towards him find him charging to meet them and striking with a war fan known as a 'gunbai' with strength beyond what his size and frame should permit. The bounding balls of flesh that breathe fire are met with Madara dodging the flames and kicking them into each other, and then into the lava.

There are ample foes to be fought here. Fearsome ones. But with a body that can suffer no permanent damage and feels no pain, even whatever damage the legendary shinobi might take is quickly mended and forgotten.

Eventually, the group appears to reach the ziggurat, and ascend to the middle level, where others await. Madara approaches them, still keyed for combat, almost hoping they attack him. But though his icy presence radiates outwards from him, he does not make any aggressive movements. Work WITH the natives, not against them. That's the rule in this place. Except the natives that try to kill them.

"You are all well enough to continue?" Madara asks, eager to keep going. He is glowing the bloody hue of a Red Phantom, so is not exactly the most friendly-looking figure to be addressing the trio, but Staren is here, so maybe they'll assume they're working together.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan does what little Nathan can do. He provides his tactical support. With keen eyes he observes the flow of the demons that bar their way, and he does his best to direct Tomoe and Kimiko Shinobu into their best possible defensive formations and alert them of where they can draw proper attention, offer Mizuki and Priscilla awareness of where they can use their superior capacity for battlefield movement to strike and flank, and help Emiya Shirou, Staren, and Eryl Fairfax work very directly in tandem with the defenders to maximize their damage output, both in range and melee!

    And then they arrive. "Salutations once again, Oscar, Cassius. And it is good to see you again, Solaire. Are you going the other way again?" Then he peers. Wait. This place was sealed. Did Solaire go ahead with Cassius? This keeps happening. Back to Oscar now, though. "Are you three in need of supply or immediate assistance? Judging from the denisity of the creatures here, we should not wait too long in this location otherwise."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Priscilla's words to Staren just make Mizuki's melancholy all the more pronounced. She regards the damned creatures from a presumably 'safe' distance in the sky just before moving along with the rest of the group, her countenance dipping into a subtle but lasting frown. As if in answer to her thoughts, Aelinos slowly materializes in her left hand, though it's obvious from her body language that she has no more intention of starting a fight than she did before. Rather, she just wants to be prepared, and there is very little practicality in keeping her weapon sheathed when these... husks likely lack the cognition that would allow them to understand the mercy and softness of the gesture.

    She sees more and more of them, encouraging her to gravitate closer to the group and the ground after some time has passed. Just for good measure she keeps her form translucent and muddy at all times to lower the probability of her catching the eye of some tormented chimera. She, alongside the rest, would soon come to rest by a bonfire where a battle has recently been completed. She recognizes Oscar immediately and at least remembers Solaire, though she would give Cassius a more curious glance.

    After some seconds of silence, Mizuki would speak. "Goodness, what a mess." A gentle prod at the mood, just in case she might be able to make things a trifle less severe. "... though I am glad to see that you are all still breathing, if not unharmed." She would pay Oscar a quick glance, the glint in her eyes reminding that she and the others are here to help.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko continues to avoid two things--summoning her armor, and deadening her senses. The armor is a less significant decision, in light of the nature of her magic, but the reduction of her senses unfortunately follows with a noticeable reduction in her ability to react. Her present tactics, then, are noticeably aggressive. As they advance, she does not wait for opponents to strike, but instead strikes first, summoning to her hands a long spear suited to such a mode.

     She is quick and precise, using her uncanny proficiency with her arms to seek out any point on an opponent that may quickly render them a non-threat if pierced, or at least so hobbled as to be quickly dispatched by others. In particular, her focus is on any demon that may be similarly quick, so as to end it quickly, before things have a chance of becoming complicated. The need to defend against ambush prompts her to summon a large, round shield ere long.

    And then, arrival. Spear across her back, shield set on the ground, she allows those with greater propensity toward speech to handle vocal greetings. She merely nods in Oscar's direction, should she catch his eye, electing otherwise to examine the surroundings.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl rubs his chin as he gives the gnarled tree another onceover. Something he regrets immediately, yanking his hand away. While the outer parts of his limbs are designed to be as nonconductive to heat as possible, in this environment... well, they are a bit unpleasant to the touch, even through the fake skin.

     But then, they are assailed by the monstrous entities that dwell here. Here, Eryl has a bit of a conundrum. He has ammo supplies and the remaining energy in his core to worry about. But against a horde like this, he needs to bring his best. So, the best option is the one that consumes only one resource and not two.

     Thus, his 'Ungraspables' erupt from his arms with a hiss, as he sticks close to Nathan to cover him. Against these creatures, he has no information on vital areas, so at first, his strategy is to strike deeply as possible, in the hopes of penetrating something important. Gradually, Original Face analyzes the results, and begins to build up some rough ideas of their anatomy, guiding Eryl's strikes.

     But eventually, they make their rendezvous. Looking down at his blood-spattered clothes, he sighs. "Maybe I should have left the cloak on..." Since more blood won't change much at this point, he wipes the blood from his blades with his coat before sheathing them.

     "Greetings one and all. Hope you are well. I do not believe I have had the pleasure. I am Eryl Fairfax, diplomat for the ReGenesis Corporation, and your ally in this endeavour." His smile spreads across his face as he bows to the three knights in turn.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Maybe it's because he's looking at her like a particularly interesting specimen, and not a person. People get like that sometimes, he has no idea why.

Okay, he knows exactly why and that's why he does it. After all, it's not like Quelaag is a /person/.

Priscilla's frosty demeanor doesn't seem to dissuade him either as they proceed. The twisted beings leap out at them and attack, and Lezard responds in kind, but not as one might expect. Purple portals open as Lezard summons up his own minions, intercepting them. As they clash, Lezard creates gleaming magical circles under them, and the monsters vanish elsewhere.

Finally, they reach the group of survivors, and Lezard looks them over for several moments. "You all appear to be intact. Excellent." He strides over to one side, looking over at the scrolls Cassius is reading. "Have you found anything of note?"

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou makes great use of his throwable swords for this endeavor! Kanshou and Bakuya fly in pairs this way and that way as he creates several copies. For whatever reason, this weapon is easy for him to produce and its performance is excellent. Every demon that goes down before it reaches the group is a point in their favor! ... But every Projection he makes is a strain on his head and prana supply. By the time they reach the Bonfire he's pretty sweaty... or would be if the heat didn't evaporate everything instantly. "Yo... sorry we're a bit late." He greets the knights with, strolling up and wiping at his forehead. "Anything big happen... ?" He ends up peering at Solaire, whom he's seen before, but definitely wasn't expecting down here. Blink blink.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe gets the idea to head up frot from Nathan and falls in after all it's what she does Oscar gets a nod and a comment. 5R
"Good to see you Oscar and your friend as well."

She knows her role here is to take a beating so the others do not have to as she moves in she sees the entacles and she twiches that's when the light spells start almost like arrows. The strange runes swirl about Tomoe as she does this trying to keep them busy and off her allies.

Priscilla has posed:
    Solaire and Oscar look up at the sound of Staren's eager exclamation. Cassius seems far too busy with his scroll to notice. It seems like the kind of situation where Solaire would let go one of his good natured laughs, but for some reason, the knight sounds nothing but solemn. Perhaps even forlorn. "Yes. It was not easy. Lands like these are often as dangerous as they are unrewarding. I am happy to see you safely together, but I do not think I can linger here for much longer. There is nothing for me here, save a reminder of Lord Izalith's greatest mistake."

    Oscar seems a little put off by Solaire's fey mood, but greets the party regardless, nodding towards Erly as he introduces himself. "We are indeed. As promised, we've not moved from this spot. Cassius seems to be in high spirits ever since he found that scroll from that witch's grave. Haven't you now Cassius?" He claps the pyromancer on the back to get his attention, to which the man startles and looks around as if only just realizing people had shown up, flashing a nervous grin through even more stubble than usual. "A-ah! Right! Yeah! Never been better! This place is where they used to practise the original fire arts, way back before pyromancy was even invented. It's basically a holy ground for people from the Great Swamp right? I'll be a hero once I take these back with me. I think I've . . . almost got it figured out. It's some right nonsense to look at, but the theory's there. I think if I just . . ." He trails off again, mumbling aloud the contents of the page.

    Oscar continues. "We've still got everything we need to continue, though I'd prefer going whatever way you came from rather than the long way again. Solaire here has already done more than enough for us. We've reason to believe that the Lordsoul is inside here, but we decided it would be best to wait for allies. Asides, Cassius insists we wait until he's finished with those scrolls." Lezard, of course, finds that they are written in a native language, not too dissimilar from what Priscilla uses to write summoning signs with. There are a lot of strange diagrams that look like they could be anatomical in nature if the shapes represented actually looked like anything.

    Shortly after Lezard leans down to look, Cassius jumps upright, dropping the scrolls immediately with a look of wonderment, and possibly slamming his head against the sorceror's nose on the way up. "I've got it! I know how they did it! It's not even the fire arts, it's something completely new! They invented a . . . it's like pyromancy but not! Oh you'll get it once you see it! Watch this!" Breathless and sweaty, Cassius holds out his hand, and conjures the tiny pyromancy flame into his upturned palm as usual. Rather than growing into any manner of conflagration or suffusing itself into his biology however, the flame turns a strange, blood-red hue; its image rippling as if viewed through the surface of a disturbed pond, and then beginning to twist and writhe as if alive. The flame grows to the size of a usual fireball, and then expands again, until Cassius has to hold his arm out far from his body and shield his face to try and ward off the overpowering energy given off by the towering inferno in the palm of his hand. It's far and away more impressive than anything he's done before.

    Only after it stabilizes at a maximum size, does something unnerving happen. Pooling in the palm of his hand, incandescent, burning fluid, looking very much like what bleeds constantly from Quelaag's demonic half, begins dripping onto the floor, sizzling ominously at his feet. Cassius coughs, and then dry heaves, splattering the same liquid from his lungs onto the stone. The flame grows again, racing up his arm like the lit wick of a candle, though his clothes remain unsinged. Oscar and Solaire both scramble to their feet, taking several steps back as he looks to them. Turning towards the party, Cassius staggers forward a couple of steps, staring forward with eyes burning in an entirely different way than that of a hollow. ". . . help

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki, unsurprisingly, focuses primarily on Solaire. To her credit, though, forlorn people tend to be the most dangerous in this realm by far. Though with a glance in Cassius' direction, she might also note that overzealousness is no more helpful. The mention of a 'mistake', followed by the mage's sudden realization, quickly begin to burst into a sort of unnatural apprehension. Certainly, she should be at least mildly uncomfortable, but why so severely? Well, her authorial senses are flaring up like the flames that skate atop the lava. Just before the unholy spark comes to life in Cassius' hand, she knows that it was a horrible mistake. But that doesn't really help any of them now, does it?

    Well, perhaps. Thankfully, her fear had inspired the early development of a stasis sphere that has been growing in her hand for the past few seconds. Almost immediately after the utterance of the word 'help', Mizuki would squeeze and compress this sphere as though she were bringing her palm to bear on space-time itself before attempting to hurl the thing at Cassius. This should not harm him in any way, but if it's successful, it would freeze him in place. Beyond this, though, it would freeze his time completely, hopefully halting any and all chemical or magical reactions that may be taking place here until the others have time to think.

    She really doesn't want to know what will happen if this doesn't work, but those mental images she conjured whilst looking at the monsters from earlier were... not optimistic.

Staren has posed:
    Staren looks between their allies curiously as they talk. Wondering what the difference isa between fire arts and pyromancy. But Cassius's excitement is contagious -- something new has been discovered? What is it? Staren eagerly watches the demonstration... And the strange fire. "What... is that?" He watches... and then things start going wrong. Staren starts thinking of counters. Dispel it? There are sorcerers here... he should always have a dispelling potion on hand, damn it! Cut the arm off? Certainly an option, but a drastic one.

    If noone counterspells it, OR says that water won't work, he draws his staff from his bag and uses some of the spirit battery's charge to cast Hydro Pump. Hey, being blasted with a firehose is better than being consumed by eldritch fire, right?

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko finds little of interest among the corpses, and therefore returns her attention to the three at the bonfire as conversation continues. She makse no motion at the explanation, understanding nothing of pyromancy, and thus only reacts visibly when Cassius begins to work his magic. New magic. Is it safe to try out something just discovered like this, from a long-dead civilization?

    Her vague unease is soon justified. She drops her shield soon after the flame changes color. When it begins to tower upward, her spear is gone, but a heavy knife is in its place, more a machete than a dagger. When his eyes change, she steps forward, ready to strike in a blow that should cleave his arm from his shoulder. Whether this will break the spell or kill him, she does not know.

    She will halt only if another tactic proves effective, such as Mizuki's time-halt, or Staren's water. If, rather, Cassius still appears to be self-destructing, her blade will descend.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe pauses at Oscar and FOlaire for a moment but hey they know this world far better than she does after all. She does not have any power that could really stop this save perhaps an interupt and she'll move in to attemps the short spell which was normally used to stop monsters with cast time bars it's a stretch but she's going to try. She shouts something in Norse accented badly enough to make Inga cry to boot while she does this.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "Stop that, it's--" Shirou knows very well what happens when you play with magic. just seeing anyone have an Ooh Shiny reaction to a spell they've never seen fills him with dread... and he reaches out as if to grab the offending arm. But the HEAT is too much, and he ends up retreating backwards instead.

    Fear for Cassius' life burns in his eyes just like that fire. What's he supposed to do for this?

    Well... he can't. But hearing a counterspell's on the way... "Trace... on!"

    Another projection. this time, the AXE-SWORD of HERACLES - really, just a GIANT HUNK OF ROCK carved into the rough shape of a GIANT'S SWORD appears in front of him, slamming into the ground hard enough to crack it. Why is this thing here?

    Because Shirou can hunker behind it. As can maybe one or two other people!

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard listens intently to the information given by Oscar and Solaire. "Lord Izalith's greatest mistake... Is that what caused this great conflagaration?" He asks. His looking over the scrolls causes him to squint slightly, but he doesn't seem too offput by this. A mage always has to deal with strange and unusual languages.

He looks over to Cassius as he leaps up, ans Lezard stands back, his glasses gleaming.

He knows what happens when someone says that phrase.

Amazingly, Cassius doesn't get instantly detonated, he just starts puking magma. Lezard watches for several seconds in morbid fascination. He does not move to assist, the others have this well in hand.

It's if all else fails that Lezard's own talents might come into play.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Scrolls! Nathan loves people having good ideas about scrolls and bringing them to places where people will treat them respectfully! Odd to find it in a grave, but hey! And then things get a little too intense. Nathan is very, VERY impressed, for a moment, quite eagerly so, but not long.

    Sorcery activates. Nathan's ahand shines with multicolor light. Old Realm is gently whispered and Nathan, despite the intense horror he feels at seeing a MAN ON FIRE in front of him, remains quite stoic and unreactive. Flashing forward immediately, he presses one palm over the other, forming an X with both hands, and mutters, quietly, "Emerald Counterspell." The magic attacks the spell Cassius just cast directly, attempting to disrupt its internal sorcerous structures in a way that will, hopefully dispell it. He's targeting the arm after he swiftly strides forward. Unfortunately, this will put him right in front of the spray of magma, if Cassius does so again, which will impact his body and likely scorch a searing, painful burn down his body. Nathan, however, doesn't react at all to the sensation.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl takes a seat by the fire himself with a grunt, smiling at Oscar and Solaire. Original Face can pick up the sorrow in the latter's voice, and the unease in the former as a result. Although, this is not really the time to be probing into the relationship between two men he just met, so he just makes note.

     He grins when Cassius starts talking. It's always nice to hear about lost knowledge being unearthed, so he listens patiently as the man speaks. But then when he begins casting magic, he pointedly looks away. Original Face just can't handle spontaneous flames right now.

     Thus, Eryl is a bit slow to respond when the fire burns out of control and starts trying to consume the man. Quickly, he grabs for his cloak and starts to go over, the intent to smother the flames. But, Mizuki has him in her strange magic, so he stops, listening closely.

     All this talk about mystic things beyond his understanding cause him to clench his teeth. He hates times like this, where he cannot help.

     Hates it.

     Hates it.

     Thus, he simply takes up a position behind Cassius, pointing his index finger at the back of his head. One Hand Clapping primed and ready.

Madara Uchiha (651) has posed:
There was some impressive fighting skill displayed on the way here. Kimiko's spear-work, Shirou's sword throwing... Eryl's combat abilities have already been observed, but remain as interesting and varied as ever. Lezard's tactics are unconventional relative to Madara's own world - but utilizing disposable undead is not THAT odd. After all, the original purpose of Impure World Resurrection was to take the enemy out with you. Madara's body being a result of that technique means he understands perfectly how viable it is as a tactic. But the combination with teleportation is an interesting addition. Tomoe's arrows of light are also intriguing.

There is plenty interesting here. The environment, the enemies, the combatants... It is simply that all of them are of lesser interest to obtaining the Lordsoul. What this trio has to say is likewise of lesser interest, and what happens to them doesn't matter at all. The shinobi had almost suggested they simply leave Oscar and his companions to fend for themselves, but he knows that probably wouldn't have gone over well.

Good thing they chose to go to this trio after all, though. It seems Cassius has developed a quite interesting power well beyond the wielder's personal ability. Madara draws his fan, prepared to cut off the arm that carries such terrible power, but it has already raced upwards and seems to be glowing from the pyromancer's eyes. At least one other seems to have a similar idea, but where Madara held off due to concern over whether the removal of the arm would even do anything, Kimiko apparently plants to proceed if not stopped. Others have out water, and time magic - the latter seems the most likely to achieve something, since this is some manner of ancient fire magic and water is probably about as effective as doing nothing at all. Nathan has counter-magic that may work...

But they have to be certain, don't they? So Madara puts his gunbai back on his back, and steps forward towards Cassius. His eyes have changed from red-on-black, to grey, with black rings radiating outwards from the centers of each. He attempts to simply grab Cassius by whatever is available to grab, and start draining all this strange energy out of him, possibly negating it in the process. Madara does not 'keep' the energy he absorbs with the Rinnegan's 'Blocking Technique Absorption Seal', usually. But this is strange power. And who knows if it has any side-effects?

Priscilla has posed:
    In the end, it seems Cassius had picked an extroardinarily good time to discover the secrets of Chaos Pyromancy, because he is surrounded by a number of people with powers well outside of his own who are ready, willing, and able to help. Mizuki hitting him with the stasis sphere and Tomoe with something similar saves him from a fate every bit as bad as hollowing, leaving him moments away from being consumed for several minutes; locked in time with the flames halfway across his shoulders and that terrified look on his face. Having actually cast some form of magic, Nathan's counterspell causes the fireball rampaging out of control to simply burst like a bubble, though it only gets halfway through the motions of dispersing before the flaming remains are re-frozen in time, likely burning him in the process. Finally, Madara is able to draw out the chaos now running through his veins, causing the burning glow radiating from his unblinking eyes to fade. Much like Nathan however, he doesn't come away unscathed either. In the brief period between him absorbing the foreign fire magic and negating it, the ruinous powers course through his hand, and set it ablaze with living flame; charring his flesh as it attempts to climb further up his arm, consuming only up to about his wrist before the rate of cancelling exceeds the rate of transfer.

    Completely miraculously, Cassius survives. As the timestop comes undone, he stumbles forward, and Priscilla of all people moves to catch him; grabbing him under his arms before he hits the floor. The man is breathless and pale, and sweating even more profusely than the heat should make him, looking rapidly from face to face in dawning comprehension. "I . . . I didn't . . . I just thought if I . . . well I /had/ to if we were going to . . . I mean if I was ever going to . . ." Again it is Priscilla who cuts him off. "If thou wouldst attempteth to do something so great, let know your comrades first. Thou hast come nearly to the end of this journey on thine own. Thou needest not power that exceeds thine grasp."

    Oscar grabs Cassius by the hand and pulls him up, wordlessly giving him what can only be described as a bro hug, though the motion is decidedly more heartfelt than the term would imply. One can only imagine what he was thinking in those minutes where it looked like he was about to lose another companion. Solaire breaks the tense atmosphere next. He picks up the scrolls and stuffs them into their case, moving to toss them into the lava, before hesitating, and then reluctantly stuffing them into his pack. "I wish we could be rid of these. If they had been the fire arts like we had assumed, they would have been archived in Anor Londo by the end of this. I do not know why any of the witches would preserve records of the art that consumed them." He turns to look at Nathan in particular, having asked him about this kind of thing already. "As the First Flame faded, Lord Izalith and her witches devoted themselves to understanding its origins and workings so they could attempt to birth a second, rather than rekindle the old. She succeeded, in a way. It brought power into the world, and it spawned new life, but in a spasm of uncontrolled chaos. This city is proof that something as great as the First Flame is something beyond even the Lords' will."

Staren has posed:
    Staren is relieved to see Cassius saved. When the man is unfrozen and stammers out an explanation, Staren replies, "I understand, but in the future, you need to take precautions when experimenting with new types of magic. Maybe not do it in the middle of a field op."

    He listens to Solaire's words. "But perhaps it /could/ be controlled, with care? Or altered to not be so chaos-focused?"

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko lowers her blade, but slowly, twirling it once as it disappears like a glinting mist. She's as glad to have not used it, as she expects Cassius is to not have died again.

    "If no one has previously been able to control it, then we should expect any attempt to fail. Set aside. Unnecessary risk."

    She is quite ready to move on.

Madara Uchiha (651) has posed:
Oh, good. It worked, thanks to the efforts of everyone involved. As the chaos flames crawl up Madara's arm, until he has successfully absorbed and negated what lies within Cassius, he seems unperturbed. The damage to his body of dust and ash is repaired after a short time, and the flames that lay blazing upon him are absorbed into his body and erased from existence. His Rinnegan remain active, just incase there is any resurgence, but he does not expect such to occur. Either way, however, it is better to be safe and there may yet be other uses for the Rinnengan's powers in this place.

"If these records are too dangerous to be allowed to remain archived - Solaire, was it? - I would be willing to take the burden of their keeping upon myself. I have the means to seal them away in an inaccessible space." He believes he might be able to decypher the secrets and wield this power, at least with this body he has now, but does not see much point in it.

His gaze drifts away, and back towards the top of the ziggurat. "Anyway, as fruitful as this detour may have been, the Lordsoul still waits to be claimed," he agrees with Kimiko.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl watches as those more learned in dealing with magic than he manage to save Cassius's life. While he is still galled at his helplessness, what matters is that he is safe. Lowering his hand, he nods his head to Mizuki, Nathan and - after a pause - Madara. "Well done."

     Patting the pyromancer on the shoulder, he speaks. "I understand your enthusiasm for understanding old knowledge. But, a lot of it is dangerous, and should be handled with care. Rushing in headlong without more careful understanding will get you killed." He then approaches Nathan, concern evident all over his face. "How are those burns? Are you going to be okay?"

     He stares hard at Solaire when it seemed he was going to discard the scrolls. While the knowledge they contained is undoubtedly dangerous... part of him hates to see anything from old times destroyed. But thankfully, they aren't. "So, everything here is a result of that attempt to make a new First Flame? Goodness..." With a small sigh, he shakes his head. "If everyone is able, let us move on."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe Does not know she's ot the attention of Madara and perahps it's fgo the best she's distracted with the task at hand really. She can't help but horrified at what htier ally has endured but he seems to still be with them and Oscar is alreayd moving to take care of him. She wishes she could do some healing but that's not really in her skill shet she doe showeve rlisten to the information now that's imparted upon the party.

"So it went utterly out of control, I see so it would be unwise to presure this thing further right? Do we have a healer who can help you?"

She does offer him a potion however it might help.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    For a long several moments, Mizuki stares wordlessly, expressionlessly, back at the Cassius' frozen face. It's not that she doesn't care so much as she really has no idea how to react. This 'disease' is a thing that very well could've consumed his soul in a similar way to how hollowing causes it to rot. This... is an existential crisis she has had before, certainly; ruminating on what it would be like for a soul to be destroyed outright, and for the imprint of a person to be lost forever in the undertow of vorpal dark constantly threatening to burst from this world's every pore. Having experience with the thoughts doesn't make the pain of recollecting this particular existential crisis any less horrible, though.

    Still, she lets all that melt into a smile when she sees Oscar embrace Cassius. the point of her sword rests on the ground, her hands folding parallelwise over its pommel. There she would remain for several moments, stationary, running through several other outcomes of this particular happenstance in her head. The one where Cassius was consumed by the flame, the one where they had to kill him, the one where Oscar broke down in tears. Looking at them now, she can't help but think how glad she is that this was the continuity they had landed upon. Again her thoughts meander to Quelaag and how narrowly they had avoided killing her as well. Only, she most certainly would never have come back.

    Though further discourse grips her attention in an even more complete manner, and a coy smile would return to her soon enough. "So you mean to say that the Witches of Izalith brought this madness into the world by trying to... fabricate, for lack of a better word, a Lordsoul? My my, how blasphemous~." The word 'blasphemous' rolls as would the word 'scandalous' from so many old noblewomen doting over their younger relatives. "... truly, though, what an incredible thing it would've been if that research had ended successfully. It might've created a more permanent solution to this whole thing. And that, I suppose," She would look to Oscar, "is precisely why it is important that you do preserve those documents. Obviously we should see to it that these experiments are never replicated, but some of the philosophy and nuance there may lead us to a better understanding of this world as a whole. That sort of thing is truly invaluable in a world so devoid of life and proper means of education. I suppose there are the libraries, but even they would not likely contain such an intimate analysis as this."

    She would let those be her final words on the matter, ending with a nod and the most good-natured look to try to assure Oscar that she is, in fact, on his side. Really, she doesn't want to be abrasive; she's just growing more and more concerned with this world's well-being, and this, in her mind, is crucial to the forging of a better future.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
The combined powers of those present manage to save Cassius. It's very heartfelt, but Lezard is more attentive to the scrolls. When Solaire picks them up and is about to toss them into the lava, you could see a hand outstretched to object to such an action. Thankfully, he does not, and Lezard shakes his head, adjusting his glasses. "Such a spasmatic, uncontrolled formation of life. Indeed, as Staren says, perhaps if one could learn to control such a thing... But I suppose it it was so simple the original discoverers would have found a way."

He smiles faintly. "Surely no one present is capable of succeeding such such... illustrious beings have failed before so catastrophically..." He shrugs.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Now Nathan is burned too. It is unpleasant! Augh, he's covered in blistered flesh now, and his robes are scorched. But, he seems to continue to not react to his injury at all. It's just a lack of reaction to the pain, though, the scorching has clearly injured him! Eryl Fairfax gets a nod. "I will survive until the excursion is complete. Healing may be prudent, but it is not necessary." He then nods several times to Oscar. "Lordran seems to have a habit of archiving its own destruction. I find it deeply disturbing. I leave it to you, what you wish done with them. I certainly understand the damage a piece of literature can do, if it is... The wrong kind."

    More attention to Cassius now. "We understand. You do as well. I am certain it will not happen again." He says, with the most possible assurance. "Determine and attend to your wounds, if you have them. We need to move on." And then he glances back to the strange ziggurat. "We may need to move on." So he's planning on having the group head inside, if they can now.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    With that issue seemingly taken care of, Shirou steps out from the impromptu cover. He is ashamed in a way. Everyone else could help, he could only cower and trust in them. That is his limit as a hero - he can fight, but he's no real magus. Hrmngh.

    "I think we just had a good example of why this flame is not a good thing to mess with." Shirou points out for Staren. Because THAt could've been a disaster.

Priscilla has posed:
    "If it could, it we be something to do another time, when the age is not already in its twilight years. I cannot say you'll have any more success trying to follow her work than following the plans of Lord Gwyn." Solaire states simply to Staren, nodding towards Kimiko. "Unfortunately, I will insist that they remain here. When those who we would trust to do so return to Lordran, I think we would all like to see this city reclaimed." he says to Madara. "The Witch was the Lord of fire, but fire is not the same as the Flame spoken of in hushed tones. Though her powers were similar, in the end it was impossible for her to create a whole that exceeded the piece she possessed." he says in response to Mizuki's philosophizing. Oscar lets go of Cassius, looking at him directly as he adds onto Solaire. "Like trying to fill a barrel with a cup of water." The tone is much more clearly in the serious realm of 'don't do that again' than everyone else's minor admonishments.

    "Nevertheless, we must proceed, Sir Oscar, Sir Solaire, Sir Cassius." Priscilla says, doing her very best to ignore Lezard's particularly snide remark. "I dread to think upon it, but the conclusions now seems obvious, as to why the roots of an Archtree wouldst runneth rampant through these ruins." Solaire returns a silent stare, whereas Oscar somehow manages to give the impression of being confused despite his full face helmet. Obliging to the multiple suggestions to keep moving, Priscilla lets out a deep breath and then moves to the entryway into the ziggurat, ducking slightly to avoid some errant, branching roots hanging over the roof. The three locals bring up the rear after everyone else follows after. The passage into the building interior grows oddly cold rather than any warmer despite the enclosed environment, and the light of the molten ocean outside swiftly fades into the background, casting only weak rays across the stones. The path slopes down rather than climbing up, towards the heart of the tample instead of its summit. The side passages appear to have been /fused/ shut, as if an insane wave of heat had blasted down the corridor, melted the outer layer of stone, and blown it over each doorway before it had hardened again. It looks like the ramp may once have been stairs for the same reason as well.

    There is only one destination. The way downward leads into a room large enough to contain a small building of its own, hemispherical in shape, and supported by half-melted pillars. The roots of the enormous tree converge here, pouring through the walls, floor and ceiling like branching veins steadily returning to their arteries. The cluster of roots turns the room into a tangled jungle in which one can just barely see, never mind walk. At the very center of it all, the twisted branches rejoin into the towering shape of something very vaguely human, to the point where one might wonder whether the shape were merely a coincidence; fine twigs and cilia spreading from its myriad fingers, with a face little more than a formless cluster of thorns. It is very clearly deliberate however, as the entire shape appears to pulse subtly, or perhaps even breathe. At its base, deep within an even thicker mesh of roots, something bright smoulders.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko gives an openly suspicious look toward toward offers to take the dangerous scroll into Confederate hands, with no visor to hide the small yet easily identified changes in her otherwise stoic expression. She returns to more passive observation as Solaire refuses, giving no further, outward sign of her approval of the wisdom in waiting for trusted keepers.

    On they go, with the magical girl slowing what would be a slide down the passageway with the scrape of a summoned military pick, unwilling to simply charge headlong into what awaits below. That there is no immediate ambush is insufficient to quell suspicions. Every Lordsoul has been guarded, and if this is the location of another, she expects it to be no different. Her pick changes to the recently familiar, machete-like shape as they land in this new chamber, though she does not hack straight through. Not quite yet. No, she'll wait until she has an idea of what she's looking for, first.

    There, something. "That--a flame?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "Ah, yes," Mizuki would nod several times to Oscar, "the classical conundrum of attempting to make something of nothing, or to exchange two things of unequal value in some crude alchemical process. Unfortunately, that rarely, if ever, ends well. As we can see from the realm around us, the price --" She would gesture to the lava sea, "-- often ends up exceeding the payoff regardless. Though I am curious what, if anything, might be of equal value to a Lordsoul in this world. Perhaps the life of a valiant hero who has proven their worth through countless travails?" She would give Oscar the most curious look. "... I suppose I can only muse."

    When the decision is finally made to proceed, Mizuki would soar upward without a word, alighting somewhere near to Priscilla when the group has reached the ziggurat. Just for good measure, Mizuki would offer the woman a small smile, too, as her way of reconciling several hours of silence. Silence that the halfbreed likely did not -mind-, per se, but still! This is someone the lady enjoys talking to, and she won't let this opportunity to interact with her slip away.

    She would walk along, interested, allowing her gaze to linger for especially long periods at those bizzare twists of melted stone where she happens to notice them. Between the gnarls of the roots and cobble, this structure really does manage to look quite a lot like a jungle in the midst of a horrifying storm of fire. A bit of an incongruity, maybe, but it -does- give the area a degree of uniqueness that enraptures whatever remains of the energy she spent fretting over philosophy and people before.

    At least until they arrive inside, of course. The sight of the 'mother tree' would make her stop dead. Her metaphorical muscles twist into knots, and her authorial senses again fill her with a powerful surge of apprehension. Her left hand would tightly grip the hilt of her blade, the other hand resting over the chameleon pocket that hides her revolver. She has no idea what good (if any) her strikes would do against this entity should it turn hostile, but she would still vastly prefer preparation to having her soul hung upon an unholy crucifix for all time.

    Was this thing a person at one time, too? She can't help but wonder. Though, if it was, she might just have a decent idea of whom.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard was most certainly not being snide.

Hahahahaa, no, he was totally being snide. And maybe seeing who else would bite on that.

The Necromancer proceeds with the others into the building. Lezard looks up at the mass of tangled roots and examines how they run through the area, as well as the incredible heat damage to the area. "The flame that was born here must have been spectacular indeed." Lezard comments, but says nothing more until they travel down in to the heart of the temple.

It is there, facing the tangle of chaotic plantlife in the center, that Lezard looks upon it and considers, a hand running along the base of his chin. "Greetings." Lezard says, simply to the mass. Perhaps it will respond.

Staren has posed:
    "I wonder how the heat is sustained?" Staren asks. "Real volcanoes are connected to a planet's worth of geothermal energy that can last billions of years. But this was artificially created and not nearly as big. Shouldn't it have cooled down over time? Unless..." he strokes the chin of his helmet, "some of those flames are still around somewhere, generating more heat... What's that all have to do with an Archtree?" he asks.

    Then he follows into the ziggurat, and finallyto the inner chamber. "Is that... did someone turn themselves /into/ the tree? Is that a thing that happens? And what's that?"

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is nin agreement about recovering the city at some point but that would be for later she thinks really. She wonders but there's not much time ot think about what may come of the recovery of this ity for now she moves on ahead taking a front line role as it her lace in things like this. Thenb they come upon something and she stares at it.

"Just ... what is this?!"

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl walks with the group, scanning at all times for another demon attack. His head is really starting to ache now, and the heat wasn't helping. So he's rather relieved when the air begins to cool inside the ziggurat.

     Eventually, they stand in a new room. Original Face notes the patterns on the wall are indicative of stone melting. "Considering the melting point of stone, this flame must have been intense indeed..."

     Then, the tangled roots. Eryl muses over cutting through, but considering what happened to Cassius, best not to meddle with things too much. So he carefully picks his way through, until they stand before the roots twisted into the shape of a humanoid.

     "Good heavens... is this what became of the Witch?" he wonders aloud, looking around, expecting some kind of ambush.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "... what is this?" Shirou states dumbly upon walking into the big new chamber with the others. He's prety dense when you get down to it. That this place is pecial has not eluded him. What the hell it could be? Yeah he totally has NO clue at all.

    That Lezard is GREETING it also sets him on edge, the magus's eyes going wide. Eh? That's a person, not just a cluster that vaguely looks like it?

    "The trouble with fire is that it burns out. What do you burn to warm life up?" What a weird question, but that sems to be the issue regarding the Flame in his mind. "And what do you do when it runs out? If it ran out once..."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    The scorched Librarian shuffles cautiously through the structure. He answers Shirou and Staren with a frank, and perhaps excessively dramatic answer. "That is the question. Based on what little I know of the Flames of this world? A great leader of those that live here would go to rekindle it, eventually to be succeeded by another chosen to be worthy of passing their many trials, and so on." He makes a worried noise. "Presumably some great length of time after defeating incomprehensible invaders."

    Nathan thinks for a moment about the results of this line of thinking. He comes to troubling conclusions, and decides not to think about it any more. "Priscilla." He tweaks his head towards the humanoid form over the fire, asking much the same as Eryl. "Is the soul we seek there?"

Priscilla has posed:
    Oscar makes no particular reaction towards Mizuki's implications of foreshadowing. Oddly enough, it is Solaire instead who gives her a strange look, or what one could imagine to be strange with that bucket helm on his head all the time. "Izalith was a Lord of spectacular power." He says aside to Lezard. "It is only for that reason that her mistake became so dangerous." Priscilla responds to Staren instead. "The Archtrees, the Ashen Mist, and the Everlasting Dragons were the three things that predated the First Flame. The three things that existed before even the concepts of life and death. If the First Flame sprung from a world in which only those things existed, it wouldst be natural for an attempt at a second to call upon such an ancient reality. I believeth Lord Izalith created something close to that which lived before the Flame in order to support it."

"So it wouldst seem." Is all she has to say to Kimiko. It's a little difficult for her to navigate around the room, being easily the tallest one present, and with a dress that wants to snag on absolutely everything. She raises her scythe to hack away one of the branches, but Oscar holds up his hand, motioning her to leave it alone in a sudden flash of insight. "No." He states simply. "This is the bed in which chaos once lay, but it is not the witch." He steps forward cautiously, nut not fearfully; gradually making his way towards the center of the room, and then to the base of the bizarre, humanoid form. He seems to speak to Shirou next. "A question we would all like to know. If the First Flame came from nothing, surely it cannot comprise all the Fire possible in the world, and yet the witch did not change herself to accomodate the creation of a new one, but . . ."

    Priscilla responds to Nathan only with silence as she catches on to what Oscar means. Urging the librarian forward to see for himself, she follows the knight as Solaire stands by in solitude, turning his back to whatever it is everyone will see when they reach where Oscar stands. What they find, nestled beneath the deepest, thickest roots of the tree, in a strange little empty grotto, is the extinguished remains of a Bonfire, and a second blaze too small to be called little more than an ember, slowly trailing from the body of some small, pitiful creature. Whatever it was is impossible to tell by looking at it, resembling only a tiny, scorched, limbless sort of stump; vaguely insectoid in the same way Quelaag's other body is. The feeling of incredible power that normally surrounds a Lordsoul is present, but silent and still; like the heat remaining for the hour after a fire has burnt out. Finally finishing his wayward sentence, Oscar says: ". . . she was consumed as its fuel."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki... has very little else to say or do, once Oscar speaks his part. It makes sense. All she's left to wonder is whether or not the Lordsoul was inescapably lost or altered in the process, really, but she's fairly confident that the others will figure that out on their own. So for the time being, Mizuki, too, would approach that shrivelled, indistinct mass, folding her arms behind her back and looking down at it with a sort of indiscernible regard. To no one in particular, she would mutter, "... I suppose this is the point at which Faruja would utter some words in prayer." And with that, she would do something very strange for a person of her attitude and opinions. She would bow her head, close her eyes, and do that very thing.

    No, she's not wishing her well in some afterlife, but she is ensuring that there is someone to mourn for them. To hope that her pain somehow comes to an end, and that the things she gave her life for may one day help others to achieve what she had tried to. In some small way, Mizuki can earnestly respect someone who leapt across the divide of uncertainty in pursuit of a goal, or an idea. But she can respect anyone who would place their priorities, philosophies, and feelings above their own lives, really; it takes a special sort of courage.

    But she's rambling again. Isn't she rambling? At least this time it's inside her own head.

    Once Mizuki's head finally raises and her eyelids lift, she would kneel down to give the 'stump' the most ginger tap with a pair of fingers. Even if that's probably not a very good idea, she's too caught up in the idea that it might give them some final comfort to resist.

    Out of a mixture of silliness and sincerity, Mizuki would softly mutter, 'Rest in peace, fellow witch.' Of course, this would likely be far too soft for any others to hear.

Tomoe has posed:
Since the Rat Palaind isn't here? Tomoe the Paladin Emulation is indeed muttering a brief prayer after she hears what happens. It's a brief bit an she looks up as she takes a look around.

"So she gave everything for it Oscar?"

She shakes her head. a little bit what wlse is there to day for her this is pretty heavy stuff all things considered.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "........" Shirou is very, very quiet as the group comes across what remains of the Witch of Izalith. He has come to the same conclusion as Oscar. And it's turned his face very pale indeed. "The experiment... backfired. This is what happens when you work with magic that nobody's tried before. Your own life goes on the line." He'd know that pretty well, now wouldn't he?

    Shirou just sighs. One more disappointment. One more soul that cannot be saved. On the other hand... one less horrendously powerful thing that would bar everyone's way and maybe kill someone, so there is that!

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan does move to examine the corrupted, insect-like corpse-bit. What he finds more immediately disturbing is the Bonfire that has been completely extinguished. But the corpse portion itself brings out his feelings of disgust. He doesn't wince away, retaining his stoicism, but he does stand up, taking a bit of distance from what he examines here. There's a glance between Priscilla and Oscar.

    "I... Mmmh. I see." He looks up the roots that extend around it. "Now it is merely a question of the state of the Lordsoul. Unless the tree she crafted somehow learned the ways of taking souls... I can almost feel it still here. Is it even still alive? It would have released the soul, to Nito, if it were not..." He looks now, to... Lezard. "I asked you to stay your magic before. I will not, this time. You desire to kill beings such as this." He makes a plaintive, open-palmed gesture. "I cannot negotiate in this instance. If you would, please?"

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl looks down at the pitiful creature next to the tiny spark. "So, this is what a mockery of this First Flame can produce." One of the most terribly... basic life forms he has ever seen. And the First Flame brought all life into existence. The stark contrast between that and this...

     "Mm. I think, for this thing, death would be a relief." He inclines his head to it, and turns away, letting someone else deal the blow.

Staren has posed:
    Staren blinks. "Wait." He approaches the little insect, crouching by it. "This... this was the creator of the second flame? Are you sure we should just kill them? Perhaps we could perform another transference..." He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "But I guess then we wouldn't be able to get the Lordsoul, huh... And they probably went insane long ago anyway, if any kind of mind is left at all..."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard steps forward, called by Nathan Hall. "I see. You are so dedicated to the path of words that even when you are faced with a being in utter torment, you cannot lift a hand to end it. I admire such dedication even if I do not agree with it."

He adjusts his glasses. "I will make this swift and painless." He pulls that book with no title from the strange place where he keeps it, and the book flips before him, his hands hovering over it, revealing a magical crest. The air treaces before him with a surge of power, energy rolling around him as he summons up an intense amount of power.

"Body, mind, soul; all are sheared away! If to serve this purpose I shall be despised, my body scorched and blackened, so be it! If to serve this purpose I must command forbidden magicks os be it!"

There is a flash, and the burning soul is pulled from the tiny being, shining with the power of the Lord that bequeathed it.

"Though my body may be tainted, though my soul may be tainted, I imbue thee with thought! I swear as the gods swear, and breathe life in to the void!"

There is a flash as the soul streaks through the air towards...

Oscar, to join the others he already bears.

The energy is gone, then leaving only a soulless corpse to lie there. "There is no more pain. It is up to Sir Oscar, now." he comments, perhaps cryptically, as he turns away.

Priscilla has posed:
    Solaire turns his head ever so slightly towards Mizuki as she begins uttering prayers, though he refuses to move from his spot. Priscilla is more open in her surprise, but waits respectfully for the girl to finish; perhaps at least to vicariously express her own desires through someone more vocal than she. Oscar only nods in taciturn silence at Tomoe, and then to Shirou; his posture tense, but not upset; saddened, but not defeated. Priscilla opens her mouth to object to Nathan passing the duty over to Lezard, but stops just short of voicing it, for some indeterminate reason, going quiet again as Erly speaks, save to say something to Staren. "Izalith is long gone. To die and be reborn as someone else wouldst be a greater mercy."

    There is a long, anxious period of inactivity as Priscilla waits for Lezard to finish. Her fingers squeeze tight around the haft of her scythe; clearly readying herself to take his head should he try anything funny, to anyone who is closely paying attention. As the Lordsoul goes to Oscar however, passing through his armour and infusing itself into his flesh with another brilliant flash of light and heat, she finally seems to relax, and in fact, seem tired. Oscar releases the hilt of the sword at his belt as the creature before him turns black and crumbles into dust.

    "One remains . . ."