3540/God Will Rise - Part Four

God Will Rise - Part Four
Date of Scene:	17 December 2015
Location:	The Tundra
Synopsis:	A return to the Lucrelia region has the heroes meet a live Einherjar.
Cast of Characters:	385, Riva Banari, 513, 757, 821, 908, 916

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Lyner Barsett (916) has posed:
     It was time again.

     Over in the snowy region of Lucrelia, it was time for Elites to gather once again and make an attempt at scaling this mountain, crawling with Incarnations and other unknown dangers. It was a task that only they could complete. One that only they could be able to get to the bottom of.

     Last week was kind of a mess, given all of the mishaps that had taken place, but surely this time would be a bit smoother. Right? Right? ...Yeah right. Given barrier detecting their entry last time, there was no point attempting to be stealthy.

     As such, there was nothing to do but just head straight in. The barrier was previously could be felt once again as they passed, scaling the mountainside until they got to the clearing where everything had happened previously. It was silent. As if the chaos of last time had never even happened. The only evidence that it, was the fact that the cave entrance from before was sealed with rubble.

     They could try and get through if they wanted, but that might have been a waste of energy.

     Now that they knew the way forward, it was a perhaps not so simple dip through the lake portal, through the other side, and back into the next clearing. The one where Yuna, Finna, and Riva had come to. Hope they had barriers or something. Lyner stepped away from the lake edge, peering about carefully. "So this is where Riva, Yuna, and Finna got to last time, huh?" His gaze swept across the surroundings, taking note of the trail leading further up the mountain, as well as the mountain cliffside on the opposite end, then the lake behind them. "I don't see that patrolling Incarnation from last time, either."

     It would be kind of hard to miss that huge thing, wouldn't it? "...Lets hope it doesn't come back." Their return trip has been rather quiet so far. He hoped it stayed that way a little while longer.

     Time to move.

Archer (821) has posed:
     Once again, the Servant of the Bow found himself trailing silently alongside the group in his invisible spirit form, acting out the role of the silent bodyguard for some of the group.

     And keeping a rather close eye on the lone Confederate in their midst.

     In all honesty, he was somewhat surprised when Gudako had kept her promise to send information... though on the other hand, it didn't alter the fact that the girl had endangered everyone on the mountain and in the cities below, her own allies included.

     Then again... it wasn't like the Union was entirely like-minded in their objectives either, some still hoping that peaceful consensus could be reached when Archer truthfully expected that only slaughter would result from this.

     He only hoped they'd all be ready for that when the time came.

     Keeping relatively close to the group, Archer opts to play the part of the guard hound and, as last time, leave the scouting in this instance to Finna and the other Servants, dubious as he was of Gudako's motivations. After all, he could better provide support for them at a distance as opposed to the front-lines - for a time at least - if they were ambushed.

     And given the lack of activity from the Incarnations, Archer wearily found himself wondering how long - or short - a wait they would have before that potential inevitability.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    Last time was not Gudako's fault at all! Technically if someone hadn't pointed out what she was doing and attacked her, they would have all run away, coordinated, with teamwork! So really, WHO IS TRULY TO BLAME HERE.

    It's certainly not the empty-eyed, constantly smiling Grail-tainted magus, nope sir. She is definitely innocent in all this, totally and absolutely.

    She did live up to her end of the bargain admittedly! She'd forwarded her findings to the Union Net (+bbread 26/30) as promised, and all was well all-around! Thus she is around again for a trip into Incarnation country. Caster is with Gudako, the blue-robed pink-haired foxgirl offering an assortment of WATER TRAVEL CHARMS for people who don't want to get wet. They'll make an air bubble around people and just sort of let them move without having to swim. That's how Gudako gets to the clearing, anyway; if others want to get wet, they have no obligation to take the gift!

    "Huh. Makes you wonder how the non-flying non-swimming Incarnations and Einherjar get around here if this is the only way. Maybe they ask for a ride from the others? Could be more secret caves too! Say, what do you think we'll find this time?"

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Maybe the Confederacy took the Incarnation out too," Yuna muses under her breath, glancing briefly in Gudako's direction. At least it's not like there's anything to be gained from fighting those things ... other than your continued existence, of course, but Yuna would sooner avoid tangling with any more Incarnations if she can help it.

Once Yuna's out of the water she reverts from Marine Form to the basic Light Suit; Elner teleported to the destination this time once everyone was within the perimeter 'curtain,' while Jiina and Erina simply flew up the mountain. It provided the Matrix of Light with an extra chance to do some surveillance and reconaissance while the others were en route, and Yuna's hoping that information turns out to be handy - at least for avoiding lost time trying to get their bearings ...

For now, Yuna just takes a look around the valley, a look that she didn't really have much time for on her previous visit because the Incarnation showed up.

Misha (757) has posed:
    "You know, Lyner, your weekly idea of a date is starting to freeze up. You really need to take a girl someplace better than the barren snowy wastes. Warmer too." It's just a light jab from Misha. The Reyvateil is here as well, wrapped in her heaviest robes, arms folded across her chest. "If it does come back, I can sing Purger again, but we probably shouldn't be getting into a knock down drag out fight, in case there are more." Noted mildly.
    So yeah, the Star Singer is here.

Finna (513) has posed:
    Oh, Finna is here and scouting indeed. From right behind Gudako.

    The white fox hasn't strayed from watching her like a hawk, not since the moment she appeared.

    And waves off hostility practically ROLL off her.

    She is entirely upset that Gudako is here, and takes every possible opportunity to bare teeth at her.

    The arrangement is much like walking around with a knife constantly pressed to your back.

    But the little fox has no trouble navigating the snow or keeping her ears open for anything unusual happening out there...

Riva Banari has posed:
"If you're looking for date ideas, I could always make a few suggestions~" comments Riva.

Wait, where did she come from? She's standing behind Misha and Lyner, smiling brightly as she's back in her nice and dry winter gear, a WATER TRAVEL CHARM stuck to her forehead. She points over at the path up. "But furst, let's get going up thataway!" She suggests, immediately heading off in that direction and letting Archer be a Grumpy Cat behind them.

Lyner Barsett (916) has posed:
     "Huh?" Lyner looked aside at Misha, blinking dumbly. "A...date?" This was a date? He didn't know! He was reasonably sure this was work. "Ahahaha..." And then he laughed lightly, averting his eyes. "Sorry about that." Maybe he should take her somewhere sometime. It's been five thousand years. Figuratively. But that was something for later.

     Yuna's muttered comment earns her a curious look. He hadn't heard anything about that, which might have meant that it was just conjecture. Gudako didn't seem like she was hiding anything to him. ...But then, this was the guy who'd trust anyone in some capacity. "Well, we'll see." He might have felt a little bad for the Magus, practicelly boxed in at all sides, eyes on her.

     But well, given last time, he couldn't blame the others. If this arrangement was what made things work, he'd let it be for now. Riva's sudden appearance makes Lyner jump meanwhile. "BWHA-" Oh, it was Riva. WAIT WHY WAS HE SURPRISED!? "D-Date ideas? Uh..." Somehow that felt ominous to him. He decided to conveniently avoid answering and look on ahead. "R-Right. Let's get a move on!"

     The trip up the mountain trail was similarly quiet. The flying gree incarnation from last time was nowhere to be seen in the skies...Which probably didn't bode well. There was still more mountain to scale. And that thing was kind of huge. Where could it be? What about the big, ice based one? How did these things hide!?

     Regardless, there were no encounters, and eventually, the snowy mountain trail began to even out into a straight, level path, littered with stone tiling that got more and more numerous the further they got. But more importantly than that, they would be able to see the beginnings of a temple carved out of the mountainside.

     Stone pillars spaced evenly apart lined the sides of the path leading to a staircase going upwards, and a pair of tall, ruined gates. Big enough for an incarnation to fit through. And they were open. They probably hadn't been closed in centuries. "This is new." Lyner commented, unarmored hand coming out of his cloak and resting on his chin as he walked with the others. He looked left and right, finding nothing suspicious in vie- "Wait...what's that?"

     He squinted, seeing a figure far ahead of them. Details were hard to make out, but it looked like it had wings outstretched. It was also unmoving. "Is that...?" An Einherjar? Similar details seemed to suggest so.

     The rest of the distance was crossed in time, and the group would find themselves stopping before another statue-like presence. This one was female, knelt down to the ground on one knee. Her eyes were closed and her hands were clasped together. And her wings were fully outstretched.

     It looked like she was in the middle of casting some kind of spell... Except as unmoving as she was, this may have been a long time ago.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna didn't see the 'statue' Einherjar in the cave before, although she did hear people talking about it on the radio last time - and she knows Gudako tried to extract something from that one, thinking there was an 'achievement' of some sort associated with it.

She manages not to grimace at the memory; her experience as an idol singer has some practical benefits.

Yuna walks closer to the statue, visibly wary; she doesn't want to get so close as to trigger a hostile reaction. "Elner, full scan, anything resembling life signs or other activity?" she asks the little robo-faerie. Elner starts scanning the 'statue' thoroughly as requested, right down to the microscopic level, and is sifting through the data for anything that *MIGHT* indicate magic at work (since Elner can't detect magic directly).

As for Yuna herself, she just ... not so much 'listens' as 'feels'. If there's a sensation of holiness about the statue, not only is she not going to poke or prod at it in person, but she's not going to let anyone *ELSE* poke or prod beyond Elner's sensor scan.

Misha (757) has posed:
    "Ghn!" Misha near leaps out of her skin with surprise when Riva APPEARS behind her. It takes her only a beat to regain her composure, though, smoothing out her robes like nothing had just happened at all, and she hadn't been caught off guard in the least. "It's fine, Riva, I'm sure even Lyner can figure something out now that I've dropped the hint."
    That's a lot of faith in him right there.
    Nevertheless, onward and forward, back up the bone-chillingly cold mountain, grumbling all the way. No encounters doesn't particularly bring a feeling of safety with it though, the Reyvateil keeping a keen- or perhaps even paranoid eye out along the way, but she just about comes to a halt. "Huh... She's just like the last one. All frozen and stuff-- well not FROZEN, but. You know what I mean."

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    Ruins! Gates! Stairs! And another Einherjar!

    Gudako seems largely unfazed by the eyes on her; she is used to it by now, and isn't the sort to worry about it. People can watch her if they want! Draw whatever conclusions they want. It will have very little effect in the end.

    Coming across another Einherjar in some sort of petrified statis, or sleep, Gudako wonders-- and makes no secret of it as she does so out loud-- what it might have to say. "Hmm. Caster! We don't need another sample, so let's wake this one up. The last one gave us a vision, maybe this one can talk!"

    Caster gives a nod, and produces a single paper slip. It engraves itself magically with the symbol for LIFE, glowing a bright pink.

    "Frozen! Maybe. Or asleep!" Gudako tells Misha.

    Caster, meanwhile, lets go of the paper slip in her hand. It pretty much immediatly teleports to the Einherjar, attempting to latch onto her forehead. And then it buffs! It grants life, energy, mobility, power. Why wait for scans? Let's do this the magus way. BY EXPERIMENTING!

Finna (513) has posed:
    As the paper tags fly... Finna vaults! Right on over to... GUDAKO'S HEAD. BRRRRRR, chilly padded fox-feet! And she wastes no time delivering a message. "Pull anything like last time and I'm gonna be acquanting myself with your next incarnation a LOT sooner than you were planning, got it? This is TEAM TIME."

    HOP!

    And right off of the head she goes, landing in the snow. Still glaring out of the corner of her eye, but also taking time to approach the strange 'frozen' statue. Yet.. she doesn't get any closer than fifteen feet.

    "Meditating, maybe? I've heard of martial artists who do this for DAYS, but... this is a bit much!"

Archer (821) has posed:
     Archer just barely manages to suppress a sigh at Riva's propensity to be anything except subtle, wondering if he was the only one - with the possible exceptions of Yuna & Finna - who were taking this as seriously as it should be. Lyner, for all his good intentions, seemed far too much like Emiya Shirou for Archer to bank full faith on him and Misha seemed more interested in turning this into a /date/ of all things.

     However, those concerns are pushed aside for the time being as the group approaches the immense temple-like arrangements of structures... and Archer comes face to face with an Einherjar for the first time.

     The Servant of the Bow regards the winged being with a mix of weariness and impassiveness, remembering the level of power that one could unleash simply by being disturbed -

     And then Gudako says something utterly ridiculous. And does something as just as foolish to match.

     "Trace; On."

     The moment Caster stars trying to stick her paper-slip to the Einherjar, Archer rematerializes roughly behind Gudako, Kanshou and Bakyua forming in his hands as a black blade is brought to bear against Gudako's head and the other is pointed at Caster. "And just what do you think you're doing? Did you forget what happened the last time you were so reckless with these creatures?"

     He does not trust her - she is reckless, selfish and has no concern for anyone's gain but her own. And the short time he's known her has already convinced Archer the odds he'd ever turn his back on Gudako were close to zero.

     Especially not when she was practically trying to prod a powerful entity just for the sake of getting a reaction.

Lyner Barsett (916) has posed:
     Lyner just smiled quietly at Riva and Misha's banter, but chose not to comment, lest he dig himself a hole he couldn't get out of. Dumb as he might seem, he was more perceptive than people gave him credit for. His mind was already at work on that subject. Though not at the forefront for now. He'd figure something out.

     But more importantly, this Einherjar knelt before them like a statue... "She's just like the last one. Not moving at all." And if what happened last time was any indication...these people were still alive. "But why were they just sitting stone still like this? I don't get it."

     Elner's scan reveals to her that the Einherjar knelt before them is definitely 'alive'. In the sense that a certain 'energy' can be detected from within. It pulsed through the stone form periodically. It wasn't just magic, but rather, life itself. It was a strange concept but it was there. This thing was alive, but dormant.

     Yuna's own senses will reveal to her that there is indeed some manner of 'holiness' to be felt from this dormant hero. But given that Einherjar were humans gifted with God's power, perhaps that wasn't much of a surprise there.

     And then Gudako has a Bad Idea(TM)

     Caster's talisman is created, and then thrown, latching onto the Einherjar's forehead. Right at the same time, Archer materialized, Kanshou and Bakuya drawn and held towards the Magus and Servant's necks. Lyner blinked at this chain of events, and then held both hands up. "Whoa hey, what's going on here?" He stepped forward to peer at the talisman stuck to the Einherjar.

     "And what's tha-"

     FLASH! A ripple of electricity erupts from the statue, traveling out in small torrents that eventually fizzle out. It's not icredibly powerful, but it should be avoided, unless one likes getting shocked. The clouds above begin to darken, and thunder rumbles. After several seconds, a single bolt of lightning parts the sky, and hurtles down, striking the Einherjar in a brilliant explosion of azure light. "WHOA- Get back!" Lyner cried, shielding himself with his cloak, and standing slightly in front of Misha.

     Once the smoke cleared...the stone woman continued to remain kneeling. But soon, color returned to her form. The gray was slowly replaced by white. Much like the man in the cave, her hair was white, her skin was ghostly pale, and her clothing consisted of armor over some kind of battle dress. "........." And silently, her eyes opened. They were golden. Her wings shuffled, and then folded behind her figure as she slowly stood to full height. Seeming mildly confused at being awake, the woman looked around, her eyes settling onto the group.

     "....?" She reached a gauntleted hand up, pulling the talisman from her forehead. "......?????" Her gaze narrowed at it, and then she turned her eyes back onto those ahead.

     "........"

     It looked like she was waiting for SOMEONE to say SOMETHING. At least she gave them that courtesy.

Finna (513) has posed:
    "AYIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!" Finna, suddenly panicking, turns tail and BAILS, skittering away from the thing moments before the lightning starts flying. And just in time! She's nearly caught by a bolt. Seems she knows Bad Signs(TM) when they appear! The weather changing that fast was definitely one of them.

    Yet after she skids to a halt and glances back at what's happening... her eyes narrow.

    She knows that look. She knows it very well.

    There's one simple answer to it.

    "GOOD MORNING!" The fox barks out, as if this were some big congratulatory jubilee.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    Finna and Archer both make threats-- perhaps it's a testament to Gudako's insanity, or a statement of her confidence in her two Servants, that she neither moves, blinks, squints nor yelps. Her eyes trace from the Lunar to the red-clad Archer, and she gives a wide shrug. Caster is much more uneasy aboutt he situation, but does not escalate it.

    The lightning bolt and sudden re-infusion of life and movement likely takes people's attention off the magus, but she doesn't move, or do anything else. She jut stares, shielding her eyes a bit from the light at some point. When the Einherjar seems to stare at them, she looks at Caster, who seems to be about to open her mouth to speak to the newly awoken lady.

    But Gudako covers her mouth.

    "No no, Caster. Let's see what THEY can do~."

    The two stand back (or as far back as Archer will let them, anyway, so 'not out of view') and watch, to see how people handle this. The talisman, in the Einherjar's hand, is basically an inert piece of paper now.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
If Yuna had time to react, she'd probably have tried to grab the talisman and remove it again before anything could happen ... but she's not fast enough. The sudden gathering of the clouds prompts her to back away a pace or two from the Einherjar.

It may not be enough; at the very least, the lightning bolt frizzes her hair up (and out, mostly out in fact) like nobody's business, but she seems relatively unharmed - arcs of stray energy crackling over her armor, as she lowers her arms from shielding her eyes and face.

She looks at the maybe-no-longer stone figure for a couple of seconds, then bows deeply and politely to the Einherjar. "Please forgive our disturbing your slumber, honored warrior of this world's Heaven," she says - more politely than she usually speaks, but at least she manages the honorific grammar without too much issue. "We came to this land seeking knowledge, and our deeply held hope is that you might guide us on our way."

Misha (757) has posed:
    No, Misha's not trying to make THIS into a date. It's called dropping a hint for later. There's a time and a place, and she knows that. Right now, though, she's hunching forward, hands on her knees to inspect the petrified woman-- at least until she's unpetrified courtesy of Gudako and Caster.
    A yelp and the Reyvateil doesn't really need to be told twice, the crackl of voltaic energy already making her hop back, before Lyner, as reliable as ever, taks his place at her vanguard. This is an awkward moment though. Because... She's actually waking up.
    "Uhhhh... Hhhhhi?" Not as jubilant as Finna. "We don't mean you any harm." Not as polite as Yuna either, but she does lay down that one important fact. Now hopefully this woman won't mean the group any harm, either.

Riva Banari has posed:
"All right! I guess he's the kind of guy who needs them, huh? Good luck~" Riva replies to Misha, giving a thumbsup.

They travel up towards the mountainside temple, only to see not only a Temple, but an Einherjar! Riva's never seen one before so she naturally immediately hovers around the starue. "Oooooh, pretty!" She says, walking to try to poke it.

Gudako beats her to it, however, with a talisman. "WAAAAAGH!" Riva yells, leaping back from the statue as it releases electricity. There is a grimace, but... Here she is, alive and uh... Well?

"Hi there!" Riva waves to the former statue, smiling... And then her eyes cross for a moment to fall on the talisman that's still blocking half her face. She emits an 'oh', suddenly removing it and sweeping it behind her back with one hand and continuing to wave with the other. "What's your name? Mine's Riva!"

Archer (821) has posed:
     Archer doesn't bother replying to Lyner's question - he believes the situation should be perfectly obvious.

     Then the lightning strikes, seemingly called forth by the creature's awakening, the bowman, though he did not flinch, keeping his blades pointed at the Confederate Master & Servant - Christmas truce or not, he would not be letting them go if Gudako continued to recklessly endanger everyone and everything around her because of her insanity.

     It was only because of said truce, and the trouble it would cause Rin in the Union, that Archer hadn't already moved to cleave Gudako's head in two. But if she kept proving herself an untrustworthy element... well, he could use Rule Breaker to strip her of her Servants if worse came to worse, though he would likely be required to return them.

     However, the Bowman more openly scowls when Gudako tries to leave everyone else to clean up her mess. "I think not" Archer snorts, this time pressing his blade closer to her so as to all but force Gudako and Caster closer towards the awakened Einherjar and the rest of the group so that she doesn't have the luxury of trying to stand idle. "You wanted it awake and you woke it - once again without so much as consulting anyone else. You can deal with and share in the consequences just as the rest of us must."

     ...

     Sadly, this wasn't a position he could likely maintain forever. Not if he wanted to be capable of providing a defense for the group if the Einherjar became hostile. But for the moment, he refused to let this sociopathic child dictate the situation with her callousness.

Lyner Barsett (916) has posed:
     Lyner's reaction was much the same as the others. "Uh...Hi? Sorry to wake you up and all-" Gudako gets a pointed look. "-But we're kind of curious about a few things, and we're hoping you could give us some answers?" Okay, that wasn't actually the plan, but he could roll with it. It was much better than being attacked without a word.

     Though this one's silence was a bit unnerving.

     "......" More silence from the Einherjar. Her gaze narrows even more. She doesn't look like she trusts them at all. But, there's someting else too. She seems a bit...unsure about something? What could it be. Looking at Finna, then Yuna, and then Lyner. She hesitated for a moment before raising a hand, index finger extended. Light gathered at the tip, and she began to write in the air before her.

     Runes of light were written. And then they flipped themselves to be read by the others. Though an ancient language, the nature of the Multiverse seemed to allow them to read it still. The words written read...

     'I am incapable of speech. My apologies for that. My name is Eir. I am an Einherjar in service to God.'

     The runes vanished, and then she began to write again. But in mid sentence, the lady named Eir, jerked up, as if something had just surprised her. She calmed a second later and nodded to herself, erasing the runes and writing again.

     '...It seems that I am to lead you lot to the place where the knowledge you seek lies.'

     They erased again, and she wrote another sentence.

     'I have been informed that you have caused quite a commotion the last time you were here.' Her eyes narrow, and she appends something else onto it. 'If you cause trouble again, I will show no mercy.'

     And with that, the runes erased themselves again, and Eir turned, walking away from them and towards the temple ruins a distance ahead. Looks like she would be expected to follow. Did someone know they were here, and had informed her to bring them? ...Well that was convenient. And also suspicious.

     Eir hesitated a moment, and then wrote something else out while walking.

     '...If I may ask...what year is it now?'

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
While Yuna can understand fully why her allies would love to use Gudako for a meatshield, she sees two problems with that. First off, trying to position Gudako most prominently also gives the game-crazy girl an opportunity to seize all possible credit, bad *or* good, and Yuna can't see THAT as being a good thing. Sure, waking Eir up seems to have been the right thing to do, but it could just as easily have blown up in everyone else's faces.

Secondly, Yuna has this *little problem* with killing people, whether they're friends, acquaintances, total strangers, a thorn in her side, or bitter enemies (and that last category tends to stay empty, with a few occasional exceptions). She's not irked enough at Gudako to want her dead, anyway.

She isn't about to speculate on the nature of the 'commotion' to which Eir refers, although she's pretty sure she can guess what the Einherjar means. In any case, Yuna walks along without argument - and she'd rather take the lead than let Gudako stay first in line. "I'm afraid we aren't well acquainted with the local calendar," she admits, "but by Multiversal reckoning, the year is AU 23. I doubt that's a useful reference for you, though, and I apologize."

Jiina, Marina, and Erina are bringing up the rear of the group at this point; Elner is flitting along next to Yuna's shoulder. None of them particularly have anything to say, although Elner continues scanning the surroundings - partly for 'mapping,' partly to watch out for potential trouble. Presumably no Incarnations will bother the group while they're on an Einherjar's good side.

At least, so Yuna is hoping.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    Gudako tilts her head at Archer slightly.

    While the Einherjar chats everyone else up, she addresses the Servant very bluntly, and very honestly. "I would pull those swords back if I were you. The schism between humans and divinities in this world is already pretty wide, ah? It wouldn't be very difficult to widen it even more. They're already wary of outsiders, and my Servants can shapeshift. If I wanted, I could make you very, very unwelcome here, very very quickly! And not just to the humans either."

    Perhaps she should appeal to his practical nature though.

    "Well, also, Berserker is right next to me, and let's be honest, your swords will be half-swing when her claws sink into you if you try. And that's assuming you can get past Caster."

    Cut to the blue-robed foxgirl, who eyes only briefly narrow at Archer, but cause a slight shimmer in the air between Gudako and the swords. Judging from the shape and size of the odd transparent effect, her massive mirror must be invisible and right there already.

    "So! Come now, Grump Archer, we're on a field trip! Did you have field trips when you were young and still people? Come on, I bet you can relate if you try really hard!"

    Gudako turns back to look at the Einherjar, shrugging. "I just made it more interesting! We needed information and had access to a sleeping native, it would have been stupid to just let her sleep. Ah... that makes me wonder."

    Suddenly, shouting at the Einherjar: "Hey, hey, miss! What were you doing like that, anyway? Static? Sleep? A curse? Self-imposed, lying in wait for the chosen ones? That was kind of a weird position to be in."

Archer (821) has posed:
     Archer likewise tilts his head down to Gudako, gaze impassive and cold. "And that matters to you? Besides, I doubt the Einherjar or the humans would believe such a ruse... considering you just announced how you would do so right in front of one of their members as well as our entire group."

     She really did need to learn to control her mouth.

     He keeps both blades aimed at the girl and her Servant - he knows about Berserker. He knew about her even before he leveled his swords against her.

     However, that was also precisely why her claim didn't faze him - "I don't really need to get past or even defeat either or your Servants. I care less about whether your other Servant's claws will hit me before my strike connects - only that it does so before I die." And there was another advantage he had over the girl - name "And as a Servant, my life is expendable anyway - yours however is both a proven liability and instability."

     A rather clear message - I'm perfectly willing to die to tale you out if you cause more trouble. Are you?

     Finally, he gives a rather pointed glance to Caster... and actually lets himself smirk a bit. "Unless you actually plan to fight me, you might as well retract that - especially since it really wouldn't do her much good if I were serious about killing her right here and right now." He still had Rule Breaker - while he wasn't sure if it would work on the mirror or not, it likely would work on Caster.

     In the end, the bowman, declining to reply to her further prodding, didn't retract his blades - lowered them enough for the pair to move forward as a fight right now was ill-advised... but he kept the weapons out and made sure to keep close enough to be within striking range. If nothing else, he felt he'd made his point clear that he wasn't going to back down if she tried something foolhardy again.

     As the girl asks her questions, Archer likewise glances at the restored Einherjar - or at least he does after sighing about what Gudako considers 'interesting', musing that she and Riva share a lack of any sense for danger or boundaries - and wonders just what the purpose of this 'Eir' was.

     Was she some form of guardian? A gatekeeper? An oracle meant to guide someone?

     Either way, it seemed they were about to find out... and hopefully, they would deal with the problem /without/ any more issues amongst themselves.

Riva Banari has posed:
Oh, she's mute. Well, that's a thing. Riva nods to the Einherjar and reads the runes, tapping her chin. "Sorry about that. I didn't know my hair would freeze!" She says, as if completely ignorant of Gudako's actions last time.

She walks along with the Einherjar, listening to the other questions people ask and answer. "So how did you become an Einherjar, anyway? Were you a human before, or were you always like you are now?" Riva asks.

Misha (757) has posed:
    Okay so she can't speak. Jade eyes squint at the runes as they properly articulate for the Einherjar woman, and Misha promptly jerks a thumb at Gudako and Caster with a 'it was all them' sort of look. On the topic of commotion, anyway.
    "It's AU23. Sorry, I don't know how that works against the calendar back in town though. But. Well I guess wherever you're taking us will probably tell us but... What's your opinion?"
    The Reyvateil lets that hang a moment. "On this whole conflict?"

Finna (513) has posed:
    "I don't know this person!" Finna exclaims, jabbing a paw in the air over at Gudako. "But she's the troublemaker from last time." Anything, ANYTHING Finna can do to put all kinds of heat on Gudako is fair game, it seems. Why let Archer have all of the fun?

    But now that she's facing someone, remaining as a talking fox seems silly. Her flesh shifts and flows, exploding outwards into human form as she rises to her full height.

    "Oh come on," She complains Misha's way. "The locals of this world don't even know what year it is in their own calendar?" Her gaze slides over towards Lyner next. Maybe he knows!

    But a deep breath later, the foxgirl claps her hands together and adopts a different demeanor. More reserved, sharper-eyed. Honestly, it's almost like an entirely different face. What's going on there?

Lyner Barsett (916) has posed:
     "......"

     Indeed, AU23 means nothing to her. Eir let out a sigh and shook her head. She wrote out a 'Thank you' with her hand before proceeding along. Archer and Gudako's nonsense was given no amount of attention. These people's problems weren't her business. She should still have been sleeping. Why in the world...no, HOW in the world did they wake her? She looked at the piece of paper in her other hand and frowned.

     Curious.

     Putting that aside, the armored woman paused at Gudako's question. And then at Riva's question. Why was she asleep? How did she become how she is now? "....." A frown formed on her face at those questions. She didn't answer immediately, and instead shook her head.

     'You will discover why and how in due time.'

     That said, she plodded on ahead, looking left and right at the ruined state of her surroundings. The frown that adorned her face deepened at this sight. It was obvious that this bothered her greatly. It didn't help that she had no idea how much time had passed, but given the state of things...it must have been a long time.

     The inside of the ruins are vast. There are stairs leading in multiple directions, as well as hallways leading elsewhere on the same level. And set in the walls of the place at various points, are massive stone statues. Their forms are familiar. Lacking in detail, only having vague humanoid or animal shapes. Were these sleeping Incarnations?

     It would seem that Yuna may have been correct after all.

     'This way.'

     Eir wrote, leading them down a western hallway. On the walk, they would spy various doors leading to other places, though they were all closed. It seemed like their destination was a chamber straight ahead. One that had no door blocking it.

     Misha's question of Eir's opinion on everything gets her a mildly surprised look. She actually stumbles a tad, and then looks let and right before pointing to herself as if to say; /you want MY opinion? No one wants my opinion!/. But after a moment, she hesitantly raised a hand and wrote.

     '...I am...not certain. I do understand why the humans have done what they did, but good reason does not make a misdeed correct. For those who would do wrong, who would threaten not just God, but their fellow man with their actions...lessons must be imparted. Even if it takes millenia.'

     Eir left her opinion at that, leading the group into their destination proper. It was a wide, circular chamber, with steps leading partway down. And once those steps ended, a shimmering substance that looked like water could be seen. Strangely, it looked like images could be seen floating through the reflections on the surface, fading in and out periodically.

     Eir stopped and gestured to the pool.

     'This is the Well of Knowledge. It records the world's history without exception. Every last detail of every last man, all the way up to large scale events. I have been given permission to use the Well of Knowledge to show to you, the information you seek.'

     After a pause, she held out a hand, the light on her fingertip extending to her entire hand.

     'I will begin now. You will see for yourselves, the truth of what is happening.'

Lyner Barsett (916) has posed:
     At that moment, the pool glows bright, and a white light engulfs the room.

     When everything clears up, they find themselves in a city. Particularly in an old war room. There is a round table, and politicians and high ranking knights appear to be having a heated discussion. One of those speaking is someone who looks suspiciously like Eir, minus wings, and with brown hair. On the table is a large map with pieces on it that seem to represent armies and territory. There is more of neighboring countries than their own. They are surrounded on all sides. It's a seige.

     The image changes to Eir, and a man familiar to those who entered the cave last time as the Einherjar who caused the quake. They're locked in battle with enemy troops, leading their forces valiantly. But at a pivotal moment, infighting seems to break out from behind their ranks. Were they betrayed?

     The image changes again. Those dead on the battlefield, including Eir and that man are covered in a golden light. Their wounds recover and they stand up, confused and lost. From above, a single winged entity known as an Einherjar descends from the skies. He speaks simply. "God has need of your bravery, heroes."

     The image changes again. This must have been a huge cut in time, but now human armies are fighting against Einherjar and Incarnations. ...And oddly enough, the humans are wielding magical and supernatural powers. Is this what they meant by God granting the humans blessings last time they saw a vision?

     Another image. A temple very similar to this one. The human army has invaded, and leading them is a man...who looks nearly identical to Laurence. He has a calculating smirk on his face as he stands back, watching the temple be raided.

     The final image is of that same man walking through a sea of corpses, human, Incarnation, and Einherjar, and stepping into a chamber alone. High above is a massive collection of energy. he speaks. "...I have waited a long time for this...God." He spreads his arms, and the collected power begins to absorb into him. The view cuts to outside where wounded and weary Einherjar look on as God's power is taken. They close their eyes and turn to stone.

     It ends there.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
It answers a lot of Yuna's questions, to be sure - most especially 'why is God trying to wipe out Lucrelia'. She watches most of the history lesson attentively but without particularly reacting ... but at the last image, the 'final scene,' she winces and closes her eyes.

"Somebody invaded this place to steal the power of God ... no wonder God is fighting them now," Yuna murmurs, shaking her head slowly. She has a mournful look on her face as she opens her eyes again. "And ... that was Laurence's ancestor, wasn't it? If the stolen divine power is still in his bloodline ..."

She looks to Lyner. "Does he even know he still has it? And -" Yuna's gaze shifts to Eir. "- if we bring him here, can he willingly give that power back to your God without sacrificing his life at the same time? Or would he be required to die for God to take back what was once stolen?"

Yuna is very pointedly NOT turning to look at Gudako at any point in this - the game-crazy Master probably has too many ideas already after seeing that.

Misha (757) has posed:
    In response to Finna, Misha lifts both hands, palms out. "I don't speak for them, don't look at me. I am but a lone, wandering, problem solving Reyvateil. Not a timekeeper."
    BUT the stumble and finger point are met with Misha setting her hands on her hips and giving a nod. Half expectant, half pointing out that yes she, genuinely, wants the Einherjar's opinion.
    The answer doesn give much to go by though. "Mmm. But. Just what did they do?"
    The Well if Knowledge however answers. Into the temple, and jade eyes dart to and fro before her attention is brought to the limpid pool of vision, and the events of times gone by play out.
    "That looked a lot like... And he took god's power? But why? For what? Especially if they're just going to sit there in the cold in a town that welcomes no one?"

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "Ah? If you believe people are so quick to make rational judgments when someone is destroying their homes and lives, you mustn't have been in contact with humanity for a while, huh?" Gudako asks Archer, ever so... not really THERE, or caring.

    "People are usually too busy trying to assign blame to listen. They'll hang an innocent man or scapegoat if it gets them reassurance. And besides, Lyner is an outsider too! He said so himself. He's got as much weight here as any of us."

    But, really, it doesn't matter. Perhaps she grows bored of arguing with the man, or listens to reason, but sooner or later she's following Eir with the others, passing through those halls of statues and finally settling by the Well. She muses what a great target this is. Maybe when this is all over... yeah, she could probably get a handful of friends and come siphon this place dry. Is the Well useful, though? If all it can see is what's in this particular world, it's definitely not as useful as it could be.

    But not useless, either.

    Still, she watches the flashback, as humans greedily seek the power of God, start a war over it, and then a very familiar man acquires that power. It also explains the stone statis, although it doesn't explain why only some of them underwent it.

    "No, no. There's a much more obvious question," Gudako says, after Yuna. "If God's power was stolen, why are there still Incarnations and Einherjar roaming around, not sleeping? Either that person was very sloppy and missed some of it, or whoever has the power now is making you do their dirty work for them."

    There are a dozen other questions she could ask, but let's point at this one for now.

Archer (821) has posed:
     Archer gives something of a dry, cynical smile to Gudako when she shoots a response to him."No. Rather, I was talking about the Einherjar and our fellow group-members who could hear you quite plainly - a rather large hurdle to overcome in trying to deceive anyone is when everyone who can stop you overhears your plan."

     Archer snorts as the girl keeps speaking, actually looking amused - "And yet you don't seem to conceive of the fact that, after what you said in the bar before, you out of all of us would probably be the /last/ person they would trust - and the first one they would hang if you tried to sow chaos. So I'd ask you not make threats when you have less weight then anyone here."

     After they enter the temple itself though, Archer's focus becomes more directed at keeping watch for threats... and he lets out a long breath to expel the tension crawling up his spine in the presence of what appear to be dozens of inactive Incarnations.

     That said, he still directs as much attention as he could to them while still keeping a vigil on Gudako.

     Yet in spite of that... Archer couldn't help but note with a touch of irony that 'Eir' herself was not certain on the reasonings behind whatever had happened between humans and this 'God' that 'Eir' and the Incarnations served.

     ...

     The answers are soon given though. And as Archer glances between the silvery pool and 'Eir' when the latter acts, he endures a situation that is somewhat vaguely familiar to him - the feeling of knowledge not his own being shown to him, the images of the past flashing before the Counter-Guardian.

     A war. A land under siege. A woman - a pre-Einherjar 'Eir' perhaps - sitting on a council of knights.

     A last stand. An abrupt rout. A likely betrayal... and from there, a rebirth into what seemed to be what this world would call 'soldiers of God'. Human souls conscripted after death to a higher power...

     What a horrific irony that it almost mirrored Archer's own fate... only Archer had been fool enough to /choose/ his torment, which only made the consequences of it worse.

     ...

     And then... there, of course, was exactly the outcome he'd expected. The catalyst for this misery, sourced exactly where he suspected it to be.

     Once again... mankind had brought suffering upon itself, and the world was simply repaying their transgressions. It was their own fault - as /always/.

     And the man shown to be behind it causes Archer to grind his teeth even harder in thinly-veiled aggravation.

     It couldn't be confidence that a man with that same appearance was one of those in charge of the city's defense. So when Yuna brings up her interpretation... Archer states his own - "You assume they are two different people? If he took the power of a deity - one capable of creating the Incarnations and the Einherjar - then would it be so surprising to consider him immune to the passage of time? They are far too similar to simply be family."

     He also sighs when hearing Gudako's quip, denoting it's probably close to the truth... though there's still pieces missing from the puzzle.

     And if they wanted to solve this... they needed to find them soon.

Riva Banari has posed:
Knowledge.

History.

Treachery.

Information is shared with them all. Riva is left stunned and speechless for moments as she struggles to accept and process what she has seen.

After that, she goes from stunned to quiet. Her jovial demeanor is gone, as she looks downwards, tapping a foot with her arms crossed. "Why... would they be attacking... if the power of God was taken already..." Her expression screws up into one of intense confrontation.

She looks back to the Einherjar and asks one question. "Is God dormant right now? Are there any actual Incarnartions under his control moving around?"

Finna (513) has posed:
    "Empowerment by the Gods. The Gods' Chosen. You and I are kindred spirits, in a way." Finna exclaims, amazed, having picked up on the hints in the vision after it's finished. She's rubbing her face though. VISIONS are always the freakiest things to endure.

    She ends up nodding to Archer though. "Good point. Might still be the same guy, changed his name, changing with the times..."

Lyner Barsett (916) has posed:
     Lyner shook his head, about as clued in to this as everyone else here. All he could do was watch and contemplate. This was a lot to take in, and it left them with even more questions in the end. He had nothing to add to what everyone had already asked. Instead, he watched and listened for the answer...or, well in Eir's case, read the answer.

     Eir looked at Yuna and blinked. Then she raised her hand and wrote. 'Indeed, that was the case.' She paused at Laurence and thought to herself. 'I...do not know this Laurence. That man you saw was the King of Lucrelia long ago. King Arnest the 3rd. ...He was a conniving traitor who sold his own people out to a higher power, all in an effort to save his own hide and realize his own plans.'

     Eir had deep feelings about this.

     'I am afraid that I do not know. If this man you call Laurence is truly his ancestor, then perhaps. There is no way to know than to try it first hand.' Misha gets a look after, and a nod. 'I am uncertain. King Arnest never explained his plans. He merely used people, cut a path forward, and took what he desired...'

     Gudako then asks a question then gives Eir pause. 'I...when we were outside, I was contacted by God. I was told that it's energy...it's existence was wavering, and that I should show you, outsiders not from this place, the truth of the matter.' Archer is looked at next. '...God is ageless. God has no concept of physical existence. ...If King Arnest has stolen God's power, then...he should be ageless as well.' But that left a very good question. If he stole God's power, then who contacted her? 'I....I believe that he may not have succeeded in absorbing all of God. ...Otherwise, I would not be able to be contacted by God...But...' She looked down, unsure. 'It has been a long time...the last thing I recall is going to sleep.'

     Riva asks another pertinent question. 'God...is not dormant? I think?' Eir looks even more unsure. 'I was contacted, so...I believe he is still here, but weak?' She really doesn't know. But then an idea strikes.

     'I have an idea.' She extended her arm towards the well. 'If I look into the well, surely we will be able to find out what has transpired in the time since those events...'

     It was right at that moment, that a quake shook the temple. And then another. And another....and another. It sounded like stone was crumbling, and debris was falling out in the main temple area. It also sounded like something massive was moving. Eir lost her footing and tripped, using her wings to keep in the air at the last moment. 'What is going on? Have you people done anything before I awoke?' She wrote in an accusatory manner.

     Lyner meanwhile stumbled, but kept upright. "Gah! What the- That sounds like trouble! Huge trouble! I don't know what's going on, but I think we've got to go!"

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna shakes her head at Eir, "We didn't do anything just before awakening you, no - not *this* trip ..." She shoots a glower at Gudako. "So unless whatever's going on is fighting back after last week -"

"Argue later, evacuate now," Elner interrupts. "Jiina, merge for Powered Form. Erina, Marina, take Misha and Lyner." All three of the androids, the aesthetics of their armor so similar to Yuna's Light Suit, respond by action rather than speech: the green-and-white Jiina of the Earth goes translucent and 'phases' around Yuna, the larger exoskeletal frame of Powered Form constructing itself around Yuna. The other two simply move to pick up Misha and Lyner; the Reyvateil gets the offer of a lift (bridal carry style) from the slender, winged purple-and-white figure, while the orange-and-white form of Marina is clearly prepared to just pick Lyner up and sprint out.

Yuna's secondary transformation completes, and she spares a brief, half-hearted glare at Elner before engaging her hover thrusters and starting to follow the path that led the group through the temple to the Well of Knowledge. Marina and Erina are both close behind her - Erina first, since Lyner would probably insist that Misha's safety matters more than his own - and Yuna's job is partly navigation, partly making sure nothing gets in the group's way on the route out ...

And whatever's going on outside, Yuna has to admit that being geared up for a fight is PROBABLY a good idea.

Riva Banari has posed:
"King Arnest..." Riva nods. "Ageless... And not dormant, but weak... Hmm." Riva frowns for a moment. "Okay, I think I have an idea what's going on here-WHOA!"

She stumbles as the entire area shakes. "What the crap is even doing that?" She yells.

Then she looks to Lyner and nods. "Good idea. Come on guys, we better hustle! Eir, come with us! We can explain later!" She calls. If she has to, she'll drag the Einherjar along, but they need to get out /now/.

Uf her hunch is right... "I wonder if an Incarnation is doing this..."

Misha (757) has posed:
    King Arnest. Misha furrows her brow. He sounds like the root of all this, then. Someone to go SEE maybe, for some answers.
    But before she can voice the thought, the templ begins to quake. "Wah?!" The Reyvateil blurts in surprise, taken from her internal reverie when she's-- hoisted. Squirming as one of Yuna's robot-fairy companions grab her. There is some comical flailing right about now as she's spirited away!

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    Intrigue and mystery!

    This is a lot of information. Gudako, before it's time to leave, manages a quick guess: "You know, it's totally possible that's not God who talked to you. Maybe God is dead, and there's someone still running around with his power."

    But, really, there will be better times to ponder this.

    The fact the temple is seemingly crumbling causes her to glance around. Unhappy...? She's not frowning, as usual she's smiling wide, but it's obvious this bothers her, too. Without knowing what's happening, it might be a lost cause to try saving the temple too. Reinforcing it, while it could delay it, wouldn't do anything without the root cause being addressed. And if it's something like an actual earthquake, it won't matter long-term.

    "Someone doesn't want us using the Well of Knowledge more, I bet. Or risking waking up more of these things." Just a guess.

    "Caster, buy us just a bit."
    With a mhm and a nod, Caster produces another set of paper talismans, and throws them in a wide circle around herself. They latch onto walls, pillars and the ground, and apply raw reinforcement to the structures. It won't last, but it'll buy them a few minutes.

    "... say, master, why didn't we just do that in the cave?"
    "... huh." That would have been a thing.

Finna (513) has posed:
    BOOOOM! Here goes a quake. Finna reacts instantly by deepening her stance, seeming to have no trouble staying balanced no matter how badly the ground shudders and rumbles.

    "That wasn't me!" She blurts. "Don't think this jerk's gluttony the other day could make the GROUND shake either!" She's actually freaked. For the first time in a while she looks very visibly worried.

    "Let's do that stupid thing of hunting a source!" The girl then blurts!

Archer (821) has posed:
     'Eir's words seem to validate the Bowman's beliefs - the man they knew as 'Lawrence' was likely very much connected to this, if not the one behind it as King Arnest.

     What kind of 'God' were they dealing with, exactly? From what Archer could tell, it seemed like there was a form of power-struggle going on with the entity they call 'God' having lost much of his strength to King Arnest. And what was the reason for this witch's hunt to the mountains and back?

     ...

     Answers to that will likely have to come later as the structure around them begins to shake and rattle as an attack seems to start ponding against the mountain.

     Sparing a dubious glance to Caster and Gudako, Archer contemplates simply hauling the girl out himself as opposed to the risk of turning his back on her... however, at the same time, he was well past the point of caring if she got herself killed in her selfish quests, so the most he offered was some advice - "You have two Servants, right? Have one get you out of here while the other keeps this place stable a bit longer."

     That done, Archer will - if no-one else has seen to him, grab Lyner and get him out of the cave, hauling him out by the collar. If she needs the help, Archer will also grab Finna on the way out, otherwise the Servant of the Bow will likely be running astride of her.

     Who could possibly be attacking the temple? The Incarnated seemed an obvious choice, but this place was seemingly connected to their 'God' and also appeared to be their 'home' for lack of a better word. Why attack?


... unless something had superseded their will.

     Either way, it seemed that things were, unfortunately, only going to get worse from here-on out.

Lyner Barsett (916) has posed:
     Lyner's first thought once all of this happened was of course; grab Misha, run. Typical vanguard. But before he could act, he found himself hoisted into the air and carted off. "Bwuh-?" Whoosh! Off of he went. "Hey wait what, gah!" And after a little surprised flailing, Lyner grudgingly allowed himself to be flown off. A strange situation to be sure.

     Caster's seals prevent the Well of Knowledge from crumbling under the quake, allowing everyone else to book it out of the chamber, through the hallway, and back into the main portion of the temple. Eir was the last to follow, wings flapping as she coasted through the air and brought up the rear. It was there that they had discovered just what was causing all of this. As Archer had assumed, it was an Incarnation. One were familiar with. It's massive, white form was shaped vaguely like a bird, covered in an aura of green. They would be able to spot one of the indentations in the temple being empty, signifying that something woke this one up.

     Without making any sound itself, it swung it's massive wings, kicking up huge gusts, cutting through stone pillars, and stomping around the area. It was a huge mess and attempting to fight that thing looked to be a fool's errand. From where he was being carried, Lyner gawked.

     "It's that one! Oh man, it's so much bigger up close!" And of course, as soon as it was verbally acknowledged, the entity set it's sights onto them, swinging it's wings in their direction. What followed were multiple cutting gusts of wind barreling through the grounds and aiming to crash right into them.

     Better dodge around this one.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
As soon as Yuna's out of the temple and in the open, she starts evading, watching the paths of incoming attacks and steering as far clear of them as she can. While Powered Form is very good at high overland speed, it's not made for precision maneuvering; tanking through stuff is her normal best defense, or blasting things before they can get close. That's not to say she CAN'T dodge in Powered Form, mind you - and at the moment, conditions do allow her to dodge, slewing hard to the left to evade the cutting-wind blasts.

That does leave the question of whether to fight, or just to run like hell. Against the first Incarnation she encountered, Yuna had to summon El-Line, and while at least one Incarnation has gone down without a giant robot fighting it, Yuna has her doubts that Misha can sing effectively while being carried around at high speeds.

Running like hell really sounds like the preferable option as far as Yuna's concerned.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "Master, look!" Caster says.
    "Hey, I'm not blind. Distract it!"

    Killing it might not be on the table, but Gudako intends for Caster to make a dent... and to sneak a little thing in, while at it. She prepares another line up of paper slips-- one glows a dark purple, another orange, another blue.

    "Juso Enten, Hyoten, Kyuse! Frigid Heaven, Fiery Heaven!"

    All three paper slips are hurled for the Incarnation. The orange one erupts into a massive fireball, striking first to attempt to scorch the being and distract it. The second would latch on afterward, producing enough ice and cold to potentially freeze it solid. The final one doesn't attack, per se-- that curse, Kyuse, is spirit theft. A more concentrated, less precise but faster version of the draining she'd performed on the previous Incarnation and Einherjar. Then again, if it's frozen solid prior to it, the fact it's less precise might not matter.

    As before, the Caster otherwise uses her large mirror to shield her master-- getting hit by the cutting winds herself too, and sustaining several gashes as a result, but avoiding her master getting shredded.

    Past time, it's run away time!

Finna (513) has posed:
    Nope, nobody needs to grab Finna! instead she shifts straight to fox form and goes speeding out!

    ... Just in time to get an eyeful of ANGRY INCARNATION.

    The nastiest series of snarls and curses comes flapping from her tongue as she vaults straight up in the air and around to take shelter on the rock. A razor wind cuts into her side with a slight graze, but it was a VERY near thing.

    "Okay. What is YOUR problem?! Aren't you pals with the Gods' chosen here?!"

Archer (821) has posed:
    As soon as he set eyes on the green-hewed form of the Incarnation, Archer grit his teeth and planted both feet in the ground, kicking upwards to try and jump over and away from the wind-blast, immediately taking off back for cover when he hits the ground.

     "I doubt we can stand and fight on the mountain - especially of more Incarnations begin awakening" Archer grunted, glancing down at Lyner. "And we need to find out what connection Lawrence has to this."

     Unless anyone has any standing objections, Archer will begin leading the way for everyone else to follow.

     ...

     But not before trying to stall that creature a bit longer.

     The blueprint emerges from the endless field of swords, prana giving it shape as it's experiences are synthesized, every manufacturing process being improved.

     The blade takes shape - a weapon beyond human hands, gifted to mankind by Heaven itself.

     If they served 'God'... perhaps turning that power against them would prove effective.

     Gripping the blade in one hand, Archer pivots enough to line up with his target-

     "Durandal!"

     -and hurls the weapon at the creature, hoping it will at least be enough of a pain or distraction to ensure their escape as he again makes off with Lyner still in tow.

     ...

     Well, provided he's still conscious from all the high-speed maneuvers Archer had to engage to get back down the mountain, that is.

Lyner Barsett (916) has posed:
     Eir shook her head, and then shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she had no idea why this one was active, and attacking the place AND them! Especially her! And it was far too frantic to be writing out messages, so she simply veered about, dodging wind blasts and escaping over the large creature.

     Caster's triple seal combo did the job of stalling the creature, along with Archer's Durandal. Gudako's hidden little gambit managed to go off without a hitch, and Caster would find herself with another bit of Incarnation essence to handle.

     But that was for later. The frozen white bird was already breaking out of the ice. The group booked it out of there, with Eir tagging along. And as soon as they had cleared the temple and ran down the mountain trail, they would find that there were no pursuers.

     Whatever caused that Incarnation to awaken seems to have stopped. Once everyone safely gathered in the clearing, Eir landed onto the snowy ground with a soft tap and looked back to where they had come from. "......" After a moment of silence, she began to write into the air again. "I will stay here. An Einherjar has no place in the world of man.' For the first time since she woke up, she managed a tiny smile. 'Be careful on your return. I do not have a good feeling about this situation.'

     With that, she flew off, leaving the others to go about their way. Lyner sighed, rubbing the side of his head. "...Looks to me like we've got some investigating to do."

     That they did. But for now...it was time to go.

Riva Banari has posed:
They explode out into the mountainside, and Riva is faced with... well, that. "Wow, bingo." She says, grinning...

And then that grin disappears as the Incarnation shrieks and attacks. "WHOA, BINGO!" She yells, hurling herself away from a pillar as the screaming wind kicks up hunks of ice, crushing the spot she stood in a moment before.

She looks up at the beast, her eyes narrowed. "If you think you're going to stop us that easily, you've got another thing coming." She yells back at it. "Hope you're ready for Round two!" She reaches up for her weapon...

And then turns around and bails, running like hell as the delays are put onto the beast.

When they reach the base of the mountain, she looks around, folding her arms for a moment, contemplating. "Yeah." She replies to Lyner. "Yeah, we do." She pauses, and then smiles again. "I think we might need to pick up some more supplies back in the town before we head back again, don't you?"