1868/The All-Seeing Eye

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The All-Seeing Eye
Date of Scene: 24 March 2015
Location: The Corridors of Time
Synopsis: A team of Union, Unaffiliated, and Confederate Elites assemble at the behest of Schala Zeal to investigate matters of the princess' kingdom.
Cast of Characters: 60, 66, 106, 626, 679, 691, 733


Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
The incoming group would find the lower fathoms of the Kingdom of Zeal the same as they had left them before. The raging snowstorm has not abated. The path to Algetty is so obfuscated by white mist as to be invisible. Unlike before, though, Schala would be present to greet them nearer to the warpgate where she would have set up a large, translucent, diamond-shaped shield. Thanks to this, the group would at least be spared the most dire effects of the cold, and would have a relatively safe trip on their way to the mountain. Likewise, any goods they happen to be carrying would be spared the effects of the bitter winter.

As before, it's a fairly short trip, though there's a rather unnerving sight atop the bower concealing the ladder to the village: a short man in purple armor. He keeps his 'vigil' there, as it were, though this is a bit of a misnomer – rather than diligently watching the entrance, he seems to have nodded off. Still, Schala would react with no small degree of fear at the sight of him, immediately crouching beneath an errant stone and encouraging others to do that same. That is, of course, before she hears the snoring.

At that point she would rise, sighing, though her serious expression would not wane. She would immediately turn to the rest of them, look them over, and elucidate her trepidation for them:

"I trust most of you have already gathered this, but that man," She would gesture in the direction of the one clad in purple, "is a soldier of Zeal. Judging by his uniform, he's in the employ of the General. I am sure this is abundantly clear, but that would mean I have misjudged the situation. I had assumed the appearance of one observer meant that their patrols would relent for some time. Instead, it seems that he was only here to survey the conditions here before a more proper inspection was conducted."

"This leaves us with several options, though none of them very appetizing. The first – and I trust, most obvious – option is that we charge in with abandon and prevent them from bringing anymore undue harm to the citizenry. The second would be to attempt to sneak past them, or otherwise to wait until they leave. The former means that your presence will be exposed to the Queen, but the latter virtually ensures that more people will be carted off to the Ocean Palace where they will almost certainly die, and that many more will be injured without purpose."

She would gently massage her forehead with her hand. "I... don't believe I am in the best position to judge how we should approach this at the moment, so I leave things to you. Regardless, it would probably be wise for you to relinquish any goods you've brought with you here. Conceal them under any shrubs or rocks you can find, please; laying them in the open leaves open the possibility that these brutes may steal them upon their exit."

Lucatiel of Mirrah (66) has posed:
The mysterious masked knight has a habit of being exactly where she's needed, when she's needed. Or, as some might observe, she just so happens to be around whenever something interesting is unfolding... or when someone might possibly want her presence. It seems to be a personal quirk, rather than a supernatural ability; a nose for the unusual, if you will, and just enough of a footlose nature to be able to travel and follow that trace.

All that to say, Lucatiel of Mirrah is already here, having been hired previously by Schala of Zeal; she's leaning against the nearest stone face, regarding the snowing man in violet armour, by the tilt of her masked head. Although it doesn't show through her mask, something in the set of her shoulders suggests extreme distaste.

"Kill him and have done with it." Her voice is low, hard; although undeniably a woman's, and muffled very slightly by the mask. She already has her hand resting on the hilt of her rapier, although she hasn't yet drawn her weapon. "I would hardly think it beyond my abilities to best such an obviously talented example of Zeal's royal guard."

The masked face tilts toward Schala, and her voice is positively wracked with disgust and disdain. "Are all of your kingdom's guardsmen so obviously inept as to sleep in direct dereliction of their duty? If they are, this may perhaps be easier than you might think."

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari Takane, in between other duties, has made several trips to scout the lower areas of the Zeal Kingdom. Actually getting in contact with the Kingdom itself has proven difficult, and so she's taken to watching and waiting with every stealth skill she has. The lizardess has been out here for about an hour, dressed in a long furred insulated coat hiding her clothing beneath. She's been nursing mulled whiskey for some time to stay warm and awake, only grinning as she spies someone wearing a soldier's uniform enter.

She doesn't enter immediately, instead waiting for a good hour or so. When she notes the man has finally nodded off?

It's around the time that Schala and company arrive that a suspiciously familiar white-cloaked figure walks into the cave and takes out a pipe.

Seems she hasn't noticed everyone else gathering.

"Excuse me. Would you lend a lost, cold woman a light?" Whispers Yari Takane towards the dozing soldier. Her features are hidden beneath that cloak, but she looks rightly cold, and far too clean to be one of the 'locals'.

Yuri Stinson (106) has posed:
Yuri walked. He walks a lot of places these days, leaving his mech wherever it was deployed last so as to keep FIA out of danger if that particular avatar is not awake at the moment. Also because bringing a 10 meter tall robot fueled by magic would probably be counter-intuitive to Schala's desire to be low-key. So he's here, but he brought someone with him, at least.

He's wearing his usual half-dozen cloaks and robes and there's the stock-standard very WEIRD rattling that follows him around whenever he walks. Like metal on metal sort of rattle. He looks at Schala and tilts his head, "I apologize for last time. I have brought along someone to mitigate my worse tendencies and who can also help you."

Yuri looks to Lucatiel, "Killing him is a waste. I have a better idea." He doesn't smile, despite his desire to. His idea is clever and underhanded, and particularly anathemic to his concept, but he has it.

There's a gust of wind to signal he's leaving and at about 'Adorjan Miles Per Hour', he vanishes. Yari is, not to be rude, absolutely below his concern with her own plan. It's not a dislike or a particular rudeness, he just doesn't regard her as relevant to him, nor her plan, and so she is disregarded wholly.

"Wake up." Yuri says as he reappears near to the guard with another puff of wind. His voice carries an almost mind-wrenching quality to it, commanding obedience. Someone with Aura, someone who mattered, could resist it with effort. But it's Mind Control in its purest form. Condensed Authority slamming into the brainpan backed by magic.

"Betray your nation. They are worthless. Smuggle supplies to the village. Do so for as long as you can without being caught."

Ivraala (679) has posed:
One newcomer to the group doesn't seem at all bothered by the cold. She emanates it herself, in fact, a deathly chill seeping from every inch of her alien body and pulsing under the tattoos along her skin. Her hood is raised low over her head, but it's impossible to hide the backward-sweeping horns that pierce through its armored cloth, the cold blue glow of her eyes, and the short tentacles that drape down from behind her ears like hair. Between that, her sweeping tail, her dark hooves, and her dark blue skin, it's impossible to consider that she's anything human. Especially with the fact that she's almost eight feet tall.

Still, the Death Knight known as Ivraala tries not to be imposing. When she steps out of the warpgate to meet Schala, she takes a moment to lower her towering frame into a kneel a distance away, bowing her head slightly as a show of non-threat. "Good fortune," she states in her chilly, strange accent. "I mean no harm. I am Ivraala, of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, come to lend my assistance however I can. If you wish me to leave, only say so."

With that assurance out of the way, Ivraala stands again and follows Schala and the others. When gestured to hide, she quickly complies, crouching down as best as she can as her hand wanders to the handle of her rime-edged greataxe. The draenei doesn't let go of it even when the soldier is revealed to simply be snoring, either; she's a wary sort, always more ready for battle than anything else.

Lucatiel's suggestion draws her attention, and her cold eyes settle next on Schala. "Distasteful though the suggestion might be, I may have to agree with her. It would hardly be an effort to simply cut off his head now and be on our way. Of course, assuming no other guards are watching him..."

Then Yuri suddenly carries out his plan, just as Yari is wandering in herself. The draenei frowns beneath her hood, but she's not going to interject just yet. Maybe this is going to cause a useful distraction, if nothing else.

FIA (60) has posed:
FIA is not in the mech, this time. She is, in fact, here. Many times over, as the case may be. The bright and cheery teenage girl with Yuri is lingering around behind him, and sighs softly at his use of mind control. She doesn't object the matter this time, though... she's gotten pretty violent with bandits and the like in her own world. Still, the slip of a blonde girl looks pretty odd hanging around with Yuri, doesn't she? "Well, I suppose that might sidestep the issue, but what if the Queen can tell?"

With her are three other women... all identical, and all in their middle ages or older. They're curvier, softer, and the sort of woman one might expect in a classical fantasy land to be the 'housewife' sort, as opposed to the nymphly one near Yuri. They were carrying supplies, but they quietly stash them, acting in a soft of slow and methodical daze.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
Called by the prospect of alieviating suffering and versed in the situation in Algetty due to the Union's prior report on it, Kyra Hyral may very well be the most obvious Union representative here. The lack of discernable allies does not really seem to stop Kyra since she has also grown well-known in Syndicate circles as well in case the less sanctioned Union members worry that they may become guilty by association. Fully expecting to be handling the undernourished and ill, Kyra has come mostly specced for medical care.

It's hard to tell this from first glance because her bandoliers and darts could be filled with any kind of potion. The 'weapon' on her back, the CURE-ALL, also looks supiciously like a gold and platinum-plated grenade launcher, though she'll insist that it is anything but a lethal weapon. There is also a beat-up looking messenger bag with her, clearly packed full, containing more run of the mill, non-magical medical supplies.

The redhead hangs near the back, frowning at Lucatiel, not because of the rather extreme suggestion of quickly assassinating the guard and moving on, but moreso that she's a mysterious and suspicious masked woman. Creepy, though if this was going to be a sneaking mission of some kind, no doubt useful. But as for Kyra's preferences:

"Get rid of the guard and that other random lady—" she points at Yari, "—and storm the hell out of this place. No sense in wasting time and letting more people die, right?"

Having encountered Yuri before, she assumes he'd probably support a similar course of action. What she's not expecting is for him to whip out the mind control voice on the man to provoke him into betraying the Kingdom of Zeal. Kyra shivers a little as she watches this, a motion certainly not caused by the blistering cold.

Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
At Lucatiel's words, Schala actually cracks a smile. It would only show for a fleeting moment, though, before she conceals it beneath a portion of her robe. Just as stealthily, she respond, "... no. No, most members of the army aren't quite so lackadaisical. Dalton's – that is, the General's – goons, however, are notoriously so." She would lift her gaze to regard the slumbering soldier. "I trust the reason for that is self-evident." Her smile fades, though, as she thinks of something slightly more relevant to put forward. "In general, though, the people of my kingdom are extremely unpracticed and pompous as a rule. Still, the magic they wield is powerful on its own merits; they are arrogant and bumbling, but in the event that they may manage to achieve some lucky blow, not to be ignored."

It's a small miracle that the soldier manages to sleep through this whole conversation, but nevertheless, he does. Quite soundly, in fact, until Yari appears beside him. His eyes would crack open sleepily and his lips might even smack in some vague gesture of waking, but even after seeing her he still manages to close his eyes again. Well, for a moment – after that he would startle into action, flailing about aimlessly until he find himself on the opposite side of the shrub. Once there, he would put his lance at her.

Quivering, he would command, "S-Stay back! Don't move! If you do, I'll fry you!" His lance would pulse red in warning, its tip emitting a small flame that soon evaporates into smoke. If he's given the opportunity, he would begin to edge his way toward the ladder as he says, "... seriously, stay there! Right there! I'm gonna go fetch Dalton, and then we'll figure out what to do with..." Blink. "... huh?" Before he finishes, Yuri appears in front of him. He would raise his lance in warning again, but before he can do anything else, his eyes would glaze over. The red, glowing pupils within his visor would turn a shimmering green, and his weapon would clatter to the floor. At once, his head would begin to bob up and down.

"Yes sir, scary white-haired guy, sir." The words roll of his tongue as though they were the words of a zombie, and the shambling motions he begins to make in advance toward some supplies left on the ground of the cave would do little to betray this notion. He would scoop them up and begin to move back to the ladder without another word to anyone. Seems like Yuri's mind melt worked!

Meanwhile, Schala would get another start of her own. In much the same manner as her recent hire, Lucatiel, another fairly clandestine sort appears beside her: Ivraala. The young monarch would turn to face her, clutching a small bundle of her robe's silk for comfort as she recoils, though her fear can't carry her very far before she realizes this individual has come to help. So instead, she would nod. "No. No, please do stay. I can use all the skilled help I'm able to find, and you are certainly no exception. Especially since it seems you're as adroit in matters of stealth as Miss Lucatiel." She would steal another grin at the woman here. So apparently she has a sense of humor after all? Maybe she just needed some time to warm up to them.

She might have a response in mind regarding the soldier's fate, but alas, she has no chance to voice it before he's shambling off to town with a large sack of food in his arms. Schala's jaw would hang ajar a moment at this before she's able to catch herself, and Yuri would get... a bit of a lingering glance. What on Earth did he do to them, exactly? Is this mind control? That's... not something that she has much experience with, but thanks to Belthasar she at least has an understanding of the concept. If a very basic one. She would likely notice FIA at this point, too, to whom she would give a nod. Or, well... she would give the one nearest Yuri a nod. The others would get a bewilderment tilt of her head, though through sheer force of will she would force herself to refrain from comment. Mind control and cloning? Zeal's researchers could really learn a thing or two from these people.

...

... no, on second thought, please don't tell them anything. They don't need those sorts of things at their disposal.

Kyra would snap her out of that daze, though, and help her to realize the presence of another... returning friend: Yari. Said ninja-lizard-girl-thing would get a faintly irritable look from her. She's that ne'er-do-well from before. She... really can't think of any reason to kick her out on the spot since she's ostensibly here to help, though, and she says as much. "The guard... has been dealt with. As for her..." Still staring at Yari, "... leave her be. But do keep an eye on her. I don't trust her intentions in the least." Straight to her face! Schala is pretty forward.

Several moments pass after the conversation and activity in the foyer-cavern has quieted, though – time enough for those currently occupying the village to have a reaction to the soldier under Yuri's influence. Judging by the frequency of people shouting for them to 'Watch where they're going!', they're likely... a bit dazed. Seems the mental conditioning has fried their motor skills whether it was intended to do so or not. Eventually, though, a more astute soldier says something a bit more urgent: 'Hey, weren't you supposed to be watching the entrance? Your shift isn't up yet!'

And so, with far more alertness than his compatriots, another soldier would rush to the ladder. His head would soon peek out above the canopy, and his eyes would light up. At the top of his lungs, he would shout, "H-Hey! Guys! We have a situation up here!" before darting back beneath the leaves.

A situation indeed.

Yuri Stinson (106) has posed:
Yuri doesn't Adorjan around as much with FIA following close behind him. He wants to make sure she's immediately within meatshield range. He sighs a bit and then looks back at her, "It will be bothersome if she can tell. But it will be informative as well." He notes. While still seeming a bit flat in tone and attitude, he's a bit more humanized in her presence.

"Nn. It saved his life. In the end, isn't that what you'd want?" He asks to Teen-FIA with an awkward avoidance of eye contact. Her presence prevents a lot of his worse behavior through a sheer desire to avoid disappointment. He looks towards Schala a moment later, "Schala. This is FIA. She is my fiance and a specialist in agriculture. She would be a great help to your village."

He also awkwardly adds, "She can also... explain. About me."

His gaze turns back towards the ladder as the alert goes out. He scowls. He also turns to Lucatiel, "Now we may kill. And we should do so with little hesitation."

Lucatiel of Mirrah (66) has posed:
Lucatiel stays right where she is, arms folded and leaning against her rock wall, as though for all the world this weren't a high-risk operation that might possibly result in death, destruction, or death and destruction. The masked woman is either genuinely that apathetic, or she has nerves of steel. Maybe it's a bit of both.

A glance is flicked towards the guard, who's already being accosted by the reptilian Au Ra ninja. Behind the mask, her mouth twists. Persistent; she'll give Yari that much. What exactly is this one's motive? Wasn't being brained by a rock deterrent enough? Apparently not.

Her eyes flick back to Yuri Stinson, though the movement isn't visible to the others. A minute shift of that mask suggests she's listening to him, though, and she flicks a hand in a careless wave somewhere between approval and apathy. If he's got something better, more power to him. She's all for the simplest possible solution to a given situation, and she's both less inclined to balk at needless killing – given what these people are doing to their fellow man – and also she happens to be very, very good at killing.

Of course, nobody here actually knows that, but she's not above demonstrating by example when the time calls for it. So she simply sighs that long, hard breath of exasperation behind her mask, which emerges from below and around it as a puff of fog... but she's still watching when he gives his obviously pointed suggestion to the drowsing man.

Half a glance is cast back to the new arrival, too, namely because she notices the upswing in cold, and Lucatiel of Mirrah is not particularly fond of cold or wet, and all of this snow is working out to be both. She's a creature of desert sands and the arid climates of hilly terraces; not wet winter wonderlands.

She doesn't argue whether her own suggestion is distasteful or not, though, simply folding her arms in pointed gesture and going back to her leaning against the wall, as though she were bored.

FIA merits only a brief and cursory glance; apparently she has nothing to say to that. She has no way to know what the queen knows, and presumably if something like that were the case, Schala would have informed them. One would hope. Then again, jobs always have a way of running awry like that...

Kyra rates a more direct stare, if only because Lucatiel knows when she's being watched, and Lucatiel does not particularly enjoy that sensation – she's very obviously staring directly at Kyra with the way the mask turns, although she doesn't say or do anything. It might be a little bit unsettling, though. Maybe especially because she doesn't particularly do or say anything.

"The other woman—" And she flicks a dismissive gesture toward Yari, "—is presumably some manner of Elite, although I know not who. As of yet her motives are unknown, but she has some specialisation with skulking about. I stand ready to act if she becomes problematic. Otherwise, her presence could be beneficial toward our own ends."

Her arm folds again, and her mask turns toward Schala. "What is it? That they've gone lazy and soft? I can appreciate that from this lacklustre example. I imagine he would not last five minutes in a land like Mirrah," she states, lip curling in disgust; the sentiment reflects in her voice. "Small wonder these people have not revolted openly if this represents their opposition."

She watches with muted curiosity as Yari spooks the poor man awake.

And then she gives one of those hard, annoyed sighs and her head bows forward, hand settling over her mask in a gesture of absolute exasperation.

Lucatiel watches as more soldiers begin to raise the alarm. Her mask turns very pointedly back to Schala; there's something of a 'see-I-told-you-so' sort of inflection in the way her head is tilted.

"May I kill them now?"

And then Yuri Stinson says the magic words. Hooray!

Lucatiel is quite simply gone – she's no superhuman; but very well-trained, already lunging through the snow, and sprinting with shocking speed considering that greatsword slung over her back. She lunges forward, seizes the ladder, and swings herself up to the first few rungs; then quickly hauls herself up to the top.

There's a flash of silver, and suddenly there is a masked demon in their midst, snarling and hauling about with a greatsword nearly as tall as she – Lucatiel, swinging her greatsword this way and that, attempting to raise as much hell in their general vicinity (and go straight for the obviously lethal blows) as humanly possible.

She could do it silently, but this is much better for demoralising and panicking simple-minded troops like these unprofessional yahoos, she decides.

The mysterious, masked knight might be a bit more than Schala had intended upon. Clearly, this woman is no vagrant or vagabond – a trained soldier, and a very skillful one, by the look of it.

Ivraala (679) has posed:
Ivraala doesn't smile in response to Schala's grin. Such things are beyond her mean these days. Her brow does raise a little under her hood, though; if she has anything left of a sense of humor, that's probably the only sign of it Schala's going to get. The draenei does nod, though, a brief gesture to agree to the girl's request before things start moving along.

And move along they do. The soldier is promptly mind-controlled, and he seems to be making an issue for himself as well. When another one rushes up the ladder, Ivraala suddenly whirls around to stand at her full height and thrusts her hand out toward him. Her claw-tipped fingers curl into a tight fist before she yanks her hand back, and while she certainly can't physically reach him from there, the brief flare of cold light under her tattoos gives a sign of something to come.

The moment her hand closes, shadowy hands grasp the soldier and dig in to every part of his body, and as soon as she pulls back, they yank him through the air on a flying path toward Ivraala. Still as steely and silent as ever, the Death Knight doesn't even shift her expression as her other hand reaches out to catch the soldier in a very uncomfortable way: her hand goes right over his mouth, her own size making it easy for her fingers to curl around his head in a deathgrip that begins to dig her claws into his skin. Her own strength means it's a simple matter for her to keep him hoisted in the air, too, as she keeps her hand in a vice grip over his mouth to keep him from shouting any more.

With that done, Ivraala turns back to Schala, her tone as cool as ever even with the no doubt struggling soldier lifted at her side like a sack of potatoes. "So, you have no problem with us killing any who come after us, correct? Do we have a location we're aiming for, or does it not matter how many soldiers come against us?" Then, to the others, "If any of you need to coordinate, I suggest you do so now."

And there goes Lucatiel. Well, that's probably the end of that.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
Her staring noticed, Kyra stares right back at Lucatiel for a few moments before lifting two fingers, pointing them at her eyes, then pointing them at Lucatiel.

That sure was some mind control. Kyra shudders again as the man stumbles away back into the guarded area, no doubt to execute Yuri's bidding. Fortunately, a brisk answer about the other mysterious woman from Schala provides a nice distraction to this horror: "Oh, she's not? Darn. Well." Casually, Kyra draws one of the guns from her person – a needlegun kept in a holster that sits underneath her left arm. A dart is selected from her collection and slipped inside. "Well, if she happens to get a little too difficult, I can take care of her." Kyra says slyly.

When Yuri starts to justify himself, Kyra looks like she's going to say something – except something ELSE Yuri says catches her attention. Fianceé? Mister Rebellion Guy was ENGAGED? "...does not compute." Kyra mutters, finding the institution of marriage being something definitely worth rebelling against!

She suddenly falls quiet as she hears the commotion in the cavern where others are shouting at the recently-wiped soldier. As they continue to speak, Kyra loads a few more darts into her gun. When the soldier pops up from the ladder, Kyra immediately takes a shot at him with her gun but it fails to hit is target, the dart embedding into the ground. "Looks like direct assault is go!"

She actually slips the gun away and hauls the CURE-ALL over her shoulder, settling the massive weapon into her hands. "Everyone go ahead, I'll bring up the rear, it's easier for me to spot that way."

FIA (60) has posed:
The younger version of FIA sighs apologetically. "My fiancée is very... focused upon his task. Both of us are beings with certain... limitations in our behavior. I will explain more when I can." Things are, obviously, a little bit more busy right now than she'd like, and she's in the middle of something!

Well... she should be. The young girl is more just standing there, stepped to the side, and looking around. It's not that she isn't doing anything at all, she's simply feeling out the fertility of the land under the ground, and shifting about nutrients in the soil to 'fertilize' an area that can be easily hidden.

The clones all... go back to carrying supplies. They're mute and kind of slow in the head, and Schala might notice, when inspecting, that they aren't even warm to the touch. The trio of older-FIAs are more akin to golems of some type than actual people, unlike the youth near Yuri.

FIA speaks to Yuri then, "Try to avoid any messy results, dear. You want to inspire these people, not terrify them."

Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
When the alert is sounded, Schala would emit a deep sigh. She knew that they would eventually run into conflict with the soldiers of the kingdom, but so soon? Even if these people are lazy louts, as Lucatiel says, they're still her people. These soldiers, oppressive and arrogant though they may be, should fall under her jurisdiction. The idea that they'll be forced to kill them weighs heavily on her, but for the moment she manages not to let that show. In fact, she does so much to maintain her composure that she is perfectly able to exchange pleasantries with FIA as she is introduced. She would give her and Yuri a pair of nods. "It is good to meet you, Fia. As I'm sure you've seen, this land is barren. For time beyond memory it's been plagued by an eternal Winter. If you can help us to find some way of sowing seeds under these conditions, it will be nothing short of a miracle."

Lucatiel's next words only deepen her spreading frown, however. 'Lazy and soft'. If she's saying that now... she does not look forward to the day that these people will greet her home properly. She's painfully aware of their complacence and their delusion, but hearing it put to word like that only makes it that much worse. Things have degraded so far since she was a child, but after seeing the extent of her peoples' idleness she has begun to wonder how long this issue has been developing. Surely, this can't all be her mother's doing. She would sullenly nod as the warrior requests 'permission' to engage them, but by the time she's begun the gesture, she's already off. She can hear the whisp of metal against the wind as her greatsword cleaves the bodies of two soldiers that were scrambling to reach the ladder in half.

A group of five more of them just beyond her hesitate, but at least one is brave enough – or perhaps, foolish enough – to lunge at her with lance coated in lightning. The other four look to eachother briefly before running back, abandoning their cohort on the spot.

Back at the leafy precipice, the soldier who had initially shouted the others into action hangs suspended in the air, held at the mercy of Ivraala's grip. His flesh would contort and his armor would bend under the sheer force of her maneuver, but that hand would do much to keep him silent. It may seem useless to do so now, but in reality, the absence of a scream does much to spare Schala's feelings. She barely suppresses an urge to cringe at the sight, and in the midst of that resistance there might be a bit of a delay in her response.

"... kill as you must." She isn't going to say how she feels about this. It would slay her. After a tremulous swallow, she would add, "The Elder's Cave. That's where Dalton likely went. The city is segregated into three tiers. The location we're looking for lies in the middle." And it's the largest one, so it's probably pretty hard to miss. Kyra, meanwhile, would get a bit of a look. Its meaning is inscrutable, but she would likely be able to tell that the woman has grown quite pale.

For any others who happen to enter the cave after Lucatiel, they would not be set upon immediately by any soldiers in the area; rather, the soldiers would continue to retreat. Many of them, though, do something far more cowardly than just finding places to hide: they take hostages. They would barge into large caverns decorated in vines and the rudiments of what one might call 'furniture', pulling back out emaciated men, woman, and children which are then held at knifepoint. "Throw down your weapons! If you don't, they're goners! Their lives mean nothing to us!" Some of them even sound smug as they spout this nonsense, as if they're convinced these tactics will actually work. There is more than enough precedent to respond, though, and Afia – the girl from before who had exhibited some magical potential – is among the captives.

Luckily, FIA finds fairly large quantities of nutrients to manipulate beneath the soil. It seems the ground itself isn't devoid of nutrients; the temperature is just too cool for the environment to be able to sustain any plant life. As such, it's easy enough to fertilize an area, though the issues of sunlight – they are inside of a cave, after all – and heat may be more confounding.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Twice now, it seems Yari Takane just can't bloody win. She's starting to hate this damn cave as Yuri rushes in, and mind controls the poor soldier just as she's being threatened. On the one hand, she doesn't need to try diplomacy. On the other, he intial plan is shattered by the man. But the more chilling thing is what he does to the poor soldier, and Yuri is being offered a glare of pure, utter hatred for the briefest of moments.

That is something only an Eikon would do.

But there's more important matters. Yari smirks at Schala.

"You're rude, but at least you are brave enough." It seems the young Princess has amused the ninjette.

And then more soldiers arrive. Yari doesn't get much time to squint overmuch at Lucatiel, remembering getting smacked so very well by the woman. Rather than engage, the ninja simply lights her pipe with her magitek armlet, letting the group handle the soldiers. Yari is content to bring up the rear as the others descend and deal with the hostage situation. Rather than burst into full sight of the soldiers in the caverns, the ninja-ess once again does her little 'leap up into the vines' trick. It might not have worked against this group in the end, but it does afford her a convenient hiding place. Particularly after Schala gives her powerful information. Yari smiles as she lights a smoke bomb, and tosses it down into the caverns upon the soldiers taking cover.

Said smoke bomb goes POMF! It might prove a hindrance to taking hostages, as well as hopefully the rest of the good guys below! Then she's racing with all due speed towards that middle cavern, trying to sneak past the soldiers rather than engage.

Her target? This General.

Yuri Stinson (106) has posed:
Combat. Yuri debates taking off his cloaks, but they're meaningless at the moment. The Exalt scowls a bit and then looks towards FIA, "I will not be messy if I can avoid it." He seems bothered by this, but acknowledges it. He then adjusts his stance.

With a gust of wind, he's off after Lucatiel and into the cave. His Adorjan charms carry him at an amazing speed, moving as the wind itself and into the cave. But he skids to a stop as he sees... hostages. His lips curl back into a snarl, staring at them, "You cowards..."

He doesn't stop, though. Instead, his entire set of cloaks seem to ripple, "Once there was a maiden..." Slowly, pieces of fabric fall to the ground, tattered and torn cloth as if the many, many cloaks he wears were being cut away, "... who spent her life in shackles."

That rattling that follows him? If people ever missed it before, you can hear it now. It's ungodly loud, clattering with metal on metal, "On day, her masters offered to remove her chains, if she would behave." His tone is dark, his stance angry, "With silent eyes she nodded, and her chains were moved."

He steps forward. More and more cloth from his cloaks starts to fall. Under them, snake-like shapes move and cut, "When their backs were turned, she beat them with her undone shackles." He looks at the soldiers with a hatred that can only be described as that of a bear protecting its child. For an individual, for any single person in the group, Yuri cares nothing for the lives. One villager is beyond his notice.

But 'the village'? They summoned him. They asked for him. They were HIS charges, HIS responsibility, "She stood over their bodies, covered in blood, and she whispered:" He steps forward again.

The last cloak falls away to the ground. That rattling? That movement under his cloaks? Wrapped around his wrists are the ends of two chains. The chains themselves move like serpents, rattling and cracking at the ends of their lengths as if waiting to be released, "'Defiance knows no wait. Vengeance knows no duration.'"

He looks around the room. His voice powerfully commands, "Let them all go."

"I am rebellion, and your blood shall water the soil of my purpose."

Lucatiel of Mirrah (66) has posed:
Despite the wintry conditions, the cave is a little more warm than the outside, and the cavern's slightly sandy, stone floor makes for excellent traction. Sand is a comforting familiarity for the Knight of Mirrah; and it transforms her from an efficient swordswoman to a deadly swordswoman.

Even so, she isn't purposefully cruel. Her lethal efficiency is toward a purpose, and that purpose is ending them as quickly as possible, even if it means savage, overwhelming force. She isn't without finesse, though, and any soldiers that flee from her are left to flee. Lucatiel hasn't got the time to pursue them.

Suddenly she's being faced by a lance wreathed in lightning. She skitters back and away from the weapon, but she carefully avoids actually making contact to parry or block the attack; relying instead on agility and complete avoidance. In the same motion she stoops, seizes a rock, and hurls it at the back of the man's head as hard as she can.

Unable to afford the time to spare, she turns on her heel, graceful as a dancer, just long enough to survey the others and ensure that nobody's in any sort of trouble (because any conflict that way might raise the alarm), or Schala (who's paying the proverbial bill).

Just to be sure she throws the man off-balance, she follows up her rock-toss with a firm kick planted to the small of his back, in turn followed up with a savage strike from the heavy, weighted pommel of her greatsword.

And then she whirls on her heel, stopping short as one of them takes a hostage.

Something bright and angry flares in her; it reflects in her voice, snarling beneath the mask.

"You gutless, honourless sons of dogs. You would stoop so low?" The leather of her gauntlet creaks over her sword's hilt, but she stays where she is, veritably quivering in evident rage. Well, now. Apparently there are things she cares about. Like hostage tactics.

Well, she is a knight, even if she's not a particularly upstanding or honourable one, and there are certain universal tenets she won't violate, like the harming of civilians in such obvious plight.

Her eyes turn to Yuri, though, narrowing her eyes as he relays his tale. Gradually, her sword lowers until the point rests in the fine grit of the cave's floor, scraping against sand.

As he approaches, she silently moves in from the other side, letting them focus their attention on the terrifying whatever-he-is. She's all but convinced he's not even remotely human, but that's okay, he makes a magnificent distraction.

But she holds her blade and waits, staring at them, the implacable features of her mask blank and patient as she waits. She'll strike, and she'll be more than glad to strike down the cowards who would use such tactics, but she'll wait, for now, for a signal from Yuri – or for those villagers to be safely away from their grasp before she reaves into their lines like a maddened lioness. But reave she shall, and she can feel an itch between her shoulder blades with the urge to do just that.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
Kyra's not all that sure how to interpret that look. After a long moment of blank staring, she speaks up in a defensive manner, "...hey, I'm not the one here killing people, don't look at me like that." Kyra wiggles a hand free of the CURE-ALL to draw her hood down a little further. Still, she doesn't move onward until enough of the more 'active' members of their little band have gone ahead and only then does she follow them on the ladder, awkwardly slipping her CURE-ALL over her shoulder as she does.

With Lucatiel ahead of her, Kyra prepares to hand out some healing (and possibly accidentally harming Lucatiel in the process??) but stops abruptly when the cowardly soldiers within start taking the weak and sick villagers hostage.

Kyra makes a face and levels the CURE-ALL at the group. Sure, it's actually an area heal dispensing device, but they don't know that. People tend to get freaked out when it's pointed at them without knowing.

"Nah." Kyra says casually and opens fire. In execution, it really does shoot like a grenade launcher if a grenade launcher shot big, bling-y spheres of healing that explode in an explosion of healing. And since it is healing it doesn't actually hurt anyone, hostage or soldier alike, but it could certainly cause a bit of confusion.

Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
Many soldiers would catch sight of Yari, but after Lucatiel's demonstration there are very few of them who make even the most vanishing efforts to pursue her. As such, it's a fairly simply task for her to reach the middle cavern. If she peeks her head inside, she would see a small handful of figures: one, a tall, imposing man with brown hair; another, a graying man with a hunched back; behind the latter, a small gaggle of quivering children. It's clear in an instant who's who – if the comparison between the shabby, makeshift clothing worn by the latter two with that of the former weren't hint enough, there are also their gestures. The brown-haired man would have a hand held proudly to his waist, and would keep his head held high as he makes his varied, bold demands.

Whether out of ignorance or out of a desire to keep the issues separate, he would not acknowledge the presence of the Elites outside yet. Rather, he would keep his eyes locked on to the aged man – presumably the Elder in question – and brandish a lightly malicious grin. "So, as I said. Today, you will give us a dozen more able-bodied men to assist with the Ocean Palace Project. I suggest you choose them quickly, because unlike you, I have places to be, deadlines to make, and important destinies to fulfill." The man would roll his hand with respect to his 'limited time'. "Chop chop! Is it gonna be one of those kids behind you? If you don't hurry, I may have to pick for you!" The children would clamor in protest, muttering to the older man. More than anything else, they express fear at the notion of losing 'another parent', or at the least another member of their families.

The older man would do his utmost to console them, but alas, many of them are still left in tears. He would slowly approach the man, wavering back and forth as he hobbles through the room with the aid of his cane. "I will go to collect a number of volunteers. Please, if you would be kind enough to wait just a few more moments, I—" The man's boot would stop on to the floor of the cavern. His fists would quake. "Wait, wait, wait, wait. Didn't I just get through telling you that I don't have that kind of time to waste? If you have to go get them, just go get them. Immediately! Unless you want to end up on Mount Woe!" The Elder would not his head fervently and rush outside as quickly as he is able...

... at which point he would likely encounter Yari. His eyes would grow wide, but he would remain completely silent. Dalton, meanwhile, seems too preoccupied to notice her.

FIA (60) has posed:
Siiigh. Well, FIA knows better than to get in Yuri's way when he's angry, so she can tell that he is angry. It's not hard. She'll just have to... mitigate matters. For now, she turns to the three clones of herself. "Protect children, hide the supplies, keep them safe. Go." She gestures, and the golem-like creations gather supplies and continue to do what they're doing.

"Mn. I had best see what I can do before my husband-to-be and the knights make things too messy," she murmurs. "Yuri, dear, I will go on to see if I can help inside." She holds out her hand, summoning a scythe into it, then vanishes as she teleports a very short distance, trying to bypass most of the fighting and see if she can help with anything further in. She's going to attempt to go to the Elder's Cave, as directed, by a little shortcut... though it taps some of her power.

Ivraala (679) has posed:
Ivraala patiently waits, but once Schala gives her the freedom to kill as needed, she only waits for the girl to turn away before acting. It's quick, but certainly not clean: the soldier is suddenly slammed to the ground, and before he can give another sound, Ivraala's hoof smashes down onto his head like a mallet on an overripe melon.

There's no glee or remorse on the draenei's face as she starts moving after the others; only a cold, unfeeling neutrality, as if this were no more consequential than breathing. And when she steps out into the mass hostage situation, her expression still remains as frigidly vacant as ever before, blue eyes gazing over the soldiers and their assorted hostages.

"Pathetic," she sighs, her tone and the way her eyes drift cloased almost making her seem...tired. Her hand goes to the greataxe on her back. The weapon is drawn, then casually allowed to slam onto the floor beside her, its frigid blade gathering ice over the ground.

The temperature in the air around her seems to drop further and further, the chill of death to rival even the blasting snowstorm outside. She takes steady steps forward, dragging her heavy weapon on the ground beside her to trail rime along the floor, lashing her tail behind her like some agitated predator. Yuri speaks, and only once he's done does she add her own words, every syllable spoken with the level weariness of someone who has dealt with this too often to even care to be offended. "Let them go now, get out of our way, and I may let you live if you allow us to pass. Lay a finger on them and you will spend hours wishing you were dead, and we will pass anyway. It's your decision, so make your choice before we decide against giving you one."

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
As the ninja stealthily peeks in, all but flat to the ground as she lands, taking in the sight of the malicious man. She swiftly scampers out, one ear tilted towards the sound of the Elder and supposed General yammering. She takes it all in with a scowl. Slavery. And these are the ones she's going to have to work with.

Puffing on her pipe, she consoles herself with the knowledge that the inevitable backstabbing will be more than warranted later by herself and her Confederate friends if all goes well.

The Elder passes by, she gives the smallest of nods before all but shoving the Elder onwards with her tail. Then she clears her throat.

"...Pardon me, are you the General of the men outside? I think you have a problem." She starts, reaching into her belongings beneath the coat and pulling out her good hip flask. It's offered to the General after she takes a sip.

"A pack of suspicious men and women are currently slaughtering them. I'd hoped to see what the rumored 'Zeal Kingdom' I've heard so much about is made of, but it seems I've wandered into a war zone."

She flicks her pipe nonchalantly, cool as the air outside the cave as she stands right at the mouth of the cavern before the General.

"...Happen to have a light for a lost traveller?" Always a good way to break the ice.

Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
As the first soldier had before them, the soldiers are easy prey for Yuri's mental control. Their eyes would flash green with his words and their arms, like the vices of machines releasing manufactured products, would could undone. The villagers, Afia included, would run toward Yuri as Lucatiel meets them halfway. The soldiers stand perfectly still as their bodies are broken and their viscera decorate the floors of the village. Some of the older citizens look on in some aspect of morbid curiosity, but nearly to the last the children cover their eyes.

This chamber, a stark brown only moments ago, has had its entire Western half dyed crimson. Lucatiel stands in the midst of the aftermath. As before, several soldiers had come in support of their fallen comrades, but as soon as they meet with this scene they run for their lives. Many of them go so far as to drop their weapons and to plead rather than to try running. In a matter of moments, this 'military' has been reduced to a mutilated band of animals, too horrified to think beyond concern for their own lives. It's clear they have no more loyalty to eachother than they have to those people they ostensibly 'protect'.

Yet more of the fleeing soldiers are incapacitated by the explosions loosed by Kyra. These, at least, are nonlethal, but many of the soldiers choose to remain on the ground anyway – to feign their deaths to avoid further injury. All but two of the soldiers are undone by the combination of all these blasts and strikes, and only one of them has enough wield over his faculties to continue on and warn his leader of the impending doom. Many of the villagers, at least, are healed by contact with the residual effects of Kyra's grenades.

Schala, for her part, creates a large, crystalline barrier like the one she had conjured by the warpgate to safeguard those villagers who come running from the waves of destruction left by Yuri and Lucatiel. She would take Afia into her arms and hold her, though the gesture isn't quite as affectionate as it ought to be. The young princess's consciousness has meandered elsewhere, and the husk she has left behind seems only to act out of a raw instinct of protection. She has never seen death before. More importantly, she has never seen death on this scale before. She has no idea how to reply, and adrenaline is the only thing keeping her standing at the moment.

All at once, she begins to see why Yuri had given her the choice to tell him not to return. Revolution is a dark thing indeed.

Lucatiel of Mirrah (66) has posed:
Subtly, the masked knight interposes herself between the villagers and the soldiers, and her sword flicks to point at what scattered rabble remains. Blood drips onto the sand from the cavalry greatsword's tip; it lands with a distinct patter.

"You." She advances on them. Her tone has gone flat and cold once more, almost apathetic to the blood and death that surround them. She flicks her sword at the nearest, perhaps spattering him with what little blood is left on her blade; and she flicks it then toward an empty cavern wall. "Line up, you and your men, here. I cannot promise your lives for the others, but I can guarantee that I will not kill you if you comply. Refuse, and I will slaughter you all like the wretched dogs you are."

Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
Those few, ragged survivors that Ivraala passes by are hardly in any position to deny her passage – many of them literally lack legs to stand on. The few of them who are still in one piece by the time she arrives would already be running in the other direction before she even has time to make her threats with the exception of a single one who is too stunned to move. That one would simply nod their head Northward and Southward briefly before watching her walk by him in a daze. Then he would stumble backward into a wall, 'admiring' the aftermath of Yuri and Lucatiel's concerted effort with tiny pupils and laborious breaths.

Clearly, these soldiers haven't seen much death before either.

Ivraala, Lucatiel, Yuri, FIA, and Schala would collectively have found their way of creating a clear path to the Elder's room by this point, so all of them are free to advance. Ivraala herself would find few more soldiers as she advances, though, and for the moment the cavern seems to have fallen strangely silent.

Yuri Stinson (106) has posed:
As the soldiers are fleeing and he provides a distraction for Lucatiel, Yuri narrows his eyes and then scowls, "You made me break my promise to her..." He says in a slightly pissed off tone. As the last of the soldiers are either incapacitated or dead, the chains fall limp again before slowly curling back up around his forearms and then coming to a rest. As he walks, they rattle against his arms, finally explaining that weird noise.

"Call if you need me, FIA. I'll come. Or He will." He leaves who 'he' is as vague.

He stops over one of the pools of blood and extends his hand, palm down. As he does so, he shuts his eyes. There's a faint pulse from his hand and particles start to come up from the blood into his palm, which he shuts eventually. Turning it over, there's a piece of red-brown metal, barely the size of a small pebble in there. He puts this into a pouch on his belt.

"We should keep moving when you're done tying them up." He says to Lucatiel. Then he extends his hand, "Yuri Stinson. We met before, if barely."

Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
FIA would, as intended, find herself directly outside of the Elder's cave. The old man himself would regard her with the same sort of confusion that he does Yari, but he would not interrupt the latter as she continues inside to speak with Dalton. The General would turn to face her as he's first addressed, but not at all kindly – he appears disgruntled, and his face is contortion of wrinkles ushered into existence by impatience. Yari's information would only exacerbate this, and his fist would resume its quivering. His eyes would narrow into an even more pronounced scowl.

"Ridiculous." He would shake his head. "There's no one in the world who could challenge the might of Zeal's army. I'm sure that you must be confused as to who's slaughtering who." Only once he's said all this would his posture finally straighten from its aggravated hunch. "But that does make me wonder what incompetent buffoon let you in here." He wouldn't bother to acknowledge her request for a light and instead skips right to the point: "What do you want? You wouldn't be talking to me unless you wanted something from me. So out with it! Before I decide that you aren't worth my time."

The soldiers would certainly comply with Lucatiel. Eagerly, even; they're against the wall within seconds of her command. Some, though, take it a step further. "I'm sorry!" Many of them would cry, though there's a notable omission of what they're apologizing for. In all likelihood, they don't even know; they've been raised to treat the people of the ground as subhuman, and they might not be sure that their treatment of them was a transgression at all. The only soldier who dares to step out of the line that they form against the wall is one who would slide forward on his knees, his hands joined together in pleading. Over and over again he asks to be set free.

The rest of them just stare at him in silence after a while. All of their faces are deathly pale, where one can peer through their visors.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
Confusion delivered. Kyra seems pleased at the results. The CURE-ALL is calmly flipped back over her shoulder, left there as Yuri and Lucatiel begin their grim work of intimidating who remained into surrendering themselves. A grin remains on her face for now and the white mage quietly hangs back, leaving the others to deal with the 'Dalton' man that Schala mentioned earlier.

Kyra, on the other hand, holds herself back with the villagers so she can start checking the health of each one, helping where she can. There is little she can do to heal weeks or months of malnourishment on the spot but she does have painkillers or simulants that can give those in need enough strength to be escorted elsewhere. Diseases of other types will have trouble standing against Kyra.

Lucatiel of Mirrah (66) has posed:
Lucatiel is a lot rougher with the soldiers than she strictly needs to be, wrestling them around as necessary to tie them up, and cinching the ropes to what is probably a painful degree. And maybe causing a bit of rope burn if there's any exposed skin in tying it off. The knots are purposefully obtuse; the sort of thing she might use when hitching her horse. They're not going to be able to break out of those very easily.

The bothersome soldier who doesn't stay in line is given a vicious right hook to the temple, which should hopefully sort him out and set an example for his fellows. "Silence," she states, coldly.

Once she's finished with that, she turns to grasp Yuri's hand, grip strong. "I am Lucatiel of Mirrah. Indeed, we met briefly, but we did not have the chance to introduce one another. Impressive work."

She releases Yuri's hand, beckoning him to follow with a flick of her wrist. That greatsword she keeps unsheathed, tilting her head from one side to the other, rewarded briefly by the pop of her neck as she waits for the others.

Nope, she's no trailblazer. She's not being paid to blaze any trails.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
The arrival of FIA has Yari turning briefly, but only just so. For the most part, she's entirely focused on Dalton. The horned woman doesn't move, instead looking the clearly irritated man in the eyes.

Yari shrugs and lights her own pipe. What a jerk.

"I'm a newcomer, so I couldn't offer anything to that matter, Sir. I'd like to find the answer, however. To your men's credit, they seemed distracted. I am a resourceful woman, that's all."

But at least the General gets down to business. Her tail flicks, and she nods tersely. "Alright. I'm something of a traveling scholar, entertainer...well, I have many talents. I came to this world looking to visit the famed Kingdom of Zeal, but all I found was a suspicious group of barbarian savages. Until now. So if you'd get me away from those horrid beasts fighting your men, then I'd be obliged. I will be willing to compensate you, of course, Mister...?"

A hand goes to her chest.

"Ashley. Not that you're likely to care."

Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
Why everyone had initially been asked to come here this evening would be no mystery to Kyra. It's difficult for her to find a single person there who isn't in a state of severe emaciation, and the ragged clothes they wear are hardly enough to give them proper protection from the cold outside. The reactions they have when she presents them with painkillers are equally demonstrative of their poverty: they all eye the things skeptically, seemingly bewildered that anything aside from magic could heal their wounds. Many of them are too suspicious – most of the adults refuse to accept that form of aid and likewise prevent their children from doing so. Some more trusting sorts would take them, however, and nod to her in thanks.

She doesn't need any advanced medical training to tell that most of these people are going to need much more thorough medical examinations if they're going to survive the next few weeks, let alone the rest of the year. The condition of their health is reflective of their living conditions, and it's truly a painful thing to witness now that things have had some chance to calm down.

The disobedient soldier immediately falls silent as he's beaten back by Lucatiel. He presses himself against the wall with the others soon after, and likewise has his hands so tightly that there are likely to be lacerations on his wrists once the ropes are removed. All of them would stay deathly still and quiet afterwards, not even glancing behind themselves. The very most that they would do is shiver, but for the moment it seems that they've given in completely.

Not at all the warriors they were made out to be.

Schala would walk over to this makeshift stockade herself once she has released Afia, admonishing each soldier with her gaze. She would say nothing, however, instead electing to follow behind Ivraala as she makes her way to the Elder's chamber, and to Dalton.

FIA (60) has posed:
FIA's arrival is, despite her scythe, without too much incident. She looks over what is being done, then shakes her head lightly. "Oh... oh dear." Sigh. "This is no good. Even without the morality of it, if you take these they will die. That's pointless waste. You... you really don't know how to foster a community at all, do you?" That's to Dalton, not the Elder, of course. "The health of your citizens is first and foremost the most important matter of a community."

She sighs, walking slowly to the side, looking over Dalton and the soldiers. "Please. Leave now before my fiance sees this. If he sees you doing this, then... I don't know that I could stop him from doing something very messy." She curls her free hand against her chest. "If not for good sense, then do it for me."

Finally, FIA lets some of her aura out... that aura of majesty and awe that even Yuri hasn't seen often. It's a holy, shimmering glow, the divine girl releasing some of the suppression on her godliness. It's weakened somewhat by being in a secondary avatar, but it still gives her words a sense of purpose.

"Take Ashley if you wish, as she desires, but leave now."

Ivraala (679) has posed:
Despite her own threats, it's her allies who end up causing the most damage. Ivraala, for her part, doesn't seem to mind that much. She just continues walking ahead like some sort of frigid reaper, letting Yuri and Lucatiel deal with the remaining soldiers while she passes through the carnage and into the next space. Any remaining and combat-capable soldiers are quickly dealt with: her axe takes heavy swings against those who stand in her way, and if the massive blade doesn't cleave into them, the Frost Fever that infects them and literally eats away at their insides with a biting frost should finish the job. The Death Knight is relentless and silent, and her stride goes almost unhindered on the way to the next cave and Dalton himself.

Though, when she walks in, it's not just to Dalton. She notices Yari and FIA, and those last few words Yari speaks reach the Death Knight's ears easily enough. The draenei doesn't seem to care what she looks like; if she's not hindered, she just walks in toward the General, stopping a good distance away from them but not nearly far away enough to be unnoticed. "Horrid beasts? What a strange choice of words," she remarks coolly, glancing aside to Yari for a moment before FIA draws her attention. Her eyes narrow at the aura FIA releases; it's not pleasant for someone like her to be anywhere near, but...she lingers, at least for now. Maybe FIA's method will be more useful here.

Yari, meanwhile, doesn't get as calm a reaction. The way Ivraala looks at her makes it clear that she doesn't trust her at all after those last comments, and the lift of her hand to point it at the woman is almost accusatory. "You. Come here. You're going to explain exactly what you're doing here. Somehow, I don't think your interests are really aligning with ours."

Yuri Stinson (106) has posed:
Yuri doesn't follow after Lucatiel immediately. He tests to see if he can get another strange pebble (he can't. They weren't conceptually alligned enough) from the pools of blood. And then he turns and slowly marches after the swordswoman when she leaves.

"Butchery is a skill like any other. You master it and things die," He remarks in response to the line about impressive work. He slowly lifts his head, the chains unwrapping from his arms to drag along the ground behind him, "She unleashed her aura." He notes in a bit of wonder. Admittedly, because FIA's divinity is a subjective sort of Holy, it may save Dalton's life.

Because the Creature of Darkness simply stops. On the off chance FIA harnesses her powers, he doesn't want to risk her hurting him in splash.

Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
Dalton would quirk his brow, folding his arms. From beneath his tan shawl he would pull a small, metallic box – a radio. He would press a red button in its Southwestern corner and speak. "... hello. Daltonites, come in. Respond if you can hear me, Daltonites!" His voice, tainted by static, would sound from the pocket of one of the soldiers by Lucatiel. None of them would make any effort to respond, however, prompting an echo: "Daltonites, respond!"

Still, he hears nothing. In time, he would slip this device underneath his cloak again and regard Yari with a hardened stare. "... you weren't kidding. None of those half-wits have the gall to ignore one of my calls. They really must be gone after all." There's a moment of silence in which he stares the ninja woman up and down, brows furrowing in some approximation of disdain. "... since you're obviously not from around here, I'm Dalton. I am the premiere, foremost, and ultimate commander of Zeal's armed forces." Compensation, though? That... wouldn't get as much of a reaction out of him as she might be expecting. "'Compensation?' How small-time do you think I am? Tell you what – if you can offer me something better than 'immortality', then I'll help you. Otherwise, you had better find some other way out of here."

His eyes would shift to FIA next, his nose scrunching up a little more with every word out of her mouth. "'Don't know how to foster a community'? 'The health of my citizens'?" Again, his fist would quiver. "These aren't MY people! These aren't people at all! They're cattle – tools! They don't have what we have. They don't have the gifts of magic, or knowledge, or community! Everything they have, we GAVE them!" His fist would lower back to his side, eventually, but that angry look on his face never retreats. "So don't you lecture me. The only responsibility I have for them is to make sure they make it safely to the Ocean Palace where they can do the work they're meant to do. Beyond that, I couldn't care any less."

Out of the corner of his eye, he would spot Ivraala. Even he has to admit that the odds aren't looking too good if they decide to attack him, so he takes a precaution. His hands would spread out to his sides, and a large, vorpal, pitch hole would open just ahead and above him. From this hole, two massive golems would emerge. He would herald their entrance with a bit of fanfare:

"Golem Twins! Come and protect me!!"

Each of them would land with massive thumps against the ground, but would remain inert afterwards. They do not move, but chances are good that they would retaliate if Dalton himself were to be targeted. "I'll let that be your only warning," Dalton would harshly intone, "to back off."

Yuri Stinson (106) has posed:
The MINUTE. The SECOND. The INSTANT that those two Golems appear, a threat against FIA, even passive, is registered. Yuri's head snaps up. He can, on some level, feel it. The air shimmers around him as if a portal to somewhere else is opened.

"Go. Now."

That ripple moves and then seems to appear in the air around FIA. It slowly opens, a being appearing out of thin air, climbing out of that ripple. At first, it's just a man, holding a flaming longsword and looking fairly stoic. But then, it's a new being. It only half-emerges from the portal, a massive armored monster twice-again as tall as the man that stands in front of it. Both of them stand directly between the two Golems and FIA.

Thanatos, The Beast To Guard The Beauty
Third Circle Soul of the Dark Hero

The man speaks, but it is in two voices. One is calm and emotionless, the other crackles and pops like logs in a fire:

"Your actions are a mistake. No harm shall come to her."
"Your actions are a mistake. No harm shall come to her."

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
At first, Dalton receives a nod from Yari.

"General Dalton. They're stronger than they might be. I passed by them. Roughly equivalent to a small task force of men by my estimation, but take that as you would."

Yari blows a smoke ring, body tightening a touch. For a moment, she seems distracted, her enraged look offered to the Draenai. Oddly, she seems to be looking through the horned knight.

Then her senses return. "Perhaps compensation wasn't the right word. I can't offer something greater than that. But my skills can be useful to a man such as yourself, if you'd allow me to demonstrate."

Then the ninja takes up a fighting stance, single arm held defensively before her as she watches FIA and Ivraala warily. Her entire body is more tense than usual, but she stays focused. Mentally taking stock of her various armaments, she's ready to pull out a ton of smokebombs if necessary.

Then Dalton summons his Golems, and the woman sidles closer to Dalton. She hovers protectively between the two potential assailants, as if protecting the General.

To Ivraala, the woman huffs slightly, tail flicking.

"I don't know you. So I couldn't say if my desires are yours or not. But I'm certainly not going anywhere with you." She states adamantly, before looking to FIA.

"...I think leaving would be in our best interests. I'm willing to help you escape, if required." She notes to Daltan.

Yari's eyes narrow at the thing that is the dual-voiced Yuri.

"That isn't a normal man. Feh. Could he be one of those..." Teeth grit, and she spits in wrath.

"Abominations? We should be going, General Daltan." She warns twice.

Lucatiel of Mirrah (66) has posed:
Half a glance is cast back when Yuri Stinson chooses not to follow, but it's no skin off the swordswoman's back. Lucatiel continues, only to stop in her tracks once again when she hears a noise from the soldiers she'd tied up. Dust sifts from underfoot as she turns on her heel and makes her way back to the soldiers, kneeling before the snivelling lot of them and staring very intently at the one with a radio of some kind.

She then abruptly turns on her heel and files back into the other cavern, where everyone else is; by this point she's found some means to wipe the blood off her sword and sheathe it, and assumes a position in the doorway, folding her arms and leaning against the natural stone arch, staring pointedly at Dalton himself.

Dalton's words seem to be worthy of some consideration, head tilting.

"Mind your words." She pushes off from the wall, striding steadily towards Dalton, heedless of the golem-things (Although half her attention is on them). "Your callous disregard for human life might, hm, upset one of the others, here. Myself, I am tempted to put you to the sword for your reprehensible lack of skill and your pitiable leadership; putting down these men was no more than child's play."

She leans against a nearby wall, arms folding again. "But, come, now. It seems you've already upset them." She laughs; a creepy little laugh that's mostly breathless. "Oh, dear. What will you do now, General? Will you beg? Will you plead? Will you fight us...? I must say I am quite curious to see what it will be..."

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
At first, Dalton receives a nod from Yari.

"General Dalton. They're stronger than they might be. I passed by them. Roughly equivalent to a small task force of men by my estimation, but take that as you would."

Yari blows a smoke ring, body tightening a touch. For a moment, she seems distracted, her enraged look offered to the Draenai. Oddly, she seems to be looking through the horned knight.

Then her senses return. "Perhaps compensation wasn't the right word. I can't offer something greater than that. But my skills can be useful to a man such as yourself, if you'd allow me to demonstrate."

Then the ninja takes up a fighting stance, single arm held defensively before her as she watches FIA and Ivraala warily. Her entire body is more tense than usual, but she stays focused. Mentally taking stock of her various armaments, she's ready to pull out a ton of smokebombs if necessary.

Then Dalton summons his Golems, and the woman sidles closer to Dalton. She hovers protectively between the two potential assailants, as if protecting the General.

To Ivraala, the woman huffs slightly, tail flicking.

"I don't know you. So I couldn't say if my desires are yours or not. But I'm certainly not going anywhere with you." She states adamantly, before looking to FIA.

"...I think leaving would be in our best interests. I'm willing to help you escape, if required." She notes to Daltan.

Yari's eyes narrow at the thing that is the dual-voiced creature.

"That isn't a normal being. We need to leave, now."

It's about then that Yari reaches into her belongings, yanks out every smoke bomb she has, and tosses them at those gathered.

Good luck breathing with that much smoke, and the handseals she makes doesn't help. Raising her hand, she'll target the ceiling.

"RAITON!" A bolt of lightning bursts out from her hand to strike upwards, as she tries to disperse the group using falling rocks from her magic strike.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
Charity is a well-known virtue of those followers of Cosma. It isn't unusual for practitioners to be very well acquainted with the less fortunate and thus unsurprised at the condition of the poor and abused. However, to Kyra, this is the first time she herself has been exposed to people that have endured such extreme conditions for so long. It's a little shocking to say the least and her work is clearly cut out for her.

It is with some confusion that she finds there are people who will actually refuse her aid, earning a hurt look from the eventual doctor-to-be. At least some here do understand and trust her enough to believe she won't drug them. "Come on, please." she tries to encourage them with a slight hint of impatience, "You need your strength, you can't stay here and moving will take energy."

It is with some reluctance that she resorts to her white magic, doubtful that it'll help with long term damage caused by starving. White magic was moreso used for the immediate injury or the magical disease. On the other hand, a simple Protect spell could bolster defenses against hardship, which is what Kyra focuses on for the villagers.

Ivraala (679) has posed:
Ivraala's cold eyes remain fixed on the ninja leering at her. That combat stance is obvious to the draenei: Yari is looking to fight if the situation calls for it, and Ivraala is more than content to oblige if that's the case. Her grip on her greataxe tightens, and she seems about ready to step forward...until the General speaks. The draenei freezes, and her head slowly turns to regard Dalton with a stare that could freeze Hell over.

"Oh. Cattle, really?" The tone Ivraala gives to Dalton's statement is hardly different from anything else she's said, but something about the ice that rings it makes it obvious what her feelings are on that matter. She doesn't know what this 'purpose' is, or what the Ocean Palace is, but the moment men, women, and children are called cattle is the moment she loses any level of sympathy.

Ivraala's hand lashes out at Dalton, her tattoos flaring again with that cold glow. Ice explodes from the ground around him, but it's not an attack: chains of frost are what burst forth instead, coiling around his body like binding tendrils, digging in to squeeze and clench and freeze. The touch of their frigid links is enough to infect with Frost Fever, and while they may only last for a few precious moments before dissolving again, their debilitating effects would make it harder to flee for slightly longer. Enough, she hopes, to keep this Dalton from escaping.

It's a good thing she's quick with that tactic, because Yari's interference is going to make it much harder for her to act. Smoke obscures Ivraala's vision, forcing her to swing her arm through the air to try and disperse the smoke. She coughs, then tries to rush forward, but the rocks that come crashing down from Yari's attack hinder her. A few she dodges, but one particularly large one cracks into her back, the force making her stumble and nearly fall over from the effort. Bones are probably broken, but Death Knights don't deal with pain, only the physical hinderances of such impacts.

Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
At once, Dalton's summons are countered by Yuri's conjuration of Thanatos. A bestial blaze clad in malefic fire and silver pauldrons crawls halfway out of some form of dark portal. The General would be given pause by this, and would stare down the beast. After a while, he would even start to perspire – more out of fear than from the heat that ghastly thing is emitting, but you would never get him to admit to that.

The staring contest lasts for some time as he fervently glances between that otherworldly monster, FIA, Yari, and Ivraala. He is seriously outgunned, and the sheer volume of magical potency Thanatos is emitting right now is all the objective proof he needs of that. Slowly, he would begin to back away. The golems would stand, placing their arms together as they form a wall between the lot of them and their master. Behind that wall, the man would conjure a portal of his own; a dark passageway to lead him back to Zeal Palace.

But then, Lucatiel. He can't help but respond to her before he attempts to beat feet – it just isn't in his nature. So even with his back to the wall both figuratively and literally, he boldly proclaims, "I'll tell you what I'm going to do, you monsters! I'm going to tell the Queen what's happened here. And then... then we'll be ready. When we summon Lavos, and when he's fallen under her control, we'll be immortal! And then there will be nothing you can do to stop us! Nothing!!" He would thrust out his hand, a smile charming his face in spite of it all. "So remember my name well! I am Dalton, General of Zeal! Commandant of the land that will bring Gods themselves to their knees!"

Here, he would attempt to exploit the aid of Yari's smoke bombs to leap into the portal he had created for himself. If anyone were to charge in after him, the Golems would attempt to counter, but there are two of them and many more of the Union's number. A concerted effort would likely be able to stay Dalton's escape, but that's only if they see cause to end his life now. Or if their view isn't obscured by the smoke.

... and some semblance of that concerted effort begins when Ivraala's Death Grip clings to him. Though the smoke misdirects it enough to keep it from wrapping around his entire body, and though the Golems make the window of her aim exceedingly narrow, chains lacerate his right leg. The General lets out a cry of pain as he twirls in the air within the interstitial space of his portal. He uselessly tugs at the chains on his leg to remove them, but try as he might, he can't release himself. And when the time comes for the portal to close...?

It slams shut as intended.

Slams shut, that is, on the leg that Ivraala prevented from going through the portal with him.

Unless Yari or another person successfully cuts his chains loose, Dalton's errant limb would fly through the room in the smoke. It would, however, eventually land on the ground at Lucatiel's feet.

Several moments later when the smoke has begun to clear, Schala would enter. She is flanked by Loyalty, the Beagle that Algetty was given by Yuri on his last visit. Mercifully, she would not comment on where she had found them, nor what they had been doing there. The dog would eagerly rush into the room, though, sniffing the appendage at Lucatiel's feet. It might give it a nibble or to here and there.

FIA (60) has posed:
FIA is, of course, unsurprised at Thanatos appearing. If anything, she sighs heavily, the youthful-looking girl wincing at the thunderous voice that emanates from the demon. Her protector. "I did warn you," she speaks quietly. A sad shake of her head, and she replies simply to Dalton, "And that is a regrettable manner of viewing things."

Unfortunately, the lightning blast threatens the area with falling rocks. Here, it is revealed that FIA is far from human... for she is up and flying in a flash, with far less effort than the earlier teleportation. She's there to slash with the scythe, not at Dalton and Yari, but to split the rocks into smaller chunks. It doesn't stop her from casting a startled look at Dalton.

"Lavos?" Did she recognize that name?

Oh well, other things to do right now.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari Takane might be brave, but she's not stupid. Even she knows she's utterly unequipped to fight the Thanatos, much less the others combined. AT least she thinks on her feet, even if she's taking a risk here with the Unionites.

Thus as Dalton whips open a portal, Yari thinks quickly. With the smoke in the air, and Dalton's leg chained up, all the ninja can do to help is to leap herself backwards with the speed indicative of her occupation. Leaving after-images in her wake, that single hand of hers whips out of all things...a tommy gun? Aiming while she leaps back towards the closing portal, she squeezes the trigger, aiming a withering wall of bullets at Ivraala's chains binding poor Daltan.

With any luck, she can help the man escape. If he does lose a limb, Yari will be swift with Hi-potions and getting him the hell out of dodge towards a real medic.

Lucatiel of Mirrah (66) has posed:
In response to the last word from the general, the swordswoman lifts her face a degree or two, light glinting off the brazen mask. She says nothing when he calls them monsters, and nothing when he gives his frothing, zealous (no pun intended) speech. She simply tilts her head the other way as he leaps into the portal.

"Pity." She glances down as the leg skids to a halt in front of her, trailing a slick of blood. And then Loyalty noses at it, perhaps to take a nibble or two, and she pays dog and limb no more mind than she might a buzzing fly. "I might have enjoyed killing him..."

From behind the mask comes another one of those hard-edged, long, exasperated sighs. Shifting her weight, she goes back to leaning against the wall right where she is.

"What a bother. At least there are a number of prisoners, but if their knowledge is anything like their skills, those wretches will be of no use to us."

Yuri Stinson (106) has posed:
Thanatos, true to his/its purpose and instints, makes no pursuit of Dalton. That's not what it's here for. Instead, the overwhelmingly powerful Third Circle continues to stare at the twin golems. It's as if one boss-monster were in a staredown with a different boss encounter.

Both man and beast remain still, appraising the two opponents. He won't move on them for so long as they don't move on FIA. But if they do? He will be right in their face. To FIA, when she sighs at its presence, the Soul responds:

"I apologize, Miss FIA. I know my presence makes you uncomfortable."
"I apologize, Miss FIA. I know my presence makes you uncomfortable."

It watches her leap to the ceiling to cut up rocks. Both the man and the monster will attempt to catch or mitigate falling rock damage in accordance with FIA's actions.

Meanwhile, outside in the other room, Yuri stumbles back out into the snowing outside, leaning against the outside wall of the cave entrance. Despite the loss of his six cloaks and being in the snow, he's sweating profusely and his eyes are tightly shut. He's gasping for air and genuinely exhausted.

He may be an Exalt, and an Elder one at that, but summoning a Third Circle without his machine present is HELL on his body and his Essence Pool.

Ivraala (679) has posed:
He's gone. It's difficult for Ivraala to make out much in the chaos, but between the cry of pain, the limited spray of blood, and the closing of the portal, she can put two and two together before she manages to straighten up again. Her shoulders roll a bit, but one looks a little limp; yep, something's broken there, but a trip to Acherus should handle that.

A glance is given to the leg lying prone on the ground, and then Ivraala's attention shifts aside to Lucatiel. "At least we can take comfort in knowing that he's going to have a harder time making a speech if he has to focus so much on standing now," she remarks, probably as an attempt at her own particular brand of humor. It's difficult to say with her, considering she never smiles.

She looks to FIA next, even though the woman's nature is still uncomfortable for her to deal with. "You know the name? It sounds as if our friend has some plans for this kingdom involving him. Selfish ones, on top of it all, if they plan to use so many people in that way."

And then Schala's presence finally draws Ivraala's attention. The Death Knight sets her greataxe on her back again – Thanatos can likely take care of the golems if they prove to be an issue – and walks toward the girl, taking careful but long strides across the room. Once she comes close enough, she kneels, doing at least some part to lessen the gap in height between the two of them and come a little closer to looking Schala in the eye. "It sounds as if things are worse than expected. Unless, of course, you knew their plans already." A pause, then, "Are you holding up?"

FIA (60) has posed:
FIA drifts down, letting Thanatos deal with the golems. "It is all right, I am not uncomfortable with you. I am uncomfortable that you are needed." That hopefully explains things in a way that is nice.

The girl's scythe disappears, and she speaks to Ivraala. "I have heard the name, but I know very little about it. Before I say more, I think it would be better to ask others who may have more knowledge."

Lucatiel of Mirrah (66) has posed:
At the Death Knight's gallows humour, there is a laugh given in kind. It's that same breathless, vaguely creepy laugh that the fencer had given previously; her head even dips down for a moment, as though in mirth.

"I should like to see him try." Curiously, it doesn't echo in her voice so much. To the name of Lavos, she only rolls her own shoulder in a careless shrug. "I certainly do not recognise it, but it hardly matters to me." She lifts both arms in a dismissive gesture, waving them slightly. She does glance at Schala, though, but it's hard to say what she might be thinking for the way that mask hides her features.

Come to think of it, one might wonder what her features even look like. Is she even human? She sounds human and she looks human, but there are plenty of Elites to prove that appearances can be extremely deceptive.

She leans back against the wall, settling more comfortably, for a given value of comfortable. "Sensible enough, I suppose," she offers, to FIA. "What of these people?" Lucatiel tosses her chin, indicating the people of Algetty. "Would it not be safer to move them to a different location, lest these ignorant mewling pups that call themselves soldiers retaliate?"

Schala Zeal (733) has posed:
Contrary to what some may be expecting, the Golems summoned by Dalton would remain almost perfectly still. They would remain frozen in the positions they held as Dalton left until, finally, their arms fall slack at their sides. It seems the loss of his leg was too much of a shock to the General for him to maintain control of them and, as a result, they've become temporarily inert. So no boss fight tonight! Thankfully.

When Ivraala addresses her, Schala would just shake her head. "... Melchior knows far more than I do. I don't know any details, but he has told me that what my mother is attempting could potentially end the world as we know it. Given his wisdom, I'm inclined to believe him." She gives no response when asked if she's 'holding up', but judging by her hunched posture, her sickly complexion, and the miserable look on her face, she isn't very well if she is at all. Still, all she would ultimately acknowledge out loud is that 'She is tired and would prefer to rest once she has seen to the wellness of the villagers'. No more, and no less.

As always, she has no right to indulge her own paranoia when there are people suffering in far more tangible ways. She has to take responsibility.

... and besides, she would never be able to sleep tonight anyway.

Yuri Stinson (106) has posed:
"Very well. He is outside the cave when you are finished."
"Very well. He is outside the cave when you are finished."

There's another shimmering ripple in the air as FIA seems to be safe with the deactivation of the Twin Golems. Thanatos no longer views them as a threat and so there is no threat to FIA. The more human part of it gives her a nod as it vanishes.

Ivraala (679) has posed:
Ivraala is not the person to give comfort or aid. Maybe at some point in the past, she was someone who would be more attuned to gentleness and sympathy, but such things are difficult to draw out of her now, if not impossible.

Still...

She nods slightly, then stands again, looming tall over Schala. She can't really manage a more kindly voice, but at least she seems to be making the attempt with words. "I doubt rest will come easily to you after something like this. Confide in those close to you, if you can, and do what you may to avoid dwelling on the violence of the night. You will need whatever strength you can muster if you want to go through with this." She looks back over her shoulder, then, as if she feels more comfortable focusing her attention elsewhere for the moment. "Call on me if my services can be of assistance somehow. Until then, I wish you good fortune and strength for what comes. May the Light guide your path, Schala."

And with that, Ivraala steps off with steady hoofbeats, making her way out of the cave and into the blustering snowstorm outside.