430/Both of the Opened Ways

Both of the Opened Ways
Date of Scene:	16 August 2014
Location:	Lordran
Synopsis:	The party returns to Blighttown, making payment owed to Quelaag of Izalith for use of the bell. And learning the reasons as to why she needs Humanity.
Cast of Characters:	Tomoe, Staren, Priscilla, 134, 168, 183, 234, 253, 385, Reina Kinney, 522

---

Priscilla has posed:
    Once again, Priscilla refuses to venture down that dank, dark, hole in the ground that leads all the way to the bottom of the cliffside at Lordran's borders, where underground rivers lead to oceans. As she has done several times before, the summoning ritual goes off without issue, simultaneously bringing into being almost a dozen silhouettes with edges tinged in luminescent colour. There is little reason to guide anyone this time. An expedition had already gone through the area before. Instead, she saddles down Nathan with a pack full of those vials full of carefully preserved Humanity Staren had retrieved from their previous joint visit to the Painting of Ariamis, and Psyber with a peculiar bronze ring. Rather than being forced to journey through the entire dark, sweltering, underground swamp as before, and risking alerting the teeming hordes of boneless horrors lurking in its crags and tunnels, the group has been given a back way in by their patron through some manner of massive water mill that is powered by one of the few outside tributaries that still comes through the holes in the ceiling, making for a somewhat perilous and shifting descent, but one that cuts travel time down to a tenth.

    Therefore, it isn't long before a group of people is standing on the island at the end of the swamp, host to a monolithic nest of spider's silk, pulled over the walls and towers of an ancient building just about invisible under the centuries of webbing. The journey through its interior is as unnerving as ever, but as a relief, the egg-burdened seem to have moved or been relocated elsewhere. Their host is waiting exactly where they had met her the first time; a pale, beautiful woman fused into the back of a vaguely spider-like creature, bristles coruscating with crimson energy, multi-jointed legs quivering in anticipation, and burning fluid dripping from its fanged maw. It seems as if Nathan will have to play professional translator again, as the phrase she mutters to herself is completely unintelligible to everyone present, even unified with the multiverse. Everyone except Psyber however, who for some reason, immediately recognizes it as:

    "They've taken long enough. Yet again their master will not show their face."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Priscilla, I know you're fond of me, but giving me rings is just inappropriate while we're in the field. Besides, what will the many other dangerous women in my life say?" Psyber comments, still slipping the ring onto his left hand after some inspection of it to make sure it's mostly benign.

    The half-angel is, worth noting, a blue spirit. He's a blue spirit that spends most of its time hovering around Nathan in order to protect him from danger. He doesn't figure he'll have much to say in the conversation, though still manages to blurt out, "Whoa what the fuck? I understood that." When Quelaag speaks.

Staren has posed:
    Staren appears in full armor, red plating covering him from the neck down and holding a helmet in his hands, his eyes tinged with gold. "Oooh." He looks around, then lifts one hand and wiggles his fingers. Then he boops his own nose. "Feels real." He counts out the others gathered here, snickering at Psyber's comment, then puts on his helmet when it's time to depart.

    He's mostly quiet once they enter the web fortress, not wanting to alert whatever monsters there might be... until at last they come face to face with... spider-woman-thing. Staren's eyes widen a bit behind his helmet. Woah, creepy. "You did?" He looks to Psyber. "What did she say?"

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe sighs and is again here in hee avatar state, she would be terrifed to go here even with her abstratium, her friend was quite good but this placce she didn't want to risk it. She knew they had the payload and was ready to go she has her weapons away as an act she makes ready for Nathan to get to work and she looks over to Staren and tilts her head. She remains silent however for the moment not wanting to distract from the deal.

Lu-Mey (234) has posed:
    Of the summoning performed, one of the phantoms summoned rouses from the ritual... A dark spirit, tinted a vibrant crimson glow that swirls and wreathes the body of a soul drenched in blood, steeped in murder, and mired in chaos.
    The red phantom stretches out, lithe body making a few eerie POPPING noises once the summoning is complete and...
    "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~."
    It wasn't long before the confederacy would have heard of the events here. And with notice raised by Serori on the matter, the Tenra Oni decided to have a peek in on things, contacting Priscilla beforehand to facillitate this particular means of conveyance.
    "Oh? You've already all been here before? I missed all the fun?" She pouts when the shorter way is provided.
    And then she sees Quelaag.
    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Wait for it...
    "She's -gorgeous-<3<3<3"
    ...
    "So what did she say?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    This gray phantom is, as before, not exactly glad of the trip through one of the more putrescent crevices in the Multiverse. Last time did prepare her for this, however, and she's not stunned for any long period one she descends. Rather, she's quick to take every precaution to make herself hard for hostile types to detect as she calmly soars in the direction of the spider's web. Thankfully, this time there aren't any people screaming, dying, or any combination of the two (that she can see or cares about, anyway), and there aren't any large swarms of horribly diseased insects flitting about either. Just lone horribly diseased insects, which is considerably less offensive. Mental sagenod at -that-.

    Eventually, she alights on the ivory webbing, becoming at least as corporeal as phantoms usually are as she waltzes in after Staren and Psyber. She takes in a sizeable breath as she does so, just so glad to have escaped the toxic hole that she had been able to navigate with merciful quickness today. Psyber's remark certainly draws an arch of her eyebrow, though. "Understand her? Hm." She looks to Staren and nods. "Yes, my inquiry is his. I'll save the 'how' for later, as I'm assuming you don't know either at this point."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Flowers is here, and is still a black phantom. She's mostly figured out that this involves seeing things she'd rather not and being something of a second-hand canary in a coal mine, but it's not so bad that she won't keep coming.

    She's less armored than most of the group, but more than she had been in recent days, actually wearing a variety of knives and all. They're nicer than you might think given that, like her, they're all superdark and emo right this moment. Life is despair, even when your life mostly involves cutting people.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
For all that Yuna knew what to expect before the summoning and is relatively aware that Quelaag won't (or shouldn't) be eating any of them, and spends most of her descent steeling herself to see the Chaos Queen again ... there's no missing how Yuna - even in Phantom form - stiffens up and is visibly trying very hard not to bolt back UP the water-wheel tunnel.

The sound of Quelaag muttering something doesn't help Yuna's state of mind either. The fact that she doesn't understand it may have something to do with that, but there's no way of telling. As it is, Yuna is currently most focused on keeping her demeanor polite and friendly ... although she gives Lu-Mey a curious and slightly uncertain look at hearing Lu-Mei squeeing fangirlishly at the giant half-spider monster.

Reina Kinney has posed:
A real arachniphobe's nightmare is what Reina is looking at right now. In fact, even though she's seen worse in her life, she's still shuddering a bit, her mouth opened a little to show her gritted teeth that goes with her narrow-eyed look of disgust at that thing. All the while, she's trying to remember a quote about something involving fear, but that fades after a moment. Her staring continues for a moment before she looks up again, trying to regain her composure mentally.

Then she looks around, showing a look that says, 'What was THAT?' Almost as if she hasn't quite fully grasped what it's like to be summoned in a manner like that. After that glance, she simply looks around, smiling a little at Yuna.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan has obligingly taken those vials, full of the Humanity he's here to exchange. He's also deeply grateful to not have to go through that horrible swamp again. Ugh! Those bugs and the horrible biohazards and the assorted hollows would have been awful to go through again. Once again, he's here as a white phantom, presumably at least in part because of how boring he is. As he finally does reach the destination, in any case, he immediately repeats his brief kneeling-ish gesture of arachnid-related respect that he's memorized from the burdened elsewhere in the area.

    The shenanigans the others are indulging in elsewhere are mostly disregarded for the time being. Lu-Mey gets a bit of wariness, but the Feds aren't gonna just sabotage this, right? She seems alright. For now, Nathan approaches the half-spider woman and then kneels down to write again. He draws in an elaborate script that can be easily understood by any observer, but is far too complex to write without pra<span class=" bg_y fg_n ++ tice.

    "cy">Salutations once more, Queelag of Izalith. I have come bearing the Humanity you requested. Your generosity in allowing us to ring the bell is much appreciated. I hope you find our offering acceptable compensation and tribute. Before any further discussion, please assess it and decide if it is adequate. Then I may speak for our group.</span>"

    Then back. His head is cocked curiously at Psyber once he's finally back at the group. "You are now able to understand her? You seemed unable to do so before."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Confederacy had also been requested to aid with the ordeals dealing with creatures known as 'Hollows', though Gaius ideal of how to handle this problem with be to use his Vanguards-- Magitek drones-- to quickly disable the undead hoards and be done with it.

Yet there are rules in play and he is no stranger to diplomatic handling or the pen-to-paper. After all, it is how the Garlean Empire obtained Mor Dhona before the the fall of their world-- they did so diplomatically-- with peace-- and not with weapons of war. The only blood shed that day was those whom later came to resist the Garlean Empire because they did not agree with their government's choice.

The dark armored figure walks into the Confederates territory in this matter at hand. Most of his armor seems to block away the light from touching its steel plating, where the gold trim is ever a slight glow. His gunblade rests easily on his backside and the small 'spheres' on his horn of the full face helmet sway ever so slightly with each precise step he takes with his boots across the ground. His own men however remained by the transport airship. The black and red metal piece of machinery that had no form of thrust that one could see-- all thanks to the technology that infused magic with science... that same technology running through his very armor that he wears.

He observed as Lu-Mey did what must be done, seeming that she was here before he. Once his turn, he signed what needed to be signed--- and one may warn someone like him, that there would be magic involved and magic done-- to one whom can not even cast a spell in a world full of magic. Ah-- the curse of being a Garlean. The aetheric energy does not grace you with her presents.

Once done, soon another phantom appears. One that only foreshadows his own form in the other realm. Yet darkness swirls around his form with shades of blue electrical energy from perhaps the very magitek armor being effected by the other magics involved. Though eventually the phantom comes to take on his full appearance, though the energy still surges around him, but only lightly. In the black void of his helmets eyes-- that even in the normal world none can see the eyes beyond them, two blue spheres of light glow brightly. Like wisp orbs within the very darkness itself.

Gaius looks to the strange spider humanoid. He remains calm where he stands, his body only shifts slight. He takes notice of the others here, though none he knows the names of. He is-- the late party member and as such, will remain quiet. Learn what he can from silence and only speak when needed too.

Priscilla has posed:
    To her own astonishment, the half-spider seems to have understood what Psyber had said as well. The look of surprise crossing her face is obviously exactly in time with his exclamation, leading to something of an awkward moment shared between the two of them while everyone else is left waiting for the non-verbal exchange. Probably for the best, considering Lu-Mey's excitement. If only the Oni had seen the horrific menagerie of chitinous terrors on the way down. The ghostly visages Sakura is subject to are very old, barely even visible anymore, as if they had been rubbed out with so many repetitions of their last moments. Clearly nobody has been down here in a very long time, but the grand hall the meeting takes place in -- soaring arches choked in spider's webs -- is host to a great many of them running around; rolling and scampering this way and that, brandishing weapons, and then inevitably keeling over. It's a bit of an eerie backdrop to the whole affair.

    "If you speak the tongue of witches, I would have liked to negotiate with you specifically rather than your scholar." Quelaag intones to Psyber, gesturing vaguely at Nathan. Nevertheless, she doesn't seem to be about to leave everyone else out of the exchange. Begrudgingly, she swings her wand/sword/spiky thing over the interlocking stones at her (spider) feet, and carves the flaming glyphs into their surface with a flash of magic: "I have upheld my end of this pact. The souls will be returned to you once I see what you have brought. I will not wait another day for this." Though the exact opposite of the usual multiversal rules mean that everyone present is able to read the text, even if they can't understand the voice, anything they want to say back would ideally be relayed through Nathan. He can write fast, can't he?

    Nathan's response seems to go over well, even if it is kind of like watching a couple of teens texting at each other from three feet away. Flickers of movement from the edges of one's peripheral vision show a multitude of /things/ clinging to the walls and ceiling behind where the group had emerged, slowly crawling back into their holes. Broad, twisted arachnids of some sort, studded with eyes and fangs without any particular sort of logic, grasping the strands of silk they navigate with human hands at the tips of their legs. Gaius gets the same, inherit premonition as Psyber had not so long ago. This woman's aura is stained in countless murders, but is bereft of any sort of malevolence. It is a grey kind of feeling, teetering on the edge of sin, without quite stepping over it. Rather than trying to pick the bag up herself, Quelaag snaps her fingers; summoning something from a cleverly disguised entrance hidden in the countless webs that surround the room. Instead of one of those bizarre spiders however, one of the 'burdened' shuffles its way across the floor; the grotesquely distended egg-sac on its back, straining at its withered skin, wobbling with its every movement.

    Instead of the fevered, mindless chanting the others had shown, this one suddenly speaks with an alarmingly chipper tone. "Oh what have we here? More servants for the Fair Lady?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Last time, she said that we took a long time getting back here and was annoyed that our summoner wouldn't show their face. Now she says that if I spoke the tongue of witches all along, she would have rather negotiated with me than Nathan," He clarifies to people who can't understand the conversation he is having with the woman. He blinks a few times, "I actually didn't know I spoke witch until about 45 seconds ago. Because I damn sure didn't speak it last time or she woulda known how badly I wanted to-" He cuts off, pausing for a long time. Then he carefully finishes, "Turn her world upside down..." Truthful statement. "By telling her how pretty she us." Blatant lie.

    "So what do you do with the humanity, anyway?" He asks her casually.

Lu-Mey (234) has posed:
    How did Lu-Mey MISS THAT?
    Though the negotiations sail clean over her head, the shuffle of the egg-bearing burdened coming out from the shadows gets her attention instantly. Thusly, the Red Phantom crouches down, more to get on the burdened's level.
    "Ara ara...! And who are you? And who is this lady, you adorable thing~?" She chirrups inquitively.
    If she can, she's going to reach out to touch that egg sac like someone who has ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE OF PERSONAL SPACE.
    Hint: Lu-Mey has no sense of personal space.

Staren has posed:
    Ghosts repeating their last moments, fighting and dying over and over again.

    Staren sure hopes they have no awareness left. They're just images, right? Still, it's kinda eerie. Staren focuses on the spider lady. Wait, this is no better. He focuses on Psyber. Who, conveniently, asks the question Staren was wondering. Won't so much humanity just turn into a monster?

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius places his hand toward the ridge of the upper part of his helm where the 'third eye' would be. He closes his eyes for a moment, not fully understanding just-- what he is seeing, yet silent he continues to be. The Imperial Legatus then takes notice of the hobbling form of an undead perhaps and takes a slight step back.

Instinctively his hand wants to go for his Gunblade, but years of training and many wars, keeps his hands steady. He observes the figure with the egg-sac on its back and then stands more at attention once the being displays no aggression. Though he does cant his head at the speak of 'fair lady'.At which he looks over toward the rest of the group to see just what they do. Perhaps even ask over much more quieter means to see if any of them perhaps knew what was spoken of.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki folds her arms as she listens to the exchange, adding in a sigh somewhere along the line. Glancing to Psyber, she muses on probable causes for Psyber's sudden language acquisition. His phantom type? Nah. Some magical artifact he came into contact with? Possibly. Her authorial sense tingles a bit at that one, actually! And, well, there's always the possibility of the appearance of a morbidly convenient tumor, but... no. No, that's probably not it. In fact, that's ridiculous. Perish the thought!

    And then something /else/ crawls out. Wait, wait -- one of those things is actually sapient? Um. Okay. She just about replies, but then... some lady she has never seen before rushes up to it, calling it 'cute'. Alll~right. So, she's desensitized to this sort of thing. Cool, cool. And she can respect gore in small doses; it appeals to her darker side. Yes, yes. But 'cute'? Quelaag and that... thing? Her eyes dart back and forth between the three of them. Nooottt an adjective that she would've used. That earns yet another eyebrow raise, though, and... after she's had some time to think? A grin. She tends to like people with unusual tastes.

    Then her head swivels back over to Psyber, who earns the first legitimate, in-person facepalm of her career in the Union. Way to go, man.

Reina Kinney has posed:
This is definitely more freaky than Reina could even fathom happening in the Multiverse. She's raised one eyebrow while lowering the other, and opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. From the look on her face, it might be she's too freaked out to say anything, or it could be she just doesn't want to say the wrong thing. Her mouth closes, but there's still that sneer to show that her teeth are still gritted. Reina's blue eyes continue to dart from side to side, as if expecting someone to speak up or something else to happen.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
The gold-hued phantom that is Yuna's presence here continues to keep her distance, watching Nathan and the Queen converse, and listening to Psyber translating ... and edging back *more* at the sight of a very obviously egg-carrying spider. She'd kind of like very much not to be here, and it shows. A lot.

But she promised her assistance, and she's going to make good on that promise to the best of her ability.

Elner picks this moment to lean closer to Yuna, the robo-faerie's shape seemingly part of the golden nimbus around Yuna's Phantom form, and says quietly, "Looking this tense is not going to help anything, Yuna. Calm down."

Yuna's response is a whispered, "I'm *trying* ..."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe looks for a moment as she waits and red the text getting an idea of what's going on here. IF things are going to go nuts she should get some idea of how bad it could get. She does notices the new arrival and she looks back just sort of wondering about the humanity curious really for why this stuff is so imporant She moves over ot Yuna to set a hand on her shoulder to try to help calm her.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura watches the fading spirits, squinting to make out as much as she can of them. She's not too worried about being understood as she speaks up, because she's not saying anything that's super offensive. Still, she's not going to assume that the half-spider is being honest about not understanding them.

    "Seems as though a lot of people have fallen here, but not for ages. Hopefully, we're past the point where I'll see many fallen." It's not really that she doesn't appreciate the warnings, of course.

    She just would prefer it in the form of a letter or perhaps a poem, rather than watching people only she can see die over and over.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan is incredibly unsettled by this twisted abomination that seems to be speaking like a man. "Salutations." He says, simply, to the man, before he curiously gestures to the vials. "I believe you may have called for this?"

    "The 'Fair Lady'? I beg your pardon for my ignorance, I come from distant lands, could you explain in detail?"

    Then a bit more writing back to the woman, writing again. "My friend asks the same questions we have. We will not rescind our deal in any way, but we are curious about what the Humanity is used for. If it is not beyond our right, we would like to know the reason you require this specific tribute."

    Souls are sort of the more logical thing, right? Nathan's back on his feet and over to the man who just got here, trying not to become nauseous.

Staren has posed:
    "For her sister?" Staren finally looks at the... egg-burdened... glad that his visor hides his expression. Okay what the hell? But... he seems to be okay, whatever he is. "Come back to you? What happened?" Staren turns to Engyi. "Who is your Fair Lady?" He scratches his helmet. "And isn't ringing the Bell a /good/ thing?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "They're for her sister. Apparently she lost her original form and is dying. The humanity sustains her while she looks for a cure. Blighttown used to give her tribute, but has been unable to for a long time. And adventurers stopped trying to kill her too." Psyber runs a hand under his chin while he thinks of this, "If it's to save your sister and restore her form, we may have someone here that could help you."

    Psyber then abruptly turns to Staren, looking the young man dead on, "What do you think, Staren? This is your field of research. Is it within your ability to replicate and transfer someone from a damaged body into a functional one?" The half-angel is full-on asking Staren for his say on this topic.

Priscilla has posed:
    Quelaag waits patiently for Psyber to relay the message back to the others, though her eyes narrow with suspicion at the mention that he apparently had no idea how to speak her language previously, and then even further at the extremely half-assed 'flattery'. Still, she doesn't seem to be about to pass up a chance to have a conversation with someone who actually speaks her secret tongue. Maybe she figures that someone must have taught him in the interim, and would trust in the judgement of a fellow witch. "If you assumed I had no use for it, you were correct. This tithe is for the use of my sister. The people of 'blighttown' so it is called, have offered all they have to give, but that alone is not enough to help her. I would not leave her to die before ever seeing her original form again. Those who would think me for a monster once provided a steady influx, but I have seen no others but yourselves for years."

    Meanwhile, the egg-burdered is being accosted by a far too curious Oni. "Oh my, oh my. You are an exciteable one aren't you." One by one, he begins to rifle through the vials in Nathan's pack, pulling out little glass tubes within which strange wisps of monochromatic flame flicker and burn, black at their core and white at their corona. "I am Eingyi, steward to the Fair Lady. Our mistress Quelaag oversees matters with outsiders, so it would be best if you speak with her, for there isn't much I know of the world above." He seems somewhat preoccupied with just how much Nathan seems to have offered. "Heavens, where ever did you get so much? This will be of great use to our Lady! She will come back to us again any day now!"

    Though Quelaag clearly can't understand Sakura, it seems Eingyi most definitely can. "Oh no, nobody has come down here for years. It was starting to get lonely. In fact, you're the first in decades to come here with the purpose of aiding our Fair Lady! Everyone else simply wants to ring that damnable Bell. Oh but I shouldn't complain, it's what brings them here in the first place." Quelaag responds to Nathan by more or less writing out what she had said to Psyber, though leaving out the last little bit; just enough to give everyone the general idea.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius tilts his head as Eingyi brings up some explination on the subject, but its the bell part that gets his attention. At least the Imperial Legatus speaks up. His voice deep and the helm causing a mild reverb in his voice (yes, think Darth Vader), "You speak of a bell. What pretell would someone desire to ring such and what lies beyond when it is rang?"

Gaius then shifts his weight as he studies Eingui closely. "Or is such an answer our of reach at this current moment..?" He'll let others concern over the tribute to aid the curing of the sister.

Staren has posed:
    Staren blinks as he's called on. Wait, what? The Union has not only been listening, but actually /wants/ him to use this? "Uh..." Staren scratches his helmet some more and turns to Psyber. "The machinery I have is for humans... humans whose souls are attached to their minds. To work with a differently-structured brain... or in a world where the connection to the soul functions differently... I'd need Eureka's help. I certainly don't have the equipment here..." he paces. Damn. The Union actually /wants/ him to do this and he doesn't have the gear with him! So ironic! "Well... I guess if she's held on this long, we have time to go get it... wait. Where will we get a new body? I mean... I'd have to put her in a robot, unless someone knows where we can get an empty human body... Hmm..."

Reina Kinney has posed:
When an explanation is made to the others, Reina nods a little, attempting to digest what is being said. The look of being freaked out has started to fade from her face, although there's still a hint of confusion there. The only time that expression changes is when the comment about a 'damnable bell' is made, at which point Reina can't help but smirk. "Why is the bell damnable? Did it do something worthy of being condemned, or is it really just that awful that you have to curse it every time you mention it?" A slight chuckle can be heard.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
-- wait, the 'egg-burdened' is HUMAN under the egg sac?

If Phantoms can get pale, Yuna's is doing so. She's almost relieved that the rest of the group seems to have negotiations fairly well in hand ... although - even if it's despite herself - she seems to engage with the question of Quelaag's sister's condition. Gaius's question, on the other hand, she can answer.

"There's a legend - which has been demonstrated as true, so far - about a pair of bells which will lift a curse over the land of Lordran," she answers him, quietly enough that it shouldn't interrupt the negotiations in progress.

(... yes, the guy in medieval Darth Vader armor is *less creepy* to Yuna than the half-spider Chaos Queen. MUCH less.)

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki puts one hand to her chin in contemplation, raising the other one to indicate that she has something of her own to add. "Wait a moment, if you will." She glances to Psyber and Nathan. "Would one of you ask her how the two of them got into this situation in the first place, when there's a good moment? Something is telling me that it could be relevant later on." That and she's just interested, but hey.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "Oh dear." Nathan says to Psyber in a dry tone. "You are going to get him all excited now." He tilts his head at Eingyi, briefly, before he asides to Staren, "If we get a chance to see her, see if you may diagnose her ailments and determine relevant means of assistance. It is not as though she is going anywhere, after all." He then looks at Staren for a moment. "'Where we will get an empty human body'? We are practically surrounded by them in Lordran, as I understand it." He makes a plaintive gesture. "I can only assume the word 'Hollow' has an actual meaning, after a certain point."

    Then to Eingyi, Nathan immediately speaks, attempting a quick bit of proactive word-judo to defuse any problems. "Salutations, Eingyi. I am Nathan Hall, librarian. It is certainly awful that so few come to assist. As one from above, I can say it seems few know of your troubles at all. But we cannot allow such troubles to go on if they do not escape our notice. Please, allow us to assist, however we may. We have finished our business with the Bell, and we would very much like to see about helping this 'Fair Lady'."

    "We have various specialists in our group. Could you take us to her, so we might see if we can help beyond providing Humanity?"

Lu-Mey (234) has posed:
    Excitable? Just a little, maybe. But Eingyi has a hoverer now.
    Lu-Mey seems more concerned with the huge bulbous mass of eggs on his back than the rest of him though. Or to the rest of the conversation that she can't understand anyway. Though she has one ear to that, her other ear is pressing against Eingyi's eggsac, trying to get an idea for what's inside.
    And then out comes her tongue- longer than should be naturally possible, and she drags it on a long, slow, lllllllliiiick up one bulbous pod.
    "Awwww they're gonna grow up big and strong and just absolutely -terrifying- aren't they~?"
    Excitable... Yes...
    Well she finally disengages, only to attach herself to the nearest person, slinging her arm over Yuna's shoulders with a big, fanged, smile. It is... A very odd sight, a red phantom getting all hunky dory with a gold one.
    "Isn't the miracle of life just the greatest thing?"
    But then sher perks up at Nathan's offer to the Burdened. She's a specialist on HORRIBLE BUGS. "Oh. Maybe I can take a look at her some time?"

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "The legend about the Bells," Nathan says, as he concludes some business with the others here. "Is a bit more specific. There were two bells that needed to be rung. The Bell down here, and the Bell at the Parish far above." He gestures up as he speaks. "Both have been rung. They were prophecized to reveal 'the fate of the Undead'. They have done as such, directing us to matters that need addressing to resolve the blight on Lordran."

    Then a brief nod to Mizuki. "I will ask her at the next opportune moment, if we do not find out about the matter naturally in the course of this visit."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    "Aah. Well. The bell was important." Sakura says, trying to sound like she's completely clear on what had been going on which is a complete and total lie. Still, she'd rang one of the bells, so she'd like to go with it being important.

    She's not getting into describing the Kingseeker. Starting a description with 'even uglier than you' doesn't make friends.

    "I don't know if you'll keep getting so many.. visitors, though." She adds, trying to hide that she's somewhat happy about that.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is not sure what to think of the egg carriers but they seems to be taking them all in, Staren however asks the question she was. She waits for what's going on. She does seem to hang back she looks for a moment at Nathan she does know of someone who might be able to help given the situation and she sends a burst tranmission to Nathan as she trusts his judgment on this. She hand't forgot the person in question's talent.

Priscilla has posed:
    Quelaag's look of suspicion only intensifies at Psyber's assertation that he can help. After all, she can hear EVERYTHING he's saying now, but not what Staren says in return. Beneath that suspicion however, there is a glimmer of hope that is impossible to find. The look of someone resigned to something, who had just been given reason to believe they might not have to bear that particular cross any longer. "If there is truly something within your means to do so, there is much I can offer you in return. The situation is . . . severe, however. Do not promise something before knowing it." Eingyi is much less reserved. Though the explanation he'd wanted to offer Gauis is cut off by a surly mutter in Reina's direction that confirms her second hypoethesis, he practically explodes in joy at Nathan (even if he doesn't really understand what Staren is on about). "Goodness, this is a strange place for a librarian to be, but any friend of the Fair Lady is to be treasured! If there is anything you could do, we would be forever in your debt!" There is a long moment of awkward silence as Lu-Mey apparently feels the need to lick him, eventually punctuated by a polite cough. The particular egg she had deemed to pay attention to quivers violently for a moment, as if offended by her friendliness.

    Eingyi makes a series of hand signs at Quelaag, indicating that he doesn't actually speak her language either, to which he earns little more than a nod. He begins dutifully shuffling off towards the hidden entrance he had come through, waving on anyone who dares to follow him. Those people will find that the well-disguised tunnel leads to a sort of antechamber that clearly marks the ancient building buried under the spider's nest as a sort of shrine. A bonfire just like the one at Firelink burns steadily in absolute silence here, low and smouldering, as if just about to go out, but its lifegiving warmth still fills the room with a feeling of melancholy peace. Most of the small room is taken up by the figure curled up against the far wall; one not so different from Quelaag herself. A second woman is affixed to a massive, spider-like monstrosity of somesort, bone white to Quelaag's black, but the arachnid half of her looks all but dead. Slumped against the floor, only an errant twitch of one of its many legs betrays it as still kicking, settled into a pile of webs nested against the corner. The girl attached to it doesn't look much better, being a much more sickly shade than Quelaag's porcelain appearance, and seemingly asleep. The sound of Eingyi shuffling in seems to rouse her slightly, pushing her white tresses out of her face and fixing the group with a pale, blank stare. Her voice sounds as if she'd just swallowed glass, and her breathing sounds as if she's about to pass out.

    "Sister? Is that you, dear sister?" Apparently, she is completely blind.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Imperial Legatus looks over to Yuna as she moves in closer and whispers the answer about the legend to the bell. He hrms softly and actually gives her a soft nod, though hearing it from the mouth of the one from this place may also be fruitful-- though perhaps pointless knowledge for the current situation.

Though he does stare at the Oni with a long look, before his attention moves away from both Yuna and Lu-Mey, leaving the two to--well-- whatever. Though the question is not answered as other matters come up, including as another comes into the room.

The sound of the voice concerns him in some silence, he studies the new figure who comes in-- including how they seem to be blind. Curious place this is-- curious.. and eerie.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber gives Staren a stern and serious look, "Staren, she's going to let you examine her sister. But it is /very/ important that you remain calm, reserved, and professional. If you have any doubt about social cues, please look to me or Nathan. But if you can achieve this, it's going to have a lot of benefit for us." Psyber reaches up both hands and puts them down on Staren's shoulders. It's not an intimidating gesture, he's trying to convey the extreme severity of the condition, "So do your best, alright?"

    He then looks back to Quelaag, taking his hands off Staren's shoulders and starting to turn back towards the Spider Woman, "He says that given time and the chance to bring in his special equipment, he can potentially help you both. However, there is a caveat, Miss Quelaag." Psyber pauses, "He can either move her into a body of metal and machinery OR..." He looks at Quelaag hard, "You would need an empty human body for him to move her into. It is necessary for the process he would undertake."

    And then, very carefully, he asks, "How you both wound up with such forms may help us revert the process." His way of broaching Mizuki's topic.

Staren has posed:
    Staren blinks at Nathan. "Well, yeah, I thought of that, but I figured if I /said/ it people would be all 'What are you thinking, those used to be /people/'." He sighs. "Is today opposite day or something?" He shakes his head and turns to follow Eingyi. It just all feels weird. Part of him wants to correct Psyber -- this isn't his 'specialty', but when immortality was /handed/ to him he took it eagerly, worked to make sure he need never lose someone again... and then everyone rejected it. Well, okay, some it wasn't applicable to, but... even in his own world, for fear of destabilizing society, the technology is being introduced slowly and carefully in secret. How many have died in the past two years that could have been saved, all because society 'can't handle' lives being saved this one way, when all the other ways they save lives every day make up most of the Union's /purpose/...

    Staren takes in the dying spider-woman. He frowns slightly at the state of her. So ill... and blind, apparently! Illness and death are things wrong with the world that need to be cured, but noone sees it that way... except, arbitrarily, his allies have decided /this/ person will get to cheat death. Ah well... help who you can, right? Staren looks over the other spider-woman. "No, I am... Staren, of the Union. And I'm here to help. We're all here to help. But uh... I am from another world. People that are part spider... the way minds and spirits interact in this world... I need to know more, in order to save you. This is all very unfamiliar."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki slowly enters the somber chamber, keeping her arms together and her steps... unusually reserved. As she enters, she clearly picks up and adapts to the atmosphere, keeping her mouth shut and her thoughts focused. And then...

    ... then she sees her.

    Mizuki blinks once, and though there's no outward indication of it, she shivers. Taking a deep breath in and holding it for quite some time, she remains silent, her skin turning vaguely more pale than it already is. When she exhales, she lifts her eyes to look at the woman just in time for her to mumble something she can't understand. Whatever it is, though, it sounds... pitiful. Horrid.

    And this is where Mizuki becomes as moral as any other person. She has a soft spot for the sick, and a sort of inner obligation to comfort the dying. Something etched across her soul, what with her world being a part-time afterlife and all. So she remains respectfully silent, the look in her eyes reflecting something far different than her usual. All that she does in response to Psyber is nod her head gratefully, waiting. Watching.

    Again, she's glad that they spoke instead of fought, looked before they leaped.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura gives a glance at the rather dying spider, murmuring towards Psyber. "Okay. Do you want me to try to heal her? I admit to not knowing as much about spider-person anatomy as you might want for me to, but I can certainly give it a try if you'd like."

    Her skills are not that diminished by the phantom form, so it's nice to try and help out in a way that does not involve watching people die. Though if she failed, she'd probably end up watching this person die.

Reina Kinney has posed:
Reina rushes in behind the others, and when she gets into the chamber, she stops abruptly in her tracks, silently glad that nobody is behind her. The sight she takes in is something that leaves her at a loss for words. Staring at the spider-woman, noticing how she's blind and diagnosed with who knows what kind of illness, Reina can only turn her head and shake her head in disbelief. This place is far worse than she thought, and it only seems to be getting worse by every moment. She'd offer to use her Resta TECHNIC on the woman, but she's not sure if it will have the same effect. She looks down, gritting her teeth again, although this time it's more of a look of sadness and shock than being freaked out.

"What in the Falz is happening here?!" She mutters to herself under her breath, turning away so that nobody will see the expression on her face as the tears form in her eyes. Ever since joining GUARDIANS, Reina has never believed in crying for the most part, but this is one time where the emotions within her are taking over.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna ehehehs weakly at Lu-Mey. "Y-yeah ... it is ..." And really, she DOES have to agree with the basic tenet. Even if the context (and the source of it) both have her deeply on edge.

Rather than hanging behind with the creepy scary giant half-spider lady, Yuna scurries ahead to follow Eingyi (even though he creeps her out too) and follows her into the other chamber ...

... and finds herself kind of regretting it. At least at first. The pain that Quelaag's sister is clearly enduring - even if Yuna can't understand *her* either - bypasses her entomophobia entirely, and her face softens, even though her expression remains somewhat guarded. She's sidling closer to Psyber now, partly because he's the one who has to translate.

Lu-Mey (234) has posed:
    Lu-Mey will lick what she pleases, thank you very much. Nevertheless, she can't make heads nor tails of what Quelaag says, simply flashing that leering smile at Yuna. "You know, up this close, I don't get why I ever tried to pass you off as a Kugutsu." She idly muses. But the trek to meet The Fair Lady ends in a pretty startled gasp.
    Lu-Mey may not be the most level headed, nor the least psychotic of individuals, but a flash of very genuine pity flitters behind the Red Phantom Oni's eyes.
    And she proceeds the slash her own arms open with her fingernails.
    It's a horrible sight, the squirming wriggle of... SOMETHING beneath her skin.
    "I'll tend to her." She volunteers.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "Well," Nathan says. "Yes, it is a very strange place for a librarian. However, I am a holistic librarian, you see." His monotone seems to be the sort that assumes this is enough to really cover the matter, honestly. And then... A sickly woman. Okay, Hmm. Nathan is deeply disturbed by this sight, but at least... You know, at least he can be disturbed at something less hostile towards him. Instead hostile towards someone who seems fairly innocent in this whole matter.

    "Psyber. Please tell her to be still and calm, and that we are here to try to help, and are only seeking some information about what ails her." Nathan asides, to his friend, quickly. And then he moves to Sakura Haruno. "If healing will not suffice, please assess her for any critical medical obstructions there may be to our... Traditional methods. I understand your abilities are partially spiritual in some way. It may be insightful." A glance to Staren. "If this is fruitful, we may return one more time, to assist in full."

    Lu-Mey gets a glance. That's a troubling preface to a diagnosis. "If you could provide information as well regarding this, I am sure it would be productive." He says, his monotone not breaking with his uncertainty.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is just hanging back at this poing listening wondering and watching she's muscle but the talk about the sister? She frowns a little bit, this isn't something expected She looks at the second womand and looks for a moment frowing she's in horrible condtion and she knows there's not much she her self can do, but maybe they can do something, right?

Priscilla has posed:
    Quelaag returns Psyber's stare for a few, difficult moments, before a look of suddenly rememberance crosses her features. The kind someone gets when they get an idea that was just 'meant to be'. Having Psyber relay Starens words to her is a big help, and having him to relay hers back is an even bigger one. "I had assumed something of the sort. Few of you are like anything that can be encountered within Lordran's borders." She hesitates for a moment before continuing. "Both my sister and I were witches; one of Izalith's original seven daughters. The form you see now is the result of my mother's tragic failure to create new life. Though it succeeded in birthing new beings, they were twisted beyond all comprehension, and labelled as demons; demons that now own our lost city. The two of us escaped, but not unscathed, altered by the magical cataclysm."

    With that bombshell dropped, Quelaag indicates she'll be back, and then crawls off towards the rear of the chamber, near where the bell's passage had been. Eingyi trundles along to the bonfire, reciting a little story for everyone to hear. "Of course do not let me stop you from trying, but it seems most remedies we have tried so far bring only temporary relief. This town was once afflicted with a terrible blight that warped its victims in horrible shapes. Every day the number of dead grew, only for others inflicted with the plague to be tossed down here with the rest of us, so that we were never free of it. The two sisters that arose from the depths of Lost Izalith saw our suffering, and against Quelaag's warnings, the Fair Lady took the source of the plague into herself, and cured us of our disease. We have sworn to her service ever since, but the eggs will not restore the witches. Their souls are long gone, and the spiders that hatch only barely resemble the humans they were meant to be." The sick woman seems somewhat soothed by Eingyi's voice, perhaps used to being waited on by him.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius listens to what Eingyi has to explain on the history here and including what would be hatched is-- no really people, but, well, monsters. He turns his gaze to such, looking toward the eggs that may be seen where they all stand, before he looks back to Eingyi, then to the blind woman--creature--thing.

The Imperial Legatus then crosses the arms over his chest, as he lowers his head slightly in thought. Perhaps the Allagan Empire had dealt with such issues-- moving souls from one thing to another. After all they chained Bahamut into Dalamud-- and they created a device at which they are working on understanding that shows it /could/ absorb the primal's energy to power the very machina.

Yet his thoughts remain to himself as he continues to observe everything. Though his does shift his weight, feeling very out of place in this type of environment and form.

Reina Kinney has posed:
The explanation that is given doesn't make it any easier for Reina to comprehend, although it does seem to soften her emotions a little. Still, this whole thing is almost like something out of a bizarre science-fiction drama type of thing, and she's wishing Laia were here to give a stern reprimand about showing emotion so that Reina would stop trying to look away. In an effort to toughen up, she cracks her knuckles and blinks a few times, looking forwards again. Still, she says nothing.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Whew, the creepy Oni girl is -

Yuna stops, squeezing her eyes shut and giving her head a quick but firm shake. She really should NOT let herself think like that, particularly in terms of current allies. ... Admittedly, it's still kind of a relief that Lu-Mey is doing what she can to help Quelaag's sister instead of lurking near Yuna.

Quelaag's tale helps to pull Yuna's attention away from that - and with her compassionate side having been reached, she's able (with a certain amount of effort) to focus on the story rather than the being who's telling the story.

She does not, however, have anything to ask about it, so Yuna just listens and keeps trying to maintain her demeanor. It's somewhat easier for her to avoid freaking out now, thankfully ... even if only 'somewhat'.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    As Eingyi recounts the whole, sorry tale, Mizuki nods along a bit dumbly, closing her eyes. "So she had endured so much already, yet still she..." A bit more quietly, she adds, "... still she sacrificed more." Sigh. This is sounding far, far too much like a drama narrative for her liking. And the worst part is, those are the types of stories that she's weakest to. Tiredly bringing her eyes back around to Staren, she speaks with surprising frankness: "I know this is redundant, but please, do whatever you can for her." She glances to study the ailing sister's face. "Such purity of heart deserves at least some form of reward, yes...?" She backs up to the wall and rests against it for a spell.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Much like Nathan, Psyber gives Sakura the go-ahead to try what she wants in medical terms, as well as relaying that to Quelaag. Beyond that, he's not doing much beyond back-and-forth translating for people that want to talk directly to the woman.

Staren has posed:
    Staren paces as he thinks -- he stops to listen to Psyber's translation. "I'm sorry your mother's creations didn't work out. That was very kind of you to take the plague upon yourself... I don't understand where eggs and their souls come into it, though. Still, you say 'us'. Are there other people here?" The last question is directed at Eingyi.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura will step forward after it's been communicated that she's going to make an effort to heal, the black phantom leaning in to give an examination, frowning a bit to herself at the story. She doesn't particularly expect for her techniques to be able to overcome the sort of curse described as she feeds chakra in, other than maybe a very brief reprieve, but she can at least give that much. And who knows? Maybe she can come up with something that will get it to work for at least a few minutes.

Priscilla has posed:
    "Oh yes, just about the whole town is with us. The Fair Lady could not ask for more devoted servants!" Eingyi crows in response to Staren, pleased by his proper reverence for the half-witch in front of him, and even moreso with his resolution to help. He practically squeals as Sakura steps up to try, because after a few moments of nothing, the sickly girl takes in a deep shuddering breath, and the spider beneath her begins to wiggle its legs, propping them upright just enough to shuffle itself towards the bonfire. Even if it's only for a little while, her voice sounds several shades less hoarse, though she still speaks barely above a whisper. "Oh . . . it really did not hurt overmuch dear sister, but . . . thank you. Whoever you have brought has a wonderful heart. I can feel the pain leaving . . ."

    Quelaag herself can be heard returning by the heavy thump of spear-like spider's feet over stone as she just barely manages to squeeze into the tunnel. In her arms is a body alright, dressed in flowing black robes trimmed with gold. From beneath the hood, one can just barely glimpse a face; gaunt and hollow with the rigor of death, but toned in the same paleness of the twins. She stops only to stay by her sister, whispering something too quiet and tender to be heard as she squeezes her hand. Finally, she lays the body down by the bonfire. "It would not do to see my sister made to inhabit the body of a human after so long. She will take on the form of one of our sisters, who was so brave as to give her life to seal the city of Izalith. I am sure she . . . I am sure she would want her to suffer no longer. This is the best we can do to honour her."