5506/The Root of Civilization

The Root of Civilization
Date of Scene:	03 October 2017
Location:	The Tapestry
Synopsis:	Paladins descend into an underground Mesoamerican city to bring the fight to the Urban Breath.
Cast of Characters:	Eryl Fairfax, 1119, 707, Reiji Arisu, Kotone Yamakawa, 1084, 151

---

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    The trip into the caves that go beneath the city above is a shockingly easy one, in spite of the large group. The Paladins descend in conjunction with local law enforcement, just in case any lingering cultists might be found down here. Along the way, there are several points where walls have been breached, cave-ins cleared, and routes created. Tools have been left behind, which are immediately descended upon by the police to mark and catalogue. Old faded etchings in the walls that fall close to the Maya script have been encircled in luminescent paint, and each one seems to indicate which path to take.

    An oppressive feeling fills the stale air the further they go. It stinks of oil and asphalt and car exhaust like it did on the city streets, but also of other things. Of baked dirt, of markets selling corn and chilli, and spilled blood. Eventually, the party comes around a bend and finds themselves in a massive cavern, occupied in its entirety by a Mesoamerican pyramid. Caves in the walls seem to hint at human habitation, based on carved gaps that may have been windows. A necropolis, potentially several thousand years old, dominated by a pyramid that may exceed the Great Pyramid of Cholua in height and volume, all while underground.

    There is light at the top of the pyramid, and the oppressive feeling is definitely emanating from within. The source of it - the Urban Breath - is likely inside.

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Josuke might actually have been able to make the trip a little easier along the way, if only in regards to finding the way. Those faded carvings -- he might have been able to make a little more legible, presuming they were once more legible at one point in the history of the walls they were carved on. Other than that, he's been leaving things alone for the most part. He's not a police officer, even if his grandfather was, and he doesn't want to disturb evidence.

It's the scent of blood that disturbs Josuke the most. The first time he ever smelled was when he found his grandfather after Angelo killed Ryohei Higashikata with his Stand 'Aqua Necklace'. Ever since then, the scent of blood to this degree always gets to Josuke. Probably quite understandably. But it means he's severely on edge as the group descends into the earth.

The sight of the abandoned village though -- and the pyramid even more so -- has his eyes going wide. This oppressive air, and the scent of blood, is definitely upsetting him. But... it's a freaking PYRAMID! UNDERGROUND, no less! Of course he's impressed. "Whoaaaa..." he breathes as he looks up at the sight. "Take a look at this place..." He's keeping his voice down, though, just in case they need to not be heard.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
'What do you mean we still aren't done with that stupid cult yet?!'

Xiaomu's own words when she found out there was one more expedition into the catacombs are still echoing in her own ears; she *seriously* thought that it was all over but the paperwork and the parties. Not that the final battle in the labyrinth left her in much of a partying mood ... and she was more than happy to let other people do the paperwork, when you get right down to it. In hindsight, maybe the fact that they needed to delve into the depths one more (hopefully last) time shouldn't have surprised her as much as it did.

This time, she's geared up for pretty much anything she can think of. She's gotten a fresh breath mask, including having it blessed by a miko she knows; she's got several full clips of both mundane and anti-spirit rounds for both of her handguns; she's got a supply of Shinra Special hand grenades, all enhanced with elemental fire magic. And of course she has Suiren, the water/ice-elemental sword sheathed as usual within the staf shee's carrying with her.

The only thing she's been a little short on this expedition is snarky comments, really. The whole situation with the Urban Breath has been a series of unpleasant developments for her, punctuated by occasional satisfying opportunities to deck cultists in the face, and she still draws some contentment from shooting the scrap-clutter ghost of the cult's old leader before they collapsed that labyrinth on top of what was left. Still, as the group descends deeper below the city, occasionally she hooks her mask away from her nose to sniff at the air, and finds it a *little* less intolerable than the highway stench of paved modern roads and automotive side-effects.

Just a little. But every little bit helps.

When they reach that massive cavern and the giant pyramid rears up before the group's gaze, Xiaomu raises her eyebrows, and actually takes the filter mask off entirely. "Well, *that* explains a lot," she comments to her comrades. "Not that I know much about the ancient civilizations of America, but ... they were pretty defensive against the wilderness *and* the supernatural, weren't they? Not to mention some of the oldest traditions of human sacrifice documented ..."

Reiji Arisu has posed:
Xiaomu has also brought something else to tip the scales.

Or rather, some/one/ else.

A man walks alongside her into the depths of the earth. The thrum of a living city pounds against his senses, but he makes do with the help of a specially crafted mask strapped to his face.

It's a fox mask.

For reasons.

"For once, the movies aren't inaccurate. Human sacrifice was pretty common in mesoamerica. Hearts were torn from chests to keep the sun shining in the sky, or so the stories say." Reiji shakes his head and double-checks his handcannon's ammunition. "Well. If we encounter a strange looking priest, be on your guard."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Given what might be expected down here under the city? Kotone was going to bring the heavy weapons, she was not on foot though she was suited up for on foot action inside the confirms of the armed suit she was wearing. The heavy combat unit from her world was carrying a very large rifle of some sort with it. It also had several other weapon mounts but their nature was on known save for a small launcher of the scout drones Kotone used. She moved along and she would pause she's smelling things through her suit that shouldn't be right it's getting past the environmental seals? That's got to be some form of magic. She does not like the oppressive feeling in the air as she moves forward.

"Good god is that some kind of pyramid?!"

Her machines second set of smaller arms point out the thing the larger one hang on to the big damn rifle it carries.

With Josuke's comment about taking a look at things? She launches the scout drones little more than flying cameras though she is turning on her sensor package in the suit multi spectrum optic to see if she can pick up anything about this place.

"Yes Xiamou the Spanish were bastard but the one good thing they did was put an end to the religions that were field by ritual human sacrifice At least on my world anything to do with those old gods? Scares the hell out of me. Ya from what I recall in school they would wage war on other tribes and nations to get victims too."

Seras Victoria (1084) has posed:
The previous operations were investigation and rescue. Seras was equipped accordingly.

    This time, the mission is different. This time, she's geared for war.

    The Draculina wears some mild kevlar over her vitals and has chosen to wear a sturdy combat helmet, but it's the only modification to her ordinary attire. Protecting the heart and head. MUCH MORE ASTONISHING is her change of armaments.

    Guns akimbo... if the LENGTHY semi-automatic cannons, each dangling dozens of shells on a belt-feeder could ever qualify as jsut 'guns.' She totes the things as if they weigh no more than pistols...

    And matching the heavy weaponry is a look of intense determination and sheer stubborn ANGER that doesn't dissipate even as her senses are assaulted more and more through the descent.

    Seras does need to stop at a few points and gather her wits whilst surrounded by such a heavy blood-scent.

    The sight of a GIANT PYRAMID though, that gets her gaping, cute little fangs on display. "wha... what.... WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS THIS?!" All professionalism temporarily vanishes as she flails an arm and a cannon - SAFETY IS STILL ON! - somewhat awkwardly at the faraway pyramid. Gobsmacked. UTTERLY gobsmacked into kittenish gawking!

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    "Pyramids."

    Ainsley just says that, as if it made this all make sense to her once she saw the structure with her own blue eyes. She frowned and stayed behind the rest of the group, of course, because she'd rather not get hit by a great big spiritual monster.

    "As you just said, Reiji, only the sun worshippers. This, though, would be an underworld shrine, not a sun shrine. It is, in many ways, much worse."

    Her tone is entirely neutral. She may not care about how unnerving this little tidbit may be.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    The intense feeling emanating from the pyramid is palpable, so it is decided that the police officers will stick to investigating the settlements within the cavern walls, while the pyramid will be searched by the Elites.

    It's a hell of a climb. The stairs are steep and soaked in ancient dried blood. It's not fresh enough to be source of that smell, but there is a lot of it. Upon reaching the top, they find the sacrificial altar... one that bears fresher stuff upon it. But along the way, the feeling has intensified, deepened. Small tremors begin to fill the cavern, sending fine clouds of dust up and making stones spray down.

    Until suddenly, the pyramid lurches and begins to rise.

    Great fins of stone and mud pull themselves from the earth, akin to that of a turtle. A great yawning maw of fire and hate rips itself free and lets out a harrowing cry. Another lurch as the body of this beast struggles to free itself. The police are screaming now, the shaking threatening to collapse the caves they're in.

    Finally, the pyramid is totally loose, a great shell upon the back of this thing, the Urban Breath. The god of the city, clad in the buildings that define it. The pyramid starts to glow from within from its foul essence as it starts slamming into the wall.

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Josuke's eyes go wide all over again at Xiaomu's words. "Human sacrifice?!" Though that shouldn't surprise him either, considering what they'd done to those hostages. And Reiji's account of HOW the sacrifices were done, and WHY, gets a wince. "Geez. And they probably wanna do that to us too. <Great>. At least it confirms we aren't gonna be reasoning with a kill-crazy death cult."

He watches Kotone's drones for a moment -- also whoa, that armor. He stops to blink at it a moment, before Seras's shout startles him. He shrugs a bit. "Nothing about this cult has been anything but completely nuts since I got involved in it, so I don't expect anything ELSE I encounter that's connected to them not to be bonkers," he decides. That's when he notices the cannons, and gets a strange look on his face. "...Not that I don't expect everything else PERIOD to not be bonkers..." he mutters.

And then someone speaks up, someone he hadn't noticed before. Perhaps she was hiding, or just elsewhere until now. Or maybe he just didn't notice, that's also not out of the question. Either way, Josuke's just noticed Ainsley when she speaks up. He looks... and then emits a strangled sound, the skin below one eye twitching. Josuke REALLY does not like reptiles, and Ainsley is a HUMAN-SIZED one! Definitely putting him more ill at ease. But at least she's not a turtle.

Though that said, climbing the pyramid isn't so bad, even if it's a hell of a climb. "Whew... lot of stairs," he remarks. And then suddenly EVERYTHING'S MOVING! "Whoa!" Josuke yelps, as he falls to the ground. Thankfully he doesn't fall off the pyramid entirely. But when the thing starts smashing into the walls, Josuke remarks, "It's gonna bring the place down on us!"

Josuke, however, is not content to leave that to be his fate. "<CRAZY DIAMOND>!" he calls, the phrase prompting the sparking to life of that purple aura and the appearance of the pink-and-blue armored creature. And as soon as it's manifested, it begins to punch at the pyramid's surface -- yes, the thing they're standing on.

This thing is wearing the pyramid like a shell, so Josuke's trying to crack that shell with Crazy Diamond's rapidfire punches, a loud, droning "DORARARARA!" coming from the Stand in the attempt.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
On the one hand, Xiaomu likes being able to breathe while she's making a lengthy trek up countless stairs. On the other, the stench is picking up again, and while the scents reminiscent of food and markets and old-style roads aren't that bad, the blood is ... aesthetically disagreeable. She winds up donning that mask again about a third of the way up - and is, peculiarly, trying NOT to step on ancient bloodstains if she can help it, even if they're so dry they might as well be fossils.

And the altar itself ... not quite so dry or unused. Still, this is kind of why they came all this way, and the sage fox is curious as to whether some idiot came down here and made a fresh sacrifice which was what set all of this trouble in motion.

She's still looking uncertainly at the altar when the pyramid stops being mere architecture and starts being an animate object. "Turtles all the way down, right?" she snarks at her allies as she realizes what shape the 'pyramid' is assuming, looking down the sides of its body to try and figure out which side is the --

Okay she is *NOT* getting close to that head if she can help it. And she has to wonder if her grenades are actually going to help all that much ... but, she checks the altar again, looking for any openings big enough to, say, drop a live grenade down into the belly of the beast. Also bracing herself so that the monster's slamming around doesn't throw her off the monster's back: hunkered down, feet and one hand planted some distance apart, still hanging onto her staff with her right hand. "Reiji," she calls out over the noise, "you think this thing's susceptible to the Five Phases' destruction cycle? Or do we just see what works?"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone was on edge to beging with and things only get worse as they move toward the Pyramid and Ainsleys being so neutral in her tone worries her. Thing only get worse as they head up teh stairs and kotone noticde the old blood. This is a place of evil, there is no doubt about that.

"Tell me about it, I think we're going to need to take a page from our space marine allie and just light this place up."

Then the place starts to shake and Kotone just pauses for a secon but then shifts her suit to keep from losing it's balance. However this thing is staring to come to life.

"..."

Kotone swing the rifle into action and raor it comes to life as she ta4rts aiming shoot the thing's head when she can get the clear shot to do so.

"Reiji? Ainsley Xiaomu if got any ideas holw to deal with this it would be welcome!"

With Seras fire power, and her own they should keep it busy and with Josuke adding both combat support and healing it should be enough to let the experts that being Ainsley, Reiji and Xiaomu figure otu a better way to deal with this thing.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
You know, turtles are kind of a weird and terrifying animal if you really think about it. They've evolved over millenia into a form that hasn't changed in even more millenia. They have a naturally growing carapace that their limbs and head can completely withdraw into. They're strange, ancient creatures.

Much like the hulking horror that at first glance looked to be an ordinary pyramid.

'Ordinary.' It was still a pyramid under a city. But as it stirs, its presence just clarifies exactly what it is that was permeating the air. That stench was no mere spiritual corruption, but the hateful, foul essence of a corrupted god.

"Trying to crack this thing's shell-- good luck. It's wearing a stone citadel on its back, and I don't think that it's made out of any ordinary stone, either." Reiji growls, clinging for dear life around what seems to be a basalt pillar but what may be something else entirely. He glances at Xiaomu, then. "I don't know. Mayan gods are kind of out of our wheelhouse. But if I know anything about stone and cities, it's that both will eventually be overcome by nature. Wood conquers earth and city alike. So--"

His favorite shotgun makes a satisfying, clicking noise as he draws it out of his weapon rack and takes aim for the creature's flailing head. "Let's give it a shot. Anti-spirit shells ready. Fire!"

And so he does.

Repeatedly.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley's reaction to Josuke is almost reflexive. First, she gasps, and then her feathers puff up, and then she steps back, but then she just smiles and sticks her tongue out at him and steps forward and past them as they walk around, rolling her eyes. She has gotten so many reactions along those lines that she isn't aware how genuine he's being. Once she gets to the stairs and somewhere up near the top, she speaks over to him, "Don't worry. I don't bite, and I'm very tidy." Smile~

    But then right as she gets there, the whole structure shifts. Her pupils constrict, her feathers puff, and she crouches to lower her center of balance, one hand resting down on the stone. She grimaces as it lifts, and turns her head to realize it is, in fact, some kind of awful shell for the creature.

    A metal-bound journal is lifted to her face, and she calls out in almost the same way as Josuke.

    "Urashima Taro!"

    A figure of about ten feet tall appears. He floats a foot or two off the ground, towering far above Ainsley. Blue light like shattered mirror fragments float around him, shining him in an aura of magic blue light. It's an enormous turtle man! He's elderly, with modern fisherman gear on. She looks up from her reflection, the trigger for the Persona, and the large turtle man opens one eye to focus on the exposed section of the Urban Breath.

    And a flash of red light shines from Taro's eyes, washing over the being in a great magical pulse. It's a magical debuff, meant to hamper the being if it has any sort of emotional responses to latch onto, weakening or slowing it down.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Even gods have heads to shoot, and that becomes the common consensus of how to deal with this. The bullets impact against the stone and brick, drawing only scratches and causing droplets of oil, blood, and water to spray. The Urban Breath snarls, but continues to slam against the rock, causing cracks to spread. Reiji's anti-spirit shells make smoke rise from the point of impact, so they are having some effect.

    Next, Ainsley tries an emotional assault. The god's emotions are in total turmoil. The notion that it is 'corrupted' isn't too far from the truth. The weakening effect seeps into the god, making it stumble before it winds up its next strike, but something as messed up as this will throw it off quickly.

    Josuke turns his attention to the pyramid instead, driving his Stand's fists into it over and over again. A structure such as this, made by man but suffused by a god, is made of sterner stuff than a traditional pyramid. But it still falters in the face of such a barrage, cracking and splintering open to reveal a pitch-black inner chamber.

    But while the god has taken the form of a turtle, it is not as helpless as the actual creature in response to threats upon its back. The slopes of the pyramid begin to splinter, revealing a grotesque mix of stone and flesh beneath. Polyps erupt from its surface, the underlying rock shifting so they aim at the party, before erupting a foul ichor of blood, mud, oil, grease, and molten gold!

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Josuke emits that strangled sound again, this time at Xiaomu, at the mention of a turtle. Crazy Diamond even stops what it's doing and looks in her direction. And then suddenly the whole 'humansized turtle' thing is more than just a fear, it's a reality! Both he and the Stand turn to face it, with similar horrified expressions on their faces. "GYAH!" That, though, is from Josuke. Crazy Diamond disappears as if his image just fizzled out on a TV set, and Josuke starts backing up from the Turtle-sona.

Oh uh. Maybe he's not being silly, after all. Because he looks honestly SCARED now. In fact, the whole thing has him off-guard now, and he doesn't notice those polyps forming. And so... BAM. Right in the back.

"Augh!" Josuke falls forward, grabbing onto the edges of the hole he just made to avoid being pitched DOWN it. He grits his teeth; that stuff HURTS! Even now his jacket's starting to burn. The garment's probably a lost cause at this point.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Best suggestion is 'shoot it until it dies,'" Xiaomu replies to Kotone, even as Reiji draws his shotgun and opens fire. And that's the good thing about gods who happen to come at you in material forms: they usually CAN be shot, or punched, or stabbed, or otherwise injured to the point that, at the very least, sooner or later, their physical manifestation stops being an effective way to influence the world and those who live in it full-time.

Some gods are more susceptible to that approach than others, though - and ironically, the fact that this old Aztec pyramid-turtle thing is *fighting back harder* seems like evidence that this one is vulnerable to physical assault.

The eruption of polyps squirting that unholy gunk at the party prompts Xiaomu to stop eyeing the altar and start making with the direct application of violence. A couple of her Shinra Specials are sent flying at the nearest couple of clusters (assuming that the polyps are emerging *in* clusters), the magically-enhanced grenades erupting in fireballs with extra 'fire' to try and burn the polyps off before they can do MORE damage. One more such grenade gets lobbed into that hole Crazy Diamond opened up; Xiaomu's not sure how much good it'll do, but as long as it doesn't make the god-monster even more dangerous somehow, any damage is good damage, right?

... well, damage being done to the terrapin pyramid, anyway. Damage being done to the *party* is as far from 'good' as it gets, and Xiaomu winds up getting a splatter of that ichorous gunk across the back - and right on her hairtails, just as the last grenade leaves her hand. Cue a loud and *VERY* unhappy yell from the sage fox - she actually winds up yanking Suiren halfway out of its staff-sheath, channeling the ice magic across her own tails and back in an effort to drive the sprayed ichor OFF her body before the damage gets any worse. Ice helps soothe the pain, too, although she can't enjoy the chilly numbness it for long ...

Seras Victoria (1084) has posed:
A long and crushing trek that's not physically exhausting, but has Seras shivering unhappily nonetheless all the way up the stairs turns to pale-faced disbelief when the WHOLE STRUCTURE shakes and gets up and starts tromping around!

    "WHAT. WHAT?! WHAT!!" More flailing from her, now considerably more terrified as she decides to lean against a pillar near the altar against the shaking and movement for a few seconds.

     "WHAT'S GOING ON?! How do we stop THE ENTIRE PYRAMID?!"

Reiji Arisu has posed:
Even when you can shoot a god and kill it dead, the fact is that gods aren't called gods because they're weaklings who roll over at the first sign of resistance. This thing can't possibly be new; how many cults has it inspired into worship? How vast must its power be? One thing is obvious as the creature retaliates: its corruption runs deeper than Reiji knows how to properly cleanse. Foul pustules erupt from the polluted stone facade. Under this city is nothing but vile disease. Is that the god's fault, or has the city's own corruption tainted what should have been its guardian spirit?

There's no time to think of that now. The exorcist dodges the first and the second bursting polyp. The third's spray disappears into a tremendous wave of flame. A fourth catches him in the shoulder, and Reiji wastes no time tearing the fabric away before the pus can eat through.

He does not want to know what this stuff will do if it sticks.

"Xiaomu, keep moving," Reiji calls to his partner as he keeps up the onslaught. This time, he has much closer targets to fire on. A fifth polyp cluster ruptures a stone seam nearby, and Reiji intercepts it before it can burst. He levels his shotgun at the exposed flesh and opens fire. Over and over again, he pulls the trigger, moving slowly and steadily to close the distance to avoid being thrown off.

Once he gets close enough, he empties the clip, holsters his gun, and draws...

An invisible blade, filled with the essence of death.

A living city can yet die. Reiji swings as the polyp begins to close, hoping to scythe clean through this thing's inanimate stone shell to keep attacking the soft flesh beneath!

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "I can live with that but if it bleeds then is it really a god?!"

She keeps shoopting and the heav weapon roars again as she fires anotehr burst at it. she's just going to keepo going for the hed and now it's taken the form of a turtle which means her locaiton is in troubole. IOne hand reaches out to grab the ide of the beast to keep from falling. Then comesall the foul things it's bleeding, what the bloody hell? This was right out of the nightmares she has had since her cyberentic conversion.

She';ll hang on an fire again as she tries to find any good point to shoot it for the moment not wanting to let her ammo go unused.

"We blow it to bits Seras!"

That's all she got to say for the moment. She does look for a place to use the suit's grapple line though as she just might need to get off this crazy thing.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    As Josuke stumbles towards the hole, his is assaulted by warmth. It's not burning hot, but it's that kind of sticky, wet warmth that comes from organic life, and it's all around him. Whatever is inside the pyramid, it is not just more brick and stone.

    Xiaomu's incendiaries burn the polyps, causing the rock and flesh to melt and seal the openings. The turtle's head roars, a scream that turns into a violent screech as Reiji joins the assault with gunfire and blades. Even cities may die, and the essence of death pumps into the raw flesh, filling it with that fact. A deep, primal shudder fills the turtle and the pyramid, before something erupts from the open flat section behind the altar.

    A long peduncle of flesh, tipped with a massive, pulsing tumour with all manner of unspeakables floating within it. It begins to swing about, lashing and striking the stairs in an attempt to crush the party or swat them off its back. Another slam into the wall, this one making cracks spread all along it. Large chunks fall away, widening the entrance as fissures spread to the roof. If this continues, the Urban Breath may escape, or bring the whole place down.

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Ugh. Crazy Diamond reappears and pulls Josuke away from the hole by his ankle, not wanting to get whatever it was on itself either. But Josuke figures Reiji has the right idea about getting garments splattered with this crap. So as soon as he's sure he's not going to fall into the hole, he removes the splattered jacket and throws the befouled garment away from him. His mother's going to be pissed, but she'd be MORE upset if he ended up losing a significant amount of skin to whatever the hell that is.

Fortunately his yellow shirt is still more or less still in good shape. Unfortunately it's a tank top, so he has more exposed skin to be wary of getting splattered. It also leaves the star-shaped birthmark located on the back of the left side of his neck on display. Possibly interesting.

And now he's pissed. Those are expensive clothes! "All right, you Urban CANCER. I've JUST about had enough of you," he growls. However, as the weird giant stalk-thing starts flailing about trying to crush them, something else comes to Josuke's attention. The walls and ceiling are breaking, and could collapse. He emits a hiss, and then summons Crazy Diamond again. The Stand appears, and then...

It throws Josuke at the cracked wall?!

Josuke scrambles to find a handhold, but summons his Stand once more. The Stand slaps both of its hands against the wall. And then an orange-gold aura appears around the Stand, particularly its hands. Josuke's trying to use the Stand to fix the cracks, so the ceiling doesn't come down on the group.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
At this point, Xiaomu is really glad for that filter mask she's been wearing on this mission - she doesn't want to think about what the burnt polyp-scars would smell like without that layer of protection, or for that matter the tumorous tumescence which just started flailing around at them. There's one spot which occurs to the sage fox that MIGHT be somewhat safer, though - and she dives for it: the lee of the altar itself, so that the sacrificial pedestal is in between her and the mass of flailing tissue.

If there was more time and/or less danger, she might try testing out a theory: whether the god-monster is conscious of its own potential weak point* and will avoid risking damage to the altar. But the truth of the matter is that any beat of her racing heart could be the last, and much the same holds for her allies (well, maybe except the vampiric Seras), and there's extraordinarily little margin for experimentation. So after some quick strategizing on the radio, Xiaomu draws Suiren all the way in a passable demonstration of iaijutsu, cranking the ice magic up to full power; if she can't actually shear through the altar (which would be the fast and highly satisfactory way), she can at least channel enough ice into, onto, and around the center of power to encase it in a solid block of frozen water.

But then comes her follow-up: pulling out one of her remaining grenades, pulling the pin, and shoving it down a hole through the ice - followed by pouring on as much additional ice as she can, so that the ensuing fiery explosion will be at least *somewhat* contained and directed ... right into the altar.

Icy slash + fire-grenade explosion should, hopefully, = no more altar. And since the Aztec gods were basically powered by ritual sacrifices, Xiaomu's bet is that taking out the altar will either kill the ancient god, or give it a real hard kick in the possibly-metaphorical danglies.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
As if this creature couldn't get any worse. How deep does this thing's corruption go? What manner of twisted god even /is/ this!?

Rocks tumble down from above as the beast smashes into the cavern walls. Reiji whispers a curse as tumbling earth only compounds the danger posed by that... That /thing./ The tainted tubercle that extends from behind the creature's altar. What is it even filled with? Reiji doesn't want to know. There's so much about this situation he's well and truly happy being ignorant about.

The only thing he needs to know right now is that this thing is a cancer. Life run rampant, filled with unspeakable horrors and nightmarish fluids that threaten to corrupt all they touch. Urban breath indeed-- it's everything wrong with the very concept of the city.

Reiji rolls out of the way of that flailing tendril and catches a falling boulder across his shoulders and the back of his head. The exoricst hisses a curse as he staggers, blood dripping down his neck, across his face from where his scalp has been torn open. He stumbles forward-- but catches himself. The tumorous growth winds up for another strike, but smashes nothing but stone when it falls. Reiji charges in underneath its wild blow.

The black blade, Darkdrift, is in its sheath. His hand overs over its hilt.

He roars.

"Shin Kaminagi-ryu--"

Reiji's foot slams into crumbling stone as the tumor swings again. He surges forward, drawing and striking at lightning speed. Darkdrift explodes from its sheath, swathed in deathly vapors as he swings at the tumor's flailing root.

"RAIKOUGIRI!"

Reiji lands, crouched, beyond his strike. He turns, flicking ichor from his blade. "Well," he mutters, sheathing again for another strike if the single blow wasn't enough to do the job. "Let's see how many strikes it'll take, then."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
The fight contuiune and as she comes ot the point she's going to need to reload? The thing is harmed by Xiaomus effored and exposes something else. Flesh and that's a far better target for her own attacks. She'll hang on for the moment. How do they stop this thing form bringin the place down on them then again if it escapes? She shudders inwardly at the idea breath escaping this musth not come to poass. She will do her best to keep laying on the damage to the things body and as a distrction she will drive her off hand the large one into the hide ro stone of tbe demon depending on what she can do and try to rip it fre before drive her gun in and just emptying the clip, this can't go badly at all, here right?

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Another great, rolling shudder fills the Urban Breath as Xiaomu begins icing up the altar. It seems to be having an effect already, as it begins renewing its thrashing to try and escape. But Josuke's efforts with Crazy Diamond stymies it by healing the cracks its causing. It howls at him, arching its head to try and issue another thick torrent of urban puss in his direction.

    But at that same moment, Reiji slashes clean through the length of muscle, severing the tendril and it's pulpy mass. That, in conjucntion with Kotone laying into the exposed flesh, causes enough pain that the turtle's aim is thrown off. The boiling sewage still comes close though! Down below, the organic weapon goes flying, crashing into the wall and leaving Xiaomu clear to follow up with her grenades.

    A great and terrible crack emanates as the alter is shattered, a violent shattering that travels through the entire structure. Bit by bit, the pyramid begins to collapse, kicking up thick clouds of dust as the flesh beneath quivers and explodes out to spread against the walls, some of it seeping through the windows. The turtle head lets out one final cry before bursting like a ripe pimple, covering the entrance with its befouled substance.

    As the dust clears, it's clear that the horror is not over yet. The pyramid is gone, along with the turtle that occupied it. But now the meat of it is coating against the caves. Sounds of screams from the officers that came down with them echo from within, along with gunfire... but no sudden cuts that would indicate that they're being killed. In fact, they begin to settle naturally.

    There, in the middle, where the pyramid used to be, is something that glows faintly.

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Josuke's eyes go wide when he sees the thing he's called 'Urban Cancer' (which would be a wonderful band name, wouldn't it?) try to splatter him with that crap again. He's hanging onto the wall here, there's no way he can possibly avoid it in time. He summons Crazy Diamond and it crosses its arms in front of itself, trying to shield both itself and Josuke from what is surely going to be a very painful attack.

But then... the shot goes wide. Thanks to Reiji's attack, the gross stuff splatters the wall not a foot in front of Josuke's face. It misses him, though there's still that unpleasant smell. And probably a little blowback from it. Ultimately harmless, but vile. Still, Josuke breathes a sigh of relief. "Whew... that was too close..." Looking in Reiji's direction, he frees one hand, and waves at Reiji. "Thanks!" he calls out.

Though as he looks down at what should be his landing zone? He makes a face. "Bleh!" he declares. Crazy Diamond can probably float high enough to keep him form having to step in it. These are ¥25,000 shoes and Mr. Junko original socks he's wearing, and he's not about to mess them up by slogging through God-only-knows-what! So climbs down, but at the bottom of the wall, turns and latches onto the Stand's back. He sees that glow, too, and wants to investigate. "What's that?"

Though he pauses a moment as he hears the screaming. He waits, listening. Doesn't sound like they're abruptly cutting out. But still, he's worried. Looking to the others, he asks, "Want me to go check that out?" He points in the direction of the screaming.

Also this is a good way to move a non-Paladin operative out if this is strictly Paladin business. Which was part of the point of Josuke asking, actually. These are pretty decent guys; he figures they're trustworthy enough to trust with... whatever the glowy thing is.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Truth being told, Xiaomu had a deep, night-instinctual desire to either desecrate or outright wreck that altar the moment she lay eyes on it ... and as the altar's destruction is swiftly followed by the collapse of the pyramid itself, as well as the turtle-thing who was using it for a shell, the sage fox permits herself to feel a thrill of vindication.

Too bad that's not all she's feeling. Even with the layer of ice she conjured earlier, her vest is basically in tatters around each shoulder, and the black qipao is missing a broad swath across her back. Not that the exposed skin is all that well off - and her hairtails are, well, a lot less fluffy at the moment. But still, the main monster has gone down - and with the 'pyramid' collapsing, gravity swiftly brings her to the cavern floor, where she lands fairly lightly for what she's already been through.

Suiren is swiftly re-sheathed, and Xiaomu twirls the staff in her left hand before bracing it next to and behind herself, her right hand is held out in front of her, fingers splayed as she focuses her power and her will together. "Kimon Fuuji," she incants, followed by a cry of, "XIAOMU WAAAAAAAAAAAAVE!!!"

In response to that invocation, a Taoist-derived magical square forms on the cavern floor, centered on the glowing whatever-it-was - and space folds into a bubble around it, containing that node of ancient power, immobilizing and containing it within the bubble of mystical force. "Reiji," Xiaomu calls while maintaining the preliminary seal, "you're up!"

Reiji Arisu has posed:
"Please," Reiji nods to Josuke's offer. "I think my partner and I have this handled over here. Go make sure those officers aren't in serious danger." It's not that Josuke CAN'T be here, just that the situation at hand doesn't necessarily call for Crazy Diamond's unique brand of aid. Not for what Xiaomu has planned, that is.

The familiar blue light that floods from the beginning of Xiaomu's incantation is all the cue Reiji needs. "Your anger is too great. Your wrath too terrible. Spirit--" The exorcist's next move is as practiced as it is fluid. He leaps into the mystic square as it forms, his hand-shotgun unleashing an opening barrage of shrapnel imbued with the living essence of Wood. "Rest, now! Until your fury is forgotten!"

And so it begins.

"Wood feeds Fire!" Reiji holsters and then draws, unleashing several broad arcs of flame into the sphere. He sheathes, drawing again, this time letting loose with a rapid combination of electric slashes. "Fire creates Earth!"

Sheathed again. Reiji drops his weapon rack and unlimbers his handcannon. The golden gun glints in the light of Xiaomu's roiling spell as he fires, emptying a full clip. The shots draw in the lightning and rupture like starbursts-- "Earth promises Metal! And, lastly...!"

Xiaomu, that's your cue!

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"And Metal channels Water!" finishes Xiaomu as she leaps, simultaneously letting go of the sealing effect and leaping at the spiritual artifact, drawing Suiren as she flies for one final slash. The sealing circle lasts long enough for her to complete her own attack, elemental magic pulsing out of the blade as it passes through the ancient god-force to encase it in ice, adding to and capping off the series of elemental interactions which Reiji's combo set into motion, each element building on what came before it.

And then Xiaomu lands from her leap on the other side of the glow, flicking her blade clean and sliding it back into the shaft of her staff. "Shinra ..." The hilt clicks home, "Bansho!"

And the combined elemental force *erupts* behind her, to finish off what was left of the ancient, corrupted god.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa tears into the god's flesh with her modern weapons it's really to distract and keep the thing off balance while her allies with a better understanding of magic and the like steel they are hurting it's clear the alter is shattered and that leaves a hell of an effect upon the god. She sees the turtle head let out a cry and it explodes with fouled essence she drops her armour to the ground and it head looks up as she tries to find where best to act next.

"We're not quite done Josuke."

Comes the somewhat digitized voice from the armour loud speakers.

"Still nice work there." Her suit reloads the rifle again sending the empty clip to the ground it will be recovered /later/ for now? She's going to follow up Xiamomu and Reiji's high end finisher for lack of a better term with several carefully aimed shots.

"It's over, your cancerous infestation is finished along with yourself!"

It's a big personal this god scared the hell out of Kotone given her nature and the nature humanity is charging towards in her world, she had been afraid it might be able to warp her given how divorced she feels from nature.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    The source of the glow is a stone tablet, etched with more of the Mesoamerican script the party observed on their way in. If any could read it, they would see it was a list of laws and commandments that had to be agreed upon to live in this settlement. A town charter, perhaps the first ever made. It's easy to see how a god of cities would become bound to such a thing... or perhaps grow from it.

    The Taoist ritual swirls about the stone as the police evacuate the caves. It seems that the spreading flesh did nothing to attack them. Considering this is a city within a natural cavern, perhaps the 'wild' nature of the place inhibited it. The Tao ritual encircles the tablet, the five elements circling and feeding each other. Eyes sprout from the skin, looking on in horror as the tablet chips, fractures, and finally shatters.

    Immediately, what clings to the walls dissolves into a puddle of gore and dust. The oppressive feeling begins to let up, the final scent being a regretful one. Kotone pulverizes the shards with well--placed rounds, rendering it mere powder. Any analyses would turn up no trace of arcane activity.

    The Urban Breath has breathed its last gasp.