6646/FATE: Blood, Augur, Hex, Magicks

FATE: Blood, Augur, Hex, Magicks
Date of Scene:	12 June 2019
Location:	Sagoli Desert, Eorzea
Synopsis:	Offworlder Adventurers join Raha and Inga in putting down a rogue Beastman being powered by a Mysterious Source
Cast of Characters:	N'raha Tia, Yang Xiao Long, Gaonoir, Inga, Tomoe

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N'raha Tia has posed:
    FATE: Blood, Augur, Hex, Magicks
    TYPE: Notorious Monster
    Location: Sagolii Desert
    Threat Level: High

    The Immortal Flames have pinpointed the whereabouts of one Blackbile Maladd Chah - an Amalj'aa hexweaver thought to be behind the assassinations of several high-ranking flame officials. Track down the terrible warlock and send him back to the Lifestream.

    The gathering point for this particular quest is a rather busy village in Southern Thanalan. The Aetheryte is parked in the middle of a large group of stone and adobe houses settled inside an oasis that seems to spring water out of nowhere, but it's probably magic, one way or another.

    The other notable thing about it is that it's a miqo'te settlement. While there are other races here among the adventurers and traders and all that, there's a rather large number of cat ladies of all heights and sorts milling about.
    Moreso over by the station where the Immortal Flames are getting the caravan out to the Desert set up. Because sitting in the back of a cart, looking a little flummoxed by the attentions of some huntresses is one N'raha Tia, Warrior of Light. His black ears are slightly pinned back to his head, and he's holding polite conversation, even as one small miq-kitten is clinging to his head like a limpet.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang Xiao Long, Huntress, Adventurer, magic punchgirl, steps away from the Aetheryte as she materializes from the Warpgate network attached to it. "That... I will never get used to. AUughs." She shudders, then realizes the sun is so bright here. She whips out her aviators, and strides on over towards N'raha. "Hey catman. Nice hat." she quips with a grin, boots crunching the sand as she walks.

    She's wearing a cowgirlesque outfit, a pair of long 'tails' hanging from her belt, with seemingly no other point than to look cool, and a tight jacket and trousers that cover more than her 'usual' outfit, they look a bit sturdier too.

Gaonoir has posed:
Angry monster assailing notible militia figures with fiendish magics of a probably nefarious nature? Sounds right up their alley. This is exactly the sort of investigation/neutralization they signed up for in the first place.

The flicker of aetheric energy from the central crystalline formation happens again, this time leaving the bespectacled young lady in its wake. And her canid companion, who stumbles a bit afterwards. "That feels weird when I'm not doing it," Gaonoir garuffs about the teleportation as he straightens out his bandana.
Erika giggles a bit. "But this way allows you to conserve your energy for later." Then glances down at her mobile device. "This should be the right location according to the posting." She looks up again, and then points in the direction of the blonde bombshell that arrived just before them. "Look, it's Yang! I bet she's here for the same job... As it's kinda -her- job."
"At least it's not a bunch of noobs then." As chipper as ever, darkmutt. He just trots after the more excitable of the pair. "Tell me when it's time to punch something."

Inga has posed:
Inga arrives via the aetheryte astride her mist-grey horse, dressed for the warmer weather of the desert in a white saree over a silvery choli, the long end of the elegantly draped fabric pulled up over her head to help protect her from the sun, her long white braid pulled over one shoulder. On her feet are a pair of sandles, though they look to be of sturdy leather at least.

She remains mounted as she approaches the group, smiling lightly to Yang. "It is a strange sensation, isn't it?" she remarks, then looks toward N'raha. And the huntresses. And the kitten currently latched onto his head.

She raises an eyebrow. It is the most baleful eyebrow raise in history.

She turns her gaze then to the newcomer, nodding in greeting.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe gets the basic of the job someone's been taking out the local military officer and the Grand Company? Want the one behind it, taken out. She had been working on and off for the city-states here for some time so here she is once again signing up for this hit. Let us be honest, she has taken note of how many catgirls about it and she's rather glad Kirito is elsewhere given how he's handled the GU local cat girl and her tail.

She'll march right up to N'Raha with a grin on her face.

"Hey so you the contact for this? Not retired Gaonoir? I thought you had."

She's clearly giving him flack right back and now Inga also has arrived and taken note of yang as well.

She does not comment about the kid hanging ion to N'raha but you damn well bet her phone is out on a second and she's got a picture of it.

"It seems we know eachother for the most part."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha turns to face the arrivals. The kitten clings to his face and hair and comes for the ride. That gets the attention of a number of the other huntresses as well. And 'huntresses' seems to be the correct word for this bunch. All of them are kitted up in one way or another. Most bear either the marks of either the Immortal Flames or a stylized goat. The eldest of the women, judging by the lines on her face, smiles to the others. "Oh. Raha. They did arrive. Good. Well, then I stand assured that this Hunt will go mostly as planned." A slight bow of her head, her silver tresses shifting.
    Inga will likely be the first to notice that she's got he same green eyes as Raha, and that same smirk he usually has when he's not surrounded by... family. "I am N'saela, and you are all very welcome sights. But, come along. Up in the cart you come. Work to be done, beastmen to slay." She hoists down the back of the cart, and slaps the side.

    Through all this, Raha is only slightly mobile, looking from Inga to Yang to Tomoe and the Not-An-Arcanist. "...Hi, this is my mom and some of my cousins and sisters."

    ...oh.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang chuckles a bit at Raha. "Not a fan of family huh?" she jokes at the catman, clambering up onto the cart and reaching up to lightly poke the miqo'te kitten on Raha's face. "Hey little'un, we kinda need him to help us kill some evil monster." she says, trying to coax the young one off with a warm smile. She's had to coax little kids out from places they're not meant to be, since she had to help raise her little sister. "Nice to meet ya ma'am, I'm Yang Xiao Long, I'm a Huntress, but maybe a little different to the term you know." she shrugs. "Or maybe not... It's kinda weird, the Multivers."

Gaonoir has posed:
Erika blinks a couple of times as the catwoman refers to the warrior with just Raha, while he names his mother with the N' prefix. Then tilts her head a little in thought. "Wait, the N isn't part of your name?" Someone can explain how Miqo'te clannames work. Preferable on the way. She does pause to bow briefly to the elder before climbing onto the cart. "My name is Erika. And that's my partner, Gaonoir."

"Yo," is all the boxer (ha ha dog puns) has to add as he hops up after her.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe says "Oh your family? It's good to meet all of you I'm Tomoe the Iron Lily."

She grins a bit now getting N'Raha was chilling out with his family and it was a mighty /big/ one too from the looks of it. Seeing Yang working with the kid she'll leave her to that. She will totally slip N'Raha a print of the picture later as well, she tilts her head a bit and she'll move to fall in with the rest.

"So what can you tell us about the target and their abilities?"

Inga has posed:
The nature of that eyebrow raise somehow changes completely without much change in her expression, but once Raha's mother introduces herself, Inga slides somewhat awkwardly down from her saddle and returns the bow of her head. "It is a pleasure to meet you N'saela. I am Inga Freyjasdottir," she replies. She takes the walking stick from her saddle and moves to the cart. "I trust I may leave my horse in the care of your family?" she asks. "She is well behaved and should be no trouble."

Inga looks back to N'raha, at once qpologetic and disbelieving. Some warning would have been nice. She'd have brought a hostess gift!

Inga chuckles at the little one and Yang's attempt to get her to detach from Raha. Inga smiles. "Perhaps you would like to help take care of my horse? Would you like to feed her an apple?" she asks, reaching into her pouch to pull out a honeycrisp, offering it to the girl. The horses ears tilt forward, nostrils flaring in interest.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The little kitten has clearly been trained, because when Tomoe holds up the phone, she makes a face and mugs a big old smile for the camera.
    Yanfg DISRUPTS HER SCENE though! The girl squawks and squirms a bit, her mismatched blue and red eyes screwing up in frustration as Yang plucks her from Raha's head and... well. A thankful looking Miq-lady takes her after that. "Noooo noooo!" A pout and the little one is about to sqabble, before Inga defuses things. Oh hey. A JOB. The little black haired girl squeaks and then takes the apple, holding it up over her head to the horse, which dutifully eats it and chuffs. This delights the little lady, and waves at the group. "Byyy unkle Raha..."

    N'saela smiles a bit as a squad of Huntresses armed with spears, bows and one with a staff all square up around the cart. "Plesantries can hold for after you rid us of the Amaal'ja." A pointed look at Inga, and then the elder cat shuffles out of the way of the crowd. Oh.

    The ride out is going to take a minute, and Raha seems to relax once he's away from the village. "Oh twelves, had I known they were all going to show up I'd have never taken this job. How did they find oooooooooout."

Gaonoir has posed:
"Because family," Erika replies like a scholar reciting some astute fact. She even gives her glasses a slight nudge up with her index finger as she does so.

Gaonoir just plops himself down in a corner of the cart. "The ride's appreciated. The more energy I conserve, the better for the fight to come."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "Your folks seem nice. You should have introduced us before now." says Yang as she waves to those staying behind while the cart pulls away. "Anyway, footnotes version, what's an Amyjam, and where does it hurt most to punch one?"

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe gets a shot of some sort and is quite amused at how it plays out getting N'Raha's sister, she thinks that it's a younger sister of his, off his head. With Inga defusing, things seem to be well under way now she'll. She looks to N'Raha and notes

"Same way my mother somehow knows I'm off and about adventuring. Still good to see meet your family!"

Inga has posed:
Inga blinks, then nods. Once they are out of sight, she gives Raha a brief, wide-eyed look. "Yes, you certainly should have." She then shakes her head and turns her gaze to the landscape as is passes. "Well, I've gotten a bit of practice hunting down rogue wizards," she sighs, then simply holds onto the staff across her lap, idly tracing the runes carved into it's surface.

Apparently, her regeneration must also work for sunburn, because with skin as pale as hers she should probably be pink already.

Inga looks to Yang and Gaonoir. "They are one of what they call the beast tribes here...which I often wonder if said tribes are offended by...they are fairly large--" says the woman who is a whopping five feet tall. "But I assume you will not have too much trouble punching one, if you can get close enough. I will be here to heal your injuries and protect you from overwhelming harm," she explains.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Raha lets out a breath and then leans back against the cart. The vague warking of Chocobos is heard as they speed across the sands of the Sagolii. "Big tall lizard men. Angry. The lot we're facing are worshipers of Ifrit, so expect no quarter and no surrender. They literally cannot be saved." He seems to be insistent on that one. "The one we're after leads hunting parties out across the sands. And if my family's involved now, well."

    Raha gets interrupted by someone reaching into the cart and ruffling his hair. The catman flails a bit and looks up as one of his sisters, apparently able to ride a chocobo and noogie him at the same time rides out and away, laughing as she takes off to scout.

    Raha's ears droop more, and there's a sudden flash as his red armor appears around him in an instant.

    He lowers his visor.

Gaonoir has posed:
Erika has to put her hands over her mouth to keep from giggling too loudly as Raha's family treat him like, well, family. Though without something as distinct as the silver hair N'salea had it's hard to tell if the siblings are older or younger, even if the playful noogies would suggest the former.

"Tall angry reptile men. Sounds like Darkizardmons almost." Gaonoir just snorts softly at the 'cannot be saved'. Not an unfamiliate circumstance for the former enforcer of Ygdrassil. He casts a sideling glance at the human girl sitting next to him in the cart.

"What?" Erika replies. It takes a moment for her to realize the sort of look he's giving her. Her own expression turns a bit more solemn. "Needs of the many outweigh the few. More lives are saved by dealing with this problem straight forward... And it's already confirmed they can't be negotiated with."

"Good girl." Gaonoir may be the canine, but he's the one to reach up and pat Erika on the head. "Maybe you can be trained after all."

"Hey!" The moment of solemness is lost as Erika pouts at the role reversal.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe knows that name "Ifrit, go it." She seems to have some understanding of what they are dealing with it seems. She seems ready as she summons her own sword and shield and makes ready for a moment as she looks to Erika for a moment.

"Wait that's not how it is suposed to work."

She notes and turns her eye forward and her wings flare out too a bright red, but clearly translucent as she now hovers off the ground a bit.

"I don't think they will expect an assault from the sky."

IF no one stops her Tomoe will take off to get into a position to strike from on high, lifting off into the air.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang nods a bit. "Big lizard, punch it til it dies. Gotchya." She watches Erika and Gaonoir, chuckling at the role reversal. "You two get along so well."

    She then leans out the side of the cart, looking ahead into the vast desert. When the group gets close to the target zone, she leaps out the side, deploys her gauntlets and sets off running ahead, launching herself forwards to overtake the chocobo riders.

Inga has posed:
Inga shakes her head, smiling. She can't help a small chuckle at Raha. She reaches over to pat his leg consolingly. "It's nice, that you have a family," she says.

Inga laughs as well at the interchange between Erika and her talking dog. A thing that, years ago, she'd have found incredibly strange.

"Indeed, they would happily sacrifice us to Ifrit," she chimes in, then starts checking her talismans to make sure she hasn't forgotten any.

Tomoe takes of into the sky and Inga shakes her head. "No, they will likely not expect that," she comments to those left.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    It's immediately obvious to Tomoe that taking off early was the Right Thing to Do, because as she takes to the air, she'll be able to spot, roughly 5 seconds before it happens, a massive fireball launching itself out of a dust cloud just over the next ridge of sand. The spell barrels into one of the flanking Chocobo riders, an anguished 'wark' and screaming from the Huntress as she goes down hard. And like a shot, the Amalja'a riders spill out of the cloud, which dissipates like it was never there.

    "BLOOD! BLOOD FOR IFRIT! SPILL IT ON THE SAND MY BROTHERS!" The rallying cry /ripples/ through the air, boosted by aether and Terrible Belief. A massive, 10 foot tall black skinned lizard man crawls up and out of a pit in the sand and then the desert is wash in the Beastmen. Ambush.
    The staff wielding miqo'te wheels around on her 'bo, and calls out words of magic, a gentle embrace of energies restoring the fallen huntress, cradling her back to life.

    Raha... Raha is already gone. The moment the girl screamed from the death blow, there was and explosion of noise from the armored warrior, as he EXPLODES from the cart, and is charging out across the sands, aether and dust kicking up as he barrels into the nearest clump of lizardmen. "FALL. FALL AND DIE, FIENDS."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    One of the escorts goes down, and much like Raha, Yang sees red and fires herself up into the air. "YRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGH!" A horrific berserker battlecry sounds as she fires behind her mid-air, and slams herself down into another group of Amaal'ja, sending a destructing ripple through the sand, kicking up a 'wave' that would knock lesser beings clean off their feet. "YOU WANT BLOOD!? I'LL MAKE SURE YOU BLEED TEN FOLD! COME AT ME!" she bellows, her Aura flaring bright gold in the desert sun.

Gaonoir has posed:
There is almost a retort to the getting along comment but it's interrupted by explosive fireballs being slung into the air, and instead Gaonoir is reflexively pulling Erika down into the cart. "Stay here and do your thing," he barks, before turning away and leaping out of the cart. 'Her thing' probably has to do with the phone-like device in her hands, as it briefly flashes the 'D with a monster head poking from the center' icon as Erika clicks open the app that gives her divice sync with Gaonoir, sending out a surge of energy as it activates.

Energies of black and purple churn to life around Gaonoir as he dashes towards the uncoming horde, then pulsates as it expands outward as the digital energies restructure his very code in a matter of seconds.

Dark Gaomon, digivolve to....
The miasma briefly collapses on itself and then explodes outward, as a what looks like a gigantic black bear with a wolf's head and huskie tail erupts from the dispersing energies still at a mad dash, now with massive clawed paws tearing up the sand.
DARK GAOGAMON

With a howling roar the now behemoth beast leaps into the fray, huge front claws radiating with shadowy streaks of energy as he crashing headlong into the enemy warparty. "Nacht Claws!"

Though in all honesty it's less scratching, and more like he's punching but using the darkness infused claws like spiked knuckles.

Inga has posed:
Ambush. Inga curses. Assuming the cart comes to a start, Inga slides down to her feet and draws the knife from her belt. Without a moment's hesitation, she slices deeply into her opposite arm, blood rising quickly from the wound to be magically directed by Inga's knife, flung toward her companions. Yang's bright aura is augmented by Inga's blood-ward, lending a shimmer crimson and gold that buzzes through her, invigorating her while also providing a shield against some of the damage she is likely to draw.

The same ward finds N'raha and Erika and her animal companion. Tomoe is currently out of range.

With one more flick, she wards herself and starts striding forward, limping slowly as the others charge into danger.

She seems unconcerned however.

She finds a good place to stand and raises her staff. She does not yell, though her voice carries like thunder accross the battlefield. "Oh, you want blood? Be careful what you wish for," she says, and points her knife toward one of the charging amal'ja.

"I curse you. May your blood boil and spill upon the sands," she says. The amal'ja will find that his blood does just that.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe has avoided falling into a fireball attack she can see the incoming beastmen from her new vantage point she knows just what she's going to seek out the spell caster. She takes a moment to sight where the attack came from and she's going to crash down like the wrath of God upon the beastmen. She'll come down using the sun as cover, there are no words from her, for a moment as she hovers there us9ing the sun for cover, she'll chant quietly for a moment golden rune dance about her body as she chants.

A second later rays of light will start raining down from above on the lizardmen.

With her 'spell work' done she'll drop down from the sky to slam into the lizarmens ranks and only when she speaks.

"An end to Ifrit."

Is all she says she knows what will happen if they are captured or get their mitts on anyone else.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    There's a howl among the beastmen ranks as battle is given. It's not even tempered by the fact that there's some very very heavy hitters in the crowd. It can't possibly be tempered after all, since the Amalja'a are already Taken. A beastly roar takes over the field as the outriders start to lay in their strikes as well.
    They're smaller in size, to be sure, but what the huntresses lack in pure strength they make up for in mobility and cunning. The great yellow birds dart and scamper over the sands, with lancers piercing the hides of lizard men, archers peppering them with arrows. Though it's clear. WIthout the Adventurers here, this would have been a rout. And not in the favor of the Miqo'te.

    Tomoe's aerial assault blasts downwards, but a few of the beams are shattered and broken up by enemy magicks, as Barriers and Protects pop up over packs of beastmen. There's casters in the midst.

    Gaogamon's sudden presence gets plenty of notice as well, as a squadron of archers stomp their way up and over a ridge and start launching attacks at him as he tears into lizardmen warriors.

    It's Yang and Raha that are getting really stuck in, though, as other pugilists and lancers get into the mix. It's hard to pick the two out at a distance, if not for the very blatant burst of Hometown energy that Raha's putting off. Axes swing and fists punch and Yang will find herself swarmed by two extra dudes who start to assault her from behind, spears laying in a dual ambush.

    Inga, for her part can sense the other caster on the field. and it is The Big One. This is clear as there's a sudden sense of Awareness, and a pack of fireballs streak over the field right at the Seer.

Inga has posed:
Inga's eyes widen slightly in preparation, her staff coming up and forward as the runes light up a cold blue. A small pillar of ice forms directly in front of her, which she hides behind as the fireballs descend upon her. When the air clears the pillar is melted but Inga is largely unharmed, the burns upon her skin already beginning to heal as she begins walking forward once more, her eyes on the large amal'ja caster. She raises her knife and points it toward him, her teeth clenched. "Today, you will be /my/ sacrifice. I curse you with the hour of your death--this hour, you fall," she says, the voice trick carrying her voice again even through the din of battle.

Her energy descends upon him, seeking to paralize him temporarily, as Inga stopps to open the wound in her arm fresh, blood rising into the air, pooling and hardening, forming several wicked spears. With a sweep of her arm, the spears all fly for The Big One.

She keeps walking toward him.

Gaonoir has posed:
Gaonoir is thrashing lizard-men left and right, but it's interrupted by several arrows punching into the beast-mon's upper shoulder and side. He leers to the side a bit as a snarl escapes between his teeth. Inga's defensive ward and his own sheer toughness (plus not having the organic 'soft spots' the archers are likely aiming for based on his appearance) dampen the harm it does. It still hurts like bloody hell though. Another, more vicious growl parts his lips as Gaonoir rears up on his back legs and grabs several of the arrows with a paw to yank them out, throwing them aside.

The lizardmen can be disappointed in that there is no blood on their weapons. He doesn't -have- blood. Just some motes of digital energy flickering in the air from the wounds.

She may be a back row participant in the fight but that doesn't mean Erika isn't contributing. She's putting her intellectual and analytical skills to good use, doing a quick calculation on the trajectory those arrows would of come from to hit her digimon the way they did. Then starts partway from the cart and points towards the ridge. "Over there!"

"Heh... they think they're safe at a distance. Cute." Wolfish eyes glimmer as Gaonoir turns his head to look towards the ridge, and then is engulfed in black energies. This time seeming to disappear into the shadows.

Something that big abruptly disappearing isn't going to go unnoticed, but by the time the archers are considering it Gaonoir is already crossing the shadowy side of reality his voidstep traverses.

"BLITZ STRIKER!" That shout came from... right below them?!

In a way, as Gaonoir EXPLODES out of the archers' shadows, unleashing a shockwave of dark energy as he does so. Eat shadow telefrag, punks!

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang isn't a simple pugilist, she ducks, weaves, and uses enemy weapons against them when possible, grabbing spear hafts and using the hapless weilder to smack his fellows with. She roars back at the Amaal'ja with equal ferocity, even as scratches, and deeper gashes start to form on her body as weapons pierce through her Aura and the defensive barrier provided by Inga. Each strike she takes only seems to fuel her burning rage, those eyes turning from an angry lilac to a baleful red, her hair beginning to spread embers as if it were literally burning.

    Dangersense triggers and instead of diving away, Yang just launches herself backwards, letting the spears cross into where she was, so she can then grab their heads and ram them together.

Tomoe has posed:
Even if her attack is countered the effect of making them have to deal with it might give an edge to those on the ground, she does not say anything else. As she engages the lizardmen with blade and shield she's also making use of being able to fly never fully setting foot on the ground. She will put a focus on killing the casters, where she can. Knowing how they can boost fn force of troops they need to go down she'll also pop her taunts.

"Your god isn't fit to rule over Chocobo shite!"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Yang and Raha seem to have the same idea, for the most part. Be loud and angry and annoying and Draw Attention. For Raha's case, the Fight is its Own Reward, though Keep Your Family Safe is a much closer second. That axe GLEAMS in the sun, energy lancing off the cleaving edge of the blade, lizardman blood staining the sands.

    Yang> Beat a MF'er with another MF'er
    This plan works surprisingly well, as plans go. The lances are deadly sharp, though, and one spangs off her Aura as she makes her move, clipping her something fierce before finding the life'sblood of another Amaljaa. Three more troopers pop up, though... they aren't advancing on Yang as eagerly as they were before. These beastmen may be tempered, they're not reckless.

    RANGA TEMPEST- i mean Dark Gaonoir blinks out of existance in the shadows of the archers and gets to see something interesting as he starts to chew and generally darkness the hapless archers. The Tall Guy's back.

    Inga, for her part, has put a stop to the first of the assaults from Blackbile Maladd Chah, but that's hardly the end of things. The Amalj'aa howls in rage at her words. "YOU. Chosen! You come to this star thinking you are high and mighty? Thinking you are greater than Lord Ifrit? This is folly. flee, and leave us to our work. Fall here and be trapped. Burn either way. It matters little. ALL shall burn. ALL shall bleed. SUFFER." The creature's staff raises up and slams down...

    And Tomoe will get to see it from the air. Darkness swiftly starts to lance across the desert. The lizard man is blotting out the sun with his magics, great dark plumes of void aether boiling from the Blackbile's body and staff. What in the world has this one gotten into?

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe says "So you say."

Is Tomoe's only reply she knows better than to argue with the Tempered after all no one's really home at this point, right She also see he's trying to cast something this is bad she sees the darkness start to lance across the desert he' blotting out the sun? She's got a dire feeling about it which has only one thought in Tomoe's mind she'll rise up into the sky, she'll swap weapon taking her Naginata, Mooncutter in hand.

She'll then fall upon the caster sh intends to cut him down, she intends to impale him from above, she fears could he be trying to summon his god? This would be /very/ bad it would be very bad and she'll keep attacking if he somehow lives through it launching into a brutal series of strikes with her weapon.

"Your 'god' has much to answer for."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang grins ferally at the Amaal'ja as they circle just out of her supposed range. "You think you're safe if you stay back?" she slams her fists together, causing a pulse of wind to rush out from her body. She then adjusts her gauntlets into a slightly different mode, and starts firing explosive bolts out at the lizard men, since when did Pugilists get ranged attacks!?

Inga has posed:
She's not arguing with Blackbile. In honesty, she would sympathize. She's been on the end of people shit-talking her gods and she doesn't like it. She doesn't do any shit talking. This is simply a battle, and they intend to win.

Inga frowns as the darkness of the void slithers out of the mage and his weapon, blocking out the sun.

Something something fight in the shade. Honestly, it's a bit of a relief. That sun is relentless!

Well, if voidsent are /also/ involved, that complicates things. Still, Inga's plan remains the same. She raises her staff as the amal'ja does his, and soon the sun is blotted out by more than just void energy, but thunderclouds as well. The air crackles with energy and smells of ozone, a bright bolt slamming down from the heavens into Blackbile.

Gaonoir has posed:
Erika glances up as the sky starts to turn dark in a very unnatural way. "Uh. I'm pretty sure that sort of phenomenon is not natural, even if magic is involved." She holds the digivice a bit closer to her mouth so she doesn't have to shout over the distance. "Gaonoir, you need to find the source before he unleashes some weird mojo on us all."

As luck would have it that's about the same time Gaonoir spots the warlock bellowing his incantation at Igna as he spits out an archer. He could teleport the distance again, but if this guy is dealing in dark powers he might sense him coming due to his own shadow energies.

Time for an alternative method, as his trainer would say.

Gaonoir bolts from his position, lowering his head as he does and the scraf around his neck rears up from the surrounding floof like a pair of uncoiling snakes, what appeared like fring at first spreading into claws of their own. As Inga charges her magic and Tomoe dives from above.

The clawed tendrils snap and lash forward, trying to snare their clawed fringe around the warlock's staff.

He's probably going to catch some of that lightning if it hits, but he's a big beefy boy, he can take it. Worth the risk of trying to wrest the warlock's staff under control.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Yang's peppershots of Dust are going to take the Amalj'aa by surprise, that's for sure, and they quarrel and panic if only a little. Because this is not how things were supposed to go. This is not at all how this was supposed to go. A lancer and a pugilist fall, and then one of the beatmen steps in, carrying a massive tower shield, snarling order to fall behind him. Oh. Well.
    And then The assault renews, the beastmen darting in and out from behind the defenses of the Guardian, trying to score more blows on the raging Dragon.

    Over in Wizard Town though, there's trouble. Gaonoir leaps out to snag at that staff, and he will get... a very interesting reaction. This Darkness is not His Darkness. It's wrong. It's not shadows, it's not the 'absence of light'. It's the antithesis of light. Darkness with a capital D and it tastes funny. Not like 'ick bleaugh gross' but... Off-brand. Nearly there. Close enough. Like you couldn't tell. Maybe another taste? Just to be sure? You can take another taste, right?

    Lightning Falls on Blackbile, and that spangs off another one of those energy shields, even as he wrests control of his staff from Gaonoir. "INSOLENT. Mother Crystal calls OUTSIDERS. She will fall like all the others. This is not Her time any more, FOOLISH HYUR." Another lancing barrage of fire, this time at Tomoe as she falls on him. He shoulders into the blow, taking the hit and... no blood. Not blood. Rather instead, there's just a seeping mass of black nothingness that bubbles out of the Amalj'aa, that coils around Tomoe and- Oh. That's not so bad really. It's nice here, in the darkness. Cosy. Take a break with a nap or something, why don't you?

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang bares her teeth at the Guardian, resetting her gauntlets and parrying incoming strikes, then stepping up and into the Guardian's defensive stance, grabbing his shield and swinging him around by it, pirouetting in place and using the beastman's bulk to clear her personal area. "YOU THINK A SHIELD WILL PROTECT YOU FROM ME!?" she bellows at her target, slamming him down into the ground while any others brave enough to try come in to attack her. "I'll kill all of you, and then I'll find your puny god, and I'll do the same to him! YOU HEAR ME!? BRING OUR YOUR GOD! I'LL DEFEAT HIM WITH MY BARE HANDS!"

Inga has posed:
"So what have you done, hmm? Made a pact with the voidsent? Sided without those from Outside?" she asks, still walking forward. If lightning bounces off his shields, she will hammer him with blood. Cut him off from his power.

"Give me just a moment my friends," she says, then stabs herself anew. She cuts deep into her vein, then the other side, a large amount of blood beginning to pool in the air. Inga goes paler. This is a /lot/ of blood. This is going to take a great deal out of her.

Luckily, the others are also pummeling him, distracting him from the magic she is trying to work on him.

Once she has enough blood--and it has to be enough, she can afford to lose no more-- she weakly directs it outward. The glowing crimson substance begins to circle around Blackbile....

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe scored a hit alongside her friends but it's not enough and the beastman does not bleed out blood. No, some sort of darkness what the hell is that? She doesn't want to know and she's starting to get a bit on the sleepy side she shakes her head trying to break free, she struggles to break fee.

"...Get out..."

Tomoe is clearly struggling here, but it's time she is able to even in this state perform sword arts as given the change Cardinal made to her? It's more or less a muscle memory part of her.

She launches herself at the Beastmen even has Inga and Yang are upon them.

HEr body moves there's a blue glow about her blade, she moves inhumanly fast launching into a storm of spear thrusts followed by several sweeps and she leaps up into eh air with a final driving strike calling out.

"LUNAR REQUIEM:

She's gone and use her own sword art or is that spear art in this case? Either way, even if she does nothing it should distract him from her comrades plans to end him.

Though if this black mist keeps it's not even Tomoe knows how long this will last.

Gaonoir has posed:
To someone that's tasted the Dark Side before, getting a feel of what's flowing through Blackbile is .... weird. Almost indescribable. Some of it can be chocked up to a different world and different supernatural mechanics. But that doesn't explain how, even to a being brimming with darker energies, off-put it feels. Just.. wrong. In an entirely different way. The wrong way.

Blackbile was already engulfed in the thrall of corruption from his god, lost to any other aspects of the world around him.

He was something Gaonoir had almost become.

Those two things are enough to actually get the great beast to withdraw, grip loosing enough for Blackbile to pull his weapon free again as Gaonoir snarls and bristles, retracting the scarf tendrils.

The corruption that flowed through Blackbile, and the equally vile blackness that flowed out of his wound. The darkness of impending destruction looming overhead. The roars of battle from both sides all around them, littered with death. It was a bitter and foul taste, the sort that haunts memories. No, no, wrong, it's wrong on more levels that most would realize. Just too many similarities between what Infrit does to temper his followers, and what the computer-god of the Digital World did to his followers. Tried to do to him.

"NOT THIS TIME!" Gaonoir roars, and somewhere over the ridge admist the darkness there's a flash of purple light as the digivice in Erika's hand surges with power resonating with Gaonoir's emotional state. Again the energy engulfs him, spiking once more, churning in the air with it's own torrent of power. Then shatters, and heavy metal feet slam to the ground, echoed by the clanging giant metal-clad fists clenching. The problem has gotten bigger, and the natural digimon response is to get as bigger and more powerful than the problem is.

Said metal fists start flying at Blackbile, to a point where they're literally a blurr of silver and purple. In rage there is little finess, just pure pummeling force over and over again, Gaonoir putting everything his Perfect form has into giving the warlock no time to respond to whatever Inga is conjuring up.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Blow after blow rains down on the Guardian's shield, each one making it glow hot with Dust and Aether and Energy and blow after blow is turned away. There's a matching snarl from the Lizard man. "HRISSST. I will DEVOUR YOUR EYES and CAST YOUR BLO-"
    And the light suddenly goes out of the creatures eyes. Two reasons. One. Raha got behind it. Thank Yang. And Two, because those eyes and the head they're attached to are now rolling away into the sand, the body of the Amalj'aa crumpling to the sand, bleeding out... and fading away into life force. In fact, that's happening to a lot of the bodies here. Amalj'aa that fall are being snuffed out, bodily, and spirited away.
    Raha's eyes meet Yang's, red pin pricks of raw fury in the dark of that visor... and it's clear that he's smiling at his compatirot, even as he turns in place and CHARGES at the Warlock.

    Over in Wizardland though, things are going Poorly. At least for Blackbile. There's a giant wolf trying to rend him limb from limb. There's a knight that's turned into Sword and is Sword'ing him repeatedly. These are less than Ideal. But they are not killing him. More of that gross not-quite-right blakness seeps out of him, and his body is losing cohesion. "TRRRRrrryyyyy as you MIGHT... Great Ifrit liiiiiives on. The light of Hyyyyyyydaelyn will be SNUFFED OUT." The creature's eyes start to grow. Or glow. Or something. As that blood circle starts to gather at its feet, it's getting harder to tell where the Mist starts and Blackbile ends.

Inga has posed:
The circle of blood snaps shut. It becomes a ring of brightly glowing energy, the sweet, golden energy of Gaia. Another goddess, another world, but Inga is one of Her Chosen, and where she goes the anima flows.

Generally, when a magic circle closes around a caster, it traps them inside and stops them from casting. That's what she's aiming for, even as the Amal'ja mage seems to sort of...melt. That's certainly unsettling. "If you keep summoning him, we will keep killing him. Try me. I literally have forever," she informs him, the circumference of that magic circle made with her anima infused blood getting smaller and smaller.

Gaonoir has posed:
The frenzy of punches stops from Gaonoir. Eyes narrow and glowing crimson behind his visor.

Instead of another punch he opens one metal clad hand. Just to grab what remains of Blackbile's head, and use his tremendous strength to help shove the warlock into the closing circle of magic and help him on his way to oblivion.

His response to being 'snuffed out'?

"You first."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is clearly grappling with the effect of the black mist as Tomoe seems to be slowing own she pause though for half a second she sees the circle she sees something chills her is he using people as fuel for his magic? His own people? She is stagging though the mist has taken its toll on her she'll keep trying to fight she'll keep going. Inga's words ring true and in the back of her mind.

Inga does have forever where does not? She wonders will anyone recall her? She pushes it out of her mind that's not important and she'll move to chant again this time rather than light? She'll send a single powerful lighting bolt at the Beastman hopefully he won't last much longer.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    A shove.
    A lightning bolt.
    The magic circle does indeed snap shut.

    The aether flow is cut away from Blackbile. And then... the creature just fades out. A hateful, misty, aspartame cloud of almosts and maybes and would-you-kindlies. The last thing to go? Is the eyes. Hateful, burning things, the light of Ifrit the last thing to go.

    And somewhere not far, a floating blackrobed figure huffs, slightly disinterestedly at the outcome of this. Her red mask adjusts and shifts, and there's a click of teeth. "Fool." A long suffering sigh, as she stretches and slides a tomestone from the aether, swiping at it lightly. "Well. If nothing else it proves the tests." The device beeps, and images slide on its face... and then she's gone.

    Raha's head snaps up, even as chocobo riders wheel around and start to cheer for the Heroes of the day. His ears flatten out, and his tail flicks straight as a bristle brush...

Inga has posed:
Inga lets the blood fall as the caster disappears, immediately falling to her knees as her legs give out. The wounds in her arms are already beginning to heal, but she used a lot of blood to do that. She's going to be weak and lightheaded for a bit.

Inga looks to Raha, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She follows his gaze...and narrows her eyes.

Then, she sighs. Always complications. "Well fought everyone," she says weakly. "I'm afraid that if you need healing you may wish to ask another. I will need a few minutes," she explains, trying not to just tip over in the sand. Laying down seems like it would be so very nice.

Gaonoir has posed:
Gaonoir ughs as he shakes fading remenants of the warlock off the hand his pushed with. "Blackbile was a little too well named."

It's about now that Erika finally runs up to the group like some support character that supposedly lurked just out of view for most of the fight. "Gaonoir.. are you.. huff..." Unfortunately even after the time she's spent running around with digimon she's not quite as physically fit as she is mentally, and has to stop to catch her breath, vagely gesturing with one hand to wait for her to be able to finish.

Use to it by this point Gaonoir just crosses his arms, somewhat impatiently.

"Okay... I'm okay..." Erika exhales slowly, and stands back up. "You're okay? And the quarry?"

Gaonoir grinds a bionic heel into the ground where Blackbile disappeared. "Dealt with... though there may be bigger problems around here."

"No, really?" The girl gestures at him with the device in her hand. "The digivice totally freaked out for a moment. The same way it does when yo--"

She's cut off by one large metal hand, gently for it's size, being clamped over her mouth. "We'll talk about it. -Later-."

Partially to keep her from rambling off personal details... And partially because he's getting that 'being watched' feeling. Though there's no one else to be seen. Just... Or maybe it's because he's already on edge from finding out HOW beings like Infrit influence their followers.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Inga will find herself quickly scooped up by one of the Chocobo riders, and spirited back to the cart, where other injured huntresses are resting themselves. The pretty redhead conjuror miqo'te smiles as he stands next to the Seer and starts sealing up those woulds, staving off the blood loss as well. "Come now. Can't let you of all people fall over, now can we?"

    Raha shuffles forward, his armor vanishing from view as he approaches Erika and and Gaonoir and Tomoe. He's left in a loose fitting shirt, some long pants and wide sneakers. Perfect for desert movement. "Come on. Let's get back to the Oasis. We need to report in as soon as possible."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe seems ready to collapse and is on her knees using her spear to support herself. She shakes her head a bit. "Don't tax yourself, Inga, I'll walk it off I'm not sure what he hit me with but it sucked....Hey.... I know what I heard about an awesome place to eat on this world a seafood place in Limsa Lominsa."