Scene #1909:

Owner	Pose
Faruja	Faruja has called his allies back to the recently discovered underground city. The long tunnel has become home to a few Church scholars and other assorted persons, with tents and a few guards set up. Pitiful by the Inquisition's usual standards, but it's all they can manage with the ongoing war. The rat has asked his compatriots to meet right in front of that large, underground library, and the spirit they're here to help lurks in the doorway. The older ratess has her hands clasped in front of her, floating in that oh-so-ghost-like manner. She's the first to speak. "Well, it seems Mister Faruja was true to his word. Welcome. I'll not bore you with small talk." The ghostly woman raises a hand towards the tunnel to the left. It's been recently excavated, with only a little bit of blocked rubble left. "I can feel the source of my binding that way. But that's all I know. You will have to use your wits, if you still want to do this." She shrugs uselessly, and a little sadly. Then Faruja turns to everyone else. "Right then, ye heard the Lady! Plug thine ears please." Faruja does just that, as Acolyte Strawberry runs /away/ from the rubble. KABOOM goes the dynamite as rubbles goes flying. A quick spell blocks much of it from pelting the viera or the rest gathered. Luckily nothign collapses. Berri gets a mean look from Faruja, then he sighs. The newly uncovered area is crumbling indeed: a gold-lined, faded street leads past what might have once been a residential district. Domed, collapsed houses eerilie devoid of bones or other signs of past life are illuminated as Faruja summons up Phoenix to light the way. A /very/ powerful source of magic can now be felt some ways away. There's only one way to go: forward. And plenty of ancient writing, architecture, and a few scraps of what might be paper in a few places. Everywhere, a far lower humm of magic fills the area, dormant and long-sleeping.
Ainsley	This was something that felt less horrific and lethal than most of the adventures that Ainsley had been on, so she has a smile on her face instead of the usual blank expression she displays. Still subdued in demeanor, she lingers near Faruja for the most part, hinting at the deep familiarity between the both of them. The only way she could stand closer would be if she was holding his hand, really. The explosion reveals their path forward. "Keep an eye out for runes on the floors, walls and ceiling. Bindings are sometimes written as murals, but sometimes they use an invisible script that needs mana in order to become visible. My presence here might make them light up, since I emit a little magic at all times." Her informative tone was loud and clear. "Terrifying beasts might make their nests down here. Keep an eye out for those, too. Mostly those. I can handle the written stuff." She then motions for the others to walk on ahead, and follows after Faruja. She's certainly not going to lead this group, because she doesn't want to get eaten. And it's really not sensible for the scholar to lead the group.
Finna	With rubble and dust still settling, one might easily miss the tiny yet nimble fox darting from one hunk of rugged debris to another. Her path is sure-footed if odd though, and the white-furred fixen steps lightly onto the gold-lined street. Light and unusually quiet, despite her white fur she easily blends into the shadows and goes on the hunt for any nearby surprises that might pounce the others...
Kirika	Better late than never, that Kirika joins in with this. She looks very much the knightly warrior today with her armor, shield on her hand and a broadsword sheathed at her hip. As the debris clears, she rubs at her sensitive ears before she shakes away the high-pitched squeal in her eardrums. Owwww. Regaining composure, the kitsune keeps her shield ready as she joins the group, making sure to remain on hand to defend the rest of the Elites as Finna adopts a defensive stance as well.
Tomoe	So here Tomoe is once again as she's been called up by Faruja for some more help with things back in his world. She had wondered why things ahd been quiet? Yet it seemed that wasn't the case anylonger. So here the Alf was and she was looking for a moment at the mention of ear plugs? All right she does so and is able to deal with the blast well enough. She however pauses as she looks to see the old place before them. "How charming..."
Faruja	Indeed, the outing might seem like a scholar's dream. Faruja gives a swift nod to his lizardly love. "Right, watch one's feet and doth not trend too heavily." Comes the rat, not exactly a rune expert. He'd rather not be caught in a rune-based trap or old magical conduit if he can help it. Still, he and phoenix lead on, as is his duty. And so Ainsley's predictions prove true. Faruja strides forward, and thanks to her presence, neat little orderly runes light up. They're all horridly faded and offer little resistance. A few minutes of peering might discern their purpose: not unlike the 'modern' electricity, this place was once powered by magic. The infrastructure of runes is all but gone, with only these simple connectors left. Something far beyond the mages of current Ivalice to repair. And most importantly, nothing with enough juice to cause problems just yet. The armored form of Kirika gets a glance from Faruja, the ratling looking more than a little confused. He knew she was a warrior, but an actual, God's own /knight/? Every now and then, he opens his muzzle, only to close it. He'll have to ask another time. Tomoe would see much as the others. The general area might remind her somewhat of ancient pictures of Earth; old 'street lamps', and other such ruins likely indicating a much more advanced culture presumably ran on magic. But one left to rot, for reasons unknown. A step has an old flier kicking up. It's nearly crumbled by her presence, but if Tomoe can catch it, there's a centuries-old picture of what looks to be a Colliseum. Sadly the words within don't help much, as it's long-dead. Thank goodness for Finna, as the vixen quickly finds prey. The long-dead corpses of, not burmecians, but humans lurk in the darkness just out of Phoenix's light. At least two dozen of the creatures, all baring weapons of various amounts of rust, silently lurk at the ready with all the malevolence of the trapped and undead. The skeletons soon leap out towards the more visible party, leaving Finna with enough time to warn them! Seems she hasn't been spotted!
Tomoe	Tomoe already has Dawn Breaker out and the mounding wall she knows there's likely to be trouble int his. She notice the place has been left to rot. A place like this left to decay? Speaks of war or disaster so far as she can tell. She pauses as she looks at the flier. "A coliseum? Huh curious." She's about to say more when Finna shouts a warning about undead. she turns here attention to he undead and soon she's racing to get into the thick of things. She yells a challenge to the undead and chants. the Nordic is bad enough to make Inga cringe if she were to hear it, but what comes next are several rays of light, it's a weak area of effect light spell but? It should be enough to get the undead on her, it's her job after all.
Kirika	Kirika isn't technicaly knighted, but as a Warden to Shukuuto, she is technically a samurai sworn to her service as a vassal. The armor itself is a custom piece she had requested from a Union armorer, after her training in sword and shield began under Amalthea's oversight. That, and the kitsune needed something sturdier to wear. Her tailor's bill was going through the goddamn roof. As she draws the broadsword, the kitsune spies skeletons making their appearance, and she adopts an aggressive stance as her shield is raised. Her sword accompanies it, and she lunges forth. Her shield is as much a weapon as it is a protective tool, and Kirika proves it by smashing the shield into the face of one of the skeletons. Blades are useless against that which has no flesh to cleave, but a blunt weapon meanwhile remains handy.
Finna	It being somewhat dark poses no problem for Finna. Her ears swivel about on high alert, her nose is sniffing out... .... Well, nothing good. She barks a quick warning over the radio but uses very few words! The reason being... That makes it all the easier for her to prepare her own ambush. When she emerges from the shadows, it's with a blade clasped in her jaws. A short sword forged of gleaming Feathersteel - sharp, light, and impervious to rust! The faintest gleam of light shimmers from her fur along with a hint of silvery-blue fire - pure power, radiating like flames - and WHOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!! She's bouncing off the walls, into the darkness and out, zigzagging from shadow to shadow. Each time she rockets out of cover it's with a mighty growl and a swift twisting motion of her neck! The sword draws countless gleaming crescents in the air, no doubt sending splatters of zombie gore every which way.
Ainsley	The path to where they are going makes Ainsley sigh a little at its state. She makes no attempts to pick up the scraps of paper, not wanting to crumble them and just end up feeling sad about it. The walk, as uneventful as it is at first, becomes filled with the gentle humming coming from the lizard girl during the stroll. Her longsword is drawn out of its scabbard and held in one hand as they progress, as she remembers what could be lurking in ancient ruins. She pays very little attention to the runes, knowing their meaning at a glance and not being terribly impressed with degraded and useless runes. The sword proves useful, or at least wise to be holding, when Finna warns the party. A zombie that lunges for her gets stabbed in the face almost instantly, and booted away. She raises one hand and snaps her fingers, sending a bolt of lightning from that point toward the head of that zombie. More precision than her usual spells, she attempts to pick off undead that the rest of the party might get blindsided by, taking up a rear support role once she has some space to breathe. "You need to work on your pronunciation," she tells Tomoe in-between spells, with the distracted indifference of a librarian.
Jeannette Thompson	There's the sound in the underground halls of the delirect kingdom. Not the stammering of zombies, but the slightly muted sound of a heel, striking stone, indicating movement from behind them. The step is distant, then louder, a quick pace that indicates a quick walk. Someone who knew that there was urgency involved, but who was /not going to be hurried/. The steps get louder and louder to the group, before one of the zombies in front of them might find itself looking down at a slight wound in it's chest, before the explosive round detonates in a spray of gore to knock it back. "Dreadfully sorry, Inquisitor." Jeannette says, her pace still measured as she approches the group on the main street. "You know how things can go. Affairs of the squadron, and of the Navy. Finding appropriate transport that the locals won't gawk at. Avoiding getting any of this... filthy bile and gore on my person." She says, looking down to wipe a little bit of ichor off her cloak covering her uniform. "I trust you've had... too much trouble without me. Or fun, for that matter?"
Faruja	Quite a few corpses are sliced up by Finna's fox-ninja action! That blade slices and dices cleanly through rotted corpse-bits, and blades alike, barely serviceable even when they were newly made. Finna alone cleaves through half the surprised undead. Kirika's own blade punches through a greatsword-wielding skeleton even as her shield keeps one from removing Faruja's head just in time! The rodent's no where near as fast as the samurai-foxen, after all. Bone splinters go everywhere. Faruja even spits out one. Only to be covered in gore, Ainsley first boots, and then blasts a zombie to re-death, causing the rat to cough a bit. He's suddenly regretting being at the front. The creature drops still, a hole in its chest even as she picks off quite a few more of the undead. It only gets worse when a certain familiar figure emerges, and a zombie promptly explodes from an explosive round to the neck. Right over his armor and robes. Faruja frowns briefly, sighs and wipes away more detritus. Jeannette gets a /look/. Ruffled fur indeed, but he then smiles. "Well, bloody better late than never! Oh, no, I appreciate the attention to not getting the Linders too upset. Or greedy for thine technology. Equally bad ends. Nevermind the theological issues." A wave of a hand, and grin. "To business! Come, let us finish off these poor long-dead knaves! Plenty of 'fun' to be had." Then the rat concentrates as he spies Tomoe's light spell. The rest of the undead turn to her as it's cast with horrible screams, a few more coming out of the woodwork. It's more than enough to let Phoenix fly up to the ceiling, wings flapping and sending fiery feathers down to incinerate the last few stragglers. At the end, there's nothing but scorched stone and the smell of burning undead. Faruja luckily has plugged his nose by now pre-emptively. The feeling of magic draws ever closer now, with the undead dealt with. Though there's sounds in the distance and shadows, these seem to be living ones; Finna might notice some of the lizard creatures from before. These ones are pale, and blind, shrinking away from light and that obscene show of violence. Perhaps not brave, but smart, these creatures. "...It may well be worth speaking with the new residents, if such can be done." He whispers to the group, Faruja frowning. He doesn't like the idea necessarily, but his people /did/ seem to abandon the place, or worse. Tomoe's scrap proves most useful, as the thrum of magic seems to be coming directly from such a place. This of all places lacks much of the ruined nature of the rest of the building. Two massive doors inlaid with gold block entry, and from within? Various hisses and other noises can be heard. It's hard to make out, but the translation effect clearly marks them as spellcraft of some form. Crude, but effective, Faruja perks up immediately. "...Whomever is beyond these doors is trying to Summon something." Comes the rat, barely able to hide his fear. He doesn't want to think of just /what/. "Ready?" States the rat, and he nods to Kirika. The rodent quietly casts, already trying to pry one door open, ready for Kirika to do the same. Inside, there's a massive stone circle filled with empty seats. A massive lizard-like creature, tall and thin, is festooned with old scraps of ancient cloth, leather of creatures unknown, and various tribal vestments. Blood is everywhere, sacrificed lizardmen abound. In the center of it all? Is a statue of a demonic-looking, winged creature. ARound the thin being, several other smaller black-scaled lizards dance and jape, their own magics being drawn upon by the nascent Summoner. That statue crackles, filled with energy. The sight is enough for Faruja to point at the creature, an Inquisitor to the last. "Kill the filthy Heretic!" He orders, already urging Phoenix forward.
Kirika	Kirika is certainly very fast, as she makes like a walking ginsu for the undead. The skeletons get a smash in the face with a heavy shield, while Kirika uses her sword to chop zombies into bits, making certain to target the neck to sever heads, as well as limbs just to be certain. It's clear she's getting used to the idea of fighting zombies, or she's just done this before in Kasun. After the fight, she nods to the rest before continuing down towards the door. Her hands grasp onto the door as she sets her shield aside and sheathes her sword, using inhuman strength to pry the door open like it was nothing. She ventures front and foremost, her sword and shield back in hands while she notes Faruja's orders. "Gladly." Normally she'd hear that from some zealot she needs to stop from ending the world or something. It's much more satisfying when the right men are making such calls. THe kitsune teleports in a flash of light and a shower of petals, reforming in sword range to slash the creature emerging mid-air.
Ainsley	Jeannette's late arrival to the party gets a look of surprise from Ainsley, who raises that sword defensively in her direction and stares for a second or two. The Quetzal woman shrugs afterward and returns to carving up and zapping undead until they are all gone, dutifully going about the act as if it were completely normal at this point. She barely makes a peep at all about it. Progression through the ruins beyond that becomes something of a sad sight once again. The lizard people that shrink away from the group get suspicious and concerned looks from the Quetzal woman, who wonders to herself if this is what is to become of the Quetzal if they keep living underground. The lizard woman breathes a soft and unhappy sigh when they reach the colliseum doors... When the doors are pushed open, the smell of rotten blood hits her face. She grimaces at that. The lizard creature in the center, controlling the ritual, gets her attention. Almost on reflex, she shoves the sword back in its scabbard and flies up to be nearer to the lizard beast. And that's when she does something strange that she's never done in the presence of others before. She speaks similar arcane words to try and counteract the summoning ritual, trying to wedge nullifying effects into it while it's being cast to dissipate the magic. She bellows these words loudly, her voice taking on an echoing tonation to it.
Finna	After whittling down the Undead and witnessing Tomoe's lightshow, Finna takes a few moments to stuff away her weapon after giving it a quick cleaning. How exactly a fox tucks away a whole sword into who knows where remains a mystery however. The small creature's steps are quiet though, even as Finna hits full sprint mode and practically sails in through the doors and into the bumrushed ritual grounds... She decides to not engage in the crude violence however. Instead... "Was wondering if those scents belonged to the lizardfolk! Don't know what they've living on down here.. might not wanna." But she doesn't just ramble. Her body gains mass at an ALARMING rate, going from the size of a typical fox to more resemble a VERY large wolf - easily competing with the biggest of canine breeds. The burning silvery Essence display intensifies further, making the nearby shadows warp weirdly and the air seem oddly damp and chilly like a night breeze in spring. She lines up carefully, running across the walls, and then... "EYAHHH!!!" Executes a flying body tackle, hoping to knock the statue over sideways!
Tomoe	Tomoe makes a face at Ainsley's comment but she's knee deep in dead. She's able to cut down a few of the undead, and with the rest of the party it doesn't take long to deal with all of the remaining undead. With that handled she looks to the scrap again and follows along. She takes a moment to look to Faruja before the head out. Before long they are dealing with the horrible things however? She does not go for the Heretic? Nay she charges in shield up aiming to slam into the statue with enough force hopefully to topple it, possibly break it, it seems to be the centure of the ritual right? Then againt his might explode in her face, right?
Jeannette Thompson	"You really need to find a better place to stand when someone shots a target with an delayed explosive." She says, to Faruja, attempting wiping off a finger srom the rat's back and toss it to the side. "But the Linders are the least of our concerns at the moment. And I shall be the greatest of theirs if they attempt to raise themselves out of their current infetesimal position on my list." She notes, as the undead fall one by one. There aren't many left by the time she's there, so she'll take a moment to switch to penetrating flechettes, and spray rounds in their general direction. Enough to pulp up bodies without getting Faruja's robe damaged any more. Ainsley gets a slight nod at the raises up sword, Jeannette's own hand, in a swift motion, whipping way her cloak, placing hand on hilt, and bringing the sword out with a song of steel, placing it at her forehead briefly in a saluate. And keep the sword out, of course. A Commodore might do things effectively. A baronness must do so with a /flourish/. To be fair, she doesn't have many words to speak when the talk of summoning comes. "And what would they..." She manages to say, before the door is pryed open, and the sight in front of them is revealed. Jeannette is not a religious woman. Not even enough to go to anything but the most mandatory services, much less rally to the cry to kill those worshiping a different religion. There's... something about the site of a demonic statue danced around by lizards that raises the cackles on the part of her brain that was less than rational... and when the rational part of her agreed, it wasn't hard to rush forward, clearing the way ahead of her with her pistol as he sword comes up. She'd have to skewer some of the smaller lizards, first, it seems, but the target here was clear.
Faruja	Faruja squints an eye at Jeannette. "...What in the bloody abyss doth ye mean by..." He doesn't get a chance to finish that rather irritated sentence towards the Commodore before it's time to press the assault. She'll likely owe him a drink, and new robes at this point. That door opens under Kirika's superhuman strength like, well, a normal door. Similarly, Faruja's own opens, as though it was made to be opened by magic. The thrumming of the Colliseum itself is likely the only thing allowing a neophyte Summoner like the one currently enacting the ritual to even in part succeed, but there's a burst of pure darkness. Faruja goes paler beneath the fur, such pure black magery beyond even that of Lich. The Esper being summoned here is /not/ one of the friendlier ones, and it reverberates in Faruja's soul. Kirika beats him to vocalizing his warning, as she teleports away and slices at that burst. The physical disruption of magic is a delicate thing in such a ritual, and throws off the entire thing mightily. With a scream, the Esper's pointed jaws snap an inch away from the fox-knight's face, trying to manifest with the pure magic drawn here. But the counteracting words of Ainsley's own magical power causes the very area to seem to destabilize for a moment, powerful ritual clashing with the pure arcane might of Ainsley's own strength. It's a volitile mixture of physical and arcane disruption, and the dark Esper finally fades away. The backlash of magic takes out a trio of dancing lizard-mages, their bodies popping most gruesomely as the deft combination has a most unfortunat effect on those gathered. The remaining mages pause, and the leader just /points/. The nine remaining lizards in teh circle raise their hands, and black fire erupts in their hands. Words echo, the name 'Lord Diabolos' shouted hard enough to fill the Colliseum echoes about. But the center of the ritual doesn't last all that long. Tomoe's charge is swift enough to dance past the main Lizard ritualist, smashing the head and shoulders off of the statue with one deft blow! The thing wobbles uncertainly, little more than stone and a focus for energy, but shards of the stuff pummels Tomoe's face and body from the strike! At least until Finna steps in. The Essence-filled, flying wolf-Lunar ends that statue's existance almost all at once. CRUNCH! Beneath her body, there lays a destroyed statue, and a core of dark, crunched magic-filled obsidian that's little more than powder. All at once, that magic thrumm mostly fades away. Many of the lizardfolk gathered fall to their knees in despair as the icon of their worship is destroyed, and the ritual ruined. Several scream. Thus leaving Jeanette a perfect opening to skewer through several mourning lizards, and even those still enacting that dark fireball. The spell fizzles for the most part, but one enterprising lizard still manages to toss a magical flamethrower of Heretical justice at her! Phoenix dissappears with a snap of Faruja's fingers, and he applies a far more personal touch. Namely a Gravity spell, the few Lizards who haven't fled the place pulled together into a head-knocking, crunch laden impact that leaves several unconscious or dead. There's one left, and that being the head lizard of the ritual. HOwever, by now, the creature seems to be backing down. Indeed, he falls to his knees in what might just be terror. From the the look Faruja gives the being, someone might want to step in.
Tomoe	Tomoe is peppered with shard which rip into her exposed kin and it hurts it also causes strange glowing red injuries which looks like wireframes. She turns now to face what remains at this point. She's hopefully helped to stop things from getting worse. She turns to face the leader of the ritual and she moves to get between Faruja and the lizard. "You got one chance, come clean we want information what you were doing, why, are you alone? Part of group." She's also not afraid even if Faruja were to lose it she's kinda not actually here in a way, after all.
Ainsley	The chaos happens in seconds, it seems like. Ainsley's disruption lashes at her as well, Diabolos' presence resonating with the lizard woman. Enough that she pushes harder against the spell, and gasps when it shatters, the icon's destruction making her drop to the ground and wheeze a few breaths. She shakes her head, the ringing in her ears thrumming through her whole body. When she cracks her eyes open painfully after that mana headache, the room is no longer full of dark mana and chanting, and no more fighting is happening. When the lizard priest is on his knees, she is right there, not that far away. She steps up to the exchange, and looks at Tomoe with something of a gentle look of uncertainty. And then to the lizard man. "We did not come here for you. Do not make us come back to clean up the mess your ritual would cause," she tells him, her voice still possessing a cool indifference to it. She approaches even closer, and leans in to look the lizard creature right in the eyes. "Dark spirits are best left to their slumber. They hold no warmth for living creatures, not even you." She straightens, and concludes, "Point us to the contract magic. It should be near to this place, if you know what it is." Her tone is uncomprimising, but she's not angry at him.
Finna	With an almighty thunderous crash and sizzle of misplaced magic, the sttue is down! And a giant fox, wrapped up in wisps of silvery flames like a beast of the gods, stands high upon the debris. Though foxes are not known for such noises, Finna overcomes all reason for putting on her show - those who remain after the ritual's ruined by everyone are treated to a thunderous, snarling roar! No need to interpret that one. The message is pretty clear. Fall on your knees, weep, and surrender - or perish! But she soon launches off her perch to land near Faruja. It's probably NOT coincidence, how her tail flicks up to tickle the Inquisitor's nose! Finna's found that the best way to break people's unwanted moods is doing ENTIRELY out of place things. "What tales these creeps'll have once they're all bound up!" Yeah, don't kill ALL of them, she's saying.
Kirika	Just as Kirika is about to get in the middle of a melee, she tenses up only for things to kind of wind down swiftly. She lands in a crouch, managing to come across as mencacing as she can while still sporting fluffy ears and a tail as she keeps her weapons ready. She somewhat kind of approaches Finna and Faruja, sword twirling deftly in her hands. "Well, that was succinct." She muses.
Jeannette Thompson	The fireball comes right at Jeannette, and it isn't as if she's wearing a +1 Cloak of Magical Defense. What she was wearing was something built to be fire resistant... and to keep her easily moving as she can dodge anything that does go toward her. In this case, the needed action was something she had to think of quickly. She's wrapped in the cloak she was using, taking a step forward before dashing to the ground, attempting to skid under it as it flies by. When it does, the lizard's leg gets jammed into by the blade that extends from her arm, used to drag him to the ground, and pull her way up his chest, which has her sword lodged in it a second later. Which she does use to hoist herself up. "Should have sucrried." She says, blade retracting into her hand, sword cleaned of blood with a cloth from her equipment. Her pistol had, in her drop, already been reholstered. She... may have practiced that. When things were done, however, there was just the lizard mage between them and what answers he held. To threaten was not her fortiee, however, as she had no legion of Marines to drop from the ceiling, or some battlecruiser on an underground lake to lay waste to this place. What she did have was a drawn sword, pushed out just a bit, the flat of it resting pointedly on the Inquistor's knee. Finna did something to break the mood. Jeannette would rather insure aganist it's actions.
Faruja	Luckily, whatever Faruja was planning is neatly interrupted by TAIL! Finna's fluff tickles the rat's sensitive nose, and he sneezes hard enough to land on the ground in a fit. The dirty look he's favoring the vixen with likely /isn't/ one that's unfamilar. The rat's /so/ going to tie her tial up with pink ribbons later! The threat is made, however, and the rest of the living lizard-mages fall to their knees in submission. They whimper, whine, and generally are pathetic enough to soothe even Faruja's raging heart. Ainsley's and Tomoe's words prove effective. The head lizard wobbles forward. "Lord Diabolos calls us! Always in this cavern! Old rats dead, new ones gone from above! Don't know about 'binding'! Truth! Truth!" Spits out the creature. Finally, Faruja rises, and indeed makes with the bindings. "...Normally I wouldst deal with ye, but mayhaps the others art correct. Well then? Nay great sources of magic?" Prods the rat, quite literally with his cane as he manacles the head Summoner of the group. The creature finally /points/ with its tail towards a little alcove some ways away, just below the seating. There's a small, subtle thrum there now that there's no chaos to be had. The poor creature is just sobbing now under Ainsley's gaze. Whatever plans he had of summoning Diabolos? They're likely gone now, and who knows if it's even possible. Faruja casts a look to that spot, but then shrugs. Maybe some Espers /should/ be left to lay dormant. Lich bothers him enough. Plus having a blade at your knee is most annoying. Jeannette's victim was ran through quite mightily, another corpse in this ill-thought summoning ritual. Who knows how much was the being's influence, and another desperation for a lost people so deep under ground. Faruja gives a one-eyed scowl, but doesn't hurt the creature. He walks over to the alcove, and plucks a faded scrap of paper. It's offered most un-gingerly to Ainsley. She'd instantly note the magic: it's a true binding contract, signed in blood. A 'Lady Keeper Anita Senra', to be specific. Who knows if the lizardess wants to give that kind of information to the rat she so loves, even assuming it's really the same family. The Contract itself wasn't exactly willing by what words Ainsley can read, either. The politics are a bit muddled, but it seems this woman was forced into the position for short-term gain from another family. Perhaps the reasons for decay in this place might have been wrought by its occupants. Faruja raises his voice. "Right then! Drag the Summoner off, and leave the rest." Pause. "In mine expert opinion, they were merely misguided souls. Doth not expect mercy /twice/." Cue another glare from the rat that has the majority of the lesser lizards scampering to their holes. The light of God will come shortly enough. He's too busy yanking along the main culprit in all of this towards the surface.
Jeannette Thompson	And Faruja gets knocked over by a sneek caused by a fox tail. Well. At least he didn't have his claws buried chess deep in a lizard priest, even if he did look just a bit undifnified. Jeannette just nods, slightly to the rat, being a brooding enforcer of a woman instead of a Commodore for the moment. And then the other creature points toward the alcove. After looking to Faruja for a hard moment, her sword is removed before she walks off, to glen... a contract. Her eyes from here can see the blood on the signature. "I didn't expect those to be so effective." She notes, before she twirls her blade once, and rests the tip lightly between the lizard summoner's eyes. "In the interest of diplomacy, I feel compelled to help see through the inquistor's orders. Lest you think death is preferable to dishonor, know that you will lose your eyes before you lose your life." She says, blade still resting there for a moment, before being drawn back, the tip moved to the underside of the muzzle. "Up, and walk." She says, pressing up on the blade so the tip digs in lightly but firmly enough to ellicit compliance.
Kirika	There isn't much else to do as Kirika watches Faruja sneeze, trying to hide a giggle. She draws her sword and points the tip at the cultists, edging them onwards. "On your feet, move it." The kitsune barks with sudden authority, more like a law enforcement officer than an uncertain warrior woman. She is however kind of just going along with the flow, this is Faruja's show after all.
Ainsley	Ainsley spares the lizard man a look of mild pity when he breaks into sobs. She stares almost like a statue while he does that, and she tries to imagine the lost purpose and hope in his heart. She frowns at the sight for a few seconds... then reaches over to touch him on top of the head while he's sobbing. "You will find another purpose, one better for these people and for you," she assures him, with utmost confidence, "You always can, as long as you live." And then she reaches to hold the scrap of paper in her hand, reading the contents of the contract. She scans her eyes over it, still as subdued as before. She frowns again when she reads the name written on it, and the conditions of the contract certainly make her unhappy. "Abominable," she remarks, and then she finds a flat surface to set it on, draws some of her own blood out with a dagger, coating the dagger, grunting from the discomfort of the shallow cut... and she carves an appropriately anathemic rune into the scrap in the hopes that her magic blood serves to break the chains that have held the ghost for so long. It probably lasted this long because its own magic preserved it.
Finna	With a strange noise of flowing flesh and reshaping bone, Finna takes human form again - although she's still aglow and her ears and tail are MORE than clearly visible. The tail, though? Wagging up a storm. She's snickering a bit to herself. Triumph! Faruja got spluttery. "Always demon cults and the like... y'know, how all of this summoning stuff works is way past my head. But I know one thing! If it looks important? Go for that." The bigest grin spreads across her face as she smugly folds her arms.
Faruja	The look Faruja shoots Jeannette is one of pure indignation. He's not used to having blades shoved at him, when they're not Heretics or Alexandrians. It's enough to get most shot in Ivalice. But the pure gall has the rat smirking. The woman gets a pat on the shoulder. "...Watch the sword, Dame Commodore. Bad political implications, pointing such things at an Inquisitor." He advises, gently enough. Really, it'd make as much headache for him as her, and that's /with/ counting the protections of an Elite. The Church's power shouldn't be discounted, the rat /not/ looking forward to that internal squabble. Between Tomoe and Finna, the summoner goes along quietly. He can barely walk, quivering in pure fear of the two, before Ainsley offers just enough succor. "Y...yes! Live! Lead dark ones! Make better home! F...fresh food?" Even /Faruja/ twitches just a bit in sympathy at that. And promptly shoves the lizard. "/FORWARD/ knave! We shall discuss such things after we art quit this place." Faruja looks to Finna. "Simple. Midguided fools, or idiots whom actually believe there art other powers than God!" Typical monothiest, this one. Ainsley's work proves true: her blue causing the scrap to melt away like the brittle paper it is. At first, there's nothing. NOt until the group passes by the library. That cold grasp of death is gone, with only the faintest outline of a person there. Anita Senra smiles as she leans on the doorway, visibly trying to keep herself together. It's a feeble effort, but it works just long enough. "...Thank you. There really are those worth passing out the library too. Good...by..." her words fade as the spirit evaporates into motes of a soul, spreading upwards and into the rain above. Faruja just watches, pausing, letting the guards of the Church take care of the rest. He muses, and prays, over a soul going to God.
Tomoe	Tomoe has just proven to be silent at this point, she listens as the name Diablos is mentioned? Like the devil? Ya this sounds like it's bad news at this point she . She has no idea about the contract but perhaps it's for the best. With that she falls in she notes. "If a mortal can make it bleed? It's not a god." With that she heads out.