Scene #8305: Revilations

Owner	Pose
Raziel	The room you are in was circular, a sort of chapel or sight of honor. On each side of the walls, except for where you entered from, and a single space directly across from you were murals. Below each mural were caskets, and above those caskets were names engraved in stone. Melchiah, Sephon, Rahab, Dumah, Turel... ...and Raziel. These names are the names of Raziel's brothers, and himself. Placed here in the tombs of Sarafan saints. `These crypts, defiled caskets of Sarafan saints. Bearing my brother's names...and my own. The irony of Kain's blasphemous act rushed in on me with the crushing force of revelation. Were my hands not as bloody as these? Worse, I had spilled the blood of my brothers. These very comrades whose tombs were buried before me.' Raziel recoils once he comes to his tomb, recoiling at the sight. It seems...the truth of Raziel's time as a human is revealed. Kain revived saints of the Sarafan, defiling their corpses and using them as lieutenants in his conquest of Nosgoth. Raziel looks both horrified and bewildered at the same time. It's obvious by his expression he /did not know/ this. It's possible that his resurrection into a vampire had made it so he did not remember his human life, or there is something more to this. Whatever the case, this entire revelation had stunned him "I...don't..." he says, finally speaking for the first time in several minutes. "Yes Raziel, you were Sarafan. Born of the same force that nearly destroyed your race. Before the dawn of the empire, you were chosen. Kain, Nosgoth's solitary self-declared monarch plundered this tomb and raised you from these crypts. Breathing his vampiric gift into your defiled corpses, he resurrected you as his favored sons." The voice of the Elder God rings clearly for all to hear it, before growing silent and leaving this knowledge burned in Raziel. It was clear to see for all what was burning inside Raziel now. Anger, loss, self-loathing, and every emotion in between. It was obvious that if Kain were in this room right now, he'd throw himself at him with reckless abandonment. Out of frustration, his clawed hand comes down on the sarcophagus lid, laid somewhat disheveled on his tomb. "Goddamn, it Kain, what is this game you're playing..!"
Trudy Grimm	A certain witch tip-taps from tomb to tomb, examining the carvings and lettering etched into them while the metal parts of her shoes click against the stonework. Each movement Trudy makes is agonizingly loud in the silence of Raziel's contemplations following this dark revelation. When she approaches the tomb marked with Raziel's name, her shadow deepens. From it, she procures a long rod. The last thing to emerge from the darkness at her feet is-- a lantern. Wrought iron, black with age, and glowing from within by a sickly blue-green flame slowly consuming a green crystal. She lifts this up to cast more light on the tomb's carvings and reliefs, humming gently, "They certainly are all empty, so that much seems to be true." Stepping up, she places her free hand on the edge and leans over to peer inside, shining her lamp through the gap as she does, "Hmm~... Seems like a comfy place to rest, though." Turning, the witch props the lantern pole over her shoulder, glancing at the stunned Vampire wraith, then the others, "Do we take a moment? I think we should keep moving, but I'd understand."
Timespace Riders	Woz makes a 'hm' of interest, mingled with a kind of grim amusement. "So this is the knowledge of which the elder one spoke." Still in his silver armor, bearing the red and blue cuirass and helmet of its Quiz variation, the retainer turns his chin up at Raziel, the question-marked crest atop his helmet glinting in the light of Trudy's flame. "It true enough that this cannot be unlearned," adds Woz, with a slow, grandiloquent rise of his hand, palm upwards. "That much is plainly written on your face." The green, curved head of a question-mark polearm, held in the other hand, is then slowly swept, to point at Raziel, as Woz's smartwatch-themed helmet turns to look at him directly, blue 'RIDER' katakana softly glowing. "Yet, of all the questions burning in your mind, only one needs fuel, in this moment. 'How does this knowledge change my plans for Nosgoth?' I humbly submit it for your consideration," he concludes, pressing his free gauntlet to his breastplate and bowing at the waist. Zi-O's helmet is focused on Raziel, during Woz's suggestion. He steps forward after, the bulky cellphone pauldrons on the Faiz variation of his armor bouncing slightly with each step. Reaching out a gloved hand, he rests it on Raziel's shoulder. "If you need to talk about this, you can always reach out to me, Raziel." His helmet dips briefly downward in a nod, golden 'RIDER' katakana glimmering in the flicker of Trudy's green lantern. "If you really want to know why Kain did all of this... we can keep fighting our way to the truth, until we get the very last piece of it from Kain himself." His gloves squeeze the vampire's shoulder, before he looks over at Trudy, his helmet again dipping in a nod. "I'm good to keep going, too. Raziel--I can tell this is really impacting you. So I'll ask, what would you like to do right now?"
Hellwarming Trio	The trio of yokai that had come to aid Raziel are in a bit of a pickle at the moment, largely from the revelation that the vampire they're aiding turned out to be a vampire hunter in a past life. It's plainly obvious even to Utsuho and Rin that he wasn't even aware of such things happening in his past, and that makes it rather difficult for them to figure out how to proceed. The only thing they're quieter than Trudy about is the fact that they're all floating instead of walking, but their voices are still as easy to hear as anything else in that crypt. "So... Does this mean we were fighting your own guys this whole time?" "No, no, /he/ was fightin' his own guys after he got turned into a vampire." "But then that means... He was a traitor?" "Nah, nah, Kain probably did some magic vampire stuff to his head to keep him outta the loop." "That's screwed up... Who would root around in someone's head like that?" Meanwhile, Satori floats over to Raziel and Trudy, checking on the former before settling into a seated position in the air with one leg crossed over the other. "It might not hurt to take a breather here, although it'd be at the risk of finding more things Raziel might not want to know." She pauses, then glances around slowly to see if there's any other ominous-looking markings or graves and the like to check out. "If it gives us an advantage in pursuing Kain, though, it might not hurt to keep looking a little longer while Raziel gets his bearings straight."
Metamorph One	Many fucked up spiders later... "So, important question. And nobody's asking it." "Huh?" "If the cathedral is a weapon against vampires, is God supposed to be real here?" "How does-- Oh, right, because holy power?" "Yeah." "What about the Elder God?" "Does he really seem like something that'd holy smite evil?" "He wants us to end their immortality, doesn't he?" "Huh . . . I guess." "I think you must have the wrong impression just because he has . . . tentacles? Are those tent-" "Yeah pretty sure they're tentacles." "Well. I still wanna know if this is going to be a 'holy' thing. It matters." "Um, shouldn't it matter more if we can use it?" "Oho, your head's in the game now!" Both Elara and Dianna are capable of reading a room. One is capable of giving Raziel a moment, the other is capable of staying quiet while the other does. Surprisingly gently, yet quite firmly, Dianna speaks up on the tail end of Woz's prodding. "He's right, you know. There's . . . you can't figure this out on the go. All the feelings inside you right now, you can't rush them; it's a process that just happens on its own. It won't solidify into a shape you can look at for a while. So we should keep going." There's a pause. "Are . . ." She trails off, then swallows unpleasantly, looking away and staring a hole in the name on the side of a coffin. "Are you okay? No, are you going to be okay?" murmurs Elara in her stead.
Raziel	To those taking time to examine the crypts and the murals surrounding them: These are not your standard crypts. They are very ornately made, each name engraved into the wall above every sarcophagus. The sarcophagus' are made of high-quality stone. The engraving of each name is done in marble. This isn't something you do for grunts, these people were likely either some sort of high priests or maybe even saints. The wear done on the stonework is extremely old as well, easily over fifteen hundred years old. Despite all this, still, in good condition, likely thanks to its entombed status. "They are...and I sense no ectoplasmic energy. This...is the truth of my human heritage," he says, solemnly, the anger somewhat drained. Woz's question does not go unanswered as he points the end of his polearm towards Raziel, asking him if anything truly had changed for his intent on Nosgoth, with him Dianna adding to the question. Raziel is quiet for a time, they're both right, in their own ways of course. Both in if this changes the path that he's currently on, and the other about the feelings he feels right at this moment. The anger, despair, and injury he feels at the revelation. Sougo's hand causes Raziel to relax somewhat. It's true, he was not here alone, these truths were not just his to bear, but those who have chosen to help him. "You're right..." he pauses, to all of them. Elara and Dianna get a sigh before he turns to them both. "Yes, and you're both right. We should push forward now." To Woz he shakes his head, "No, nothing has changed except for how thorough we have to be. If Nosgoth is to be saved, we have to root out the plague that is the vampiric race completely," he says and is not ignorant of the words he says. This would, technically, mean himself as well. "What I want, right now, is to wring the neck of that bastard...but I'll settle for getting out of here and finding where he is." He holds up a hand towards Satori, "I'm fine. We should keep moving, if such truths are enough to persuade me from my path, then I was already not strong enough to face Kain anyway. If there are truths to discover here, I would learn them...perhaps I can reclaim some part of my heritage, stolen from me by that degenerate."
Raziel	Out of this room, there is only one way forward, besides the way back from where they came. Through the next part of the decrepit former sanctuary of the Sarafan, pieces of debris are scattered around. Strangely, though, they seem to be from wear and tear, and not from a battle. As if this place were forgotten, instead of being sieged and razed. Parts of the hall are simply buried and too far gone to traverse, but a feeling of air seems to blow through here... Eventually, the group will come into a large common area, but before they would have any time to see their surroundings, a scream for help can be heard on the other side of the large hall. A singular man, running from something chasing him. On his tail are two other human creatures, but unlike the first man who seems to be dressed in rags and plain clothing, the second two seem to be dressed in ceremonial robes, each one holding a pair of daggers with them. Each of these humans is flanked by two vampires. However, unlike the spider vampires you've left behind, these ones are rotting, decaying, and decrepit looking. They look like they're about to fall apart and move more like zombies or ghouls than a person does. It's possible to use this as a distraction to go around this... Raziel does not hesitate, though, and runs to the human who for a moment thinks his end has come, and falls to the ground trying to cover his face up. The wraith blade comes to life as he holds it out at the cultists and the vampires they are flanked by. 'I watched, at first unseen as shadowy figures chased after a single human. This cathedral slumbered, oblivious to the danger that sought to corrupt its former halls. Drawing my blade against them soon caused their ire to turn elsewhere. Thankfully, their company is one I was well familiar with. These ghouls would serve as barely a distraction. However, the humans themselves were... slaves. Willing human servants of the vampire's cause.'
Trudy Grimm	Trudy nods once, swinging her lantern away from the carvings over Raziel's crypt and accompanies him, "It's good to see this has only steeled your resolve." As the party moves further into the abandoned home of the Serafan, she keeps her lamp held high, painting feeble blue-white light across the floor and decaying walls. The sound of multiple pairs of footsteps gives her pause. The Grimoire at her hip shakes suddenly, violently, and she places her hand on it. When human figures rush into view, she draws the Grimoire up and unfastens it, spreading the pages. It's plain to see who is pursuing and who is being pursued, and the witch calls out the glowing rune of Eiwaz. The collapsed human's shadow deepens and expands around him as Raziel comes to the man's aid. From this pit of blackness emerges the Black Knight, a colossal man in blackened plate armor and an inscrutible slit-visored helmet. Growths of green crystal protrude from cracks and holes in his armor from numerous battles. With Raziel brandishing the Soul Reaver at the attackers, the Black Knight heaves up his sword, then swings it in an arc at such an angle that it easily clears Raziel's head with room to spare, but comes down at nearly waist-level on the humans and their vampire masters. From where she stands, a runic circle spinning around her feet, Trudy calls out to the hapless victim, "Run, stupid!"
Timespace Riders	Following the draft through the faint sensation of air felt blowing against armor, both riders traverse the forgotten sanctuary, until they come into the commons area. Zi-O is taken up by curiosity, at first, intending to explore and turn over what details he can--until the scream draws his attention. The glittering face of his helmet whips around, bulky cellphone pauldrons bouncing as he cries out. "Stop!" he shouts at the vampires, before reaching out with his right hand. A straight sword appears there, a slim blade that glows bright red along the edge, with a handle like a motorcycle's handlebar. He holds it out and behind, primed to swing with an underhand, charing in to put himself between the two vampires and their would-be prey. "Nosgoth isn't yours to bleed dry!" he shouts, opening up on one of the vampires with a surprise snap kick from the left, before following up with that underhand swing from the sword. The edge superheats itself when Zi-O squeezes the brake handle on the grip, cutting with a fiery red energy. Meanwhile, Woz leaps nimbly across the room, polearm tucked against his back in a graceful moonsault, soaring over the Black Knight's greatsword as it passes harmlessly over Raziel. He lands at the culmination of that hewing string, polearm ready, and makes a series of opportunistic ground strikes with it, intending to hook limbs and pierce in equal measure. Those unlucky enough to be hooked by the question-mark polearm are hefted into the air and thrown with superhuman strength, making them easy targets for the three denizens of hell, as well as Elara and Diana.
Hellwarming Trio	Raziel heeds the advice of those encouraging him to continue moving, getting little excited cheers from Utsuho and Rin as they touch down nearby to continue following the path. Satori nods in turn, smiling slightly in some vague attempt at reassuring Raziel. "Good. I'd be worried if you really did get discouraged that badly, considering the nature of the task in front of you. On the off-chance we happen to find any of their spirits still lingering here..." She pauses, then shrugs and gestures at Rin, who's still in the middle of trying to get Utsuho back on track. "I'm sure she'll call them out, if we don't just see them plainly." Thankfully, the cat is able to get the bird on task again, and they're kept on the path thanks to Satori's vigilance in making sure they don't wander off. Thankfully, it's a relatively short time before all of their attention is grabbed by the fleeing human and his pursuers. "Does calling humans stupid help them run faster?" "Yelling does. Hey, dumbass! Get over here before they bite your head off!" With that, Utsuho and Rin join in on the human's defense, taking to the sky again and conjuring up their flame-based projectiles in short order. Rin's the first to launch hers, firing them out in a broad arc to the sides before converging her wisps on the vampires. Utsuho, meanwhile, keeps flitting around in the air to find a good angle to shoot until Woz creates that opening for her, letting her just fire a concentrated beam of fire straight ahead once she doesn't have to worry about friendly fire or blasting the person they're trying to save. "Be careful up there. We don't know how well this place is going to hold together if things start exploding too much." Satori warns while opting not to join in on the fight, instead just strolling towards the fleeing human and gesturing at him to come over without uttering another word. She has a calm look on her face, too, to make herself look like the least threatening person in the group even as she starts probing his mind for surface thoughts, to see what's on his mind at this very moment while escaping his... Captors? She's pretty sure they're his captors, but she wants to make sure. It could be an act.
Metamorph One	"You know, this place isn't as complicated as I thought." "Yes. I remember churches from . . ." ". . ." "Well, they had those branching halls and sub-building and so on. This place is enormous, but it's strangely simple. What is all the space being used on? Amplification? But this place should be perfectly defensible. Mapping what we've seen so far, it wouldn't have been a big adjustment to install a permanent garrison and defensive emplacements. The halls are already bottlenecks. The stone is still standing, so it's not as if the vampires were able to destroy it." "Yeah. If only they thought like the rest of us, right?" "Mmh~" "Emphasis on 'the rest', haha." Practically anyone escaping men in religious garb is enough reason for Dianna to draw. The sacrificial knives and visible hideous zombie vampires is enough to make Elara stance up too. She flinches as her light swings on the shambling shapes, drawing in a sharp breath, but it doesn't seem to be at their appearance. She looks nauseous even when she averts her eyes. "Clear." she says, a little mournfullu. "Got it." The VPT at Dianna's back depresses multiple cylinders, humming with the sound of a rising flywheel and hissing hydraulics expanding, despite lacking either. Orange light courses through the wires up to her shoulder. The trigger in her hand is clicked twice like an arming switch, and voxellizes interlocking matter in waves, swarling with amber fireflies. The stark white weapon, slashed with clean orange stripes and marked with a green star, is barely visible against her shoulders before she fires. The five-point flashes of flame through the muzzle brake and the deafening rattle-crack of the gun sound like the kind of heavy automatic usually mounted on an armoured vehicle. Her upper body rocks back against her firmly planted legs, then compensates forward as she leans into the recoil. FIery tracers tear through the enemies from right to left, opposite of Sougo, sweeping across at chest level with firepower sufficient to tear arms apart at the elboe and bunch ribs through the back of the chest. Elara crouches down on one knee and holds her arms out to gesture the runaway forward. "Come on! With me! You can make it! I've got you!" His fear is obvious to her. She can see it on his face, without needing to even look at the aura chaotically radiating off of him. But she's also focused on one question in particular, calmly incising and pulling aside his emotions to get at the narrative core of what's happening. Where is your place in the world?
Raziel	The Dark Knight's blade swings in an arch, right over Raziel's head. It clobbers through two of the vampiric ghouls, who are heavily hurt, but don't quite fall down yet. They stagger but start trying to pursue the dark knight in earnest now. Zi-O's kick sends another ghoul flying back, but the follow-up with the blade causes fire to explode across the Ghoul's body, before soon enough it goes up in flames, screaming horrifically before crumbling to ash. Woz's leap sets the other vampire up, tossed into the air effortlessly through skill and precise effort. Utsuho's beam fires down on said launched vampire, burning through it, and quickly it too starts to burn, before being scattered into ash, blowing softly away. Rin, on the other hand, catches the vampire cleaved by the dark knight, its wounds quickly going up in flames and crumbling to ash. The two humans are quickly noticing their vampire support go up in literal flames. That was until Dianna's weapon opens fire, Nosgoth has barely known firearms in its most advanced era. An automatic weapon of his caliber has never been encountered. It tears through the two cultists without any resistance, causing the two to collapse into a heap of blood and body parts. Satori and Elara calm the poor human who's scared out of his mind. Her efforts to figure out what was he actually show that he wasn't some sort of wolf in sheep's clothing, but rather a human that had left his home to try and find help. They ambushed him and chased him into this crypt. "T-t-thank you, ma'am.." he says, utterly terrified and trying to calm down. Elara's digging reveals something more to this. While the human is true, the reality of this man's life is that he is /food/. He lives in a city, the last city, as far as he knows. They are protected from vampires, thanks to their large walls. Except, it's a lie. The very cancer that they try and keep out, is actually growing inside their city. This man is being kept as cattle...and these were the ranchers sent to collect. "This man is likely from the Human Citadel, though why he would choose to leave is beyond me. Speak, human, why do you leave your fortress and safety?" "I..." he stammers, both thankful to be alive, but also seeing how quickly they completely murdered things that consider him prey. "There's a plague. There was a rumor of a wise man who lived in some caves, I thought.." "Mobius? I am sorry to say he's been dead a long time, killed by the bastard Kain." "Then...all hope is lost.." "I wouldn't say /that/."
Metamorph One	Dianna lowers the barrel of her weapon, swivelling at the shoulder. The tip smokes like a lit cigarette. She exhales half a breath a moment later. Upon closer examination, it is clearly an HMG, barely sized down to be human portable. There's even the spot where a pintle mount would be. Glowing orange shells litter the floor around her, disintegrating one at a time. "Clear." she repeats robotically after Elara. Elara, meanwhile, reaches out for the human's hand, offering to pull him up standing again, though she is shorter and slighter than him. Despite everything, she's able to wear a smile. Not a forced or polite one, but relieved. Even grateful. "There there. Come on now. You've really been through a lot, I can tell." she says, continuing with elaborating. "I'm sorry, that you had to run away from home. You must have been so scared. We were too. But you were really brave in coming here. You were so frightened, so alone, but you were thinking of everyone else, weren't you? It's okay now. You found something even better than a wise man. We're here to help." Gently, Elara holds out her arms to her sides, gesturing to offer a soft embrace. Her white and blue coat is still spotless, blonde hair untangled. "You can stay a while with us. You're safe now."
Trudy Grimm	Attackers are swiftly dealt with. Recovering from his swing, the Black Knight hauls his sword up over his shoulder and rests it there. He steps around the rescued man and further down the corridor from which the attackers and their prey had come from. There, he stands, lowering his sword to plant it point-first in the stonework beside his foot. With the enemy already resolved, Trudy's magic circle does not fade. The rune hovering over the Grimoire's pages warps from the Sowulo she was preparing back to the Death Rune, Eiwaz. She drops her lantern into her shadow and procures a green crystal, closing her eyes. Only visible to those who perceive things on the ghostly spectrum might see a skeletal hand with long, bony fingers reach out of the gemstone. While cast in green light, it-- drips, as if made out of sludge rather than bone, reaching for the errant souls of vampires who have yet to be consumed by Raziel or his blade. "If mister Moebius is gone, we might still catch his spirit, if it's lingering about," she offers while she works.
Hellwarming Trio	"Hah! We showed those guys who's boss, huh?" ""Too bad they got all burnt up. Ah, but it'd be a hassle draggin' 'em all the way back home from here, anyway." "Yeah... Bet we could still eat a bit of what's left, though." "Girls, PLEASE." Satori shoots the Utsuho and Rin a The Look as she gestures at the human with her head briefly, getting them both to let out understanding 'ah' noises as they quickly shift gears into not talking about eating corpses. Instead, they form a defensive perimeter around the human, still giving him and Elara plenty of space compared to Satori. Between Raziel and the human's own words, there's plenty of information to chew on right there. Satori stays where she is, not quite offering him any physical contact, but still presenting some vague sense of calm through her controlled and calm tone even while the eye over her heart keeps staring right at him. "Miss... Elara?" She looks over for confirmation, then back at the human with a nod. "She's right. Now that we're able to confirm the situation, we'll have more information to work with in fixing this situation. Yours, the city's, other things." Even if he's not a double agent, she's still being somewhat cautious. "Do you know where that cave is? Even if he's dead, we may be able to find something of use against that plague in there." A beat. "Maybe. But before that... Do you know where your pursuers came from?" Utsuho, meanwhile, hangs out with Dianna and peers at her HMG curiously. She looks from the gun to the shells, then back at the gun when the shells start disappearing, then back up at Dianna. "... Hey. Can I get one of those?" She doesn't specify the shells or the gun itself. Rin also perks up a bit when Trudy mentions catching Mobius' spirit, but she's keeping her expectations low. Raziel did mention him being dead a long time, after all!
Timespace Riders	"Elara is right," says Zi-O, after the fight is over, dropping out of his fighter's stance and lowering the sword. He steps closer, albeit slowly, so as not to startle. "Raziel here isn't the kind of person who only cares about the world as something he can conquer. We're friends of his," continues the rider, gesturing with his red-silver gauntlet to Raziel. "And he asked us to come along so that things can be okay again. So, please..." Zi-O says, giving a slow but fervent thumbs-up, "Don't lose hope." "Indeed, though you have suffered much to reach this point, now is the hour of your celebration," says Woz, both arms thrown wide, head held high. "For we have begun the writing of a new page in Nosgoth's history. Tell us more of this plague--when did it begin, and what are the symptoms?"
Raziel	There isn't anything hard about capturing one of these vampiric souls, though the soul itself is...well more feral than sane. Years of degeneration does horrible things to both the soul and mind of a person, even if they are a vampire. Perhaps with time she could try and coax something of a conversation out of it. His eyes widen as Zi-O appears, but also mentions Raziel's name. "Wait.../Raziel/? As in.." "Yes, but I was betrayed by that bastard, and I have no allegiance to him..." he quips back, "And I am no enemy of you or humanity." The man shakes his head, "A profit of the old one told us you might come someday, he said it over ten years ago...he said that a vampire once betrayed by the terrible Kain would rise as his servant and save our future.." Raziel, sighs, hating this 'prediction' but he doesn't try and dissuade the man. Between Elara and Satori, the man is calmed down considerably. Algar Sweete, as he introduces himself is a street sweeper from the human citadel. Elara draws the man into a comforting hug. "I'm...I'm so glad..." He nods to Woz, and starts explaining the 'plague'. "It's...not exactly a common plague. You see, me and my wife...well we are expecting but..." he says, with a sigh, "There has been a rash of stillborns throughout the city...or worse. Some children are born and are just...empty. They eat, they drink...but they just stare forward as if they have no will." "We're afraid that...well..." obviously it'd happen to them too. "I heard about the wise man in the mountain or the rumors of one. But I guess it was a long shot.." Algar answers Satori's other question. "No, I didn't see where they came from, but it was so close to the city. I thought to draw them away from it..." Raziel on the other hand, squints his eyes. "That wise man has been dead before I was raised...I doubt even his soul remains...especially because that is where Kain currently is. Ariel did guide us there, after all. I am not sure if there is anything we can do for the people now, other than..." he pauses.
Trudy Grimm	After some wrangling, the twisted soul of a vampire is ensnared and draw into the gemstone. Trudy's eyes open and she lifts the crystal up, observing the faint point of white light deep within the crystal's depths, "Oh yes, you did mention it was some time since he died," she assures Raziel that she has at least been paying attention, "It's a long shot, but miss Ariel was still around. It's worth a look." She releases the gem, dropping it into her shadow where it disappears, like a stone dropped into a pond. She continues to work, producing another stone and keeping the Eiwaz rune active, grasping at other souls floating about. "At the very least, Ariel did tell us Kain was this way. So our destination is the same, I should think." Her head tilts, though her eyes are closed once again, "As for this plague... Sounds more like a curse than a disease. I could take a look." An eye cracks open slightly, "Though we can't ignore that might be a symptom of the other thing we're here for. Worth a look either way. That might be our next stop after mister Streamer's little den. Time may be of the essence, there."
Hellwarming Trio	"Yeah, don't worry about it. He's with us, and we saved your ass before, didn't we?" "But ain't that the sort of thing spies would try and do? Y'know, get on someone's good side with a fake kidnappin'?" "That seems like too much effort to catch someone that's not even fast enough to outrun them." Algar introduces himself, and he describes the plague. It takes Satori explaining what he actually means to Utsuho and Rin before they finally get it, and then they turn their attention rgiht back to Algar as he reveals why he had come out in the first place. Utsuho has a skeptical look on her face while staying quiet, but Rin barely even turns away before snorting once. "Yeah, that ain't happenin'. Lurin' anything off only works if you're fast enough or know the area." "Or strong enough, like us. We'll be taking care of the vampire problem, anyway, so you and your wife should just... Wait before you go at it again." "... Commentary aside, Utsuho does have a point." "I do?" "She does?" Satori sighs again, then gestures at Raziel. "We handle the vampire matter, and then people like Mister Sweete here can afford to leave the city in search of cures and the like again." Getting up to give the other yokai a nudge, she turns to Algar once more with an affirming nod at Trudy's suggestion. "Can you show us where you first ran into this group? If there's others around there, it might be a lead for our own mission here."
Timespace Riders	"Other than stopping Kain," says Zi-O with thoughtful sadness, his helmet slowly turned down to contemplate the ground. His hands gradually ball into gloved fists, as he elaborates. "Somehow, I feel like this relates to him, too. Based on what the Old One told us about Nosgoth." He looks back up, the glittering face of his helmet meeting Raziel eye to 'eye.' "Remember?" He asks, leaning slightly forward, helmet nodding inquisitively. "About how Kain's been alive for so long, bent Nosgoth to his will so much, that it's started to change, or decay." "Or, perhaps," adds Woz, gesturing with a flick of his wrist and pacing slowly, "A reflection of him. Dead and unchanging. What room would such a world have for life created, rather than stolen?" Zi-O falls silent, save for the creaking of his gloves. He unclenches his fists and nods, after some further thought. "I like your thinking, Satori. We can use them to find out where their leader is--one of Kain's children, or maybe even Kain himself. Just... when we meet these others," he says, lifting his hand to pinch his thumb and forefinger together, "Go easy on the fire, and I'll go easy on the Photon Wedges, at least until we have what we need."
Metamorph One	Elara looks over her shoulders to Dianna. The two spend a moment in silent communication. The pained look in the former's eyes is enough to know what it's about. Dianna turns away, to Raziel, and says "Well, saviour. Doesn't that sound like it has something to do with the cycle of souls or whatever? I wonder what 'God' has to say about that?" She then looks at Utsuho. "What? A gun? Or a VPT? Probably and probably not, in that order." She doesn't seem intent to actually reload it, oddly. A subtle whirr-click comes from inside. Elara remains focused on the human. "Algar. That sounds like a nice name. I understand why you came all the way out here, then. Thank you for coming here to tell us; otherwise, we wouldn't have known at all. We're already on our own mission. Our goals align! We should be able to help you, in the course of doing what we came here to do. That's great, right? You don't have to keep running, keep fighting. We can take it on ourselves. The vampires, your city, the plague; I'm sure we can find a way through it. You should make sure that you can get back to your wife safely."
Raziel	"At the very least we should make sure he gets back to the citadel. After that, we can decide what we're doing," Raziel wants to continue on to Kain, but some good points are brought up. Though Satori says that Utsuho has a point that causes him to turn towards her, wondering if she has caught a sickness or something. However, explaining her logic causes him to become thoughtful. "I'll be honest, I've never heard of a vampiric curse that could do something like this... in fact if you think about it..." Raziel says, "More humans not being born would be rather /bad/ to Vampires too, would it not? If there is a vampire at the source of this, then it makes little sense.." Zi-O's observation about Kain being alive does bring a look of realization to Raziel. "Because their souls can't be rewoven, as the Old One says, there might not be enough...soul? Spiritual energy? Something to make new lives? So..." "Then I suppose we know where to go next.." Raziel bristles at being called 'savior' and gives Dianna a 'look'. "It's possible...with Kain being who he is, that the entire cycle is being destroyed.." but something about it all was bothering him. Why now? Why not before now? There had to be /less/ vampires today than when he was still one.. That and the Elder God is oddly silent. Perhaps his attention is elsewhere? Or perhaps he's letting you figure this out for yourselves. For one who loves to listen to his own voice, his absence speaks louder than his booming voice does.
Metamorph One	"I know what you're thinking." Dianna says to Raziel. "Well, El knows what you're thinking. There's only kind of two options, right?" She counts off on her fingers despite it. "Either Kain is hoarding it all, or the 'wheel' you keep talking to isn't doing his job and turning." Elara, thoughtfully, adds "Is there no possibility we could get this place running? For its original purpose. It seems like it must have been important, if Kain attacked it. It'd be best we do it before leaving."
Trudy Grimm	"If a vampire is causing it," Trudy comments lightly as she drops her collection of gemstones into her shadow, "It's likely unintentional." The Grimoire closes with a light thump, its buckle clasped once more, "With what the Elder God said, the theory that this might be related to 'running out of stock' for new lives to begin seems plausible." The Black Knight turns where he stands, glancing back at the group through that featureless black visor. After a moment, he uproots his sword and turns to rejoin them at a slow, plodding, and quite noisy pace while the witch talks. "In an afterlife that relies on a system of reincarnation, souls are in finite supply," she explains, "Like a water reservoir, if water isn't added back in-- say, by rainfall-- it will eventually dry up." Eyes closing, she shrugs, "It may be that your God is getting desperate because his reservoir is running low. That'd explain a few things. But it is only a theory." She pauses, glancing at Elara, "The cathedral, you mean?" Her eyes wander upward, "It's the sound, right? A sound that drives vampires away or outright kills them. If the pipes could be cleared, that might not be a terrible idea. If something else is broken, though, we'd have a problem."
Hellwarming Trio	"Darn. I mean, guns were fun thaone time, but I wanted to..." Utsuho keeps staring at the ground where Dianna's disintegrating shells were moments ago. Perhaps sensing or hearing something incredibly stupid, Satori quickly looks over at Dianna and shakes her head several times. Zi-O draws out a potentially useful tidbit about the potential limits of souls from Raziel, and that has the yokai all thinking again. "But they're still being born, right? Just..." "... Brainless. Although I bet that'd make it tricky to make more of 'em after that, if they ain't there enough to f-" "We have leads to work with now. Let's focus on that." Eventually, Utsuho snaps her fingers as her mind wanders back to the topic of soul energy and reincarnation. "So we just need more energy, right? If it's getting jammed up with Kain doing his... Kain stuff, then we just need to unclog it by blowing him up, or... Add more to the whole system?" "So where're we gonna get more of it from?" Rin's question gets shrug from Utsuho, and then she starts stroking her chin as a mischievous grin crosses the kasha's face. "Yeah, we get this sorted out, then we set up some kinda... What's the word for a-?" "Branch?" "Yeah! we get a branch of Hell set up here so these folks can get their souls cycled all proper like, get one of those-" She snaps her fingers a few times, gesturing at Trudy. "-reservoirs set up, and then we'll be in business! And if we're the ones that helped set it up, maybe we could even get a cut of whatever they earn down here." Satori, perhaps tellingly, doesn't scold Rin for that last bit.
Timespace Riders	"If Woz's scarf trick worked on people other than me and him, then it'd be easy," Zi-O says, following up on Elara and Raziel's concern. "But since it doesn't, he can just escort Algar back, and meet up with us later. You don't mind, do you, Woz?" "Not at all, my Demon King," says Woz, free hand placed over his breastplate as he bows at the waist for Zi-O. "Come, Algar Sweete. My Demon King has placed responsibility for your safe return into my capable hands. When you are ready, we will depart." Zi-O nods appreciatively at his retainer. "Thanks, Woz." Turning to Elara, "You want to get the place running again, huh... that's a really good idea. I have a good feeling about this!" He lifts his right hand, index finger pointed triumphantly into the air. The commons is host to another set of footsteps. Another Zi-O, actually, brushing cobwebs from his shoulders, then working out a kink in either arm. "I took a look around," explains this second Zi-O, reaching up and clearing a strand of webbing from the Faiz Armor's antennae, "And there are two things we need to do to get it working. One is easy, and I already did some of it--clearing the cobwebs from the pipes. We can go clear the rest, but... um..." The second Zi-O's helmet dips briefly downwards, one hand on his hip. "There was a special chamber I found. A place where you're supposed to put something, to make the 'organ' play... and I have no idea what's supposed to go there. Do you know, Woz?" The armored retainer dispenses with his question-mark polearm, sending it away in a wash of green light. There is suddenly a book in his hands, with a title that seems to defy being read, and pages that appear blank to anyone happening to look over his shoulder. "According to this book," says Woz, "After the cobwebs have been cleared, we must return here with the soul of Kain in our possession to destroy the vampires in their entirety." "All of them?" ask both Zi-Os in unison, looking over at Raziel.
Raziel	Raziel nods once at Dianna, but he doesn't pursue this line of thought right now. Elara and Satori will find out why by just looking at his thoughts. He's concerned that the Elder god is listening in on them now. He's concerned about how long his reach is, and if he isn't turning like he's supposed to...and it is on purpose, what his goal really is. Raziel stares at Rin, then at Satori who isn't stopping her pets from trying to set up shop. Though, on closer examination...their method of doing things would be preferable...he considers this for a moment. Raziel, oddly, is being very quiet about his opinions on this very specific thing. "All of them," he says to both Zi-Os. "If we need his soul, then it has to be me who uses it at the top of the Cathedral. However, it is a good idea...and if there is even a sliver of hope that Nosgoth can be saved, I would take it."