Scene #4687: Removing a Brand

Owner	Pose
Alexis Maaka	FENRIS It's very, -very- cold. Like imagine Greenland but that's MOST OF THE PLANET. Sure there's summers and some places aren't as infamously icy as the rest of Asaheim, but the Fang definitely looks the part of what one would expect from Fenris as a whole. The Crimson Spectre comes out of the portal, flying in orbit before hailing the Sons of Russ. It only begins to make landfall when confirmation comes from Karian himself. The ship will land, carrying Maaka, Kaz, and everyone else altogether. The Captain is sporting a heavy parka, and her face is wrapped in warm facial protection. Even through all the layers, she's still got a nasty glow from her neck, the mark of Chaos palpable even to those not skilled in sensing such things. "Karian. We're here." She rasps into internal comms, helped along by Kaz as the similarly clad technician remains at her side. "You gonna be able to walk, boss? You look like you're one foot in the grave already." "I'll make it." is all Maaka says.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa looks tired, actually she looks weak. How does a cyborg do haggard but Kotone does. She's cleaned up an wering she smart clothing she's taken to as of late as she rides on Maaka's ship. She looks concerned to Aleixs but doesn't say anything she just feels weak and tired. She watches Maaka and then Kaz for a moment with her silence brekaing now. "I'll help you if you need it. Come on we need to get this over with. The longer we wait the worst it's going to be for you."
Elise Leroy	Elise has bundled up. She's heard of Fenris from the Chaplain before. She's got her layers up, though the skin that's visible is still a raw red from the harsh cold. "Reminds me of survival course back in basic. We were sent to Norway in the middle of winter and told to survive for a week with no radio contact." she says, muffled through the layered scarf covering the lower half of her face. She's mostly talking to keep Maaka's mind off of the brand, keep it focussed elsewhere.
Samira Amirmuaz	As instructed, the members of the Resistance faction of XCOM had come loaded for nuclear winter... Or at least, as close as they probably could. After all, there were Resistance cells in places like the Arctic's Precinct 14, even though they hadn't managed to fully contact them. In spite of the warnings, however, Samira felt somewhat foolish, stuffed into a thick white parka with a fur-trimmed hood, black snowpants, heavy weather boots, goggles, and a thick scarf. She looks and feels like an overstuffed marshmallow. Kelly is really taking it in stride, it seems. Much like she takes everything, really; though judging by the way that she gripped the handle of the machete hanging from her back, she felt more uncomfortable with how they're going to be meeting another technically alien race, albeit one that had received a sort of stamp of approval from her comrades. When they touch down, Kelly is immediately on point, pushing past everyone else to make sure that the LZ was secured. Once she's satisfied, she grunts into her comms. "We're clear." Following after Maaka is Samira, who notes the blasted, frigid mountains around them with a chill that cuts through her many layers. "I admit, I am somewhat surprised that beings can live in such a location... I doubt even the sherpas of Nepal would manage to stand long against it."
Karian Icefang	"Amongst these peaks and this harsh land, we are forged. Sons of Fenris, and Sons of Lemun Russ." Karian says, emerging from the door. He was unhelmed and his wolfguard follow behind him. Clad in their armor, they all looked like humanoid mutons in bulk and size. "Maaka...Elise." He says, regarding his allies, and offering a nod to those he didn't recognize. Ever at his side, the massive thunderwolf known as Ygdril makes himself known, a concerned whuff given in Maaka's direction. "That's why she's here, old friend. Freyr, Kjold, prepare the hall, and lock it down." He says, motioning for all to follow.
Alexis Maaka	"Karian. Long time." Maaka says, before she nods to Elise. "I was in Hokkaido during extreme weather training, among other places. That said, can't say I have that much winter experience compared to some." She tries to ignore that throbbing pain in her neck (literally in this case) as she enters through the doors, Kaz following. He gapes at the ENORMOUS Space Marines and Ygdril, his jaw dropping behind his mask at their size and presence. To the wiry hacker, they look like walking tanks, and he's well aware of that. "Holy shit...you guys make -her- look short." Maaka chuckles weakly, patting Kaz on the back. "He's trying to say you guys cut a striking figure. First time seeing space marines tends to be that way." She teases, even if she can't help but notice the odd distraction here and there. Her vision gets all glitchy, and she hears things nobody else can, whispers from the Warp and beyond, as well as the odd vision of decay and destruction, fallen Space Wolves everywhere amid bolter shells and blood and gore. COME TO US. REJECT THE CORPSE EMPEROR, CHILD... "NO!" Maaka shouts suddenly, as they head inside. She reaches inside her coat on reflex, fumbling for her Bolt Pistol before she realizes what's happening. Kaz, surprised but definitely aware of what's going on, backs up. "WHOA THERE, boss! It's okay, you're safe." You are foolish to resist...
Elise Leroy	Elise strides confidently up, bowing her head briefly to Karian out of respect, then turning to lift a hand to Ygdril. "It will have been a while for you, but only a few weeks for me. It is good to see you again." she says to the Thunderwolf, as she lightly ruffles the shaggy mane of fur around his neck. "According to most accounts, we'll have a lot to catch up on, Chaplain..." and then Maaka freaks out, causing the Commander to reflexively go for the laser pistol at her thigh... "But we should hurry for now." she adds, after shaking off the fight response.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa smailes fianly as she looks to Karian fror a moment. "It's good to see you Wolf Lord and your battle brothers." Whatever she thinks of the Imperium? The Wolves have long earned Kotone's respect and friendship because they will act to protect the little guy even those who don't serve the Emperor of Man. She keeps with Alexis but looks at her worriedly for a moment. She pauses at Maala and moves to put her hand on Maaka's shoulder. "Easy Alexis, you might want to have Kaz take your weapons. All of them, for the moment."
Samira Amirmuaz	Kelly damn near draws her weapon when she spots that giant damn wolf stepping out from behind the landing pad's door followed by the giant figures of the Space Wolves. A quick motion from her Commander cuts her twitchy response... Instead, she decides to stick closer to Samira, scowling slightly underneath her scarf as she watches the proceedings. Samira is a bit more magnanimous, moving to make a quick U.S. military salute to Karian and his men as they make their approach. She refrains from speaking for the moment so that Karian could greet his old comrades, however. She was a newcomer here, and could afford to wait. Once indicated, the Resistance members both stepped forward quickly to match the pace of the giant men they were following. Maaka's freakout isn't unnoticed, either, with both Kelly and Samira glancing back with some concern... though it seems that she isn't about to be mind-controlled just yet. She had some fight in her. Eventually, Samira speaks up while they continued their walk. "I suppose I should introduce myself before we begin this... cleansing, Sir. I am Samira Amirmuaz, Commander of the XCOM Resistance, and this is one of my soldiers, Corporal Jane Kelly. As you might suspect, we are from a different world than Commander Elise, where the alien forces have achieved victory and enforced a twenty-year hegemony. I will go into specifics once Maaka has received treatment, if you wish."
Karian Icefang	Karian nods towards Samira. "That would be welcome. I'd be interested in learning of your version of the Xenos threat, and how we can be of assistance." He says. Ygdril sniffs Elise's hand, and leans into the ruffling, showing he meant no harm. However, Maaka's freakout catches his eye. "It's progressing faster then I thought. Let's get her inside, quickly. My rune priests have already set up a location for her to sit. Worse case scenario, I'll have to call for the Sisters of the Silent Order to assist. Their Pariah gene should aid." He says, moving to help escort the group.
Ixqor Nathrach	As Maaka entered the home of The Rout, she'd feel a sharp sting strike her neck, as though the very atmosphere of The Fang pained the mark itself. As though it were a living creature in of itself, her symptoms began to grow more severe, as it sensed it's own 'life' was in danger. The whispers became louder, and more frequent, but devolving into slurred words as almost a hudnered voices began to say different things all at the same time. "Give in... Could've saved them... Foolish of you.... think this is going to help?!... Follow you..." This continued for a minute or two until Ixqors distinctive voice broke over the whispers. "Is this a way to reject a gift from a stranger?" Amidst all of the chaos going on in her head, Maaka may turn to Kaz as they spoke to her, hoping to calm her down from her initial outburst. "Boss, we just want you to-" His voice became warped and distorted then. "Give in." The very air became thick and Kaz' face began to warp, taking on features from countless other people, constantly shifting and changing. Suddenly, all was normal in the world then. Kaz was fine.
Alexis Maaka	"Pariah Gene?" Alexis asks, shaking herself back to reality as she takes a breath. As she heads inside, she'll hand Kaz her bolt pistol, among other things ranging from her progressive knife to a pair of compact 9mms. "Uh...might be best, yes." SHe says, before she nudges on Karian to keep going. As she heads on, Maaka grits her teeth. 'You're not real. Stop acting like you're him.' She thinks angrily, her mind a brick wall as her will reinforces itself. 'Shut up, shut up, shut up, just SHUT UP!' She breathes heavily, counting on the Wolf Lord to lead the group where she's intended to be purified in.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa hand on Maaka's shoulder tightern slightlyb ut not painfully so a she looks at Maaka. "We're here Alexis, easy, we're here your not along we are going to burn this taint out of you."She doubts it will be plesent but it will be healing in the end. She's growing more and more concerned for Alexis at this point magic always puts her on edge and this is worse. It's warp magic, chaos magic which is the stuff of nightmares taken flesh. She looks to Karian for a moment and then to Ygddril "We should make haste and ... their Pariah Gene?"
Samira Amirmuaz	The 'Pariah Gene' is effectively Greek to both members of the Resistance, as well. They were both rather out of their depth here, all things considered, so it may be best to simply continue on without revealing their utter ignorance. With that being said, Samira does quietly clera her throat after sending another concerned glance to Maaka. "Commander Leroy refers to you as 'Chaplain', sir. Am I to understand that this procedure will be akin to a religious ceremony of sorts? I don't mean to doubt your means nor motives - I am faithful myself - but I am concerned as to what may happen to her without proper medical treatment." Another pause, thinking of how to word this. "She is, after all, an official member of the XCOM Resistance, currently the highest ranking soldier aboard the Avenger besides myself and Bradford. She is utterly indispensable to me."
Karian Icefang	"The Pariah gene is unique in the fact it nullifies warp energies completely." Karian says. Ygdril sticks next to Elise, trusting his friend and master to cure Alexis. "Maaka's wound isn't a physical one, but one to her spirit. Chaos strikes on a level unseen, and will inflict hellish horrors to a victim's very soul. Essential, Commander Samira, we are going to try to save Maaka's soul." He explains. As the group walks into the hall, they would find the rune priests already chanting in their native language of Jujvyk. On the ground, runes were already established, with their meanings translating to various words of faith. Karian himself quickly rummaged through a pouch on his belt and withdrew a sheet of paper with imperial gothic words upon it, most likely a prayer. He would place it directly upon the brand, and start to pray. "A spiritu Dominatus, Domina, Libra Nos. From the lighting and the tempest, Our Emeror, Deliver Us..."
Alexis Maaka	Maaka doesn't waste time as she heads into the hall. Kaz will keep close to the others, while the cyborg peels off her coat and mask, until from the waist up a tank top covers her. "Let's just get this over with." She growls, rubbing at her neck as the throbbing intensifies. "Where do I sit? Or stand. Whatever." She asks, going for the runes themselves to stand in the middle. She takes a deep breath, bracing herself for the worst.
Ixqor Nathrach	As Maaka stood in the center, the shadows and darkness coalsced into the form of Ixqor, clearly an astral projection from gods know where. He looks to be wearing dark brown robes, and appears as he did the last time Maaka saw him, as human as a chaos sorcerer could be. His eyes however, were like that of a reptillian predator, a deep black with a green vertical slit for the iris'. The phantasm walked about teh runic circle, seemingly unable to get any closer. With his hands behind his back, Ixqor shook his head, before speaking. "You truly do not understand the potential you deny yourself you know." His voice and image only appeared before her, but Ko, present during yesterdays confrontation with the very same sorcerer, might see a shift in the dust, an aura moving about the room, a dark and terrible one at that. "We came off on the wrong foot really. You sought to insight my wrath by taking on the appearance of some imperial. It was foolish of me to believe it, but now, that I have gotten a much closer look at you, from the inside, I can see why you struggle so much. You are simply... Uneducated, on the matter." Ixqor chuckled, holding out his hand to the edge of teh runic circle, wincing in pain as he drew closer, and as Karian spoke the words. "I give you this chance. Here and now. Step out of the circle. Refuse. Resist. And I shall give unto thee knowledge that would enlighten you, lift you up, truly allow you to be great."
Karian Icefang	Karian grimmaces as he picks up on a visitor to their cleansing. "grr....While I trust you, Maaka...Kotone, I need you and Samira's companion to hold her down. Elise...As a sniper, if we fail, or she goes berserk....I need you to give her the 'Emperor's Mercy'. As her friend, it's better you do it." He explains. Of course, he moves a hand to hold onto Alexis's shoulder, while the other keeps the prayer paper in place. "Whatever chaotic filth has attached itself to my sister in arms, I demand you leave. In the name of the Immortal God-Emperor, Saviour of Mankind, I demand you leave!" He shouts. Nearly, Freyr, the older Rune Priest, took the fight to the psychic plane. He was going to challenge the chaos directly while Kjold would act as his anchor to the real world.
Elise Leroy	Elise nods to Karian, drawing her laser pistol and cranking the setting all the way up to, then past the redline. It emits a rising pitched electronic whine, before it goes past human hearing, which will probably make Ygdril give her the stink eye until it cuts off. "I'll get one shot out of this... but Mercy is prepared."
Alexis Maaka	Maaka doesn't resist or protest. Hell, she INSISTS. "Just be ready if I step out of this circle." She says, she's trusted XCOM long enough to keep her contained in quarantine before, after all. She kneels down, holding out her hands to Corporal Kelly and Kotone, and nods to Karian. "Do it." She takes another deep breath, feeling her neck burn and hiss from the presence of holiness as she grits through the pain. She's lasted a week with this damn thing on her neck, she'll do her best to hold on just a bit more.
Samira Amirmuaz	Samira can't see the dark images of the monster that had caused so much pain to one of her soldiers. In fact, this all looks like smoke and mirrors to the Resistance members, but who are they to judge? As long as it has some kind of positive net gain, the Space Wolves can do whatever ceremony that they see fit. As the ceremony begins and Maaka complains of hearing the villain's voice in her thoughts, Samira strides forward quickly with Kelly at her side, though the Commander falters once she knows that Kotone is going to be doing the holding... Probably better, in case Maaka did go insane. Kelly kneels down and seizes hold of the cyborg's left arm, pulling it taught and a little back, trying to get rid of as much of Maaka's leverage as possible. "You got this, Sarge," Kelly whispers quietly. "Tell that fucker to sit down and shut up."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa had a very bad encounter with chaos the night before. Thankfully Steven and the Crystal Gems carried her out of there. Yet there's something wrong. Kotone seems to be looking at something she can see that the others there can not. She sees something moving akin to someone cloaked and she's certain she can hear something. She can't make it out too well but she does understand one thing. She looks to the Space Wolves, she takes a deep breath. Maaka is more imporant right now and she moves in to hold Maaka, Kotone doesn't dial her systems to max often,but this os one of those times. She takes a deep breath as she makies ready. "Wolf Lord? We ... need to talk after this. I had a encounter with Chaos as of late and disrupted a ritual." She shakes her head a bit again. No focus they have to get this thing out of Maaka first. "Don't let go Kelly."
Ixqor Nathrach	Ixqor could only shake his head and sigh. "Tch, tch, tch. The die is cast then. Very well, perhaps, by the end, before you see the white light, you will understand. His form disapears then, teh shadow like cloud that is his psychic power made manifest rose to teh ceiling, and spread across it, as though the sky were overcast. Two large serpent like eyes then formed in the ceiling, looking down upon Maaka. "When they see what you become in the end. They will cry. They will cry tears of joy. For you will be -beautiful- in the eyes of -our- gods." The temperature in teh room dropped to near frigid. Even the wolves would feel it, like an icy stone in their chests, actually paining anyone present to breathe. Then, a warmth took ver, briefly, as Karian and teh wolf priests began to assail IXqors powers with their own. The war upon the astral plane had begun. To the wolf priest attacking him directly, his mind now in the warp, he would see Ixqor standing upon nothing, just as he was, his back turned to the holy man who would challenge him. "So you've come. Predictable. My brother Karian would be too much of a coward to fight me in my own domain." His remarks ceased then as he lowed the hood, revealing the new horror that he had become. "But I shall revel in ruining your mind none the less, INTERLOPERS!" He hissed and cried out as sudden waves of psychic pain were sent over to the wolf priests mind, like dagger striking at his eyes and tongue. Meanwhile the room itself had become a gateway to Ixqors terrible meddling. The shadows began to move for all present, as if something was watching them from just outside their peripherals. Elise, being outside of the circle, was most vulnerable, as she began to feel a claw like hand grope at the arm holding up her rifles aim. A terrible hissing whisper resounding in her ear. "Shoot them." It said flatly, as the unseen force tried to move the scopes over to Amirmuaz and Kelly. Back inside Maakas mind however, the situation was much worse, as all had turned to black, and she seemed to be floating amidst a void of nothing ness. Then, light came through, illuminating a walkway. Behind her, was a simple wooden door, and at the end of the tunnel a great bright light that was almost to immaculate to look upon. Before she coudl even gain her bearings, something trashed against the door behind her, and eyes began to form amidst the dark void, taking on teh shapes of daemons of the warp en masse. They laughed and cawed, screeched and yelled. It was a spectacle to them. "RUN LITTLE MORTAL! RUUUUUUN! HAAHA!" One called out over the rest as the door burst open. Behind it was the face of a huge toxic green snake, comprised of entirely warp matter. It barred it's fangs and began to try and push it's way through the door. Perhaps the Daemons advice was right for once. Run Maaka.
Karian Icefang	Karian grimmaced as he felt the temperature drop. "Stay strong! Steel yourselves in your faith! The deamon is trying to break us!" He shouts. His prayers grow in strength and his faith grew stronger. He would not break here. "Come on, Maaka. I know you won't let this monster defeat you!" He says. In the astral plane, Freyr grimmaced as he felt the psychic assault. But he was weathered, and would not be so easily beaten. "Try all you might, deamon. But on this day, it is you that will fall." He says. While the priest was soft spoken, the storm of lighting he sent towards the projection of Ixqor most certainly was not.
Alexis Maaka	The hallucinations tell her to run, but Maaka doesn't bite. 'NO!' Maaka doesn't move an inch, even as she's held down and whispered to by Ixqor. She smirks, knowing her friends won't let her down. 'The only person crying at the end of this is gonna be you, pal. I promise, when I get my hands on you again, you'll be dying screaming. I'm sure your bosses in the Warp won't appreciate another failure on your part either.' She remains strong, even as Ixqor focuses his attacks not just on her, but others as well. Karian is right, she won't let this asshole be able to call himself the person who brought Alexis Maaka, the Huntress of Zhang, the Crimson Butcher of Neo-Fuji, the Scourge of Papi Morales, to heel for the services of Dark GOds. If anything, Maaka would never forgive herself for letting that happen. Kaz however shivers, the room growing colder. "C'mon boss, don't give up just yet!" He says, yelping in surprise when he notices Karian's fighting a war on two fronts. "Kick his ass, dude!" He might just end up incurring Ixqor's wrath, and he's nowhere near as strong-willed as Maaka seems to be. He's in no way a combatant, and all those guns could be very useful. He grasps at his head, crying out in pain while he tries to stay close to the others. "OUTTA MY HEAD!" he screams. 'DON'T EVEN FUCKING TRY.' Maaka snarls, seeing Kaz double over in pain. 'Touch him and I WILL BREAK YOU.'
Elise Leroy	Elise grits her teeth. She can feel it... that crawling, scittering feeling. Just like the base assault. A scrabbling of icy claws at her mind, trying to find a way in. But then they lose purchase, the whispers fade away, until only the skittering shadows remain. That command breaks through before the doors are shut, but Elise just keeps her aim true, finger off the trigger until she's ready to fire. "No." is her cool, unwavering reply to the imperative.
Samira Amirmuaz	Suddenly, things were going to hell in a fucking handbasket. The room was growing cold, abyssmally so... Even through all of their cold weather gear, the Resistance members can feel icy needles penetrating their skin and lungs, burning like cold fire. The breath that whooshes from their throats turns to icy vapor the moment it leaves their mouths. Kelly, for her part, remains impassive, teeth grit underneath her scarf while utterly refusing to release her hold against Maaka's arm. She's just a soldier... all this shit is way beyond her paygrade. Samira, on the other hand, is outside of the circle. The cold affects her, but there's also... Voices, a distant dangerous edge that she can somehow feel in her mind, like she's being pushed perilously towards it. She can see the shadows that swirled around them, vague forms in darkness that she can't understand. She ends up going for her .44 revolver, as well, raised in a classic shooter's stance. And then... silence. The dangerous, tense feeling in her mind fades away, leaving her clear. She can still see the strange shapes, but they were even more vague and undefined now. At once she's falling back to Leroy, glancing around with wide eyes under her hood. "God save us and protect us. This is far beyond ADVENT's psionics... Can you see it? How is this possible?"
Ixqor Nathrach	Here on the astral plane in the warp, their magics were more potent than ever. Ixqors shaded, but clearly inhuman visage buckled and spasmed as the lightning coursed over him. "C-C-CURSE THEE!" HE hissed before recoverring, slouching before standing up tall and throwing out a hail of doombolts at the wolf priest, hoping to crush his resolve, and make him truly fear Chaos. "I AM NO SIMPLE DAEMON! I AM SOMETHING MORE THAN YOU CAN CONTROL LOYALIST!" The battle raged in the warp, but Ixqor was smart enough to know that even with the wolf priest occupied, Karian and his sermon was the true threat to the mark, and Ixqor made another manifestation of himself appear in Karians mind, a simple one. Reptillian eyes from teh shadows behind Karian, and a voice, calm and soothing. "Brother. You think me a daemon now do you? Truly I am insulted... You think so little of me?" Perhaps he could be distracted, stalled for time. Back in the dream like state Maaka is in, The serpent bashes through the 'walls' and looks down upon the ever stubborn Maaka. Jomungandr, the daemon under Ixqors 'control' spoke then. "You do not flee? Have you already given in?" The daemon seemed to chuckle as it brough it's coiled head down to Maaka's level, it's snout just inches from her face. "And what power do you think you have hear? What makes you so fearless?" The dripping acid between Jmoungandr's fangs hits the walkway and melts it away, another piece of the dream of course. "DO you think this is all fake? Do you realize where you are?" The serpent began to move around Maaaka in circular patterns, it'smassive size intimidating alone. "Your mind, we are within your very essence. And you are -very- much mortal here, as you are mortal out there... HEHEEEE..." The snake attempts to laugh, and it sounds as bad as one could expect. She still has a chance to run though, she could climb over to the serpent and to the light. She could 'escape'. Suddenly, she crashed down to the real world, having seen and heard Kaz through amidst the dream she was in. Ixqors voice boomed in the room, as though he was omnipresent. "Ho? You've quite the rage about you... And all over this dribbling fleshbag. He'd make a fine meal for Khorne's hounds... Why, speaking of the Blood God, you'd serve him well. You've a warriors energy, and a hatred to back it up. Don't you understand the strength our wrathful god could give you?" As Ixqor spoke these words, his grip on Kaz' mind grew tighter, as though he were trying to induce hysteria in the man by blocking various senses before releasig them, and repeating the process. The whole world would be spinning for him, feeling pain, pleasure, and nothing all in every moment. Back on Elises' front, the whisper spoke again. "Then you will kill her if she refuses my gifts." The movement that urged her to shove the sights over onto Amirmuaz, attempted then to grip at her whole body 'freezing' it in place. He really intended for Elise to shoot Maaka if he knew all was lost! Her muscles might tense, and even speaking may become difficult! Ixqor went wide eyed, wherever he was. The commander was a psyker even? She could see it all unfolding . Perhaps she was more useful than he initially anticipated... Perhaps she could face the Ethereals... If she was trained. A shadow descended behind her, Ixqor appearing 'in the flesh'. "Commander. And here I thought we'd never speak again. Come now. Put the gun down and let's talk like responsible adults, no? Hehe..." He chuckled, but something was wrong about his appearance, Samira could sense it. That human like face was no his. Something sinister was behind it.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa will hold Maaka firm she won't let go and she ties to not listen for a moment. The tempature indicators on her hud drop and she blinks for a moment. She hisses for a moment at just what's going on here. She doesn't want to know just what's going on here. Kotone is getting nervous she doesn't deal with with powers like this. She doe snot deal well with this at all. She can only hold Maaka down now. "Maaka fight it! You going to let this guy who sold his will for power break you?!"
Alexis Maaka	''cause I know better than to trust illusions from a snake like you.' Maaka 'says'. She clenches her fists, tightly remaining rigid even if she feels her mind send 'run' signals to the rest of her body. She shuts down most of her motor functions remotely, trying to buy time as much as she can. In the interest of preserving any data she might get damaged by this, she shunts all that to a safety deposit box as well. Not literally, but she does picture it as such. It's a pretty big box by the end of it, letting her remain on priority life support functions and only those. Kaz shrieks again, the poor young man yelping as he throws the guns aside, even his own weapon is discarded as he clutches his head. "Stop, stop stop stop STOP IT! PLEASE!" he begs, weeping tears of blood from his artificial eyes. This is extremely painful, much more so for him than Maaka it seems. Maaka herself is no stranger to pain, even if her neck feels like it's been pressed against a skillet from Hell for the last week, even now it's hissing loudly from Karian's ministrations.
Karian Icefang	"Shut up, Alpharius. I know your game, and you will not stop me." Karian says. He re-commits himself to the prayers, and even adds a second strip of paper on top of the first. Granted that act would delay his prayers a moment. "We are the Emperor's Light. His Torch against the darkness. So long as we draw breath, chaos shall not gain purchase here!" He sermonizes, holding true. On the astral plane, Freyr grits his teeth and moves to dodge the doombolts, getting clipped slightly. He feels chaos try to dig in, but the wizend priest closes his eyes. "Ancient ancestors, I call to you. Join me in saving the soul of this girl in the Allfather's name." He says. From all around, Ixqor would hear howls, and they were coming closer. In a flash, spectral wolves would leap at the snake-like sorceror, trying to maul his face off.
Elise Leroy	Elise's mind, even without the 'armour' around it, is like a fortress. A disciplined sharpshooter's mind, focussed, streamlined. As the 'thing' that got through tries to force her hand, it would feel its grip at once tighten, then slacken away, tossed aside by a mental manifestation. A traditional 'knight' clad in glowing white armour would appear before the slithering blackness invading her mind. It does not speak, instead skewering the thing with its sword, burning it away as if it were only so much flotsam. "Chaos." is Elise's reply to Samira. "Do not listen to their words. Honeyed lies the lot of it. They promise power, but only peddle in madness and death."
Samira Amirmuaz	Samira nods slowly along with Elise's statement... This Chaos business still didn't make much sense at all, but that was just the way of Chaos itself, huh? Of course she has no intention of giving whatever foul power was behind all of this madness any kind of purchase in herself or her organization. Still, it's... incredibly disconcerting to see things, hear things, that she somehow knew she shouldn't. And Kelly was still just holding on, grim like a stone, waiting for one of two things: This bullshit to end, or everyone to die. Seemed like the only two ways about it, now. Hearing Ixqor's voice behind her, Samira spins on her heel and levels her .44 at his face. At this point she knows how little good it will do, but the weapon's weight feels comfortable in her hands. "You'd have me negotiate while you hold one of my soldiers hostage?" She would spit, if she didn't have a scarf over her mouth. "You /are/ mad. No one here will bow to the things you serve. But you already know that - your position is weak, therefore you must try to convince and cajole. /It will not happen/." Turning away from the apparition, Samira does let her gun drop by her side while she knees and folds her hands in prayer. "O Thou Whose face is the object of my adoration, Whose beauty is my sanctuary, Whose habitation is my goal, Whose praise is my hope, Whose providence is my companion, Whose love is the cause of my being, Whose mention is my solace, Whose nearness is my desire, Whose presence is my dearest wish and highest aspiration, I entreat Thee not to withhold from me the things Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among Thy servants. Supply me, then, with the good of this world and of the next. Thou, truly, art the King of all men. There is no God but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous. Amen." And much like Elise, Ixqor would suddenly find that her mind is like a fortress of steel. Her words may not have an effect upon his power, but it is having an effect on her, radiating her own aura of peace and strength, untrained as it may be.
Ixqor Nathrach	This wasn't boding well, But Ixqor knew that if he wouldnt win this battle, he would at least take one of these fools with him. Ixqor sent out a wave of psychic energy around him, lik ea sonic boom as the warp hounds assailed him from all sides. Each attack drained him, and he began to breathe heavily. "You will learn today weakling, that your struggle is folly!" With that Ixqor took up his sword and extended it from teh shadows, the snake like entity taking form and lashing out at the spirit of the wolf priest, trying to rip and tear at his very being. IXqor buckled though, away wherever he was, as the mental projection of his will over Elise's was utterly destroyed. Confident in his abilities, he did not think the soldier could have such mental fortitude. Was she a pysker as well? All effects over her would die down, but the cold would remain. Ixqor, standing behind Karian placed his hand upon the wolf lords shoulder. "Now isn't that a rude way to greet your brother? Now please, listen well, I have something important to tell you. Something I must simply show you myself... JUst look my way for a moment no?" Damn that Maaka too! Ixqor thought, as her mind had shut itself off on all higher levels of function. That was the great weakness to the brand. With no mind to assail, it is merely a 'scratch' upon her neck. Safe for now, the dream like illusion crashes away and she is left floating in the blackness, occasioanlly hearing a whisper from her 'friends'. "Come back maaka! Don't die!" "Please wake up!" "Does she have a pulse! Oh god!" Back to the commander Ixqor knelt beside Samira, being unable to do any worse to her, but he had something else in mind. His words would still be heard, and he would still be faintly seen. "Oh, Commander, how little you understand. The concept of... Madness... Is but one perpetuated by those who think they understand. You see commander, there is an old saying. Only the insane, have the strength to proper, and only those who prosper, judge what is sane. Do you see what I mean? For millenia the dakr god's have fought to enlighten you and your kind... We want to free you from the insanity of order. From the shackles of oppression. Why. Chaos could free your planet from advent. And take my words to heart when I say this... Chaos would not even ask to stay after the job was done. I promise you. Just hear my bargain out, and perhaps this little adventure to Fenris will be worth your time no?" He remarks over the screaming of Kaz. "Ignore him, he will live. He's merely suffering from the aftershocks now."
Alexis Maaka	Maaka seemingly flatlines, but she -is- still conscious, to a degree. She whispers, hearing Kaz scream and cry. [Kaz. Kaz, dude...] [WHAT WHAT IS IT] [Step inside the circle. Seriously.] Kaz, blinking away bloody tears, notices his feet are outside. "Oh..." Despite the SEARING PAIN in his head right now, Kaz does find the strength in him to step into the circle. His robotic foot crosses first, before the natural one follows suit, and he clings to Karian like a giant, hairy, armored security blanket, in spite of cold steel greeting him. His mind clears a bit, before he sucks in breath. Fuck, this hurts. His eyes blink as Samira prays, PRAYS. In his world, in his time, religion is practically a joke outside of some circles, as greed and power took over...and yet it's inspiring at the same time.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa is very tense now, oh so very tense she's muttering an old latin prayer right now she's chat worried. It should at least help her keep her focus and let her drown out the voices but she was hearing them before she heard the others. Wait she heard it early? Was there other effects from the Ritual that she crashed? There may well be so and she is worried. She's getting an idea of how very small in the scale of things. She attemps to hold out she keeps muttering prayers one after the otehr he has to focus she has to keep them out...
Karian Icefang	Karian shook his shoulder free from Ixqor's grip. "Nothing you have to show me is worth stopping for, heretic. I cast you away from me, and from this fortress. BE GONE!" He bellows out, invoking all the prayers into his mind to block out the words of the villian. Freyr, for the most part, was stationary for the fight in the astral plane. The sword that flies at him would find it parried by his staff. "I've had enough of you, deamon. Your very existance is an offront to the Allfather. In his name, I cast you back into the warp, and from this plane!" Shouted the Rune Priest. One thing about him was that you needed to be SCARED when he started to shout. Immidiately, the projection of Ixqor would find the hounds gone, replaced by intense winds and thunder, and lighting slamming to the ground. Freyr was pissed.
Samira Amirmuaz	Poor Kelly was missing the whole show. All she could do was hold Maaka's arm and shake like she'd spontaniously developed Parkinson's from all the cold in this damn room. Stoic as she is, she eventually leans over and mutters into Maaka's ear, "If you could stop screwing around and kick this shitbrick out so we could turn the heat up, it'd be fuckin' great Sarge." Nothing like some friendly banter between soldiers, right!? At first, Samira was content to just ignore Ixqor's apparition beside her and just keep on praying, but he could probably tell that eventually, she's starting to listen. Her hands come down and rest on her thighs, she goes silent, and listens thoughtfully. Could he actually be getting somewhere? "Our fight against ADVENT is insane," she admits slowly, "Because we are outnumbered, outgunned, and overpowered, yes? Yet by your logic, because we are so mad, we have strength enough to prosper, and thus judge what is insane or not." Turning her head, the Persian woman pulls down her scarf and /smiles/, as if everything was bright and good in the world. "Therefore, XCOM is strong enough to survive, and win, because we are insane enough to fight on anyway, reliant only upon ourselves. Therefore, your offer of alliance is no good to me, for we are insane enough without you. God have mercy upon you, creature." Looking back towards the circle, she clasps her hands again. "O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee, Whose sword is the ardent desire of all them that love Thee, Whose dart is the dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee, Whose decree is the sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth! I implore Thee, by Thy divine sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy face, to send down upon us from Thy retreats on high that which will enable us to draw nigh unto Thee. Set, then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, and illumine our breasts with the brightness of Thy names." She wants him to go... she wants him away. The shield that surrounded her mind and soul pulsed out, trying to force the tainted presence of Ixqor from around her person. 'AWAY!' Is her mental cry, and it seems like that's enough.
Ixqor Nathrach	Truly there was nothing left for him hear, Ixqor's various forms all receded, as they were either cast out by force in Karian and his Wolf Priests case, and a bit more peacefully in Samiras. Kaz was safe now, within the circle now. All that was left of his suffering was the throbbing in his head occuring from the psychic pangs that ssailed him, but he'd be right as rain in a few hours. Most dissapointingly, Ixqor's form too one last look at Samira. "I admire thine resolve, and give you credit. Commander. You're a more logical person than I thought. Perhaps in the future you can use that same logic to see where I come from, for we, like you, are insane enough to win this war. Eventually. Seeing as the fates keep bringing us back together, I can assure we will somehow come to bear arms against each other once more, regrettably." This form of Ixqor merely walks to the shadows. "Tell the rest they've won this one, but let it serve as a warning." With that, the warmth suddenly returned to all in the room, and the mark had nearly lost all sense of permanance, merely appearing as a red rash and a nearly healed scar upon Maakas neck.
Alexis Maaka	And then the last of it comes. Maaka's neck sears and chars before she blinks into consciousness again, waking up with a start. She lets out a howl of pain, trying to rip herself free as she regains motor control, grasping at her neck. "AAAAAAAAGH!" Kaz is right there, running to Maaka and kneeling down. "It's fine, it's fine! You're good!" He says, practically hugging her before he notices the scars, "Still got a scar." "I noticed, it itches like crazy." Maaka says, before she realizes her limbs aren't online yet. "...shit. Forgot how long it took to reboot." she grouses, but otherwise glad to be freed.
Karian Icefang	Karian sighs softly as the dark preseance leaves. "It's over." He says. He removes the paper, noting that it was blackened and pretty much useless. As he looks over, Freyr had returned to his body, panting. A nod from the wisend priest shows they were indeed victorious.
Elise Leroy	Elise finally lets her mind relax. Her pistol is lowered, and the setting dropped back to standard operation level, then holstered. "Good to have you back, Durandal." she says over at the cyborg.
Samira Amirmuaz	At last, the presence of the Chaos Sorceror was lifted from the room, and everyone could feel as if they were breathing normally again. Yay! Samira takes back her revolver and comes back to her feet, sighing in small relief while she holsters it again. "We are safe," she notes quietly. "For now. I don't know how I saw that creature, or was able to converse with him... but it is gone, and we have won." Moving briskly, Samira comes to stand in front of the kneeling figures in the center of the circle, offering her hand to help Maaka up with a thankful smile playing across her lips. "Corporal, Samsara, Kaz. Thank you for your efforts today." A hand gets offered to help Maaka to her feet. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Sergeant Durandal. I believe Bradford has glass of his finest bourbon awaiting you at the Avenger bar." Kelly actually pulls down her scarf to shoot Maaka a small grin while elbowing her lightly in the side. "Took you long enough," she grunts and stands, trying to move around, stomp her feet and clench her fists to get the blood back into them. Glancing back to Karian, Samira clears her throat softly and bows her head in thanks. "I am grateful to you and your men for what you have done. You are welcomed to join us aboard the Avenger, where we may tell you our sad tale... and, God willing, what we will do to reverse my planet's fortunes."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa lets go of Alexis now and seem to slum a bit she feels the warmthe returning and most of the insality is going away but she's still left bring very worried. She looks to the Priest for a moment "You have my thanks but ... I need speak to you I disrupted a Chaos ritual yesterday I need to talk to you about it once you have recoverd." She then moves to just give Maaka a hug she was seriously worried about he but the hug won't last too long. "I want to thank everyone for their help today."
Alexis Maaka	Maaka coughs wetly, rubbing her throat once her arm works again. "Glad to be back, I'm not doing that a second time." She says, smiling faintly as she stands back up. Her other arm begins to move after some stiffness, and she arches her back. "I'm gonna be itching for a while though, Christ the worst thing this is gonna be is wearing field gear." She gives Kaz a hug, which the hacker does return, before approaching both Karian and Freyr. She holds out her hand to the Space Wolves, nodding as she looks up at them. "Thank you, thank you both. I'd be fucked without you, that's for sure." She looks to the others, grinning again. "Goes for the rest of you too, I didn't expect that to actually work."