2022-05-28: Found Only In Shadow

• Log: Found Only In Shadow
• Cast: Seraph Harmaus, Magilou, Lunata Croze, Hiro, Eleanor Klein, Seraph Clarine, Ashiya Khaimova, Seraph Lanval, Ida Everstead-Rey, Margaret, Seraph Liath, Marivel Armitage, Seraph Ragnell
• Where: Hoel, Shrine of the Light Trial
• Date: 2022-05-28
• Summary: Where the light touches, it illuminates; few things can be hidden forever, particularly when there are those with a very long memory. But mercy is hard-won in those spaces in which there is no room in which to hide. In the space of a shrine not new to those who travel between two worlds, there is something that can no longer be hidden.
  
  And Harmaus is hell-bent on dragging it out into the light.

---

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Harmaus has posed.

Days ago, there had been a theft of a particularly important amulet. It had been only a prelude.

In the depths of Hoel, light pulses in the staccato of a dying star, illuminating the hall and circular atrium of the shrine with an otherworldly pale glow. Yet, darkness never fully gains a toehold between the flashes. Perhaps it could not be otherwise in the shrine of light.

Three figures can be seen positioned before the sunburst statue that marks the shrine's heart, little more than silhouettes against the flaring light. Two are humanoid.

One unquestionably feline.

"-Long hast thou slumbered, far from thy home. But thy rest hath now come to an end!-"

Harmaus, intoning in the Ancient Tongue, appears to hold court in whatever ritual in which he is now invested. Power coils and furls around the Seraph and his compatriots both, erupting about him in a brilliant aurora. He continues to call out, the chamber trembling with the flow of magic churning within this space.

Pyreflies have come to answer his call.

"-Come forth! Thou who dwelleth eternal upon this forgotten shore!-"

Those who have drawn close will be able to see that something shining glints from about his neck, complimenting his usual bell-strewn red-cord collar. Caelia's amulet, strung about his neck, half-floats in abeyance of gravity, taken by the power churning in this chamber.

Harmaus at this moment is as brilliant as a star.

"-I, Fembuel Caulaog, by my true name, do so command!-"

Something is stirring. Something is rising up from the depths of the shrine, taking form from the gathered Pyreflies. The Seraph tied to this shrine is dead but not gone. And--

"-Arise! Octavio the Exorcist!-"

Neither is their exorcist.

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

A SHORT WHILE PRIOR

"... I'm going ahead. Don't fall too far behind...!"

Magilou's smile is casual; so is the way she waves, without looking back, as she cuts through the pleasantries and the distractions to leave the Vile Fiends on their approach.

It's an expression which fades, hands laced behind her head, as she walks through the sharp desert air. What she murmurs is lost to the desert winds.

AND NOW

OST: Tales of Berseria - Secret Scheme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ze6xr7TsBg

The Light Shrine's puzzles lay solved, on the Vile Fiends' entry to Hoel. The ancient lights of those armaments have been distributed to their proper wielders; the magnifying glass lies inert, purple stone glowing at the other end of the hall. True to her word, it seems, the mysterious witch Magilou went ahead. She forged a path through Hoel...

... all...

... alongside...

Lounging all too casually against the wall of the shrine's centre, Magilou watches Harmaus cry out for illumination; she doesn't interrupt. The light has fallen from her eyes -- all fled to his ritual, perhaps -- as her fingers rest, delicately, curled against her chin. Her other hand folds over her chest, tucked loosely to the crook of her elbow; one foot lifts to lay flat against the stone. She's at a bit of an angle, leaning like this, because the super pop-up book at the back of her book-skirt is still open. The dove crashing out is a shade smooshed.

Nothing Magilou could tell Harmaus would matter, in this moment.

... she's changed, after all.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

DAYS AGO

It's a peaceful day in the village, and Harmaus is a horrible, horrible goos-- cat.

shenanigans

"WAIT YOU DAMN CAT GET BACK HERE WITH THATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT"

NOW

Lunata's been sprinting for what feels like days (it's literally been days, no one tell her she's been sprinting for days because of freaky undead stamina) after one (1) cat with one (1) particularly important amulet. Her efforts have landed her in Hoel again, falsely huffing and puffing as she stares and goes, "Okay, I've got you cornered this time--"

Oh, that doesn't look good.

"Uh, what're you doing-- wait--" Lunata yells, but it's too late! Something's stirring as the pyreflies gather, and Harmaus' words... he's raising... bringing someone back to life?

Lunata's eyes flit between Magilou and Harmaus as she readies Orochi-Agito, winking it into existence. "Where's Caelia?!"

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

~Then~

"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING THAT!?"

"AAAAAAA THIS CAT IS THE WORST! WHY WOULD THEY GIVE A CAT LASERS!? THAT IS AN OBJECTIVELY BAD IDEA!"

"At least he doesn't have wings!"

"Why do I feel personally attacked right now!?"

~Now~

Hiro remembers the first time he went through the Shrine of Light. The exorcist... his story brought a deep melancholy within him. A penance that long, such sadness, such pain. It didn't feel right - but neither was what he did. So what's the answer? He doesn't know.

Now he's returned to Hoel in pursuit with the other Vile Fiends - and he seems 'puzzled' by the distinct lack of traps and barriers. "I kind of expect us to get zapped any moment now." "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth Hiro, let's just go!"

And in they went, all the way to the center - Hiro shields his face against the blinding light, squinting as he sees Magilou off to the side, "You were gone for a while. Hope you didn't get up to too much mischief - wait why are you... here..." He trails off, before... "...what's that chanting..."

Magilou can see him putting two and two together, the gears in his head grinding

His eyes grow wide even behind the shield of his hand as he says 'Octavius the Exorcist' his dread growing as he just shouts a single word...

"DON'T!"

Yeah that'll convince him Hiro..

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

That Seraph. Eleanor Klein wasn't expecting to see him, least of all to see him brilliant as a star invoking some awful ritual. And yet, here she is, and here he is.

But what was she expecting? Well, the Shrine and its use as a means of passage, primarily. Perhaps some magical problem to help Hiro with. This is not a day she is blessed with foreknowledge of to her... knowledge, unless she sees something she's recorded in her many scattered notes. She does keep a lot of notes of her visions. But instead, she came for that purpose, and now... Well...

Eleanor Klein walks into the halls, dressed in light travelers' clothing for the desert, winding layers of pale fabric, a satchel at her side full of various items, her hair back, and her weapon holstered, hidden. Her pale yellow eyes widen in surprise.

"What are you doing!?"

Something is stirring. The Exorcist? But--

Ah. There's Hiro. And there's--

"Magilou!?"

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Clarine has been making frequent trips to Hoel, the Shrine of the Light Trial. Not just to go between Spira and Filgaia, but to pay her respects to the Seraph. It's all she can offer to the Seraph whose essence was stolen. ...And it is for that reason that she becomes keenly aware that something is Wrong. Dropping everything, she immediately hurries to the Shrine, only to find some manner of ritual already in place.

...Octavio the Exorcist... Harmaus wishes to revive him? Clarine's eyes narrow.

"Harmaus! What madness has taken you this time?" Clarine declares. "What good can come of calling upon one who should remain buried?"

Harmaus isn't alone, of course - her gaze turns to Magilou. ...What part does she have to play in this?

<Pose Tracker> Ashiya Khaimova has posed.

It's a beautiful day to be on the prowl for valuable compounding ingredients, which is precisely what a very blue-featured Cat beastfolk (Fellpool to the spacegoing peeps) is doing out in the desert. This isn't as much of a fool's errand as you might think: yes, there's not much in the way of plant life out here, but there are handy mineral sands which react in very valuable ways if you know what to look for.

What she wasn't looking for, but found anyway... were signs of life! Namely, a gaggle of folk being led across the desert in the distance by a recognizable blob of colour. Her ears fwip once and she lifts her pocket-PC to her eyes to scrutinize this. In the future, they have some insane phone cameras, I tell you what.

"... eh? -Her-?" she wonders aloud to nobody in particular at the sight of Magilou wandering away from the gang of folks she doesn't know. Curiosity takes over, and she lopes away across the sands to investigate.

---

In another time, maybe Ashiya would have more peace of mine to appreciate the Shrine of Light. She's huge into ruins. Ruins fangirl here. Number 1 ruingirl. #ruingirls. But this time, things seem: eerie and bad. Echoing voices ring out from within. Flashes of light in the distance. And, new as she might be to these worlds, her time on Spira has taught her that the rainbow fireflies (pyreflies, if you will) are very seldom good news when the mood is spooky.

"Is that... Magilou? Are you in here?" she calls, cupping her hands. She casts a glance around the place, stalking through the ruins warily. The plot demands she finally makes the right turn at some point, but not before spying at least one flying pink cat (hi Ruby!) and a handsome young lad. And a really pale girl (hi Lunata!) whose panting for breath is but a pantomime of the living. Not that Ashiya would know.

"Oh! There you are!"

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

Seraph Lanval comes and goes alongside Fox Company these days, or even just by getting into some water and flowing out wherever. He's like that. Today is more of the former, and even then as a technicality, because he was asleep in someone's bottle and that bottle fell off. One can see why he gets into the water and flows out wherever so much, but never mind these tangents.

	"Mmmm," Lanval manifests out of there in a sphere of light, "ish it me, or did... shomeone... already do the thing fer ush?" Lanval remarks on all the puzzles and things being moved in their proper places already. The Seraphic Artes that make up these Trials have consistently been solid in terms of resetting their puzzles, but when he follows along with the rest and is able to overhear Harmaus' voice speaking in the Ancient Tongue... (also there's pyreflies, but because Harmaus is currently blindingly super-bright it's easy to miss their presence closer to him)
5r 	"'m not likin' that," Lanval comments, looking aside to see Magilou standing there. "Heyyyy, ya aren't likin' it either, are ya...?"

	Beat. "Are ya?"

	In this singular instance, Lanval should be happy that he has not removed the tonally disruptive novelty beer lens glasses he has on, because that helps with the blindness.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Between helping the refugees of Alcidamas, looking into potential Veruni activity, and aiding the Fossickers' Union in its latest bargaining effort, Ida has been very busy lately. But she's not so busy that she can't lend a hand to a friend and comrade in need, and Eleanor made such a request not that long ago. Ida has gotten used to providing martial backup for the Crest Sorceress. It makes things a little easier as they enter Hoel--familiar as always, but newly-unsettling, thanks to the thrumming of power in its heart.

Ida, like Eleanor, had anticipated a trip through the desert, and wears a long tan cloak over her colorful Spiran outfit, which is airy but bares quite a bit of skin. Her hand drifts towards her ARM as she turns a corner and makes out the trio of silhouettes. One she doesn't recognize, one is Harmaus--which is enough on its own to twist her lips in a snarl--and the third is--

"Drop it," Ida says, and Devil's Due is in her hand, aimed directly at Harmaus. Magilou is a serious threat, and God knows what the third one is capable of, but Harmaus is the one actively performing the ritual. "I won't ask again."

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

Ominous prognosticks. Disquiet. Dis-EASE. A feeling that someone, that something, is in peril. A promise, or a wished-for promise? Anyway, the cards agreed, and so did the pendulums, and be that as it may, Margaret the Black Pearl of Nowhere in Particular, has come to this shrine.

Margaret has her hair tied back against the Bikanel wind, and has a khaki cloak that is still resting dramatically on her shoulders against the Bikanel sun, and is wearing her usual purple stuff that's sort of like silk dancing clothes with armor framings underneath that, presumably for heat radiation.

The lack of a preceding dungeon has rendered Margaret antsy. Perhaps frenetic. She has resisted the urge to simply storm inwards, perhaps not least because this would be an excellent way to die horribly against a trap.

But here, now - Margaret lets out a gasp.

"Magilou! What has he done to you!" she says, all a-trusting.

She then sucks in a deep breath and Projects what comes next, not with magick but with thunderous vocalization. "O CAT!" Margaret thunders, reaching to her hip to draw out STEEL'S KISS, moving it round to point the glittering balanced tip towards him.

"Cease your criminal necromancy this INSTANT, and release your prisoners, or by all the devils of hell I will have your guts for guitar strings!"

("Hiro, Ruby..." Margaret says, much much more quietly with a slight nod.)

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Liath has posed.

Light ebbs in the Shrine dedicated to its presence like a star in its twilight. Every flash of the ritual's flux deepens the shadows surrounding the nooks and crannies of Hoel's heart.

In one corner, those shadows cast slightly deeper.

Perhaps fittingly hidden within the flow shadows cast by the ritual's light is someone intimately acquainted with the element in question. She can feel it flow around her. Pulse.

Twist for particular purpose.

Crouched on that ledge, she watches, hidden. She doesn't act yet, even as Fiends and friends alike rush to confront the cat, his companions, and their malign purpose.

She just watches, a frown settling on her lips, white-tipped bangs falling over molten-bright gold eyes as her head dips.

Something is stirring. Armored fingers tremble where they rest against her upraised knee, until the squeeze of their gloved counterparts around them quell their quiver.

'-Arise! Octavio the Exorcist!-'

Her frown deepens. But for now, she stays where she is; an unseen light in the shadows.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel wishes that what's like the 7th collect all the elemental shrines questline in her life would be over already but she knows there's at least one more after all this and at least that one will be pretty easy to deal with. She could stroll through a Shadow dungeon while being as blind as a bat. ANd usually has to. Shadow Shrines like to be dark and gloomy.

"Ugh the cat." Marivel says as she sliiiides on in.

Fembuel Caulaog? Oh they do true names too huh.

"Why are you like this?" She asks.

She crosses her arms.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Ragnell, as is her wont, has been doing her own thing. In this case, 'her own thing' has been tagging along with the Vile Fiends and occasionally helping them out. Right now this includes a chase after an extremely naughty cat after he's stolen an amulet that grants him control over another Seraph. It doesn't take a lot to convince Ragnell to help out with the hunt; she already doesn't like Harmaus, and it's existentially offensive to her that anyone would be able to have complete control over another person.

When she jogs into Hoel in Hiro and Ruby's wake--when they reach the center and find Harmaus performing a ritual to bring back the Exorcist as two companions of his look on--Ragnell's already scowling. However, she glances to one side towards Magilou, one of the companions who appears to be chilling with the feline Seraph. "...."

She doesn't try to demand what she's doing or what's going on. Ragnell has a pretty keen sense for these things, and she knows Magilou pretty well. She eases back on one heel and pulls the brim of her hat down to shield her eyes as her other thumb hooks on her gun belt.

"Hope however this pans out ends up worth it to ya, 'Lou," she comments instead.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Harmaus has posed.

Where is Caelia?

She stands to one side of the ritual underway, her gaze only on the form that slowly makes itself known within the flickering glow of the magic circle. She does not move, her focus, perhaps, a valuable part of the proceedings underway.

'What are you doing!?' 'DON'T!' 'What madness has taken you this time?' 'Drop it. I won't ask again.' 'Why are you like this?' 'Cease your criminal necromancy this INSTANT, and release your prisoners, or by all the devils of hell I will have your guts for guitar strings!'

Even when thunder rolls (metaphorically) and shouts ring out (barely metaphorical) Harmaus does not stop or even acknowledge the presence of those who have gathered here. Continuing to float in the air himself, the glow only intensifies about the magic circle.

Slowly, that form begins to rise from the shimmering circle at the floor, formed piecemeal by the Pyreflies. Ghostly and translucent at first, it by degrees gains color, definition, detail. It is probably only by memory of the body that Octavio takes a breath and opens his eyes, his gaze first taking in Harmaus' hovering form then shifting out beyond him to the others who have gathered.

And then turning to take in Magilou.

"-Exorcist Octavio. There is much I would ask of you-," says Harmaus.

Octavio is no great actor. Was no great actor, when he drew breath out of necessity. There is no question that he recognizes Magilou.

"Magillanica Lou Mayvin... It cannot be," Octavio breathes.

The look on his face might well be termed horrified. He pales, looking between her and the Seraphim, towards the crowd that has come to stop what Harmaus has intended this day.

"-Tell me. What is the nature of the Seraphim? What of the Abbey? Of Artorius?-" Harmaus prompts, ears swiveling sideways as if he were agitated.

"I cannot help you," Octavio says simply, before imploding into Pyreflies.

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

Magilou's gaze tilts, first, to Lunata. Her chin jerks, just so, leading the rest of her head in an indicative nod to the corner where Caelia is standing by. Her bangs tumble over her face, as she turns to regard Hiro and Eleanor, in turn, as they ask their questions. She regards Clarine's unspoken question; Lanval, who speaks his. Wanderers in from the cold, questants --

"Why are we here," she remarks, dull, "indeed. For before this place was a route between worlds, it was..."

The Light Shrine.

Site of the Trial.

And who is to administer it, now the Seraph is unable?

These questions all she leaves to implication, as her voice trails to nothing. She doesn't much look like she's enjoying herself, Lanval -- though she doesn't look much of any particular emotion at all.

She shakes her head, to Margaret's blind trust, and doesn't bother to tell her just how topsy-turvy the logic is.

"Oh, not for me," she remarks, lightly, to Ragnell -- but does she mean this whole event isn't for her, or that it isn't worth it to her?

And lo, be silent -- the Exorcist is come.

Magilou's brow raises -- just so -- as Octavio rises from the pyreflies. It is not so much an expression of surprise as it is emphasis of her ennui, only underlined by the slight motion.

Her head tilts, just so, as Octavio's eyes meet hers -- still that strange, unnatural mix of purple and green, one intruding down over the other. Her fingers shift to splay over her cheek, in the motion.

She is an actor -- a thespian of ill repute. It's difficult to tell whether Magilou recognises Octavio, or whether she didn't expect him -- whether she's just noticed his attention, or...

It cannot be, he breathes, and her lips pull down to expose her teeth, and her eyelids lower to veil the purple of her eyes. She pushes her foot off the wall; she straightens, a hand held loosely at her hip, the other hanging down limp at her side.

"She's dead, Octavio," Magilou -- Mazhigigika Miludin do Din Nolurun Dou, surely, surely -- tells the Exorcist, toneless, bored, without inflection or emotion. "And so are you."

A statement of fact?

Or a threat?

Either way, without question, he heeds her.

"What a shame," she remarks, dryly, as Octavio disappears. "You're all out of help." Magilou sighs, flipping her bangs out of her eyes with a loose hand. (They fall right back into place, with that same characteristic curl.) "It was careless of me to let you summon him in this situation, I suppose... not even I could have expected death to have loosened the Exorcist's tongue quite so much."

Her shoulders lift, in a loose shrug. "Did he die before it happened? It was so long ago... I can't quite remember." All her movements are quite free, quite casual -- entirely unfitting to the dead-weight corpse of her words.

"But I'm a historian, Harmaus, so I'll cut a little deal with you."

Magilou steps up to a creature who appears so feline, and crouches, beside Harmaus. She gestures out, with long, curling fingers -- assassin's fingers -- to the gathered Fiends. "The Seraph tasked to this place cannot see to the Trial. You're a Light Seraph, aren't you? Defeat them, if you can. Where they mean to go... they'll need to be strong enough to defeat the likes of you."

And is she one of them?

Well? Is she?

Smoothly, subtly -- with motions which betray her incompetent buffoonery entirely -- her other hand sweeps up to grasp Caelia's amulet from Harmaus's neck, over a head which was never designed to keep it in place. She straightens as if it were the most natural motion in the world, swinging the amulet taut around her shoulderless sleeve, until that precious amulet dangles near her wrist. "One stipulation," she says, holding it out of reach as she steps away. "You do this yourself, Harmaus." Her cool gaze slides over to Caelia, hidden off to the side, with a little jerk of her fingers which indicates the amulet there. "I can't have you meddling right now. Take a break."

She orders Caelia back into her amulet so easily; it might even be possible to believe she's ordering Caelia away to preserve her horrible scheme. If there's some other reason Magilou would stop Caelia from fighting this crowd...

Never mind that.

Once Caelia has turned into light and disappeared from the arena, Magilou turns. In her spin, she grasps a shikigami between her fingers, fixing the people she forced herself between with a vaguely bored expression. "And if any of you can tear it out of me... perhaps I'll answer you, too."

A green Seraphic glyph erupts at her feet, blowing her hair about her as she thrusts her hand forward, paper doll and all.

"The ones you will face to claim the Light Gem -- are us!"

OST Interrupt!: Tales of Berseria - The Will That Opposes Reason https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMHGJRuZDtg

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Harmaus has posed.

"NO!!" Harmaus howls, the otherworldly light in this chamber cutting out as he lunges for the space which the now-vanished Octavio had so recently occupied. It is, of course, far too late. He whirls about, facing Magilou and growls, low in his throat. "It plans this?!" he utters, his body language that of an animal readying for an attack.

His tail only lashes when she even remarks that Octavio might not have known any more about what he had wished to ask. "It knows much," he utters, still rigid save for his swishing tail, his whiskers flared. "It knows much and tells me little! And now it wishes a deal? ...Speak, and speak now!"

There is no longer a Seraph present to administer the trial for this shrine. Therefore, as a Light Seraph... could he not present it himself?

"Tcha," Harmaus utters, amber eyes slitted as his gaze turns from her to those assembled. "So they attempts the trials? I sees outline of its plan now! So it seeks audience with Her? Not easily done. Not easily done at all! I permits this, but it tells me--"

Magilou steps in to easily pluck the amulet from him, retrieving it with a movement so smooth and quick that he only realizes what has been done by the time it's well out of easy reach. "--Þetta reddast! We has words later!" he tells Magilou, tail flicking once, twice in irritation.

So, by her own words, of 'any of them can tear it out of her'...

"Yes... we shall SEE!" Harmaus replies, that milky green-purple glow of the north again haloing his form.

"Come! I tries the strong and lays low the weak! All those yet uncertain, flee here, now!"

Light rips from Harmaus without warning, a barrage of tarnished beams peppering those before him. Darting to one side, he vanishes suddenly only to reappear to Ida's right; she may only have moments to deal with the wash of light that burns forth. "Too long, it troubles me. Let me see it succumb!"

Just like that, he vanishes once again, reappearing slightly to Marivel's left. "Ah, comes it again? Like last time, there is light, yet!" The solar flare erupts from him without warning.

And he vanishes, landing almost delicately on the floor. "Clarine... Clarine. Still it learns lesson not!" A cord of solar plasma snakes from him, as if seeking to thereby chain her down where she stands.

BGM: Shin Megami Tensei IV Final - Polytheistic Alliance Battle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxTm9pVep7w

GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Liath with Burning Vision!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Lanval with Burning Vision!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Burning Vision!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Ida Everstead-Rey with Glimpse Of The Sun!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus spends 3 Combo on Gatling, loading 3 into Gatling!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Marivel Armitage with Sudden Dawn!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Clarine with Radiance Shackle!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has completed his action.

GS: Magilou has attacked Hiro with Crown Fire!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Magilou has entered Avenger Stance!
GS: Magilou has attacked Eleanor Klein with Crown Fire!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Gamble: Very High! Hiro takes a solid hit from Magilou's Crown Fire for 133 hit points!
GS: Mighty applied to Magilou!
GS: Magilou has attacked Lunata Croze with Crown Fire!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Clarine takes a solid hit from Seraph Harmaus's Radiance Shackle for 70 hit points!
GS: Entangle applied to Seraph Clarine!
GS: Seraph Clarine activates Guard bonus and Arcane Font!
GS: Magilou has attacked Ashiya Khaimova with Crown Fire!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Ragnell partially evades Seraph Harmaus's Burning Vision for 75 hit points!
GS: Seraph Ragnell activates Evade bonus!
GS: Magilou has attacked Margaret with Crown Fire!
GS: Magilou has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Magilou gains 10 FP from her Daredevil!
GS: Magilou has completed her action.
GS: Gamble: High! Eleanor Klein suffers a terrible blow from Magilou's Crown Fire for 137 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Mighty applied to Magilou!
GS: Seraph Lanval partially guards Seraph Harmaus's Burning Vision for 60 hit points!
GS: Seraph Lanval activates Guard bonus!
GS: Gamble: Moderate! Ashiya Khaimova suffers a terrible blow from Magilou's Crown Fire for 112 hit points!
GS: Mighty applied to Magilou!
GS: Lunata Croze used Mystic on Lunata Croze! Status effect durations increased by 2! Gained 100 Temporary HP!
GS: Lunata Croze has activated a Force Action!
GS: Seraph Liath fully evades Seraph Harmaus's Burning Vision for 0 hit points!
GS: CRITICAL! Gamble: Lowest! Lunata Croze solidly guards Magilou's Crown Fire for 40 hit points!
GS: Mighty applied to Magilou!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey takes a solid hit from Seraph Harmaus's Glimpse Of The Sun for 118 hit points!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey activates Evade bonus!
GS: CRITICAL! Gamble: Moderate! Margaret suffers a terrible blow from Magilou's Crown Fire for 129 hit points!
GS: Mighty applied to Magilou!
GS: Margaret activates Arcane Font!
GS: Marivel Armitage suffers a terrible blow from Seraph Harmaus's Sudden Dawn for 209 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata's attention is focused on Caelia when she spots her, thanks to Magilou nudging her chin -- she starts for the Seraph, but the shouts of the Drifters and the spell completing gives her pause. The form of Octavio forms out of the air, gaining colour, definition...

"Mayvin...?" Lunata asks. She has no idea of the significance of that, but... Octavio suddenly implodes into Pyreflies, which is more surprising than ever -- did the spell fail? Did something else happen? The look of horror on his face...

Just what is going on here?

No, she has a more pressing issue at hand! "Caelia!"

She starts again, only to suddenly see Magilou seize Caelia's amulet, prompting the undead to grimace harder. "You--" she grimaces as the Seraph disappears back into her amulet, like she's seen so many times. That's... that's good. She's concerned about her being hurt if a fight breaks out here, but she'll be safer in her amulet...

Her relief fast turns into caution, though, when fire erupts out of Magilou towards her. "Wait! I don't want to fight! All I wanted was to help her!"

In an instant, Ge Ramda -- a large, translucent lich dressed in ancient bridal regalia -- is hovering over her, her long, claw-like bony fingers held out as a shield. The crown fire flickers over her robes, burning away spectral fabric.

There's a noise of restraint as she looks to her fellow Drifters. Hey, another girl with a katana. "Guess she's not gonna just listen and hand it over to us... come on, then!"

Lunata darts forward, her sword clicking back in its sheath -- she manouevres at a low angle, her knee sliding her into a kneel, and then she slashes in a shower of cherry blossom petals.

GS: Lunata Croze has attacked Magilou with Cherry Ronde!
GS: Lunata Croze has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Lunata Croze has entered Avenger Stance!
GS: Lunata Croze gains 10 FP from her Daredevil!
GS: Lunata Croze has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Eh?" Marivel asks as Magilou BETRAYS THE GROUP FOREVER well actually it's just a Trial so you know. "Now?" She looks around. "I thought you were gonna pull this kind of stunt after it was all over. This is most unorthodox! Just so you know, everyone, I PERSONALLY have no intention of giving you a trial at the Shadow Shrine. It's a Shadow Shrine. That's like my day off, okay? Making it a WORK day is something I'm just not gonna do."

The Exorcist spills Magilou's REAL NAME and Marivel's response is, "That name is obviously fake." Her antipathy for the Exorcist has not diminished in the slightest and, naturally, seems to not particularly care what he might have to say. Or not have to say for that matter. "Her name is obviously Mazhigigika Miridin Do Di Nolurun Dou."

She taps her head like Axel from Kingdom Hearts. "Got it memorized?"

And then with a grunt, "Completely different.e" Magilou might be betraying them all or whatever but she isn't going to let that kind of nonsense stand from a dead man.

She turns to look at Harmaus. "Well," She says. "Obviously I still seek an audience with 'Her'. I haven't changed my plan at all."

She extends her hand to the side, a crimson staff appearing in her hands before--

An eruption of light burns her face off.

"Yes yes. Light magic. I get it." Her skull says (though only the front half is visible).

She spins the staff around once.

"Magic Seal!" She shouts as swirling energies coalesce around Harmaus, runic images skittering before him.

"I always look forward to a history lesson." Marivel says. "You people better mop the floor with her or I'll be very dissapointed! I'll endure this cat until then."

GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Magic Seal!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

Lanval's gaze falls upon Magilou's seeming apathy beyond obersvation and a few statements related to a time well before his own - and then she cuts her deal to Harmaus.. and the terms are clear.

	"Sho, that'sh what--" Lanval doesn't get to say his line in full before Harmaus speaks over him, and he makes a face. This face gets struck full of burning beams of light.

	The novelty beer lens glasses help in filtering down the intense light... just a little bit. A smidge. It's enough of a reaction to get Lanval to finally take them off and steady himself, for Harmaus disappears and reappears into the light enough times.

	"Everyone here 'bout knowsh the shtory," Lanval tries to speak over the calls of defiance as he takes that drinking gourd in both hands as some steam rises off of him from getting beam'd, "ya think me uncertain?"

	He puts on a smile, and staggers along the way he usually does, seemingly nowhere near the direction of Harmaus as he's busy blasting others with light and venting his feelings about the 'its' that give him a bad itch.

	He flippantly throws the heavy drinking gourd over his shoulder, attached to a rope without a care for the world. He's got one of the two worlds' deadliest flails in his possession and he's just going to swing it along.

	It's a ruse - he's trying to catch Harmaus in-between his teleporting movements.
GS: Seraph Lanval has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Layabout's Lariat!
GS: Seraph Lanval has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Lanval has completed his action.

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

Hiro looks confused by Magilou's dull tone. "Magilou what did you do...?" As he looks to Margaret and Ragnell. Ruby makes eye contact with Ashiya and waves a precious pink pawsie.

And then just like that, he's back, as if he never left. Summoned by Harmaus' ritual. And he says a name... Hiro's eyebrows shoot up as he looks over towards Magilou, mouthing 'Mayvin'. However, Harmaus asks questions of two things he's never heard of, Ocatvio refusing to answer the questions and...

"Was this what it was all about for you? Seeking answers?" Hiro unsheathes his sword, looking towards Harmaus, "We already know what you do when you receive answers you don't like."

However, Magilou offers a deal to fill in for his lack of cooperation. A deal from a historian, and Hiro can't help but scowl a little. Fortunately the stipulation is that Harmaus does it himself - and Hiro reaches out a hand as Caelia is drawn back in... shocked that Magilou can manage such a thing so casually...

Then he faces Magilou as she announces that the trial is... now. "Your favorite historian huh?" Hiro says sounding a bit abstracted, as he looks between Harmaus and Magilou... just like that fire roars over him, he hadn't been facing Magilou at all.

Ruby slowly drifts towards Ragnell and whispers, "Ragnell - just wanted you to know. I predicted this one." You taught her well apparently, Ragnell.

Give Hiro some credit though, because he understood Magilou was always shady, he just wanted to believe that... maybe, just maybe... this once... "Alright - Magilou." Hiro says as he pats out the wisps of fire. "I accept this trial... I'm not going to even try to talk you out of it. But while we're doing this-"

Suddenly like a gust of wind he rushes forward, blade thrusting ferociously at her and her Shikigamis in an attempt to skewer her. Not holding back in the least because he knows for a fact that Magilou sure isn't. "-you and me are going to TALK-!"

Yeah Marivel he's looking forward to the history lesson too...

GS: Hiro has attacked Magilou with Hurricane Thrust!
GS: Hiro has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Hiro has entered Avenger Stance!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor does not speak the language Harmaus speaks when he answers, but she speaks the one Octavio speaks as he denies him. She is surprised rather than satisfied to see him denied. But Magilou... Magilou was part of this, clearly. What is her angle...? Eleanor's eyes narrow as she looks between the two of them, and to Ragnell for a moment. But then back to Magilou. How old is she...?

Caelia is gone, and Eleanor blinks at her dimissal--but she has little time to dwell on that. But she cannot be glad at this chance to vent her frustrations on Magilou. Not on watching how emotionless she is in the moment. A trial...

"Harmaus--" No. Harmaus isn't her opponent. The fire flares out from Magilou, and Eleanor is not fast enough to get out of the way with her thoughts, flames blasting against her. She does not burn, thanks to the ring's enchantment, but their concussive force is more than enough to knock her backwards from her feet. "Gh--"

"What is it you want, Magilou!?" Eleanor asks of her. "Why? ...No, you won't answer anything if we don't fight you, will you?"

Eleanor bites her lip hard, as she pushes herself up to her feet, draws a rod from her things and lowers it to face the ground. Its red gem gleams.

"You're insufferable," she says, shoulders sagging. "...Making me worry about you when I finally have the chance to get back at you for what you said..."

She straightens, and lifts the magic rod in her hand. "All right." She pulls a Crest with her other hand, and draws on its power, the opposed powers of Fray and Muse combining in a flash of multicolored light about her person. As she points the rod, its red gem gleams--and a beam emits from it, crashing towards Magilou in what will become an explosion borne of the magic already surrounding her in brilliant light!

"Leave it to us!" she calls to Marivel, and--well. Moves behind Hiro. She knows what she's about.

GS: Eleanor Klein has attacked Magilou with Dazzling Negation!
GS: Eleanor Klein has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Eleanor Klein has completed her action.

GS: CRITICAL! Magilou suffers a terrible blow from Lunata Croze's Cherry Ronde for 180 hit points!
GS: Cover applied to Lunata Croze!
GS: CRITICAL! Magilou partially guards Hiro's Hurricane Thrust for 128 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Mighty applied to Hiro!
GS: Gamble: Very High! Magilou takes a glancing hit from Eleanor Klein's Dazzling Negation for 65 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Magilou gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Dispel! Hyper and Mighty removed!
GS: Magilou activates Arcane Font!

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

The dead arise despite her demands. Margaret's teeth, which are fortunately more regenerative than human teeth, grind audibly. She breathes in -- but the dead man speaks!...

Something.

"Ha!" Margaret says, to cruelly mock the wicked cat's efforts. This is short-lived, because - "Why would he know Magilou?" Margaret muses to herself. Her fingers tighten as Magilou begins to speak.

Her ears flatten back. "What...?" Margaret says, her brow, kept typically smooth with some painful effort, wrinkles. What she is saying has context. Tone. It seems to lack that certain airy performance which she had found so pleasant, so--

"What...? Magilou, why - why are you - what do you mean, answers? I don't," Margaret says to Magilou with complete and startled authenticity before there is a sudden eruption of horrid, burning LIGHT from -- from -- from Magilou; oriented towards them? Margaret simply gawps before the burning light reaches her, and then lets out a startled cry --

Others speak in a mild cacophony. Margaret, feeling the pains of light burns on her arms, is staggered momentarily. This wasn't something held back or misaimed for play or distraction. It was real? She looks at the back of her hand. Dimly, she can feel something in her heart twist. Why do they always--

Margaret's eyes squeeze shut for a moment. No. Whatever you do here -- you are not going to sob in front of these children and half-sized ancients. Margaret breathes twice, rapidly, and then twists Steel's Kiss in her hand. She raises it upwards--

rattle-clack: To sheath it.

Margaret is limned in nebular light after this. She spreads her hands apart even as she murmurs syllables that did not exist a decade ago. Wind raises around her, the stars of the shroud of darkness crackling with lightning. The spell rises - and as the charm rises, Margaret looks upwards. "Tear it out of you?"

Thunder crackles. "FINE!" she shouts.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

'Oh, not for me,' Magilou tells Ragnell, light as a breeze. The Lightning Seraph straightens, lifting her chin to peer at her despite her hat's lowered brim. "No? Hmmm..." Her red eyes flick towards Harmaus and Caelia. Then she half-smiles and shrugs. "Well, either way."

The Exorcist forms--not only forms but recognizes Magilou, calls her by a certain name. Ragnell's eyes widen anew as she recognizes one of them. Mayvin... For all that Ragnell's needled her about being old, is she really THAT old? Is she, in fact, the "grandmother" of that entire clan?

Interesting thoughts, but more interesting in a different way is when Harmaus demands answers of Octavio, and Octavio essentially replies, 'No,' and then blips back out of existence. Ragnell breaks into raucous, nigh-hysterical laughter, slapping her thigh as she doubles over.

This probably doesn't endear Harmaus to her at all, but Ragnell really doesn't care.

As she recovers from her laughing fit, Ragnell rights herself, one hand splayed on her feathered cowboy hat, baring a toothy smirk as Magilou bargains with Harmaus. "Aha... I'm startin' to see the shape o' your scheme." She winks at Magilou. "Clever girl. Okay, I'll play along. It works out for me jus' as much as it does you. But we might jus' have to have a few words later, Maggie Lou Mayvin, y'hear?"

Harmaus meanwhile turns his claws and magic towards those who would oppose him. Ragnell snaps her hands down to her belt and twirls her pistols up into her hands. She pauses only as Ruby drifts over to her and whispers how she'd called this one. Ragnell winks back at her. "Good call," she whispers back.

She'll leave the other side of the room to take on Magilou. Right now, she's going to shoot a very bad cat, right in the fluff, with needle-like lightning bullets shot into the air and coming down on him from above with a torrent of rain. It's only fair, after he zaps her with rings of light. It doesn't matter that she dives mostly out of the way; it's the principle of the thing, and her principles demand she shoot Harmaus for being a pain in the ass!

It's a little funny to be fighting alongside Marivel and Lanval in this way, but... well, today's allies are tomorrow's enemies, or so the saying goes. (It does not go like that.) It'll be fine for the moment.

GS: Margaret has attacked Margaret with Starlight Express!
GS: Margaret has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Margaret has completed her action.
GS: Seraph Ragnell has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Squall Shot!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has completed her action.
GS: Margaret accepts Margaret's Starlight Express for 0 hit points!
GS: Burst, Hyper, and Quick applied to Margaret!

<Pose Tracker> Ashiya Khaimova has posed.

Much as she might cultivate that carefree air, Ashiya Khaimova is no fool. Her brow furrows at the tone that suffuses Magilou's words. Corpse dust and boredom. As if the theatre of her usual manner is no longer open for business--or could this, too, be another ruse?

There's a moment in time, a pause, where she has to mutter under her breath: "... cute..." at the sight of Ruby waving a tiny pink paw. Oh my GOD--

--focus, girl! Focus!

"Waitaminute, I think I'm mixed up in something else here..." is Ashiya's opening gambit to escape, but it finds no purchase. Mazhigigika Miludin do Din Nolurun Dou didn't come here to make a speech and leave, as this cat is soon to find out. She squints as emerald light surges from beneath the ancient magus's feet, and draws her blade in one swift motion.

How do you block an explosion of magical fire with a sword? Poorly! That's how! The would-be adventurer is flung from her feet as a result. She tumbles past Lunata, silently wishing that she too, was protected by a cool spectral skeleton wizard.

"What the heck was that for? Did Rixia use up all the hot water or something?" she calls back, having come to a halt by way of smacking into a dusty old pillar. Rubble and pebbles litter Ashiya's windswept locks. Try as she might, her tone belies that she knows something terrible is at play here. Something she has little idea about. Poorly, she plays the fool. "That's fine, I owe you one for ditching me on that train!"

The pebbles and the dust linger in the air still, but the catgirl with the sword is gone. She has leapt towards Magilou with a broad, overhead strike. Martially, there is little more to say. Sure, it's a decent pincer move when combined with the other Drifters around here, but let's be real: Magilou has gone adventuring in the past with WAY more notable sword-crazies than this.

GS: Ashiya Khaimova has attacked Magilou with Waxing Moon Strike!
GS: Ashiya Khaimova has entered Avenger Stance!
GS: Ashiya Khaimova has completed her action.
GS: Seraph Harmaus takes a solid hit from Seraph Ragnell's Squall Shot for 103 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Harmaus gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Cover applied to Seraph Ragnell!
GS: CRITICAL! Magilou solidly guards Ashiya Khaimova's Waxing Moon Strike for 80 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Magilou gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Hyper and Mighty applied to Ashiya Khaimova!

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Ida doesn't speak Zeboim, and only understands half the conversation--but there's no mistaking the look of horror on Octavio's face when he drops that name. Magilou denies any resemblance, of course, but also hints at a nebulous past--a past that she was a part of. She glances at Eleanor, eyes widening. "Deal with her," Ida says, her breath hissing between her teeth.

Harmaus seems desperate to unearth something big, judging by his furious words and the lashing of his tail, but Octavio does not humor him. Harmaus takes out his frustrations on everyone else present.

"We have names, creature," Ida snarls, and she twists right, all swirling folds of desert cloak. She's fast, but she's not faster than light. Light pours forth from Harmaus' body, scorching a fist-sized hole in her cloak and passing through to the flesh beneath. Harmaus magic rakes across her skin, leaving a shallow but painful burn in its wake.

Ida switches up her grip on Devil's Due, and slips into a fighting stance. She can't circle-walk with Harmaus properly--he's too small, and too fast--but she tries her best, her movements flowing and calculated and deceptively slow-looking despite the anger in her eyes. The instant Harmaus gets in range, he's treated to a violent strike with the butt of Devil's Due, which is not a small pistol by any measure. Then, light from another source. Clarine? She feels Clarine's sorcery taking hold, a glimmer of reflective warmth, but no, it's not her--

"Lady Liath?!" Ida cries, stopping her evasive action just long enough to turn to face her. Hope and gratitude glimmer in her eyes, warring with trepidition. She tries not to let the latter show, but it creeps through anyway.

GS: Ida Everstead-Rey accepts Seraph Clarine's Acuteness for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper applied to Ida Everstead-Rey!
GS: Quick applied to Seraph Clarine!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Water Dragon Form!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has entered Stoic Stance!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has completed her action.
GS: Seraph Harmaus takes a solid hit from Seraph Liath's Shimmer Spin for 112 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Harmaus gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Quick applied to Seraph Liath!
GS: Seraph Harmaus takes a solid hit from Ida Everstead-Rey's Water Dragon Form for 106 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Harmaus gains 1 additional Combo!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Harmaus has posed.

"Silence!" Harmaus snaps at Hiro -- and Ragnell, too, given the laughter erupting from her corner of the room. He lashes his tail violently, as if to put into motion what roils within. "I seeks only what matters! Children might look away from discomforting... uncomfortable truths, but I, I never waver!"

It is a theme that echoes further in his response to Clarine. "Still a child!" is his rejoinder to Clarine. "Still so limited!"

As it does with Marivel. "It does, does it? Then it passes test, first! Weak, wounded girl-child hardly worthy unless tested!" ...Perhaps he's referring to the state of her corpus at the moment, more or less.

At least there may well be some satisfaction to be had with what follows: the runes skitter and dance about him, and though he darts to evade the spell, it finds him nonetheless. "Tcha-- trickery!"

The runes stick to his very essence, slowing his roll in a manner of speaking. Which is to say, it slows his ability to disappear and reappear from one place to another. Without it, it might well be that Lanval's attempt to catch Harmaus might have failed.

Instead, the gourd clips him and sends him flying into a nearby wall. "How dares it!" Harmaus snarls, just before light erupts before him like a small exploding sun. Then, he again vanishes to reappear across the room.

Light joins him, orbiting him as if he were a sun and the hazy spheres gathering about but his planets. "-Only that which is true is fit to grasp. Now, prove yourself!-" Harmaus calls out, the mandorla of light about him flaring anew. "Phantasiai!" The spheres of light that fly forth from their orbit about him him are deceptively pale and aetherial as they chase and twist through the air -- ah, but they shall burn should they meet their targets.

And again he vanishes. Again, he reappears, not terribly far from Ida's side. That glow about him intensifies. And she whirls about then, slamming the butt of her ARM right into the space he now occupies. There are cracks on the wall where he lands, and when he sets foot on the floor below, he shakes himself out. "It," he tells Ida, his eyes slitting, "has not earned the right, yet."

His aura erupts about him once again and he takes to the air. "-Embrace what is hidden-," Harmaus calls out in the Ancient Tongue. It's just light that streaks for Ida -- white, barely visible light, or so it would remain were it not for the tongues of blue flame trailing in its wake. "Synkatathesis!"

Where his tarnished light wracks the room, though, it is answered by a light more different. A blazing rainbow cleaves through the air, striking Harmaus cleanly; flung back, he is clearly wounded. But, ah, the body of a Seraph is not the same as that of a mortal. This is just the stuff of spirits, and quickly quelled.

"...So we meets at last," he says to her, regarding her with barely concealed amusement. "Liath, of Althena. Ah... I knows you. Traitor."

The last word is spit.

"Daybreak!" roars Harmaus, and the dawn that breaks from his aura is an ugly one, the burning visage of a sun rising after a storm in the dead of night. It is not all that which blazes bright, either.

Bright spots roar into the air at various points, seemingly without purpose. Theirs is to form the nodes along which solar plasma travels, a bright bolt that carries across the room.

Not even Magilou, his apparent ally in this test, is exempt, it would see. "Hears I how it speaks the challenge!" he calls out to Magilou. "It says 'any who tears questions free', yes?!" Trust a cat to be a literalist like that.

GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Lanval with Blinding Light!
GS: Seraph Harmaus spends 1 Combo on Poison!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Marivel Armitage with Phantasiai!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Phantasiai!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Clarine with Phantasiai!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Ida Everstead-Rey with Synkatathesis!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Liath with Daybreak!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Magilou with Bright Sequence!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has completed his action.
GS: Marivel Armitage accepts Seraph Clarine's Acuteness for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper applied to Marivel Armitage!
GS: Quick applied to Seraph Clarine!
GS: Marivel Armitage suffers a terrible blow from Seraph Harmaus's Phantasiai for 66 hit points!
GS: Infect! Debuff durations extended!!
GS: Poison applied to Marivel Armitage!
GS: CRITICAL! Magilou suffers a terrible blow from Seraph Harmaus's Bright Sequence for 163 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Magilou gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Magilou activates Arcane Font!
GS: Seraph Clarine takes a solid hit from Seraph Harmaus's Phantasiai for 49 hit points!
GS: Infect! Debuff durations extended!!
GS: Poison applied to Seraph Clarine!
GS: Seraph Clarine activates Arcane Font!
GS: CRITICAL! Seraph Liath takes a solid hit from Seraph Harmaus's Daybreak for 147 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Liath gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Infect! Debuff durations extended!!
GS: Dispel! Infect! Hyper and Quick removed!
GS: Misery inflicts a random effect! Slow applied to Seraph Liath!
GS: CRITICAL! Ida Everstead-Rey critically guards Seraph Harmaus's Synkatathesis for 0 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Ida Everstead-Rey gains 1 additional Combo!

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

"Just so," Magilou responds, to Marivel, as she denies that name as fake.

And when Ragnell recovers from her riotous laughter, Magilou nods, to her. "Magilou Mayvin. That's right." In the middle of her jocular language, Ragnell has settled on the truth. Magilou would laugh herself, if she were in a laughing mood.

She isn't.

"Sit things out, if you like," Magilou offers, too casually, to Lunata. "I have no need of a Fire Seraph in this situation. Oh, any of you would have done," she grants the Seraphs Liath and Clarine, as she looks over them -- "but you don't want anything quite as encompassingly as he does, and besides, he was here. Still," she sighs, "if this riduculous venture could have reached what remains of the Seraph tethered to him... oh, well. I suppose such a thing was doomed from the start."

She has a doomed way of speaking, just the same -- as much about heavy portent as it is forgone conclusions. You see... she doesn't care, at all.

Not about the way Lunata's sword strikes at her heels, in such a manner that she has to step out of her guard in a hurry. Not about anything.

"Oh, I didn't make you do anything," she tells Eleanor. And to Hiro, she levels her gaze: "If you don't value yourself, you'll really struggle." Magilou wasn't even lying, when she said she was her favourite historian.

All her children must surely weep. She doesn't look like mother material, Ragnell -- but it's no longer out of the realm of possibility.

She brings her shikigami up to defend against Hiro's sword, and behind a paper doll enlarged to veil a person, she Quick Steps backwards -- evading the worst of Eleanor's magics. She doesn't have to evade Margaret's, as it happens; she observes the way the Black Pearl struggles with her emotions, an outsider looking in.

"This is an old, old planet," she tells her, sotto voce.

She turns her attention to Ashe. "Oh, it's hardly the strangest grudge I've entertained," she supposes. "Someone ought to catch you up on world history, I suppose."

Magilou, Self-Described Historian, Knower Of Things, Way Older Than She Looks, subsequently shrugs. "Anyway." She says this in the same motion with which she raises her shikigami up, to catch Ashiya's pincer motion.

"'What do I want'...?" She comes back to the question Eleanor asked, as she looks out over the Drifters she's damaging. "I intend to see how all of this ends," the same answer she has given for a thousand years. "I won't be satisfied until I do. Every action I take can be understood through this lens, Eleanor Klein."

She lifts her hand, shikigami spinning in the air beside it. "... but you want to know specifics, I'm sure. All right, I'll tell you -- there's a kid on Pentagulia who's fallen out of contact, in recent years. He's an old friend of mine... and you owe everything to him, too," she's talking to Eleanor, but she's looking at the Seraphim, over the way. "So as for why I've involved myself in your quest -- let's go ahead and call it a welfare check."

Which means... Magilou's purpose isn't the Goddess...?

And as Harmaus presents his literalism -- for the first time since she entered this room -- Magilou laughs.

It is violence done to her chest, head thrown back in a dry, deadened cackle. That her lips part are as much to show teeth. The light washes over her -- and they may find, in the flare, that she casts a deeper darkness.

"And what would you know, Harmaus? Do you see enough to shape a question, yet?"

She leaves that question hanging, as she straightens, and returns her attention to the questants.

"Hope this works," she incants, a blue Seraphic glyph about her feet -- "Aqua Split!" Blue orbs of water careen towards Hiro --

"Paint the town red... Blood Moon!" This brings a red Seraphic glyph to her feet, as Magilou instead summons a dark sun over Eleanor's head to consume her with fire magic --

"Better watch your step..." Her warning to Ashiya comes with another blue Seraphic glyph. "... Flood Wall!" The water spurts upwards from below her, and it is, indeed, a wall made of a flood.

"... look, a shooting star!" She asides, finally, to Margaret -- her sole Hidden Arte of the volley, as an icy meteor sails down to meet her emotion-riddled face.

GS: Magilou has attacked Hiro with Aqua Split!
GS: Magilou has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Magilou has attacked Eleanor Klein with Blood Moon!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Magilou has attacked Ashiya Khaimova with Flood Wall!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Magilou has attacked Margaret with Spirit Drop!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Gamble: Highest! Hiro partially evades Magilou's Aqua Split for 85 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Hiro gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Hex applied to Hiro!
GS: Hyper applied to Magilou!
GS: Hiro activates Evade bonus!
GS: ROU|LET|TE: Ruinous! Ashiya Khaimova takes a solid hit from Magilou's Flood Wall for 170 hit points!
GS: Cover applied to Magilou!
GS: Ashiya Khaimova activates Evade bonus and Gleam!
GS: Magilou has attacked Lunata Croze with Your Princess Is In Another Battle!
GS: Magilou gains 10 FP from her Daredevil!
GS: Magilou has completed her action.
GS: ROU|LET|TE: Severe! Eleanor Klein partially guards Magilou's Blood Moon for 90 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Eleanor Klein gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Disease applied to Eleanor Klein!
GS: Eleanor Klein activates Guard bonus!
GS: Eleanor Klein loses 0 THP from Disease!

GS: Seraph Lanval has activated a Force Action!
GS: CRITICAL! Seraph Lanval suffers a terrible blow from Seraph Harmaus's Blinding Light for 152 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Lanval gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Blind applied to Seraph Lanval!
GS: Gamble: Very High! Margaret suffers a terrible blow from Magilou's Spirit Drop for 139 hit points!
GS: Margaret activates Arcane Font!
GS: Seraph Ragnell partially evades Seraph Harmaus's Phantasiai for 35 hit points!
GS: Infect! Debuff durations extended!!
GS: Poison applied to Seraph Ragnell!
GS: Seraph Ragnell activates Evade bonus!
GS: Lunata Croze solidly guards Magilou's Your Princess Is In Another Battle for 0 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Telling people to be silent while chastizing people from turning away from the truth." Marivel says, just letting that statement stand for itself.

But Liath arrives. Marivel finds herself smiling. Her people often find themselves drawn to the light and she...

She is listening more to Magilou than to Harmaus. Magilou is a sneaky backstabbing witch after all. That means she knows something and is likely to spill some secrets while doing numerous violences. Marivel would do a lot for her quest of vengeance, but harm a child?

She can't risk it, she thinks. SHE can weather it but she'll need to find out more about this kid..

"What?" Marivel asks of Magilou. "Don't tell me... One martyr wasn't enough for this world."

"How many sacrifices have been made to carry the prosperity of this world? How many breads have you eaten?"

She backpedals a bit as photonic light surges around her in orb-like form. Distracted by exposition, she can't get out of the way in time. It erupts against her right arm, instantly frying it. A skeletal limb dangles, bits of burnt flesh lingering around it.

Clarine lends a hand. "Thanks Clarine, your cuteness is as helpful as ever."

"Is he alone?" She asks softly. "Bearing weight that no child ought to carry?"

She flips backwards, strangely agile despite her charred state. She starts channeling another spell.

"CANCELLER!" She shouts.

Time magic fills those battling against Harmaus--restoring damage upon their body even as they receive it. It's not exactly a barrier. You'll feel the pain until it no longer happens.

"Liath." She adds. "It's good to see you. It's too bad you weren't the one giving us this trial."

To Harmaus she adds, "And please, I'm old enough to be your grandmother fifty times over." No she didn't actually do the math.

GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Seraph Lanval with Canceller!
GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Canceller!
GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Seraph Clarine with Canceller!
GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Seraph Liath with Canceller!
GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Ida Everstead-Rey with Canceller!
GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Marivel Armitage with Canceller!
GS: Marivel Armitage takes 30 damage from Poison!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

Harmaus snaps at them for silence, but Hiro looks unimpressed by his answer of never wavering. "Then you must a kitten! Because Lucia isn't the Lord of Calamity - but you couldn't accept that then when you heard it from her lips and I bet you still can't now!" However Magilou comes at him soon with that leveled gaze, and perhaps there's truth to those words. As Hiro lands and tries to chase her down, listening to her all the while as he leaps at her again.

Though suddenly he stretches out a hand as a gust of wind changes his course, sending him back towards the ground in a somersault as the blue orbs smash into his leg, the sheer pressure slowing him down a step. "You knew if you told us that from the beginning that we'd have been fine with that." He accuses, though his anger seems to be directed at something else. "You think I'm mad that you hold things back? That you have an agenda? You think that's what it's about? It's never been about your secrets to me!"

Hiro raises a hand from his position, trying to compensate for the sudden throbbing pain in his leg with magic. "Oh violent darting wind, carve now through all!"

Two crescent blades of wind currents form up from two different directions, roiling with their pressure. "Cross Blade!" Suddenly both try to converge brutally on Magilou in an X pattern.

"I cherish what you share with me - but it's you - that I care about! And doing this obviously HURTS!" As he remembers the dull look in her eyes, "Hurts so much you withdraw to numb it! You think I don't remember what you said to Ruby?" A beat, "'500 gil that I won't feel a thing.'"

"Easiest money she ever made..." Ruby adds, distantly.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata blinks a few times as Magilou... ... doesn't quite snipe back at her in the way she's used to, now, of the wonderfully wicked witch. Where's the life, the verve? She stops from chasing her, grimacing for a moment.

"'No need for a Fire Seraph'? What the heck... what happened to you? Where's all that sass? You're the one who pushed me to do right by Caelia, when--" Oh, Margaret's here, but she's kind of okay with her nowadays. It's not like Margaret meant maliciously.

Lunata exhales for a moment. "Are you trying to find someone, when you said the Seraph tethered to that guy? Come on, I'm not the smartest girl in the room... I'm okay with that, but what I'm not okay with is..." Then, the Drifter points her blade at her.

"You've still got Caelia's amulet. What do you plan to do with it?"

She gets ready again, and-- brushes her hand to her side.

"Ge Ramda!"

Ge Ramda emerges behind and to her left in identical pose, and clenches her spectral claw; a mandala of death and darkness erupts over the field as an eerie violet mist rolls in; within it, dancing spirits of the dead wandering in an eerie chill... they gather around in a circle and their ghost-lights shine in pattern, granting...

Some of her ghastly strength to her allies! A little underworld treat for everyone. Like a sneak preview of one kind of hell. That's not shady at all, right?

GS: Hiro has attacked Magilou with Cross Blade!
GS: Hiro has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.
GS: Lunata Croze has attacked Eleanor Klein with the Path to Yomotsu Hirasaka!
GS: Lunata Croze has attacked Margaret with the Path to Yomotsu Hirasaka!
GS: Lunata Croze has attacked Ashiya Khaimova with the Path to Yomotsu Hirasaka!
GS: Lunata Croze has attacked Hiro with the Path to Yomotsu Hirasaka!
GS: Lunata Croze has attacked Lunata Croze with the Path to Yomotsu Hirasaka!
GS: Lunata Croze gains 10 FP from her Daredevil!
GS: Lunata Croze has completed her action.

GS: Hiro accepts Lunata Croze's the Path to Yomotsu Hirasaka for 0 hit points!
GS: Blitz and Hyper applied to Hiro!

GS: Margaret accepts Lunata Croze's the Path to Yomotsu Hirasaka for 0 hit points!
GS: Blitz and Hyper applied to Margaret!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

'How dares it!'

	"Ha ha ha!" Lanval has a bit of a laugh, facing away from it all as the gourd swings back into his waiting grasp. There may be a funny poignant counterpoint to what Harmaus snaps at Hiro and Ragnell moments before. He's not even looking to Harmaus now, as he is - as is noted - something of an ally of circumstance even as his cheerfulness seems to remove him from the gravity of the moment, as Clarine confers her clarity of assistance

	"Doesh it matter if a truth ish difficult on itsh own, and nothin' ta do wit--" One of Lanval's eyes open as light erupts in front of him, once again interrupting. He thought he was more clever than he actually was, in that Harmaus can make light appear from anywhere as opposed to his seemingly simple idea to just keep his back turned to avoid 'it.' Well, 'it' is in front of him.

	Steam rises from Lanval's manifestation as he gets a whole scalding soul-ful of it, overriding his own ability to perceive light (we call this 'blindness') as he flops on the ground. This act saves him from stumbling into the crossfire of other things.

	Liath announces her opposition to Harmaus' presence, and he waits a bit as if needing a moment to be sure she's not talking to him. Lanval has a unique circumstance in that he is technically exiled from Lunar under authority of the Goddess, so that bit is always there.

	That bit is also his motivation for continuing forward... by laying down, as the vague vestiges of color by powerful light magics pass overhead. Marivel's Canceller doesn't quite wind back far enough to give him back the ability to determine sight, but...

	Lanval just has a drink from the gourd on his back, taking in that piece of the very water of Filgaia entrusted to him by pact, exhales a loud sigh, and releases a bubble from his person. A big, bulbous, shiny bubble that shines beautiful colors across the backdrop of so many lights that chases Harmaus like a slow-moving thing that's going to creep up on him.

	"Give it a resht~" Lanval murmurs.
GS: Seraph Lanval has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Sleeping Bubble!
GS: Seraph Lanval has completed his action.
GS: Seraph Harmaus takes a glancing hit from Seraph Lanval's Sleeping Bubble for 55 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Harmaus gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Drowsy applied to Seraph Harmaus!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

"Yeah, I didn't figure you cared about the Goddess. Not that 'Goddess,' anyway," Ragnell remarks to Magilou. She's used to this side of her, having traveled with her long enough to have seen it; she remains unfazed. It's not Magilou she's fighting, anyway. She does roll her eyes at the admission that any of the Light Seraphim could've done, but only Harmaus was easy enough to manipulate into it. It's as much an eyeroll at Harmaus.

...well, no. It's much more an eyeroll at Harmaus. She pays for it when he slings out a mandorla of light orbs that swoop and sway and chase their targets; Ragnell manages to avoid a direct hit, but it burns on her elemental body all the same. She grits her teeth, wincing from the pain, but refuses to give Harmaus the satisfaction of crying out. He'll have to do better than that.

Liath bursts onto the scene then, radiating rainbows as she brings her blade down on Harmaus. "Li!" Ragnell calls, initially startled but then breaking into a broad grin. "Hahahaha--you jus' couldn't stand his nonsense anymore, huh? I get it!"

She laughs again, purposefully loud and obnoxious, when Harmaus spits at Liath. Does it sound mocking? Absolutely.

She laughs at Marivel's comment too, for some reason. Maybe she just feels like being a jerk.

Clarine's magic crystallizes into her even as Marivel's works her injuries back through time until they reach a point they never happened. "Neat trick," she calls to the vampire, before shooting Clarine a thumb's up and a wink of gratitude. "Can always count on you, Clary."

She breaks into a run then, not directly at Harmaus or even at Magilou, but circling around the two of them. As she sprints, she fires off several bolts of crackling lightning that arc around and sear towards Harmaus as if homing in on him. They aren't quite--not exactly--but if they strike, they might well give him a deeply unpleasant, numbing buzz on top of a nasty shock.

GS: Seraph Ragnell has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Storm Runner!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Ragnell takes 28 damage from Poison!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor has learned a certain amount of spatial awareness in her time at ARMS, combined with her knowledge of magic, that make sher aware of what Margaret is doing. The wind, the lightning--Yes. So that's one. The white-haired girl with the ghost(?), and the leaping Ashiya, plus Hiro mark her teammates for this part of the battle.

"Mm." Magilou didn't make her do anything. That's... true. It's her choice, to care here. Which means--"Hiro, be careful."

'To see how all of this ends.' Eleanor watches Magilou as if she can glean more meaning from how she says it, the sound, the expression, beyond the words themselves--but indeed she does want to know specifics. she listens very carefully to those specifics. A kid...

A kid. An old friend.

"I see." Another ancient being, most like. But Magilou having a personal reason for all this to go with her general Magilou-ness is something Eleanor can accept. "It seems it's a season for meeting old friends," she says, glancing once--just once--at Marivel.

She is watching Magilou by the time the red Glyph appears, and raises her rod. A shield sprouts over her person just before the flames consume her position, and when the smoke clears she is coughing but unburnt, a couple steps back still. "Tch--"

She knows the lingering enchantment there. Dangerous, for someone like her. But it is what it is. "Miss Cat!" Eleanor calls.. "I'll be happy to catch you up on world history LATER. For now, you're definitely mixed up in something!"

She doesn't inquire into sacrifices--nor does she let her attention entirely drift from the dangerous Harmaus.

Lunata--Ge Ramda's?--deatlhly power settles over Eleanor, and she feels that unearthly chill... but also feels the power in it. It is fairly alien to her own way of being, but all the same, "Thank you!" Pause. "...I can definitely believe you're an acquaintance of Magilou's..."

She regards Hiro for a moment--he's worried. So is she. But all the same...

Eleanor pulls a GUN! A golden gun, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and the wishes and hopes of a dear sister for her future life of adventure. Eleanor cocks back the hammer as she tosses her rod to the other hand, moving up from behind Hiro. "That's surprisingly helpful," Eleanor says to Magilou. "...But maybe not that surprising. Just surprising to hear you come out and say it outright."

She weaves across the battlefield, through other attacks, and finds her vantage point. She adopts a snap shot posture--

FIRE!

Eleanor pops off her whole revolver's worth of shots at Magilou!!!

Then she snaps over at Harmaus, "Do you think you can take on my friends while splitting your attention to Magilou!? Hardly!"

GS: Eleanor Klein spends 2 Combo on Headshot!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Magilou with Abundance!
GS: Eleanor Klein has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Eleanor Klein has completed her action.

GS: Magilou solidly guards Hiro's Cross Blade for 64 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Magilou gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Break applied to Magilou!
GS: Shield applied to Hiro!
GS: Magilou activates Guard bonus, Arcane Font, and Gleam!
GS: CRITICAL! Gamble: High! Magilou partially evades Eleanor Klein's Abundance for 163 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Magilou gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Jam applied to Magilou!
GS: Quick applied to Eleanor Klein!

<Pose Tracker> Ashiya Khaimova has posed.

Magical papercraft catching and repelling a blade is hardly the strangest thing that's gone on since Ashiya crash-landed on this planet, so we skip the dumbfounded step here.

> "Someone ought to catch you up on world history, I suppose." says Magilou. "That'd be good." replies the cat with a sly grin. "I'm a bit of a stranger here, but promise I'm a fast learner."

But no lesson is forthcoming. Blade arcs flash like glints of moonlight in the depths of this place, steel against... paper. And paper is usually coming out on top here. "This some kinda crazy plan of yours I stepped into?" she asks, unaware of the building surge of waters below her feet. Girl, you need to hold down and back to block sometime. "Could've just told me to take a hike, and I might've listened!"

That's when the floodwaters surge. Such is magic, you don't need all of the causal links and logical explanations for why something happens! You can just get to the good part. This is why the isolated pool of water surges to a foaming pillar and drags the sword-wielding girl of blue to the ground in a surprised stream of bubbles.

"Bllmmmpch!" she posits, through the waters.

As swordplay clearly isn't working very well, Ashiya pokes a sopping wet arm out of her watery prison. She makes a fingergun at Magilou, the meanest jester you've ever met, and then gives silent thanks that this symbological power doesn't have a very sensitive somatic spellcasting component.

A magical rune glimmers at Magilou's feet! But this one is no Seraph glyph or anything, it's some weird techno-future magic bulldust. It feels like calculus and theses and digital expressions. Horrible stuff. Will she stand in it, and be affected by Suck? Or will she just kick it's ass because DO YOU NOT KNOW TO NOT CAST SPELLS AGAINST MAGILOU I mean she HAS that ONE BUTTON and

(That's weird.) thinks Ashiya, as she doesn't seem to run out of breath beneath the water. (Did the government make up drowning as a lie to scare kids?). I blame this on Ge Ramda, bringing a little bit of Hell into her lungs.

GS: Blitz! Ashiya Khaimova has attacked Magilou with CODE: Hazard!
GS: Ashiya Khaimova has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

Magilou tells Margaret a secret.

It isn't the secret she's looking to hear.

"I noticed," she snaps. "And Filgaia's even older! I suppose you're older than you seem, and you're just better off than I, but -- I --" Her jaw flexes. Her fingers clench. She takes in a deep breath--

--and Magilou drops an ice meteor on her.

She is singularly and completely concealed from view by this; the shards of ice calve away, the superheated water vapor shrouding Margaret from sight completely for a moment. There is a glint of red --

The spirits of the dead wash over the icy wreckage.

The red turns to blue. Green. Yellow - spiralling colors. Refracting the sidesplash of the intervention of Seraph Liath? In part, yes, but they are also coming from the one within.

BLACK PEARL - UNARMED MODE ATB CONSUMPTION x0.2 MELEE DPS -- DAMAGE CONVERTED TO THE KIND YOU CAN LIVE WITH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3yqv2PGugs

"Indeed. A shooting star," Margaret says, with an ominous mixture of speaking faster and slower.

There is a sudden explosion among the ice and Margaret reappears, whipping forwards in a bruise-purple blur to the immediate area of Magilou. Whereupon she jabs at her a number of times with her elbow and sweeps her leg round to kick her in the knee!! RUDE

ACT-AGAIN!

"I've got something to say to the Goddess," Margaret says as she flash-flickers backwards, taking a moment to glare balefully at Harmaus before looking back, "but that's not what I came here for!"

"If you're going to be difficult, then I'm going to be honest!!" Margaret shouts. "See how you like THAT!!"

At which point she flicker-flashes up close again -- two knee strikes, an over-the-head axe handle in which Margaret independently reinvents the ultimate act of interstellar martial arts, and a brief lingering pause

(in which temporal agony Margaret worries, desperately, about doing TOO much in the way of bare-handed beatdowns)

followed by an armbar of blurring speed at --her forehead? Her hat?! It's in that area!

GS: Formation! Blitz! Margaret has attacked Magilou with Manual of Arms!
GS: Margaret has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Margaret has completed her action.
GS: Seraph Harmaus solidly guards Seraph Ragnell's Storm Runner for 82 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Harmaus gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Disrupt applied to Seraph Harmaus!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Magilou says that any of them would have done, but Harmaus is the one who wants. ...Which, to Clarine, is part of the problem with him!

"'Child'!" Clarine replies to Harmaus with a huff. "Do you believe your lack of limitations a virtue? Your willingness to harm, to besmirch, to befoul?"

She tries to pay attention to Magilou, too, but it's difficult when Harmaus's presence demands her attention with as slippery and tricky he can be. Still, she catches that mention of someone to whom they owe everything... and that glance, too.

Marivel, meanwhile, compliments her spell... though it gives her some pause.

"Ah... that is not quite what that..." Clarine starts, uncertainly... and then decides it's not worth continuing. ...It's not like she dislikes being called cute. In response to Ragnell's compliment, Clarine offers a smile... but, she is quickly distracted away.

The light around Harmaus quickly catches her attention. In her current situation, she is unable to move away from those spheres. She can only rearrange her mirrors to try to intercept them... but with her limited range of movement some manage to make it past, burning light striking her form. Not long after this, however, Marivel works her magic. It's as if time turns back, undoing the wound... but, the burn still lingers for now.

"My gratitude..." Clarine replies, and then turns her attention back to Harmaus. She makes a quick downward gesture, sending a ray of searing light streaking down toward his position.

GS: Seraph Clarine has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Limited Ray!
GS: Seraph Clarine takes 27 damage from Poison!
GS: Seraph Clarine has completed her action.

GS: CRITICAL! Magilou takes a glancing hit from Ashiya Khaimova's CODE: Hazard for 0 hit points!
GS: Misery inflicts a random effect! Blind and Hex applied to Magilou!
GS: Misery inflicts a random effect! Hyper applied to Ashiya Khaimova!
GS: Magilou activates Arcane Font and Gleam!
GS: Magilou takes a solid hit from Margaret's Manual of Arms for 101 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Magilou gains 1 additional Combo!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Liath has posed.

It's good to see you. Despite Liath's affinity for the Crimson Noble, the displeasure of her stare doesn't quite waver -- nor does it leave Harmaus for a moment as the other Seraph recovers.

"Were that it were under brighter circumstances, Lady Marivel."

'It's too bad you weren't the one giving us this trial.'

"Only those fit ought levy such a judgment," is Liath's answer to Marivel; those gold eyes level steadily on Harmaus.

Whether that's an agreement to Marivel's words or a refutation though, one thing is clear:

"... At the least, I can rectify this grievous mistake."

She certainly doesn't consider the Seraph across from her one of those fit.

She remains braced, her expression severe, as she watches Harmaus recover. If Lanval is worried she might see him equally unfit to dwell within this space, perhaps the simple fact that she does not even a fraction of that baleful wrath his way can assuage him; if anything, it's the opposite.

As if she is aware of him -- and far from minds that he has found his way here, to this sacred space.

But the lion's share of her attention is upon the fetid feline. It's a steel focus that is only disrupted by a sudden, familiar voice. A familiar voice, laughing. Gold eyes flutter in a blink; blonde-white hair whips about her as she snaps her gaze in the direction of a particular Lightning Seraph.

It says much that Liath's immediate, kneejerk response is a Big Frown and what sounds like the beginning of a stubborn protest bubbling at her lips in the form of, "It is not--"

... But it also says something that it's Ragnell that manages to snap her out of her wrathful reverie, and even further, coaxes a small and rueful smile from what was once an unpleasantly tight frown.

"... No, I suppose you are right," she concedes, in a truly rare moment. "Even I have my limits."

she has a lot of limits but that's neither here nor there--

To say she doesn't hear what Magilou is saying would be a lie, however. The words reach her, along with all their myriad implications. She does not know Magilou especially well -- but what she hears is filed away to be digested as that burning gaze returns, just in time, for Harmaus to level that indictment upon her.

Traitor

"..."

Liath closes her eyes. Her fingers tense around the hilt of her sword.

"... I will not deny it. I know full well what I am," says Liath, voice level. "But at the least, I will not stoop to the shallow comforts of sickening self-delusions of grandeur. I know you, creature."

Daybreak!

Dawn ripples like the rising sun from Harmaus, twisted and muddled and ugly. Plasma streams furiously.

And, shield pushed forward, Liath charges -straight- into it.

"And I would see you face the full breadth of your ignorance, even if I must grind out all nine of your lives to do it!"

Does she think cat Seraphim have--

Well, it's a question for another time. Light batters against her shield; it weathers the storm for one pulse, two, but by the third, her arm is blown wide and the rest washes over her in a cavalcade of magical carnage, burning and ripping through her spiritually-hewn form. It burns down to the spirit of her, lags her down on an existential level. But she -pushes- through, even as it conflagrates even the boons granted upon her.

She -pushes-. Until she is stabbing her sword for that roaring cat, a multitude of colored lights converging together at its point to become a luminous spear tip of pure white intent to impale straight into the soul of the Seraph.

"BEGONE!"

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Harmaus has posed.

Perhaps it was a dig at Harmaus from Magilou. "None yet matches or understands my desire! Only I can test!" Harmaus, though, doesn't seem to have noticed.

"Ah? Yet it continues denying what is before it! Senses I the Malevolence swelling and churning about Lucia. She," and the fact that he is treating with the appropriate word here may suggest that he has some respect (of a form) for her still, "is the Lord in truth! It pulls wool out of ears and next time it listens first time around!"

Shots ring across the room even as Harmaus directs towards Liath a fell daybreak. Ragnell has nailed him with a series of her most-unique missiles, riddling his corpus with the wounds they leave. Though they do not last long, he makes a most irritated huff of a breath before he restores his flesh.

Even so, to restore one's spiritual flesh siphons away steadily from a Seraph's reserves. Eventually, he will reach a point of no return, it's just a matter of keeping the heat on him while not succumbing to his worst in the process.

Does he know the shape of the question he should ask just yet?

"How old is it? Knowing these things... none yet alive know such things!" he calls out to Magilou.

Or if there are others that did possess that knowledge, they have hidden from him or hidden the knowledge well.

Perhaps he should be focusing more on the other things that Magilou has let out into the light -- focusing more on the matter of the child that drives her.

"It thinks itself clever? It ceases silliness and observes the truth!" an incandescent (in more ways than one) Harmaus rails at Marivel, even as she undoes some of his magics. "--And ceases it saying I am the child! Age is hardly matter of years!"

So says someone who has lived for about seven hundred and seventy-seven years.

"It does, fool!" Harmaus snaps, acidly, at Lanval. "It quits its galloping and gallivanting and treats matter seriously!"

Lanval's response may just come in the form of that big wobbling bubble drifting its way towards him. The one that Harmaus doesn't notice, what with all the lights in the room. Until it snaps, dousing half of him in the stupifying magics. "Ngaa-- it does trickery!" Harmaus hisses, dripping on the floor. He may waver in the air for a moment, struggling against the stultifying effects of Lanval's arte.

"Of... course, I has the right! I am the one who discovers it! I alone knows shape of world. And it shall... not... stand in my path!" Such is the threat he tosses into Ida's path, as she declares him in deficit of what he claims to possess. He's watching her, as she moves towards him, shifts into a more aggressive stance. He moves to wheel about her, light flaring before him as if to be a shield. Her hand, and here his eyes widen in truth, pierces through it with more force than he had apparently been expecting. It slams him upwards, into the ceiling. He vanishes shortly after impact.

And reappears, a few degrees and yards to her left. "-A true existence needs no support!-" roars Harmaus, enjoined by a octet of barely-there needles of light. Only the blue haze that trails their movement -- and move they do, as Harmaus flits across the room -- gives away the position of the projectiles. They fire, one after the other for Lanval and Ida in tandem, a rat-a-tat-tat of magic missiles that barely, just barely actually exist. "Autarkeia!"

He does not stay put. Not at all. "Ha! Only child heeds restraints. For what wishes I, I will do all and everything!" he scoffs at Clarine. "When so limited, what can it achieves? Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!! It fails, and it fails again, and again!"

But he may have done better to attempt to keep an eye on her and her movements. Leaping forth from her hand, a single erupts from her hand, lancing across the space to strike him dead on--

Right between the eyes.

"You--" he roars in retort, his shimmering aura flowing sharply as if to speak to his wrath. He does not hesitate.

"-And in all things, remain in balance-," calls forth Harmaus, barely-there tendrils of white light -- again limned in blazing blue -- snaking and coiling their way from the place where he now hovers. They move jerkily, lunging outwards to stab at Clarine and Marivel in turn. "Adiaphora!"

"Nonsense? Nonsense?! What speaks it 'nonsense'??"

Ragnell doesn't linger but moves, swinging out into a wide arc as she fires upon the agile Harmaus. Though he wheels about and attempts to use his talents to duck out of the path of her lightning fire, there simply is a lack of good spots into which he can remove and replace himself. He is struck, once again, each hit evoking another splitting hiss. Recovering, he again covers the distance between himself and Liath, hovering but a few yards from where she stands.

'Traitor', he calls Liath, and it would seem in the moment that he has struck true, for all that moment's hesitation speaks for her.

"...It admits it. It admits it -- it has sold us to the Goddess!" Harmaus says to her, eyes wide and pupils slits. "Traitor! Traitor to all Seraphim!" Even as his terrible daybreak makes itself know, though...

Brilliance cuts its way through it. Harmaus has time enough to blink. And then he is run through. For any mortal being, this may well have been the end. But Harmaus disappears from the point that has caught him to reappear, whole once again, but a few yards away. His very aura seethes.

"-Accept your fate-," Harmaus intones, in the Ancient Tongue. "Askesis!" A pinprick of light forms before him, its very edges burning blue as it grows and expands.

And dies, a star erupting outwards into destruction, its limbs reaching even in death for Ragnell and Liath.

GS: Seraph Harmaus spends 1 Combo on Poison!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Ida Everstead-Rey with Autarkeia!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Lanval with Autarkeia!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Clarine with Adiaphora!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Marivel Armitage with Adiaphora!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus spends 1 Combo on Poison!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Askesis!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Liath with Askesis!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has completed his action.
GS: Seraph Clarine takes a solid hit from Seraph Harmaus's Adiaphora for 0 hit points!
GS: Blind and Drowsy applied to Seraph Clarine!
GS: Seraph Clarine activates Arcane Font!
GS: Seraph Lanval's Poison Ward prevents an effect!
GS: Seraph Lanval suffers a terrible blow from Seraph Harmaus's Autarkeia for 61 hit points!
GS: Dispel! Hyper and Riposte removed!
GS: Healthy! For entering Condition Green, Seraph Lanval receives 100 temporary hit points.
GS: Seraph Lanval enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Seraph Liath suffers a terrible blow from Seraph Harmaus's Askesis for 55 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Liath gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Poison and Reaper applied to Seraph Liath!
GS: Seraph Liath enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Marivel Armitage partially evades Seraph Harmaus's Adiaphora for 0 hit points!
GS: Blind and Drowsy applied to Marivel Armitage!
GS: Marivel Armitage activates Evade bonus!

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

"How old..? A little over a thousand, at this point. One stops counting the precise years, after so many centuries." Magilou answers Harmaus -- honestly, he's earned that much. "That's why I'm such a good historian. I've lived through the lot of it." And she wrote it all down. That's a necessary step, at this age; Magilou has forgotten more than most people will ever learn.

"Everyone was so grateful... for a while," Magilou answers Marivel. It would be kinder, wouldn't it, if she were melancholic. "But centuries pass. The details grow dull. History's weave interests few, no matter the preparations I made. Another little cruelty, I suppose..."

She's not just talking about the way too few read their history books, these days.

"We were with him," she tells Marivel, "the ones who survived. But we had to take care of this world he wanted to protect... and now, I haven't seen him for so long." Notably, she doesn't answer how many sacrifices Lunar has taken. She wonders if she is still being eaten, in that eternal cycle of consumption, and does not speak of the weight.

"Nothing," she answers Lunata. "But if I would -- could you stop me? If I slaved her soul to mine, and burned a hole through creation with the magic which is hers... know you the words to break a Pact? To make one? Or is this, too, lost to time?" Ge Ramda rises, and the spectral mist rolls in. "... what a terrible advantage I hold," she surmises, and says nothing of the wickedness of that kind magic. (That does seem like the sort of company Magilou would keep.)

She keeps her eye on Ragnell, as she circles -- the lightning isn't coming for her, but she respects Ragnell enough to be wary of it, either way. Her attention snaps back to Hiro, as his blades of winds crash in -- two shikigami extend, to either side of her, to absorb the blow.

And Hiro -- Hiro says it hurts. Magilou bites her lip. Hard.

"I wish it did!" She spits out, and the words are raw, an edge of -- something, something deep and dark and terrible to them. "But that girl's not all that died back then, Hiro! Now -- now it's my job to lead you all to the Goddess' knee, and if that means I have to improvise over the cracks, so be it! I'm the Millennium Witch! In three hundred years, this will all be dead or forgotten -- but what happens here, today, right now, it matters!"

She's yelling such that she's a little too honest, perhaps -- and it's a testament to just how experienced she is that she manages to Quick Step back from those revolver shots. A careful examination may find that she is moving away from the statue of the room, rather than towards it. Saving it from the carnage, perhaps.

"Light unveils," she answers Eleanor, not begrudging being shot at in the slightest. (She, too, is friends with Ragnell.) "So this was always going to be an uncomfortable discussion. Would you believe it's my element?" But doesn't Magilou use every element...?

"... but even I'm a little impressed you'd bring a gun to a magic fight." She doesn't begrudge Eleanor moving throughout the room, in any case.

She doesn't get to compliment her too much, though -- because there's a glyph that isn't Seraphic, on the ground. Magilou hops back away from it, but not quickly enough to avoid Sucking. (She'll at least avoid And Dying, probably, with this crowd.) "Not bad. And yes, I always have a few plans humming away in the background," she tells her, belatedly. (Or is that the rules of the engagement?) "Let's call this a test of your own, Ashes. Border control in Lunar is strikingly lax, these days, but that's no reason not to test our guests and make sure they can handle our ten-dozen torments."

She is entirely too distracted by the results of Ashe's technological torment field, though -- because here comes Margaret, precisely like a train. "Gh--" is Magilou's extremely eloquent response, to the way Margaret crashes in and out of her view, with blinding martial strikes. The final result is her hat, flying off into the air--!

Magilou reaches up to catch it, and seats it back atop her white-blonde hair. "How nostalgic," she murmurs -- remembering another dark brawler, perhaps. Magilou takes a breath, and nods to Margaret. "Go on," she encourages her. "Be honest, then. Here -- I'll start."

A water-blue Seraphic sigil alights at her feet, as she charges another spell. "... when it comes to pain, it's better to give than receive! Fairy circle!"

Fairies of light spiral out from her, carrying with them a sea-green pattern on the floor; a lotus of pure light erupts, catching Margaret and Eleanor, the two closest to her, in its petals. The watery light restores Magilou -- but it's damaging, to her foes.

This, for the keen-eyed observer, really ought to be impossible: Magilou uses black magic, doesn't she? The rules of the world insist that Althena's Blessing be either white or black, for all the mortals gifted to it. For a spell to be both is the domain of the Seraphs, and no other.

To Lunata, Hiro and Ashiya, the swordiest amongst them (given Margaret has deliberately declined to stab), Magilou promises: "You're all about to get a lot closer! Gravity Mine!" The glyph under her feet, this time, is purple -- and the node which appears between them, under the slightest disturbance, will trigger and threaten to pull the three of them into a Shadowy black hole together. Don't get tangled up!

Too late, she looks back, to Harmaus.

"By the way, I've served the Lord of Calamity personally," she tells him, entirely too casually. "I'd know if Lucia were the real deal. She isn't. Listen to me, or don't... I don't really care."

GS: You have activated the Force Action Extend!
GS: Magilou spends 1 Combo on Link!
GS: Magilou has attacked Magilou with Fairy... !
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Magilou has launched an attack Link!
GS: Magilou heals Magilou! She gains 100 temporary hit points!
GS: Restore! Hex removed!
GS: Hyper applied to Magilou!
GS: Magilou has attacked Margaret with ... circle!
GS: Magilou has attacked Eleanor Klein with ... circle!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Magilou has attacked Hiro with Gravity Mine!
GS: Magilou has attacked Ashiya Khaimova with Gravity Mine!
GS: Magilou has attacked Lunata Croze with Gravity Mine!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Magilou gains 10 FP from her Daredevil!
GS: Cover expired!
GS: Magilou has completed her action.
GS: Lunata Croze accepts Lunata Croze's the Path to Yomotsu Hirasaka for 0 hit points!
GS: Blitz and Hyper applied to Lunata Croze!
GS: ROU|LET|TE: Severe! Hiro partially guards Magilou's Gravity Mine for 82 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Hiro gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Cripple and Entangle applied to Hiro!
GS: Eleanor Klein takes a solid hit from Magilou's ... circle for 71 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Eleanor Klein gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: ROU|LET|TE: Low! Lunata Croze solidly guards Magilou's Gravity Mine for 29 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Lunata Croze gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Cripple and Entangle applied to Lunata Croze!
GS: Lunata Croze activates Guard bonus and Gleam!
GS: CRITICAL! Margaret takes a solid hit from Magilou's ... circle for 87 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Margaret gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Margaret activates Arcane Font!
GS: Margaret enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: ROU|LET|TE: Severe! Ashiya Khaimova suffers a terrible blow from Magilou's Gravity Mine for 146 hit points!
GS: Cripple and Entangle applied to Ashiya Khaimova!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey partially evades Seraph Harmaus's Autarkeia for 42 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Ida Everstead-Rey gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Dispel! Hyper and Mighty removed!
GS: Poison applied to Ida Everstead-Rey!
GS: Seraph Ragnell takes a solid hit from Seraph Harmaus's Askesis for 64 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Ragnell gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Poison and Reaper applied to Seraph Ragnell!
GS: Seraph Ragnell enters CONDITION GREEN!!

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata sags at Eleanor and whines, "I almost feel like I should get offended at that, but... it's not like I don't care about her. Geez."

Lunata looks a little puzzled and yells, "Well, NO, I don't know how to do that! Geez, you people and your having lived thousands of years so you know how to make fried bananas while rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time! What do you expect me to say, 'geez, I don't know any of that, so I should just roll over and die'??? Well sorry for spending my time knowing how to make gazpacho and where to camp cozy instead of Seraph Pacts! She's been enjoying camping, by the way! Fleeced me hard at poker, even!"

She shakes her head, realising she's getting pissed off again. "... I mean, if you're going to down that route, you might as well conclude anyone who hasn't lived a thousand years ain't worth doo-doo, Magilou. And then where would you be?"

She doesn't get to finish immediately, since Magilou dumps a glyph under her feet that just kind of threatens to yank her towards Hiro and Ashiya. There's a slight yelp, and she kinda tumbles around on the ground as she tries to avoid careening straight to them.

Eventually, she pulls up, her shoulders slumped. "Where'd you be? Alone again?"

Lunata growls, and points once more, shouting, "Ge Ramda!"

The lich reappears again over her head, holding an ominous-looking wheel this time. It looks like a roulette wheel, except it menaces with SKULLS and SPIKES and other fine dwarven craftsmanship. The lich causes it to hover before her, and spins--

"Wait, uh... what does that--"

A giant white chauffeur glove appears, and starts to rotate between Magilou and Lunata and Magilou and Lunata and Magilounatamagiluniemagilunie--

PIN PON [FLIP] Lunata Croze flipped a coin: Heads!

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

The roulette finger is pointed at Lunata!! Ge Ramda's wheel suddenly spells out D E A T H. It's very ominous. A wicked reaper appears out of the deadly mist, complete with an eerie laugh and everything, slashing at the Drifter! Her soul is destroyed in an instant!! She is consumed and sucked into--

RECOVERY

--oh, Death heals Zombies.

GS:  Blitz! Lunata Croze has attacked Lunata Croze with Self-Cast! Death!
GS: Lunata Croze enters a Counter stance!
GS: Lunata Croze gains 10 FP from her Daredevil!
GS: Lunata Croze enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Lunata Croze has completed her action.
GS: Lunata Croze heals Lunata Croze! She gains 200 temporary hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

Harmaus instead accuses that he is the one denying the truth. That he's the one trying to obfuscate the truth, but Hiro yells back, "This is what I'm talking about! You won't even entertain the idea you're being deceived by anyone but me now that you've made up your mind! That kind of blind certainty... you might as well put in your application for Althena's Guard tomorrow."

Hiro feels a chill run over his body, and he flourishes his sword in a casual salute towards Ge Ramda and Lunata in turn, before telling Eleanor, "Don't worry, I'm taking her seriously." Then as Eleanor empties a full clip he sideeyes her with a small grin... "Well that's one way to take her seriously. Before he gets surprised by Margaret's flash assault. "What did you come here for?" He asks, genuinely curious.

Yet he can't wait for the answer. Is this what she truly meant by how he'd struggle if he didn't value himself? He knows better than anyone that she's right. He ties himself up in the journey, with other people. He'd have never left home if he didn't tie himself up in what he could be to Lucia.

Maybe that's why he keeps pushing Magilou now. There's sympathy in his eyes, because he wants to think to believe - that Magilou is lying to herself right now. That this is a form of self harm. Not that she truly can't feel any of it to begin with. "Can't say I agree..." He sucks in a breath after a moment, "-sure this matters right now - and every moment after. But you didn't become a historian to tell me that. You WANT it to matter - else you wouldn't have recorded it in the first place!" A beat. "That girl matters too." He adds, quietly.

Still as he launches himself at Magilou again for a renewed assault, he suddenly finds himself being BUNGIED back by gravity. Hunching himself over to brace for it, he gets slammed right into the singularity with the others - while VERY PAINFUL, it doesn't crush him.

Clenching his teeth he tries to chant the words of a spell, "Oh twisted Door of Distortion - Open Wide-" And perhaps cheekily responds in kind, as a glyph forms into streams of shadow that become a pulsing orb of darkness that tries to rip away the positive healing energy she just flooded herself with. "-Negative Gate!"

The blinking glove appears between Lunata and Magilou and his eyes grow wide as it spells out D E A T H over Lunata, "Hey wait-!" ... It heals her. "... Oh, genuinely forgot for a second, sorry!"

GS: Blitz! Hiro has attacked Magilou with Negative Gate!
GS: Hiro has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Mighty expired!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"It is a dubious distinction, isn't it?" Eleanor remarks to Lunata. "Take comfort that it applies to me, too!"

About a thousand. Well, that answers that much. As does Margaret's speed. Eleanor takes a brief instant to be impressed at the spellwork before she gets back to work. The Seraphim are having quite a conflict of their own... but Eleanor attention has to stay with Magilou and the others. Even if she appreciates Marivel being able to keep the terrifying Seraph off-balance with her quips.

But the gratitude... the answers. Yes. 'A time for old friends.' What she says of Caelia, though--that's...

Hm.

She wishes it hurt... Eleanor listens. It is raw, and there is something terrible. 'That girl' died. And in three hundred years...

"It matters!" Eleanor calls out, as Magilou says it. "Even so, even if it will fade!"

'Light unveils'. Eleanor grins at Magilou despite herself. "Sure, why not?" she says of believing it. Magilou uses a lot of elements, though. But that's different, isn't it? But she is 'impressed', well...

"There's a magic in a sister's love!" Eleanor quips as to bringing a gun to a magic fight. "...But also, I know you know spellwork; I've got to keep my wits about me and rely on more than power if I'm to get answers out of you!" Then she grins at Hiro. "If that were enough to take her down, I'd heal her myself, honest."

And answers she wants. She just doens't know the right questions. But she knows how to ask the questions she doesn't know, at least. The lotus of light erupts, and Eleanor indeed notices--Lunarian mages aren't supposed to be able to do that. She takes the hit of the light, burned by it like she wasn't by the fire, and stows the now-emptied revolver in her belt, her rod still in her off-hand. "I will read your history," she says.

"...I will accept the burden of Time."

Eleanor makes her way closer--and closer--and closer, and gets up near Margaret next, mystical power gathering about her rod. And then, sharply--she lunges in--

Her eyes widen at the Death cast, but she's committed. She swings the rod at Magilou--!

GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Magilou with Fire Rod - Mystic!
GS: Eleanor Klein has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Well that's true," Marivel says of age. "Only forty grandmas then." Just because Harmaus is correct doesn't mean she's not going to be an ass about this. She doesn't see it as lying. "I'm only clever enough." She adds. Whatever that means.

Magilou officially proves herself to be in the 'Old Enough for Marivel to consider an adult' camp in more ways than one. "They make legends, forget the child." Marivel says. "But it makes sense. They forgot their first sacrifice, left a plaque in this land and forgot about her entirely."

"Do you still find the trade worth it, Millenium Witch?"

But Magilou is also correct about moments. This moment matters and Marivel supposes she can't really afford to take the Cat lightly. Even as HIro says words that she damn well is sure will be directed at her one day, least in part.

Another burst of light wings MArivel. This time it punctures her other arm, not quite disintegrating it--but smoke is starting to burn from that limb.

She doesn't comment on Liath's connection to Althena. It frustrates her that a seeming antipathy for Althena is something she shares with the cat. But Marivel's feelings about Althena are complex.

"Who else should there be fealty to?" She asks Harmaus.

She nods once to Liath. "Only those fit." She agrees.

She feels like she needs to show Harmaus something. SOmething that indicates just how old she is. At a certain point, it is cruel to not show people who they are.

She cricks her neck. Darkness billows out from her like smoke as the cloud surges forward towards Harmaus, tendrils of black inky smoke lashing out across the Seraph's body, trying to keep it pinned.

Crimson eyes gleam through the smoke, Marivel's body obscured from the light through an enduring darkness.

"Anybody who lived past a few centuries would know how childish it is to kill for knowledge. Flense the skin off the bone or use an X-ray. Either way you'll see the truth.t Do you understand? Smarter not bloodier..."

The smoke shrivels up. In a place like this, there is no way it could last long. DC: Marivel Armitage switches forms to Crimson Noble Marivel!

GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Boogiepop Phantoms!
GS: Marivel Armitage has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Marivel Armitage takes 34 damage from Poison!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.
GS: Seraph Harmaus suffers a terrible blow from Marivel Armitage's Boogiepop Phantoms for 54 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Harmaus gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Disease and Poison applied to Seraph Harmaus!
GS: Seraph Harmaus loses 0 THP from Disease!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

"You shtop firsht," Lanval plays the 'no you' as he continues to lie prone and does the trickery. Ragnell has warned to others in times past that Lanval is extremely easy to underestimate by manner. "Mmmm."

	Colors are starting to come back into a kind of focus with proper contrasts and shades, the searing after-images of burning light to spiritual sense equivalent clearing gradually enough that he chances sitting up.

	Beyond the layers of deceptive, silly movements with an oft carefree manner, Harmaus is more than right to call out the flippancy. The cat-shaped Seraph is uniquely determined to his convictions and perceptions. Lanval's senses are compromised enough he misses the blue trails of the sneaky near-invisible magic missiles that batter and pepper him, forcing him upright and out of the groove and flow of whatever he was thinking of doing next.

	There is the exchange over yonder about... Liath, being a traitor.

	'...I will not deny it,' Lanval overhears, soon drowned out by Harmaus' insistence that Liath is a traitor to all Seraphim. A complicated look reaches the face of the long-bearded portly fellow that has been a good friend (and a better... or worse mooch) to the Drifter community for a fair number of years now.

	"'m gonna put it another way," Lanval lowers his raised leg to the ground, "yer in the way of everyone gettin' the truth." Harmaus intones something in the Ancient Tongue in the other, and there's a slightly... mirthful chortle.

	"Ya pronounce that funny," he leaves the levity at that as he straightens up. "A whole buncha people want the truth, ya know." He's waving a pointer finger as he walks - actually walks, this is a proper walk cycle and not... the nonsense he usually does. "The greatesht bard I've ever heard, heart fulla love of life 'n adventure 'n all the Goddess gave, told ta not do that no more." That's Talise.

	"A young man over there, givin' his all fer shomeone who ain't done anyone harm," that one over there to Hiro.

	"A young woman over there who got shwpet up in a Domain that shouldn't have been in the Boundary at her worsht - and her friendsh - 'n how that nearly did Lunar in," an aside to Ida who has long owned to her actions but the fact a Domain that powerful existed at all on Mount Manfred was an anomaly.

	"The way She made it harder fer thoshe of ush doin' the job of helpin' keep the Boundary shtrong... 'n then had Her faithful evict 'em, 'n help create li'l holesh in the Boundary." That's Lanval's backstory, a former Lord of the Land who did his job for over five hundred years in... um, rapidly deteriorating circumstances but held on until that.

	"The way She all but left the people shufferin' near Azado in favor of conquerin' Spira," and all the trouble that caused. Lanval marches up and has a sip from that gourd. "There'sh a buncha questionsh, 'n fact ish, if yer big on the truth 'n want it dragged right out... well."

	"Yerrrrr in the way, shoooooo~"

	Then there's the laughter again, and a growing atmosphere of mirth as Lanval's eyes open to that brilliant shine.

	"I bid you be on thy way in good health!" That voice, which booms... less than it usually does, this place is where Light reigns, but there are bubbles. Loads of them. Bubbles encroaching upon Harmaus, containing so many distorted sights of Lanval as the real one walks past, back turned.

	"Revelry Labyrinth!" He wipes his mouth clean with a sleeve, flicks it out, and the bubbles? They are all big watery explosions.
GS: Seraph Lanval spends 2 Combo on Gatling, loading 2 into Gatling!
GS: Seraph Lanval has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Revelry Labyrinth!
GS: Blind expired!
GS: Seraph Lanval has completed his action.
GS: Seraph Harmaus solidly guards Seraph Lanval's Revelry Labyrinth for 77 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Harmaus gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Magilou takes a glancing hit from Hiro's Negative Gate for 65 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Magilou gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Disease applied to Magilou!
GS: Magilou activates Evade bonus, Arcane Font, and Gleam!
GS: Magilou loses 35 THP from Disease!
GS: Sneak! The true nature of Eleanor Klein's attack becomes clear!
GS: Magilou suffers a terrible blow from Eleanor Klein's Surprise! Power Bracelet for 160 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Magilou gains 1 additional Combo!

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

The bracelet at Eleanor's wrist suddenly glows with power. She shunts the rod sideways and grabs at Magilou with her bracelet-wearing hand, suddenly taking hold of the witch with both arms and a sudden burst of power. "...Because I chose to care!" She bends at the knees, lifts with all her sorcerously empowered might--

MAGE SUPLEX!

Eleanor hurls Magilou backward, twisting to catch herself on the ground when she has, "And I'll choose it again! No matter how short the life!"

<Pose Tracker> Ashiya Khaimova has posed.

Ashiya pushes her head up out of the raging floodwaters, blue hair sodden and matted flatly against the sides of her head. How will you pose with those swept spikes for the camera now, girl? It's ruined! All ruined! She exhales a cartoon ghost, as Ge Ramda takes their blessing(curse?) back, and glares daggers at the ageless sorceress taunting them all.

I say stares daggers, but it's not really a murder-look so much as a 'goddamn it what is WRONG with you' kind of look.

"How old? A little over a thousand, at this point." says Magilou to another. Fellpool lady squints. Damn. People who make it over a thousand tend to rule, like, star systems and stuff.

"Pfuh." that's the sound she makes when spitting out a mouthful of magic water. Tastes like seltzer. "Where I'm from, the best Historians are the ones who pass on their message, y'know? Lording this little advantage of yours over some dope like me from offworld is like... kicking around a kid!"

The fel forces of gravity start to bend soon after this plucky upstart has voiced her displeasure. Notably, it bends upwards. The swordwoman is lifted out of her watery prison with a -sploosh- and thrown towards Lunata and Hiro! Except this enormous roulette wheel covered in death metal finery pops into the air and halts her ascent. This might actually just be a worse outcome for Ashiya than being flung into someone else at mach one.

From the ground, Ashiya groans and lifts her head up. "Y'know, I'm... I think..."

Her tail stands on end despite this. She grits her teeth and becomes much more animated again. "I'm pissed! I'm so sick of being led around by do-ho-ho-ing would-be geniuses!"

Steam begins to rise from the girl's clothes and hair as something heats up. She flips up to her feet and solemnly... sheathes her sword? The moment she does so, the arcing wisps of steam become a billowing cloud. A cloud from which a giant fireball in the perfect shape of a fist comes flying at Magilou. It's a martial thing, I swear.

"You asked for it, pal!"

GS: Blitz! Ashiya Khaimova has attacked Magilou with Blazing Sun - Searing Heat!
GS: Ashiya Khaimova has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Mighty expired!
GS: Ashiya Khaimova has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Harmaus accuses Liath of having sold them all out to the Goddess, and Ragnell's eyeroll is so intense the Shrine might roll around with it. "Damn. You figured it out, Harm. You're jus' too smart for us," she says flatly.

The rest, she doesn't even address. Ragnell already knows that Harmaus won't listen. It's not like he's wrong about everything--but he's right about just enough to convince himself he's right about everything. It's all going to end in a fight anyway, and they're in the middle of a fight right now, so they may as well get it over with. Sooner or later, Harmaus will get the answer he's so in lust with, and then they'll all have one hell of a fight before them.

Magilou mentions to Harmaus, meanwhile, she's served a Lord of Calamity before. Ragnell laughs with that too, rough and mean-spirited. At least Lanval's getting strength from that merriment, maybe? They're on the same side right now, so it's fine.

IT's fine, until a star dies and its corpse reaches screaming for her and Liath.

The searing light burns, into and through the Seraph as she continues to sprint forward even as it streaks towards her. Her teeth might crack from how tightly she clenches them, and it's an absolutely godawful sensation. She staggers and stumbles as she moves, but she keeps moving. Magilou was right to be wary of Ragnell, but right now the Lightning Seraph's focus is on the cat-shaped Seraph. She's charging for him, closing in despite her tendency towards ranged combat, despite all the spells that sear in towards him, and his own lithe evasiveness.

"Liath!" she calls, right before attempting to straight-up punt Harmaus towards her like a soccer ball.

GS: Seraph Ragnell has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Heartbreaker!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has entered Avenger Stance!
GS: Seraph Ragnell takes 27 damage from Poison!
GS: Seraph Ragnell takes 51 damage from Reaper!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

The room is erupting in blinding force. Harmaus's tremendous bursts narrowly miss Margaret, largely thanks to the immense overcycling of her clever enchantments lettign her evade prominence burns. She is able, at least, to listen to what Magilou is saying.

A tremendous and sorrowful story. No wonder she always seemed strange and fey, Margaret thinks as she vaults up over a piece of stray explosive: This is==

Magilou does something impossible. Margaret sees it - feels it - there is no way to understand it - and she opts to deal with this in the way she has dealt with many other issues of similar make. She simply ignores it and thrusts out a hand--

--to grasp at Magilou's wrist, just as her second spell concludes.

Her bangs hang in her eyes. Hiro asks her a question and her head turns slightly towards him.

"Thank you for the cue, young man."

Margaret takes in a deep breath. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSvJ3fisrmE

"Time was, I was wretched - low down. I learned to fight because the other options... I wasn't even any good at them." Margaret snorts. "All of you would have been children at the time. But you'd have slain me gladly."

"Because I would have slain you, for your money. To eat."

Margaret takes a deep breath and her head tilts back, eyes still hidden. Her voice becomes smaller, somehow. More regular, or wearier. "I had friends. Confederates. And in time, we had hope, because we knew some spells - petty things - but we had that blessing. And there was to be a place for them. A city in the sky."

"Except that there wasn't, in the end. We were there for a while. But then the time came to march. And the ones I loved all started to die. Ones and twos; then more, here in this very nation. And the goddess teaches that quite clearly, doesn't she? That when you die, you close your eyes-- and that's it. I'd never thought it could be otherwise."

"There was nothing but pain ahead," Margaret says, "and the best I could hope for is that even though I've been... blessed; to be tall, strong, to have magical abilities; that I would go before I lost all of them. Or before the loss became too much to bear. Because," and here her head turns towards Magilou, "I kept meeting more people, and I didn't stop caring about them."

"I had one friend, you see; we were the same age when we met. We were allies for more than thirty years. Brother and sister, just about; but you see, I saw him turn grey, and get fat at the belly, and -- he died, I think, in part because he knew he was at the last of his strength." Margaret breathes in sharply - almost, almost sniffles - and says, "So I suppose, even if I'm a silly girl of fifty-six, I can understand how you must feel."

"But -- you'll laugh, but you're a better person than me, here. I'm a selfish person. Petty. Someone said I had an evil look about me, and I think they're quite right. I'm indolent and lazy. I don't care about the world one little bit. I don't care about justice or holiness or purity or anything like that. I get stuck-up and I'm certainly a towering colossus of arrogance. But I made a promise to Rex, there, who was a better person than I'll ever be, that I would do my best for the people I cared about -- all of them. And I do prefer to keep my promises. My one saving grace."

Margaret's eyes, wet, tilt downwards. "I can't understand what you're saying. Whether you're helping the goddess, somehow, or fighting her. This long-off boy sounds terribly sad. Do you want to free him, or put him to rest, or simply say goodbye? It all sounds fine to me. I'll help you, I'll do it if you can't. Just don't have that flat look on your face, alright? I'm sorry. I'm getting maudlin."

Margaret sniffles again. Deep breath; let it out.

She is still where she was standing when the soliloquy started. "It won't last much longer," Margaret says. "And I don't want you to do that thing you just did, again, all for some miserable ancient -- TRIAL--"

Margaret moves with blurring force, and-- [LINK-STRIKE]

-- finds herself gazing at Eleanor Klein's face, having quite likely JUST hoisted Magilou up. Great minds think alike, but one great mind is left with a brief look of complete shock seconds before she, too, goes along for the suplex. The good news is that this adds about 160-odd pounds of impetus mass to the resulting WIZARD BREAKER.

Good news for someone anyway

GS: MYSTIC ARTE! Blitz! Margaret has attacked Magilou with There's A Light At The End Of The Tunnel!
GS: Margaret has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Liath has posed.

'But centuries pass. The details grow dull. History's weave interests few...'

"It is part of mortal nature."

The Prime Lord of Althena speaks suddenly in the wake of Magilou's observation. "After one hundred finger snaps, the hundredth cannot be expected to remember nor care about the cadence of the first. Time must march on."

Magilou calls it cruel. But, even with the fizzling, muted colors of daybreak still sizzling off her shoulders, even with Harmaus' threat still very much alive, Liath manages to find a smile -- a full smile, real, full of warmth and affection.

"It is a cruelty. But is it not also beautiful?"

Full of love.

"How they can continue to carry on and create anew, over and over again. I will never tire of it."

Slowly, the knightly Seraph straightens. That affection lingers at least long enough to share with Marivel a look of gratitude for the healing energies she feels flowing through and reinforcing her. It lingers, until the second her attention turns upon Harmaus once more, and her world fills with the other Seraph's words. Gold eyes narrow. They snap towards the cat, seething bright.

-Accept your fate-

She stands firm, for that is something she has accepted a long, long time ago.

And so, that starburst ripples outward, engulfing the Prime Lord within its rupturing wrath. The burn of it sizzles away some of the magics that Marivel has bestowed upon Liath --

But it is the deeper pain of that magical star's death that burns that much the deeper.

It is a pain beyond physical. A pain of the soul; perhaps that can be said to be the pain of -all- wounds a Seraph suffers, but this... this sizzles in a way familiar to Liath.

The way it burns, just beneath the skin, chewing away at everything that underpins the existence that is the Seraph Liath...

...

Within that dead light, Liath is lost. It sizzles spitefully, washes through her, eats away at her.

In the aftermath, Liath stands. Her armor glows with the fell light that has been cooked into it. Her -skin- glows with it, sputtering and burbling in a sickly silhouette.

But she stands. Her eyes cold.

Her sword raised in front of them.

"I will spare no more words for one who wastes them so profoundly."

'Liath!'

She hears her name. And it speaks volume to how well they know each other that the second Ragnell is rounding up her kick, Liath is swinging her sword out to her side, gripped with both armored and gloved hands. That fell light swims as Liath -commandeers- some of its excess; it BLOOMS brilliantly in a crackling surge of prismatic light that flows like liquid up the length of her blade, and then -grows- outward. Further. Broader. Bigger.

Until Liath is carrying a massive stick of Harmaus' bolstered and brightened light three times as large as she is tall.

And, as Ragnell kicks --

Liath swings, intent on smacking the cat with the broad edge of that blade at full force as if he were a baseball and she was going for a home run.

okay so maybe Liath got Ragnell's sports metaphors mixed up here but it's the thought that counts

GS: Seraph Liath spends 1 Combo on Gatling, loading 1 into Gatling!
GS: Seraph Liath has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Heavenly Bladewing!
GS: Seraph Liath takes 29 damage from Poison!
GS: Seraph Liath takes 50 damage from Reaper!
GS: Slow expired!
GS: Seraph Liath has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Clarine shakes her head, at that.

"And what have you achieved? Have you found the truth you sought? Have you yet accomplished anything but alienate and enrage?" Clarine retorts. "I would like to think that I have accomplished quite a bit. Perhaps by your metric I have failed, but that only highlights your own ignorance. I, at least, still have friends and allies who do more than tolerate my existence. You? From where I am standing, you appear to have nothing but the cold, distant warmth of the light of truth that you have yet to grasp."

Faint tendrils of light spear out from Harmaus. Clarine quickly raises a mirror to defend herself, still suspended where she is... but the light goes through it, stabbing straight into her. It doesn't harm her physically, but she feels... drained, afterward - her light going a little more dim as it spears into her. She drifts a bit back from where she floats, but she can't go very far.

Harmaus then declares Liath a traitor to all Seraphim, claiming that she has sold them to the Goddess. Clarine looks... briefly confused. On one hand, for all his faults he does not seem one to lie, but on the other hand... it's Harmaus. Maybe there's something she doesn't know, but she trusts Liath over him.

"Do not listen to him." Clarine replies with a shake of her head. With that she extends a hand, trying to focus despite her drained feeling.

A Seraphic glyph burns itself into the ground beneath her feet and her mirrors disperse.

"One thousand divine lights, arise and light the path to tomorrow..." She incants. "If you think me a failure, then I will simply have to open your eyes! Radiant Cannonade!"

At this, a multitude of searing rays of light emit from her position. They don't home in on Harmaus directly, however - they fire off at her mirrors and begin to reflect all around the room before eventually finding their way to Harmaus himself, showering him with lasers from every angle.

GS: Seraph Clarine spends 1 Combo on Gatling, loading 1 into Gatling!
GS: Seraph Clarine has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Radiant Cannonade!
GS: Seraph Clarine takes 22 damage from Poison!
GS: Seraph Clarine has completed her action.
GS: Seraph Harmaus partially guards Seraph Liath's Heavenly Bladewing for 115 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Harmaus gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus activates Guard bonus!
GS: Seraph Harmaus enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Seraph Harmaus suffers a terrible blow from Seraph Clarine's Radiant Cannonade for 195 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Harmaus gains 1 additional Combo!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Harmaus has posed.

Magilou is... old. Few Seraphim could even claim a life as long as such, not yet.

"How does... ah. I sees it now. A long, long life has graced it -- the gift of blood flowing in its veins!" He speaks of Magilou's apparent heritage. But is that all that far from the mark?

"It takes those words and it scrubs them from mouth!" Harmaus practically hisses back at Hiro. "I justifies myself to it not! It understands or it does not!"

But speaking of that very particular fact about which Harmaus has still failed to fully reckon with...

'By the way, I've served the Lord of Calamity personally,' Magilou tells him, almost as an aside.

"...It lies," Harmaus says, but the delay alone may be telling. "It serves Lord of Calamity? When does it serves the Lord? Which Lord??"

These may in fact be quite good questions to ask.

"And what has it done to seek? Seek I has for centuries. Centuries! Does it understand? Centuries of seeking, searching, picking over. And it thinks its search is same AS MINE?" He seems just about furious at Ida's statement, enough that it might even seem as if he could spit. He doesn't even shift his stance, hovering before her, as she brings up that unusual weapon. Something isn't--

"Malevolence?!" he calls out, his corpus merely scratched by a sidelong dodge. "It shoots me with-- Malevolence?" He doesn't sound angry so much as... Oddly intrigued? Like it's something of which he hadn't before considered.

It's just a scratch. But it stings and it burns and it...

What has he learned, Clarine demands. "It speaks wrongly. I learns very much, but it understands little." Harmaus has never met a conversation he didn't approach with a battering ram. "Ah? Friends and allies? Such things... they matter me not! I care only for ending our servitude. Never again! Never again!! Mortals must bind us not!"

Who else should there be fealty to?

"None. None! No masters, no gods!" is Harmaus rejoinder to Marivel. "We must rules ourselves! It learns me this -- ever mortals seek using us. And Goddess permits this! She permits this! So it was. So happens it again! We must seeks own path!"

Marivel simply cracks her neck, and then comes the darkness, like a cold wind in the evening. "This--"

He's struck solidly, dragged down to the floor. His small form struggles against what here pins him. "This... power-- the Blue Star is..."

Eventually he peels himself free, shaking himself as if to thereby loose himself from what clings to him still. "Foolishness! It solves and seeks by halfmeasures. How much more learns it, should it cast aside needless sentiment...?"

"I, am in the way? I am the test, fool!" Harmaus retorts, to Lanval's initial argument. "It falls to me yet? It is unworthy of truth!" He makes a noise that might be half scoff, half disgruntled indignation. "It speaks me of truth? Of Goddess' misdeeds? It knows so, so little, yet! Long have we been Her tools, kept in dark from our truth, our nature! Speak me not of mortal struggles-- they matter me not. Must matter us not!"

But argue against it though he might, Lanval also makes his point to Harmaus by means other than words.

Inch by inch, the bubbles encroach on Harmaus' position; light flares up about him, flowing as if to so grant him its benedictions. This shield alone holds the tide at bay, but it is costly. He doesn't see the true Lanval pass him. And each second he spends holding the bubbles back is another that they force him back. Inch by inch, Harmaus is forced into a particular corner of the room.

And though the tide ultimately breaks upon his shoals, there is little he can do but hold his position, lest he be washed away.

It makes him vulnerable for what is to come.

And come it does from Clarine, holding firm her position in spite of his denials and insistance otherwise. His barriers, weakened and drained, fade away even as she takes up position and directs beam after beam of searing, burning light upon him. And there is little he can do but take it, apparently without even the power in this moment to try to evade Clarine's beams. Holding back Lanval's tide was costly.

He lands at last, battered and bruised, gasping for air, and lifts his head just in time to see Ragnell's advance.

Power returning to him, light again flares about Harmaus, providing for him a protective barrier against that sudden kick from Ragnell, but while this prevents him from ragdolling through the air, it is forgetting one very important fact: Ragnell is much larger than Harmaus, and this does not stop being true just because they're both Seraphim and capable otherwise of feats beyond their frames and stature. In fact, it might make him a very effective soccer ball, in the moment!

Or... baseball may be more appropriate. He spins through the air as a particularly effective missile, in any case, right up until that instant when Liath hits him with the flat of her blade.

There is a small hole in the wall, and no sign of Harmaus.

"Enough."

At least, not until he reappears before them all, quite suddenly. "This ends." And he turns, again hovering in the air, as power bleeds from his body freely. It is the very beginnings of a terrible Seraphic arte.

"-Do you think that you understand?-" This, he tells Lanval, the now focal point of all his terrible attention. He continues: "-To understand, one must begin with the fundamentals. ...Behold.-"

Once, a very long time ago, there was nothing. And then there was everything, all of existence erupting outwards in a great swelling outburst of light. "Katalepsis!"

Lanval is the nucleus about which matter, light, existence -- everything -- unfolds, a crucible of brilliance. It does not stop there, not with him. The light expands outwards, a shimmering burning roaring inferno of light and color. "-Return to the origin, you debased forms!-" Harmaus calls out. "Apocatastasis!"

GS: Seraph Harmaus spends 1 Combo on Link!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Lanval with Katalepsis!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has launched an attack Link!
GS: Seraph Harmaus spends 1 Combo on Poison!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Liath with Apocatastasis!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Apocatastasis!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Clarine with Apocatastasis!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Marivel Armitage with Apocatastasis!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Ida Everstead-Rey with Apocatastasis!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has attacked Seraph Lanval with Apocatastasis!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Seraph Harmaus takes 36 damage from Poison!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has completed his action.
GS: Seraph Clarine has activated a Force Action!
GS: Seraph Clarine suffers a terrible blow from Seraph Harmaus's Apocatastasis for 50 hit points!
GS: Delay, Hex, and Poison applied to Seraph Clarine!
GS: Seraph Clarine activates Arcane Font!
GS: Marivel Armitage suffers a terrible blow from Seraph Harmaus's Apocatastasis for 65 hit points!
GS: Delay, Hex, and Poison applied to Marivel Armitage!
GS: Seraph Ragnell suffers a terrible blow from Seraph Harmaus's Apocatastasis for 53 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Ragnell gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Delay, Hex, and Poison applied to Seraph Ragnell!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey takes a solid hit from Seraph Harmaus's Apocatastasis for 48 hit points!
GS: Delay, Hex, and Poison applied to Ida Everstead-Rey!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Seraph Lanval has activated a Force Action!
GS: CRITICAL! Seraph Liath takes a glancing hit from Seraph Harmaus's Apocatastasis for 24 hit points!
GS: Delay, Hex, and Poison applied to Seraph Liath!
GS: Seraph Lanval's Cripple Ward prevents an effect!
GS: Seraph Lanval's Mute Ward prevents an effect!
GS: CRITICAL! Seraph Lanval fully evades Seraph Harmaus's Katalepsis for 0 hit points!
GS: Seraph Lanval's Poison Ward prevents an effect!
GS: Seraph Lanval fully evades Seraph Harmaus's Apocatastasis for 0 hit points!
GS: Seraph Lanval activates Evade bonus!
GS: Seraph Lanval enters CONDITION GREEN!!

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

"Your optimism never ceases to amaze me," Magilou tells Liath, and it isn't a jab, because it's not much of anything. (She's honoured the environment; she's being honest. Why else would she avoid travelling through Hoel with another person until now?) "That belief in humanity which named the Shepherds so... I've never understood it." She shrugs a shoulder, lightly. "I'll defend it, even so."

Her attention returns to her own battles, as they speak to her.

Would she be alone again...?

Does she want it to matter...?

Magillanica Lou... did she matter?

"My... how terribly cruel," Magilou says, halfway to herself, as she takes in Lunata and Hiro's theses at once. When Marivel asks whether the trade is worth it, her hand grasps to a loose fist, in front of her. "A trade... true enough. All the people you held fast to... they slip through your fingers. Soon enough you don't travel together, any more... you only see each other when someone's due to die. To bury, again..." ... she shakes her head, and ceases the thought.

In time. Everything in time.

She watches as Lunata's random magic leaps between them -- and the shadow of a smile crosses her face. "Fool," she chastises her, and almost manages to sound amused. "I'm something of a gambler myself. Why, I'll bet you 500 gald right here and now that unless you learn how to help your friend, Caelia will end up fighting for many more people like Harmaus and I."

... she's awfully casual about lumping herself in with that very bad cat, even though she stole Caelia's amulet away from the one person here who would order Caelia to fight Lunata. She still hasn't demanded a single thing of the Seraph dwelling in that amulet wrapped around her hand; she's also made sure it's her other hand, responding to attacks. This is something of a challenge, because Magilou is not ambidextrous. She hasn't commented on it in the slightest.

She hops backwards, but not entirely in time to avoid Negative Gate -- the disease sapping through her capacity to heal. "... you're right," she answers Hiro, finally. She does not tell him that she just lost track of her moral code, because she isn't a vampire, like some adults in the room. All that aside, she is mean. Look at what she's doing to everyone! "That sort of optimism is beyond me... but I wanted to believe in theirs."

She trails off, because Margaret takes her wrist. She listens, to what Margaret tells her; she's a historian, as she's said. She witnesses the past. "He chose his station," she answers her, softly. "The power -- and the responsibility. But someone should remember."

Her hand lifts, to wipe a tear from Margaret's cheek.

Her eyes are dry.

"Thank you for crying for me," she adds, at a murmur. "I've long forgotten how."

Her gaze goes to Eleanor, in turn, as she says she'll read her history, speaking with the magic of love and guns. "A thing which grows heavier with years," she warns her, oblique, on the warning of time. But Margaret is handily holding her in place, which means that when Eleanor lunges in, she can't quite step away --

As Eleanor chooses to care.

And as she grabs her, all about the midsection, with exactly the same thought as Margaret. "Ah--" Magilou gasps, as she's wrenched off her feet entire, as she faces the might --

of the DOUBLE --

SURPRISE --

WIZARD --

POWER --

BREAKER!

Here is a fun fact about Magilou hitting the ground with a Power Bracelet and 160 pounds of martial encouragement: she bounces. She actually, literally, bounces. The open Super Pop-Up Book is still open, still springy, and when she hits the floor it BOUNCES her right over the floor. In this manner, she is tossed bodily into the searing fireball of Blazing Sun! "Guah!" Magilou yelps, eloquently, because the cat's got her tongue.

(Not you, Harmaus, the other one.)

She pushes herself back standing, making sure her hat is still affixed in the process. The hat, you see, is very important. "Am I not passing it on, right now?" She asks Ashiya, with no particular venom in her voice. "But anger... anger will serve you well. You ought to get angry, at something like this. I suppose I should have been angry, once upon a time... but settling for destroying a legacy will have to do, I suppose." Somehow, the power of her statement is audible. "Whether he lived to see the end or not -- there's good reason for an Exorcist to be scared of me."

Magilou gestures, with an open palm, shikigami floating above it.

"... because I... am a Witch."

She returns her attention to Harmaus, finally, and shakes her head. "My blood..? Even elves age, Harmaus -- even elves die. It would take a special birth indeed to last this long. But you're half right, I suppose. We'll call it partial credit."

Magilou shrugs, as she answers his second question. "My dark mistress is presently occupied," she answers, which isn't, strictly speaking, a lie. "And before your time, at any rate. The ones which followed simply didn't meet my standards, I'm afraid." This, in a fashion, is also true.

But, whether the Goddess permits the usage of Seraphim... "... there are an awful lot of factors at work in Lunar, Harmaus. It would be quite simple, if it were just the Goddess.... wouldn't it?" She poses this question to him, and isn't quite kind enough to offer an answer. But hasn't she been talking about another powerful figure, this whole time...?

"Now..." She turns back to her Drifters, and lifts her shikigami to her lips, blowing it to them like a kiss. "With a single breath, they appear!" And just as she says, it happens, in a purple-black cutaway -- a dozen shikigami, large as men, erupting from the ground to juggle Ashiya, Lunata, Hiro, Eleanor, and Margaret between them. "Here they come! There's no stopping them now!" She declares, spins, and points, as they toss their foes into the air -- and converge on them, in an explosion of light much like fireworks. "GOOD GRIP!"

GS: Magilou has activated a Force Action!
GS: Magilou has activated a Force Action!
GS: Formation! Magilou has attacked Ashiya Khaimova with Good Grip!
GS: Formation! Magilou has attacked Lunata Croze with Good Grip!
GS: Formation! Magilou has attacked Hiro with Good Grip!
GS: Formation! Magilou has attacked Eleanor Klein with Good Grip!
GS: Formation! Magilou has attacked Margaret with Good Grip!
GS: Magilou gains 10 FP from her Daredevil!
GS: Magilou has completed her action.
GS: CRITICAL! Ashiya Khaimova suffers a terrible blow from Magilou's Good Grip for 273 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Ashiya Khaimova gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Healthy! For entering Condition Green, Ashiya Khaimova receives 100 temporary hit points.
GS: Ashiya Khaimova enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: CRITICAL! Lunata Croze solidly guards Magilou's Good Grip for 87 hit points!
GS: Lunata Croze activates Guard bonus and Gleam!
GS: CRITICAL! Margaret solidly guards Magilou's Good Grip for 87 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Margaret gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Margaret activates Arcane Font!
GS: Margaret enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: CRITICAL! Hiro partially guards Magilou's Good Grip for 167 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Hiro gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Hiro enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Hex expired!
GS: CRITICAL! Eleanor Klein takes a solid hit from Magilou's Good Grip for 241 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Eleanor Klein gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Eleanor Klein enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Disease expired!

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

"You think I don't know that?! You think I'm not trying, haven't been travelling around trying to figure out a way even when she takes the pains to remind me that no one's done it in the centuries she's been under its spell?!" Lunata sounds somewhat aghast.

The shikigami comes to burst and pummel and juggle her through the air, and she's sent flying and gripped between it and she's consumed in an explosion of light. She crashes against one side of Hoel's emblazoned walls with a groan.

When she rises, it's with that black ichor of undeath that passes for blood in her body.

"You think I'm not on eggshells every moment, thinking that every wrong comment or pity for her situation is just something that'll double up that despair that's so strong in her heart she literally can't hope for something better, lest she get disappointed again?!"

Lunata hoarsely gets up and says, "Nevermind that I should be spending time trying to avoid my own eternal damnation, but no, that's just never good enough for you! The old and immortal always tut-tutting their way, saying the short-lived and young are never good enough, always so ignorant... teach me, then. And if not-- then get out of my way!!!""

Even here, in the Shrine of Light, Ge Ramda gathers her darkness again, and...

Iyoooo... the mysterious shade of a taiko drummer croons, accompanied by the plucking strings of the shamisen, evoking the mystic sensation of the night parade to come.

"You're not the only one with that kinda help at your side..."

The very floor itself becomes inkish and black, inviting to life the very canvas of the netherworld. The realm in which comes those translucent spectres, all dancing upon each other.

Here, Ge Ramda herself leads her unearthly parade of myriad spirits, waving a five-ringed staff that clinks in the darkness...

...ka-ta-shii-ha-yaaa...

The night is lit by paper lanterns. Upon closer inspection, they are obake, each with a single eye and with a careless, drooping their tongues out as they work their magic.

...e-ka-seee-ni-ku-ri-niii...

A number of tsukumogami umbrellas hop behind the paper lanterns. The stem of their handle, however, bear a single bare foot each as they bounce around, also with that self-same singular eye as they cackle eerily!

...ta-me-ru-sa-ke...

Several walls depicting that which may have been a traditional, paper-lined town erupts. The raucous laughter of several red and blue oni can be heard as they march, yellow-eyed, carrying clubs that thunder the ground...

...te-e-hi, a-shi-e-hi...

The heat of a summer night, the echos of cicada in the distance complete the picture. Several women in what appear to be Spiran kimonos complete the march -- but their necks are loose as they stretch snake and serpentine from their shoulders, being rokurokubi.

...wa-re-shi... ...ko-ni-ke-ri...

And within this parade! This night parade of the myriad, this pandemonium of demonic revelry! The drums and strings and flutes reaching a fever pitch, the demons entranced by the very cacophony of flames dancing about them!

Lunata thrusts her hand out--

And the youkai converge on one centre point, on Magilou, as if to answer her great shikigami dance in return!

GS: Lunata Croze has activated a Force Action!
GS: Lunata Croze has activated a Force Action!
GS: Lunata Croze spends 2 Combo on Gatling, loading 2 into Gatling!
GS: MYSTIC ARTE! Formation! Blitz! Lunata Croze has attacked Magilou with the Night Parade of the Myriad -Yaoyorozu Yagyou-!
GS: Lunata Croze gains 10 FP from her Daredevil!
GS: Cover, Cripple, and Entangle expired!
GS: Lunata Croze has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Mortal nature... Eleanor looks to Liath for a moment, as she says it. It's so harsh, the way she says that time simply matches on. And yet--she finds it beautiful. Eleanor doesn't understand it yet; to her, it simply seems cruel. But she is very young, yet. "...I..."

Magilou doesn't share that optimism. She wouldn't, would she? But she'll defend it. And there is something sad, achingly sad, about that. A defense of something in which she cannot partake...

"I'm sorry," Eleanor says quietly, and does not raise her voice so that Magilou can hear her. Instead, she straightens her shoulders, and focuses.

"I know it will," Eleanor says to Magilou of a thing which grows heavier. "...I'll do my best."

She can't say she'll be ready. But she can try. and right now--

Eleanor's eyes meet Margaret's and sparkle. Together, they send Magilou to the ground and bouncing up again, and it is perhaps more satisfying than Eleanor had hoped to surprise her with this one. "Lovely," she tells Margaret, and she does not just mean her form. "...I want to help, too."

But the battle must continue. Magilou is a witch, and...

And the shikinami approach. A dozen shikigami come up, and Eleanor is hurtled into the air herself, passed and tossed and hit by exploding light until she shoots down into the floor, blazing with light and rolling when she hits the ground. "Agh--"

If it were simple... But...

"Light unveils. ...We will see the truth. And without sacrificing people to it, Seraph Harmaus."

She drags herself up to her feet, and lifts a Crest in her hands. Muse and Geo come together in the most potent restorative art that Eleanor knows, and she sparkles with prismatic light as she begins to invoke it. "...As the heavens turn, so too the earth. As the earth turns, so too all upon it."

Power builds in her hand as she lifts her hand. "May that celestial majesty be reflected in the tiniest of stones! Flow! SUBLIME RENEWAL!"

Brilliant light sparkles across the room, bright enough to blot out all vision for an instant, and restore wounds, turn back the clock on harm.

GS: Eleanor Klein has activated a Force Action!
GS: Eleanor Klein spends 1 Combo on Reload!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Lunata Croze with Sublime Renewal!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Seraph Clarine with Sublime Renewal!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Seraph Liath with Sublime Renewal!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Ida Everstead-Rey with Sublime Renewal!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Margaret with Sublime Renewal!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Sublime Renewal!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Ashiya Khaimova with Sublime Renewal!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Seraph Lanval with Sublime Renewal!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Marivel Armitage with Sublime Renewal!
GS: Blitz! Eleanor Klein has attacked Hiro with Sublime Renewal!
GS: Eleanor Klein has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Eleanor Klein has completed her action.

GS: Eleanor Klein heals Marivel Armitage! She gains 310 temporary hit points!
GS: Restore! Hex removed!
GS: Marivel Armitage activates Eleanor Klein's Reload!!
GS: Marivel Armitage enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Eleanor Klein heals Lunata Croze! She gains 310 temporary hit points!
GS: Lunata Croze activates Eleanor Klein's Reload! and Gleam!
GS: Lunata Croze enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Eleanor Klein heals Seraph Clarine! She gains 310 temporary hit points!
GS: Restore! Hex removed!
GS: Seraph Clarine activates Eleanor Klein's Reload!!
GS: Seraph Clarine enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Eleanor Klein heals Ashiya Khaimova! She gains 310 temporary hit points!
GS: Restore! Cripple and Entangle removed!
GS: Ashiya Khaimova activates Eleanor Klein's Reload! and Gleam!
GS: Eleanor Klein heals Margaret! She gains 310 temporary hit points!
GS: Margaret activates Eleanor Klein's Reload!!
GS: Eleanor Klein heals Ida Everstead-Rey! She gains 310 temporary hit points!
GS: Restore! Hex removed!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey activates Eleanor Klein's Reload!!
GS: Eleanor Klein heals Hiro! He gains 310 temporary hit points!
GS: Restore! Cripple and Entangle removed!
GS: Hiro activates Eleanor Klein's Reload!!
GS: Eleanor Klein heals Seraph Ragnell! She gains 310 temporary hit points!
GS: Restore! Hex removed!
GS: Seraph Ragnell activates Eleanor Klein's Reload!!
GS: Eleanor Klein heals Seraph Lanval! He gains 310 temporary hit points!
GS: Seraph Lanval activates Eleanor Klein's Reload!!
GS: Eleanor Klein heals Seraph Liath! She gains 310 temporary hit points!
GS: Restore! Hex removed!
GS: Seraph Liath activates Eleanor Klein's Reload!!

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

"Yeah, I'm fast coming to the conclusion it's pointless trying to convince you too." Hiro says quickly at Harmaus, not even bothering to address the idea that a cat just told him to wash his mouth out - he hopes with soap! More likely it's lasers.

However, his true focus is on Magilou right now, as she mulls over the cruelty of a long life... outliving those she cares about. Ruby looks uncomfortable in this moment, forlorn... "Magilou..." However, she doesn't say anything else, because of her own discomfort with the subject.

Finally Hiro manages to pick himself out from the Gravity Mine, checking himself over to be sure nothing is broken, as Magilou admits he's right about becoming a historian. "That says something I feel, about who you are." Hiro replies to her. "Wanting to believe in something better than what is... wanting to hold onto something as time keeps moving. You'll probably laugh at me for saying so but... I think that's admirable."

Hiro would perhaps dispute the part about 'would have slain her gladly', but he doesn't interrupt Margaret's story, listening to the end. He keeps his eyes on Magilou because he's not sure Magilou will spare him just because Margaret is telling her story, but he's listening. And then when she's finished, having seen the tears glistening in her eyes, he sucks in a breath. "Margaret... you give yourself too little credit." He says quietly, unable to offer much more than that in the moment. The story is too heavy... for him to try and pick it apart, refute it. The emotions are too raw.

And the tears are for Magilou, in the absence of her own.

And then Eleanor just lifts Magilou up and slams her down in a moment that leaves him slackjawed for half a second. "Wow." Though as Magilou recovers he finds himself listening, sucking in a breath at the idea of the Exorcists, eyeing her as she says the Lord of Calamity she served is occupied, "Wait what?"

It's a distraction that he doesn't quite recover from, the idea of a Third Lord of Calamity??? Out there??? Right now??? "Magilou what do you mean by occupi-" However she turns her attention back on them all and suddenly the Shikigami erupt out of the ground to toss him into the air before jumping at him in an explosion of light. That seemingly consumes him, oh no Hiro's dead-

-no it was just spots in your eyes, from the brilliant light of that explosion followed by Eleanor's spell of renewal. There's so much light going around it's a wonder anyone can see anything! Anyhow he launches himself at Magilou out of the light using a gust of wind to increase his speed and momentum. "HAAAA-!" En route the image of him splits into three which leap off to two other sides of her as each one draws back it's sword and slashes at her - but more importantly the air itself. "-Hey Magilou, DODGE THIS-"

His blade catching like its meeting resistance and each is trying to rip through it, leaving a visible gash in the air in their wake in a sequence of three with that vicious strike.

"-Trinity Crisis."

Each Hiro then sheathes his sword, and the trio become one again. And the gash marks suddenly seem to collapse in a violent spasm as air rushes in to fill what he just gouged out. "Guess I'll have to ask once we help you finish this 'Welfare Check' of yours how much further we have to go before we meet your standards." He says cheekily, as he adds that to the mission list - while also stating 'Challenge Accepted!'

GS: Hiro has activated a Force Action!
GS: Hiro spends 3 Combo on Gatling, loading 3 into Gatling!
GS: MYSTIC ARTE! Formation! Blitz! Hiro has attacked Magilou with Trinity Crisis!
GS: Hiro has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Hiro has entered Hero Stance!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

'Enough.' Comes Harmaus' statement in the wake of a physically embarrassing set of strikes and some pointed responses about his purpose in being here and waht he seeks.

	"We shtill choose ta--" Harmaus cuts him off with the definitive feeling of 'this ends,' and that blinding light returns. The light of a Seraphic Arte that transcends most within the sorcerous spectrum of the Light, and Lanval may soon come to regret making fun of Harmaus' Ancient Tongue diction as he catches the way Harmaus intently focuses upon him.

	'-...Behold.-'

	Lanval doesn't behold as there is a sudden flurry of image-distorting bubbles in what is a despearate attempt to throw off Harmaus' focus, and that nucleus forms within the bubble closest to Lanval. That zero point is offset by the thinnest margins in sorcerous terms. It is a beautiful sight to watch the recreation of the beginning churn, something believed to be the first truth.

	His eyes dim looking at it because that's a power only that tiny bit of trickery can offset by so much as he does a dramatic, even silly-looking backflip as the rays of light rush out from the explosion, hurling himself up against the highest corner he can reach where Harmaus exists between the point of detonation and himself, twisting and turning as the light lances out and stabs into the scenery with the scars of a newborn existence in microcosm.

	"-The mortals are not going back. They're going forward.-" Lanval responds with a grasp of Ancient Tongue that sounds better learned than he does in the mortal common tongue (but he does pronounce 'forward' a bit oddly, should Harmaus feel the need to fire back on Lanval's mockery of his diction earlier).

	This dramatic statement is punctuated by Lanval just sliiiiiding down slowly against the wall he hurled himself up against in the attempt to find that one safe spot relative to Harmaus' position.

	"Desphite everything... we shtill live with 'em, one way or another," Lanval switches back to common tongue as he rolls back and forth to get back up on his feet. "Don't regret the day I went 'n decided ta meet 'em... or protect 'em." (Because he was really scared of Glenwood and wanted to do his part to protect Meribus from all that scary Malevolence down there, but he was very very young then.) "Or the day I went 'n made a pact with the very water of Filgaia itshelf ta know it... 'n do my part ta make it better, no matter the truth behind how it got sho bad."

	Seraph Lanval marches up again. "Maybe one day I'll shee what ya might've. But I can't do that - none of ush can - 'til we meet Her. Shooo..."

	With brilliant light from Eleanor's magic filling him with new strength, he raises his drinking gourd up. "A toasht!"

	To which he just bops it against Harmaus if he gets within reach. "Jeersh~"

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Oh hon," Marivel says, not without sympathy for anyone--even a Cat--who wishes to be their own master. And yet: "From what I've seen, what you get up to with no gods or masters is a wonderful argument for theology. If you wish to live life without any gods or masters, you best act in a manner that deserves freedom!"

Marivel has done plenty of horrifying things herself, of course, but then again: She's a monster. And even so she hasn't done, in her mind, the senseless endings Harmaus has inflicted upon people. Surely, a town of people cannot all be deserving of a peaceful end.

Magilou served the Lord of Calamity, Marivel reflects, but ultimately that doesn't change her plans. She's still worried about that child. How does she break the poor guy out without damning a world. Too many sacrifices. Magilou speaks and she thinks of the way she and her old companions drifted apart--the ones who didn't abandon her or die (and in Marivel's mind, death--in its own way--is a kind of abandonment. Those that survived, saw her return without Ana...

Those who slipped away after...

Magilou claims she has forgotten how to cry. Marivel has always forgotten to cry. If you've seen her cry before, well, that's just your imagination.

"Well," She says, genuinely trying to be helpful. "You still have Bienfu. And if you need help with the kid... I am a fully trained babysitter."

Since this 'kid' is probably no longer exactly a 'kid' this might seem a bit weird to say but Marivel means it absolutely.

Harmaus clobbers Marivel with his power even as he slips away. The light passes through the shadow and into the creature hidden within. And it screams because the Light is toxic.

"Not ... The Blue Star..." Black plasma drips from out of the smoke like blood, more eyes shine from within, many oozing black bile from someone's latest shiny assault.

"My power... Is that of Hell's."

"Learn all you wish from the Abyss...! The King of the Underworld could always use more souls to floss its teeth with!"

You know she's upset when she's using lines from that wouldn't be outside the realm of classic Wild Arms.

Ida, ever worrying over her...

The light continues to pulse through her, chaining her-- binding her. A dangerous situation even for a Crimson Noble. But so long as the soul perseveres--

The chains explode off of Marivel as her monstrous form flexes, scars burning into her flesh where the light seared her. But can she fight in such condition? Surely not.

But before she can comment further. Eleanor does something.

Time turns back the harm. Rapidly, those burns fade away. The ooze fades from the many eyes. Powerful healing, but healing all the same?

Not quite.

"Eleanor." Marivel murmurs, distracted even from her fury. "That level of temporal mastery..." Pause. "You should take care with that, Eleanor. Do not use it lightly, even to save me."

"But I best make the best of it, no?"

She turns back to Harmaus. "Harmaus."

"You are telling me you are upset that humans be human? They live short lives that end in the blink of an eye, and you blame children for being children."

"You are an adult, aren't you? Age matters not, isn't that so? Children, Harmaus, are the ones that complain about life not being fair, about being 'used', about having to look after others. That's the hallmark of childhood."

Her many eyes narrow. "You are an adult."

The claws come forward. An atom splits in half and an explosion erupts out from the source. The wind is sucked away into nothing as fire takes its place. As the fire just as quickly burns itself out, leaving nothing but the void. And then from within that void, comes an eruption of energy that fills the nothingness, erupting across the chamber in a surge of radioactive destruction that, nonetheless, is focused squarely upon Harmaus who--luckily--is probably the best person for taking all that kind of mystical violence.

"You are an adult so of course you are to be used by the children." Marivel says. "You say this as if it is a revelation, and not the duty that comes with age that even humans figure out amongst their own people."

"You do not understand this," Marivel says. "And you think you are suitable to inflict a Trial?"

She snaps back into her body, still burning and half incinerated from the light, her skull gleaming quietly.

"Remember your duty to the next generations ere you speak of knowledge."

GS: Marivel Armitage spends 1 Combo on Link!
GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Seraph Harmaus with I Carry The Hopes Of My People Within Me And Sing The Song Of The Extinct - Armageddon!
GS: Marivel Armitage has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Marivel Armitage has launched an attack Link!
GS: Delay expired!
GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Small Hopes Shall Slice Thy Destiny To Ribbons - Split The Atom MEGATON!
GS: Marivel Armitage takes 28 damage from Poison!
GS: Blind and Drowsy expired!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

The touch on her cheek leaves a hint of purple-black on Magilou's fingers; darkness, inevitably, but perhaps no bad. Margaret smiles at Magilou...

Before, you know.

That happens.

Margaret has the sense that Althena gave a goose to not stay tightly clenched onto Magilou when she begins bouncing, which means she ends up in a sprawled clatter of a mess and doesn't get up right away.

"Magilou," Margaret says, pushing herself up to her hands and knees, "I'm disappointed in you; that was a perfect time to lower the curtain, whether you will be retreating to some den of inquity or -- well, I suppose you can guess what I'M hoping."

Margaret rolls over. Her eyes narrow at Ashiya. "Respect the craft," she tells her, but she sounds tired. Sucking in breath --

Ah, shikigami. They are upon her; and her spells are already fading. "Ugh! Ngh! Damn it --"

Eleanor's determination as well as her sorcery washes over her, as she is assailed -- and Margaret, abruptly, levitates three yards into the air, one hand held saucily out with a greenish pearl in a rather heavy set (ivory?) ring glowing on her middle finger. The other hand rests on her hip.

She breathes out, sharply. Margaret reaches back to toss her hair. "Flatterer," she answers Hiro. She sounds like she's smiling, though.

"Magilou! I'm not about to give up. If the thrill is gone, then we just have to try to find it again -- the search is worth something, don't you think?" ("I think that's right," Margaret mutters to herself, at the same point at which Harmaus draws on the emphatic power of the Big Bang, making her flinch a little.)

"Then! For an encore!" Margaret says, raising her ring'ed hand above her head and snapping her fingers - which makes her do another speed-flit over, twisting around and descending --

Into a brutal axe kick!! Wow, maybe skipping the sword was -- ahh, there's the knee held up for -- support? No; with the last dregs of the power that is Starlight Express, Margaret twists her other leg round to catch up Magilou in a neck hold, leaning over to put a hand on the ground, pirouette, and toss HER into the air:

see how U like it!!

At which point she sags on the ground, panting for breath and caked in sweat; wiping her forehead and getting up almost immediately, with a thankful look towards Eleanor. This may be the peril of that sorcery...

GS: Margaret spends 3 Combo on Gatling, loading 3 into Gatling!
GS: Blitz! Margaret has attacked Magilou with Don't be angry - Just be amazed!!
GS: Margaret has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Harmaus is furious. Ida recognizes the body language--the arched back, the flattened ears, the bared fangs--and keeps right on pushing. Notably, she doesn't answer the question. "You think everyone owes you everything they know, when you haven't done a damn thing to deserve it. Why should anyone trust you, when they know you're just using them?" Answer a question with another question. Turn the probing light back on itself.

Ida was gambling with that shot. Another 'slug' of extruded biometal clicks into the chamber, but Ida's attention is focused on Harmaus, horrified. He looks rather like the Major-General did when Ida had to take a string from him because otherwise he would eat it, and he didn't know string was bad, because he was a cat. The difference: Harmaus is merely cat-shaped. He should know Malevolence is poison. Ida quickly holsters the ARM before Harmaus can get any ideas.

Ida was there, with Boudicca, when they first entered this Shrine and found the guardian within. That was a horrifying thing to bear witness to, and a part of Ida feels Harmaus' distress keenly, and empathizes. Magilou, too--she's seen the hollowness in her, and some of her words stick in Ida's mind.

'I'll defend it, even so.'

But even though Harmaus certainly looks like Liath just batted him out of the park, that's not the case. Even Ida can sense the brewing storm of sorcery focused on--

"LANVAL!" Ida roars, eyes gone wide. In the next instant, the light blinds her before she can shut them. It washes back across her, turning tanned skin ghostly-white, then blood-red and raw. Marivel's spell rewinds some of it, leaves patches of pale skin on her face and hands, repairs some of the seared ruin of her cloak. And then Eleanor speaks, and there's a second flare, and something cool and rejuvenating flows across her body. Ida no longer feels like an open wound. She opens her eyes, and realizes she's almost doubled over. She rises. She clenches pale knuckles into a fist. Mismatched eyes--one steely-blue, the other blood-red with tiny threads of silver--focus on Harmaus.

Golden-white light ignites around Ida's right hand. It creeps outwards across her body, billowing into a shield against Harmaus' primordial energies. A second layer ignites within it, bright orange-red, as she steps forwards, and becomes a blur. The air itself screams as it gives way for her passage. Her entire body aches from healing wounds, and the stress she's putting on it. She'll endure.

Harmaus may well try to dodge Marivel's nuclear explosion. It would be a shame if he did. It would also be a shame if Ida's fist catches him and knocks him into that explosion with pulverizing force.

GS: Ida Everstead-Rey spends 4 Combo on Headshot and Gatling, loading 2 into Gatling!
GS: MYSTIC ARTE! Ida Everstead-Rey has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Unbroken Lotus Fist!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has entered Avenger Stance!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey takes 30 damage from Poison!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Ashiya Khaimova has posed.

. . . (these worlds...)

Ashiya takes a proper clobbering from the big constructs, to put it succinctly. Swordplay and martial tricks are one thing, but fighting off a whole crowd of magical summons? Another matter entirely.

. . . (are so weird...)

The blue-skinned gal trades blows with what looks like magical paper, but is clearly ensorcelled to be sterner stuff. One knife-hand chop brings with it a billowing gale of fire and steam, but two more limbs rush out and strike her lowered guard.

. . . (There are guns and witches and mecha...)

> "You ought to get angry, at something like this."

. . . (You think I'm not? You think I'm playing the joker like you?)

An oncoming rush of paper-limbed punches and a double-fisted hammer blow throw the plucky Symbologist-Swordslady to the ground. The ground rushes up to meet her, and yet, she's not ready for a concrete nap yet.

"CODE: ALTER!"

A bright rune flares upon the back of the girl's left glove. A complicated fractal, a perfect ratio of an ever-shrinking spiral flanked by ever-shrinking triangles. The ground that rushes up to meet her glows dully for a moment. When the cat-eared girl smacks into it, the stones... bend, and stretch. Warp. Like the skin of a trampoline, straining from the force.

"What'd you say... a thousand years? More?" she asks, as a gang of Shikigami put the boot in while she's down. The ground continues to give way, in an unnatural and stretchy fashion. Like a slingshot pulled too taut, how far does this weird material sorcery extend?

"I've been here for like... thirty days! You have no idea how much I want to shake you down and beg to hear this place's crazy history! But even I can see this whole thing--here--" she means, you know, this temple. This ruin. This place where world-shaking forces are gathering (as well as an unlucky rando like her).

"--it's not as unknowable as you wanna make it sound! So! Forgive me!"

She's so polite, actually, it's kind of cute. Proper manners even while a paper boot is on her cheek. Her apology comes as an extremely new kind of magical energy, to her, washes over her. Eleanor's phenomenal power seems to simply highlight the last couple of minutes worth of physical trauma and whack the delete key.

"But I gotta repeat myself: I really owe ya one now!"

The symbology rune dims, and the strange craft of alteration begins to unwind. In mere moments, the now-several-feet-deep rubber hole in the ground will return to normal. Do you know how a slingshot works?

POP

Everything happens at 22X fast forward, to boot. The distorted stone loses its stretchy properties and returns to its original position at the speed of thought. Giant paper dudes go flying in a cloud as a blue-skinned, blue-haired, thunderbolt is thrown from the hole at escape velocity. Thrown towards one Millenium Witch, feet-first. "HIIIIIIIIIISSATSU--"

GS: Ashiya Khaimova spends 2 Combo on Headshot!
GS: MYSTIC ARTE! Formation! Blitz! Ashiya Khaimova has attacked Magilou with Khaimova-ryuu Secret Technique! - Whimsical Petals Of The Blooming Lilies Caught On The Evening Winds Beneath That Fated Place Strike!!
GS: Ashiya Khaimova has completed her action.
GS: Seraph Harmaus takes a solid hit from Ida Everstead-Rey's Unbroken Lotus Fist for 229 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Harmaus gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: CRITICAL! Magilou suffers a terrible blow from Margaret's Don't be angry - Just be amazed! for 284 hit points!
GS: Magilou has Fallen! She is no longer able to fight!
GS: CRITICAL! Magilou suffers a terrible blow from Ashiya Khaimova's Khaimova-ryuu Secret Technique! - Whimsical Petals Of The Blooming Lilies Caught On The Evening Winds Beneath That Fated Place Strike! for 370 hit points!
GS: Hyper applied to Ashiya Khaimova!
GS: Strain! Ashiya Khaimova takes 6 damage!
GS: Magilou has Fallen! She is no longer able to fight!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

If there's anything Harmaus has ever said that Ragnell could relate to, it's his violent passion that Seraphim should never be ruled over by mortals or anyone ever again. That she meets with grim silence, her only concession to the fact that she agrees with this part of his beliefs. The parts he brings up that she sees as off-base or outright wrong... she lets lie like a housecat on a warm rug in winter. It's not like he'd listen, anyway.

Marivel's chiding--the form it takes--does get a grimace out of Ragnell, though. Yeah, REALLY not getting into that. And Magilou... she's got her own thing going on. Ragnell knows well she's one of those traveling companions who one day left her behind.

Of greater emotional value to the person Ragnell has become is Liath leaning in to strike Harmaus like a baseball just as Ragnell kicks him like a soccer ball. Maybe they're mixing their sports metaphors, but it's fine; the point is the results. Ragnell grins broadly at Liath, quite pleased with both of them--but then he calls enough.

She frowns up at him, hovering in midair, bleeding power in the form of a great and awesome Seraphic arte--'awesome' in the ancient meaning of the word. It initiates. At first, there is nothing.

And then there is light.

It's not quite possible to describe the sensation, but one must try. It's like being set on fire, but the fire is so hot it reduces one to cinders in an instant. It's like dropping into a well of gravity so powerful there's no escape. It's like having all of one's being getting ripped to shreds. In surviving, one's put back together at the end of that instant. It's a disorienting feeling, to say the least, and to say nothing of the agony.

Even so, healing power surges forth in its wake--Eleanor's power, sparkling around Ragnell and several others in the form of prismatic light, soothing wounds and pain alike. She smiles in relief. Her body is still battered, and Harmaus's power still clings to it as if loathe to stop hurting her, but she can better endure it now. And that's all she needs right now.

She snaps her arms outward in opposite directions, one gun held low, one held high. As she slowly traces half circles with each, they trail crackling lightning in their wake, which needles down into the center of a forming Seraphic glyph to fill it with the appropriate markings. "I, who stand in the full light of the heavens, stand before thee, who opens the gates of hell!"

Light, as if from the heart of a thunderstorm, pulses forth into the Seraphic glyph. But something's off; this is the chant for Indignation, but the glyph for that usually forms at Ragnell's feet, rather than in the air before her. She flips her pistols up and around, letting them spin before they land in their holsters; then she pulls something out from under her poncho.

It doesn't look very special. It's sort of like a handgun, but stubbier, more metallic, with a strange dial on one side. It's not keyed up all the way, it's only at about 50%, judging by the color. But Ragnell points it at the center of the glyph before her and winks maliciously.

"Jus' kiddin'."

She pulls the trigger, and the glyph warps inwards in an X motion to join a MASSIVE burst of searing light that fires out in the form of a beam from the strange ARM straight towards Harmaus. It isn't Seraphic power, though it is simultaneously boosted and contained by it; this is the power of those who come from beyond the stars.

"X BUSTER!"

GS: Seraph Ragnell has attacked Seraph Harmaus with X Buster!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Ragnell takes 27 damage from Poison!
GS: Seraph Ragnell takes 55 damage from Reaper!
GS: Cover and Reaper expired!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has completed her action.
GS: Seraph Harmaus takes a solid hit from Seraph Ragnell's X Buster for 168 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Liath has posed.

A blade of magnified light shimmers in a sea of colors, congealing into whites before flowing out into rivers of all hues of the spectrum a human eye could comprehend. Liath holds the massive, conjured blade in one hand now, its coruscating edge sparking and lifting pebbles of rubble off the ground where it touches.

The Prime Lord does not disperse this amplified blade. Not yet. After all...

'Enough.'

... they are not done, yet.

Harmaus reappears, focusing his arcane ire upon Lanval.

And through his conduit, he brings all towards genesis.

Gold eyes widen. Light explodes outward, threatening to engulf Liath within the birth of her very element. It burns through her -- and then she -bursts- apart into a thousand motes of color that get lost within the storm, flying wildly like leaves caught within a tempest.

It is a harrowing inferno. One that Liath does not even experience the epicenter of.

But Liath knows.

Liath has faith. In Lanval. In Ida. In Marivel, and Eleanor.

After all...

"-Yes. This has been more than enough.-"

Within the dissipating calamity of that miniaturized big bang, a sea of colors speak in the Ancient Tongue, their vibrant hues communicating their wavelength through a myriad of tones that all represent a single facet of one woman. Motes of greens, blues, reds, yellows, oranges, pinks, purples, all swarm together once more, converging towards a single point until they become a shining silhouette.

And there stands Liath. Holding fast. Eyes narrowed. Stance unyielding.

Massive blade still held at her side, even as the glow of Harmaus' mark burns its way deep into her. She ignores the pain that tries to demand her attention; she has known so much the worse. Compared to this...

"-This truth is not yours to know. Begone.-"

She takes that pain. And she -channels- it.

Liath lifts that tremendous blade skywards. She commands the magics within it.

                             "Hear my call,                               
                  O' thunder that gave birth to life!"                     

And all of the light that made up that blade SHOOTS upward like a BOLT of lightning, cracking a celestial ascent that sees it disappearing through the ceiling above.

Beneath Liath, a massive glyph blooms, reflected across the entirety of the shrine ceiling above.

                          "Unleash your angst,                            
                     O' great genesis of this land!"                       

And all of that light that had made up Liath's blade comes CRASHING down, magnified ten, twenty, one hundredfold in a massive, expanding column of blues and greens and yellows and whites that churn a growing column of arcing bands of light, splintering off that main pillar like the branches of a great tree that seek to engulf and consume Harmaus.

                           "Rebirth Crusader!"                             

And within that massive bloom of light --

-- Liath BURSTS from its epicenter, her eyes glowing like molten golden and her sword crackling with power as she sweeps it upward to cleave straight through Harmaus in a single, powerful stroke.

GS: Seraph Liath has activated a Force Action!
GS: Seraph Liath has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Rebirth Crusader!
GS: Seraph Liath has launched an attack Link!
GS: Seraph Liath has entered Avenger Stance!
GS: Delay expired!
GS: Seraph Liath has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Final Justice!
GS: Seraph Liath takes 37 damage from Poison!
GS: Seraph Liath takes 58 damage from Reaper!
GS: Reaper expired!
GS: Seraph Liath has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

"I understand more than you think I do." Clarine replies with a shake of her head. Ending servitude... it's not the sort of goal she expected from him. "...Then, I pity you, you sad, lonely creature. Consider that you might possibly find aid, kindred spirits whom share your ideals, if not for the fact that you cast aside your bonds. The ability of a single person to do anything is quite limited - even acquire knowledge."

She frowns a little.

"I agree that we must never be bound again - used again. ...But know this, Harmaus - there are mortals who do not seek to bind us. There are mortals who seek to walk with us, as friends and equals, just as there are mortals who would bind and use us. I have suffered at mortal hands, but so too have mortal hands reached out to me, pulled me from the darkness and restored hope to my heart." She explains.

And then, Harmaus imposes on them the light of creation, an inferno of light and color that consumes all. There is no defense against it - Clarine is overwhelmed, forced to the ground.

...But indeed, it is as she says - there are mortals who care about Seraphim like her. And it is one of those mortals who she draws strength from now, as Eleanor calls forth a brilliant light. It consumes Clarine but unlike Harmaus's light, harsh and unyielding, it renews and rejuvenates. Clarine raises once more, her dim aura rewound to its usual brilliance.

"Eleanor... thank you." Clarine says gratefully. "It is as she says, Harmaus. Now! Brace yourself, and see what can be accomplished when we stand hand in hand!"

Clarine surges forward - empowered now, she bursts through the solar cage she'd been confined to, charging Harmaus down directly. A spell could suffice... but this is a lesson that is best delivered directly. Clarine gestures with her hands, and with each gesture one of the mirrors, scattered before to redirect her beams, comes whirling toward Harmaus. She directs them at him, one by one, and as she does she begins to rise into the air... and once she is in the center of the room, she casts her arms out wide. Her light spreads out throughout, like the warmth of a pleasant summer day - refreshing and encouraging.

It does, however, part around Marivel. Clarine is a being of light, after all, she can control where it goes. The last thing she desires is for her light to harm her.

GS: Seraph Clarine has attacked Seraph Harmaus with Solar Ascent!
GS: Seraph Clarine has launched an attack Link!
GS: Seraph Harmaus takes a solid hit from Seraph Liath's Rebirth Crusader for 218 hit points!
GS: Seraph Harmaus takes a solid hit from Seraph Liath's Final Justice for 155 hit points!
GS: Seraph Harmaus takes a solid hit from Seraph Clarine's Solar Ascent for 132 hit points!
GS: Seraph Harmaus has Fallen! He is no longer able to fight!
GS: Seraph Clarine has attacked Eleanor Klein with Radiant Horizon!
GS: Seraph Clarine has attacked Seraph Liath with Radiant Horizon!
GS: Seraph Clarine has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Radiant Horizon!
GS: Seraph Clarine has attacked Seraph Lanval with Radiant Horizon!
GS: Seraph Clarine has attacked Ida Everstead-Rey with Radiant Horizon!
GS: Seraph Clarine has attacked Lunata Croze with Radiant Horizon!
GS: Seraph Clarine has attacked Ashiya Khaimova with Radiant Horizon!
GS: Seraph Clarine has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Seraph Clarine takes 27 damage from Poison!
GS: Blind, Drowsy, and Entangle expired!
GS: Seraph Clarine has completed her action.
GS: Seraph Lanval accepts Seraph Clarine's Radiant Horizon for 0 hit points!
GS: Quick and Shield applied to Seraph Lanval!
GS: Eleanor Klein accepts Seraph Clarine's Radiant Horizon for 0 hit points!
GS: Quick and Shield applied to Eleanor Klein!
GS: Seraph Ragnell accepts Seraph Clarine's Radiant Horizon for 0 hit points!
GS: Quick and Shield applied to Seraph Ragnell!
GS: Seraph Liath accepts Seraph Clarine's Radiant Horizon for 0 hit points!
GS: Quick and Shield applied to Seraph Liath!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey accepts Seraph Clarine's Radiant Horizon for 0 hit points!
GS: Quick and Shield applied to Ida Everstead-Rey!
GS: Lunata Croze accepts Seraph Clarine's Radiant Horizon for 0 hit points!
GS: Quick and Shield applied to Lunata Croze!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Harmaus has posed.

"Why should they?" he answers Ida. "There is no 'should'. If they does not, I takes it anyway!" ...Is that truly his logic?

Hopefully, it is just soap that he's implying to Hiro...

It's partial credit, in the end. Just partial credit, because the matter with Magilou is more than just the blood in her veins. It's true that elves can be long-lived -- even spectacularly long-lived -- but it's a rare thing for them to endure as long as she has. This is fact.

"What then lends it longetivity?"

Perhaps this is too vague a question to endure an answer, though.

His other questions are similarly answered... halfway. Her dark mistress. "Another--" A long time ago, whereas the ones that have followed into the present day have simply never measured up. "Tcha..." Harmaus rumbles, low, agitated. But there is more.

It would be quite simple... if it were just the Goddess making use of Seraphim. Harmaus' pupils have narrowed to slits. "Another... behind Althena?!" Even he, in his heart of hearts, had never considered that the plot could go deeper.

They will see the truth, but without sacrificing people to it, Eleanor tells him. "Then it does so! Or just empty words!" he snaps in response, his tail twitching wildly. He pivots his attention towards Clarine, amber eyes widened. "It understands matter not! Those who use are wretches among wretches... but all mortals end! All mortals are fleeting! Whatever it cultivates, it loses! And it starts again, and again, and again--" The pitch to his voice might just veer towards manic.

Mock Lanval, Harmaus does. "-Forward? It's pronounced 'forward', you ridiculous... Enough of this! I shall not be delayed by your lunacy!-" he snaps, in the Ancient Tongue. His tail twitches the once, as if to underscore his agitation. "And yet it lives with them! Yet it endures, again and again, the shortcoming of mortal lives! One day, it tolerates it no more! Wait, and it shall see!"

The shortcomings, yes. All the things that Harmaus has mentioned before: their shortsightedness. Their greed. Their fragility. One by one the people had succumbed, despite his attempts to stay the illness, until all that was left was a scarce few souls. It had been a turning point, one among many, though the next would take centuries to find him.

"When it sees it, it understands," Harmaus hisses.

And Lanval resolves this moment by quite literally bopping him on the head with the drinking gourd. "Guah!"

But speaking of mortals. Speaking of humans being entirely too human--

Marivel has her own views on that. There is a nothingness that takes him, surrounds him, erupts beneath him, for all that light shines about and protects him. There is a firestorm of heat and light beyond fire that roars forth. Still he remains, as he has for lo these many centuries. It is his place, as an adult, to be used by those come up under him. "And I refuse!" he still howls, ever in denial of such a role. Erupting from the heart of the nuclear hellstorm, he meets immediately with Ida's fist. And after that point, it's back into the fire with him.

When the fire fades, it is in time to meet with a Seraphic arte, one of which Harmaus is well familiar. Light, hard and unyielding, gathers before him as if to intercept the oncoming storm.

But it was but a trick. There is no storm. Just Ragnell, and her high-powered mystery space gun. "What trick--" is as far as he gets before he's shot right in the face by a (nonmagical) laser.

When he again arises, there standing in his path is none other than Liath. This is not his truth to know, she tells him. Begone.

He bares his teeth in a snarl, lunging for her all aglow. He will never close the distance, with himself or with his artes. The light that had been Liath's blade finds him first, and from here, the room is awash in prismatic light, a display of which blooms into a great tree. In its glory, Harmaus can no longer be found-- By any, save Liath. Her blade cleaves but once.

Harmaus lies on the floor after, panting.

'Now, brace yourself!' a bolstered Clarine tells him.

"It does... its worst!" The beams gather to meet him, reflected off of countless mirrors, directed towards that single point where he now lies. There is no sign that he meets such destruction with either a step across space or a deflecting pane of light.

Still, when the light fades, there is no sign of Harmaus anymore. Nothing but a scorched point and then, distantly...

...the soft jingle of a bell.

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

"Admirable? Who knows... maybe." Magilou approximates, to Hiro's conclusion.

There's black on Magilou's fingers, but she doesn't seem to mind. Better makeup than Malevolence.

But in the end, there's a backbeat, to Magilou's taunting of Lunata, and it sounds like this:

Convince me!

She is host to many spirits -- forty-nine greater, and how many lesser? The shikigami which inhabit her paper dolls are her Guardians; they flocked to a troubled girl, long, long ago. It is a very familiar thing to her, then, to see those tsukumogami hopping forward, the oni, the rokurokubi. All of these could have been her own companions -- or, given Magilou, her subjects might be a better word.

(Is it, really? How much of Magilou's callousness is an act? Does Bienfu really have no choice but to stay with her..?)

From somewhere in the darkness, a voice calls out, and Magilou replies: "Forgive you? You haven't wronged me. Unless you have something to tell me about that one particular bagel..." What is the story of the bagel? That's between Ashiya and Magilou.

In the night, she turns, surrounded by the lesser spirits of Ge Ramda. She knows what's coming; she goes flying, of course.

As she picks herself up, though, she muses, distantly: "Teach you..? ... very well." It's something of an anticlimax, but for the weight of the words. Even for all the barriers she's broken -- some things are still taboo, in the old sense of the word. That Magilou shares so many of the Seraphim's taboos does not mean she disrespects them.

Anyway, then a slingshot fires.

Magilou has probably fought her share of sword nuts; she's known Rokurou for a thousand years, there's no way he hasn't dragged her into his nonsense somewhere along the line. In any case, she's fought alongside him more than long enough to understand the mechanics of swordplay.

What she wasn't expecting was for Ashiya to lead feet-first.

One moment, Magilou is standing -- the next minute, she's hit the far wall. Her Super Pop-Up Book helpfully insists on swinging back open, sending her falling down to the ground. "'Hissatsu'," she mumbles, into the ground. "I did nothing to deserve a pun like that." ASIDE FROM ORCHESTRATE ALL OF THIS?

Once she's pried herself back up again, she looks aside, to Marivel. "That's true," she admits -- even manages a small, rueful smile. "I'm seldom truly alone. As for him... being fair, he's long since grown." She looks up, to the ceiling. "... but he'll always be the runt of the party to me." A beat of a pause, and she adds: "A good kid."

Maybe it's not totally impossible Magilou was a mother. Maybe she had help!

Her attention orients back on Eleanor, as she claims she wants to help; that she'll do her best. Water and earth, and... "... oh?" Magilou asks, rising tone, as she blinks against the flash of light, a hand curling at her chin. "Without sacrifice... I wonder if you can."

It may be plain, now, that she really does wonder. She's not just mocking Eleanor, saying a thing like that.

It's as much about possibility as doubt.

Magilou doesn't quite realise she ought to dodge Trinity Cross -- she raises her shikigami to defend against it, only to find that there are two more Hiros to deal with. "You--" she starts, turning, as she lifts two more shikigami to guard against the sword-blows --

-- only to find that they carve the AIR, instead.

And air -- ABHORS -- a vacuum, which means that Magilou never really stood a chance. She is tossed about in the squall, this way, that way, every-witch-way.

"Sorry," she remarks, to Margaret, "but the show's not over yet." Luckily, Margaret has an encore all lined up -- and Magilou yelps, as she's grasped in a neck hold and tossed into the air. Once again, she goes flying--!!

And she lands --

And she lies there, for a moment.

"My standards, huh..."

She wonders whether it's her standards they have to meet -- or whether it's she who ought to be measured.

The bell jingles. "Nice work, Harmaus," she says, to empty air, as she lifts her face. "See you later." She... talks to him like he's her friend, despite everything he's done.

It's a little more complicated than that, but then, it always is. Ragnell would know. She's been part of the Menagerie long enough to see the sorts of souls Magilou adopts. (Even if she's one of those souls who left Magilou's party, long ago.)

"Stop," she subsequently issues the command, without any particular venom, as she rests her cheek on the heel of a hand, elbow propped against the ground. "That's enough." She takes a moment to reflect -- and this is where all her bitterness has gone! -- that she is a horrible taskmaster of a teacher, really. Must run in the family.

It's helpful to take that moment, because Drifters do, in fact, pack a punch. Magilou sighs, as she straightens up to her feet, rolling her shoulders back.

She gestures, to the statue of the chamber. "Magikazam!" With an ancient, carefree magic spell, Magilou conjures shining white doves from nothing; they flutter, about the room. (They can be touched, and held. They're real! Made of real magic.) One of those doves nests atop the statue's head, and Magilou's lips part, in the first wicked grin she's shown here. Has the play begun? Or is it ended? "... thought so."

Stepping up to it, she snaps her fingers -- and the left eye of the statue rotates, revealing behind the stone a glittering white gem. (It could well have been its right eye; the specifics aren't as important as the sacrifice.) Magilou plucks it from its hiding place, and strides over, to place it in Hiro's hands. "I come bearing gifts! This, of course, will help bring you to Pentagulia... do you think you're ready?"

Without waiting for an answer, Magilou walks to Lunata, loosens the amulet around her hand, and dumps it into hers instead. "... I won't do anything as gauche as warn you about what you might learn."

Magilou doesn't stop to explain. She comes to rest in front of Eleanor, and takes a breath. "As for you..." A moment's pause -- and then she reaches up to her bangs, slipping an unobtrusive bobby pin from them. Clasped at the end of it, in delicate claws of metal, is the shard of a shining jewel. Its light can be felt, even now.

"... this is the last known remaining shard of the Eleanor Jewel," Magilou tells Eleanor, quite serious. "A thousand years ago, it provided shining inspiration to a village... but when it was stolen by the Hellion who attacked, it was ultimately shattered in an act of sheer vengeance against that same aggressor. I would have liked to sell it -- but much like a heart, it's worthless when it's broken!" Cheer returns to her voice, and if it's forced, who could tell? She's a thespian of ill repute. "The late woman named for it would prefer it in your hands, I'm sure."

With that, Magilou hands the Eleanor Shard to Eleanor, and turns, spinning on a heel.

"Well! Time for the next one."

Can she really just brush this aside as if it never happened..?

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Marivel speaks to her, even if quietly. Eleanor turns towards her, listens. "It's one of my most powerful Crests, but it felt like the time." A smile, as she says she'll make the best of it. That's what she hopes to hear.

Magilou wonders if she can. That doesn't mean she thinks she can't. Eleanor sees the hope in that. She wonders if Magilou does.

But in an incredible spectacle, the battle is over on both sides. Eleanor is still warmed by Clarine's magic, and Harmaus is gone, and Magilou is... approaching...?

"Eh?" Eleanor starts. The 'Eleanor Jewel', Magilou explains, and Eleanor knows by the tone of her voice that she's not just messing with her. The tale is sad, in its way--

But Eleanor doesn't believe for a second that it's worthless.

"I--"

She blinks, looking down at the shard in her hands. "...I'll keep it safe," she says, though she certainly doesn't know what 'it' is, beyond a shard of light.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel would probably be skeptical at the tale of some beloved and noble lady named Eleanor working in tandem with a demonic entity. Luckily she remains oblivious at this possibility.

She doesn't take back her words so much as give a hapless shrug. She knows the wise book of the Crimson Nobles written by M. Armitage that the harder you try to get rid of the cat, the more likely the cat will come back the very next day. It's only a day away.

Perhaps Magilou has it more together than it appeared. Hard to say, with someone like Magilou. Nevertheless, Marivel can't help but wonder if there's a difference in starting your adventure when you're already an adult--or when your war began when, as far as your people were concerned, you were still just a kid.

Well that's humanity for you, even the elf parts, MArivel supposes.

It's easier said than done, Marivel thinks as Eleanor makes her claim. Thousands of people say it, millions even. And they're all liars if you press hard enough.

"Wasn't just your crest," Marivel tells Eleanor. "Trruuust me, Eleanor, on that at least."

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Liath has posed.

With the jingle of bells, Harmaus is gone.

Armored boots clink like crystal on the ground below as Liath lands, the light around her fading into a dim haze. Her eyes shut; a breath escapes her as if she had just been relieved of some great, unseen weight, the tension in the air around her fading in kind.

When gold eyes crack open anew, that fiery glow to them has dissipated, too. They are still undeniably bright as they fall upon Magilou addressing the others. Liath remains quiet, simply smiling a small, appreciative smile at the sight of it all.

(her eyes briefly alight in wonder at the sight of those doves; she may or may not mumble "... how does one tend to magic doves...?" as if puzzling over the logistics of day to day magic dove maintenance. do they need to be conjured to eat, and--)

"... Ragnell," she asides to the Lightning Seraph, after a time. Her smile lingers.

"If you begin an incantation, it is poor form to leave it unfinished. You ought know better."

...

Her voice remains suffused with warmth, despite this critique.

But it's when that white gem is presented that the Seraph pauses, and her expression fades to something more impassive and difficult to read. The light gem. One of the keys to bringing the Fiends to Pentagulia.

And in this moment, the fact that Liath is the Prime Lord of Althena's Guard, and they are all aiding and abetting a Known Lord of Calamity'' might come in to sharp relief. As might the fact that her hand is still on the hilt of her sword.

For seven long seconds, Liath remains silent. As the gem is passed off into Hiro's hands, as Magilou moves on. Those intense, gold eyes linger on them all.

"..."

And then Light Seraph turns to leave. She does nothing; says nothing. Just walks, her body reducing once more into ribbons of colors that stream in a swift flash out of the shrine, as unexpectedly as she arrived.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata is flabbergasted by the sudden rush of it all -- Ge Ramda's spell leaves her drained, and yet for all she poured out in emotion, as she kneels on the ground groaning in exhaustion...

Magilou walks to her and hands the amulet over. She blinks a few times, then frowns quietly. "If I can save one soul out of our two, I can stand to get burned a little from the things I'll learn."

She exhales as Magilou seems to just skip away, afterwards, though she does her the seriousness in her voice in parts...

Then shakes her head. "... and I thought I was really bad at being honest with myself. But--"

There's a groan, and then she says, "Thank you," nonetheless.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Harmaus says that all mortals end. Mortals are fleeting.

"...Yes. That is the truth." Clarine agrees. "But these short lives... They blaze brightly and brilliantly, and though they burn out in what to us seems like moments, their light can endure even through the ages. It may start again and again... but each era contains the light of the last. Do not assume that just because they are finite they do not have meeting."

...And soon enough, it ends. Harmaus has vanished, though the soft jungle in the distance is indicative of the fact that he has not been destroyed.

"...Until we meet again, then." She says with a quiet nod. Her attention turns, briefly, toward Magilou, who seems to decide the fight is over. The gem they need is won.

For Clarine's part... still shining as brilliantly as before, in a rare instance she sets down, feet coming to touch the ground rather than float in defiance of gravity as she usually does. She turns, briefly, to watch Liath leave.

She doesn't make a motion to stop her.

Now, she shuts her eyes, taking a moment to simply soak in the shrine's light. She can carry this light onto the future, too.

"...Today, I have seen light in all its forms. At its harshest, at its kindest, at its most primal... I will stay here a time and reflect on this, I think." She decides. There is a light long since dormant within her - the time may have come to reawaken it, now that she can handle it once more.

<Pose Tracker> Ashiya Khaimova has posed.

At some undetermined later date, when all the strange and magical folk have left this Shrine and quiet has returned, Ashiya Khaimova will be poring over it with a magnifying glass. Every last inch. Making rich notes. Scribbling sketches. Basking in a culture hitherto totally unknown to her or, really, anyone off-world. She will not be able to resist geeking about it.

But at this point in time, she's lying flat on her back with her arms spread out, feeling a moment's guilt about having given Mazhigigika Miludin do Din Nolurun Dou the Khaimova Family flying double dropkick (rocket booster edition). A dove lands on her forehead.

Her consciousness is hazy, so she doesn't pick up on every word of what's going down around her. But...

... was this all another damn ruze from the ruzemeister general herself?

Figures. Played again, girl.

Maybe she feels a little less guilty.

                                        -=-                                          

. . . at this same undetermined later date, Ashiya Khaimova will realise that her small personal computer will have registered one new warning notification:

>>Phased Disintegration Discharge detected. Please take shelter and await the all-clear from local authorities.

... what the hell?