World Tree MUSH

    "In days of old, the Roots of the Ambrosial Arbor enveloped the Xianzhou Luofu like a living creature. We controlled the stellar seas and none could stand in our way. Everyone could become a celestial and shift form at will! Divine miracles descended onton all nine of the Alliance's ships. What a glorious time that way." says Dan Shu, as her body starts to glow, the sightless, rumy eyes staring into the vastness of oblivion. "How far the Xianzhou has fallen! We consent to be commanded by the Devilish Archer(Lan), suffer continuously at the hands of the Denizens of Abundance, and the Ten-Lords Commission even forces us to give up our immortality..." she lifts off the ground, beginning to float as her body shifts, and other Disciples emerge from blind corners, brandishing weapons, baring teeth or performing hand gestures and beginning to float into the air beside their leader.

    "Now... we have the opportunity to restore the ancient laws."

    Fu Xuan performs her own hand gestures, putting up some kind of seal between the group, the Cloud Knights and their opponents.
    "Hmph... forgive me for thining you might have some profound enlightenment to share. Yours is the same old rhetoric as all those who seek power... and give up their humanity." says the Master Diviner. "There are no 'celestials' on the Xianzhou. The 'Divine Miracles' of the Abundance, the manipulation of life and death? You deeds are nothing but evil."

    Dan Shu finishes her metamorphosis, and the Master of the Disciples floats before the group, like a great butterfly. Her blind eyes covered by a blindfold, though that doesn't stop her from being a threat.

    "I have nothing to say to you, Master Diviner. You've already thrown away your power... a most foolish choice indeed.. Allow me to show you what celestials are capable of!"

    Something says this isn't really about ancient laws.
    Clara is already behind Svarog; it is her rightful place to be whenever danger rises and the ancient automaton shifts his stance.
    "Threat index steadily rising." he warns the group as Dan Shu transforms. That can't be good.
    It's not good. Not in the least when her disciples emerge from the wood works to make life a pain.
    Blind or not this is going to be a challenge as Svarog clenches his hands into fists.
    "Everyone use me and Grey as cover if need be." He says.
    Speaking of Grey, the other massive automaton takes up a defensive position as Svarog unleashes a series of laser beams from his palms at Dan Shu.

    "I think we've all heard just about enough of this." Talia says, completely uninterested in hearing Dan Shu out at this point. "Your goals are overly ambitious to the point of madness."

    Blind or not, this chick is going down. Talia swiftly ducks behind Grey when Svarog begins to unleash laser beams, trying to be anywhere close to that is a very bad call. "They're all yours. Grey, let's push ahead and clear these followers out!"

    After Svarog's onslaught is done, Talia jumps over Grey and rushes Dan Shu's followers. The Jedi's lightsaber flashes brightly when Talia gets into range, striking one of the followers.

    Bi De listens. He has no reason not to at least listen. When Dan Shu finishes, he scratches at the ground, then clucks firmly. "You claim ascendancy, but your methods are built upon dark matters. It is a shortcut, a quick way. You only show your physical strength, flaunting it because your spirit is weak."

    He fluffs up his feathers.

    "Let us show her how weak, shall we?"

    With a cawing cry, he leaps up into the air, diving headlong into the followers to try to simply buffet his way past in a storm of feathers and claws.

    Jessica just... stares blankly at the speech. All of that seems far too grandiose for the catgirl whose thoughts are far more grounded. She watches as the others charge forward heroically... then lifts her pistol.

    The woman is insane, butterfly or not.

    Without any particular aim, she takes a few shots to test out what the woman will handle, aiming at followers and then Dan Shu herself. It isn't a warning... just calibration.

    The Disciples and their Abundance Abomination pets charge in to meet Grey, Talia and Stelle. They fall easily enough, cut down by Lightsaber, bound by imaginary chains, or simply burned to ash by the Flaming Lance.

    March buddies up with Jessica, whos expert shots fell some of the lesser Disciples who take originium slugs for their leader instead of allowing them through... and Bi De's DIVE KICK knocks several over the edge of the platform, where they shriek in anger as they fall away.

    Svarog's lasers pepper the enemy line, then Dan Shu retaliates. "Merciful Medicus, hear my call." She twirls her staff, and then, siphons off some of everyone's vitality.

    Fu Xuan grunts. "Medics! Counter-spell the Prana-Siphon!" she calls, trying to maintain barriers so the group doesn't get overwhelmed. Cloud Knights and Disciples clash around the whole platform area, an elite chadre remaining around Dan Shu,though their numbers are thinning.

    There's something distasteful about using one's subordinates as living shields, but then Talia did choose to cut these people down. She reaches out to grab a few and pull them aside, before she rushes Dan Shu. But then Dan Shu does a thing, and Talia feels something in her soul wither away as she cries out in pain. She uses the Force to try and take hold of Dan Shu despite this, and hurls a wave of Force energy at the seer.

    Svarog and Grey maintain their defensive line. Mainly for Clara's sake while Talia and Bi De leap into melee. That's fine, they're big kids and can handle themselves.
    But when Dan Shu starts casting a life-siphon spell and Clara collapses panting to her knees...
    This upsets Svarog.
    This upsets Svarog a LOT.
    Shifting his stance a bit, the panels on his shoulders open up...
    "Take cover." He warns the melee fighters.
    As he unleashes a barrage of micromissiles all with intent to pummel Dan Shu into the ground with unrelenting explosive force.

    Getting her soul sapped is not pleasant. Jessica feels that every time she sees something sad like kittens in snow, but that never makes it easier! This is more physical, too, and she grits her teeth, faltering and swishing tail in a stagger.

    She knows she can hurt this being though. The followers wouldn't be throwing their lives away if the slugs didn't do anything. So she solves the problem in the most direct way possible.

    "I call upon the ancestral spirit of... REBECCA!"

    The loud reports of repeated gunshots fill the air as Jessica empties her magazine.

    The sapping of his life force was much like a Qi drain... and regarded as just as dangerous. Bi De flares his own Qi in response, struggling against it, staggering forward before the counter sets in, letting the rooster breathe and crow.

    He moves swiftly, leaping once more. Not as high, just enough to kick downward, with silvery power around the talon. His kick leaves a crescent arc, the gleaming moonlight making a waning moon in the air the instant before his strike.

    The elites are knocked aside by Svarog's angry burst of missile fire. Stelle hops back and hunkers down under the shield provided by the Lance, making an oasis of safety for those who may need it.

    This leaves Dan Shu wide open, and as Talia smashes her with a Force Push strong enough to move a tank, the Master of the Disciples is peppered by Originium slugs, punching clean through and causing golden leaf fragments to spray out of her like blood, dissolving in the air moments later.

    Bi De's crescent strike knocks Dan Shu to the ground, where she struggles to get back up. "Why... she said..."

    Struggling to stand, Dan Shu turns her unseeing face to the gathered. "The Ambrosial Arbor's descent... will bring us undying bodies. The one who gave us the Stellaron... said that..."

    Dan Shu 'looks' around, raising her voice. "Phantylia! The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have fulfilled our promise! You! Lord Ravager, must do the same... Now! Quickly!"

    And then... Tingyun starts walking forward. "Tsk tsk... little pawn, must you force me to intervene directly? I'm loath to flout my philosophy of destruction." her voice is deeper, and carries a malicious giggle. "Never mind. It would seem the time has come for other means if dismantling the Xianzhou from within..." She smiles, and casually strolls up through the carnage... caressing one of the Mara-Struck sentinels... and causing him to drop dead on the spot, bursting into golden flames... like those that swathed around Stelle on the Herta Space Station, before Welt sealed the Stellaron... not even the Abundance's regeneration being able to restore him. "What a shame~... it would've been nice to observe for a little longer~." She looks back over her shoulder, as more of the Mara Struck and Dan Shu also start to glow that same golden colour, turning to a malevolent purple... dissolving in agony, if the screams are anything to go by. "You received the gift of Abundance... Surely you can withstand the blessing... of Destruction."

    There's a sickening snapping sound, and Tingyun's head jerks in a horrific way, her eyes going lifeless as she collapses, and begins to dissolve too, burning away from the inside.

    A teal and gold flame emerges from the body, and a deep femanine voice speaks from it. "Benefactors~ Allow me to reintroduce myself..." Void Rangers replace the Mara Struck, their purple armoured bodies forming from the erased corpses. "I am Lord Ravager Phantylia."

    Things go ploin shaped.
    Though Tingyun strides forward and the Mara Struck catch gold-fire and freaking die.
    That's good, right? ... Right?
    Probably?
    Clara is too bewildered as she watches, but Svarog watches with rapt interest.
    Up until Tingyun fucking dies(?)
    "U-um!" Clara blurts, watching on in horror. Because apparently Tingyun isn't Tingyun but is a messenger of Destruction.
    That can't be good.

    The Force is strong, just enough to make Dan Shu flinch. But things have only gotten worse. When Tingyun shows up, a chill runs up Talia's spine, but the premonition is too little too late. Talia is helpless to watch Tingyun have her neck snap, and she becomes...a thing. Void rangers surround the heroes, and Talia's eyes go wide at the grisly display. But there's Void Rangers, and Talia focuses her attention on those, taking on the blade-armed Void Rangers, gracefully dueling her dance partners with the agility and grace of a Jedi Knight. Her lightsaber sparks with every blow parried, and Talia makes an effort to dispatch the rangers with her saber as efficiently as possible.

    This does not sound good. Lord Ravager? "I um... don't suppose you're a FRIENDLY Lord Ravager?"

    It was worth a shot.

    But apparently Void Rangers are answering that question much more quickly. Jessica backpedals right up to the edge, squeaking loudly as she lines up for some more desperate shots, slamming another magazine in.

    Bi De... goes on the defensive.

    Not for himself, but when the Void Rangers rise he twitches, watching Tingyun's fall with morbid fascination. The rooster has an unpleasant feeling here, that's for sure.

    So when the Rangers rise, he steps forward. Glowing with the moon's brilliant light, the shield of Qi forms in front of him, to protect the others from any harm.

    "I see."

    "I have come with a single purpose: To set in motion the self-destruction of the Xianzhou!" continue Phantylia, a smugness in her tone, as the flame flitters further away.

    March stays with Jessica, shooting a few more ice arrows. "Miss Tingyun... is a Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion!? But-- How can that be?" She freezes a Ranger that gets a bit too close to Jessica, just before the cat fires, causing the thing to shatter in its tracks.

    "Keep calm, all of you! This is a formidable enemy-- We have to stay together!" comes Fu Xuan's voice, as she and her Cloud Knights clash with more of the Void Rangers, taking some of the pressure off, as Talia engages. Eliminators bring their cannons to bear and fire at Grey and Svarog, lancing pulses of Quantum energy at the constructs.

    "You are fortunate the Zephyro and Celenova never set their gaze upon the Xianzhou... they have no qualms about dealing out Destruction by their own hand..." comes Phantylia's voice, emitting now from the various Void Ranger and Void Eliminator husks that remain. "But since that stubborn general of yours has forced my to take center stage, I'll make sure to steal the show~." she laughs maliciously. "My apologies for leaving so soon, but I have an appointment to keep. I'm sure my friends will be happy to entertain you~."

    And then, the intense aura is gone, and the Void creatures continue to fight until they're all removed.

    With the void creatures being a problem, Svarog and Grey will... Deal with them. Violently. Once that's handled Svarog returns to Clara's side.
    Clara, for the record, looks... Significantly shaken.
    Huddled and hugging her knees to her chest as she sniffles.
    It's not every day one gets to witness a horrific neck-snap and then learn the nice person that had been guiding them is actually evil...

    Talia helps deal with the void creatures...violently. She stows her lightsaber and very slowly approaches Clara. "Clara...are you alright?" She asks softly, kneeling besides the girl, and coaxing her into warm jedi hugs.

    It's been a very shocking development, she can't blame Clara for being shaken. All Talia can offer is some kind of comfort.

    Jessica lowers her pistol, breathing heavily. The whole matter feels too strange for her, too abstract. As she holsters her weapon and walks forward, she gives a hesitant pat on Clara's head and stares at the site of the conflict.

    "What now?"