World Tree MUSH

    Ever since the capture and imprisonment of the three Prime Evils, the elite magical task force known as the Horadrim have been defending Sanctuary from those with ill intentions in the name of Archangel Tyrael...even if not everyone believes angels truly exist. Still, they're doing a pretty good job of it, anyway. Well enough that they've established somewhat of a vigilante reputation for themselves. Their ranks have swelled with new heroes eager to do what they can to protect the defenseless, bring hope to the despairing, and comfort to the suffering, etc.

    But today, in the Khanduras' capital city of Tristram, the Horadrim's reputation is in danger of being permanently marred! Tal Rasha, one of its founding members, had gained an audience with the well-respected King Leoric, but when poison was found in the benevolent leader's drink, the first accusations were leveled against him. After all, the Horadrim were known to be quite capable at magic, able to accomplish feats not many others could. But according to the accused group, how could someone as kind and unselfish and Tal Rasha attempt to commit such a heinous crime?

    So the call has gone out to anyone willing--the situation called for a third, unbiased party to help get to the bottom of this. Upon entering the city, outsiders would be welcomed by members of Leoric's court and offered escort to the palace.

    The call goes out to those willing to attend, and so, a young woman with the look, if not the air, of a scholar comes into town, hood pulled up and shadowing her eyes. On her shoulder is a small construct, equally shielded of eye behind a beak-like visor. Both are clad from head to toe in white, with the soft brown of leather, and the faint gleam of chainmail showing on the human half of the pair. She follows her escort into the court, but refuses to doff her hood, keeping a reserved demeanor with one arm entirely consealed in a white cloak that drapes over that entire side from her shoulder, the other hand kept in fold of her outfit.

    Neither look armed at first glance, though Piera herself does give off a dangerous air, though not actively threatening. When she speaks, her words lily with an itallian accent. "I heard a murder was plotted. Where do you wish my eyes to start?"

    "Master? Master? What's a Hor... Hora..."
    "Horadrim." Morrigan answers her shinki as she cruises along at a meandering pace in her 2003 Ford Windstar. The Minivan pulls up to the entrance of Tristram, and the Warlock slows the car to a crawl.
    "I'm not sure, they're a group of people, and I think they're famous for cubes, or something." The warlock finishes explaining to the tiny passenger resting on her shoulder as she opens the window and pokes her head out. "Hey, which way to the palace? I'm an adventurer, I do adventure stuff, and I heard you're in need of 'em." She asks the nearest town guard, as she pulls up to the side of the road and... Parks perfectly neat and legal.
    She will, in fact, take that escort to the palace once offered, stepping out of the minivan and locking it up so it won't get stolen or something.

    There's a shifty-looking figure here, a woman in a black trench coat and wide-brimmed hat that casts her head in unnatural shadow, with hair only a shade lighter. A glowing white Lunar Tear flower is tucked into her hat, and there's a falchion sword on her back. "Your eyes, huh?" she says dryly, shooting Piera an amused and faintly smug smile. ... Yeah that's Emily's voice. "Nice turn of phrase there, anyway." She shrugs. "Still, that makes at least two of us here with good eyes."

    Whether it's the call for help or just the whims of fate, Tonbokiri is there. He arrives in the place on foot, wearing a dusty purple traveler's robe with the hood up. At his back is a spear, its blade covered with a large sheath wrapped in ribbons (they're purple of course).

    He's not alone either. His companion sits upon his shoulder, a tan-colored fox with a strange trait -- its face looks as though it's a painted fox mask. The creature sits abnormally still upon one of the man's broad shoulders, his movements not seeming to shift the fox at all.

    Approaching the nearest person who looks like they're a peace officer here, Tonbokiri bows in greeting (to note, no, even THIS doesn't shift the creature; it almost seems STUCK to his shoulder!) and offers politely, "Greetings. My name is Tonbokiri, I have heard there is need of outside assistance?"

    The group would be welcomed into the palace with the level of hospitality one might expect from royalty, and upon entering the court, they'd see their entrance seems to have interrupted an argument between two men standing in front of the throne, where King Leoric is seated.

    Leoric looks up to greet the newcomers. The king looks to be in his sixties, with greying brown hair and a golden-embellished crown and robes to match. "Welcome to Tristram, outsiders. Thank you for your willingness to assist us in this matter." he looks toward the two men in front of the throne. "This is Tal Rasha, leader and founding member of the Horadrim; and this is Archbishop Lazarus, an ambassador from the Church of Zakarum and one of my most trusted advisors." Tal seems the younger of the two, with dark brown hair and purple robes, while Lazarus is white-haired and stern-looking, garbed in attire that does remind one of religious clergy. Turning, the both give slight, polite bows.

    Piera turns her head subtly towards Emily when spoken to, her mouth is exposed past the edge of her hood and a soft smirk splits her lips before she turns back and steps forward. "I heard that a murder was plotted, using poison, may I investigate the offending item, and the kitchens where it was prepared?" she asks, pulling her hand out from her robe, revealing it empty as she dips in a returned bow to the two men, and the king. "And I would like to speak to any serving staff, leave no stone unturned, of course." She straightens, her companion lifting off her shoulder on a suddenly appearing jetpack that affects the look of wings from some great bird.

    Emily smiles. "Hey, Tonbokiri," she says evenly. She glances at Piera and Morrigan in turn, then at Konnosuke, Aquila, and Mary Contrary. "Maybe I should put something adorable on my shoulder," she murmurs. In a swirl of what appears to be silvery glitter, a black snake appears coiled around her neck. It's clearly made of rubber. With seams, as if it was cast from a mold, and with oversized painted-on eyes.

    She returns the bow to the two men when introduced. "I am Emily Nyx, a Eudaemon of the Halcyon Remnant," she says, lifting the brim of her hat and revealing glowing purple eyes. Though she doesn't look it, she's actually scrutinizing the two men, trying to catch any visual details worth noting. Hmm, Lazarus seems a bit grumpy.

    Aloud, she says, "I would like to hear the precise details of the event -- how the poison was discovered and when, what you were both doing at the time, and so forth." She's gone into Professional Helpful Eudaemon mode. "Not to the extent of compromising any important secrecies which may be in place, of course. But try to give us as many details as you can, whether or not they seem relevant at first."

    SO Morrigan follows into the throne room of all places, apparently the party even interrupts an arguement, huh. She looks between the king, Tal Rasha, and the Archbishop for a moment with eldritch glowing green eyes. Before she flashes a genial smile and bows back rather formally, anyway.
    "Mm, mm, yes, I heard about the attempt on your life your highness. Morrigan Lor'osa." She says introducing herself before continuing: "With all due respect, sir, we're probably not going to do much of worth in the throne room interrupting such... Important talks, though-" She starts to say before pointing right for Piera.
    "That's right, we should be checking the kitchens and interrogating the staff."
    Emily makes a rubber snake appear on her shoulder.
    "Oh cute."
    Mary pouts, nose scrunching-- which earns a light pat on the head.
    Mary is cute too.
    But another question does rise to the fore, and the warlock doesn't hesitate to ask it.
    "Oh right, by the way... Do we have a motive for the attempt on your life, your highness?"

    Tonbokiri hears his name, and turns to look at Emily. "Ah, hello, Emily!" he greets her warmly. Suddenly there's a toy snake around Emily's neck, and he laughs heartily. "That is indeed adorable!" he confirms, still chuckling. He's either teasing her or he actually shares the opinion that snakes are cute. Hard to tell, honestly.

    Once they're welcomed inside the palace, the fox on Tonbokiri's shoulder begins looking around. If there's a place to perch nearby -- say, a convenient statue or high bookshelf, it will immediately hop to such a place. If there's nowhere convenient, it will just stay on Tonbokiri's shoulder. It's not hard to get the feeling that one is being watched by something beyond the eyes in that painted-seeming face.

    Tonbokiri himself, however, will remain the picture of politeness and humbleness. These are nobility, and he was forged to serve the nobility -- granted, in the hands of a warrior, but the point still stands.

    He actually takes a knee before King Leoric and his court, pushing back the hood of his traveler's robe so his face can be seen. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty. I am Tonbokiri, one of the Three Great Spears of Japan," he offers. Maybe that's a bit weird to say, since... well, he's wielding a spear, naturally, but... he is a spear? He raises his head to indicate the perching-somewhere fox. "My companion is Konnosuke."

    The fox raises a paw to wave. "Greetings to you, Your Majesty," it offers politely. It has an appropriately squeaky-sounding voice that somehow manages to sound like both a young child and an old man at the same time.

    Leoric nods. "Of course. Indeed, that would seem the most natural place to start." He then orders one of his servants to escort those who would begin the investigation in the kitchen to their desired destination.
    He nods politely at each of the party members as they also introduce themselves. Tal Rasha also seems to treat them all with due respect, although save for the polite bow at the beginning Lazarus seems rather sour and withdrawn. At the request for the details regarding the exact circumstances of the attempted poisoning, Leoric nods at Tal Rasha and the mage begins to explain. "Well, I had an audience with the king to discuss a new outpost for the Horadrim here in Tristram. We were sharing a meal when his drink came under suspicion by one of the servants. The poison was revealed upon testing. As for a motive..." 
    
    At this, Lazarus folds his arms across his chest, still looking grumpy as ever. "Hmph. What further motive would one need beyond the opportunity to seize yet more power? You Horadrim possess magical prowess beyond that of most citizens of Khanduras, and you claim to serve the wishes of an archangel. Could that not serve as justification for -any- crime?" Anyone with magical sensibilities may get a feeling about him...and it's not a good one.

    For those who would continue to the kitchen, the head chef greets them. "You must be the outsiders who have taken it upon themselves to investigate the attempt on His Majesty's life? I would send you to speak to the man who prepared the drink, Eadric. But he has locked himself in the cellar and refuses to speak to anyone."

    Piera's eyes can be briefly seen in the shadow of her hood... two little beacons of gleaming gold, before they fade again and her face is obscured fully once more. She makes a gesture, and Aquila tightbeams to Emily, something not for others to hear, though the pair head off toward the kitchens when the escort is provided.

    The Assassin pair nod to the head chef, then cant their heads at the revelation. "I take it he's afraid for his life, being the one to carry poison to the king?" asks the human, while the Shinki floats over to a shelf to perch instead of the woman's shoulder. "I can pick the lock, and I promise not to harm him." she adds. "Where is the door leading to the cellar? Time can be very much of the essence in these situations."

    Emily's skewed perceptions of cuteness are validated by Morrigan and Tonbokiri in turn, and she nods in satisfaction. Though she has to get a half-smirk at Mary's contrariness. ... Huh, Tonbokiri's taking a knee, wonder what that's about.

    She remains at the throne room, and shrugs. Her sensors can sense that there is some magic going on here, but nothing really in detail about it. And ... ahhh, there's the message from Aquila saying to keep an eye on the bishop. She synchronizes her location with Aquila, just in case she needs to portal either to the other in a hurry.

    "Mm, I don't know," she says, looking sidelong at Tal Rasha, and taking an innocently slightly-confused tone. "If the archangel in question does exist --" She winks, her head currently in a position so that only Tal would see it, as if she took it for granted that the angel existed and just wanted to put on a show for an unbeliever. "-- he'd doubtlessly raise objections to that sort of behavior." Beat. "Unless angels in this world are very different from the one I've met elsewhere," she adds, her befuddlement genuine this time.

    (She doesn't want to jump to the conclusion that the Tyrael she's personally met and the Tyrael served by the Horadrim are the same individual; after all, she's met the reincarnations of Greek deities of one world, and visited quite a few other worlds where they were never anything more than a myth.)

    "Ah, regardless," she says hurriedly, "how would regicide bring the Horadrim power? Do they have a legitimate place in the royal line of succession? Or ... is this a matter of politics more complicated than I was created for?" (Lie of omission: she's perfectly capable of understanding politics, it simply confuses her for reasons unrelated to her programming.)

    Tonbokiri stands to his feet here, seeming to be content to stay in the throne room at the moment. He looks between King Leoric, Tal Rasha, and Lazarus as they all speak. And he nods to Emily's words. "Indeed -- would that not create a panic?" he points out. "Even if the poison had not been discovered, to watch the king simply keel over after drinking from a cup would clearly be murder."

    Konnosuke nods as well, and adds, "Archangel-backed or not, it wouldn't take long for that to get out, and then the opinion of the people would turn against the Horadrim, if they generally like His Majesty."

    "Perhaps that is what someone wants," Tonbokiri offers, "for the opinion of the people to turn against the Horadrim. At the very least, the doubt would create confusion that someone may use to their advantage for some purpose."

    "Hmmm." Morrigan considers while seemingly distracted.
    She's in a king's court surrounded by all kinds of blue blooded noble filth.
    It grates on her nerves.
    Her eyes narrow as she listens. The Horadrim wanted to set up in town and someone poisoned the wine. And then the clergyman blames it on an attempt to seize power.
    ... Something about the Archbishop makes her teeth itch, and not in a pleasant fashion.
    "Politics." She says to Emily. "It's probably a lot of politics that would be very boring to get in into." She says a little distractedly while giving her shinki a look.
    This is about when Aquila and Emily get a message from Mary.
    <My Master would like to inform you that the Archbishop is setting her off.> A pause. <I mean magically, and not in a good way.>
    Funny. She didn't actually say anything to Mary, there. Nevertheless, for someone who agreed with Piera about checking the kitchens, she actually remains in the throne room (as much as it chafes her).
    "Though..." She muses. "A king's death would cause more chaos and destabilization more than anything, especially with many other parties liekly vying claim for the throne. The Horadrim could take the opportunity to get in good with anyone attempting to take over if that happened." She does consider. "But."
    There's a but.
    "It doesn't quite sit right, does it? Last I heard the Horadrim were something of a group of vigilantes, seeking to defend the defenseless and bring hope. Very out of character for them, isn't it?"
    A snap of her finger and she inclines her head to Tonbokiri's assessment.
    "Sounds to me like someone's trying to do some reputation tarnishing."

    "Well, he has been told that Leoric is determined to learn the truth of this matter before punishing anyone." The chef tells Piera. "But still, he cowers in terror." He frowns, looking worried. "Almost as if he has seen the devil himself." But he nods, showing her to the door of the cellar, which is a large wooden trapdoor on the floor near the back of the kitchen. It does seem to be locked, but nothing she can't handle with her assassins' skills.
    Once she has made her way down inside, she would indeed find Eadric cowering in a corner. As the head chef had said, he seems terrified for his life--terrified by something more than human. Something...supernatural. Like he'd seen a ghost. "P-please..." he begs, upon seeing her. "I-I have done as asked...my part was finished..."

    Tal Rasha arches a brow at Emily. "You speak as if you know him yourself." It seems he's catching onto her hints. 
    But Lazarus doesn't like what he's hearing at all, and he only seems to become even more furious, and that aura Morrigan is feeling grows even stronger. And it's not so vague any more--it's dark, malevolent....
    "Of course it would -seem- against their ideals. They would rely upon the trust of the people." he insists, glaring at the mage. "What should we know of archangels, whether such beings would mind the methods of accomplishing some task or not--after all, only the Horadrim claim to have seen them!"

    Piera descends into the Cellar, hands held palms out as she approaches. "Easy friend, what was asked of you?" she asks, as Aquila pings back to Mary and Emily >We found the servant, he's rambling about having done something for another.< the Raptias texts, while the Assassin kneels down. "Talk to me, I can offer you sanctuary, off world if need be." She's looking around the cellar as well, searching for any hidden traps or other people waiting in the shadows, but a lot of her focus is on getting the terrified man to calm down.

    Aquila is waiting at the top of the ladder down to the cellar, she can hear well enough, but she knows that Emily might need more than just the narrow ladderwell to open a portal.

    <<Yeah,>> Emily radios back, <<I'm detecting magic, and Piera found something was off about him.>> She tries to make her message sound exactly like the one she received.

    She shrugs at Tal Rasha. "I wouldn't want to make any assumptions," she says. "There are many universes, and there are prominent figures in some who are a mere fiction in others."

    She pauses as Lazarus lets out that outburst. <<Okay, yeah, it's more and more obvious that Lazarus is Badzarus. Now we just need to get him to spill the beans,>> she radios. <<I'm gonna act as a lightning-rod for his attention. Aquila, you and Piera want a lift?>>

    "Please calm down, Your Holiness," she says, her amused and faintly smug smile returning. Amused, faintly smug, and knowing. "Is it truly so unthinkable that a third party might be attempting to interfere? You haven't voiced your thoughts on the matter."

    Her smile widens. "Or on the Horadrim's stake on power from regicide," she continues, starting to slowly walk towards Lazarus. "Or on the assertion that their guilt would be ridiculously obvious."

    Hey, she's wearing a signet ring now, glowing with glitchy, flickering runes. Was it there a minute ago?

    Holographic glowing white petals float around the room ...

>> SUMMARY[Emily Nyx] >> Weaponized Extra.

    This is when Tonbokiri frowns. "Yes, the trust of the people is something to be considered," he notes, crossing his arms. "Peacekeeping force, ruler -- anyone who claims dominion over people should have their trust, should they not? Else they run the risk of forcing the people over which they claim dominion to submit. And I shouldn't need to say that is a dark path, yes?"

    Emily's actions draw a raised eyebrow from Tonbokiri. He doesn't seem to have noticed anything particularly weird with Lazarus himself (aside from the man's demeanor, which... let's face it, is a little sus).

    That said? Konnosuke's painted eyes are narrowed a bit with suspicion as they focus on Lazarus. The fox sits still as a statue as he stares at the man, straight-faced and unblinking.

    Mary whispers something into Morrigan's ear. It's mostly the shinki just relaying the news from Aquila, as Morrigan crosses her arms under her chest. She thinks for a moment, rubbing her chin...
    What she actually does is channel one of her most potent spells. It's subtle. Only she will feel it, and only she will feel its effects as she reaches out with her mind... Reaching out far- far into the beyond; into the expanses and reaches of the blackness of space where horrors of indescribable nature lurk in the Far Realm... She finds the one she's looking for and pleads with it that it pay attention and cast its baleful gaze upon her.
    Out there... Something listens. Something opens one of its many eyes... And focuses upon her.
    The only hint that anything is off is the way the witch's pupils slowly dilate as she confers with her patron and boss.
    Whispers filter into her ears, and glimpses of the direct and immediate future flood her vision as she listens to the conversation, as she feels the malevolent negativity roil off the archbishop.
    She sees the man's anger rise. She sees his fury stoked. She feels that enmity and malice rise off him.
    Morrigan Lor'osa holds up one finger as though asking to hold the conversation for just a moment.
    Before she points that finger right at the archbishop.
    She says a word. It is not a pleasant or nice word. It doesn't translate, and it grates on the ears just to hear it.
    Like a gunshot three crackling green rays of agonizing energy lance from the palm of her hand with a crack of thunder, aimed right for the priest.

>> SUMMARY[Morrigan] >> So Anyway I Started Blasting!

    "N-no...no..." Eadric shakes his head, although Piera's kind words and placating posture do seem to calm him down a bit. "Not asked...demanded the king's life! The Archbishop of Zakarum...Light have mercy on his s-soul...he is possessed of something terrible..." His eyes widen and he grabs her outstretched hand. "Please! I know he's a good man, I beg you, spare his life..."

    As the group continues to press Lazarus about -his- potential role in this entire situation, he grows more and more agitated--infuriated, even, as Emily starts toward him with those odd petals of light. He narrows his eyes at her. "Is that a threat, Emily Nyx?"
    He was about to say something to Ton, but doesn't get a chance to even get it out before Morrigan seals the deal, firing three lances of eldritch blast straight at him! And that is when all hell breaks loose--literally. As Morrigan probably saw in her vision, Lazarus' eyes suddenly begin to glow a bright crimson, and strange tendrils of red smoke start to flow out of him. Then, with a series of hideous screeching and howling, seven monstrous-looking creatures erupt from his being and charge at the group! Three of them are a bit faster and rush ahead, while the rest are slower but look like they might pack a bigger punch.
    Tal Rasha immediately springs to action, uttering an incantation as a glowing shield of arcane energy is erected in front of King Leoric and any of his court servants.

    <If you can open a portal, we would appreciate it.> She then hears the distinctive sounds of 'Things Going To Shit' coming from the way she and Piera came. <Once you're done wrecking the place.>

    Piera remains in the cellar with the terrified man, also hearing combat break out. "I believe it it out of my hands, Amigi." she says, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You are an innocent in this, whatever demanded this of you has no hold on you anymore. The king will forgive you, I guarantee it." She moves to sit beside him, pulling her hood down, revealing a woman in her mid twenties, tanned of skin and brown of eye, an exotic form. "Even if he does not, I still offer you sanctuary. The Brotherhood can protect you."

    Aquila drops down into the cellar, joining the Assassin and the terrified servant, the foot-tall little robot landing on the floor and dropping into a cross-legged seat, opening holographic displays and taptaptapping away on an associated keyboard.

    Emily nods to Tonbokiri. "Just as he says!" she says, her grin turning positively devilish and triumphant. "Hey, I'm not making a threat. Just wondering if you had, mm, a vested interest in GAH! Morrigan what the --"

    She turns and sees the monsters barreling towards her. "-- hell," she finishes flatly. "Uh, releasingcapacitorsealsthreeandtwo!" She's surrounded by three distinct auras, silver, gold, and pearlescent; the first two shatter and the third one fades, and in another swirl of nanomachines, she becomes slightly taller, and she hovers off the ground, four falchion swords floating behind her.

    She doesn't swing the swords, though.

    The rubber snake's eyes flash with light, accompanied by an anime laser sound effect. And then it shoots a pair of intense energy-bolts at the approaching monster.

    <<Yeah okay,>> she answers Aquila. She glances over to the barrier. "Hey, King, want some help gettin' the hell outta here?" she says. "Like, getting you safe is the obvious thing to do here. Right?" she adds, glancing over at Tonbokiri, whom she feels is the most reasonable person in the investigative group at the moment.

>> SUMMARY[Emily Nyx] >> Releasing Capacitor Seals, and using her rubber snake to Zeruel at a monster.

    Tonbokiri is actually just about to jump between Morrigan's blast and Lazarus -- honorable is as honorable does, after all -- but then the guy turns into some kind of demon? SEVERAL demons, in fact, from the looks of things. "...I suppose that answers that," he replies.

    He discards his traveling robe here, so that he can move in his more familiar fighting outfit. And then he tosses the sheath of his spear blade to Konnosuke. The fox leaps to grab it in its mouth and then disappears into whatever passes for rafters here.

    Despite the shield already there, he takes up a position near Tal Rasha, King Leoric, and the servants. He's seeking to make a wall of himelf between the abominations and innocent people, and possibly give Tal Rasha the ability to fight a bit more fully -- if he doesn't have to concentrate all his attention on keeping the shield up, he can use that power to fight.

    Emily offers another solution, and Tonbokiri nods. "I would trust her for that," he offers. Looking to Tal Rasha here, he voices his previously unspoken thought. "If you do not need to concentrate on shielding another, you can fight with more of your full strength."

    As for any of the demons that rush him? As far as combat goes, he's kind of a one-trick pony. He's got a Japanese spear, it has a blade that can slash and stab. Mostly the latter.

    However, he has a Muramasa-made spear. And he is superhumanly strong. Besides that, the legends surrounding his spear-body's legendary sharpness -- so sharp that a dragonfly merely landing upon it was split in half -- have been made manifest to lend supernatural cutting prowess to his strikes.

    "HAH. CALLED IT!" Morrigan cackles as the Archbishop's eyes come aglow with infernal light and demons spring forth from his body. "It was demons!" She says with a sneer.
    Of course the fact that it's demons means that she's quickly standing behind Tonbokiri, who looks particularly big, strong, and like a forefront fighter- something she is not good at as the three quicker demons rush the group, she eyes the four slower ones.
    "I'll handle those four. Deal with the king." She calls to Emily and The Spearman.
    "Mary, dear?"
    "Yes, Master?" Her ever faithful shinki chirrups.
    "Be a darling and fetch me the thing."
    "Oh! Yes, right the thing!" The shinki chirps as she darts into Morrigan's backpack. There's a moment of wriggling and squirming around before the flap opens and Mary Contrary is holding a jar. The murky sloshing contents do not look very appealing, and when she hands it to Morrigan, the witch opens it.
    The room is immediately assailed with the smell of used formaldehyde as she reaches her fingers into the slop and pulls out a pickled octopus tentacle... And begins to speak over it, eyes glowing brightly as the dead tentacle... Starts to wriggle and writhe and squirm in her palm.
    With a flick, she throws the tentacle through the air at the demons. ... Where it lands, it rips open a tear in reality, opening a small portal to the blackness between the stars themselves.
    Inside it is pitch black... And deathly cold. But there are worse things in the blackness than just the cold of space. Something slithers in the dark mire. And something hungers in that darkness.
    Though they cannot be seen, they can be heard.
    Whispering.
    Slithering.
    Slurping.
    Tentacles of all shapes and sizes slickly grasp for the demons, coated in slimy, milky, sticky acid, they crave life, and will feed upon anything unlucky enough to be captured in the darkness.

    Eadric seems surprised, though pleasantly so, that Piera has chosen to stay here with him. He actually was planning on begging her to do so, especially with the chaos that just erupted in the throne room, but hadn't expected her to oblige. But it seems he had been wrong. "I-I..." he stammers, shocked. "Thank you. I would oblige your kind offer, miss." he says as she reveals her face. "I fear for my life..."

    The three rushers are pale, clawed creatures that look like some twisted amalgamation of biped and snake. Their eyes are either nonexistent or too small to see, but their teeth and maws definitely make up for it. Emily's bolt hits one of them and it hisses and swings at her with a scythe-like singularly clawed arm.
    The other two charge at Morrigan and Tonbokiri, though one is met by Ton's spear and gets it a stab into its shoulder. The other tries to strafe around him and sink its teeth into Morrigan! 

    Morrigan's spell envelops the larger demons in total darkness in the meantime. They're demons, so they aren't exactly frightened by the darkness or the sounds, but they lash out indiscriminately at the unseen sources of damage. At any rate, they are temporarily preoccupied. 

    Tal Rasha fires off a few bolts at the demons, hopefully it's enough to keep them off of Morrigan for the time being, but his focus is mainly on protecting the king and his court. He nods at Ton and Emily's suggestion and glances at Leoric, who also nods. "Quickly, do what you must. The king and his court first."

    Emily is split in half by the scythe-claw, sending a spray of silver everywhere!

    Wait, no -- she split herself in half so that it sails harmlessly through her. "Righty-o, chief!" she says, reforming and rising further up towards the rafters. She gives Konnosuke a quick wave, and then concentrates. Not much of a calculation, the way here was fairly straightforward ...

    A staticky portal leading just outside the castle opens up next to the king, wide enough for several people to go through at once. "Oh, just hurry on out, don't wait for me to do stuff!" she says, sounding ... a mite harried, like she's just a little bit overworking herself as she thrusts her hands downward, and her swords float down and start slashing at the demon that had attacked her.

    ... She looks over at Morrigan. "Almost wish I could do that," she mutters irreverently.

>> GAME >> Emily Nyx spends an Edge for: Opening a portal AND attacking a monster

    Piera smiles at Eadric, then, as that horrid whispering wafts down, she decides. "We shall leave now, I will take you to the Brotherhood, from there we can find somewhere safe for you... Come, we should go now."

    She climbs out of the cellar, helping Eadric up then starts trying to find one of the back-ways out of the castle, making a simple gesture to Aquila that this is a 'cut and run' scenario. Mary and Emily would find their links to Aquila abruptly severed, the Assassin pair going dark and stealing away with some poor sap who got caught in some daemonic plot.

    Morrigan flashes a sharp-toothed smile right at Emily.
    "My job has its perks." She says blithely, while watching the inky black space she created for a moment. She'll let that continue a little longer.
    Ah, but then one of the demons tries to take a bite out of her. Well.
    That is actually legitimately problematic for her.
    Backing up really fast as it bears down on her, she quickly runs through her options...
    Go left and get killed.
    Go right and get killed.
    Go backwards some more and be killed.
    Go... Forwards? Nah that would just get her killed.
    In a situation where there's no winning outcome... Morrigan cheats.
    Looking up at the mouthy monster, her eyes glow vibrantly... As she attempts a full blown psionic assault on the demon; attempting to reach out- touch its mind with her own- and completely destroy its brain with an unrestrained amount of power.

    That's good at least, that the larger demons are preoccupied. That gives them all time to mop up the smaller ones. Tonbokiri is doing his best to keep Morrigan protected, since he's the meat shield type! Besides that, like Tal Rashas, if she doesn't have to worry about demons, she can do whatever creepy thing she does in battle without fear.

    He may be a one-trick pony, but that one trick can be used over and over. So he continues to use that one trick! He's aiming for strikes that would be fatal on a human body. These aren't humans, but maybe those strikes will still hurt!

    Emily's blades make quick work of the demon, even as it fires one last burst of some kind of cold spell at her before it collapses into a black bloody mass.
    She doesn't have to tell Leoric and his court twice, they quickly hurry through the portals, freeing the Horadric mage to assist further in the battle against the demons.
    
    Eadric eagerly follows Piera out of the cellar. He only just met her, but with the way things are shaping up here, she definitely seems like a much safer bet than anyone else right now.

    Morrigan gets several sharp fangs digging into an arm, but they don't get much further as she cuts loose with a psionic assault. The demon screeches, its mind overwhelmed and quickly crushed. It collapses to the floor, where it is pummeled to dust by Tal Rasha's arcane bolts. Between that and Tonbonkiri's legendary sharpness, the three of them are able to put these guys down for good.

    Now there is but a moment of respite, before the four larger demons finally find their way out of the dark blob Morrigan had conjured up. They are definitely bigger than the others that just went down, and with wings too, resembling some hell-spawned hybrid of human and bat. With a lot more claws and teeth. But these seem to have a bit more awareness about them...they look about, and do not attack. Instead, they seem to turn back into smoke, and go right back into Archbishop Lazarus, who had been unconscious on the floor this entire time. 

    Just then, the doors to the throne room burst open, and a brilliant light pours in. Oh, right...now who was questioning whether archangels were in fact real? Too bad he isn't awake to see it, and the rest of the king and his court have already taken their leave through Emily's portal. But perhaps this was intentional on Tyrael's part. His darkened, blank visage is turned toward the Horadric leader. "Tal Rasha. Finish him." he instructs. 
    The mage nods. "As you wish." He then begins to prepare a final spell, a red sphere of energy forming in his hands. 

    "Gh...! Agh...!"
    Morrigan is not pleased about getting bitten, body tensing from the pain as fangs sink into her arm, but she soundly erases the demon's mind and renders its brain a pulped and haemorraging mess in return.
    It's the little victories in life that matter.
    When the four bigger demons escape from the nightmarish realm she opened, she simply dispels the spell, the portal to the Far Realm closing and returning to a normal space of completely normal reality when the larger demons retreat into the Archbishop.
    "Ugh..." She growls, as Mary sifts through her backpack for her-- and produces a bottle of red fluid. Uncorking it with her teeth she drinks a healthy portion of the healing potion, and pours the rest out over her wound, causing it to slowly seal.
    Just as the door busts open.
    "Well would you look at that. That sure looks like some kind of Archangel." She muses while nursing her arm as it begins to heal.
    No she's not gonna stop Tal Rasha from finishing the Archbishop off.

    Emily smirks at Morrigan. "Yeah, yeah ..." She has to wince at Morrigan's injury, though.

    She furrows her brow. "Aaaand there goes Piera," she mutters. "Maybe I'll, I 'unno, go harass the Assassins and see what she did with the servant."

    She brightens. "Oh, hey, Tyrael!" she says. "So it is you! Any word on how the dude's handling? Double-A giving 'em any trouble --?"

    Oh.

    Emily's expression sours. "So ... hang on, there was a bunch of dark magic inside him," she says. "We're just, uh, up and killing a dude who might've just been possessed?" She shrugs grandiosely. "I may or may not have to take back the defense I made of you guys' character." She does actually sound uncertain about that.

    Tonbokiri prepares to face the demons newly emerged from their temporary prison... but then blinks as they just sort of... disappear. Of course, the bright light appearing there is a good explanation of what just happened. He blinks once more at the archangel, before relaxing his stance. This appears to be one of those beings that had been spoken of earlier. He offers a bow of greeting.

    Though he does have to ask, "Is he merely possessed? Or was this his own doing? If it's the former, he may not have been in control of his actions." Though he's also aware that, if this man is possessed, killing him might be the only way to truly free him. And this isn't his world, so he's not going to force his vision of 'honor' on the assembled folk.

    It's also worth noting that there is a beam of light from where Konnosuke disappeared from. Seems the little fox is scanning the 'remnants' of the demons, for whatever reason...

    Tal ignores Emily's protests, the sphere morphing in his hands as he shapes it into a glowing blade that then sort of floats up above his hand, rotating slowly. But he is forced to confront her when she actually gets in the way. "You are defending that which you do not understand, Emily Nyx." he says firmly, though he is not angry or impatient sounding. "If you in fact know the Archangel of Justice," he says, glancing over at Tyrael and assuming her familiar greeting toward him confirmed this fact. "Then you know very well that his purposes are, well, just."

    One might wonder why it is that Tyrael is ordering Tal to execute the man instead of doing it himself despite the fact that he's standing right there. "This mortal has become irrevocably corrupted. Death is the only true freedom we may grant him." The angel tells her, his tone even and not betraying how much he actually despises having to do this. There are other reasons as well, but he's determined it best not to bring them up.

    Tal looks back to Emily. "Now. Stand aside. I would very much prefer not to cause you harm." Well, he's sincere in that, anyway.

    Emily stands her ground for several seconds, silently, just looking Tal in the eye.

    And then she shrugs. "You're right," she says calmly. "I don't understand. In terms of common sense, I am, frankly, a dumbass." She grins cheekily. "But I am a Nyx-model; I was created to be particularly independent, with a greatly lessened inbuilt need for a Master's guidance, to make decisions based on the information available to me."

    She shrugs grandiosely. "And the information currently available to me," she says, "is that it's possible to save the life of Jeff Lecky, a man who transformed into a demon, but now you are telling me that it is not possible to save a man who's merely comparatively displayed assholery." She gestures to the fallen Archbishop. "And that you are now threatening me without properly explaining yourself -- which, uh, frankly seems to me like it's kinda like he how threatened you, Tor."

    So a lot happens.
    The door busts open and enter Tyrael. And he orders Tal Rasha to kill the Archbishop. This isn't something that really bothers Morrigan all that much as she starts to bandage her injured arm.
    "... Who are you exactly?" She asks, motioning at the archangel of Justice, brow knotted as she looks between him, Tal Rasha, Emily, and the fallen priest.
    "I don't know." She asides to Emily.
    "The guy did kind of display a lot of assholery."

    Here Tonbokiri steps forward as well. Honor demands that he not leave Emily to face this alone. However, he does offer, "My existence as more than simply this weapon here," he pauses, to indicate the spear he carries, "Is due to one I call Aruji. Aruji is a sage. Saniwa, if you know this word.

    "More than that, we -- all of us who came from weapons -- fight demons brought to life from the spirits of other weapons," Tonbokiri replies. "That is our purpose -- to destroy those possessed spirits, and stop those who call them forth. Demons, much like this. There must surely be something that Aruji can do to save this man's life."

    The small painted-mask fox comes down from the rafters, carrying the sheath for Tonbokiri's blade. The sword-spirit takes the sheath back, but doesn't replace it just yet, and Konnosuke comes to settle on Tonbokiri's shoulder to watch the proceedings. The fox also notes, "Aruji has been informed, and I am performing scans on this man." This said, Konnosuke reaches up to jingle the bell around its neck, and a blue beam of light springs from the holes in the bell, aiming at the fallen man.

    "Not all demons are equal. But you admit your own lack of understanding," Tal Rasha reiterates. "However, you still stand in the way." He grips that magically conjured blade a bit tighter. It's clear he's ready to whatever it takes to carry out Tyrael's command.

    When Tonbokiri seems to come forward with wisdom of his own though, Tal Rasha looks to him, a brow arching slightly. He's known some outsiders to be quite resourceful, so if this guy can actually save the archbishop, the mage isn't going to balk. However, he glances at Tyrael for confirmation.

    The archangel turns toward Morrigan as she asks him to identify himself. "I am Tyrael, Archangel of Justice." he answers, then nods slightly at Tal. "Very well." he replies, regarding Ton. "Do as you will, but do it quickly." 

    The scans would reveal that indeed, the man is possessed by the four remaining demons that were previously trapped in Morrigan's spell and had decided to retreat back into him. They're actually pretty strong in general, even if they're not that fast physically. That was probably the reason why Tyrael didn't think it was possible to save him.

    "I mean, fair," Emily answers Morrigan, without breaking contact with Tal. "But, still."

    She relaxes slightly when Tonbokiri and Konnosuke step in. Not completely, of course. But if the Aruji does have a clear and definite answer ... well, that would be a clear and definite answer, and Emily wouldn't argue with definite information.

    "And on the other hand, like," she says, "I have to admit that I am kind of winging it." Beat. "Like, not just this specific situation, I mean in general."

    Once the information is taken in, the blue beam of light from the fox's bell stops, and Konnosuke sits upon Tonbokiri's shoulder normally. "Aruji is looking over the information now," the fox relays. Pause, blink. "It does appear that he is possessed, not by merely ONE demon, but by FOUR. Aruji will likely need to tend to this man personally if there is any hope of removing these demons."

    Tonbokiri nods to Konnosuke, and then looks to Tyrael. "May I take him into my world? Aruji does not leave the Citadel often, as there is much work to be done in searching out the Retrograde Army and their demons, and they could strike anywhere."

    Konnosuke adds, "If he were taken out of your world, he would no longer pose a threat to your world's people, so you have still 'disposed' of the threat. We have facilities for locking down those with the ability to call forth demons."

    The little fox-spirit gives a grin here, and wags its fluffy tail. "Besides, think how this will affect the opinions of the people," Konnosuke reasons. "Rather than merely kill someone possessed, you allowed them to be assisted. People who have problems with such darkness will come to you for help, rather than fear you and flee. And it would represent a trust of off-worlders with good intentions, which will set the precedent for others to do the same."

    Tal Rasha raises a brow at Emily. He doesn't know exactly what she means by 'winging it in general' but he doesn't really care, either. He and Tyrael watch as the small fox-like creature does...something, and confirms what they already knew--he's possessed by four demons.

    As he explains that Lazarus would need to be taken off-world, there is a pause. Konn's advice is heard, and considered. Tal just looks at Tyrael, because well--he's the one in charge here. "I am reluctant to present them the opportunity to invade yet another realm." He finally says, although he doesn't sound completely resolute just yet. "What measures will you take to ensure they will not roam your world unchecked?"

    Emily turns, suddenly interested. "Well, thats a thing," she says. She taps her chin thoughtfully. "I mean, first thing that comes to mind for transport is having Double-A build another stasis field ... but that's not exactly an on-the-spot thing we can do right now. But ..."

    She smiles to Tyrael. "Don't underestimate the World Tree, yeah?" she says. "Rules which are absolute in one world are bendable or nonexistent in others." She shrugs. "I mean, just have a bunch of people involved. If more demons come out, we can just frickin' stab 'em." She raises her eyebrows. "And I know a certain pair of half-demon twin brothers whose literal job it is to do so."

    She hesitates. "Or ... do you mean the presence of this dude and four demons possessing him is enough to cause, like ... an invasion invasion?"

    For a moment. For a good long moment, Morrigan just stands where she is, listening to the debate at hand.
    On the one hand, Konnosuke offers a means to try and assist the possessed archbishop. Emily doesn't seem keen on just ending the guy, and both are staunchly opposed to Tyrael's decree that the guy has to die.
    The Warlock remains in place, blinking owlishly as she finishes up bandaging her arm. She considers for a moment.
    Holds up a finger and opens her mouth as though indicating she has something to add to the conversation...
    And then there's a crack of thunder as she lances a deadly Eldritch Blast at the fallen Archbishop to try and finish the job.

    Tonbokiri nods to Emily. "Indeed. The World Tree has been a mixed blessing, but it has been a blessing nonetheless. But I believe the archangel is concerned that this man will release his demons into another world and create a bastion for them there, making it more difficult for the archangel to end the threat posed by these entities."

    Now, Konnosuke is about to say something, to explain more about the situation with the saniwa... but then Morrigan basically negates the need to do so. The fox sighs, hopping off off Tonbokiri's shoulder. "Well... moot point now," it notes. There's just no way Tonbokiri can get in the way in time, even though he's going to try. Hence why Konnosuke jumped off.

    "Wha --" Emily whirls around.

    And then she does what she'd intended to do when all this got started, right when she first started to expose Lazarus.

    In a radius around her signet ring, the colors of the world become inverted, and everyone and everything becomes frozen in time except for Emily herself, but her movements are still visible to those within and without. The Eldritch Blast is frozen mere inches from hitting Lazarus.

    The smile Emily directs at Morrigan is that of someone who is seething. "The adults are talking, Morri," she says in a mock-condescending tone as she glides over, grabs Lazarus by the ankle (enabling him to move if he was conscious), and tries to pull him out of the way just as the inverted colors flicker, then dissipate as time resumes.

    Everyone else was discussing the matter at hand, when Morrigan suddenly just goes ahead and does what Tyrael and Tal Rasha had been intending to do from the start. Tonbokiri's attempts to get in the way aren't quite fast enough, though some of it grazes a shoulder.

    Emily's time freeze allows her to grab Lazarus out of the way of the spell, but she may or may not have noticed that Tal Rasha somehow managed to see that coming and adjust the blast's trajectory just enough. Certainly, she isn't the only one in the room with magical prowess when it came to time manipulation on a small scale like this. If anyone in Sanctuary could counter that to any degree, it'd be the leader of the Horadrim for sure.

    When all is said and done, Lazarus looks pretty smoked, his robes now tattered and his face pale. And that seems to be enough for Tyrael and the Horadrim. The archangel regards Morrigan silently for a moment, though it's impossible to tell what his exact reaction to all this is. Finally, Tal just shrugs. "Well then, I suppose that settles the matter. Thank you for your assistance, friends." The blade he had conjured before disappears and he casts another spell, teleporting himself and Tyrael away to parts unknown.

    But if anyone does decide to linger behind, they might notice the archbishop's chest quivering...ever so slightly.

    As it turns out, Tonbokiri's brave yet completely pointless attempt to get between Lazarus and Morrigan's eldritch bolt turned out to be moot for more than one reason. Before the eldritch blast can land, a blue-ringed black portal opens vaguely over Tonbokiri's location. And then in a flash of something like lightning (that has a strangely 'sacred' flavor to it), both Tonbokiri and Konnosuke are gone. Sakura petals flutter briefly in the wake of the disappearance, but soon fade away.

    Emily stares at Lazarus's prone form for several seconds. Then a single SNES electric guitar note plays.

    She shrugs. "Well, that was certainly a thing," she says, manic cheer in her voice. "I don't know what I expected. But, uh, Morrigan ... the reason I do 'good guy' things is because the consequences of doing 'bad guy' things are just a pain, y'understand me?"

    She shrugs, and tips her hat, hiding her eyes in shadow once again. "Just a thought for future reference," she says. A staticky portal opens and quickly turns pitch-black, and she disappears through it.

>> SUMMARY[Emily Nyx] >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZjirEIT_JA

    Tonbokiri departs.
    Emily departs after leaving Morrigan with sage advice.
    Tyrael and Tal depart.
    "..." Morrigan is left standing there for a long moment.
    "What? Whaaaaat? I solved the problem, didn't I!?"