World Tree MUSH

    Dawsbury is actually more of a large town than a city, with its population of roughly 75,000 people. There are signs of buildings beginning to be built upwards due to the population now, but for the most part it's a dense mire of streets, houses, and squat buildings that make up for much of the town's housing and workspaces for the population... And right about now a grey Ford Windstar van is pulling into Goulcrest.
    Mary Contrary is settled on the dashboard, legs kicking gently as she plays a videogame on a holoscreen with Aquila; though she occasionally gives a few furtive and very curious glances to the ~third~ shinki in the car, she'll wait for a proper introduction, there.
    Morrigan, herself, is behind the wheel of course, and she was very adamant that anyone getting into her car buckle up proper and tight as she... Completely follows the laws of the road the whole way into the town.
    "So!" The Warlock chirrups to her erstwhile companions. "First off, thanks for taking up the job everyone, I wanted to look into this, because- hah hah- you know a whole population of about 75,000 people just don't go missing in the blink of an eye, but. Well that's what people are saying happened." She explains as the van pulls into... A bustling avenue. With people. And other cars. And...
    "Uhhhhh..."
    This, needless to say, baffles Morrigan as the van slows to a stop and parks neatly at the curb of the sidewalk.
    "Mary? Could you do the thing, please?" She politely asks her tiny robotic Familiar. Mary doesn't even break concentration in her gaming with Aquila as another holoscreen pops up displaying a local map.
    "This is the place, Master!" The Maryceles shinki chirrups sweetly, before turning her head to peer out the window. "Huh... For a missing population it sure is lively." She says.
    "That... That can't be right?" Morrigan says as she furrows her brow, unbuckles her seatbelt, opens the door and steps out the van.
    "Sooooooo everyone went missing. But now they're all back? ... Great job gang, mystery solved?"

    Talia had been more than a little curious how an entire population vanishes into thin air. So when Morrigan got in touch with her regarding the job, she was pretty easily convinced. Curiosity does awful things to the loth-cat, unfortunately.

    She's been politely quiet for most of the trip, treating herself to a fruity drink of some sort as she listens and nods. "Do we have any idea how it happened?" She asks.

    Of course, it seems they're not needed after all. Her eyes scan out at the people, raising an eyebrow. "Odd. Perhaps it was a crank call." Talia suggests.

    There is a certain degree of social and political dance involved in getting Matsu's help for a given investigation. Matsu hates it. She hates having to do the idiotic dance to save face on the Emperor's behalf. But her position demands it, and if she starts just discarding pretense where anyone from her world can hear - even her attendants - it will make her life more difficult. So, the dance must be danced. 'I cannot take payment for this, but I will help a friend of the court, and of course if you were to later demonstrate friendship in return by means of a generous donation...' and so on, and so forth.

    At the very least, she was able to talk her attendant into staying behind. And the ride over has Matsu wide-eyed at all the outside-world, high-tech new shiny things they see along the way. She doesn't miss Morrigan talking, though. "Is there any reason to suspect youkai involvement? Or... whatever the equivalent of youkai is out... here..."

    It sure is lively out here indeed. Matsu carefully slides out, and immediately furrows her brow. "Tens of thousands of people don't disappear and then just... show back up." Already, she's reaching out with her shrine maiden's senses, eyes closing.

    Piera Forta isn't used to cars... she's not even used to carriages but she sits and stares out at the scenery like a studious kid on a fieldtrip. She says nothing, and keeps her hands folded in her lap as the vehicle trundles along.

    Aquila, meanwhile, is concentrating on the game, tongue sticking out the side of her mouth as she leans and sways, like a pro-gamer.

    The pair do take note of the lively town that's supposed to be completely abandoned. The pair exit the Van, Aquila's visor clicking over her eyes, while Piera pulls up her Assassins Hood. "I've got a bad feeling about this..." they both say in unison.

 
 "Well, not unless the city's name is Theramore." Oof.. Muradin muttered to the side to mostly himself as he remembered with bitterness that most dishonorable attack from the Horde. But this was a brand new time, with brand new missions and brand new companions. Muradin may have had his misgivings about Morrigan in the past, with her being the closest thing to a Warlock he had seen in the Tree and all, but she had thus far proven herself to be a very reliable companion. Perhaps the most reliable thus far he had to admit, after all, it was her that introduced him to the Shinki and his brand new helper. 
 
 Speaking of, small bunny ears poked from Muradin's beard and a tiny face looked up questioningly up at the dwarven thane. It was a Waffebunny Shinki! "My Lord?" She asked in whisper as she noticed the other Shinki sitting by the dashbord, hoping to go meet them. "Go on, lass. Go play. Heh!" Chuckled the dwarf as the Waffebunny hopped on over in true bunny fashion and joined up with Mary and Aquila. 
 
 While the Shinki got acquainted, the Thane looked out the window to notice that despite Morrigan's briefing, it did indeed look like the city was completely back to normal. "Weird! Huh!" Said the dwarf as he rubbed his golden beard thoughtfully. "I'm with Lady Matsu on this one! If I've learned one thing in the Tree is that nothing ever is what it appears! I say we go and check it out anyways, just to be on the safe side." 

    Let it not be said that Morrigan Lor'osa does not know how to dance. In fact, the witch can dance many dances, especially the political sort of muckery involved in getting a powerful healer and purification specialist like Matsu involved. She'll just owe a favor or donation for a later time! Nevertheless, Morrigan scrunches her nose at the sight of... All the people. There isn't even a disruption or distrubance in The Force to go off of.
    It's a perfectly normal, perfectly lively, town. And that is what's bothering her right now.
    "There are many reasons to suspect many things: ghosts, ghouls, gribblies and gremlins chief among them." She says to Matsu while rubbing her chin. "And we have no idea."
    The shinki- now joined by Honey, add her to the game wirelessly and continue to keep playing while Maru takes her place perched on Morrigan's shoulder.
    "Okay let's meet back here in an hour and ask around. Someone has to know something."
    For those who ask around? ... No one has any idea what anyone is talking about. No one has apparently disappeared in the least. So about an hour later and back at the meeting spot...
    Things are much quieter. A chill mist has begun to roll over the town, and... There are certainly less people. Actually, by the time everyone returns, there's no one around at all, and the mist is so thick it's almost impossible to see ten feet beyond the tip of the nose.
    "So." Morrigan says as she emerges from the dense fog. "That was pointless. Not only did I not learn anything, but everyone's gone now. But something is definitely up, here." She says.
    Right before the dark, jagged, blade of a familiar cursed sword emerges from her chest, stabbing through her from behind.
    "... O-oh. That's a runeblade isn't it? Hah hah... I'm about to die, aren't I?" She says, before her body jerks, a rictus of pain crossing her face as her flesh begins to wither and dessicate, her soul visibly being darn into the blade before the empty and very dead husk is tossed to the ground.
    "M-master!" Mary shrieks.
    As heavy bootfalls emerge from the mists. A figure in dark armor with black-crowned helmet and blazing blue eyes emerges from the fog.
    "You will all suffer the same fate...!" Arthas Menethil, the Lich King booms through the street as he begins approaching the party in slow, measured footfalls.
    Mary is, meanwhile, pawing uselessly at what used to be Morrigan for a moment, tears welling in her eyes before she picks herself up and wipes her tears-
    "W-we have to run, now!"

    Piera is good at melding with crowds, and listening to conversations without being noticed. She does ask, and gets the bewildered responses, brow furrowed and shoulders hung as she returns to the van.

    And then there's the Lich King and he just killed Morrigan and oh crap this isn't someone she can effectively fight. "Mary! With me!" she calls, then turns on her heel and takes off; presumably heading back down the road the group came up to try and escape the town.

    Aquila hangs onto Piera's cloak for dear life, leaving space if Mary can catch up to her dead sprint.

    "Never say that," Matsu chides Piera softly. "That's just begging the kami for trouble."

    As for the investigation? Matsu Shuzenji does not know these weird modern worlds. She ends up following Morrigan around, and there are probably quite a few different sleeve-tugging, what-is-that, could-you-explain-this moments along the way. By the time everyone meets back up, though, she's grown disillusioned with the whole thing. "I'm not sure how you got such bad information. We should track down whoever-"

    A runeblade radiating malice pushes through Morrigan's chest.

    Matsu's eyes fly wide. She stumbles back a step or two. There's not much she can do for a second or two but watch Morrigan's soul leeched from her body. But that's enough to spur her into movement, a horrified grimace on her face as she whips her hands into motion. "Mighty Genbu, please-!"

    It's an abbreviated chant, as the girl slams her palm forward with a slip of inscribed paper on it. The ofuda lights up with a shimmery grey spirit-fire, and out from it explodes a barrier between her and the hulking Lich King. That's all she pauses to do, however; leaving that barrier there to impede Arthas as she turns to run after Mary and Piera.

    Talia doesn't sense a disturbance for once. She's...confused. Asking around gives little information, not even as much of a peep about the weather being kind of unusual for the season. She's a little surprised, nobody's even put up a fuss over the fact she's obviously green and not from around here. Usually that happens when she visits small towns.

    Hell, that happens even in the galaxy far far away she hails from. Some systems are just that remote.

    She returns an hour later with a sandwich, and Talia begins to notice there's a chill in the air and visibility is somewhat reduced with the mist. It might just be that kind of evening.

    And of course NOW everyone disappears. It's weird. "Yeah, I just noticed." Talia muses, rubbing her chin as she tries to sense out again-

    And Morrigan is impaled through the back and out her chest, and she draws her lightsaber. "NO, MORRIGAN!" Talia cries, as she swipes away at the towering Lich King.

    And she bounces off like her lightsaber is shaking in her grip, like she struck a brick wall with a rubber club.

    She scoops Mary into her hands and runs like hell, knowing that this foe is beyond any of the team.

 
 Let it definitely be said that Muradin was by no means an expert in recon. The dwarf Thane was, shall we say, passable at mingling into the crowds and keeping an ear out, any adventurer worth their salt should be capable of doing that, but he certainly stood out and he had the tendency to talk, a lot, and REALLY loudly. Fortunately for him, that's why he got his little Shinki for. After Honey had played a few matches and made her introductions with her fellow Shinki, the bunny jumped at went to join her Lord again by perching on his shoulder. She kept an ear out for anything suspicious, but much the same as the others she didn't seem to find anything out of the ordinary. 
 
 "Wellp.." Muradin returned with Honey perched on his broad shoulder and joined up with the others again at the meeting spot. "Darn if I couldn't find anything strange, but hey, have ye all noticed this thick fog all of the sudden--" 
 
 *SHINK!* 
 
 A bloody, jagged, cursed.. FAMILIAR blade, burst right through Morrigan's chest and began clearly and visibly draining her soul. Muradin, in rare form, faltered, blue eyes wide as a chill of fear and recognition hit him like a sledgehammer, an icy grip on his heart. No, it can't be, it can't be! 
 
 "Arthas!..." The dwarf whispered, rage welling up within him as he watched how his old foe, his once friend and apprentice, ripped a hole through Morrigan's chest, slaying her. 
 
 "ARTHAS!!" Muradin screamed, it was not in his nature to run, and his immediate impulse was to attack the Lich King, powerful as he might be. "I donna know how ye got here ye bloody bastard! But I'LL KILL YE!!!" 
 
 "No! My Lord!!!" It was only through Honey that Muradin was able to listen to reason as the Shinki pulled on his beard to try and pull him away. "My Lord! We must flee!" The Shinki implored her Master. 
 
 And Muradin knew that she was right. He took several steps back, eyes unable to move away from the grim helmet covered face of the Lich King. He knew that even all together would not be able to take him on, not after he had gotten the jump on them. 
 
 "Arthas.... ye'll pay for this! I'll make sure of it!!" And with that, the dwarf disgraced his ancestors by turning and running away with the others. Honey perched on his head looking back at Arthas still standing over Morrigan's corpse. 

    To her credit, while she was alive, Morrigan was very patient with Matsu and all her questioning.
    Not that it matters now as Arthas drops the Warlock and starts trudging after the group as they begin their flight-- Matsu's barrier seemingly halting the hulking armored figure of the Lich King briefly before he cleaves through it with Frostmourne. But thankfully it's enough of a hindrance to buy the group time to sprint.
    Poor Mary, tries to keep up- reaching for Piera's cloak to hang on before she's snapped up by Talia, where the poor shinki begins having a very major meltdown in the Jedi's hands at losing her Master.
    But the streets in the mist are labyrinthine, and every corner the group turns, looking back they'll see Arthas' silhouette turning the corner to give chase in his inexorable approach, unstoppable, unrelenting, a monster hellbent on killing them all and devouring their souls...
    Before a small hand emerges from a nearby alley, beckoning the group.
    "This way!" A small girl's voice hisses before she darts back inside herself, leaving a door open for the group to follow.
    The door leads into a decrepit and abandoned building, and several winding halls lead into a small hidout. There's a worn down old threadbare mattress, some ragged blankets, and there's even a steel drum-can with a fire burning inside it for warmth.
    It's clearly the hidout of a homeless child- and said homeless child plops onto the mattress, eyeing the party warily with her deep brown eyes, tucking a lock of brown hair behind an ear.
    "What are you all doing out on the streets in the fog?" She demands, expression hardening. "Imbecille, stupido." She mutters under her breath. "No one goes out in the fog, because of him."

    Talia's grasp is warm and comforting. While she can't exactly provide thoughts to a machine, even an intelligent one, Talia whispers "I'm so sorry." as they run. Beforelong, they make their way down alleyways and corridors, corners that lead them close to the unstoppable Lich King.

    Some close calls are had, and Talia stops short of actually bumping right into Arthas. She holds her breath, remaining quiet as she can and trying to hide her presence in the Force. Eventually, they find refuge. Any port in a storm, right?

    "We don't know what's going on." Talia says. "One moment everything was normal, the next that knight slew our friend right in front of us." Friend. The word slips from Talia's lips on reflex.

    Morrigan was a strange sort, perhaps possibly evil in very subtle ways, but ultimately a reliable ally for the most part. She was also very much dead, and Talia's heart felt like it wanted to pop out of her throat from the shock of seeing him run Morrigan through with a sword the size of a surfboard.

    "Why is he here?" Talia asks, cradling Mary comfortingly.

    While Matsu recovers stamina quickly, she's not in the best shape to begin with - the flight from danger turns out to be something of a stop-and-start affair, and by the time they're led to safety, she's panting for air.

    Of course, being out of breath doesn't prevent snap-back on the young Phoenix Maiden's part. "We... have no clue... what's going on. Don't... insult people... for not knowing... what they don't know." She somehow manages to sound sharp through her breathlessness.

    Quickly enough, however, she manages to recover, and already she starts investigating the hideout, top-to-bottom. "Is this place warded against... whatever that was?" she asks, but she's already checking for herself. Any kind of supernatural warding or barriers in place, anything that might protect them.

    Piera keeps running. She's probably the fastest next to Talia, who can do stuff with The Force to make her go the fast. But it seems that no matter how fast the group runs... the monster is right behind them.

    Then, the hand beckons and with a skid, the Assassin pivots and dives into the hallways, slowing only enough to adapt to the tighter space and the sudden turns with solid walls to prevent overshooting.

    She comes up to a, strangely familiar sight as shee pulls her hood down. Brown eyes taking in the space as a strand of brown hair falls out from behind her ear, which she pushes back absently.

    The Assassin is quiet as the others speak, almost as if suddenly going into shock.

 
 "Bollocks! I donna remember Arthas being this fast!" Though to be fair, Muradin had never been particularly quick on his feet himself on account of being a dwarf. Still, the way that Arthas' silhouette appeared to be right on their heels at all times certainly took the Thane by surprise. This was not a power that Arthas had exhibited before, and in fact, was he the one responsible for the whole city disappearing again. Muradin would think that there'd be a lot more undead if that were the case. As they ran, Honey considered shooting at the Lich King from the perch of her Master Dwarf's head, but she figured that it'd be pointless and she might as well preserve ammo. 
 
 Thankfully for everyone, they were eventually pulled into some kind of shelter by a small girl. Her chiding of them fell on deaf ears momentarily as Muradin fell on his knees and pounded the ground with meaty fists. "Blast it! Blast it all!" Arthas was back and he killed Morrigan! He failed.. he failed again! It was Northrend all over again. All because of that blasted expedition to get that cursed sword. If only he had not been so greedy. 
 
 "Wot!?" The girl's mention of 'him' drew the dwarf's attention. Did she mean Arthas? 
 
 "Is he the one behind all this!?" He jumped back to his feet and approached the girl, trying to grab her by the shoulders and giving her a few shakes if he could. "Wot do ye know about him, lass!? Wot do ye know about Arthas!?" 

    Mary is shaking. Quivering in Talia's hand, curled up into a ball as she seems to have gone from having a breakdown to 'slightly catatonic' It lasts for a few more moments before the shinki slowly pulls herself together.
    "I-... she... I'm... F-fine." She blatantly lies. "M-Master said if that ever happened to her, she'd want me to do the thing..." The faithful little robot says, wiping her eyes.
    In the little hideout, the group gets a moment of respite out of the cold fog by the fire and away from the lumbering form of the Lich King, who's very voice roaring outside is enough to shake the building and cause some dust to loose from the ceiling. Unfortunately there seems to be no wards in place here. It just seems to be a spot that Arthas either doesn't know about or can't get to due to his bigness.
    The girl looks about ready to retort to Matsu and give her some *choice* words, about when Muradin shakes her hard enough to make her head rattle."
    "A-ah! Signor, you're shaking me too hard!" She snaps before wriggling free. What a wily little thing... Nevertheless, she approaches the fire to warm her hands.
    "No. He is not the one behind all this. He is how do you say... A side effect." She starts to explain. "Ever since the masked one came to this town and brought the mist with her, he came soon after." ... "They killed my parents. I've been living here ever since." She says in a tone that speaks volumes.
    She probably saw it happen.

    Talia does her best to hold Mary close, the closest she can get to giving the girl a comforting hug. She nods, steeling herself for the task at hand; Get the Kark out of here and not die. It does make her wonder, seeing Mary cry. But that's a topic for another time.

    Talia grips Muradin's shoulderpad when he begins demanding answers from the girl. "Easy, easy. She's as much a victim as we are here." She says sternly, but with a tone of sympathy. "You obviously know this Arthas. Who is he?" She wonders aloud, before giving the girl a gentle pat on the arm. "I am so sorry for your loss. What is your name, youngling?"

    Piera listens... and subconsciously approaches the fire to warm her hands too. The pair make for an interesting sight, as if the same person, years apart. "Do you know where we could find the one with the Mask, Signorita?" she asks absently. Everyone else's voice seems to fade away, to the Assassin it's just her, and the child in a void. "I lost my parents too... Il Bastardo Culo de Borgia." she spits, the fluid hissing in the fire.

    Matsu frowns. There are no wards. Nothing to protect them.

    She's gonna have to fix that.

    With practiced ease, the girl begins drawing out ofuda, using a quill to inscribe spellwork on them. She has the time to put together custom wards for her purpose, and so she will; wards, specifically, to prevent them from being sensed, to turn away supernatural eyes. She knows now that she'd need a lot more time and work to produce a barrier that could stop that thing, but these should work nicely for now. She'll just have to add a ward to alert them if something gets too clo-

    'They killed my parents.'

    Matsu drops the ofuda she's holding. The hand with a quill in it shakes faintly, then tightens.

    Quietly, the young Phoenix maiden turns, takes a few steps across the room, and looks the girl in the eye. "...we'll find this 'masked one'. I'll exorcise them personally if I have to. I specialize in spirits and demons." That's a sharp look in her eye.

 
 Muradin felt the wee one wiggle free from his grip and at the same time be pulled away from her by Talia. It wasn't like he was in any position to resist any of that, he had been shaken by Arthas presence to his very core, and even hearing his voice outside was too much. He wanted to run out and meet him in battle, even if he died -again- he was certain he'd at least one good hit on that stupid helmet that claimed the life and soul of his old friend. Though it'd be foolish to do any of that, he did not want to become another victim of Arthas' sword. Not like Morrigan... by the Light.. Morrigan was dead! And potentially this was all his fault. Maybe the death of the girl's parents was his fault as well.. and all because of that sword.. and his greed. 
 
 "Ugh.. sorry.." He said to the lass as he took off his helmet and rubbed his forehead. At least they had some info now, Arthas was just a side effect from a Masked One? "Strange.. but not surprising.. I donna remember Arthas being able to summon fog like this and such.. I figured there had to be more at hand.." 
 
 Muradin sighed as Talia asked him that dreaded question. Who 'is' Arthas. "That... is a long and convoluted tale. Suffice to say.. he used to be me friend.. me apprentice.. but ever since he found that sword he's been corrupted, he goes by the Lich King now, and all he wants to do is feed souls to that cursed sword of his. I donna know how he got here.. same as me presumedly.. but he'll be a tough one to beat in a straight on battle that's fer sure." 
 
 While everyone exchanges information and Matsu goes to set her wards. Honey hops off Muradin's head and tries to approach Mary. As a Shinki, she empathizes to a Shinki that had just lost her Master, and she warily approached the Maryceles. "If I can do anything to help you, let me know, sister." 

    Funny thing. How the girl doesn't seem to register when Talia asks her name. There's a slight uncomfortable squirming at the hug, but the youngling doesn't answer the question.
    Someone else here probably already knows the answer to that, anyway.
    Nevertheless, she does answer Piera and Matsu:
    "City Hall. She said she wanted to rule this town, and now she has taken over the old mayor's office. The best way to get in would be through the basment." She begins to say.
    Meanwhile, Mary has in the meantime picked herself back up. "R-really... I'm fine. I just have to do the thing. I have to do the thing..." Murmured as she clenches her tiny fists.
    That ominous little aside completed however, the girl purses her lips.
    "I can lead you to city hall. Or I can take you to the edge of the city where the mist is weakest and you can escape. You should escape while you still can. You already lost one friend, you shouldn't have to see others die too."

    Matsu frowns faintly. "I don't die easily. And out of the three people in this world who are important to me, two of them died years ago. The other isn't here." She turns around and heads back over to her ofuda, picking them up, then adds over her shoulder, "No one should have to lose their loved ones. I'm going to stop it from happening to anyone else." Then she sets about sticking up the ofuda on the structure. It's interesting how they just seem to adhere. She's carefully placing them at precise locations, such that the entire space will be tightly warded against detection.

    Talia raises an eyebrow, but doesn't pry further. She places Mary on her shoulder comfortingly, before she nods. "What about you? You can't stay here either." She says to the girl, concerned. Only a madman would wish to remain here.

    Muradin's story, it makes Talia tighten her grip on her lightsaber hilt. She frowns, and gives the dwarf a pat on the pauldron. "That's a tale i've heard before. Even the noblest can fall from grace." She says sadly.

    "Take me to City Hall, Mary... My blades thirst for retribution." states Piera with a determination she's only shown a few times before. She turns from the fire, places a hand on the girl's shoulder, then gestures for the Shinki to lead the way. She looks to Talia, then shakes her head. "I have an idea about what's going on. I'll tell you on the way." she says, then gestures. "We should be cautious, if we get caught in the open, that thing will find us... we should try and make our way through the buildings as much as possible... it doesn't seem able to venture into tight spaces."

 
 Honey looked rather.. unsure.. of how to react to Mary there. She was certain that the Shinki was in shock, she couldn't even imagine how she would react if her own Master died like that. They've been together for a relative short amount of time and Muradin had not yet taken the time to chat with his Shinki and plan for such an eventuality, though now after witnessing that she made a not to maybe prod her Master about such a thing. Still.. Honey nodded her head but decided that she would keep an eye on Mary and make certain she didn't make anything reckless. 
 
 As for the dwarf, he sighed again as Talia pat his shoulder. "Yer telling me, mate." However, soon he was once again scowling and placed his helmet back on as the girl mentioned that the Masked One made her headquarters in City Hall. "I'm going to city hall. Taking this fight to 'em!" He declared. "There's no way I'm running away from Arthas. Not again! If he and this Masked blighter wanna go fer another Round, I'd be more than happy to give it to em." He frowned profusely. "More than anything.. I have to avenge Morrigan..." 
 
 It seemed that everyone else was in agreement too. 

    With ofuda stuck around the hideout to ward it, the girl should be safe is she chooses to stay here for a longer time. This is all well and good, but then she nods.
    "Okay. Follow me. And stay close." She says.
    Mary takes a slow breath and pulls up a miniature map of the city on a hologram screen, before the girl leads the way out of her hiding space.
    It's a perilous trip, but she seems to know the city like the back of her hand- what a wily little thing- leading the way through back streets and alleys that Arthas probably can't fit into.
    Probably.
    It's about an hour's trek in the fog before the party reaches the white marble building that is City Hall, and the child leads around to the back, to a locked door and a large sewer grating. She ignores the door and starts straining to lift the grating.
    "You can- nngh... Get in through- rrgh! Here."

    Talia just gives a tired sigh and nod to Muradin. "It's a tale old as time." She murmurs, thinking of the stories she read of Revan, Malak, and Sutrik, war heroes who slew the Mandalorian hordes ravaging the Republic but ultimately befell a terrible fate, the former two falling to the Dark Side, the latter...best left unsaid.

    There might be some gaps in that story, or at least parts the Council doesn't like being disclosed.

    "Let's just get to City Hall." The Jedi says, before following along with the girl. They make their way through the narrow pathways and backstreets, making sure to evade Arthas. Talia might have to fight to convince Muradin to remain quiet. She knows the dwarf's not exactly excited to be sneakin' around, but there's a good chance Arthas would steamroll them if they did engage him out here.

    The few times they nearly come within his range are some of the most nerve wracking of Talia's career.

    Once they make it to City Hall, she crawls down and begins to get through the grating. Bloody typical they have to go through a sewer.

    Piera, for her part, is an agile mover in the tight confines, not getting in anyone elses way as they group move. She explains what she thinks is happening in this town as they move. "That girl... that was me, when the Borgia first took interest in my family... The Bastardo killed my parents while I watched helpless to stop him... I was cast out onto the streets, an urchin until the Thieves Guild took me in, taught me how to climb... not important. I think this town is drawing out memories and bringing them to life." She concludes, as the group arrive at City Hall. She moves to help open the grating, holding it open for the others to enter.

 
 It paid to be a dorf a lot of times. Tough and strong enough to barrel through a lot of obstacles, but also short enough that if necessary you could just duck under things. Muradin wasn't great at stealth as Talia surmised, his clanking armor being the main problem, but just because he was bad at it didn't mean he couldn't do it and he could squeeze through any space that their guide was slithering through thanks to his height. Honey kept an eye out still as she perched on her Master's head and the dwarf grabbed at the grating that the girl was struggling with to slide it out of the way and enter the sewers. 
 
 Well, at the very least being underground was where Muradin excelled at even though he wasn't a fan of the smell. His eyes adjusted to the dark easily thanks to his Darkvision, and he summoned his axe and warhammer, his weapons glowing to light the way. "Wot?" Muradin glances back at Piera as she mentioned that girl being her. "Wot do ye mean she was ye?" Muradin was all kinds of confused now.. although. "Actually.. she was speaking in yer funny language wasn't she? Wot was it called again? Spanish?" 
 
 "Italian, my Lord." Corrected Honey. 
 
 "D'oh..Human languages all sound the same to me.." 

    As they walk, Matsu starts work on another set of ofuda. There are two main possibilities for what she might need to do here, and while she has the pre-made wards for purification and exorcism, she doesn't have anything for sealing. A long walk is a good opportunity to put some together. Not as strong as they might be with more prep time, but they'll do. However, Piera's speech draws her attention briefly. There's a frown, and then a soft, "No one should ever have to be orphaned. Especially not by assholes in power." It's an uncharacteristic display of vulgar language from a girl both ostensibly nobility and entirely too young for it. But there's a note of sympathy in her voice, of understanding all too deep. "I'm not surprised they're using illusions of our past against us." It does lead to a soft frown, however - Muradin, then Piera... is someone from her past next? Her past self? That's worrying.

    Of course, she stops and stares at the grating. There's no way she's going to move that. It's not until Talia and Piera move it that the girl is able to hop down, and her nose immediately wrinkles. "Khh... my attendants are going to raise no end of fuss if I smell when we return."

    Into the grating and...
    It doesn't lead into a sewer.
    As soon as the party descends, they land in a stone chamber. It's dark, dank, the smell of mildew and mold are prevalent. But the iron bars on either side of the hall the party appears in say a lot about what this place is used for.
    Why is there a dungeon under city hall?
    It is a question that will have to go unanswered, as there are figures on the other side of the bars. ... Figures dressed in the robes of padawan jedi. Though their heads are wrapped in death-shrouds and they lay still, the students of Master Gareth Furiel should be recognizeable...
    That's when there's motion at the door, opening it and stepping through and out of the dungeon. The group arrived just as the samurai armored figure was leaving, and it's a good thing they were not seen. The katana in their hand was dripping blood.
    There's no sign of the samurai when the group passed through the dungeon though, and up from the basement and through the halls it is... Quiet. Very very quiet.
    Right up until the party reaches the office of the Mayor, anyway.
    It sounds like someone is on the other side of the door.

    Illusions of the past. That's...that makes sense. Talia had clocked the girl as oddly familiar, but couldn't confirm it without asking first. Regardless, she had a similar accent to Piera's, and the assassin's confirmation cinches it. Talia frowns deeply at Piera. "What they did to you was monstrous, Piera. I'm sorry." She's been saying that a lot lately. But still, it's...there's a lot going on, really.

    She sniffs and then they land on...

    "No." Talia stares at the bodies of dead padawans, friends of hers. People she had fought and bled besides. They were barely short of being knighted no less. "No no no no no no-" Runs-With-The-Wind, who was split in half by the shaman turned Sith Bojun, Norani, whose throat was slit with a lightsaber swipe practically imperceptible to the human eye.

    Talia looks as if she saw a damn ghost, as her past comes crashing back to her briefly in a flash.

    "We should keep moving." Talia murmurs once she collects herself, reminding herself that it's just an illusion.

    A very vivid one.

    Piera drops down... into a dungeon. She looks at the figures behind the bars, glances at Talia, then spots movement.

    Silently she approaches the door, peeking through and seeing the Samurai leaving. She frowns and them moves out when the figure leaves the room.

    "Aquila... scout ahead... It's too quiet in here."

    The Raptias floats ahead, scouting in front of the group and checking corners. It's when the group arrive at the office that she stops, and presses her ear against the door to try and hear what's on the other side.

 
 Well, a pleasant surprise for once! Not a sewer! Though it did beg the question what in the world was a bonna fide dungeon doing under city hall? There was no way to know if this was actually here, or perhaps another illusion conjured by the fog, so all Muradin could do was be glad that they didn't have to deal with any foul odors and continue moving forward. 
 
 "Ey! Who're these blokes!?" The dwarf stiffened up slightly as he saw bodies.. was there a battle here? "Ye know 'em?" He looked around to Talia who had quite the strong reaction to the corpses, looking at each one as if she recognized them by name. He could smell fresh blood too, dripping from a blade up ahead, a figured leaving and disappearing from sight even as they advanced forward. It was hard to believe that these was all an illusion. The smell, the fear and... Muradin was still thinking about Morrigan being run through by Frostmourne. 
 
 "If this is an illusion.. then Morrigan could still be alive?" He muttered to himself. Talia was right though, no other way but forward and as they arrived to the Mayor's office, Muradin made sure to prep his battle axe and warhammer ready. 
 
 "Movement up ahead, lassies. Get ready." 

    Matsu's feet hit the ground, a strip of paper in her hand, and it's... not a sewer. It still reeks, but in an entirely different way. Unfortunately, any confusion Matsu might have offered is stilled when they land among... bodies. Young ones. The white-haired shrine maiden scowls, a hard and angry look, but she retains a cool expression and keeps moving-

    Until she sees the samurai. Blood, dripping from a katana. An image etched so vividly into Matsu's mind that she outright freezes. A quiet, keening noise of distress slips out of the girl's throat, and she stumbles back a step or two before falling right on her backside. She only manages to get back up when Talia urges them (or rather, mostly herself) on, and even then, the healer is visibly shaken as they continue.

    As they head into the halls beyond, however, a haunted-looking Matsu reaches up and gently tugs on Piera's sleeve. "If we run into that samurai again, end them. I'll pay you. I'll owe you a favor. I don't care." Unusually venomous, even for her.

    But they reach the mayor's office, and Matsu finally manages to steel herself. Ofuda in hand, a careful ready stance, positioned where she can rely on Muradin to protect her while still supporting him and the rest of the group. She's prepared.

    Up and out of the dungeon, away from the dead bodies of young padawans cut down before their time, following the dripping blood trail of the samurai's bloody katana to the Mayor's office.
    "M-Master may be alive? But..." Mary seems conflicted at the thought when Muradin voices it, biting on her lower lip. "M-maybe I won't have to do the thing?" Ventured hopefully.
    The door opens...
    The samurai is there, katana drawn and held at the ready.
    This is when the figure seated in the chair at the mayor's desk swivels around to face the group.
    "My my, so you all made it this far." She says through the grill of her Sith war mask, as she folds her hands together, before her blazing Dark Side infested eyes turn upon Talia.
    "Hello old friend. I always hated you, you know. Master always did like you best. It was your fault this happened to me." Serissa Moran spits. "Well? Aren't you here to cut us down?" She says, motioning for the samurai to lower his weapon.
    "Go ahead. If you do, we'll only become more powerful than you could possibly imagine..."
    The samurai... lowers to his knees, as though getting ready to commit seppuku, looking to be in need of a Second. And Serissa does not move from her seat either.

 
 Muradin couldn't promise anything to Mary- it was just hopeful thinking, and Honey looked sadly at her fellow Shinki though with a still determined look. If there was a way to return Morrigan she was certain that she and her Master could do it. 
 
 The door opened as per usual, Muradin was the first one in. Tanks, first into the breach, last to leave, that was his job. Weapons drawn and doing his best to shield his companions with is armored body, the dwarf stared at the samurai from earlier and yet another mysterious figured. The Masked One perhaps? This one.. it seemed that was an apparition from Talia's past, and the Thane saw their interaction with intrigue. 
 
 As always, Muradin's first impulse was to attack, and had Arthas been in this room he very likely would have. However, these two weren't defending themselves, they looked like they -WANTED- to be killed, the Samurai even kneeling and getting ready to commit Sepukku. Something wasn't right here, Muradin was a Warrior, but not a priest, he did not know what to do when it came to these illusions and ghosts.. or whatever they were. 
 
 "Lady Matsu." He turned to their exorcist looking for some guidance. "Wot do we do 'ere??" 

    Talia tries her best to fight the urge to look at her fallen comrades. "Perhaps, Mary. Perhaps she got out." She muses, willing away the ugly possibility that Morrigan had left them to die when things got misty and let the town's illusions fool them.

    Maybe this was her goal all along.

    As they make their way towards the mayor's office, they find the samurai kneeling down. And a Sith at the desk.

    "N-No." Talia's eyes water up as she sees her old friend, no, her sister in arms, wearing the Sith armor that Angither had bestowed upon her. Black armor and a mask that radiated bitter, venomous hatred. Talia's soul practically jumps out of her body as she feels her eyes tear up. "S-Serissa..." Talia whimpers softly.

    "Please, I didn't mean to-I just wanted to be your friend. You were my sister, I loved you! Just stop this, I don't want to do this!"

    Talia's lightsaber hilt drops from her grasp, and she falls to her knees.

    As Muradin freezes, and Talia falters... Piera simply draws her sword and steps forward with purpose. She moves to lop the head off the samurai, then turns and flicks a pair of throwing knives at Serissa, no words, no accounting for their peace in the hereafter.

    Execution, pure and simple. "Begone, phantoms. Show us what's really going on here. I'm done playing your twisted game."

    They step through a door.

    And for a second time, Matsu freezes. Pure shock, all over again, as she gets a look at the samurai under proper lighting.

    She knows that face. She knows that armor. "Y... you..." Fury flits through her eyes. Sorrow. Sheer horror. Her hands tremble, ofuda fluttering between her fingers. She can't think. She can't even begin to put together what to do. "...y-you shouldn't... you can't be here. You're... you're back home, and... you-"

    Piera's sword cuts through his neck. Matsu jerks as if struck, startled out of her emotional breakdown.

    For a moment, her shoulders sag, her head lowered. And then tongues of flame start to dance along her arms. "...I've had it with this."

    Her clothes do not blacken. Her skin does not burn. The fire does not harm her. If anything... it seems warm. Welcoming. It pushes back against the oppressive atmosphere of the place. The girl reaches behind her, into the small satchel at her back, and pulls out a strange implement, three tiers of jangling bells on the end of a stick. The flames on her hand begin to dance upward, flowing through, into and around the bells, until...

    Jangle. "O Kami of the sky and sea, o Kami of the earth and hearth."

    Jangle. "O Kami of the sun and the moon. Kami presiding over life and death."

    Jangle. "Corruption lurks here. The world out of balance."

    Jangle. "Let your breath drive out the miasma that befouls this place!"

    A wave of purifying flame surges forth from the bells. A torrent, a rush, an outpouring. It pours out, on and on, flames that drive back curse and corruption. The effort is visible on the girl's face, a hardness in her eyes, as she puts as much of Suzaku's fire into the purification as she can.

    The fire will hurt no one and damage nothing... but it will sure as hell not be friendly to any evil spirits, curses or corruption within a fairly wide area.

>> GAME >> Matsu Shuzenji spends an Edge for: Purifying REALLY, REALLY HARD.

    Muradin defers to Matsu. Poor Talia breaks down.
    Piera is already in motion, her twin daggers embedding in Serissa's chest; the sith simply glances down as though minorly inconvenienced by the blades protruding from her chest and armor.
    The samurai's head rolls.
    And then... Matsu...
    Matsu.
    Matsu's flames spread far and fast; though the warmth washes over the party harmlessly, in an instant the samurai and sith are reduced to ash. The wall smashes in and Arthas looms menacingly in the crater, looking ready to step into the chamber, Frostmourne in hand-- before he too burns away to ash in a blinding conflagration as the flames spread far and wide over the town, driving away the mists.
    And when it's all done and over with, the group will find themselves in an empty office, in City Hall after hours. It's mostly locked down, but they'll manage to find an exit between three plucky shinki and an Assassin with lockpicks, to return to the original meeting spot.
    Where a panicked Morrigan is animatedly arguing with a police officer, eyes wide and wild before she turns to see--
    Everyone alive.
    "Oh cripes am I glad to see you guys, you won't believe the insane shit I've been through, the mists rolled in and--"
    Whumph!
    Mary tackles her hard enough to seat the Warlock on the ground with a thump.
    With a sigh she lightly strokes the shinki's hair.
    "... Boy am I glad you don't have to do the thing."

    Talia is left with a single passing message, a dream she's had for a while now: YOU LEFT US TO DIE.

    It's a phrase said in countless voices, her master's, Serissa's, her fellow padawans'...it's haunted her ever since that fateful night on Zerr.

    She feels the hallucination, the illusion, dispel thanks to Matsu's flames, the maiden managing what a Jedi Knight could not and banish the mindwarping illusion away.

    "I..." Talia falls silent, and she just nods softly. "Well done, Matsu." Talia says, taking a deep breath to collect herself.

    Once they're out on the street, she sees Morrigan alive and well with a policeman, and Mary zips off. "I think she speaks for all of us on that front, Morrigan." Talia says with a tired chuckle, looking more than exhausted with tonight. To her shame, Talia's confirmed her worst fear: She isn't close to ready to facing her demons yet. Not like this.

    The flames flowing out of the kagura suzu in Matsu's grip wane at last, fading to nothing, leaving the girl standing perfectly still, poised, until she brings her hand to the side of the instrument one last time.

    Jangle.

    Then she slumps over, dropping down to a side-saddle sort of sitting, breathing heavily. She looks far more winded than she did after all the sprinting. "...could... could someone help a little. Please."

    Piera sheaths her sword, pulls up her hood once more, and turns to leave after the anti-corruption nuke sears away the evil spirits. She easily picks the locks on the doors, or has Aquila do it in tandem with Mary and Honey.

    Once outside, she heads back to the meeting point... and sees Morrigan alive and well and talking to the local guards.

    The Assassin effaces herself, and turns to take the long walk to the nearest vine. Assassins and Guards don't mix too well... though as she walks away, she has a small smile.

    Aquila looks at her partner. "What are you smiling about?"

    "She didn't have to do that thing."

    The pair continue walking, with Aquila looking back at Morrigan and her Shinki; a wan smile on her scarred face.

    Talia also helpfully picks up Matsu in a princess carry. "I'm sorry if this is a little forward." She says with a sheepish look on her face.

    There's a soft, embarrassed look in Matsu's eyes. "Stupid. It's worse if you call attention to it." Huff.

 
 "Ey wait! Hold on, lassie!" Muradin tried to stop Petra from killing the two as it seemed that was exactly what this Serissa and the Samurai wanted. And then.. 
 
 Clerics. 
 
 Never leave the house without 'em. 
 
 Muradin grinned as Matsu summoned holy fire to burn the ghosts away. Even the errant Arthas illusion smashed through the wall to put some kind of last effort fight, Muradin bracing to defend the cleric by slowing down the Lich King, though even that was unnecessary as Arthas was burned down to ashes. It was all a fake. This wasn't Arthas, and Muradin's heart felt as if it had been released from a vice grip. Whether Arthas still lived back in Azeroth or not, at least he didn't have to worry about it now. With everything returning to normal, the next course of action seemed obvious; check on Morrigan! 
 
 "Hah!! Yer alive!" Muradin cackled as they caught up back to the Warlock who was busy arguing with police. "Never doubted it, heh." Muradin gave a sigh. He wasn't sure what the hell was that all about, but at least it looked like it was over-- for now. "Well done, lads... er.. lassies." Said the dwarf with a grin. He was shaken by all that, seeing Arthas again was... horrifying.. but there is hope in his heart. He shared a glance with Honey and the Shinki went to hug the dwarf's face, drawing an 'oof!' from him. 
 
 It was ok. If he ever ran into Arthas again, he'd be ready.