Re: The Heart of the Labyrinth, Screams and Hope IC Thread 19

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Good, then," he said with a nod.

Rosario nodded she stepped out of your shield's protection to take aim on one of the stone scorpions and shoot it before stepping back, the dead golem was soon replaced by a new one from the floor though that eagerly joined the swarm.

"I will begin work now,"

Cara nodded a bit nervously, this was letting someone cast magick on the most private part of her being and it was not an easy thing but she gave you a little smile to show you that she was ok with it.

There was not time for many words but he looked at Cara when the work was done. He had a slight blush along his ears and cheeks, over his nose, as if he were embarrassed and it had nothing to do with the sudden heat in the fetid hall. The feeling was related to the sense of wonder and exposure both. He gave her a knowing look, highly aware of what she had allowed and the beauty that he had felt, then a determined nod. He was going to keep them all safe.

Cara looked at you for a moment she was slightly blushing as well at letting someone touch her Avatar even if it was just the edges of it, there was something quint about how fragile she at times appeared and the raw power of her soul that spun like a spiral of perfect light inside of her, but yes the Criamon had given you her trust and she needed protection and you could feel your own Avatar ready to do that, ready to be a shield to protect those who needed it. The Archangel Michael protected the Garden with a flaming sword and so would she, she Red Lady, the Warrior Angle that had chosen you for a host.
"Thank you Sodalis."
Cara said softly, she was still a bit moved and unsettled about the experience of letting someone that close but she lifted her hands and begun a rote, her hands moving in complicated designs while she watched the approaching flood of stone scorpions.
"I...think I can...find her...find their mistress...there is a puzzle here to be solved..."
She muttered to herself as she worked.

He glanced down and noted the teacup with a frown. He had not expected that, he didn't want to bring any links in here. He tried to mentally bring the group together, the one with the teacup had his attention, given the situation. "I thought we could use some reinforcements," he said, making sure the door to Willie was shut against the scorpions.

The spider in the teacup looked quite happy where it was, it looked at you though, repairing the toy happily until Colin disturbed it and it ran to hide behind you where it begun to repair the floor, the fright from the stranger forgotten in an instant. The group of gafflings gathered around you though they never stopped working on whatever they found that needed repairs they did happily turn their attention to you. Among them you think you see Harry, the individual spiders where rather similar to one another but they have slight differences, a stripe of yellow here, the way their crystalline bodies looked and you did think you saw Harry there in the middle of the swarm of green gafflings looking at you with all his eyes stomping his legs happily.
"I see, and you brought friends."
Crexia chuckled as she continued to work on her embroidered spell.

"Greetings" he said in Enochian. One of them was Harry, somewhere, came the stray thought. Now that they were all in once place, he was surprised at the turnout. The instructions he gave were simple as he could since they did not really speak in Enochian. It was more a word-shaped feelings driven through the rock of what he had so intensely sensed just earlier working with Cara: These are my friends,' he directed to those in his group clearly in his mind, picking out those, like Rosario, that needed the most protection with a bit more strength. 'Will you please help me protect and preserve that which cannot be touched within my friends and myself, protect also our material vessels that hold that which cannot be touched within us, from our enemies, the stone-golem scorpions?

The spider gafflings looked at you, how much they understood was hard to know but as they where given a task they immediately dove into action chittering with joy at having work to do and they dove towards the scorpions without hesitation but not to fight, no the little gafflings where far from aggressive, so they solved the problem the only way they knew how...they repaired things and these scorpions where supposed to be part of the stone floor, and floors do not walk around so as the gafflings jumped on the scorpions the enchantments on each individual scorpion was destroyed and the stone they had been was lovingly repaired for any damage and dragged back to where they belonged on the floor, neither the scorpions or the Labyrinth creature which was physical could do much about the tiny spirits and they did manage to reduce the swarm quite a bit in number rather quickly with their enthusiastic repair job which went much faster than normal due to the Qlipothic nature of the scoripons which simply had to be repaired right now there was a limit to how fast the spiders could work though and a good half of the swarm was still on the way.

Colin nodded, "True, but that might be a less angry piece than this... But, later."

Crexia nodded.
"One problem at the time young man."

He grinned, "I was thinking more along the lines of a magical larder with fresh beef or mutton growing on the walls, or perhaps a clinic with emergency replacement organs growing for transplant recipients... But nothing so semisentient as this, nor as extensive..."

"Yeah ok...I guess that would be alright, odd but alright and it is not like the Verbena do not have plant Umbral ships so that would be fine but I still think I would prefer plain wood or stone walls you know."
Leon muttered with a frown.

He nodded; no more need for elaboration.

The first part of the scorpion swarm had reached your group now, two of them tried to climp up Crexia's legs and where swatted away, one of them but Leon in the foot which made the Jerbiton yelp, swear and step on the little stone monster, a few tried to get to Adley and the women he where protecting but his shields held firm. Olamide melted a few dozen of the critters with the spell she had made but still they came. Udella swatted one away but another managed to sting her hand and the old Enforcer grunted in pain. Three of the little bastards rushed towards Colin trying to attack his legs, the main force of the swarm where not on your group quite yet but it was coming quickly, your shenanigans with the walls had broken the swarm up and many had been repaired by Adley's little friends but more where coming and there where many of them.

(OOC: Awww it makes me miss my darling Blair. )

[Warpmind]

"Yeah ok...I guess that would be alright, odd but alright and it is not like the Verbena do not have plant Umbral ships so that would be fine but I still think I would prefer plain wood or stone walls you know."
Leon muttered with a frown.

Colin nodded, "Indeed. I was merely positing a less... horrid alternative for flesh walls. I'll prefer more conventional materials, myself."

The first part of the scorpion swarm had reached your group now, two of them tried to climp up Crexia's legs and where swatted away, one of them but Leon in the foot which made the Jerbiton yelp, swear and step on the little stone monster, a few tried to get to Adley and the women he where protecting but his shields held firm. Olamide melted a few dozen of the critters with the spell she had made but still they came. Udella swatted one away but another managed to sting her hand and the old Enforcer grunted in pain. Three of the little bastards rushed towards Colin trying to attack his legs, the main force of the swarm where not on your group quite yet but it was coming quickly, your shenanigans with the walls had broken the swarm up and many had been repaired by Adley's little friends but more where coming and there where many of them.

Colin swore at the approaching creeps, then raised his signet ring in a desperate attempt to keep them away from his feet, "Caligae Venti Silencio Mundanus!"

((OOC: Essentially, trying to make Boots of Mundane Silence for himself to stall the little bastards... Arete roll: 3,4,8. Well, if it works, it works, and if not, this is going to sting... ))

((OOC2: Aww, poor Blair. :/ ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "Indeed. I was merely positing a less... horrid alternative for flesh walls. I'll prefer more conventional materials, myself."

"Gentlemen, would you mind discussing interior design when we are not under siege by the pebbles from hell?"
Crexia asked and gave both you and Leon a stern look and the Jerbiton looked slightly guilty.
"Yeah...sorry ma'am we will focus."
He muttered as he took aim and waited for the swarm to get closer before emptying his magazine into the sea of stony critters taking out a few of them as he went.

Colin swore at the approaching creeps, then raised his signet ring in a desperate attempt to keep them away from his feet, "Caligae Venti Silencio Mundanus!"

Well your boots probably had slight anti magickal property now, at least for a little while but it was not enough to affect the Nephanda's spell and your new little friend started crawling up your boots until one of them reached the top where it could bury it's stinger in the flesh of your leg, which felt exactly like getting a pebble stuck in your leg, for now the small wound did not affect you but with enough stings and bites you would have a problem and the other two scorpions where on their way up, it was probably good you got that tetanus shot after the rat bite in the sewers as it would protect you from this as well and a slightly aching arm was a small price to pay for that, then again who knew what diseases these critters carried with them.

(OOC: No that is not enough the scorpions want to chew a bit on Colin, he is delicious. No damage yet though each single one of the scorpions are tiny.)
(OOC 2: Yeah poor Blair she was such a good spider she never refused to eat her bugs, not once.)

[Adley]

"Thank you Sodalis." Cara said softly, she was still a bit moved and unsettled about the experience of letting someone that close but she lifted her hands and begun a rote, her hands moving in complicated designs while she watched the approaching flood of stone scorpions. "I...think I can...find her...find their mistress...there is a puzzle here to be solved..."

He gave her an understanding nod and then turned back to figuring out how to manage a swarm of spiderlings. to help them out. They seemed to have a morale boosting effect, he felt better they were there, Crexia managed a laugh even though she was working, Colin seemed surprised.

He nodded, "Agreed. They might not be able to melt the little golems, but..." He frowned, "The golems would be made with qlippothic magic - could your little guys, er, repair that, as it were? Assuming these spiders are the ones I heard were making miniscule repairs at home?"

The spider gafflings looked at you, how much they understood was hard to know but as they where given a task they immediately dove into action chittering with joy at having work to do and they dove towards the scorpions without hesitation but not to fight, no the little gafflings where far from aggressive, so they solved the problem the only way they knew how...they repaired things and these scorpions where supposed to be part of the stone floor, and floors do not walk around so as the gafflings jumped on the scorpions the enchantments on each individual scorpion was destroyed and the stone they had been was lovingly repaired for any damage and dragged back to where they belonged on the floor, neither the scorpions or the Labyrinth creature which was physical could do much about the tiny spirits and they did manage to reduce the swarm quite a bit in number rather quickly with their enthusiastic repair job which went much faster than normal due to the Qlipothic nature of the scoripons which simply had to be repaired right now there was a limit to how fast the spiders could work though and a good half of the swarm was still on the way.

"Good idea...yes, I believe so..." he agreed. He ran the impulse of that notion through the stones as well as his words and watched as the swarm ran off joyously to work. He would have liked to just watch them as they dealt with the scorpion spell and pulled the stones back to place but, though he kept a sense open for them to try to keep a defense-in depth to delay their progression, he glanced around to see where to direct more assistance. There were still too many damn scorpions.

The first part of the scorpion swarm had reached your group now, two of them tried to climp up Crexia's legs and where swatted away, one of them but Leon in the foot which made the Jerbiton yelp, swear and step on the little stone monster, a few tried to get to Adley and the women he where protecting but his shields held firm. Olamide melted a few dozen of the critters with the spell she had made but still they came. Udella swatted one away but another managed to sting her hand and the old Enforcer grunted in pain. Three of the little bastards rushed towards Colin trying to attack his legs, the main force of the swarm where not on your group quite yet but it was coming quickly, your shenanigans with the walls had broken the swarm up and many had been repaired by Adley's little friends but more where coming and there where many of them.

Damn things...he began to create a spell not unlike the alarm perimeter spells or a tripwire in front of their group, where it wouldn't burn them. Instead of sounding an alarm, he meant for it to give off a burst of physical heat, not fire, as the scorpions crossed it to slow them down.  'Linea caldidum,' he said, concentrating on the wave of attackers coming at them and gesturing for creo, ignem, and vim. He warned off his spiderlings in case they thought to come into contact with it, though as they were spiritual in part, they might not be prone to its effect.

// lmao, I love how Colin can have idle chat during the most intense freaking combats...and d'aw...I never realised how cute and personable some spiders were.
Forces3/prime2: 8,5,4 for that rote, for this round - I think that makes sense to try it that way

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Good idea...yes, I believe so..." he agreed. He ran the impulse of that notion through the stones as well as his words and watched as the swarm ran off joyously to work. He would have liked to just watch them as they dealt with the scorpion spell and pulled the stones back to place but, though he kept a sense open for them to try to keep a defense-in depth to delay their progression, he glanced around to see where to direct more assistance. There were still too many damn scorpions.

The spirit spiders worked happily, turning the scorpions into rocks again and carefully placed them back into the floor, they did not really understand the concept of defense though, you could probably direct them to which scorpions to go after first, but these where completely peaceful beings, they only understood that something had to be fixed or preserved and work to do just that, it was what they was and they could not grasp much beyond those simple concepts.

Damn things...he began to create a spell not unlike the alarm perimeter spells or a tripwire in front of their group, where it wouldn't burn them. Instead of sounding an alarm, he meant for it to give off a burst of physical heat, not fire, as the scorpions crossed it to slow them down. 'Linea caldidum,' he said, concentrating on the wave of attackers coming at them and gesturing for creo, ignem, and vim. He warned off his spiderlings in case they thought to come into contact with it, though as they were spiritual in part, they might not be prone to its effect.

You set up the line of "tripwire" in the corridor and form your rote around it, it was a hasty working and yet here this close to the Nephandi's disgusting Node reality heeded your words and as a new bunch of scorpions headed towards your group it went of and a good twenty or thirty of them where melted to slag. The little green spirit spiders seamed to not care about your physical spell though and they just continued their work. Your spell slowed the swarm down a little but they where still coming. Olamide created a big field of heat and melted a fair number of the things further down the corridor before she cried out as one of then climbed up her shoes and bit her. Care kept working on her spell. Udella also sent out a wave of heat and this one you felt, the next wave of scorpions where melted but more where coming, an relentless sea of them and the few who had gotten in among your group where constantly pestering the Traditionalists with stings and bites. Rosario and Leon tried to fire into the swarm and they killed some of the beings, if killed was even the right word, but it helped little, sooner or later you would be overun.
"I am ready Sodalis can you get me one of the little pests and I will sever the link between them and their mistress."
Crexia said and looked up from the symbols she was sewing into her embroidery cloth.
"Quickly!"

(OOC: Yeah Colin have that ability...why do I have the feeling that if it was ever discovered what his Avatar are and he was sentenced he would stand there having a idle talk with the Spirit Masters before the ritual, freaking everyone out? Also spiders are adorable. My Blair started throwing rocks on her older days, if a bug tried to run away she would throw rocks at it.)

[Warpmind]

"Gentlemen, would you mind discussing interior design when we are not under siege by the pebbles from hell?"
Crexia asked and gave both you and Leon a stern look and the Jerbiton looked slightly guilty.
"Yeah...sorry ma'am we will focus."
He muttered as he took aim and waited for the swarm to get closer before emptying his magazine into the sea of stony critters taking out a few of them as he went.

Colin smiled slightly sheepishly, "Sorry, ma'am. Combat pilot's habit - if there are too few factors to keep an eye on, we tend to gab... I'll, er, explain the phenomenon in greater detail later, if you like, but I'm afraid it rather helps me focus on targeting and working out tactical options rapidly."

Well your boots probably had slight anti magickal property now, at least for a little while but it was not enough to affect the Nephanda's spell and your new little friend started crawling up your boots until one of them reached the top where it could bury it's stinger in the flesh of your leg, which felt exactly like getting a pebble stuck in your leg, for now the small wound did not affect you but with enough stings and bites you would have a problem and the other two scorpions where on their way up, it was probably good you got that tetanus shot after the rat bite in the sewers as it would protect you from this as well and a slightly aching arm was a small price to pay for that, then again who knew what diseases these critters carried with them.

He grimaced and tried to pick up the offending scorpion by the tail, gripping it just below the stinger, "The Iraqi ones were far worse, you cheap knockoff..."
He swiftly kicked in the direction of the corridor to attempt to dislodge the two others - though it was with somewhat less enthusiasm than his attempt to capture the first one.

((OOC: Dex+Athletics seems appropriate to pick one up while it's stuck in Colin's leg? Roll comes to 2,5,6,0... So one success, maybe two? On the assumption that's enough to pick up the first, I'm continuing here. If the two others keep climbing his legs in the meantime, that's... a lesser concern. Still going to sting, but Colin would have encountered real scorpions in Iraq, though he might not have been stung by one... He's seen how bad the venom stings. ))

"I am ready Sodalis can you get me one of the little pests and I will sever the link between them and their mistress."
Crexia said and looked up from the symbols she was sewing into her embroidery cloth.
"Quickly!"

He grimaced and took a step over to Crexia, holding out the one to her, "Will this do? It's got a bit of me on the stinger, though, but it seems more painful than venomous."

((OOC: Of course Colin would calmly converse with the six Spirit Masters before they tried to gilgul him, should his secret become known. After all, if he were to shut up and just let them go ahead with it, he might end up with their injuries on his conscience - Mia deciding to play spiritual claymore mine with corrupt Avatar fragments would get ugly as all Hell. Also, idle chat in combat is, well, it's pretty much the sort of radio banter one might expect from combat pilots, I suppose; helps soothe the nerves and cross-reference subconscious information, that sort of thing. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin smiled slightly sheepishly, "Sorry, ma'am. Combat pilot's habit - if there are too few factors to keep an eye on, we tend to gab... I'll, er, explain the phenomenon in greater detail later, if you like, but I'm afraid it rather helps me focus on targeting and working out tactical options rapidly."

"I understand young man...very well then as long as your mind is on the task of hand it is not my business how you choose to keep your attention on it."
Crexia said as she regarded Colin for a moment and went back to her own task.

He grimaced and tried to pick up the offending scorpion by the tail, gripping it just below the stinger, "The Iraqi ones were far worse, you cheap knockoff..."
He swiftly kicked in the direction of the corridor to attempt to dislodge the two others - though it was with somewhat less enthusiasm than his attempt to capture the first one.

You managed to grab the stone scorpion by the tail, it squirmed in your grip and tried to bite you but you held it pretty firmly and it did not get a chance to. You managed to dislodge one of the two remaining stone scorpions and it clattered right into Adley's trip wire which turned it molten, the other one managed to hit your leg though and that stung pretty badly but you did not think there was any poison to worry about but off course the stones where dirty wo having the tiny wounds cleaned well and healed as soon as possible might be wise.

He grimaced and took a step over to Crexia, holding out the one to her, "Will this do? It's got a bit of me on the stinger, though, but it seems more painful than venomous."

"It will do young man, thank you."
The old Hermeic said and carefully took over the hold on the squirming little monster.
"Well then let us see what we can do with this."
She muttered.
"And no I do not think they are poisonous...though I am not sure."
She said before she wrapped the struggling little golem into her embroidery cloth and made the signs for Vim and Perdo over with while muttering to herself, there was sort of a wave that went through the swarm, then they continued to move but allot more hesitantly, more unguided.

"She is in the Umbra...hidden where she can observe her creations, a cloak around her to protect her from our eyes, it have to be the solution to the puzzle."
Cara suddenly exclaimed from where she was sitting on the table. Leon grabbed one of the scorpions that had gotten past Adley's shield and was on it's merry way up the table leg and threw it to the side.
"Really? But how on earth do you know that Criamon?"
He muttered doubtfully.

(OOC: Well yes trying to Gilgul Colin might not go to well, for anyone involved. Including the audience. :O )

[Warpmind]

"I understand young man...very well then as long as your mind is on the task of hand it is not my business how you choose to keep your attention on it."
Crexia said as she regarded Colin for a moment and went back to her own task.

Colin gave Crexia a small nod and muttered softly to himself as he surveyed the corridor, "The creature flows through there and there, but there's an undisturbed patch of stone over there and... Hm, passing untouched might be possible, after all..."

You managed to grab the stone scorpion by the tail, it squirmed in your grip and tried to bite you but you held it pretty firmly and it did not get a chance to. You managed to dislodge one of the two remaining stone scorpions and it clattered right into Adley's trip wire which turned it molten, the other one managed to hit your leg though and that stung pretty badly but you did not think there was any poison to worry about but off course the stones where dirty wo having the tiny wounds cleaned well and healed as soon as possible might be wise.

He deadpanned, in an excellent Doctor Smith imitation, "Ow. The pain, the pain..."

"It will do young man, thank you."
The old Hermeic said and carefully took over the hold on the squirming little monster.
"Well then let us see what we can do with this."
She muttered.
"And no I do not think they are poisonous...though I am not sure."
She said before she wrapped the struggling little golem into her embroidery cloth and made the signs for Vim and Perdo over with while muttering to herself, there was sort of a wave that went through the swarm, then they continued to move but allot more hesitantly, more unguided.

He snorted, "I'd rather not try to ingest one to find out... Ah, semantics, sorry."

"She is in the Umbra...hidden where she can observe her creations, a cloak around her to protect her from our eyes, it have to be the solution to the puzzle."
Cara suddenly exclaimed from where she was sitting on the table. Leon grabbed one of the scorpions that had gotten past Adley's shield and was on it's merry way up the table leg and threw it to the side.
"Really? But how on earth do you know that Criamon?"
He muttered doubtfully.

He arched an eyebrow, then shrugged, "That makes sense, actually - the security chief would want some seemingly safe vantage point to lead her forces from, preferably somewhere we would have difficulty locating her. And when it comes to working out trickery and puzzles like that, who better than a Criamon?"

((OOC: Well, now, the audience might be safe...))

((OOC2: The pain... The pain...

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin gave Crexia a small nod and muttered softly to himself as he surveyed the corridor, "The creature flows through there and there, but there's an undisturbed patch of stone over there and... Hm, passing untouched might be possible, after all..."

"It might or we can use magick to hold the thing back while we pass."
Crexia said and raised an eyebrow.

He snorted, "I'd rather not try to ingest one to find out... Ah, semantics, sorry."

"Well since they are made of stones ingesting them might not be wise either way young man."
Crexia said and Leon chimed in after he had shot one more of the stone scorpions, the room where so noisy now it was hard to hear what the others where saying.
"My Mentor's cat familiar eat stones...you know little round ones to help her digest grass."
It was clear that the Jerbiton was just talking out of nervousness and Crexia raised an eyebrow and said sternly with a hint of sarcasm.
"Thank you Sodales information on the dietary habits of your Mentor's cat is very helpful right now."
Leon looked down as he reloaded his gun.
"Ehm...sorry ma'am."

He arched an eyebrow, then shrugged, "That makes sense, actually - the security chief would want some seemingly safe vantage point to lead her forces from, preferably somewhere we would have difficulty locating her. And when it comes to working out trickery and puzzles like that, who better than a Criamon?"

"I can try to find her and drag her into our current plane of reality, I do have the greatest of respect for House Criamon's ability to figure out puzzles, however if I do you can be sure she will defend herself and she will then be hearing what we are saying right now and might be on her way to flee so I have to act now, if I get her the rest of you need to deal with her at once...perhaps that will stop the swarm."
Udella suggested she glanced at Crexia who nodded before Udella begun working on a new spell.
"If this works...everyone be ready and watch out!"
The old Tytalus ordered as she swatted away two scorpions that was on their way up her skirts.

(OOC: The operative word here is might...I would not want to be in that audience.)
(OOC 2: Just wait until there is more of them, one or two little stings or bites do not hurt much, a thousand though...)
(OOC 3: Off I go to my doctor's appointment to see if the man have figured out why I look like a Navigator or if I should just invest in a nice, big aquarium and a Highliner. )

[Warpmind]

"It might or we can use magick to hold the thing back while we pass."
Crexia said and raised an eyebrow.

He nodded, "Or just teleport past, for that matter. Now that the tanks are drained, that should be far less of a concern in that respect..."

"Well since they are made of stones ingesting them might not be wise either way young man."
Crexia said and Leon chimed in after he had shot one more of the stone scorpions, the room where so noisy now it was hard to hear what the others where saying.
"My Mentor's cat familiar eat stones...you know little round ones to help her digest grass."
It was clear that the Jerbiton was just talking out of nervousness and Crexia raised an eyebrow and said sternly with a hint of sarcasm.
"Thank you Sodales information on the dietary habits of your Mentor's cat is very helpful right now."
Leon looked down as he reloaded his gun.
"Ehm...sorry ma'am."

He paused only for an instant, "Actually, would it be possible to plant that idea in the Labyrinth creature's mind? That it needs to eat those scorpions to help with indigestion?"

"I can try to find her and drag her into our current plane of reality, I do have the greatest of respect for House Criamon's ability to figure out puzzles, however if I do you can be sure she will defend herself and she will then be hearing what we are saying right now and might be on her way to flee so I have to act now, if I get her the rest of you need to deal with her at once...perhaps that will stop the swarm."
Udella suggested she glanced at Crexia who nodded before Udella begun working on a new spell.
"If this works...everyone be ready and watch out!"
The old Tytalus ordered as she swatted away two scorpions that was on their way up her skirts.

He nodded and raised Jake's gun, ready to fire, "Very well - Live capture preferred but not crucial?"

((Well, now, an aquarium and a highliner might be a worthwhile investment in any case - though I might have prioritized some more square mileage of house first, to fit the library into. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

He nodded, "Or just teleport past, for that matter. Now that the tanks are drained, that should be far less of a concern in that respect..."

"Indeed getting part is not the biggest issue, there we have options once we have dealt with these damnable little golems!"
Crexia said and wrinkled her nose in disgust over the tiny creatures that where stubbornly advancing despite their own great losses.

He paused only for an instant, "Actually, would it be possible to plant that idea in the Labyrinth creature's mind? That it needs to eat those scorpions to help with indigestion?"

Crexia looked at you dumbfounded for a moment then she gave a sudden grin.
"That...is brilliant...that might just work."
She said and she begun to move her hands in the old Hermetic sigils, while chanting softly in Latin, her eyes unfocused for a moment and then all of a sudden tentacles and maws burst from the floor, joining the ones already there in attacking the stone scorpions, grabbing them gleefully and crunching down on them. Crexia looked rather nauseous for a moment after she had been in contact with the Labyrinth creature's mind but se quickly recovered.
"Disgusting..."
She muttered.
"Absolutely disgusting."

He nodded and raised Jake's gun, ready to fire, "Very well - Live capture preferred but not crucial?"

"Preferred yes a powerful Nephandi Master...should not be allowed to reincarnate, and we want her intel on her damned Mentor, I can get her powers under control, but it will be hard to keep her that way without using some form of restraints...anyway...if she can be taken alive and her magick cut of that is ideal but dead is not a problem unless you get a very good chance to take her down without killing her, our first priority right now is dealing with the swarm. So yes live capture is preferred, but not crucial."
Crexia replied before she started her rote...and she seamed to suddenly meet resistance for she gasped as she worked and her hand gestures got more cropped and hasty and her chancing more intense, she seamed to be fighting someone, and anyone who could give the old Tytalus a run for her money had to be bad news.

(OOC: True enough then again there are room for allot of books on a Highliner... Well then I have been at the doctor and my thyroid is working as it should so it is not the cause of my eyes. It seams I am very healthy and are as he said outside fat and not inside fat. I have started on desensitization training for my phobia as well and will be doing that regularly so the visit went well, though I would have liked to know why my eyes look like this, I guess I will blame Spice. )

[Adley]

"I am ready Sodalis can you get me one of the little pests and I will sever the link between them and their mistress." Crexia said and looked up from the symbols she was sewing into her embroidery cloth. "Quickly!"

He grimaced and took a step over to Crexia, holding out the one to her, "Will this do? It's got a bit of me on the stinger, though, but it seems more painful than venomous."

Adley turned to see Colin wrangling a scorpion-golem by the tail and looked at him with surprise and a sudden grin appeared on his face. "Tiger by the tail, are you ok?"

"And no I do not think they are poisonous...though I am not sure."She said before she wrapped the struggling little golem into her embroidery cloth and made the signs for Vim and Perdo over with while muttering to herself, there was sort of a wave that went through the swarm, then they continued to move but allot more hesitantly, more unguided.

He snorted, "I'd rather not try to ingest one to find out... Ah, semantics, sorry."

"A! Kalo ayto!" Adley laughed despite himself. Part of the conversation with Leon was lost to noise and him concentrating on trying to keep the scorpions away.

Crexia looked at you dumbfounded for a moment then she gave a sudden grin. "That...is brilliant...that might just work." She said and she begun to move her hands in the old Hermetic sigils, while chanting softly in Latin, her eyes unfocused for a moment and then all of a sudden tentacles and maws burst from the floor, joining the ones already there in attacking the stone scorpions, grabbing them gleefully and crunching down on them. Crexia looked rather nauseous for a moment after she had been in contact with the Labyrinth creature's mind but se quickly recovered. "Disgusting..."She muttered."Absolutely disgusting."

When he saw the tentacles burst out of the ground, his eyes widened and he held back a curse. He send the impulse for the s spiderling swarm to stay away from the maw, not to give it any sweet tooth for them.

He paused only for an instant, "Actually, would it be possible to plant that idea in the Labyrinth creature's mind? That it needs to eat those scorpions to help with indigestion?"

"She is in the Umbra...hidden where she can observe her creations, a cloak around her to protect her from our eyes, it have to be the solution to the puzzle." Cara suddenly exclaimed from where she was sitting on the table. Leon grabbed one of the scorpions that had gotten past Adley's shield and was on it's merry way up the table leg and threw it to the side. "Really? But how on earth do you know that Criamon?"

He arched an eyebrow, then shrugged, "That makes sense, actually - the security chief would want some seemingly safe vantage point to lead her forces from, preferably somewhere we would have difficulty locating her. And when it comes to working out trickery and puzzles like that, who better than a Criamon?

He scowled at Leon's comment to Cara, he simply believed she knew what she was talking about. Touching her imprints might have biased him, or not, she was a Criamon. They knew things. Now what to do about it...she was watching them. Or Through the scorpions...behind her shroud of magick, somewhere in the Umbra.

"The shroud...can you tell if it is using the ars fatii?" he asked.

"I can try to find her and drag her into our current plane of reality, I do have the greatest of respect for House Criamon's ability to figure out puzzles, however if I do you can be sure she will defend herself and she will then be hearing what we are saying right now and might be on her way to flee so I have to act now, if I get her the rest of you need to deal with her at once...perhaps that will stop the swarm."

He nodded and raised Jake's gun, ready to fire, "Very well - Live capture preferred but not crucial?"

"Preferred yes a powerful Nephandi Master...should not be allowed to reincarnate, and we want her intel on her damned Mentor, I can get her powers under control, but it will be hard to keep her that way without using some form of restraints...anyway...if she can be taken alive and her magick cut of that is ideal but dead is not a problem unless you get a very good chance to take her down without killing her, our first priority right now is dealing with the swarm. So yes live capture is preferred, but not crucial."

"Yes ma'am..." he said. Knowing that their Chief was watching their tactics, he tried to disguise his hand gestures as if he were targeting the scorpions again.

// hope you figure out what's going on with your eyes and that you're ok.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

When he saw the tentacles burst out of the ground, his eyes widened and he held back a curse. He send the impulse for the s spiderling swarm to stay away from the maw, not to give it any sweet tooth for them.

The spiderlings skittered away from the maws and tentacles making little scared sounds before they all ran to another part of the corridor to continue their work there, it seamed nothing could distract them from working for to long, none of the tiny spirits seamed to be hurt though.

"The shroud...can you tell if it is using the ars fatii?" he asked.

"No I do not think so Sodalis, she have draped herself in the Umbra itself, that have to be the solution to the puzzle it fits..."
Cara said, her voice was a bit faraway and her eyes focused on something you could not see.

"Yes ma'am..." he said. Knowing that their Chief was watching their tactics, he tried to disguise his hand gestures as if he were targeting the scorpions again.

Crexia did not seam to hear you as she faugh with something in the Umbra, one of her hands went for the pocket where her Tass beads where located without letting go of the sigils, both you and Colin could feel powerful magick crackling in the air and while the battle of wills could not be seen it was there and from the expression on the old Tytalus it cost but then Udella joined in, seamlessly she begun chanting as well and her words and gestures where perfectly in sync with Crexia's, you had seen on Hermetic Tribunals you had been to elder magi showing of and the control and synchronicity of the two Master would have been a beautiful display, if your lives had not been on the line.

When the two Hermetics won the spiritual tug a war, they did so quickly and suddenly there where another person in the room, she was tall and handsome with a hard, angular face, brown hair in a ponytail surrounded her face and equally brown eyes looked around, to calculating to be scared, she was taking stock of her situation. The Nephandic Security Chief wore a pair of gold earrings as her only decoration and her clothes where simple, practical, black jeans and a red cotton top, here and there scars marked her arms, and one long scar ran from her mouth and down to her neck, this woman had been in more than one fight.

You feel emotions well up inside of you as you see the Security Chief...no not your emotions, Dylan's emotions, the part of Dylan that was still with your Avatar, you remember her hands holding you down as Abigail...took her pleasure and with the memory come your Avatar's desire to fight, to destroy this woman who had hurt you. Anger, terror, snippets of horrible memories, of her standing there keeping watch as Gabriel worked his tortures, knives cutting your flesh, a needle entering your left eye, endless pain and she was part of it, coldly she had guarded you, delivered you to your torture and abuse and now she was there in front of you, only three arms reaches from you, and seeing her hurt, it made your Avatar screamed in your mind, the Red Angel was protective of you now, she so wanted to reach out and destroy the woman but could not act without you but she wanted you to be safe and you felt the duel desire to flee in terror and attack the woman in a murderous rage...Dylan's pain simmered in the back of your mind and made it hard to know what was him, and what was you...you knew how it felt to be chained down to Gabriel's work bench and tortured within an inch of your life...you knew how it felt to be used by Abigail, you knew how it felt to see Claire...when she had been to the Caul, wide eyed, terrified and so full of despair and a big part of the fault of all of that suffering, your suffering, Claire's suffering now stood before you.

(OOC: Please give me a Willpower roll to control the emotions from your Avatar or a Intelligence puls Avatar roll to sort them out and separate which is you and which is Dylan.)

(OOC: Thank you. Well the most likely thing with my eyes now is simply that just as I have to shallow joints and to small openings for the various things that needs openings in my skull I probably have to small eye sockets, there is no problem with that other than the problems that come with to big eyes though but I will probably get an x ray to confirm it. I am ok the desensitization training costs of course so my posts might be a little off for today, for example I forgot it was Udella and not Crexia who where going to pull the Chief out of the Umbra in my last post, but yeah I am fine.)

[Warpmind]

"Indeed getting part is not the biggest issue, there we have options once we have dealt with these damnable little golems!"
Crexia said and wrinkled her nose in disgust over the tiny creatures that where stubbornly advancing despite their own great losses.

Colin nodded, "I've seen footage of a Marabunta. These are not quite as bad, but only barely..."

Crexia looked at you dumbfounded for a moment then she gave a sudden grin.
"That...is brilliant...that might just work."

He grinned and pointed a thumb toward Leon, "Thank him; he's the one who mentioned it."

She said and she begun to move her hands in the old Hermetic sigils, while chanting softly in Latin, her eyes unfocused for a moment and then all of a sudden tentacles and maws burst from the floor, joining the ones already there in attacking the stone scorpions, grabbing them gleefully and crunching down on them. Crexia looked rather nauseous for a moment after she had been in contact with the Labyrinth creature's mind but se quickly recovered.
"Disgusting..."
She muttered.
"Absolutely disgusting."

He grimaced slightly, "Ah, sorry... I imagine the rotten Quintessence I blasted through it didn't help much, either?"

Adley turned to see Colin wrangling a scorpion-golem by the tail and looked at him with surprise and a sudden grin appeared on his face. "Tiger by the tail, are you ok?"

He grimaced, "It hurts. A fair bit more than the average wasp sting, I'd say... One is manageable, two is a pain in the, well, leg, but get swarmed by these, and the result should be fairly obvious... Good work on that... barrier, is it?"

"A! Kalo ayto!" Adley laughed despite himself. Part of the conversation with Leon was lost to noise and him concentrating on trying to keep the scorpions away.

He arched an eyebrow, "Kalo ayto? Would that be Greek or, what's that other one... Koptic?"

"Preferred yes a powerful Nephandi Master...should not be allowed to reincarnate, and we want her intel on her damned Mentor, I can get her powers under control, but it will be hard to keep her that way without using some form of restraints...anyway...if she can be taken alive and her magick cut of that is ideal but dead is not a problem unless you get a very good chance to take her down without killing her, our first priority right now is dealing with the swarm. So yes live capture is preferred, but not crucial."
Crexia replied before she started her rote...and she seamed to suddenly meet resistance for she gasped as she worked and her hand gestures got more cropped and hasty and her chancing more intense, she seamed to be fighting someone, and anyone who could give the old Tytalus a run for her money had to be bad news.

Crexia did not seam to hear you as she faugh with something in the Umbra, one of her hands went for the pocket where her Tass beads where located without letting go of the sigils, both you and Colin could feel powerful magick crackling in the air and while the battle of wills could not be seen it was there and from the expression on the old Tytalus it cost but then Udella joined in, seamlessly she begun chanting as well and her words and gestures where perfectly in sync with Crexia's, you had seen on Hermetic Tribunals you had been to elder magi showing of and the control and synchronicity of the two Master would have been a beautiful display, if your lives had not been on the line.

When the two Hermetics won the spiritual tug a war, they did so quickly and suddenly there where another person in the room, she was tall and handsome with a hard, angular face, brown hair in a ponytail surrounded her face and equally brown eyes looked around, to calculating to be scared, she was taking stock of her situation. The Nephandic Security Chief wore a pair of gold earrings as her only decoration and her clothes where simple, practical, black jeans and a red cotton top, here and there scars marked her arms, and one long scar ran from her mouth and down to her neck, this woman had been in more than one fight.

He carefully watched for the first indications of where the Security Chief would manifest; a shadow, a spark of magic, anything - and aimed for the center of her torso, squeezing off one careful shot.

((OOC: Dex+Firearms - 1,0... Uhm, I think Colin just murdered the Security Chief's shadow. ))

((OOC2: Well, if it's "just" snug eye sockets, that should at least not be a hazard to your health. I guess chiseling out some more room is out of the question? ))

((OOC3: Also, good on you with the deseensitization training. ))

((OOC4: Just came home after watching Wonder Woman. No spoilers, but clearly the best Justice League movie. Also the best DC Origin Story movie, I think, and I think in the top three of superhero origin story movies in general...))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "I've seen footage of a Marabunta. These are not quite as bad, but only barely..."

Crexia gave a bit of a wry smile.
"Indeed and they are not even the most disgusting thing I have seen down here."
She grumbled.

He grinned and pointed a thumb toward Leon, "Thank him; he's the one who mentioned it."

Crexia glanced over at Leon and gave the Jerbiton a slight nod and Leon returned a smile.
"Well I was just babbling it was our Orphan here who came up with the idea of having the Labyrinth use the bloody scorpions as digestive rocks."
He said as he kicked another scorpion away from his leg but two more took their place and he gave a pained groan as one of them buried it's stinger in his shins.
"Ow...fuck...damned Nephandi and their fucking, messed up spells!"
He declared as he tried to get the scorpions off his legs.

He grimaced slightly, "Ah, sorry... I imagine the rotten Quintessence I blasted through it didn't help much, either?"

"Let us just say I have visited the sweet innocent minds of newborn babes...this was not that!"
Crexia muttered as she tried to regain her regal composure.
"Definitively not that...gah!"

He carefully watched for the first indications of where the Security Chief would manifest; a shadow, a spark of magic, anything - and aimed for the center of her torso, squeezing off one careful shot.

You aimed and fired but the shot laded to soon so you made a nice chip in the floor that the Nephandi Security Chief is now standing on, that you tried to shoot her did not go over her head though and she raised her right arm and a greenish blue spike of a glass like substance manifested from the palm of her hand and shot towards you at some speed before she continued her obvious struggle with the two old Hermetics.
"Shoot her...before we loose control completely...at least pain might distract her..."
Crexia ordered as she quickly worked her magick to try to contain the clearly quite powerful Nephandus.

(OOC: Yes that was not the most successful shot ever, do feel free to roll dodge though unless Colin feel like being hit by that spike. I mean who knows it could be fun. )

(OOC 2: No it is not dangerous the only problem is that I often end up sleeping with my eyes open and generally my eyes tend to catch infections very easily. I have seen ere are plastic surgery available, not chiseling no because eek but building up the face around the eyes to make them look more normal but unless that will also reduce my problems with eye infections and I sort of doubt that. I am quite content to look like a troll doll as long as my eyes work and surgery just to look more normal...ehm no.)

(OOC 3: Yeah well that will be a fun thing to do every other week or so for a while But yeah it is about time and it will open some doors to treatments for various issues that where close before so baby steps for now.)

(OOC 4: I might actually go and see that one at the cinema even if I do not like the loud sounds and lots of people there.)

[Adley]

"No I do not think so Sodalis, she have draped herself in the Umbra itself, that have to be the solution to the puzzle it fits..." Cara said

That was an interesting approach, one that unfortunately for them gave her a definite advantage. "Thank you, sodalis."

When the two Hermetics won the spiritual tug a war, they did so quickly and suddenly there where another person in the room...You feel emotions well up inside of you as you see the Security Chief...no not your emotions, Dylan's emotions...could not act without you but she wanted you to be safe and you felt the duel desire to flee in terror and attack the woman in a murderous rage...

It wasn't as if he hadn't been expecting to see her, right now in fact. He had. He had expected it, even had been anticipating that her appearance would instigate a renewed drenching of emotions from Dylan's lifetime. But this was far beyond anything he could reasonably expect, because it wasn't reasonable at all it was entirely raw and powerful and happening now and...it was living slices of hell, that this woman in front of him caused, so much pain and suffering and horrible, so horrible, so afraid and in pain...he tried to hold onto the spell he was crafting, tried to use all the emotions to fuel it instead of overwhelm him, tried to control it as he was taught to do...could not run away. Could not. His face ran through a gamut of expressions, body taking on a hunching expression. He and glared at her, internally torn between two opposing urges to withdraw and lash out in fury.

// I figured that he won't think to sit there and try mental exercises to separate all that out, because he's not in a good frame to even think to so (even if it were his forte, which it's not). More likely his pater would have taught him methods of control by willpower, so I rolled that:  2, 5, 3, 8 ,9, 0

Well, glad it is nothing too serious but eye infections sound uncomfortable. Understandable that you'd want to avoid surgery where you could though. And yeah I want to see Wonderwoman, too maybe this weekend. I was copying the logs and laughed again at Colin's comment 'the pain, the pain.' xD

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

You managed to get control of your raging, conflicting emotions through sheer force of will. Much like in your Seeking where you had to deal with not only pain but the demands and screams of the shards accosting you. Jeffry had spent a great deal of time teaching you self control, how to take pain, fear, anger and other emotions and fuel them into your spells rather than be overwhelmed. You where still feeling them, a combination of Dylan's own fear and emotions from your Avatar, she might be a perfect, divine being but in choosing incarnation she temporarily left some of that perfection behind and she was subject to very human emotions, and you realized, she hated loosing hosts...some souls you got the feeling from other's descriptions cared little, their hosts was a never ending row of bodies to experience through, or perhaps that was just the feeling their hosts got, but the fiery angel inside of you felt such pain each time one of her incarnations died and she mourned them all, and yet she choose incarnation again and again, knowing that even if her cherished hosts became powerful magi who could stave death away for centuries or longer, one day they would die, leaving only their memories, their essence in her, she became a part of them and they became a part of her and that was eternal, but she still mourned their death, perhaps it's acceptance was part of what she was incarnating to learn, perhaps that is why she at least twice had chosen a child that would grow up to become a member of House Flambeau as her hosts, for death walked with your House just as it walked with the Euthanathos, though in a slightly different way.

Your magick served as a way to direct your emotions, the words to be spoken, the way your fingers should move, the way these simple, motions and sounds directed reality, like if you where playing on strings unseen by most, it helped you calm yourself down, through the raging emotions where still there, the glimpses of what Dylan had endured, the Nephandi had a skilled healer, and you remember being tortured until anything but magick would have given you up for dead, gruesome pain, and off course Gabriel's favorite lobotomizing his victims with long needles through the eyes once your body just could not take it anymore, the feeling of loosing parts of your mind, vanishing and then waking up in the cell, that damned cell after your healing, a headache you could not describe in words surging through your skull while you heard Claire weeping in the cell beside you, she had been made to watch...again and again...and again, you knew your torture was for her "benefit" to break her down and it worked. Dylan's feelings rushed over you pain, despair, pure horror at the sound of the door opening as it meant it would happen again...you remember feeling warm liquid running down your leg as your heard the guards approach to fetch you for Gabriel's playroom and yet you would gladly go to that if it meant not being taken to Abigail's chambers. Rage flared up at the thought of that, at the thought of what that woman had done...

You funnel the emotions into your spell, into the energies that raged in it, those emotions would be impossible to suppress, they where to strong for that, but you could let them surge through you and control them...the words...the simple gestures of the old system, the current of magick that flowed through you reminding you that you where a mage, a shaper of reality itself, and first you had to shape yourself, control yourself and it worked, even if the emotions surged though your head, your soul, the memories surged through you both and you wanted so badly to either rush in and attack the woman or run away and hide in fear, you stood your ground and regained control, this was not a comfortable experience but it was empowering in a strange way, to have that much raw emotion and still manage to find your will to act as you choose, and slowly your spell formed as you stood there, powerful, beautiful and now ready to cast.

(OOC: It is but I am going to try some creams that the doctor say will be able to keep my eyes closed at night as that is one big problem that often I open them when I sleep and then I do not blink and my eyes dry out, but yes surgery to get fewer infections that once I have my phobia under control is something I could consider, surgery to look closer to the typical beauty ideal no, not that I judge those that do, but it is not important enough for me to do that. It is nothing new my eyes though it is just that it have taken 27 years for me to dare to check what is wrong alongside other tests to see that I am healthy. Yeah Colin do have his moments. I will probably try to see Wonderwoman on a weeknight since then it might be less people there.)

[Warpmind]

Crexia gave a bit of a wry smile.
"Indeed and they are not even the most disgusting thing I have seen down here."
She grumbled.

Colin nodded, "I think the Node takes that prize... with a solid margin."

Crexia glanced over at Leon and gave the Jerbiton a slight nod and Leon returned a smile.
"Well I was just babbling it was our Orphan here who came up with the idea of having the Labyrinth use the bloody scorpions as digestive rocks."
He said as he kicked another scorpion away from his leg but two more took their place and he gave a pained groan as one of them buried it's stinger in his shins.
"Ow...fuck...damned Nephandi and their fucking, messed up spells!"
He declared as he tried to get the scorpions off his legs.

He grinned, "You voiced the notion, kid, I just ran with it."

"Let us just say I have visited the sweet innocent minds of newborn babes...this was not that!"
Crexia muttered as she tried to regain her regal composure.
"Definitively not that...gah!"

He frowned, "Hmmh, I wouldn't want to visit even newborn minds, to be honest... Seems intrusive and impolite, really. Perhaps it's for the best I haven't learned how to touch other minds..."

You aimed and fired but the shot laded to soon so you made a nice chip in the floor that the Nephandi Security Chief is now standing on, that you tried to shoot her did not go over her head though and she raised her right arm and a greenish blue spike of a glass like substance manifested from the palm of her hand and shot towards you at some speed before she continued her obvious struggle with the two old Hermetics.
"Shoot her...before we loose control completely...at least pain might distract her..."
Crexia ordered as she quickly worked her magick to try to contain the clearly quite powerful Nephandus.

He smoothly crumpled to the floor, letting out a soft grunt of discomfort when the tanks dug a little into his back. Then he raised the gun for another shot.

((OOC: So, two rolls, then - first Dex+Athletics to Not Get Hit, then another Dex+Firearms roll to see if he can hit this time... Dodge roll: 3,6,8,9. Hope that's enough... On the assumption Colin doesn't suffer more than one more health level of damage, the shot goes off with 5,6... So one hit, meaning 4 dice of Agg... 3,5,6,0. And Colin is lying down, probably right about to start saying very uncouth things about the incoming scorpions... ))

((OOC2: Ah, yes, the pain... Did you click the link in the comment? ))

((OOC3: I would recommend you check out the screenings in KP8 or KP9 - they've been fairly recently renovated into "comfort theaters"; fewer but bigger and comfier seats that recline, a small table between seats for setting your snacks on, and a coffee/tea machine at the back. It both has fewer moviegoers at once, and it feels WAY less crowded. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "I think the Node takes that prize... with a solid margin."

"Yes this far it is the Node but when we get to the bloody Caul, the number one spot might have to be shifted to that."
Crexia said and raised and eyebrow.

He grinned, "You voiced the notion, kid, I just ran with it."

Leon gave you a bit of a smile at that and nodded, then he continued to grumble over the scorpions that where trying to get to his feet.
"I fucking hate these things!"

He frowned, "Hmmh, I wouldn't want to visit even newborn minds, to be honest... Seems intrusive and impolite, really. Perhaps it's for the best I haven't learned how to touch other minds..."

"It is intrusive an impolite but in this case there was a suspicion the children where ridden by an Umbrood trying to manifest through one of them and there was little choice but to investigate their minds to find the one who where being taken over...but yes once you learn this Sphere, firm morals are needed or you will quickly become a monster."
The old archmage said and nodded.

He smoothly crumpled to the floor, letting out a soft grunt of discomfort when the tanks dug a little into his back. Then he raised the gun for another shot.

You hit the floor and you felt that conjured spike made out...something pass over you, close enough that you felt the wind from it and hit the wall behind you, even if it looked like glass it did not shatter and instead it buried half it's length into the stone wall, that thing would have gone right through you if it had hit. The Labyrinth Creature did not enjoy being poked by spikes though and the tentacles in the hallway waved about in protest, the half conscious entity was not happy, not happy at all. You squease of a shot towards the Nephanda in the middle of the room and you hit her in the leg, she sort of shambled backwards and let ut a barely controlled yell of pain as she grabbed her upper thigh with one hand and lifted the other to conjure another spike at you, and prone on the floor as you where there was little chance of escape this time, the Nephanda aimed for your head ready to end your life, but then her eyes went wide as nothing happened. Crexia had a slightly smug look on her face and Udella looked tired but less desperate, as the woman was distracted by being shot they had managed to break through her personal wards and protections and where now in control of her magick...how long they would be able to control the powerful Fallen mage was hard to say but for now there was a little reprieve.

The scorpions though where trying to swarm you, two where climbing up one arm, a third planted it's stinger in the plump meat of your thumb, that one was not comfortable and a forth had managed to get up to your chest, two more where running for your face and up close you saw that they looked exactly like black scorpions only that in front instead of the regular features of such creatures there where little stone human faces that where screaming in pain and relentless hunger, like tiny, blood thirsty statue faces on scorpion bodies, and right now you looked like dinner.

(OOC: That Nephanda do not like you. Also please roll whatever you feel is suitable to see if Colin get the little stone golems of him and get to his feet before they can do any damage to him.)

(OOC 2: Thank you I will have to look into that then and perhaps get myself a movie ticket there. And coffee with the movie sounds great.)

[Warpmind]

"Yes this far it is the Node but when we get to the bloody Caul, the number one spot might have to be shifted to that."
Crexia said and raised and eyebrow.

Colin grimaced, "True enough. And like the Node, the Caul is just going to have to go."

"It is intrusive an impolite but in this case there was a suspicion the children where ridden by an Umbrood trying to manifest through one of them and there was little choice but to investigate their minds to find the one who where being taken over...but yes once you learn this Sphere, firm morals are needed or you will quickly become a monster."
The old archmage said and nodded.

He nodded, "That is a good reason to do so, obviously... But for any sphere, firm morals and ethics are needed... Just one of the two will be insufficient, I fear."

You hit the floor and you felt that conjured spike made out...something pass over you, close enough that you felt the wind from it and hit the wall behind you, even if it looked like glass it did not shatter and instead it buried half it's length into the stone wall, that thing would have gone right through you if it had hit. The Labyrinth Creature did not enjoy being poked by spikes though and the tentacles in the hallway waved about in protest, the half conscious entity was not happy, not happy at all. You squease of a shot towards the Nephanda in the middle of the room and you hit her in the leg, she sort of shambled backwards and let ut a barely controlled yell of pain as she grabbed her upper thigh with one hand and lifted the other to conjure another spike at you, and prone on the floor as you where there was little chance of escape this time, the Nephanda aimed for your head ready to end your life, but then her eyes went wide as nothing happened. Crexia had a slightly smug look on her face and Udella looked tired but less desperate, as the woman was distracted by being shot they had managed to break through her personal wards and protections and where now in control of her magick...how long they would be able to control the powerful Fallen mage was hard to say but for now there was a little reprieve.

The scorpions though where trying to swarm you, two where climbing up one arm, a third planted it's stinger in the plump meat of your thumb, that one was not comfortable and a forth had managed to get up to your chest, two more where running for your face and up close you saw that they looked exactly like black scorpions only that in front instead of the regular features of such creatures there where little stone human faces that where screaming in pain and relentless hunger, like tiny, blood thirsty statue faces on scorpion bodies, and right now you looked like dinner.

He cast a grateful glance to the two senior Maga, and clenched his left hand, trying a desperate deception before trying to scramble to his feet, "Imitantur rector malomagia!"

((OOC: So, desperate attempt owing to a general physical impairment right now, he's trying to mimic the security chief's Resonance to confuse the scorpions. Shouldn't last long, but it just might work long enough for him to get relatively unmolested back to his feet. Arete roll: 5,7,8 - Well, I got some successes, at least, and hopefully it works as intended, too. Botching here would probably have been REALLY bad. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin grimaced, "True enough. And like the Node, the Caul is just going to have to go."

"With the danger of sounding like someone from your Cabalmate's House it will burn."
Crexia said with a dark determination in her voice.

He nodded, "That is a good reason to do so, obviously... But for any sphere, firm morals and ethics are needed... Just one of the two will be insufficient, I fear."

"Very true and I often find that at least one of the two have to be advanced by the times...which I often find hard to do, for example I find the treatment of the hedge wizard prisoner appalling, however I find it hard to accept that the practice of owning, or for that matter selling a slave to be wrong, for most of my life it have been common practice, though I can see why modern eyes see it as wrong it is not easy to keep...adjusting my own moral views, just to take an example...however again perhaps we should deal with these bloody scorpions rather than discussing ethics..."
The old Tytalus said with a slight smile.
"Though I imagine such a debate with you, would be most interesting young man, when time will allow."

He cast a grateful glance to the two senior Maga, and clenched his left hand, trying a desperate deception before trying to scramble to his feet, "Imitantur rector malomagia!"

You got two bites and one more sting before you got your spell out as more scorpions rushed you, the tiny wounds where not a big problem, not yet but they where beginning to add up, when your rote to copy the Security Chief's Resonance and reflect it was cast though the scorpions stopped, for just a few moments, their tiny jaws still worked up and down hungrily and one of them where still chewing on a bit of your skin it had bit of, but they stopped, confused for just one moment, however they would probably not stay contuse for long.

Leon hurried over to you, two scorpions clung to his leg as he offered you a hand to help you up.
"Are you ok? You need to get off the floor."
He said, you saw his hand bleeding two places where the little bastards had got him, everyone but Cara was bleeding now though none where seriously hurt by the swarm since the main force of them where being held of, but when that got through...it would mean a most unpleasant death for you all.

(OOC: Well that buy you one round or so I would say but not much more. And no botching would not be good. )

[Adley]

He grimaced, "It hurts. A fair bit more than the average wasp sting, I'd say... One is manageable, two is a pain in the, well, leg, but get swarmed by these, and the result should be fairly obvious... Good work on that... barrier, is it?"

"Not quite, I didn't have time for a full barrier," he said hastily.

He arched an eyebrow, "Kalo ayto? Would that be Greek or, what's that other one... Koptic?"

"Modern Greek, slang. Good one!"

You funnel the emotions into your spell, into the energies that raged in it, those emotions would be impossible to suppress, they where to strong for that...

Adley released his rote with two final gestures, trying to knock the woman off of her feet in a blast of sheer force towards the angry maw of the Labyrinth that Colin had provoked. Even if she had a shield up, it might still bowl her over and then he would know if she had one on. He saw Colin go down, he hoped to get out of the way of the violent spear of prime aimed at him, and tried to shift some of the spiders to provide cover before he got swarmed. But Colin got a shot off at her and it seemed to find its way to her. He drew his firearm, focusing on keeping himself steady to aim a good shot at her, as the emotions ran through him like a fire, memories that were not his but now they were.

// whups realised I forgot to answer Colin's questions - I read the post at work then forgot to put it in my reply, sorry! Oh there was a link? It's hard to tell sometimes, the forum keeps the links a near-similar purple. LOL...oh Colin

Forces3: 5,5,3 - I assume that didn't work!
Firearms+dex: 4, 9, 6, 8, 8, 7 - I assume that -could- hit her, so I will leave a dmg roll @7 as I'll be away from my dice: 4+3: 1, 2, 9, 6, 6, 6, 7

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

The rote went of, sort of, but instead of grabbing the Nephanda and tossing her it hit the wall behind her as she elegantly stepped aside, it hit the wall hard, shattering stone and exposing more Labyrinth flesh underneath, there had been allot of force and anger in that spell, enough to shatter bones, it would have been enough to kill, if it had hit and not been just a outburst of power. You call almost hear Jeffry as he lectured you about finesse, telling you to put just enough force into a spell, and not more. Once he had let an apple float in the air between the two of you and an invisible knife carefully and precisely skinned the apple, sliced into into parts and removed the core then placed the whole thing on a plate. The old mage and handed the plate to you while telling you learning enough control to do that had taken him far more time than learning to employ enough power to blow up a building, if the old war mage had seen your display now he might have offered you more lessons in control...then again he might be impressed that you had managed to regain your self control.

The tiny spider spirits rushed in when you directed them and they begun to repair the confused scorpions that where climbing on top of Colin trying to bite him, several of them returned to being bits of the floor and the walls that where then dragged away to be placed where they belonged, the spiders did not understand the concept of giving cover such things did not exist for them, there where only things that needed repairs and those golems needed repairs, they should be stones after all and the spiderlings where willing to let you direct what should be repaired, as long as they got to work they where delighted to oblige. While the scorpions where still confused by Colin's spell they where an easy target for the green little spider creatures and they happily made them into stones again, not all of them, there where still a few who climbed on the Orphan trying to get a bite of him but enough to make it far easier for Colin to get the little critters off him himself.

You aimed and shot at the Nephanda before you and you hit her, you hit her good and you could feel the approval from your Avatar at that though she would prefer to burn the woman to ash, a bullet would do, said bullet hit the Fallen Chief right in the chest and exploded out her back, she looked rather shocked for a moment, as if she could not understand how something so...mundane could take her down, she made no sound she just looked dumbfounded at you and then down at her chest as she slowly lifted one hand to touch the wound, she looked at the blood and then nearly comically slow she sank to her knees, and then collapsed on the floor her eyes closed, she was still alive as she where drawing labored breaths but she would not stay that way for long, the exit wound behind her where weeping large amounts of blood. The scorpions who where no longer linked to her min, Crexia had seen to that but they had still attacked, but now as the woman who's magick made them animated slowly, ever so slowly lost consciousness they begun to move more slowly as if they could not exist without her magick constantly willing them to and with their creator dying, so where they.

Leon tossed a few half dead scorpions to the floor and looked at you.
"Is she dead Sodalis?"
He asked. Olamide stopped in the motion of tossing a white hot fireball, the flame floating over her palm.
"Well the little bastards are slowing down."
She declared.

[Warpmind]

"With the danger of sounding like someone from your Cabalmate's House it will burn."
Crexia said with a dark determination in her voice.

Colin nodded, "If there's a Node in its immediate presence, we can use that to obliterate it... Seems fitting, somehow."

"Very true and I often find that at least one of the two have to be advanced by the times...which I often find hard to do, for example I find the treatment of the hedge wizard prisoner appalling, however I find it hard to accept that the practice of owning, or for that matter selling a slave to be wrong, for most of my life it have been common practice, though I can see why modern eyes see it as wrong it is not easy to keep...adjusting my own moral views, just to take an example...however again perhaps we should deal with these bloody scorpions rather than discussing ethics..."
The old Tytalus said with a slight smile.
"Though I imagine such a debate with you, would be most interesting young man, when time will allow."

He grinned impishly, "Plenty of time for that when I apprentice you next year. And I suppose slavery has had its quite acceptable forms over the millennia, with varying protections and career opportunities for the enslaved, up until the Americans managed to screw up the whole practice... That's not to say I condone owning people, just that I acknowledge that it hasn't always been an irredeemably cruel institution. The same could be said of bureaucracy, really..."

"Modern Greek, slang. Good one!"

He smiled wryly, "You kids and your modern slang... What would your Mentor say?"

You got two bites and one more sting before you got your spell out as more scorpions rushed you, the tiny wounds where not a big problem, not yet but they where beginning to add up, when your rote to copy the Security Chief's Resonance and reflect it was cast though the scorpions stopped, for just a few moments, their tiny jaws still worked up and down hungrily and one of them where still chewing on a bit of your skin it had bit of, but they stopped, confused for just one moment, however they would probably not stay contuse for long.

Leon hurried over to you, two scorpions clung to his leg as he offered you a hand to help you up.
"Are you ok? You need to get off the floor."
He said, you saw his hand bleeding two places where the little bastards had got him, everyone but Cara was bleeding now though none where seriously hurt by the swarm since the main force of them where being held of, but when that got through...it would mean a most unpleasant death for you all.

He grimaced and accepted the help back up on his feet, "Thank you... ow... Easier to get up when the little buggers are confused. Mimicing their mistress' Resonance was easier than I'd feared, though I should hate to do that in a more civil context. Most certainly a path of study worth pursuing, though..."
He swatted the ones presently clinging to his suit away with a grimace, "Excellent work, but those faces are... eughhh..."

You aimed and shot at the Nephanda before you and you hit her, you hit her good and you could feel the approval from your Avatar at that though she would prefer to burn the woman to ash, a bullet would do, said bullet hit the Fallen Chief right in the chest and exploded out her back, she looked rather shocked for a moment, as if she could not understand how something so...mundane could take her down, she made no sound she just looked dumbfounded at you and then down at her chest as she slowly lifted one hand to touch the wound, she looked at the blood and then nearly comically slow she sank to her knees, and then collapsed on the floor her eyes closed, she was still alive as she where drawing labored breaths but she would not stay that way for long, the exit wound behind her where weeping large amounts of blood. The scorpions who where no longer linked to her min, Crexia had seen to that but they had still attacked, but now as the woman who's magick made them animated slowly, ever so slowly lost consciousness they begun to move more slowly as if they could not exist without her magick constantly willing them to and with their creator dying, so where they.

Leon tossed a few half dead scorpions to the floor and looked at you.
"Is she dead Sodalis?"
He asked. Olamide stopped in the motion of tossing a white hot fireball, the flame floating over her palm.
"Well the little bastards are slowing down."
She declared.

He frowned and, looking at her wounds, took aim and placed a shot through her head. "Requiescat in Pace. She'd have lasted minutes, but not long enough for the ritual... This way, at least, her suffering will be ended sooner, and perhaps the scorpions will stop at once..."

((OOC: Taking aim, so Dex+Perception+Firearms, 2,6,8,9,9... I'm not going to have to roll damage for that, am I? I doubt Crexia is going to fault his reasoning for ending the woman with THAT sort of sucking chest wound...))

((OOC2: I repeat: Oh, the pain... the pain. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "If there's a Node in its immediate presence, we can use that to obliterate it... Seems fitting, somehow."

"Oh I am sure both me and the honored Quesitor should be able to obliterate without such tactics and remembers there is a spiritual part to it as well, it to needs to be destroyed."
Crexia said with a grim determination in her voice.

He grinned impishly, "Plenty of time for that when I apprentice you next year.

The old mage gave a bit of a grin at that.
"Ah yes, well having a discussion while learning silver smiting from you will be delightful, provided we survive this Labyrinth and you are not dead and I am not busy putting myself together it will be quite interesting I am sure."

And I suppose slavery has had its quite acceptable forms over the millennia, with varying protections and career opportunities for the enslaved, up until the Americans managed to screw up the whole practice... That's not to say I condone owning people, just that I acknowledge that it hasn't always been an irredeemably cruel institution. The same could be said of bureaucracy, really..."

"Well several ancient cultures have had practices as cruel as the Americans though slavery based on race rather than culture is not the most common and are rather counterproductive if one want a meritocracy of any kind. But yes while I am not against the practice, I do not approve of cruelty towards something living that one rule over, that be animals, the enslaved or for that matter one's own apprentices."
The ancient Tytalus said.
"Needless cruelty towards those completely in your power is just a display in weakness as for a bureaucracy, well that is something I can not approve of, but then perhaps that is because I have spent to many years dealing with the ehm...esteemed Council on Horizon."

He grimaced and accepted the help back up on his feet, "Thank you... ow... Easier to get up when the little buggers are confused. Mimicing their mistress' Resonance was easier than I'd feared, though I should hate to do that in a more civil context. Most certainly a path of study worth pursuing, though..."
He swatted the ones presently clinging to his suit away with a grimace, "Excellent work, but those faces are... eughhh..."

"Ah yes...the faces..."
Leon said as he carefully picked up a scorpion that was clinging to your shoulder by the tail and then preceded to throw it towards one of the maws, who happily ate it.
"Just scorpions was not disturbing enough I guess. Imitating their mistress's Resonance, that is cleaver..."
He added.

He frowned and, looking at her wounds, took aim and placed a shot through her head. "Requiescat in Pace. She'd have lasted minutes, but not long enough for the ritual... This way, at least, her suffering will be ended sooner, and perhaps the scorpions will stop at once..."

You aimed at the downed Nephanda's head, she was unconscious by now and it was doubtful she felt the bullet hit her but if she was feeling anything at that point you saved her a few minutes of bleeding out, there when a shiver through the woman's body and she was still. The scorpions stopped in their tracks and just like that they crumbled into pieces of the floor and the wall again, now they where just rocks and the constant chittering and plattering of their legs stopped. The spirit spiders started dragging the rocks back where they belonged and started repairing the floor, careful not to get to close to the Labyrinth creature. One of the little green spirits jumped up on you and started working on one of the rips in your suit, happily working along as it made a cheerful chittering in joy of having work to do.

Cara still stood on the table she looked at the former scorpion rocks.
"A...are they dead? Is...is it over?"
The Criamon asked nervously.

[Sponsored content]