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Thirteen The flame given off by the firebeasts turns the heavy mist into sizzling steam as the two contact each other. The reflection of the fires in the boiling billows suddenly seems to roil and reshape itself into the form of a gigantic golden tree, as Thirteen strides from the steam clouds, laying his spear about him.
charlequin One creature of flame puffs into reddish smoke and disappears under Thirteen's onslaught.
Lucent The haze of light and sand begins to condense all around the Brick Exalts. A single Claw of argent coming to one, closing, the heat turning its skin dark and burnt. A movement of the claw throws it up... as the other claw moves to cut the Brick in half. Amidst flame, light and sand, the scorpion is there again, howling.
charlequin One of the creatures feels another gash open up under the assault of the great scorpion-beast.
charlequin The cubes of fire begin to spin rapidly in three dimensions and pulse with color, before emitting a truly enormous wave of fire that spreads out in every direction, opening up for each of their allies while burning furiously upon contact with their foes.
Thirteen twirls his spear adeptly, weaving his anima into its motion unti a red-gold swathe of sunset stands between him and the oncoming flames. The two make contact and meld into each other, sparks flitting into the sky to glow momentarily like evening stars.
Zahara pauses not a whit in her casting, of which she has built up a rather magnificent fiery aura of her own. The flames leap towards her, and meet her Daiklave, which dances at her fingertips along the edge of her own fires, slicing the flames at an angle so that they deflect in a ribbony trail around her and her companions. Reaver shakes 3 fists!
Birds runs a finger down her arm, smiling as swirling demon markings appear. Good. As the wave comes towards her, she opens her mouth and breathes in the flames.
charlequin The few remaining ashen ninjas watch Birds-of-Trinity inhale the wave of fire that has flown towards her, then join hands to strike. A great cloud of black ash flies out to envelop her, while the Exalts draw out tiny, heavy hammers to strike with.
Cerin watches the flames roll out from the monsters, watching Zahara emerge unscathed, along with Thirteen and Birds ... he fires a single towards the lead cube, a single arrow that breaks apart to form 9 shards of sunlight that slam into the cubes of flame
Birds breathes some of the fire back onto her blade, and blocks the hammers with a single, tangled sweep of flames.
charlequin Two of the cubes of fire disintegrate under Cerin's arrows, while the third appears wounded (as much as one can tell from a creature with such an appearance.)
Cerin releases another pair of arrows at the creature, and fires 2 at the fire-apes vexing Zahara.
Lucent Lucent looks at the burnt people, Kashaen and not, due to the cubes... and he is angry. Kai is gone, and he has no time for that. Angrily, he points at the brick in front of him, the one who got through the mark of Night. Saturn shines behind him, and on the sun's authority, moves.
Lucent The symbol of saturn spreads in many... it is Ikara, it is Ten Thousand Virtues, all those who are, were, and will be. They go through the Brick in violet light, but there is no cut, no blood, no nothing.
Lucent touches the Brick. He falls, breaking into pieces on the ground, more than he should... the small pieces littering the ground, to the Kashaen in front of Amika, to the Chayans behind her. "You see? This is what happens when Heaven's Inquisitor touches you. It is heaven's law, come for you, abominations. This is what your god has created, Chayans. This is what we fight, Kashaen. This is a holy crusade. Kill them all."
charlequin The remaining Exalts of the bloody hands strike out at Lucent to spite him for his display of power and good bearing. Their hands are deadly weapons, moving with astonishing speed to cut into the Solar's flesh.
Thirteen appears behind the bloody-handed creatures as they move in, striking them down viciously for their lack of respect.
charlequin Two of the Exalts fall beneath Thirteen's mighty blows
Birds looks around a moment, taking size of the battlefield, noting a few Chayans down below. She blows one a kiss, and leaps back into the fray.
charlequin With quick, precise strikes, Birds decapitates two God-Exalts.
Zahara speaks one last word, and the maelstrom of sun-struck flame releases from the vortex around her which abruptly rises into the sky like a fountain, then plunges into the bloody earth far below.
Zahara ::The flames do not so much strike the ground as erupt from it in reverse. The earth cracks and trembles, glowing red in a snaking trail that splits into five parts. As one, five writhing tentacles of liquid fire burst from the parched earth, dividing the attackers from the defenders.
Zahara They hesitate but a fraction of a second, seeming to luxuriate, as Zahara does, in the release of the power that has been building up, held back until this moment. Then they scream with a hiss of escaping steam and begin laying about, smashing and grasping the attackers, pulsing with veins of magma.
Thirteen grins crookedly as the flailing tendrils of magma lay waste to the Red Lily's battered army.
Thirteen turns and nods to Lucent, signalling him to direct the mob, and the Kashaen, to retreat and regroup.
Thirteen snaps his fingers at Lucent
Zahara sags a little as the power leaves her fingers, her body is drained nearly dry of energy. She winds her fingers through Tanty's mane and lets him land by the others, once they have started to regroup.
Lucent is pleased as the army is broken by the tentacles, ordering his people to retreat, and to cover for as much as the Chayans as they can... ::So, what now? You know where he took Kai?::
Cerin follows the disorganised retreat of the Red Lily troops in the wake of the Kraken. ::Yes. I just don't know where that is to get to it, and it would not be sensible to try each of the Isles of Ash in turn.::
Zahara ::I do not know, but perhaps the portal left trace energies that we can use. Perhaps they tracked certain dust or ash behind them.::
Birds ::Then we need to make some analyses.::
Cerin ::I am not sure that is nessesary. There is a relation between the gate coordinates and the colour and tone of the essences.::
Lucent ::Kai was taken by rage before she left... would she actually flee the trap, or just keep fighting Kasima and fall even deeper into it? Swords of Heaven are not know for their ability to stop pursuing their prey...::
Zahara ::We must go to the Gate then... Will the Chayans be alright without us?::
Thirteen ::If they do not try to attack the Grove again.::
Thirteen ::Perhaps we may leave them with some advice to that effect.::
Zahara ::Even so, the hundredfold are on the other side.::
Lucent ::I hope they will... Thirteen, any chance I can leave some of mine behind to take them to safety?::
Thirteen ::The Lily has just lost a great number of soldiers in an ill-advised sortie. Its men will not venture beyond its fortified grounds for weeks, perhaps months.::
Thirteen ::You may do as you wish, Lucent. We will not be able to take the Kashaen to the north, I fear.::
Cerin ::They will have to be.:: Cerin starts to consider the problem of the essence and the gates more fully. ::I am not sure this is a great number. I have seen them operating in groups of 1000 before, Thirteen.::
Zahara ::Indeed, the Aalorai blackened the sky, didn't they Reaver?:: chirpclackclack
Lucent just tells his men to take all of the Chayans to safe places, then hurry back ot the aegis of the sunlands. And of course, try to take to the Sunlands and preach to any Chayans they can...
Thirteen ::Indeed, but these men are deployed in the active theatres. In the weeks to come, they will return to Chaya rapidly...but they will remember our visit, and be wary.::
Zahara ::Luc, perhaps you can make a speech, and then we should leave post-haste. I need to go back to the Cascade, and the Gate.::
Thirteen ::We must hurry. Kai's capture was unforeseen -- there is no telling what straits she may be in.::
Zahara ::Actually, I think I have a better idea...:: She siezes one of the Kraken tentacles in her mental grasp, and it strikes out at one of the fleeing hundredfold, one that lingered a bit too long, screeching epithets in its arcane tongue.
Zahara ::The tentacle deposits the creature in front of Zahara, where she replaces the fiery grasp with the cool silk of the bonds, restraining the creature completely.
Cerin ::Ah, thank you my love.:: With the sound of a single footstep, Cerin appears close to Zahara.
Zahara smiles a little at the sound of the footstep and turns to greet Cerin, "My love." she gestures at the bound creature.
Lucent turns to the people of Chaya... his voice reaching to all of the Kashaen, and to through them, to all of the Chayans. Until it does not come from anywhere in particular, but from the sky itself. "People of Chaya. You know why you wanted to do what you did. You have seen those that tried to stop you. Great powers are making you weaker, taking the great virtue and pride we admire so much in you... it is their agents who tried to murder
Cerin stalks over to the squirming creature, speaking in precise old realm. "Tell me where you came from. Tell me what the lily has there. Tell me everything." And the creature does. Every little thing.
Lucent it is their agents who tried to murder you all now."
Lucent Cerin stalks over to the squirming creature, speaking in precise old realm. "Tell me where you cam
Lucent "Come with the Kashaen, should you wish; They will take you to the sunlands, where the admiration we have for the Chayans and their virtue shall give you a warm shelter. From there, you can work to restore the pride of your land. Or you may stay here, continue to be blind, or fight how you can. It is your choice. But the Sunlands offer their hand."
Zahara clasps one of the bracelets that decorate her wrists closed, and concentrates for a moment. Those with essence sight can see the connection between her and someone far off in the distance, appear and suddenly flood with Essence, restoring Zahara somewhat. "Hmmm, so they ARE useful." she smiles slightly to herself.
Zahara releases the bracelet, and repeats the process with another. At the third one, she sends a rush of power to Thirteen, and hands Cerin a spare collar.
Cerin puts it around his neck, having discovered everything of interest from the Hundredfold.
Zahara drains another Dynast back home, and sends the resulting power to Cerin
Zahara "I'm of half a mind to attune them all to one of our spare manses, but I doubt that is actually a good idea."
Tags: (:tags Chaya, God-Exalts, Kasima, Hundredfold, Lenorsa, Keepers-in-Kind, Rfo, Isles of Ash, Red Lily, Aalorai :)
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