(1:37:58 AM) Earthflame: Khaira darts through the camp, slipping in and out of the Umbra with effortless ease, dancing on the border between Life and Death as she seeks out the captives... Those whose lives might be needlessly lost amidst the erupting battle.
(1:41:18 AM) Ikiryo: "Whee~" She hears South behind her...the girl somehow still able to follow her while she's in the umbra. Not join her but keep track of her and follow in realspace.
(1:42:26 AM) Earthflame: That was weird... But Khaira would worry about it after she'd gotten done saving people... She really hoped there were people left to save...
(1:45:03 AM) Earthflame: [This place... It's old. Really old... Lives have been taken here for centuries, maybe millenia...]
(1:45:55 AM) Ikiryo: [Woah, that's some history. Jerkfaces]
(1:46:47 AM) Ikiryo: ...Khaira senses very recent death. Besides the many Linny is busy calling. Murder or ritual sacrafice a bit into the woods...
(1:47:42 AM) Earthflame: [This way!] She follows the trail... Hoping she gets there in time to stop another one... At least they're out of the way of the main battle, for now.
(1:48:16 AM) Ikiryo: ...and suddenly, South tackles her to the ground in the dirt.
(1:48:55 AM) Earthflame: Khaira yelps, blinking around as she's brought crashing to the earth.
(1:50:49 AM) Ikiryo: The blue haired girl having pounces on her. "Careful!" She grins...and gestures up into the trees. A vine is wrapped around one of them, swaying gently. Khaira recognises that, it's an Assassin Vine. Dangerous predatory plants, if you are not watching.
(1:51:24 AM) Earthflame: "...Thank you." Khaira nods. "...We still need to be fast. But we can make it sneaky fast."
(1:55:30 AM) Earthflame: Khaira cheats at sneaky, dipping into another dimension most people aren't able to see.
(1:56:29 AM) Ikiryo: South cheats by freezing the entire line of trees with her odd liquid pistol and running past the now frozen assasin vines.
(1:59:03 AM) Ikiryo: A small stone circle and a quarry can be seen up ahead, as the smell of shed blood fills the air...
(2:05:08 AM) Earthflame: "No..." Khaira whispers to herself... Pushing herself to greater speed, a bell finding her hand... They might not be Dead, but the living can be compelled too... And the slaughtered dead might rise up to fight their killers... She's done it before.
(2:08:09 AM) Ikiryo: The pair emerge into a large quarry, deep into the earth, stone being pulled out by smaller wolds to make more. To one side there is a group of standing stones...and in the middle of it, a stone altar. An inactive and incomplete wold lays next to the altar as a figure is taken from a wooden cage nearby by hooded druids and led towards it...
(2:08:26 AM) Ikiryo: The figure in question is a small dryad, limping slightly from an injured leg.
(2:10:35 AM) Earthflame: Khaira leaps forth, Saraneth tolling as she defies gravity, launching herself towards the altar, eyes blazing as she reaches out with her mystically enhanced will... They would Not do this. She would not allow it.
(2:18:11 AM) Ikiryo: The little girl is being led there by a black robed druid, though something looks different about him. His robes are slightly more ornate and his glaid is covered in heavy runes.
(2:21:17 AM) Ikiryo: South raises her pistol, a heavy icicle forming and firing at high velocity at the head druid. It impacts his robes hard...and splashes into nothing but water as runes flare. Elemental protection.
(2:21:20 AM) Ikiryo: "CHEATER!"
(2:22:02 AM) Ikiryo has changed the topic to: Init: South, Wayfarer, Khaira, Druid 1, Druid 2 | Zones: [Khaira, South] [Druud 1, Druud 2, Altar] [Druud Wayfarer, Dryad]
(2:24:17 AM) Earthflame: One hand ringing the bell, the other is surrounded by ghostly white flame, lashing out with a spectral punch against one of the wardens of the altar.
(2:27:09 AM) Ikiryo: ...the druid vanishes into nothing for a moment, teleporting a short distance along a leyline to avoid the flame...
(2:30:58 AM) Ikiryo: The warfarer mirrors his lesser...appearing behind Khaira and South, his weapon coming down in a wide sweep before he vanishes back to where he was a moment ago.
(2:34:48 AM) Earthflame: And Khaira's form dissolves, flowing around the blade as if it was passing through air.
(2:35:23 AM) Ikiryo: South yelps and barely ducks under the attack, his blade cutting through a small canister at her side. "My ammo!" As he reappears, his non-robes covered hands look to have a small amount of frostbite...
(2:38:27 AM) Ikiryo: The other two druids raise glaives and crackling lightning reaches out for South and Khaira...
(2:38:58 AM) Ikiryo: South dives for cover behind a tree. "Hey, no fair! How come I don't get to do elemental stuff and you do?!"
(2:41:24 AM) Earthflame: Khaira doesn't even bother dodging... Purely mundane lightning can't reach her right now.
(2:44:15 AM) Ikiryo: The wayfarer waves his hand through the air, breaking the call of the bell on him as he drags the little dryad girl towards the altar; where a stone knife lies.
(2:45:23 AM) Ikiryo: He raises a hand, casting lightning in Khaira's direction...
(2:45:56 AM) Ikiryo: As he steps, Khaira feels the leylines shift and attempt to draw her magic away from her.
(2:49:36 AM) Earthflame: Seeing him and the girl get closer to the altar... Khaira abandons any thoughts of protecting herself, hurling herself face first into the lightning... The strength of her will stronger than the destructive magic, passing through it without a scratch.
(2:51:09 AM) Ikiryo: South raising her pistol again, this time trying to freeze the ground around him and his followers. The ice turns to water wherever the head druid and one of the others steps...but the third one seems to falter with his protective spell and is frozen from the waist down.
(2:58:00 AM) Earthflame: Khaira lashes out at the Druid as she approaches... But it's only a diversionary maneuver, as she reaches out, twisting space and forces... Pulling the Dryad away from her captor, back towards the relative safety of South...
(2:59:32 AM) Ikiryo: South staggers as she catches the small girl. "I got a thing!"
(3:01:10 AM) Ikiryo: ...and then, a moment later, the girl is stolen from her by one of the teleporting druids and placed back on the altar...
(3:01:53 AM) Ikiryo: The other druid fires more lightning at Khaira...
(3:02:09 AM) Earthflame: She stutter steps out the way, eyes hard. "You aren't going to take any more lives!"
(3:12:17 AM) Ikiryo: The druid ignores her, raising the stone knife over the small child...and staggering as South shoots it from her hand, leaving it frozen to one of the nearby standing stones. "I found what's not warded!"
(3:13:18 AM) Ikiryo: The druid glowers at her...and then refocuses on the nearby threat, bringing his heavy glaive down at the spirit...
(3:20:29 AM) Earthflame: Khaira takes the blow again, spectral flesh rippling, apparently unharmed... And then she's between him and the altar, bright Charter Marks of warding and protection flaring around her, a bell in each hand... Binder and Walker, singing together to crush his spirit and make him march away.
(3:22:58 AM) Ikiryo: He brings up his hand, tracing counterrunes...also Charter marks. Sheilding from the bells, though it's clearly straining him...
(3:23:20 AM) Earthflame: Her eyes widen. "...You know of the Charter, so... Why? Why do this?!"
(3:26:44 AM) Ikiryo: One of the assistant druids raises his staff at South, blasting at her with lightning. The metallic girl yelps as she takes a few hits, though most of it is dissipated on her cover.
(3:28:39 AM) Ikiryo: The other one slashes at Khaira with heavy blows...
(3:29:04 AM) Earthflame: Creating a slight disturbance in her ghostly flesh... But not moving her from her guardian vigil.
(3:36:11 AM) Ikiryo: South glowers at an elementally protected druid...and covers the area behind him in frost. She laughs and charges at him, delivering a flying kick and sending him sliding backwards. He attempts to halt his slide and fails, doing over the edge into the quarry with a scream. The other assistant druid looks at it with horror. "Wilhelm!"
(3:40:37 AM) Earthflame: Saraneth continues to sound, but Kibeth is stilled, flipped back into its bandoleer... That corrosive black flame building around Khaira's hand, drawing it back and throwing a powerful blow at the Druid. "River take you!"
(3:46:37 AM) Ikiryo: The druid staggers back but soon returns, lashing out with heavy blows at Khaira...
(3:47:57 AM) Earthflame: Form flowing and warping to avoid or mitigate the damage... Flesh rippling like water, getting a bit blurry at the edges... But eyes still hard, will intact. "You will not hurt her."
(3:49:52 AM) Ikiryo: The assistant druid glowers at the pair...but focuses on the closer foe, launching lightning at Khaira.
(4:09:22 AM) Ikiryo: South grins...and clicks her fingers. The small amount of ice she left on his hands when he cut open her ammo starts to flow up his arm, encasing it with ice and cold underneath the protective robe. She rummages about her pockets and pulls out a small actual pistol...and the shock cracks the air as it impacts the frozen arm.
(4:09:47 AM) Ikiryo: The robe's sleeve is shredded as his arm explodes into red, frozen shards all over the ground.
(4:11:53 AM) Earthflame: Drained and battered... Khaira smiles as their foe is injured... Serves them damn right. Kibeth finds her hand this time, its marching song calling out to force the injured druid back, her spiritual assault unrelenting.
(4:13:01 AM) Ikiryo: The injured druid unable to trace runes with his one hand holding the knife, being forced back step after step...
(4:13:38 AM) Earthflame: Khaira gritting her teeth... Holding her will together.
(4:18:33 AM) Ikiryo: The druid raises his glaive in his single arm...vanishing to appear behind South...directly on a landmine that sprays him down with more liquid nitrogen. He screams as it sinks into his flesh with his robe torn too much to protect him and he reflexively teleports back.
(4:25:31 AM) Ikiryo: The wayfarer staggers, suffering serious bloodloss but still functional. He slams his glaive down on the ground and a torrent of lightning bolts falls from the sky towards the altar...
(4:34:07 AM) Earthflame: Lightning crashes down on Khaira, both targeted at her... And placing herself between the helpless girl and the falling power. Shaking as it strikes her... Skin starting to smoke, a strange acrid scent... But she still stands.
(4:37:52 AM) Ikiryo: ...and the ice continues to spread over him, turning his skin blue and stopping his movements. South charges foward and shoulderbarges the frozen figure off the cliff. There is the sound of shattering ice down below...
(4:52:45 AM) Earthflame: The greatest threat gone, and a powerful Diamond of Protection springing up around her, Khaira fixes her eyes on the last Druid... Her actions seem simple, reaching a hand out, closing it... Tearing the soul from his body and casting it into the river, letting the empty meat slump to the ground.
(4:53:36 AM) Ikiryo: South whistles. "Oooh."
(4:54:17 AM) Earthflame: Khaira gestures towards the cage. "Could you see if there are any more survivors? I'll check on her." She turns, approaching the injured girl upon the altar...
(4:55:29 AM) Ikiryo: "Aww, I wanted to hug the cute dryad girl. My sister gets to do it." She nods though and heads towards the cage.
(4:55:51 AM) Earthflame: "We can all hug her when we're sure she's okay..."
(4:57:54 AM) Ikiryo: The dryad seems to be a bit in shock, shivering on the altar.
(4:58:58 AM) Earthflame: Khaira flickers away, tearing cloth from one of the druids to use it as a blanket, returning to lay it over the girl, tucking it around her before lifting her up, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Hush, little one, it's okay... You're safe..."
(5:01:43 AM) Ikiryo: She sobs and cries. "W-Where is miss machine...where is my mum...I want someone I trust..."
(5:03:40 AM) Earthflame: "Miss Machine... Oh, Blue?" [Is there anyone over there south? Otherwise I think she wants a familiar face..]
(5:04:26 AM) Ikiryo: [A few people, yeah. They seem to be out cold though. And I know cold.]
(5:06:07 AM) Earthflame: Khaira closes her eyes for a moment, focusing. "...I don't think your mother passed into the River, child... Which means you should still have hope." Khaira squeezes her again, glancing back to South... Not particularly wanting to take the traumatised little girl near the cage.
(5:07:37 AM) Ikiryo: South heads back over. [Yeah, out cold but alive]
(5:08:24 AM) Earthflame: Khaira nods, passing the bundled up little girl to her. "Here you are... This is Blue's sister, okay?"
(5:11:08 AM) Ikiryo: "You're miss machine's sister?" She looks at South, who shakes her head. "It's Mrs Machine. Ask her about Adelinda some time." She hugs the girl though, the little dryad looking more comfortable with a familiar face.
(5:11:41 AM) Earthflame: Khaira smiles, squeezing her shoulder before heading over to the cage... From the sound of it, the captives they've found are a lot less than those who were taken...
(5:13:47 AM) Ikiryo: There are a few figures there, not looking great but they are alive. If drugged unconscious.
(5:14:33 AM) Earthflame: Khaira does what she can for them... Spells of healing, charms of protection... [We have survivors, but they're not in a good state...] She glances up at South. "Could you stay and protect them?"
(5:15:22 AM) Ikiryo: South frowns. "...I guess I could? Don't you need more help?"
(5:17:14 AM) Earthflame: "I'm alright..." Khaira stretches, the edges of her form still a little hazy, obviously not entirely recovered... Shaking her head. "...I have to be alright. But if we both leave... Someone might come and finish the job."
(5:18:42 AM) Ikiryo: She nods. "Alright..."
(5:21:38 AM) Earthflame: "Thank you." Khaira gives her a smile, looking to the unconscious captives and the girl in South's arms... Lives she'd saved. She turns around, racing back towards the clearing- It didn't matter how much it cost her... She wouldn't let this blight continue.