Somewhere over the Desolate Band – Sunset

After the strange message from the Temple of Being, Kin's forces have stepped up the pace of their march (slither). Now, as Primus begins to set on a day that, from outward appearances, looks like any other in the Desolate Band, the bridge of HMS Equalizer is a hive of activity. Below the dreadnought, a carpet of troops cuts across the dunes, and on the horizon can be seen only hints of habitation… some columns of smoke. General Diamondback quietly speaks with the fleet captain, while a number of assembled mages argue over the particulars of how and when to use their lethal craft.

"Pardon my interruption," Umeko says and walks towards the mages, "I assume what Mage Xander has told me about other mages being able to sense you is true … then we cannot lead the first strike against the airfield with magic, correct? They would sense it and counter?"

Not far behind the Kiriga is Anisa, bow slung about her shoulders in more of a display than anything else, as action is still a ways away. "Can they sense it when they're not doing any magic?"

The mages pause, and it is the Pyrelighter that answers, folding his hands and offering a respectful, if brief, nod. "To a degree, Governess-Militant. Mostly, it is intent that mages can sense… the workings of magic. Prepared spells are not especially susceptible to detection from a distance, but few of our ilk are well-suited for stealth. Thus, we are usually relegated to the ships, which are difficult to mistake."

"Mages can sense one another, and we know Hakuu is using scrying magic from the Sphere of Light as well," Xander notes.

Lilac, having been given her assignment, has spent some time preparing. She exits on to the deck, wearing an oversized black outfit that looks to have been borrowed from the Nagai Stealth Corps. She seems to have cut the tubular length short, making a skirt, which she's slit up the side so she can move faster. The top is less modified, with just the baggy bulk being secured with a number of black cloth ties. "This outfit is so not what a bard should wear," she complains to no one in particular. Besides her clothing preparation, she's spent the rest of her time pacing, and otherwise wandering all over the ship, unable to sit still under all the pressure and anxiety.

Overhearing the conversation, Diamondback breaks off a discussion he was having with the fleet captain, and turns toward Kin and her friends. "Indeed, Governess, we are working on the assumption they know we are coming, and have made preparations. Bestows-Tranquility has reported scorched earth from the point position ahead of our forces."

"Then the safest plan would be to send in a strike force to cause a major disruption in the camp, then have our mages cast their most powerful spells in an attempt to massively overwhelm the airfield in one shot would it not? The disruption would keep their mages from having time to react, true? I do not wish to spend too much time with the airfield. Cripple it so it can cause us no more significant concern, then move on to the remove the head of our enemy," Umeko says to Pyrelighter. "But if there are issues with that plan involving magic I am not aware of, please advise." Her head rolls to look to the General now. "What plans have you put in place, General?"

After taking a moment to tug at her outfit, then adjusting her tail, Lilac makes her way over to the group and stands close beside Umeko. "Is it weird I'm actually starting to get used to this, Ummy," she inquires, before reaching over and adjusting Umeko's shoulder pad.

Diamondback gestures at the central table dominating the bridge, indicating a map and several stone pieces marking troop placements. "With the intelligence you brought back, the army is moving through choke points past these… 'mouth things'. This would ordinarily make them vulnerable to attack from the airships… on your recommendation, I have sent for a small strike team to range ahead and attempt to weaken their fleet. We should be seeing the results, success or failure, soon. I anticipate contact in only a few hours. We are preparing to lay siege."

The general pauses, and adds, "Also, not all of the Komodo Elite have returned to Nagai. One remains. I believe you call him Keyoa."

After looking over the map, Umeko starts to nod, then pauses. "Keyoa?" she asks and looks up, "He remained? May I ask why, General? I thought all were to return."

"What's this strike force composed of," asks Anisa. "Can they do any significant damage, or will they just tip them off to us coming?"

"Are we going to use the, um, side entrances to the Temple still, Ummy?" Lilac swivels her ears towards the Jadian.

To Lilac, Umeko nods. "We venture into the belly of the beast and strike at its heart, Beshret and his ally," she says.

"Do you have to phrase it like that?" Xander asks quietly.

"It is dull to say 'We are entering the side door to kill Beshret and Hakuu'," Umeko tells Xander.

"Umm, as long as you mean that figuratively and not literally, Ummy. I'm serious about wanting to, to, avoid striking any literal hearts. In beasts," Lilac insists. After a pause, her ears perk up and she adds, "I am okay with damaging Hakuu's heart in any way, though!" She wags.

The Fleet Captain answers Anisa, drawing a little closer to chime in. "I sent for aid several days ago, when I heard we might need specialists. We received a squad of commandos via blockade runner, and a small contingent of sappers. I haven't heard back from them yet, however, which concerns me."

Diamondback flicks his forked tongue. "I believe he has received secondary orders to remain with you, Governess, and see the rest of this operation through. But the Emperor's reasons are his own, so I cannot say for certain."

Anisa cocks her ears to the side in concern. "That's not good. If the Cinders have other mages as powerful as Hakuu at the airstrip, they might have seen them coming. Kin, do you still have that mask?"

Umeko's brow furrows slightly at that, then nods to the General. "I will wish to speak with Keyoa later, then," she tells him. Attention now shifting to Anisa for the moment, she answers, "Yes. It is bundled up and locked away in the chest in my cabin. Do you wish to wear it?"

Anisa shakes her head. "No, but I'm wondering… is there any way we could use it to spy on them? Maybe one of the mages can use it to scry on the enemy or something – it is linked with the Cinders' magic, after all."

The General nods at Umeko. "I believe he is currently on the deck."

"It might be used against us as likely as it would be useful to spy with," Xander notes. "Hakuu knows we have it after all."

"From what I remember, the crystal was the link, the mask was just a focus. Hakuu disabled it while I was in camp. I am not sure it could be reactivated," Umeko says. To the mages she now asks, "Is it possible to restore an enchantment on an item and use it? I assume what Mage Xander says is also likely true as well."

"Oh," the bardess inquires, tugging Umeko's hem, " … will I need to, well, fight again? Should I just take the men to the mages and let them, um, do what they do? I'm willing to fight! It's, just … um … Well … " Lilac lays her ears back, tucking her tail.

"It would be better if you didn't fight, Lilac," Xander whispers to the woman. "These are professional soldiers. You might confuse them or get in the way and be hurt."

Umeko shakes her head to Lilac. "I would prefer if you did not fight. Lead in is fine," the Kiriga tells the human-hybrid.

The red-robed Naga shrugs. "If it is, I doubt any of use could do so. Such an enchantment is a very personalized thing. It is worth noting, however. If you wish to send the mask and… a crystal was it? If you wish to send it along, we will see what we can do, and deliver it to you if we achieve any results."

"Whew," Lilac exhales, looking like the world had just been taken off her shoulders. She breathes a sigh of relief, then, when she notices people are actually watching her, she quickly adds, "Not that I wouldn't if I had to! I'm just not very good at it!"

"The mask and crystal are interesting things and would be worth exploring further someday, but I do not believe they would serve us much good here," Umeko notes and slips her hands into her sleeves. "Without a certainty of purpose, I would prefer you focus your efforts on your current works, honorable Pyrelighter. I will send the crystal and mask to you to be examined after the battle."

Anisa fidgets, looking visibly antsy. "Dagh, I wish this gasbag could go a bit faster – the worst thing about battle is waiting for one."

"Well, we… that is, you, I and Gibson… are the fastest people in the fleet right now," Xander notes to the doe.

"That's so true," Lilac agrees with Anisa, turning to nod at her. "I can't stand waiting! I know something bad is happening, and I'm terrified we'll be too late!" She reaches up and rubs at her arm in nervously.

There is a whistle from above, and the Fleet Captain turns away to put his head near the open mouth of a pipe. He sits up again. "Bestows-Tranquility has slowed to return to our formation. Her captain is reporting contact." The General lifts his head at this. "So, it begins. Prepare the bay, I am returning to the surface to join my troops."

"I will also join you shortly, General. First I must see to Keyoa, and fit myself for battle," Umeko tells the serpent, "Honor be with you, General Diamondback. Show these brigands what it means to defy the Empire." Looking at Anisa now, she says, "I assume you too will join the troops?"

Giving Kin a small smile, Anisa nods. "The Dashers need me, so I'll be by their side. I'll follow you down, General."

"I suppose I'll be with you too then, Umeko," Xander says, and then whispers something to the little ball of flame in his palm.

Lilac jumps when contact is announced, despite the lack of shouting. "And I'm supposed to join those covered ops. people, right Ummy?"

Kin nods to Lilac. "Yes. Be careful and move like Shadow," Umeko says.

"That is if you can, find out how they have fared," Umeko corrects herself.

"Okay, well … off I go then," the bardess says. She reaches over and gives Umeko a hug, then hugs Anisa and even Xander in turn. "I'll see you all soon," she promises.

Kin hugs Lilac as she departs. To the others, she says, "I must armor and speak with Keyoa. I will see you on the field below."

Anisa returns the human's hug, and waves to Kin as she follows the General. "Don't be long!"

Taking Lilac aside for a moment, Xander whispers to her, "Be careful Lilac. And don't be led astray by any calls from the Temple, okay? We all go in together, remember."

The human nods slowly to Xander, telling him, "I'll try not to do anything rash, I really will. And you, you make sure Ummy is okay! You know how she gets in trouble when I'm not there." She then reaches over and adjusts the collar of his robe, before heading off. "At least this time I think I've solved the clothes problem. I'm coming, Temple, I'm coming," the woman murmurs as she hurries off.

---

Descent via the Equalizer's loading bay affords an excellent view of the field… and some of the unfortunate details that implies. The terrain here is as rocky as the adventurers remember, jutting clumps of jagged stone breaking up the dunes. The ground forces wind their way between some of them, and away from a conspicuously broad patch of sand that ordinarily looks like it might be an excellent thoroughfare, certainly less difficult than the hills and rocks the soldiers and their wagons are struggling through now.

The situation in the air doesn't look much better… three airships hang above the pass, their bellies painted orange by the setting sun. The air around them looks… strange. Turbulent.

It wobbles and waves like heat rising off the desert, but curiously confined.

"I wonder if they stole my idea," Xander mutters to Umeko once the airships are in sight. "That looks like a fire-wall barrier."

The dreadnought's loading bay platform gets low enough to disgorge the General and his entourage. Nagai and Jingai are already rallying to their respective banners, and a familiar face belonging to a skinny lizard pushes out from among them: Sergeant Jechlun of Kin's Dragon Fangs, the 6th Company. Behind him, Dasha makes her own path, her left arm in a sling, but her right still holding her lance.

"If they did, then it should at least be named after you," the armored Kiriga comments back to Xander. "Xander's Fiery Heart, or so. Something poetic." When the platform reaches the ground, Umeko steps off and walks towards the Dragon Fangs. "Sergent," she says with a firm nod. "How stands the troops?"

Riding her old, scarred battle mount, Anisa spurs the drokkar on and makes her way over to Dasha. "Dasha! How's the arm treating you this fine evening?" She grins at the lizard, trying to lessen the sense of tension in the air.

The sergeant taps his breastplate with a fist in salute, bowing his head low. "We are at your disposal, Governess-Militant!"

"You are at my side," Umeko corrects the Sergeant with a small grin, "You are not disposable. Are all well and morale strong?"

The hefty tauroid Rokuga grins, a curiously mammalian expression on her face, and she raises her lance in a salute of her own. "Hail, fleet one! Pah, I barely even notice it, now. It's just an arm, I only need one to drive this lance through our foes."

The Lapi fire mage is still on foot, keeping close to Umeko. He trusts his own feet more than those of a mount.

Anisa takes up her position with the rest of the Dashers, bringing her bow to the front and giving Dasha a pat on the shoulder. "Correction – drive that lance through the foe, and get back home to talk about it!"

The towering form of Keyoa disembarks after Umeko, the platform creaking where he steps, and his armor rattling. He stays close to the Governess, surveying the sands. The General winds his way to his escort, hissing orders, and the many companies finally sort themselves out. The forward troops have begun to make their way through the passes… and that is when one of Beshret's airships rumbles, clouds erupting from its sides. A shrill whistling sound builds.

"Incoming fire!" Xander yells… and ducks under the hulking Komodo Guard.

Anisa's ears set back at the sound. "Brace yourselves," she calls, hopping from her mount and forcing it to the ground.

Umeko crouches low as well to brace herself. "Xander, at this distance, could you trigger any of their gunpowder to detonate?" she calls back to her comrade.

The whistle builds to a scream, and at the last moment drops in pitch. The shots are far wide, however, splashes of sand flying up well away from the Imperial column, the salvo completely broken up. The clouds of smoke from the cannons also breaks up very strangely, almost immediately rather than lingering, torn apart by unnatural winds.

At that, Umeko blinks. "Pyrelighter and the mages?" she wonders to herself.

Anisa peers up from her position, and hops to her feet. "We better get a move on and close the distance – from this range, we're just target practice!" She hops back on to her drokkar, and sidles next to Dasha. "Are your people ready?"

"I… don't know what that was," Xander admits. "And they'll have protected their powder from the Ignite spell. But whatever interfered with those shots happened when they were fired."

Lieutenant Dasha nods grimly, laying her lance on her good shoulder. "We're ready to follow you, Snowshoe." The other Dashers stamp their forelegs, and trot forward to fall into an arrowhead formation. "We have been advised not to cross the expanse of sand that we ordinarily would… some kind of trap, we heard. But that might be for the slower footmen."

Anisa looks back to Xander. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Might be Chaos Magic, or interference from the suppression spells they must have going on the magazines and other vital areas," Xander guesses.

Umeko rises back up and motions towards the pass. "Sergeant, are the men ready to move?" she asks. "Remember, do not go through the open areas; there are traps prepared."

"Don't got through the hazy area either!" Xander warns. "Not until I get there first to check it out."

The white doe turns back to Dasha. "How far out were you advised to go? If we can't make a blitz attack on their front, then we might as well hold back until we can."

"By your leave, Governess," confirms Jechlun. "We have been ordered to advance behind the heavy infantry phalanx. We suspect bowmen in the higher terrain. Please keep your head low."

The lieutenant unshoulders her lance to point toward the level expanse of sand that sits below the easiest pass, sweeping the weapon back and forth to cover the broadest point. "That part there. We would have marched through it under the phalanx otherwise… we assumed there might be archers waiting to pick off the slower troops, not to mention the airships. We are much faster… if it's archers we're afraid of, I think we could punch through safely."

"If that open area is one of the Sand Lion mouths, then the archers would be in a position to try and drive us towards it," Xander suggests.

"Indeed," Umeko says to the sergeant. To the rest of the company, Umeko calls out, "Keep low and shields held high. We proceed through potential archer territory. "Keyoa, since I do not carry a shield, please use your armor to shield me."

"I think if it were just archers, the General would have no problem with us going ahead," Anisa replies, "they sure as Dagh didn't slow us down before. We'll stay behind the forward infantry for now, and when we get in plain sight of their line, then we'll make our move." The doe reshoulders her bow. "I trust the General's judgment, so we'll stick to it."

The Rokuga leader nods. "We won't risk it, then."

In response, Keyoa steps a little closer to Umeko, hovering protectively at at the fore and a little off to the side. Jechlun passes the order down the line, and voices call out in refrain as the message makes its way along the phalanx. "Present shield! Double time! March!" The armored wall moves forward toward the pass, and sure enough, arrows begin hurtling from positions in the cloven stone outcroppings ahead. They rain down but seem to glance harmlessly away from the phalanx's thick shields, and they make progress into the pass. That is when the shimmering air around the airships above seems to cease.

Umeko's brow furrows with concern when the shimmering ends. "Or was it a trick to lure us into the pass," she wonders. Calling back to Xander, she asks, "Xander, can you sense anything? What is going on with those airships?"

The enemy airships drift somewhat, seeming to rearrange themselves. The largest among them looks to be a converted merchantman of Rephidimian style construction, and she slowly turns away while one of the smaller ships, a Babelite style frigate, presents her side. Again, man-made thunder rolls across the sky, and a whistling builds… this time, the screaming shot sounds frighteningly louder and closer.

"I think a Dispel is in effect," Xander says, sniffing the air. "Air Magic? It's only temporary though, so if we want to get through… "

Anisa grits her teeth, laying low in the saddle as the projectiles fly overhead. "Grrr, I'm getting tired of this… Dasha, do you think we could hug the mesas and avoid the areas you were told to stay away from?"

There is an explosion ahead, and the dull boom almost drowns out the screams of Jingai that are hurled into the air. Pikes, shields, and severed limbs fly away from the burst that landed in the pass, throwing the forward phalanx into confusion.

"Damn, they opened the shield so they could fire with accuracy I think!" Xander shouts. "If we run forward, we might get under their range. Maybe!"

The clouds of gunsmoke from the Babelite frigate creep away lazily… then suddenly disperse as rapidly as before, the swirling waves around the ships returning.

Nodding to Xander, Umeko's eyes narrow. "They are opening the spell in order to strike at us. Shield is back up. We need to move through fast," she shouts.

Sergent Jechlun shouts Umeko's order forward, and the order is frantically carried down the scattered lines. "Charge! Charge!!"

Dasha squints, shielding her eyes from wind-borne grit with her lance arm, and when she drops it again, her teeth are bared. "Damn." She turns to Anisa, and nods quickly. "I don't think we can avoid the area completely, but we can at least skirt it and not pass right through the center. We go on your word!"

Glaring up at the airships, Umeko moves forward as well. "Pyrelighter, if you can help disrupt those ships, now is the time," she mutters.

The white doe nods. "Okay, everyone – we make a break for the front, but hug the edges so that you aren't in the middle of the pass. And we do this single file – keep a distance between the person in front of you. If one goes down, then the rest will know to stop." Anisa takes her place in the front of the column. "Everyone on my lead! Go!" With that, the Lapi spurs her drokkar on, and off towards the nearest mesa foot.

A roar picks up from the Dashers, the arrowhead formation breaking into a string that streams across the sand, kicking up plumes of dust as they head toward the open field.

Anisa unfurls her skedat whip, laying low on her mount as they speed forward.

Meanwhile, the forward phalanx dissolves as the heavy infantry lines break up to bend into a charge. The arrow rain begins anew, and they are more telling. The heavy infantry still seems to fare the best, but the lighter skirmishers face losses… running from cover to cover, some still take arrows, pitching into the sand and going still.

The Fire Mage keeps close to Umeko, muttering to himself as he tries to remember what he knows about Air Magic and its reactions to Fire Magic.

"They know this is their last stand against us and are pulling out all stops," Umeko thinks grimly as she too heads forward. Conflicted emotions ripple through her as she starts thinking over the plan again. Could a better tactic been arranged? Maybe, but with what they knew … this was the best option available. Press on.

Even a Major Ritual like this has an upper limit on its energy, Xander thinks. There should be a way to overload the turbulence and use up that energy. "Sand and rocks," he mutters.

Anisa swallows hard as she catches the phalanx casualties from the corner of her eyes, but she keeps her mind focused on that first mesa – thinking of it almost like a game of leap-frog.

There's a thunderous boom overhead, and glances cast upward reveal that two of the destroyers have climbed in altitude. Bestows-Tranquility is turning, while HMS Merciless has already presented her broadside, and her cannons speak, smoke rolling away from her gun ports. It's strange to hear the whistling scream of cannon fire in reverse, quieting as it heads toward the enemy ships. The silence that follows, however, seems all the more deafening, and the clouds where the shots land are distressingly far from their mark, scattered into the hills as if the Merciless had simply fired while spinning around. Diamondback grits his teeth. "Dagh take them! That windscreen rises again too quickly!"

The outcroppings partially shield Anisa and her Dashers as the cavalry rides forward… the expanse of sand seems to be an obvious choice for proceeding, if it hadn't been for that mark on the map. All the Rokuga are careful to skirt the sides of the expanse as much as they can, and it seems to be for good reason… the once-calm dunes at the center begin to roll and heave.

"Umeko!" Xander calls, even though he's running right next to the Kiriga. "The forward lines need to dump as much debris as they can into that shield! Dirt, rocks, bodies… anything not stuck into the ground. The bigger the better!"

"Oh Dagh blast it… " Anisa mutters under her breath. "Dashers – keep forward at full speed! Don't stop to engage the… whatever it is!"

"Sergeant, I need to speak with the General. Xander, I have an alternate idea … I shall return shortly," Umeko calls to her second in command. The Kiriga then diverts her path and heads towards the General. "General!" she calls out, "Can you signal our ship mages to feel for the dispel spell building and fire just before they feel the spell will complete? The canons may then hit just as the barrier drops! Surely they can feel the spell changing."

Amongst the command escort, Diamondback and his warlords are hotly arguing, with Vossk the Pyrelighter with them. The officers continue when the General breaks away to turn to Umeko, his features creased in a frown. "The mages are in a stir over it. They can indeed sense its fluctuations, but the shots from our cannons must travel… we'd have to fire before they dropped their windstorm. The window of opportunity is just too small."

"Not the fluctuations in the shield. Mage Xander said he sensed a dispel of some sort. Focus on the dispel and not the shield itself. Would not the shield spell be maintained continuously and dropped by that dispel only when needed? Could not sensing the build of the dispel give you time to fire before it drops? Or am I misunderstanding the nature of this shield?" the Kiriga asks the armored Naga.

"We need to destabilize it," Xander says. "If you can stagger the shots, firing just one cannon at a time to provide a constant barrage, then something is bound to get through when the shield opens. Or it will force them to keep it closed and disable their own guns in the process."

"Or, keep up fire on the ships and make it so they cannot drop the shields to fire at the troops as well march forward," Umeko offers as an alternative.

Meanwhile, Anisa and the Dashers gallop their way into the alley between the outcroppings. They're much too fast for the arrows to threaten, but even those stop as the rolling sands spill away from some sort of enormous shape emerging. It's a hill pushing out… but no, the hill splits apart, thorny projections like stalagmites jutting from the rend. The stench of rotten meat fills the air.

"Holy pellets!" Anisa cries out, steering her drokkar closer into the foot of the mesa. "No slowing down! Keep on for the lines!"

Looking back over her shoulder, the white doe can see that she's clear of the creature's range – but the rear of her column isn't quite so lucky. "Dammit!" Unslinging her bow and notching an arrow, she makes a hard turn, circling the creature. "Hey thornybutt – come 'n get it!" She fires off a shot at the beast, hoping to get its attention on her and away from the troops.

The arrow flies true… really, it's nearly impossible to miss this thing as it emerges from the desert, streams of sand pouring off it. Most of the Dashers need no encouragement to ride away as fast as they can, but the fates of three at the end can only be guessed at as the mouth, seemingly on a pillar of flesh, crashes against one of the stone outcroppings where they were riding past. There already seems to be large wounds in the creature's sides, and Anisa's arrow lands among them, sticking firmly into the flesh like a splinter jutting from a pig's side. The Dashers at the fore of the column don't even seem to notice what happened to their comrades, their line breaking into skirmishes amongst the rocks as they find archers in their positions and fell them.

"First Ones," Xander whimpers. "That's our way into the Temple?" he says at the sight of the monstrous mouth.

Anisa's stomach turns sour as she surveys the fate of her fellow riders, and she pivots her mount once again towards the safety of the rocks. "Ignore the archers – keep moving forward! Get as much distance as you can away from that thing!"

A deep groan can be heard coming from the mouth… thing, which flails in deceptively slow-looking motion due to its size. The remaining Dashers continue on, and at least for the time being the forward phalanx is no longer harassed by archers. Artillery, on the other hand, still seems to be a problem… the windscreen lets another salvo through, and smoke, stone, dirt, and soldiers tumble from a series of explosions that crawl across the pass, obscuring it in angry black clouds.

The Rephidimian styled frigate circles out of its position in the formation to let the larger merchantman take its position. Above, Merciless and Bestows-Tranquility have adopted a staggered rate of fire, puffs of white rolling away from their sides every few seconds, and the third destroyer, Blooded Fang, climbs up to join them. Puffs of artillery-blown rock and dust fly away from the outcroppings where deflected shots land, but sure enough, some get through… a burst flies off the bow of the merchantman, some planks falling away, and tiny specks swarm around a rend that opens in her envelope.

Once she is a safe distance from the beast, Anisa slows her charge, waiting for Dasha to catch up with her. "There's nothing we can do against that thing – hopefully the ships saw it and they'll start attacking soon. We need to get ahead and cause some mayhem up ahead, were you warned about any other places we should keep clear of?"

"Finally, something is getting through. It is not efficient, but it is striking their ships and may protect our men," Umeko hisses with a moment of grim pleasure. "Even if we cannot fully hit them, perhaps it will keep them from ever firing. Either way, it improves our odds. I must return to my men."

Dasha regroups with her commander, hunkering down by Anisa and peering ahead. "By the Golden Serpent's tail… I wish they'd told us exactly what that thing was going to be. Still, I think we're past the most dangerous points, and there were no other danger zones like that, at least nothing we were briefed on."

Diamondback nods distractedly, just staring out at the toothy beast flailing about in the distance. His officers continue to argue amongst themselves, though at least the subject now is about exactly how many ships they should be putting to the task of peppering the enemy frigates. Above, HMS Equalizer seems to shoulder her smaller escorts aside to get into a firing position as well.

Anisa nods. "Right then, everyone back into the arrow-point configuration! Let's show those cowards what happens to people that have to hide behind their pets! Hyah!" Like that, the doe is off again, making a bee-line for the airstrip camp.

Before leaving the General, Umeko says, "This is why I said it was imperative we stop Beshret and Hakuu. If they can full control of the monsters of this land, the entire Empire is at stake, as is the world. We will succeed, but we must remain focused and strong." And with that, Umeko dashes back towards her men and Xander.

Lilac has been gone for some time now, and while the cavalry has broken past the hail of arrows, weathering the salvos from the airships is a grimmer prospect. The broken-up phalanx tries its best to get through the pass, but each attempt is costly, the airships in the distance having found their firing arc. The Imperial fleet climbs to keep peppering the enemy ships, and it draws some fire for the trouble, and one of the destroyers suffers a lucky rake by the repeated broadsides. Bestows-Tranquility, smoke pouring from her side, begins limping out of the firing line while the rest try to advance. The fight is getting messier with each passing moment.

Jogging alongside Umeko, Xander mutters something about cannons.

"Unless you can provide any options for disabling those shields or bypassing them, I do not know what more we can do," Umeko comments to Xander. Her head shakes, and she adds, "We're losing, Xander. We need to take those ships out."

"They're out of range of anything we've got on the ground," Xander says, frowning. "It all depends on how long they can maintain that shield. As it is, they may be drawing from an artifact of some sort."

"Can we put you on a catapult and toss you at the ships to get into range?" Umeko suggests a bit grimly.

"Err, I don't know what I could do anyway," Xander notes, with an apologetic tone. "I'm just a Journeyman and that's a major ritual. It needs to be drained by impacts over time. It can't have an unlimited power source."

The trio of ships has nearly completed another rotation. The Rephidimian styled frigate brings its guns to bear… and then a large chunk of its hull bursts. Debris falls away for a beat, and then the rest of the ship is consumed in a ferocious fireball, the flames greedily climbing up to the envelope, the ship already falling into smokey pieces by the time the boom rolls over the Imperial troops. There's a moment of confusion on the ground, then a roar from the Nagai.

"Okay, I think that might have helped," the fire mage notes. "We should demoralize the enemy by attacking something now!"

"And if that was Lilac's doing, I hope she got out of the blast first," the Lapi mutters to himself.

Kin's gold eyes go wide when an explosion rocks one of the enemy ships erupts in flames. "Finally, some progress. With that ship down, we should take the opportunity to get our troops through!" the Kiriga calls out. "Press the surprise. We cannot afford to back down."

Still pressing on to the enemy strip, Anisa uses her arrows to harass any targets of opportunity – although she tries to keep their conservation in mind as well. "Keep moving forward!"

Sgt. Jechlun passes Umeko's command down the line, and the troops waste no time scurrying forward. The phalanx gets some semblance of order back, and the soldiers surge over the cratered pass. Off in the sand to the side, the sand lion thrashes uselessly, pouring gore from wounds opened in its sides, staining the sand. Meanwhile, the two remaining Cinder ships have spread their sails, skirting the disintegrating cloud of their once fleet mate. They don't seem to be turning to present their sides anymore… rather, they're gaining altitude and turning away.

"The ships are withdrawing. Dagh, I would prefer to remove any air support they have, but I'll take small victories right now," Umeko mutters. Thinking of something, she suddenly turns and asks Keyoa, "Lift me to your shoulders for a moment?"

The komodo stoops down, and gathers a single long arm around Umeko. He hefts her up onto one of his pauldrons, adding a good ten feet to her vantage.

"Don't fall!" Xander calls up to Umeko.

From her vantage point, she not only looks over her troops, she decides to use this as a moment to try and encourage them. Arching back and drawing forth her katana, she points towards the pass. "The first wall is breached and they withdraw their ships after one loss. If you ever questioned their bravery versus ours, let this answer that uncertainty. They flee at a loss; we press forward. Our allies that have fallen will not be lost in disgrace; we will honor their sacrifice by winning this day," she shouts out (well, as much as she is able), to the troops ahead, and behind, her.

In the distance, a spec approaches from the former fleet line. It could be a bird, a piece of debris, or even a solider, but whatever it is, it's approaching the Nagai ground forces now.

At the sight of Umeko's banner raised up, the front lines rally to her and organize themselves from her position. Soon, the majority has passed through the rocky plateaus. Clouds of dust and smoke and the stench of charred flesh give way to the open wasteland before Beshret's canyon, and the shadows of the Equalizer, along with two of her escorts, pass overhead. Beyond, knots of raiders mill about in an attempt to prepare to meet the Imperials.

Dasha cups her good hand to her mouth, and calls out to Anisa. "The last of the archers are routed! They won't trouble us anymore!"

"Good," Anisa calls back, steering her drokkar back in with the arrowhead. "Then lets make a dash for the airstrip – maybe we can see what more we're up against here!"

"Do not allow us to be surrounded," Umeko calls to the troops, "Prepare yourselves. Spearmen, to the front to meet charges. Archers, line up behind them and prepare to volley into the raiders." Looking backwards, Umeko's eyes search for General Diamondback.

The spec looms closer, black as night, and definitely a flier. In fact, it looks like one particular, familiar flier, and she isn't attempting to hide herself.

"I think that's Lilac!" Xander calls out as the speck gets closer. Since he's shorter than most of the soldiers around him, it's only natural that he's been looking up.

The General and his command staff move with the bulk of the forces. Curiously, Diamondback is quiet, looking satisfied, and when the order to form ranks reaches him, he simply raises one of his signal flags to pass the order along. The spearmen form ranks, their long pikes lowering into deadly rows as they continue to march forward, their shields held up to meet arrows that haven't even left their bowstrings yet. Behind them, the Nagai's own archers trot into place, no longer harassed from a superior height, and they nock arrows, preparing to draw.

"General, before we unleash a rain of arrows upon our foes, would you ask that our ships above unleash a volley of cannon fire upon them? That should break up their shield defenses and give them a taste of the rain they thought they could bestow on us. And if they aren't watching for arrows, it is all the more likely ours will reach them unimpeded," Umeko calls out to General Diamondback.

"No doubt Fleet Captain Idrisc is ahead of us, Governess-Militant!" replies the General, raising his voice above the din. "The field shall be ours!"

Xander tries waving to the approaching flyer. After a moment, he makes the Eye of Flame he carries flare brighter and waves that instead.

The speck resolves itself to be humanoid, bat wings and a tail trailing through the air; definitely Lilac. She's making a beeline towards the command group, no doubt due to the signal being made for her by Xander. Soon she's touching down, looking worse for the wear, but intact. Blood stains her face, her clothes, and she smells a lot like gunpowder and soot. "Whew," she wheezes, hunching over to catch her breath.

Looking satisfied, Umeko's attention returns forward. "Archers, hold your shots. Once they have felt the wrath of the heavens, unleash your teeth and bite deep!" she calls out.

"Did you blow up that airship, Lilac?" Xander asks as he rushes over to the woman.

"No, not me, not exactly," Lilac breathes. She straightens, dusting herself off, then explains, "The commando attack on the airfield went badly; one ship was destroyed, but many of the commandos were killed or captured. I went to the airships and rescued the ones I could find, and they helped me blow the ship up."

"Where are they then?" Xander asks.

"They're heading back, too. I think they're returning to their own unit," answers Lilac. She pauses to give Umeko a big wave, then looks around, "Is everyone okay?"

Umeko's command is carried down the line. The Equalizer steams ahead, Blooded-Fang and Merciless fanning out to approach at an angle. The entirety of the Imperial forces march on, and it seems the raiders are now reluctant to face them… as the Nagai line creeps forward, theirs retreats, shrinking back to the canyon itself.

"Do not let them reach the canyon," Umeko calls out. "Lay cannon fire behind them if need be. If they reach the canyon they will have cover advantage."

"We've been pounded, and the Sand Lion got a few of the cavalrymen," Xander tells Lilac. "Do you need to see a medic?"

"No, not me. This blood isn't mine," the bardess answers. She blinks then, reaching up to rub at her faces. "Ew," she says, after looking at her hands, "well, it was for a good cause, I guess. You say, you ran into the Sand Lion? Didn't I mention it was dangerous? Where is it?"

"Is Lilac intact?" Umeko finally calls back to Xander when she has a moment.

Diamondback has words with a small winged garter, who darts up to the airships. Before long, they begin turning to bring some of their cannons to a firing arc. They can't keep moving forward while firing the bulk of their guns, but they make the raider retreat more costly… clouds and plumes of dirt rise up from among them, Kin's foes receiving a taste of the fire they had dealt out.

"She's okay, just… messy!" Xander calls, and then tugs on Lilac's arm and points to where the Sand Lion is still flailing around behind them. "It looks pretty torn up. Are we really going to use that as our… back door?"

The sand lion has slowed in its thrashing, mercifully… now it drags those tremendous jaws back and forth over the sand, painting it red.

Umeko scans the field before them. Her interest is two men; either Hakuu or Beshret. Hakuu she expects to be below, but the raider Naga may be among those on the field, she thinks.

Lilac's eyes widen at the sight of the big, bloodied Sand Lion. "Oh, no! What happened?! Did you attack it? Was it Hakuu's men?" She doesn't wait for an answer, instead rushing towards the monstrous thing. "Hey! Can you hear me! Are you alright – I mean, of course you're not all right, but … "

"Wait! Lilac!" Xander calls, and runs after the woman to try and stop her. "There's nothing you can do for it right now!"

Lilac slows down, to let Xander catch up. "That's not true! You don't know it like I do, I can talk to it – maybe from here. I can ask it how we can help, and what's hurting it," she tells the Lapi.

Closer up, the sand lion makes no move to gobble Lilac up, but it seems in a sorry state. It isn't moving much now, the jaws laying exposed on the sand. Every so often, it shudders and another split opens along its skin, carrying with it the scent of rotting meat.

"We're in the middle of a battle, Lilac!" Xander pleads. "Look at the size of it! There's nothing we can do for something like that."

Meanwhile, the front line continues to pull away from the pass. Encouraged by the raiders' retreat, the troops pick up their pace to double time, banners streaming behind them. The General now chooses to return to Umeko's side. "It is as you say… they're pulling back to their camp as a desperation tactic. The ships will make their retreat a costly one, but I expect we'll decide the day in that canyon. I'm not surprised… we had to take it sometime, after all.""

Frowning, Umeko comes down from Keyoa's back. "Indeed, General," she says with a nod to the larger Naga. The glances back in the direction Lilac and Xander ran, then says, "And, soon I will need to separate from our main force and lead the strike against Beshret and his ally from the Cinders. If we can defeat their leaders, I expect that it will shatter their resolve. Do you think you could hold from a full-force assault and just do aerial and magical assaults for a time while we move into deal with their leaders?"

Turning back, Lilac slowly approaches the massive maw, reaching a hand out to try and make contact with it. "I'm here, I'm here," she whispers. "Can you talk to me? I need to know what's hurting you, and how we can help – and you need to help us help you."

Xander twitches. If the 'Sand Lion' moves just a little, it could crush Lilac – and himself.

Fetid air rushes out of the mouth, as if the thing was sighing. That strange voice fills Lilac's and Anisa's heads again, but it sounds more distant than ever before. "Wounding… don't understand… cannot… mend… from within… "

Oblivious, Diamondback strokes his chin, then nods. "It seems counter-intuitive to me, Governess. We can crush them all in one fell swoop now. But it is for you to decide. I expect a conservative advance will give you time to do as you will… we can continue pushing them all the way back into their fortifications."

Far ahead, near the airstrip, Anisa still leads the charge. At the sound of the strange voice, however, she falters – her attention pulled away from the here and now. She slows her mount distractedly, putting a paw to her head. "Wha- who said that?"

"We're coming, just hold on! We'll stop whatever is hurting you. We just need to find it, and we need you to help us find what hurts you. We think it's magic, so it'll be from men in, well, robes probably. Chanting and making odd effects happen. Are they inside you," Lilac asks, sounding frantic. She kneels down, dwarfed by the giant mass, ears back and her face strained.

"We can crush the troops. But, that may not give time to strike at the heart of the problem," Umeko comments as she furrows her brow ridge in thought. "Or, simply, you can strike hard from above, and my team strikes from within," she offers. "I have to reach the Cinders before they complete their plans or a victory against Beshret will be ultimately meaningless."

"What?" Xander asks, then realizes Lilac is actually talking to the Temple 'god'. "They're attacking it? How can they hurt it? What sort of magic are they using?" he asks the human.

The voice continues. "Mother… is here… " Far across the canyon, barely visible through the haze, something is indeed approaching from the direction of the Beast Lands. A strange stream of green trailing after a point of verdant light. Sgt. Jechlun scrunches up his brow. "What in the Golden Serpent's name… ?"

Umeko's eyes immediately go to the point of light heading this way. "What is this?" she wonders.

Anisa brings her drokkar to a complete halt – and motions for the others to do the same. Still clutching her head as though she had a headache, the doe stares forward. "What in Dagh's name is that?"

Diamondback repeats the question in the direction of the Pyrelighter, but even the mage seems mystified. "I have no idea," he admits. "Some new weapon? It's headed for the canyon."

"General, I leave the field to you. I must get within the ruins before this escalates further," Umeko says. She turns and heads in the direction of Lilac and Xander.

If anything, Beshret's forces don't seem to have any better idea, but they're still in full retreat. The point of light seems to sink to the ground, and winks out of existence.

"Very well, Governess," hisses Diamondback, frowning. "I know I cannot command you to avoid endangering yourself, but… be careful."

"Keyoa, to me," Umeko calls back. Then to the General, she replies, "I understand and I will. I will meet you in the canyon."

The komodo lumbers into step with Umeko. "At your side."

Adding one more thing, Umeko calls back, "If you see Anisa, send her my way. I wish her on my strike team."

"I don't know, Xander," Lilac whispers, sounding afraid. "It's not like us, it doesn't think like we do. But, but it said … said that Mother is … is here." The woman stands up, turning to look around until she spots the strange mass of lights in the distance. "Is that Mother?!" Her ears shoot up, then flatten against her head. "What should we do?"

"Uh… seek cover?" Xander suggests.

Worriedly, Anisa looks back to the Imperial lines. "Something… something's not right. Everyone, stay put – I think we've done enough advancement for now, let's wait for backup."

"No!" Lilac points at the dead Sand Lion, then waves a hand off at the light. "That's Mother, and the Temple of Being is dying! You can take cover, I'm going down below, just as soon as the others get here. We can't just let things go as they are, we need to go in and help."

"How will Mother know we're the good guys though?" Xander asks, but keeps close to Lilac.

Lilac begins to pace, looking both worried and a little feral. "The Temple of Being recognizes me, and can talk to Anisa and I. Part of the Temple of Being is in me. I think Mother will know that, but everyone else should be very careful. Without Anisa or I to communicate with the Temple of Being, or me to show that we're, um, connected to the Temple, anything could happen, and they're not to be trifled with," the bardess explains, anxiously.

Far ahead of the troop column, the Dashers harry pockets of bandits that aren't swift enough to scramble out of the way. Dasha herself seems to be getting a grim satisfaction out of this, running full bore despite her broken arm, the rest of the cavalry skirmishing with anyone foolish enough to remain in front of Anisa's charge. The winged garter soon arrives, and rather than join the fray (he'd be rather out of place anyhow) he hurries up to Anisa. "Ma'am! The governess has requested you regroup! Something-… something's happening." The little snake looks out at where the eerie light in the distance has faded.

"Xander, Lilac, we must move soon. I have sent word to Anisa to join us," the armored Kiriga calls out as she approaches the mound of flesh with her bodyguard in step. "Some sort of power has just gone into the ruins, and if the mages in there are able to capture and harness it, who knows what disaster may follow."

Blinking herself out of her momentary lapse, Anisa nods to the garter, and turns to Dasha. "I'm needed back in the rear – you take command, and fall back if needed! I think everyone on both sides is more confused than we anticipated!" Swiveling her mount, the doe spurs it on, and back towards Kin.

"That… that was their goal?" Xander asks, eyes going wide. "They hurt the Temple of Being just to lure in the Mother?"

Dasha snaps off a quick salute. "We'll carry on! Watch yourself!"

Lilac pauses, then rushes over to Umeko. "Mother is here, that was Mother," she informs the Governess, pointing in the direction the light vanished. "They're torturing the Temple of Being to bring her here, I'm sure of it! I think it's what they want, and we don't have much time. I'm not sure how long the Temple will endure, or if it hasn't died already. We can't expect a lot of help from it, but it won't harm us, not with me here."

"We give Anisa time to join us, then we enter," Umeko says with a tone of finality. "The General is in charge of the field here. We deal with below. Understand that none of us may return," she adds, then looks to Xander, "Are you willing to follow me, no mater what, Xander? I will not ask you to die for me."

"Okay, make this thing say 'awwww' or whatever," Xander says, looking at the giant jaws. "Or do we just… crawl in?"

"Of course, Umeko," the mage says, saluting.

In short time, the white doe is back behind Imperial lines, and almost speeds past the group. Luckily, she spies them as she passes, and doubles back to join them. "Umeko! Did you send for me?"

It's strangely peaceful back here now, like being in the wake of a passing storm. Ahead, the airships have settled into their positions, and flashes illuminate their hulls.

"I don't know if it can move anymore, but I'll try," Lilac answers Xander. To Umeko, she just gives the woman a ear-skewed look. "Of course I know that, Kinny! I'd go alone if I had to, knowing that, and if you're going – all of you – there's no way I can stay behind. But you should know," and here she shoots the Sand Lion a worried look, "it may not be possible to come back, if anyone was counting on that. I don't think it has much time."

The sand lion has ceased to move now. It lays half out of the sand, the jaws parted slightly, stalactite-sized teeth far enough apart to squeeze past.

Anisa dismounts the old scarred drokkar, and gives its muzzle a few gentle strokes as she looks to Kin with confusion. "The ruins? But… aren't those up ahead?" She frowns, "Swallowed? By that?"

The drokkar snorts and shakes its mane-like fin out, brushing Anisa with its nose. It also canters a few steps, giving the sand lion a wide berth.

"We'll have to climb in, actually," Xander notes, when it becomes clear the mouth is dead. "Hopefully… it won't be hard! Just… hold your noses," he advises, and then heads into the gap between two teeth, holding his right hand high to provide light.

Umeko nods to Anisa. "The choice is yours if you will follow. Xander, Lilac, Keyoa, and I are going in. There is no choice for us now," she says as she pats Anisa's leg. "Whatever you choose, I understand," she adds, then turns to head into the mouth, a look of determination on her face.

Lilac returns to the Sand Lion's side now that Anisa has returned. She runs a hand along the edge of it, blinking rapidly, as if she had something in her eye. "We'll be entering now, O god," she whispers now, "just hold on a little longer." She then steps aside, gesturing inside and raising her voice. "There'll be a long drop lined with spines, leading to a round chamber full of rocks and sand. From there, I'll try and talk to it again, and see if it can guide us. I, I think this … mouth is … " She doesn't seem able to say it.

The smell is indeed unpleasant, the air in here heavy, wet, and cloying, uncomfortably warm. Patches of wall continue to phosphoresce, so at least it's not horribly dark in here. The spines, as deadly as they look, provide handholds for what seems like a climb down a mineshaft made of meat. There's a constant trickling sound, fluids pouring down slick walls.

Anisa's jaw drops with an aghast expression, her ears set back. Hesitating for a few moments, she sighs, then turns to the drokkar. "The insides of a dead worm are no place for a pony. You go back with the others." She gives the beast's muzzle one more stroke, then swats it's behind in the direction of the imperials. "Here goes nothing… " The doe follows behind the others.

The Fire Mage just keeps chanting to himself as he negotiates the spines, either to keep his spell charged up to focus his mind on something other than his surroundings.

The scarred drokkar wickers, then trots away, back towards the troops and its handlers.

Weapons sheathed, Umeko enters the dank and disgusting maw, then begins the slow climb down. "Do not think, do not worry. Act," she tells the others. "Fear, after all, is largely an illusion."

Being a flier, Lilac steadily descends down the shaft via the air. "There's still glowing," she tells no one in particular, sounding hopeful. When Umeko begins down, she tells her, "I'm not afraid for me, Kinny. I've already been here."

Close behind Kin, Anisa scrunches up her nose, wishing she had a third paw to keep it pinched shut. "Well, I do fear that I'm gonna throw up soon, and that seems pretty real… "

"Tear off some of your shirt and stuff it in your nose," Umeko comments to Anisa as they head downward.

"Are you nuts," Anisa says, making sure her pawholds are secure. "Do you know how much this fabric costs? It's a zolken blend!" She does, however, pause long enough to pull her collar up over her muzzle, making a little gas mask. "Lapi weren't made for climbing… I hope this doesn't keep up."

The descent is not easy, but it's manageable, even when Keyoa sheers off some of the spines falling the last 20 feet or so. He seems none the worse for wear when he picks himself up, despite falling on a pile of sand and rocks mixed with lizard bones and other less identifiable stuff. The walls glisten, but don't move, and where the sand ends, it's like walking on wet liver. The passage opens up like Lilac remembers from her own trip through one of these, winding deeper into the guts of the Temple.

Lilac has to circle to keep from outdistancing the others. By the way she keeps looking around with her ears back, she seems like a bundle of nerves. Once on the ground, she loses no time, hurrying off towards the exit from the room. "This way," she tells the others. As she walks, her hand runs along the Temple walls, as if trying to reassure the creature, despite their immense difference in size and power.

"A bit squishy, but manageable," Umeko comments as her own claws sink a bit into the 'floor'. She does pause to examine Keyoa, then pats his arm when he appears no worse for wear from the fall. "Well, no branches yet, so onward," she says, then follows Lilac.

Xander drops the last few feet as well, and wipes his hands off on his robe. "Should have brought gloves," he laments, and then follows Lilac.

Once on the 'ground', the look on Anisa's face transforms into one of pure disgust, and the Lapi walks as if she were on hot coals. "Ew ew eew!!! Why didn't anyone tell me to bring shoes?"

Lilac leads the way through… it seems like it should be impossible to navigate this strange series of tunnels and valves, many of which sag open where they had been sealed shut before. It's not the same as Lilac remembers… ruptures seem to have opened in walls for no apparent reason. The eyes that it spontaneously formed are not retracted, many simply rolled down in their 'sockets'… except for the eyes in the central chamber. Lilac eventually brings the group to a large area with what seems several inches of standing water in the middle. A cluster of what can only be eyes hangs from the ceiling like wet frog eggs, and they turn sluggishly toward Lilac, then to Anisa. The voice comes again, and is at least a little stronger than before. "You… return… I… have watched them. No… pacts… somehow they… somehow they take, and I cannot… I cannot stop them." The large central eye's iris widens, and an image forms in the murky depths.

Anisa's fur stands on end as the eye looks at her. "L-Lilac? What are we looking at here?"

"A giant eyeball," Umeko offers. She doesn't look too freaked out by everything around her, so perhaps having a focus to handle the task at hand keeps the Kiriga from overly worrying.

"It's just like a really big crystal ball," Xander suggests. His ears twitch though, and he's got some sort of nervous tick going in his left cheek now.

Lilac stares soberly up at the mass of eyes, her ears and tail twitching as if they couldn't decide on the proper expression for her 'reunion.' "We're looking at the Temple of Being, its center. We … I … I met it before," she tells the others, not looking back. Stepping forward, she peers in the the image, and tells the mass, "I told you this would happen, why didn't you listen to me? Oh, gods, I don't want you to die, whatever happened. It wasn't your fault."

"Calm, Xander," Umeko instructs and she puts an arm around him for the moment to see if it helps. "Lilac, can it tell us where they are? We need to find them quickly."

"Look into the eye," Lilac answers Umeko, pointing upward.

Umeko walks forward, arm slipping away from Xander, and tries to look into the eye.

Gathering up her nerve, Anisa steps forward, clutching her crystal pendant like a good luck charm as she gazes into the eye with the others.

The image is cloudy, but seems to solidify. It's like a window into another chamber. One mostly of stone, but some of it strange fleshy walls, like they've passed before. It's similar to the ones Lilac has visited topside, but different as well, with carvings that resemble Naga, strangely fanciful ones. At the center of the chamber are a number of men, one of which Umeko can immediately recognize: Hakuu. He's holding a Naga skull and studying it calmly, and he speaks across it with a living Naga, a cobra with flames tattooed along the back of his hood. Around them stand a number of handmaidens, quietly resting with their hands folded. A green glow suffuses the chamber, and illuminates another figure, the one person that Anisa can recognize, a tall, handsome stag in a crisp white suit of Chronotopian noble style. There are other figures here, but they're more difficult to make out in the murk.

Anisa flattens her ears and grits her teeth. "Vandringar… "

Umeko's hands tighten around her swords. "Hakuu," she lets out in a long, slow, hiss, "And Vandringar. We must find them and end this." Claws tap on the sword hilts, then she asks, "Where are they. Can you open a passage straight to them?"

"Or pump out their air?" Xander suggests.

Some of the smaller eyes linger on Anisa and the pendant she clutches. "You… wear the same piece of stone… the coldest one… " comes the voice of the Temple. "… Why?"

Anisa snaps back to the here and now at the voice, her ears springing back up in alarm. "Oh, this? I'm… I'm keeping it from him, and trying to keep him from getting more." She holds up the pendant. "Do you know much about it?"

"O Temple, where are they? Can you lead us to that chamber, so that we can end them all," Lilac asks the mass of eyes, holding a hand up to them, kindly. She pauses to glance at Anisa when the Temple addresses her, then goes on, "Is Mother here? Is she in danger, can she help us help you?"

"We are not their allies. We are here to stop them from causing further harm. To you, and to the world," Umeko says firmly. "I am Umeko Tsuguri, these are my allies and friends."

The voice sounds tired and weak. "I will… open the way. Too weak to… do else. Mother begat me… but Mother is not… here to heal my being… see now… my mastery of being is… nothing. The small beings… " It doesn't continue, but another gash in the wall peels open like a heart valve, strands of goop stretched between the halves.

"They're sucking it out of her somehow," Xander guesses, and watches for the opening.

"Conserve your remaining strength. We will deal with the 'infection'," Umeko says, then turns and walks towards the new opening.

"Let's hurry," the bardess urges in a strained whisper. She turns, beginning to walk towards the newly formed exit. Before she departs, she pauses long enough to tell the mass of eyes and flesh, "Don't die on me," and then hurries on.

Anisa tucks her pendant back into her shirt, and follows after the others.

Xander tries to keep up with Umeko in the slippery goo. Reptilian claws are probably an advantage here.

The passage leads up an incline, down which a small river of blood flows, chunks of rock embedded in the flesh. As the motley procession climbs, they can hear voices ahead. "Come, Beshret," says a smooth and refined voice. "We've provided everything you asked. Ships, supplies, money… and you couldn't take Viper's Hold. All we ask now is that you hold some minimal part of your bargain, and make sure your forces hold until we're done here.

"You said the Imperials wouldn't get involved!" hisses a hot reply.

At the sound of the familiar voice, Anisa halts. "Wait a second guys," she whispers, "lets see if we can eavesdrop. They sound none too pleased with one another."

"It appears there is disagreement in the ranks. This could prove to our advantage," Umeko whispers in agreement to Anisa as she holds up her arm, signaling halt.

Xander twitches, his little ball of flame hovering in his palm. "So… don't… fry them?" he asks, just to be certain.

"Not yet," Umeko whispers.

The mage eyes the gradually liquefying walls, and whispers, "We can't wait too much longer."

The accented voice of Hakuu interjects. "What of my part of the bargain, Vandringar?" There's regret in the Cervani's voice. "There's only so much I can do, my friend. We're here, and what we came for is before us. I can wait a while, but it's not up to me to bring Umeko."

Lilac stops, but she seems unhappy about it by the way her face strains in a frown, and in how she stares down the corridor with anger in her eyes. "Maybe we can convince Beshret to kill the others, for a pardon from you, Kinny," the bardess offers, a low growl to her voice that makes her humanity sound strained.

To Lilac, Umeko actually nods slightly, then perks her ears forward when her name is mentioned. "What is my part in this?" she whispers softly.

"If Beshret stood a chance against them, he'd have taken it by now," Xander whispers.

"She is here! I have seen her," insists Hakuu. The Cervani replies. "Unless you can think of a way to defeat the Imperials, we may remain. But not even my flagship can stand in the face of the fleet reported. There will be other opportunities, Beshret. Or wouldn't one of these women do?"

"He will with us," Lilac tells Xander. Idly, she flexes her left hand, running her nails against her leg.

"You all could wait in the shadows and I enter. It would tell us what they seek, then you strike," Umeko offers to the others in whisper. "I need to understand what part they believed I could play in this."

"No. We have tried. They are… imperfect. Their flaws are their undoing, the change goes… wrong." Hakuu sighs. "I suppose it will wait for another time."

Vandringar sounds apologetic. "I am sorry, my friend. But we will go. Beshret, you may come with us, if you aren't willing to take the field. We have what we need. It follows the First Stone, now."

"Are you sure, Kin?" Anisa asks, placing a paw on the lizard's shoulder. "He said a… change… what if this is where that change takes place?'

Anisa's ears spring up quickly afterward. "They're about to leave – we need to act!"

Lilac frowns at Umeko, and whispers quickly, "And he could do whatever he wanted to you before we can reach him. We could ask him after we have him."

"We can't let them leave with whatever they have," Xander says, and urges Umeko, "We need to act now."

"I cannot allow him to escape. Be prepared to follow me once we learn their plan here," Umeko hisses, then starts towards them. "Perfect, am I?" she calls out in a growl. It's still a bit melodic, but definitely a growl.

"You all talk – I don't want to talk right now," Lilac whispers. She then drops to her knees, digging her nails in the ground as she begins to change. Just before her throat shifts too far to produce comprehensible sounds, she can be heard to murmur, "Everyone dies, except for those who should."

"Lilac, no!" Anisa says, angrily. "If we act without knowledge, we'll be flinging ourselves into the fire!"

Lilac takes a step forward, but pauses at at Anisa's outburst. She gives her a long, glowing-eyed look, but doesn't proceed forward any further.

"What's done is done," Anisa whispers to Lilac, "you'll have time for revenge soon enough – but now we need answers too."

In answer, Lilac just whines quietly, pressing her head to the organic wall and giving Anisa a look. It's as if she wants to say, 'not everything is done – yet.'

The chamber is wide and multi-tiered, with that that green light washing over it. It's dominated by a large central pillar that acts as a platform with a deep trench around it. In the middle stands Hakuu, who carefully sets the strange Naga-like skull aside. Vandringar stands off on the far side of the chamber on a different tier with a plank spanning the gap, one hand resting on the head of his cane, the other holding his pendant aloft… from it, the stone that matches Anisa's rotates curiously. He doesn't seem inclined to be any nearer than necessary. Near Hakuu, a small green orb, glowing faintly, sits on a pedestal of… flesh, or plant matter, or something. It seems to move on that pedestal, new parts growing to add to the base of support while others die and slough off. The only natural light comes from a large crack in the ceiling near Vandringar. Sharing the platform with Hakuu are a man in green robes, several handmaidens whose mirrored masks abruptly whip around when Umeko announces herself, and Beshret the Razer, who looks the most surprised of everyone.

If anything, Hakuu seems the least surprised. "You've come. I should have known you would… it was providence. You were perfect, and only you would do."

Umeko walks into that chamber, head held high. Her layered scale armor makes a harmonic swishing sound with each step she takes and her tail sways gently behind her. Beneath her armored helm, the Kiriga's brow furrows. "For what?" she asks calmly. Her hands rest on the hilts of her swords as if daring anyone in the room to oppose her as she approaches the pedestal.

Anisa's curiosity gets the better of her, and she scoots closer to the chamber, not actually rounding into it, however.

Lilac's at Anisa's side, peeking as much as the doe, but unwilling to go further.

"For the truest art," says Hakuu. He makes a small gesture, and the two of the handmaidens who are not holding their shared eye move to pick up another plank, stretching it across the gap toward Umeko and bridging it. "No paint, no clay, no lacquer could depict what we truly are… who we were before we became what we are now. Our true ancestry." He gestures at the carvings along the walls… Naga again, but strange and different. "It is good you have seen reason and come, for I will exalt you."

Xander crowds behind the other two, and tries to see what's going on as well.

The green-robed man next to Hakuu studies Kin critically, evidently not seeing what Hakuu sees, but nevertheless, he nods, if impatiently. "Yes, yes… I'm sure it would work with her," he says. "Let's hurry. There is more to study, more to learn about this… " He stops when Vandringar raises a finger in a shush gesture.

"And what are we?" Umeko inquires as she steps into that plank and starts her way across. Her eyes flick to the drawings of creatures along the walls, then back to the strange, green, orb on the platform. One of her hands comes up and she draws back the helmet covering much of her face and allows her mane to flow free. "One thing I know I am not, is a puppet, nor a slave. I will not have my eyes blinded and made to see a dream of a world you wish to show those who serve you," she continues, then motions towards the handmaidens.

The robed man has his hands folded in his sleeves, a look of frustration on his face. He's human, and like most, shows his age more clearly than others… his hair isn't gray yet, but it has receded considerably. He's clothed in rich zolk, and has the bearing of a nobleman with jewelry to match. A small reddish blob, tinted in the green light, hovers over one of his hands.

As Anisa sneaks a peek into the room, her attention becomes transfixed on the green orb. A look of concentration crosses her face, and her ears seem to lock on to it.

"That's a Life Mage," Xander whispers to Anisa and Lilac. "That doesn't mean he's a healer though."

Lilac sneaks a look, too, and like Anisa her focus settles on the orb. It isn't long before she's reverting to her human form, eyes wide, and she hisses, "I know what that is. It's the Sphere of Being, I've seen one before! It must be the heart of the Temple of Being, the source of its endless life."

Anisa's face turns into a look of complete confusion. "It sounds like like the Observer from the crystal world… " she mutters to no one in particular, her paw once again going to her pendant. "No wonder Vandringar is here."

"Observer? Are you hearing something I'm not, Anisa," Lilac asks, her ears rotating towards the doe. "Have you seen one of those before?"

"Well?" Xander whispers to the two women. "You can hear things… what does it tell us to do?"

Anisa shakes her head. "In the crystal world… there's this… thing. It speaks really, really weird, but if you know what to say, you can get it to do things for you. This orb sounds almost the same, but I have no idea what its talking about."

The handmaidens step away from the plank to beckon Kin across, respectfully folding their hands in front of themselves. (Though they're still holding their fans.) Beshret seems livid, his hood spreading. "After what she's done, leading the Imperials to us, you're still talking that babble? We have no time for this! We must go!" Hakuu raises a hand, and the warlord falls silent, grimacing.

"Your time will come, Beshret. You will face the judgment of the Governess-Militant soon enough," Umeko says, her eyes transfixed on Hakuu before her. "You haven't answered my question. What did you intend for me?" she says calmly.

"It's probably talking about life, or being, or something like that. I think these, well, whatever they are, they have a theme to them. They must be what Vandringer and Hakuu want, they each seem to have magical powers over whatever they're themed after. This one must work with life, or being, and the one we saw works with void, or nothingness. If that's true, we should try and get them away from it, but be careful about using it. Other orbs have done terrible things to people," Lilac informs Anisa.

"I will return you to your true form," says Hakuu. "Remain still, and let us begin." He glances over at Vandringar, who seems to wear an, "Oh, all right," indulgent smile, and he raises his pendant a little higher. A look of concentration crosses his face, and then he says, "Alright… Steinmann, you may begin." It's less simple presentation for Anisa, who can hear something else as well. "Ident key 1 acknowledged, proceeding with test #433 batch 83, recursive resequencing, identify experimental sample for restructure." The mage brings his hands up, cupping the bloodlike blob hovering over them and muttering in Chronotopian.

Xander sneaks a peek at the wall carvings, and gets an idea of what Hakuu has in mind for Umeko. "Those are the old Nagai deities, I think," he whispers to Anisa and Lilac. The carvings look vaguely like Nagas - serpentine bodies with articulated torsos, but with necks and heads that appear more dragon than serpent.

"Envoy told me that… " the fire mage starts to explain, and then his eyes go wide. He leaps out then, and says, "Umeko, get away! They're going to devolve you!"

"Mysteries later," Lilac murmurs. She pats Anisa's hand gently, then drops on all fours and begins her transformation anew.

Anisa flattens her ears, "Dagh blast it… " She quickly leaps out besides Xander, readying her whip. "Kin, get back!"

"Did I say I wished to be changed? True form, original form, this form," she says slowly, fingers curling around her sword hilts. "I am happy with how I look now," she says, swords sliding free of their sheaths with a snap. The long one even whips out with the flat aiming for the big green ball in an attempt to knock it away. "And so, I think, are my friends. Everyone … now!"

Xander rushes the plank Umeko is on, holding his palm up to expose the Eye of Flame. "Duck!" he calls to the Kiriga.

Anisa runs in after Xander, staying behind the buck. She spies the room for Vandringar, and when she sees him, she stops. Glaring at the Cervani, she starts to ready her bow. "Figured I'd be seeing you soon!"

Not quite transformed, Lilac rushes out of hiding with her nails scraping the rough stone surface. "Mage," is all she can get out, a guttural inhuman sound, before her body changes too much for talking. True to her words, she seems to be racing for the green robed man.

There's an angry hiss behind the mirrored masks of the handmaidens… for all they were standing aside, they seem to have been quite alert, and their fans snap open. Two of them rush to meet Kin. The third goes to intercept Lilac, a look of great shock on the mage's face.

Vandringar's brow lifts, a rare look of genuine surprise on his face. "Ms. Snowshoe… you're more tenacious and crafty than I could have anticipated." His response is considerably more civil than Beshret, who's sword sings as he pulls it off his back, and hisses, "The lot of you, here?! If I can't have the Hold, I'll have your heads, at least!"

Umeko's ears snap backwards and catch Xander's order to duck. So … the Kiriga crouches down low, keeping her swords ready to defend still if need be.

Once the armored Kiriga is out of the line of fire, Xander takes a deep breath and exhales through his Eye of Flame to release a gout of fire towards the approaching handmaidens.

That stream of flame rolls over the platform, and Kin can feel the heat of it over her back when she presses low, the green light in the chamber momentarily beaten back by hot orange. It seems the handmaidens remember Xander, however, and the first is quick to retreat, the one momentarily driven back toward her master. The other is more daring, and she just weaves inward like Kin, refusing to give ground. The end of her obi alights, and in one smooth motion she unfurls it and steps on the flame, snuffing it out.

In a perfect pose to strike, the golden dragon surges upward and forward to meet the handmaiden. White mane rolling as her onslaught begins, Umeko deftly zips in, putting the maiden on the defensive at first. But, the force back is short lived as the handmaiden returns with determination. Several strikes skid harmlessly off Umeko's armor, but a few Umeko finds she must actively deflect, lest they strike a decisive wound. "If you walk now, I will let you live," she hisses to the handmaiden, "I do not wish to kill you. But … if you continue to block my path, I will not hold back."

The mirrored mask shows Kin her own helmetted face, and the noblewoman fights close enough into see the painted pattern on the handmaiden's ribbed zolken fan as it flashes and snaps. Hakuu's bodyguard is forced to do more defending than her opponent, but she does this deftly, batting back both long and short blade, and giving no ground. "You will not have him. You do not deserve the chance I am trying to give you… to be our master's greatest work!"

The mirror-masked Kiriga standing in Lilac's way also stands her ground, but she seems considerably less prepared to deal with the beast than the others were to deal with Umeko. The tines of her fan-like weapon swish and swipe at the bardess, but are wide each time, and in a moment of overexertion, Lilac sees an opening.

The beast Lilac dances with the Handmaiden before her, hopping this way and that on their narrow dance floor. The woman swings, and misses, the monstrous quadruped seeming more prepared for the fight with the mirror-masked foe than she was in their previous encounter. The battle is largely uneventful, the pair missing and parrying each in turn, when suddenly Lilac surges forth in a flurry of claw and fang. The Handmaiden defends herself as best she can, but when Lilac's paw pushes her fan down during a strike, her other paw finds the woman's chest, creating a path of red in its wake.

Eyes locked squarely on her Cervani nemesis, Anisa quickly notches her bow and fires a shot at him. The arrow has just barely begun its ascent before the rabbit bolts towards the central platform, ignoring the makeshift bridge in favor of a flying leap.

With a whistle, the arrow streaks upward toward the tall stag. He's forced to crouch, and the arrow shaft breaks on the stone wall over his shoulder. "Such determination, Ms. Snowshoe, even while you don't know what this object is for. But you can hear it, can't you?"

The stag's voice is soft and easy-going, and it almost can't be heard over the din of fighting. As Anisa clears the pit, she gets a glimpse down into it… it's full of bones, long naked spines curled around and broken in sections, fanged skulls gaping up at her.

Following up last is the hulking form of Keyoa, and the plank bridge bends under him as he crosses it, armor clattering. His bladed claws stretch out toward the Razer, who meets them with his long curved sword and a sneer.

Anisa's nerve is unsettled slightly as she lands on the pillar – the sight of bones is bad enough, but these bones in particular seem to send something more through her head – a fear much more primal. Still, she keeps her mind focused on the task at paw: Vandringar. Notching another arrow, she fires again at the stag, ignoring the battle that now lies before her.

The impact of komodo elite and warlord can almost be felt in the chest, hundreds of pounds of reptile and armor plating colliding. Keyoa is clearly the stronger of the two, but Beshret's prowess isn't all bluff… sheer ferocity sees him forced backward, but masterful bladework keeps his giant foe from any decisive hit. "Your strength and your armor can't protect you from burning in your own blood," hisses Beshret, baring his fangs, which drip.

Crack! Another arrowhead shatters near Vandringar, who sways a little away from it unnecessarily, a small smile on his muzzle."

With everyone on the platform occupied, Xander squeezes the Eye of Flame into a sword, and tries to get to the glowing orb.

The green-robed mage shies back from the fighting, his face waxy from a sheen of sweat and a mask of nervousness, but he keeps muttering. The bubble of blood he was holding in his hands pops. In Anisa's head comes the voice of the orb. "Motive force aligned and engaged, experimental sample identified. Resequencing commencing per ident key 1 instruction."

Just as he starts to get closer, Xander notices the handmaiden he'd driven back before moving towards him. He dashes forward to try and get the orb's ever-changing pedestal between him and her!

Gritting her teeth angrily at Vandringar's smugness, Anisa crouches low, preparing for another powerful spring up to the stag's position. The sound of the orb freezes her dead in her tracks however, her ears springing up in Lapine alarm. "Kin! Lilac! Watch out – stay away from the orb!!"

Xander watches his own face circling the other side of the orb's fleshy pedestal across from him. A slender arm is extended from a billowing zolk sleeve, the handmaiden's closed fan pointing at Xander in warning. Hakuu stands nearby as well, but he seems raptly focused on Umeko.

The Fire Mage brings up his flame-sword, and says, "Do you know what will happen if I bring this down on the orb?"

"Yes," murmurs the slender Kirigai woman. "I will kill you."

The orb between Xander and Hakuu's bodyguard interjects itself into the argument… tendrils of what look like green smoke or light twisting fitfully off it. The glow in the chamber becomes stronger.

Were it not for the battle that rages in the room, it almost looks like Umeko and the handmaiden before her are dancing. They spin and start around each other. Blades of chitin flash, only to be deflected by a colorful fan. There are times Umeko finds she has the upper hand and drives the maiden back, only to then find herself countered and pushed back herself. The spines of the fan skip across her armor now and then, and as before at least two must be actively defended. "I am already perfecting what I am. I do not need Hakuu to try and redefine that. He does not know, or understand, me. He does not see my heart," she tells her opponent.

"Well, you'll try to do that anyway," Xander notes, then blinks at the tendrils. "Okay… that's not good… " he mutters, and tries to ward off a tendril with the heat from his sword.

Yet another skirmish plays itself out, but this one doesn't seem to be going as well for Hakuu's warrior woman. Crimson stains the chest of her kimono, tatters of zolk sticking to her flesh with blood, but still the handmaiden remains in the way. She has adopted a defensive stance now, her fan opened, and she does not actively attack, simple keeping herself between the mage behind her and Lilac.

Xander's mind races. The orb is activating… "Now's your chance," he whispers to the masked woman. "You know Umeko isn't worthy. Seize the orb and become the perfect woman your Master desires. Isn't that what you really want?" He also takes a step back from the smoky tendrils for now.

While an explosive attack may have proven effective seconds ago, the Handmaiden's choice of defense seems to have given her the advantage this time. Lilac's bites are dodged, her clawing strikes only air as the woman deftly evades her. All is not lost, however, for the Handmaiden's return attack, an attempt to send the beast sprawling is equally ineffective, the beast righting itself easily, balanced on its paws.

There's no expression that Xander can see behind the mask, but the hitch in the woman's motion is telling. "… No! No, I must obey! She… I mustn't… "

"Imagine how he'll look at you," Xander whispers. "And realize that he won't have any need for you at all if Umeko receives the blessing of the orb."

Momentarily torn, Anisa glace moves back and forth between the orb and Vandringar. Biting her lip hard, the doe finally makes her decision, and sprints at the orb. "Dagh blast it all… " Unfurling her whip, she lashes out at the orb, attempting to knock is off of it's pedestal, and into the pit below.

Umeko's battle stance falters and she staggers a step backward. "Grrk," she hisses out between clenched teeth. Her eyes blink a few times, then a ripple rolls through her scales. She shakes her head, trying to shake off the feeling and focus on the woman before her. "What are you doing to me, Hakuu?" she growls softly, though her eyes remain on the handmaiden.

Lulled by Xander, the handmaiden across from him seems to contemplate the orb, her mask reflecting its soft green light. Her hand trembles, fist tightening around the base of her fan… but then Hakuu raises his hand slightly, lifting a familiar-looking crystal lens, and she realizes Anisa is barreling down on the whole group of them. It's far too late… she's barely had time to shriek, "NO!" and start a dive toward the white Lapi…

Like before, Anisa's attention is completely focused on reaching her goal – although now it's the orb instead of Vandringar. Purely by reflex, the doe leaps high above her interceptor, ignoring the Handmaiden as she lashes out at the orb with her whip.

Umeko suddenly arches her back and drops down to one knee with a thud of armor to floor. The Kiriga lets a pained howl out as her body starts quivering, eyes spread wide and slit pupils dilating. Even the grip on her weapons starts to slack. More disturbing is the armor containing her body seems to be stretching outward, the scale-mail spreading apart.

The skedat lash snakes out, the wicked chitin barb on the end glancing off the green orb's smooth surface. It pops up neatly off the pedestal and out of the handmaiden's reach falling to the stone floor… and landing on a set of spiderlike legs, the glowing sphere cradled in a mass of fleshy stuff. The platform immediately withers and crumbles, and Anisa can hear the strange voice, even and mellow on its undertone of nonsensical babble. "Ident key 2 contact re-established, resequencing held pending additional parameters. Command?" THIS finally gets a reaction from Hakuu, snapped out of his reverie. "How did-… leave that alone, commoner!" But off its base, it's no longer in his reach.

Seeing an opening, Xander turns on Hakuu and slashes at the crystal lens with his flame-sword.

Anisa lands on the ground with a dull thud, her eyes widening as the orb takes on a life of its own. Kin's wail causes the doe's neck to crane in the Kiriga's direction, and her large eyes go even wider. "But… it's not even touching her!" Pulling an arrow from her quiver, the Lapi brandishes the tip like a dagger, and makes a sprint for the now spider-like object.

Warlord and Komodo Elite are still squared off, Keyoa plenty dangerous enough to keep the smaller Naga's attention focused squarely on him. The towering reptile's gauntlet crashes against steel again and again, Beshret's own strikes seeming to glance harmlessly off. When they part for a breather, however, the Razer is wearing a smug Naga equivalent of a grin, fangs bared. "You've lost, giant," he says, pointing at a tiny smear of blood on the edge of his weapon. Keyoa doesn't appear to be significantly hurt, just circling his opponent.

The sounds that Umeko makes seem out of place for those who have traveled with the Kiriga for so long now. It's a miss of guttural hissing and growling, all of which are tinged with pain. Her weapons clatter to the floor now as the Kiriga starts clawing at the cinches on her armor furiously. The catches start to pop and loosen, bits shedding from her body not unlike a snake shedding its skin. With a shaking hand, she wrenches her helmet off again, the chitin landing on the floor near her with a clatter. And there the Kiriga suddenly stops when the orb finds a new resting place amongst the spider like bones. She stares at the floor drawing in a halting breath, eyes closing tightly for a moment, then opening. Her spine rolls as the Kiriga pushes herself back to her feet, drawing to her full … height? Umeko looks taller. Not only that … her serpentine tail snakes out further behind her. Her eyes lock upon the handmaiden once more. Even without her weapons, she is not unarmed…

The maiden stares her faceless stare, and even without the use of her eyes, she looks uncertain, the back foot of her stance shifting further back a little.

Umeko's shoulders roll and she moves into face the woman before her. Her first strikes seem clumsy for the Kiriga … off balance. Not surprising given her body is longer than it used to be and is a bit … off balance for the moment. The handmaiden takes advantage of this and drives Umeko backwards with her own series of strikes. The last one, though, nearly hits Umeko. And even though the Kiriga grimaces in pain, she bends to the side further than she has ever before and it misses. A smile curls across Umeko's lips. And that's when the flurry of strikes begin. Umeko surges forward, blow after blow from her claws having to be deflected. And then there's a sound of searing zolk, followed by thin arcs of red in the air. The tips of Umeko's talons are bloody … and there's a series of four gashes across the handmaidens chest.

The battle between Lilac and the Handmaiden rages on, claw against blade, fang versus fist. But it's to no avail for the Handmaiden, for the beast seems to have improved since their last encounter, and the woman slowly has her defenses picked apart. Every parry becomes harder, without any relent from Lilac, and, at last, the Handmaiden falters; Lilac's claws dig home, leaving a number of painful looking rents across the woman's skin. She staggers, too wounded to keep going, only for Lilac to rear up and plant her paws on her chest, pushing her off the ledge.

Hakuu's step forward is checked by the Lapine mage, he menaces him back with the blade of fire springing from his hand. It leaves Anisa free to pursue the orb, which doesn't seem to retreat from her, oddly.

Stomach sinking ever deeper as she closes in on the orb, Anisa makes a pounce for it – raising her arrow high before she strikes downward, trying to land on the sphere and immobilize it.

With a screech and a flutter of zolk, the bloodied handmaiden that Lilac pushed falls back and topples over the edge of platform. There's a momentary silence, then a clatter of bones echoing from below.

It's a strange crawly thing in Anisa's grasp, like landing on a big glowing grabbit or vermite… but when Anisa pins the cushion-like 'body' with her arrow, the legs simply seem to fall off and wither away, leaving the orb smooth and featureless under the Lapi's hands. In her head: "Control sample recording, preambulation subsystem shut down, secondary system in effect per being code imprint associated with ident key 2. Direct link with ident key 2 established." The First Stone, suspended from Anisa's pendant, begins to spin.

Anisa's arrow seems to do little to the orb. Her momentary surprise is trumped by the surprise of her pendant now spinning. The doe is momentarily dumbstruck, but suddenly remembers something. Cautiously, she holds the pendant out, and says, "r-resonance?"

The First Stone turns, twinkling in the green glow, and matching it. "Resonance achieved, harmonic match locked in," agrees the orb. "Priority status granted, ident key 1 stand by. Control sample reports experiment completed, and is ready to re-integrate with the Node. Secondary experiment sample restructure has been suspended pending command to proceed, reverse, or re-target."

On the tier above, Vandringar takes on a thoughtful look. He lowers his pendant, his crystal no longer turning, and simply tucks it back into his vest.

The mage robed in green takes a step away from Lilac, casting a frantic glance back at the Kiriga lord. "Hakuu! The spell! What's happening?!"

The whole of this is lost on the two largest reptiles present, still clashing. Keyoa refuses to let up his assault, and Beshret continues to bang away at the komodo, but his movements almost seem careless now. Indeed, the imperial guard is moving slower now, his swings sluggish and easily dodged. Another swipe, and one of Keyoa's knees buckles, the giant catching himself on it. "I've wasted enough time on you, Emperor's pawn," hisses the Razer. "Who else will taste my venom?"

Facing Hakuu now, Xander says, "Toss the crystal into the moat, and I won't set your fancy robes on fire. That's a better deal than you'll get from Umeko or the other women."

"Your magic doesn't frighten me, peasant," says Hakuu evenly in his odd accent. "You aren't the only one who wields it. I won't be denied my masterpiece. Even if I must become it." He makes to move toward Anisa.

When Hakuu starts to move, Xander contracts his swords back into the ball-shaped Eye and blows through it once more, trying to catch the noble in a gout of flame.

"Kssssch!" The Kiriga lord draws back, throwing an arm over his face and hissing as the sword of fire abruptly changes to a jet. Hakuu retreats, flames licking at his sleeve, consuming it, and the man hurriedly grasps at the shoulder of his fine kimono, and tears, the garment giving way at the seams. Angry red burns shine on his arm as tatters of burning zolk fall away, leaving Hakuu bare from the waist up, muscles tensed…

Even dripping blood, Hakuu's bodyguard keeps herself between Umeko and her master, but the new shape and speed of her opponent is too much for her to adapt to. Still clutching the gashes on her chest, she jabs her closed fan at Kin, and simply stabs it right past her, leaving herself completely open.

Umeko whips and moves with disturbingly supple and serpentine movements. Strike after strike lands on her opponent with disturbing thumps. The last one, though, ends the fight for the handmaiden. Umeko's body coils down, then surges upward. The flat of her palm slams into the underside of of the bound woman's chin. Her head snaps backward and the woman crumples to the floor. Her head twists about, eyes leveling on Hakuu. "Hakuu," the golden Kiriga roars, her normally melodic voice rippling with guttural, rolling, undertones, "This is between you and me. If you think you can make me your masterpiece, then face me in combat. If I lose, I will submit to you."

Hakuu seems to consider this, but the Razer throws his hand out, hood flared. "What is this idiocy?! A pair of Lapi, a winged dog, and a woman in shredded armor… let us simply slay them and begone! Vandringar, get down here!"

But the Cervani still looks thoughtful. He shakes his head. "I think not." Beshret is livid. "Damn you, coward! I should have expected this!"

"You would not understand the meaning of honor, Beshret, and why you find you have no allies now," Umeko growls as she heads towards Hakuu. Her golden body ripples beneath the remains of her armor. "I am Umeko Tsuguri, only daughter of Lord Tsuguri, descended from a line of warriors and leaders. Appointed Governess-Militant of these lands by the Emperor for my skill and efforts to protect these lands. If Hakuu think she can claim me … let him try," she says.

Lilac, who had been been watching Umeko ever since she howled, now races to the woman's side. As she goes, she gives Beshret a snarl, pausing long enough to raise blood-tipped talon and wag it him, warningly.

Still perched on the orb, Anisa's mind races – the word 're-target' seeming to stand out. "What is the current target… um, mister orb?" The doe looks up at the others, sliding down to the side of the orb now instead of on top of it.

"Current experimental sample designate undefined, with resequence on hold." comes the voice in Anisa's head. Vandringar's own ears seem to perk up as well. "Progress with current sample 12% in primary, 0% in all other available samples."

Hakuu, and indeed, nobody else seems to hear this. The lord rolls his shoulder in its socket. "Let us decide, then, who should submit to who, Umeko."

The handmaiden who Anisa vaulted over has since picked herself up, and indeed has crawled back up the side of the platform she slid off. "Master, no!"

Anisa looks up to Kin and the others. Seeing that they're now engaged with Hakuu and Beshret, she turns her attention back to Vandringar, and notes his look of alarm – a look common to both Lapi and Cervani. The doe isn't the quickest thinker in the world, but she does manage to put two and two together, a small, wicked grin crossing her Lapine lips. "Orb, target… him… "

"Designate invalid, bio pattern locked to ident key 1."

Umeko draws back smoothly into a defensive pose, her torso and neck rolling like a wave briefly. Her arms come up, talons hooking loosely as she prepares to engage the older, jade, Kiriga. "Shall we dance, my Lord? she offers. "It is time you learned about the woman you thought you take like all the others you have butchered."

At Umeko's side, Lilac pushes her head into Umeko's leg, then steps backwards. She seems to understand – Umeko wants Hakuu alone, and she won't interfere. She does, however, round on Beshret and the remaining Maiden, giving them both another warning snarl.

The Cervani sighs, and shakes his head, spreading his hands as if in regret. "I see now that Ms. Snowshoe holds the cards, or at least the one I wanted. Hakuu, Beshret, you don't know you've already lost." He raps his cane on the stone, squinting up at the natural light from the crack above him. A length of rope uncoils and descends. "Well played, Ms. Snowshoe. Well played. Till we meet again."

Exhausted of magic now, Xander tries to keep out of everyone's way… especially that of the angry-looking Hakuu.

Beshret looks absolutely furious. "He may decide to play these games with his fiancee, but I'll have none of it." He points his sword at the Lapi and bardess. "I'll fell you as easily as I dealt with the Emperor's pet."

The cobra bares his fangs again, and touches them to a groove in his sword.

Lilac's wings flair out – she seems happy to entertain the massive Beshret. She too bares her fangs, but she has no sword to poison, just mean fangs and claws. These, she brings forward, dashing into combat with Beshret!

Beshret's expression is contemptuous, and he lowers his sword in front of him, the flames on his hood black and stark in the green light.

Anisa's face goes livid. "Get back here, you antlered freak!" Crouching down low, the doe presses the orb and the pendant close to herself, and makes a leap at the stag's ledge.

Xander sits down when it's clear nobody is about to attack him, and begins to chant. Since time is short, he works on his high-speed specialty spell: Hot Feet. Or in Beshret's case, it'll be Hot Scutes.

Xander's feverish chanting isn't lost on the other mage present, who up to this point has been staying out of the way and sweating. Maybe it's reflex, but the green-robed human begins chanting as well.

The white Lapi's spring carries her up and over the gap, and sailing up onto the ledge with Vandringar, who has wrapped his free hand around the rope. "Ah, Ms. Snowshow. I'm afraid I can't stay. Rest assured, I will be honored to meet you again. You've won your prize, and I concede."

Lilac's charge is expertly countered by Beshret, who proves to be a warlord in more than name. His massive glaive easily deflects Lilac's small claws, forcing her away. She presses on again, only to pushed into evasion by the wide, powerful swings of Beshret the Razor. Now, Lilac's looking at the man warily, some of her enthusiasm replaced by the sober reality of being outmatched.

Hakuu proves to be far less soft than most nobles Umeko has met. For all he looked like a silly Jadian fop in his face paint and kimono, he moves fluidly now despite the burns on his arm. His fists are sure and punishing even when diverted, but the match seems even… until he hooks a leg behind one of Umeko's knees. With a shove, he sends her tumbling backward.

Umeko goes backward … but she doesn't stay down, even with as much as Hakuu may wish it. Instead, her body curls in upon itself and she rolls backward, then shoves with her arms. In an instant, the gold Kiriga is back on her feet. She actually bows her head to Hakuu and says, "Well done. Had we met under other circumstances and had you … spoken to me as an equal … perhaps things would have ended up differently between us."

Tucking the pendant under the arm holding the orb, Anisa unsnakes her whip. She cracks at the Cervani in an attempt to snake his legs, but the stag deftly holds off her attacks with his cane. "Your tail is my prize, you coward!"

"Really, Ms. Snowshoe. I respect your achievement. Let's not sully this with incivility," says Vandringar. He catches a loop of skedat whip on his cane and tosses it aside, swinging the chitin barb harmlessly away. The rope goes taut, and begins to lift the stag up and away.

The cobra Naga beckons with a crooked finger to Lilac, but for his prowess, the bard proves a nimble target, staying ahead of the swift and wide sweeps of the warlord's blade. "Don't draw this out for us, beast. Hold still."

Meanwhile, the two Kiriga keep pace with one another. There is a grudging admiration behind Hakuu's eyes. "I knew you were perfect, Umeko. I would have made you the jewel of the Empire, brought glory to your family. Why throw everything into the face of our tradition?"

"I defend our homeland, you have sold it to the Cinders for your glory. Not only that, had you helped Vandringar. He would have sought to destroy the world, including the Empire. From where I stand, it is you who turned on tradition," Umeko answers, then surges forward to once again meet him in combat.

While Umeko duels with Hakuu, Lilac busily holds Beshret off. The small beast darts in, biting and clawing, but she's deflected as much by Beshret's armor as by his considerable skill. In turn, Beshret cleaves the air, sending Lilac scurrying, her parries ringing out whenever her claws meet that massive blade. She's slowly being driven back, but she keeps on fighting.

"We must sacrifice for art," hisses Hakuu. He rushes into meet Umeko in turn, but abruptly pivots on his heel. Suddenly, he's at her back, and long, strong arms snake under hers and around her neck, squeezing it in the crook of his elbow.

Anisa curses under her breath, about to make another lash at Vandringar – until she notices Umeko's predicament out of the corner of her eye. The Lapi's brain reels with indecision, but finally decides that her friend is more important than settling old scores. "Orb," she says, pulling the pendant back out to swing freely, "what- who is the current target?"

"Current experimental sample designate undefined, with resequence on hold. Progress with current sample 12% in primary, 0% in all other available samples."

The white doe mutters a hopeful prayer to the star in her head. "Increase current sample to… um… fifty percent! … Please?"

"Resequencing resumed." The orb glows more strongly again, those eerie tendrils of light reappearing to twist around the sphere.

Anisa squints at the light, keeping her gaze fixed on Kin. "Star, please don't let this be the wrong choice… "

Umeko can suddenly feel every muscle in her back spasm again, and that cracking and popping sound can be heard again. Pain shoots through her spine, briefly making her vision whiten, though her fighting discipline holds it back.

Umeko struggles with Hakuu, trying to snake her way free from the vice-like grip. She's growling softly, defiant … and then her spine ignites with a surge of pain. That growl changes to a hissing howl as the Kiriga's body starts to elongate further. "I am not art!" she says in a forced, guttural, growl.

Crack, pop, crackle… the orb's effect seems to add vertebrae one by one, both torso and tail lengthening… while her lower legs seem to shrink in. Ornate frills sprout from behind her jaw, and Umeko can feel the grind of bone in her skull as the very shape of her head begins to change, her snout broadening. She can feel her teeth elongating, becoming smaller but sharper and curving back, a pair of fangs folding against the roof of her mouth.

"Intriguing," murmurs Vandringar. And that's the last he can be seen to comment, as he disappears up through the crack in the ceiling.

Umeko's elongating body thrashes in Hakuu's grip as every part of her body starts to burn, from jaw to the tip of her tail. "My body may change, but sssstill me," she hisses, sounding much more Naga-like, and defiant … her self of self not allowing the shift to stop her fighting spirit. Instead of trying to pull away now, the Kiriga goes limp, trying to get both of them to fall over.

Beshret hardly notices what's happening, furiously pursuing Lilac. "Just one little taste, beastie. One cut and it's over. Serpent take you, hold… still!"

Anisa bites her lip at the sigh of Umeko's transformation, and looks around the platform at the others assembled. "Orb – will transforming any of the other, er, samples result in making them stronger, or weaker?"

Lilac is racing around the platform now, striking when she can, only to be deflected by sword or armor. Beshret's right behind her, chasing her with his sword!

The orb's light pulses once. "Terms of definition broad. Recounting results of prior experiment sample studies. 76.5% of subjects: rendered deceased by restructuring. 21.2% of subjects: altered beyond scope of experiment. 2.3% of subjects: restructuring stable. Allowed error margin: 2%."

Anisa's ears wilt, "That doesn't seem very optimistic. Um… that guy- er, sample," the doe points to Beshret, "what would be the result of running the experiment on him?"

There's a grunt from Hakuu as he tumbles along with Kin… nothing could have prepared him for what's occurred, and his grip looses instinctively, the hand of his un-burned arm catching him, his other arm still wrapped around Umeko under one shoulder.

Something instinctive seems to trigger in Umeko's mind. Her jaw opens wide and those hinged fangs spread and drop down. When you tangle with a snake, expect to get bitten. And that's just what Umeko now tries to do. Her head twists back, darting and trying to sink those fangs into Hakuu.

Umeko's newly grown fangs find their mark and sink in. Her head shakes a bit from side to side, trying to press them in deeper. As she does so, her attention shifts to an odd feeling at the base of those fangs. Her tongue comes up and presses against one of them.

Hakuu lets out a gasp of pain, and this time he lets go completely, stumbling backward and clutching the punctures in his shoulder. "What-… " he begins, looking at the little smear of blood on his palm, then looking up at Umeko. "You… you changed." He begins to stand up, but his legs give out under him, and the Jadai lord looks both confused and dizzy. "You… yes, you changed… you are… glorious… "

Umeko pulls back, swaying slowly from side to side. Her neck-frills flick and then spread. "And you have losssst," she hisses at Hakuu, her broad jaw rolling and even partially separating at the mid-point. Her long tail snaps around and tries to simply knock Hakuu to the platform.

The Jadai lord doesn't even try to get out of the way. Umeko's legs have retreated completely into her body now, replaced by small vestigial spurs, and the weight of her tail is enough to knock Hakuu over easily. He tries to stand again, but sinks to his elbows. Even his arms are shaking. "It is… it is enough," he says, then settles to the floor of the chamber and goes still.

Umeko leans down to see if Hakuu is dead. Her tongue, much more forked than it was before, flicks out a few times, tentatively.

Meanwhile, Anisa's seemingly one-sided conversation continues. "Original bio stock integrity beneath threshold for allowable mutation. Based on previous results, estimated outcome cohesion degeneration."

"That sounds… painful." Anisa, mutters, watching the outcome of Kin's battle. "If I switch samples, can I still change the first sample back to, er, zero percent change?"

"Restructuring has not progressed beyond reversibility," confirms the orb.

Anisa nods to herself. "Okay then… switch samples to that guy." The doe indicates 'that guy' by pointing at Beshret. "Perform the experiment to one hundred percent!"

Xander finishes his spell, and looks to see who is still fighting – and also tries not to panic at the sight of the transformed Umeko. Noticing the other Mage still casting, he decides to strike before he can get off a paralysis spell or something. With a glowing hand gesture, he launches his Hotfoot spell at a very particular piece of anatomy on the human to keep him from completing his incantation.

"Restructuring," comes the voice. Beshret has his sword raised over Lilac when the orb says this, and a twitch passes through his body. "Ngh!" hisses the warlord, slewing to the side for a moment. "What-… what witchcraft is this?!" The cobra gapes, fangs bared and hood spread. He does indeed seem to be changing… they're subtler than Umeko's, but the little changes that happen seem to have a more drastic effect on him than they did on her. The orb continues to talk, calm and rational in tone. "Recombinant flaw… compensating. Recombinant flaw… compensating. Data missing… adjusting. Corruption recorded, section excised. Recombinant flaw… compensating. Corruption recorded, section excised. Data missing… adjusting. Cohesion threshhold falling below acceptable parameters. Instruction set ignored. Compensating. Recombinant flaw… "

Anisa watches Beshret's fate unfold, and even though he's her enemy, she can't help but wince with each word the orb speaks.

Seeing Beshret weaken, Lilac takes the incentive! She skids to a halt, then makes a short circle as she rights herself for a charge on the stunned man. Her target: his neck.

Sections of bone erupt from the Razer at seemingly random angles… his skull changes in shape, growing heavier, then lopsided as the flesh sculpting tries to compensate. He sword clatters to the floor of the platform, the cobra falling to his hands. "Hh-… whuh-… hrrrgk!" A gouts of blood begin to pour from the earholes in his distended skull, and the once smooth surface of his skin breaks up, his body contorting.

Its about now, mid-charge, that Lilac seems to rethink her charge – but it's too late to stop. She had put all her effort into the attack, and Anisa can see her gums pull back, eyes widen, and ears flatten even as she hurtles herself at the disintegrating man!

There's no resistance on Beshret's part when Lilac seizes him by the neck… instead, he vomits a gush of blood onto her, his body thrashing spasmodically now.

The green-robed mage's eyes bulge. "The… the spell, it wasn't meant for-… aaagh!" He abruptly collapses in his side, clutching at himself. "Mercy! MERCY! Stop!!"

Lilac's whine at being covered in blood is soon smothered by gore, and she thrashes to get away. Her paws scrape the floor, and she skids, desperate to escape the literal bloodbath she just jumped in to.

Beshret's body flops back into the floor, jerking and twitching in the dark pool that's spread around him. Eventually, the orb says, "Experiment halted citing sample degradation. Cause: pattern mismatch."

Now soaked, Lilac drags herself away, tripping over Beshret's sword as she goes. Once clear of the gore pile, she hunkers down and begins shaking herself out. Blood and tissue flies everywhere!

Umeko draws her head back from Hakuu, an odd look on her face? Regret? Horror? Satisfaction? With her recently sculpted face, it's even harder to tell. The serpent then turns and in a side-winding motion heads towards the planks that leave the platform. "Keyoa," she says. Even with her oddly sounding voice, there is an underpinning of concern.

The giant makes no reply, slumped onto his shoulder, face laying on the platform floor, and one of his clawed gauntlets stretched out in front of him, the tips of blades resting on the stone.

The sight of that much blood unsettles Anisa, but after the day's past events, she seems to be getting used to it – unfortunately. The doe sinks to a cross-legged position on the floor, placing the orb in her lap while she gives a sigh of relief. Rubbing her closed eyes briefly, they reopen to spy Umeko. "Orb, target the original sample. Change her back to zero percent of the transformation."

When Umeko reaches Keyoa, her torso lowers down. She actually tries to lift up the giant head and cradle it as she checks him for any signs of life.

After some shaking, Lilac's form begins to shift and change. Fortunately, it's just her usual transformation, rather than the curse of the orb. Her jaw recedes, her hands reform, and then she's coughing and wheezing on the floor. "YUCK," she can be heard to wail, "gross yuck ew ew ew! EW! Why is it always blood and me?!" There's more coughing, then she rises, giving Beshret a flat-eared, horrified look, before quickly turning away. Upon spotting his sword, she walks over to it.

"Confirmed. Reverting experimental sample." Kin can feel herself shrinking down again as she approaches the komodo's prone form. It hurts as it did before, but it also feels like snapping back to true, things shifting back into what feel like their place. Her tail shortens, and by the time she reaches the komodo, she can feel her knees on the stone instead of her belly. Keyoa's head is heavy in Umeko's hands, and makes no move to lift itself up, his steel helm grinning sightlessly.

"Is he … gone?" Xander asks Umeko as he ventures closer, unsure if Umeko can even speak at the moment.

"I guess we need this," Lilac sighs, hefting the sword and then dragging it towards Umeko. "Kinny? Are you alright? I'm sorry I wasn't more help Kinny, I tried, I'm not very good at this sort of thing. I … " Guilty, Lilac sounds guilty. Tired and sore, too, but mostly guilty.

"I do not know yet," Umeko hisses softly. She doesn't look at Xander … though she does say, "Pleassssse, do not look at me. I am a monster." And at that moment, her body convulses and she actually whimpers when the pain hits. Bones realign, her spin shortens. She tries to hold still, though, knowing that she will soon be 'normal'. But … she can't stop from crying once the shift reaches the point she has tear ducts again.

Lilac drops down next to Umeko, and reaches out to touch her leg. "No, no! You're not a monster! Remember what you told me? It's what's inside that counts, not the flesh, right? You're just, just like me, in a way. Right, Kinny? Please don't say that." Beshret's sword is dropped to the woman's side, forgotten, for the moment, in the face of her friend's pain.

Xander grits his teeth, and goes to the curled up Life Mage. "Okay you… I can stop the burning, but you have to do what we say, agreed?"

There Umeko sits, holding the komodo's great head as the pain burns its way through her. When it finally subsides, she starts trying to unstrap Keyoa's helmet with shaking hands. "You did fine, Lilac," the reformed Kiriga says in a shaking voice. "I am sorry I was not able to help you. I m sorry you had to see … Gods, it hurt."

Getting back to her feet, Anisa looks between the orb and the crystal. "Orb, um… go to sleep, or whatever it is you do. Take a break… you deserve it?"

"Y-you get used to it, Kinny. It'll be fine," Lilac assures the shaken woman. She scoots over and wraps her arms around Umeko, resting her forehead against her arm.

"I hope I never go through that again," Umeko admits.

"Secondary experiments completed, non-essential samples terminated, main project terminated, results updated and recorded," agrees the orb. "Control ready for Node merge. Standing by." The green light dims, leaving the crack in the ceiling the main source of light, more natural shades returning to everything in the chamber.

Lilac's head nods against Umeko's arm. "I'm sure it's over. I don't know what happened, or why, but I'm sure it'll be okay. Just rest now. It's over," the bardess whispers. Then  she hums a gentle tune, the sort a mother might use to put a child to sleep. Gentle and soothing, it fills the chamber.

Unbuckling straps and opening the visor lets Umeko get the steel helm loose, and it slips away, the komodo's head rolling on its thick neck and settling over the Kiriga's hands. The skin is rough to the touch, wrinkled and scarred, and the eyes stare, glassy.

Umeko lowers her head down to listen for breath from the giant reptile.

Unsure of just what to do with the orb, Anisa finally shrugs and puts it into her pocket. "I guess I'll turn you over to the Curators when I meet back up with Gibson." Tucking the crystal pendant back into her shirt, the doe then leaps down onto the central pillar, walking over to the others. Her ears sink as she approaches Umeko. "Uh, Kin… about what just happened… " The Lapi rubs her elbow nervously, avoiding eye contact.

When Anisa approaches, Lilac pauses in her humming to look up at her. "Anisa, please return the orb to the central pillar. I think it's the Temple of Being's heart, and it needs it to heal its wounds," she tells the doe.

"Remember the green light?" Xander says, as he snaps his fingers to break the Hotfoot spell. "That orb is 'Mother', Lilac."

Umeko draws herself back upright. It's an odd sight, small golden hands sliding gently over the giant's eyes, closing them. Now speaking in Imperial, the Kiriga says something quietly to her fallen guardian. Only when done does Umeko turn her head to look to Anisa. "Yes, Anisa?" she asks, looking for all the world tired and beaten.

Xander takes off his outer robe and drapes it over Umeko's shoulders for now.

"You think Mother is the orb? But, the Temple of Being described Mother as a human-ish, a small being, like us but mortal," Lilac tells Xander. "Maybe the orb can call Mother? The Temple said it could heal its wounds. And why did Mother leave for the Beast Lands? It makes no sense. Gods, none of it does, and I'm so tired."

Anisa frowns sheepishly at the human woman. "I'm… I'm not sure I can do that, Lilac. If this thing stays here, its just a matter of time before someone else tries to come for it – especially now that the Cinders are aware of it." The doe suddenly gets an introspective look, and places a paw to her chin in thought. "Unless… " Once again, she pulls out the orb and the pendant. "Resonance."

"The Temple is dead, and… and we can't leave the orb here anyway," Xander notes with resignation. "They'd just come and take it again."

The orb softly lights again. "Ident key 2 recognized, harmonic locked in. Command?"

The First Stone begins to slowly rotate, twinkling again in the dim light.

"Oh," Lilac says, sounding defeated. She slumps where she sits, reaching to rub at her forehead, biting her lip. "Y-you can't just … just, ask it to heal it and … then take it? Maybe it can live in a smaller body or … I don't know … I just don't want more things to die, and it helped me, when no one else could."

Anisa gives a concerned glance to Umeko, then to Lilac, but returns her attention back to the orb. "What is this place's purpose? Can you heal it?"

"Thank you, Xander," She says as she pulls the mage's robe around her now small form. She reaches up and places a hand on his arm, then asks, "Would you retrieve my swords, please. I … I am tired. Too much death today. Too much blood. We have lost Keyoa, but he died doing what he believed was his duty. I do not think he understood friendship, but … " She shrugs slightly, "It does not mean I do not mourn his passing."

The orb pulses once. "Primary experiment sample and site, established minus 45,035.335 cycles node standard. Experiment complete, results recorded, sample terminated."

"Can the sample be… unterminated?" Anisa asks the orb.

Xander collects Umeko's swords, and checks to see if her helmet survived. "I can send a signal flare up through that crack," he notes, and nudges the Life Mage with his foot as he passes to see if the man has recovered yet.

"What's a sample, Kinny," the bardess asks, her voice nervous. "Is that like … a god?"

"Negative. Biomass calcification induced per standard procedure, all volatile agents neutralized."

The mage on the floor flinches, huddling miserably in his green robes. "M-mercy. Don't kill me. It was… it was just a job."

Anisa's ears wilt, and she simply nods. "I understand. Orb, go back to sleep." The doe looks up to Lilac with sadness in her face, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but its passed on. The orb can't fix it."

"Just get up," Xander tells the man. "You didn't attack anyone, so… just behave and help us, okay? I don't know how we're going to get Keyoa's body out of here."

"Standing by," says the voice.

"No. A sample is … a thing. A rock, a tree. A grain of sand. Maybe to that thing Anisa holds we are all just … samples," Umeko says, sounding exhausted. "It just … changed me. Like I was nothing but clay."

The mage hesitantly crawls to his knees, then his feet, acting as though he might be struck at any moment. "You… good, you understand, colleague. Brother! I… we… yes, o-of course, I'll help if I can."

"Is anyone hurt?" Xander asks.

Umeko draws along breath, eyes closing for a moment. "Your vow is fulfilled, Lilac," she finally says. "Hakuu is dead."

Lilac sucks in a breath, her eyes closing. She stays like that a moment, and then her hands begin to flex, almost as if she intended to dig them into the floor, when they suddenly go limp, along with the rest of her. She breathes a long sigh, the corners of her closed eyes beginning to glisten. "Then I'm too late," she says in a weak voice. Slowly drawing to her feet, she picks up Beshret's sword, and, dragging it, begins walking towards the exit. "Happy to help," she tells Umeko, her voice wavering. "I'm just … going to take … take a walk now. Please don't follow me."

Anisa replaces the orb to her pocket, the crystal to her collar. Her ears are completely folded back now, wordlessly avoiding everyone's gaze.

Umeko reaches up and takes a hold of Lilac's tail, though her grip is not tight. "We leave this place together," she says. "Too many have died today. Some friends, some enemies. Now, more than anything, we need each other."

"Hey!" Xander calls. "Don't go, Lilac! What's wrong with everyone?"

"Anisa," Umeko says softly while she still holds Lilac's tail, "Was it you that … started the change again?"

"Stop moping, Christina," Xander chides the doe. "I'm sending up a signal flare. Nobody is allowed to be depressed until we're safely back with the Imperial fleet, got it? That's… that's an ORDER!"

Anisa's frown deepens, and she fidgets. Finally, she looks Kin in the eyes, and nods. "I just… I didn't know… he had you by the neck like that… it seemed like the orb was making you stronger, so I had it go just a little bit fur-" The doe is cut short by Xander's outburst, her fur standing on end as she looks at him incredulously.

"I'm not leaving," Lilac assures Umeko, reaching back to the woman's hand. "I'm just saying … saying good-bye, that's all … and I need a … a memento. Y-you need momentous f-for saying good bye. A gravestone, a … a monument." As she continues to walk, she pauses to stare long and hard at the Life Mage, and her eyes narrow. "I-I'd kill you if I could s-stomach it," she tells him, before heading off again.

Xander starts chanting a fireworks spell to send up through the crack.

"It was a good gamble and it saved my life," Umeko says gently as she releases Lilac's tail. "It hurt beyond anything I can describe … but it saved my life. Thank you."

Anisa glares at Xander a few moments more before turning back to Umeko. "I figured there had to be a reason Hakuu chose you, but it was still a gamble… and I'm sorry. I had no right… "

Umeko raises her hand as if to ask Anisa to stop. "You always have the right to save my life," she tells the doe. "And I trust you."

Anisa forces a weak smile to Umeko, looking over her shoulder to see Lilac off. Once the human is out of sight, the doe sighs, and pats her pocket. "I guess this thing's going to the Curators now, its way more dangerous than I would have thought."

Xander finishes his quick spell, and launches a few colorful bursts of light through the break in the ceiling, where an Imperial Fire Mage can decode the signal spelled out by the bursts.

"For now. We may need it again when we face the Cinders next time," Umeko says as she gets to her feet, and stands there, legs shaking slightly. "I have a battle to see to and other wounded to visit. Let us leave this tomb." She looks around in the low light, to the fallen forms of Keyoa and even of Hakuu, to even the temple. "All things begin, all things end," she says. And when the flare goes up, she looks to it, adding, "And those who survive must continue the journey."