Sutoratosu

Picking up the suitcase and putting it on a nearby crate, Lucille popped it open and took out one of the stacks within. Though she wasn't able to read our write, neither in her own language or whatever one they used in this world, equations and numerics...well those were most definitely her forte. And luckily, determining the value of each of the soft, cloth-like paper bills was as easy as glancing at the numbers in the circles up in the corners. All she had to do was hold it up for Do to see with his own eyes, and she got the same visuals as him as she counted through the stack in front of him, one bill at a time- from the looks of it, it was comprised entirely of 20 dollar bills, 10 individual bills deep. She had Do turn his head and peer into the suitcase, and through him saw that aside from the one she held now, there were 9 more stacks. She put this one back and got out another, quickly flipping through, confirming it was also a stack of 20s that were 10 individual bills deep, and then another, and another. After around half of them though, she seemed satisfied. 10 stacks comprised of 10 bills of the 20$ denomination each.... each individual stack amounted to 200$ and together all ten came out 2000$. Of course, that was assuming that the other half of the stacks weren't just 9 1$ denominations with a single 20$ on top, but.... well she found it unlikely that the stranger would've tried to stiff them, considering her talks with harry earlier and her connection to the sovereign organization of this area. And so, deciding to act on good faith she put the stacks back into the suitcase and clicked it close, nodding at the suit of armor "Yes, this will indeed do. Thank you." She said, Though she couldn't help but notice as Ador starting trying to get the suit's attention....well, not her problem, whatever he was doing. He was lilly's beast, afterall, not hers.

Ghost shook her head. "There's no need to apologize" She said softly "There's nothing to be ashamed for how you felt. Someone as young as you... shouldn't have had to experience any of that. The situation this party was gathered for... it's not something children should've been forced into. I don't know who chose, or how they chose, but..." The rage flared, just under the surface, and she nigh immediately cut off the train of thought, not letting the mellowed, soothing tone of her voice submit to the hellish contempt broiling in her heart. She again shook her head, this time, starting a new track "Sometimes no matter how hard we try to end a conflict without bloodshed, the ones who would make quarrel with us simply won't listen to reason, or have no interest in ending things peacefully... and instead, they attack us, try to deprive us of what we've worked for. But you, myself, everyone, no matter who they are, has an equal right to try and live their lives in peace as best they can, find some sort of happiness. And when someone violates that universal right, tries to deprive us of it.... we have another right, one that's just as important. The right to defend ourselves, and the people and things we care about." If Hiroki was willing to break off at this point, Ghost would've let her go, then knelt to put them both at eye level as she spoke the next part. If she wasn't though, well Ghost wasn't going to force her off. "War is always an ugly thing.... but sometimes, we have to fight these types of battles, because someone else refuses to just let us live in peace. Those men who were attacking earlier, their commanders, those skeletons, they had all come here with the intent to deprive everyone in this fort and in the lands beyond here of those basic rights... and they weren't going to leave unless they either succeeded, or someone stopped them. You're absolutely right, though, Hiroki. It is horrible, beyond any shadow of a doubt. because no matter who starts it, no matter who ends it, it doesn't mean anything in the end. Because war never determines who is right, when the dust settles, only who is left. But even still... none of that changes the fact that this is a lesson that someone who still has so much of their life ahead of them, shouldn't plucked out of their home and forced to learn so early. It is the elder ones, like myself and most of our other companions, who this type of responsibility should've fallen to. You've still got so much ahead of you, so much you can do, so much you can become.... and it is unjustifiably wrong that the precious life you still have might become tainted by the experiences here, Hiroki, that someone else be allowed to try and deny you the choice of what you might become. So.... if you don't want to fight anymore, after this, just say the word. There is no need to feel shame, none of you younger ones should've had to do this to begin with. If you wish to stop, I won't judge you for it, nor will I force you to fight in these next battles. And I swear I won't let anyone else force you to either." And even before the words had left her, the utter resolve in her eyes and the strength with which she stood already lent an air of truth to the statement. Determination was an understatement to describe the feeling coursing through her very being- she fully intended to go toe to toe with any of the other commanders, especially the talking slab, if they had anything to say in protest about this. She had seen too many boys and girls, not really old enough to even be deemed young men and women yet, be made into emotional slag by the fires of wars they had no choice in participating in, because someone else had brought them to their door step and then even kicked down the damn door too. If she could save even one right now by being an Advocate for Hiroki- if she so expressed the desire not to engage in anymore of this madness -then she would in a hearbeat "It's your choice, dear," she said "because you do have a choice in all of this. And I won't let anyone take it away from you."

"....Oh...." Lucille muttered. Not really in any mood to think about that fuck up earlier in the day however, she simply rolled with it. If this stranger had connected to the lab at that time, chances were lucille had been too.... occupied with other matters to really bothering to pay attention. At the mention of payment for the drugs however, the memory of the conversation she'd overheard during the plant abomination crisis surfaced, and it wasn't too hard to put together "You were the one Harry was talking to earlier, then? Anyway, yes, Two Thousand sounds perfectly fine, I suppose. I'll be sure to let Harry know when he gets back." Of course, she had no actual idea just how much 2,000 of these supposed "Dollars" was worth by the standards of this world's currency, but she had already slipped up on that front enough for one day, and wasn't about to embarrass herself by asking about it now. Besides, she hadn't even known they were going to be compensated for this, period. 2,000 was far better than the zilch she'd expected.

Lucille had gotten up from the crate where she was meditating, once the violent, incredibly loud peel of something spewing fire and light caught her ears. Simultaneously curious as to the source and on-guard, Do was at her side in nearly an instant once the signal went out, as the other cats retreated to the higher echelons of the crate stacks and watched from above. Through his eyes, she saw it, a strange, armored figure descending from the skies, perfectly matching the thunderous noise which light up the sonic image of the area in her mind like a miniature sun. And as the figure touched down and began to speak to her, the curiosity she had felt turned to utter perplexion... "Um...hi?" she responded to the towering green figure. She quickly cycled through every single voice she'd heard over the past day or two, and within moments had come to the concrete conclusion- it wasn't there. She'd never heard it before. "have we... met before?" It was a stupid question, really, one she already knew the answer to. But it was also the simplest way to start unraveling just what this stranger's visit was about.

"Now, now, I know how brilliant you lot have gotten at beating on those who can't fight back...." he flourished his lance as he closed the distance, already jabbing into the soldier's side by the time he would've turned to his voice.... "But mayhaps you should've kept a watch on your flank, hm? Might've bought you a few more breaths if you had." H13, Stab the Recruit

26/26 HP; 9/30 MP; 0/200 TP Current Ogre Boost: +0 Str/Ess Ess/Str/Dex/Int/Syn/Res/Con 5/5/-2/5/0/8/3 -minimum of 2 moves each round -MP-fueled actions have their checks boosted by 1/2 Int ((2)) With enough distance between himself and the pig-ogre to render the abomination's hooks about as harmless as they could realistically be by Stellio's estimation, the knight, slowly brought himself to a halt in his run, drifting a bit in the dirt as a cloud of dust plumed behind him (for though his plate may have made graceful, precise maneuvers difficult, it did relatively little to stop the velocity of the one wearing it, once they had accelerated enough; it was a trait quite useful for catching more agile foes unaware and body checking them to the ground to create an opening to finish them....). He turned and surveyed the rest of the battle- from the looks of it, the group was doing quite poorly. He glanced down at his blade, still virgin in this fight, not a lick of blood to be seen on it, and he doubted it would. These foes seemed to be some advanced variety of Fusileers; queer and rather unreliable weapons though they were back in the Isles, whatever realm this was, it seemed that the techniques used to craft them had advanced a far bit farther than the Balboedens had ever managed. Seven hells, he even had one of the damn things mounted atop his very shoulders, at the moment.... he still wasn't quite sure how it had happened or who had put it there. It was clear that this battle was to be dominated by range. Yet, he hesitated to sheath his blade, just yet. If worse came to worse, he would likely have to charge back in and take on the Pig Ogre and his deranged little minion personally, in order to buy the weaker ones time to retreat, and in such a case, he'd prefer to be fully prepared before hand. But for the time being, he merely waited, and began to channel more mana. It was good that he'd managed to slow the pig beast a little, now if he could just do the same to the minion.... Stellio Holds Stellio Holds again! Loadout

"What a shame, boy..." Mercadier had said to the swordsman's still warm body, as he kicked it off his lance "even with all your desperation, with all that power you put into that one swing... you have still come up lacking." As the body crumpled to the floor, a pool of crimson steadily expanding from it's peirced heart, Mercadier turned, and walked away. There was more pressing business to attend to than the fool who had thought he could avoid the retribution he'd earned, if he struck the knight doling it out hard enough. "But even this pitiful fate is no worse than you deserved." And almost as if to add insult to injury for the departed spirit, he took out a vial of medicine from one of his sleeves and unstoppered it. Applying the stuff directly to his wounds, he took up sentry beside the weakened journeyman from earlier, not even wasting the effort to look at the mage standing mere feet away. For that fool was already dead. Even if he did not realize it at this moment. H11, use a Vulnerary

"They tested this powder earlier," Lucille explained "Apparently, its not drugs or whatever they originally thought it was...but some type of plant spore. Things didn't go well, someone almost got burned to a crisp, and we ended up having to isolate the creature it spawned before it could wreak even more havoc. From there... well, its one crises that's been dealt with, that's whats important. Talk to Lilly if you want to know more, I left the thing in her hands after I rendered it harmless, and she was there to experience it from the very beginning. I just ran in after I heard the screaming and smelled the smoke."

She stayed silent. Hiroki's sobs were the only sound that filled the void. But as she stood there, with the girl huddling into her own shell yet again, memories came unbidden to her mind. Memories of the boy she had consoled when he'd gotten exactly like this, memories of the husband and father she had once loved so dearly who had helped her raise him... for the few years they had together before they took him away. Memories of the man she had met in the camps who had gone on to become her subordinate, and eventually, the one she had sworn herself too, second to their country and it's throne. Memories of the gentle-hearted child who had been just as horrified with his own power as those watching over them had been interested in it. Memories of the boy who had turned into a man nigh-grown with her nowhere to witness it. Memories of the boy who had been stolen from her by the very land she had spent her entire life serving, and then lied to her about his fate. Memories of the boy she had found in that throne room, on that fateful day. Memories of that boy who had become a monster, under their guidance. Memories of that boy who she would never hold again. Memories of the husband who had chosen honor and service over what they once had. There were too many of them to count. And with each came its own unique jolt of anguish. Steel herself though she tried, she still found the heat of tears coming unbidden to her eyes. But she squeezed them shut, not daring to let any fall. Without a word, and unable to stand by any longer as the girl continued to weep, Ghost finally gave in to the maternal instincts that had gone so long suppressed since that day when her world had crumbled... and she reached out.... And she pulled Hiroki in close, and held her there, let the girl cry onto her shoulder. Just as she had Ryder, once upon a time.... In another world, in another life.

"Whatever you do," Lucille warned the troopers as they began to collect the contraband "keep this stuff as far away from water as possible; the powder apparently spawns little plant abominations that spew fire once you remove them from it. once the reaction starts, it'll be too hot to just douse it, and smothering probably won't work either. We had enough trouble neutralizing just one of them earlier, so uh... use extreme caution." Speaking of which, Lucille couldn't help but wonder just what Lilly had done with the little abomination, once she'd made him about a thousand times less deadly. Probably tried to plant him again or whatever, going off her panicked answer from when she'd initially asked what was going on. Not like it really mattered to her though at this point... the thing was nowhere near what she'd hoped to accomplish, effectively immortal or no. What good was such a property on a non-sentient creature who could contribute nothing more than creating stringy trails of garbage when it moved? And hell, even with the ability to pass on some of it's regeneration factor via direct contact, from what knowledge she'd gleaned by examining it earlier, the damn thing would've done so at such a sluggish pace it wouldn't have made that much a difference in a critical situation. It was, by her standards, and compared to the life-saving plant species she originally intended to create, an utter failure. And she honestly didn't want to be reminded of said failure. Hmph....but what rubbed her even worse than it was an initial failure, was that she knew she could've corrected it, had Lilly not been right there at the time. Without her present, Lucille would've immediately said to hell with it and tried the ritual again, extract the property out of the little plant horror and make it into something that could actually benefit people... but she'd already gauged from Lilly's general regard of her that such a path wouldn't have been without its fair share of resistance. She seemed far too attached to the damn thing, considering it almost flame-grilled her... and after all that had happened today, she honestly hadn't felt like getting into a potential fight when the other girl, in all likelihood, would've overreacted. But... But what? She didn't even know, at this point. The past hour had been spent thinking about how far she'd come, what she could've done differently on the first attempt, how she could've avoided such obvious mistakes and poor synthesis quality. But all in all, The operation had... fine. Satisfactory.... good. Maybe not good enough for her, but probably good by most standards. The thing was no longer at risk of burning everything down, and well... she had effectively created something immortal today. And that something had been small and relatively non-threatening enough to not warrant immediate destruction. ...It could've gone much worse. So she supposed it was time to stop sulking about it.

"You can let it all out here," Ghost reassured, moving a bit closer to let the girl have a shoulder to cry on- in both the literal and metaphorical sense -if she needed one. "No need to hold anything back, dear. What you're feeling right now is nothing to be ashamed about...and there's no one here to judge you for it, either." And with that, the woman went silent, electing to let the child vent her emotions for as long as she needed to. Just as she'd thought, it was precisely the same issue she'd seen in so many others her age who, either through circumstance or despotic machinations, were forced onto the killing field long before they could even come close to being considered fully grown men and women. And at the same time, she knew that this was simply an ugly truth, but questioned really it was truly as inevitable as she had always accepted it to be. Every time it happened, there was always that growing doubt in the back of her mind, those winds that whispered vile nothings of she was just as much to blame, of how- She took a solemn breath, once more banishing the thoughts to the furthest corners of her mind. Delving on guilt would do nothing here. Her hands had been tainted with blood for far too long to even remember now by her very nature as a killer of men and mice alike. What use was guilt now, after the fact, when she already spread that blood so far in a futile attempt to prevent it's stain from propagating in the first place? What used was that guilt when she had spent so long trying to end the madness that is war, but in end only ever managed to help perpetuate it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. To dwell in her own Guilt may as well have been the same as to dwell in her own self-pity, for everything she had done she had a choice in, regardless whether or not she had elected to take that choice, regardless what- or who -she would've lost because of that choice. She knew full well someone like her, someone who for some many decades had stood by and not only been complacent to the evil going on around her, but in many cases had taken an active role in its commission, did not even deserve so much as the mere idea of atonement, let alone pity. No matter if she had finally made the right decision in the end and turned on it all. Yet, a wretched creature such as her, so tainted by the blood she had spilled and the suffering she helped sow, had still profaned to attempt for the former anyway. She would not dare wallow in the latter. The only one who deserved any pity here was the weeping child before her. Probably taken from some world where, at the very least, if war was not nonexistent, it was far enough removed from her life that she wouldn't had to ever experience the horrors it brought. Taken from whatever family or friends she might have had, and plopped down into this.... this battlefield. And that... struck Ghost as the single biggest injustice here of them all. Why mere children? Why the young ones? Why not assemble this force exclusively of the elders and the seasoned ones that could be spared from a world? Why was there a boy barely old enough to shave fending off spells like he'd been doing it all his life? Why was there a girl no older than 6 or so who'd been infected with some ungodly parasite and used as a mere tool? Where was the sense in forcing any of them to fight? Where was the sense tearing them away from their homes and loved ones, ending their innocence and shattering their childhoods with the harsh reality of the killing field? What type of monster did it take to give the approval on their conscription for this? For, even ghost, vile wretch that she was, tried her damndest to only involve the younger ones when there was no other way, and even then, she did all she could to make sure they were as close to adulthood as the situation allowed, and even then she had strict limits she would never have crossed. Limits where she would never have hesitated to take the field herself and fight as long and hard as necessary, if that was what it took to preserve at least some innocence in the places she visited for just a while longer. There was a fine and hard line between teaching people how to defend themselves, being the hero they need while at the same time, teaching them what they needed to know to be their own heroes in due time... and virtually going in and destroying every fragment of the life they had once known before the crises had befallen them. Crossing that line was the sumuric way, the way of the empire and it's countless legions... it was a way she had vowed to turn her back on, and someday, gods willing, purge from the very face of the earth. And yet whoever had gathered them for this fight, obviously had no issues taking that line, that principle, and snapping it over their knee as they watched mere children be torn apart by the burden of what they had done. And as ghost stood there, letting Hiroki express all that she needed to, no judgement against the girl anywhere in her heart, just as she had promised.... she found a new fire burning within her soul, a new target upon which to direct her fury, in the far future. It would have to be once the threats of sumur, the despotic powers of other worlds, and finally these "trespassers" themselves were eliminated, but she vowed, right then and there, she would find whoever had been tasked with assembling this group, and she would face them just as she had any other apathetic tyrant willing to use, abuse, and cast aside people as it deemed necessary for its goals. She had spent nigh her entire life under powers that had no trouble decreeing the ends of their machinations justify whatever means they employ. She had sworn to stand by no longer, long ago. This.... This was no different.

With all the guards immediately around them dead and the doors and chests being opened at a decently steady pace, Cadence had found she honestly had nothing to do through the whole affair aside from stand there with the same jaded expression on her mug as when this whole mess had began in the upperclass sector of the city. She looked down at the ratty, absolutely shoddy blade she carried about as loosely as possible in her gimped hand- she had little faith that even if there was someway for her to actually contribute to holding off the guards while the others got their property, it would honestly do fuck all in the long run, compared to how easily myrd and the others seemed to be handling it. In all honesty, if it wasn't one of the only weapons they had available, she would've dropped the damn thing right then and there and forgotten about it. Luckily for her however, she wouldn't need to be saddled with the fate of forever holding this peice of used and abused shite as she stood back and watched as she continued to be utterly useless in grand scheme of their escape, despite in all honesty being the major cause for them getting into this god forsaken situation to begin with. The captain was right there behind her.... hell, even with his relatively unimpressive track record in battle, from what she could recall of the engagements thus far, he'd still probably be more useful with the blade than she was right now. No point keeping the damn thing... "Here, sir" she said, taking the thing just below where the blade and handle met and presenting it to Madante, grip first "Not like it's much use to me... perhaps you'll be able to contribute something instead." It might've been a jab, from the general tone in her voice. or it might've simply been the growing disdain for how this all played out in general. Either way, she held the weapon out for the man to take, looking at him expectantly. Trade the Shoddy Sword to Madante, goddess knows he'll be more useful with it than I will.

Ghost stood up at the same time as Hiroki, catching her as she stumbled a bit from under the shelf. At the same time, she took note of how the girl seemed to actively resist relying on her- sign of stubbornness, perhaps? maybe an independence streak or just plain pride? She only guess at it for now, it was a small detail that wasn't terribly important at the moment anyway. Even now the child didn't respond, that distant, empty gaze seeming to dominate everything... Ghost briefly glanced behind her- yet more socially inept fools had filtered into here, each one of them totally oblivious and absorbed in their own pursuits. The old commander couldn't help but shake her head at the general lack of situational awareness this group seemed to have, she'd been noticing it since she got here, and this only further confirmed it. But there was a problem beyond that: Despite her offer, ghost had no real idea of where would even be a quieter place than here, that was unlikely to have someone barging in and potentially triggering the girl... well, no idea of anywhere in the physical plane. "Things are going to... shift a little," she told Hiroki as she finally settled on the solution, "our surroundings will look a bit different, but you should be fine so long as you hold on. What I'm doing now should shut the rest of them up." With that simple, albeit somewhat cryptic, warning to try and mitigate any surprise, just as ghost said, the room she and Hiroki stood on took on a hazy filter, as if some bizarre type of light fog or steam had suddenly rolled in... a fog that one could easily see right through though, if they concentrated hard enough. In fact, just about anything around them could be seen right through with concentration alone. At first, the talking from everyone else in the armory still filtered through, but all Ghost had to do was will the dimension's laws to alter ever so subtly, and like that, their voices ceased to be. The two of them could still see them all, but it was, for all intents and purposes, like watching a silent movie play out. Ghost turned away from the crafting and chatting misfits, and back to Hiroki once more. "Like I said, we can't hear them anymore. They can't see us while we're in here, and there's no way they could ever hear us either, unless I explicitly allowed them" the look on her face, still mostly one of concern tinted by maternal-instincts, made it abundantly clear that she had no intent of doing that however "...you can start whenever you feel ready, Hiroki." It would likely be best to let the girl take the lead for now, lest discussion lose a fair bit of it's effect. It was how Ghost had tried the counseling in the past, at the very least, and for the most part it had seemed to make things a bit easier when the one bearing the scars was allowed to speak as much, or as little, as they so desired with minimal interruptions or her leading them by the hand through the conversation. Of course there had been times before where she might have needed to jump start things a little, ask a few minor questions to get things going, but she'd withhold on that for the time being. It was just the two of them, in that void of silence, as the rest of the armory milled about without their physical presence...

"Uh huh....sure," The knight responded flatly to her. He didn't know how much of this he would simply pin up as a mere stage "Drama"; there were debts that had been incurred here, debts that could only be repaid in blood. And he fully intended to collect on them. Regardless, he turned back to the swordsman, raising his lance with the hand not applying pressure to the wound "Well boy, I've waited long enough. Are you ready?" He didn't wait for a response, instead jabbing forward with a strike sure as rain, as his eyes flared crimson and stared the iniate down one last time as he ended his pathetic existence. "Now... why don't we TRY THIS AGAIN, AND THIS TIME WITH SOME FEELING!?" Auto-Kill the initiate

Lucille rolled her eyes as the captain of the squad had started out with Lily- as if she, from what lucille had seen thus far, was really fit to be responsible around here. With more than a bit of annoyance, she broke into the little conversation- it was time to get this stuff, whatever the hell it was, out of this place, preferably as far away as it could be taken. She couldn't speak for the other two, but she mostly certainly didn't want to be sleeping in the same place as a bunch of powder that apparently spawned horrible little plant abominations that spewed fire. "Ahem," she began, to get the officer's attention. Mostly though, she just unimpressed by the small talk he attempted "Yes, they're right this way. Follow me." And with that said, and before any of them could even bother to ask why they should follow a blind person, she turned and led them to right where the palletes were, picking her way through the aisles and crates just as well (if not better, honestly) as any sighted person could've managed. Remaining silent once they got to them, she stood aside and looked at the PRT troopers expectantly.... well, looked at them as well as a blind girl could. They'd doubtlessly have a few questions as to the exact nature of the substance. That, at least, was something Lilly would be a bit more qualified for, given she had been here to experience the entire story behind them firsthand.

Mercadier, as the man struck him, had taken the opportunity to spit some of the blood filling his mouth right into the young man's face. But it wasn't all, for even after the exchange was over, he simply stared at the swordsman, like a parent who had just found their child in the middle of some shameful disgrace of their family name, and his disappointment only grew as he pressed a hand to the wound, letting his already tattered surcoat soak up the blood. What would he care about it at this point- the thing had been stained with goddess knows how many things over the past ten years, and with far more blood than anything this little pissant could've mustered. What even was this pain, compared to all those fights and past injuries he had both sustained and inflicted? Nothing. Utterly nothing. Or at least it would be, if his body had been even half as strong as had been before entering this shit hole. "You have been weighed." the knight decreed, as he mercilessly stared the swordfighter down, as if daring him to try again. "You have been measured. And you have been found.... Lacking. Hmph... do you think this is enough to stop me, boy? Do you think this is enough to destroy the monster you and those like you helped to create? I hate to break it to you, but it isn't. Maybe you should actually put some feeling into it this time, like you do when you beat one of the slaves? Yes, I'm sure you're quite good at that at least, so why don't you get in that same mindset now?" "Go on, boy, I'll wait. I want to see the surprise on your face when a slave has finally had enough and wrings your little neck until it snaps."

F9, Stab the Initiate a couple times

"Thank you meredith.... you're a dear friend." Maya nodded in genuine gratitude as the older woman dashed off after the spell was complete, not even moments after her promise and already, she had struck the enemy priest as dead as a doornail. And low and behold, from the skies descended ecquis mere seconds after, utterly wiping the mage- and subsequently the only obstacle standing in her path to the cloudbreaker -off the very face of the earth with a blow so utterly monstrous, Maya probably would've recalled from the sheer brutality of it... If this had been literally any other situation that is. As it stood, she was far too busy chuckling beneath her breath as she stepped forward, and over the body of the mage. She knew naught whether this was the goddess herself granting her a chance at justice, or merely fate feeling a bit generous, but either way she fully intended to make the most of it. Freyl had been right, oh so right. For the first time in many years, she was no longer alone. And THAT.... now that would prove to be the downfall of this cloudbreaker today. Just as it would prove to be the downfall of the rest of her household, in due time... Peering off across the desert sands, bringing her palms together as a brilliant surge of emerald light crackled between them. The light, just as it had when she had let it run rampant all those times before now, again bayed and howled, snarled and growled like dogs, as she let the wrath she had suppressed be born anew, and it charged the hex even further. The winds began to pick up around her, ever so slightly at first, but in due time it became enough to knock her hood away, but maya did nothing to stop it. "You are not the murderer I seek," she began, "But you are little better than him, so you will do just fine in your kins place... for now. Make peace with the goddess, wretch, and be sure to make room in hell. The rest of your household shall follow you in due time." The energy stopped its motion, briefly, before maya flung both hands forwards and launched the hex across the desert sands at great velocity, shining like a brilliant star in the night sky as it closed the distance between them. "Death to the Cloudbreakers. Death to all pigs in men's clothing." B11, shower upon Louise a glorious flight of angels to sing her to thy rest ((Cast sleep))

The light came and went as the ritual was performed. Lucille uttered the trigger word, and through the process had guided the merge, using the staff as a focus to amplify the spell. And by the time it ended, there was no longer a burning pit, nor a sphere of healing enery, but instead a single, pinky finger-sized green creature sitting in the center-most circle. And much to Lucille's relief, it was now longer burning... But it was nothing like she had hoped to accomplish, either. Entering another state of conscious and viewing the creature with a sight beyond mundane sight, she could already tell that much. This endeavor had only been a partial success, at the very best: She was silent, for a few moments, as she stared at the creature. Before long however, she ordered it to crawl near Lilly, close enough that all the girl would have to do is reach down and pick it up. It left a trail of cellophane as it did so, to which Lucille sighed and shook her head. "...take it, Lilly." she said, her voice lower and heavier than usual, expression unreadable, but her blank eyes baring the look of someone who had just found out they had failed some utterly crucial final examination despite studying every opportunity they could and working their ass off in preparation for it. Her footsteps were practically silent as she turned and headed into the Warehouse's interior. "It's not burning anymore, so there's no reason for us to destroy it. The ritual succeeded in that much at least, even if it failed on every other front. The creature is in your hands now... I'm going to wait for these vans to arrive... and I'd prefer to be alone while I do." At the same moment she passed through the doors to the place, she broke her binding over the strange plant creature, leaving it to Lilly... and whatever she intended to do with it from that point on. LUCILLE RELEASES THE PLANT ABOMINATION The charcoal lines that had made up the circle slowly began to disintegrate into nothing after she went inside. A safety mechanism lucille tended to make sure to built in whenever she drew temporary ones, to keep random strangers from stumbling upon and somehow, though highly unlikely, figuring out how to activate them. Or even worse, someone actually versed in the arts she employed finding it, and using it for no end of ill will.

She took out the same stick of charcoal from earlier and went to work drawing everything out around the spore beast, making certain to stay a safe distance away from the horrible heat it's secreted flames gave off. In less than half a minute, she had finished, and what stood before them was a perfectly drawn Synthesis Circle. One of the two containment circles had been drawn around the pit where the fire plant reside, the other one was empty. There was a final circle at an equal distance between them, that was also empty- where the end result of the ritual would appear. With the prepwork done, Lucille was all business, taking out something else- a small, wand like object with a shard of quartz embedded on the end. She spoke a single, undecipherable word, and several small lines of light appeared on it's shaft. It extended length almost immediately, growing until its full height came up to about eye level with Lucille's- a short staff. "See that empty circle? Not the one in the middle, but on the far right," she gestured with the staff at precisely which one she meant "I need you to cast that spell you used there. Once you do, I'll activate the circle and try to replace the destructive properties of the creature with the healing ones of your magic."

"Making this thing do something more useful, and less destructive, than spewing out a bunch of fire whenever it leaves water, preferably something that can help people, like healing..." she answered, her blank, pupil-less eyes narrowing as she did so, picking up Lilly's tone more easily than any member of their party logically could've, given her... adaptations to life. she swore to all the gods in her world, she had only been here for less than a full 24 hours, and this whole self-righteous condemnation of what she, and most others like her back home, did out of survival and necessity was getting ridiculous "And look- don't even start about this, OK? I can hear it in your voice already. I defended myself to Ardor when I first got here, and you of all people shouldn't be getting upset right now, when I'm simply doing what's necessary to stop this creature from burning everything. This creature that- from the smell of charred flesh I'm still picking up -wouldn't have hesitated to burn you to a crisp. Of course, if you feel indignant with me using my ability- one that I had no control or say in being born with, by the way -to try and stop disaster from spreading now... well, just say the word. I can release my hold right now, if that's what you reeeeeeally want after what just happened, and let this thing wander off to terrorize the rest of the docks." 'pointed' was an absolute understatement; the Thaumaturge seethed just under her surface, bit hid it well as she stood there, arms crossed and face unreadable before lilly. But her tone had made it clear- this was first, and last, warning of how absolutely fucking done she was with the flak they seemed so intent on giving. Despite it though, she did not release her mental binding of the creature, nor did she allow it to terrorize the docks and cause countless deaths as it burned everything in it's path. It stayed right where it was, in the burning pit, for if Lucille had anything to say about the fate of this incredibly dangerous organism- it would either be made into something that was far less threatening by virtue of its mere existence, or it would be destroyed to protect the countless other living things that surely perish if it were given mercy. "Now please... are you going to help me try and make it so we don't have to destroy it, and it can do something actually beneficial with it's existence, or are you just going to stand there silently judging me the entire time?"

"Hmmmmm...." Lucille stayed stooped near the stone. She didn't sense anything inherently.... wrong with it, or dangerous, so she reached out a hand and lightly brushed the surface, find the glossy exterior to radiate a faint warmth, and though it was not a particularly powerful heat, certainly nothing in comparison to what the little plant beast produced, examining the stone yet again by entering higher state of conscious and gazing with her third eye revealed that it was a intensely persistent, if somewhat weak trait... they probably could've shoved this thing in an ice box for days, and it wouldn't have lost even an ounce of it's thermal energy. "Very interesting..." she whispered, at this point almost mesmerized by the substance she had accidently created. There had already been similiar materials on her world, high end insulators that also doubled as heat generators- not only would the block out the cold, they could also keep an entire family warm for virtually no utility cost beyond the initial price of the material. It seemed that somehow, in her mad, frenzied chanting to isolate the plant beast, she had accidentally created something in the same vein. Still though, she would need to examine it a bit further, maybe do some test on it, to see the full extent of its properties. Taking out a stick of charcoal and drawing out a strange symbol on the ground near the stone with nigh impressive speed, she proceeded to utter something under her breath as she put the writing utensil away. Once more, the air itself seemed to warp, and the runic diagram lit with burning radiance as the thing immediately next to it, the stone, gradually shrunk down until it was the size of a disk that could easily slip into someone's pocket. The light died soon after, and Lucille picked up the mysterious, warm rock and slipped it into one of the inner pockets on the inside of her garbs. Lucille obtains the Ebony Hearthstone! She had already stood back up again by the time lilly came back. Lucille gave lilly an odd look, as she returned. She was still in a heightened conscious state, and it was almost painfully easy for her senses to detect the bit of magic the other girl had woven over her wounds as she approached "No, nothing much" she said, finally coming down from the state and allowing the metaphorical third eye to close, causing the myriad of metaphysical information that had been filtering into Lucille's mind to fade with it. "We managed to get the thing under control, it's in the hole now.... still burning, but it should be a lot more contained now that it's surrounded by asphalt" she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder to the literally burning hole in the street where the spore monster currently resided. "But lilly- what you did just now, to heal yourself.... what was that? Can you do it again, project the energy on other things beside yourself? I've got an idea to try and nuetralize the threat this thing poses for...." she gestured with a wave of her hand towards the small burning pit, as if she were a game show host presenting a contestant with a wonderful prize check "...obvious reasons."

Tama (and Aurora, who sounds quite miffed in the background) A giant Spider-woman's indignant screech could be heard in the distance, at the mention of people being too "Macho" or prideful to learn how to heal their own damn selves. From the utter exasperation in her voice, it seemed the spider agreed all too much with that assessment.... Tama, not entirely sure why the spider god was screeching, simply ignored it and said his own peice after edmond "I should also mention that those tasked with defending the fort did decently well. Of course, I myself was drawing most of the aggression and doling out most of the suffering, but we had a dedicated healer, several others who had situational mending skills of their own, and even though the overall power output was low aside from a few outliers such as myself, the girl clad in the fiery armor, and the woman who controls that child spirit, it was heavily mitigated by the plant snake and her companion- I believe they were called "Dackly and Gozer" or some such nonsense. Both Ghost and I agreed, for as vexing and troublesome as they can be, they proved invaluable for clearing out the field in record times, one of them somehow petrifying weakened foes and removing them from the equation entirely, and the other eventually unleashing a massive burst of energy that nearly destroyed everything left alive and all but confirmed our victory. Overall, while the composition may have been a tad lackluster in some areas, it was sound enough to get the job done in the end. Even if the earth elemental hadn't unleashed his bombardment, it likely would've only been a while longer before we finally routed them the hard way, after their reinforcements stopped arriving."

"...but you weren't ready... You didn't want to...." Ghost softly finished the statement with what she knew was most likely to be the sentiment. A flicker of hot, annoyed rage passed through her mind as an absolute ruckus erupted in the armory as the very same plant and earth elemental she had commended earlier emerged with some scholarly type and began to work away on some asinine creation. Were the topic of this literally anything else, she would've stood, whirled on her heels, and chewed them all out so hard they would've wished she was a mere drill sergeant. But she suppressed it, let none of that fury at how utterly fucking blind and socially incognitive the three newcomers obviously were to the conversation going on right in front of them, as she reached out a hand in offer to Hiroki. There was no judgement in the smile she offered, no condemnation of any perceived weakness.... only a knowing sadness, backed by too many years to count "I know, hiroki, I know.... taking someone's life is... never easy. Here, I don't think you particularly want to be around all this noise right now of all times, do you? What do you say we find somewhere quieter to talk?"

"I see, guess that explains it. It's actually kinda terrifying, this thing reminds me of a few bioweapons back home." Lucile answered "About the circle though? Well, it doesn't necessarily do it every time, no. it really depends on the nature of how exactly I want to combine something, like how I did with the cat and the iron earlier; the irons gone, but the cats still here, and he doesn't really weigh more than he used to... I don't think. To be honest though, even I'm not entirely certain about the maximum limits of what that spell can do, and I've been studying it for years now...." she drifted off in the conversation, as she borrowed one of the cat's eyesight for a moment and inspected the area. Lo and behold, where she had intended to move the asphalt she used to dig the hole, there was something that was definitely not it in it's place "aaaaaaand exactly my point. This is uh.... unexpected. I'm certain I did all the calculations ri... actually, nevermind, I probably didn't." she sighed "there's a reason I prefer to write it out instead of doing it all in my head. Stupid mistakes like this end up happening..." though, perhaps she was being too hard on herself, whatever it was, it did not appear immediately dangerous, at least compared to the green fire mutant. Only one way to find out for certain... Lucille approaches the strange stone and reaches out with her senses, trying to detect any apparent metaphysical properties it might have. If she sensed nothing volatile or dangerous about the mysterious black stone, she would reach out and try to collect it, testing its weight.