[IC] TotMV:G2: Servant's Quarters (Travel Phase)

[Yours Truly]

Mot shook his head after listening to the shy woman speak, and he tried to be as polite as possible when he said "No actually, I was just wondering why this door had been glowing...It's not exactly a common sight isn't it?". The motorcycle flashed his lights at the shy woman as if to prove Mot's point.
He offered her a handshake before saying "My name is Mot, may I ask for your name Miss....?".

[Chevaleresse]

Marisa's interested expression abruptly turns to a frown. "Wait a minute. Something here's not right. I didn't notice it before, but something else magical showed up here a little bit ago. Something. . . self-righteous . . . Is there an angel around here? Angels are always a massive pain in the ass." She sat in her place uncomfortably, as if deciding whether hiding, running off, or trying to find the source was the best plan. Her expression did brighten a bit, however, at Edmond's arrival. "Oh, hey, how've you been? You seem un-exploded, so it can'tve been too bad."

[StormLord]

Morgan practically jumps back as Lexiel comes out of the room, putting several feet of distance between them.  He immediately had his wand back out and watches the angel as she speaks.

 

She didn't look very much like the angels he'd see and heard of, she lacked a good three feet of height, she wasn't carrying one of the traditional weapons(though a rifle was probably a better choice), and she wore colors other than white and gold.  Her aura threw him for a loop, it seemed like an angel's aura but lacked the aspect of terror the others had given off.  She also didn't speak like the other angels, not once had she mentioned a master or creator, nor had she tried to tell him how much of a horrible unnatural creation he was and that he should let her destroy him for the betterment of the world.

 

Over all for a few seconds a look of complete and total confusion passed over Morgan's face.

He already doubted that she was much of anything like the angels of his world, but he had to be sure and there was one way to tell without fault.

His expression of confusion was replaced with one of focus as he took his wand and with the tip seemed to dig into the fabric of reality scratching glowing white line in the air in front of him.  He rapidly created a glyph of sorts with these lines after seeming to finish he spoke the words "Valeo figura et irae luminis" with that and a final wand swipe from Morgan the spell(designed to banish golems of light) flew at Lexiel and shattered, passing waves of energy over her but having little other effect.  Morgan's expression the relaxes again, he didn't have to explain to the others why he'd banished the angel and more importantly the other angels hadn't managed to find him yet.  He lowers his wand and speaks "It...seems I was wrong, you are certainly not one of the angels I'm familiar with.  The fact that we're talking rather than in an all out duel proves that point." He grants a small bow as you would if you were dueling. "My name is Voidwalker Morgan Cassius, trained by the College of Spires, the seat of power in the Southern Mires of the world of Zauberwelt.  I apologize for any offence I may have incurred."

[Strider]

Edmond gave a small smile, one that held equal parts cheer and concern.

"Oh, I've been, well, alright. 'Un-exploded'...certainly a wonderful state to be in. I'm rather surprised that I am, though. I just got back from a mission, and to say that it went poorly would be an understatement. If you'd like I can tell you about that later...and I brought some items that you might be interested in...again later, though. You remember telling me about Ravnica, right? Well...I didn't have to go there, but as you've probably guessed, I met someone. Lexiel was in my group, and is currently down the hall. Before you do anything though, you should know that she ' won't start anything unless you do'." Edmond held out his hands in a somewhat placating gesture, though he hoped and expected it not to be necessary. "She's going to be working on this quest, so I thought it might be best to defuse tensions now rather than later. And..." Here he paused, uncertain what to say in front of the others in the room, but then continued in a lower voice. "...she's in some trouble, or at least she was...having to do with her angelic nature, and the way it binds her. I've done my best, and it seems to have sufficed since she didn't drop any more comet storms on people...but I would greatly appreciate your aid and knowledge in helping her." Edmond stopped here, waiting for a response, searching to see how Marisa would react.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Strider

[Chevaleresse]

Marisa's expression turned very flat at Lexiel's name. "Lexiel. You want me to help Lexiel. The bitch who tried to lock me up in a Ravnican prison for years because I happened to be near a crime, and probably STILL insists that I'm a criminal? If anyone ever started anything it was her! There I was, minding my own business, and then boom, angels everywhere, threatening me with lightning bolts and reading off some list of like thirty crimes I was supposedly guilty of." She took a deep breath. "Hoo. Okay. Okay. Fine. She needs help? I'll at least take a look. I could make it worse, but I promise not to."

[Strider]

Edmond shrunk back a bit at the woman's anger, though not much. "I...hmm. I believe you, and one of the reasons why I brought this up was so that we could fix what sounds like a serious misunderstanding. Years in prison? Lexiel said that the charge was something to do with disorderly conduct...that certainly does sound disproportional to the crime. But please consider, as an angel, did she really have any choice? That is what she, and those around her, need help with...I really don't know...please just give it a chance for now. If things go wrong, I'll try to make it up to you somehow." Edmond gestured with his metal clad hand, and slowly made his way down the hallway until Lexiel and Morgan were in view.

[DragonRage]

"Ow!" Lexiel exclaims as the banishing spell sweeps over her,  trying in vain to shake off the sensation. "Urza's bones that stings like bloatfly bites everywhere!  Donkey-loving, maggot-infested, ogre-brained son of a rot farmer!  Ow!  What the heck was that?"  It occurs to Morgan that perhaps the banishing spell did work after all; but wasn't anywhere near strong enough to get rid of her.  "Come on, I literally just said I wasn't going to harm you, and you're trying to banish me to the aether?  I- Wait...  As my old friend Lena would say, I sense a disturbance in the Force."  Lexiel takes a deep breath in, and her face twists with disgust.  "Marisa!  I thought I smelled the dulcet stench of cheap hair dye and tea around here somewhere.  Ah, a Rakdos witch and a banish-happy blue mage.  All we need now is Jace Beleren to show his pasty mug, and my day will be complete."

[Chevaleresse]

"At least when I go to insult someone I can come up with better insults than lies and cheap shots at their favorite beverages. Which is funny, by the way, coming from a Boros stooge who wouldn't know a decent meal if it slapped her upside her head. Go figure that I managed to run into the one angel that's actually WORSE to deal with than all the other ones. That's a gods-damned accomplishment, let me tell you."

[StormLord]

"Umm, Jace who...?" Morgan trailed off as Marisa walked up and started shouting.  Morgan began thinking while reaching up to scratch the back of his head, trying to figure out what a blue mage was suppose to be, he wasn't a water mage, nor a divimancer, enchanter maybe, hmm.  That's when Marisa got to the part about Lexiel being the worst angel to deal with "Actually I'll differ with that, she's far from the most difficult to deal with angel I've met.  That one racist prick deserves what he got."

[Strider]

"Would you please both stop for one minute? We are on a mission to save the multiverse. I'm not asking that you forget your quarrels! I'm asking that you consider not greeting each other with insults. I'm asking you to both take a step back and try to discuss your problems in a reasonable manner. No need to agree, no need to become friends. Just stop instigating fights, and try to consider for one minute that there are things more important than a arrest years ago in which you, Marisa, claim to be innocent, and you, Lexiel, were merely the instrument of the law."

[DragonRage]

Lexiel's face runs through a gauntlet of emotions before settling into a deliberately neutral position, drawing her wings around her.  Her aura pulses in a way that probably signals irritation, but really just makes everyone feel even better than before.  "...You know what, Marisa?  You're right.  NOT about the food.  But that really isn't the point here.  Yes, I was blind in my commitment to the Boros.  Your actions deserved, at most, a night in the drunk tank and I let them try to ship you off to the Azorius anyway because my superiors thought it the correct choice.  That wasn't the first time I've followed the letter of the law, despite knowing the spirit calls for something different, or the last.  I- I think there's something very wrong with me, Marisa.  I think I might be Falling, and I don't need to tell you why that would be bad.  It is almost like my perception of what is just in the moment defines my entire moral compass... and to set it askew has become easier and easier.  I don't like you.  You don't like me.  That may never change.  But you are better at this sort of thing than anyone I have met.  You and I both know that darkness and evil are always not one and the same, but the darkness I am Falling towards..."  

 

Lexiel goes silent and rigid, gasping for breath as a memory overcomes her.  The foul stench of decay and gunpowder stomping closer, overwhelming the bloody smell and pained gasps of some of her closest friends.  A warm barrel touching her forehead; a gravelly voice ripping through the pain of four slug-pierced wings.  "You're no Angela.  But I've always enjoyed shooting angels.  Until I get to her, you'll do.  Die." Chest torn!  Blood spilling!  "DIE."  Blazing lines through her guts, something wet and slithery spilling out.  Some traitorous corner of her mind relieved that at least she wouldn't have to listen to her friends going first. "DIE!"  Lexiel's rifle clatters to the floor from numb fingers, as she clasps her hands into her tabard hard enough to rip the sturdy fabric.  Sharp, remembered pain pierces her skull, followed by darkness she hadn't felt since that day.  Even after Kozilek blinded her, the world became white, blotted out by the light of her halo.  Not dark; never dark.  Darkness is the grave.

 

Lexiel manages to turn her physical fall into a stumble that ends with her on one knee before Marisa, head bowed.  "I beg of you; if there is more to your character than that of the demon-binding petty criminal you showed me those years ago on Ravnica, demonstrate it.  Prove me wrong."  The angel's aura turns softer, a quiet, melancholy, soothing tone.

[Chevaleresse]

"There was a lot more to me back then too, if you'd paid attention." The snap back had no actual venom to it, though, her attention already diverted by the problem laid before her. "Hokay. Falling. Bad news. Very bad news. But you know that already. Um. I'm gonna cast some wards, alright? Observational kinds of things, just so I can take a look." Her hands worked, tracing out invisible lines and glyphs, as she muttered the occasional incantation. "I don't know how much I can actually help, but I'll give it a shot." Her eyes widened a bit, before narrowing again as she considered the information her spells were feeding back to her.

 

"This. . . is actually pretty close to something I dealt with recently. Aurora, I don't know if you've seen her yet. Spider lady, apparently not a drider. Granted, that was a divine curse of some variety, but seeing as this isn't doing you a lot of good at the moment. . ." She abruptly leaned back. "Here, come on. Let's do this in a place where we can actually sit down for a second." She gestures at one of the nearby bedrooms.

[Strider]

My concerns may have been premature... Edmond started to follow the two, then stopped. "Marisa? Do you mind if I watch? I can't help much, but I can tell you a bit about what she was like before, from an outside perspective. Of course, if this must be done in private, so be it, and I'll leave." Edmond would follow the two women into the room if he received a confirmation, or would head back to the room that he had reserved for himself if he was declined. "Oh one more thing: Lexiel hasn't mentioned it, and I forgot, but she was...contaminated with Phyrexian oil. I don't think it was the prime culprit, but I thought you'd probably want to know before you begin? From what I've heard, it's not the most pleasant substance."

Edited June 7, 2017 by Strider

[StormLord]

"I'd like to witness this as well, I'd like to see what sort of magics are involved, always interested in learning something new." Morgan adds at the end of Edmond's first statement.

[Chevaleresse]

"Yeah, you can watch. . ." The way Marisa froze for a moment, and then looked right at Edmond, would have made you think there would have been an audible "click" as what he had just said set in. "P-Phyrexian oil? That's, uh, wow. No wonder she's been having issues." She peered at Lexiel intently, looking for any bits that seemed to be mechanical and weren't supposed to be. Which was rather difficult, given the amount of equipment Lexiel carried with her. She took another deep breath, this one rattling a little bit as she exhaled. "I, okay, at least that's dealt with. That could have been bad. Like, apocalyptic bad."

[DragonRage]

"These people have spells of purification the likes of which I've never seen before," Lexiel says excitedly, clearly very enthused about this, "I didn't think it was possible to extract the oil, or know I had any inside me, but this priestess named Izumi just slapped an enchanted seal on me and pulled it right out.  Then we burned it.  It did help I think, but not enough.  Still, imagine what we could do with a spell like that!  I could go back to Mirrodin, and save the refugees!  We could cure their Phyrexian corruption, and take them away from that doomed place in this castle!   ...I might not have failed them after all."

Edited June 7, 2017 by DragonRage

[Strider]

Edmond followed Marisa into the room, and stood off to the side. "So, Lexiel was app--" Edmond started, then turned to Lexiel. "Sorry. You told me a great deal back in the Arcology. How much am I allowed to say? I don't want to reveal anything personal that you wouldn't want public without your permission."

Edited June 7, 2017 by Strider

[Hal Henderics]

Suddenly, Laver is seen sliding around the corner, running up to Marisa, he stands next to her as she pokes around.

 

"I saw some real bad stuff over here, and came as fast as I can. What is the sitch?"

 

Even though nothing particularly impressing is happening near Lexiel, the young boy looks like he is staring into the event horizon of some horrid singularity of evil.

 

His grip on what appears to be a toy sword is white-knuckled in tension.

[DragonRage]

"No, no, tell her what you know," Lexiel says, "Marisa needs to know everything we can give her if she's to have much chance of success.  I'll fill in any gaps; I'm curious what an outside observer got from my life's story.  Eh?  What're you looking at, kid?  Never seen someone with wings before?  Or is it that guy," She points at Edmond, who also has a rather distinctive appearance, "And his power armor?"

Edited June 7, 2017 by DragonRage

[Chevaleresse]

"You know as well as I do that you'd need armies of mages to do that, regardless of how powerful that purification spell is. But yeah, that's promising. Anyway, you're probably going to want to sit down." Marisa followed her own advice, taking a stool near one wall of the smallish bedroom. "So, basically, what I'm seeing is you've got a strong binding that's pushing you in a certain direction, not unlike the kind I use. Not Rakdos, by the way; I control and banish demons, I don't sleep with them or whatever the hell else those freaks do. Anyway. Not the point. So you've got this binding on you. Normally I'd just spend a bit counterspelling it and we'd move on with our lives. The problem being that, as far as I can tell, it's preeetty deeply entwined with what makes you an angel in the first place. Which means that if I mess with it - assuming it doesn't just reject and incinerate me or something similarly unpleasant - it could make you into something else entirely. Not an angel, probably not a demon either. Closest guess would be some kind of elemental? It's hard to tell."

[DragonRage]

"You know how Bant makes virtuous people into angels if they martyr themselves?" Lexiel asks, "That's how I became an angel.  Wasn't exactly virtuous before, but since I'd never committed crimes on Bant, the plane thought I was innocent as a newborn baby and made me a frakking Archangel just because I couldn't let a demon eat a school full of kids. That there's a binding; that'd make a lot of sense.  Most Bantian angels make the stick up my butt seem small and flexible, and I don't seem to be able to avoid the heroic choice now.  Still, probably not a great idea to directly pit anyone's magic against the power of an entire plane."

[Hal Henderics]

"Your heartstrings..."

 

"It's like they are screaming, I've never seen a single living thing with this much pain in their heartstrings."

 

Laver almost looks a bit glazed. He certainly still looks rather horrified.

"Knots of impossible size, and so many smaller ones, I can't even count them."

 

"I need to know what is going on in more detail, if you please."

 

 

[Strider]

Edmond, not quite certain what the boy was looking at, smiled, and introduced himself. "I'm Edmond Cooper. Nice to meet you." Turning back to the pair sitting on the bed, Edmond related what he knew. "In the first place, there were some...events during our mission which would have required Lexiel to arrest a teammate. Izumi, the priestess mentioned, convinced her that her justice should be delayed due to pursuit of that nebulous concept, the greater good. Lexiel...changed, in general appearance. The color scheme of her attire, and her facial appearance; both were altered. I didn't notice it early enough, but eventually, Lexiel reached the point of being willing to drop a storm of comets on a large group of presumably not evil adversaries in order to speed us on our way to saving that world. At that point, we removed the oil, and Lexiel immediately perked up, but her appearance was still the same." Edmond sighed, thinking back on the pure devastation that they had unleashed on that world.

 

"Anyway, I don't think I'll relate everything you told me, since that would take far too long. Most importantly, there were many, many instances where Lexiel felt that she had failed the people she needed to protect. Another thing to note is that she became an angel through heroic deeds on...Bant? I don't know, but perhaps the origin might have some important information about the binding. We spoke a while, and from what I heard, it was obvious that she had saved people, and once that had been pointed out, she reverted to her original appearance. From what I can tell, a lot of her actions are dictated by the way in which she views herself and the idea of her duty as an angel?"

 

Edmond stared at the boy. "What are heartstrings?"

Edited June 7, 2017 by Strider

[Hal Henderics]

"I am The Heart Doctor."

 

Laver says. and one can hear the capital letters when he says it.

 

"This is a heartstring made manifest."

 

He hold up his toy sword, a rubbery hose wrapped around two pullies at the tip and base.

 

"Every single time you make an emotional connection to someone or something, it is made manifest as a Heartstring, I can see these, and I can interact with them."

 

"There's a lot of analogies you can make, people with thick and strong connections between them, thinner ones for weaker connections, and the heart itself, a weave of one's most precious feeling and self."

 

"Knots are what happens when complex and tangled emotions are put under intense tension. They commonly form as Monstrous caricatures of the thing you have an emotional connection with, and take the place of that person or thing at the end of the heartstrings once connected to them."

 

He points his Heartstrung sword loosely in Lexiel's direction.

 

"Her Heartstrings, her emotional connections to others, are a twisted hellscape of endless pain and emotional torture, Knots that would tower over buildings if manifested in the physical world, and so many smaller knots that I actually cannot count them, or give you a rough guess.  I've never seen anything like it."

Edited June 7, 2017 by Hal Henderics

[DragonRage]

Lexiel chuckles humorlessly, "That's probably the hundreds of thousands dead when the Eldrazi attacked Zendikar and kicked my ass to do it.  And the millions dead when the Phyrexians compleated the plane of Mirrodin and kicked my ass to do it.  And the best friends I ever had, who Reaper killed over my dead body.  Only reason I'm even still here is Doctor Zeigler's unmatched medical skill.  Sometimes I wonder why she bothered.  Maybe someone competent would come along if they didn't think I was handling the latest crisis.  Someone who doesn't fail everyone they try to protect."