Dawn of the Third Age/IC Logs/Session 34

~Anshu: The Empress is unfazed by the Brazen's and Wandering's outbursts. "We shall see. In the meantime, we have affairs to settle here and now." She raises one manicured finger and moves it from one to the other of you, considering her options.

~Anshu: She settles on Nomoe, crooks her finger as if inviting him closer. Her anima flares, a many-faceted blood-red diamond with a serpetine shadow lurking at its heart, as the Solar's shadow detaches from his body and flits over to her side, where it grows into a humanoid shape of oily darkness. Then the darkness recedes to reveal a perfect duplicate of Nomoe.

Brazen_Sand: "<Aw shit, as if one of him wasn't bad enough.>"

Bright_Snow: crouches her spear hanging down by oneside. Her stance ready.

Brazen_Sand: Brazen said to Wandering

Wandering: <*Just one more body to get through, through we should be wary of this one*>

Brazen_Sand: "<You weren't there last time we fought her.>"

Bright_Snow: "Leave now and we may permit you all to live."

Brazen_Sand: "THE HELL WE WILL!"

Nomoe_Hideaki: frowns at the Empress' transformation. "At least you show taste and discernment in your choice of forms to emulate."

Wandering: <*That doesn't matter beloved, we will put her down this time no matter what*> wandering answered over the bond her feelings certain

Nomoe_Hideaki: frowns at the Empress' sorcerous trickery. "At least you show taste and discernment in your choice of forms for your servitor to take."

Brazen_Sand: Brazen stared at the duplicate that stood beside the Empress, looking exactly like Nomoe down to the smallest strand of hair, although the light seemed dimmer around it...it wasn't a charm he'd seen before, but his third eye would fix that.

Nomoe_Hideaki: "I'll count it as a personal insult nonetheless." He shrugs. "Not that it changes anything."

Brazen_Sand: "<We don't have a choice. If she gets this Titan, the Deliberative and maybe Creation is done for.>"

Brazen_Sand: "Why are you doing this?!" Brazen demanded of her, and of the Infernals around them. "You know they're going to discard you when you do what they want! You know they're all insane!"

Bright_Snow: "Leave Nomoe to deal with Nomoe, everyone else deal with the Scarlet Nobody over there." Snow gestures with the lance, and then leaps towards the action.

Nomoe_Hideaki: seems to entirely discount the duplicate. "She's an Akuma, Lord Brazen," he explains in a long-suffering tone. "Haven't we learned that it is futile to search for anything like a rational motivation in the empty husk of a being?"

~Anshu: As the duplicate takes form, Bright Snow feels another mind enter the awareness of her Bond.

Bright_Snow: she leaps into the midst of the Dragon blooded striking towards the Empress, Snows roar of a charge becomes one of horror and pure fury.

Brazen_Sand: Brazen's form expanded into a blazing corona of multi-hued lights, like a miniature supernova, building upwards like a flourescent volcano until he stood at his full 24 foot height, his head not even scraping the ceiling

Brazen_Sand: "You ready everyone? This is for Sanken, this is for Creation, THIS IS FOR MY LITTLE GIRL!" Brazen roared as they rushed into battle

Nomoe_Hideaki: */Whatever that thing is, if it is more than just a superficial mirroring it will be formidable. Make sure to keep an eye on the real me, yes?/ a note of forced amusement; that *thing* dares ape his form and use it against his own? Unforgivable!*

Nomoe_Hideaki: The air about Nomoe Hideaki distorts and begins to whisper audible promises of death as he draws up his battle Charms. "There is only one possible outcome to this," he says with a quiet certainty so absolute as to need no volume.

Brazen_Sand: "Be careful, it's exactly like you, Hideaki-San! It has all your abilities...except it's a Creature of Darkness. It's corruption flows under it's skin like termites in a rotting log!" Brazen said

Brazen_Sand: out loud so everyone could hear

Nomoe_Hideaki: grins viciously. "Then it is no more than a pale imitation of my true power. As if it could be any other way."

Nomoe_Hideaki: The diffuse shimmer of pale gold around his hands unmistakably resonates with the purity of Ignis Divine to those with the eyes to see it, a Charm his opposite can't mimic.

Wandering: <*Do we go for the queen bitch first or take out her minons?*> Wandering flexed her claws clinking ominously

Nomoe_Hideaki: */Help me get rid off that impertitent imitation, Bright Snow? Just like me it will be vulnerable to your surprise attacks./*

Brazen_Sand: <That Ring...Go for her finger> Brazen suggested

Bright_Snow: does not respond.

~Anshu: As the defenders of Creation rush to battle, the forces of the Reclamation ready themselves to meet them. The Empress casts off - tears off - her ornate robes to reveal a simple, combat-ready jumpsuit beneath.

~Anshu: However, you get only a brief glimpse of her before the entire central chamber is engulfed in unnatural darkness.

Brazen_Sand: Brazen exploded into shining light, shifting kaleidoscopic neon

Brazen_Sand: "I AM THE BLAZING LIGHT OF HEROISM, BITCH!"

Brazen_Sand: All light seemed to bend towards him, as if he was the only thing in the room, a majestic presence which would beggar the sun itself.

~Anshu: Brazen's tremendous display slows the rush of darkness, but the Empress is too strong, and even his prodigious light is snuffed out by her power.

Brazen_Sand: "It doesn't matter, I can see you anyway!" He snarled. <Can you see me, Wanderer?> Brazen asked

~Anshu: In the blackness, the Malefactor gestures aggressively at the true Nomoe, the surge of Cecylenian Essence betraying her true nature as an explosion of cutting silver sand engulfs him.

Nomoe_Hideaki: "Not enough," Nomoe says simply. There's a sharp pop and a crackle as his palms meet the cascade of silver sand, their internal energy fusing it into strange fractal scultures of glass surrounding him.

Brazen_Sand: Brazen simply stood and tolerated it. "Cecylene can't scare me, and you're just a goddamned copy, aren't you Toreisan Hirotawa?"

Brazen_Sand: His booming voice cut through the darkness like a knife, piercing her heart with the knowledge of what she could have been, but had refused.

Nomoe_Hideaki: "I have to mind to spare the names of mere minions," Nomoe states dismissively. "*She* is our opponent," he inclines his head slightly toward the Empress, "they are no more than weapons."

Brazen_Sand: "I'll deal with her, Hideaki-San."

Brazen_Sand: "This is personal."

Brazen_Sand: "I think you might have to play with yourself for a bit." he said out the side of his muzzle, smiling at him.

Nomoe_Hideaki: "I have personal matters to settle with Her as well, Lord Brazen," Nomoe says seriously. "Much as I'd normally let you have your fun alone, I cannot stand aside here."

Brazen_Sand: "Want to do it together, then?"

Nomoe_Hideaki: "Let us leave it for the fortunes of battle to decide."

Brazen_Sand: Brazen sighed. "You are zero fun. Absolutely nil."

Brazen_Sand: As they ran towards their foes

~Anshu: "You remember me, then! Congratulations on your child. Have you told your new mate about our many trysts along the Golden Road?" she calls back in a honey-sweet voice.

Brazen_Sand: Brazen shrugged. "Hell yeah I did. She can do everything you did, and more!"

Brazen_Sand: "Sorry though, I lost my taste for gutter-skank awhile ago. Maybe you can go back and learn something from the Neomah." He retorted.

Nomoe_Hideaki: "If you apply the measure of such crude humor, then I shall take that as a compliment, Lord Brazen."

Brazen_Sand: "It's not crude." Brazen retorted. "It's...it's...red-collar!"

Wandering: "I hear the whine of someone who doens't know her place. Whats wrong Jealous I gave him something you couldn't? or just that hold his heart that was never open to you"

~Anshu: As his compatriot trades insults with Brazen, the Slayer dashes to the forefront of the Infernal forces, snapping his fan open and sweeping it through the air, unleashing an immense swarm of razor-winged butterflies, centered on the Idol, but with room to spare for the others.

Brazen_Sand: Brazens light zipped from his body, each shimmering flash vaporizing any butterflies that neared him, cutting them like a knife through origami.

Nomoe_Hideaki: Despite moving with such speed as to confound the eyes Nomoe looks rather bored, seemingly idly picking butterflies from the air around him, pinching off their obsidian wings with orichalcum-strong fingers and scattering them in aesthetically pleasing patterns on the ground to complement the glass sculptures.

Brazen_Sand: "Yozi dogs! You look upon your evolution, and all you can do is try to harm me? FUTILE, ALL OF IT!" Brazen laughed.

Wandering: Wandering is caught by a few of the butterflies but the razor sharp sorcerous creations bounce of her essence toughened skin and fall to her feet. "Really, this is the best you have? You dissapoint me Empress. I excpected better from your handpicked guards, I've seen Dragon blooded who have fought better"

Brazen_Sand: "Tolod Minyar...you told me at that pub in Malfeas, remember? You lost your claim to your Icewalker clan...and you're going to lose this battle as well."

Brazen_Sand: "Underneath all your armour and all your abilities, you're still going to end up under the foot of someone whose just plain better then you...story of your life."

Bright_Snow: Alone of the group Snow fights in deadly silence, pursuing her target with a singleminded fury. Her target remains ahead, an insult to everything they symbolised. She flits through the darkness in a pall of silver shadows, barely impacting the greater darkness around her.

~Anshu: The spell released, the Chosen of Malfeas turns to race alongside his Scourge comrade as they run up the walls. The agile Adorjani Infernal hurls one of her blades through the air like a boomerang at Brazen, spinning like a tainted jade buzzsaw.

Brazen_Sand: Brazen didn't even turn to look at the boomerang as it neared his face, instead he just swatted it aside with a claw, like an afterthought. "GET THAT JUNK OUTTA HERE!"

Brazen_Sand: He put his arms to his side, for all to see (except it was too dark.) "COME ON, BITCHES! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TOUGH. I THOUGHT YOU WERE ALL ORIGINALS?"

Brazen_Sand: "COME AT ME, BROS!"

Bright_Snow: Turning from her original course as the second bond takes a hold in her mind, Snow her eyes seeing the chaos inherent in everything rather than any colour of shape stabs instead the only thing in the room that is a glaring absence. The doppelganger of her mate, its form black to her eyes no chaos making up its nature.

Nomoe_Hideaki: Keeping his eyes fixed on the Scarlet Empress Nomoe takes two steps forwards, two steps that disturb not a single of the fragile butterflies littering the ground and cover distances entirely out of proportion to the effort involved. The first carries him past the duplicate imitating his form, slowing just long enough that he can send five heart-shattering fingers toward its chest.

Nomoe_Hideaki: The second sees him arrive before the Realm's former master, one hand grasping then changing course in a broken-timed chop against the spear she carries with such force as to induce unendurable vibrations. His left he keeps ready to take away the deadly weapon once she lets go of it.

Bright_Snow: From behind her spear snakes up and takes the duplicate through the chest, its end jutting out where Nomoe's heart would be

Nomoe_Hideaki: "You chose well in calling upon the power of Nomoe Hideaki, but no imitation can match the original. And if you thought its wearing my face would stay my hand, or that of my mate, you thought *wrong*."

~Anshu: As Nomoe and Snow lash out against his Shadow Slave, the duplicate's eyes follow the original's movement. Nomoe knows himself better than anyone, save perhaps his mate, and even with Snow refusing the connection of the bond between her dual mates, the Shadow Slave can still read in the echoes what his counterpart is doing. With that intimate knowledge, he predicts the attacks coming against him.

~Anshu: Despite that, it's not enough. The Empress, his source, sees the force of the attacks falling upon him and abandons her tool to its fate, letting it be pummeled and impaled by the united efforts of Nomoe and his mate.

Bright_Snow: And even as the duplicate falls, Snow whirls falling in behind her mate guarding his right flank

~Anshu: Instead she focuses her efforts upon the attempt Nomoe just made to disarm her. Drawing on the steadiness of Earth, she holds firmly to her weapon, stilling its vibrations, and she smirks in the darkness. "Yes, it seems that not even your mate has any compunctions about killing you. So much for the vaunted loyalty of a Lunar to her Sun."

Nomoe_Hideaki: Hideaki turns slightly to catch Bright Snow's eyes and nods in satisfaction at the successful maneuver.

Bright_Snow: Snow nods to Hideaki in response and returns her gaze to the Empress unfazed

Nomoe_Hideaki: At the Empress's words Hideaki merely gives a small, superior smile. "As I said. I trust her to make the right decision in that regard."

~Anshu: From Nomoe's other side, the one unguarded by Snow, the Malefactor lunges through the Empress's darkness, her hand arrowing toward him, glowing green with deadly Wood Essence.

Bright_Snow: With a small step and a sweeping gesture Snow knocks the blow aside

Bright_Snow: throwing the Malefactor back

Bright_Snow: Down into the lower control room

~Anshu: Meanwhile, the Fiend slips through the mingled ranks of her allies and enemies, heading straight for the central control platform as fast as she can.

Nomoe_Hideaki: Still meeting the Empress' eyes Hideaki tilts his head by a miniscule fraction as if to say 'See?'

~Anshu: However, the assault on Nomoe is not yet over; from the ceiling drops the Slayer, right behind him. Maflean fire trails from his sword and fan as he unleashes a furious assault on the Solar, weaving his weapons together in a deadly dance.

Nomoe_Hideaki: Unused to wearing the military uniform again after many months of piece Nomoe does not catch the air pressure of the attacks in time.

Nomoe_Hideaki: The first attack is there too quickly for him to defend against, but whirling around his hands move with their customary speed and brilliance to intercept the following attacks. Liquid green flame and sparks fly everywhere, adding flickering leaves of green to the strange fractal trees of the sand sculptures he created earlier.

Bright_Snow: Sharp eyed and ready, Snow darts to her mates defence, the tell tale change in air pressure and the stink of malfean brass giving the Slayer away.

Brazen_Sand: Brazen finally reached the Empress, having walked across obsidian glass and other such weak attacks. "SO...YOU WERE SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT MY KID, WERE YOU?"

Brazen_Sand: Brazen snarled at her, his shimmering body visible this close to the Empress. A beam of light appeared in his hand, and left contrails behind his movements. "I'M A BETTER PARENT THEN YOU'LL EVER BE, AND I'M GOING TO PROVE IT NOW!" He finished, and with a downward wave of his claw, the burning beam dropped down upon her finger where her cursed ring was stuck, slicing it faster then anyone could possibly react.

Brazen_Sand: then it shot back upward and shot towards her like a charging lance, stabbing at her torso again and again

~Anshu: The Empress melts into shadow as Brazen's attack descends toward her hand. "You'll have to do better than that, you know," she says smugly from the darkness, evading each of his blows in turn.

Brazen_Sand: "I'M NOT DONE YET..." Brazen responded with flames bursting from his nostrils

Wandering: Wandering leaps forward from the inky blackness towards the Empress she draws on the bond that she shares with Brazen seeing the world from his vantage, his firey vison cutting through the darkness "Allow me then bitch." She snarls as drops down and launches a high kick towards the Empress's head. she then slides forward and sweeps into a snap kick to the mid-section

Wandering: even as the blow lands she uses the momentum to launch her self up and add a pair of cruel slashes with her claws towards the Empress face

~Anshu: The Empress brings her spear up, catching and deflecting Wandering's kicks with the haft. The claw swipes give her a little more trouble, but the Terrestrial matriarch drops to a crouch under the first swipe, and catches the last on her spear again, giving a small heave to push Wandering out of her arms' reach.

Brazen_Sand: "SO....WHY'D YOU DO IT, HUH?" Brazen growled at her. "WHY'D YOU SELL OUT CREATION?"

~Anshu: "Sell out Creation? I never sold out Creation! For almost eight hundred years, I was the only thing keeping Creation safe! But even with the best anagnathics, even with the secrets locked inside the Imperial Manse, I could feel my time growing short, and none of my children were up to the task of taking my place on the throne. Even Mnemon had made too many enemies to rule effectively in my stead. I was Creation's best and only protector!"

~Anshu: "And so I knew that I had to find some way, some way to escape the touch of Saturn. I plead my case with Chejop Kejak, asked him to acquire for me a Peach of Immortality from Heaven's gardens, but he refused. The stubborn old man refused me, Kaida Vanida, the Scarlet Empress, who had saved his world for him when all seemed lost!"

~Anshu: "And so I looked further, poring over all the occult lore I could find, and at last it came to me. The Titans themselves, still living even in their prison, were beyond the Maiden of Endings' power. Ageless and deathless, as Queen of Hell I could reign forever and defend Creation against all that threatened to destroy it! And so I wrote the Broken-Winged Crane, and went to meet my destiny. There my groom awaited me, and he taught me the truth of things."

~Anshu: "You proclaim yourselves righteous, heroes unjustly slain and locked away from the world, come back to set things aright! But you are just as much usurpers as my fathers and mothers! It is time for the true masters of the world to return in glory to rule over that which they made, that which they gave life to! I am Kaida Vanida, Queen of Hell, Scarlet Empress of All Creation, and no usurpers - no traitors who bend knee to the hateful Sun and call him righteous - will stand in the way of my cause!"

Brazen_Sand: "Well Kaiden, that's all very nice. But you never considered that your 'groom' is fucking insane and will torture everyone for eternity."

Brazen_Sand: "Including you..." Brazen added, with a grin.

Brazen_Sand: "Being the Queen of Hell isn't really worth much. It's still hell, after all."

Bright_Snow: "And like all that came before you, you have failed to grasp what was just in front of you. You no more ruled creation than any other the Titan's included. Only those who toil day in and day out rule this place, all others are granted only Stewardship."

~Anshu: Her piece said, the Empress falls silent, her presence seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

Bright_Snow: "Your Masters forgot that and were replaced, as were the Solars, and now yourself. The only people who own creation are the mortals at their fields and the gods who run their domains, anyone else is a usurper, a parasite."

Brazen_Sand: "Hey!" Brazen interjected, offended.

~Anshu: The echoes of her enraged speech mask the sound of her movements.

Bright_Snow: "The only way to not be, is to make their lives a little easier, reduce their burdens a little."

Brazen_Sand: "Oh right, okay then."

Nomoe_Hideaki: A bit of sadness touches Nomoe's expression. "Once there was a Scarlet Empress, who was worthy of respect. Once there was a woman, whose accomplishments in service to Creation towered so high as to pierce the clouds." He sighs. "However much remains of her, it is no more than clever paintings on an empty shell."

Wandering: "Very pretty speech, but it sounds like self justification to me. You feared death and looked for a way and an excuse to escape it"

Nomoe_Hideaki: "You, creature before me, I name you Akuma and thus, with heavy heart, pronounce dead and gone Kaida Vanida, the Scarlet Empress."

Nomoe_Hideaki: "What remains for us to do is no more than to reclaim her corpse so she may be buried as befits her former station."

Nomoe_Hideaki: Trained in public speaking from an early age Nomoe does not lose track of his surroundings even as he answers the Empress' speech.

~Anshu: Slipping past Brazen and Wandering, Kaida Vanida lunges at Nomoe. If there was any light shining in the control chamber, then her spear might seem to flicker as she attacks him, hoping to take him unawares.

Brazen_Sand: Brazen easily followed her, but she was still too quick for him to stop before she could lunge at Nomoe, shooting forward like a dart.

Nomoe_Hideaki: For a moment it seems like Nomoe's defeat over a year ago at her hands may be repeated, that the Eclipse will once more feel the bite of the Firedragon's Eye. But just before the Solar-hating lance pierces him there is a gust of wind and a metallic noise - and Nomoe holds the tip of the direlance between two fingers. "You'll not catch me the same way twice," he says with mild reproach.

Nomoe_Hideaki: As more and more of the Akuma's overwhelming essence is channelled through the legendary weapon Nomoe begins to feel the strain, though. Finally the hand that caught the lance and then his whole body shatter like glass, ten thousand shards cascading across the walkway before sublimating away into pure light.

Nomoe_Hideaki: */That weapon is an abomination/ reluctant respect*

Nomoe_Hideaki: retcon: */That weapon is an abomination just like its bearer/ reluctant respect for their sheer power*