Plotlogs
The Good The Bad And The Draconic Finale Sr Selina 241226
In the chilling depths of Komodo National Park's warehouse basement, a team converged to partake in a daring ritual aimed at vanquishing the formidable Eidolon Gonthorian, once and for all. With the air filled with tense anticipation, Lilian, an arcanist of unparalleled power, takes the lead in the summoning ritual, complemented by the contributions of a diverse group including William, Elora, Sam, and Autumn, each bringing their unique strengths to the forefront.
Despite the group's preparedness, their efforts are tested by the unexpected arrival of Kah, a towering figure whose presence momentarily threatens to derail the ritual. However, tensions ease as Selina enters, bringing with her a calming authority that refocuses the group on their monumental task.
The ritual reaches its climax as William bravely stabs the possessed komodo dragon with the Horn of Leviathan, unleashing a torrential force that scatters the participants and fills the room with a misty explosion. Amidst this chaos, a sphere of fiery energy begins forming above the quickly decaying lizard, signaling Gonthorian's last attempt at escape.
In a pivotal moment, Selina, embodying her newfound moniker "Selina Suneater," steps forward to consume the dragon's essence, successfully containing the malevolent spirit within herself. Her subsequent departure leaves the group in a stunned silence, pondering the ritual's success and the potential consequences of Gonthorian's essence residing within Selina.
As the water recedes and the artifacts used in the ritual vanish mysteriously, the group is left to grapple with the aftermath of their actions. The warehouse, once a site of powerful arcane activity, now stands as a testament to their daring effort to rid the world of Gonthorian's terror. The story concludes with a mix of relief and apprehension, as the participants speculate on the future implications of their victory, highlighting the intricate blend of courage, sacrifice, and the unknown that defines their journey.
(The Good, the Bad, and the Draconic Finale(SRSelina):SRSelina)
[Wed Dec 25 2024]
On the Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park, located in Indonesia, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site dedicated to preserving the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard. Early mornings in the park, especially under cloudy skies and a mild 82F, create a calm atmosphere perfect for exploration. The park's rugged landscapes, featuring savannahs, tropical forests, and hills, serve as natural habitats where Komodo dragons roam freely. Conservation efforts include fenced breeding areas to protect young dragons, research centers studying their behavior and genetics, and guided tours educating visitors on their ecological importance. Elevated viewing platforms provide safe spots to observe these reptiles as they bask or patrol their territories. The park also features interactive exhibits highlighting the dragons biology and conservation challenges. Visitors can follow trails with expert guides who point out tracks and share insights, making the experience both educational and immersive.
It is night, about 39F(3C) degrees, There is a waning crescent moon.
The group manages to make it to the Komodo National Park in Indonesia, and despite the cold in Haven, it is stupidly warm there, easily 80F, and cloudy in the morning. Naturally, remaining research team from Helsinki is there to meet the team. "Velkommen," Jorgan and Ragnar say, a little sourly. Ragnar's beard is starting to regrow a little bit, but no where near close to its former glory. "We have everything prepared, but odds are, the dragon will make a fuss once you start," Jorgan says after the greeting, motioning for the others to follow as he leads the team through the park and into a warehouse with a basement. A basement that is fucking freezing cold inside, for obvious reasons. The supplies have all been gathered on a table, and the initial summoning circle has been made on the floor. In the center of the summoning circle is a cage with a komodo dragon inside of it, chilling and still, but obviously still alive.
"Did they tell you what the ritual entails?" Ragnar asks the group once they have had a chance to take in the basement room. The ceiling is about twenty feet high, and the walls are each about a hundred feet across.
[OOC: Welcome to The Good, the Bad, and the Draconic Finale.. If you have any questions, feel free to use STalk or replies via Tells. Please make use of the Think, Internal, Feel, Recall, and Attempt commands on this adventure. These will greatly enhance your experience and immersion, while also speeding things up for others. I try to do one post per person rotations, but if you want to do short bursts of rapid banter in appropriate situations, feel free. Text that is all colored in this color will be private, for you to act upon ICly. Buckle up, and we will begin shortly. Thank you for letting me be your SR for this evening's festivities.]
William lets out a loud sign and slouches a little bit upon feeling the warmer weather, shaking his head slightly. But following along the remains of the team they followed last time, he finds a little relief in the cold room prepared for the ritual, shaking his head again, this time in response to Ragnar "At least not me in particular"
Tilting his head to the sides, to try and inspect the room around them curiously, before setting his eyes on the rest of the team, giving a little nod at Sam and someone, not really recognizing Autumn, and finally looking over at Elora in the process of removing her equipment "Are we going to get involved in it or are we on support and covering like last time?" He asks curiously, uncertain of why should they be informed of the procedure
Quietly trudging along, Sam casts a look around the basement, looking towards William, and Elora. "I assume one of y'all is in charge." He squats down, looking at the state of the prepared ritual, taking a stack of notes, slightly charred, and annotated, from his backpack. He doesn't speak much, instead opting to let someone else, with perhaps more authority take the lead as he peers over his notes, though he does remain alert, should things start to be required of him.
Peering around, Autumn steps forward behind the group and examines the research team before following them into the basement. "Dragon and his minions have caused trouble for far too long," the woman speaks in a low voice, her eyes narrowing while keeping her distance. "This will be his end, along with remnants of his cult."
Fluttering down from the sky while they're outside after having scouted the area from the trees, Lilian(corvus)'s wings close the second she is about to crash into the back of Elora's head and she lands with a waggle of her tail on the woman's shoulder. Vibrant blue eyes stare about at the others who have gathered as she craws softly and preens a lock of Elora's hair with her beak, siddling sideways on Elora's shoulder. The bird seems to both listen and not to the two guides as she busily combs Elora's hair, seeming to have no ill effects from the chill of the basement as they descend.
William lets out a loud sign and slouches a little bit upon feeling the warmer weather, shaking his head slightly. But following along the remains of the team they followed last time, he finds a little relief in the cold room prepared for the ritual, shaking his head again, this time in response to Ragnar "At least not me in particular"
Tilting his head to the sides, to try and inspect the room around them curiously, before setting his eyes on the rest of the team, giving a little nod at Sam, not really recognizing Autumn, assuming the Lilian(corvus) is just someone shapeshifted given- Well, a raven in a komodo dragon reserve-, and finally looking over at Elora in the process of removing her equipment "Are we going to get involved in it or are we on support and covering like last time?" He asks curiously, uncertain of why should they be informed of the procedure
Elora is decked in chainmail armor stained in shades of green as she clinks down into the cold of the basement. She makes her way to the table where Ragnar is. Her eyes rest on empty space briefly.
Elora idly glances to the raven perched on her before looking to Sam. "I imagine we'll have to. I would not expect Gonothorian to go down without a fight."
"We have at least four arcanists present..." William comments in the direction of Elora "He might want to fight, but we should be able to bind him quite easily unless we are swarmed by minions or cultists, no?" He asks genuinely, almost as if to make sure he isn't missing any details, with another quick glance around the room "Though... We should probably be careful about getting set on fire like it happened during the last attempt"
"We'll want to make sure no-one gets possessed, to be more accurate. That is what ruined the past attempt. But wards against incursion also are not an option, when summoning, then destroying something. Vexing." Sam looks up from charred, perhaps familiar looking pages, eyes narrowing a little. "Ain't no-one said it would be easy."
Fluttering forward, Lilian(corvus)'s wings spread until she glides over to a seat and a black bubbling mist surrounds the bird before she turns back into a human.
Elora shoots a smile to Lilian.
"If he enters someone's head, we blind that someone... A couple of us should be able to do that" William nods towards Sam, glancing in the direction of the once again humanoid Lilian "Eidolons don't retain that kind of etheral vision when possessing, do they? Shouldn't they be in the body?"
"Well, the basics," Ragnar begins with a grunt, pointing to various spots of the circle as he continues. "We pull the lizard in. He is bound in the circle. The Frozen Flame neutralizes him. Then someone has to kill him with the Horn," he explains, pointing to the Horn in the circle before making a stabbing motion with the bottom of his fist hitting his heart. "That should be all it. Unless our research was completely wrong," he notes, grumbling a bit about that.
"Well, our research wasn't wrong. This is our best chance to finish the dragon off and keep him from joining other Eidolons in terrorizing the world at least," Jorgen says before finding his lunch and getting out a sammich to start eating. Jorgen and Ragnar exchange a look before Jorgen says, "We aren't really able to do this ritual. It requires someone truly committed to the cause. Which House Odin is not, really." He shrugs his shoulders then and brushes some crumbs out of his beard.
"Point is, you got enough magical might to beat down the dragon. You just gotta finish it," Ragnar says, cutting off anything else Jorgen might have been about to say.
A soft sigh escapes Lilian as she lounges on the chair, crossing her legs infront of her. Still wearing a dress like she usually is, Lilian's armor is just metal filigree that accentuates her dress rather then protecting her all that much. An archer's wrist and elbow guards is about as protective as it gets, otherwise metal filigree cover her breasts, hips and feet to her calves, the decorate metalwork like vines coiling around her body. "I am probably the most powerful arcanist here." Lilian sighs, a smile lighting her sapphire eyes sent at Elora first before she studies the others present. "But I am also probably your most powerful fighter." Her head dips to look down at her nails, "I think for this though.. You will probably want me to be the anchor for the summoning ritual."
"Guard your minds, in case," Autumn speaks with a look around the rest of the group. "He can try to get in your heads. And I am sure no one else besides me have body resistance to fire." She then turns to listen to Ragnar and Jorgen as they speak, before she comments, "We will. I suppose all of us want the dragon dead, after months of suffering from his former minions."
"I'm all for stabbing a dragon, but I ain't a dedicated ally of the knights." Sam remarks, simply. "I'm more than willing to kill it, but I'd be taking a toll." A pause, and he looks at the horn, then the flame. "Perhaps more of a hero type should." He lets out a soft, gutteral chuckle. He ticks a nod to Lilian. "So you're gonna be the beacon, or what?" He looks to that horn. "I am more than willing to do the stabbing. It's my job, and what I am hired for, by Miss Brightwood." He fishes a pen from his backpack, adding some words to one of the pages of paper in his lap.
"How and why aside, I don't like this piece of shit. He should die, so I'll behave. Ain't here to cause nothing, yeh?" He shoots, perhaps a knowing look to William and Elora.
William points a finger at Lilian "That, yeah, we probably want you to bind it- The longer he is trapped for the better, even if he goes down quickly..." His eyes then dart around Elora, Sam and Autumn, considering for a couple seconds, giving the last one a nod of acknowledgement at her advice before saying "Alright, who wants to stab the lizard?" Then he casts another glance at Lilian as if to make sure "Can you make him like... Be still while he's bound- Or will he be able to resist? I've been told it's escaped a couple binding circles in the past"
nods agreement to Lilian's claims of power. "Once he is in the binding circle, he shouldn't be able to have as much influence outside of it," Elora mentions. She looks around the group as if assessing each person before her her eyes flick to the horn. "I want to see him gone, but I think it might be less personal for me than some. If someone else wants to do it, I'm willing to let them."
Flat sapphire eyes turn to William, "He has not tried to possess me before, however given what you say, I expect I will have enough trouble holding him INSIDE the circle. There will be no holding him still. If you want to stab him you're going to have to go inside it with him. In which case the person with the most fire resistance.." Her eyes shift to Autumn, "Probably would be a better candidate no?" A shrug of her shoulder is sent towards Sam as if asking if he had anything of the kind given he wants to be the hero type. Lilian sighs turning to nod at Elora at her words, "The outside will be safer... when he's inside. But the inside.. He's going to be able to fully control."
"I, too, agree dragon should die, like sun leader... He who should not be named for he will try to murder again," Autumn dryly tells Sam before she turns her gaze towards Lilian. "Perhaps we gather our magic together to make binding stronger. I do need to vent some of my rage, so I might do it."
Jorgan and Ragnar both point at the komodo dragon in the cage in the center of the circle. "You bind it, and it should only have one body to possess. Then you just have to beat the lizard to stab it," Ragnar explains, as a detail may have been left out of the plan. Jorgen contents himself to eating his sammich then, letting Ragnar take the reins of the conversation. "Ritual leader to summon, while secondary ritualist binds. Third person to step in and stab. Then the rest of us do our best to guard," he finishes, shrugging his shoulders then before looking between the five potential arcanists waiting for the ritual. "Don't matter to me whose blood gets used where," he says then waving a meaty hand past his face in dismissal. When Lilian mentions fire resistance, both Ragnar and Jorgen nod a couple of times, vigorously.
"But is she a Knight?" Jorgen asks as if this is, in fact, an important facet of the equation. Metaphysical and ritualistic relations being as they are, for the final blow, it likely has to come from someone actually in the Sect.
William glances at Elora for a moment, tilting his head in her direction "And he's an Eidolon... Even if he's contained... I doubt our trickery works on him, yes?" Once more, asking this more than stating it, almost as if letting his track of thought out for anyone to correct him. But when Jorgen speaks, he looks at him, and then at the prepared circle "So, if Lily is holding him- Or summoning... It's either my sister or I stabbing..."
"I'll be guard dog." Sam grins, flashing his leather bracelet, notably without any silver-dragon insignae. There is that clenched, black fist, of that group that has their fingers in all the pies, though. "I'll just work something out with Miss Brightwood afterward. You lot do the killing. I do have a lotta blood to shed this find Christmas day." He grins, and slowly packs those research notes away.
"I'm going to need someone to donate some blood." Lilian flashes a bright smile towards Sam and William as if they're the prime candidates. Getting up from her seat, she moves over to do a lap around the circle, her heels clicking on the stone ground as she completes her lap. Moving over to Elora then, she rests her head against the other woman's shoulder for a moment, her hand finding Elora to squeeze it gently.
"Ex-Knight," Autumn answers, lifting her left hand where she dons her bracelet. "Conflict with Sun Humans and Disruptors caused me to leave, yet they still had done much wrong to me for months, especially from commander. I'm here to exact part of my revenge."
"Dis-reccomend drinking my blood, Lily. My blood actively rejects undeath." Sam grins to Lilian, and shrugs. "Your risk." His eyes flick to William. "You up for being capri-sun?"
"Not to drink it. To spill." Lilian tells Sam with a equally wide grin, "So I'm sure undeath will be fine."
Letting out a sigh, William glances at Autumn for a moment, but he doesn't really know how that changes things. He glances at Elora for a moment, considering before saying "Alright, I'm stabbing the asshole... If I end up charred, you're up sister" And with that he moves around the room, aiming to get closer to the weapon, eying it on his way there "He hasn't really done anything to me- All of the grudge I have- Well, it's on behalf of others- So I hope that doesn't do anything weird"
Then his eyes turn to Lilian and Sam and another sigh follow "I'd rather be at full if fire dragon over here is going to try to kill me inside a binding circle..."
Lilian nods her head at Sam as if it's agreed and makes her way over infront of the binding circle. Taking off her heels, she sets them neatly to the side before kneeling down on the ground. "I'll spill your blood then Sam. If you're in agreement." Setting her bow on the ground behind her, she sets her hands in the middle of her lap. "I'm ready to start once the blood gets spilt. Who is going to be doing the binding?"
Elora nods agreement to William. "Alright. You stab him. If you burn to death, I'll regroup. Come up with a better plan."
Nodding his head at the rest of the group, Sam takes a kris knife from a sheath at his side. "All right. Just say the word, and I'll send the power over to you." He moves, the arcanist looking for an optimum place to send power into the circle for Lilian to use.
Lilian looks over at Sam, a small smile playing on her lips, "When the time comes spill the blood here next to me. Sorry about yesterday. I didn't actually say anything I thought was threatening towards you. People like that make me.. antsy." Sapphire eyes look away for a moment as she reaches out to touch the edge of the binding circle. "Autumn can defend us. I might... if it takes too much power for me to hold the dragon I might need to feed from someone while I maintain the ritual."
Sam says, moving to stand where instructed, "Your fear was delicious. I didn't want to eat you, would have been rude. So I dipped."
Elora draws a long ceremonial blade covered in runes from a sheath at her waist that sits across from her rapier's sheath. Her eyes flick between Sam and Lilian as she tries to understand what had happened while she gets to work preparing for her part in binding the dragon.
"Mmm." someone eyes look over Sam for a moment, sweeping over the man's body as if seeing him in a new light, "Spill your blood, we might as well start the circle." She murmurs after a moment, "I don't fear for myself but those I love. I have met more than my share of those... creatures in my life time." With that Lilian brings her wrist to her lips. Fangs slide down, long, glistening and she bites her own wrist, tearing it before lowering her hand towards the ground. Drip drip drip, dark blood runs down her hand onto the ground next to her, puddling even as the pendant that hangs between her breasts starts to glow a brilliant, blood red.
"Mmm." Sapphire eyes look over Sam for a moment, sweeping over the man's body as if seeing him in a new light, "Spill your blood, we might as well start the circle." She murmurs after a moment, "I don't fear for myself but those I love. I have met more than my share of those... creatures in my life time." With that Lilian brings her wrist to her lips. Fangs slide down, long, glistening and she bites her own wrist, tearing it before lowering her hand towards the ground. Drip drip drip, dark blood runs down her hand onto the ground next to her, puddling even as the pendant that hangs between her breasts starts to glow a brilliant, blood red.
With the plan set and ready to put into motion, everyone can go ahead and do their parts. As the group gets into the ritual, everything seems to be going smoothly. A little too smoothly. An alarm starts to blare somewhere, and Ragnar and Jorgen check their phones. They may be a bit older, but they know to check the feeds when the alarm sounds. "By Odin's Beard," Ragnar says as he puts his phone away. He starts his way toward the entrance where the group came down into the basement.
"Get started. Finish quickly. We'll ... try to hold them off," Jorgen says to the team from Haven before he follows along behind Ragnar, leaving the group to continue doing their thing.
And with that, the team can start their ritual castings, but there is now some exterior pressure too. No doubt, agents of Gonthorian have started to invade the Park to find where the team is and stop them. Especially if they can also reclaim the artifacts being used to fuel this particular ritual and ensure no one else will ever be able to stop Gonthorian again!
A smile forms in Autumn's face as she uses her hand to sweep some hair away from her face. "I can summon Ifrit for extra defense," the woman murmurs, reaching for her backpack while she watches. "Good thing I have other knife, since it seems /he/ took it away from me while leaving me to die in forest." With a deep breath, she starts to whisper under her breath before a puff of black smoke appears beside her.
William reaches for the Horn of Leviathan while the rest are busy discussing the logistics, taking a deep breath as he tries to mentally prepare himself to the idea of getting inside of a limited space to try and manually kill and Eidolon. His eyes instead move to Jorgen and Ragnar, about to ask a question when the alarms start going off- Which doesn't seem to calm him down that much, he instead looks across the already working companions around him and asks "Does anyone know how much should the Frozen Flame weaken or neutralize him? He's still- Well, a giant almost divine fire dragon- And I'm a wimpy tiny human"
"By Blood, Will and Devotion, I invoke the Maw of Duat!" Sam slices that blade across his palm, and thick, viscous blood starts to drip from his wound, the liquid strange, oily almost, where that blade has touched it. Sam squeezes, and soon enough, scarlet, perfectly normal blood starts to ooze down.
"By deals forged, by power promised..." The jock speaks, his eyes opening as around his neck, a rather human-looking finger-bone glows with arcane runes. He nods, then draws that knife along his arm, letting more blood fuel that ritual. "All right fangs, let's see some binding." He grins, his tongue flicking from his mouth like a snake.
Elora as Autumn summons Ifrit reaches out with her own Arcana, tugging on her bound Spirit, Envy, who inhabits a pet fox. Kneeling she sketches sigils into the floor in preparation for adding a binding to follow up on the summoning within the binding circle. As rituals go though, binding spirits is quick work, near to instant, so she waits with dagger raised for the arrival of Gonothorian when the longer working of summoning completes. "He should have almost no influence on anything outside the circle, but within it? You're very brave brother. Thank you for volunteering."
Seeing everyone else go all out on this Lilian sighs softly as her blood drips onto the ground. A black mist appears on the side of the room. Thump. Thump. The mists part and a truely massive and obese emperor penguin appears. Beady eyes look across at it's mistress who simply gestures towards the door before turning back to her ritual. Sapphire eyes flick over to Sam again as his blood starts to pool onto the ground on the other side of hers and she closes her eyes for a moment. Both puddles of blood shift infront of her, almost as if alive, quivering in place for a moment before her blood starts to creep in a circle, counterclockwise, following the outside of the ritual circle. Sam's in the meanwhile does the opposite, creeping clockwise so that eventually, when each of their blood reaches the other, two glowing circles of blood, one dark, one red surround the binding circle. "Are we ready?" She asks softly once the circles are complete.
"Ah... Lovely" William lets out upon listening to Elora, letting out another sigh. Eyes following the whole ritual but not really focusing much on what's going on, the penguin would probably have taken a comment out of him in other circumstances, but not today nor now "As ready as we can be I guess..."
Elora hesitates before eventually saying, "I... am ready, yes." She gives a very serious nod.
As a glowing red-orange salamander with wings of fire emerge from the black smoke, Autumn pulls out her folding knife from her backpack and turns to glance at the door.
Elora has an orange two-tailed fox arrive. "Go with the salamander, Envy," Elora orders. The fox trots after Autumn and the salamander.
Summoning an Eidolon takes a little bit of time, but thankfully, Lilian is a master arcanist. While it might only take her a few short minutes to do the ritual, the location, the artifacts, the preparations already done aid her still. And soon, there is a presence in the room.
No sooner has that presence started to rumble than Elora finishes her ritual and binds that presence in place. There is an audible noise of confusion and annoyance from within the circle. And then the komodo's eyes begin to glow fiery red. "What is this? The ants have finally decided to parley and admit defeat?" comes that gravelly voice like an avalanche, only this time, it emits from the komodo dragon.
The sounds of fighting can be heard upstairs. Brutal, vicious, terrible sounding fighting, with a generous number of screams from people that are in pain and agony. The noise prompts a deep, dark chuckle from the komodo dragon in the cage. "They will be here soon," he informs the group as the lizard's lips split in a sinister and twisted smirk.
"Alright." Lilian takes a big breath as she kneels infront of the binding circle, the wound on her wrist sealing itself even as she places her hands down, one hand in Sam's living blood, the other in her undead blood. The pendant between her breasts glows that eerie red along with the two circles. Soon, the binding circle itself glows the same color as she closes her eyes, tossing her head back. "From the heart of the earth, I command your rise. Gontharion, bound by my shadow's ties. With chains of blood and life's dark power. I bind your flames for our hour." Tossing her head back, Lilian's eyes take on the same eerie red glow as the dragon in the middle of the circle begins to speak. Letting out a breath, Lilian holds the circle, feeding her power and her magic to keep the dragon within it's binding.
Behind her, the fat penguin waddles off to join the other minions.
Elora reaches out with arcane power casting an illusion over the komodo dragon to hide her brother from its sight.
"What terms of surrender would you give us?" Elora asks the komodo dragon, not looking toward William.
Placing one hand, the wound now knitting shut, onto Lilian's back, Sam kneels on one knee as he clasps a hand around his arcane focus, and the obsidian ring around his finger springs to life. A crimson-scaled cobra joins the other minions.
The jock breathes in and out, the jock mostly trying to support Lilian's efforts to keep the circle maintained.
"You can go help the fighting Sam." Lilian murmurs softly as the man's hand lands on her shoulder. "I should be able to maintain this myself. For now. If I need to bite a wrist I'll let you and Autumn know."
"Ifrit," Autumn speaks to her salamander familiar, holding the knife in her right hand as she readies her left. "Show them wrath of Hell as if they are Sun Humans. Sun will be covered in darkness and doom will be stopped."
William's nerves skyrocket the moment the Eidolon is finally on the room, but there's no turning back now, doubts, certainly, regrets maybe. But after making sure that everything is in place and that the moment has arrived, he closes his hand tightly around the artifact aimed to kill the beast, brazing himself for the incoming wave of heat he was ready to receive the moment he got even close to it. And with that, he steps a single foot into the ritual circle, unable to quite see the thing until it reveals itself, figuring it really needs someone to hurt in order to do so himself, the only way he sees to drive him out of being incorporeal, the promise of hurting the tiny ant
Elora as William crosses the barrier fights against any fire that would threaten to consume her brother by cooling the area within the circle with cryomancy.
A look is given towards Sam at his whisper but Lilian doesn't have time to focus on the man on her shoulder. Her hands sit in the puddles of glowing blood even as William step over them. Even if she can't see the man, she can feel him crossing into her ritual and she lets out a shuddering breath as if struggling. Hunching over she lifts her hand in the living blood and turns towards Sam, "Bleed for me." She hisses gesturing towards him although it is the blood vessels in the eyes of the komodo dragon that pop, simply putting on a show for the dragon as if she can't control her magic.
Slicing open his hand, Sam twists his hand around, and points that kris knife, the oily black blade shimmering strangely in the light of the chamber. He points the tip at the komodo dragon, baring his fangs. "I fucking hate lizards."
A different sense of something opening, energies being pulled can be felt by those most sensitive to it - but further from the sight of the ongoing rituals. At first it seems to come and then go. But soon there are shouts and screams that can be heard, muffled through the basement's ceiling and the obstacles between those performing the rituals here and the commotion that lies up and outward and beyond. But those screams come closer, the commotion draws nearer, growing louder and more legible as each passing moment comes. Next come voices, rising in octave as they holler or bellow with noises that come just from beyond the door that leads down into the chilly depths of this place. Then that door is stuck by something being thrown at it with a massive, resounding THUD. Then with another CRASH! - the door comes flying off of the hinges (unless something far greater holds it in place) and stepping into the frame of that now open portal is Kah, a man of astounding size, and imposing presence. The outer face of shield on his arm gleams with polished silver, stained by lines and splashes of blood that mar it's sheen and splatter across the embossed face that stands out on the shield's surface. The silhouette of a spear stands next to his frame, held in one hand until at last his features will be illuminated when the next source of light comes passing across him, or has he begins slow steps that descend him into the basement. Beyond the crashed door, bodies can be seen; many of them slain outright or bleeding from gaping wounds slashed and stabbed open on their frames. Where there were screams ... now silence.
Inside the cage in the center of the summoning circle in the basement of the warehouse in the Komodo National Park, a komodo dragon with fiery red eyes is suddenly blinded and left seeing things. While the creature lashes out, a voice eminates from it, like boulders rolling down a mountain side, "Cheap parlor tricks do not work on me!" And then the lizard hunkers down with its head low and tail rising toward the top of the cage. It opens its mouth wide, and gouts of flame erupt from its mouth. And ... fizzle barely a foot away in the cold space. The Frozen Flame flickers and grows larger, absorbing the warmth and fire energy to grow bigger.
About that time is when Kah makes his entrance, possibly startling most of the people in the basement by the noise alone. Ragnar and Jorgen follow him quickly, and Ragnar shouts to the team, "Keep working. He stopped most of the agents!"
Jorgan starts to pick up the door to put it back into place. "Next time, leave the door for them to break down," he suggests quietly, shaking his head a little sadly. But there is definitely enough muscle between the agents of Gonthorian and the ritual participants now!
That leaves William to do the deed if he can. Gonthorian can likely still see him, but his magic is subdued by the Frozen Flame. He will need to act fast in order to make the most of this opportunity...
Sam's hand on Lilian's shoulder can likely feel the tension running through the purple haire woman as Kah bursts his way in seeming very much like an agent of Gontharion for the moment. She was about to pivet, to turn her magic towards him when Jorgan and Ragnar make their way in and she relaxes just a tad, turning back to look at the dragon infront of her. Her hand slaps back down into the pool of Sam's blood which is growing bigger as she and the man next to her pour their life force into containing that dragon, which, happily seems to have it's fire be absorbed. "Autumn if you're not doing anything I could do with a bite." Lilian's voice sounds slightly strained as she tilts her head back, the pendant between her breasts casting dark red light throughtout the room and making shadows loom from the circle at the center.
"I doubt you would like my taste," Autumn turns to tell Lilian. "Last time someone wanted bite, they tried to get me to put down my protection. But okay." Turning back to Ifrit, she tells it, "Guard the circle," before she turns to the other lady and offers her right arm with a pull of her sleeve. "Don't try to accidentally kill me, though."
In contrast, Sam seems to not be much bothered. He does look over to Kah a moment, then grins wide. "Dead man walking!" He smirks, both hands in a pool of blood, glaring at that komodo dragon as he bares his teeth. "Fire-less-lizard say what?" He is trying to taunt the lizard, hoping to create an opening for William
Watching in disbelief the extent of the flame, William can't help but calm down at the display from the dragon, letting out a relaxed sigh at the sight. There still was some wariness, that was a komodo dragon, and magic or not, it was dangerous, he knew that, it was among his favorite animals, but in this case, he didn't need to make it out, he only needed to wound it, and kill it. So with that, William rushes towards the cage, not even registering Kah's entrance, holding the Horn of Leviathan tightly in his hand. He tries to cast another magic trick on the beast, as well as taking any chances he has at boosting his own luck, before fitting an arm through the gaps in the cage and trying to stab the komodo dragon
Given Lilian isn't here for a late afternoon high tea party, the taste of Autumn's blood is probably not too high on her list of consideration. The vampire is slowly losing bits of her humanity as she pours her magic into the circle, her eyes appearing almost molten with the magic of dark magic she's channeling. Inch long fangs slide down as Autumn thrusts her arm over and Lilian sinks her teeth into Autumn's wrist, her throat working as she drinks down the blood on offer.
Those first steps descending will come slowly, but the two Northmen rushing in behind him seem to put a hurry into his pace and soon he's down into the thick of things, nearby the summoned minions and Autumn herself. The butt of his spear THUMPS into the ground as he sets it down, and for some in the room, he'll be a familiar sight. To others, less. But beneath that silvered-white hair sits intense blue eyes that shine with a violence and aggression that are new, no matter whom is looking. "To think I almost missed the fun." His teeth flash in a wolfish, menacing grin that doesn't touch those eyes while he quietly turns his attention to the things happening all around him. To the door goes the bulk of his attention, though. Waiting for the chance to take his next pleasure. "The hubris of mortal men will never be enough to lay me down" he calls to Sam, his grin growing only larger. "Never" Kah intones, nostrils flaring as he scents the blood on the air .. waits for the next potential enemy to show his face. His hand flexes, relaxing and re-gripping the haft of his spear. "This is the lizard everyone has been so feared?" His eyes cut behind him over a shoulder toward that caged thing. The sight of that ... it brings a darker shadow over the man's expression as his lips press.
"Well, mere petty evil dragon spirit inside Earth lizard," Autumn answers to someone wjhile she is bitten, her face blushing red while one of her legs crosses the other very close. "And one sun commander aiming for fire potion used to worship, ironically."
Elora continues to maintain the ritual binding the spirit in its place as her brother stabs at the komodo dragon.
"Well, mere petty evil dragon spirit inside Earth lizard," Autumn answers to Kah while she is bitten, her face blushing red while one of her legs crosses the other very close. "And one sun commander aiming for fire potion used to worship, ironically."
Lilian takes a long drink of Autumn's wrist and pulls her head back, licking at Autumn's wounds until it's healed. Turning, she looks over at Kah for a moment, her sapphire eyes ablaze with dark magic, her fangs still out, Autumn's red blood coating it before she turns back to the dragon as her fangs disappear. Watching William closely, her eyes fix on him and the dragon for the moment.
Most in this room are familiar with the squelching noise made by metallic implements being stabbed into skin. And somehow the noise most would associate with that activity is not what happens when the Horn of Leviathan is stabbed into the possessed lizard. Everyone hears the sound of rushing waves, a torrential down pour of rain, and the deafening howl of a whirlpool pulling a ship under to a sea bottom grave. Icy water floods out from the Horn as soon as it breaks the skin of the lizard. The entire room is filled with steamy mist in a reaction akin to water meeting lava suddenly and with concussive, explosive effect.
Everyone in the room is hurled back, though those closer to the door less so. Unfortunately, William takes the brunt of that and flies up and back thirty feet, landing outside the circle. For everyone else, it is a brief disruption of their position, and most can recover quickly.
The steam in the room blocks sight of the dragon and the cage, and in fact, anything within the summoning circle for several moments. When it does finally clear after a few moments, the lizard is on its side, laboring to breath. The Horn is stuck in its side, through a lung or its heart perhaps.
As the lizard lays dying, that dark rumbling chuckle breaks free of it once more. "That won't defeat me. My essence will reform, elsewhere," the gravelly draconic voice informs everyone.
Kah nods, his eyes cutting to observe Autumn with a curious expression before Lilian is giving him a glance and his eyes narrow briefly at the sight of her, something instinctive maybe before he's just nodding his chin faintly and then he's being thrown back somewhat! There's a sharp grunt that comes from the giant of a man, his feet shifting and trying to keep his balance before tumbling backward. Regaining his feet, all he can do is squint eyes through clouds and fog of steam until they clear. His lip curls upward, showing teeth on one half of his face.
"Not for long," Autumn speaks towards the voice, staggering from the water while Ifrit flies upward to avoid it. "I condemn you to deepest part of Hell. To void where you will never escape. And sun will soon meet his fate as well." As she speaks, her narrowed hazel eyes gleamed while her bite wound disappears from her skin.
Lilian is on her knees, so she simply kareens back from the circle, her hands dragging those puddles of blood back with her, leaving a bloody handprint on each side as she eventually comes to a stop. The movement grazes her knees, letting more of her blood creep forward to join the ever growing circle. Her eyes flick to Elora first, then William, checking if see if they're alright before flicking to Autumn, Sam and only giving a cursery glance to the really tall guy she doesn't know. She crawls forward on her hands and knees, leaving more trails of blood behind her as she goes to kneel back at the edge of the bindings circles. While the water had pushed the two rings of blood blackwards - they are still rings despite looking like they have peaks and ridges now and her hand slapping down on the ground makes them glow once more. "Not if we keep you here." She tells the dragon with soft determination in her voice.
Once the side Lilian's penguin claps it's wings together and rolls around in the water.
Elora braces herself as she can against the onrush of water, wincing as her brother slams thirty feet away.
Hitting the wall with a dull THUD, Sam lets out a hiss. He shakes his head as he seems to take a few moments to remember what is up and what is down.
When that lizard speaks, Sam bares his teeth, and grabs that dagger in one hand, moving forward with strange speed, wings bursting at his ankles as he seems to bound across the room, ending at that circle again.
"Gonthorian the Firestarter!" He speaks the eidolon's name. "You are sentenced to destruction! Thou art bound, here, and now! Die!" He bares his teeth, and grins. "Not today, motherfucker."
William is sent flying through the air, just to harshly land on the floor, clearly not having expected that. Any of it. Skin burnt from the proximity and direct hit of the source of the steam, and the landing isn't great for his back or body either. Letting a couple of pained groans and low voiced growled curses, he slowly tries to bring his torso up, at least to get in a seating position. But he seems to be peering at where the vapor explosion originated, head turning towards Elora and Lilian "Wait... Don't release- His voice is still there... Shouldn't he be dead after that?" There is confusion, and pain, lots of pain, but the wave of terror and anxiety he was going through before seems to be gone, there's at least more determination now. He wasn't all that familiar with the details of the ritual, having been just informed moments before the whole thing, so he wants to make sure of everything "Why is he still there? Do we need to stab him him? Does it die with the animal?"
When the steam clears, Kah turns to step and kneel by the cage. His eyes turn to watch the lizard breathe in its final moments from within the cage in silence, half of his peripheral attention still out on the room that they're all in. He doesn't know much about this at all, only that the call had come for strength at the eleventh hour. No compassion or mercy shows on the Were's face or expression at all, simply watching and waiting now while the others try to determine if their efforts have been successful.
Lilian glares as Kah crosses into her ritual circle without asking her first, even Sam having stopped outside of it. "Don't give him someone else to possess!" She hisses as she tilts her head down, her shoulders haunching as she tries to maintain the binding, keeping Gontharian here. Now.
As everyone takes in the situation, the dying lizard seems nonplussed about the situation. The lizard's final breaths are upon it, even as a new arrival makes their way into the room. Above it, simmering sparkles of fiery energy start to form, flitting up from the body, forming a ball that slowly starts to fill with more and more energy. Even as people get near to the cage, the lizard starts to decay rapidly, its flesh rotting and falling away into dust that starts to drift away in the water. But it is not quite over yet...
A push against the door causes Jorgen to look through the bends, and then he lets Selina into the basement where the others are gathered around the dying lizard. "Ahh. I am not too late," she says softly as she takes in the scene with those icy blue eyes of hers in an instant. She nods to the Knights, the ex-Knight, and the House of Odin representatives. She then moves with ethereal grace toward the edge of the circles, her boots sloshing through the water. "I did not expect you to be here," she comments idly to Kah as she steps into the circle with him. "Something about you being a living nightmare that died before murdering people," she mentions with a faint hint of amusement.
Glancing up, Kah blinks slowly in surprise. Then he stands and takes a step back, passing back outside the confines of that ring of blood. When Selina comes ... her words bring a dark chuckle that comes from the lips of him. "No more than a flood or an earthquake murders." Did the man compare himself to a force of nature, or natural disaster? Yes he did. "But I'm afraid the rumors are exaggerated. If I wanted to kill someone, they would be dead."
"I have feeling Sun Humans killed him," Autumn says, turning to find Selina. "But he seems alive. Been long time, I feel. I almost lost sense of time while hidden in nightmare and dream. Hidden from commander..."
Looking baffled and confused about the situation, William moves his eyes from Lilian with the ritual, Kah going into containment, and suddenly Selina arriving. He struggles to form words for a couple seconds, and it all turns harder to voice when he sees whatever is happening with the reptile, trying to get back to his feet, and obviously struggling a little bit, he just throws his hands towards the whole bunch of them "That later... It can wait- Now just kill it"
"Can you guys catch up some OTHER time?" Lilian practically growls as she looks at the new arrival and Autumn and Kah having a bit of a tit a tat while her and Sam's blood are feeding the ritual.
"Miss Brightwood." Sam smirks, pointing that knife towards the dying komodo dragon. "I believe you are to eat the fire...." He looks between Kah and Autumn. "And perhaps after that... the Sun, hm? You were looking for a purpose? That is it." His eyes flit between Selina and the dying dragon-in-komodo form. "No need to say yes now. But it would be.... symbolic."
"Indeed," is the totality of Selina's response to Kah, accompanied by a nod. She glances over at William and then Lilian, and says, "Patience." When she looks back, the sphere is almost fully formed. "Selina Suneater does have a ring to it," she says in an agreeable fashion to Sam, perhaps giving it a little more thought than one might have expected.
Selina(argenti draco) crouches down just outside of the cage and the decaying lizard. She cranes her neck to get as close to the cage and the sphere of energy within before opening her draconic maw. Then she takes in a deep, deep breath as if she needs every bit of air in the room to fuel a frosty breath attack in the next few minutes. Instead of pulling oxygen though, she siphons off the motes of energy from that sphere in much the same way as they floated up from the lizard, only much, much faster. By the time her jaw snaps shut, none of the sphere remains. She swallows loudly. And then belches out a little tendril of smoke.
That brings a sense of seriousness back to the room - William of all of them bringing their focus back to the far more important task at hand! Lilian's words pile on and the man is already growling an affirmative response as he quiets his voice and leaves the rest of the dirty work to those who've come to do it. The shift of Selina(argenti draco) is no surprise to the tall silver-haired giant, evident in his lack of reaction to the woman's change but he watches with honest curiosity writ on his features when she begins to draw in that ball of energy .. conssuming and absorbing it? Kah watches on.
Already on her hands and knees one of Lilian's arms gives way letting her sink into the large puddle of blood underneath her. The pendant between her breasts slowly starts to dim down from the bright blood red it had been lighting up the room and Lilian, despite not needing air, her chest heaves as she catches her breath, those sapphire eyes closing for a moment.
Elora watches from her place amid horn summoned water as Selina Suneater eats Gonothorian. "Is it over?" Elora asks, tone filled with tension.
A hand placed on that dagger, Sam's face splits with an eery, strange grin as he winces. "Selina Suneater." He draws that knife across his palm, the Jock clearly staying upright by sheer force of will. "Thank you for accepting that name." He places his palm flat on the ground, looking at someone, eyes narrowed.
A hand placed on that dagger, Sam's face splits with an eery, strange grin as he winces. "Selina Suneater." He draws that knife across his palm, the Jock clearly staying upright by sheer force of will. "Thank you for accepting that name." He places his palm flat on the ground, looking at Selina(argenti draco), eyes narrowed.
Her body shivering, Autumn turns to watches Selina(argenti draco), the Suneater, devours the energy, revealing a smirk while she crosses her arms underneath her chest. "I hope that's end of that bastard red dragon," she murmurs.
William almost goes back to laying down when seeing someone go to consume whatever that was, but instead he remains put, hands going down to the ground to support the poor sitting position, head tilting to a side in slight confusion "Yeah, that... Is it over?" He asks in agreement with Elora
William almost goes back to laying down when seeing Selina(argenti draco) go to consume whatever that was, but instead he remains put, hands going down to the ground to support the poor sitting position, head tilting to a side in slight confusion "Yeah, that... Is it over?" He asks in agreement with Elora
As the energy is absorbed by the small silver dragon hatchling, the air crackles with nervous energy, broken finally by Elora's words. The chill in the room starts to diminish, in part because the Frozen Flame begins to flicker and crackle, growing smaller and smaller, before extinguishing itself. Such a flame is not meant to be held for long before finding itself a new hiding place. The water also hides the departure of the Horn of Leviathan, which is only really evident when the water swirls into a central vortex down into nothing, leaving no evidence of its presence behind. But for those that witness it, that certainly seems to be the end of Gonthorian. Unless... His essence can somehow corrupt and twist the one that consumed it. All eyes likely turn to Selina(argenti draco), but no sooner has she finished the job than she rippled into a cascade of lights and stepped through a shadow to who knows where.
[OOC: And that, my lovely adventurers ... Is the end of The Good, the Bad, and the Draconic Finale. Please STalk if you need any awards. I have a few administrative things to do, and then I can get everyone back to the grid. Thank you for coming, and I hope everyone enjoyed it!]
Despite the group's preparedness, their efforts are tested by the unexpected arrival of Kah, a towering figure whose presence momentarily threatens to derail the ritual. However, tensions ease as Selina enters, bringing with her a calming authority that refocuses the group on their monumental task.
The ritual reaches its climax as William bravely stabs the possessed komodo dragon with the Horn of Leviathan, unleashing a torrential force that scatters the participants and fills the room with a misty explosion. Amidst this chaos, a sphere of fiery energy begins forming above the quickly decaying lizard, signaling Gonthorian's last attempt at escape.
In a pivotal moment, Selina, embodying her newfound moniker "Selina Suneater," steps forward to consume the dragon's essence, successfully containing the malevolent spirit within herself. Her subsequent departure leaves the group in a stunned silence, pondering the ritual's success and the potential consequences of Gonthorian's essence residing within Selina.
As the water recedes and the artifacts used in the ritual vanish mysteriously, the group is left to grapple with the aftermath of their actions. The warehouse, once a site of powerful arcane activity, now stands as a testament to their daring effort to rid the world of Gonthorian's terror. The story concludes with a mix of relief and apprehension, as the participants speculate on the future implications of their victory, highlighting the intricate blend of courage, sacrifice, and the unknown that defines their journey.
(The Good, the Bad, and the Draconic Finale(SRSelina):SRSelina)
[Wed Dec 25 2024]
On the Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park, located in Indonesia, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site dedicated to preserving the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard. Early mornings in the park, especially under cloudy skies and a mild 82F, create a calm atmosphere perfect for exploration. The park's rugged landscapes, featuring savannahs, tropical forests, and hills, serve as natural habitats where Komodo dragons roam freely. Conservation efforts include fenced breeding areas to protect young dragons, research centers studying their behavior and genetics, and guided tours educating visitors on their ecological importance. Elevated viewing platforms provide safe spots to observe these reptiles as they bask or patrol their territories. The park also features interactive exhibits highlighting the dragons biology and conservation challenges. Visitors can follow trails with expert guides who point out tracks and share insights, making the experience both educational and immersive.
It is night, about 39F(3C) degrees, There is a waning crescent moon.
The group manages to make it to the Komodo National Park in Indonesia, and despite the cold in Haven, it is stupidly warm there, easily 80F, and cloudy in the morning. Naturally, remaining research team from Helsinki is there to meet the team. "Velkommen," Jorgan and Ragnar say, a little sourly. Ragnar's beard is starting to regrow a little bit, but no where near close to its former glory. "We have everything prepared, but odds are, the dragon will make a fuss once you start," Jorgan says after the greeting, motioning for the others to follow as he leads the team through the park and into a warehouse with a basement. A basement that is fucking freezing cold inside, for obvious reasons. The supplies have all been gathered on a table, and the initial summoning circle has been made on the floor. In the center of the summoning circle is a cage with a komodo dragon inside of it, chilling and still, but obviously still alive.
"Did they tell you what the ritual entails?" Ragnar asks the group once they have had a chance to take in the basement room. The ceiling is about twenty feet high, and the walls are each about a hundred feet across.
[OOC: Welcome to The Good, the Bad, and the Draconic Finale.. If you have any questions, feel free to use STalk or replies via Tells. Please make use of the Think, Internal, Feel, Recall, and Attempt commands on this adventure. These will greatly enhance your experience and immersion, while also speeding things up for others. I try to do one post per person rotations, but if you want to do short bursts of rapid banter in appropriate situations, feel free. Text that is all colored in this color will be private, for you to act upon ICly. Buckle up, and we will begin shortly. Thank you for letting me be your SR for this evening's festivities.]
William lets out a loud sign and slouches a little bit upon feeling the warmer weather, shaking his head slightly. But following along the remains of the team they followed last time, he finds a little relief in the cold room prepared for the ritual, shaking his head again, this time in response to Ragnar "At least not me in particular"
Tilting his head to the sides, to try and inspect the room around them curiously, before setting his eyes on the rest of the team, giving a little nod at Sam and someone, not really recognizing Autumn, and finally looking over at Elora in the process of removing her equipment "Are we going to get involved in it or are we on support and covering like last time?" He asks curiously, uncertain of why should they be informed of the procedure
Quietly trudging along, Sam casts a look around the basement, looking towards William, and Elora. "I assume one of y'all is in charge." He squats down, looking at the state of the prepared ritual, taking a stack of notes, slightly charred, and annotated, from his backpack. He doesn't speak much, instead opting to let someone else, with perhaps more authority take the lead as he peers over his notes, though he does remain alert, should things start to be required of him.
Peering around, Autumn steps forward behind the group and examines the research team before following them into the basement. "Dragon and his minions have caused trouble for far too long," the woman speaks in a low voice, her eyes narrowing while keeping her distance. "This will be his end, along with remnants of his cult."
Fluttering down from the sky while they're outside after having scouted the area from the trees, Lilian(corvus)'s wings close the second she is about to crash into the back of Elora's head and she lands with a waggle of her tail on the woman's shoulder. Vibrant blue eyes stare about at the others who have gathered as she craws softly and preens a lock of Elora's hair with her beak, siddling sideways on Elora's shoulder. The bird seems to both listen and not to the two guides as she busily combs Elora's hair, seeming to have no ill effects from the chill of the basement as they descend.
William lets out a loud sign and slouches a little bit upon feeling the warmer weather, shaking his head slightly. But following along the remains of the team they followed last time, he finds a little relief in the cold room prepared for the ritual, shaking his head again, this time in response to Ragnar "At least not me in particular"
Tilting his head to the sides, to try and inspect the room around them curiously, before setting his eyes on the rest of the team, giving a little nod at Sam, not really recognizing Autumn, assuming the Lilian(corvus) is just someone shapeshifted given- Well, a raven in a komodo dragon reserve-, and finally looking over at Elora in the process of removing her equipment "Are we going to get involved in it or are we on support and covering like last time?" He asks curiously, uncertain of why should they be informed of the procedure
Elora is decked in chainmail armor stained in shades of green as she clinks down into the cold of the basement. She makes her way to the table where Ragnar is. Her eyes rest on empty space briefly.
Elora idly glances to the raven perched on her before looking to Sam. "I imagine we'll have to. I would not expect Gonothorian to go down without a fight."
"We have at least four arcanists present..." William comments in the direction of Elora "He might want to fight, but we should be able to bind him quite easily unless we are swarmed by minions or cultists, no?" He asks genuinely, almost as if to make sure he isn't missing any details, with another quick glance around the room "Though... We should probably be careful about getting set on fire like it happened during the last attempt"
"We'll want to make sure no-one gets possessed, to be more accurate. That is what ruined the past attempt. But wards against incursion also are not an option, when summoning, then destroying something. Vexing." Sam looks up from charred, perhaps familiar looking pages, eyes narrowing a little. "Ain't no-one said it would be easy."
Fluttering forward, Lilian(corvus)'s wings spread until she glides over to a seat and a black bubbling mist surrounds the bird before she turns back into a human.
Elora shoots a smile to Lilian.
"If he enters someone's head, we blind that someone... A couple of us should be able to do that" William nods towards Sam, glancing in the direction of the once again humanoid Lilian "Eidolons don't retain that kind of etheral vision when possessing, do they? Shouldn't they be in the body?"
"Well, the basics," Ragnar begins with a grunt, pointing to various spots of the circle as he continues. "We pull the lizard in. He is bound in the circle. The Frozen Flame neutralizes him. Then someone has to kill him with the Horn," he explains, pointing to the Horn in the circle before making a stabbing motion with the bottom of his fist hitting his heart. "That should be all it. Unless our research was completely wrong," he notes, grumbling a bit about that.
"Well, our research wasn't wrong. This is our best chance to finish the dragon off and keep him from joining other Eidolons in terrorizing the world at least," Jorgen says before finding his lunch and getting out a sammich to start eating. Jorgen and Ragnar exchange a look before Jorgen says, "We aren't really able to do this ritual. It requires someone truly committed to the cause. Which House Odin is not, really." He shrugs his shoulders then and brushes some crumbs out of his beard.
"Point is, you got enough magical might to beat down the dragon. You just gotta finish it," Ragnar says, cutting off anything else Jorgen might have been about to say.
A soft sigh escapes Lilian as she lounges on the chair, crossing her legs infront of her. Still wearing a dress like she usually is, Lilian's armor is just metal filigree that accentuates her dress rather then protecting her all that much. An archer's wrist and elbow guards is about as protective as it gets, otherwise metal filigree cover her breasts, hips and feet to her calves, the decorate metalwork like vines coiling around her body. "I am probably the most powerful arcanist here." Lilian sighs, a smile lighting her sapphire eyes sent at Elora first before she studies the others present. "But I am also probably your most powerful fighter." Her head dips to look down at her nails, "I think for this though.. You will probably want me to be the anchor for the summoning ritual."
"Guard your minds, in case," Autumn speaks with a look around the rest of the group. "He can try to get in your heads. And I am sure no one else besides me have body resistance to fire." She then turns to listen to Ragnar and Jorgen as they speak, before she comments, "We will. I suppose all of us want the dragon dead, after months of suffering from his former minions."
"I'm all for stabbing a dragon, but I ain't a dedicated ally of the knights." Sam remarks, simply. "I'm more than willing to kill it, but I'd be taking a toll." A pause, and he looks at the horn, then the flame. "Perhaps more of a hero type should." He lets out a soft, gutteral chuckle. He ticks a nod to Lilian. "So you're gonna be the beacon, or what?" He looks to that horn. "I am more than willing to do the stabbing. It's my job, and what I am hired for, by Miss Brightwood." He fishes a pen from his backpack, adding some words to one of the pages of paper in his lap.
"How and why aside, I don't like this piece of shit. He should die, so I'll behave. Ain't here to cause nothing, yeh?" He shoots, perhaps a knowing look to William and Elora.
William points a finger at Lilian "That, yeah, we probably want you to bind it- The longer he is trapped for the better, even if he goes down quickly..." His eyes then dart around Elora, Sam and Autumn, considering for a couple seconds, giving the last one a nod of acknowledgement at her advice before saying "Alright, who wants to stab the lizard?" Then he casts another glance at Lilian as if to make sure "Can you make him like... Be still while he's bound- Or will he be able to resist? I've been told it's escaped a couple binding circles in the past"
nods agreement to Lilian's claims of power. "Once he is in the binding circle, he shouldn't be able to have as much influence outside of it," Elora mentions. She looks around the group as if assessing each person before her her eyes flick to the horn. "I want to see him gone, but I think it might be less personal for me than some. If someone else wants to do it, I'm willing to let them."
Flat sapphire eyes turn to William, "He has not tried to possess me before, however given what you say, I expect I will have enough trouble holding him INSIDE the circle. There will be no holding him still. If you want to stab him you're going to have to go inside it with him. In which case the person with the most fire resistance.." Her eyes shift to Autumn, "Probably would be a better candidate no?" A shrug of her shoulder is sent towards Sam as if asking if he had anything of the kind given he wants to be the hero type. Lilian sighs turning to nod at Elora at her words, "The outside will be safer... when he's inside. But the inside.. He's going to be able to fully control."
"I, too, agree dragon should die, like sun leader... He who should not be named for he will try to murder again," Autumn dryly tells Sam before she turns her gaze towards Lilian. "Perhaps we gather our magic together to make binding stronger. I do need to vent some of my rage, so I might do it."
Jorgan and Ragnar both point at the komodo dragon in the cage in the center of the circle. "You bind it, and it should only have one body to possess. Then you just have to beat the lizard to stab it," Ragnar explains, as a detail may have been left out of the plan. Jorgen contents himself to eating his sammich then, letting Ragnar take the reins of the conversation. "Ritual leader to summon, while secondary ritualist binds. Third person to step in and stab. Then the rest of us do our best to guard," he finishes, shrugging his shoulders then before looking between the five potential arcanists waiting for the ritual. "Don't matter to me whose blood gets used where," he says then waving a meaty hand past his face in dismissal. When Lilian mentions fire resistance, both Ragnar and Jorgen nod a couple of times, vigorously.
"But is she a Knight?" Jorgen asks as if this is, in fact, an important facet of the equation. Metaphysical and ritualistic relations being as they are, for the final blow, it likely has to come from someone actually in the Sect.
William glances at Elora for a moment, tilting his head in her direction "And he's an Eidolon... Even if he's contained... I doubt our trickery works on him, yes?" Once more, asking this more than stating it, almost as if letting his track of thought out for anyone to correct him. But when Jorgen speaks, he looks at him, and then at the prepared circle "So, if Lily is holding him- Or summoning... It's either my sister or I stabbing..."
"I'll be guard dog." Sam grins, flashing his leather bracelet, notably without any silver-dragon insignae. There is that clenched, black fist, of that group that has their fingers in all the pies, though. "I'll just work something out with Miss Brightwood afterward. You lot do the killing. I do have a lotta blood to shed this find Christmas day." He grins, and slowly packs those research notes away.
"I'm going to need someone to donate some blood." Lilian flashes a bright smile towards Sam and William as if they're the prime candidates. Getting up from her seat, she moves over to do a lap around the circle, her heels clicking on the stone ground as she completes her lap. Moving over to Elora then, she rests her head against the other woman's shoulder for a moment, her hand finding Elora to squeeze it gently.
"Ex-Knight," Autumn answers, lifting her left hand where she dons her bracelet. "Conflict with Sun Humans and Disruptors caused me to leave, yet they still had done much wrong to me for months, especially from commander. I'm here to exact part of my revenge."
"Dis-reccomend drinking my blood, Lily. My blood actively rejects undeath." Sam grins to Lilian, and shrugs. "Your risk." His eyes flick to William. "You up for being capri-sun?"
"Not to drink it. To spill." Lilian tells Sam with a equally wide grin, "So I'm sure undeath will be fine."
Letting out a sigh, William glances at Autumn for a moment, but he doesn't really know how that changes things. He glances at Elora for a moment, considering before saying "Alright, I'm stabbing the asshole... If I end up charred, you're up sister" And with that he moves around the room, aiming to get closer to the weapon, eying it on his way there "He hasn't really done anything to me- All of the grudge I have- Well, it's on behalf of others- So I hope that doesn't do anything weird"
Then his eyes turn to Lilian and Sam and another sigh follow "I'd rather be at full if fire dragon over here is going to try to kill me inside a binding circle..."
Lilian nods her head at Sam as if it's agreed and makes her way over infront of the binding circle. Taking off her heels, she sets them neatly to the side before kneeling down on the ground. "I'll spill your blood then Sam. If you're in agreement." Setting her bow on the ground behind her, she sets her hands in the middle of her lap. "I'm ready to start once the blood gets spilt. Who is going to be doing the binding?"
Elora nods agreement to William. "Alright. You stab him. If you burn to death, I'll regroup. Come up with a better plan."
Nodding his head at the rest of the group, Sam takes a kris knife from a sheath at his side. "All right. Just say the word, and I'll send the power over to you." He moves, the arcanist looking for an optimum place to send power into the circle for Lilian to use.
Lilian looks over at Sam, a small smile playing on her lips, "When the time comes spill the blood here next to me. Sorry about yesterday. I didn't actually say anything I thought was threatening towards you. People like that make me.. antsy." Sapphire eyes look away for a moment as she reaches out to touch the edge of the binding circle. "Autumn can defend us. I might... if it takes too much power for me to hold the dragon I might need to feed from someone while I maintain the ritual."
Sam says, moving to stand where instructed, "Your fear was delicious. I didn't want to eat you, would have been rude. So I dipped."
Elora draws a long ceremonial blade covered in runes from a sheath at her waist that sits across from her rapier's sheath. Her eyes flick between Sam and Lilian as she tries to understand what had happened while she gets to work preparing for her part in binding the dragon.
"Mmm." someone eyes look over Sam for a moment, sweeping over the man's body as if seeing him in a new light, "Spill your blood, we might as well start the circle." She murmurs after a moment, "I don't fear for myself but those I love. I have met more than my share of those... creatures in my life time." With that Lilian brings her wrist to her lips. Fangs slide down, long, glistening and she bites her own wrist, tearing it before lowering her hand towards the ground. Drip drip drip, dark blood runs down her hand onto the ground next to her, puddling even as the pendant that hangs between her breasts starts to glow a brilliant, blood red.
"Mmm." Sapphire eyes look over Sam for a moment, sweeping over the man's body as if seeing him in a new light, "Spill your blood, we might as well start the circle." She murmurs after a moment, "I don't fear for myself but those I love. I have met more than my share of those... creatures in my life time." With that Lilian brings her wrist to her lips. Fangs slide down, long, glistening and she bites her own wrist, tearing it before lowering her hand towards the ground. Drip drip drip, dark blood runs down her hand onto the ground next to her, puddling even as the pendant that hangs between her breasts starts to glow a brilliant, blood red.
With the plan set and ready to put into motion, everyone can go ahead and do their parts. As the group gets into the ritual, everything seems to be going smoothly. A little too smoothly. An alarm starts to blare somewhere, and Ragnar and Jorgen check their phones. They may be a bit older, but they know to check the feeds when the alarm sounds. "By Odin's Beard," Ragnar says as he puts his phone away. He starts his way toward the entrance where the group came down into the basement.
"Get started. Finish quickly. We'll ... try to hold them off," Jorgen says to the team from Haven before he follows along behind Ragnar, leaving the group to continue doing their thing.
And with that, the team can start their ritual castings, but there is now some exterior pressure too. No doubt, agents of Gonthorian have started to invade the Park to find where the team is and stop them. Especially if they can also reclaim the artifacts being used to fuel this particular ritual and ensure no one else will ever be able to stop Gonthorian again!
A smile forms in Autumn's face as she uses her hand to sweep some hair away from her face. "I can summon Ifrit for extra defense," the woman murmurs, reaching for her backpack while she watches. "Good thing I have other knife, since it seems /he/ took it away from me while leaving me to die in forest." With a deep breath, she starts to whisper under her breath before a puff of black smoke appears beside her.
William reaches for the Horn of Leviathan while the rest are busy discussing the logistics, taking a deep breath as he tries to mentally prepare himself to the idea of getting inside of a limited space to try and manually kill and Eidolon. His eyes instead move to Jorgen and Ragnar, about to ask a question when the alarms start going off- Which doesn't seem to calm him down that much, he instead looks across the already working companions around him and asks "Does anyone know how much should the Frozen Flame weaken or neutralize him? He's still- Well, a giant almost divine fire dragon- And I'm a wimpy tiny human"
"By Blood, Will and Devotion, I invoke the Maw of Duat!" Sam slices that blade across his palm, and thick, viscous blood starts to drip from his wound, the liquid strange, oily almost, where that blade has touched it. Sam squeezes, and soon enough, scarlet, perfectly normal blood starts to ooze down.
"By deals forged, by power promised..." The jock speaks, his eyes opening as around his neck, a rather human-looking finger-bone glows with arcane runes. He nods, then draws that knife along his arm, letting more blood fuel that ritual. "All right fangs, let's see some binding." He grins, his tongue flicking from his mouth like a snake.
Elora as Autumn summons Ifrit reaches out with her own Arcana, tugging on her bound Spirit, Envy, who inhabits a pet fox. Kneeling she sketches sigils into the floor in preparation for adding a binding to follow up on the summoning within the binding circle. As rituals go though, binding spirits is quick work, near to instant, so she waits with dagger raised for the arrival of Gonothorian when the longer working of summoning completes. "He should have almost no influence on anything outside the circle, but within it? You're very brave brother. Thank you for volunteering."
Seeing everyone else go all out on this Lilian sighs softly as her blood drips onto the ground. A black mist appears on the side of the room. Thump. Thump. The mists part and a truely massive and obese emperor penguin appears. Beady eyes look across at it's mistress who simply gestures towards the door before turning back to her ritual. Sapphire eyes flick over to Sam again as his blood starts to pool onto the ground on the other side of hers and she closes her eyes for a moment. Both puddles of blood shift infront of her, almost as if alive, quivering in place for a moment before her blood starts to creep in a circle, counterclockwise, following the outside of the ritual circle. Sam's in the meanwhile does the opposite, creeping clockwise so that eventually, when each of their blood reaches the other, two glowing circles of blood, one dark, one red surround the binding circle. "Are we ready?" She asks softly once the circles are complete.
"Ah... Lovely" William lets out upon listening to Elora, letting out another sigh. Eyes following the whole ritual but not really focusing much on what's going on, the penguin would probably have taken a comment out of him in other circumstances, but not today nor now "As ready as we can be I guess..."
Elora hesitates before eventually saying, "I... am ready, yes." She gives a very serious nod.
As a glowing red-orange salamander with wings of fire emerge from the black smoke, Autumn pulls out her folding knife from her backpack and turns to glance at the door.
Elora has an orange two-tailed fox arrive. "Go with the salamander, Envy," Elora orders. The fox trots after Autumn and the salamander.
Summoning an Eidolon takes a little bit of time, but thankfully, Lilian is a master arcanist. While it might only take her a few short minutes to do the ritual, the location, the artifacts, the preparations already done aid her still. And soon, there is a presence in the room.
No sooner has that presence started to rumble than Elora finishes her ritual and binds that presence in place. There is an audible noise of confusion and annoyance from within the circle. And then the komodo's eyes begin to glow fiery red. "What is this? The ants have finally decided to parley and admit defeat?" comes that gravelly voice like an avalanche, only this time, it emits from the komodo dragon.
The sounds of fighting can be heard upstairs. Brutal, vicious, terrible sounding fighting, with a generous number of screams from people that are in pain and agony. The noise prompts a deep, dark chuckle from the komodo dragon in the cage. "They will be here soon," he informs the group as the lizard's lips split in a sinister and twisted smirk.
"Alright." Lilian takes a big breath as she kneels infront of the binding circle, the wound on her wrist sealing itself even as she places her hands down, one hand in Sam's living blood, the other in her undead blood. The pendant between her breasts glows that eerie red along with the two circles. Soon, the binding circle itself glows the same color as she closes her eyes, tossing her head back. "From the heart of the earth, I command your rise. Gontharion, bound by my shadow's ties. With chains of blood and life's dark power. I bind your flames for our hour." Tossing her head back, Lilian's eyes take on the same eerie red glow as the dragon in the middle of the circle begins to speak. Letting out a breath, Lilian holds the circle, feeding her power and her magic to keep the dragon within it's binding.
Behind her, the fat penguin waddles off to join the other minions.
Elora reaches out with arcane power casting an illusion over the komodo dragon to hide her brother from its sight.
"What terms of surrender would you give us?" Elora asks the komodo dragon, not looking toward William.
Placing one hand, the wound now knitting shut, onto Lilian's back, Sam kneels on one knee as he clasps a hand around his arcane focus, and the obsidian ring around his finger springs to life. A crimson-scaled cobra joins the other minions.
The jock breathes in and out, the jock mostly trying to support Lilian's efforts to keep the circle maintained.
"You can go help the fighting Sam." Lilian murmurs softly as the man's hand lands on her shoulder. "I should be able to maintain this myself. For now. If I need to bite a wrist I'll let you and Autumn know."
"Ifrit," Autumn speaks to her salamander familiar, holding the knife in her right hand as she readies her left. "Show them wrath of Hell as if they are Sun Humans. Sun will be covered in darkness and doom will be stopped."
William's nerves skyrocket the moment the Eidolon is finally on the room, but there's no turning back now, doubts, certainly, regrets maybe. But after making sure that everything is in place and that the moment has arrived, he closes his hand tightly around the artifact aimed to kill the beast, brazing himself for the incoming wave of heat he was ready to receive the moment he got even close to it. And with that, he steps a single foot into the ritual circle, unable to quite see the thing until it reveals itself, figuring it really needs someone to hurt in order to do so himself, the only way he sees to drive him out of being incorporeal, the promise of hurting the tiny ant
Elora as William crosses the barrier fights against any fire that would threaten to consume her brother by cooling the area within the circle with cryomancy.
A look is given towards Sam at his whisper but Lilian doesn't have time to focus on the man on her shoulder. Her hands sit in the puddles of glowing blood even as William step over them. Even if she can't see the man, she can feel him crossing into her ritual and she lets out a shuddering breath as if struggling. Hunching over she lifts her hand in the living blood and turns towards Sam, "Bleed for me." She hisses gesturing towards him although it is the blood vessels in the eyes of the komodo dragon that pop, simply putting on a show for the dragon as if she can't control her magic.
Slicing open his hand, Sam twists his hand around, and points that kris knife, the oily black blade shimmering strangely in the light of the chamber. He points the tip at the komodo dragon, baring his fangs. "I fucking hate lizards."
A different sense of something opening, energies being pulled can be felt by those most sensitive to it - but further from the sight of the ongoing rituals. At first it seems to come and then go. But soon there are shouts and screams that can be heard, muffled through the basement's ceiling and the obstacles between those performing the rituals here and the commotion that lies up and outward and beyond. But those screams come closer, the commotion draws nearer, growing louder and more legible as each passing moment comes. Next come voices, rising in octave as they holler or bellow with noises that come just from beyond the door that leads down into the chilly depths of this place. Then that door is stuck by something being thrown at it with a massive, resounding THUD. Then with another CRASH! - the door comes flying off of the hinges (unless something far greater holds it in place) and stepping into the frame of that now open portal is Kah, a man of astounding size, and imposing presence. The outer face of shield on his arm gleams with polished silver, stained by lines and splashes of blood that mar it's sheen and splatter across the embossed face that stands out on the shield's surface. The silhouette of a spear stands next to his frame, held in one hand until at last his features will be illuminated when the next source of light comes passing across him, or has he begins slow steps that descend him into the basement. Beyond the crashed door, bodies can be seen; many of them slain outright or bleeding from gaping wounds slashed and stabbed open on their frames. Where there were screams ... now silence.
Inside the cage in the center of the summoning circle in the basement of the warehouse in the Komodo National Park, a komodo dragon with fiery red eyes is suddenly blinded and left seeing things. While the creature lashes out, a voice eminates from it, like boulders rolling down a mountain side, "Cheap parlor tricks do not work on me!" And then the lizard hunkers down with its head low and tail rising toward the top of the cage. It opens its mouth wide, and gouts of flame erupt from its mouth. And ... fizzle barely a foot away in the cold space. The Frozen Flame flickers and grows larger, absorbing the warmth and fire energy to grow bigger.
About that time is when Kah makes his entrance, possibly startling most of the people in the basement by the noise alone. Ragnar and Jorgen follow him quickly, and Ragnar shouts to the team, "Keep working. He stopped most of the agents!"
Jorgan starts to pick up the door to put it back into place. "Next time, leave the door for them to break down," he suggests quietly, shaking his head a little sadly. But there is definitely enough muscle between the agents of Gonthorian and the ritual participants now!
That leaves William to do the deed if he can. Gonthorian can likely still see him, but his magic is subdued by the Frozen Flame. He will need to act fast in order to make the most of this opportunity...
Sam's hand on Lilian's shoulder can likely feel the tension running through the purple haire woman as Kah bursts his way in seeming very much like an agent of Gontharion for the moment. She was about to pivet, to turn her magic towards him when Jorgan and Ragnar make their way in and she relaxes just a tad, turning back to look at the dragon infront of her. Her hand slaps back down into the pool of Sam's blood which is growing bigger as she and the man next to her pour their life force into containing that dragon, which, happily seems to have it's fire be absorbed. "Autumn if you're not doing anything I could do with a bite." Lilian's voice sounds slightly strained as she tilts her head back, the pendant between her breasts casting dark red light throughtout the room and making shadows loom from the circle at the center.
"I doubt you would like my taste," Autumn turns to tell Lilian. "Last time someone wanted bite, they tried to get me to put down my protection. But okay." Turning back to Ifrit, she tells it, "Guard the circle," before she turns to the other lady and offers her right arm with a pull of her sleeve. "Don't try to accidentally kill me, though."
In contrast, Sam seems to not be much bothered. He does look over to Kah a moment, then grins wide. "Dead man walking!" He smirks, both hands in a pool of blood, glaring at that komodo dragon as he bares his teeth. "Fire-less-lizard say what?" He is trying to taunt the lizard, hoping to create an opening for William
Watching in disbelief the extent of the flame, William can't help but calm down at the display from the dragon, letting out a relaxed sigh at the sight. There still was some wariness, that was a komodo dragon, and magic or not, it was dangerous, he knew that, it was among his favorite animals, but in this case, he didn't need to make it out, he only needed to wound it, and kill it. So with that, William rushes towards the cage, not even registering Kah's entrance, holding the Horn of Leviathan tightly in his hand. He tries to cast another magic trick on the beast, as well as taking any chances he has at boosting his own luck, before fitting an arm through the gaps in the cage and trying to stab the komodo dragon
Given Lilian isn't here for a late afternoon high tea party, the taste of Autumn's blood is probably not too high on her list of consideration. The vampire is slowly losing bits of her humanity as she pours her magic into the circle, her eyes appearing almost molten with the magic of dark magic she's channeling. Inch long fangs slide down as Autumn thrusts her arm over and Lilian sinks her teeth into Autumn's wrist, her throat working as she drinks down the blood on offer.
Those first steps descending will come slowly, but the two Northmen rushing in behind him seem to put a hurry into his pace and soon he's down into the thick of things, nearby the summoned minions and Autumn herself. The butt of his spear THUMPS into the ground as he sets it down, and for some in the room, he'll be a familiar sight. To others, less. But beneath that silvered-white hair sits intense blue eyes that shine with a violence and aggression that are new, no matter whom is looking. "To think I almost missed the fun." His teeth flash in a wolfish, menacing grin that doesn't touch those eyes while he quietly turns his attention to the things happening all around him. To the door goes the bulk of his attention, though. Waiting for the chance to take his next pleasure. "The hubris of mortal men will never be enough to lay me down" he calls to Sam, his grin growing only larger. "Never" Kah intones, nostrils flaring as he scents the blood on the air .. waits for the next potential enemy to show his face. His hand flexes, relaxing and re-gripping the haft of his spear. "This is the lizard everyone has been so feared?" His eyes cut behind him over a shoulder toward that caged thing. The sight of that ... it brings a darker shadow over the man's expression as his lips press.
"Well, mere petty evil dragon spirit inside Earth lizard," Autumn answers to someone wjhile she is bitten, her face blushing red while one of her legs crosses the other very close. "And one sun commander aiming for fire potion used to worship, ironically."
Elora continues to maintain the ritual binding the spirit in its place as her brother stabs at the komodo dragon.
"Well, mere petty evil dragon spirit inside Earth lizard," Autumn answers to Kah while she is bitten, her face blushing red while one of her legs crosses the other very close. "And one sun commander aiming for fire potion used to worship, ironically."
Lilian takes a long drink of Autumn's wrist and pulls her head back, licking at Autumn's wounds until it's healed. Turning, she looks over at Kah for a moment, her sapphire eyes ablaze with dark magic, her fangs still out, Autumn's red blood coating it before she turns back to the dragon as her fangs disappear. Watching William closely, her eyes fix on him and the dragon for the moment.
Most in this room are familiar with the squelching noise made by metallic implements being stabbed into skin. And somehow the noise most would associate with that activity is not what happens when the Horn of Leviathan is stabbed into the possessed lizard. Everyone hears the sound of rushing waves, a torrential down pour of rain, and the deafening howl of a whirlpool pulling a ship under to a sea bottom grave. Icy water floods out from the Horn as soon as it breaks the skin of the lizard. The entire room is filled with steamy mist in a reaction akin to water meeting lava suddenly and with concussive, explosive effect.
Everyone in the room is hurled back, though those closer to the door less so. Unfortunately, William takes the brunt of that and flies up and back thirty feet, landing outside the circle. For everyone else, it is a brief disruption of their position, and most can recover quickly.
The steam in the room blocks sight of the dragon and the cage, and in fact, anything within the summoning circle for several moments. When it does finally clear after a few moments, the lizard is on its side, laboring to breath. The Horn is stuck in its side, through a lung or its heart perhaps.
As the lizard lays dying, that dark rumbling chuckle breaks free of it once more. "That won't defeat me. My essence will reform, elsewhere," the gravelly draconic voice informs everyone.
Kah nods, his eyes cutting to observe Autumn with a curious expression before Lilian is giving him a glance and his eyes narrow briefly at the sight of her, something instinctive maybe before he's just nodding his chin faintly and then he's being thrown back somewhat! There's a sharp grunt that comes from the giant of a man, his feet shifting and trying to keep his balance before tumbling backward. Regaining his feet, all he can do is squint eyes through clouds and fog of steam until they clear. His lip curls upward, showing teeth on one half of his face.
"Not for long," Autumn speaks towards the voice, staggering from the water while Ifrit flies upward to avoid it. "I condemn you to deepest part of Hell. To void where you will never escape. And sun will soon meet his fate as well." As she speaks, her narrowed hazel eyes gleamed while her bite wound disappears from her skin.
Lilian is on her knees, so she simply kareens back from the circle, her hands dragging those puddles of blood back with her, leaving a bloody handprint on each side as she eventually comes to a stop. The movement grazes her knees, letting more of her blood creep forward to join the ever growing circle. Her eyes flick to Elora first, then William, checking if see if they're alright before flicking to Autumn, Sam and only giving a cursery glance to the really tall guy she doesn't know. She crawls forward on her hands and knees, leaving more trails of blood behind her as she goes to kneel back at the edge of the bindings circles. While the water had pushed the two rings of blood blackwards - they are still rings despite looking like they have peaks and ridges now and her hand slapping down on the ground makes them glow once more. "Not if we keep you here." She tells the dragon with soft determination in her voice.
Once the side Lilian's penguin claps it's wings together and rolls around in the water.
Elora braces herself as she can against the onrush of water, wincing as her brother slams thirty feet away.
Hitting the wall with a dull THUD, Sam lets out a hiss. He shakes his head as he seems to take a few moments to remember what is up and what is down.
When that lizard speaks, Sam bares his teeth, and grabs that dagger in one hand, moving forward with strange speed, wings bursting at his ankles as he seems to bound across the room, ending at that circle again.
"Gonthorian the Firestarter!" He speaks the eidolon's name. "You are sentenced to destruction! Thou art bound, here, and now! Die!" He bares his teeth, and grins. "Not today, motherfucker."
William is sent flying through the air, just to harshly land on the floor, clearly not having expected that. Any of it. Skin burnt from the proximity and direct hit of the source of the steam, and the landing isn't great for his back or body either. Letting a couple of pained groans and low voiced growled curses, he slowly tries to bring his torso up, at least to get in a seating position. But he seems to be peering at where the vapor explosion originated, head turning towards Elora and Lilian "Wait... Don't release- His voice is still there... Shouldn't he be dead after that?" There is confusion, and pain, lots of pain, but the wave of terror and anxiety he was going through before seems to be gone, there's at least more determination now. He wasn't all that familiar with the details of the ritual, having been just informed moments before the whole thing, so he wants to make sure of everything "Why is he still there? Do we need to stab him him? Does it die with the animal?"
When the steam clears, Kah turns to step and kneel by the cage. His eyes turn to watch the lizard breathe in its final moments from within the cage in silence, half of his peripheral attention still out on the room that they're all in. He doesn't know much about this at all, only that the call had come for strength at the eleventh hour. No compassion or mercy shows on the Were's face or expression at all, simply watching and waiting now while the others try to determine if their efforts have been successful.
Lilian glares as Kah crosses into her ritual circle without asking her first, even Sam having stopped outside of it. "Don't give him someone else to possess!" She hisses as she tilts her head down, her shoulders haunching as she tries to maintain the binding, keeping Gontharian here. Now.
As everyone takes in the situation, the dying lizard seems nonplussed about the situation. The lizard's final breaths are upon it, even as a new arrival makes their way into the room. Above it, simmering sparkles of fiery energy start to form, flitting up from the body, forming a ball that slowly starts to fill with more and more energy. Even as people get near to the cage, the lizard starts to decay rapidly, its flesh rotting and falling away into dust that starts to drift away in the water. But it is not quite over yet...
A push against the door causes Jorgen to look through the bends, and then he lets Selina into the basement where the others are gathered around the dying lizard. "Ahh. I am not too late," she says softly as she takes in the scene with those icy blue eyes of hers in an instant. She nods to the Knights, the ex-Knight, and the House of Odin representatives. She then moves with ethereal grace toward the edge of the circles, her boots sloshing through the water. "I did not expect you to be here," she comments idly to Kah as she steps into the circle with him. "Something about you being a living nightmare that died before murdering people," she mentions with a faint hint of amusement.
Glancing up, Kah blinks slowly in surprise. Then he stands and takes a step back, passing back outside the confines of that ring of blood. When Selina comes ... her words bring a dark chuckle that comes from the lips of him. "No more than a flood or an earthquake murders." Did the man compare himself to a force of nature, or natural disaster? Yes he did. "But I'm afraid the rumors are exaggerated. If I wanted to kill someone, they would be dead."
"I have feeling Sun Humans killed him," Autumn says, turning to find Selina. "But he seems alive. Been long time, I feel. I almost lost sense of time while hidden in nightmare and dream. Hidden from commander..."
Looking baffled and confused about the situation, William moves his eyes from Lilian with the ritual, Kah going into containment, and suddenly Selina arriving. He struggles to form words for a couple seconds, and it all turns harder to voice when he sees whatever is happening with the reptile, trying to get back to his feet, and obviously struggling a little bit, he just throws his hands towards the whole bunch of them "That later... It can wait- Now just kill it"
"Can you guys catch up some OTHER time?" Lilian practically growls as she looks at the new arrival and Autumn and Kah having a bit of a tit a tat while her and Sam's blood are feeding the ritual.
"Miss Brightwood." Sam smirks, pointing that knife towards the dying komodo dragon. "I believe you are to eat the fire...." He looks between Kah and Autumn. "And perhaps after that... the Sun, hm? You were looking for a purpose? That is it." His eyes flit between Selina and the dying dragon-in-komodo form. "No need to say yes now. But it would be.... symbolic."
"Indeed," is the totality of Selina's response to Kah, accompanied by a nod. She glances over at William and then Lilian, and says, "Patience." When she looks back, the sphere is almost fully formed. "Selina Suneater does have a ring to it," she says in an agreeable fashion to Sam, perhaps giving it a little more thought than one might have expected.
Selina(argenti draco) crouches down just outside of the cage and the decaying lizard. She cranes her neck to get as close to the cage and the sphere of energy within before opening her draconic maw. Then she takes in a deep, deep breath as if she needs every bit of air in the room to fuel a frosty breath attack in the next few minutes. Instead of pulling oxygen though, she siphons off the motes of energy from that sphere in much the same way as they floated up from the lizard, only much, much faster. By the time her jaw snaps shut, none of the sphere remains. She swallows loudly. And then belches out a little tendril of smoke.
That brings a sense of seriousness back to the room - William of all of them bringing their focus back to the far more important task at hand! Lilian's words pile on and the man is already growling an affirmative response as he quiets his voice and leaves the rest of the dirty work to those who've come to do it. The shift of Selina(argenti draco) is no surprise to the tall silver-haired giant, evident in his lack of reaction to the woman's change but he watches with honest curiosity writ on his features when she begins to draw in that ball of energy .. conssuming and absorbing it? Kah watches on.
Already on her hands and knees one of Lilian's arms gives way letting her sink into the large puddle of blood underneath her. The pendant between her breasts slowly starts to dim down from the bright blood red it had been lighting up the room and Lilian, despite not needing air, her chest heaves as she catches her breath, those sapphire eyes closing for a moment.
Elora watches from her place amid horn summoned water as Selina Suneater eats Gonothorian. "Is it over?" Elora asks, tone filled with tension.
A hand placed on that dagger, Sam's face splits with an eery, strange grin as he winces. "Selina Suneater." He draws that knife across his palm, the Jock clearly staying upright by sheer force of will. "Thank you for accepting that name." He places his palm flat on the ground, looking at someone, eyes narrowed.
A hand placed on that dagger, Sam's face splits with an eery, strange grin as he winces. "Selina Suneater." He draws that knife across his palm, the Jock clearly staying upright by sheer force of will. "Thank you for accepting that name." He places his palm flat on the ground, looking at Selina(argenti draco), eyes narrowed.
Her body shivering, Autumn turns to watches Selina(argenti draco), the Suneater, devours the energy, revealing a smirk while she crosses her arms underneath her chest. "I hope that's end of that bastard red dragon," she murmurs.
William almost goes back to laying down when seeing someone go to consume whatever that was, but instead he remains put, hands going down to the ground to support the poor sitting position, head tilting to a side in slight confusion "Yeah, that... Is it over?" He asks in agreement with Elora
William almost goes back to laying down when seeing Selina(argenti draco) go to consume whatever that was, but instead he remains put, hands going down to the ground to support the poor sitting position, head tilting to a side in slight confusion "Yeah, that... Is it over?" He asks in agreement with Elora
As the energy is absorbed by the small silver dragon hatchling, the air crackles with nervous energy, broken finally by Elora's words. The chill in the room starts to diminish, in part because the Frozen Flame begins to flicker and crackle, growing smaller and smaller, before extinguishing itself. Such a flame is not meant to be held for long before finding itself a new hiding place. The water also hides the departure of the Horn of Leviathan, which is only really evident when the water swirls into a central vortex down into nothing, leaving no evidence of its presence behind. But for those that witness it, that certainly seems to be the end of Gonthorian. Unless... His essence can somehow corrupt and twist the one that consumed it. All eyes likely turn to Selina(argenti draco), but no sooner has she finished the job than she rippled into a cascade of lights and stepped through a shadow to who knows where.
[OOC: And that, my lovely adventurers ... Is the end of The Good, the Bad, and the Draconic Finale. Please STalk if you need any awards. I have a few administrative things to do, and then I can get everyone back to the grid. Thank you for coming, and I hope everyone enjoyed it!]