The Cavalry Arrives

Necromundus - Portal Plaza
 * A broad circular plaza with a rough gray granite surface, surrounded by

monolithic arched portals that swirl with varicolored glowing light. In the middle of the plaza stands a gurgling black stone fountain topped by obsidian ravens.
 * The centerpiece of the city of the dead, the Portal Plaza serves as a

gateway to many realms of adventure.

Garviel is coming in from the town center, bedecked in full battle gear, steel plate and axe. A group of about 40 Lupoids are following him. Already assembled are a smaller group, perhaps ten or fifteen, or seemingly random people, mages, warriors, rogues, healers.

Brian walks in from the Cataract Portal, leading his horse. He gives Garviel a nod as he comes. "Got everyone?"

Following not far behind Brian is a somewhat nervous Fire, leading her own horse as she repeatedly goes through her mental checklist. "Sword, armor, horse, ate...," she mutters to herself with a frown.

Garviel glances around, shaking his head, "Arturius has not arrived with his men. We need them," he replies, stopping near Brian. The Lupoids don't seem entirely organized, but do come to a relative stop when Garvi does.

Brian nods to Garviel, frowning. "Tell your mages to be careful," he says. "They'll try to drain our magic."

"Do they do that to healers, too, or just mages?" Fire asks with a quirk of her brow, "Hard to stand back and heal if they don't let me. I may end up falling back to my old 'Charge in swinging' approach if it comes to that."

Garvi nods, "Alrright. They seem betterr prreparred this time. Is therre anything else we need to know beforre we head out, Brrian?" the Lupoid asks.

Brian, Garviel, Fire and a whole bunch of lupoids and other warriors are gathered about here. Brian leans up against his staff with a frown. "Couldn't say. I really... don't know if they do anything to healers. I do know that we want to take out the mages first. I'll do my best to find and kill them from afar."

"Sorrrrry!" Ravus comes tumbling out of the cataract portal, his lime green eyes wide, his expression thoroughly apologetic as he hastens towards the group. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, here I am..."

The elf sighs, steely grey eyes falling back to herself as she starts checking her armor again, "Always feel like I'm forgetting something. /Always/..." Fire frowns, then, and adds, "How hard do these things hi-" Ah, the arrival of Ravus gets a blink and an headtilt. Wings. Shiny. "There are Sunkissed here?" she asks.

Garvi flicks his tail lightly at Ravus' appearance, "An Angel, that will be helpful," he says, before looking back to Brian, "We'll do ourr best to carrve a path to theirr mages, but if therre arre too many, you may be on yourr own."

Brian nods to Garviel with a frown, before giving Ravus a wave. "Hey, Ravus," he greets. "Be careful out there, right? Can't have the new ones getting captured you know."

"I'll be fine," Ravus smilingly avows. "I'll protect you, Brian, since you helped me!" He blinks at Fire's regard, tilting his head at her and studying her with a very curious gaze. "I'm an angel! I don't know what a Sunkissed is. Maybe I'm that too."

"Angel?" Fire questions, regarding Ravus for a long moment, "I'm not familiar with those... Of course, I wasn't familiar with elves, either." She bites her lip as she tries to explain a Sunkissed, "Um... Sunkissed use Light-erm... good magics. They can conjure up wings like that, I think, although theirs are temporary..." for action

A few extra people have been trickling in, and finally, Arturius and about 30 men show up.

Garvi glances towards the reinforcements, nodding, "Anything anyone wants to say beforre we move out?"

Brian eyes Ravius. "Don't worry about protecting me, I'll probably do that for you. Don't get captured, anyone?"

"I'll try really hard," Ravius promises solemnly, then glances to Fire. "I'm sort of like that. At least, I'm supposed to be an embodiment of good. I just hope I live up to the part, right?" He smiles uncertainly, and rests a hand on the hilt of his sword. "I'm ready."

"Um. Yell if you need to be healed?" Fire throws in with a shrug, tightening her grip on her horse's reins slightly. She pats the hilt of her own sword over her shoulder and says, "I'm ready as well..."

Garvi nods a bit to all, "Well, to warr then," he says, unslinging his axe from his back, he and the Lupoids begin to move towards the Cataract portal.

Brian nods, walking to the portal himself.

Ravus bounds along, keeping pace with Brian, raising his wings so they're out of the way- a dusty but shining banner.

Fire follows along with the others, leaving her horse behind as she utters a soft prayer to the Light.

Cataract - Southfield - Wagonrut Road
 * Now choked with weeds, this old path worn by wagon ruts in ages past

leads from Misty Road toward the shattered remains of the old town known as Southfield.

Around 100 warriors, healers, mages, and rogues are marching on the road towards Southfield, led by Arturius. Garviel is leading a band of around 40 or so Lupoids.

Southfield itself is dead ahead, the gate ahead is barricaded by a wooden construct, and while the group is still a decent ways away, the glint of metal can be seen around the barricade.

"I could smash that down for you, I think," Brian notes to himself. "Give me a bit, and I can try and hit it with some earth magic."

Ravus seems to have tired of walking at some point, and now circles over the entire posse in lazy sweeps, a great big shiny silvery 'look at me' sign. He's keeping low-ish, but if the group was trying to be stealthy... well, so much for that.

Whitefur seems to appear out of nowhere, moving all stealthy and silent, popping up next to Brian and gives him a nod. "Good? Good." He pauses to sniff the air. "Good."

Narthic simply cannot be sneaky, its not really in his nature. Towering above a good portion of those walking, the Dragon/man/thing walks along at a casual pace, though not really conforming to any moving group. "Huh...forget why I'm here again. Oh yes, thats right; dismembering things." he grunts. Thoes two ethral green glowing balls of light which he calls eyes scan about.

Fire regards Ravus and rolls her eyes, but leaves the angel alone. The elf girl follows along with the group, unsheathing her long sword as she walks along and flexing her left hand as though in preparation. One last sigh, before her nerves start to melt away, replaced by a gleam in her steely grey eyes and a competitive smirk. "Old habits die hard," she notes quietly to herself.

Arturius raises his fist in /that/ gesture and slowly the whole column comes to a halt. He raises his voice, "Ravus! Garviel! Mage!"

Garvi stops with the rest of the Lupoids, but moves up towards Arturius, raising the faceplate of his helm, "Yes sirr?" he asks, looking towards Southfield.

There's no movement from that direction, though.

"The name is /Brian/," the so-named mage growls, before pulling back. "Is everyone ready? Because if you are or you aren't, I am going to try and knock that thing /down/." He pulls back, then slams the end of his staff into the ground. A column of earth bursts out, to smash into the palisade.

With a startled little cry, Ravus flutters back down, trying to land in any open spot that he can find near Arturius. "Yessir? What is it?" He looks attentive and eager to please, gaze fixing unwinkingly on the leader. Brian's smashing causes him to rear back a pace, watching wide-eyed.

Whitefur nods to Brian, kind of grinning at him. Ah yes. Brian's good people. He raises his shield, staying well out of the way of whatever's...happening.

Another grunt from the hybrid Dragon, casually picking out a bit of dirt from a talon on one of his cloved hands. A mage himself, its hard to tell what he's thinking having no lips and rather a snout though if one could guess it might be along the lines of midly impressed. Stepping forward near the front of the group, the twelve foot tall bipidal lizard thing stares at the wall, then begins a slow deep inhale of breathe.

"Holy Light...," Fire remarks, watching Brian's display with a /supremely/ impressed expression on her face, "That's... he's..." Nope, no proper thoughts come to the elf. She just watches, sword held firmly in one hand while the other continues to flex.

Arturius glares at Brian and reigns in his horse, "I'm the one who gets accused of being the crazy lunatic. I was about to send scouts for a better idea of what we're facing. However...." He looks up to the angel, "Ravus stay close, don't draw attention to yourself, you'll handle yourself well I'm sure." He nods to Garviel, "Send a few of the pack out as scouts anyway, I want to be forewarned if there's any surprises."

Garvi nods, "Aye sirr," he replies to Arturius, before he turns to his Lupoids, pointing out four of them, rogues it seems, who move towards the forested areas along the side of the road.

Brian's wall of Earth continues on it's way, until an anti-Magic shield appears in front of the barrier, halting it. The attack seems to have provoked whoever is on the other side of that barricade, as multiple fireballs fly out, coming to rain down on the advancing forces. If anyone is paying attention though, they seem to be coming from three sources right behind the gate.

With a growl, Brian peers at the gate. "No," he says before twisting around and slamming his staff thrice, sending three more battering rams smashing.

"Would you like me to scout by flying overhead, sir?" Ravus bravely volunteers, either unclear on the concept of 'staying close' or perhaps just thick-headed. "Because I can do that too. An aerial view could be usef-" He breaks off in mid-word at the sight of fireballs, eyes widening. Through sheer instinct he leaps clean over the one thrown at him, landing lightly without a feather singed. "Aieee..."

"Hmph." grunts the Dragon. The trajectory isn't hard to figure out, and given how time before it hits, Narthic is able to side-ste out of the way. "Well then. We can play this game can't we?" Laying out a cloved hand infront of him, he snaps two fangs together. What is created is two basketball sized peices of flame which rotate above his palm. Those two green pinpoints of light that are his eyes, now turn red, and the fireballs grow larger in his hand until the lizard decides they are indeed large enough. Pulling back with his arm he launches the two in an arc to head over the wall.

From within the enemy camp rises a column of Light and Fire, reaching toward the heavens in white and gold. And from the column the Archangel's ringing voice: "By oppression's woes and pains, by your sons in servile chains! We will drain our dearest veins, but they shall be free!"

...Even Angels have to get their kicks somewhere, one supposes.

Whitefur just kind of blinks a few times and shakes his head, taking his gun out, at the ready. "Why does everything have to be so dramatic?"

Fire frowns, still impressed by the displays but beginning to feel a sense of longing. She eyes her left hand and sighs. She sticks the tip of her sword in the ground and leans on it, then, steely grey eyes looking between all those gathered. "Well, if I can't attack, I might as well start with what I /can/ do," she notes. Her hands raise and she focuses for a bit. They start to glow blue, but then it falters. "Just like the Shadow," she growls, "Never works when I need it..."

From atop his horse, Arthur manages to maintain control of the beast and grins at Ravus, "Stay low and stay close." Mud, steam and general mayhem spray about them. Arturius' voice thunders, "HOLD!" To a tall blond-haired man riding on a horse behind him who seems to be preparing to charge, "LARIN! FIRST MAN TO BREAK RANK CLEANS OUT THE STABLES FOR A MONTH! LET THE MAGES HANDLE THIS!" And a wicked smile, "Cephas!"

Garvi ducks abit as the fireballs come in, but he holds next to Arturius.

Brian and Narthic's spells do the trick though, the barricade splintering with the earth magic, followed by shrieks from inside. Narthic's spells hit their mark as well, silencing two of the fireball sources. One still comes though.

The force of Necromundus soldiers is taking a few casualties from the bombardment, it's sporadic though. for action

"Wooo!" Ravus forgets all else in the raging battle at that torrent of heavenly light and fire, at least long enough to pump a fist in the air in ferocious agreement. And then he blinks sheepishly, coming back to himself and nodding at Arturius' orders. The angel springs up and spreads his wings, trying to see what he can see without ranging more than ten or twenty feet away from the edges of the force.

Whitefur kind of stomps on a little fire near him and gives a little sigh. "Okay, who gets to scream next? When do I get to scream at people?" he asks Brian, who is really here, he is.

"Because their hoity-toity like that." Narthic remarks to Whitefur without looking away from the wall, a toothy grin when his target burn. From space made from within the Dragon armor, two large leathery peices of skin and bone protrude out. With a quick stretch, they expand to reach their twenty foot wingspan. Counching down, he gathers up the engery and with a ground trembling thud, the hybrid shoots upwards into the sky. For two reasons; one being he wants to know who he's shooting at, and the second to see just what he's dealing with. Upon reaching an decent hight, three more fireballs conform and appear out of nothingness, encircling the figure in their own eliptical circle, no hand guestures needed this time. All he needs to do is look at what he wants blown and three(now beachball sized)balls of flame hurtle toward their marks. "Come now, how will be next? I don't waste my time."

"Scream whenever you want," Brian says to Whitefur., before looking at where the fireballs are coming from, and points. Blades of air fly toward those three spots, hopefully taking something out.

After a moment of scratching the back of her red-haired head, Fire decides to let out a breath and try again. Steely grey eyes close, stray locks of her hair moving in the air displaced by the explodey fireballs. A long moment of concentration and her eyes open again, arms rising into the air again as they take on the blueish glow once more. It sticks around longer, but flickers and fades out without result. "Really hating the afterlife right about now..."

With the obvious magic-users taken out, Arthur raises his sword, "LONG WATCH! FORWARD!" He spurs his beast on at trot. "PACK! FORWARD AND HONOR!" He heels the beast, fast enough to set a good pace for the lupoids, but not to leap ahead. "SOLDIERS OF THE LIGHT! FOR THE LORD!" At the name of each he gestures with the sword where to position themselves. The Long Watch holding the center, the Pack taking the right flank and the soldiers his left.

Garvi moves at a loping run in his armor alongside Arturius, the Lupoids following him, taking up the battle cry of "Park! Forrwarrd and honorr!" as they charge.

Three Sae'Kall go down at the gate due to the combined magic of Brian and Narthic, while the rest, perhaps around 20, form up at the gate, spears at the ready. Behind them though, is the surprise, fifteen people who look like they could be drawn straight from the ranks of those charging at Southfield stand, Lupoids, Humanoids, Elves, dwarfs, all are represented and led by a Tauroid, and all are armed with spears and breastplates like the Sae'Kall they are behind. Behind them still, is one remaining Sae'Kall with a staff and no armor, two others like him are burnt to a crisp.

Brian frowns, watching the enemy approach, before he flips his polearm around and smashes the ground three times before himself. Three tremors shake through the ground at the three remaining magic users by the gates, before spikes burst up out of the ground for them. "Get you three first..."

Whitefur is going for the whole sneak-in stealth thing. Actually quite serious about it. He narrows his eyes, looking for hiding places and an opening...and moves towards it, hopefully without being seen.

"It's really neat how you do that," Ravus informs Brian with what seems like whole-hearted appreciation, before he unsheathes his sword, sweeping in above the crowd. "For the light and the lord!" he yells randomly, but with great sincerity.

"Are you serious? Really?" Narthic almost laughs. "This...this will FUN!" he glees, as he again begins an deep intake of air. "Yo! Whosever in charge down there! Got about fourty or fifty of them bastards in there!! Few at the rear!" he bellows down to somebody leading the battle, he doesn't really keep track. He's just hurt blown stuff up. Boiling red eye direct themselves back at the gathering enemy forces. "C'mon! I will eat your souls!" he roars. Its interesting, as he roars, something else other than his voice comes out; a massive wave of fire down at the majority of the Sae'Kall, looking like to soften them up before the major clash. Fire now rains down.

Fire picks up her sword and lets out a sigh. She's not /with/ any of those groups, so there is a moment's hesitation as she tries to decide on her path. The elf decides... to hang back with Brian. She may have been a fighter in life, but she is a healer now and people are bound to need healing. No sense getting herself rekilled or captured just yet. And so she waits.

As they near the enemy, Arturius lowers his face plate, "KNIGHTS! CHARGE!" And with that Arion bursts into a full gallop, the Knights of the Long Watch behind him. Arthur leans in low on the horse and thunders into the Sae Kall.

Seven Sae'Kall are burnt completely to a crisp, not much left at all after Narthic's burst of flames. As for the knights hitting the gate, a few Sae'Kall are trampelled underfoot, but most manage to step aside, leaving only about ten Sae'Kall after they pass through, and the rest of the Necro group hits them, a few gored on spears. Garvi swings his axe to try and behead one Sae'Kall.

The one mage left casts a fireball straight at Arturius, and three more Sae'Kall with staffs appear out of a building, shrieking but not doing anything yet. The group of soldiers who are of Necromundus origin move up to meet the knights head on, the Tauroid leading them, their spears at the ready.

From within the halls, behind the ranks of friend and foe, a ringing shout: "Arturius! About time! The one with the staff we need ALIVE, thank you but the rest have to go!"

"Hey you in there!" Ravus shouts back at the ringing voice as he wheels over the carnage. "Do you want any help?" While he waits for an answer, he spins his sword around to point downward and attempts to simply stab the fireball-flinging mage in the head. A few times, for good measure.

Whitefur sees his chance, slipping through the opening that he can find silently, trying to detect even the slightest of sounds and a clue to what direction the captives might be in. Sounds are good indication.

It would be a bad idea to do that again, now with the forces clashing agasint one another. Narthic goes back to the method that seemed to worked just well enough. A large immese ball of flame is created, larger than him perhaps. This time however, the Dragon takes a different route, breaking the flaming mass down into three smaller part, earching taking a shape of a javelin, all of which hover about him. Another toothy grin; he's really enjoying this far more than one should be. When he looks down to his target is when the three javelins of blazing fire rocket downward.

Brian hmms, sitting back at the back, before he twirls his staff over his shoulder and... mimes like it's a bazooka. "Okay, now... Go!" Thee bursts of drill-formed air shoot at three different Sae'kall on the ground there.

"Exactly how powerful are you?" Fire asks of Brian as she watches his drilling air bursts, "I've never seen magic do anything even remotely like that before..." Steely grey eyes go back to keeping careful watch over the battle in search of friendly wounded.

As the fireball engulfs Arturius, Arion rears up. As the beast is settling down by chance Arturius glances at the indicated mage. Under attack by Ravus. Bringing the white horse under control he spurs him in the direction of Ravus and the mage through the fighting, the odd hack and slash as he goes, "We need him alive Ravus!"

Meanwhile, inside Southfield...

Cataract - Southfield - Town Square
 * An old cobblestone square, now thick with weeds and dust, surrounded by

the splintered and charred ruins of buildings that used to be homes, shops and community gathering spaces in a thriving town. Some years ago, Southfield fell into ruin after it was overrun by drakespawn and bloodthirsty Wildlings.

The room is guarded as normal, a mage and two accolytes stand ready.

Alexia is in her place chained to the wall, head down, eyes closed she hums softly to herself.

Cephas has his palms pressed to the invisible barrier of his circle prison. A steady stream of golden sparks rises from his hands, but he doesn't stop trying.

It takes a moment, but one Sae'Kall warrior rushes into the room, moving to chitter, a bit nervously, to the mage present.

Alexia opens one eye and tries to get a glimps of the chittering creature. Her humming continues undisturbed.

Cephas turns to regard the mage - looking, probably, for any crack in focus that the angel might use to break the circle.

The Mage chitters back, the accolytes appear to help said Mage to keep the circle up as he's distracted a bit.

Alexia continues watching the mage, her other eye opening now, and she turns her head a little more.

The faint light surrounding the angel brightens somewhat as his wings spread ever so slightly. He presses harder against the invisible barrier, testing their control.

The Sae'Kall who entered leaves, leaving the Mage and his accolytes. The Mage chitters, perhaps a bit nervous sounding.

Some faint 'thudding' could be heard somewhere outside.

Alexia listens to the mage and the accolyte with interest, her eyes glancing between them and Cephas, that is until the thudding sound which catches her attention.

The acolytes aren't strong enough to hold the Archangel bound. All at once the great wings spread fully, past the circle's boundaries in a blinding blaze of holy light.

And that Archangel is pissed.

Taloned hands spread, reaching upward, summoning a blazing fire that blows the roof away, opening the area to the sky. Threads snake out, slicing through the chains of all around him.

And through the opened roof falls a gentle rain of...flakes. Manna from heaven, food for the starving. From the heart of Light and Fire comes Cephas' voice, ringing loud and clear and quoting: "By oppression's woes and pains, by your sons in servile chains! We will drain our dearest veins, but they shall be free!"

The Mage and Accolytes let out a shriek as the Cephas breaks free, doing what they can to restore the barrier.

There's more thumping outside, followed by great splintering /very/ close. Shrieking from outside can be heard.

Freed from her restraints Lexi immediately goes to the angel waiting only long enough for the effects of the magic to end, "Where're you hurt? Let me see if I can heal you," she says.

Cephas gestures, calling forth a swirling pool - quite large - of clear water to go with the manna, and then raises a shimmering barrier between the freed people and the sae'kall. "I'm fine," he says. "Unless you count 'really angry' as a problem. Eat. Drink. All of you! Eat, drink! The fight is on and you need your strength!"

Alexia nods and moves for the weapons that were previously confiscated, if she can get to them, stopping only long enough to get food and water also

The Sae'Kall continue to shriek, running out of the room. The other prisoners move to eat and drink as well, building up strength.

Outside, more shrieking can be heard, and a few battlecries might be picked out "Long watch, forward! Pack, forward and honor! Soldiers of the light, for the Lord!"

Cephas laughs, a golden ringing sound that echoes through the air. He puts all his strength into the defensive barriers, then, as the sae'kall flee the room. "Alexia, help them, and yourself. I'll keep us safe - the cavalry is on the way, it seems." Then, raising his voice, he shouts: "Arturius! About time! The one with the staff we need ALIVE, thank you but the rest have to go!"

Alexia nods and moves amongst the other prisoners healing her hands glowing as she lays them on each person to heal their wounds. She speaks soft words of encouragement to each and encourages them to eat and drink.

No Sae'Kall enter, but the sounds of battle can be heard outside, clashing of steel, shrieking, screams.

Cephas looks around at the assembled. "Will you fight for your land and freedom now?" he asks them. "If you will then I will give you weapons. There are probably more who need to be freed than we who are here. Will you fight?"

Alexia smiles brightly at Cephas' call to arms, "For Freedom!" she calls out excitedly, her attempt to rally the troups, and with them healed she draws her own sword and holds it high, "I will fight!"

The other people aren't as enthusiastic as Alexia, but they all pick up weapons, and express that they too, will fight. The sound of battle continues.

Cephas nods to Alexia. "You're with me," he says. "We need to find out if there are any others we can cut loose." To the rest he says, "Good luck - head for the battle, you've friends there." And with that, the angel lowers the defensive barrier and tries to blast a gale of wind down the halls, to get to any other groups of prisoners.

And then the two groups meet

The ten Sae'Kall at the gate falter, all crushed by the 100 or so warriors attacking them. The traitors from Necromundus all clash with Arturius' knights, but are no match for them, only the Tauroid holding his own. Foot soldiers are wading through the last of the Sae'Kall at the gate, while Arturius and a group of knights are plowing through the second line.

The mage is wounded badly by Ravus' attacks, but he's not down yet. The mage sends a blast of fire at the Angel. The other three Mages are fleeing towards the rear of the town.

Cephas, Lexi, and a perhaps fifteen prisoners, all armed and coming out of a building, although many don't look like they've had a decent meal in a few days.

Perhaps the most disturbing sight in Southfield though, is towards the rear of the town. The High Mage and it's two Accolytes are back there, protected by a wedge of nine Sae'Kall in full plate. What they're doing is most disturbing. Remember that Elf that was promised to be set free, Cephas? She is currently chained to a triangular alter, the chains coming from the points of the triangle. She's been cut open, as if disected, a clean line down the middle and the flaps of skill pulled the side, showing her internal organs. The High Mage stands over her, that black, stone, rune engraved knife that eminates feelins of Bad Things plunged into her bare heart. The High Mage is covered in blood, and the bodies of fourteen other souls, all similarly flayed and piled nearby, probably explain that.

Also, a half formed, shimmering portal seems to be appearing behind the alter.

Brian frowns as he comes in, looking around, and then notices the rather disturbing sight in the back of town. "No," he murmurs. "No, we're not seeing that today." He points his finger at the high mage, and three twisting spirals of wind shoot that way.

With the thumping of leathery wings, Narthic surverys the carnage only for a moment before summon up peices of flame to hurtle at...well at anyone who poses the biggest threat. Three more javelins of flame are conjured up around the Dragon, hovering only for a moment before the jet downward at a pace that could sear the air.

Ravus wheels in mid-air away from that fireball with a light yelp, flapping his wings swiftly to rise higher. "Okay, okay, leaving him alive, sir!" he yells down at Arturius, disengaging with his sword still wet with blood. Then he catches sight of the woman and roars in sudden anger, his expression abruptly growing serious. He flies up higher, but then beelines for the chained elf.

Whitefur runs up to the released prisoners, though he's certainly looking at the flayed people, a low snarl in his throat, gun at the ready, fangs bared and claws out.

Cephas emerges along with several armed villagers who have the look of recent ex-prisoners. But his attention's drawn at once to the disemboweled elf and the forming gate. Any semblance of human form is discarded as he flies up and over, heading for that forming gate, his voice as ethereally inhuman as the rest of him and ringing with wrath. You shall not! The Angel of the Portals has, it would seem, something of a problem with competition.

"No!" Lexi cries out when she sees the mage and the acolytes, And she too rushes toward the chained Elf (probably not as quickly as Ravus), sword in hand and ready. "Bastard!" she screams.

Fire pauses, frowning in disgust at the gruesome scene. "Cruel bastards," she growls, spitting on the ground before bringing up her sword and going into her default mode of fighting: charge in swinging. The fiery-haired elf woman sprints for the altar and aims to start cutting her way through the wedge of plated Sae'Kall when she gets to them.

Ravus might have left him alive, but Arturius isn't letting the mage go. Heeling Arion he bears down on his target and prepares to strike the mage with his own sword. The flat side.


 * It ought to be impossible, but from the north appears the giant form of a demon, encased in a baroque set of shining plate armor, aloft with the immense beating of its wings. Each beat is audible, a deep bass thrumming noise. A trail of sulfurous smoke, almost like a black contrail, is left in its wake. As it approaches the edge of combat, it allows itself to drop like a rock. It hits the ground with a crash and shriek of armor protesting the range of movement forced upon it. An absurdly large shield, unadorned, is in one claw while a brutal cat o' nine tails is in the other. Spreading its wings and arms as wide as they can go, Ignacious bellows his challenge to the Sae'kall.

"You're late," says Arturius.

That Portal holds for now, not forming anymore, but it's not falling either.

The High Mage though, despite himself and his Accolytes putting up anti-magic barriers in front of him, dies with a loud shriek by Brian's magic, the Knife of Bad Things still in the Elf's heart. With his death, the remaining Sae'Kall and the few remaining Sae'Kall (which is really only a Mage and four Accolytes) turn tail to flee. The last few warriors are cut down. The only thing really left on the battlefield, are the nine fully armored Sae'Kall in a wedge, standing between the attackers and the alter.

The one mage is brought low by Arturius, not dead, but unconcious.

"Lexi!" Garvi does call out as he continues the charge towards the 9 Sae'Kall left.

Brian frowns, and starts walking for the altar with a stony expression. And, quite appropriately, as he walks the very ground shakes below his feet. Three spikes of earth rise up to impale the fully armored Sae'kall. "Don't make me laugh," he spits at them. "Your armor is as nothing."

Whitefur puts a gun to one of the Sae'Kall's heads, if there are any left, and pulls the trigger. Kinda hard to miss? "Nasty bug-things," he sneers as he steps back.

Alexia doesn't answer Garvi, her focus only on the alter, the Elf, and doing what she must to get there. She swings her sword at the first Sae'Kall she gets to. "You will pay for this," she says through clenched teeth.

Ravus tries to use the physics of 3-dimensional space to his advantage- that is to say, he descends from on-high above and behind the altar instead of flying directly at those Sae'Kall. He's doing his best to get to the elf's body despite the armored wedge, aiming to pull the Evil Knifey Thing out with his spare hand and a snarl of utter disgust. If the attempt puts him in range of multiple attacks? Well, that doesn't seem to be bothering the warrior angel at the moment.

"Well...ain't that just the prettiest thing you ever saw." Narthic grunt with something along the lines of disgust. He might be a bastard and arroagant but he does have something of vauge limitations. He's found his next target, that grouping of Sae'Kall at the alter - the same group that Brian has taken intrest in. Swooping down to fly in low, he takes in another hiss of air. He's about to let the grout of flame go, when the people in rushing for the alter makes him. "Idoits!" he snarls. So back to the three ball of flame routine. Challenling energy up, he shoots the three at once, but not for any single target. Instead he aims for the center of the grouping, with hope that the ensuing explosion will make the Sae'Kall scatter from the alter.

As Fire reaches the wedge's ranks, her competitive confidence returns (warranted or not) and she grins an evil little grin. Oh how she has missed the rush of a real battle! That long sword is brought around, the elf woman aiming three slashes at the nearest of the Sae-Kall.

Ignacious raises the cat o' nine tail in a salute to Arturius. "/Fashionably late," he croaks. "The fashionably is essential." At little more than a walk, he begins to approach the nearest Sae'kall.

Mage taken care of, Arthur points him out to one of his Knights, "Bind him!" And wheels Arion around in the direction of the bodyguards, forcing the beast into a reluctant gallop. He just returns the salute to the demon with a grin and raises his sword again for an attack.

Cephas is...a featureless shining humanoid now, radiating a brilliant light. Arms spread out as if to give the forming gate a hug, the angel slowly closes its arms. And the gate grows smaller between its hands, until finally it vanishes altogether.

The nine Sae'Kall hold, one dying to Brian, one to Whitefur's gun, two are wounded, one by Narthic and one by Fire. Garvi swings his axe but misses, and Lexi's attack is also dodged. Two more are dragged down by the others in the group, leaving but three Sae'Kall standing. One stabs someone in the chest, another is trying to defend himself, but the leader of the 3 throws his spear at the charging Arturius.

The chains come away easily enough with a sword, and the knife will come out easily enough as well.

"Your armor is useless," Brian intones as he marches on. "Your weapons meaningless, your cause lost." He swings his staff through the air, sending three sickles of air at the Sae'kall. "Tremble at your foolishness." His eyes glow from the magic as he approaches.

A startled cry bursts from Ravus as he pulls loose the knife, his eyes glazing for a moment. But he quickly shakes his head, slicing the chains free from the altar with his sword. A glance around shows the Sae'Kall well in hand, and so he sets the dagger down on the altar. Last, the warrior angel sets about folding the dead elf's limbs into a semblance of a peaceful position, closing her eyes if they're open and beginning a low benediction.

Whitefur looks around for any others that might need taking care of, and shoulders his gun, his expression calm, almost peaceful.

In one smooth movement Lexi sheaths her sword and brings from somewhere near her hip a bladed many tailed whip which she brings around to attack the Sae'Kall before her twice with, and if she can she'll try to press her way past to the alter.

"This is just tedious now." Narthic grumbles, finally swooping down to land somewhere near Brian. The towering hybrid Dragon seems to be favoring fire today apparently as three more fire spikes are conjured up around his person and shooting forward, looking to impale some Sae'Kall. As for what anyelse is doing, he's not paying much attention. "You talk too much. Just kill them already." he hisses.

Arturius dodges the spear thrown at him and strikes the Sae Kall down.

Cephas sags a bit as the portal disappears - then, mortal seeming reforming around him, he heads for that dagger. "And I'll have *that*, thank you," he growls. "You and your false gods are going to get a *talking to*, mark my words."

Ignacious latches his cat o' nine tails to his side, then removes his helmet. With one hand he lifts a Sae'kall corpse and takes a bite. Crunch crunch.

"I was so much more useful what I was alive," Fire barks, backing off at seeing how ineffective she is in battle, too. The elf leaves the fighting to those who can actually so damage, and she sets about with the healings! If they work. She doesn't seem to think they will, but she tries anyway. More concentration, more blue glowing about her hands, and a sigh. Arthur and two other nearby wounded become her sole focus... Nope, nothing. Still. "Oh for the LOVE of- CUT ME A BREAK HERE!" She chucks her sword.

Lexi kills one, as does Brian, the final Sae'Kall dragged down by the horde.

"Lexi!" Garvi calls out again, trying to get to her now that the fighting is over.

And indeed, the fighting is done. Southfield lies in ruins though, a few fires still burn near the gates, the roof is blown off a building, and the broken bodies of almost 50 Sae'Kall litter the ground. Joining them are perhaps fifteen members of the attacking force, as well as the fifteen traiters who also lie dead.

"Wait, wait!" Ravus calls to Cephas, starting up from his prayer and sheathing his blade. His eyes are wide, voice bright with entreaty, his earlier sternness in the midst of battle completely gone. "I... don't know you, but if you're the one to look after that dagger, I need to talk to you!"

Whitefur puts his gun away and makes a beeline for his wingy one, yes indeed he does. Follows Ravus!

The glow in Brian's eyes fade, and the young man starts walking for the altar, where Ravus is with the dead woman. "His name is Cephas," he says, leaning against his staff. "Something wrong with the dagger?"

Alexia makes her way to the alter going to her knees beside the chained Elf, tears threatening and then spilling over onto her cheeks, "It should have been me," she says softly.

Arturius sheathes his sword and glances around at the ruins, a sad look crosses his face. As the Knights of the Long Watch form up around him he forces the sad look away and raises his sword in victory for his men.

"A lot of things," says Cephas, the brilliance now shrouded behind his preferred form. "I need to study it, so I can figure out how to undo what it's done. They're *going* to come back. Over and over until we've killed all of them, or we can find some way to change their thinking." He looks sadly at the dead elf. "...The archmage promised to release her. They can't be trusted to keep their word - we can make no treaty with them. Alexia...see her to her rest, would you? I have a little work left to do here." And with that the angel raises his arms...and in the heavens clouds gather, bringing a steady rain to douse the fires and prevent their spread. "There may be more prisoners. Probably are. I could only free the ones I knew about."

"Lexi," Garvi says, a bit softer as he nears the Elf woman, putting an armored, although probably mud and blood coated, paw on her shoulder. His axe is slung over his back.

"There is no should have been," Ravus says with sudden gentleness, distracted from Cephas for a moment by Alexia's weeping. "Only what is, and we make the most of it. You have been spared. Weep all you like, but use your existence for good." Exhaling, he looks back to Cephas. "Cephas," he says after a moment, then nods. "Yes, that's what I saw. I saw them, while the portal was still open- I think the knife was functioning as a conduit, then. I saw -endless- numbers of them, and a dark force behind them. That... that's what needs to be stopped, I think. The puppeteer."

Brian smiles a bit wryly. "Until we kill them all, huh?" he asks. "Don't think we can kill off an entire world, or wherever they're coming from." He looks at Ravus thoughtfully. "A puppeteer, that we can take, though. A leader of theirs?" He taps his staff on the ground. "Maybe we need to go to their world, kill the bug queen."

Fire calms down and retrieves her sword, sheathing it as she takes a look at the damage. Steely grey eyes mist and she shudders, brows creasing. For a moment, she looks blindly, as though there is something there that she can see instead of the scene before her. She swallows, expression relaxing as she blinks away her tears. "Not strong enough," she mutters to herself softly, flatly. The elf looks between the others briefly before shaking her head and taking a look around the unfamiliar area.

"Wonder how we'd get there," Whitefur says thoughtfully to Brian, putting a hand lightly on Cephas' arm, tugging a bit.

Cephas nods, holding out his hand for the knife. "Their 'god', I think," he says to Ravus. "Their god wants souls to grow in power. Guess what it thinks Necromundus is - they'll definitely come back. Their god feeds on *them* when it can't get anyone else. We need to unravel that knife - release the souls in it, find some counter to its construction. The wards should have prevented that gate ever forming, but couldn't."

Arturius sheathes his sword and dismounts, approaching the party at the altar, "Cephas old friend." Overhearing the conversation, "The wards are breaking?" He looks concerned.

"Not a leader, that's not what it felt like," Ravus disputes quietly, his wings drooping behind him. "A malevolent force. Just... -evil-. Yes, like a dark god." The knife's freely surrendered as the green-eyed angel nods. "I wanted to destroy it, but I don't know how... I don't know a lot of things. But if they have one knife that can be used for this they probably have more. I saw so many covens like this one... If we don't destroy the god itself... I don't think we can keep them away?"

"But how do you kill a god?" Brian asks, before turning away, looking across the dead. "... Everyone, why don't you head back to Necromundus? I'll bury the dead here and catch up to you."

Ignacious swallows heavily, then laughs loudly. "How do you kill anything around here?" He tosses the corpse aside. "Somewhere in between a roach and a locust. Might be good with paprika and saltpeter."

Alexia places a hand on Garvi's paw and weeps more openly, her tears still flowing. She nods to Cephas and looks up at Garvi, "We need to give her a proper burial," she says softly. "Please."

Whitefur gives Lexi a half smile, offers her a hankie?

Garviel nods to Lexi, wrapping his dirty and armored arm around her and squeezing gently, "Alrright," he says softly to her. He looks to Arturius, nodding to the man, "Sirr, it was an honorr to follow you in battle, and The Pack was honorred to fight at yourr side," he states, before adding, "We, do need a shovel of some kind to burry these," he says, indicating the flayed bodies.

Cephas weaves a sort of shimmering web of spells around the dark knife. "Better than touching it," he says, then nods to Arturius. "Glad you could make it; nice cavalry. And not exactly - this thing," and he holds up the dagger, now apparently encased in a crystal sphere, "just cuts right through. Laser through a steel door, you might say. Door's still there. I need to know more about it to figure out how to strengthen the barriers against what it does." He grins at Brian and Ravus. "Consider yourselves recruited, when we get done here." With a pause to give Whitefur a hug and a peck on the pink nose, he says, "This week has been hell. Let's get the fallen buried, the fires put out, and then maybe turn you loose in the guild hall kitchen?"

Brian smirks at Cephas. "I already was," he says before looking around. "And really, everyone, get back home. I can handle burial on my own, and everyone needs rest."

"It probably doesn't have to be killed," says Arturius. "Killing, true death is rare. However..." He looks to the mages, "There are ways of sealing things, other dimensions where time and space are meaningless. Where the greatest dangers can be locked away for all time. Whatever we do is going to require thought." He nods to Garviel, "It was an honour having the Shining Pack at my side. There's tools around the village I assume."

"Recruited?" Ravus seems a bit at a loss, wondering that aloud cluelessly, but nonetheless nods his agreement. "I'll help with the... with the bodies," he says a bit lowly. "Brian, you shouldn't have to do everything all on your own." That said, he trundles over to start moving corpses into a single pile all near each other, his slim build seemingly deceptively strong.

Whitefur nods to Cephas with a grin, and starts to work with digging. "Good food, you /all/ need some feeding," he agrees, gesturing around.

Brian nods, then starts pushing his staff forward, then drawing back. Pushing, pulling, pushing, pulling over and over again. Slowly, several rows of graves appear in the ground. "Alright," he says. "Then, help move the bodies."

Alexia accepts the hanky and wipes her eyes, "Thank you," she whispers softly before sinking into Garvi, "It should have been me," she whispers softly to him.

Garviel wraps his arms gently around Lexi, squeezing gently again, "You did what you could, Lexi. We'll get herr into the grround now though, don't worrrry," he replies softly to her, releasing her, he moves to lift the flayed Elf's body to carry it towards the newly dug graves.

Ravus blinks again as graves now appear and reverses his direction- scooping up bodies with a gentleness usually reserved for the living, he goes to lay them one by one in the holes, composing their limbs and closing their eyes. Each body gets a soft short benediction, even Sae'Kall.

Whitefur helps with moving bodies too, doing his own sort of prayer...sounds latin, actually.

Brian walks forward now that the graves are dug and, for once, gets in on manual labor, dragging dead to the graves silently.

Ignacious snorts derisively, places his helmet back on his head, and turns away. With a handful of powerful beats of its wings, the demon is aloft and flying again.

Cephas looks into the buildings, for others that might require release or burial. "Broken promises..." he sighs.

Alexia shakes her head to Garvi, "In the woods, love," she says softly, "She deserves to be where we hail from."

Whitefur says another quiet prayer in Latin, his expression somewhat...sad?

Garviel nods a little, turning towards whatever copse of woods is closest, "Can you get me a shovel, Lexi?" he asks her softly.

Brian looks around slowly as the corpses are put in their holes. "Are we ready?" he asks quietly.

Ravus just keeps on working, quite unabashedly sorrowful himself, though the prayers he offers are in the common tongue of the dead- perhaps all he knows. The words seem to flow with a cadence that comes from elsewhere, nonetheless, perfectly measured and unhesitating. He pauses to wipe a forearm across his bow, and surveys the area at Brian's question. "...I think so," the warrior angel says softly.

Alexia nods and grabs a shovel, "This way," she says heading away from Southfield.

Garviel nods and follows after Lexi, still carrying the body of the elf.

Brian closes his eyes when the bodies are placed in their graves, and starts to dance a bit. Well, a bit clumsily, but as he does, the earth over the graves just seems to /heal/, coming together seamlessly over the bodies, as if nothing had happened.

Brian closes his eyes when the bodies are placed in their graves, and starts to dance a bit. Well, a bit clumsily, but as he does, the earth over the graves just seems to /heal/, coming together seamlessly over the bodies, as if nothing had happened.

Whitefur looks impressed at the healing of the land, giving a final look around. "So, I need to feed folks up, I think," he says to no one in particular.

Rather meekly, Ravus agrees- residual sadness quiet in his face- "I'm a little bit hungry. But, um... have we met?"

Alexia leads the way away from the group and out onto the road.

Garviel follows, still with the elf.