Final Battle: Marius vs. Apophan

[Khaelanna falls]

Apophan yells: SHSSSSRRRARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Apophan yells: Drathnor, take the Inquisitor from here.

Drathnor yells: As you wish.

Marìus yells: Sigil! Sound off!

Mayrù yells: Lio isn't in good shape! Over here!

Drathnor yells: YOU LUCKY FOOLS! Saved by the soveriegn. You will die!

Odynae yells: Tuse, Mayru, Dyna over here.

Drathnor yells: All of you shall fall before my axe! Stupid sons of bitches....

Apophan yells: You have desecrated thiss ... SACRED GROUND
Apophan yells: You have tresspassed where none who have can be allowed to live.

Marìus yells: And you have taken what is not yours to take. Gods are false, Apophan. Nice to see you again.

Apophan yells: You...
Apophan yells: I will do to you what I should have done in Shattrath or Falconwing Square!
Apophan begins to descende the stairs, lightning whips and lashes around him against the steps. The bolts lash against the walls leaving black trails. As he takes each step, his robes burn and melt away, revealing cracked, flame-covered metal beneath.

Llew remains there, halfway up the stairs, watching the creature.

Apophan looks at Llew, then the other groups.

Llew stares; rage boiling in his eyes. Bloodlust.

Marius' eyes level on Apophan. He's big. Bigger than he remembers, even-- and the energies that crackle 'round his body are not lost on the priest. Marius isn't a stupid man: This is not a fight he'll win on his strength alone.

Liotuse coughs, some blood coming out with it as he cocks the hammer for his rifle, staring up at the sky before getting up onto an elbow to at least look forward.

Apophan doesn't even register the death knight, only the one who leads the Sigil. The one who brought an army to his gates, who's people destroyed his silithid hive.

Dyna stands her ground, expression quite empty. She blinks down at Wilhiem, and offers a noncommital shrug. "- I thought I'd try." She returns her attention to Liotuse, and moves to crouch beside him.

One hoofbeat could break Marius' *spine*. But many are injured-- and the alternatives aren't pretty. What's worse is that the ley he'd prepared to contain him-- to try to contain him-- is gone. It'd fractured beneath the weight of its own design, re-directed in a last-ditch attempt to protect his Sigil back at the Hold. So.

Apophan takes his scythe and slams it into the ground, embedding it as rocks jut around it. Flame and metal course over his hands and elongate.

They've come this far. What now. Marius wets his lips. He feels very, very ordinary and very, very mortal right now.

Wil winces, takes out another adrenaline-shot bug. The stinger goes into his neck, out. Eyes wide and darting, diluted, he does the one thing logical in this situation - he pulls out a notebook and proceeds to take notes.

Liotuse's head cants to the side, gazing at the monster before them. All he can to is wheeze to Dyna, trying for a last attempt at humour. "...He doesn't look so big."

The Sovereign flexes his claws and hunches over, his Saronite tail emerges from behind his robes and snaps open and closed, either a five plated blade, or a spear point. A gift from Salarous.

Marius remarks, "--Sometimes I really do wonder, Apophan, if you were ever a son a mother once loved."

Apophan responds, "My mother iss the one who raissed me to be the bull I've become. She would be proud of my accomplisshmentsss...Not all adhere to your pathetic notions of what is right or wrong..."

Dyna nods to Liotuse. "Break him. Bind him. We're getting Strahm back." She moves to rest a hand on Liotuse's shoulder, and bows her head to murmur a prayer, holy energy trickling sluggishly from her palm.


Marius scoffs, "Really. Pathetic notions. Notions like 'love' at all, then. Things she, who you believe would be proud of you, perhaps believed in."

The monstrocity snaps with his molten claws, looking more like a bipedal giant scorpion than a tauren.

Marius continues, "She raised a monster. I suppose if she was proud of you-- she was a monster herself."

"That we are. Ooh-fuckin'-rah." It's grumbled to her as the stock of Liotuse's gun is braced against his shoulder and the end of the barrel pointed towards Apophan. Finger on the trigger but not firing. Yet.

The Sovereign gives a sickening chuckle, "Wrong." His hooves dig in, "Sshe wass worsse." And he bolts for the priest, fiery claw outstretched to flay and fry.

Wilhiem cocks an eyebrow and turns his notebook to the side, sketching madly. Hey, you don't see this every day.

He pulls either glove. There's something soft and resolute in Marius' eyes-- the strange understanding a man of his age comes to accept when he realizes he may die. With that reality ahead of him, there's no use in pretending he can resort to lesser measures. As Apophan speaks-- Marius has already ripped open his wrists. As Apophan charges-- Marius' blood is spilling against the earth. And he -DIVES- beneath the legs of this colossus, attempting to spirit himself between plate-clad battlements and behind the beast.

Apophan's fist slams into the dirt, sparks and glass from the heat fly in all directions.

The gust of power and earth slams against his retreating back. Marius is flung-- rag-doll-- across the sand. He rolls, falling against the stairs with a snap, and hunches at either knee.

Smoke rises from the Sovereign's back as he tears his claw from the ground and turns, snapping his claws and roars, his voice echoing off the ruins, rattling them.
He kneels...
... to the north.

The priest lets out a soft and shuddering breath. It hurts-- but most things worth doing certainly will. Marius' opened wrists continue to bleed the ink of his prospects against indifferent sand. And so he daubs his fingers into and against it. Slashes the grains beneath him. Places symbols against forearms, neck and either cheek. It's methodical ritualism, perhaps the only thing he'd hold in minor common with Apophan's ilk. It has a purpose.

An unearthly chant murmurs throughout the pillars, a distant buzzing sound gets louder and louder as a pale light falls upon him
Apophan rises, his claws flash with lightning and flame as he turns and charges towards Marius in a beastly rage, "WHY DO YOU PERSISST IN LIVING?! YOUR KIND HAVE NO PLACE IN THISS WORLD ANYMORE!" He rears back and vomits a torrent of liquid flame at the priest.

When Marius finally stands, he's a mess of personal gore. Not a second later he's on his knees *again*. And really-- you can't even *see* him if for the torrential waves of -fire- abruptly bathing his person. But those runes-- those strange little runes-- burn brightly against his flesh. When the dust settles, he's still there. And a barely-held barrier cracks audibly against Apophan's onslaught. Golden eyes steel his gaze.

Apophan brings his up claw to deliver the final blow.

There is a buzzing in the distance... the Swarms are begining to return...

Marius' outstretched right hand clocks in place. "... Ximiras."

The Sovereign pauses just long enough to hear the spoken word...

And there's a crack. Something sharp and curious, making the air heavy and pregnant and abruptly -solid-. Concussive force propels itself-- full blast-- at Apophan's massive person. There's death behind it.
Marìus yells: Get everyone and get -OUT OF HERE-. MOVE, Sigil!

The Sovereign had only paused long enough to hear the word but his claw continued down, right into the path of the force. His right, elemental, powerful arm collects the full force.
Apophan's arm... cracks.
Apophan's eyes widen as realizations sets in, the red cracks on his arm become white and glow, not burn.
Apophus's arm explodes in a massive torrent of lightning and flame. Up to the shoulder it is a ruined stump.
Apophan yells: HSRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
"BRYAGH!" The massive drake roars in the distance and lands behind the fire-bleeding Apophan.

There's a brief moment where he's certain he's blacked out. His world is red and black and white all at once, and his knees- barely holding his weight-- abruptly give out beneath him.

The drake snatches his master and takes him to the floating platform above the terrace.

Apophan bellows, "MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! TONIGHT WE WILL DINE ON THE ASHES OF THE WHITE SIGIL!"
There is a humming noise as the central pylon of the defensive matrix glows a bright white.

Khaelanna yells: DESTRUCTION TAKE YOU ALL!

The yell is what brings Marius out of it. That -stupor-, making him useless. With his hands pressed against the earth, he can almost *feel* doom on his shoulders. Realization sets it.

The entire obelisk network, disabled after Bryagh's defeat... becomes active. Lightning flashes over the entirety of the city.

Marìus yells: ... Come to me. All of you. Now. -Please-.

Apophan yells: DO NOT LET THEM LEAVE. KILL THEM ALL. DRIVE THEM TO EXTINCTION!

Marius is writing against the sand. And the stone. And his -skin-. Faster, priest. Do this faster. Do this *faster*.

Dyna falls to a crouch beside Marius, reaching out to gingerly touch the Kaldorei with a very faintly glowing hand.

The buzzing intensifies as the entire Swarm appears overheard in a holding pattern over the crystal.

Khaelanna: *Maniacal laughter* "IT IS TOO LATE FOR YOU ALL!!"

Marius: "--Touch the runes. Touch the RUNES."

Dyna blinks at the words, and moves to touch the runes as directed.

Apophan's laughter echoes through the ruins.

Llew rushes quickly, barely able to see anything at all. One hand pressed to his head, he shuffles through the sand.

Mayru moves to touch as well, shadows trailing down her arm.

Khaelanna: *laughter continues as she swings into the saddle of the waiting drake*

Chuckling - then cackling, loudly, spitting blood and god-knows-what-else, Wil reaches for the runes.

It won't feel good, but it will work. There's a moment where the lot of them might damned well feel like they've been turned inside -OUT-. But it's done-- some great warble of energy rocks the land beneath their feet, and a runegate-- a portal-- swallows his fellows up with one destination: Home. The Quel'talan. Their -family-.

The crystal makes a screeching noise, similar to the dead Hivemother... The ENTIRE Swarm dives, stinger first for the invaders...

The Insects find only sand. "NO!" Apophan howls....

Appearing in a crack of electricity, the mangled and Elementium-plated Strahm stands on the stairwell, glaring down at the circle of Sigil and friends, blades drawn.

Dyna looks up just in time to catch sight of Strahm... and then is pulled away with a faint screech.

Liotuse more or less -collapses- as he's ripped from Ahn'qiraj and thrown down into the magical gate.

Senkha (Itzhal) & Apophan: February 16

Apophan says: Let's have a little chat, you and I.

Senkha doesn't respond because that is how mature she is.

Apophan says: Hmm, I would have thought the aggressive side of you a little more... hm, *he chuckles* nevermind.

Senkha bursts out laughing at this, opening her eyes. "You think you know -anything- about -me-?" Senkha's voice has left the building.

Apophan says: I think I know more than you'd like me to know, and your self-defense with laughter is over... it's unbecoming one with your potential.

Senkha says: Self-defense? This is just classically funny.

Apophan says: How so?

Senkha says: Because you think you're winning.

Apophan says: You see, that's just the thing,.
Apophan says: I couldn't care less about winning.

Senkha says: Isn't that nice for you.

Apophan chuckles, "Isn't it just?"

Senkha says: This is a very boring conversation.
Senkha closes her eyes again.

Apophan says: Don't you want to stay out?

Senkha's eyes remain closed. "No."

Apophan says: I'd think it's more boring being constantly restrained by Senkha.
Apophan says: Only let out when -she- wants it.

Senkha says: That's how it's supposed to be. It's what I was made to do.

Apophan snorts, "Made to do."

Senkha says: Mm.
Senkha says: Like you made the Shadowbrat. You know, I've been thinking about her...

Apophan says: And you think I'm pathetic.
Apophan says: Ah yes "Shadowbrat"

Senkha says: Realized something.

Apophan says: Do share.

Senkha says: We went poking around in her mind, back before she took over. She doesn't look like a fifteen-year-old girl. She looks like a woman in her late twenties.
Senkha says: Kind of slutty, too.

Apophan narrows one eye and widens the other.
Apophan says: Show me.

Senkha says: No.

Apophan flicks his tongue, "Show me."

Senkha sticks out her tongue. "No."

Apophan says: Show me and I will remove your cocoon.

Senkha shakes her head, laughing. "The cocoon is tourniquetting her leg wounds, which she keeps reopening. I'd rather not."

Apophan says: Then how about just your arms and torso.

Senkha says: To what end? So I can flail?
Senkha snickers. "Oh great 'Sssssovereign,' thank you for giving me the privilege of flailing."

Apophan rolls his eyes at you.
Apophan says: You are most welcome, Senkha.
Apophan gently pats you.
Apophan says: Or do you prefer something different.

Senkha says: I will show you if you let me go home.

Apophan says: Tempting.

Senkha says: Bullshit.

Apophan snaps, "Darn, I thought you'd been duped."

Senkha says: Sorry to disappoint.
Senkha says: Anyway. Blonde, buxom, whorish. In purple robes.

Apophan murmurs and brings a claw to his chin.

Senkha says: It occurred to me, recently, that it made no sense for someone as immature as Ariadine to have a soul that old.
Senkha says: Or mind.

Apophan quirks a brow.
Apophan says: This is most intriguing... And for offering it freely, you will get your choice of food and bedding. Unfortunately, location is already selected, as you know.
Apophan snickers.

Senkha opens her eyes slightly and smiles. "You're liars, both of you, though -you- may not know that you are."

Apophan says: Oh, how am I a liar?

Senkha says: Dizzy is not gone. Ariadine is the one who is nothing, a shadow of her mother.
Senkha says: An Imprint.

Apophan narrows a single eye.

Senkha closes her eyes again, smiling still.

Apophan flicks his tongue and grins, "Why do you think I went to the trouble to get you?"

Senkha says: You must be excellent at Poker.

Apophan says: And if you do not work out, There's still another...

Senkha says: You mean Marius, don't you?

Apophan smirks, "And you think we're so different."

Senkha says: How does my realizing that you're completely batshit insane make us any less different?

Apophan says: The fact you're still deluding yourself in thinking you're not.

Senkha says: Oh, I know I'm mad.

Apophan says: But you don't embrace it.

Senkha says: Nope.

Apophan says: It's like walking around with a leg and an arm tied behind your back. You allow yourself to be limited by your hesitations and the rest of your mind. You allow yourself to stagnate and die rather than grow and evolve.
Apophan says: It is honestly rather saddening.

Senkha grins. "All a matter of perspective. I've heard this all before."

Apophan says: Oh, I'm sure you have.

Senkha says: Mmhm.

Apophan says: And honestly, Senkha, I know you're not going to change soon... it will take some work... but you will change.

Senkha says: Keep telling yourself that, champ.

Apophan says: But in the meantime, I'm afraid the defensive matrix will be quite operational when your friends arrive...

Senkha says: I'm sure it will.

Apophan brings a claw to Senkha's head, "I could pull you out of there and put you in a stick... would you like that?"

Senkha says: ...a stick?
Senkha says: That's fucking retarded.

Apophan reaches into his robes and pulls out two needle-like totems. They glow a faint white.
Apophan says: I'm sure if you could, you'd want one of these back...

Senkha says: Why would I?

Apophan flicks his tongue, "They're your cousin."

Senkha says: Uh huh.
Senkha says: Which explains why he's still walking around and perfectly fine.
Senkha says: I was wondering how that worked.

Apophan chuckles and sighs, "No, but he likely still has quite a few holes... And while you can mend the damaged areas, you can't... return lost memories."

Senkha says: He'll live.

Apophan says: My you just have a little answer to everything, don't you?
Apophan grins, "Quite preciousss, really."

Senkha says: I'm sure you're just plain charmed.

Apophan says: Quite, actually.

Senkha says: I'm flattered.

Apophan says: I should hope so, I'm rather difficult to impress.
Apophan says: Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't just flattened you yet.
Apophan says: Maybe I want to dangle some hope in front of your friends before I crush them utterly... or perhaps I want to drag them here and convert them into homunculi like Strahm...
Apophan says: Or perhaps my hive is just hungry.
Apophan shrugs at you. Who knows?
Apophan says: We'll see.

Senkha says: Or maybe you know that I'd rather you kill me than put up with this nonsense.
Senkha says: And you're not going to give me what I want.

Apophan gently pats you.
Apophan says: So -adorable-
Apophan says: Like a raving little child.

Senkha says: Aren't I just?

Apophan says: So let's analyze this, shall we?
Apophan says: You're bloodied and battered and barely on life support at all. Eventually you will wind down. I have been at this much longer than you, and I'm not limited by ... mmm... morality in any bone of my being.
Apophan says: And I've got near unlimited time to just pour into you, my little pet project.
Apophan says: So... will this be fruitful, or just entertaining?
Apophan rests his chin on his knuckles.

Senkha says: Probably just entertaining. I'll die before I serve you.

Apophan says: "Willingly"

Senkha says: Yeah, good luck with that.

Apophan says: You see, I find the whole "I must corrupt you to serve me,"... thing rather wasteful.
Apophan says: To be perfectly honest, I've just wanted to have a little chat with you... it's a rare thing I find one such as myself.

Senkha says: Minus the desire to be a hairless cow-man half on fire.

Apophan says: Well, that's optional.
Apophan grins at you wickedly.
Apophan says: Honestly, I just want to give you an environment to thrive in, and in order to do that, I had to... bring about conditions of your unveiling.

Senkha says: "Conditions of my unveiling"?

Apophan says: I needed Senkha MacGlynn to be asleep and unfunctional... in order for you to come alive...
Apophan flicks his tongue, "And here you are."

Senkha says: She's fully functional.
Senkha says: And will continue to be so until you let me go or until we die.

Apophan says: Is she really? You see... you make a differentiation between say, an imprint and an actual personality...
Apophan says: I make the split more cleanly. You are the real Senkha MacGlynn... but you needed to be near death to come out.
Apophan says: And by the end of this, my dear, you will thank me for this empowerment.

Senkha says: I'm perfectly empowered without your existence.
Senkha says: And I will let us both die before I let you destroy her.

Apophan chuckles, "Who said anything about destroy. I am talking about completion."

Senkha says: You're going to explain whether I want you to or not, aren't you?
Senkha says: Just please don't sing. I don't want to have to start playing the bees again.

Apophan says: Oh I'm sure I could make it rhyme along with Twinkle Twinkle, but I'd rather not have you want to kill yourself after being subjected to my singing.
Apophan says: But no, you're smart enough to know what I mean by completion.

Senkha says: Sure I am.
Senkha closes her eyes again. "Are you done?"

Apophan sighs, "Such a waste."

Senkha says: Mm. You're not very good at this.

Apophan says: Not you, I meant your friends and family who -my- family will gleefully slaughter.
Apophan gently pats you.
Apophan says: Nighty night.

You laugh.
Senkha says: Was that supposed to upset me?

Apophan says: No.

Senkha says: Liar.

Apophan says: It was supposed to make you laugh.
Apophan grins at you wickedly.

The bees start singing "Poker Face."

Senkha, Apophan, & Ariadine: February 13

Senkha is still causing the wasps around her to dance. Right now, it's a lazy waltz. She's too tired to produce much more than that.

Doombolt says: Hmm, curiouss.

Senkha glances up halfheartedly. She doesn't respond at all to Apophan's comment.

Doombolt eyes the insects with amusement.
Doombolt curls a claw towards the bugs. Their dance slows and they shake their heads before buzzing off, literally.

Senkha frowns slightly but still says nothing. Instead, she simply stares off into empty space, almost angrily.

Doombolt lets out a long, drawn-out sigh.
Doombolt says: You know, what the Inquissitor ssaid wass true. Jusst accept what we offer and you will find your life much eassier here.

Senkha still glares into empty space. If she could, she'd be folding her arms across her chest, but seeing as she's cocooned, well. She barely focuses when she sees Ariadine approaches. She lets go of focus, however, and simply glares into space.

Doombolt says: Ariadine... I undersstand you've already vissited your former caretaker?

Senkha says: I never took care of -that-.

Doombolt says: Oh but you did.

Ariadine nods slightly, "Yes, I did."
Ariadine smirks slyly at Doombolt.

Doombolt says: You ssee, what you thought wass the daughter, wass the sshadow.

Senkha says: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Destiny, blah blah, bullshit about fake gods, whatever.

Doombolt chuckles, "Only the one who does not understand would call them fake, but regardless..."

Senkha rolls her eyes and goes back to glaring silently.

Doombolt says: Dizzy never exissted at all, SShe iss merely ... a sside effect.

Ariadine keeps a passive expression on her face. But anyone could tell from her body language she is not pleased to see Senkha today.

Senkha ignores Apophan's words, still glaring into space.

Doombolt looks at Ariadine.
Doombolt says: Alright, child, sshow me what you can...
Doombolt motions to Senkha.
Doombolt grins wickedly at Ariadine.

To Macglynn: Apophan has said that Dizzy never existed...that she was just a side effect. Senkha is pretending it doesn't bother her, but it bothers her greatly, to the point where it's only her intense focus that's keeping her from screaming.
Senkha closes her eyes.

Ariadine looks at Senkha, and slowly brushes a loose strand of her dark hair to the side.

Senkha snaps her teeth at Ariadine's hand.

Ariadine jerks her hand back, and wrinkles her nose in disgust.

Doombolt looks at Ariadine.

Senkha keeps her eyes closed, expression almost forcibly serene.

Ariadine tightly grips Senkha's jaw with one hand and brings her other to rest on top of Senkha's forehead.

Senkha continues to snap her teeth at the other girl, wrenching her head back and forth. She's not going to make this easy.

Doombolt eyes Dizzy oddly.

Ariadine hisses crossly at her resistance. Her grip tightens and an almost oily shadow circles Senkha's face and try to keep her still.

Senkha laughs, kept still by the oily substance. "Amateur," she chuckles, as much as she can with her head held still.

Ariadine bristles at the jibe, but remains silent. Quickly, she brings her hand to rest over the woman's forehead and attempt to delve into her subconscious. "What do you search for, Sovereign?"

Senkha keeps laughing; at this point, it's almost disturbing how amused she is by the process.

Doombolt flicks his tongue, his presense looms into Senkha and Ariadine's mind. "Honestly... you need me to tell you?"

Ariadine glares at Senkha. The manic laughter unnerves her more than she cares to admit. Slowly, she presses deeper into Senkha's mind.

Senkha allows the other girl to search through her mind. She'd find all sorts of horrible memories, wonderful fodder for torturing someone. At the same time, however, another presence seems to be sitting nearby, watching the entire process with something between annoyance and amusement. It doesn't aim to make itself known, either way. As for Senkha, she's still laughing.

Ariadine ignores the memories, the presence watching her is far too enticing. Instead of concentrating on the pockets of memories and thoughts she delves deeper into Senkha's subconscious.

Doombolt eyes the interaction between the two, he wonders about the other presence but simply is fine observing.

The further she delves, the more a sense of fear and wariness would press on her mind. It's the sort of feeling you get when you know something bad is about to happen, but you don't know what. The hairs on the back of her neck would begin to stand up, and something like lead would settle in the pit of her stomach. She might notice a clamminess developing if she delved any further and would hear a sort of laughter--not quite Senkha's and another, not quite human.

The mixture of Senkha's laughter and the new voice makes the girl shudder slightly. But when she feels close enough she abruptly stops the dive. This is where she begins to search through Senkha's memories. But oddly enough, she ignores the more obvious choices. Instead she gently begins to prod and search for any hint at the connection Senkha had with the outside world.

Senkha seems to have no connection to the outside world. The more the other girl searches for it, the more pain and fear she would feel and the louder the laughter would become.

Abd'Zoth peers into Ariadine's progress, still more of an aloof observer than a weighted presense. He's rather interested to see what happens...

The hand over Senkha's forehead begins the shake slightly. After a moment longer of searching she stops. Out of sheer petulance and fury at being taunted she unleashes a wave of pain within Senkha's mind.

Senkha hisses with pain at the attack, though the hiss turns into a weak laugh. She seems like she would be shaking her head if she was capable of doing so.

Ariadine doesn't want to be careful or gentle. She goes straight for an odd cluster of memories... The musty smell of Oliver, the feeling of sitting on the Quel'Talan and the ocean beneath her feet rocking her. She tries to tear them away.

Oddly, Ariadine wouldn't find any of these memories. They seem to have been torn away already.

Abd'Zoth chuckles, a rumbling echo through the minds.

Senkha says: Looking for something, little girl?

Ariadine 's rage rises. Now Apophan laughed as well. The feeling of Ariadine's presence takes an almost desperate feel as she reaches for something, anything to tear away.

Almost in response to this, a pad of sticky notes from Senkha's office appears. The notes have words on them: Worthless. Failure. Coward. Child. All of them quite tearable.

Abd'Zoth rumbles, "Ariadine... Sshow your masster a different trick... if tearing away doess not work.... what do you do next?"

Ariadine hisses with fury at this. But her small form stops trembling with rage at Apophan's words. Her shoulders relax.

Soon Senkha would start hearing something: her own name. It's only as loud as a soft whisper, but the chant remains constant. Senkha, Senkha, Senkha. "Ever notice how a word has no meaning once it's repeated too much?" She says so softly.

Senkha actually smiles at this, almost thoughtfully. "A consummation devoutly to be wished," she murmurs. With every repetition of her name, something echoes back at Ariadine. Worthless. Shadow. Weakling. Lesser. The words seem to attach themselves to the name and dissipate with the meaning of the word. Meaningless. Meaningless. Meaningless.

Ariadine tears her hand away from Senkha and steps back, panting. Her large eyes even wider with fury and fear. Quickly she brings a hand to her dagger and draws it. "Don't push me!" she shrieks.

Senkha raises an eyebrow at Ariadine, a surprised smile on her face. "Really? -That- was pushing you? I wasn't even -doing- anything."

Doombolt 's tail reaches out and lashes around Dizzy's arm, tearing her off her feet and into the air near Apophan.

Ariadine stares at him, "A-apologies, Sovereign." Her dagger clatters to the stone stairs below.

Doombolt simply says, "Good." And he sets her down.
Doombolt says: Of coursse...
Doombolt says: Thiss little excurssion hass left me rather... unssatissfied.
Doombolt says: After all, I've yet to pry around in thiss little brain mysself...
Doombolt strolls over and taps Senkha's head with a single claw.

Ariadine glares at her feet.

Senkha flinches at the claw-tapping, eyes falling closed again.

Abd'Zoth condenses into a more mentally flexible form and squirms into Senkha's mind. Not for the voice or the depths that Ariadine saught, but the other memories, the ones that likely... she didn't want to safeguard... such as her mother.

Her mother could be found easily and without much resistance. Senkha's brow furrows slightly, but something in the back of her mind laughs again, almost excitedly.

The presense latches onto a memory of Senkha's mother, then another, then another, almost to the point of obsession. It coils them together and slowly bleeds them into the forefront of Senkha's mind.

An odd flicker of emotion passes across Senkha's face, but it's gone before it can be recognized as anything but a passing of shadow. Her brow remains furrowed as if in fear of some sort of pain.

As the memories are bled in front of Senkha's consciousness, it would throw the words of worthlessness back into her face.

The sound of a whip cracking begins to play, louder and louder with each repetition of the word worthless. A laugh that sounds like Selvaggia or possibly Senkha's mother seems to come from behind the whip cracks. Senkha's face twitches with each crack and repetition, as if feeling the injury anew.

The presense would sift through the memories before and after they pass before Senkha's mind, "Hmm," it would say some times. "No," it would say other times. It was definitely searching, but for what, it was unclear.

Senkha just continues to sit there, face twitching, expression screwed up in apparent pain. The laughter and whipcracks grow louder every minute, even pressing on Ariadine's ears and mind.

Ariadine watches Senkha's face quietly, her pouting expression slowly turns to a smile as she hears the sounds of a whip and Senkha's pained expression.
Ariadine tries to slip back into Senkha's mind. She wants front-row seats.

Senkha allows this; the whipcracks and laughter growing louder still, almost unsettling here in Senkha's mindspace.

Abd'Zoth suddenly ceases the repeated images and they all fade away, leaving just an empty void. In the distance of the mindscape, the massive presense is ... creating something.

The laughter and whipcracks stop obediently as the repeated images fade away. Everything seems to stop, watching.

Abd'Zoth returns with all the fanfare one such has himself rather enjoys, Lightningstorms, rumblings, you name it. Except braneconfetti, god he hates that shit.

Senkha cringes again as he returns, apparently pained by the entire ordeal.

Abd'Zoth uncoils himself and pushes a homunculus of memory at Senkha's mind: It's her mother, created entirely from all the negative memories of her.

Senkha 's cringe deepens, but somewhere, something is amused by all of this.

Abd'Zoth leaves the homunculus to perform an exaggerated function of the memories and images, meanwhile... he slinks off to find this.. amused portion of her mind.

The homunculus continues to perform at full strength for a while as the search goes on; Senkha's face remains screwed up and, after a moment, tears are streaming down her cheeks. She's biting her lower lip, as if to suppress a scream. But after sometime, the homunculus would give an unearthly shriek and its head would hit the back of Ariadine's. Whatever destroyed the homunculus remains unseen.

Abd'Zoth pauses, curious at the destruction of his toy. "Hmm, full of surprissess aren't we?"

Ariadine falls to her knees, and quickly rises. That didn't happen no way. Her eyes narrow as she peers into the dark recesses of Senkha's mind, "Come out and play, maybe?"

Abd'Zoth hisses, "I would assssume ... ssomething akin to that fragment the old elf left?"

Senkha 's mind remains dark and blank, almost echoey, like an abandoned church.

Doombolt sinks a talon into Senkha's shoulder. He calls out sweetly, despite being a giant hell-worm, "Come out and pla-ay."

Senkha sobs in real pain, trying to tear her head away from the taloned hand. "Let -go- of me!" she screams.

Doombolt channels a very small pulse of lightning into the wound, then again, slightly more. Then again. "Well?"

At the same time, in the back of Ariadine's mind, a brief thought passes: Senkha will be Ariadine's replacement. Ariadine has failed. The thought is gone as soon as it comes. Senkha screams again in agony, trying to fight against her bonds for the first time since she was taken. Blood leaks through the cocoon, as does the acrid smell of burnt flesh. Still no sign of whatever they're calling...except, faintly, a laugh.

Doombolt stops the pulses but keeps the talon embedded. "Hm...."

Ariadine pulls out the collected laughter of her close friends: Arubrey, Marius, Oliver, Nialos, and Shepard. But none of their laughter is in good fun. It's all be warped into a cruel and jeering laugh. Look at the weakling cry. As the thought of being replaced flashes through her mind, she lashes out at Senkha again, and tries to replay the memory of being torn by Oliver's pauldrons in Borgen Alectus' basement.

Oddly, their laughter seems missing from Senkha's mind. All that remains is the laughter of her mother, her sister, and (strangely) Dizzy. That laughter comes a bit too far forward and surges into Ariadine's mind. Senkha gives another cry, but the previous laughter grows louder.

Doombolt narrows his eyes at Senkha.

Ariadine tries to pull away from the onslaught. Failure. Failure. You will be replaced.

Doombolt rips his claw from her shoulder.

Senkha gasps in pain as the claw is removed but says nothing.

Doombolt holds his palm over the wound, electricity flickers at his shoulder. The lightning surges down his arm and into the wound, smoke rises from the tauren's massive knuckles.

Senkha 's body jerks at the surge of electricity sealing the wound. Once again, the smell of burnt flesh permeates the air.

Doombolt leans in to Senkha's ear and whispers. "I know you're there... And before thiss iss over... you'll be my plaything... laugh, the sstronger you are, the sstronger you'll be for the Godss..."

Ariadine stares at Senkha hungrily. SHOW ME. SHOW ME. Jealousy and fury surrounds the girl.

Senkha flinches away from the whisper but gives no other response. At least to the Apophan. Ariadine, on the other hand, would start hearing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" playing excruciatingly loud.

Doombolt narrows his eyes at Senkha, then at Ariadine.

Senkha says: ...up above the world so high...l-like a diamond in the sky...

Doombolt moves his claw over to Ariadine's head. Dead Silence forms in her mind, only her own thoughts permeate her mindspace. He wraps his other claw around Senkha's head.

Senkha finishes the song quietly, her voice muffled by the claw around her head. "...how I wonder what you are."

Doombolt hisses a word in an abyssal tongue, The Arcane cocoon would start expanding, lashing up around Senkha's jaw.

Senkha is silenced by the cocoon around her jaw. She closes her eyes once more, forcing her face to relax.

Ariadine 's shoulders relax again. "I won. I won." She keeps muttering to herself.

Doombolt says: I find your attemptss to be sstrong amussing, SSenkha.
Doombolt says: But let uss be perfectly frank.
Doombolt says: If the old elf had not done anything to your mind, you would be one of my thrallss before the third ssunrisse of thiss... ordeal.
Doombolt says: Ass it iss... it sshould sstill only take...
Doombolt eyes you up and down.
Doombolt says: ...another eight.

The wasps above them begin to buzz and hum "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

Doombolt says: But, I'm afraid you're not allowed to sspe-
Doombolt looks up.
Doombolt hisses a similar word in the abyssal tongue. The wasps' buzzed falls back into the monotonous buzz.
Doombolt sighs at you.

Senkha sits quietly because she has no choice.

Doombolt says: Musst I put you in a chamber where your only thoughtss... are your own? And whatever -I- want you to hear?
Doombolt says: Would you like that?

Senkha continues to sit quietly because she has no choice.

Ariadine would like that.

Doombolt looks up at the bugs.
Doombolt says: And if you are going to make my children ssing ssomething, do make it ssomething.... with a little... bounce to it.

The wasps start singing "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts."

Doombolt hums along, "Bum bum bum..."

As soon as he gets into the song, however, it switches. "IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL."

Doombolt yells: NO!
Doombolt says: No, -ANY-thing but that.

It's hard to tell, but Senkha's closed eyes look amused.

Doombolt taps his chin, 'But what to do with you for tonight."
Doombolt says: SSince my creationss are a bit ssusssseptable to your influence... we'll have t-.... ah... yessss...
Doombolt says: I know -exactly- who can keep an eye on you.
Doombolt takes a few steps back and tugs on his robes. Slowly, something seems to squirm underneath the cloth, then another something, then more somethings. Dark shapes poke out of his hood, sleeves, and robes.

Once Apophan removes his hand from Ariadine's head, another thought would flit at the back of her mind: second best.

Ariadine flinches.

Senkha 's eyes remain closed; if she notices the slithering, she gives no indication of it.

Doombolt says: Thessria, Hyaku, Yssthem, Jik'thu, Gulkat, Zurassh, Barika, Niobu, Ocaram, Urika.... Your masster callss...
As he says each name, a dark form slithers from the mass of blackness at his hooves and coils up near Senkha's body. Each of the forms has bright glowing eyes, each with a different color, casting almost a twisted mockery of a rainbow on the woman.

Senkha continues to sit. Another echo of a laugh sounds, seemingly coming from all around them.

Doombolt says: The Ten of you, keep an eye on her, and if sshe managess to bring any mo-
Doombolt snaps at nothing, the echo of the snap causes the laughter to instantly dissipate.
Doombolt looks at you.
Doombolt says: I don't think you have an appreciation for where you are.
Doombolt says: You are begining to bore me.
Doombolt says: Ten, do keep her... occupied.

Senkha's expression remains neutral.

The Ten Snakes bite into Senkha as one.

Senkha gives a muffled screech under the cocoon, eyes flying open for half a second before they flutter closed again.

Doombolt says: I'm ssure you'll get more creative ass the night goess on.

Thesria's purple-eyed head rises up, "Of courssse massster..." it hisses.

Ariadine shifts from foot to foot, staring at the ground. In her own mind, she wrestles with snuffing out the whispers in her own mind.

Doombolt folds his claws together, "Your mind will find them completely immune to any presense that thing inside you has..."
Doombolt chuckles at you.
Doombolt says: Come along, Ariadine, dinner awaitss.
Doombolt says: SSome night elf got too closse again...
Doombolt cackles maniacally at the situation.

Senkha's head lolls forward slightly; to all intents and purposes, she seems to be asleep.

The snakes bite her again to wake her up.

Ariadine's gaze goes up from the floor, to Senkha, and then to Apophan. "... Yes, Sovereign."

Ysthem's red-eyed head rumbles, "No sleep for you tonight."

Senkha twitches awake, though her eyes remain closed. She laughs quietly behind the cocoon.

Doombolt looks back and narrows a single burning eye at Senkha. The faintest smile can be seen grow on his lips.