Inside 70: Surprisingly Pleasant

[Earl of Purple]

Darkened Alleyway

The child that jumped for him is pushed back, but darts back in aiming for his knees. She's surprisingly strong. The child in his arms just hisses and snaps the mouth-tendrils emerging from their eye sockets at him, which probably provides a clue. They're both trying now to stop him escaping back to the street, since they're hungry and he's their next meal. Or that's the plan, anyway.

Near Cormorant House

Mishnehel flaps her wings and reacts with a blast of Shape, squaring off the spikes to stop them being so spikey. One of her hands picks up a chunk of rubble and hurls it at the wendigo-corpse, as a voice- young, and female, and coming from the bisonoakmagpie. "We have to kill it quick! The longer it's around the wider the area it affects, and the more people turned into starving cannibals!" Actually... There is something that might help. Mishnehel dives back in, reaching with many hands to grab the thing and try carrying it upwards. Hopefully it's not too heavy; the Growth is already wearing off, and she's returning to her smaller (albeit still large) size.

[Rebonack]

[The Church of Binding Truth]

Alex is pretty sure what's about to happen. This isn't exactly what she was expecting, but she can roll with it. Thankfully she's good at thinking on her feet.

Once the priest is heading toward the door she does two things. First? She creates an illusion of her disguise where she's standing. Second? She dashes off behind the alter where she can begin swapping out the two crowns. It may be that the priest takes long enough that the second phase of her plan won't be needed, but it's still a wise plan to keep a back up in case things go sideways.

So!

Crouched behind the alter, Alex works at swapping the crowns. Standing at the niche looking toward the door is an illusion of the distraught woman.

Let's see what happens next, shall we?


[Near Cormorant House]

A chunk of rubble is hurled at the wendigo, to which is reacts with a detonation of frostbite in Mishnehel's general vicinity. Having her flesh rotting a bit probably isn't fun. Thankfully bison are pretty resistant to the cold. The monster looks like it's getting ready to charge, but then it gets stabbed pretty solidly with a sword. This of course means even more corrupted ice blasting out of the wound with greater force due to the deeper wound. This awful thing just doesn't show much sign of slowing down.

It DOES show signs of flying, though.

Not because it wants to. Because the celestial is dragging it into the air. It reacts to this in a dreadfully negative fashion, which mostly involves lashing blindly at Mishehel with its icy claws.

The swordsman shouldn't despair that the beast is out of reach, though. A half dozen flesh-crazed cannibals with pallid skin and spike antlers burst from nearby homes, their faces bloody with chewed off gums. They don't seem terribly interested in eating each other, but they DO seem to think that the swordsman looks tasty. As such they're all rushing toward him now with the intent of devouring him alive.

[bc56]

The Church of Binding Truth

Alex finds the box in the spot hidden under the altar, right where Sapphira said it would be. The crown inside is identical to the fake she was given, but it crackles with magical power, and not in a good way. It's definitely a potent unholy relic, and probably cursed too. One quick switcheroo later and she has the real crown, while the fake is safely stowed for safekeeping. But as she's leaving the altar, the door opens and the priest walks in, accompanied by a gaiad in similar priestly vestments, with purple iris flowers in her hair. They haven't noticed Alex's duplicity yet, but they will in a moment.
She'd better act fast.

[Vahnavoi]

[Near cormorant house]

If not for the corrupted ice repelling it again, the masked figure probably would've gone flying with the wendigo, hanging from its swords.

But now, it is left behind, its head tilted up nd muttering curses under its breath at the tranformed half-elf for stealing its kill. How it sees anything through its mask remains an open question.

The exposed skin of the figure's hands, wrists and feet are already turning black, rime coveeing its mask, swords and rags. It looks like easy prey for the crazed locals, but just before first of them manage to touch it, it bursts into action again, slashing them with its swords. It is expecting them to be tough as trees as well, so now it is cutting with force to fell trees. It bobs and weaves past the grasping hands and hungry mouths of the cannibals with such speed that it becomes just a black-and-white blur. If it can cut down the first... it will cut down them all.

[Rebonack]

[The Church of Binding Truth]

Ah, excellent.

That's exactly what Alex was hoping would happen.

The illusion turns toward the pair as they enter the building, her expression one of cautious optimism at first, only to morph into absolute terror and disgust at the sight of the gaiad.

"NO!" she screams, backing away quickly and nearly stumbling. "STAY AWAY! I'M NOT BUTTERCUP I'M NOT BUTTERCUP STAY AWAY FROM ME!" she shrieks as she flees away from the door and hides behind the alter for protection. Should the pair of priests approach they'll find the poor woman cowering behind the alter, curled up in a little ball with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands pressed over her ears muttering, "I'm not Buttercup. Please, I'm not Buttercup I don't want to die."

Well!

It sure seems like she's been terribly traumatized.

What happened, of course, is that Alex hid behind the alter and had the illusion join her there. Then once it was out of sight she dismissed it. This couldn't have possible been more flawless.

[bc56]

Church of Binding Truth

The ruse seems to work. The two priests come to the altar. It's the gaiad who bends down to comfort the distraught woman. "There, there, child." That's slightly awkward, because they look about the same age. "Don't cry. Come. Walk with me." A pair of arms will gently lift Alex to her feet. "I may have changed, but I am still alive. I remember who I was." Alex's hand is guided to the fuzzy deer flank. "Shh. Feel. Do I feel dead?"

[Rebonack]

[The Church of Binding Truth]

The woman whimpers a bit, but she allows herself to be pulled to her feet.

Her fingers run through the fur.

The tears in her eyes blur her vision.

"No..." she mutters. Then she begins weeping in earnest again. "I m-miss him so much!"

It's only been a few days but...

It feels like he died.

How is she even supposed to find him... or her? again?

[bc56]

The Church of Binding Truth

"Shhh. It's okay." Alex receives a hug. "Come with me out to the churchyard." Iris takes Alex in a firm, gentle grip. "Brother Timothy, you may stay here. I will take care of her." If Alex is willing to go, she should wind up walking through a well-curated garden. They pass a wrought-iron fence that Iris avoids touching, and enter the graveyard, which is beautiful and peaceful, in the way everyone wishes the graveyard next to a small church is. No restless spirits here. An owl in a nearby ash tree hoots softly. All of the graves are lovingly decorated with flowers.

[Rebonack]

[The Church of Binding Truth]

So. Really awkward hugs.

Squirming, the distraught woman does her best not to cry out in dismay when the horrid deer keeps touching her.

But then it's time to go outside maybe?

The woman follows, but she's still skittish and frightened to be sure.

She walks through the graveyard, watching the flowers suspiciously as if expecting them to attack at any moment. It's pretty clear that she doesn't trust the gaiad. The people on MyFace said that the gaiads were undead monsters! People wouldn't just go on the internet and lie about things, would they?

Meanwhile!

A hobo in a sandwich board is wandering through the streets yelling at the top of his lungs!

"Repent! Repent for the end of thread is here! REPENT!"

What's this crazy talking about? Probably a...

NEW THREAD!