Vigil 8: Try jumping

[Morty]

[Snakes Alive]

Wenomir gives a sound that's between a sigh and a grunt.

"I can do it. Hopefully my presence will be enough. This well attracts troublemakers."

Yes, Wenomir, you're one to talk about what people do with that well.

"Let's not waste any time, then."

[bc56]

Snakes Alive
With the door opened, Ophidia slithers out and they can head to the moonwell. The serpent woman keeps a grave silence. She's hoping this works for purifying whatever corruption is left on her, and also nervous that it won't.
But she has to try, so she follows Shanti and Wenomir to the well.

[Reinholdt]

[Blanche's Barracks]

"These weren't innocents you naïve ******* *****-" Ava's berating of the catgirl's Very Strong Principles would probably continue, but High Lord Commander Wenomir's voice seems to give her pause. Her eyes flick between the three, but she falls silent and still.

[Shadowcaller]

Snakes Alive

This was the outcome Shanti had been hoping for as she was going to exchange some words with the commander now that Lapis was gone.

"Lapis is hiding something from us, Wenomir. I believe she was afflicted by something she doesn't want to talk about and is willing to lie to cover it up. I don't think it's anything serious mind you. Children can lie about the most inconsequential things. But you might need to ask her what it might be." She quietly tells Wenomir as they are on their way to the moonwell.

- - - Updated - - -

[Blanche's Barracks]

"These weren't innocents you naïve ******* *****-" Ava's berating of the catgirl's Very Strong Principles would probably continue, but High Lord Commander Wenomir's voice seems to give her pause. Her eyes flick between the three, but she falls silent and still.

[Blanche's Barracks]

"Yep." Anika remarks with a nod to Wenomir. "But- I mean, there will be trials and stuff. I could probably do, uh, community service right? I'm all for that. Apologizing to the guards too of course."

[Rebonack]

[Snakes Alive]

Now that Lapis is gone?

Hah.

Lapis has heard Anika talk about the moonwell and she was really curious about it. The only problem is that she didn't know where it was. But now there's an easy way to discover the answer to that question. In spite of Shanti shooing Lapis away the half-elf isn't about to be dissuaded her curiosity! She wants to see the well AND she wants to see Miss Opidia get better! Both of those things are important.

And what if some DEMONS appear while they're there?

What if Mister Wenomir needs help!

Once she's out of sight the little seraph will drift, taking up position outways where they won't see her so she can follow the (airship?) down to the surface.

So long as Lapis is nearby there will be a distinctive feeling of being watched. That instinctual itch that there's a lion in the grass just outside the ring of firelight. Wenomir will likely know what the feeling is. He's a pretty perceptive guy and Lapis has tried to observe him covertly before to little success.

All this means that she poofs up indignantly when she's accused of lying.

It takes all of her self-control not to pop back out of her drift to yell at Shanti that she didn't lie about anything.

[Recaiden]

[Village]

It might need a bit befor an answer comes. Since Mia does know the voice she doesn't have to worry and maybe there is some kind of doorspy as well. So the door opens.
"Sophia was it?" She asks, it has been a bit. "How can I help you?"
Mia is right now dressed in her work clothes. a jumpsuit and shirt. Nothing special. It is still a bit dirty and she got a towl to clean her face which makes the towel go black.

Sophia waits, one pair of hands clasped behind her back.
Oh. Of course Mia doesn't even quite remember her. Being able to appear visibly to people doesn't make her important to them in any other way.
"Hello Mia. I was hoping to follow up about that letter, Andy, the marriage arrangements. How are you feeling about it all?"

[Morty]

[Snakes Alive]

"Lapis is very much like other children and quite unlike them at the same time," Wenomir replies quietly. "She's curious, outgoing, stubborn and wilful. Which is why she's following us right now," he adds casually. "But she's also a celestial being, with all it implies. So this could be nothing or it could be something."

[bc56]

Snakes Alive
Ophidia doesn't seem to care much for the cramped quarters of the shuttle. "Ssshe is a very ssstrange child, I will give her that." It shouldn't be long at all until they arrive at the moonwell and can attempt whatever ritual Shanti was planning.

[Arkhosia]

Blanche’s Barracks

The catgirl’s eyebrows raise at this, but Ava lashing out like that isn’t enough to provoke a response even without Wenomir’s intervention. "I'm not sure you'll get away with 'just' community service for this Anika, what you've done is pretty serious. I'm not exactly an expert on Riverside law though." She shrugs before returning to the matter at hand. ”So, I trust you will comply with us?” Blanche’s tone is less confrontational now, more neutral and calm - but her steely gaze lingers Ava.

[Shadowcaller]

Snakes Alive

That revelation makes Shanti frown and look around, yet nothing more is revealed to her. But rather than assuming its a joke, Wenomir didn't exactly seem like the sort, she takes him on his word.

"So she's spying on us? That's certainly willful, I will give you that." Since if she really was here, that gave more credence to her point of Lapis being deceptive.

[Rebonack]

[Snakes Alive]

"I didn't lie I didn't know what you were asking about!" Lapis insists VERY loudly from her seat on one of the airskiff's passenger chairs.

Her entrance isn't really precluded by anything.

No poof of smoke. No flash of light.

Nothing overtly or obviously magical.

She's just there all of a sudden.

"If you mean the debuff that's a thing that hasn't happened yet. It's fine I'm okay bad status things don't stick to me," Lapis not really explains.

She really doesn't like trying to explain time things to people. They never understand it. Mother says regular people just experience time differently than she does.

How is she supposed to tell them that things they think haven't happened yet are actually happening right now? They probably wouldn't even believe her.

[Morty]

[Snakes Alive]

Wenomir allows himself a slight satisfied smile when he's proven right about Lapis following them. He's not at all surprised when she appears. It's what Lapis does.

"So it will be something that befalls you in the future but is detectable today." He looks to Shanti. "We should probably focus on the task at hand. Lapis... partly exists on a layer of reality we can't see."

[Blanche’s Barracks]

Wenomir sighs. He's glad Ava seems to have seen enough reason not to escalate, but the situation is still bleak.

"I don't think community service is where it will end, no. I will negotiate with the authorities on your behalf, but I need to accept their judgement in the end."

[Dragon Storm - An Aside]

The wood-dragon looks back and forth between Ambrosia and Utayo. But either its orders are to kill Ambrosia or its instinct is to attack a more dangerous foe, because it charges her, head low, trying to ram into her with the wooden horns on his head, before she can bring her sword to bear against it.

Meanwhile, a yelp is heard from Thariza's direction. While one of the wood-dragons is backing away from her, skin aflame with purple fire, the other one lashed out in wounded fury and knocked her axe off her hand. The Charr is now on the back foot, trying to parry the furious sweeps of the smoldering creature's claws.

[Reinholdt]

[Blanche’s Barracks]

Ava just scowls at Blanche and refuses to reply. If Blanche thinks she can get Ava to verbally consent to this madness, then she is hopelessly optimistic.

[Zefir]

[Village]


Sophia waits, one pair of hands clasped behind her back.
Oh. Of course Mia doesn't even quite remember her. Being able to appear visibly to people doesn't make her important to them in any other way.
"Hello Mia. I was hoping to follow up about that letter, Andy, the marriage arrangements. How are you feeling about it all?"

[VIllage] (Know the reference?)

It's not like she doesn't remember, but she meets lots of people, lots of names. It's hard to get all together when you barly met or talk to a person.
"Oh that?" Mia said. she hasn't forgotten that either, instead she has ignored it. If the Church would ask she could stil say she couldn't find him as the nexus is big and changes all the time. "Please come in. This is no matter to talk about at the doorstep." Especially since she doesn't want others to hear it. Might need to raise a spell against that clearvoiance woman. Which she will do after her guest is in.

The room itself is rather blank. a standard furniture you have in every room. You might think none lives here as this room looks exactly as most of the empty room, no pictures or anything personal expect a holy sign on the wall.

"To be honest. I wasn't thinking about it much. I guess I wanted to let it escalate, whatever that will result to I can only guess."

[Shadowcaller]

[Blanche’s Barracks]

Anika figured Blanche's last question was more rhetorical as she had already agreed to do this many times. That's why she was even here!

Instead her attention is turned to Wenomir. "Um... okay. Whatever they say." She hated to say this but what could she do? She had ****ed up and now she had to take the consequences.

...

Right?

Right.

[Snakes Alive]

Shanti frowns as the first thing Lapis does when appearing is shouting at her.
She clearly had been taught very little in the way of manners.

"Well, my apologies then. I should have been more clear of what I meant. Since what exactly were the sources of these afflictions then? Whenever they happened now or in the future." Shanti wasn't completely sure what Lapis meant but the relevant part to her is what had caused it, not when it had happened.

By now they should have reached the grove where the moon well was located in. A part of the untamed wilderness of Outside located not far from the VIGIL headquarters.

[Dragon Storm - An Aside]

Ambrosia steadies herself, sees the wood dragon lower its head and does the simplest thing she could do.

Move to the side.

As the wood dragon had its eyes on the front it effectively blinded itself by lowering its head like that. Likely counting on her not reacting in time. But her backflip had put enough distance between them that it couldn't close the gap quick before she could move. So as she just manages to get out of its charge she musters her strength and attempts to drive her ssangsudo into its side.

[Rebonack]

[Snakes Alive]

Shanti was saying some very mean things about Lapis!

The girl definitely doesn't take well to being called a liar.

Anyway.

She settles down a bit, now that there are apologies and everything is better and her head doesn't hurt THAT much from where she got bonked.

"The where these bad icy zombie things that were making a little town all cold and all the crops died and the people were getting hungry and crazy I think they did corrupty magic things to the people's souls but I haven't got one of those so it doesn't work on me instead it just hurt a little bit but as soon as the fighting is done and I have a snack I get better."

Whoop.

Lapis just gave away that she was out fighting zombies attacking a village somewhere.

That sounds suspiciously like a mission.

Once they reach the moonwell she'll follow the others out-
-unless Wenomir specifically tells her to stay put.

This time around she'll huff and pout but actually listen.

[bc56]

Snakes Alive
Ophidia slithers out of the shuttle and stretches out, glad to be out of the cramped space. "Ssso thisss isss your moon well? What comesss next?" She looks around skeptically.

[Morty]

[Snakes Alive]

"Really. We'll have to talk about that when we're back." Wenomir has definitely noticed that this sounds like Lapis threw herself into danger. But there's no time for it now. He disembarks from the ship and heads into the grove with Shanti and Lapis. He'd rather keep an eye on her.

[Gullara]

[Dragon Storm - An Aside]

The wood-dragon looks back and forth between Ambrosia and Utayo. But either its orders are to kill Ambrosia or its instinct is to attack a more dangerous foe, because it charges her, head low, trying to ram into her with the wooden horns on his head, before she can bring her sword to bear against it.

Meanwhile, a yelp is heard from Thariza's direction. While one of the wood-dragons is backing away from her, skin aflame with purple fire, the other one lashed out in wounded fury and knocked her axe off her hand. The Charr is now on the back foot, trying to parry the furious sweeps of the smoldering creature's claws.

[Dragon Storm - An Aside]

Ambrosia steadies herself, sees the wood dragon lower its head and does the simplest thing she could do.

Move to the side.

As the wood dragon had its eyes on the front it effectively blinded itself by lowering its head like that. Likely counting on her not reacting in time. But her backflip had put enough distance between them that it couldn't close the gap quick before she could move. So as she just manages to get out of its charge she musters her strength and attempts to drive her ssangsudo into its side.

[Dragon Storm - An Aside]

Utayo breathes a sigh of relief at not being directly pursued. She takes a moment to take in the situation more broadly and notes Thariza's predicament. She tucks her fingers into her sleeve and produces a few darts. She then throws them at the back of the creature assaulting Thariza currently and if hit they will bite with a searing energy.

[Shadowcaller]

[Snakes Alive]

Shanti was saying some very mean things about Lapis!

The girl definitely doesn't take well to being called a liar.

Anyway.

She settles down a bit, now that there are apologies and everything is better and her head doesn't hurt THAT much from where she got bonked.

"The where these bad icy zombie things that were making a little town all cold and all the crops died and the people were getting hungry and crazy I think they did corrupty magic things to the people's souls but I haven't got one of those so it doesn't work on me instead it just hurt a little bit but as soon as the fighting is done and I have a snack I get better."

Whoop.

Lapis just gave away that she was out fighting zombies attacking a village somewhere.

That sounds suspiciously like a mission.

Once they reach the moonwell she'll follow the others out-
-unless Wenomir specifically tells her to stay put.

This time around she'll huff and pout but actually listen.

Snakes Alive
Ophidia slithers out of the shuttle and stretches out, glad to be out of the cramped space. "Ssso thisss isss your moon well? What comesss next?" She looks around skeptically.

[Snakes Alive]

"Really. We'll have to talk about that when we're back." Wenomir has definitely noticed that this sounds like Lapis threw herself into danger. But there's no time for it now. He disembarks from the ship and heads into the grove with Shanti and Lapis. He'd rather keep an eye on her.

[Snakes Alive]

You talk about people differently when they aren't there and Lapis hadn't been supposed to spy on them when Shanti gave him intel.

"Sounds like you do." Shanti comments when Wenomir makes that remark. She couldn't say that she knew a lot about angel babies but it did sound like Lapis had just gotten in even more trouble.

"But this is not the moon well. It's just a little up ahead actually." Shanti remarks as she once more takes the lead. Guiding them through the grove until they reach what seems to have been the base of what must have been a gigantic tree. The rest of the tree is missing, cut down by some unknown force.

Carved into this enormous stump are stairs reinforced with stone with leading all the way to the top. Shanti ascends these stairs and it can be assumed the others do too even if they don't happen to have any feet.
As they reach the end of the stairs they will find that a large well which has been carefully been set up here.

"There it is." She turns towards the others and gestures to the well. "And now I'm going to ask our 'demon' to step into the waters of the well while I do my magic."

[Rebonack]

[Snakes Alive]

Oh boy this is the thing!

...it's just a tree and rocks.

And some water.

Some magic water?

No, not magic water. Water with magic in it.

Faerie water.

Lapis will immediately move to the edge of the well and peer into it.

"Hello I'm Lapislazuli does a naiad live here?" she asks the pool since clearly water that's this magical must have a naiad living in it since it isn't all weedy and gross since that's the sort of place where kelpies live. Lapis has learned that so long as she stays a little girl most of the sprite faeries around the Nexus are nice they only get hostile sometimes if they find out she's an empyrean.

[Recaiden]

[VIllage] ((Oh, that's not a good sign ))

It's not like she doesn't remember, but she meets lots of people, lots of names. It's hard to get all together when you barly met or talk to a person.
"Oh that?" Mia said. she hasn't forgotten that either, instead she has ignored it. If the Church would ask she could stil say she couldn't find him as the nexus is big and changes all the time. "Please come in. This is no matter to talk about at the doorstep." Especially since she doesn't want others to hear it. Might need to raise a spell against that clearvoiance woman. Which she will do after her guest is in.

The room itself is rather blank. a standard furniture you have in every room. You might think none lives here as this room looks exactly as most of the empty room, no pictures or anything personal expect a holy sign on the wall.

"To be honest. I wasn't thinking about it much. I guess I wanted to let it escalate, whatever that will result to I can only guess."

Sophia hops inside, somewhat distracted by the realization that she has been overthinking a lot.
She looks around - what an odd, empty place Mia's home is. Does she use much of this space?

"I think that probably won't result in anything good. You need to choose your own future, Mia, as a human."

[bc56]

Snakes Alive
Ophidia doesn't comment about how "step in" is unfortunate word choice when she doesn't have legs. She also doesn't complain about slithering up all those stairs, although it was uncomfortable. She slides into the pool with no idea what comes next.

[Morty]

[Snakes Alive]

"There aren't any naiads living there, Lapis. Let's take a step back and let Shanti work. We need to be on lookout for trouble."

Hopefully giving Lapis a mission of importance will keep her focused on it and prevent her from making trouble.

[Dragon Storm - An Aside]

Ambrosia's thrust strikes home, piercing the wood-dragon's hide. The creature roars and turns towards Ambrosia. Locking its glowing eyes with her, it grasps the sword with its claws and tries to pull it out if itself, then push it aside to leave the warrior open. It's putting all its strength into it, testing Ambrosia's in turn.

The darts strike the other wood-dragon in the back, causing it to lean back and howl in pain and fury. This gives Thariza enough space to dig her heels in, grab her mace with both hands and slam it into the creature, sending it sprawling, its wooden hides cracking and fuming under the force of the blow and the unearthly fire. It seems it won't be getting up soon, but the wood-dragon that had backed away from Thariza before now turns its attention towards Utayo, charging towards her with intent.

[Shadowcaller]

[Dragon Storm - An Aside]

Ambrosia's first instinct was to pull back but as the wood dragon reacted faster than she thought. But rather than testing her strength against her opponent she instead lets go and reaches for her tome.
But as she pulls out what should have been a book it is inexplicably suddenly a short sword which she executes a deadly swing with aimed at the base of the wood dragons neck.

[Gullara]

[Dragon Storm - An Aside]

Uh oh. Utayo floats backwards and upwards both at a rapid pace. Surely this beast has no means to reach her in the air? She's banking on that, but prepares herself for the worst. her weaponry isn't well suited to a direct confrontation with a larger foe, however.

[Shadowcaller]

[Snakes Alive]

As Ophidia enters the pool her scales bristles with an odd sensation as it feels as if she's being enveloped by more than just water. While the well is cool to touch there's an odd warmness to it that can't be measured by temperature alone. As if a warm breeze warmed her body even as the waters cooled it. Yet there's no wind here, the grove being perfectly still.

Shanti gives Lapis a skeptical glance as the girl starts talking to the well. "These wells were created by my people. There are no 'naiads' in it." Shanti curtly explains as she then turns away from Lapis and sits down at the edge of the well.
"But thankfully this is a simple ritual so there are no required reagents I'd need to fetch before we start."

The druid crosses her legs and closes her eyes, getting into a meditative position.

Then after just a few minutes the waters start to glow white and the 'smoke' which seems to be raising from it becomes more frequent, as if the well was boiling. Yet Ophidia can't feel any change in temperature but that odd warm feeling from earlier does seem to become stronger, though it never feels like its going to harm her.

Then that glow starts to envelope Ophidia until she disappears completely from sight.

She's only gone for a moment however as the glow then quickly resides and the well returns to normal.

Shanti opens her eyes again and gets up. "Miss Ophidia, you can get out of the well now. Just please stand here with Lapis while I go over the results with Wenomir. But nothing unexpected was detected so you don't need to worry." She smiles at her and then turns to the commander and gestures for him to follow her.

[Rebonack]

[Snakes Alive]

Lapis is pretty disappointed that there aren't any new friends to be made living in the well.

She's also surprised when she looks at the well a bit more closely before Shanti shoos her away. At first she had assumed the water had magic in it but now that she's had a chance for a closer look-

"Mister Wenomir the moon well isn't magic it's a different thing," she confides in the warrior after she scurries over to him to keep an eye out for demons. There's a pretty good chance that this distinction will be completely irrelevant to him.

But!

It's an important distinction to Lapis!

Why?

Because THIS energy source is just part of a field!

Like light or electricity. And Lapis' connection to the Sphere of Energy leaves her highly sensitive to such things. But THIS field isn't one she really recognizes. It kind of reminds her of the machines Miss Geneva makes.

[bc56]

Snakes Alive
Ophidia slithers out of the well and waits by the side. She's not sure what all that was about, but she doesn't feel any different.
Lapis' ramblings make no sense to her either. The entity posing as a child seems... Confused at how the world works.

[Morty]

[Snakes Alive]

If it were anyone else, Wenomir would say that it doesn't really make any kind of difference to him. As his old master would say it, it's all witchcraft and it's best not to trouble your head about it too much. But Lapis would probably redouble her efforts to explain it to him.

"Thank you for clearing it up, Lapis. Now, please stay here with Ophidia. I need to speak with Shanti."

With that, he follows the druid, having an odd feeling he won't like her explanation.

[Dragon Storm - An Aside]

The wood-dragon is caught by surprise and its neck is cloven by Ambrosia's sword. It's not down for the count yet, but it's off-balance and Ambrosia can seize the advantage.

Meanwhile, the wood dragon attacking Utayo looks up as she floats and leans back, taking a deep breath. It's clearly preparing to exhale poison at her, but it doesn't get the chance. Thariza appears behind it in a flash of purple mist and smacks her mace into its back, staggering her. The wood-dragon stumbles, then lashes out against the Charr with a fury. At least the other one she clobbered earlier seems to be staying down.