World Tree MUSH

    Stelle gives Tingyun a strange look, but doesn't say anything as she puts her phone away. She leads the group along the way, heading for the shortcut to the Alchemy Commission that Jing Yuan pointed out.

    Along the way, Welt asides to the non-Express Crew. "What are your thoughts on this so far?" he asks, adjusting his glasses as they walk. "I would like your honest opinions on the Xianzhou people... and the Mara Struck and other Abundance denizens we've encountered thusfar."

    March continues to skip along, almost oblivious to things... though those with good senses could tell she's listening in. Not as airheaded as she lets on.

    Tingyun seems to be pensive, stealing glances at the remaining few pieces of the Ambrosial Arbor that can be seen... hiding her lower face behind her fan.

    "It's kind of complex." Clara says furrowing her brow. "I feel like they ask us to do one thing with a smile while secretly meaning something else?" She says rubbing the back of her neck. "N-no offense!" That last part is to Tingyun.
    "But we came to help, get wrangled into dealing with the Stellaron Hunters and there was that whole kerfluffle with Kafka and it's felt really weird ever since. And that's not even going into the whole old man attacking us at the Artisanship Commission until he finally realized we were there to help after busting up those poor machines..."
    Svarog is ominously silent for now.

    Jessica has to really think about the answer to that question. Her tail sways and her ears lay flat, the girl really concentrating. "I think... they're not really very good at thinking for themselves. I don't think they're at all ready to make any decisions without some prophecy or something. They can't take risks."

    Sometimes she actually is concentrating on the problem.

    Talia is at a loss for words, honestly. She's been so full of questions and there's been so little time to breathe lately. It just feels like a ride that won't stop. "To be honest...? Yes, I agree with Jessica. These people are slaves to fate, in a way." THe Mirialan frowns. "I pity them."

    "There will always be some who reject this," Bi De points out. "Jessica is wise, however. They have grown complacent with knowing where their lives lead, not realizing the power they have within those lines, nor that it is possible to break beyond them."

    He clucks softly. "Perhaps this will change that."

    "Oh, none taken, Benefactor~." chirps Tingyun, keeping her mouth hidden by her fan as she walks along, trailing behind the group.

    "This matches with my thoughts too. Thank you all." remarks Welt, who then sighs, and the group continue walking.

    They pass through a short skybridge, and emerge into another Delve that's very different to the industrial Artisanship Commission. Open parks, comfortable surroundings and a scent of medicines and insense permeates the air. The ALchemy Commission is a place of healing and restoration.

    It is also the sight of a battleground. Multiple bodies litter the area, a few Cloud Knights, unmoving in pools of blood. More bodies of Mara Struck, and a few of the dog-like Abominations, their bodies slowly twitching, as wounds visibly, but slowly, knit closed.

    "Looks like the battle around here was intense." notes March, kneeling beside one of the fallen Knights.

    "The master diviner must have launched the campaign while we were delayed in the Artisanship Commission." ventures Tingyun.

    "There's something to be said about coloring outside the metaphorical lines." Talia muses. "It's partly what got me out here." Striding through the battlefield, Talia's brow darkens and her face colors softly. "We were too late." She breathes sadly.

    Oh no this is terrible.
    Walking onto a battlefield is always pretty terrible. And poor Clara with her bare feet makes a face. Somewhere between a pained look at the corpses and a squeamish look as she does her very best to step around the blood puddles. Up until Svarog just picks her up and hoists her so she doesn't have to.
    "Ah..."
    Yeah it's pretty bad.
    "Did we take too long...?"

    "Maybe we took too long, or maybe they wanted to fight without us anyway," Jessica points out. "People can be a little picky about that. They really should trust professional soldiers like me." She nods sadly... not even connecting the fact that she's normally a little too squeaky and nervous to come across as a competent mercenary.

    "We should see if anyone needs help..."

    "Look around... I don't see too many Cloud Knights here, just the Mara Struck and those Abominations." remarks Stelle, pointing out the very lopsided distribution of bodies. "This was probably a sweeping victory for Diviner Fu."

    Welt looks around a moment, then nods agreement. "I must agree with our young friend... We should press on further, perhaps we can still catch up with the main force."

    Stelle's phone buzzes with a message... but she takes a look, then ignores it, replacing the phone with her bat as she takes point.

    Talia is already scouring the battlefield, checking body after body. She tries to sense through the Force, to see if there's any echoes present. She doens't really fancy her chances here, it seems like they missed the excitement.

    Clara peers over at Stelle as she checks her phone.
    "Ah? Something up?" She asks blinking when the phone goes away.
    "Well... Hopefully we can catch up in time with everyone else."

    "Just be careful for any survivors or deserters who may circle back," Jessica warns. That's why she doesn't ditch her sidearm, making her way through the battlefield with some concern. She does try to get an idea of how costly the victory was.

    "Hmn..." Bi De is mostly silent as he walks through, looking about before hurrying to walk alongside of Stelle. "Given the general results of before, I do have an uneasy feeling about this. Have you ever heard it said that something seemed too easy?" He clucks. "Not our own task, that was quite involved, but here..."

    "Someone wants me to meet them back in the big plaza place we met Bailu in." Stelle explains, "We're a bit too busy to go doing a side quest." she adds, then looks at Bi De, "C'mon man, don't jinx us."

    Talia would sense a latent presence in some of the Abomination corpses... and taking a closer look, the wounds on these supposedly dead creatures are closing up at a rate visible to the naked eye.

    March calls out. "There's survivors up ahead!" pointing out a Cloud Knight sitting against a wall, with someone in a healers garb kneeling over them.

    "Don't move, let me take a look." says the healer, as she pulls some medicine from a pouch and starts administering it. The Knight howls and attempts to escape, but is far too weakened by his wounds to resist... Then the healer notices the group approaching. "Hmm? You're now the Knights... What is your purpose here? It's dangerous." she says pleasantly... but her tone is a bit off.

    "We're reinforcements sent by the General, where is everyone else?" asks Welt

    The Healer's face shifts, "Tsk... resorting to short-life species as reinforcements..." she chuckles darkly, "Jing Yuan is truly running out of options~."

    The Cloud Knight jerks, biting out a warning. "R-Run! She's... aarrgh... a Disciple of Sanctus Medicus!"

    The Healer's smile melts like ice on a hotplate, "Silence. If my healing worked, you'll become one of us..." and then her expression turns malicious, as she stands and transforms into one of those floating 'Mara Struck' and several of the wolf-like Abominations rise from their formerly prone, dead positions. The Knight rising as if puppeteered to join them. "... and then it's not just me they'll be running from."

    Sanctus Medicus?
    Clara blinks. "Huh?"
    But then Svarog is *immediately* in front of her when the injured Cloud Knight gives that warning. "Get behind me, Clara."
    She doesn't disobey as the 'healer' turns out to be a hurter and turns into a Mara Struck.

    And then the wolves came...

    Svarog raises his hands and starts unleashing high heat, high energy lasers from the emitters on his palms at the wolves.

    Well that isn't a good healer. Jessica squeaks, and quickly fires off a few shots at the wolves, making a break for the Cloud Knight. Her tail lashes as she moves toward him, laying down suppressing fire so the more melee-oriented can deal with the oncoming enemies more efficiently.

    Between shots, she turns to the Cloud Knight and yells, "Did you want a mercy bullet or are you okay for now?"

    Talia rushes over to find the knight, only for treachery to come to greet the group. She activates her lightsaber without a moment to waste, and she rushes the wolves. Jessica sure seems ready to blast, and Talia won't ecomplain if it means she has cover fire as she swipes at one of the lupine apparitions!

    Backing up Talia seems the thing to do. "A corruptor, like the demons of my own world. This was... unexpected." Sure, he's seen Mara Struck before, but this is a little different from that! He doesn't have time to think about it right now anyway, the rooster dashing up alongside the Jedi to flare with qi, his talons at the ready.

    "I am sorry," he says to the wolves, presuming their part in this was not willing. But that doesn't make his claws less vicious in their strikes.

    "K-Kill me... I can't... control myself... much longer..." grits the Cloud Knight, as vines snake out through his armour, leaves blooming from his back as a very sickening cracking sound can be heard as his body forcefully transforms.

    Svarog's lasers find purchase on the wolf-creatures, burning a couple clean through and cauterizing the wounds enough they just crumple and fizzle away into teal-gold motes.

    The Disciple chuckles harshly, pointing at Talia... and the Jedi can feel something... like she's been marked and is now somehow linked to the Disciple's life force.

    The Abominations howl. Those not instantly taken down leap at Bi De and Talia, but getting cut down on a delay by those Qi-talons and the Lightsaber. Jessica's bullets knock a few off course, thinning out the pack and making them easier to deal with by the melee fighters.

    Something about that point and chuckle doesn't sound too reassuring. Talia is a bit distracted by wolves of course, cutting into them with her lightsaber as she fights back to back with Bi De. She counts on the chicken to cover her back during this battle, and she'll return the favor. There's nothing to be satisfied here, especially with putting down a man who's losing himself to corruption.

    May he find peace in the Force.

    If Nightingale or one of the other talented healers were here, Jessica might not do this. Since none of the group have given any indication they can help, Jessica won't hesitate. She fires off two more shots at some of the straggler wolves...

    Then turns about and aims at the Knight's head, doing a double-tap just to be sure.

    At least she isn't smiling when she does it.

    Seeing that the lasers were effective, Svarog repeats the process, backing up to keep Clara safe, firing off heated ray after heated ray into the wolves to thin out there numbers.
    "Ah... There has to be something we can d-"
    Jess mercy kills the Cloud Knight.
    Clara flinches at this but well. Apparently there was nothing else to be done for it.
    

    Back to back is the way to go when against superior numbers! Not literally, of course. Bi De is far too short for that, but the rooster has to defend the hen, doesn't he? It's an instinctive obligation!

    Even if Talia is a hen with claws of her own.

    He focuses on his Aegis, playing defender with an occasional claw swipe, while Talia handles the offense.

    Stelle, March and Welt do a triple-team combo. March's bow twangs, launching an ice arrow. Welt stamps his cane on the ground, causing a burst of gravity to bloom around the Disciple, and Stelle leaps in with a full body swing at the floating Mara Struck's head... the triple threat sends the thing sprawling... and then she giggles maliciously again, and gathers energy into herself as her form begins to disintegrate... this power bursts, and the 'mark' on Talia detonates in sympathy... and has no effect, a flash of light, and nothing else... whatever linkage broke before it could take effect.

    Something, be it the Force itself or Talia's willpower, seems to save her a headache as the mark has no effect on her body. She jumps and slashes a wolf that was rushing Bi De, before she reaches out with a hand. It's like a cannonball blasts the unfortunate wolf thing that Talia aimed her hand at, with how much power she just hurled at it. With that done, she hurls her saber at the Mara Struck like a boomerang.

    It's a good thing whatever that was doesn't hurt Talia.
    With the disciple disintegrating, Svarog storms over.
    He will give a good stomp for good measure to make sure the job is done if he has to while a worried Clara scoots over to Talia.
    "Talia are you alright? Did that do anything? Do I need to get the first aid kit out?"

    Her task complete, Jessica realigns her priorities. She turns her shots toward the Disciple just a little too late, then winces... only for the linkage to have no effect. "Oh, good..." She quickly scans for any remaining wolves, to try taking them down before they can get to March or Clara or the others.

    The flash makes Bi De tense. He felt the connection, briefly, but was too late to do anything about it by the time the mark flared up and... did nothing? That's odd.

    The chicken pauses for a long moment, feeling out Talia with his Qi. He's not a medical specialist like Ri Zu, but if there's something off, perhaps he can warn the Jedi early.

    The last of the wolves fall, bodies disintegrating into that teal-gold dusts. Svarog and Talia ensure the Disciple doesn't do some weird regeneration BS and come back after the sacrifice explosion, scattering the dust far enough apart that it can't coallesce again.

    alia's not in any danger, the mark and any trace of it has vanished alongside the Disciple that made it... perhaps due to the Force, Talia's willpower, or the fact that the outversers are outside the purview of the Paths, it's impossible to tell.

    The Knight still lives, but the lethal shots are winning the fight with his rapidly mutating form. He is dying, and it's not a fast process... every single second his body tries to repair the damage, while more and more vital fluids leak out. "The... Master Diviner's troops... are up ahead..." he croaks out, unmoving save for the faint rise and fall of his chest under his armour. "Don't... waste any more time... on me... I... don't have long left..." he manages to lift his head, turning his visor toward the distant sight of the waygate. "..."

    The Jedi's face colors with confusion as she looks at Clara after all is said and done, the Mara Struck slain. "What? Oh! No no, I'm fine. But thank you, dear."

    Talia catches her lightsaber hilt as it loyally flies back to her hand, and she goes to listen to the knight's last words. She kneels beside him, like a priest giving last rights. "May you find peace with the Force." She whispers softly.

    Then, it's time to go find the waygate.

    Oh good... Clara looks so relieved when Talia says she's fine. But.
    The Cloud Knight is dying.
    "..."
    Clara recognizes that there's likely nothing they could have done for him but it's still a very somber moment for the silver-haired girl.

    Jessica lets out a long sigh. "I hope it wasn't too painful for him. I tried to make it painless!" The catgirl's tail sways in a muted sadness, but she lingers while Talia gives a farewell, then turns toward the gate.

    "We probably shouldn't let his sacrifice go to waste. Everyone ready?"

    Breathing hard, Bi De struts over and bobs his head toward the dying Knight. "Thank you." There's little else he can say for this, but Jessica has the right idea.

    "We should not tarry," he agrees. "If we need a moment's rest, we should, but let us not do so longer than needed to recover our wits."

    Moving onward, Stelle, March and Welt are quiet. March seems most affected by the Knight's death, and Tingyun chimes in. "The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were in hiding for so long... now they finally show their face. Did the master diviner foresee this...?" she asks to no-one. "Be careful, benefactors. THe Disciples of Sanctus Medicus worship Yaoshi(The Abundance), the Plagues Author -- the greatest enemy of the Xianzhou." she sighs softly. "The Alliance has been trying to root them out for millenia -- it's no coincidence that they've chosen this moment to reveal themselves."

    As the group move onward, a pained groan sounds from another battlefield. Discarded corrupted armour lays in human-shaped piles, the former occupands dissolved in death... Cloud Knights however remain, some helmets knocked loose in their final moments, and rictus expression of anguish lock on their faces. The sound comes from a female knight, who turns her head. "Reignbow's blessing... you're not Disciples..." she says, struggling to push herself up... and ripping open a wound that had been sealed by crusted blood... going back down to the ground with a groan.

    Clara follows along as the party moves, frowning as Tingyun explains who these disciples are.
    It makes sense they would choose now to pull off their masks.
    Clara immediately bolts to the wounded knight.
    "Don't move, you'll only make things worse!"
    She has the first aid kit in hand but she can't do much beyond bandage things up...

    "Are there any things we should look out for? Signs of um... infection?" Jessica bites her lip at the unpleasant word, realizing that she is, in fact, one of the ones in this group mst suited to this. She looks around with a little grimace. "If the Diviner saw this, then what was the alternative that would be worse?"

    Talia frowns. This is sounding oddly familiar. She's starting to worry if she's roped herself into yet another war, but her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a wounded Cloud Knight. She produces a neustim syringe before she rushes over to help, jabbing the Knight with that syringe. "Easy, easy. You'll rip your wounds more if you keep doing that!" She says, trying to help the Knight into an upright seated position.

    March joins Talia and Clara, with another, slightly more advanced medical kit. It has wires, and doohickies and deeliebops and everything... it's a model similar to those found in the Overworld on Jarilo-VI, just more up-to-date than the older patterns available. She works alongside the Jedi and young mechanist, and together they stabilize the wounded Knight.

    "Th-Thank you... all of you. I feel much better now." says the Knight as she slowly pushes herself to standing after being patched up. "Thank goodness you're here... the garrison is up ahead, are you heading there now? I'll join you."

    Then, Clara would spot something in her medical kit as she's closing it back up, a strange looking but tiny set of scales, with the central pillar looking like a buff man giving a thumbs up.

    Talia finds one also, when she goes into her pouch that held the Neustim. A tiny golden statuette of a faceless man holding up balanced scales, and giving a thumbs up.