Foxside: The Temple of Inari 51

[Rebonack]

[Sanctuary]

Red makes a pouting noise at Happy when she wisely follows the advice of the narrator.

Good call, Happy!

"Fiiine. You're no fun at all."

You probably don't want to know what she was planning on doing with that blood.

Anywho!

The hemomagus departs!

[Lord Magtok]

Sanctuary

"The Temple of Inari, Sophia. I thought I'd fooled Marciano, and made a mistake, and it cost your life. It won't happen again, okay?" Magtok explains, as he tries to help Sophia up an into a rib-aching hug I think he means making mistakes is what's going to stop happening. He's already guilty of betting someone else's life in a conflict with Marciano a second time, after all. That's why Caelynn is here.

Speaking of Caelynn, he looks over Sophia's shoulder at her, and then down towards the floor. He knows full well that cutting the catgirl's head off was his own ghastly idea, but maybe now isn't the best time and place to be talking about that. There are things that the clergy of Inari really don't need to know about what he's been up to.

"We should probably get back to the MagCave. Get everyone secure, and then send the cavalry after Marciano."

[Fenric]

[Party]

-- Sanctuary --

Myobi rubs her temples and is about to go home, then Susan comes in. She looks up and smiles

Greetings, neighbor: the blessings of Inari be upon you. What can we do for you tonight?

[Ionbound]

[Party-Sanctuary]

Susan nods and says, "Um...Hello. Uh, my...Friend...Died. I'm not entirely sure why, but you guys can resurrect her, right?"

[Recaiden]

[Sanctuary]

It was a pretty mysterious death, I'll give her that.
If they have some way of telling, the body all wrapped up in red robes cannot just be brought back. Its soul is damaged.

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

Myobi winces, and nods.

I am sorry to hear that. I am going to have to call someone else to help, though: I have done about as much as I can for one evening.

A moment later, Noriko is here. She is of similar build and size to Myobi, but her fur is dark charcoal gray with lighter accents on her throat and chest and her eyes are the more usual golden-amber of a fox. She is wearing a black dress with a silvery sheen.

Noriko pats Myobi on the shoulder

I've got this, Myobi: go get some rest.

Then she turns to examine Skye's body

So... what've we got here? Something's messed this poor girl up pretty badly. Any idea what happened?

---

---

[Vulpine Empire Outpost]

Deep in the mountains, at the head of a pass leading to a valley that ends in the great Sea of Sand beyond, the last outpost of the Vulpine Empire still remains. And after the recent spate of attacks against the Temple of Inari, it's busier than it has been in half a decade.

The illusion that once hid the great wall and gate across the path is gone, and the solid metal structure with its two cannon turrets is once more clearly visible. The bridge leading to the facility has been repaired, and the glamour that hid the exit from highway 101 (on the Inside-to-Clawgrave stretch) and the first few miles of road is removed: instead, there is a clear exit, a barricade, and a checkpoint building with a small parking lot.

Patrol craft cross the sky at irregular intervals and patterns, surprisingly quiet but hardly stealthy.

[happyturtle]

Sanctuary - Caelynn and Sophia and Happy and Magtok

... Oh, hello. Where... Am I, exactly?
Sophia asks sleepily, sitting up slowly.



What the hell Happy?! I mean, I get that it was necessary, but still!
Caelynn demands as she is resurrected, not batting an eye at the action as she sits up in a kneel.

Sanctuary

"The Temple of Inari, Sophia. I thought I'd fooled Marciano, and made a mistake, and it cost your life. It won't happen again, okay?" Magtok explains, as he tries to help Sophia up an into a rib-aching hug I think he means making mistakes is what's going to stop happening. He's already guilty of betting someone else's life in a conflict with Marciano a second time, after all. That's why Caelynn is here.

Speaking of Caelynn, he looks over Sophia's shoulder at her, and then down towards the floor. He knows full well that cutting the catgirl's head off was his own ghastly idea, but maybe now isn't the best time and place to be talking about that. There are things that the clergy of Inari really don't need to know about what he's been up to.

"We should probably get back to the MagCave. Get everyone secure, and then send the cavalry after Marciano."

Happy puts her hands up - the same posture she used when she was approaching Caelynn on the roof. "Go ahead. Take the shot - that was definitely dirty."

[Solidarity]

[Vulpine Empire Outpost]

Deep in the mountains, at the head of a pass leading to a valley that ends in the great Sea of Sand beyond, the last outpost of the Vulpine Empire still remains. And after the recent spate of attacks against the Temple of Inari, it's busier than it has been in half a decade.

The illusion that once hid the great wall and gate across the path is gone, and the solid metal structure with its two cannon turrets is once more clearly visible. The bridge leading to the facility has been repaired, and the glamour that hid the exit from highway 101 (on the Inside-to-Clawgrave stretch) and the first few miles of road is removed: instead, there is a clear exit, a barricade, and a checkpoint building with a small parking lot.

Patrol craft cross the sky at irregular intervals and patterns, surprisingly quiet but hardly stealthy.

Hiding in the shadows of the treeline a good distance away from the checkpoint building Mark's gaze slowly scans the area. Orders fresh in mind, the wizard starts to gather what he can from the setup. Buildings mean people. People are an issue. Not that a whole lot was possible due to the patrol crafts zooming by every so often. After an attempt to detect any magic from the immediate area, he'll turn to his partner.

"Any clue how we could get past those aircrafts? The hull's too shiny for me to cast anything on them." he whispers to Fade.

[Lost_Deep]

Sanctuary-Later

Some time shortly after the party, a song is heard. It doesn't have words, and the notes seem to blur together, but for all its oddity it is a beautiful song. The question of the source is answered when Chesepeak enters the Sanctuary, followed by a large amount of wood wrapped in Chesepeak's pink magical aura. It's the same kind of wood that makes up the sanctuary, and when Chesepeak gets inside the song changes. The wood swirls around her, splits apart, and then heads for the various breaks in the sanctuary's structure. The new wood beams partially fuse with the old ones, before the unneeded parts peel off to go somewhere else. The end result is like restoration, the beams restored to like new and none of the wood is wasted. The song has more properties on the walls themselves, and they are repaired to their best state. Works of art are restored, and after Chesepeak finishes in the sanctuary she heads to other parts of the temple that need repairs, doing her best to fix them in the same way.

[Arkhosia]

Sanctuary - Caelynn and Sophia and Happy and Magtok





Happy puts her hands up - the same posture she used when she was approaching Caelynn on the roof. "Go ahead. Take the shot - that was definitely dirty."

Caelynn obliges and swings a left hook at Happy's jaw... Only to have her wrist grabbed by Sophia as she gets up.
This isn't necessary. Happy may have killed you, but it was to make sure you survived in the end of this. Her going out of the way and getting a priestess to resurrect you is enough of a redeemer for her action.
With that she drops Caelynn's wrist
Fair enough. Thanks for knocking some sense into me.
Caelynn then turns to Magtok, other things on her mind than this.
Is Alexis okay?
She sounds rightfully worried.

[Lord Magtok]

Sanctuary

Magtok looks on in approval as Sophia stops the punch before he can complain about how silly and unnecessary it is. Good girl, stepping in before Happy gets bruised or counters and knocks Caelynn senseless because of Magtok's stupid (and yet wildly successful) idea.

"Alexis is fine, back at the MagCave. Unless Marciano suddenly has invisible ninja assassins who can break through teleblocks, emit no body heat, pass through room after room without a heartbeat, and instinctively know exactly which room to look for Alexis in, I'm sure I would've heard by now if there was any sort of threat against her whatsoever." Magtok's exaggerating; his security is nowhere near that perfect, but someone would've surely triggered a silent alarm by now. Even Alexis herself is being watched in case she inexplicably feels like running away and getting killed.

"Really though, can we please go?" The temple was already hit once, and while Magtok would never admit to it here, where the foxpeople can hear him, he doesn't feel the slightest bit safe or secure here. Marciano knows they would go here; it'd be too easy for him to try to catch up and ambush them. Unlikely that he'd do that, but Mag still doesn't like taking those kinds of chances.

[happyturtle]

Sanctuary

Happy wouldn't hit back! That would negate the entire principle of the free punch!


"Yes. Let's. I could do with.... Well, maybe a water hose and a spare set of robes. I don't want to track blood all through your place."

[Fenric]

Sanctuary-Later

Some time shortly after the party, a song is heard. It doesn't have words, and the notes seem to blur together, but for all its oddity it is a beautiful song. The question of the source is answered when Chesepeak enters the Sanctuary, followed by a large amount of wood wrapped in Chesepeak's pink magical aura. It's the same kind of wood that makes up the sanctuary, and when Chesepeak gets inside the song changes. The wood swirls around her, splits apart, and then heads for the various breaks in the sanctuary's structure. The new wood beams partially fuse with the old ones, before the unneeded parts peel off to go somewhere else. The end result is like restoration, the beams restored to like new and none of the wood is wasted. The song has more properties on the walls themselves, and they are repaired to their best state. Works of art are restored, and after Chesepeak finishes in the sanctuary she heads to other parts of the temple that need repairs, doing her best to fix them in the same way.

The day shift NPC priestess looks on in wonder

Chesepeak? That's amazing! I didn't know you could do that!

[Arkhosia]

Sanctuary

Happy wouldn't hit back! That would negate the entire principle of the free punch!


"Yes. Let's. I could do with.... Well, maybe a water hose and a spare set of robes. I don't want to track blood all through your place."

Sophia nods, and presumably all four depart soon!

[Zefir]

[Vulpine Empire Outpost]


Hiding in the shadows of the treeline a good distance away from the checkpoint building Mark's gaze slowly scans the area. Orders fresh in mind, the wizard starts to gather what he can from the setup. Buildings mean people. People are an issue. Not that a whole lot was possible due to the patrol crafts zooming by every so often. After an attempt to detect any magic from the immediate area, he'll turn to his partner.

"Any clue how we could get past those aircrafts? The hull's too shiny for me to cast anything on them." he whispers to Fade.

[Vulpine Empire Outpost]

Fade just looks at 'his partner', normaly he works alone.

"This is your first time?" he assks in his soundless voice. Since everyone is far away Fade doesn't see the need to whisper.
"For once I would wait for the night. I can hide in the shadows and pass the wall. Still that wouldn't help you. Maybe you try to become a part of this group?"

[Fenric]

[Vulpine Empire Outpost]

Evening comes quickly in the mountains: traffic dies down and the checkpoint gradually fades to a single floodlight and one sleepy sentry watching Inside TV.

The patrols continue, but they are not allowed to shine bright lights down onto the highway: so the fighters turn their lights off a good distance away from the road.

At night, it should be easy to follow the access road up to the base at the very least!

---

[Temple in General]

The stories and gossip of Chesepeak's efforts spread like wildfire, and a guest in the hospital offers up a prayer

Gracious Chesepeak, helper of those in need, my wholehearted thanks and devotion are yours! Praised be your name, Chesepeak: most gracious of helpers and friend in time of need.

[Ionbound]

[Sanctuary]

Susan swallows and says, "Um...I don't know. She just kind of keeled over. It was really weird. We were just talking and then...She died."

[Recaiden]

[Sanctuary]

The deceased did mention feeling cold right before dying. Although that might have been a side effect of dying, and not related to the cause.

[Lost_Deep]

Sanctuary-Later

The day shift NPC priestess looks on in wonder

Chesepeak? That's amazing! I didn't know you could do that!

Chesepeak beams. "Seeing this place so broken made me feel sad, and after helping everyone else I decided to help the place itself. The more I help, the more I can help! That's how it works!"

...You know, Chesepeak has never been tired out by helping. Ever. She gets lethargic and dull on new moons, but she has never been tired out by doing things.

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary - Earlier]

Noriko frowns, and tries to sort what people actually told her from details that come to her unbidden

Uh... So she complained about being cold, and you were in a desert, and the fire went out, and somebody named Ashna turned into a pony.

She tilts her head

What is it with these ponies, anyway? Um... and now she's broken.

then she frowns

Um... "hot" isn't really my thing, you know? Shadows are known for cold... unless she wants Cryofire - that I could manage!

---

[Sanctuary-Later]

The priestess nods

Truly! And thank you so much!

[Ionbound]

[Sanctuary - Earlier]

Susan shakes her head and says, "I have no idea...She just died...I don't really know a whole lot about her."

[Rebonack]

[Party!]

It's a party because Punch and Sunder have returned!

And they brought a guest!

Sunder has on her back a wombat in a really snappy looking suit.

Which is...

Weird.

Probably not the weirdest thing that has happened recently, but still weird.

"Hey! We found that Agent who was poisoning the water. And it totally isn't our fault that she's a wombat, either. Whoever decided to give the sympathy dimension a glass jaw really should have considered building it out of sterner stuff."

A beat.

"Oh, and some kind of spooky disembodied voice who was rambling about fate or something probably escaped from the cave if that matters."

[Lost_Deep]

Party!

"Most likely. It might be dead, but it this kind of thing you need to check," Punch adds, "or assume the worst if you can't."

[Fenric]

[Party - Not Dead Yet!]

Felina tilts her head a the returned pair

You turned her into a ... wombat? And you broke the universe? Do you never do anything without breaking something? And you let someone go... I will check who else was in that place.

She concentrates a moment, then groans

The Minister of Fate! Oh, by the goddess...It's my fault! I didn't know that was the same place. The Minister of Fate: a god of such power that we all usually try our very best to avoid him! He can take your scroll and erase it, and then it is as if you never existed at all. He doesn't just kill people, he kills them retroactively to the moment of their conception! He can change a word on your scroll, and your entire life will have followed a different path!

She shakes her head

He can change what you perceived... there aren't many people more frightening!

---

[Sanctuary]

Noriko frowns and looks at Skye

Ok... well...

And then she concentrates on a Raise Dead, but tries to bring in a good deal of fiery energy... except it is Negative, and therefore Cryofire rather than fire.

[Rebonack]

[Party!]

To the question regarding the breaking of things, Sunder replies with a simple, "Nope."

What?

It's true.

Breaking things is what she does best.

She picks up the wombat with her mane and deposits the creature on the ground. It's up to the foxes what to do with her now. Then comes the rather concerning description of the Minister of Fate. "Sounds like a jerk. And that sounds like a bunch of time-travel crap to me. Everyone knows time travel is utter bunk."

Hehe...

That's a pretty silly thing to say in the Nexus.

[Lost_Deep]

To the question regarding the breaking of things, Punch also replies with a simultaneous, "Nope."

She got into the nexus by breaking things that shouldn't be broken. She met Sunder by breaking things that shouldn't be broken. She saved Sunder's life by breaking things that shouldn't be broken. She's not going to stop now.

"I've already punched destiny once. Still, I had better leave a message to Minute. Maybe she can help with timey-stuff." Punch gets out a funny round device that looks like a cross between a crab and a cell phone. She pops it open and starts typing.

[Fenric]

[Party!]

Felina shakes her head

He is a jerk! That's the point! And time-travel is crap, of course it is... but he... kills who you really are? I don't know how to explain it better...

He'll go kill your you.

She looks very concerned, for what it's worth.

[Rebonack]

[Party!]

"As much as this all sounds like nonsense, if he made me or Punch stop existing, then no one would have stopped by to let him out of his cave," Sunder points out. "That's why this messing with time nonsense is a steaming heap of ****. It causes paradoxes and stuff."

Clearly Sunder doesn't know about Paradox Space.

"Anyway. What do we need to do? Go sock this new clown in the face? Or just politely tell him to mind his own bucking business?"

Well.

Sunder certainly isn't in Sweet Spring mode right now, is she?

Also? She doesn't seem too concerned over the prospect of punching a self-proclaimed god.

[Recaiden]

[Sanctuary]

The dead Skye twitches, and then takes a quick, gasping breath.
A great deal of heat should be drained out of the room into her, very quickly. Her robe frosts over as she returns to life.

[Lost_Deep]

Party!

"Yeah, seems like the best thing to do would be to find him and then beat him to a bloody pulp before he can break anything."

Uh...

"Time paradoxes can break space and time permanently, this is an issue and is always bad. I know a little about them."