[Nexus] The Black Dragon's Den XIII

[Murkus]

[Inside]

"A curse? Nay. Your understanding is narrow. The Path is great and wide," Rhodes preaches, turning back toward Slightly, holding that curious slagged coin up to the tavern's lamps. Slightly may catch a gleam of starlight in the coin's reflection, hear a whisper of the will eternal. Look too long, and there may come a feeling of... knocking. Knocking - real and true, or madness? - inside his very skull.

The black limbs extending from the Knight's head begin to writhe together. Rhodes shuts his eye, listening, listening... And he sways alone amidst the ruins of the bar.

"I have to leave now."

[Earl of Purple]

Inside

"Regardless, it is not for me." Slightly shivers when he sees the starlight upon the coin, and feels knocking within his skull. He really hopes it isn't a crab-thing trying to break out of his face like it has on Rhodes'.

Slightly is content to let the fight end, and will let Rhodes leave peacefully if that is his desire.

[Recaiden]

[Outside]

"I fear you have missed the point."

The sniper rifle with the silly name is safe. The lines coil around the assault rifle and squeeze. Bend the barrel, snap the mechanisms.

"No one ought to be hurt here who hasn't brought it on themselves."
Which is a very select group containing Starvus and Holly.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outside]

The gun breaks instead into a few pieces, and Holly smiles. "Psyche! Decoy." She tosses the pieces of plastic at Talhila's feet. "You didn't really think I'd pull out a real gun after seeing your lines of force thingy?"‎

She smirks. That's a group that involves Rhodey and Talhila. With her telekinetic ability, she'll have a hard time getting close. Not that she intends to get close.

"So what's the point, then? Tell me." Her eyes are focused on Talhila, but a part of her vision is focused on the goings-on inside‎ the inn. "And maybe when your boyfriend comes out, you can give him a kiss and see what happens." She mocks.‎

[Recaiden]

[Outside]

"It would be consistent with the foresight and consideration you've shown this far."

Tahlia doesn't bother smiling.

"The point is escalation."

[Murkus]

[Inside --> Outside]

Rhodes is surprised that the little demon doesn't come after him again, but he seems more than eager to leave with his prize. He moves carefully past Slightly, the now unconscious Stavrus, and the ruins of the bar counter. Out into the rain again, gentler though it is now.

And he comes face to face with the girls. He still holds his sword. At his hip, a glimpse of the coin can be seen glistening inside a brown pack.

He stares silent, but will eventually speak up if the two women don't react first.

[Earl of Purple]

Inside

Slightly is currently gathering his scattered belongings. There's lots of them, as his wicker basket contained an extradimensional space. It'll take a while to weave another such space and the basket around it, but first he needs to ensure he's got everything. Then he'll check on Stavrus, because he has a shard of mirror amongst his things. The mirror's reflection shows everything with lots of neglect and decay, and creatures it shows are nearly universally dead and rotting, but it can still be used to test for condensation by his nostrils. That will determine if the lizard-person is alive.

Interestingly, Slightly Bizarre himself has a true reflection in the mirror, not one of a dead, maggoty squirrel-corpse.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outside]

Holly shakes her head incredulously and starts to say something when Rhodes shows up once more. She glances between them, and her eyes fall on the coin and hesitantly pull away.

"The only reason I won't reach for my weapon is because lady Deathwish here keeps insisting I've got it all wrong." She raises up her hands. Unarmed, at least seemingly. "So please... tell me what in the hell is going on! Why did lizard-boy try to kill you? Why do you care about the coin so much? And why do you have tentacles coming out of your head? Were you born that way, as telekinetic deathwish here says?"‎ She knows she probably won't like the answer, and will probably get good reason to fusillade him. Hopefully, Tahila'll come round.

Even with the dangers of the gold thing, her like for metallic shinies ensures her eyes keep drifting towards his pouch, occasionally.

[Recaiden]

[Outside]

Tahlia rolls her eyes.

"I didn't say that. But some answers would be in order..."

Then she looks away. She caught a shine of that coin. That's a look too many, she thinks.

[Murkus]

[Outside]

"Your people have amusing names for curls, my lady," says Rhodes, in a particularly flat tone of voice. It is... more at ease, however. As though regaining the coin has stilled something in him. "Why, I was born with naught on my head but this hair. My family is of threaded human stock, though tall and thin are we. Please do not imply otherwise, or I will cut you for but the sake of my name."

"Stavrus... is misguided. As were most at the grand palaver. That foul place of dealing. Back-alley sellers. Walkers in the rough. The lost," explains Rhodes. His armor is still very colorfully stained with the blood of those many pathless folk. "I sent them up the Path a ways. Such was necessary, to retrieve this," Rhodes pats his hip pack. "Stavrus was the salesman, merely. Sought to relieve himself of the coin. Who could wish to do that? I had but a moment's glimpse, and... and..."

"The power hurts me," Rhodes admits, touching the place where the blackness has sprouted from his skull and feeling none of it. "But I suspect it will pass. As will it for my order. The others must know! Must see what I have seen! We are small, and dwindling, an old order, but..."


Inside, meanwhile, it's easy enough to discover that Stavrus is still alive. The mirror condensates with each weak rise and fall of Stavrus's chest. He seems to have fainted, however.

[Earl of Purple]

Inside

If he's unconscious, then hopefully he'll wake up. Slightly's a little too small to do much to encourage wakefulness, so will sit nearby, after taking his helmet off and piling it with his other things, waiting. Whilst he waits, he plucks five hairs from his tail and some straw from a burst cushion, and starts to weave a new basket. He's humming as he works, and his fur begins to glow. There's a dead spot on one of his fingers that doesn't glow; or rather, it would glow, but the tiny gold ring on the finger is absorbing the light and a little of the magic.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outside]

Holly folds her arms and listens, glancing at Tahila when he implies there's nothing on his face. Even she can't be that deluded as to agree... can she? At this point, Holly wouldn't put it past her.

But wait, there's more like him? People of this path that will cut anyone down that disagrees with them? And letting him go will mean the rest of the buttholes will get submitted to those tentacled things? Why didn't he say so before?

She raises up her hands, smiling strangely. "I see. You'll get no resistance from me, then." Anything to screw over 'righteous extremist types'. "The others should know, I agree. They're more worthy than any of us here are. Make sure they get a reaaaaal gooood glimpse." The consequences of that could make things far worse, but she doesn't care. They have it coming.

She had begun to pull out a mirror when he first started speaking, but on hearing what he plans, she decides not to show him his face. He might catch a glimpse, however.

[Recaiden]

[Outside]

"Well, miss, it looks like you were right."

Tahlia gives a nod to Holly, and turns to focus on the knight.

"Between heaven, and hell..." Tahlia starts in a whisper, quickly getting louder. It's probably several kinds of heresy to say, but she hopes it will have an impact. Holly doesn't even have a weapon out. She can focus on Rhodes, this poor puppet. He is not merely misguided; he's manipulated. "Between the will, and the fire... Across the sea of night. The Path. The Path. The Path. My steps are not Guided, but I can see-"

She blinks, and unleashes her thoughts - a strike from an invisible hammer, aimed at the blackness crawling on his face.

"Yours have strayed."

[Murkus]

[Outside]

The people here are so strange. Holly seems at first ready to let him leave, and yet... Tahlia. Rhodes' eyes widen as she begins to repeat the Knight's litany at him, surprised she remembered. The Knight begins to move as she finishes the ritual words, but an unseen force strikes him, and with a vicious crunch he reels to one side.

Rhodes finds support on the archway of the Black Dragon's entrance. Most of the little limbs poking from his skull have been broken. Still it lives, but with as many blows as it has taken...

"It is a shame," Rhodes murmurs, the vitality in his voice waning. He hefts his sword. "You have a voice for scripture. I take no pleasure in this."

And in an instant, Rhodes moves again. Perhaps this time not too fast to stop. Otherwise Tahlia may find herself lacking a head to puzzle things out with any longer.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outside]

"No drek."

When Rhodes goes for Talhila's head, Holly parkours up the nearest building, sits down on the edge, folds her arms and watches, the smile never leaving her face. She finds herself wishing Rhodes doesn't miss.

Tahila has it coming.‎

[Recaiden]

[Outside]

Not too fast to stop, nudging the sword out of the way. Not so slow as to be easy to handle. Tahlia seems to have kept her head, but acquired a bloody if shallow wound and a terrible haircut.

That voice that's good for scripture is crying out in pain - and what is there to say to Rhodes if it weren't?

Holly? Unimportant. Why this is happening? Unimportant. That Rhodes doesn't know what's going on? Unimportant.
That poor foolish lizard was right. They just have to stop the knight before he kills too many more people.
She moves one hand - grabbing and pulling at nothing - and the motions are repeated several times over as that unseen energy tries to rip the black thing from out of his head.

[Murkus]

[Outside]

Rhodes' blade is so swift that the blood from Tahlia's head wound is dispersed before he completes his swing, but he can't quite complete another attack before he's hammered with psychic tugs.

"No!" He howls, in a voice no longer his own. He slaps a hand to his head and pushes down on the growth, seeming to react only on instinct (or the black growth's directions) when Tahlia tears at its moorings. He grits his teeth and swings, with but one hand, this time far slower than the last. A downward chop. To hit some part of Tahlia. Any part. Make her stop.

Could Rhodes see beyond the crimson-black rage seething in his heat at the moment, he would give his thanks to Tahlia. She gave him so many a chance... and tried so hard to save him. But there will be no thanks, no kind how-do-you-do. With the look on Rhodes snarling face, he may not be seeing Tahlia as a person at all by this point.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outside]
‎
'Hmm... do I help or not? Better flip a coin.' Holly thinks to herself, pulling out a coin while the two squabble violently.
‎
"Drek." Holly frowns when it lands on heads, then pulls out a real assault rifle this time and takes aim. She's so good she doesn't need a scope or to spend too much time, but she drags things on just as payback for Tahila getting in her way earlier.‎

Yeah, she's vindictive. Not that she intends to help Tahila in the first place, though.‎

She doesn't fire this post... not unless Talhila refuses to leave Rhodes alone, then she'll fire some silenced rounds at the meddling lady's feet. Let pretty boy go and destroy his stuck-up order, dammit!

"Who's the one deserving of hurt right now? Leave him be."

Though, now that she's seen Tahila's capabilities, she activates her full-body shield so she won't be able to crush her weapon... not for a few rounds, at least.‎

[Recaiden]

[Outside]

She feels the sword parting the air again. Clumsy. Slow. Her thoughts push in to sow it down even further. The sword should move like it's slicing through butter. Now like it's dragging through tar. Finally like it's stuck in a stone. Still a few inches from striking her shoulder - was it ever on target to do that?

"Y-"

Tahlia doesn't really have the breathe to spare speaking. It was foolish to try.
The psychic forces tug on the sword - can he hold it in his hand and the black growth to his head?

[Murkus]

[Outside]

Rhodes is without recourse. He reaches for his sword, wrapping an armored hand around the base of the blade. With a mighty pull he wrenches it back toward himself, unwilling to lose his closest companion, but... the involuntary protection of the black growth can't be maintained.

There is a terrific tearing as the entity is drug out, roots and all, writhing shapelessly. Rhodes' eyes bulge, then his face slackens. His gaze clouds as he clutches his weapon to himself, mouth hanging open dully, and with a final teetering crash he topples backwards onto the cobblestones of the dock-streets outside the Den.

Still he bears the marks of corruption, on his face and down his neck. He is a horror in death, face a rictus of anguish, yet...

"...hark, the knocking of the King," says the dead man, hands holding his sword against his stomach in a warrior's funerary pose. His face twitches, and his mouth moves machine-like, eyes open terrifically wide. "See his signs. Know his face. Warn the worlds of his coming... O, the thunder of his hand at the door... I have strayed..."

Rhodes may have some instants of life remaining. Though if he isn't spoken to his speech may devolve further into murmured litany.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outside]

Holly watches the happenings, Rhodes having the growth ripped out from him before she can fire suppressive fire at Tahila.

When Rhodes adopts the warrior funeral pose, however, Holly grows serious, puts her weapon away and drops down to Rhodes side and puts her arm on his. No matter any grievances between them, he was a soldier as well, and she feels a tiny spark of kinship.

"Bad way to get geeked. I guess you'll never show your order the 'new way', then." *At this point, she grasps her dog-tags and exhales, then pulls out a gun. "Tell us what happened, and I'll give you a soldier's death."

[Recaiden]

In the end, he made the right choice. The knight's devotion, even to his sword, was stronger than that thing's hold on him.

Tahlia in taking breath in gasps, all the panic that should have happened and the calm that comes after happening at once. She puts a hand to her head, and then takes it away quickly when she feels the blood.

"You are- dying. But finally you- have- found the Path- again."

Is it better to die by a weapon than to finally end from having that filth removed? Maybe. Not for her to say.

[Murkus]

[Outside]

"There is no more to tell," he says, perhaps to Holly and perhaps to no one at all. He may better respond to something more specific, but... he does seem to notice the use of the word Path. He even looks at Tahlia. "My road is at an ending. My wretched feet tread it no more."

[Cyber Punk]

[Outside]

Holly nods. "Your road ended when you threw a table at me. Unless you don't remember your actions under that fragging parasite's influence."

She then presses her gun to Rhodes' temple. "Any objections?" She asks Tahila. If the answer is negative, she'll pull the trigger.

[Recaiden]

[Outside]

"See his signs. Know his face. Rest now."

Tahlia has nothing to say to Holly. More importantly - is there anything left of the blackness and its claws, that she ripped away? She turns to where it would have fallen, and if a hint of life is in the thing, tries to crush it.

[Murkus]

[Outside]

In his last moments, the final spark of intuition, the terrifying realization that Tahlia has perhaps misinterpreted his warnings for more battle-prayers. He looks at her desperately, fearing, fearing what he has seen, and pleads, "Destroy the coin. Destroy the coin! If you cannot, o child, find those who ca--"

The report of a pistol, a minute spray of blood. Silence.

The Knight goes to the next leg of the Path.

His corruptor, when Tahlia turns, is immobile. A mound of useless darkness.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outside]

Holly slowly holsters her weapon when the deed is done, then closes the knight's eyes with her hands. "If there's an afterlife, may you find what you're looking for. I may hate religious knight types, but even I can recognize a fellow soldier, even one at the other end of my gun."

She gets up slowly, but not before feeling for and grabbing the bag on Rhodes' waist, looking at it as little as possible. "I'm guessing telekinetically snapping this drek won't work, so I'll take care of it. What will you do now, babe?" She asks Tahila, putting out her cigarette and lighting up another one.

[Recaiden]

[Outside]

"I'm going to get my head bandaged."

Tahlia starts trudging back towards the Den.

"But first, I've got a lizard to talk to. Insulting me I can forgive. Lying about the coin, I will not."

There's not actually a lot of talking planned.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outside]

Holly pauses for a moment, then follows Tahila. "Now, this I gotta see." She smiles to herself, pulling out a weapon. "Keep in mind, also, that I can bandage your head."

When they get inside, Holly decides to take the initiative in waking up the immobile lizard. This is done by kicking him in the ribs. "Hey. Lizard. Get up!" At the last word, she grabs him by his shirt and lifts him up the floor.

[Murkus]

[Outside --> ]

And back in they go!

"Hhhnn-ahh..." Stavrus groans as he's hefted into the air, his broken legs dangling beneath him. He blinks at the girls, eyes bloodshot, strained. "I-Is it over?"