lostcarnival | ⇨ THE WYLDLANDS

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⇨ THE WYLDLANDS

Who: Everyone pursuing the Huntsman.
When: Day 134 - Day 140
Where: The Wyldlands
What: Working as scouts from the Summer armies, the carnival makes a dangerous trek into the Wyldlands to find the Huntsman, defeat him, and save the Ringmaster from the Hunt. The day descriptions below are an outline, and details may change based on actions earlier in the week. Overall, though, it will keep the same general locations. You can make up encounters with Wylderkin at any time.
Warnings: Probably violence and gross Huntsman stuff.

HUNTING THE HUNTER↴

Upon first arriving in the Wyldlands, the carnival will find themselves in a scene much like the picture above - strange mountain ranges rise up around them, while thick forest cling to the land between. Every so often, giant silhouettes of Wyld Fae will fly overhead. Thankfully, the Summer Fae have picked an area with plenty of cover to hide in to begin their infiltration, and as the carnival is arriving via teleporation, there will be squadrons of Summerland and Summer Court Fae spreading out and concealing themselves within the trees. They will be following the carnival's trail as they move deeper into the Wyldlands, looking for their guidance to avoid the maw of the Hunt.

The carnival Supervisors will be given several golden scrolls that unfurl into small light elementals. These will transmit information between the Summer armies and the carnival at speeds similar to sending a text message. They takes various forms, but most of them are abstract motes of light with wings and tails. When delivering messages, they take the form and voice of whoever gave the message, like a custom hologram that disappears immediately after finishing.

After the carnival has been debriefed one more time, they will be sent off ahead to begin their scouting duties. Through a mixture of augury and expertise, the Summer Fae have narrowed down an area the Huntsman should be, as well as designated a general route that will mostly have ground cover. Who knows if it will stay that way, though, with how quickly the Wyldlands change. Much like in the Summer Court, time here is subjective - all sense of time varies between individuals, and the only solid way of knowing when a day is over is to have the light from the sky disappear. All time pieces will perform erratically while here.

The carnival will still need to eat and rest, as well, which means that they will have to figure out the best times to set up camp. They have sufficient rations, at least.

► DAY 134: The carnival heads deeper into the forest on the first day of their scouting mission, told to head for a giant tree that they can see on the horizon. Apparently, this tree is a landmark that will remain consistent for the time being. Someone will have to check above the canopy every so often to keep everyone on target, which risks gaining the attention of flying Wyld Fae. There are plenty of Wylderkin around (lesser Wyld Fae that behave more like standard fantasy animals) but overall the journey through this section will not be hugely perilous, as long as they remain cautious and hidden. There will be a Megathread on this day, dealing with some optional and only mildly important Summer Court NPC interactions.

► DAY 135: Early during the next day of travelling, the forest will begin to fill with more and more magical fungi until giant shrooms have almost completely replaced the trees. At first they will seem innocuous, but as their presence becomes more inescapable, it will gradually become apparent than many of the mushrooms are poisonous to the touch - and eating them will be far worse! Those with empathetic connections to plants may be able to determine which are poisonous and which aren't, while some fungi may even have beneficial effects, if they get lucky enough to find and identify them. Generally speaking, though, there are few non-plant creatures around here, due to the fact that everything is toxic, including the swampy water that covers large sections of the ground. There will be no mod directed interactions during this period, besides handling general investigations.

► DAY 136: During the middle of this day, the carnival will finally reach the giant tree. On one hand, the plant-life has become relatively safe again. On the other, the giant tree is the lair of several neutral Wyld Fae who probably won't like the carnival's presence. On the other other hand, maybe those Wyld Fae might be willing to help or offer them directions? It's up to the group to decide if they want to attempt diplomacy, or to stealth past the tree and find their own way. There will be a Megathread on this day, based on however the team decides to handle it.

► DAY 137: Past the area surrounding the big tree, the lush foliage of the forest will begin degrading until nothing is left but dark naked trunks filled with glowing pods of various sizes. It's here that those with a connection to the Hunt will start to get a sense of the Huntsman's presence, and will be drawn in a vague direction. Unfortunately, this will also be their first major brush with the Hunt itself. Hunt patrols skirmish with neutral Wyld Fae in this forest, and the collateral damage of their warfare can be seen all over. The carnival will want to either map out a path through the trees that the fighting can be avoided for the sake of the Summer troops, or give them enough data to be able to handle the threat. How this portion goes will partly depend on the outcome of the previous day's Megathread.

► DAY 138: The forest will open up into the beginnings of a mountain range, with flowing water, luminescent plant life, and the occasional cluster of crystals sprouting from the earth. There are large parties of Hunt controlled Wyld Fae patrolling this area, and so making it through will require careful navigation. As the path becomes more and more mountainous, it will be possible to find routes that mostly avoid the patrols - this information will need to be communicated back to the Summer troops. There will be a Megathread here dealing with a Hunt patrol encounter.

► DAY 139: The mountains will continue to steepen, and the crystal formations will grow more huge and consistent. The air is always cloudy, and the air condition is bad, making it harder to breathe. Weather will become more and more unfavorable the higher into the mountains the carnival gets, with cold winds and lightning that frequently strikes the crystals and causes them to send out bursts of destructive energy. Paths will occasionally crumble. There is still a heavy Hunt presence, here, though they keep to safer trails - the best way to avoid them may indeed be taking the most dangerous routes. It's probably better than being mauled to death by beasts, though. Some distant mountain tops look like the might be volcanoes. There is almost no plant-life here, besides the most stubborn of brambles. By this point, the pull of the Huntsman has grown much stronger.

► DAY 140: The sky clears enough to show a deep red skyline. Barren cliffs are punctuated with rivers of lava, and paradoxically vibrant trees and foliage in erratic spurts. The those in the carnival with a connection to the Hunt will find themselves drawn to a valley in the center of the rocks, absolutely filled with Wyld Fae and other slaves gathered from around the multiverse. This will be the final encounter, and the carnival may have to trust in their Wyld Fae disguises to make it through. There will be multiple Megathreads here, detailing the encounter with the Huntsman and bringing this log to an end.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Peridot skids to a halt with a yelp, stopping a ways off from Syr.

It's a chilling sight. The bony paw, the massive wings. It's hard to reconcile the image of the Ringmaster they used to know with the beast looming in the fog.

"Ringmaster! Stop! It's us, we're here to help you!" she cries, knowing full well there's no way that will be enough to get through to her. Mostly she's trying to draw attention away from Syr.

"RINGMASTER-!" One more shout, and then there are the eyes. There are the claws, the same force shaking the walls forcing Carly to stop her run. She flinches- but sniffing, she stands straight despite obvious despair and fear, a hand at her chest.

"Mnh... ...Ringmaster," she calls, trying to bring strength into her words. "...I... ...I know, you already knew we were coming...Maybe not 'we' specifically," she manages, "...but I know... ...And I know, you're also the 'Phoenix', or were," she continues. "...So I don't know how much you remember completely... ...But I know that even without memory, you've always been you!"

Portland proved it- even if she didn't experience much of that version of the 'Great Beast' (or 'Beast' as it were) herself, it still proved it. "...I..."

Carly chokes on her words, the pressure around her bringing her typical hover to a grounded and almost unfamiliar stance. For a moment she can't come up with the words to say.

Desperately, she forces herself to find some. "...There's so much death in the air," she manages with a sniff. "...So much...Negativity," Carly continues. "...I wish I could clear it, the way you did for me...I wish I could just say one thing, and hear you laugh," she chokes, wiping her eyes. "Hear you speak again..! ...Because even if you take a different name...Even if you forget me, and everyone else, that happiness is something that you should never have to give up..! And that happiness..."

Her hand covers the mark upon her front- a sigil, almost like an egg. The sigil in itself does nothing.

But her hand opens, and moves forward, holding a token that was presented to her and the other supervisors what feels like 'forever' ago.

"...I would give anything, to let you have that happiness again, Ringmaster..! All my heart..all my soul...for so much more than just one year..!"

“For fuck’s sake—” Lambert curses as others rush on ahead, then glances to anyone else who hasn’t immediately run forward.

“Keep an eye out. Somehow, I don’t think that door’s the only thing Winter’s messing with.”

The sound of raised voices in the distance and something hitting the earth has him flexing his fingers, raising a hand to summon and hold up — what else? — a sword of flaming light, Creation’s warmth radiating out a short distance around it. If they’re surrounded by Death itself, he figures, maybe this’ll at least help push it back.

He moves forward to join the others, alert, ready to teleport and yank away anyone who might be at risk of being crushed by a massive paw, but he doesn’t contribute any yelling of his own for once, since everyone else has that well covered for now.

Edited 2019-02-17 05:42 (UTC)

Rita catches Ignatius's look, and there's a flicker of apprehension in her expression as she comprehends the weight of what that reaction of his means.

She tightly grips the handle of her weapon, the electric whip she found in Polaris, and takes a few cautious steps forward. She doesn't activate it just yet, nor does she seem to be in a hurry to join those who've run ahead. Rita proceeds cautiously, keeping her third eye peeled for any sudden changes in the magic around them.

"Yep..." Zangetsu responds to Sans with a lazy drawl, hefting his sword over his shoulder and padding back toward the frozen bone door. "I smell an ambush. That, or they're tryin' ta seal us in here with that nasty-ass gas."

He drops into a kendo pose, knees bent and both hands on his sword's hilt. He shoos Kuro out of the way with his foot. "Let's just see what we can do about that."

He knows good and well this is no normal ice, and it's going to take a lot to get through it -- time to give this his all while Team Friendship tries their best to bring the Ringmaster to her senses. He cloaks the blade in black and red energy, and starts wailing on the ice.

One of the pokéballs on Kuro's collar opens of its own accord, and Nosh the flygon appears in bright light. Zangetsu seems surprised, but then the dragon unleashes a plume of purple and blue Dragonbreath on the ice. He chuckles to himself and goes back to slashing, hoping to chip through the ice.

The second that Peridot starts to run in, Steven (and, by proxy, Lion and Amethyst) are going in too. Lion seems very on edge about the whole thing, but in a 'it's time to fight' kind of way. Steven is on edge, too, but more in the vein of being afraid that everyone is going to melt or something.

Ever since they came in there, he's been able to sense the Ringmaster's emotions. She's confused and aggressive... the Huntsman must be pressuring her, an everyone flocking in is probably triggering some kind of instinctive reaction.

"Don't get too close!" Steven calls out, relieved to see Syrlya vanish away instead of getting ground into the earth. "She feels like she's being attacked!"

Because she is, in reality, but it's mentally instead of physically.

"Amethyst," he explains more quietly, "I'm going to try something, and it might be dangerous, so..."

Maybe she shouldn't stay sitting on him.

The fog is thicker here, and its effects are, too. It's an oppressive feeling of decay, and what was an itch will begin to turn to full out pain. It affects the full body, regardless of breath, regardless of physical makeup. To organics, it feels like exhaustion and aging, and to spirits and gems, it could feel like an erosion of their very being.

It's all too clearly coming from the Great Beast herself. It comes from her wings and out of her mouth like smoke, filling the air around them. She's the Miracle of Life and Death, but this is clearly only the latter on display.

She lunges forward at any one nearby, snapping her still-draconic jaws. Yet, ultimately, her movements are defensive, like an animal backed into a corner. The words people say filter in but slowly, and twisted.

Edited 2019-02-17 22:27 (UTC)

Yuya watches, listens as everyone else pleads with her. Sees her thrash, and it breaks his heart the pain she's in.

Yuya takes a breath to steel himself, then drops his shield and walks forward. Quickly, until he reaches into just the point of view. Then he stops, no sudden movements, and looks up at her.

He crouches, putting his staff down, disarming himself before taking a step closer.

"Ringmaster." Another step. Slow, steady, with his hand ourstretched. He doesn't shout, doesn't rush, doesn't want to startle her. He'll move as slow as he has to.

His fingertips start to glow faintly white as he channels the aspect of Creation left inside him.

If she's feeling attacked, the guy with the big old light sword stepping close probably isn't going to help, but the small bit of relief it provides Lambert from the oppressive air around them keep him from being distracted from the Huntsman in his head.

Instead, he comes to a stop, holding the sword parallel to the ground, over his head with one hand on the grip and the other on the blade, and wills the light it casts to shine brighter, trying to illuminate more of this dank, oppressive place.

"Look for any bindings or injuries," he calls out, voice strained. He hasn't heard any rattle of chains, but that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't there. Though he knows the Huntsman can exert his will with or without physical restraints, he needed the snake to hurt the Ringmaster -- and if it's still here, poisoning and weakening her, then they should at least do something about it.

Amethyst stops being a cat as she climbs down to Lion's back, behind Steven, so she can grab his hand. Hers is shaking a little. She feels like her limbs are all about to noodle out or something, like even though her gem is whole it's getting harder to keep herself together.

She keeps glancing around them with a sort of frantic energy, but she fixes back on Steven. She really, really wants to tell him not to do anything dangerous, but just being here is dangerous, there's no not dangerous option here. She squeezes his hand.

"You think you can... get through to her or something?"

With the added light of Lambert's sword, some things can be made out through the fog - it seems to cut through it in a way that normal light can't. There seem to be no physical bindings, but in terms of injuries, it could be considered extensive. There is no healthy flesh left on her now monstrous body - just bone and clinging leather. It's like she's zombiefied herself with her own magic, the essence of Death overflowing while the Life remains held back.

The claw that dug into the ground where Syrlya appeared is practically all bone, just like the fortress that surrounds them. With the effects of the fog, it feels like that may be the ultimate fate of everyone here, as well.

Her gaze lingers on Lambert, and then on Yuya, like something about their magic gets her attention. She hisses and pulls back, but remains steady. Creation, if anything, is most representative of her other half - the part that is locked away.

Yuya can barely breathe when the extent of it is revealed. Tears sting is eyes as much from the sight of her as the fog, but he forces himself forward. When she pulls back he stops, holding out for a moment before slowly approaching her again. Step by step.

"Ringmaster, it's okay. It's going to be okay, because we're here for you." He keeps his hand raised, still faintly glowing, hoping he can reach her and imbue the comfort that Creation set in him.

"It hurts here, doesn't it? I'm sorry we weren't faster, but we're here now. Please--you want to get out, don't you? To be free."

"I don't know," Steven says softly, mirroring Amethyst's apprehension, and also her sense of inevitability. "But I want to try." He squeezes her hand back and then let's go, sliding off of Lion's back. If this draws negative attention, he doesn't want anyone else to get caught up in it.

He leaps up into the air and floats, summoning up his Blue Rose magic and winding it around him. Fire and ice, hot and cold, swirls around him - a link to the powerful artifact that must be the Ringmaster's sibling. All the Rose ever seemed to want was the freedom to grow and to expand. Maybe the Phoenix felt the same.

At the same time that he opens up with his magic, he opens up with his mind. It feels dangerous, right now, to connect with her emotionally - especially when he knows that the Huntsman is in there, too. Yet, there is something he wants her to understand.

"Ringmaster," he says, loud enough that he hopes she'll hear him, but trying not to frighten her. The power of the Miracles resonate, and even before he opens up empathically, he can feel the weight of her presence. Energy pings between him, her, Syrlya, and Carly's eyes. "Even... Even if you don't remember us. We're still the same! We're stuck between everything that's happening, and everyone wants to control us! But.. we won't... we haven't given up! You can be stronger than him..."

He lets down his guard, allowing her to access him emotionally and pushing his own feelings to flow into her as well. Feeling of being trapped, of being used, of wanting to escape. Memories of the relief of having like-minded souls come from him. Like his friends from home. Like Yuya. Like Childermass and Lambert.

If she doesn't remember them, maybe he can remember for her. Maybe then she'll feel like she can listen.

Edited 2019-02-18 04:09 (UTC)

Though Carly has moved no closer since the room shook, the Ringmaster is near enough that her lunge threatens to bowl her over. With a single motion, Carly seems to vanish at the swipe- a scattering of pixels and feathers all that appears to remain.

But the actions of others have created a window. Lambert, Yuuya, Steven- and still the rest who act in that moment. As a tiny hummingbird the size of a mere pigeon hovers above where the Ringmaster lashed forward, she looks to the great red eyes- to the decayed state of the Ringmaster's body.

Energy stings through her eyes, shining dots of light through the fog. And with Steven's words, the bird begins to slowly move toward the Ringmaster as well- eyes focused as she speaks with a strength that far defies how she physically and even mentally feels.

"It's like Aslla Piscu, isn't it..? ...You warned me about him so much- the thing that first used words to make me hate the ones who loved me...and when that failed, took hold instead...If you listen to anything, Ringmaster, I beg of you to listen to your heart!" she shouts passionately. "...I broke through Aslla Piscu- I broke through the Void that did the same thing...AND YOU ARE SO MUCH STRONGER THAN I," she cries. "SO LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR HEART WANTS MOST...Because I believe...no, I KNOW!" Carly insists fiercely, coating herself with her fragile 'healing' flame and moving to try and make contact.

"YOU'RE THE BRIGHTEST OF US ALL- AND YOU CAN BREAK THROUGH THIS!"

Jesus wept. Her condition is no worse than some of the zombies he'd encountered in the Illuminati's base, but knowing her, how beautiful and resplendent she was beforehand, it made it hurt so much more.

"Ringmaster..."

His demonic regeneration struggles to keep up with the damage the fog is doing, but he carries onward anyway, embedding his sword in the earth like a flaming beacon. He needs the protection of his flames, but he doesn't want to seem like a threat.

"Come on! Don't let that asshole win!"

Carly's glowing form flits up to the Ringmaster, and she surrounds herself in her healing flames.

So, Rin does what he does best -- he feeds the flame, giving Carly's fire strength and brilliance. Coils of brilliant blue surround her and then take on the appearance and properties of her healing.

"Please... We care about you...!"

As the light illuminates the extent of the Ringmaster's woeful state, Peridot feels an immense pang of regret. If only she still had that tenuous connection to Creation. She was never blessed by it like the Guardians were. All she ever did was ride Jasper's coattails as a familiar, and a pretty ineffective familiar at that. She had simply been lucky enough to gain a favor from that primal force in the aftermath.

And then she burned that favor on healing Ignatius. It was necessary to do, she and she knows this; they may not have escaped Polaris without it. But it's hard not to wish she still had that ability now. That she could just beg Creation to step in, and help their friend purge the Huntsman's influence from her mind. She knows that it won't answer. It's a futile, useless prayer to beg for assistance now, because that connection, that very tangible sense she had before that all she had to do was ask and receive, is gone now. But she tries anyway, internally wishing with all her strength for some kind of divine intervention.

With the fog getting thicker, Peridot's form seems to flicker at the edges, like a faulty hologram. She groans and shakes her head, following Steven's earlier advice by storing her sword away in the hopes that the Ringmaster won't view her as a threat. Then she holds her hands up in a placating gesture and takes a careful step forward. "I've learned so much from you," she contributes, voice cracking. "You taught me how to do magic, and I learned things that let me tap into powers that I never thought I'd be able to master for myself! Like turning into a cool dragon! Remember when you taught me that?"

Rita's hand clenches around the handle of her whip. She came prepared to fight, and here they are, just talking at her, like they can get through...

...Can they get through?

There's a long, tense moment, and then she releases her hold on the weapon, letting it sit dormant at her side. She clenches her hands into fists and takes a few more decisive steps forward.

"Are you really going to let things end like this!?" she cries angrily. "After everything you've done? Why even create that stupid carnival in the first place!? For the longest time, I couldn't understand that part... I thought the whole thing was ridiculous. But it meant something to you, didn't it!?"

As she goes on, her voice grows thick and even cracks slightly. "Maybe it meant something to me too, damn it...!"

"You showed us...how to move beyond our limits," Gongenzaka rasps- and it is likely that only his belt is really keeping him from keeling over on the spot. "...You helped us to question, what we knew...to believe in the 'impossible', in that we would succeed, no matter the odds..!" he coughs, unable to even give energy toward reaching out anymore.

It would be worse for him if he did, as it is.

"Is it not time for you, to do the same..?"

"You had a dream, didn't you?" Yuusei calls from far below, further back in the group than some of the other more prominent voices. "A dream of joy, of warmth and freedom in the multiverse! A desire to end this fighting, to escape it if you could!"

He's said so little up to this point, grappling with the Huntsman's will from when half of him had been infected by it. He'd managed to follow with the rest of the carnival up to this point, but now that they're here, he has nothing with which to aid them. He has no magic, no weapons, no special items. All he bears is a silly set of clothes he picked out to make the woman he loves smile, a crystalline heart that burns his veins when he runs, and the strength of his own voice which had outlived the darkness in his world. He can hardly muster the will to speak here nonetheless, the oppressive fog choking out more and more of his own breath.

Yet still, just as the rest have surmised, what good does it do if he doesn't try? "It's not just a dream! You brought joy to every one of us, and in return we all vowed to help you spread that joy to others! And that's what we did, isn't it? You've made so many people in so many places so happy!

"We are still under that vow! We want to help you! That desire for warmth, for happiness, for freedom, is still there! Please, search your heart for what you know to be true, you who lives beholden to no creature! PLEASE, LET US HELP YOU BE FREE WITH OUR BONDS PRESERVED IN TIME!"

As much as it would be most like him to yell, Lambert lets everyone else have their piece, shouting out encouragement and reaching out in their own ways. For his part, he concentrates on willing the light brighter, on leaning more of his willpower into the effort to drown the Huntsman out. He's about reaching the limit of what he can do, though, which means he's turning to glance at Ignatius, getting the words out with an effort.

"Think you can help light up this place some more, or what?"

He turns back to the Ringmaster, all the great skeletal bulk of her that isn't so different from his own tail stripped clean of flesh right now, and bares his teeth before he finally raises his own voice to join all the rest. What her heart wants most? Wanting to break free of control? Making people happy? He doesn't have any assuring words like that to offer her that don't taste like artifical platitudes on his tongue, so he's not even going to bother.

"Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once," he calls. "You can run as much as you want, but we're just gonna keep running right along with you!" His fingers tighten on his sword, and he lowers it, the brilliant light illuminating his face in sharp relief as he grins up at her savagely.

"Even Summer finally got off her ass for you! Are you really gonna miss giving her shit for that?" Whether he's referring to the Queen or the Maiden, well, that's for the Ringmaster's magic-addled mind to decide.

Edited 2019-02-18 17:17 (UTC)

Sans has been standing in the doorway up to this point, too overwhelmed to know what to do. It's all too tempting to just sit back and wait, to let this resolve according to the effort of people stronger and more sincere than him. Him, her, Lambert, they're all suffering through the same thing right now. If she can't beat it, how is he supposed to? Is it even possible?

Yet, when he sees Lambert struggling to light up the room, sees him still speaking anyway, it finally pushes him over the edge. He summons up his angelic wings and teleports into the room, setting himself above Lambert and emanating his own radiance. It's not quite Creation magic, but it's all he's got.

"Hey," he manages, with less confidence than some of the others, but still enough to be heard. "I know I've already given you a hard time, but... you never left any of us behind. I don't wanna leave you behind, either. So..."

He trails off, flinching at the strain.

"C'mon RM. Let's go home."

The light of Creation is blinding. There's been so much noise for the last forever, that it's been hard to get in a thought edgewise. She was reborn into this abyss, with only a stubborn, flickering will holding her aloft - a desire to resist that she can barely remember the source of. At the start, the fight is all she remembers.

Yet, the voices around her... at first it felt like yet another attack, yet another assault on her mind. Now, though, something is starting to become clear. She feels a connection to something greater, a sense of kinship with the lights that surround her. Beings who felt trapped, broken, lost.

There's an urge within her, then, to release her power. To destroy everything around her - the same voice that has been urging her for a small eternity. As much as she's wanted things to end, recently, there is something here now that she doesn't want to go away. What else is there to do?

As her carnival speaks, she tries to listen, like maybe there will be an answer. In the end, the only answer is that this can't be the end. All she had wanted was to keep them safe.

With a thunderous crack, she smashes her own head into the ground before her, her jaw grit and straining. It feels like this same force has been pursuing her for more than a lifetime, and she wants so badly to get away.

For now all she can do is hold herself down, to let them get close - but even now, her body seizes violently, causing her snout to lash in a way that might threaten them. Toxic magic bleeds from her mouth, beyond her control.

It's hurting her, and it's hurting her, too. When will it stop?

Yuya stretches his other hand out, then, and the glow gets brighter, stretching along both his hands and up his arms.

He sidesteps the toxins as best he can, but his first concern is getting to the Ringmaster. This close, even the Creation in him can do little to combat the poison.

Between her thrashing, Yuya takes a broad step forward and tries to catch her face in his hands--and as once lets as much of his own energy flow into her, reaching for her emotions to calm her. Help her focus. Help get find enough peace she can see them. Ease the pain, as much as he can.

She's so bony, but to sinks forward to cling in case she tries to throw him off, tears dripping down his face.

As Yuya moves forward, Ignatius nods to Lambert and leaps forth, landing at the opposite side of her head from Yuya. He wraps his arms across the top of her skull, less as a show of aggression, and more to help her pin herself down. It's clear that the death fog hurts even him, when it's so concentrated - but he figures he has more time than the rest of them.

"Hey now," he says, as soothingly as he can manage. "If you have to fight someone, fight me." He clenches his teeth, the direct contact with her causing more pain than he was expecting. Still, he manages to help hold her still, so Yuya and the others can get close. "You could have killed me before, but you didn't. You were nobler than me, no matter what I tried to tell myself. I owe you for that, Ringmaster."

Carly never makes contact before the thrashing begins- but as Rin's flames bolster her healing power she presses forward even so. Below, others are doing their best to help as well- some at a closer distance than others. But her wings beat softly and weakly, until it takes all she can to avoid simply crashing down and getting smacked away by the skeletal form of her friend.

It takes so much of what little she has to keep afloat in the descent- but then again she already claimed she would give it all for her. And she did not lie about that. The flames around her are warm and bright- not nearly as bright as creation, but the intent behind them at least is similar.

And along what wisps of fire make contact, tears most certainly land there as well- before the rest of her joins in.

"...We're here, Ringmaster," she chokes out with a soft voice, the pain concentrated around her making it difficult to even speak.

"...All of us... ...we're here..."

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