As everything goes to hell, Janus begins plotting out his next few actions. First thing is first; he quickly casts Ant Haul on himself in the event he needs to move quick and carry something (or somebody) at the same time. As he proves to be the first one to the door, he contemplates how quickly he can get locate his mother. Even if she is an imposter, she has done nothing but a good job convincing him that she is in fact Skyla Sevenstar. Additionally, she knows more about the castle then anyone else does sans the murderous monster trying to kill them all.
"Janus! Venetia! She...!" he hears Noelle telepathically call out in utter horror just as he bolts into the hallway. Considering that he can see her tiny tail from the corner of his eye, Janus quickly realizes that his familiar is looking behind them, intently watching what Nyrissa is doing.
"Another dead?! Destiny protecting us my foot! I might as well jump out the-"
"No! She's breathing... Barely..." Noelle replies with a whimper.
Janus pauses cold in his tracks; the only reason that he hadn't tried to treat the other fallen is because he knew that they were stone cold dead, something far beyond his abilities as a healer to fix.
However, if somebody was alive...
"Erastil, forgive me," murmurs Janus as he immediately turns around and barrels back into the room.
He doesn't stop until he had Venetia's body in his arms. Whatever Nyrissa throws his way, Janus tries his hardest to dodge at all costs, while Noelle tries to give him a heads up. Once the paladin is safe and secure, Janus is back running out the door, hissing at his inability to do anything more.
The meal went by in a blur. The Hell Knight paid little attention to the horrors of the setting, the veiled threats of his host and the hollow attempts at defiance by the King's Party.
When veiled threats transformed into open hostility, Marius never hesitated. He rose to his feet. Drew his sword and watched his King die.
And with the death of his King.
Came the death of much more.
Illiana had whispered warnings in his ear.
To jump.
To flee and save his life.
But Marius had never listened to Illiana.
Why should he?
He was a Hell Knight.
He had bested a Devil.
He had crushed bandits.
He had carved his mark into the hide of a Linnorm.
While the craven members of his party fled.
Claiming to protect their king.
Protect a dead fool from his own foolishness.
And you'll only suffer his fate as well.
So it was with that thought he paused at the window.
Watching as Janus returned to the last remnants of the King's party trying to save them.
That he finally understood.
Marius was no lord.
He was no baron.
He was a Hell Knight.
He was destined to rule kingdoms with an iron fist.
In perfect order.
Not consumed by petty ambition.
Fear.
Or emotions, like compassion.
No cold-hard order was the only way to achieve peace.
And he had only ever met one individual, who truly wielded legitimate power.
The tools necessary to create order.
To stamp out weakness.
Like love.
Passion.
Mercy.
And she had offered him this power, if he would only serve her.
It seemed so clear now.
As the King's Party Scattered.
The King was dead.
The oath binding Marius to these fools...
Dead as well.
He steps in the path of the fleeing Janus.
Cold Iron Longsword bathed in flames.
Cold, Emotionless eyes bathed in hatred.
"The King is dead. Long live the Queen..."
The blade rises above his head as he moves to cut the rest of the party's retreat off.
"Nyrissa"
As everything goes to hell, Janus begins plotting out his next few actions. First thing is first; he quickly casts Ant Haul on himself in the event he needs to move quick and carry something (or somebody) at the same time. As he proves to be the first one to the door, he contemplates how quickly he can get locate his mother. Even if she is an imposter, she has done nothing but a good job convincing him that she is in fact Skyla Sevenstar. Additionally, she knows more about the castle then anyone else does sans the murderous monster trying to kill them all.
"Janus! Venetia! She...!" he hears Noelle telepathically call out in utter horror just as he bolts into the hallway. Considering that he can see her tiny tail from the corner of his eye, Janus quickly realizes that his familiar is looking behind them, intently watching what Nyrissa is doing.
"Another dead?! Destiny protecting us my foot! I might as well jump out the-"
"No! She's breathing... Barely..." Noelle replies with a whimper.
Janus pauses cold in his tracks; the only reason that he hadn't tried to treat the other fallen is because he knew that they were stone cold dead, something far beyond his abilities as a healer to fix.
However, if somebody was alive...
"Erastil, forgive me," murmurs Janus as he immediately turns around and barrels back into the room.
Only to see Danath run right by him with the fallen Paladin in tow.
"...Fate works in mysterious ways, Noelle," says Janus as he promptly turns and takes five steps toward the exit... around only to almost run smack into Marius.
The Oracle pauses as the full weight of the Hellknight's words hit him like an ogre hook to the gut.
He pauses for only a second in the shock of betrayal but soon recalls his heavy shield in one hand and feels Noelle shifting about on his shoulder. The Oracle lowers his head for a second to gather his thoughts and then raises it to glare at Marius the Traitor with two dark eyes of tranquil fury.
"Bring it!"
Janus makes a quick somatic gesture and splits into four. Each replica flicks his wrist and recalls a dangling mace into hand.
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Queen Nyrissa laughs!
"Yes, you will be my order in the Stolen Lands. You will be the one that bind it and bring it to me. Your armor will be my new bottle, and in it I will capture the life an essence of your former allies and the land itself!"
Marius attacks Janus with all his might:
One of the figments disappears!
Another of the figments also goes away.
Two Janus faces the Hellknight!
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You all float away into nothingness, and the stars become brighter and move faster at each passing eon, as you feel you are travelling not only on space but also on time.
Faster and faster...
Brighter and brighter...
Until all space looks like a beautiful rainbow, and you finally let go.
===========================
You wake up in a green glade, in a forest next to a river and some mountains. The wet grass and the smell lets you know you are back in the Material Plane, and it's a beautiful morning. A rainbow can be seen towering over the mountains. Birds sing.
But you are not yourself anymore. You are something, different. You feel changed... touched by something in the Dark Tapestry.
You survived the Thousand Breaths forest. You escaped The House at the End of Time. You traveled the escape between the planes.
You are now Mythic Heroes.
And you don't have any clue where you are.
Those blows are powerful! If only... Janus thinks to himself as two of his images are destroyed very quickly. He suddenly gets the impression that he won't last very long against Marius... and it seems that Nyrissa is thinking the same thing too... and thus not attacking him from behind with her vast magical power.
"I'll buy you time!" Noelle's telepathic voice quickly interjects. The tiny dragoness swiftly points a claw at Marius' burning sword, which suddenly becomes extremely slippery and greasy.
Even if the Hellknight doesn't lose his weapon, Janus is quick to throw another defensive spell on himself. After dropping his weapon to free up a hand to make the gestures (something powerful tries to make the mourningstar go flying across the room, but Janus' weapon cord holds it fast to his wrist), Janus calls upon his Faith in Erastil to Shield him Marius the Traitor.
"Has everyone left the room?" Janus telepathically asks Noelle as he winces as Maruis gives his weapon arm a nasty cut.
"Looks like it..." replies Noelle as the Faerie Dragoness does a quick sweep of the room. "Maybe we should retreat..."
Janus frowns and answers, "No! I am not leaving my mother behind again, and I am not letting this traitor spit on King Rupert's corpse!"
"But Nyrissa..." Noelle tries to plea.
"Can suck an egg! If she kills me here, then I will use this world's twisted logic against her and come right back."
After those thoughts flying between him and Noelle, Janus pulls his mourningstar back into hand with a flick of his wrist, and the Oracle promptly lets put an angry roar of his own. His powerful attack connects right with Marius' unarmored head, leaving a nasty welt as Janus readies himself for further combat.
Despite knowing that he probably would have Marius at the moment in a fair fight, Janus is reminded very quickly that he currently faces multiple godlike entities as well. However, the Hellknight is disarmed and thus much less of a threat. Now is the perfect time for anyone left to still retreat. Seizing this chance, Janus quickly drops his weapon and belts himself with a healing spell. Having practiced the motions many times in the past, he is able to concentrate on his casting despite his great pain.
"Remember who bested you, traitor," the slightly revived Janus hisses to Marius as he pushes past the Hellknight and into the hallway. As he bolts to safety, Janus begins look for his mother and/or the Dark Tapestry, further healing himself after tucking his morningstar in his belt.
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nah, he is unarmed, no AoO
Janus and Edeldhur escape the room, unable to find Rudolf Ferdinand Aldori III, the cenobitic monk,Saul McGill or Skyla or Edeldhur parents... Even when Janus would like to stay and look for her mother he realizes she will have to wait for his next arrival.
They are the last two to hurl themselves into the dark tapestry.