7407/The Idol: Settling in

The Idol: Settling in
Date of Scene:	17 August 2021
Location:	Faati's place, Egypt
Synopsis:	Having settled at Faati's place the 'gang' barely has time to breathe and relax until they are set upon by sand mages. Are they with the cultists? Featuring chest-naked Asgardians, close encounters with death and lots of magic wand-wiggling! In the end they choose to parlay with this new group.
Cast of Characters:	Thea Queen, Abcde Prescelta, Vintridr, Sif

---

Thea Queen has posed:
So it was that the gang finally got rid of their pursuers by means of literally destroying their cars, their lives and to the point of even skewering a couple at the tip of a spear. Yes, it was not a subtle arrival in Egypt. But it's fine, we are all fine! All working according to the plan .... Or something..

Thea is relieved when they arrive at Faati's place, it's a large house on the suburbs of Cairo made in the traditional manner, a large interior garden to where all rooms of the house are connected to, creating a more centralized place. Of course that Thea wasn't expecing the ..., four kids?

"Still the same house but I see you have uh .., expanded the family." To which Faati just beams with pride, "They are my sun and stars." sun and stars to him, but maybe not to them as since they are rather exotic foreigners they are prowling about, two boys and two girls, perhaps ranging from 6-7 to 13. The young ones are, of course, poking about the Asgardians, or trying to peek into Abcde's backpack. Sneaky!

Thea gestures. "Well, pick your rooms. We might be here for a couple of days." she tells the others.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    The rain is beating down hard now against the windows and the roof. The sky was dark with stormy clouds. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The ramifications of vulgar magic. It was for a good cause, Abcde reminds herself. Thankfully Faati has a garage with internal access which means they don't need to get wet entering the house.

    Abcde smiles at the kids and gives them a wave. "Howdy good good boys and good good girls," she says with her Appalachian twang. The offer of rooms has her finding one and dumping her bag in there. She shuts the door to discourage the kids from poking about at her things.

    "Faati thanks for inviting us in to your home, uh, again." She notices the most inquisitive boy and holds a dice in one hand, then makes a motion and it disappears. Sleight of hand, not actual magic. She flourishes again and opens her palm and the dice is back.

Vintridr has posed:
    In the time it took for Vintridr to deal with the pursuing car, Faati had already vanished from sight. Well enough -- the fewer people who could associate him with this incident the less complicated matters will be for him, and it is considered extremely rude to be the cause of undue distress for one's host, even if it's the host's duty to care for his guests. Hospitality goes both ways.

    That is also why, rather than immediately running off in direct pursuit, Vin ducked into an alleyway before leaping to the nearest roof, forsaking speed for stealth.

    Tracking a single vehicle she'd only had half an hour to examine through thirty kilometers of busy streets of a city she's not familiar with would be a near impossible task for most; for Vintridr, it's almost enough of a challenge to be interesting.

    She vaults the exterior wall with little effort, coming to a crouching halt near Thea before straightening up. "My apologies for the delay; I wished to make sure we weren't followed," she offers, then glances wrily at Sif. "I suppose this does mean I lose the bet," she admits.

Thea Queen has posed:
"There you are!" Thea says over to Vin, quirking a brow at the way she is sort of drenched due to the storm brewing up. "Well, someone may want to get into the shower soon. No need to get a flu or ..." a pause, ".. can you even get sick?" then a grin, "But anyway, good, Lady Sif was perhaps about to murderize a kid with her eyes. Now they will be able to divide attention between you." As for Thea though? She does greet the kids with a grin, a ruffle on one's head before they go off to see Abcde perform her tricks.

And of course that when she starts doing the sleight of hand it means she gets all the kids gathering around to watch. Like little groupies waiting for the magician to do more!

Faati laughs from under the archways that cover partially the inner garden from getting rained on. "I don't think it had rained here in ..., maybe a year?" another laugh. "This must be a good omen, yes." Thea knows better though and casts a look at Abcde once she has put her gear away safely, "Not sure if it was a omen, Faati. But ..., maybe it will give us luck, mmm?" perhaps trying to lift Abcde up a bit from what she did.

As for Vin? She gets a grin at the mention of the bet. "Any suggestions on what the tattoo should be?" direct!

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    The sudden look from Thea makes her feel extremely guilty inside. No doubt what she did was like a beacon to other magic users in the city. That's not a good idea when they're trying to stay on the down low. She smiles a touch though as Thea tries to make her feel better.

    Her next trick she pulls the dice from behind one of the girl's ears and watches as the younger brother checks his sisters ear wondering how that was possible. It's the next best thing to making her hands glow blue and giving away the secret that real magic exists and disrupting peoples lives in unmentionable ways.

    She looks over to Vin and Sif and says, "I can't believe you two ran that whole way. That's extremely impressive. I .. guess the only Asgardian I knew about was Thor," she says keeping her voice down, "But it's great to meet actual Asgardians. You two are awesome."

Vintridr has posed:
    Vintridr chuckles. "We can, but it will take significantly more than what Midgard can throw at us to do the job," she replies with a smile. "... That said, just because it won't kill me doesn't mean it's comfortable. A warm shower and a chance to dry off would be welcome." She turns to Faati. "Might I trouble you for directions to the bathing area?" she asks.

Upon receiving directions, she wanders off to get warm and then dry...

Thea Queen has posed:
"Now I am getting jealous..., again!" This about Vin's resistance to diseases. Damnable human frailty! But Thea just chuckles good naturedly and wanders closer to watch Abcde work her 'magic', folding her arms together.

As the magic continues the young brother glees with that innocence of a 6 year old as the dice miraculously appears from behind the girl's ear, going around to check her sister thoroughly on her ears. Which starts a small scuffle of brother and sister, with eventually the young brother being pursued around the garden. In the rain.

Faati gestures, "Oh, come back inside you two!" then a look to Abcde, "Miriam will have dinner for us soon. It is an honor to receive esteemed guests here, specially of the Queen family after all these years." it's clear he owes the Queen family something.

But his attention is caught by Vin and he nods, "Sure, take that door, then first on the right." and indeed she may just find a bathroom in which to shower in. Not exactly modern, but it should do the work!

Thea speaks in a low tone to Abcde, "Don't praise them so much or their ego will make their heads inflate and touch the ceiling!" she jokes with a wink.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde smirks, "They seem to take it in stride..." She nods to Faati and calls out, "Thank you Miriam." She grins a moment and puts the dice away. "Tell me Faati, just why is it you're so indebted to the Queens?" What better way to get the gossip on Thea than to ask someone who is clearly a fan of her family.

    Unbeknownst to Abcde, or any one in the group, a glass sand clock weirdly shaked in to an infinity shape instead of an hourglass begins to move its sand around the the circuit.

    Abcde prepared; she considered that they might get attacked by magic when they go up against the cult to get the idol off of them. What she didn't consider was that they might get attacked... here. The infinity sand timer is stuffed away in ehr backpack where it's of no use to anyone.

Sif has posed:
The children ... It's very hard to be regal when children are staring at you with wide eyes from around corners. Sif gives it a try, but accidentally releases a merry chuckle at their antics. Abcde's impromptu magic act taking the slack up earns her a thankful look.

"Your children are delightful," she tells Faati. "And I would be honoured to take repast in your abode and to meet their obviously blessed mother."

Vin's late arrival isn't met with anything but the blandest of faces. And most amused of eyes. Already she has decided on the tattoo. A cluster of crow feathers at the base of her neck...

"Tell me, how long has this abode existed. It smells of history."

Thea Queen has posed:
"Oh, little Thea's father used to do business with me. I used to be an antique dealer, you see. But then, you know..." Faati casts a look over at Thea who seems busy looking.., somewhere else, lips pressed to a line, "... anyway, I got into some financial trouble with a few unsavory people and her brother helped me. But suffice to say, I left the business afterward. Too hot for me."

Miriam comes out to announce that dinner is served, gesturing to one of the doors. A kindly-looking woman, perhaps on her 40s or just getting there. Which means Thea starts wandering there. "I could eat a horse.." she announces, patting her belly. All the physical activity makes her hungry!

But Faati then looks at Sif, "I am not sure how long it's been here, but been with my family for .., well, my father had it, and my grandfather, so it's been here for a good while." a laugh, "I suppose it's the last big antique that I am keeping eh?" a wink given to the Asgardian.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    The crack of thunder is loud and its bass shudders through the house. Abcde did warn it might be centered on them for a while. As she turns to look to Miriam she catches sight of herself in the mirror. Something.. is off. She tilts her head and takes a step to the left, then a jump to the right.

    Shutting her eyes and opening them quickly.. there it is. "Someone... get Vin out of the shower... Faati, get your family in to a spare bedroom. We're under attack." A dire statement from the small West Virginian witch, but she is staring at a fractured reflection of herself in a perfectly normal mirror.

    This simple suburban home has been shifted in to the mirror dimension where mages can do battle without disturbing the natural order of things. "Magical attack," she amends and carefully draws the wand from out of her pocket. "Imminently."

Sif has posed:
It's easy to bring Vin out of the shower. The Valkyrior summons to battle. That blood-chilling ullulation that Sif lets forth penetrates every nook and cranny of the house. And then some outside its borders. While howling like a fiend, she methodically unpacks her kit, selecting equipment too large to physically fit inside. That shield again. Another, shorter spear. A pair of axes to hang from the belt she pulls on her left side. A sword for the other. A row of daggers for her back. Another for her front.

She frowns. No time to armour, but ... no. This will have to do. She'll have to rely on mobility instead.

"Vintridr, shall I lay out your wares while you dress?" she calls out.

Vintridr has posed:
    Vintridr is, sadly, no stranger to the call of battle interrupting at the worst possible moment. When that call sounds, she comes running immediately, calling her blade and shield to her hands as she goes.

That's what arrives in the living room scant seconds after the call -- a Valkyrior, armed and ready to do battle, blade at the ready and looking around for enemies.

... Armed, yes. Dressed, no. That particular call brooks no delays, something Sif would have been well aware of.

"... If you think there's time," she replies to Sif, walking briskly over to her bag to fetch her dry clothes.

Modesty appears to be a uniquely Midgardian failing.

Thea Queen has posed:
The call that they are being attacked makes Thea's expression to turn serious. Here? She is not about to let this family get hurt. So she runs without delay to where she had stashed her stuff, popping open the bag to get her bow out, along with a sword. No time for the suit though. A shame, she most likely could had used the protection. "Where are they coming from?" considering it's magical it could be anywhere. "I imagine not through the front door?"

She runs back out to join the rest, hurrying an alarmed Faati and his family along to another room. "We should be the target, not you. Keep in there and don't come out unless it's one of us, okay?" she tells her old friend, smiling reassuringly at the man.

She finishes getting her sword secure and knocks an arrow on her bow, legs slightly bent, listening to the rain fall down on the courtyard, silent now.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    This house is not a real house. It's a reflection of a real house. If only that were true of the people in it. No, they are the real people and this is real danger. The front door is kicked in and they have no need for pretence in this mirror realm.

    And by they.. a Lamia, whose two arms split in to six, each wielding a kopesh. A window overlooking the street is blown in as another Lamia enters and speaks other worldly words while lifting up their hands. The room begins to darken, a fog of war being cast over them.

    The side door explodes and two more Lamia slither in, their half human half snek bodies covered in armor that have etched in to them magical runes. Their blades too are magically charged. The armor, though, is kevlar, and another Lamia crashes in through the ceiling carrying.. an M16, which he levels toward the group.

    One problem at a time though. Abcde must push back the darkness - the fog of war - because that will assure their demise in this fight. Her hands glow blue and the energy gathers in to her wand as she says, "lux reditus!" The blue light bursts from the tip of her wand and hits the progressing darkness. It is contested, a stale mate.

Sif has posed:
"You dress while I keep watch, Vintridr. Armour if you can. When you finish, if we are not yet under attack, I shall armour while you keep watch."

Sif's eyes dart everywhere, looking for every avenue of ingress.

And then the ingress begins.

"NEVER MIND!" she calls. "TO ARMS SHIELD SISTER!"

And with that she leaps into action, literally, leaping into a position that protects the retreating civilians, shield up and ready to deflect incoming projectiles while Faati, Miriam, and the children flee for some kind of cover.

"Vintridr, cover the magus." She slips into the incorrect word under stress. "Keep her hale and sound. Thea Queen, keep yourself behind my shield but for your projectile launches. Worry not about me: I am significantly less breakable than you are!"

And inside, she calls out, ~Brother, if you can see me, summon a warband under my authority and have it ready to arrive on my command.~

Let's hope being in a mirror realm doesn't cause problems in talking to Heimdal. Because that would really suck, wouldn't it?

Vintridr has posed:
    Thankfully, Vin had just managed to at least get some pants on before the incursion started, and she moves to cove Abcde's right flank. "Take out the shooter; we'll handle the swordsmen!" she calls to Thea before interposing her shield between the witch and a half-dozen blades lashing out.

    She's clearly good, possibly better than Thea has ever seen her fight before, but these opponents with this level of handicap are definitely testing her limits closer than she prefers...

Thea Queen has posed:
Snake creatures? That has Thea arch a brow. "Of course they had to have six arms..." she mutters, sliding across the courtyard to stand behind Sif's shield. And as the fight starts in true form, with the fog cover it means she will need to use her other senses. Just like the Green Arrow taught her! Not that she is the kind of markswoman that shoots stuff with her eyes close. But she can calculate a trajectory..

And that guy with the m16? It should be around ....

There!

She lets an arrow fly towards where she suspects the creature will be. But not exactly just any type of arrow, she shooting a small explosive one. Concentrated power to knock out some more powerful foes!

She reaches behind her to put her foot on the door, and to keep herself as that last stand between Faati and his family and the rest. Of course they'd still need to go through the Asgardians and the witch so .., no big deal just yet!

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    The Lamia with the six kopesh moves in on Vintidr putting the pressure on her even as she covers Abcde. The mage Lamia gives up trying to shroud the room in darkness, much to Abcde's relief. Instead he begins to chant something new and the air pressure changes until there is a sudden explosion of air pressure amidst the Asgardians and humans alike, throwing them every which way.

    The arrow hits its target though, just as bullets begin to fly toward Sif they scatter up through the roof and the wound begins to leak sand. The Lamia with the rifle pulls the arrow out and then their entire body dissolves in to a pile of sand.

    Not a few moments later, another exactly identical Lamia storms in through the side door with gun raised once more. "Ahhh heck!, they're avatars..."

    Abcde picks herself up and from her pocket draws out a small purple stone on a string. She begins to swing it around in a circle and it picks up speed until a glowing purple circle of energy is before her like a shield, her wand held like a small dagger.

    It's not long before she needs it too. The mage Lamia begins to change again and tosses a literal fireball toward the group. Abcde ducks around Vinditr and puts her magical shield in the way. The fire splashes against it and dissipates.

    Heimdal hears.. something. Sif.. somewhere, but cannot see her. Where she should be there is a strange haze surrounding the area. What her words were, he isn't sure. The more he peers the more he sees everything looks fine; normal even. Yet why does it hurt to stare so.

    The wall behind the group, where Faati and family are retreating to, suddenly tears away and two more Lamia armed with kopesh slither toward them. They're rapidly getting surrounded and they are ill prepared to deal with this magic.

Sif has posed:
That enemy mage is a problem. Perhaps THE problem.

"Thea Queen!" Sif calls to her 'protege'. "Target the magister on my mark. Make it indirect and hard to spot. I will ensure it is distracted." Beat. "Kill it if you can."

Sif switches her stance from presented with sword and shield to refused with shield and spear, the spear not being involved in the melee, shield alone attempting to hold off the kopeshes. This is, of course, suboptimal and more than a few slashes land, eliciting something that Thea has not heard much before: actual grunts of barely-suppressed pain.

"Three... Two... One..."

She's not giving Thea much time. Let's hope she can find a decent arrow for this trick shot.

"NOW!"

Sif explodes forward in a shield rush propelled by powerful Vanir muscles trained to perfection. Instead of bashing the opposition, she pushes them back and down, slamming the shield down on them and ...

... letting it go, to leap with a step on the shield and then a leap into the air, calling as much attention as she can to herself with an ullulating battle cry calculated by centuries of warfare to strike fear into mortal hearts.

From the apex of her leap, she unleashes the spear in a straight course for the Lamia magic-user. Enchanted Asgardian wood and steel, worked by the greatest weaponsmiths of the realm, leaps toward her target.

Hopefully leaving the target sufficiently distracted to focus on the threat Sif presents as she virtually hangs in the sky instead of the threat Thea delivers.

Hopefully.

Vintridr has posed:
    The appearance of more Lamia doesn't escape Vintridr's notice, but she has her hands full -- slightly less, as she finally manages to maneuver into the right position to feint one of her attackers into swinging through the other's guarded area, and the momentary confusion allows her to run one of them through with her blade.

    "Magus, behind!" she calls out to Abcde. "How do we clear these 'Avatars' ?

    This fight is going to go very badly very quickly if they can't put these enemies down in a way that they /stay/ down...

Thea Queen has posed:
Spotting the attack behind them, towards Faati and his family, Thea cries out, "We are being flanked! Cover the back!", but what can they do about these avatars? If they just reform again can they really kill them right now? Maybe not, but perhaps they can be stopped.

So when Sif runs forward, crying her battle cry and jumping over the fray towards the mage she has already chosen the arrow for this. Not much time, but just enough for Thea to get that grim, determined look on her expression. She isn't about to let those wounds being inflicted on the Asgardians to be in vain..

Arrow is knocked on bow, string pushed back hard and she lowering her gravity center, one leg spread, closer to the ground.

It's when Sif is up in the air, spear pointed to the mage that she lets the arrow fly, it zipping true across to take advantage of the distraction and just as those six arms lift to counter Sif's approach is when the arrow unerringly flies towards it's chest.

The arrow itself? A Freezing one. It's usually not great against more human opponents. But beings made of sand? Say hello to becoming solidified and unable to move!

Hopefully.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    The epic move of Sif pushing forward is not lost on the mage. But strangely, he doesn't seem interested in defending himself from the oncoming Asgardian, let alone the ice arrow that hits him square in the chest. The ice starts to spread through his body and then begins to granulate. Each little grain of sand becoming froze, but the slide off each other and his body falls in to a pile of frozen sand on the floor.

    One the lamia from behind raises a gun as the other one from the front raises the gun and Abcde is starting to fear they're running out of options. How do they stop the avatars? Her eyes shift back and forward thinking.. thinking.. thinking. But nothing is coming to mind.

    "We have to exit the mirror dimension." is what Abcde finally concludes. The mirror. She lets her spinning shield drop as she ducks behind an Asgardian SHIELD to avoid the bullets, but she grabs that mirror off the wall before she does it.

    "Cover me a moment, I'll make us an exit." She has never actually done this before - but she did see the sorcerer supreme do it. Making a portal hanging in thin air. She goes a little cross eyed trying to remember the pages and volumes that talk about this kind of thing.

    The Lamia advance and from the rear another Lamia joins them: the mage, he is back.

Sif has posed:
It has come to this. A battle of attrition while the pesky magus tries to remember ill-taught matters from the past.

Not her first rodeo, so to speak. There's a reason why 'meat shield' is a concept. And meat shield she will be.

Priority: the hosts. They are innocents who have been dragged into this. They must be saved at all costs.

Close second: the witch. She's their only hope out of this mess.

Distant last: herself.

Sif dives into the tighest knot of the warriors, knowing she can withstand tremendous damage for a long time before falling. And she does something she does not like to do, but which can prove helpful here with enemies that never end: she lets loose the buried rage. Her vision reddens. Her voice turns into an inchoate howl. Of those present, Vintridr knows the truth of what she's done, even before she rips off her shirt and throws her shield away, laying into the horde with the fury one can only have when...

Bare. Sark.

Favouring now her axes she fights all attack, no defence. Defending swords are swept aside under the raw fury of her attack, and her attack falls upon whatever her eye falls upon, friend or foe.

Vintridr knows the truth. Will the rest intuit?

Vintridr has posed:
    The Lamia that Vintridr ran through dissolves into sand, and shortly after makes a renewed appearance - but it will take a few more moments before it can rejoin the fray, which means that for those same few moments she can give the other her full attention - with only the minor distraction of having to block some bullet fire with her shield - and she decides to do a quick experiment.

    They disintegrate and respawn when 'killed' -- but what happens when rather than slaying this one she merely feints like this, makes an obvious bad dodge like /this/ which puts her out of position like /this/ which leaves an opening for her opponent to to make a full-on lunge past her like /that/...

    ... And her sword slashes vertically through three of its arms, severing them at the elbows. Let's see if it regrows those as quickly.

"Whatever you do, Magus, do it quickl--"

And then she hears the howl.

    It's not just rage or fire, not to her. To Valkyrior, it has always been a /call/ - and she feels her own blood rising with the urge to meet it. She /can/ resist it - she can focus, assert her will, push the bloodlust down, remind herself that someone needs to keep a clear head... But all that takes time and concentration and this damnable Lamia won't give her either and her blood is already up and boiling with anger over this treacherous attack...

    With some effort, she makes herself turn to look at Thea. "... You'll have to... call us back when the fighting's done," she manages to bring out through gritted teeth and a red haze descending over her vision as she backhands the Lamia with her shield. "Consider it... A test of command..."

    ... And with that, she lets go, her own howl of rage mingling with Sif's as she lays into her opponents with a terrifying ferocity, barely even noticing the slashes on her arms as she presses into and past its guard to rip one of its remaining arms out by its shoulder socket...

Thea Queen has posed:
There had been some hope on Thea that the mage, unable to move, wouldn't be able to call for another body. But it didn't come to be. Which makes things ..., difficult. Of course that time to conjure a second plan is hard to come by with all the khopeshes flying close, a slash making her having to roll out of the way, blocking with her bow which makes it fly and clatter against a wall. Well, shit.

Sword comes out in a flash and she blocks the second blow that was coming for her head before feinting to one side and delivering a sneaky stab on the side of the sand snek. A move courtesy of Malcolm Merlyn. Her actual father. Turns out those lessons did come in handy.

Eyes go to Abcde, "Abs! Stop frolicking and do!" is her tone harsh. Just a smidge. She does have a temper, "If we are in a mage dimension you can unleash without consequences. It should make whatever you need to do to get us out of here easier." yes, she was learning a thing or two about magic from what Abcde had spoken about earlier, "Just like these guys are doing!"

And that's when she hears the battle cry. The call for berserk. There's a tug within. One that yearns to join the others in the fray, to let go into the battle. She takes that step forward but stops herself when she notes Vin's words. She'd need to bring them back once they were out. There is a mute nod given in return to Vin. She would do it. But right now? It's about keeping them safe.

"Faati, over here! Go the long way around those two!" Oh yes, she is somewhat aware they may not see friend from foe for a while now.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde steels herself, her lips press in to a tight line as Thea points out something she hadn't entirely got through her brain. The Lamia are cheating massive because of the mirror realm.. why can't she? She gives a decisive nod to Thea and lifts up her wand with a firm grip.

    "You make a great point Thea" she shouts over the sounds of battle. Of battle cries. Of cuts and blows. Of Lamia crashing to the floor as sand and more of them walking back in from the edges of battle. What she needs - what they need - is time.

    Abcde's eyes begin to glow blue and the magica energy flows from her finger tips, licking over her hands and up her arms. She points her wand to the ceiling and shouts loudly to the air, "Quid facit speculum. Noctis Lucis ligatum. Furantur a pluvia."

    The magical energy shoots up through her body and out through the wand. It flies up and hits the ceiling and branches out like a thousand tongues that lick across the air and strike all their opponents simultaneously. The crack of lightning is deafening and the sound rings in Abcde's ears, defeaning her for the moment. The dozen piles of sand scatter to the wind, leaving them for the moment - alone.

    ---

    Outside of the mirror realm, the Cult of the Sand Lamia stands around, each of them casting magic to invade the mirror realm their high priest has summoned. Each time they are struck down, they recast their avatar. Only human in the real world...

    A shockingly loud lightning strike blasts down against the house making all the lights go out and the television start to show noise. Several clocks stop and everything is charged with static electricity.

    Haruk blinks and looks to the high priest and asks in his native Egyptian tongue, "What was that?" The high priest Jameel shakes her head, "I.. do not know. Quickly, everyone remake your avatars."

Sif has posed:
All at once Sif's opponents are gone. The rage and hunger for blood and violence has not. The similar song coming from Vintridr's throat makes her immune.

Sif stops. Turns. Looks at the people in the square. Snarls with a feral grin.

As she attacks Thea.

Vintridr has posed:
    Vintridr snarls in frustration as the target of her rage vanishes under her hands, and she looks around for the next threat. Conscious thought comes sluggishly, dimly through the red mist still clouding her eyes, looking from one person to the next, trying to attach meaning to each figure...

Faati... Host.

Children... /Children/.

Abcde... Ally.

Sif... Ally.

Thea... Young Queen.

She's still looking from one to the other in indecision, lips bared in a snarl, when suddenly Sif leaps for Thea.

    She doesn't understand why. In this state, she's not /capable/ of understanding; only of reacting, and react she does - barreling into Sif from the side in a flying tackle that takes them both into and through the nearby wall.

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea isn't fully sure on what just happened. Did Abcde take them out of the realm or did she just awesomely let thunder rain down on the constructs? And just in time too as a blade was getting dangerously close to slicing through her neck just before the construct turned into sand. She exhales in relief. A glance over her shoulder. "Are we out of the mirror dimension now?" she questions.

Faati and family have made their way over, gathering close to where Abcde is, one of the younger kids crying their snot out, piercing through the silence that has abated upon the area. It's a silence that soon enough is broken with the very dangerous Sif starting to run towards them, and not apparently intending to stop.

"Abs. You will have to keep them safe. I am sorry." She knows running won't be of use. And fighting? That almost makes her chuckle. By all means she should be quaking down to her boots. And she sort of is. But there's no way she will let harm come to Faati or Abcde, "Run outside." she tells those behind her.

Sword goes to the ground and she speaks up, loud, arms open to her sides to show she isn't a menace. "Lady Sif! These are innocents! The battle is won. A victory for Asg-", and while her tone is somewhat solemn, perhaps accepting of her fate she also notes Sif isn't slowing down. Oh dear.

But Vin to the rescue! As the two Asgardians tumble into a fray, all the way through a wall she drops down to her knees, breathing heavily.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde takes a deep breath as she feels the tingle running through her. That was a lot of very vulgar magic that shot through her. Without the wand it would have been impossible. Without the mirror realm it would have been certain death. She gulps and then double takes at the command to run outside.

    Scooping up the mirror she catches Faati's eyes and runs with him and the herded crying family out in to the rain. She sets the mirror down on the ground and says, "Okay.. okay.. we need to get out of here asap..."

    With wand pointed at the mirror and begins to make a swirling motion. A sling ring is designed to make this easy, but she's never used one before and also doesn't have one. Luckily she doesn't have to figure out -where- to go, it's on the other side of the mirror and it's all technically _right here_. Slowly a burning circle begins to cut against the mirrors surface and a portal opens up out of the mirror realm.

    She looks back at the two Asgardians fighting themselves and says, "... I'll be right back." She puts on her mean face and begins to speak latin as she twirls her defensive stone on a piece of string. She steps through.

    The dozen cultists are unarmed, except for their magic. The high priestess is deeply engaged in preserving the mirror realm and off to the side is a white man in a black suit leaning against the wall. He's the first to notice Abcde step out of a burning portal with magical shield spinning in front of her and wand raised in anger.

    "Nunc autem iacebat ad somnum" she says and her vulgar magic strikes out at the high priestess. She is hit with the blue magic and stumbles a moment, looking down over her body expecting to have taken wound. Her eyes droop.. she sways.. then drops to the ground.

    The mirror realm collapses and the family, and Asgardians, and Thea, all find themselves back in the real world once more. It's still raining outside where the family is. The walls and windows and doors aren't destroyed and there are no piles of sand. Just people in long robes with sand coloured snake symbology embroidered on them.

Sif has posed:
The blind-siding from Vin (ally) distracts Sif enough to keep her off Thea just before the axe was about to behead the young Queen. Crashing through the wall into the dessert disoriented her long enough for Abcde's spell to take hold and cause them to return.

Then there was a new calculus.

Vin. Ally.

Faati and family, hosts and children.

Thea and Abcde. Meh. Get to them later.

Cultists. DEATH!

Throwing Vin from her bodily, Sif rolls to her feet smoothly, retrieving the dropped axe from the sand where it fell next to her head, and wades into the cultists. Unarmed. Unarmoured. Unexpected. They fall quickly with screams and blood and entrails and death. Killing the cultists is super easy. Barely an inconvenience before she reaches ...

The priestess isn't moving so isn't a threat. But leadership is recognized in the black-suited man. Sif leaps for him, ready to disembowel.

Vintridr has posed:
    This, then, is the reason why Valkyrior spend so much time training: Not just to hone their skill beyond a razor's edge, but so that their bodies remember how to fight in tandem with one another even in a state of berserker rage.

    Vintridr moves at Sif's side, her own blade flashing out and carving through the cultists without slowing down, her shield barely an afterthought when she's not using it to bash someone's face in...

Thea Queen has posed:
With the portal opening and the rain again being felt pouring down Thea looks up at the sky, then over to the outside where the cultists have gathered. Or ..., are they? She quickly picks up her sword and bow to run out with the rest, frowning. And not being in a murder frenzy or high from casting some major magic just moments ago she does have an eye for detail.

A detail that is missing from those 'cultists'. No brands like the ones they had been fighting back in Starling. What is going on here?

"Who are you people? We are here to stop Al-Fidr and his cronies! The cultists imprisoning mutants from Starling.." she points her sword at them. "Stand down and this can-"

And then a pair of Asgardians comes crashing through from the side.

Uh-Oh.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Damien's sparkling blue eyes alight with amusement. A young witch swinging a trinket around as if that would protect her from his magic. But you know what would protect her from his magic? that Asgardian warrioress leaping toward him. He lifts up his hand and catches her in the air, holding her in place just out of slicing distance.

    With the high priestess down, one of the acolytes in the cult feels the death of Vin's axe slicing through him and Damien is too slow to stop her too. He lifts up his other hand and catches her in place next.

    Abcde keeps a hand spinning her magical shield as she looks at their attackers. Like Thea, she looks for the tattoo -- but there is none. When Thea points this out Abcde says. "Oh you must be kidding me ya'll."

    Damien hmphs with a smirk, "The name's Krhad. And this is the Sand Cult.. we came here to stop you joining Al-Fidr. Show us your wrists so we can be sure you're not under their control."

    Abcde sighs and lifts up her wrists to show the cultists and Damien that her wrists are bare of any tattoo too. The remaining cultists shuffle back and away from Thea and definitely out of the swinging stabbing death range of the Asgardians. They're whispering amongst themselves in fear as one of their own lays dead on the ground.

    Damien says smoothly, "Every one stand down. We have made a gross error of judgement." He doesn't let Sif and Vin go until it's clear they're not going to murder him a new one...

Sif has posed:
Being suspended in air while berserk has an interesting impact. It allows the target, so close, to see just what death awaited him in Sif's eyes. And as Sif struggled and swung and strove her best to reach the enemy standing beyond her, slowly the rage ebbs as death and destruction around her stops. Hostilities cease. Finally she ceases, tolerating her suspension.

"I have recovered." Voice flat. She tosses her axe aside demonstratively, standing, shirtless, arms spread to show her calmed status. "Release me."

It's not a request.

Vintridr has posed:
    Like Sif, Vin snarls and struggles in the magical bindings that keep her suspended, muscles straining visibly against whatever force keeps her immobilized. Her enemy, so near yet beyond reach - it is not to be /borne/. She suddenly claws at her left arm in order to pull her shield off so she can /throw/ it if necessary.

It's clear that her enemy's words will not bring her down from her rage, no matter how calmly spoken...

Thea Queen has posed:
Showing that her wrist is bare, Thea then frowns at them. "You attacked an innocent household." shame on them! "By all rights we should kill you all." oh, that's gotten dark, hasn't it? But Thea never said she was a good girl, did she? Still, she lowers her sword, eyeing this so called Khrad through gritted teeth and eventually nodding slowly. As if in acceptance.

She makes her way closer to the Asgardians once she checks on Faati and Abcde, making sure they are fine.

She gets in front of Vin, "Lady Vintridr, our fight is done. Let us lower arms and parlay with these people." a respectful tone to her voice, eyes on the older Valkyrie, hoping that she is able to stand down.

"Lady Sif, I may need your aid here.." she calls out.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Everything Abcde planned for when taking on Al-Fidr.. happened tonight. They were taken by surprised, held in place, had magic trained on them. And now, the two Asgardians are stopped in their tracks by a spell caster who clearly knows his stuff. She slowly puts her wand away in to her pocket and stops the trinket from spinning.

    Damien nods to Sif and with his hand motions to the ground, lowering her to it. The bonds holding both Asgardians in place cease and he dusts his hands, "Well. You have quite the bite to your bark. Big lightning spells, especially mirror realms, two.. very fit warriors and a bow. Are you telling me you wouldn't do the same if you thought you'd tracked more of Al-Fidr's gang rocking up? ...It seems that we have a common enemy." A devilish smile, charming to some, he looks at the sleeping priestess.

    "And it seems we could use each others help.. let's say we stop these hostilities and ....chat."

Vintridr has posed:
Vintridr's reaction on Thea's voice is very visible - the woman twitches as if startled awake from an uneasy sleap, and her snarl dies out as her breathing slows and her body relaxes, lowering her sword. "... I hear you," she replies, then glares at Damien until she's finally lowered back to the ground. "It would be wise not to compare us to our foe's brainwashed minions again, no matter how skilled you are," she retorts, still entirely unconcerned with her appearance.