8067/The Idol: Facing the Cultists

The Idol: Facing the Cultists
Date of Scene:	30 September 2021
Location:	Somewhere in Egypt
Synopsis:	The group finally tracks Al-Fidr to an excavation site outside Cairo where they put his plans down to the sand and fend off treachery coming from Khrad. Who turned out to be Damien Darhk. The Idol plot finale!
Cast of Characters:	Thea Queen, Abcde Prescelta, Sif, Vintridr

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Thea Queen has posed:
Many tribulations had our heroes faced to reach this time and place, discovering where the cultists were holed up in Egypt and (hopefully) before they went through with whatever they had in store. Yet considering we are talking about the Khushu Idol it certainly wouldn't be anything good. Would they prevail?

The truck where Thea is in, listening to some dreadful Cardi B music takes a turn and out of sight, behing a few tents where it comes to a stop (and the music dies too). Yet no sound coming from Thea just yet. Most likely keeping it quiet now that there's more silence and waiting for the men that were in the truck to trail out...

As they approach they will note it's quite the big camp out there, and not *that* far from Cairo. Surely they would had been detected by now but Abcde can detect faint traces of magic in the air. The kind of magic that may be the anwer to be keeping this place, and these people, out of curious eyes. But worst of all there's a sense of dread in the area. One much larger than what had been felt back in Starling when they had faced against a rage spirit..

More troubling is perhaps what seems to be a digging in the middle of the encampment, the top of a pyramid visible there. One that doesn't show in any pyramids that have been found through the ages. Perhaps with good reason!

Around the camp men with various kinds of machine guns or other weaponry are seen wandering about in patrols.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde pauses, her heart pounding in her chest and the action hasn't even started yet. It's this damned place. This aura of dread. The fact that powerful magic was keeping this place hidden. Or, it may just be that there's a hidden pyramid being excavated. That's extremely unusual.

    "Goddess of War, you know how you keep talking about summoning a war band?" Abcde asks as her eyes scan over the camp and the numerous people with guns. "Important point of order - we can't let _anyone_ die until the idol has been disabled. Death here will just make it stronger."

    She speaks in to the comms as she explains, "So this war band.. if you were to, say, drop them on all those armed men? it's really really important that they just go sleepy times, not deading times. And heck.. if they're all rigged to suicide or explode or something just to fuel the damn idol? we need to know that now too.. so we can disable whatever the trigger mechanism is."

    It's safe to say her mind has been going to some dark places. "If we're going to go in.. it's time to drink the potion I made you. It'll taste bad. A bit like chalk and ash. But if a mage targets you, it's going to keep you alive. Try not to get in a fight with a mage because the more they miss the sooner they'll figure out how to compensate."

Sif has posed:
"A war band," Sif's voice says dryly in comms, "is rather focused on warfare which tends to involve death. It may be better, given your newfound information, to hold off on summoning them until after a small team has in whatever way disposed of this idol threat."

Did she just make a pun? It's hard to tell. Her face is not visible and her voice dry as the desert sand around them.

There's a bit of a pause before she tentatively asks, "This sensation from this place is not ... comfortable. I don't know the meaning of it, but I can feel its magics cutting into my soul. We should move quickly to end this."

Vintridr has posed:
    Vintridr eyes the various goings on from a nearby dunetop, laying flat to be as unremarkable as possible -- the fact that she's about twice as far out as a human would be able to see anything useful helps in that, as does the fact that she's not using binoculars which might betray her presence with reflected light.

    "Patrols are sparse but regular. We could probably overpower one and hide the bodies before the next passes by if we time it right, but they do appear to have radios - and I can't predict how long it will take before one absence is missed."

    She grimaces. "I might be able to prevent any deaths from empowering the idol, at least in the short term. But I would very much prefer not to have to." After all, her gifts are meant to guide the worthy fallen to Valhalla, not to bind fanatics. The thought of doing so feels wrong.

Thea Queen has posed:
The silence that had been reigning ever since that truck had been brought over to the encampment is finally broken, << Alright, I am out. >> the voice quiet on comms, << I am going to guess we will find what we are looking for inside that excavation. >> a small frown on her expression. Thea then continues, << We should try to infiltrate inside and ... >> the voice is cut abruptly.

Sounds are heard on comms of a scuffle, Thea in some kind of strenuous effort before there is silence again for about two more seconds until she's heard again, <<Ran into one of those guys. If they got radios and he's supposed to report to someone it means our time is limited. We should make haste. >> the sound of someone being dragged heard on comms. << They also don't seem rigged to explode, or have any explosives that I can see. Or at least this one doesn't. >> she clarifying one of Abcde's doubts of earlier. And remembering that she takes out the small magical flask Abcde had given her and drinks it down with a swig.

<< Ugh, I have had some vile-tasting drinks, but this one tops them, Abcde... >> Thea's never happy!

<<Anyway, I had an idea...>> Oh, no. <<I am going to create a distraction, see if you can use it..>> and true to her word soon enough the sound of that vile song that was playing on the truck radio before is heard once more, but this time it's on maximum volume. Sure to raise a few of the guards to go check it out!

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    "Yeah, sorry, I'm not mixologist... it's all about the magic." Abcde smiles to herself, uncaps the vial and quafs the potion herself. "Gyah.. erlk," is her contribution to the review of her brewing skills. She feels the magic inside of her, making her briefly off kilter, but it passes.

    "Faati, stay safe okay?" she smiles to the man and hops out of the truck. From her pocket she draws her wand, then with an almost delicate hope, she jumps in to the air and her magic broom swishes out of Faati's truck and underneath her rump.

    "Right," she says more to herself than the group, "if we're on a time limit, then it's now or never. Time to save the world? Just remember, no killing."

    She knows she'd never be able to keep up with Vin or Sif on the ground. But on her broom? well, she stops sitting side saddle and takes a hold of the broom properly so she can be lower in profile and faster in motion.. NOW she can keep up. May be.

    Her voice takes on a different tone as she lifts her wand up toward the skies. The fact that this place is hidden from the view of the mortal world actually helps her. "Cogitationes sumus. Mundus umbra est nostra." she says and blue energy pulses up her body and out through the wand. It shoots up in to the sky and scatters over the magic hiding the place, sizzling along its dome shape and reality shimmers for just a moment.

    "Oh, another important tip. If you're at a distance and shooting arrows.. aim about a metre to the left."

Sif has posed:
Sif's own consumption of the potion goes without comment. (Unless very subtle gagging sounds are commentary. But those could be anybody's thrilling contralto gagging noises!)

Then Sif leaps into action. Running like that T2000 in the old movie, with mechanical precision and almost alarming speed, she crosses the desert faster than the truck that took the crowd there was able to move even with its pedal to the metal. Keeping her eyes peeled for any reflection of metal and glass--the existence of which would change her course to bear directly down on it for purposes of obliteration, tearing through whatever installation or group is there with withering blows from the flat of her blade--she makes otherwise directly for the ...

Pyramid.

Not the truck. Where her plan diverges, likely, from the others, is that she does not plan to spend time at the truck.

"Progressing to the pyramid entrance to create a larger distraction."

The trouble is there, and as the warrior noble, it is incumbent upon her to take the brunt of it. The enchantments of Asgard will be put to the test against her dragon tooth blade and the armour made by the greatest artisans at Asgard's disposal.

Vintridr has posed:
    No plan survives contact with the enemy. Sometimes they don't even survive contact with allies. Either way, the time for planning seems to be over and done with.

    Vintridr swallows her mild irritation and chugs down the potion. "Noted. How long will this protection last?" she asks, looking at a distracted patrol group, already gauging just how to get to them quickest and take them down before they can raise an alarm -- when Sif takes off charging.

Most plans do not survive contact with Lady Sif, either.

    With the element of stealth well and truly lost, fall back on the element of surprise. She still has a few precious moments to do so in the window of opportunity when Lady Sif crosses the perimeter and has all eyes on her; they'll have to do.

    Vintridr rises from her concealment to sprint across the desert sand at the nearest patrol, tackling them and taking them out of action before any have a chance to yell, then moves to the only other grop that's between her and the truck.

    << It appears we are done sneaking. Get ready to support Lady Sif once I clear the other group. >>

Thea Queen has posed:
A metre to the left, "You are lucky I went to a good school." where they taught her the metric system! But Thea is already moving away from the Cardi B truck, sneaking in from tent to tent. Oh yes, she can be sneaky. Step by step. Waiting for a patrol to go past before moving in, like a veil in the darkness. She is the nigh--

And then a running Sif passes by her hiding spot.

"Really...?" she murmurs into comms but then it's followed with, "I should had imagined..." Sif and acting stealthy! Does not compute. But at LEAST the truck distraction was good for something, which was to gather quite a few of those patrols together to check on it and so Thea lets loose, shooting an arrow (a metre to the left!), and above them. It explodes in a cloud of smoke that covers that area, soon enough the men within starting to cough and fall. Tear gas? Or maybe something nastier out of the Arrow's arsenal.

"On my way to support!" She runs out of cover to start approaching the entrance as well, but certainly slower than Sif. "Abcde, time to witch them from above.." she suggests. Yes, she's sorta jealous about not being able to fly!

At the entrance is where there's more of those guards. Normal cultists as the ones they had found in Starling but dressed in long tunics and turbans along with machine guns, which they turn towards the running Sif. Yet of course that those shots miss her when they start shooting at her. Like they weren't seeing the real one. (And they aren't)

A few of those men by the truck that Thea had shot the tear gas arrow at come out of it, coughing, close to Vin, along with a few that weren't really caught by the cloud itself. They turn their guns at her and shout, "Intruders! Warn the master!" one runs off and starts reaching for the radio, the others point and shoot towards Vinnie!

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Witch them from above? she considers just what she could possibly pull off without giving the game away too much. If the mage using that idol is inside that pyramid.. which seems very likely, he'll no doubt realise pretty quickly there's a mage here to challenge him.

    "Silentium est aureum," Abcde says and points her wand at the guard calling out to warn their master. Silence is golden, as his voice travels, but the radios fail them cultists. If they're going to warn him, they'll have to do it on foot the old fashioned way.

    She sweeps past the group and delivers a swift high speed aerial kick to the head of a guy who wasn't paying attention, the dips back behind some crates to avoid being shot at.. because those bullets can still hurt if they land... if they aren't aimed well and they get lucky that is.

Sif has posed:
Sif disdains the gunfire:

1. They're not aiming at her.
2. Even if they were her armour would stop it without even getting scuffed.
3. Even if it didn't, .50cal machine guns just sting. They'd need anti-tank equipment to cause any serious pain.

Oh, and:

4. She's on foot and moving faster than a vehicle. Their training, whatever amount they had, is not ready for that and they're leading too little and lagging on the traverse.

Within seconds of them opening fire the lion is among the pigeons and she wreaks dreadful carnage among them. True to the plan she doesn't kill in case this makes the rest of the opponents stronger. She is not, however, averse to maiming, and maiming she does: the flat of her blade across a back breaking several ribs in several places while cracking some vertebrae. The cold-eyed punch to a jaw dislocating the jaw so much that it looks like it's become detached. The foot to the groin that cracks the coccyx ... and squashes all the soft tissues between the crotch and that bone. (It likely popped a hip out too, but that will require later investigation.)

The machine guns hit the ground after many of the bodies do with Sif granting no quarter. They are removed from the equation so that the rest of the team can enter without having to worry about their backs.

But they're alive.

Some of them maybe not beyond this day.

"Entrance is clear. I'm entering." Which she does, halting only if there is a barrier she can't burst or a choice point that will require group concensus.

Vintridr has posed:
    A decent tactic; a human intruder would be entirely too busy dealing with the imminent gunfire to get to the radio in time -- but to an Asgardian, gunfire is closer to a nuisance than an immediately lethal threat, which means that Vintridr doesn't have the sense of urgent not-quite-panic that a human in her situation would have.

    Still, only a fool tempts fate. She reaches down for the body of one of the men she'd just disabled and flings him at the trio, obscuring her own form as she rushes in right behind hit and tackles the radio owner.

    << Stay low, >> she warns. << A flying enemy is entirely too tempting a target. >>

    With her immediate vicinity clear, she makes her way to rejoin Thea. "From here on, it's speed -- get in and do what we need to do before their master can marshal all his forces to bear against us.

Thea Queen has posed:
There is a bit of shooting. A lot of screaming, specially from the ones unfortunate enough to be at the entrance to the pyramid itself but soon enough they are all converging near it. Be it by flying or by foot. Most of the guards above have been disabled or otherwise stopped from pursuing, at least temporarily, Thea speaking onto comms, << Sif, wait for us. Don't rush ahead too fast. >> they still did not know what else would be under there. But she didn't expect it to be as easy as it had been so far!

Thea nods at Vin when she joins her, "Not sure about a blitz strategy here but ..., lets go." it's not as if they had too much a choice either.

Approaching the entrance shows an escavated entrance near the top, a wooden board in front that certainly is no match to any Asgardian or even human and then it's time to go in. Thea turns a flare arrow on to get some visibility inside as they start descending to darkness, walls old as one would expect. Hieroglyphs frame the walls around them the further down they go until they find themselves on a long corridor that continues ahead.

Around them the glyphs on the wall show various depictions of a central figure drawing power from others. Of the drawing of an idol.

Faded words in old Egyptian are on the wall, saying "The many shall become one."

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde flies across to the entrance, her knee resting atop the broom in a sort of more elaborate riding posture. She's been riding this thing for years and it shows. She slips off of it and to her feet at the entrance, then enters behind Thea.

    She starts to lag a bit behind as her eyes look over the depictions and glyphs and she murmurs with concern, "I don't like the looks of this. It's like this place was built for the idol. The many shall become one? That's an extremely ominous thing to write in Egyptian."

    She scoops up the hovering broom and slides it in to the holster on her back. "Be careful Goddess of War.. we have no idea how strong this mage has become."

Sif has posed:
If there's any impact from the increased sense of doom and dread it's not showing on Sif's face.

This could be good. She may be overpowering it.

This could be bad. She may be close to snapping but to stoic to say anything.

Unfortunately the only way to find out is, in effect, to suck it and see.

"I have dealt with the magicks of Prince Loki," she says bluntly. "There are no mortal magics which can raise fear in me." That she'll admit. To mortals. "Let us proceed. When we find this idol, this sword will be our best weapon against it, I think."

She holds aloft her naked blade now, and those with magical senses will ... what's that term? Sensory overload. Right. That's it.

"It carves asunder the barriers between universes when wielded by one of strong will. I think an idol will pass beneath it without a large struggle, and any spirit contained within will find itself on the side of defeat. I cracked open the Armory of the Palace to prepare for this mission, forgetting only the quick change magicks that my friend Vintridr brought with her. With this blade, or with my axes, or with my spear, we will defeat this evil once and for all. And if needed a warband can be unleashed to eliminate its minions once and for all."

Vintridr has posed:
    Vintridr's only visible reaction to the increasing aura of dread is a slight tightening of the shoulders - and a brief rainbow shimmer as her blade and shield materialize in her hand. "I remember your warning, Magus," she reassures Abcde. "I won't use lethal force unless they force me; I just wish to have them to hand in case we face something worse than maddened mortals..."

    She glances back toward the entrance one last time and falls in at Thea's side, ready to cover her as they make their way deeper into the Pyramid...

Thea Queen has posed:
Making their way deeper into the pyramid means those glyphs are more prominent, depictions of a central being receiving powers from adjacent ones, various people in worship. Many of those writings and drawings are already fading, eroded with time but some still visible in the darkness that only gets deeper the further they go down.

"I wish I could be like that..., but right now I am about to pee my leathers.." she confesses. A pause and she adding with a small frown. "And no, I haven't yet if anyone is to ask.." her bow is at the ready though, one arrow having been knocked and prepared to be unleashed.

Further ahead they begin to hear sounds. Moans of pain mostly. Some rattling on chains and a few moments later they will find themselves on an antechamber of sorts, large. Spread about the room are various cages where within the most varied types of mutants can be seen. Some they can recognize from pictures Thea had shown the rest. All in various states of famine or frailty. Clearly they have been here for a while, and not properly fed.

As they get into the room those with magical senses will sense a subtle alteration. One similar to what occurred during the snek attack at Faati's house. It seems there's more than one mage at play here.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
Abcde couldn't feel more naked right now. She's wearing clothes and draped in magic of her own design. But still, she is going up against someone who is not just using the dark arts, they are embracing them whole bosom. As she sees the mutants in cages she frowns.

"Sacrifices," she whispers to the party. "We can't let them die..." she says as her brain starts to tug in two directions. Stop the ritual or help the abducted. There's no good choice. As she passes through the magical barrier she pauses.

"We're in a reflection of a reflection now.. be careful, things can get weird. We don't know what affects they put on this place and they will react strangely to what I did outside.. the deception will be up quickly if they realise."

Sif has posed:
"These beings are very frail and fragile," Sif says as she surveys the cages. "If battle were to break out here, they would die. This would be a calamity."

Sif? Afraid of a little death? WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE REAL LADY SIF!?

"Their deaths would fuel the opposition."

Ooooooooooooooohhh!

"We may have to dispatch part of our force to free the captives and send them fleeing out of this structure, if only to prevent them from being fuel. We can later offer them succour once the threat is extinguished." Sif's eyes fall on Abcde. "Can you give them a push, witch? A desire to leave, but in a calm and orderly fashion rather than a panicked, noisy rush?"

Vintridr has posed:
    "Courage isn't the absence of fear, Young Queen," Vintridr replies. "Courage is in not letting fear deter you from doing what must be done, to forge ahead despite danger not because you do not fear the danger, but because the goal is more important."

    She glances at Abcde and Sif. "Indeed. On the other hand, if we free them before we've secured this area we would drastically impair our mobility - and they don't currently have a safe path out. On the other hand, if it comes to pass that we need to flee quickly, we may not have time to free them on the way out."

    She glances back towards Thea. "Your call. Do we break them out now and bring them with us, accepting the potential burden of having to cover almost two dozen noncombatants in battle, or do we leave them for later and risk not being able to take them with us when we leave?"

Thea Queen has posed:
"A reflection of a reflection?" Thea asks Abcde with curiosity. "Someone else playing at dimensions?" troubling enough that seems to be. Brows furrow under the mask, gaze going from the witch to the two Asgardians, "We do not know how our fight here will go, and I could not live with myself if we had to run and left these people here imprisoned. Lets break them out, at least like that they will have a chance." a beat, "Even if they may have to fight for it in the end..."

Better than no chance at least!

The antechamber where they are at is large, corridors on both ends and in front there's a pair of large stone doorways that are currently closed. Curiously enough it seems as if the doors *have* been used recently as dust and dirt has been disturbed there, leaving that area mostly clean after prolonged use. Which is amazing enough considering how old the whole thing is.

Thea is walking to the cages to start opening them when sounds are heard from those corridors ahead and cultists start pouring out, walking instead of running but they have noticed the 'gang'. And if it was only cultists it might not give them much of a trouble. The trouble is what comes with them. Mutants, and just like when they face off against Quill-boy in Starling these ones seem to have ill-intentions towards the intrepid adventurers that have dared to disturb their sanctum.

"That's far enough." a cultist in the front says, voice disembodied as if he was but a vessel from a more powerful entity, "I will not tolerate further aggression towards my goals. Leave now and I shall spare you from the wrath of my ascension." the large room starts getting crowded with cultists as they move about, up in the air a mutant or two in-flight as well. At least half a dozen of those, along with the throng of cultists. Odds aren't looking good!

Thea whispers to the others, "Might be a good time to collect that favor from your brother, Lady Sif.."

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde walks closer to one of the captives and says, "Yeah.. I can give them all a bit of pep in their step. If you can break the chains." She smiles and starts to think of the incantation sh'll need for that kind of group adrenaline boost when they are found.

    She looks at the growing army of cultists encroaching on them and she feels a shudder run down her spine listening to the offer from the voice, "Right... this is a mess, but remember the goal. The idol above all else.."

    Because even these mutants captured, and the ones brainwashed in to fighting on the side of a mad man don't weigh much against the entire world kneeling to whoever is using the idol. She nods in agreement with Thea, "Yes God of War, now would be an excellent time to bring the pain." She slower draws her broom out from its holster on her back and her wand twirls from finger to finger and then back in to her grip. "I'm ready."

Sif has posed:
~It's time, my Brother.~

~It is difficult.~

~But not impossible, Heimdal. Bifrost is needed now. There will be guests. Dispatch guards to keep them in reception, then when all is done, send them to the Embassy.~

The noise in Sif's head is almost audible.

~It is done. The war band is assembled. Shall...~

~Of course! They will hold off the enemy while the refugees escape!~

The argument takes place in a timeless space. A blink of the eye in mortal terms. And as good as the magus making the protections are, there is good, and there is "ancient enchanted bridge of Odin Allfather". Heimdal's eye is blocked ... for a few seconds. The bridge is stopped ... for less than a breath. Then, from far in the eye-warping distance, a rainbow comes and terminates in the vestry.

A dozen of Asgard's finest, spears and shields and axes at the ready, forming a shield wall, advance down the bridge, taking orders from Sif in her curt battle language. Four peel off and start guiding the sacrifices away from the front while eight join Sif at the front, by her orders killing nothing, but sparing no limbs from skewering of spears, nor faces from bashes of shields.

"Witch and Thea, take the airborne ones!" she calls out. "Aim for limbs and incapacitation, not body and death!"

She turns her attention back to the battle, illustrating why "non-lethal" can still have plenty of blood and screaming.

Vintridr has posed:
    Vintridr dismisses her sword and shield almost at the same time as the Bifrost opens, opting instead for her own bow -- the warband can handle the melee part quite well on their own. She takes a moment to consider the problem and her options as she takes aim.

    Primary problem, of course, is that their true foe remains hidden - the cultist who speaks is merely a mouthpiece - and unlikely to voluntarily come out to face them until they it is ready to do so.

... Still, there are ways.

    "... I have an idea. Bear with me," she murmurs, her bearing changing as she shifts her aim minutely -- and the cultist who had spoken takes an arrow of pure ice through his throat. Vintridr locks eyes with him as he dies, holding out one hand as reaches out for his soul - not to claim it for Valhalla, but to hold it back from being claimed by its master... And letting the 'direction' of its pull guide her to where he is hidden.

Thea Queen has posed:
"The Idol above all else.." Thea mirrors Abcde's words in agreement, murmuring back to the witchy witch in a quiet voice. She has stopped on trying to free the ones in the cages now that they have a host of cultists in front of them, her hand squeezing the handle of her bow, waiting for all Hel to break loose.

And soon enough Thea gets what she was looking for, an Asgardian warband joining the fray. She doesn't oggle for too long on how coordinated they are, advancing through the cultists at a steady pace. Arrows are shot from her bow, providing cover from the aerial combatants, each that hits with an explosive 'pop' that sends the flyer tumbling down. Of course that she is not able to shoot all of them down, one of them nimbly dodging her shots and making a beeline towards Abcde! Angelical features on demonic wings as it flies towards the witch, eyes glazed over, expression of rage. Clearly affected by the idol.

As Vin's arrow shoots out the speaker's throat and he chokes to death there's a laughter in the air as energies start to form from the body to those with more attuned senses to such death energies. Yet as those energies start to fleet back towards the main chambers that are behind the host they are stopped by Vin's power. And instead of laugh there's a cry of rage in the air. Still, it's evident now that their foe is behind the double-closed doors after the small cultist army.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
Abcde's eyes go wide with fear as she sees the beserker charging toward her with lifeless zeal in his eyes. She lifts up her hands as his strike attempts to land on her and lets out a small breath of relief. His body tumbles through the illusion that is Abcde's body.

She is.. well.. just -over here- as was designed by her magic. She smiles a moment and catches her breath. He's going to be confused about that and she'd rather not be here to let him figure it out. She hops on to her broom and takes flight. Doors. Double doors.

"aperti dicunt I!" she calls forth and thrusts her wand toward the doors. A very simple spell, brute force magically speaking.. the latin version of 'open sesame'.

Vintridr has posed:
    Vintridr's eyes - and several of the apparently not merely decorative gemstones set into her armor - glow with a pale off-white light that holds no warmth at all as she stands, one hand held up in a clutching gesture that mirrors her own hold on the fallen cultist's death energies.

    She can't hold this for long; Valkyrior she may be, psychopomp she may be, but she is still only mortal, and this is not her domain -- she holds no claim over this man's soul, and it was already sworn to the entity behind it before this battle started -- but then she doesn't need to hold it for long. Just long enough to get a feel for where their true enemy hides.

    "There!" she calls out, indicating the doors behind the idol. "Our true foe lies beyond that doorway!"

     Putting deeds to words, she once again dismisses her bow in exchange for sword and shield and charges forward. One of the warriors at the back of the warband notices her approach and knows what's needed without words exchanged. He half turns and drops to one knee, presenting his shield as a platform. Vintridr leaps on top of it without breaking her stride, and he heaves with all his Asgardian strength as she pushes off in an assisted leap that carries her clear over the melee and the idol.

    One of the flying abominations swoops in to intercept her, but the Valkyrior spins in mid-air, her blade flashing - and what remains of its left wing lands on the ground behind her a moment after she herself touches down while the creature screeches in pain, rage and confusion as it spirals out of control and to the ground. The Valkyrior spares it neither a thought nor a glance backward as she advances on the doorway.

Sif has posed:
A quick word from Sif and the same warrior repeats the shield launch, propelling Sif behind the Valkyrie-in-Exile. The tumbling flier catches a booted foot and sends her tumbling, in a trajectory similar to Vintridr, to hit the ground behind her.

She lands on her feet.

It's not a GRACEFUL landing. It's the kind of landing that would probably have spectators in a movie laughing. But it's a landing, and it's one that leaves her ready for battle.

Just awkward.

"I have your back under my protection," she tells the Valkyrie. Then, louder, "Thea Queen! We will need your talents to keep our backs clear of treachery!"

Thea Queen has posed:
A couple of arrows narrowly pass close to Vintridr during mid-flight, shooting a couple more assailants from the air, Thea the one behind those shots as she keeps them covered while they traverse to the other side. Of course that she also needs to do it so when she spots Abcde taking flight ....

"Hey, room for one more?" she calls out to the magician, smoothly collapsing her bow on the run, hooking it to her back while she runs to intercept Abcde's flight pattern. She jumps to take one of her hands so they can go to the other side.

And while doing a fly-by? She drops one of her explosive arrows amidst a throng of cultists. Aerial bombardment!

The doors are opening after Abcde's spell. Slowly, but enough that they can get through already and once they are on the other side Thea lets herself drop to the floor, rolling on it and then back up. Breathing a bit heavier by now.

"Got it." She says about covering their backs, shooting a couple of glue arrows on the way to keep any pursuers out.. At least for the moment. "It won't---"

Whatever she was saying is cut abruptly as again that feeling of rage comes to the fore. Palpable even. Thea grits her teeth, hand to her head. "Fuck.."

The room is large, much larger than the antechamber was but unlike the other room this one is void of anyone in it. To the exception of one person. Clad in dark clothings, skin looking almost metallic, eyes of a seething yellow. Features are similar to the man they met during that gala a while back, Al-Fidr, but he has clearly been changed.

Torches light up the walls, the hieroglyphs here more detailed, showing the process of energy transfer and right in the middle of the room, behind the man is an idol with a grinning face. To each side there are marble slabs. One is empty but the other has a husk of what was most likely a living being.

"Thank you for killing my follower. One more to fuel me." The man grins showing sharp teeth.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
Abcde is a monster hunter. It's part of being a friendly neighbourhood witch. People come to you with their problems and you have to deal with them. Sometimes those problems go bump in the night. Sometimes those problems bring the night itself.

This kind of monster is well out of her league, but she knows how to fight monsters. You have to just.. keep.. on.. going. She hears Thea's voice and swings her broom around, ducking under a spear someone threw. From which side she's not sure. She reaches down and grabs Thea's arm acrobatically and pulls her up.

Abcde swishes past the line of Asgardians fighting cultists and through the doors where Thea dismounts. So does Abcde. Her broom comes up short and she catches it in her hand.

Expecting to be attacked, from her belt she draws out her charm on a string and begins to spin it up to speed in front of her, the circular shield created by it crackles with strange runes that are created from the illusion of the charm swishing rapidly through the air. She slides her broom in to her back holster and lifts her wand up, ready for the worst.. because the worst is where they've headed.

The rage sends sparks raining around her like fireworks crackling where the dark energy meets her defensive runes. This won't hold forever, but a cone like shadow spreads out behind her of light guarding from the dark.

He talks.. perhaps he can monologue. Everyone knows when a villain starts monologuing you have a chance at victory. She strafes off to the side not wanting to be in the line of fire, but she is lit up quite brightly from her defences. Time to be big brave mage?

"It's over," she says, feeling a shift to the illusion magic in this realm once more. She's not sure what changed and she knows not to trust her senses too keenly when anything could be false. "The gods of Asgard have taken offence..." Which is certainly true and sounds delightfully ominous. She doubts 'Abcde has come' would strike fear in to the heart of anyone. But the norse gods of old? may be that'd give him pause.

Vintridr has posed:
    Vintridr gives Fidr one unimpressed disdainful glare -- if you've seen one overly ambitious and stupid mortal thinking that becoming an insane god's flesh puppet is a good idea, you've seen them all -- before addressing the idol directly.

     "Enjoy your meal, pretender. It will have been your last - and now your bill comes due," she retorts, carefully injecting the exact amount of defiance into her words to hopefully escalate that gleeful taunt into a full-on gloating monologue while she focuses on the hieroglyphics to get a better idea as to the details of what anchors the being to this reality - and how best to cut through it...

Sif has posed:
While the man talks, Sif sheathes her sword, holding her shield closer to her. Calmly, almost casually, she pulls out one of her beautiful axes, spinning it casually as Vintridr throws down the challenge. The unwary might even think she's relaxed and casual.

If you've seen one foolish mortal make a pact with dark powers, you've seen them all. Sif's diffident arrogance may give the impression she doesn't listen. But she does. And she knows one thing.

The idol is the key.

Her eyes flicker over the hieroglyphs, decoding them as best she can. Which is quite well, all things considered. She purses her lips and, as Vintridr's final syllable falls, she leaps into action, charging straight at al-Fidr, unleashing a chilling battle cry to pave the way before her. But she does not pause at him, nor even strike at his body. He's useless. He's a puppet now. She contemptuously ducks and dodges anything he tries to throw her way as she instead musters all her strength and brings her axe, propelled by her full strength, her full weight, and her impetus from racing forward, down on the...

...plinth the idol stands on, trying to carve deep to what is beneath it.

"The source is not the idol!" she calls out. "The idol came afterward!"

Thea Queen has posed:
"Yes, Asgardians.." Al-Fidr isn't surprised. He knew they were on his tail already. And he can monologue while also moving fast to intercept Sif! And when we say fast it's REALLY fast. The figure zips in, nails extending into claws, a smile on his lips when Sif does that head-on charge.

Almost as if he expected it already.

"Time to see what kind of powers I can get out of one." His arm swipes at Sif, swift and full of intent but ..., it goes wide -just- so. The illusion is still up. It catches him briefly by surprise but he adjusts quickly and while he can't fully block the blow he still diverts the axe trajectory astray so the plinth is only barely hit, most of the brunt being taken on the man's arm. It leaves a dent but doesn't fully pierce through skin. The idol does start to sway on that plinth though.

"Again with your magicks. But I am getting used to your mirror dimensions by now, mageling. Coveting the idol will do you no good." Al-Fidr says with a glance to Abcde. And for some reason it seems he's mixing her with someone else.

Thea looks relieved when that spell shield from Abcde comes up and protects them from the worst of the rage influences. She doesn't stay put though, starting to run forward and around the room. She's just the human. Unnoticeable and unimportant! Or so she hopes to look like.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
There's a lot happening all at once. The heroism of the Asgardians foremost. But, typically, a cryptic hint from Sif leaves Abcde needing to know more, "Could you perhaps elaborate on that a bit Sif. Are we targeting the wrong thing here or are you just pointing out that the deep dark evil channeling through the idol isn't from the idol.. but it should still be its anchor. Well, the one that's a problem today."

But dang, that creature is now such a hodgepodge of features.. and is fast.. and has the magic of the idol on his side. She knew she was getting in too deep but this could be the literal death of her. But something catches her attention. The choice of words he uses. It's like he's mistaking her for somebody else. Perhaps that Khrad guy, since he has been hunting this thing down for a while.. coveting it.

No matter, time to show this guy he's not just messing with a mageling, or a young little witch, but the combined strategic idiocy of not one but also two sorcerer supremes - Stephen Strange and Illyana Rasputina. She grips her wand tightly and smirks. She likes surprising her opponent.. and that he missed Sif because of her magic does delight her. Hubris, she must keep that under wraps.

"enable furtim in nobis!" A blast of her black magical energy lances out at Sif, Vin, Thea, and herself and energises the potion they all drank. And .. poof .. just like that, the four of them become invisible to the senses, magical and otherwise.

The distorted illusion of the mirror realm feels like thick murky water to the group, pushing through it is hard but fighting it too much will disrupt the spell and make them visible while-ever they persist. One must find the magical currently and let it move them along. Abcde does just that, feeling out the energy of the dead floating toward the idol, she latches on to it and feels herself being drawn toward the plinth. The hazy distance sounds of battle echo through this strange magical state like whale-song under water.

Vintridr has posed:
    Interesting admission, that. It would appear that Khrad may not have been entirely forthcoming about their motivations in this conflict.

Surprise, surprise.

    This doesn't change either the immediate or the median situation, however -- this cult and all who serve it need to be excised. Dealing with the Sand Lamia can come later, if need be.

    All these thoughts go through her mind even as she moves with Sif, bracketing Al-Fidr on his other side to force him to split his attention and striking out with a low slash that won't be fatal, but will significantly impair his ability to move and be a problem for anyone short term.

    "Work quickly, Magus!" she advises Abcde before devoting her attention to keeping the monster in check.

Sif has posed:
"Wall him off, Vintridr!" Sif calls out, then adding, for Abcde's benefit, "The idol is not the source of the power. It is an augmenting charm only. I gleaned it from the writing. The power has always come from something else. The idol merely expands and focuses it!"

Trusting to Vintridr to keep Al-Fidr off of her, Sif ignores her assailant and concentrates her efforts on destroying what's beneath the statue. Trying to navigate the currents of the forces now in play, to maximize impact, she tries to find the shortest path between her raised axe arm and the base. Asgard-dense muscles drive Asgard-forged metal and Asgard-grown wood into the plinth and beyond. Sif cries out from the effort with a mixed shout of rage, effort, and pain as the numbing force of the returned power from her strike rattles her hand, arm, shoulder and head.

And still she tries again, raising the axe for another strike.

Thea Queen has posed:
The calling towards the idol was something that Thea already had. Ever since she first felt it's power back at Starling City. It was only residual then but now she is being filled with the full brunt of it all. The allure. And now that they are invisible? Being tugged towards it? She almost rushes in. A mix of wanting to both help her companions but also to take some of *that* power.

For rage has been a long time companion of Thea.

The invisibility comes as a surprise for Al-Fidr, a frown on his expression. "Again you try, mageling.." he only have time to lift one foot up at Vin's low slash. It would had ripped through a tendon was it not for that hardened, metallic skin. As it stands it's a dent in. One that sends him into a rage. "I will kill you first while your friends watch from their hidden places!" he tells Vin, one hand reaching back towards the Idol...

Two things happen then. The plinth explodes from Sif's strike on it, the idol sent flying ..., and Thea reaching to catch it. One hand wraps around the idol as she slides across the ground to take hold of the dark thing, looking at it..

"Give it back, it is not yours." Al-Fidr growls, continuing to attempt to fend off Vin's attacks while stepping back towards Thea.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
Abcde is trying her best, really, to stay on mission. The idol is what matters. And with the two Asgardians fighting Al-Fidr so well.. Thea is going for it. And getting it. It's then that through the quagmire of her stealth magic, she can see the tendrils drifting off of Thea.

Another has their hooks in her friend. There's a taste to the magic. Khrad. Somehow he is using Thea to get what he wants.. the idol. Well that just made things far more complicated - she didn't plan for this. Planning was everything for her in this battle.

And that means the fight isn't over.. Khrad must be close by if he's hoping to capitalise on this manipulation. Dare she -fight- Thea? how strong is his influence over her.. or the idols for that matter.

Something in the back of her head reminds her of some words.. there's no such thing as small magic. All magic is big magic. Her mind races back to their time in Starling city. The rage and anger in Thea then, the way she took on those thugs with no mercy. The way the whole neighbourhood was eating itself alive.

If only she knew Thea better, she'd have been able to see this coming. She's the perfect mark.. she invites the rage in and she can fight like a beast. She draws out her broom and lets it fly forward with speed toward Thea. Not to fight her, nor to try to take the idol.. but to sweep her off her feet (as brooms tend to do - sweep) and up in to the air trying to throw her as Abcde rushes forward hoping she'll drop the idol and she can catch it instead.

Vintridr has posed:
    "Vintridr huffs in quiet derision. I've heard better taunts from striplings,", she retorts as she interposes herself, batting his claw aside with an almost casual swipe from her shield while slashing out with her sword, more to keep him at range while she studies his weaknesses than an actual attempt to hurt him yet.

    Al-Fidr's new form may have greater strength and resilience than a mortal human has any right to... But it is still commanded by a mind that has had, at best, a mere decade or two to practice the art of battle.

    His opponent, on the other hand, has forgotten more about the ways of war than entire armies learn in their entire lifetime, and her weapons and armor were forged by a Master of Asgard's forges, who likewise has had several centuries to perfect his craft.

This isn't even remotely a fair fight.

    As Thea goes for the idol and Al-Fidr's attention becomes divided, Vin quickly demonstrates his tactical error by swiping his stable leg out from under him in mid-step.

    "It is not yours either; it should never have existed," she replies to him, darting past him as he falls in order to intercept Thea before the Young Queen does something profoundly unwise.

Sif has posed:
The plinth shatters under Sif's tender mercies, spalling rock flying all over like a rock grenade. Obstacle out of the way, she throws the axe (at force) in a quick spin to give Al-Fidr an extra thing to worry about while he evades Vintridr's implacable assault. Then comes the sword.

THE sword.

A sword whose power all magic-using peoples in her vicinity can feel is thrumming with barely-restrained power. The sword so sharp it carves holes in the very fabric separating universes when held and used correctly.

"This may have unexpected effects. Brace."

Her voice rings into the room as she raises the sword over her head, hands on hilt, blade pointed down, and then plunges it deep into the ground directly under where the statue once was, carving with ease through sand, stone, even diamond if need be, its hungry, greedy tip ready to rip into whatever it finds.

And it's being held and used correctly.

Thea Queen has posed:
Profoundly unwise choices could be a description of most of Thea's life. Rage at her brother, at her family. Years of drinking and drug abuse. It all comes back to the fore as she holds the idol, that intimate feeling of the past once again calling to her. Yet she is also someone different now.. Hesitation comes to her posture and she looks up as if to say something before she feels her feet being swept from under her. Treacherous broom!

As she falls the idol clatters away from her hand to go and land close to Abcde. That's when Khrad comes into view, from a corner of the room, hand extended, eyes wide, "Quickly...!" his voice so helpful. "Throw me the idol, I will destroy it and Al-Fidr will be no more!" really, the man is good at bullshitting. It really sounds as if he only wants to help. But Abcde has seen his magick.

Vin's run towards Thea means she has her back to Al-Fidr, so even if she indeed is able to reach the Young Queen there's a rush of wind behind her, Al-Fidr moving fast, ready to skewer her with claws..

And then the sword.. It pierces the seat of power, the center of this nexus of old. Older than the idol, a power lost in time that had been corrupted by the idol. Energies grow unstable and piece by piece Abcde will be able to see the energies that keep this place intact start to fade. The large pyramid shudders, groaning as if in a last death cry, the rumbling slowly starting to grow in intensity.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
Abcde loves it when a plan comes together. She scoops up the idol in to her hands as Khrad makes himself known. Such helpful words, such a sweet lie that might be believable - if she hadn't seen him puppeting Thea to get the idol for himself. If she hadn't heard Al-Fidr say he coveted it.

She looks to him and rips out one of the ruby gems that makes up its eye. She stated the mission goals quite succinctly before they even flew to Egypt. Damage the idol and it'll lose its power until it's restored. But, it's too easy to put back together.

Abcde eyes the man as he starts to move forward. She drops the rest of the idol and holds out her hand with the essential ruby in it, turns her hand over, sleight of hand, and back again.. and it's gone.

"There are magics the Sorcerer Supreme taught me that you cannot even dream of. The piece is gone, far away from here now where you will never find it." A magician has to sell it with theatre of course. She makes sure she lifts up her sleeves to show that it didn't just roll down one of them.

The rumbling makes her feet unsteady as she catches her balance. The treacherous broom comes back to her side and gives her a nudge to right her. "And now this place is coming unstuck.. it's time to leave. All of us," she calls out. Because Sif really did just stick a super duper magical sword smack dab in to a corrupted leyline.

She can feel the magical energies starting to twist and turn, ripping from its tether. Rivers come and go, they change course.. and it's never a peaceful transition. She doesn't intend to be here when this one finds its new home.

"Sorry Khrad. Give my regards to your snek friends but I see through your lies now.. it's over." She knows he was likely feeling for the magic, for the spell. Because he thinks he knows more about magic than she does.. and he may very well be right.

But at least, today, she can put a bit of mystery back in to his life.. did a West Virginian witch really just best him with a magic spell he doesn't know??! That slightly cocky smile on her lips seems to suggest she knows right now she holds all the cards. And without the power of the idol to back Al-Fidr up, he's just another super mutant.

Vintridr has posed:
Vintridr doesn't even look up or around.

    That, perhaps, is the biggest insult she's given Al-Fidr's prowess in the battle so far. Instead, she swats his strike aside with a backhanded shield swipe and all the concern one gives a pesky mosquito without slowing down until she reaches Thea just as the ground begins to shake.

    "On your feet, Young Queen; it's high time we left this place behind," she recommends, helping the young woman back to her feet before turning once to face Al-Fidr.

    "If you flee now, you might yet live to see another spring bloom," she informs him, finally deigning to meet his eyes again, now that everything in the room more important than him has been dealt with. "The offer will not be repeated."

Behind him, the woman Asgard called the "Goddess of War", a reputation she's earned time and again.

In front of him, one of the Choosers of the Slain.

One moment to choose: Fight, flee, or surrender. The choice is his.

Sif has posed:
The aforementioned "Goddess", withdrawing her blade from the ley line she broke, wreathed in its spectral powers (to those with the Sight--which does not include her among that number), turns, behind Al-Fidr, as Vintridr does something that, in truth, Sif would not have done.

She's offered quarter.

Not one to dishonour a comerade's offer in the heat of battle, she instead simply smashes her blade across her shield, making it ring like a church bell with a purity of tone that can only come from nigh-perfect, single-crystal workmanship. A reminder of her presence and, inadvertently, a reminder of what she's just accomplished as some of the magicks that wreathed her fly off of her in waves that the Sighted can feel and see.

"Take the chance, mortal," she says coldly. "And be thankful that Vintridr the Merciful was she who first spoke. For I am Sif The Implacable. The Vengeful Arm of the Allfather."

The sword strikes the shield again, harder, ringing louder in a wordless, but far from mute, threat. Her work is complete. Now she awaits play.

Thea Queen has posed:
As Abcde doesn't go along with the 'plan' that Khrad had there's a shift on the man. He stands taller, expression having lost that helpful look, eyes growing cold as ice. Not just some mage but exuding power. Clearly he had been holding back. "Foolish girl, do you really expect to best an archmage?" he taunts. And the mention of the Saucerer Supreme? He's unimpressed, calmly approaching and picking up what's left of the idol. "This is only a matter of unweaving your weak magicks and figure out where--" a flicker with his hand, arrogant and ....

Nothing.

He frowns, looking at Abcde, "Impossible! Your peasant magicks can't hope to beat Damien Dahrk." he tries again to follow the trail of magic but again no success. A beat later and he looks angry at being bested, but also resigned, "Fine, I will beat it out of you. And don't think this mirror dimension will help you. I am the master of these after all.." hand up as he conjures on a powerful spell, energies coalescing about his form..

Thea is getting up to her feet with Vin's help, gasping. She feels the hold on her mind weakening, teeth gritted. "Thank you. Just .., one last thing." she staggers, reaching for her bow, then an arrow out of the quiver. A rather beautiful one that Vin will recognize from a certain tangle with Death Gods, pure white fletching, tip of obsidian black. The last of those.

"I hate people trying to get into my head." Thea tells Dahrk, shooting at him. And was it not for a similar spell to Abcde's the arrow would had hit him right in the middle of the forehead. As it stands it pierces through shields and defenses, embedding itself on the man's shoulder and sending him flying back against a wall, a surprised cry of pain lifting from him. And of rage. Deep rage.

For Al-Fidr this battle isn't going as he expected. He is supposed to be the Ascendant. To rule on mutant and mankind alike. And this? They are treating him like he was a child! The axe that is thrown by Sif embeds itself on his shoulder, piercing the metallic skin. It's a telltale that indeed his powers are weakening. Without the idol he is indeed just another super mutant. He lets out a primal scream in defiance to Vin's 'choice' to leave then, going full berserk for having been for so long under the idol's influence and with spittle flying from his lips he full on charges the two Asgardians! Fearless!

---

"We need to get out of here.." Thea says, stumbling closer to Abcde as Al-Fidr engages the Asgardians. A stone block shudders and falls from above, sand starting to pour into the chamber.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
Abcde felt true victory. The look on that man's face.. Damien Dahrk? he lied about his name too. The look of utter frustration and annoyance when he can't trace the magic. She lifts up her hands to shield herself from the blast she's about to get hit with. This is the end and she can only hope her allies can save her.. which they do.

Abcde lets out a long breath of relief as Darhk stumbles back with the arrow having hit him. She hooks her foot under her broom and flicks it up to her hand. "Absolutely!," she says in agreement to Thea.

With a kick she pushes her broom forward and turns it offering Thea a ride. The exit is /there/; the world is wibbling and wobbling as the mirror spells are failing under the might of the ley line ripping itself about. She's not going to stick around to see what happens because with or without the Asgardians, these two mere mortals won't be able to survive this. She guns it for the door, up out through the chamber past the warband, back up the stairs and shoots out of the pyramid entrance over the hot sands and bright blue skies.

Vintridr has posed:
    "Time to go, Young Queen," Vin informs Thea in that brief space before battle is joined. "Tell the warband to sound the withdrawal; we'll be with you shortly."

    With that, she charges forward at Sif's side, shield held before her, only to dart to the right at the last possible moment, her blade slashing into Al-Fidr's flank, aiming to sever tendons.

    There is, in truth, a reason that even among Asgard's armies, true Berserkers are rare, and that battle rage held in reserve for the most desperate fights where only that unbridled ferocity and disregard for one's own survival could tip the scales. Because for all its power, the Berserk is a blind rage -- and highly vulnerable against anyone who can match it strength for strength but still think.

    Both Sif and Vintridr can fight at his level and still keep their heads cool - or at least, mostly cool.

    After the initial slash Vintridr continues onward for another two steps before turning, flanking him between her and Lady Sif, rendering him unable to focus on both of them at once without dividing his attention -- something people lost in battle rage rarely do well.

Sif has posed:
Sif knows the manoeuvre well. Distract, divide, conquer. She smiles as she watches Vintridr do that which she'd trained the young Valkyrie to do so many years ago, but with perfection of form and motion, not the awkward, hesitant form she showed in the drill yard.

And that's the last time anything resembling warmth shows on her face or in her eyes for the rest of this fight.

Where Vintridr was skirmishing, needling, distracting, annoying the berserk foe, Sif would be the main body. The phalanx in single person form. Heavily armoured. Heavily armed. Ready to absorb casualties in the form of contusions, abrasions, and cuts. It takes an expert to appreciate her form and style. To the non-expert eye she is simply beating down the opponent, one strike after another, in an exchange of blows, return blows (mostly) caught on her shield. To the eye of the expert is revealed the leading strokes. The invitations to overreach as 'openings' that close before blows can land (mostly) pull the berserk Al-Fidr more and more off-balance, leaving him in more and more compromised stances.

Vintridr would recognize the style once again as memories of spars in the ring and of merry (and a little bit taunting) laughter ring in her ears. She's playing with the poor wannabe god.

Her job in this battle is anchor. She holds Al-Fidr in place and draws him out of balance. Vintridr's goal is to be the killing stroke of vengeance. Sif is granting her that honour.

Thea Queen has posed:
"Join us up there you two." Thea says to the two asgardians just before they engage in combat with Al-Fidr, running to join Abcde and hopping up towards the broom, "I really need to get me one of these.." she confesses to the witch with a faint smile, holding on to Abcde as they begin to fly out of the doomed pyramid. More blocks continue to fall down and the chamber starts to get full of sand quicker and quicker, the broom having to dodge and weave past falling blocks in order to traverse out..

Damien's voice is still heard behind them, still struggling, some lightning striking close as he attempts to shoot them down. But he's too weak after the arrow. Too enraged. "I will find you again!" he promises before he is swallowed underneath the sand, along with part of the idol he is still holding on to..

The fight with Al-Fidr is like a dance. One where Al-Fidr is the one not knowing the moves. Moving by instinct, attacking without regard for safety. He's baited by one, then the other, the clangs and swings echoing through the chamber as his claws hit both shield and sword. Swift, deadly, but also enraged. At last he stumbles, unbalanced ..., at their mercy.

---

As Thea and Abcde fly out she calls out to the Asgardian Host to retreat before glancing at Abcde, "So, where -did- you put the ruby?" a whisper.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
Abcde comes to a sliding stop and holsters her broom again. She looks back to the opening - waiting and hoping their allies will walk out before the sands swallow the place up.

She double takes and starts to grin, "Back pocket." The kids enjoyed her sleight of hand. Damien Darhk? not so much. "I'll deliver it to the Sorcerer Supreme the moment I get back to New York. Then it can really disappear forever."

Vintridr has posed:
    Strength and speed are ever subordinate to skill and experience. Or as Midgard puts it, youth and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery -- and Al-Fidr's opponents are older than he can comprehend. To children of Midgard, even a century is an unimaginably long time; the idea that a pair of women who look no older than thirty at worst count their centuries by the dozen simply does not sink in.

    Al-Fidr is not the first mortal to underestimate Asgardian ages. He likely won't be the last, either. But as he throws himself off balance with a desperate swing at a perceived opening that melted away the moment he tried to exploit it, as he feels the sudden impact of armored boots on his elbow and shoulder, pulling him further off balance with their force, as he looks up to see Vintridr's blade descend towards his face with a speed and force beyond any human's ability to match, he has just enough time to learn one last lesson.

    Then Vintridr's strike lands, and Al-Fidr will have no more time for anything ever again.

    Vintridr rides the body down as it falls to the ground, then withdraws her sword, already on the move and sprinting out of the central chamber. Even if there were time to take a trophy, she doesn't consider him worth it -- he was never as mighty as he thought he was.

Sif has posed:
Sif, as the exchange of blows and evasions went on, drawing Al-Fidr more and more off-balance and open, ready for Vintridr's final blow, felt the familiar warmth of rage building. Tempted to succumb to it, just to give Al-Fidr one more thing to fear before the final lesson landed, she struggled instead to push it back.

Her complexion. Her terrible face. It was a hard struggle.

As Al-Fidr learns of his final shame, Sif steps back and watches with satisfaction, enjoying that look of horror and surprise on his face before his eyes faded and died.

Then she looks up at Darhk's last location, seemingly ready to continue the battle there, only to let out a cry of anger as she sees him gone.

And that was the signal. The signal to push back the madness. To become Sif the Gentle. Favoured Daughter of Asgard.

And Sif the swift, running with astonishing alacrity after Vintridr. "Brother! Now!" she shouts to the air. "Pull them all in and hold them at the gate!"

And Bifrost speeds from Eternity toward the pyramid, its end landing by the exit, the warband exiting with any available survivors not already gone and rushing straight for the rainbow bridge.

Moments later Abcde and Thea exit only to find a bridge to nothingness before them, giving them the choice to go or not. Then Vintridr. Then, finally, angrily cleaving stone blocks aside that have the temerity to get in her way.

"You are cordially invited to Asgard's Gate," she says to the assembled mass of people. "I suggest you take the invitation before this sand swallows all alive."

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea looks at Abcde and her reveal on where she got the ruby to, smirking. "Defeating them with the most ancient magicks of all, eh? Smoke and mirrors.." or illusion in this case! The broom flies out just in time to get that portal appearing in front of them. Thea glances down as the sands continue to swallow down the large pyramid as if it never had been, on the way to become just sand. "Go in!" she tells the survivors, many of them having snapped out of the mind control once Al-Fidr and the Idol were taken out of the equation.

"Shall we?" She then asks Abcde, leaving the choice to her.

---

Faati stays on the distance, watching this all with binoculars by the truck, slack-jawed, "The kids are never going to believe this.." he murmurs to himself.

Vintridr has posed:
    Vintridr pauses a moment as she gazes upon the Bifrost. Of all of Asgard's wonders, it is perhaps the one that best serves both as a symbol of Asgard's might and its artistry, crossing unimaginable distances within an eyeblink, surrounded by a cascade of all colors known to exist as photons are sheared and scatterd by the interface. It is as breathtakingly gorgeous now as it was when she first saw it...

... But still.

    She shakes her head. "I'll see to it that our host makes it home safely -- and that none of Khrad's servants decide to take their defeat out on him," she replies, shaking her head. "I can make my own way back home."

    With that, she turns and sprints away, rapidly clearing the sinking area, and makes for Faati's truck. "Worry not. The Young Queen and her people will be safe and cared for," She tells the man as she reaches the truck and moves into the passenger seat. "That said, it may be best if we left here as well; we are probably well beyond any danger, but there's no reason to linger and every reason not to."

Sif has posed:
Sif watches Vintridr's departure with an enigmatic expression.

Her ploy failed. It was time to come up with a new one.

She then pays attention to the people escaping the collapsing sand, helping herd (and carry at need) people to the bridge and sending them to Heimdall to organize.

"Brother, arrange leeches for the wounded and the needy. Make sure there is food and drink and warm coverings."

She didn't really need to tell her brother how to be a good host, but ... this was her honour at stake. She had to make sure it worked out. Finally, as the last pair of boots on the land before the pyramid collapsed and drew down into the sand leaving no evidence behind that it had ever existed, she stepped onto Bifrost and stepped off outside the Gates. Once there she started organizing the aid and succor, ensuring that those who needed treatment got it, those who needed ensorcelment removed got it, and that all had food, drink, and a warm place to rest, camped out before the mighty, imposing Gates of Asgard.

She was going to get a lecture over this. She knew it. But even a "Goddess of War" has compassion for those who are not of the trade.

Thea Queen has posed:
There's a first time for everything. And even if it was just the gates Thea was on Asgard! She glances about, blinking in surprise but for once she doesn't retch. She is already used to these travels! That's what you get for teleporting her out of the hospital all those months ago...

"So, you are the famous brother ..." Thea then addresses Heimdall, "Heard a lot about you, tell me, is she as insufferable up here as down there..?" she jokes. "Well, you know what, you could tell me all about her during dinner, mmm?" shameless! And that's what you get for bringing Thea and Co up to Asgard. Getting Thea to hit on your brother!

Yet joking aside Thea is swift to start organizing people, see to the wounded, get them on groups. It will be a long process, but it will be worth it, she is sure of it.

"We have done it, girls." She tells Abcde and Sif, "I am honored to have had you by my side, along with Vinnie. We make a good team." a beamy smile on her face as she hasn't had one in weeks.

Things were going to be alright. Or so she hoped.

---

As Vin comes to Faati's truck the man is quick to close his mouth, "You don't need to say that twice!" he hops onto the truck and gets it running, pedal to the metal as he is swift to drive them out of the area, the desert finally swallowing down the last remnants of the pyramid. It will be nothing but a memory now.