Owner	Pose
Jonathan Sims	The arrow in Lydia's field of vision points them unerringly toward the south of Egypt, and the Mooncopter takes them over the expanses of the Atlantic Ocean, western Africa, and finally the Sahara Desert. It's nearing sunrise as they glide over the sands of Upper Egypt, toward a place Marc knows well even if he cannot find it without the presence of the god he serves: a lost temple to Khonshu, hidden in the desert, open only to those who know the way.     When they land, the usually hidden door is open, a gaping hole down into darkness. The waning crescent moon hangs overhead in the pre-dawn sky, a sky utterly clear of clouds. The world is eerily still, a hush fallen over the land, as if it is poised on an edge. Waiting.
Marc Spector	The Mooncopter touches down far enough from the entrance of the temple that the blow of sand towards it is negligable. The back ramp opens and Moon Knight strides out. "We know it's a trap so be prepared for anything." He distributed comms (to the three others during the departure) and puts a hand to his ear. "Comms open, just in case" he sighs and feeling he's done everythig he can starts forward to the single entrance to the temple where his life ended all those years ago and then restarted in a way he never imagined.     As he prowls forward he starts issuing tactical commands. "Layla, you and Lydia need to locate Jon and see if you can release him from any binding he's in. Cael and I will handle any cultists or goons we find." He glances at the woman with the massive silver spear. "Try to keep a handle on your temper if you can. I'd rather not have to contend with a wereform as well as whatever opposition this Cult has on hand."
Cael Becker	Keep a handle on her temper? It's clear that Cael is chomping at the proverbial bit, and has //barely// restrained herself from running past Marc and charging ahead into the Temple.     It would be a stupid move, she tells herself firmly. And she is not a stupid woman.     She answers Marc's instructions with a single, firm nod - the spear currently collapsed and hanging at her waist. She has the double-headed axe in hand instead. "I won't do anything that would ultimately endanger Jon," she remarks. "We... will take care of this." And get him back home - safe and sound. She won't accept any other outcome.     She is not Agnes mother. Agnes needs her father. And Cael needs Jon.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia is a little nervous considering how close to dawn it is. As long as she can remain hidden from the sun she should be alright, though. Nodding to Moon Night she steps out of the Mooncopter and heads for the temple. "What kind of layout is in there?" she asks him. "If it's mazelike following the arrow might be a little difficult."     "I have faith that the tattoo will hold," she tells Moon Knight. "But if it doesn't, she should be in control of the beast so we won't have to fight her, too." She shakes her head, "Just things might get a bit bloodier than usual."
Layla Abdalla El-Faouly	Layla is moving towards the temple with a faint frown as she searches her memories for a possible layout to the place. "Okay, so... if I'm remembering correctly, there's an entry hall first, where the other Gods are represented. There's probably going to be guards there. Then the main hall where Khonshu's statue is, I'm guessing that's where this Elias guy will be." Her frown deepens, digging a furrow between her brows, "And then living quarters at the back... and that's probably where Jon is being held." She looks towards Marc, I think we need to deal with the goons first, all of us, then while you and Cael engage Elias, Lydia and I can try to slip past to get to Jon."
Jonathan Sims	As Moon Knight approaches, the temple does /not/ come up out of the ground as it usually would for him. It's Layla's approach that causes the earth to briefly shake and the bulk of the temple to appear before them, a cracked edifice covered in hieroglyphs and frescoes, a huge statue of a long-dead Pharaoh at its front. The door they had seen in the sands is much taller now, gaping before them, a dark entrance to a dark hall.     The air of the temple, as they enter, is still and musty. Aside from the occassional visits by various holders of the title 'Fist of Khonshu' over the years, this place has been largely abandoned for centuries. The main foyer is lined with alcoves bearing statues to other gods, and faint moonlight shines through skylights set in the ceiling. The hall is almost conspicuously empty.     A voice echoes down the hall as they enter, a familiar voice. It's Jon's in tone, though the cadence is off and it's overlaid with the resonance of a deity. Ma'at's voice, speaking through Jon's vocal chords.     "--who is the son of Nectanebo II, last natural-born king of Kemet, final Pharaoh of the the 30th Dynasty. This lineage proves before gods and men that Viktor Johanssen carries the blood of the kings and thus is eligible to be crowned avatar of Ra, of Ra-Horakhty, Ra who is Horus of the Two Horizons. He is, therefore, eligible to be crowned as avatar of Ra-Atum-Horakhty, aspect of Atum who is son of Gaea, youngest of the Elder Gods and eldest of the New Gods. The Eternal Sun, Amon-Ra, warrior who rises to defend the Demiurge and the Life Entity. In other lands he goes by other names: Helios, Arinna, Sol, Amaterasu, Surya. But here in Kemet is where he first touched the lands of the new children of Gaea, the first civilization since Atlantis, and here in Kemet shall his line be renewed."     Another voice, similar to Jon's, with the same posh English accent, speaks. "Well, that certainly took long enough. Was all that 'son of' really necessary?"     There's a wry amusement in the goddess' voice. "You want me to crown a king of a land lost more than two millenia hence, who has not earned the right by any measure but blood. He /is/ the Sun King, but that must be proven, lest the other gods protest."     A harsh click of a tongue. "Fine. Get on with it, then. They'll be here any moment."
Marc Spector	"Shit" Moon Knight says with a shake. Nevermind that the temple reacted to his wife more than him, it's just another sign that his connection to the moon god is in serious remission. He looks to the others. "We move... now." That Ma'at is forcing the title of Avatar of Ra on this Sun King is bad news and doesn't bode well for any of them. Ra, the mightest of the Egyptian gods--save perhaps one--would be more than a formidable match against their number even with Khonshu's power in his grasp.     Without? He didn't want to think of it.     He starts running through the main foyer, toward the worship hall. As he runs, he can almost see the blood trail that he left six years ago as he clawed his way through this hall on he edge of death to fall before the statue and hear the god of the moon call his name. A telescopic baton is drawn from his belt and he extends it, before snapping it into two escrima sticks for the coming conflict.
Cael Becker	Cael doesn't wait for Marc's words - she's off at a run as she hears Ma'at speaking - and only increases her pace as the meaning of the words crashes in on her awareness. This is... wrong. Jon wouldn't do this. Would he? But Ma'at is Jon. Jon is Ma'at. How could she speak, and approve something he'd be so opposed to?     The axe is already in her hands - and while she does at least attempt to move as quietly as possible - it's not the stealthiest of approaches.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia takes off after Marc, her golden ectoplasm snapping to her skin forming a chitinous kind of armor, with claws extending from her fingers. "Sounds like they're all in one place," she says as they run. When Cael rushes off, she rushes off after her so she's not alone, grumbling, "Dammit, Cael."
Layla Abdalla El-Faouly	As everyone begins running, Layla extends her wings and takes to the sky, though with Marc quickly being outpaced, she swoops down and gets a hand under each arm. Lifting him up and carrying him much faster towards the entrance. Glancing down, she winks at him and smiles, "Air delivery, at your service. I can drop you off and get searching for a way to free Jon. Just... try not to die, hm? I'm not ready to bury a husband in the same decade as a father." Then she's angling the wings to take off and get ahead of the pack, bypassing Cael and Lydia so she can deliver Marc in spectacular fashion to kick the crap out of this would-be king.
Jonathan Sims	The main hall of the Temple of Khonshu (also known as the Tomb of Seti II) is nearly five stories high and large enough to hold a whole congregation of people, though at the moment it's largely empty. The statue of Khonshu here is much like the one in the temple, but much larger, 40 feet tall from base to top of the head. The bird skull on its top seems almost lifeless, devoid of energy, far different than Moon Knight remembers it being in the past. A large skylight in the roof lets in very little light, leaving the temple largely lit in shadows from flickering torches.     There are a couple of differences to how things typically are in the temple. For one, there is an intricate magical working surrounding the base of the statue of Khonshu, hieroglyphs that align the Earth between the sun and moon, metaphysically, keeping the moon god in shadow and slumber. Another, smaller circle stands off to one side, and it is within this circle that Jon--or rather Ma'at--stands. She is barefoot, wearing a red dress and the circlet with the feather, but where when Jon merges with her wings sprout from his back, now her wings are attached to her arms like a heavy feathered cape--the right arm glowing teal instead of Jon's usual emerald green. She carries a short staff in one hand and an ankh in the other, and has her arms raised toward the statue.     In front of the statue stands a middle-aged pale-skinned blonde man wearing a grey suit a few shades darker than his eyes. He carries a cane that he's tapping impatiently as Ma'at speaks. Beside him is a tall man, maybe 6'3", heavily muscled, with skin not quite so dark as Jon's and straight back hair pulled into a ponytail. He wears white robes and carries a heavy chain imbued with firey energy. They both face the statue, and are focused enough on the proceedings that they could be surprised.     "Gods of Heliopolis and Hermopolis, hear me! I bring to you Amon-Ra, the Sun King, ruler of the united lands of Upper and Lower Egypt! He has chosen this man, Viktor Johannsen, as his avatar, and thus I proclaim and crown him! Kneel and pay obesiance to your king and god!"     There's a stirring in the air, quiet power that settles over the form of the white-robed man.
Marc Spector	Moon Knight would protest the indignity of being carried by Scarlet Scarab... were he in a position to not appreciate the advantage it gives him. She drops him quietly just inside the main hall before peeling off to find a way to free Jon? Ma'at? From the circle they're bound in.     He's not going to draw this out too long if he can help it. Better to get the drop and end the fight before it grows too heavy for him to handle. He raises his left arm and activates the air-propelled launcher on his right bracer. The crescent dark flies out at bullet-like speeds toward the man with the chain.     His hope is to remove the Sun King before the man can even take the field. If it labels him a King Slayer in the eyes of those in Heliopolis... so be it.
Cael Becker	As much anger as courses through Cael - she remains silent, aside from her footsteps, as she charges towards the two men within the circle, before the massive statue. She spares a glance for Jon - but it isn't them. It just... isn't. And that worries her in a way she can't process at the moment.     But Layla said she would see to Jon. She would have to trust the woman to be good to her word.     As she crosses the line of symbols drawn into the ground, Cael has enough of her wits about her to swing her axe blade across the stonework, attempting to discrupt whatever spellwork had been wrought - before combining fire with Marc. Her axe comes around, aiming at and through the shoulder of the man in white, hoping to cleave her way into his chest.     If they get one of them down - they can deal with the other.
Lydia Dietrich	When she sees the two men, she makes a quick assessment of the situation. Cael and Marc are taking care of the man in white. Layla has Jon. That leaves the other man to deal with.     With vampire speed, she rushes forward and straight up, unceremoniously, fully body *tackles* him. That should stop whatever it was he was doing.
Layla Abdalla El-Faouly	Layla gives Marc an encouraging smile before gliding into the main hall and using her bird's eye view to get a good sense of who is where and what is going on. The scene is... not good. Her brows furrow as Taweret is in her head, helpfully gossipping away about the two men and their backgrounds and what's really going on. It almost seems more like the GOddess is talking to herself and perhaps forgot that the line of communication was still open. She seems to be on the fence about whether or not to accept this new Sun King. Layla, meanwhile, has spotted both of her objectives. Dropping down lightly in front of Ma'on, she gives a quick bow and asks, "Do you need immediate rescue, Goddess? I don't think it's right that they're doing this having sealed away one of your number because they know he would oppose them... and I would really rather not my husband die. Will you be alright here for a moment while I get Khonshu, then I can come back and get you?" Her eyes flash and she jolts briefly, her expression opening up and becoming more warm, but also fretful, hands wringing. "Oh Ma'at. Ma'at.. what have you done? This is SUCH the pickle and I really don't know which way to lean. I don't sense malevolence from the Avatar himself, but you and I both know this man's blood is falsely gained." One hand comes up, thumb and forefinger against her forehead, pinching lightly as if she were staving off a headache, "This is a proper mess this is. Oh! Layla says she needs her body back now. I really don't know WHAT to do here... Her eyes flash once more as Layla regains herself and clears her throat. "So. As I was saying. Would you like to go first, or are you alright here for a few moments?"
Jonathan Sims	Ma'at blinks at Tawaret and opens her mouth, then closes it as Layla takes back over. "I will be just fine. In fact..." She glances toward Cael and Moon Knight, significantly. "It may be best if I am not called to defend the king just yet." A pause, and then, "Tell Tawaret that Jonah Magnus--or Elias Bouchard, as he calls himself these days, is not to be trusted. I do this because I must, because it is Truth. But our king may need protection from betrayal. He has already betrayed Thoth in his quest for power, and should have been dead a century and a half gone, but he would not give up the bloody Archive." She blinks in surprise as some of Jon's vocabulary comes through. Well. "I promise, I will explain it all later. Go and help the Fist regain his power."     The Sun King, attacked from two sides, screams in pain as the crescent and axe both bite into his form. But neither blow seems to slow him down; instead he brings up his chain and whirls the end, turning and yanking the axe free of his flesh as fire billows down the chain. "The Fist of Khonshu... and a mortal?" A pause. "Ahh, yes, the latest to walk the path of the commons. You would make a fine leader for the pack of my followers. But first, come, let's test our mettle." He strikes out with the chain toward Cael, raising the other side to defend a potential blow from Moon Knight.     Elias--or Jonah--grunts as he's tackled by the vampire, and struggles to try to get back up and hold her off. A shimmering blue shield of much the same sort as Jon often summons flickers around his body, protecting him from damage from the full-speed vampiric tackle, but he doesn't have enhanced strength or anything. And yet, despite the struggle, he starts to /laugh/, as if everything is going according to plan. "I should've known the last child of Hapsetshut would get involved with this."
Marc Spector	Moon Knight, even without the strength of the moon god behind him, is not an amateur fighter. He uses the escrima sticks to full effect, parrying the flaming chain in order to strike out at the new avatar with speed on par with the masters of the Filipino martial art.     Even so, he's still just a mortal and when one of the swipes takes him across the shoulder he's thrown to the ground from the sheer force of the blow. He rolls out of the way to avoid a deathblow from the followup and it sends him off the edge of the dias to the ground below, forcing him to scramble back away from his opponent in the hopes that Cael can draw some of his ire.
Cael Becker	"What the //fuck// have you assholes done to Jon?" Cael growls up, her anger and frustration evident on her features, all the more pronounced when what should have been a killing blow, seems to to little to slow her opponent. The strength with which the axe is wrested from the man's flesh nearly tears it free of her grasp - but she maintains her grip by the barest of margins. "I do not follow you!" she counters, as he mentions his own followers.     Cael catches the flaming chain against the top of the double headed axe, but the strength of the blow forces her to stumble backwards, and she barely manages to redirect it, feeling the singe of the flames against her knuckles and leg, as she she brings her axe down towards the man's thigh.     She's outclassed here. Worryingly slow. Out classed to such a degree that she's not yet even aware of the identity of the other man to share the circle before Khonshu's statue...
Lydia Dietrich	"God," Lydia breathes. "How does everybody know about me?" She struggles to Jonah pinned, her strength giving her the edge. She's successfully keeping the man occupied, at least. She raises a hand and clenches it into a fist, building some ectoplasm around it and *SLAMS* it down onto his face with the full force of her ectoplasm behind it. She's hoping to overwhelm his defenses, but if this ends up flattening his head? Oh well.
Layla Abdalla El-Faouly	Layla flashes a quick smile at Ma'at, "I'll do that. But I think you -definitely- owe her tea time after this. And thank you." Bobbing a quick bow once more, she launches back up to avoid the combat, pausing only a bare moment with breath held when she spots Marc go down hard. But he's back up and moving away, so her breath releases and she swoops aorund to drop down around the heiroglyphics surrounding Khonshu's statue. Searching quickly, looking for... there! Summoning up a glittering golden shortspear to her hands, Layla looks up and calls out, "Hey Jonah!" She flashes him a very nasty grin, "Get FUCKED, usurper." And she slams the spear down, right onto a cartouche of Khonshu's name, cracking and splitting the stone... and breaking the circle. Looking to Cael, she calls out, "That's Elias, Cael! That's the one trying to take Jon away!" Layla points towards Elias, then launches herself towards the would-be Sun King. He's really going to hate life here in a second.
Jonathan Sims	The Sun King doesn't spare any more breath for talking, focusing his efforts on the pair in front of him. With Cael pushed back he ignores the swipe at his thigh and disengages, spinning toward Moon Knight with a gout of fire, bringing the chain down on the man /hard/. It might be enough to kill him if not for Layla's perfectly-timed destruction of the cartouche with Khonshu's name.     Jonah keeps laughing. "My ancestors /served/ Hatsepshut, and I still carry those memories even if I've been cut off from them. Why wouldn't I know about you?" The blow to the face gets him to stop laughing, at least--and then Layla destroys the cartouche, and his eyes widen. "No! It's too early!" He blows Lydia up away from him with a burst of pure magical force, scrambles to his feet.     The statue's eyes suddenly glow with silvery light, even as the first rays of the sun begin to come through the temple's skylight. Khonshu has returned, and his avatar can feel the power flow back into him.     Ma'at gives a relieved sigh--until the Sun King spares a glance for her while Layla bears down on him. "AID ME!" he calls, and sends a gout of fire at the circle surrounding Ma'at, scouring away her name and freeing her from the circle.     Reclutantly, Ma'at spreads her wings and launches into the air, though she's not likely to beat Layla to the avatar of Amon-Ra.
Marc Spector	Moon Knight can see the blow from the Sun King coming for him and he knows he can't get out of the way to avoid it. He raises his bracers up in a defensive X pose and takes the strike full on. The bracers and chestpiece shatter from the sheer power of the strike and send Marc back. His life would be over had the light of the statue not flared at that very moment.     Marc's own eyes flare with the same silver light and his body stiffens, arching up from the ground where he lays and righting itself in one fluid motion. The transformation is immediate but clear to those who can see. White strips of cloth criss-cross their way up over his arms, thickening in their weave over his chest that manifests armor wrapped in the same binding cloth with a metallic crescent at the center of his chest. White fatigues marked with heiroglyphs form over his legs with a sash-cloth cinching them at the waist. His feet are also covered in similar mix of armor wrapped in almost mummy-like wrappings.     The transformation complete, Moon Knight stands renewed in strength and endurance and he reaches up to remove a crescent from his chest (Where another mystically replaces the one removed) before jumping away from the Sun King before him.     His leap takes his counter to Layla and he slams his forearm against hers in a sign of comraderie before engaging Ma'at. "Forgive me, Truthspeaker, but I will be your opponent!" he says as he flies up to her and swings a Moon-empowered fist at the face of his friend.
Cael Becker	Elias? That's all Cael needs to hear - and with the Sun King turning away from her, she's able to pivot towards the man without much concern for her own safety.     She knows his face. She remembers firing a gun right at his face. She remembers all she has heard of what he has done. "Elias Bouchard." The name is growled out, and there's a worrying, bassy undertone to her voice that wasn't there a moment ago. She closes the distance - but as her anger flares, and all but consumes her, the axe in her hands seems to fall, forgotten. "You hurt Jon," she spits out, raining her first blow down on his face. "You hurt Agnes." The second blow goes for his kidney. "You //killed// Martin." Her third blow is a slash across his middle - with fingers that are sharper than they ought to be by rights.     In fact - little by little, Cael is changing, as her limbs elongate, and her chest fills out, straining the fabric of her armored combat fatigues, though she doesn't seem to fully note what's happening to her this time.     "You killed Alya! And Tom!" Tim, Cael. Tim. Two more blows rain down on the man, as her anger continues to grow, and overwhelm her.     "FUCK. YOU."
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia gets blown back off of Elias with a blast to the face, sending her reeling into the air. She manages to land in a crouch, but it takes her a few moments to shake it off. In that time, Cael has engaged him and is starting to get a little jackaly. "Remember control, Cael!" she shouts at her. "Your rage is a weapon! Point it at the enemy!"     Deciding it's best to leave Cael alone with Elias, she turns her sights to the Sun King. Instead of moving forward to engage him in melee, she rushes off to flank him, and throws out a hand, sending a sharp pointed tentacle to try to lance him in the shoulder.
Layla Abdalla El-Faouly	Layla takes the moment to forearm-bump with Marc, flashing him a grin before she's bringing one wing up to SLAM into the Sun King's chest, trying to knock him back against the wall. This would be excellent timing for that ectoplasmic tentacle! Bringing that glittering spear up to bear, it's tip still streaked and marred with the stone dust from the floor, she points it right at his throat. "One chance. Stop this now. I don't want to kill you, I really don't, but I will do anything to protect my people." That quick flash behind her eyes suggests that Taweret has come forward, the spear trembling ever so faintly in the grasp that Layla's trying to maintain as she shares head/body space with a Goddess. "Please, Your Majesty. Stop this. We recognize and sympathize with your impatience over the lack of suitable Avatar's around, but what this man Jonah-Elias-Magnus-Brouchard is doing is deceiving you! He means to use your power for himself, for his own purposes. He's forced the blood of the girl Agnes into this poor young man to simulate a suitable Avatar specifically so that he could control both Sun and Moon. That's why he had Khonshu locked away in this temple, that's why the ritual is being performed here! Stop this madness before the pantheon is pitted against each other." Her eyes flash once more and the grip tightens on the spear as Layla regains control, "I don't mean to be impertinent, Ra, but you should really listen to Taweret. She -always- knows all the gossip going around, and it's not been wrong yet!"
Jonathan Sims	Ma'at doesn't seem entirely happy to be facing down Moon Knight, and fights defensively, using her wa-sceptre to protect herself from the blows rained upon her by the renewed Fist of Khonshu. "I like this even less than you, Marc Spector, but my king speaks and I must obey." A brief smirk. "We can't all be rebels, after all." She raises the ankh and fires a bolt of teal energy at him.     The blonde man (who's cast another shield over himself) staggers back, eyes wide in shock, as Cael comes at him. "Wh-you-you're not..." Blow and blow and his shield shatters, and one of them finally gets through, bruising the man. He reels back, then summons a staff of dark energy, pulsing black and violet.     "His name," Ma'at calls toward Cael, "is Jonah Magnus." Just to be clear on who Cael's laying into.     The Sun King laughs at first, as Lydia comes at him. His voice has begun to resonate with the power of Ra. "/You/ would challenge /me/? A vampire? I am the Su--"     And then Layla kicks him and he's speared by an ectoplasmic tentacle. Ow.     Then Tawaret is talking to him, and he blinks up at her. "No, but... he was going to take the power of Khonshu and..." And what? The man's brow furrows for a moment. "...Ma'at, is this true?"     Jonah shoots Layla an annoyed look, then shakes his head. "No more time for games," he says. Whirling his staff, he uses it to created a shield of dark energy between himself and Cael, trying to hold her off as he starts to chant in Middle Egyptian--a call to Apophis.     The Sun King suddenly screams, back arching as violet light begins to surround his body.
Marc Spector	Khonshu's renewal is something of an overload of strength for the Fist of Khonshu. He takes the bolt of teal energy and flies back, skidding to a halt on the stone below before launching up at her once more. He brings his hands up and a staff much like the original one he entered with materializes in his hands. He strikes out at her before the Sun King starts to scream in agony.     The disturbance draws his attention and he furrows his brow, the glowing silver of his eyes narrowing at the disruption. "What is going on?" he asks looking at Ma'at for clarity. She may be his foe at the moment but she is also more knowledgeable about the situation at hand.
Cael Becker	Cael can have a very one-track mind, at the best of times.     It's worse, now.     It's dubious if Cael has registered Ma'at's words to her. She cares little for the man's name - she cares only for what he has done.     He hurt Jon. Damaged them - their mental health. Took people from them. Took his //daughter// from them. Jon and Agnes should have had a life together. Agnes and Lyra should have grown up together. Agnes should not be so frightened. So scared of being watched. So scared of mirrors. So afraid of being unloved, unwanted.     This man has much to answer for.     Cael is forced back - but only for a moment, as she forces herself forward once again. The clothes shee is wearing tear, and fall away, and each blow that falls against the shield of dark energy grows in strength that seems to increase exponentially. She seems to be largely beyond words - as she howls out her rage at the man.     Until the shield finally shatters.     "Jon is //mine,//" is growled out in a low, gutteral, garbled tone, barely recognizable before she lunges forward in a crouch, bringing her elongated snout on lovel with Elias Bouchard's - or Jonah Magnus's - throat as sharp teeth close around it in a gout of warm, satisfying blood.
Lydia Dietrich	"Not /just/ a vampire, asshole," growls Lydia, as she lets her ectoplasm flow about his shoulders, keeping him pinned to the wall. "I'm the last daughter of Hatshepsut, disciple of Isis and a friggin' /mutant/! Now get out of- ACK!"     Jonah violet light strikes the Sun King which dissipates Lydia's ectoplasmic hold over him. She recoils, shaking her hand as if she were stung and scrapes her tongue across her teeth with an, "Eugh. Burnt snake."     Cael's growl gets her attention, though and she sees her with her jaws around Jonah's throat. She hesitates for a moment. On the one hand, she's against killing people like this. On the other hand, putting an end to him would put an end to this whole affair. In the end, 'no killing' wins out.     "CAEL!" she shouts, force behind her words. "CONTROL!"
Layla Abdalla El-Faouly	It's a weird sensation, to shift between moments from threatening to protecting. But that's exactly what Layla does. She's not even really sure if it was her in control, or Taweret, but in that moment, they share a goal, and a means. The spear clatters to the ground as Layla shines a bright, cheerful blue aura around her body, stepping in front of the Sun King and bringing both wings up into a brilliant, shimmer, glittering, shining shield of metal and light. "Not today Apophis!" Trying to deflect the violet energy away from the Sun King as she calls out, "Ma'at! Get the King! Get him out of here but hold onto him!" That last bit almost certainly Layla's influence, Taweret is far too soft-hearted to try and hold someone against their will.
Jonathan Sims	It's a bit late for "no killing." Cael's jaws are already on Jonah's throat, and his lifeblood has already poured out. After a single gurgled scream, he shakes in Cael's grip, but soon goes still, the light fading from those cold grey eyes.     Whatever Jonah's incantation did does not stop with his death, however. The power flows around Layla, her interference slowing whatever's happening but not stopping it entirely. The Sun King continues to jerk and spasm, the violet light lifting him into the air and surrounding his body like a cocoon. He keeps screaming, and gashes begin to appear on his form.     Though the energy surrounding the Sun King doesn't touch Ma'at, as the Sun King is lifted up she tumbles out of the air landing with a hard /thump/ on the floor of the temple, gasping. She presses a hand to her chest and looks over at the avatar of Ra with a stricken expression. "My power comes from him, flows from him. I cannot--" She doubles over in pain, screaming in time with the Sun King.     "The sun!" she gasps out. "The power of the sun will revive him! Take him into the light!" She points at the skylight overhead.
Marc Spector	Moon Knight looks between the screaming Ma'at and the screaming Sun King. He's closer to the former so he moves and grabs her, before throwing her over his shoulder. "Go... get him out of here" he says to Scarlet Scarab. "I've got her..." he says as he starts running for the entrance to the temple, jumping and soaring through the air as he goes.     Cael--now in her mixed lupine form--and Lydia are given a look over his clear shoulder. "Lydia, see if you can get her clear of her prey and get out of here, too. I think we're all but done..." He doesn't like the glow surrounding the man's body and the fact that the violet fire is still raging despite it's source being dead.
Cael Becker	Cael swallows the hunk of flesh she tore out of the man's throat. Elias's throat. Jonah's throat. Her arms are wrapped around him, holding the man up as her monsterous face stares down into his eyes, watching the fear and pain fade from his eyes as his consciousness leaves him - until what was a person, is only a thing. An object.     She drops it.     Turning back to the others, Cael has blood running down her chin and neck, and mixing with the fur that now covers her chest. Her gaze flickers over the others' present - resting on Lydia for a few moments, before she starts towards the fallen Ma'at. As Marc scoops Ma'at up and starts to soar off, Cael lopes in pursuit, sparing another brief glance towards Lydia. %
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia rushes after Cael as she leaves, and catches her eyes for a moment, golden to blue, judging for any trace of humanity in them. Apparently satisfied with what she sees there, she lets her shields drop, and follows her out in the sun.     The change in Lydia is immediate once the sun's bright rays strike her. The starry field field of her ectoplasm is gone, and the blood magic that makes her alluring in the night disappears, leaving her a hollow shadow of herself.     Whatever else may be happening out here, Lydia is useless to help so she heads straight for the Mooncopter. Opening the hatch she pulls out a spare change of clothes for Cael, ones that she grabbed before they left the Mission.
Layla Abdalla El-Faouly	Nodding to Marc, Layla wastes no time in getting an arm around the Sun King's waist, hoisting him up before launching herself straight up towards that skylight. She could try to go faster, but she's unsure exactly how a passenger would react to suddenly breaking the sound barrier... to say nothing of how the sonic boom might affect the temple itself. Still, within moments, they're out and into the sunlight. But Layla doesn't stop. More sun is better, right? So she keeps going up, up, climbing the sky until they're up where the clouds might form. Hoisting the large form of the man around until he's facing the east, catching the full blast of the rising morning sun. And she murmurs to Taweret, "So.. does this mean the King of Gods owes us a favor now? Since we, y'know, saved him from his arch-nemesis and revived him from whatever horrors were planned?"
Jonathan Sims	Out in the light of the rising sun, the Sun King's spasming slows and then stops as the violet light dies, scoured away by the rays from the source of all life on Earth. He slumps unconscious in Layla's arms, ready to be taken back to the Mooncopter. Presumably, any chats between (former?) nemeses can happen back in New York.     As the violet light dies away, Ma'at relaxes visibly. "I can walk now, Fist of Khonshu. But you have my thanks." She looks up at the sky. "I will need the help of the Shield of Tawaret soon, I think. I should not inhabit this body for much longer without Jonathan's mind as a buffer, and he will need help escaping the prison Jonah Magnus placed him in. But for now... let us return to the Empire City."
Marc Spector	Moon Knight nods as Ma'at gives her own apoliges and explanations. "Scarlet Scarab. Head back to the 'Copter, Ma'at says she's going to need you soon" he says as he too moves into the Mooncopter and starts prepping the aircraft for the return trip.     He finally takes a look at his hands as they move over the consoles and stops to stare at the intricate wrappings and armor underneath. "I don't mind this one bit" he says with a small chuckle before he returns to the controls.
Cael Becker	The werejackal covers the ground towards the mooncopter is wide, loping strides - that slowly decrease in length with each step. It seems that, with the target of Cael's ire gone, she is becoming herself again whether she wills it or not, and by the time she gets back to the copter, she's ready to disappear into the small bathroom available with any set of clothes offered her. The splash of water is heard, as she washes away the worst of the blood - and spends a moment staring into her reflection in the mirror. "What the fuck, Cael?" she mutters to herself.     It isn't long, however, before she emerges to take a place in one of the seats - and check on the condition of Jon. Or Ma'at. Whoever she finds waiting for her.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia silently hands over the clothes to Cael when she returns to the Mooncopter, and goes to sit in her chair. When Cael returns she turns around and gives her a grin. "See? I /told/ you the tattoo would work."
Layla Abdalla El-Faouly	Layla nods and starts to descend to the Mooncopter, landing neatly on the sand and drunk-walking the Sun King into the aircraft to get him buckled into a seat until he's conscious and able to keep himself from rolling about the cabin. Moving towards the front, she gives a quick ruffle of the hood on Marc's new suit, then heads towards the back with a chuckle to check on Lydia and Cael before settling in for the flight home.
Jonathan Sims	Ma'at all but collapses into a seat on the plane, teal eyes dimming, though she seems to still hold on long enough to look at Cael, briefly. "He yet lives, Cael Becker. But he nearly destroyed his mind escaping Jonah Magnus' control. You will have much work to do together, to restore balance." Then her eyes drift shut, as if she's trying to conserve her energy.     As the Mooncopter takes off into the morning light, none of its occupants have the chance to see the flash of violet light that fills the Temple of Khonshu ever-so briefly. They do not see the way that light illuminates the eyes of the body of Jonah Magnus, the way it knits the torn flesh of his throat together and pulls the body up jerkily, as if on puppet strings. And perhaps it's best that they do not, for the cackling laughter that echoes through the temple is not a sound any human throat should make.     "Finally... my time hass come... " The voice sounds like the dry rasping of scales on sand. "You have defeated me for the lasst time, Ra... we shall meet again at the dawning of the New Year..."