[Chapter 7] The Deep Throne

[Ariadne]

Ari’s stance had been politely casual for the duration of their time in the tomb. Her hands were folded gently in front of her abdomen and her shoulders were relaxed, almost as if she were waiting for a client at the winery on a weekend afternoon.

Normally the general posturing, weapon showing, and vying for situational dominance that have been displayed in the room earlier would have provided her with some form of amusement, however given the seriousness of the situation they wre all in, it did nothing but underscore the tension felt by the five newer members to the tomb. It was to her clear by this point that Freyja was simply after power, even though she was trying to sugar coat it as bringing unity of some kind to their community. Conflict could be resolved by active choices and responsible decisions, not by releasing what could be a potentially dangerous monster on the population at large. Every’s motives remained unclear, however Ari suspected that the woman had separated from Ty if she was willing to make such a sacrifice.

Amalea was… seemingly in partial agreement with her, at least so far as not wanting to be fed to the mummy. The redhead seemed willing to consider the potential risks of releasing Theodosia, whereas it was unclear if the other two females had actually done so. Ari tilted her head slightly towards Amalea as the other woman finished speaking. “You know, I think it’s particularly interesting that no one has really discussed the fact that Theodosia was locked down here, in this room, with not one, but multiple keys. And guards, which may be here to keep her, and everyone else who comes down here, in this room. Does it not strike anyone else as interesting that she’s been stuck here with these guards, in this prison, for all of this time?”

Ari turned slightly as Llangort spoke and considered his question. More about the Rift and blood, which made sense. Ari was turning over what little information they had when Theodosia responded, that harsh, dry voice scraping over the end of her nerves and reverberating over and over again in her head.

"I require enough blood to move."

Ari's lips moved, as if silently repeating the statement word for word over again as she stared at the space above Theodosia’s throne.

To Move.

Movement.

Theodosia was immobile.

Ari’s gaze flicked to Amalea and she reached out, sending a quick telepathic message. “If this goes south, you may want to leave with some haste.”

In one swift movement, Ari unfolded her hands and grasped her handgun, which had been holstered at her waist. Stretching out her arm, she aimed and fired a single bullet at what she assumed would be Theodosia’s heart.

[Freyja]

Turning toward the human, Amalea, Freyja quietly lifted a brow, her expression confused as her smile faded. The woman’s sudden vitriol took her aback. She ran through what she had said; how she had said it, and she couldn’t find anything that she might have said that would have caused such ire. She pursed her lips slightly, her eyes slowly blinking as she thought to bring up such a point when Every piped up.

Since it appeared that she, being the relative unknown in the group as she was, was being so clearly misunderstood, she decided that it might be best to let Every have her way with words. They appeared to know her far better than they knew Frey, and as such, left less room for such miscommunication.

As her friend spoke, she rested her weight against her weapon, the object that had, up to this point, been little more than a resting post, an object for her to fidget with as she collected her focus, and now a source of comfort as she felt the weight of its presence. She sighed, and with a gentle shake of her head she turned to the woman before them, the mummified figure of the ancient vampire that had summoned them here into the deep earth. The others had their view of her, of how she had come to her decision and that was fine. She didn’t need for them to understand the how of her decision making, simply the why. For them to see what it was that she was after.

As she looked over the woman’s shrunken face, the skin pulled taut across the lines of her skull, she frowned. To be trapped here so long, it would have been a nightmare. A hellish existence closer to the shadow realm than she might ever hope to see in her waking life again. Her recent stay in the darkness still had tendrils of black horror constricted about her heart. She could only imagine what it would have been like to live here in the dark for a thousand years.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the sudden movement from the opposing end of their little line of bodies, the quick, fluid motion of arms, and the flash of the butt of a pistol. The weapon was out, pointed straight for the ancient before they could so much as shout out for her to stop.

Power flowed through her veins in an instant, and time felt like it had slowed to a crawl, her body moving with tremendous speed as the toe of her boot caught the bolt of her rifle, kicking the weapon into the air, where she grasped at its length and tucked the stock against her shoulder. The pistol cracked, the small round well on its way as one power flowed into another, the veins of her eye burning red, her pupil milky white as she stared down the sight of her weapon.

A twitch of her finger summoned forth a blast of fire from the mouth of her weapon, bright as lightning. The gout of flame burst forth from the broad mouth of its barrel, and the eruption of sound was like thunder, the explosion so powerful that it echoed off the walls around them and the weapon bucked against her braced posture.

Her round was larger, faster, and flew true, the aid of her power guiding the round home as it slammed into the small pistol round, the collision unseen by those that hadn’t expended the power to do so, the smaller of the bits of metal ricocheted into the floor with a spark as the larger of the two rounds burst into the wall beyond, spraying a shower of chips of stone across the floor.

With fluid, practiced skill, the norsewoman’s hands moved, the bolt of her rifle opened and closed in an instant, the expended shell falling through the air to strike the stone floor alongside her boot with a sharp ping as the hollow copper casing bounced over her toe. In the moment she had taken her shot, she had moved, her legs carrying her faster than she had the natural grace to do, carried swiftly by the anima that coursed through her limbs. Positioned as she was, between the small knot of newcomers and the ancient vampire, now, she lifted the mouth of the rifle over their heads, though she kept the butt against her shoulder. Her right eye burned, a red sheen of blood replacing the white as she frowned, turning to the woman that had decided to toss aside the discourse and take matters into her own hands.

“That was just rude.”

She lifted her hand, pulling back the hair from the side of her head as a single, slender digit tapped against the side of her scalp, just in front of her left ear. Every would know the signal, the use of nonverbal communication necessary between most of the members of her group that didn’t have the capability to speak through one another’s minds. Most of her family were without the power, but at its core, they were thinkers, and had little issue with coming up with the strategy to use hand signals for visual communications.

Tonight, clearly, it was going to play a role.

Power: Celerity 2
Power: Deadeye

You succeeded in your endeavour.

[Every]

"This is not good."

The sentence repeated over and over again in Every's mind as she considered the tome tucked away into her pocket. Briefly, she considered toming out and disappearing. If the doors were sealed behind them, at least it would be a temporary fix. As Ariadne spoke, her hazel eyes moved to the woman with a nod given once she finished. "Yes, but one also has to consider how they guards are facing. They're not protecting the queen. The riches, on the other hand. Not to mention, the creatures completely ignored us with the keys in our hand. If they were trying to keep us out and her in, they would have attacked us already." Her gaze swept over the knights immediately once more as if to point it out.

She didn't like the idea of fighting one of them.

Before the shadow could speak any further, Every flinched at the gunshots. They weren't expected. Ariadne, and then Freyja.

It didn't take long for her to realize what had happened and Every looked to the blonde. She blinked, frowning. A nod of her head was given to Freyja as she mentally apologized before focusing on Ariadne, reaching out to the woman's mind and cutting off her use of powers. Out of everything that could be done, it wasn't harmful. "You just mentioned how she could potentially be locked in here, and yet you're willing to actually kill her, send her to the shadow realm, and allow her to return free? We have no idea how soon the rift can close or not. For all we know, she can bypass the seven days and come back sooner."

Every moved as she spoke, her hands lifting to show that she didn't want to fight. "We shouldn't be using violence - everyone bitches that's the only thing vampires are good for. We should be listening and considering every option. Yes, Freyja wants the rift open, but she's listening. If the woman dies, she'll come back pissed off and likely tear into the first crowd seen after returning. If you're concerned what a small amount of blood is going to do, do you really want to risk what she can do with full power?" Her gaze moved from Ariadne to Amalea, to Llang. "Lea, I know you don't want humans to suffer. Believe it or not, I don't want them to, either. This is surely the route that will make it worse for both of our species."

Power: Mindblock 2.

[Llangort (DELETED 6420)]

Already on edge thinking about what Amalea & Every had talked about, the reminder of another power's potential involvement, the “right behind us”, the “clear a path”, the idea that perhaps there were those who wanted her stuck in here... Llangort reacted with pure instinct at the sound of the bullets, cos the one thing his time tomb raiding had thoroughly and repeatedly reinforced was, “Don't defecate in the proximity of a motorised ventilation device without an infallible exit strategy”.

Stepping out from the group, a slightly over dramatic coat dropping spin into a crouch as he slipped into the shadows, two somewhat noisy false direction changes as he moved away from the group, a final almost silent one as he headed back the way towards the throne room entrance, rifle at the ready. As long as he didn't see anyone approaching from outside the chamber he was all set to stick a modified sensor alarm on the wall next to the doorway and set it to “make some noise”. Then the quickest of glances back at the group before setting up his best sensor turret just to the side of the entrance... easy enough to spot for anyone approaching closely from inside, but not from the passage. Only then would he move a little away from the passage entrance and look back at the group properly.

Power: Hide in Shadows
Gadget: Sensor alarm 10 with a little poetic licence
Gadget: Sensor Turret 10

[Amalea]

”Easier to make one’s position clear than assume everyone’s on the same page, though,” she softly replied to Every. There were enough unknowns in this situation as it was; better to clarify what is known sooner than later. If asked, usually she was willing to allow a nibble or two, but there was no way an ancient mummy was going to need only a couple nibbles. Never mind she really wasn’t keen on getting that up close and personal with the woman. ”Given the maze to get down here and the beasties roaming about, I’m not sure luring would work.

”They’re certainly involved, but I’m sure they’re not the only party involved in it. Either they’d been working on it since the Quarantine Zone came to be or there’s someone with a lot of knowledge about vampires on the team given how rapidly it appeared after the fall of the masquerade. I’m just not sure that someone is her.”

Every seemed to be lost in thought though the red-head couldn’t really blame her. There was a lot to take in and she was quite sure there wasn’t going to be a lot of time to make a decision. The weeks and months that she and others had been hoping for were now reduced to hours – a day tops. Her desire to spend time doing some research on the subject as well as opinion gathering had been dashed by the summons to the Throne Room shortly after she had found her key. It led her to suspect that she was one of last, if not the last, to find a key.

Her head tilted slightly as she considered Ariadne’s statement as well as Every’s thoughts on the matter. ”It is a curious thing particularly if that door is the only one. Why would one willingly lock themselves in a chamber that is sealed from the outside? I supposed it potentially could be opened from the inside, making the keys just for show, but I’m not willing to close the doors just to test that theory. Plus I suspect if the keys were just for show, the Admin wouldn’t have been begging people to find them for him.” She looked around a bit, seeing what Every meant. ” The creatures, I’d hazard are her creations, so them stepping aside for the keys would make sense. The guards, though, are intriguing. They seem to be in far better shape than she, but how? Yes, they seemed to be focused on the riches, but why if we appear to be her first visitors in some time? ”

Her suspicion that she was the last seemed to only be confirmed by Llangort’s comment that he found his a while back and thus had time to consider his options. The troubling part of his commentary came after he noted only a single fact was needed before a choice could be made. Amalea could think of well more than one fact that was required for a truly educated decision even if she knew that there was only a single question remaining. But it was the implication that violence was an acceptable tool in the resolution of this matter. Really, she shouldn’t have been surprised given past instances, but it was still disconcerting.

She counted five different questions rolled into a single entity as he addressed their hostess. There was a curiosity to see how Theodosia would approach it. She suspected, given past answers, that only a random part of the question would be answered. When it came, the answer was surprising for its content; the lack of completeness was to be expected by now. That the mummy needed enough blood to move explained a few things and helped put the human at ease a bit. At least now she knew for certain the likelihood of the woman trying to jump her for her blood was as low she originally had suspected. It also partially answered some of the other questions she had while raising many others.

”Joy,” she telepathically sent with a groan. ”Just what we always needed – more crazy, egotistical and powerful vampires that speak in riddles. She frowned slightly as she mulled over one of Every’s comments. ”If the Administrator wanted us to clear the path, why aren’t they present now? If they know what occurs in the city, then they must know that the summoning occurred, yet, unless our hostess is the Admin, they’re not here.

She was glad to hear Every’s comment about her weapon. The blood thief sincerely hoped this wouldn’t turn into a blood bath given the connections she had to most present. It’d be a no-win situation for her, which given their predicament would just be par for the course at the current moment.

”She needs human blood to move,” she corrected her friend gently. ”She said nothing on if it was required to open the rift, or really, anything required to open the rift.” She paused for a moment, pondering something. ”I never heard quite how Cobb managed to open the rift in the first place, but if it had required human blood, especially copious amounts, I suspect legends would have mentioned that.” She glanced at the others as she added to her statement telepathically, It’s what our hostess will do once it’s open that concerns me. I don’t believe for a moment that she will be entirely content to stay down here with her creations. Did anyone else catch the glimpse of her making sacrifices?” That had been a particularly disturbing image that she wasn’t bound to forget for some time.

”I don’t disagree that currently vampires are restricted to a small area and that affects everything around us. When those fractures began popping up around the city a while back, we saw that they brought strong fade creatures with them that. Would we be risking unleashing that havoc on to the world? Those things, as I recall, liked using everyone as their personal toys. Depending on the size of the opened rift, we might just be signing our own demise. If we are only replacing one box with a slightly larger one that is far more dangerous, the government may not hesitate to just blow the area to hell and back.”

She nodded quietly at Every’s statements about an open mind and not supporting one decision over another. The red head was also appreciative of learning the blond’s name, recognizing it from her conversations with the woman and her wraith. She trusted Every on the matter of Freyja being willing to listen, but she also knew that the desire for power caused people to act in odd ways. She would still tread carefully.

Does anyone else feel like they’re in The Hunger Games? she questioned telepathically, though not really expecting an answer.

The mental brush from Ariadne was unexpected; her comment even more so. Her eyes glanced at the woman in time to see her take aim and fire at the mummy. Part of her wanted to cheer but the larger part of her cringed. She wasn’t particularly fond of the woman, but she really didn’t want to see her die only to come back from the Shadow Realm pissed off at them, particularly with a rejuvenated body and free from her prison. Before she could react, there was another shot, this time from the blond, who, by some miracle had managed to hit a moving bullet. She’d be impressed at any other point but right now she was trying to figure out how to salvage this disaster.

Every’s voice washed over her as she had closed her eyes to count to ten; losing her temper at the moment would not be ideal. Opening them, her hazel eyes glanced between Ariadne and Every, her hands kept far away from any of her concealed weapons. ”On that I agree. Killing her is likely to cause more issues than it would solve. I mean, there’s a possibility that she might not be able to free herself from the Shadow Realm, but we have to go on the assumption that she can. Unleashing a pissed off ancient vampire we know so little about on an unsuspecting population isn’t ideal.”

She gave the women a soft smile, unsure where Llangort had gotten off to. ”Given she can block people from appraising her when in a weakened state, I’m not sure I want to find out what she’s capable at full power, especially if she’s out for revenge.” Her voice lowered slightly, ”One of the glimpses she showed us earlier was her sacrificing humans to a goddess though I’m not sure I get enough to tell which. If she was willing to do that then, I shudder to think what she’d do after a visit to the realm and with a vendetta against the people who put her there.”

”I won’t lie, I’d really like to avoid having to fight anyone. I don’t like the idea of having to end up fighting people I consider friends or allies. And I’d really prefer that we all go home without looking like Swiss cheese. This adventure has been bloody enough in my opinion.” She sighed quietly. ”But, I guess, the real question, is can we come to a decision we can all live with?

She glanced between the others as she pondered things for a moment. ”I don’t want the rift closed all the way. Never have, not that I think it can be closed in such a fashion. I think the fractures proved that. I can see the benefit to expanding it, however, we don’t know the true cost for that action nor what consequences it will bring. We know it will bring some sort of freedom, but not how much. From our experiences with the fractures, we can surmise that we’ll be freeing some sort of nasties, but not how many or how dangerous. It’s a lot of unknowns on both sides – benefits vs consequences. Especially when you add in our hostess and what potential there is there. If she wasn’t part of the equation, I’d probably be more in favor of opening the rift. At this very moment though? Walking out and not looking back, leaving the rift as is, is looking more and more attractive an option.”

[Every]

If the masquerade were still in play, Every knew where she would stand. She would turn around and walk right the way back out that door. She'd take the key and she'd throw it into the bottom of the ocean. She'd make sure that no one ever found it by breaking it into little pieces and hiding them in cement - or at least, she'd try to. But her instincts were telling her that Theodosia was not their enemy - at least not at the moment. "I know," She said softly in response, "but, I also think we could use the information. If she knows how to open the rift, she might be able to know how to seal the more dangerous things in - as well as herself." Her head inclined as she lightly shifted her jaw to show she had been thinking on it for a while.

"I'm not saying that she isn't dangerous, but out of the Administrator, or the Crow, she's at least giving us some answers rather than the one who pops up and leaves none." At the idea of the queen in front of them being the Administrator, she shook her head. "Because would you really want for five vampires to be able to identify and track you down when you've spent this time trying to get them do to your bidding? I don't even like being tracked down by those I know." It hadn't escaped her mind, either, about how anything the unknown vampire had been manipulating the city for a while.

"We don't know what she's capable of, we've only gotten a taste of it, but we also don't know her plans. We don't know what she's done since then, and we don't what she can do to benefit both humans and vampires." She said with a frown. "I'll admit, I've acted without thought in the past when it comes to things stronger than me. The paladin, the fadebeasts. Every single time we act without thought, without information and knowledge, it blows up in some way." Her hands stayed at level in front of her chest - defensive. A frown played across her lips as she considered the chance of getting shot again. At least she could heal.

She sighed quietly. "Lack of fighting would be nice, but I doubt it."

Every still remained on the border despite what she had said. But, she'd came for information and there was a voice bugging her in the back of her mind in regards to wanting it. Her hazel gaze returned to the ancient vampire and the blonde in front of them. She knew where Freyja stood, that time she wanted freedom and only freedom. To the blonde, Every said, "Maybe there's another way" even if she knew the words would fall into upon a stubborn mind. And then to the queen, she spoke out loud, "You see everything going on from your throne and yet now is when we were all brought here. The sirens are after you, and you likely know that you are not the only threat to Harper Rock - there's another vampire weaker than you, but stronger than us. There’s a cure for vampirism that not only is out there, but it supposedly works. I know you won't answer any more questions, but,"

The words were on the tip of her tongue as she remained where she stood, her hands still meant to show peace. "I fear you, I would be stupid if I didn't, but I respect you. I respect the darkness radiating from you. Actions will always speak louder than words when it comes to shows of good faith. And I hope that if you are given the chance to leave, you will not make those who want to aid you regret it by killing humanity. I think we will need your help, if not now, in the future." It was a worth a try, wasn't it?

[Game Master]

Conversation turned to action rapidly. One moment Ariadne was talking about the topic of Theodosia’s hand-carved tunnels and throne room as a ‘prison’, and the next, she was firing a bullet at the mummified vampire. The shot was quickly deflected somewhere into the distance, and from above, dust seemed to shake loose from the firmament of earth. Particles drifted down and cascaded across the shimmering face of a briefly opalescent bubble surrounding the seat upon which Theodosia sat - invisible up until that point. Or perhaps it rose instantaneously. Whatever the case, the ancient being noted to herself that Ariadne, despite her concerns, had not raised them whilst the other key holders were asking their questions. The line of reasoning itself was thin and came across as an attempt to obfuscate what was already a tensely discussed topic.

Or perhaps Ariadne was attempting to make Theodosia play some of her hand. If that was the case, the mummified creature was happy to ‘take the bait’. All around, the knights, which had previously been stock still and silent began to move. It was as if they were rousing from centuries of slumber though, and they moved slowly. Very slowly.

It seemed the time for conversation was well and truly past. Action had to be taken. And soon.

And though Ariadne seemed to be opposed to aiding Theodosia, the ancient vampire could not help but appreciate the decisive and bold move. It was precisely the type of thing she might have done in a similar situation.

Unfortunately, sides were being taken, and Freyja had taken up the mantle of Theodosia’s protector. Where would the other key holders fall in terms of allegiance?

"My interest has never been in the living. The destruction of humanity has never motivated me."

[Llangort (DELETED 6420)]

Looking down the passage reminded Llangort of one thing, he really wasn't sure he knew how to get back to, well, anything in particular from here, and while the treasure guards activating made it seem ever more suited to try anyway, he just couldn't do it. And so, with a big mental sigh, he decides to actually try something.

Llangort trots back to the group reappearing out of the shadows cellphone in his left hand, clearly with his thumb firmly pressed on a button, his automatic rifle firmly held in a obviously ready position but barely on the side of neutral in his right. “Well we've tried impulsive”, head flick towards Ariadne, “and we've tried standoffish”, another head flick this time towards Freyja, “so I thought 'why not try both at once' given the escalation point now that the inanimate are somewhat mobile” head flick away from the group towards a knight. “Speaking of mobiles, should my thumb leave this button we'll find out jut how much of the crap in my pack and pockets goes off and whether or not it's enough to bring the roof down around us, and her. I would have done it already but for the human in the room, no offence Amalea, but the rest of us 'probably' would eventually come back from that, and I kinda needed to give you a chance to get somewhat clear or something. But I digress. Short of us trying to settle this with force”, visible eyerolling, “or the equivalent of choosing to put it all on the line for a five entity 'rock, paper, scissors' game, I need to try and make my point”.

“We've speculated about all sorts of things, mostly past, some closer to present in an attempt to sway one another or justify our own pigheadedness, and so far, we, me included, have been wrong about pretty much every assumption... and yet we need to make a choice that suits all or 'die' “ a quick glimpse up at the roof, “trying. Where is all this crap he's spouting going, you might ask. Well clearly the issue, but in the interests of attempted negotiation I need to firstly outline where I stand, metaphorically, cos I hope my relative proximity to the dust dropping cracks above us is obvious. If I could have simply dropped the ceiling on things and run, knowing that things would remain pretty much unchanged, I would have been outa here several turns of posturing ago. Everything I actually value, currently rests quite solidly on a relative status quo in things. But how realistic is that actually? With however many forces actually in play outside.”

He chuckles, “I did allude to making a point, so here it is. A number of us clearly value the situation as we know it now, clearly desire to avoid the risks inherent in outright rift events. A number of us clearly value power or the continued involvement in the growth of it. But all of us do value the continuation of our kind, well kinds, in some way or another, hopefully without drawing too much anger and destruction upon us from without. Best as I can tell, there is about one and only one way to leave all of us about the same level of 'put out angst' that can be settled upon in the time it takes the treasure sitting blockheads to get up to speed.”

“Still rambling wasn't I. My take on things, my suggested 'out' is yes, open the rift further, but almost painstakingly slow, systematically controlled. Be sure of where we're going, be sure to be able to deal with any unforeseen accidents one at a time, and attempt to not draw further attention from the outside if possible. And by almost painstakingly slow I mean, incremental changes that each new generation of humans can easily accept as 'the way it's always been' and not freak out a the realisation things in Harper are getting further out and about and such. Time for them to adapt, too. Cos honestly, any outcome with the potential for outrageous 'rift openage' leaves me more than willing to deal with the ceiling and any consequences coming from that”.

"A realistic 'option'?".

[Ariadne]

While one might assume that the blonde in front of her would have all of Ari's attention after the theatrics of shooting a bullet out of midair, Ari's eyes were actually focused completely on Theodosia's throne. The shimmer of a shield was not lost on her. A slight smile flickered across her face as the dust fell and settled. The mummy, for all of her attempts to play the poor and pitiful victim in this situation, was in fact far from powerless.

Ari rolled her shoulders as she felt the inevitable cloud descend over her mind. Every. How interesting. All these words about considering the possible alternatives and discussing options when it was evident that so many people had made their decisions already. She turned towards Every with the intention of making a counter statement when she heard the faint telltale clicks of security items being set into place, along with the mildly conspicuous absence of one Llangort. Every may have blocked her from using any powers from this point in time forward, but thankfully she has used her Sight when they entered, and it was still feeling her information as needed.

With her eyes still on Theodosia, Ari listened to what she could hear of Amalea's conversation with the others. While the human was not in agreement with Ari, she didn't sound like she was fully on the side of the others either. It was a lot to process. The entire situation they found themselves in was a lot to process, and Ari found herself wishing that she could form a mental link with someone on the surface who would actually have understood the situation as she did. She could only hope that the datadump she had sent to Doc through Technokinesis before she was cut off had gone through.

The brunette shook her head and sighed as Every began speaking again, discussing her willingness to become a supplicant to the beast on the throne. Even Llangort now, with his sudden reappearance seemed to be in favor of opening the rift wider, though his proposal was at least mildly more tolerable when compared to Freyja's.

"Allow me to sum up some points which may have been missed. First, out of all the pPaths avaliable to our kind when turned, most of them involve one returning to their physical body after being killed. We killed he, she comes right back here. Problem solved." To her, it seemed simple. She was astounded that so many of the other just assumed that killing Theodosia would free her from the room that she was currently trapped in.

"Now, some of you have been referring to Theodosia as 'Your Highness' or 'Your Grace'. Is she actually any of these things? What evidence do you have to support your belief that she is deserving of these titles? Further, she talked about being surrounded by her creations and her work, and wishing to continue this work in peace. We have no idea what this work is, and if it would be beneficial or hazardous if she's allowed to resume. Also, she noted that after she ended up around this area, she spent time building a home for her and her followers that was destroyed by some unknown force in the space of a day without her knowing about it. Destroyed, just like everything else she had ever built before. Possibly locked down here by that same force."

Ari paused, hoping that at least some of what she had said would sink in. She doubted that any of it would make an impact. "And last, but not least, she stated that the destruction of humanity has never motivated her. Humanity. That sounds positive in theory, but what's to say she isn't going to kill us, or the others we care about after she's freed?"

Still speaking to the group, she turned her attention towards Every. "Now, if I have an understanding of the situation, Every is proposing that we free Theodosia are use her assistance to help get rid of The Administrator, who we ended up with because some people decided we'd be better off without The Crow. Theodosia, who by her own admission has had everything she build destroyed by someone else... some force unknown to her. I'm considering the possibility that we're going to anger someone or something else by setting her free, which is a detail that seems to have been missed by some you whilst you were trying to ingratiate yourself with that husk of a being in the chair over there."

The brunette took a few steps back from the others after finishing her extensive list of points and notations. Normally, she was a being of few words, and having said so much in such a short time had basically exhausted her reserves of social skills. The guards moving had not escaped her notice either, and she rested one of her arms lightly on her holstered gun while the index finger of her other hand tapped against the side of her scalp, just in front of her left ear. "Now, normally this is where I'd Appraise the guards and try to help in this situation, however since you've seen fit to cut off all of my powers, it only seems fitting that I allow you the opportunity to deal with this situation on your own. I would like it noted, however, that I still dissent re the decision to open the rift."

[Freyja]

She watched as the remainder of her party struck up conversation again. She had hoped that they would be able to reach a consensus, that they wouldn’t have to resort to cutting one anothers’ throats to see this through to the end, but the way the tension was mounting, the actions, the emotions, the very words themselves all pointed to things going sour, fast.

She had watched as the male of their party had vanished into the shadows a moment before, and she had suspected that he had chosen to remove himself from the equation altogether, his lack of voice on his decision making his actions unclear. She respected action.

And action, it appeared, was exactly what they were going to have on their hands.

With the rasping scrape of metal against metal, the armor-clad monstrosities all about them began to stir, rousing from their millennial slumber, shaking the rust from their joints as they made their consciousness known to the small knot of players in this little scene. A twitch tugged the corner of Freyja’s lips, the slightest smirk playing across her features. It would appear that, in the moment, she had chosen wisely to defend the ancient. The behemoths around them began to shake themselves loose, and she knew that, in that moment, they were running out of time.

She began to pace backward, each step deliberate as she reached her open hand for her jacket, pulling a misshapen button from the leather.

Upon closer inspection, the button was an old coin. Worn, and made of solid silver, the ancient denarii had been fashioned into a pin that fit neatly into the fashion of her modern wardrobe, a subtle piece of flair often and easily overlooked. She let her icy blue gaze sweep the group as she flipped the pin in her palm, the nail of her thumb pulling up the pin, until she jabbed it into the flesh of her finger, drawing a bead of blood to drip from the digit.

She rolled the coin again, her thumb swiping a smear of blood across the face of the long-dead Roman emperor, his shimmering visage coated crimson. The coin in her grasp glowed white-hot, and in an instant, a iridescent, gleaming figure appeared at Freyja’s side. The blonde glanced away from the party in front of her, her legs still carrying her away as she glanced up to the feminine features of the banshee spirit, offering the woman a private smile as her gaze turned back to the party at hand. She reached into her coat, pulling a velvet sack from her breast pocket, and placed it into the silent woman’s hands.

“You know what I need, dear. Five of each, please, if you wouldn’t mind? And be quick.”

That was the moment that the man had made his reappearance, his hand wrapped tightly around a cellphone. His words brought a bitter frown to her features, even as she was handed the items she’d asked for, the dark orbs of energy vanishing in her grasp as they restored her power in a flash of darkness. She took a slow breath, and offered a smile without looking to the woman at her side. “Faster. Things are not going so good. Quickly, woman…” She snatched the packs of blood from the being’s hands as she offered them to the vampire, taking a fistful of four and hooking them to her belt behind her back, the fourth she put to her mouth, teeth tearing at the plastic and ripping it open in a single, swift tug.

“Looks like we’re out of time, ladies and sir. You’ve gotten all the information you’re likely to get. Now we can stand here and continue like the high school debate team nobody wanted to join tonight, or we can do something. We can see change.” Her eyes moved to the man with his hand on the bomb, her eyes watching him intently, her icy stare locked on his finger. “You say you want this rift to open, and we all are well aware that no one on the surface has the knowledge of how to do that, at any speed. Fast, slow, or at all. The only way for that to happen is to help this woman. Burying her is burying your chance for that. Endangering the human, the human that the others have expressed a sort of protection for, is not going to earn you any favors from them.” She stepped up to the throne, the open blood pack in her grasp held out from her side.

“There’s only one way this ends.”

She secured her rifle in her grasp as she reached back with the pack, and placed the torn plastic to the ancient vampire’s dried, cracked lips.

“Drink.”