Do we dare pass into the Forest of Dean?

[Sean Hall]

Nailah would find that the sword would not fall from her grasp it was as if it held on to her. She could feel it reaching out to her. It liked her, more skilled with magic and sword, she could feed it better than the fallen servant of Ma'at ever could.

More...need more flesh...power will be yours if you sate my hunger.

((Sorry meant the dagger the bird-woman had drawn shattered not the sword Nailah is wielding.))

[Samantha McManus]

Her sense of tactics was impeccable, the swords maneuvering almost one step ahead of the skeletons, coming around to flank as she seemed to read the flow of the battle itself.

"Chthon holds court over skulkers and sycophants."

"You are no warrior, but if you fancy yourself a general then your death is mine to call."

"I shall sing you a pitiful end. It is more than you deserve..."

[Nailah Weaver]

No!

At a loss as to what to do and not quite trusting herself right now she drives the sword into the ground.

[Victoria Valentine]

"So this is how it ends," she mused. Her own spell took shape, even as she darted aside... and as she darted aside, two separate forms seemed to dart aside, one in each direction, each splitting into another two, multiplying each time they took a turn. Two of her, four of her, eight of her, quickly there were sixteen of her to choose from and growing, the winds kicking up around them to befuddle the sense of smell as all the forms dodged away from the werewolf with elfin grace.

[Sean Hall]

snip

The sword entered the ground before it began to resist her efforts and tried to force Nailah to pull it from the ground.

"I will feed."

snip

Now there was a palpable sense of desperation and the ranks of skeleton phalanx started to become messy. Gaps opened and weren't filled by 'fresh' skeletons.

"No," the Darkholder said, "Cthon's chosen cannot fall to meddlers like you."

The darkholder's shape distorted violently as it grew in size. New limbs sprouted from it's body ending in scythelike talons, spiked clubs, and other instruments of destruction. Acid sprayed, fires blazed, and limbs lashed out at the flying blades as the Darkholder defended itself. The blows were still strong but the Darkholder's will was becoming brittle and through the slowly forming cracks Sam could see the insanity bubbling beneath the surface.

snip

The wolves howled as one and all three appeared to become smaller. For a moment electricity making their fur stand on end. Then lightning like hadn't been seen since the earth's beginning came down from a clear blue sky.

snip

"It seems you chose your companions well," dead-eyes said, "Training is over, child."

Dead-eyes charged at Sean who nearly tripped over the central stone of the ritual circle, but instead he rolled over it. As sean recovered from his tumble he collided with one of the skeleton's around the circle.

Dead-eyes stopped and stared at Sean eyes narrowed. The Darkholder almost looked afraid. Sean took advantage of the moment to form a lance that looked like it was made of the stars and hurled it at the Darkholder who was forced to put up a shield at the last moment. The shield held against the blow but was badly damaged.

"Such raw power," Dead-eyes coughed out as he backed away from Sean gathering energy to him. Sean advanced after him and nearly tripped as Elizabeth slid a sword to him.

"Trees and bones," Elizabeth coughed out.

[Samantha McManus]

"Then Cthon should not have chosen a maddened dog for his servant..."

She tried to keep the Darkholder distracted with the swords as she shaped two of the remaining ones into a spear, and tried to strike home...

[Nailah Weaver]

"No... You... will... obey!" she presses out, telling herself what's going to happen if she gives in to the urge and that ultimately is lieing in front of her in a pile of rotten flesh. "Goddess give me strength..."

[Victoria Valentine]

The Victorias all thrashed and cried out as the lightning crashed down, skin blistering, voices agonized.

A small distance away, veiled from sight under the same illusion that gave birth to her doubles, Victoria crouched in a bough of the great tree, murmuring quietly. "Gentle Danu*, the accolyte of your High Priestess invokes your name. Grant me the strength to drive these beings from this place, grant me the aid denied your fallen faithful in the past." This wasn't exactly her strength, but she knew from Morgana the basics of invoking Earth magic, and shared her Mistress's connection to the Earth goddess through the part of her soul that came from Morgana's magic. She sent that quiet prayer through the tree as she reached for the very edges of the magic contained within, ready to turn it on the werewolf below her.

*Celtic name for Gaea.

[Sean Hall]

"Then Cthon should not have chosen a maddened dog for his servant..."

She tried to keep the Darkholder distracted with the swords as she shaped two of the remaining ones into a spear, and tried to strike home...

It hit the now very deformed avatar of the Darkholder and what came loose was a complete chaos given form. This rather violent unpredictable magic burned everything it touched even the Darkholder's own avatar and the extensions of his will could not resist it.

"No... You... will... obey!" she presses out, telling herself what's going to happen if she gives in to the urge and that ultimately is lieing in front of her in a pile of rotten flesh. "Goddess give me strength..."

Nailah could feel it's power being bled away into the ground as she kept it there. As more magic leeched from the blade it's resistance grew steadily weaker. it wen from angrily ordering her to pleading for it's very existence.

"We will give you power... Do not make us go back...We cannot feed there...in the nothingness.

The runes on the blade began to darken and twis out of shape as more and more magic was pulled from the blade.

The Victorias all thrashed and cried out as the lightning crashed down, skin blistering, voices agonized.

A small distance away, veiled from sight under the same illusion that gave birth to her doubles, Victoria crouched in a bough of the great tree, murmuring quietly. "Gentle Danu*, the accolyte of your High Priestess invokes your name. Grant me the strength to drive these beings from this place, grant me the aid denied your fallen faithful in the past." This wasn't exactly her strength, but she knew from Morgana the basics of invoking Earth magic, and shared her Mistress's connection to the Earth goddess through the part of her soul that came from Morgana's magic. She sent that quiet prayer through the tree as she reached for the very edges of the magic contained within, ready to turn it on the werewolf below her.

*Celtic name for Gaea.

For a moment there was nothing then Victoria could feel it a gentle touch like warm sunlight as something far greater turned its gaze towards her if only for a moment before the magic of the tree opened up to her.

This is yours to save him and yourselves, child.

The enchantment was meant to absorb magical energy from anything around it. She could likely twist the enchantment to temporarily focus on anything within it's influence or simply use the raw power that made up the spell.

Meanwhile the werewolf was attempting to locate any remaining living duplicates or hopefully Victoria herself, but the stench of cooked flesh was making it a slow process.

Snip

Sean lifted the sword and looked between dead-eyes and the ritual circle around him and channeled power into the sword before pointing it at one of the skeletons.

"Fool! You'll kill us all!" dead-eyes said eyes widening in fear.

[Nailah Weaver]

"I... do not... wish for... the power you have... to offer..." she mumbles through gritted teeth and it's hard to tell if she's telling this to the sword or herself.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria surveyed the scene below for just a moment before deciding how to proceed. She could, naturally, absorb everything. But... well, the word 'counterproductive' came to mind. Besides, she didn't want the tree to take in the corruption when honestly, there were much better ways to deal with what Sean was about to do.

She began chanting, very quietly, in Gaelic, words she'd never known before but now came as naturally to her as normal speech. "Earth to bloom and give us form, Air to blow and give us breath, water to flow and give us life, fire to purify in death!"

She touched the pommel of her dagger to the tree, forming a stronger link to the powers inside, reaching to the earth around them, creating a sort of reversal of the tree's normal function... where it should draw in magic, now she caused the magic, while she controlled it, to flow back out to empower the earth around them. "Blow and burn and grow and churn, Against these powers we revile! Forces of life most sacrosanct, return to these sacred lands defiled!"

The werewolf had been right, after all. Death was a part of life... but the natural order was for life to grow, spread, and thrive. Causing death, without a countering creation or preservation of life, was the antithesis of the natural order. It was an abomination. The counter of black magic was, as always, the magic of life. "Gentle Gaea, the servant of your servant calls to you! Let the earth be purged, let life return, let corruption be cleansed! Let those who would oppose you be consumed!"

There was a single magical urge pushed with magical power into the defiled earth: Live, with a life stronger than the corruption they bring.

[Sean Hall]

Snip.

Victoria could feel the power shift to her call but it resisted the change in purpose. Years of being slowly broken and of not being maintained was making it less than entirely stable. Gaea's temporary blessing had given her access to the magic that made up the enchantment but it had not given her the ability to control this much magic. She could feel herself begin to lose control of it. There was so much of it and it was starting to hurt trying to channel it and manipulate it all.

"I... do not... wish for... the power you have... to offer..." she mumbles through gritted teeth and it's hard to tell if she's telling this to the sword or herself.

Nailah could feel the sword's enchantment finally break as the magic drained away into the ground around her. While sad there was also a feeling of relief from whatever being the enchantment had contained. It was free at long last. Free from servitude. Free from a prison that had driven it mad.

You are needed follower of Sekhmet.

The voice was gentle as it tried to break Nailah from her focus on the weapon she'd broken. It was then that she could feel Victoria reversing the purpose of the enchantment and the struggle that was only beginning.

She cannot do this alone, child.

Nailah could feel that the magic of the enchantment would given much more time destroy Victoria unless Nailah did in fact intervene.

Sean couldn't break the ritual until it was stabilized and the leader of the Chosen knew it and began drawing power himself. Far more than either of the other three. Sean discharged his own spell to distract the man and Dead-eyes was forced to shield himself again.

"Cthon doesn't need you in one piece," Dead-eyes growled. "He can fix you good as new."

The Darkholder chanted something that hurt to hear and spikes of black rock drove up through the ground in a line towards Sean. Something was different now Sean pierced the ground with the sword and channeled his own magic and a line of more natural rock collided with the Darkholder's spell which rocked the clearing.

The two exchanged more and more magic back and forth. The Darkholder unable to kill Sean and Sean unable to break through the man's defenses completely.

[Victoria Valentine]

Fortunately, Victoria's mother didn't raise any quitters. She focused on where the Werewolf was, channeling the power herself if she had to, focusing on purifying the air around him, the power within him, letting the magic of the earth purify the corrupting power he was using. "Forces of the earth! The Hand of Morgaine implores you!" she cried, feeling a sort of euphoria along with the agony of channeling the energy.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah wasn't even sure what was happening with Sean and Victoria, having trouble focusing her mind through the exhaustion. She didn't even really notice the still weeping wound on her chest. Can't I just lie down? I'm gonna just lie down right here... But still she pushes herself up, drawing the sword from the ground, the stolen lifeforce giving her more strength than she should have. Is she reversing the forest's spell... Goddess, that'll kill us all if she can't contain it.

Closing her eyes she begins to chant quietly, preparing herself to channel at least some of what is about to be set loose. Channel it into what though is probably something she should figure out; and soon.

[Sean Hall]

Fortunately, Victoria's mother didn't raise any quitters. She focused on where the Werewolf was, channeling the power herself if she had to, focusing on purifying the air around him, the power within him, letting the magic of the earth purify the corrupting power he was using. "Forces of the earth! The Hand of Morgaine implores you!" she cried, feeling a sort of euphoria along with the agony of channeling the energy.

Nailah siphoning off the excess energy from the spell was making it much more workable and also exceedingly unlikely that the the magic would turn her into a burnt out husk. Instead it was simply difficult wielding as much magic as she was. However, the spell Victoria crafted did appear to be working The werewolf howled and began to change back to his normal shape. The magic was cleansing the curse of lycanthropy from the man. He tried to draw ambient magic but it wasn't there. He tried drawing it from outer sources but it wouldn't come. There was desperation in the Darkholder's eyes.

Nailah wasn't even sure what was happening with Sean and Victoria, having trouble focusing her mind through the exhaustion. She didn't even really notice the still weeping wound on her chest. Can't I just lie down? I'm gonna just lie down right here... But still she pushes herself up, drawing the sword from the ground, the stolen lifeforce giving her more strength than she should have. Is she reversing the forest's spell... Goddess, that'll kill us all if she can't contain it.

Closing her eyes she begins to chant quietly, preparing herself to channel at least some of what is about to be set loose. Channel it into what though is probably something she should figure out; and soon.

Nailah could add another target for Victoria's spell by channeling the energy towards the ritual circle or could attempt to mold the energy into something else entirely if she wanted to. The dead-eyed Darkholder began pulling energy from the ritual and Nailah could see how he was doing it. He was drawing it from the various points of power on the ritual circle by using the skeleton anchors as gateways.

Sean meanwhile desperately parried a magical blow with the sword he'd been given. The force of the blow sent him stumbling back into the circle itself.

[Nailah Weaver]

She can only assume the old sacrifice is still anchoring something around the ritual circle even if she doesn't dare pry closer after what happened with the sword. But maybe the power Victoria unleashed, brimming with life and the natural order of things, can undo some of it. So she tries to let the energy flow into one at first to try and sever the Darkholder's connection to it.

[Sean Hall]

She can only assume the old sacrifice is still anchoring something around the ritual circle even if she doesn't dare pry closer after what happened with the sword. But maybe the power Victoria unleashed, brimming with life and the natural order of things, can undo some of it. So she tries to let the energy flow into one at first to try and sever the Darkholder's connection to it.

The spell the Darkholder leader was preparing sputtered and died as Nailah managed to sever his connection to the magic stored in the ritual. Sean charged towards the Darkholder leader who tried another spell trying to pull magic from the area but while focused on the werewofl Victoria's spell was affecting other parts of the clearing and the spell only produced a small gout of flame which Sean promptly charged through. Any other spells weren't going to happen after that seeing as the Darkholder leader has enchanted steel inserted into his chest.

As the Darkholder leader coughed up blood he grabbed onto the front of Sean's shirt.

"Fo *cough* o," dead-eyes said, "You were going to be a god now you are nothing but trash. Discarded by the gods that birthed you."

Sean twisted the sword violently and power began running through it into the Darkholder.

"Your lie with your last words, Darkholder."

The clearing was lit once more by a massive flare of power as Sean turned the Darkholder leader to ashes.

[Nailah Weaver]

She's not really aware of it but channeling Gaea's power slowly closes the festering wound on her chest. But when the flare of power from the Darkholder's death hits her she lets herself get knocked to the ground. Physically she's perfectly fine but the mental exhaustion is getting to her and seeing the cult leader fall she affords herself the luxury of passing out, hand still clutching the now god-forsaken sword.

[Samantha McManus]

Samantha brought herself back into focus on the physical plane, the ashes in the Astral now mirrored by those blowing through the clearing.

Unfortunately, she did so just in time to see Nailah collapse as she was reforming her human body.

"No.... no!" She shouted as she hurried over to the sphinx.

[Victoria Valentine]

Magic practically danced around Victoria, as she looked down at the former werewolf. "Shhh," she cooed. "Just submit yourself to the embrace of the Mother." Granted, the werewolf probably wouldn't SURVIVE it... "You have been corrupted, defiled, used by your master... just feel the touch of the Earth. Let it take you... Just feel the peace, just feel how right it would be to let it accept you..." There was a singsong-hypnotic quality to her voice as she drifted down from the tree, in body, though her dagger and her magical link remained with the tree. "It will all be over quickly, I promise," she added as she strode across the clearing... ready to let the earth take the man whether he submitted or not. But everyone should get one last chance to admit their wrongs, after all.

[Nailah Weaver]

Sam would find her love perfectly fine and breathing and not even that far gone, really.

[Sean Hall]

Magic practically danced around Victoria, as she looked down at the former werewolf. "Shhh," she cooed. "Just submit yourself to the embrace of the Mother." Granted, the werewolf probably wouldn't SURVIVE it... "You have been corrupted, defiled, used by your master... just feel the touch of the Earth. Let it take you... Just feel the peace, just feel how right it would be to let it accept you..." There was a singsong-hypnotic quality to her voice as she drifted down from the tree, in body, though her dagger and her magical link remained with the tree. "It will all be over quickly, I promise," she added as she strode across the clearing... ready to let the earth take the man whether he submitted or not. But everyone should get one last chance to admit their wrongs, after all.

The Darkholder struggled trying desperately to do anything that could free him from the influence of the spell. Dark magic would be pulled into the area of influence and simply break apart.

"I will not submit, pup," the Darkholder said as the purification caused by the spell began to unravel his body, "Never submit."

It didn't take much longer after that his body saturated with dark magic from years of use and the users unwillingness to submit to purification was simply unmade.

"Victoria!" Sean called out, "The circle!"

Sean had seen Nailah go down and reached out to help stabilize the spell before it started to become difficult to control again.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria's eyes were blazing with magical power now, and as her head turned... it was clear that she was currently channeling more than just the power of the tree. She sang as she stepped forward toward the circle, a chanting spell that she didn't know the words to, but which came to her lips as easily as the woman's whose power delivered them to her. With a casual gait despite the powers she was channeling that were possibly threatening to draw her life to a close, she approached the circle, calling up the magic of the Earth to unravel the magic of the circle, letting the older spell drown the incomplete darkness, either purifying it or twisting it into something less volatile, more contained, or otherwise neutralized.

[Sean Hall]

Victoria's eyes were blazing with magical power now, and as her head turned... it was clear that she was currently channeling more than just the power of the tree. She sang as she stepped forward toward the circle, a chanting spell that she didn't know the words to, but which came to her lips as easily as the woman's whose power delivered them to her. With a casual gait despite the powers she was channeling that were possibly threatening to draw her life to a close, she approached the circle, calling up the magic of the Earth to unravel the magic of the circle, letting the older spell drown the incomplete darkness, either purifying it or twisting it into something less volatile, more contained, or otherwise neutralized.

The spell was working on the magic being emanated from it and was slowly purifying the ritual itself, but he could tell that it was going to take too long and he didn't think he or Victoria could keep this magic in check forever. So he broke one of the anchors around the ritual. For a moment nothing happened. It was fortunate for everybody that the purifying magic Victoria was using was in place because dark magic exploded from the now broken ritual. Earth magic warred with Dark Magic in the air above the ritual circle. The air crackled and an unnatural wind filled the clearing. A vortex of colors that hurt the eyes formed in the sky.

Then almost as quickly as the conflict between energies began, it ended. The spell Victoria used had worked albeit with some assistance with keeping it stable. The clearing was silent again aside from the crackling fires remaining from the magical battles that had taken place. In the center of the clearing the ritual circle was shattered all traces of dark magic were gone.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria spared a moment, her own adeptness with fires and ice coming to play as she directed a tiny portion of the magic to extinguish the flames. Then, and only then, did she release the power, gasping as she felt herself cut loose from it, and shuddering as she fell limply to the ground. "<Your pupil has done her duty, Mistress... Thank you, Mother Gaea...>" she murmured dazedly, still speaking in Celtic, her features very slowly returning to normal.

[Sean Hall]

Sean swayed a bit before putting the sword into the ground to keep himself upright. The runes that had been written on his flesh were glowing but slowly but were being erased one by one. Until he stood there eyes glowing but without tattoos.

"Finally free of it," Sean said tiredly before looking towards his companions and then began walking towards Victoria though it was more of a stagger. "Are you alright, Victoria?"

[Samantha McManus]

"...alive," she murmured as she put her arms around Nailah.

"Thank you..."

[Nailah Weaver]

After a moment she stirs, the sword falling to the ground when she wraps her arms around Sam.

"Next time you unleash an ancient evil from a student in your office... do it when I'm busy, okay?"

[Samantha McManus]

"This is our life now, love. Good or ill."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Sorry about that." she laughs weakly.

[Samantha McManus]

"...don't be. For my part that felt bloody fantastic," she said with an almost guilty tone.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Almost too good..."

[Samantha McManus]

"...a little bit, aye." She said, quirking a brow at Nailah.

[Nailah Weaver]

She shakes her head as if to clear it. "We'll talk. Later..." she says with a glance at the sword.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria rolled tiredly on her back. "Oh my goddess... that was better than sex," she sighed. She thought for a minute, then ammended, "Maybe."

[Sean Hall]

"Good to know you're still among the living," Sean smiled while offering Victoria a hand to help her stand up.