'Tis the Season

[Narrator]

No, you're even more foolish than they were, Nailah.

[Robyn Delaney]

Not having any of the creature's fears to draw on and not wanting to panic her companions by drawing on theirs, Robyn reached down into her own and grabbed it. She faded from sight as the construct materialized next to Nailah: a small, grubby, awkward looking twelve year-old girl with nothing but a teddy bear. Sam would probably pick up on Robyn now being in two places at once. "Looks can be deceiving," the construct said.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah's eyes dart around the floor and the walls of the room, trying to make out what happened and how the girls had let that thing in.

"They let you in, I can send you away again."

[Samantha McManus]

"Or we can do this the hard way. That's fun for me, but less so for you."

[Narrator]

I was forged from the Earth below to take care of you, Nailah. I shall not return until I have served my purpose it said, it's head turning to acknowledge the presence of Robyn's construct.

Gammmesss won't save you now.

[Robyn Delaney]

"I don't play games," the construct said, sounding almost as if Robyn were speaking in stereo. The construct projected an aura of helplessness and abandonment in the general direction of the creature.

[Narrator]

The creature staggered, but only for a moment.

You fool. I was BORN of negativity. You think to fight fire with fire?

[Samantha McManus]

A moment was all that Samantha needed. The mental portion of the flock homed in on that flinch, focusing itself to strike at the weakness that was revealed.

[Robyn Delaney]

"No, just opening you up for the big guns," the construct grinned in a very disturbing way, hugging the teddy bear.

[Narrator]

Gaahahhh! it cried, and Athena's head on the table joined in, a loud, shrieking, banshee wail. It waved it's scythes around in front of it, cutting through both regular space AND the astral, fending Sam off a bit, but it was staggering.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah slips past the wailing creature as it flails, getting a little too close for comfort to it's scythes but managing to see an opening just before it appears. She tumbles to the ground behind it and jumps up, reaching for Athena's severed head to pick it from the altar it's sitting on.

[Robyn Delaney]

The construct covers its ears. "STOP IT!" She stamps her foot and a wave of anger slams towards the creature, carrying with it the force of a child's tantrum. She didn't really think it would get through, but anything to keep the creature occupied.

[Narrator]

Nailah has now acquired one head! It looked up at her and screamed again.

The creature staggered back under Robyn and Sam's assault, headed back for the rear wall, still swiping blindly. It stepped towards the wall -- and one leg blended in with the shadows on said wall.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah begins to chant, pressing the hand still cupping the flame against the dead girl's forehead. "Tem-khepe Ra! Tem-khepe Sekhmet! Hail to her who is strong and bestows upon me this power to unravel the shadows beneath the light, banish the uncreated and stand strong before the terror of darkness."

[Samantha McManus]

Samantha tried to wedge the flock's next strike in between the creature and the wall, aiming to prevent it from escaping.

[Robyn Delaney]

"You're leaving? Just when things are getting fun?" The construct stepped towards the creature, staying carefully out of immediate reach of the flailing blades. "Are you sure you don't want to stay and play?" The construct exuded a sensation of vulnerability.

[Narrator]

The creature was able to slam SOME of Sam's "flock" into the wall -- or, at least, the astral equivalent of such -- but it was more than successful in keeping the creature from escaping more into the shadows; if anything, it helped force the creature back out. Nailah's incantation helped, as well, helping 'seal' the creature in a more reality-based existence. It was the ravens, however, that seemed to be giving the creature the most trouble.

You...you were never mentioned, the creature said, looking at Robyn. No matter I will grind your bones to make my bread!

It lunged forwards, suddenly, it's route of escape being cut off. Directly at Robyn.

[Robyn Delaney]

"No bones to speak of," the construct said as it dissipated, but not before taking a light slash across one arm. There was a cry of pain from the mouth of the hallway and Robyn reappeared, holding a hand over a slash in her physical arm.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah continues chanting, trying to sever the connection that brought the creature forth in the first place.

[Narrator]

Cursing Robyn's escape, and falling to a knee under the continued assault of the Ravens, the thing threw one of it's scythes in Nailah's general direction.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah is too focused on her incantations to really see it coming, only dropping out of it's direct path because she feels the pain of it skimming her shoulder before it happens.

[Samantha McManus]

"Tsk," the flock said as it condensed into Samantha's avatar, bearing a fearsome sword. "Shouldn't have done that..." Her avatar leaped, intent at driving the sword into the thing's back.

[Robyn Delaney]

Robyn took the opportunity to pitch herself into the Astral where she could be a little bit more agile and avoid the thing. Her avatar materialized there as the traveler, complete with wide-brimmed hat. Her arm was still injured, but it seemed to bother her less here.

[Narrator]

The thing let out a voiceless shriek of pain as Sam pierced it's back, and it began to fade into nothingness.

From the Astral, Robyn would witness streams of black ichor swirling away, rocketing down different paths as it dispersed.

[Robyn Delaney]

"Looks like it's dispersing." She materialized a cloak and wrapped it around herself to shield against the stuff.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah is on her knees and slumped over, Athena's head having fallen out of her hands when she got it. She's clutching her shoulder and in what little light there is it looks like she's bleeding.

"That was a little too close for comfort..."

[Samantha McManus]

"Vile thing..."

"I don't think there's any helping those poor girls. What about you, love?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"I'm fine... We might still be able to help Persephone..."

[Robyn Delaney]

"What do we do about this place? There's a lot of nasty stuff floating around here."

[Samantha McManus]

"We'll have to cleanse it."

[Robyn Delaney]

"Anything I can do to help?" Robyn reappeared in reality and took a look at the slash on her arm. She winced as she prodded at it. The injury was still bleeding, though not as freely as it had been just a few moments ago.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Unless you feel like committing arson, not right now. We'll have to come back tomorrow when the sun is out."

[Robyn Delaney]

"Arson isn't really my forte. Pickpocketing was more my crime of choice back in the day," she said, ripping the sleeve off her slashed arm and starting to attempt to bandage her arm.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Great. Now if it's okay with everyone else... I'm going to go outside and sit down for a bit." she says and stumbles back towards the stairs.

[Samantha McManus]

"We'll come back. Right now we need to make sure everyone we can help is helped."

[Narrator]

Persephone had curled back up into the fetal position upstars, hands covering her mouth, but, as opposed to the other two, seemed to be 'alive' in the traditional sense.

[Nailah Weaver]

"I think it's best we all take a trip to the infirmary..." Nailah says after having caught her breath for a moment. "And since I don't think you'll let me rush out of there right away, Sam, could you drop by the Lighthouse and get me... a piece of coal from the fire bowl, the salt from the shelf and..." she seems lost in thought for a moment. "...and the incense and the small ceremonial knife."

[Robyn Delaney]

"No arguments from me on the infirmary."