Yeenagi

As the team enters the massive ruins beneath the earth, an altar stands at the center. The light of a few gnolls being slain and fades against the torch lit walls. Greenery hangs from various walls, and while most of the walls remain standing, there is distinct damage in much of the stone. Corroded by time and life.

From the ceiling, there's countless bones and skulls hanging from red 'ropes'. The alter itself is no less horrifying. The altar has plentiful spots to place the keystones, arranged nicely by color. At its center, a blood red gem that seems to be immune to damage at this time.

Coming up to the altar quickly, in order to get this going quickly, keystones are placed in rapid succession. Each one begins to glow and lights up the red gem at the center of the altar further. Illuminating the skulls and red aged markings all over the table. And when the last keystone is placed, there's a sudden PULSE throughout the chambers.

<<< COSMOSPHERE EXPOSED >>>

Right before a glow begins to rise atop the Altar. An absolutely enormous Gnoll beginning to appear, based on its shape.

Three feet.

Six feet...

Nine feet......

Fourteen feet tall, the light cascades across this form, before it 'bursts' apart and reveals the massive gnoll holding a five-chained flail in its hand. Snarling, glaring down at those who has summoned it. At the same time, a black shadow suddenly forms behind it with red glowing eyes, which sends a sudden GUST of wind through the chambers, immediately silencing all of the sources of light in the chambers in that moment!

As the mad cackling sound of a hyena begins to bounce off of the walls. Laughter starting to feel like it is coming from all around them in this pitch black!

As the last keystone is nudged into place Shiruba takes a few steps back and takes a breath. Tail flicked a moment, then settled behind her. It was serious time. She reachs back to draw Thundersnow Howl, eyeing the ritual structure. They only had a vague idea of what they were going up against.

And then the lights are blown out by the monsterous form that emerged upon them. It evokes a growl from the wolfgirl as she takes another wary step back, bracing her legs and drawing back her arrow. "Hiding with the Dark will not protect you tonight, fiend."

The arrow begins to glow, shimmering a bit as Shiruba channels some of her magic into it, something she had trained specifically for this day to come. When she fires the bolt splits, becoming a volley of streaks of light hurtling at where Yeenagi was manifesting as the darkness fell.

The journey has been long, it's a creepy place, but now they've arrived and the keystones have gone into place.

Then it all goes down...

And now there's a giant Gnoll?

And a weird shadow being?!

Which has turned out the lights?!

"OK, stay focused!" Kotono says as she calls up her spell runes. "Maybe if we shine a little light on the subject things will be better?"

Unfortunately, Kotono's spell is so tiny that it looks more like she summoned a few fireflies.

"OK, maybe that wasn't such a good idea..." She shakes her head.

Schneider has joined in with this raid and contributed his keystones, he's here to bring down this boss gnoll once and for all. Everyone's warned how this is going to be a serious fight, so he's brought his A Game. And also his flashiest clothes. Because how can you be an Exploder Wizard without being the best-looking Exploder Wizard?

But right now, as things get serious right away, he will step forward and take action. "Brain, Brain dead," he chants. "Obey your blood oath, come forth from the land of Avalon. Fire of Gehenna, become a fiery blast and burn everything around us!" He gestures dramatically at the Spectre and intones the magic word, "EXODUS!"

Fire erupts around the Spectre, and while the magical darkness eats the light of the flames, it is still an inferno that consumes its target. Or part of it's HP bar, anyhow.

Overland bosses? Check. Tower bosses. Check. Seasonal bosses that require a silly amount of gacha level RNG luck to get the drop you need? Check. Soujiro doesn't even see it as grinding. He finds it all very fun. So anticipation of what is going to be behind that door has him restless with excitement.

Cosmosphere exposed

That means the red line is gone now. The pain dampener isn't going to be working. Souji takes stock of the raid assembled. That means that they will have to work hard together on this one. That this fight will be one to remember. His blue eyes turn towards the altar as the dramatic wind makes his long blue hair waver. Both katanas are drawn in a slow pull as he anchors in the darkness. The deep darkness. Then. His white bladed katana glows brighter. Kogarasumaru, blade of the Sword Saint Soujiro Seta, illuminates his form. Guides his hand to see beyond seeing.

He goes on instinct, "I'll take on Yeenagi," the samurai announces as his blade is light a lightsaber in the middle of night. Raising up. Crashing down with a heavy two-bladed strike onto the boss to immediately grab some agro.

    The cave was dark and full of terrors, about eight of them in fact. At least that is what Setsuna believes that is how monsters would see the raid group. This is not including the large three headed cerberus that is following behind the necromancer. Then again the beasts that they are hunting don't seem too terrified, they seem more angry that eight people showed up uninvited.

     Setsuna looks at the thtwo and his eyes fall on the Spectre, " I will help with the shadow beast." A sharp whistle is given as he leaps on to the cerberus and they charge into the darkness, as the Sepctre wasn't the only one who can hide in the darkness.

     Moments later four pairs of eyes would be appearing focused on the spectre before out of the shadow Setsuna and pet lunge slashing with teeths,claws and daggers. "It appears the darkness likes us more then you."

There are times when you need to act this is one of those times. The Gnolls needed to have an end put to them. They are moving in but something isn't right from the bones here and the alter. She does not like it then comes a warning. COSMOSPHERE EXPOSED? That is a warning that chills her she recalls from the tenth floor after all. Something big is coming and it's dark very dark here there's only one thing that comes to her.

"Let there be ... light."

She'll charge into where she thinks the hostile is and then calls out.

"GRAND CROSS"

A massive Cross forms under Gwen giving off holy light as she channels the power into this attack to hopefully catch the Spectre in it.

Right now there's no trace of the goofy fashion monger. She's all business right now.

Finally, the day has come. It seems like it's been months since the Gnoll Crisis first began in earnest, and it felt as though the situation was only growing more dire as time went on. Not only were the keystones distinctly difficult to track down- hidden deep within the Gnollish den as they were- the risk of bugged monsters forcing their way outside of the Gnoll-corrupted forest only became more severe as the threat of the Palace Lands grew.

But now...

Now they were ready.

"Mmph," Prophylaxis winces as that now-familiar warning floods across his senses. "Should have figured. Is this the power of the Beast, or are demons just able to do this sort of thing...?"

With the stakes as high as they are, there's no point to taking any chances. The doctor slams his staff into the earth, a wave of regenerative magic washing out... and flickering into the all-consuming darkness. Prophylaxis hisses a curse, feeling the supernatural wrongness eating away at his spell. "Ghh. Can't risk doing this without regen..."

He reaches into his inventory, and... What comes to hand is a strange-looking idol. The doctor lifts it to the sky-- and shatters it.

At least this time, he's prepared for the ensuing screech and sense of raw /wrongness/ as those black orbs shoot up through the cave ceiling and up into the distant heavens. But in return...

He feels a surge of power. Roaring, he forces his staff deeper into the stone floor. Finally, his magic overcomes the resistance pushing against it, washing over the party at large and granting each of them a potent Regeneration buff...!

"Don't give it room to breathe," the doctor orders, "Kill it before it kills us!"

Kaydon had been waiting for this fight ever since they managed to find the door. If this was the root cause of the gnolls being as rampagey as they had been, Kaydon had a vested interest in stopping them. Because he too was a gnoll, and gnolls being evil put a damper on his reputation. Sure he was threatening to eat people the other day, but that's not the point.

Pitch blackness fills the room when the group enters. Kaydon wishes he had a pair of night vision goggles or something to counteract it. It seems it might not be needed, however, as his fellow adventurers being throwing out bright attacks that fill the room with light. It's through that light that he can get a view of the huge gnoll, "There you are." He growls out as he pulls his gunblade off of his back, rushing along the distance between himself and the gnoll leader, as he leaps upwards, trying to land a cross slash over the big gnoll's chest. No explosions from this time though.

Shiruba declares that hiding in the dark will not save it. Yet, the moment Gwen's light illuminates and creates an 'area' where the magical darkness erodes away, it stands there undaunted. Its body leaning forward. Its head practically right in Shiruba's face. Thick globs of demonic saliva landing on her face. Red markings across its body as the Grand Cross slowly saps its strength!

Shiruba's own Light blasts into its body. Its armor made out of other fallen monsters. Flayed skin, bones, skulls adorn almost all of its body. The light tearing into the bone, creating disgusting 'cracking' sounds as it crunches into its armor, as it suddenly snaps forward, aiming at devouring Shiruba whole - like an Alligator suddenly lunging up from the waters. About to tear off half her body, were it not for the sudden burst of flame that Schneider lifts against the Spectre behind it.

Yeenagi screams in agony as that hit takes place, pushing it back just enough for the snapping jaws to miss Shiruba. Revealing that the Spectre is quite literally 'attached' to Yeenagi. Swarming along its back almost like some kind of symbiote.

Its flail quickly comes up, halting part of Soujiro Seta's blow. The blade digging into its hand holding the flail partially, causing that red glow to appear across its fur. But the creature immediately throws that hand outwards, seeking to send Soujiro flying to a nearby pillar! The moment he lands, it cackles wildly again! Cackles that turn horrific as Cerberus jumps onto the fourteen foot tall Gnoll's back and begins to tear at the Spectre!

The creature stumbles and shakes its body, before it turns and RAMS its back against another nearby pillar. The ceiling immediately drowns the room in dust and bits of debris that comes washing down as the pillar cracks a bit! Still, in the light that Gwen shines, some of the bones hanging on the ceiling can be seen glowing as well. Rattling and exuding a strange black mist of small 'circles' that rise from them. The same kind of wrongless coming from Prophylaxis' shattered little totem expanding throughout the chamber. Almost like his deed is empowering this very chamber itself! The bones starting to physically /rattle in place/.

Kaydon jumps at Yeenagi, bringing his blades to carve across its body armor. The large Gnoll 'god' lifting its other hand in order to bring it down towards Kaydon just as his first blade bites into the bone mass and cracks part of it apart, before that hand reaches him and seeks to 'punt' him right towards Prophylaxis.

The sense of 'Wrongness' begins to expand within the chambers, as those very same black circles begin to pulse at the edges of the Spectre itself. The shapes of 'ravens' forming across its body, flying across the 'surface' of its shadowy body. The darkness continueing to oppress those around it as the Ravens on its body begin to... 'sing'.

"Ma num ra teyys ween syec oz wase en noglle guartz, ee Ween colga fayra - Race mea wis gigeadeth zeeth tie yor---"

         DDDDD   IIIII  SSSSS  PPPPPP  EEEEEEE DDDDD   IIIII   AAA            
         DD  DD   III  SS      PP   PP EE      DD  DD   III   AAAAA          
         DD   DD  III   SSSSS  PPPPPP  EEEEE   DD   DD  III  AA   AA          
         DD   DD  III       SS PP      EE      DD   DD  III  AAAAAAA          
         DDDDDD  IIIII  SSSSS  PP      EEEEEEE DDDDDD  IIIII AA   AA          

>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEW3VQiRdQM

<<< PAIN DAMPENING HALTED >>>

Right before Yeenagi comes forward, bringing its massive flail around. Tearing it through one of the pillars. Causing ceiling to start falling on the group. Its spikey ball reaching across the ground, creating massive tears and sending chunks of debris up. Wildly flailing it about. With its other hand grabbing at the Cerberus in an attempt to crush it within its hand!

At the same time, the horrific song continues. A song that Prophylaxis and Schneider of all people here would be familiar with.

Schneider pales for a moment as the horrifying song is heard, but the emergency is real, and he brings up an intermediate magic shield to defend himself from the immediate danger. The song reminds him of another dreadful encounter, but we don't have the advantage of altitude here. It's a bit too late for that!

He's about to drop some serious fire, but everyone's calling for light, and looking his way. "I'm an Exploder Wizard," he complains, but will give it a try. "Holy ..." But he can't even get the words out cleanly, and the magic missile fizzles as it fires, failing to strike it's target. He has no metal songs for Holy Magic. He's not a priest!

A horrifying song.

Immense pain.

This is what torture must be like in that place down below.

To make matters worse, Kotono can't hit to save her life! "Ugh! Why me?" She grits out through clenched teeth.

Soujiro Seta's white blade sparks as it parries along the metal of Yeenagi's flail. The samurai's body twists as the second blade catches that hand and arm for the red-light damage. He has gotten the boss' attention. Either that or the grabby hand is trying to join his fanclub. Hand-chan, you have to wait your turn! A foot plants on the foot to kick off of the palm right as that hand goes to clasp. Souji is just too fast.

The blue haired dual wielding samurai has kicked off the Gnollish hand while the haunting singing begins. Soujiro does connect with the pillar, but on his terms from the evasive maneuver, connecting with the structure to run up it with lightning speed. All the way to the top until he gracefully kicks off. Twisting. Hand with holy sword spinning as he descends in a sharp forty five degree angled descent back to Yeenagi with such force that it leaves a trail of white light. A sanctified strike from the samurai saint.

    June comes charging in, scales gleaming, light cascading along her iron scales. Dipping and dodging through the attacks. The Gorgon-were pulls a seal from the box on her hip, brush in hand she slashes angry runes down the length of the scroll.

    Then lifting and turning it towards the specter she calls out in Elvish "By the light of Earendil, by the Silmaril. We shall guard the gates of night, step back foul shadow, fallen Maiar be banished!" A flare of light slashes out in a four pointed star.

Thanks to her cautionary stance Shiruba is ready to dive and roll out of the way when Yeenagi goes on a rampage with his flail. She tumbles into a crouch, coming up with her glaive in one hand which she promptly throws. Flashing slashes can be seen as the spinning weapon slices through several of the chunks of debris that were knocked loose by the smashing weapon, leaving them to fall in smaller and less threatening pieces.

Like a boomerang the throwing glaive arcs in the air, and buzzes -extremely- close to Yeenagi's head to return to Shiruba's waiting hand. "Over here, you demonic fur coat! I'm the one that figured out where you were spreading your power from. I'm the one that locationed your sickening sanctuary! Come catch me if you can!"

The situation is unsettling enough as is, but the song that reverberates from the twisted gnoll...

It sends a chill straight down into the Doctor's core.

"That... that song..." His eyes narrow, robes briefly flaring with magical energy as the gnoll's flail smashes into him-- and rebounds against an aura of raw protective force. He tries to return fire, launching a blast of magma at the twisted beast, only for a swing of the gnoll's flail to knock his projectile wide. "Ravens. That song-- the Morrigan? But that means..."

He goes pale. The connections are made in his mind. Years of lore connecting the dots until-- "This... This creature is blessed by the Morrigan!? Is this... Is it infected by an Enigma Piece-- or is this what happens when we use too many of them!?"

"Everyone, be careful! I fear that this beast wields some permutation of the power of Data Drain!"

Gwen is projecting light as she make her attack she's done some damage she see somethings in the area are reacting and ther is something not right about here. She does not like it she gets the warning pain dampning is halted. Oh this is going to be bad, she's had some experiance to deal with it before but she's not sure how well she could take what's being dished out here. Kaydon's Got Yeen from the looks of it as does Shiruba and with the effect that the Spectre is causing issues.

Gwen starts to chant as runes dances about her now and flow into her sword which now has wind surging about it and soon her.

"DIVINE WIND!"

She throws herself at the thing hacking and slashin away with wind infused sword strikes. Worse though is that music it's just wrong...

    The Cerberus and it's rider sees the hands coming to grab him as Setsuna summons up a barrage of spikes to give some hesitation to grabbing them before they dash out of danger. Chuckling a bit Setsuna shouts to the beast, " Come on now you damn thing. Try harder then that. Maybe we need to light some fire under you to really get you in the mood."

     Even while Setsuna is taunting the dangerous creature he isn't standing idle. In front of the three heads of cerberus a purple magic circle appears and the three heads of the cerberus spew forth fire into the magic circle. The circle twist the magic to a flame of darkness as it flies diretly at the spectre and Setsuna just smirks at it, despite his chim chattering about the danger in front of them, the necromancer is sure it will be fine.

That hand is going to crush him if he's not careful, but Kaydon is looking for the attack. When it comes in, he puts the masterwork gunblade between himself and the hand. He still gets thrown, but he manages to keep himself from taking any of that very real damage in the process, as he winds up flying through the air and landing on his feet with a grunt as he skids a few feet, "My turn."

He rushes past the Doc, and leaps at Yeenagi again, this time bringing the gunblade towards the gnoll god's shoulder, aiming to try to disable one of those arms and hopefully render the attacks weaker in the process. He just has to keep from getting hurt until Doc figures out how to turn that Cosmosphere thing off.

Yeenagi's assault and defense are ruthless. Moving almost like it's a dance. As Kotono tries to get towards him, the massive Gnoll slams its flail into her body and throws her right on back. The cracking of ribs and bones audible. Were it not for Prophylaxis' regeneration magics put up earlier, she'd be in a far worse state already.

It's about to continue the rampage when Soujiro moves in, getting under its guard! Twisting and sending that sharp blade down across its terrible body, snagging a series of armored patches and tearing them off, digging into its flesh and rending it. Soujiro can feel the tearing of flesh and muscles eminate through his blade! The red light in the periphery of his vision!

A red light that soon pales as June's bright flare of light bursts against its back and tears at the shadowed spectre living upon itself. Tearing and causing Yeenagi to howl in pain once more! But then immediately SNAGS Shiruba's Glaive out of the air. Biting upon it, and causing it to get stuck in its teeth. Glaring at her in anger. Almost like it is recognizing the words she speaks.

But it just howls laughter at her. Fierce laughter that echoes from the walls around them. Shadows beginning to move at the edges of their own actions. The shadows of Gnolls beginning to rise. Shadows that step into the light begin given off by the various Adventurers!

When suddenly, a word is spoken. And in that moment, there's a sudden GRASP for Prophylaxis. A black pair of hands seem to reach out from beneath him and grab for his throat, trying to silence him! Right before a second pair try to reach through his chest-cavity to grasp at what lays within!

At the same time, Gwen rushes forwards and tears into the Spectre, getting a fierce cutting wind into its body that tears it partially from Yeenagi. It seems to partially separate, before countless black 'fingers' reach back towards it and try to grab at it. Yeenagi simultaneously tries to grab Kaydon, only to miss. Allowing Kaydon to CUT off one of its fingers - causing it to fall back!

Setsuna's dark flames then burst across its body, causing the entire entity to shrink away against Yeenagi, as the creature's own flail begins to burn with a hideous fire. Almost like it is urged on by Setsuna's demand to 'try harder', it tries harder! Tearing its flail through the floor in a circle, creating a 'symbol' around itself. A crater that looks like it goes deep torn from debris, which then suddenly GOUTS flame forwards. Bursting outwards into the chambers, rampaging across the entire ground and shooting higher and higher. As the floor itself begins to melt...

And turns to lava!

Schneider acks as the floor turns to lava, and as much as he's an Exploder Wizard, his magic cloak can't protect him when the floor is gone. He looses quite a lot of nice boot and almost his foot, escaping with only a loss of HP. And dignity, but how much of that did he really have? There's not really time for dignity in this fight, and now his foot is burned badly. This is way beyond any sort of sports injury he's suffered, though the response is the same. Grit your teeth and keep going. You can't quit in the middle of a play no matter how bad it hurts! It's a team sport, and he won't be the one to let down the team. He hops to safer ground, favoring that bad foot, and turns to stroke a dramatic pose. "Kaizard, aruzard, kisk! Hansay Glossik! Unleash total destruction!" he chants sonorously. "Sage of Hades use the seven keys to open the gates of Hell!" He points, gestures, shouts, "HALLOWEEN!" Flames envolop the spectre as a consuming flame surrounds it, tearing savagely at its HP bar. Have some payback!

Still in a bit of pain, Kotono's finding it hard to fight properly. Meaning she can't even land a proper hit.

Then she gets attacked again.

This time, she's starting to feel weakened and she knows if she keeps fighting, she risks dying and having to respawn.

Something she does not want to have to do.

"Sorry... I can't stay here..." She says as she limps away.

Soujiro played this game as a kid: The floor is lava. There was more household furniture to jump around on back then. There were less team members in the fight that could be injured by the arena-wide effect. He puts faith and respect into their ability to avoid and soak up the damage that they can. As a tank imbues his let handed katana with a blue elemental light of water as he has no plans of running away from Yeenagi. His place is up close and personal. A little bit of lava isn't going to stop him.

The opening strike is a wave-wave slice that sizzles and steams a small path forward into charcoal glass. Soujiro rushes forward on the heels of the magical strike, the buff 'Vengeance' showing up on the raid bar as the steam and heat gently clip at his sizeable health. The glow on Kogarasumaru gets a greater and greater inensity to it's white light until he is within range. "Lanius Capture," he emotes, aiming to stun-distrupt the boss' sigil out of play and buy the party some time to handle the Cosmosphere issue. Or just setup a really nice combo strike during the stun window.

Oh this is not good. But first Shiruba turns her attention to the guildmate in trouble. "Go, Kotono! Keep yourself save. We'll finish this."

As for the lava. Shiruba considers a moment, and then takes a sprinting dash forward while charging one of her magical barriers. Her entire form starts to radiate from the Light alignment, the divine energy enough to keep the magma from welling up and engulfing her as she darts across a couple of the pieces of floor before the entirely melt. Then springing up onto the top of what remains of one of the columns that were smashed through. There she brings up her magic longbow, Thundersnow Howl already crackling with storm magic as she draws one of the special lightning rod arrows back in it. "Your corrupting prescene shall no longer be tolerated! For those taken by your evil, we shall take you down!"

And then she fires.

A single arrow. But one that is specifically made to pierce through defenses... And then release the charged equivilent of several magic lightning bolts crashing directly into the target struck! Yeenagi is about to have a very revolting experience!

Prophylaxis says something he should not have.

It's a strange sensation, being seized by something lurking in your own shadow. "What--" The Doctor gasps before the hands seize around his throat. He feels his breath catch short, the shadow's hands crushing his windpipe. He feels every ounce of terrible, terrifying pressure and scrambles his fingers against the shadowy grasp-- but he can't find purchase. It is a shadow, after all.

It reaches with more hands, driving into his heart, reaching in to hollow him out, to scoop something important out of him. His eyes go wide with fear--

And then harden to frigid fury.

A wave of uttermost cold washes out from him. The hands around his throat congeal and freeze an instant later. The ones reaching toward his heart don't even have the chance to turn liquid-like, flash-solidifying as they brush against his chest. The Doctor tears himself free amidst a crackle of shattering crystal, the shadow itself falling to pieces around him as he wrenches out of its grasp. "Going for my throat... Won't work a second time. You won't be able to silence my song so easily," Prophylaxis spits, his breath freezing to diamond dust as it exits his lips, "You didn't like me /knowing/ you, did you...?"

Kaydon manages to cleave off a finger. The big guy can definitely be hurt, cackling laughs or not. However there is a bit of a bigger problem. Lava is hard to defend against no matter how good you are at it. Kaydon gets burnt, and the pain feels just like real burns he's felt before. At least these won't take weeks to heal. Healing magic is a grand thing. He managed to find himself a place to stand that isn't on fire. It's not easy.

But once he finds himself on a rock that hasn't melted, he throws himself across the arena, over the lava, back at Yeenagi. This time, the gunblade is primed and ready as Kaydon lands on the big boss.

He brings the weapon down with both hands, aiming to strike Yeenagi right in the face with it. This time he sets off the explosion as he strikes, concentrating that fire arte directly through the blade as he strikes, before quickly scrambling around the gnoll in order to try to find a good place to stand and not fall off into the lava

    June finds herself awash in flames, Iron Scales or no it causes her to bellow. A scream of rage and pain that only those who've lived with bovines might have heard before. And it does NOT make June make more sense, or more sensable. The short stack were leaps, and not away, she leaps at the shadow.

    Switches to the tongue of Numinor "Shade of Udun, foul blackness, I cast thee down!" and her cestus flare to life, the complex writing engraved in the metal blazing to life with holy light that burns with her rightious fury. "I CAST THEE DOWN!" and she begins raining blows of light that rip out in words of light each denying the shadows around her.

    The flame was given and the flame was returned as Setsuna and his animal companion try to run away only to still be burned by the flame. Setsuna hasn't been burned in years, not like this, the pain doesn't stop. Over the chims he speaks up, "Jokes on them. We are getting out of here with that knowledge one way or another. However I am taking a piece of it with me. "

     Setsuna gives a gentle kick to his cerberus and charge forward the magical energy enhancing the cerberus claws as it leaps with Setsuna on it's back and slashes out to the gnoll before landing.

Gwen gets some good hits into the spectre, it's going well enough there but she knows the pain dampeners are off lin and now the floor is ... freaking lava. While she does not get caught directly she's still getting cooked and she will scream it's a powerful one as she's being cooked she can smell burnt flesh and her armour's heating up its durability taking a big hit, she's able to get clear but not before she's taken some serious hits. She's still in the fight she's trying to push through the pain and make an attack she'll start chanting, it's a chant Scheinder should know well.

It's Lightning Strike. She has a large build-up of electrical energy about her sword arm and then she lowers it sending a massive bolt as Yeen intending to take them down or at least put the hurt on them.

Flames erupt across Yeenagi's body, as it quickly tries to pay away at the demonic flames. Trying to stop them from consuming its fur as it licks at its body! Though it seems like the Lava beneath its feet turns to black stone, it isn't immune to the blaze of that heat!

Stones keep falling from the ceiling, allowing the occassional spot to stand on for the team, as the enormous Gnoll continues to rampage through the region. The bones hanging from the ceiling continue to glow and pulse, rattling visibly and audibly as the Gnoll moves and rampages through the arena.

Soujiro seeks to tear apart the sigil upon the ground, but Yeenagi halts him by interjecting itself between that blade and the sigil. Going to its knee as the tearing blade rips apart more of its health! Digging a hand into the lava and throwing the heated rock towards Soujiro in retatiation. About to stop Kotono's retreat with a quick jump for her, before Shiruba interjects with a fierce lancing arrow. Tearing through its chest and forcing it to drop back towards the ground!

When Yeenagi suddenly tilts its head. The Shadows grasping at its shoulder, pulling itself up, and looking /past/ Prophylaxis. As black circles rise from its body, so does... Schneider's hair for a moment. And in that moment, it speaks.

             <"GIVE IT">
                             <"JOIN US">
                      <"RETURN IT TO US">
                                                   <"BE WHOLE">
               <"GIVE IT BACK TO ME">
                              <"CHANGE WITH US">

As more shadows form on the ground near Schneider, reaching towards him. Reaching to try and grab him by the throat. To grab at his chest once more. Then, Gwen and Prophylaxis manage to speak the word once more, trying to speak to the Chimlinks - and shadows immediately try to bind them! Shadows seeking them out once more. Grabbing at their throats as well. The song gets louder. The demands get louder!

Setsuna's Cerberus rips across the Gnoll's back, with its mage on its back. The Spectre slicing at Setsuna in response - only to be forced to shrink back by June, runes across her blade enhancing her blow as it stabs into the Spectre. The whole form of which quickly 'separates' around the blade, letting it plant into Yeenagi's body! Red light pouring out! Its body coming to a slow as Prophylaxis' icy winds pour over the entirety of the monsterous being! Ice forming on its fur momentarily, before it gets shattered and turned to steam by Kaydon's violent Gunblade's assault. The shattering blow sending a shockwave out within the cave - shaking the entire chamber.

The bones shake and tremble in that moment. Heavier. As Yeenagi itself begins to sing - even as Gwen brings down her blade and sends electric power CARVING down its back and tearing across the spectre!

>>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGaM07Pc-nI

"Rrha ki ga chs cause mea. Rrha i ga dople en gott denera. Rrha ki ga chs fayra mea -- " With the shadow weaving it into its own song of Despedia; "Nozess yora omnis!" Modulating, morphing, alterering the song. Altering Yeenagi's words. Its body starting to grow more mutated. Bone-spurs suddenly bursting out of its own body. Acid starting to drop from its maw, as a multi-colored light appears across its body. The bones starting to rattle faster and faster. The laughing cackling maddening sounds of Gnolls surrounding the Adventurer team!

As it feels like there are two entities here who desires the same outcome in that moment.

             <"GIVE IT">
                             <"JOIN US">
                      <"RETURN IT TO US">
                                                   <"BE WHOLE">
               <"GIVE IT BACK TO ME">
                              <"CHANGE WITH US">

All as the flames around them begin to burst. The lava starting to come upwards, and pillars of fire starting to burst up all around them. Poison flows bursting from its maw as it continues to fill the entire chamber with attacks. But it's Gwen, Prophylaxis, and Schneider most of all who are at the greatest risk in that moment!

Soujiro Seta adjusts his attempt from Lanius Capture away from Yeenagi to the sigil. The momentary shift from damage output is enough to pull agro away from his tanking. As the sigil stays and the agro drops, he checks to see if the party has made any progress on restoring the Cosmosphere. He won't have to wait long to figure it out as the pain is very real. His own senses can tell him what is going on. Lore is flowing, so hopefully some of that will relate to helping with the battle. Let the smart people do smart things. He is a fighter, so he fights.

The samurai lowers himself into a drawing stance with his two katanas. A balanced stance made for attacking and defending both. Souji needs to press the beast further, so he dashes through the impending lava rock. Through Yeenagi. Straight through to the other side. His blade strokes are too fast to recognize other than they have extended full stroke by the time he reaches the other side. The firey rock cracks in half, having been severed on his path.

    June manages to skip about, her steps sparking as she leaps from place to place. Her cestus glowing with light, the script carved over the metalic knuckle shells lancing out with each punch she throws, words of light cascading from her fists, however her near berzerk rage seems to have affected her aim, many of the blasts of light going wide. "Die die die YOU DON'T GET THOSE WORDS!"

Shiruba really does not want to vacate her vantage point.

This is exactly why she has been training defense in magical shields rather than evasive mobility. To hold the most advantageous position for her long ranged DPS as long as possible.

She digs a foot into the broken column underneath her, uttering under her breath to draw farther into the sorcereous side of her storm magic. Winds whistle around her, lost amongst the cackling cries and rattling bones, but quickly escalate to a wailing crescendo of their own as they swirl around her position. Even scooping up some of the debris of the fight in their whirlwind grasp. Which helps the defensive art in diffusing the eruptions of flame that hail down on her position, burning into the rubble instead and being flung aside by the winds protecting her.

At the center of the protective winds Shiruba reaches into her quiver and draws one of her newest aquisitions, an arrow with a extremely thin and sharp glass shard for the head. She draws it back in her longbow, squinting one eye as she takes aim at the rampaging mutating Gnoll boss. Waiting for the perfect moment... breath... focus... the perfect precise point...

The wind barrier dies down, and Shiruba releases. So fast and so thin is the projectile that it practical disappears from view as it streaks through the air at Yeenagi in search of a weak point.

The only hint a shot was even fired is the chilling ~AROOOOOO~ that rings across the arena when Shiruba fired the arrow.

Schneider acks as the thing comes after him, and his hair seems to rise up on its own, though he's not immediately clear on why. Is it trying to rejoin with ... with the same way he drew power? He throws up a bunch of small magic shields. Individially not so powerful, but they continually reinforce and overlap as the flames and lava come closer. The floating hair thing is good sorcerous foo, but he's not the one doing it, exactly. His hair has ... otherworldly ... origins? It's not clear, even to him. But his own song screeches out, electric guitars wailing, at least in his own mental soundtrack as he chants, "Spirits of sorcery, fangs of vengance, pinions of sinew and steely resolve. Once bitten! Great White!" And he casts that unusual spell at the Spectre that's hounding him, his hair blazing white now with energy, the fire not so much burning as purifying.

    "Would I do such a thing? " Setsuna finishes his conversation on the chim while he has the grin of a devil on his face. Drawing forth knife as he causes a red glow along his arm and he takes a small bleed effect. " My life for your service as per our arrangement. " The necromancer ability to call forth the dead reaches out into the shadows and from it summons a demilich to fight for him. "The gnoll's life force is yours to feast on." WIth the general order given Setsuna leaves the vampire to handle the situation. Meanwhile Setsuna seems about to start shouting something towards the gnoll and it's shadow before he watchs Schneider do...something. Instead Setsuna holds his tongue, "Well, ok I guess I won't pull aggro...yet."

Again the shadows swirl. Grasping hands twine up from the darkness, seeming to hone in on even the merest mention of That Name. But this time, Prophylaxis is ready for them-- just as he promised. They weave up around him, only to find themselves lost in a prismatic maze of multifaceted ice crystals. Frozen shards cling to the Magus' body, protecting him from the touch of death.

But they do not protect him from the voices.

"That... It wants to be one...?" Prophylaxis' brow furrows, his eyes narrowing, following the Shadow's gaze...

To Schneider.

"No... No, the relic! Schneider, careful! You mustn't allow it to claim you, no matter what!" If it were able to reclaim a body part of the Morrigan, its power would surely only grow. This awful dissonance would only worsen. The doctor turns, a tendril snaking out of his gauntlet--

And driving deep into the mutating gnoll's throat. A syringe is depressed, releasing a potent toxin into the beast's twisting, tearing, mutating body. If it's tearing itself apart, then something like this-- something that takes wounds and makes them *bleed* without end-- might just be... debilitating.

But then Schneider does something the Doctor doesn't expect.

He goes to unleash the power of data drain upon the shadow. To, possibly, make the Enigma one in a /different/ way. It's too late to stop, the doctor can only watch.

But he watches carefully.

Gwen gets one heck of a hit in on the Spectre but the musis change well more she does not like the soes not like it at all she hears it. Something triggers inside her, the same. Something nightmareish comes for her.

"I REJECT YOU AND WHATEVER FUELS YOU!"

She will bring up the Stormwind Shield and there is a lions roar a faint echo of a world lost to Pluto's kiss as an golden lion barrier appears about Gwen protecting her and then she charges in.

"GALE OF SWORDS!"

The heat and fire burning all around them makes Kaydon realize that he needs to change his tactics up. Lava splashes across his back, making him roar out in a mixture of pain and frustration. He doesn't let go of Yeenagi though. No, this is not going to go down like this.

The goddamn gnoll is singing too. Well we definitely have to put a stop to that. Kaydon reaches up, struggling to pull himself up to the giant gnoll's face, to look him right in the eye.

"SHUT! THE! FUCK! UP!"

Each word is emphisized by a stab to the throat with the blade hidden in the gauntlet on his arm. He gives another one for good measure, with a howling warcry for good measure.

Soujiro keeps pressing Yeenagi. Forcing the massive thing back time and time again. Each stroke reaching its body as it tries to intercept his moves with its flail. As rocks are carved apart, so do pillars get torn assunder around Yeenagi. Flashes spring each time their blades meet. The eerie red glow amidst the magical darkness flows!

Light flashes past it as it moves in the darkness. June attempting to get to it. The spectre avoids the blows by crawling closer to Yeenagi's back, while the massive Gnoll keeps turning its body. Red lines tearing across its fur, but not letting her get to the spectres. The many totems of bone and skull hanging from the ceiling continue to tremble and shake with each moment. Black circles rising from the sockets of eyes. Some bones snapping apart on their own, releasing more of that black substance. Seemingly making the Spectre grow upon Yeenagi's back!

Then, a flash of light, as Shiruba's arrow slams into Yeenagi's knee and forces it to fall to the lava-covered ground! That is the moment that gives Schneider his shot! As lines of green suddenly rush across Schneider's body, turning white, then reach out to the Spectre and... CONNECT!

A sigil envelops the Spectre in that moment, and SOMETHING is TORN from it. White light pulls back to Schneider, ripped from the Spectre. And in that moment, the sense of WRONG suddenly hits everyone that knows of the Law of Alba...

As across the way, upon a wall.

A carving.

No. A TEAR.

                                                                                
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Followed by the tear being pushed inwards, and a young man stepping out. An orange uniform, held together by stitches. Wielding what looks like a strange blade that looks more like someone warped the tip of a trident. Green hair peeking out from beneath their hat as an angry snarl appears on their lips.

Staring at Yeenagi. Staring at the Spectre. And most of all, staring at Schneider in that moment. Its blades shifting in its hand, as it begins to approach the massive Gnoll. Yet refusing to let much break the line of sight between it and Schneider.

Yeenagi in the meantime, is stabbed by Prophylaxis' strange wire. It remains to one knee in that moment, right before it suddenly bursts a red glow from its maw, splashing down and sizzling upon the Lava. Some of its mutations begin to glow. More bonespurs form to close those wounds. Setsuna's Demilich latches onto the Gnoll in that moment, tearing into its neck. But the moment it does, a bone-spur forms right into the skull of the Vampire - forcing Setsuna to take some of the punishment for that move!

Gwen gets in there, cutting across Yeenagi's body, further bleeding it and harming its health bar. Quickly dropping lower and lower! When Tri-Edge jumps onto Yeenagi's back. The spectre screams in that moment, as Tri-Edge turns its hand towards Yeenagi's back, and a green light appears across its arm. Very similar to Schneider's. A pulse of green ripples out, and then four 'blades' of green stab into the Spectre. Tearing it, wrenching it. Pulling it off of Yeenagi as Tri-Edge lifts its hand towards the air. Kaydon gets a front-row seat as he's hanging onto Yeenagi's muzzle, stabbing into its throw. Causing more of that red glow to flow from its body!

A green 'seal' of light forms around the Spectre as it is ripped off of its host, right before the Spectre suddenly SHATTERS as it is ripped apart...

And Yeenagi's mutations halt.

<<< PAIN DAMPENING RESTORED >>>

In that moment, Yeenagi's song turns to deeper anger and sorrow - whilst the Spectre's song fades from their ears.

And Tri-Edge begins to approach Schneider at a slow pace.

Yeenagi left dazed and in the Bleeding status behind it, as the Lava begins to slowly consume it. Though the enormous beast does rise, regardless of the molten rock starting to devour it, and begins to swing its flail around. Attempting to crush the pillars and kill the entire room with falling debris - the entrance starting to collapse!

A new form enters the cavern, and it's enough to briefly rattle Shiruba. She remembers Tri-Edge from when he tried to interupt previous Enigma experimentations. Remembers that cold, unrelenting stride.

But won't let it shake her from the reason they're here. The reason she went through the madness of tracking these Gnolls down. "We need to finish this NOW and get out of here!" She hops off her perch, even as she grips the bowstring and pulls back. No arrow in it, but there doesn't need one as Thundersnow Howl forms a arrow of pure lightning from it's magic in the weapon. After maneuvering closer to the entrance the wolfgirl turns turns, her aim towards Yeenagi thrashing in the lava trying to continue to attack in his throes, the glow of the lightning arrow casting shadows across her stern expression.

"No more. Your reign of corrupt ends tonight." And fires, the thundereous arrow turning a bright shimmer of reddish hue like the spell it's manifested from as it hurtles at the Demonic Gnoll.

"This Hunt is over."

Schneider is a bit surprised at what happens at first, his hair floating like seaweed in an eddy. He wasn't expecting quite that, though he was hoping to inconvenience the horrible spirit that was driving the gnoll, he seems to have inconvenienced him fatally. With extreme prejudice. Well, not exactly him. Tri Edge. He remembers their initial encounter, or sort of does. As seen from several hundred feet overhead. He looks a bit more worrisome close up. OK, a lot more worrisome. Backpedalling, he looks back to Yenagi, and grumbles, "/You're/ not dead yet?" Because that, he can fix.

He chants as he backpedals away from Tri Edge, "Deep Doomsday. To the spirits of land and air, bound by the pact, fulfill your obligation now." A deep breath, then he shouts, "MEGADETH!"

A collosal blast denonates around Yenagi. They say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, but, well, this is sort of like a hand grenade. If it were the size of a 55 gallon drum. What it is, is a big boom, which booms. And now he's looking for the exit.

Kaydon did his part. The wounds to the neck would have been fatal, at least Kaydon believes so. He's right, mostly because of the lava, but that part's not important right now. Because he sees a much more pressing matter. He gives Yeenagi one more stab for good measure, and then pushes off of the gnoll's head. He flies pretty good, for a brick.

Kaydon slams into the ground with a heavily armored thump, and rolls back up to his feet, and swings the Jaeger in a wide, upward arc, the weapon flashing and exploding as it shatters a boulder that was threatening to block the doorway, "Everyone out the door, now!"

Another rock falling, directly towards him this time. Kaydon throws the gunblade over himself in an arc, shattering the rock in half and sending its pieces to either side of the entrance, "I can only do that a couple more times before I have to reload, so hurry up!"

    Setsuna himself stops at the appearence of Tri-Edge and all that can be heard from Setsuna's location is the low growling of the cerberus. It appears they can sense the predator that just entered the cave and for now Setsuna watches as the spectre is destroyed and Mr. Edge's sight is turned on Schneider. "It appears it is time to go Schneider, unless you wish to hang out with Michael here." Taking the dagger he throws it at the entrance with as much might as he can before he gives another look to TriEdge, he would ofloved to stick around and chat.

    June sees the changes and bellows again, she's low on health, low on mana, low on stamina, but she's not a quitter she's a Sleeping Knight. She charges the collapsing door, slamming into the collapsing stone. It lets her through but she just doesn't have the remaining strength or sense to assist properly in keeping it propped open for others the iron cowgirl bellowing again.

The glow of Tri-Edge's sigil should not ever be something familiar-- but this is the third, perhaps fourth time that Prophylaxis has seen it materialize. The Doctor's blood runs cold as the sign appears, and seems to freeze when /he/ emerges from it. "...Damnit," Prophylaxis hisses, "That's what I was afraid of." The moment Schneider looked as though he'd absorb the Enigma, Tri-Edge appeared, but...

For once, the entity makes himself useful, obliterating the shadow. The trouble is that he /sticks around./ "Ghh-- kill the gnoll, but everyone get out! Run as fast as you can! This..."

The doctor lifts his staff, a series of glyphs materializing around Yeenagi, pouring bolts of lightning down on the corrupted gnoll, "This is not a fight we can win...!" But the way out is collapsing. All the catastrophic magic they've loosed has destabilized the cavern-- and it looks as though all the rest of the party's firepower won't be enough to /stop/ the cave-in.

And then they'll all be stuck in here. With Tri-Edge.

"Not yet. We're not done yet! hYAmmrA ttu yAyE!" The Doctor sings, a rumbling drumbeat seems to thunder through the land. Through the earth. "hYAmmrA ttu rwLYE!" The ground trembles. It begins to push upwards, lances of stone erupting from the craggy land. "xE rre qejyu yAzAt ouwua naflansee!" They rush towards the ceiling, pressing against the crumbling rock-- and merging with it. Land itself is wrought into creation, forming a stable corridor through the collapsing exit!

"Everyone out!" Prophylaxis yells, making good on his own advice, "Especially you, Schneider! Run as fast as your legs can carry you!"

Mission Critical Status achieved. The arena is falling down around them. Tri-Edge is doing the Jason Voorheese walk towards Schneider. There are chims to evacuate. "As Shiruba said earlier," combat-eyes Souji says, "Yeenagi is going down no matter what." He has stuck with the boss since the fight began. When the Cosmosphere protections dropped, he didn't flinch. When the real pain set in, he didn't waver. He has a samurai's spirit as well as the title. It relentless as much as it is radiant. When things get difficult he shines.

Just like his katana. It. Shines. "You're finished!" is what his eyes say. What his body says. Loudly enough that a ethereal creature wearing a kitsune mask, a kimono, and long blades for hands manifests alongside his blade. The Kogaraumaru awakens.

Soujiro vaults towards Yeenagi, dodging out of the way of the friendly fire like he has eyes in the back of his head. Both blades dance with deadly precision and are met with a combat assistant that presses the melee assault. Like Bucky and Iron Man beating up Captain Gnoll. Souji can do this all day.

When the fight with the gnoll is over he, too, will abscond and guard the escape as the last to leave the area.

Well there's some good news one of the bosses is dead, the pain dampening is restored thjat is good Yeenagi seems to be getting ready to go down then something goes right to hell. Tri-Edge shows up and she just about panics she keeps it together turtning her power over wind to help keep the way out open.

"We do not have long I can't hold this up forever!"

The cave continues to shake and quake. Refusing to remain in one piece anymore. Lava melting away the pillars. The Altar slowly sinking below the surface of lava. The heated stone overcoming the red glowing crystal, drowning it away. All as Tri-Edge continues to approach. Where it steps, the Lava refuses to approach. Halted by the sheer presence of Tri-Edge.

Yeenagi even tries to strike at Tri-Edge, trying to get it out of its way. And in retaliation, Tri-Edge makes a single cutting motion, CHOPPING off the arm that came swiping at it without as much as blinking an eye. It's a movement that is done so cleanly, so perfectly, so IMMEDIATELY, that it takes time to register that movement had occurred at all!

Kaydon and Prophylaxis get hard at work. Forming stoneworks beneath the ground. Splashing up from the Lava. Forming a temporary gateway, trembling beneath the sheer weight of the hidden cavern system! Kaydon shatters a boulder than had already fallen in the way, tearing it apart while the earth that Prophylaxis forms consumes the stone and brings it into the shape of an archway. Gwen freezing the gateway into place.

A dagger then slams like a railgun being fired into a series of stone that is tumbling down, creating a spray outwards into the open ways leading into the cavern - as Setsuna aids. June soon joining in, holding open the cavern way.

At the same time, a blaze erupts across the Gnoll 'god' as Schneider continues the assault - burning away fur and melting one of its eyes until it shatters into light. Yeenagi yipping angrily at those ahead of him. Reaching for them in anger and pain. Desiring to step out. To bring its curse with it. To empower the other Gnolls in the ruins beyond. A violent blazing CUT dances across its body, as the Kogaraumaru flashes across its body. A spray of red glow splatters onto Soujiro's body from Yeenagi as he wears into it, tearing into its health more and more.

Yeenagi and the Kogaraumaru slam their heads into eachother for a moment as that flail comes up, sending lava spray up at Soujiro. Seeking to burn and harm him. But the blade falls upon that massive construct and pushes it down!

It then slams its remaining hand down on Soujiro and Kogaraumaru. Pushing him into the lava. Starting to force the Samurai to sink. It looks like it may overwhelm the blade wielder for just a moment, before the spear of light dances through the cavern. Lighting up pillars in the flash of a moment it springs through the shortest path between a bow and its body. Shiruba's arrow - lightning fast - burries into its chest with rippling power and precision. Tearing right into its chest.

Yeenagi lets out a confused last angry yip, before it breaks out into momentary laughter. Its song ends... as its body SHATTERS into light. Giving people the chance they need to get out, and let the chambers collapse upon Tri-Edge - slowing it down enough for Schneider to get out of dodge and grab the next boat off of the Island of Beginnings.

As soon as Yeenagi is down, Schneider is running like hell for the exit. He's used to fast breaks before, he played basketball in school for years, but this is the fastest break he's ever done. No chance to chat, no final words, saving all his breath for running as he high-tails it out of this strange place. So to speak. And he doesn't stop on the other side, either, he knows how relentless Tri Edge is in pursuit.