[adamu]

Another shadow threw itself at the brides, but Naked-Blue-Pict-Al struck it down the same way he had the first one. Looking around for another opponent, he saw that while there were dozens to choose from, a good number of the other guests were also perfectly capable of defending themselves. Indeed, Celedyr merely looked at a cluster of them and they imploded into nothingness. All around the room glowing blades were flashing and ray guns were going off...along with heads and livers and souls at the hands of shadows...but it was enough for Al to realize he didn't need to go looking for a fight. As long as he stayed close to their charges and kept them safe, that was job one done.

So then job two - he started looking around for anyone that could replace the heretic fool of a priest they'd started out with, enlisting the three ladies' aid as he did so - "No time ta waste. Now's the perfect chance. Union forged in blood, an' all that. Find someone else can finish the ceremony!"

[obidancer]

Deckard spread his hands and joined them together in a strong clap. He didn't have to, but the matching result was worth it. Mentally he had controlled his "Magic Hands" to grab on each of the goons' head and push them with strength to smash against one another. With the power of a big Troll, the two goons would see stars for a while as they collapsed on the floor.  He extended his hands and the archaic looking guns came flying into them. He tossed the weapons well away from the henchmen, and was about to tell the third one holding on the Uncle to stay away from all this, when the deafening shot from iSaint just covered his voice and got the dampening capabilities of his earplugs to work well above its specs.

He turned back toward the Altar to see a terrifying seen as the Priest collapsed bloodily next to the yet-to-be wed brides. Upset at himself for missing the Shadow sneaking up on them, he called upon the Spirit he had bound earlier this week. Surround the Brides with your most powerful Mana Barrier spell, and keep it this way to protect them. Only my friends and the HellHound can go through. He made sure to share a mental image of his companions to Spirit of Man.

Drawing his own gun, and paying full attention to what was going on all around them, he questioned ISaint: So much for a peaceful ceremony... That makes no sense. Those Shadows would not come here unless summoned or allowed passage to this Metaplane... He looked at the newly arrived Dragon... I have a bad feeling about this.

[Jack_Spade]

"Just goes to show how much worth those assurances of security were. We have to finish this ritual and than get out of here. And it seems we need a new holy man. I'm pretty sure those assholes will find a way to spin this as our fault. Time to hurry up then.
And Thanks by the way."
Isaint nodded at the unconscious bodyguards.

Isaint's mind was reeling while he talked. The attack had come so fast and unexpected and it had been a spirit he hadn't seen before, implying that the Nightmare had more of those powerful companions on hand than previously shown.
What they needed now was an authority to officiate the wedding.
For a moment he thought about using Al for that, but despite his qualification, he probably wouldn't be recognized as a valid authority...
'Oh no, that is the most stupid, crazy idea yet and its more likely to get us killed than anything else.' He wasn't sure if he had thought that or if it was his patron sending him a message. But just in case he thought: 'Shut up, it's worth a try.'

Stepping upward on the dais, Isaint opened his visor and called out:
"OY, CELEDYR, LOREMASTER OF THE DRAGONS, I, Isaint, follower of St. George, humbly ask for your fragging assistance to wed this couple so we can end this farce and those Shadows."

[adamu]

Al was about to be interrupted in his search for anyone that looked like Friar Tuck by a particularly large demon streaking towards Cara when he was delighted to see the freak bounce painfully off the barrier that suddenly popped up. He directed a thumbs-up down at Deckard with his left hand while using his right to toss the shadow the finger.

Then he heard Isaint call on the Lizard King for assistance.

He supposed it was only fitting for it to be an abomination that sealed the deal on an unnatural union.

But he also knew - certain as death and taxes - that this would come back to bite them in the ass down the line....

Then again, he'd never paid taxes, and had no intention of ever dying....

[Aria]

[Saturday July 11th?, 2076; Great Hall, Lyonesse, Metaplane]

Despite the ferocity of the counterattack from the guests and the Harlequinade it is clear that the shadows are gaining the upper hand… and although the attacks appear to be random to most; the illusive creatures of nightmare literally seeming to appear from within the dancing shadows of the guests; to Deckard’s trained eye they are anything but.  The sprays of blood, the broken fallen bodies, all seem to be forming a pattern…a disturbing pattern that seems to be increasing the level of darkness in the room and the ease of the spirits’ movements…

***

Isaint’s neck prickles and from across the great hall he feels the eyes of one of the creatures on him  ~The irony is delicious Crusader, that you would call on your nemesis, such is the stuff of nightmare, when I Marked you in Dis’ realm, little did I realise what bounty you would provide us with…~ and then its crowing is drowned out by another Voice, one that feels immeasurably ancient and powerful

~It is too late Fate Breaker…there is something coming…something that should be centuries hence…it cannot be permitted to continue, everyone must flee this place or all could be lost~

***

#84

[obidancer]

Looking around for any approaching danger, something in Deckard's brain seemed to click, for the worst.
Wait a sec...
For a very brief moment, Deckard's soul exited his physical form -which didn't mean much in this Plane. Things were barely different as the Auras for once really looked pretty close to the real selves of the people. It allowed him however to take some height and perspective.

Some dark, evil line where formed at each point the Shadow where eviscerating people. Where the priest once stood was one strong point, four more around at equi-distance. All the 5 points of a Pentagram, Then and there blood and negative emotions where forming circles and sigils. Nothing was random. Each murder, each attack was forming yet another symbol to add to a gigantic Magic Circle.

Deckard came back to his physical form. Very worried.

Fucking Drek! Guys this is no random attack, it's a colossal size Ritual, seems like they're creating a magic circle, each kill and attack forming a specific pattern. Ain't no my specialty but something that size and evil could definitely used to create some sort of Summoning portal. My guess is, the scaly friend is right, something big is coming.

He took a deep breath. He knew his companions would never consider fleeing as the first option. So it was all about saving time and hope for the best. Yet another day in the Sahdows. If that wedding is gonna happen, it needs to happen now. All I can do right now is try to disrupt the pattern, but not knowing what they are making, I can't guarantee the disruption will affect the ritual at all.

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn spools the whip back into her hand.  She is good with it, but probably not good enough to help much here.  No, she feels a need to get to the realm she knows best.  >>I am going into VR.  I need to go where I might be more effective.  I need to go to my world and see if there is something I can use there to help us.  Al2 will help protect me, but my body will not be responsive for a bit.<<  She gives her Hell Hound companion a command to protect the girls then collapses to the floor as her mind goes out to the matrix.  She momentarily revels in the freedom of just being in what is the real world to her, then shakes herself to look around.  The experience of being on the matrix within this metaplane is different and she is not sure what she will see.

[adamu]

"What the fu....dammit!" Al had no doubt Alyce would be more effective virtually, but if he hadn't been locked in his current position before, he certainly was now. That pooch might be a thing on Oxford street, but it was fodder in this crowd. Why did it always have to be straight to the floor right in the middle of a fight?

Watching from behind the temporary safety of Deckard's barrier, he took in all that he could - the pattern of corpses, the actions of the major players, and especially the structure of the building....

Al had always found that huge explosions had a way of solving - or at least obviating - most problems. One hand in his bag, his preternaturally nimble fingers were already making sure all his TNT was configured into one massive charge, ready for detonation....

[Aria]

[Saturday July 11th?, 2076; Great Hall, Lyonesse, Metaplane]

Lady deBathyre wheels over from her lethal aerial waltz with the shadows and dives towards the stage…

~So, Fate Breaker…?  To be titled by the Loremaster himself, your Pattern bows under the weight of it but I am sure you will not falter.  I know your team enough to doubt that you will turn and flee because a mere dragon tells you to, so would I be a suitable substitute for your ceremony?  I may not carry as much gravitas as the Loremaster but neither House should object to my lineage!~

***

#85

[Jack_Spade]

[Saturday July 11th?, 2076; Great Hall, Lyonesse, Metaplane]
Isaint’s neck prickles and from across the great hall he feels the eyes of one of the creatures on him  ~The irony is delicious Crusader, that you would call on your nemesis, such is the stuff of nightmare, when I Marked you in Dis’ realm, little did I realise what bounty you would provide us with…~ and then its crowing is drowned out by another Voice, one that feels immeasurably ancient and powerful

~It is too late Fate Breaker…there is something coming…something that should be centuries hence…it cannot be permitted to continue, everyone must flee this place or all could be lost~

"How cute, these days I seem to get new nick names all the time..." Isaint replied at the second voice which he hoped was the dragon (now there was a thought he never thought he would think...) "but anyway, I concur, no need for anyone else to get hurt."

Before he could utter anything more, the Killer Clown was on to him: 'Damn, telepathy really needs some privacy protocols.'
<<Team, get ready to evacuate: Al cut open these walls, we need mass evacuation and fast, don't worry about starting fires, just do it quick without killing all inside.
Rick, have your spirit use elemental attacks to slow the creation of the markings - unless it tells you that would kill us all - in that case listen to it and instead have it blow holes in the walls too. And keep our couple and Robyn protected.
Robyn, Get the hell up from the floor and use your sweet sound system to get the people organized and out of here.

GO!>>

Isaint turned his full attention to the Lady: "Thanks, I gladly take your officiating." towards the dragon he said: "All we need is a reliable witness whose word no-one sane would dare to dispute, Loremaster. So if you'd kindly stick around and spare an ear for our monkey business I'd appreciate it."

[adamu]

Al was delighted to hear the order to blow up some walls. But he wasn't going to leave this silly pentagram - an engraved invitation to Satan - lying here unmolested. Doing his best to ignore the proceedings as a lizard joined two women in holy matrimony, he squatted just behind Cara's feet and planted a huge block of Isaint's robot-cooked trinitroluene in a stone recess under the base of a standing cast-iron censer, sticking his last radio detonator in like a meat thermometer in a roast.

He looked over at Alyce and her dog - Isaint had tasked Deckard to keep them safe, and bucking the plan wasn't going to help anyone. And yet he worried. Fact was, she was as competent as any of them. But the two of them working together was simply an intrinsic liability. If he let it be, which he wouldn't.

He prepped the rest of the TNT into two charges with pull detonators attached to wire leads from his go-bag. Then, scarred fingers flying across his 'link (which looked like a mini clay tablet but with an LED touch screen) with the dexterity of a concert pianist on amphetamines, he quickly diagrammed his detonation plan and sent it to the team.

His first breach point was fifteen meters of swirling carnage away. So he got started....

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn has barely started looking around the matrix when the call comes in from ISaint.  Her avatar grimaces as it flows back to the meat world.  Robyn gives her head a slight shake as she stands and walks to the mic.  Her dulcet tones reach out to the crowd over the noise of the fighting. "Everyone!  Please evacuate the building as orderly and quickly as possible."

>>Do we not need some to stay behind as witnesses?<<

[Jack_Spade]

<<We have the frigging Loremaster as witness. And try to contact whoever has a commlink with him and give them AROs to work with - we don't have time for self organization.>>
Isaint replied while he kept his eyes peeled for any shadow stepping out close to the couple or his friends. The drake had just begun to pick up where the priest left off and already Isaint felt his combat sense go haywire, while he concentrated on his motion sense to prevent anything from slipping by him.

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn nods to herself and begins setting green AROs to mark exits and Red AROs to mark danger points.  As she does she is broadcasting on all channels for people to go to the green and stay from the red ones.  She repeats the instructions on her mic.

[Aria]

[Saturday July 11th?, 2076; Great Hall, Lyonesse, Metaplane]

Lady deBathyre touched down lightly on the stage and drew herself up to her not inconsiderable draconic height outside Deckard’s barrier, idly snapping at a lone shadow that dared too close

~Will you permit me master mage?~

Upon entering she gathered Tamsyn and Cara to her, cradling their heads against the small smooth scales of her breast

~I am the Lady deBathyre…  I stood with my Master in the fourth age, Light Bearer and Skysailor both… by my authority as Captain of the Stormswyft it is my Will that these two here be married in faith and peace, let it be!~

***

On the far side of the hall Celedyr is disappearing under the weight of the darkness assaulting him and of the other dragon there is suddenly no sign.  With a sudden burst of energy the silvery bronze dragon lofts himself in to the air and does to the wall what even Al’s most powerful explosives would struggle to achieve…and with a sudden thrust of his wings he is gone…

***

#86