final trial

[arsholes]

[After a harrowing couple of hours, some illuminating discoveries, a couple of new allies, and a couple of new injuries, eventually Garfield's warning comes to mind. Shit's popping off. And now that you've got all of the ritual components (minus the hammer which, well, you have its owner), it might be time to return to the trial room and see if you can do something about it.

Reconvene in the Great Hall and make your way upstairs.]

Comments

[ghostsguysgyuudon]

[The glow fades and Mei's back to herself, shouting at air.]

I'll take my body back from here! Please deal with the wards!

[She pulls out her sword and points it at Death, albeit keeping an eye on the first ward, Blood.]

...is he singing?

[sunshade]

[ Patchouli doesn't waste any time! She flies off towards the blood ward once it's unprotected and starts casting at the pillar. ]

Metal & Wood Sign "Elemental Harvester"!

[ so about one of her spells being a rotating gearsaw ]

[arsholes]

[The ward around the blood rune does seem to be showing some activity! It flickers and crackles, then strengthens for a second, the wan faces inside of it seeming to be mouthing along with words to a song that Patchouli can't hear.

And then, it begins to dissipate, starting with two hand-sized spots and moving upward from there.

The blood that Felix spilled, that soaked into the rune, is exposed.]

[sunshade]

[ The gear saw spins towards its target, Patchouli having aimed it directly at the stone the rune is carved on. ]

[arsholes]

[With the appropriate amount of sparks and screaming sounds for metal grinding into stone, the sawblade cuts through the futhark rune. There's almost a pop, and an audible discharge of magic in a whoosh of wind...

And then the draining effect of the circle disappears. And the first artifact is destroyed.]

[ninehundredlives]

[Seeing this, Susan looks over at the candle that was part of the ritual. Maybe this is all some bizarre bullshit that just sort of Happened Out Of Nowhere, from her perspective, but she's met Death before. The old woman had candles all through her house - not black ones, regular ones. Ones she expected Susan to extinguish for her.

She moves over to the pillar surrounding this one - Death's candle, this time - and gives it an exploratory smack with her flaming mace. She's Susan, and she has a flaming weapon; this is what she does.]

[ghostsguysgyuudon]

They're working on it! Hold on!

[Mei calls out, watching the area around the fire pillar.]

Good work, both of you!

[arsholes]

[In the seconds it takes Susan to pull back to swing at the pillar, the spooky floating faces in the pillar seem to grimace just before the wards shatter completely.

Her flaming mace makes contact with the flickering candle it explodes into a ball of black flames, rendering the candle down to a melted puddle of black wax and knocking Susan off her feet. What a weirdly powerful reaction!

The second artifact is destroyed.]

[ninehundredlives]

[Susan hits the ground hard, landing on her back and groaning in pain. But she pretty quickly starts to push herself to her feet again, reaching out for the mace where it landed nearby.]

The other one didn't do that...

[arsholes]

[As Susan starts to climb back to her feet she feels a clawed hand grab hers and assist in pulling her to her feet.]

[ninehundredlives]

Ah - !

[Susan is sort of alarmed by this! But, you know, compared to the giant fuck-off skeleton, she can handle a...benevolent claw ghost.]

Thanks...? [She's just gonna...yeah, she can't fight that skeleton, she's gonna go check out the next ward.]

[ghostsguysgyuudon]

Eh? Patchouli-san, that's amazing!

[Mei follows up with a dash in a circle around the pillar with the sword. Her attempt to mimic Felix's move would look more impressive if she didn't nearly trip afterward, but the strikes are true.]

[sunshade]

[ a smile ]

I'll be pulling out all of my tricks, so please assist me...! I'm counting on you, Mei.

[ghostsguysgyuudon]

Of course! Goodbye, wards, it's your time to go!

[She sounds like she's singing along with someone. Probably is. She giggles and switches from the sword to the staff, stepping back and casting Fire to follow up with the saw.]