Elaine (finally coming to): Ugh... (sees Falora, and throws herself into the Goddess' arms) Sensei Falora! I'm so glad you're here! It was so dark and scary... ;_;
Falora (patting Elaine on the head): There, there...you're all right now.
Elaine: *snif* It-it was like being locked up in a glass box...I could see what was going on, but I couldn't do anything... ;_;
Falora: Shh...it's all over now...
Elaine: A-and when Ryouga and I got lost...AAH!
Falora and Alex both jump when Elaine suddenly lets out a high-pitched scream.
Alex (clearing out his ear): What was that for?
Elaine (going into hysterics): RYOUGA'S STILL IN THERE! OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD--
Falora: What do you mean, 'in there'? What are you talking about? (eyes widen) Oh, no...
Alex: Um...could someone tell me what's going on?
Falora takes a deep breath and forces herself to stay calm.
Falora: You know Hibiki Ryouga, right?
Alex: Of course! Ranma 1/2 is one of my favorite anime!
Falora: He might be possessed by one of the things that took control of Elaine.
Alex: You mean...
Falora nods. It takes a while for this to register in Alex's brain.
Alex (in shock): We. Are. So. Dead.
*We return to the City of God, where Adam and his remaining children--those who haven't been sent out on mission, of course--are now turning their attention to their prize captives....*
Adam: The time has come. At long last, Lilith shall be returned to her proper place in our hierarchy.
Shito: The victory of the Brethren of the Sephiroth is at hand.
Adam: Indeed. But first, the corruptor must be destroyed.
Defeat.
*With a thought, the bindings on Hugh loosen, and the demon tumbles several feet to the "ground" beneath him.*
Ugggh....*Rubs his eyes* N....Nani....?
Adam: Stand, demon. Now.
-_- Damn....should've known. *Struggles to his feet* Hey, Adam. Long time no see.
Adam: *A thin lance of celestial energy stabs through the air, piercing Hugh's shoulder--but rather than making a puncture wound, it burns right through without leaving any visible damage. Despite that, however, Hugh still flinches back, clutching at his shoulder where the beam struck* I will not suffer disrespect from you, Demon, not now.
*Wincing in pain* As if you ever suffered it before....
Adam: I have been more merciful to you than you seem to appreciate, Demon. I have allowed you to live this long.
Hah! You mean you screwed up every time you tried to kill me.
Adam: *Hurls another beam of light, striking Hugh's chest--closer to the heart this time* Silence, Demon! You are fortunate that I'm allowing you to speak!
*Bites back the pain* Hmmm....why are you letting me speak, anyway? I don't suppose you're willing to listen to an argument in my own defense.
Adam: It was foolish of you to've even considered it.
So what's the reason, then? Just want to hear me scream? I didn't think you Shito were allowed to be that sadistic. But then again, Zeruel and Rogziel would seem to indicate otherwise, wouldn't they?
Adam: We have no particular desire to hear your voice. *Hurls another of the painful lances of holy energy at Hugh--cleanly through the center of his chest this time, drawing a strangled cry of pain from him. And Adam does not allow the beam to end--he holds the energy attack in place, prolonging Hugh's agony* However, Lilith must be punished for her treason and insubordination. Therefore, the last thing she hears--did you realize that she can still hear? She is bound physically, but her senses are active yet--the last thing she hears before her human emotions are removed will be your well-deserved death throes.
*Coughs* L-Looks like you couldn't come up with anything creative after all....torturing me with energy that disrupts my own powers is kinda cliched, don't you think?
Adam: Damn your tainted soul to Hell, Demon!
*Taking that as a cue, the circle of Angels follow their master's suit, hurling numerous bursts of celestial fire which stab through Hugh in all directions.*
*With a louder cry of pain, Hugh collapses to his knees* Not....not bad.
Adam: Not enough.
*The response is immediate. In unison, the Angels tug at the "strings" they have hooked into Hugh, wrenching him to his feet.*
*And they continue to pull. In every direction.*
*Hugh bites his lip until it bleeds to keep himself from screaming, and they pull.*
*No longer able to resist the pain, Hugh screams until he has no breath in his lungs. And they pull.*
*And within the binding sphere of combined AT Fields which holds her captive, Rei is privy to every sound. Every cry, every tortured breath, even the near-imperceptible sounds of muscle and nerve tearing under the strain of the Angels' torture--Rei hears it.*
Rei: *Thinking* Hugh....
Adam: More! Let him feel the pain his kind has caused the human race!
Rei: Adam....
*The Angels strengthen their pull, stretching Hugh to the point where his skin begins to tear slightly, blood trickling down his body*
Adam: Show him that we do not tolerate the corruption of our own....or threats to the humans we were born to protect!
Rei: ....Hypocrite.
*A single, unnoticeable motion is all that foreshadows what is to come next: Rei's left hand clenches into a fist.*
Adam: Enough. Kill him.
*More tension flows into the wires, as the Shito prepare to tear Hugh limb from limb....*
*But they shatter, the energy dissipating into nothingness, dropping Hugh limply to the floor.*
Rei: *Softly, in a voice reminiscent of her old, emotionless self* You will stop. Now.
Adam: Impossible!
Rei: *Delicately taps against the spherical wall of her "cell", shattering it* Quite the opposite, Adam. *Floats down to the ground, standing over Hugh protectively*
Sahaquiel: Bind her! Do not allow her to--
Rei: Do be quiet, Sahaquiel. *Points at the Tenth Angel, causing his body of light to crystallize--and then shatter like glass, the glittering shards fading away* He always was one of the more annoying members of your family, Adam....
Adam: *More or less radiating anger* Do you have any idea what you've done?!! You have destroyed him physically and spiritually!! You have murdered one of the Brethren of the Sephiroth!!!
Rei: Yes. And?
Adam: You know very well what that means, Lilith!! This goes far beyond your transgressions against us!!! Our purpose is the highest in all of Creation, and now--
Rei: *Voice rises to an angry pitch* Silence, fool!
*And there is such force in her words that Adam obeys. Immediately.*
Rei: I will not tolerate your mindless ranting any longer, Adam. Do you think your mission is of any importance at all anymore? The human race has already endured the Trials of the Sephiroth. Your supposed mission has been long over, and you know it!
Leliel: Blasphemy!
Almisael: Silence her, Adam-sama!
Rei: Speaking through your brood, Adam? Cowardly.
Adam: I do not speak through them. Lilith, you have no idea what you're talking about! Our mission is eternal and unchanging. We must protect the humans from the predations of those who oppose us!
Rei: *Just smiles, shaking her head* Oh, please....Adam, it's time for you to be honest. You no longer care about the humans. You never cared about them! Your pretense of protecting the humans, of testing them to keep them strong and worthy....from the very beginning, it's been just a convenient excuse for you to pursue your personal vendetta.
Sachiel: Liar! Heretic!
Rei: *Cuts her eyes in Sachiel's direction* Spare me. You are just as complicit in this as your creator. All of you! All of the Brethren, but for Malachi, Tabris, Uriel and Sariel....all of you took full part in this hypocrisy.
Adam: You are far gone, Lilith....very far gone, indeed.
Rei: *Wry smirk* Because I think for myself? Yes, that does make me quite a lunatic in your eyes, doesn't it....well, it's of no matter now. Your mission is over.
Adam: Nani?!
Rei: I know of your plans, Adam. Besides pursuing me and Hugh, you are here to battle the Fallen ones. *Laughs* The greatest proof of your self-deception. What do you hope to gain by fighting Azrael's avatars?
Adam: The forces I have arrayed against them will be more than enough.
Rei: I pity you, Adam. You actually believe that. Now then....*Kneels down, scooping Hugh up into her arms* I'm putting a stop to this.
Adam: You cannot do such a thing!
Rei: *Continues to talk as if he hadn't said a thing* Adam, First Angel of the Sephiroth....your blasphemous war against me ends now. You and the Shito are of no importance; your purpose has been served, even if it was carried out with ulterior motives. Therefore....
*Rei coccoons Hugh with AT Field and places him in a pocket of spatial distortion separate from the meeting place of the Angels. She then tips her head back, crimson eyes staring straight up....*
*....The other Angels seem to recoil from her as her latent powers well up from deep within her soul....*
*....A shaft of light from on high breaks through the distortion field separating the Angels from the City of God, engulfing Rei for a long moment....*
*When the light is gone, Rei has changed. Her pale blue hair is now a gleaming white, and she is clad only in a field of blazing light which makes the light-forms of the other Angels seem dim by comparison.*
Lilith: THE BRETHREN OF THE SEPHIROTH ARE CONDEMNED!!!
*Cliffhanger time! The final confrontation between Adam and Lilith is at hand. Rogziel, Zeruel, and Ramiel are poised to attack Azrael's cohorts. And Ireul has control of Shinra HQ. All will be resolved soon! But until then, it's Commentary time!*
Seraphita: ;_; I'm scaaaaared, Tolone-chan....
Tolone: Oh? ^^;; Of what?
Dominia: Yeesh, take your pick.
Kelvena: Indeed, the situation is rather hazardous....
Tolone: ^^;; True....man, and it's hardly been any time at all since the whole Guu thing. -_-;; RL-VS is sadistic with his characters.
Seraphita: o.O Hai hai, and he likes hurting them, too. Especially with all that torture stuff....
Tolone: ....Never mind, I'll let that slide. -_-;;;;
End communication.
Instant recapp:
Rebopp found out just what happens when Jelynne drinks Klatchian coffee. And it's not pretty. Jelynne is presently flying around complaining about rogue plotholes, Verity is still tied up, and Verity's sword is lying on the street. Rebopp is having a nervous breakdown.
And now...
Rebopp: I can't believe this. This was supposed to be the easiest assassination in the city! One cameo, no real powers, heck, she's not even a 'regular' - whatever those are. *falls to his knees and shakes his fists at the sky* This was supposed to be a cakewalk!
*Jelynne drifts down to stand on the street* Aw, poor Rat-chan. *she leans on her staff* Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?
Rebopp: Yeah, there is. *his paw lands on Verity's sword, and he grabs it* You can die! *launches himself at Jelynne, broadsword held above his head with both paws*
Yipe! *parries with her staff*
Rebopp: *he's visibly snapped* Diediediediediediediediediediediediediediedie!
*has it been mentioned that Jelynne isn't really a fighter type?*
Help, Rat-chan's trying to kill me!
Verity: This is news to you?
*the fight continues between insane rat and, um... insane insert. Rebopp keeps attacking, and Jelynne keeps just barely parrying the blows with her staff. This goes on for a while. Rebopp is foaming at the mouth.*
Rebopp: I'll kill you, take over your cameo, and then I'll be able to take over the world! Mwhahahahahah!
Verity: Oh dear, he's got megalomaniac's disorder. How sad.
*Jelynne's sanity is still absent from the premises, but apparently, something has managed to sneak past security. Perhaps the caffeine is wearing off* Ooh. You can't win now, Rat-chan!
Rebopp: Stop talking, you're dead! Dead people don't talk! What are you talking about?
*parry, parry, thrust, thrust. Good. Continue*
You've activated plot law! the moment you tell anyone your evil plans, you're going to get stopped. And usually you die in the process. *pauses to strike a noble pose* I'd like to say it's been nice knowing you, Rat-chan.
Verity: But she can't, so she won't.
Rebopp: This time the bad guys will win! EGCity will fall! *whrils the sword around, and charges at Jelynne again*
*Jelynne is caught momentarily off guard. She manages to bring the staff around in time, but only deflects the blade from her chest to her shoulder. Rebopp trips over the end of the staff*
*Jelynne's eyes flash brightly, and she claps her hand to her injured shoulder* That Hurt! How dare you hurt me, Rat! You'll pay!
Verity: Goodie, she's about to go nuclear. And I'm in ground zero. Joy.
*Jelynne glows bright red, and her hair stands up on end. She's lifted off the street a little again*
Rebopp: *looks up* This can't be good.
YaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!! *it starts out as a perfectly normal scream, but it swiftly acends to supersonic pitch*
*KABOOM!!*
Verity: *charred an' smoking* Thank you for making me a part of this. *falls over*
*in similar condition* I feel much better now. *lifts her hand from her shoulder* And look! Expolding cauterised my shoulder!
Rebopp: *drags himself upright* This... isn't over... Ther's still one more thing I can do...
Neh? what are you going on about, Rat-chan?
Rebopp: Stop calling me Rat-chan! *shakes his fist* I'll destroy you. If it's the last thing I do, I'll destroy you!
Umn, Rat-chan? Your cliche's showing.
Rebopp: I don't care! And in a little while, you won't either! *laughs insanely, then goes into a trance state*
Verity: *as the more sane and logical member of the company, she's managed to figure it out* Jelynne, could I talk to you for a moment?
*since Rat-ch... uh, Rebopp is off in trance-land now, Jelynne wanders over to Verity's side* What? I'm kind of in the middle of a life-or-death struggle here.
Verity: Being partially connected to a higher plane of this reality as I am, I have something very important to tell you.
Really? What?
Verity: Rebopp is capable of summoning black holes, and he is doing so RIGHT NOW!!
Umn, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't even a small black hole suck in the entire city?
Verity: Yes, definately.
Augh! *runs around waving her arms like a maniac* Panic, panic, panic, panic!
Verity: -.-; Oh, good reaction.
WhatdoIdo? WhatdoIdo? *panic, panic, panic* Aaaaaaaaa! *continues running around like a maniac*
Verity: -.-; I'm so glad you're taking this calmly.
*skids to a dead stop* I've gotta stop that rat!
*Jelynne's eyes go utterly blank, and she stops moving as her astral self departs the area*
Verity: Jelynne? *no response* Hey, Jelynne? *there continues to be no response* What's going on?
to Be Continued