Christian walked ahead and lowered his head as he passed under the doorway. The heat hit him fully and winced slightly under his helmet. Much like opening a furnace. His footsteps echoed through the stony passageway, each step slightly quieter as the churning of the magma below drew closer. He reached the start of the bridge and looked ahead curiously, noting that the bridge had nothing at the end, just the other inside wall of the volcano. He carefully took a few steps across the overpass, small stones chipping from the edges and splashing into the fires below. As he reached halfway, things shuddered. "Wh-" He spoke out before realising what was happening. Something slowly emerged from the magma, something enormous. Walls of scorched stone with inscriptions on them in a language that far outdated most other texts. Ancient Demonic tongue. As more of the structure emerged he realised it looked like a temple, or shrine. His gut wrenched and his armour flared up - Solthurax's lost piece certainly waited inside, its essence already invisibly leaking out into the air around them, a chill travelling down his spine in spite of all the heat.

"He - ?" Xin asked, leaning slightly. He could see she was close now.

Solthurax formed his sword in his hand again and slowly raised it into the air - the weapon alone the size of one of the city's larger buildings, "Your bones will splinter through your flesh, weaklings!" he sneered - and the sword came falling down towards the shield.

The dragon came in to test the defences, jaws agape. The general atop it with his mask stained in blood looked straight through Saul as the beast passed by, narrowly missing him after he lashed back with a bolt of lightning. He formed a spear of electricity in his hand and threw it at the beast as it moved to turn, catching both its tail and its enmity with a hiss.

"If you think you can't handle yourself right now, it's best for you to wait here." Yotaizan stated with a look to Felicia. "Otherwise, let us hurry." He added before stepping forward, blade gripped at his side.

"Hah!" Wry called out, firing several explosive spears at the dragon as it flew away.

Boel shot off to the side to dodge the swing, feeling his skin burn as he split two of his fingers into a V shape, taking aim. He fired two tiny beams of light at Solthurax's eyes, with intent for the magic to encase his eyes and blind the demon for a bit with flashing light. Before even waiting to see if they made contact, he immediately began flying off in a hurry.

“I don’t know,” Corinne answered, her voice softer. What was there to do?

“Be careful, please,” Felicia said to them.

Sanvi rushed off. Where was their war divine? Where was anyone?

(So i do think we should address the divine situation, since both Dillon and Debbie aren’t here)

The pathway ahead was narrow and poorly lit - so much so, that the ancient paintings on each wall were scarcely visible. Inscriptions and depictions that were assumed to portray Solthurax. Christian paid attention to them as they walked. Many of them seemed to be documentations of crimes Solthurax had committed against his own - but one in particular stood out to him. One in the middle of the hallway, drawn larger than any other inscription. An eclipse. Above it, people with wings and halos - no doubt angels - were crouched and slumped in what seemed to be weeping. Below, people were dancing wildly - some fighting, some looting. A couple people were shown grotesquely obese, feasting on a banquet of what looked like goat. In the corner, two men seemed to be pinning a woman down in the act of rape. Below all of this, a cracked open black egg wrapped in fire with numerous wisps coming from it. Each tendril flowed away and weaved itself into a demonic avatar. Many of these were recognisable - such as the Damned and Solthurax himself. Beyond this image was an archway before the hallway expanded into a broad chamber, sealed off by a simple, flimsy wooden door.

"Would you seek to confront your wrongdoer? To strip him of his power over you once and for all?" Xin asked.

Solthurax came to and found he'd lost both of his targets. He snorted and turned his attention back to ravaging the immediate surroundings instead.

The two bodies of fire clashed and slowly but surely, Wry's gained the upperhand. The dragon slowed its advance and attempted to swerve before eating a blast between its two jaws. It careened through the air towards the ground, shaking free its rider before regaining its balance. A bolt struck it from the clouds - from Saul - and it crashed outright onto the ground and crushed its master. The beast groggily picked itself up and hissed before taking flight once more.

Yotaizan followed Christian quietly, looking around. The birth of demons brought despair upon the world, it seemed. And yet here he was, accidental spawn of demon blood, fighting to stop this despair. These paintings made Yotaizan want to return to writing poetry someday. Assuming he came out of this alive, anyhow.

As Wry won out the contest, he raised his head and exhaled some excess smoke in victory before looking to the dragon again. "Ah, you're still alive! That's not fun!" She declared, snapping their fingers in the direction of the dragon and causing an explosion in front of its face.

Boel flew back toward the further encampments, landing and looking around for Sanvi first and foremost. He just wanted to confirm that she made it out as well, before anything else.

Sanvi, exhausted and near collapse, landed beside Boel. "What do we do?" she whispered.

Felicia reached the exterior of the mountain, leaning heavily against the cave entrance. She slumped, slowly onto the ground, but no cooling solace was felt with the warm, volcanic rocks. Her head was throbbing in time with her heart, searing pain cutting through her head with each beat.

The fire died at her fingertips as Corinne gripped her legs, her eyes shut tight against the knowledge she didn't want to face. She had been used again, abused again, lied to and beaten again and again. She shook her head, a choked and strangled sound coming out of her. "No, no.." she moaned, and the fire within her puttered dangerously towards nothing. Who was she, what was she but useless two-fold? Scorned by her master, for whom she'd laid her life at his feet, and yet, a failure on both sides of this battle. Her friends, and she knew them as such..

Lydia, the princess who chose to put her faith in Corinne, and Felicia, her longest and dearest friend. She'd destroyed the fairies, all beings she had known and loved, their screams pierced and shrieked in her ears every night that she dreamt. Azzuro, gods, she’d hunted down every last one of his brethren, torturing them until they breathed their last breath. And she’d never get to apologize. Josh, and what she had done, then, then she had known, tried to fight, but it broke her. Yotaizan... a friend. More? She'd never gotten the chance to know, likely never would. She gripped her chest, trying to keep the emotions in and she felt like she was choking, she was choking on the words stuck in her throat, tumbling around in her head, she could only sob. What had she done?

"Christian." He added before slowly drawing his own weapon. The figure seemed unfazed and bore no reaction to the gesture - nor any response to the two's cold introduction.

"Where is the rest of me?" It asked, "The darkness that beckoned through the fiery gateway to my prison." Solthurax's shard paused, "What is your business here?" 

"The remorse that assures us the darkness inside you lacks a permanent hold; it can be purged, with time." Xin said quietly, "Walk the path of redemption and you will find the comforts you long for. But know it will not be easy."
 
"Scum." Saul muttered. He shook both of his hands and the electricity dancing around them dispersed.

"To destroy the demon you seek to reunite with." Yotaizan replied, stepping toward the shard. "Lets hurry up Christian."

"Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it'd be!" Wry exclaimed. "Lets find some more stuff to blow up!"

"Hey, just don't push yourself too hard, that's all I'm gonna say." Boel replied, holding his hands up in an admittance of defeat. "Seems lady war needs us anyway."

Corinne's gazed turned to her lap as he took her tea cup. Her thoughts were tumultuous and convoluted. She'd betrayed her friends, and been betrayed. She had no idea how she fit in anywhere anymore, nor what she'd do. She clenched her fists, silent.

Sanvi nodded, teleporting to where she'd been summoned. Justine was standing their, her expression blank.

(So what're we doing with the other 4 divine?)

Christian walked to the exit and with some force manged to pry the door open. He felt a force pull at him when he tried to leave - as if the resident energies within the room were hesitant to surrender their prisoner. With a grunt and a shove he managed to break through, stumbling as the force suddenly 'let go'. A powerful draught blew down the tunnel towards the exit. The two made it outside and found Felicia, "Let's hurry." Christian said with strain in his voice. Essence had started to leak from the shard and dance in wispy coils around Christian's arm before getting pushed back by similarly-coloured flames. It was somewhat confusing to witness - two clashing powers of near-identical themes.

"Already, the world seems so different since my imprisonment." Came a familiar murmur from the shard, "Is this my doing?" 

Christian didn't warrant a response for the shard's question. Rather, he offered a glance to Felicia then looked to Yotaizan, "Can you get us back?"

Xin took her cup into the other room and set it upon a miniature pyre. With a match he lit the small collection of kindling and allowed the cup sit on atop the embers. He'd not had to comfort someone, let alone someone so conflicted in some time. Perhaps never, in fact. He really couldn't remember anymore. For all the observation, seldom had he been required to interact with a fellow sentient being in recent years. 

"If you lack magical control, I can put your mind into stasis until your body adapts." Yotaizan replied. "That is assuming you don't die from the stress. Regardless, if you need to grow, let us hurry."

"Why are you waiting until now to actually fight?" Boel asked, unable to resist the anger he felt. "Why did it take me and Sanvi risking ourselves before you actually called for a meeting?"

Felicia nodded, panting. Her form shivered, briefly. "Maybe later," she said, and her form trembled again, almost pulsing as the magic was trying to find some form to take. She let go, then, and her form surged upwards. Not unlike her mother, she grew to be taller than the trees, almost taller than the mountain mountain behind them. She thought she'd stop there, but soon she was taller, her hair brushing up against the clouds. She pulled back somewhat on the magic she was pouring out, and her size growth halted. She knelt back down, holding out her hands to her companions.

"They won't ever trust me," Corinne said quietly, looking over at him.

(i'll let ILD post for Justine)