Invitation to the Mountains

[Flay Crimsonwind]

"Do you want to kill your mother, girl? Do you want to be her murderer?" Rinzen's eyes looked sharp now; he had no ability to negate her actions short of taking her head off her shoulders.

"I don't know much about this prophesy, but even Xiao Qing was trying to stop this evolution. If it is complete, you damn your mother to either death or sadness. Have patience, damnit!"

Ignoring the girl fully now, Rinzen moves within a noses space of Kagura. "I'm only doing it this way out of patience, and as previously stated, my ample supply is thinning out. Can you stop the girl, or will I have to? I don't have to kill her, but she will not enjoy it."

[Nick]

The girl gives a confused look at Rizen as she turns her attention back to the wards.

"You're the one who is mistaken. I am well aware of my mother's evolution. Freeing her will not kill her, freeing her will make her take her rightful place in the Celestial Hierarchy as the Yamata no Orochi."

[Agita]

"...No, you are mistaken." Resuletly, Kagura steps forward, knowing that she will have to use force, no matter how much she wants to avoid that, if the situation escalates. "At the time of your birth, Bai Suzhen-sama conducted a ritual that she hoped would split her spark between the two of you. Instead, it created a power feedback between you that would drive you both irrevocably insane. If that were to happen, the Mandate of Heaven would be forced to destroy both of you. The ritual was thought to have failed, but earlier, both you and your mother were showing strong signs of the link's toll on your sanity. Before this is somehow fixed - and I vow that I will try to - I cannot allow Bai Suzhen-sama out of the Array."

[spoiler]Okay, let's hope I understood the background info correctly. If I'm spouting bullshit, correct it and assume Kagura said the correct version. [/spoiler]

[Nick]

"Insanity? You mistake loneliness and desperation for love for insanity. Have you even loved before priestess that you think you can differentiate between love and insanity?" The daughter responds, temporarily letting her hands go from the barrier.

[Flay Crimsonwind]

"I've been alive for nearly 80 years, and have lived with the knowledge that everything I loved was dying around me, without the ability to go to them and say goodbye! I did my duty, made sure I made the right decision, and did so while counting the time and wondering if my family was dead from years or not! My only beloved companions died in front of me at the onset of my nightmare, and my parents aged to nothing while their son made sure he could protect those who needed it! Don't you fucking talk to me about loneliness and despair!" For a split moment, Rinzen's temper and power flares, and h channels as much of Ushitora's might without conscious choice. Then a voice sounds in his head, oddly reassuring...

[spoiler]"Rinzen, calm down..."[/spoiler]

All at once, Rinzen notes his body, and his energy dies back down to an oddly low level. ".....And no, freeing her will not kill her - outright. But if she evolves past sanity, and threatens anyone at all, then you will have signed her death warrant. If you make her a threat to this world, hell, I'll try and kill her. If you become a threat, you'll be targeted by the Mandate, and I'll try to kill you as well. I can't guarantee I can kill either of you, or both, but you will both die at some point, by my hand or theirs. And you probably wont be there to comfort her, either when she dies, or when you do. I doubt it will hurt less for her to lose you." Rinzen might have calmed down, but he did not become kinder.

"What makes you think you can handle the feedback? I'm not saying keep her imprisoned. Just think about what the best way to do it is."

[Nick]

As Suzhen seems to calm down quite abit after a few seconds of wailing, and seemingly the daughter didn't just break down at the same time, yet the little girl's response is echoed by her mother's at the same time.

"This is just so unfair..."

The daughter snaps her gaze back into the ward after speaking the words, as if she is aware of the mental link. Confusion swims in her angry gaze, as if unsure how to deal with this, yet unwilling to leave her mother alone after going through so much trouble to get here.

[Flay Crimsonwind]

"..... it doesn't have to be. I know how you feel now, believe me. I know so badly how lonely you feel, how hopelessly close you are if you could just say 'fuck the world.' But you shouldn't, and don't have to. This woman knows this seal now, she can help control the evolution, stop you and your mother's prophetic descent. And you would, wouldn't you Miss Yayoi Kagura? If you saw a way, could find a way, you would, wouldn't you?

"I will do everything in my power, estranged as it may be... but I came up here with the intent to kill you, and your mother if possible. That was my assigned goal. My secondary goal, if possible and convenient, was to stabilize the mountain. My commanding officer barely mentioned a third goal of stabilizing the situation without the seal if it was deemed a worthwhile risk. I am damn near breaking orders by not assaulting you immediately. Please, don't make that attempt in vain.

You don't have to leave your mother, and you don't have to risk the world. Let us help you. What do you say? What say you, Madame Bai Suzhen? What say you, Miss Yayoi Kagura?" Rinzen had slowly made his way, unthreatening, to the barrier, and crouched nearby the daughter. He was trying to meet her gaze, show her he was not dishonest. He saw something of himself in her; this time, it didn't have to end alone.

[HeadofVecna]

Kuroto casually floats closer to the Suzhen's daughter. "We fail to see the upside in letting this little science experiment play itself out. Is there any objection to us moving the kid away from the epicenter of the psychic feedback loop? The way they are syncing up leads us to believe that an extended debate on the subject would be a rather bad idea."

[Nick]

Maiko relaxes herself upon seeing the strange young man encased in stone and walks closer towards Kagura.

However, within ten paces of movement, Suzhen's eyes pop open once again, previously unseen golden specks in her eyes seem to sparkle a little.

"Why is there a member of the Celestial Hierarchy doing here?" upon which the Daughter turns her eyes around to find that 'member', and not noticing Maiko's presence as anything other than powerful, turns to Kagura and screams while slapping her palm onto the ward wall again.

"Is this a lie? A trap? While you bring a member of the Celestial Hierarchy here? To bring the judgement of the Mandate of Heaven upon us?"

Maiko cringes at the daughter's words, but shuts her eyes tight as if struck a blow at Suzhen's words, and the speckles in her eyes.

[Flay Crimsonwind]

"Someone mind clarifying?" Rinzen turns his eyes to Maiko, obviously confused. "It seems something was kept from us. If we had decided it would be best to bring one of the Mandate, would we bother with diplomacy, knowing she would be noticed? And have we not held off our judgement?" All he could think was it was back-pedaling fast.

[Nick]

Maiko seems to shudder as she drops onto her knees.

"I don't want to be....the Gate....the Grandmaster is lying....I do not want to be the next Amanozako (wiki link)"

Suzhen stands up and looks at Maiko with...renewed pity.

OOC:
[spoiler]Seems that Maiko here is going to be the replacement for the Tengu progenitor goddess, since the first one was killed by the Oni Lords (Ushitora was one of them)[/spoiler]

[Agita]

"Please calm down! Maiko is here as a part of this team. She is affiliated with me, not the Celestial Hierarchy. Furthermore, she is-" Kagura's declaration is stopped cold by Maiko's breakdown, and her eyes widen. "-Eh?"

[Nick]

Shaking with tears, Maiko confesses.

"The High Tengu looked forward to my birth and education, proclaiming me to be a proud child of the Tengu. The Gate...told me what my true destiny is, that I will replace the dead Tengu goddess, just like...Suzhen replaces the Orochi...Xiao Qing hinted that I was meant for great things and tragedy, that my love...will...bring the same set of problems to this generation of Yayoi exorcists....I..."

[Agita]

Kagura does not answer, though it seems she wants to. She only stammers inaudibly in a daze at Maiko's confession.

[spoiler]Behold, ladies and gentlemen, Kagura's "what is this i dont even" reaction.[/spoiler]

[Flay Crimsonwind]

"Leave it be, Marko... or whoever..." Rinzen looked over at the girl, once a proud and fierce woman, reduced by the weight of the world. As he looked upon her, a sad smile passed over his lips, and the influence of the oni became nothing, his human face returned. Any semblance of humanity was tainted by age; in comparison, he now looked like he had a weight off his shoulders. The sword remained the same; even Ushitora was silent, and Rinzen thought he heard a sad sigh in his mind's ear. "So... you're truly the maiden I've been looking for... that explains the Master's interest in this place. He doesn't want me to... well....."

Rinzen thought. It made more sense now. She was incredibly important; that's why the Master had her so well researched. But then, was it clumsiness on his part Rinzen had found that information... or had he anticipated it?... This would prove to be some interesting times. For now.

The problem was, he had no idea what to say now. He had not anticipated this to be his motivation.

[Nick]

Rinzen
[spoiler]Maiden what? Saw no indication of that in your character's fluff.[/spoiler]

Others
[spoiler]If your characters have little or nothing to respond to, given that its Mira's initiative turn if you guys still wanna keep in combat, I'll post something once I get home.[/spoiler]

[veekie]

Watching the mental breakdowns going on all around the chamber, Mira realized that if she didn't pour some metaphorical water on the matter, this was going to quite literally blow off the mountaintop. Still crouched on the ground, she whispers the long incantation, the faint green glow of her Device hidden in the flare of conflicting auras all around, while sweat rolls down her face as she forced every shred of magic she could pull into it. This would probably be illegal if anyone saw her doing this, but the arguments flying fast covered her inactivity quite well.
_{"Love all the world, without choice, without end. Embrace all things as your heart's deepest desire. Surrender, give in, abandon all hate and anger. Only the heart remains."}

Mira sat down abruptly, dizzy from the surge of power.
OOC:
Extra Effort Emotion Control: Love(Everything)
DC 30 will save, everyone in the room, or become Friendly to everything.  Fail by 5+ to become helpful. Fail DC by 10+ to become fanatically in love with the whole universe.
Mira is now fatigued and flatfooted.

[Flay Crimsonwind]

The wave hit Rinzen like a ton of bricks, to the point his body almost recoiled physically. His suppression of Ushitora's features failed at the moment of contact, and his eyes widened in shock as the emotion ran it's course through his veins. Internally, Ushitora let out some not-so-usual shocked expletives.

[spoiler]Will save: 27. Rinzen is not quite love resistant, but damn close.

Well, bah, but thank god; I was trying to figure out how my fear or control emotion: despair was going to come in handy for this.  [/spoiler]

[Nick]

As the magical spellwave splashes harmlessly on the ward walls, Suzhen's downcast eyes seem to take a new glint on its own as the daughter turns back to the wards, the spell seemingly working its way into her.

"I am sick of being here without the contact of loved ones. Sezaru is gone...I just want to live with my daughter. Let us go, miko."

[HeadofVecna]

"Yes, all this fighting and waving swords about is just wrong. And as nice as this place is, you all deserve better. Darn the consequences! We will take you all to the Heaven of Ultimate Bliss. Step through us!

Nick[spoiler]I'm making this up rather than it being planned backstory or anything. But I figure that somewhere in the metaverse there's a dimension that causes visitors to experience transcendental ecstasy. Kuroto would probably be able to navigate there. And just to make it interesting, let's say the Kuroto's god form  made an agreement (at some point outside of or before time) with Izanagi or a similar being not to bring anyone there. Sound OK?[/spoiler]