Hawke's label of a merry band of misfits was nearly on point, just erase the merry part and he'd be correct about our group and how we were escaping from this prison, Kris leaned close to Diana standing on the tips of her toes to begin whispering into Diana's ear but before she could say anything Scar insulted her and slapped her on the back of the head. Biting her tongue for the time being she looked to Scar and glared at him for a brief second then changed to a grin."Oh the camaraderie we have Scar, every little action we share just builds and builds making me wonder how we'd get through all of this if it wasn't for each other." She let out a giggle and kept her smile.

Kris had a slight glance at Macey curious of her condition and how she was with everything that transpired with the Falcons and how she was now, she wondered if that killer instinct could be awoken on cue or controlled to awaken? Kris' grin went from a more innocent spontaneous smile, to a more smug and idea sparking grin. She figured if they would need to they could just let her take the brunt of everything while they secure an escape, but at the cost of possibly scar and even possibly Hawke, but Kris would need to learn how to awaken or trigger this rage that was held deep within Macey.

Suddenly her thoughts were cut short by the girl herself, when Macey handed her some food, instead of handing it off to Diana or even Hawke Kris held the bag of goods in Macey's direction."Eat your fill, you've earned it more than most of us back there, you gotta keep up your strength to keep moving forward." Till Kris could learn how to trigger Macey's rage she would have to pay closer attention to her former Cellmate and she wasn't above starving herself just a little longer, it took almost everything she had in her bones to not think twice on doing this for Macey but she figured that someone her size wouldn't need to eat much even with extra, she kept her same smile from before as she let Macey take a bit more if she really wanted to, she looked over to Scar almost as if she was daring him to say something about feeding his little bloodlust riddled pal.

Scar wasn't necessarily tired, though the use of magic was somewhat draining, especially the way he liked to use it in bursts, but, he did agree the group probably needed a short rest at the least. Just to let Macey get the bloodlust out of her system if nothing else. And just a chance to catch their breath, get their bearings and try to maybe regain some magic that they had used were all welcome benefits. So when Arguth walked off to fetch something, Scar took the chance to take a few steps away and sit cross-legged up against a wall in a way reminiscent of meditation.

He would stay this way, looking up at the ceiling with his usual grumpy, bored expression on his face with his hands on his knees. Recalling his memories of the bugs they had fought, trying to figure out the best way to fight them with the weaponry he had. His needles were extremely ineffective unless he took the time to really aim for their eyes. They were practically wasted on them so he would probably have to shelve them for now and look to rely more on his throwing knives or daggers. Speaking of which, if they were able to secure some more crossbows or short swords he was thinking of arming the twins with them. All they had were small little throwing knives and they were quite capable fighters so it would be in the groups best interests to give them the best chance to fight.

He only moved when Arguth returned, his nose twitching as he caught a faint whiff of cheese and dried meat. With the bag handed to Macey, Scar was quick to jump back to his feet. Though he frowned when the bag was given to Kris soon after. Not because Kris had the food or anything, Scar was a hungry pig but he could wait an extra moment as the bag was passed around. More because the dumbass walked up to Macey to try and give her more food. All this despite Macey clearly wanted to move away to calm herself down.

Scar knew he needed to be quick and was. At the moment Kris turned around to shoot him her stupid smirk, he was already in front of her with a hand on the bag and stood between the duo. In his free hand was a dagger as he had one cautious eye on Macey and the other on Kris as his scowl deepened. "You really have no brains, you know that you dumbfuck?" He asked in a low growl. How many times must he have to save this dumbass from her own actions? "Take yours and Diana's share, then slowly back off." Scar added sternly, moving into a readied stance. If she made a move, he was ready to counter.

"Arguth, we're going to have to take a few more moments of rest. Do excuse the commotion caused by this idiot, just we're all a bit restless and on edge." His tone switched to a more cautious one as he spoke to the Knight. He didn't want to do anything to agitate him in any way and hoped that this little quarrel would be overlooked by making up this random excuse.

God, he was sick of playing the babysitter role and having to clean up Kris's messes.

Arguth took his food and drink in relative quiet, his twin shadows falling into a familiar spot in his wake. To his fiery core there was at last a sense of peace to the everburning practitioner as his friends, what some would even call sworn brothers, returned to him safe and unharmed thanks to the aide of these mercenaries. How the group had made the push through the few infected to scuttle ahead of the inferno was a mystery. Indeed it lent credit to the idea of incredibly well hidden secret gateways the Warden had ingeniously woven into the stone of his prison.
Why or how the bugs had found them was a mystery, if indeed they had.

What bothered him now was the disharmony. Like looking through a veil, Arguth let his senses slip from his body to feel the world around him on a more spiritual and emotional level. The source of the disfunction was built upon the so-called leader of the group and the rogue who had allied with the shadows, but the true threat lingered in the corner away from their party. The woman seemed frail to the naked eye and huddled for warmth, out of fright, trauma. In this enhanced state of sense it was like looking upon a specter. Hanging from her shoulders like a thick cloak was a barely contained urge to violently lash out. With the two bickering at each other and the other members unwilling to intervene it would fall to himself to keep that one in line.

"Blessings of the pyre, bound by ash and coal. Breathe life to me." The chant was low, a mere hum to only those with the strongest of hearing, as the scorched warrior rose to stride across the room. Each footfall to Macy was an explosion. Like him, she would see the intention now. A face of burning reds and yellows danced across her perceptions that screamed at her and her alone.

STRIKE

Ignorant of any warnings from Kris or Scar, Arguth stepped into striking range of Macy and spread his arms wide. It would only take the blood of someone stronger than herself to ease the bloody lust raging within her.
With his stomach exposed and the spirit of the ever burning taunting her, there was no stopping it.

The twins were quick to stop any who tried to step in the way, long hooked daggers in their hands.

Macy had found her way to her feet the moment Kris approached her, having seen the glimmer in her eye. The young mage was bloodthirsty, but not blind- she knew that the ex-princess was up to something. Her own muscles twitched from the proximity alone, so she knew that no good would come of whatever she was scheming. She had taken a share of food that seemed proper; now she wanted to be left alone. Her gaze was effectively drawn from Arguth, but the small pouch of food had remained on the ground as her hands already contained both her rapier, coated with a fresh paint of dried blood, and her dagger. When had she drawn them? The young woman could not remember. Her mind was too clouded by thoughts of Kris- what her dagger would feel like with the point pressed into the supple skin of her neck... She was close enough to see the beautiful red come pouring from her jugular...

Macy froze at the sight of Scar's dagger. She had not even realized herself taking a single step forward. This was getting dangerous. Macy did not wish to hurt her friends, but she could not contain the urge any longer. Scar now appealed to her as a fun challenge - a chase for good prey - and Kris had her title to make the kill so satisfying. Her hands clasped her weapons so tightly that her knuckles were white. Scar's dagger was the only thing holding her back, and she thought through three or four different scenarios where she might disarm him and satisfy this practically painful need. The look in her eyes was wild, and her breathing had become heavy as she bit her lip. Even the slight pain couldn't hold her back any longer- it was too late. I... I can't wait, anymore...

Just then, something in the air made her stand up from her lowered stance, where she had been prepared to lunge and attack. The atmosphere had shifted, become heavy, and her attention was drawn to the rather large man walking towards her. His steps were heavy, his armor still calling to her as a challenge, but there was something else... A sound? Like bombs going off, each step sent a shiver up her spine. He had such a presence in the room, she wondered if this were even real. A dream, perhaps? Maybe Scar had already knocked her out. The fire she saw glimmered in her eyes, and without meaning to she began to giggle as she looked at him. She was at her limit, it seemed to make her nearly go mad. Still, Macy saw this exactly for what it was- an invitation. The word screamed in her mind, loud and clear, and though the others could not hear it she knew it was a calling she could not refuse. Arguth stood before her, his stomach just begging to be ripped open.

What could she do? Her body convulsed, and she sent a sort of panicked look to Scar- one that begged him to take her out. This newcomer did not know what he was doing. He had not experienced her losing control, before. Scar needed to stop her, before they made an enemy of this guy. Whether or not the fox was able to was a more difficult question, but she felt frantic. There was nothing she could do to prevent what he was calling for. Closing her eyes, she let out a scream, loud and blood-curdling, as she tried with all of her strength to resist... before she lunged forward.

The steel ripped through the flesh of his stomach with such a satisfying noise! It sounded like bells to her, and a warm feeling flooded through her entire being. But oh no, one slice wasn't enough. Having come at him with all of her force, she now twisted the blade and pulled it back out, only to thrust it deep into his stomach once more. Over and over. Again and again. Until she was satisfied, she continued to rip and pull and slice. Macy herself had no ill will for him, but his strength egged her to continue as long as she was able, blood flying and pooling around them. It was a gruesome sight, and through it all she let out a maniacal laugh, her face filled with delight.

Slowly but surely, she grew tired, and with her energy the need to cut drained from her body. Her strikes became slower, and slower, and the joy flitted from her face. The last blow she dealt him was the weakest one- no more than a poke, really, before she stumbled back. Her weapons dropped from her hands, now covered in red, and the red liquid dripped from her hands to show that it was over. She no longer had anything to hold back, but she did not feel satisfied. Rather, her expression was twisted into one of pain, and regret at what she had done, as tears streamed down her face to mix with the blood that was not her own. Her mind filled with thoughts of her friend from long ago, taken too soon, and all she could do was cry at the pain she had brought once again. Macy was not one to show emotion, so this moment would be the first her comrades had seen her truly upset. Her shoulders bobbed with the weight of her actions, as all she could do was cry and stare at her mistake, like a child. What have I done...?

Words from beyond the veil crackled in Arguths mind the very moment he approached undefended. It had always been his sacred duty to sacrifice himself for the sake of others when needed and it had seemed like this woman needed saving, from themselves mostly. Arrogant as the Pyre Master was, blessed with the ever burning flame, even Arguth could not prepare himself truly for the level of animalistic fury that the cornered female unleashed.

The dagger tore through his ruined chainmail and into the stomach below with impunity, the razored edge cutting thick strips of warm flesh from the Pyre Master with every feral thrust. Only by the endless flames was his entrails preserved from any significant damage as Macy's attempts to further disembowl were met with resistance by the enchantment upon her victims person.
When at last the blade fell from her hands and the fever fled, Arguth spasmed uncontrollably in pain upon the floor, biting back his anguished howls of suffering by will alone.

The twins were quick to extract their butchered Master and drag his downed form into the opposite corner, one applying what little pressure he could to the wound while the other looked at the group with a crestfallen grimace. Duty and honor fought in their hearts and duty had won, demanding they allow Arguth his pace without letting any draw near.
It would take some time but to those with a talent for the mystic arts, Arguths bleeding form now radiated with the swirling red energies of his faiths power as the ritual began.
Blinding heat gradually rose from his downed form eliciting a hiss of pain as the Twin quickly removed his burned fingers from the painful wound. Steam had begun to rise from the wound as the skin took in a violent red beneath the pooling blood. It had only been a few minutes since his injury when the angry slashed flesh on his stomach shriveled as unnatural flames blazed to life across his chest and legs to consume every inch of the Pyre Champion.

At a distance the heat was intolerable, a bonfire of holy flames that turned Arguths useless fleshy wounds to blackened ashe blown away on an unnatural breeze. The flames burned bright and became painful to look at as they scorched the area about his downed form hungrily, uncaringly, forcing the shadowy assassins to flee to where the rest of the group still waited.

Amidst it all was perhaps the most horrible scream they would likely ever hear. Arguths vocal chords were strained to their absolute limit as he loosed one pitiful whine of despair before no voice was left to him.

In a puff of black greasy smoke it was over. In the charred ring of the sacred Pyres passing, Arguth lay prone against the floor. It has taken a colossal amouny of his magic to patch his wounds and the will of his god had shown no mercy to its devout paladin as it burned away useless flesh and blood before heling his gaping stomach wound.
What has once been the twisted ruin of a mans stomach dangling like curtains was once more the soft flesh of a human. Only his armor, glowing red and white with heat as his sword had earlier, was the only damage the fire had brought to him.

Even with the healing having run its course, Arguth was clearly in no shape to continue quite yet. With the utmost care, the twins put their extended finger to their mouths to silently call for quiet before striding close as they dared to Arguth.
When the champion woke, the quest for freedom would resume.

---

The shouts of the dieing soldiers far below had long faded when Argus, restored to proper health by his pyromantic blessings from the Eternal Pyre, at last was roused from his heavy slumber. The group had sheltered in the burned out remains of the cell block with the twins taking over the task of night watch as their leader failed to awaken in short order. Without seeing the sun it was difficult to guess how long they had been delayed but rough estimation put it at well over 10 hours.
Outside, daylight was no doubt on the rise.

With the excess time on their hands, the white-suited twins had taken the chance to roam the upper level armory in the wardens office. One had gone all the way up, the other staying behind, and had returned with their weathered armor and their weapons of choice. The wardens personal armory had been sealed shut but few things could keep an Imperial assassin out for long.
Had it not been for the magic-dampening properties of their cells both would have escaped long before.

Arguth groaned as consciousness came to him, rolling onto his elbow and holding his helmet with the other hand. A quick glance around the room brought his memories crashing back in an avalanche of painful realizations from his volatile break-in and subsequent purging of the infected creatures, to his excruciatingly painful self sacrifice to appease the blood hunger of Macy's. It had all been too much and exhausted from overuse of his power, seemed to have collapsed.
Almost idly the Pyre champion ran his iron bound fingers across the flat of his stomach and let out a quiet sigh of relief. The worst was done and he was properly restored. The shattered chainmail was an issue but it would have to wait.

Getting to his feet proved difficult but with the help of the hawk-helmeted twin Arguth was quickly up and moving around, albeit a little stiffly.

"I.." The words came with great difficulty. "We. We have no more time, it would seem." The others were likely just beginning to wake from whatever little sleep they could catch on the ash covered bunks that had survived Arguths fiery invasion. "Rouse the others. The Warden has been idle too long and I fear it may be too late."

The silent twins were quick on their task. With a gentle hand they roused each member of the mercenary crew, along with Hawk. Hooking a thumb and gesturing behind them it was clear what they meant. Taking a small bit of rations they shared a quiet breakfast of sorts while Arguth, sword in hand, dismantled the last part of the barricaded doors. The runic trappings placed on his march up from the lower levels had been left untested.

The edge of the Pyre devotee's sword had turned white from heat, eager to burn away the infection that was spreading.

---

The group came upon what had clearly been a blockade of sorts as they approached the lowest levels. Massive glassteel bay windows, their once pristine surfaces coated in blood and black soot, were uncracked on every level. The Wardens troops had held their ground for hours against a relentless enemy and from the looks of it, their protections had held. Dozens of the insect menace were piled outside the reinforced bars of the walkway leading into absolute darkness below.
Despite the intact defenses, no soldiers remained. Corpses belonged only to the disfigured remains of the enemy that had failed to reanimate. Without them it would have almost been peaceful to stand before the total oblivion looming beneath their feet. Unlike the higher levels the bottom 3 floors were mostly mass holding cells. Common thugs, theives, minor criminals, hundreds could be packed into this gigantic prison. Men shipped from the capital to await punishment or conscription, redemption as fodder for the engines of war.

All that remained now was the stench of death and an incessant buzzing. Hundreds upon hundreds of buzzing wings, some large and many quite small, bounced back to the parties ears.

"Halt." With an upraised fist, Arguth held his smoldering weapon like a torch before him and inched closer to the stairway creeping into oblivion. The way down was gargantuan in size, wide enough to hold 5 grown adults shoulder to shoulder with room to spare. Along the floor, the walls, encroaching on the upper levels, was a disgusting mass of unknown origin. Like living corruption it was spreading to the blood and corpses of victims from the mutant infection, likely something the hellions vomited up to expand their newly developed hive.

Arguth struck his sword through the disgusting mess and felt the shudder rock through the building as the entirety of the disgusting hive wriggled in soundless pain.

"Weapons up!"

Senses alive with magic he felt them stir. Over 100 of the former soldiers and convicts of this prison, mutated into hellish insect forms complete with probuscis, antennae, and even quadruple sets of flat insect wings, reacted to the threat to the hive with instantaneous fury. The slaps of flesh and chitin on the staircase created wet squelching noise as they stomped up the creeping hives body to strike in defense.

The closest to the enemy, but drained of a great deal of magic, Arguth shouted his warcry to gods. Blessed by the endless Pyre his words turned to flame, catching the mouth of the staircase in a sudden burst of fire. The mucousy hive walls resisted the spread of holy fire as the invaders crested the last flight of stairs in a ravenous tide.

[/center]Kill or be Killed! T

---

Diana frowned at Scar after he had insulted and struck Kris on the back of the head. Not something she was a big fan of from this guy...er, especially not directed at Kris at least. Though she knew full well the other girl could take it, that much was certain, but as Kris offered the bag of rations to Macy a feeling sent down the dragon descendant's spine. Like something within her could tell something wasn't quite right about the other girl still, and in this case she nearly verbally agreed with what Scar did in this particular case. Her mind raced as she tried to think of the words that might help this situation, some way or another, but at the same time she didn't want to hurt Macy either. The girl had done a lot so far, and....!!!

The redhead's face looked rather surprised as Arguth stepped forward and opened himself up, the twins moving in to block others from getting to...much less past him to Macy. It actually wasn't the first time she'd seen this behavior, as strange and seemingly out of the blue as it was. It was rather rare, but...even among her homeland there were people who could be overwhelmed by the blood running in their veins. Overtaken by the bloodlust of one's inner dragon, they usually were isolated ahead of time in a place where it could be vented, when signs were seen. She'd not wanted to trigger anything on Macy's part but...at the same time she couldn't argue the method as she watched the results. Daggers tearing into flesh, the paladin being sent flying into the wall, his guts hanging out like a messily killed beast. It was horrifying, though Diana did not flinch in the face of it...merely biting her lower lip hard to avoid saying anything.

Though after the man was moved to the side, Diana ran over to Macy's side without hesitation as the other girl seemed to crack before her eyes. No...it was odd to see Macy in this sort of state, the first time she'd ever seen her truly in this state and ever this emotional. She hugged the sobbing girl tight against herself, not wanting to let go anytime soon. She didn't say a single word, however....it wouldn't do any good in this case it seemed. While others might call it the action of a "bleeding heart", she was stubborn enough to flip them off in return if needed. Macy needed this cry, as sad as it was to see, and Diana wouldn't hesitate to put herself in this position to give the girl a 'pillow' to cry into. It was the least she could try to do, anywho.

---

Walls like exposed flesh, corrupted and pulsating, Diana had looked upon the walls about her with a level of absolute disgust. Not terror, nor fear, but raw disgust in its most open form. The smell of death didn't help any of this, and the incessant buzzing was something that rung like a locust swarm in her ears....a most unpleasant sound. Though as the fiery paladin sent out a wave of flame at the top of the stairs, Diana ran up to the front as well, positioning herself close to the wall of holy flame. If this stuff held any kind of liquid...well, maybe this would work. It as mucous-like, on a decent glance of it, and that at least had water in it.

She she was doing would start just beyond the wall of holy fire, and not put it out at least, if this failed. In any case, even her crossbow was cocked and ready at least.



And with that shout, starting just beyond the wall of holy fire a blizzard shot down the stairway, seeking to freeze and chill the fleshy walls and the insects swarming in its direction. It would last but a few moments, but its deep freezing power would...hopefully come in handy....

...Though everything hit the fan, she was going to run back to Kris and get behind her so she could start shooting.

Once Kris' thoughts settled on a secret plan, she realized that in her moment of deep thought that things had went in a strange direction when she wasn't paying attention. The guy that had decided to help them was then giving himself over as a sacrifice to Macy, Kris moved closer to the twins to get a better look at Arguth and Macy, out of either a queer fascination of brutality or curious of what Arguth has planned.

The scene with both Arguth and Macy was just as gruesome as she figured it would go, the pyre knight let out a scream that to some others would make them cover their ears and try to escape from the sound, but Kris let the sound fall upon her ears and listened to the man's screams of pain and anguish it came off as almost nothing but white noise to the princess as her eyes tried to stay locked onto Arguth.

Screams like his weren't something new to Kris' ears, being on the battlefield and chasing after her dream lead her to worst sounds, like Scar's sleep mumbling to name one of the few, but knew the cost to take back her well deserved throne, she knew it would take more dead than some of the prisoners here and she knew people wouldn't accept her at first but she would have to force them in time. Suddenly her plans of the future, the heat that the pyre knight was emitting started to make Kris sweat and was enough to make her stand back from them and wipe a large bead of sweat from her forehead.

Taking a moment to compose herself she counted herself lucky she they weren't moving right at this moment and once they were going she good enough to get moving. Kris was ready for the next encounter they had to endure, and unfortunately it was the infected monsters from before; the short time they had fighting against some of the probably last humans they might see almost made Kris forget about the monsters that were here in the prison eating and infecting anyone around them that wasn't one of their own.

Only glancing at the walls told Kris that the beast were using the remains of living beings to make this tower into a hive, the buzzing they encountered only did much to annoy Kris but the second that the pyre knight launched a wave of holy fire at the thin film of fleash, Kris reached out to try and stop him only to be to slow."W-wait stop!"

Once the holy fire was on the ground and kicking up smoke the smell it would make would be the worst possible smell that would touch the group's noses, the smell of burning flesh and hair made Kris gag and cough. The moment that Diana launched a frost shout down way Kris complimented her."Good job Diana."

Suddenly Diana rushed behind of the princess who drew her sword, it was more of them than Kris could count at the moment and she decided that this was gonna get tough even with the floor and walls covered in ice, she hoped that none of those beast would attempt to coat them with the flesh that they use to make their hive like tunnel or if they infected more outside of just the prisoners and prison guards.

\Kris just focused on using her sword, now wasn't really the time to be thinking about things like that, she'd need Hawke to give her a hand with all of this with his sword's length they could knock them back a bit or even even a lot with the wide passageway.

Scar looked on blankly as one of the strangest sequences in his life unfolded before him. Having focused his attention on Macey so as to not leave her any openings, he was caught somewhat unaware by Arguth's sudden presence near them. The man was surprisingly stealthy despite his armour and bulk it would seem. But more importantly, when he went to get between him and Macey he found the twins standing before him. And was Arguth revealing his stomach to Macey? There were a lot of questions about this situation, but with the presence of the twins preventing anyone from interfering he visibly relaxed. He sincerely doubted the twins would be stopping everyone but Macey if there wasn't some sort of plan here.

Though when Macey began to slice and tear into Argurth, it wasn't difficult to harbour some doubts as to the exact sanity of this pan. But despite the disturbing scene unfolding, he was unfazed as always. In fact, he took the chance to snatch some food from the bag of provisions that Kris was still holding and began to munch away as he turned his back on the gruesome scene once Macey was done. Diana had gone into comfort her already, and it wasn't really his style anyway. No need to crowd the poor girl, nor did he have anything to add. All he could do was keep an eye out for her later.

Though he watched with some mild interest towards Argurth's violent...rebirth? Regeneration? Scar wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was more certainly a healing ability or magic of some kind. And while over the top and flashy, it at least made for a decent spectacle and fire show. He was glad he decided to put some distance between himself and that display as well, as even on the other side of the large room he could feel the extreme heat radiating outwards from the man. Once he was feed, and it was obvious that Arguth was going to be out for a while, Scar wordlessly closed his eyes and decided to catch some snooze.

It had been a somewhat tiring adventure to get this far, and it would be wise to regain as much strength as possible for their last push out of the prison. Who knew what they were to encounter and when the next chance to have a rest of any kind would be. That was assuming the others could put up with his sleep 'mumbling' that is, which wasn't really mumbling but more him being obnoxiously loud in his sleep.

---

Once one of the twins even went to put a hand on him to wake him, Scar's eyes flew open as his hand froze midair when it went to grab a dagger. Oh right, ally. Probably shouldn't kill him huh? Besides, he rather enjoyed the twins. They were useful and loyal, and most importantly trustworthy and reliable as well. That and he wasn't sure if he could even win a fight against the two of them fully armed. One of them? Maybe, they were still highly trained assassins after all. Two of them? Asking a bit much.

Anyway, with those thoughts tucked away, for now, he slowly got up and stretched his limbs, letting out a loud yawn. This entire ordeal had been a huge unnecessary hassle and he would be glad when they were done with it. With a bit of light stretching and a small meal in his belly, he assumed his position near the back of the party as they began to move. He seemed quite relaxed, hands in pockets and slumped forward with a sleepy look about him, but the others knew that his guard was still way and truly up despite what it may seem like. His keen ears twitched at any sudden noises, though even he found it hard to pick up some noises over the nonstop buzzing, followed by an almost dismissive glance in the direction of the noise before he turned his attention back to the group. Macey in particular.

Upon the group happening upon the stairway, even before the words came out of Argurth's mouth Scar was already prepping his small hand crossbow. He would probably only manage to get a few shots off if the fight got too messy, so he made sure that his daggers and throwing knives were onhand and ready to be drawn. By the time Arguth had decided to poke the fleshy hive, Scar was prepared for the horde that descended upon them.

Well, maybe not quite that ready for that many. Dear lord. With about half a dozen bolts in hand, he began to fire at whatever bugs first managed to get past the fire and ice shoot towards them. Having made notes about them during their previous encounters, he aimed for the bugs eyes and head. A body blow was nothing more than an inconvenience for them and a waste of precious ammo and time for Scar. Once he exhausted his seven shots, he was quick to change to hurling his knives at them. If needed he would draw his shortsword to engage them, but considering they would need to get throw the others first it may be unnecessary. But depending on Macey's mental state, he was prepared to help cover her if needed.

Wails of anquish escaped Macy's lips as she cried, on and on, feeling the pain she had inflicted deep down in her core. Despite her interest in the macabre, she never wanted to hurt any of her allies. It did not take her knowing the man personally to know the sort of damage she had done. The worst of it was that she knew he would not be angry at her for losing control. He could not scold her, or think ill of her, as he had offered himself to her. She did not feel that was right. For her to be able to inflict such suffering, without consequence, because of her own stupid decision to use her magic... The young woman had been fully conscious of what would happen if she used her power. Had they really been so cornered that she needed to resort to magic? Really? Was it really worth the delay she had caused, the suffering Arguth was currently going through? Heavy tears streamed down her face, and for the first time in awhile she acted her age. She was still a child, really... and in this moment she reacted how a child should when faced with death and bloodshed. The bright light told her he was regenerating, but she couldn't stop her shoulders from bobbing in despair. He may heal physically, but she knew a deeper damage had been done. He would have the memories of this pain for a long time, just as she had memories of pain. It was worse than killing them, or so she believed.

Her body was numb to Diana's embrace, but she neither fought against it nor reciprocated it. Instead, she simply cried into her chest, like a small child crying to their mother, with her arms limp at her side. Arguth's screams made her flinch, and that was when she finally clung to the dragon-woman. Horrible, heart-aching screams echoed in her mind, and throughout the chambers within which they stood. The sound would haunt her for a long time. Sure, Macy had used her magic several times before... Scar would usually stop her. Why hadn't he, this time? Had he seen her desperate gaze? No, she couldn't blame him... There would have been no stopping this. Still, she had never felt the pain of actually going through with her bloodlust. The euphoric feeling of it had been fleeting, and left behind was only the weight of deep regret. The moments passed slowly, and time seemed to stand still as the young girl just cried and cried... unsure of what else she could possibly do at a time like this.

---

With no recollection of how she had gotten there, Macy awoke to find herself curled near Diana. One of the twins had woken them with a light tap, and judging by the state of things she figured quite a bit of time had passed. You could hardly call her well-rested, but she knew that there was no time to stay here. As Arguth said, they had no more time to waste. Arguth... Her gaze strayed toward the floor to hide her shame as he spoke. She couldn't look at him- his broken chainmail only served as a reminder of her misdeeds. Instead, she took a breath to focus herself, slowly rebuilding the emotional wall that she had up most of her life. Now was not the time to lose herself. They still had a mission to complete; after the delay she had caused, the last thing she wanted to do was become dead weight. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to eat the rations provided, opting instead to skip the meal and keep to herself in the corner as she "meditated", in a way. By the time they were ready to continue, she would be wearing her usual, monotone expression. Although she appeared mostly back to normal, she really had suppressed her feelings on the matter, deciding she would figure out how to cope with it once she had helped her comrades to safety. The only hint of her thoughts on the matter came in the form of her avoiding Arguth - she took great care not to stand close to him or make eye contact with him.

As they made their way through the prison, she stuck to the back of the group, her rapier- covered in dried blood that she tried to ignore - and her dagger in hand. Fire and ice shot out in front of them, and that was when she truly went on her guard; the fight had begun. Following in her comrade's steps, she lunged forward to slash at the creatures, lacking her previous interest in their grotesque forms. Instead, her movements were like clockwork- slash, stab, push, jump- as she steadily tried to take down enemy after enemy, taking great care to not become overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. And good god, were there a lot. Her movements were methodical, and it was all she could do just to keep the bug creatures at bay.

Hawke had sat by, barely saying a word as the groups interacted. He was too busy planning ahead, thinking on just what he was going to do once he got out. His time in the army was long gone, he would be wanted fugitive, and bounty hunters would most likely track him relentlessly. Sure, he'd be ready for them, but for how long was he willing to be constantly looking over his shoulder? He was considering joining the adventurers, but just then the bloodthirsty noble had struck down their new companion, starting a lightshow of flames.

Might be more effort than it's worth, with friends like these.

That small noble, Kris, always seemed to be scheming something, and getting into trouble. He didn't really know much about the spellbreather, Diana, but he didn't really trust anyone who could kill you with a word. Then again, they probably wouldn't even have him. He was an ex-con with a very big sword. He could see that the fox boy, Scar, looked at him with intense malice behind a mostly disinterested front. And Hawke supposed that the strange noble girl wasn't to blame for her condition.

Well, he'll cross that bridge when he came to it.

For now, he wielded Aether like a massive shield, standing in front of the party and ready to hold back the horde, using the guard's sword in his offhand as a spear. They would not pass.

At the center of the growing hive, below the first level of the prison complex he had spent a lifetime creating, was the hidden testing grounds of a demented 'king' at the seat of his power. A channeler of twisted and chaotic magic blessed by the unholy gods has created a virus that mutates hosts and transforms the living and dead into hideous abominations of insect and human appearance. This being who created the plague that has destroyed his home, his people, prisoners and soldiers alike, is the last victim to their own ambitions as they are carted like livestock to the foot of the bloated monster that was the first to succumb.
The first to evolve.
They who incubated the magic that created the horde of insects, a prisoner of exceptional will and limitless defiance. At this things command they are ripped apart by the horde of insect beings surrounding its form and force their tormentor and creator into the viscous goo, regurgitating the bile and flesh of their dead 'hive leader' back into the newest victim.

Mere hours later, the warden was reborn from the terror that was the hives ruler. Reborn to be this worlds master. Like the first, the Warden is strong of will and strong of mind. Disciplined. Fearless. The mutation has given this formidable being all the blessings of its perfect mutation, purity of form and purpose. The stinging sword is felt in their mind for the briefest of instants and responded in kind, swarming the hated survivors with their growing brood.
The call of the hive has even reached the waiting creatures the party had passed. The inmates on death row have been returned by the plague wasps, the fallen guards manning the barricades who took their own lives have returned as mindless husks caught forever in the change from man to insect. The dead members of Falcons claw return for revenge.
Step by shaking step they shrug off their old skins and sprout the demonic forms of the perfect mutation. Barely 24 hours and the unrestrained virus had run rampant, rapidly altering itself and those it infected body after body.

Massive flying insects, large as a stray dog, buzzed their bulbous abdomens up the stairs at the party, their long proboscis dripping with carnage as they began to glow. Raw blood from their allies was reacting to some awful chemical in their bodies. Diana screamed her magic into the stairways and several of the flying creatures exploded into scalding oily death, the acidic compound in their glowing bodies eating away anything it came in contact with but evaporated quickly leaving only blackened scorch marks wherever they popped.
Not that the attackers cared for their losses. Driven by the hellish will of the hive master they came clawing over each other, perfect strains mixed with the abominations variant that lacked their siblings' superior armor and offensive capabilities. The perfect strains were barely even recognizable as human anymore.

Several of the variants and one perfect strain straddled the ceiling to drop down into the midst of the party, the perfect strain pouncing at Hawkes @Tim unprotected flank. The others screamed and charged the back line with reckless abandon.
Arguth stood at the frontline ahead of Hawkes, their smoldering blade separating chitin and flesh with each stroke. The only saving grace was that despite the width of the staircase, Dianas ice spell had created jagged terrain the imperfect variants could not easily navigate. Unfortunately that left the better armored creatures to lead the attack, scythed arms slashing in multiple directions attempting to pierce Hawkes defense.

In the back line, the twins were armed with their favored daggers. Etched with bloody red runes, forbidden words of a dead language that promised only death, they dealt quick damage with their blades but could not land telling blows so instead had settled for incapacitating the menace. Slashed legs, ruptures eyes, dismembered arms. Anything that could be a telling advantage for Kris, Diana, Scar, and Macey.
The soft thumps of of more screeching mutants signaled that the imperfect variants had discovered the ceiling and had begun flanking. In moments Hawkes and Arguth would be overwhelmed.

As Macy slashed her way through the relentless horde of grotesque mutants, solidly holding her own against the imperfect variants she currently faced, her gaze drifted up to the frontlines. More buzzing and scratching and thumping could be heard over the sounds of dropping acid flesh melting the very ground beneath them. Just how many more were there? They had the two strongest leading the march, but it was all the rest of them could do to hold off the horde that managed to get by them, and those who came from behind. The corpses they left behind had obviously reanimated- so whatever virus this is was related to necromancy in some way. Her growing interest was quickly curbed by the jarring memories of how she had slashed through Arguth. No... Her magic had caused enough trouble, already. The last thing she needed to be thinking about were the endless possibilities this plague could provide in her own witchcraft.

Quickly, she began to push her way through the mobs to the front, trying to figure out what could help them get through this massacre. A smoke bomb would only rob her team members of their visibility; these creatures seemed to attack at random rather than watch where they are going. Her skills were not good enough to fight on the front lines normally, but maybe if she helped to thin the middle a bit, more of their team could push together to back up Hawke and Arguth? Macy winced as a drop of flying guts seared the skin of her cheek. That could be a serious problem, too... And she couldn't see just how bad it was. Deciding to use her nimbleness to her own advantage, she quickly pushed off of the head of one creature, blocking its bite with her rapier as she lunged upwards, dagger in her mouth to cling to the limbs of one particularly slimy flying beast. It reacted as any creature might, and as she was flung around, she hung on just long enough to see Hawke and Arguth becoming overwhelmed. She couldn't use her magic, and at this range her weapon could not protect Hawke from the insect she spotted lunging at him in his blind spot.

Without thinking, the young woman pulled the dagger from her mouth and quickly flung it toward the attacker, aiming for its skull, before she lost her grip on the flying creature and was flung back into the mob.

Crossbow bolts arced through the air and impacted into several heads, but for every bug that fell it seemed like another three took it's place. This was getting tedious, and he was running out of room and time to reload. So he did what he thought was best at the time; he hurled the crossbow itself into one that got a little too close for comfort before then driving a bolt through it's head with his bare hands, twisting it to really drive it home in a bloody, brutal display. He had no time to let up either as he began hurling knives in all sorts of directions. In front, above, to the right, five degrees south-everywhere, he was just hurling them...everywhere at this point. Suffice to say it didn't take long for the kitsune to run out of them, earning a click of annoyance. Great. That left only one option then.

With a bug bearing down on top of him, he drew his short sword and allowed the bug to jump him...only for his sword to be driven through it's head by the force of it's own jump. Of course that meant that he was currently trapped under said bug, moving his head to narrow avoid it's acidic blood that singed the side of his head.

Note to self, don't let the blood hit you.

But out of sight was just what he wanted. He allowed him to work his magic. Which he did so, vanishing as he slowly pulled out his sword and crawled out from under the bug. Let's see how these nasties dealt with this, or rather let's see if they could deal with this. Making a beeline for the front, he slashed at anything he passed. All the others would see was a flicker of movement, a flash of steel and then a bloody gash across the monsters face as he made his way to the front. That was when he noticed Macey falling back down into the group of insects he was making his way through....and she proceeded to land directly atop of him.

In hindsight, he probably should've changed directions instead of just watching her fall down on him.