Iris Record, First Floor Eastern Halls
@Nanaya, @Sifr

---

---

---

---

"Lord Leuvalt declared it folly to turn back and see what the mobilization of security was for, but I for my part could not ignore it."

Ciara scoffed, holding her abdomen with a wheeze. Lord Levault. That boy deserved to have the hordes upon him, not her.

"If you give yourself up now, you will not feel pain when the hammer of order is brought upon you. Of this, I can be certain."

Ciara's red eyes stared back, before glancing at Hildegunde. The tingling running down her back. The splatter of blood on the floor.

A moment of hesitancy, soon preyed on by The Voice.

"Is this Ciara Ventura? Will this be her last dance, bleeding and limping like a cornered animal, prancing like a court jester soon to knowingly reach the king's guillotine?”

It was true. If she was caught, she wouldn't survive. All the slivers she knew about the Umbralists told her they didn't survive. They were killed with impunity. Such a fate awaited her, if she stopped now. If she gave in.

She'd never give in.

Her lips pulled back in a snarl, her eyes fixed on Ozhiah. Her words were for him, and for the Voice taunting her within.

”Go to hell.”

And she breathed in.

With all her might and speed, she drew in the energy, the life force from both Ozhiah and Hildegunde, hoping to, and aiming to wither them down to immobile, barely breathing husks. Not kill them, but bring them close to it.

Ozhiah was an obvious target, but Hildegunde? Ciara didn't have time to negotiate, to beg for help. She assumed Hildegunde would react poorly to her attack on Ozhiah, so Ciara made it easier: she simply included Hildegunde in the attack.

The sound of breaking walls spurred Ciara on. To hell with Davil, she had to get out. Now. She was foolish for even daring coming this way. Now? Now she would follow Hildegunde's path. It would make sense it would lead to the arena, then to the entrance.

Without sparing Hildegunde or Ozhiah a look, Ciara gritted her teeth, and teleported down the hall, retracing Hildegunde's likely pathway in an effort to make it outside quicker than the encroaching feeling she could feel breathing down her neck. Quicker than the consequences of her actions. Faster than whatever was coming for her.

The unpleasant sounds of pain and agony echoed from the halls. For a person who didn't want to be labeled as an Umbralist, Ventura was certainly good at inspiring fear amongst the masses. The soldiers nearby were even quivering in their boots as they recovered from their initial skirmish. It is odd to see how they were struggling against Ventaura, but it could also be said that was how strong Ventaura was. Or perhaps it was the fear of an umbralist that weakened their hearts.

"It is nothing to be sad about. My former classmate chose this course of action, and what is happening now are the consequences of it." It wasn't atypical since he doubted Ventaura had any real friends or support in this facility. The only personal Chunji saw around Ventura was Otis, and he could hardly be called the bastion of friendship. "Even if we are told not to engage the enemy, we can still evacuate everyone to a safer place. From what I could see, Ventaura's last attack was quite devastating. It would not surprise me if someone was severely injured in the attack." Chunji looked over and opened the nearest door.

It was a room filled with alchemical equipment. Chunji entered and dipped his head back out. "You should gather yourself and a few others to rescue anyone in trouble. If I recall correctly, a hero not only fights evil but saves lives. I'll prepare a suitable space for the injured in this room." With that, Chunji closed the door and took a deep breath. Ideally, Chunji hoped that Ciara would head up to the next floor, but the superficial woman decided to flee for her own life.

"Dayin, I need your help." Once more, Chunji summoned his Adapa in front of him. "Prepare this room for the injured." Chunji flipped through a couple of hand signs and cast a spell.

"方向 八德 十六个目的 三十二种武器 六十四星" (One Path. Two Hands. Four Directions. Eight Virtues. Sixteen Purposes. Thirty-Two Weapons. Sixty-Four Stars.)

"九诈 蜕变" (Nine Deceptions: Transformation)

Finishing the sign at Monkey, Dayin transformed in front of him. From the faded smoke emerged a figure reminiscent of Chunji's own. Dayin stood before him as his carbon copy. A copy who could replicate even his own voice, judging by how Dayin tested its voice. A perfect doppelganger that Chunji needed. "Try to maintain the illusion, Dayin." Now, it was time to perform the spell on himself.

Chunji transformed himself into a rat. Dayin opened the door slightly to let him out. With due haste, Chunji made his way to the nearest staircase to his west. The chaos should have averted any eyes that would've gotten him caught in the halls. If Chunji were to ascend the stairs by himself, he would've peered onto the second floor with his Ethos.

He needed to get to Davil. Chunji needed to confirm his suspicions. The words that plagued his mind echoed in Chunji's head.

"The world cannot advance in this direction; this whole thing is a sham and a disgrace. Heroics will not win the day, nor will the trampled we know be redeemed. Meer was right - fury is our strength. We must abide by the old, for it is our only path."

And now, alone in the arena, Otis spoke of his own Ethos at last.

“Show me wonders of this world.”

The Door emerged behind him, and from it, he called up a plush chair that the Strigidae promptly sank into, before delving deep into the permissions that had been given to him. One hour wasn’t too much time, but he doubted that Ciara herself would survive one hour inside the Iris Record to begin with. They all had to make do, when it came down to it.

Pulling at his Adapa, Otis drew up panels upon panels of projected images. The highest floor was off-limits, and he hadn’t even known that the basement wasn’t accessible either, but the rest? Information flowed through his mind, amber eyes flicking from panel to panel as he ‘captured’ as many doors as he could. As a side mission, he flicked open his tome to another page, scribbling a quick message to be sent to the Hildegunde, Chunji, and Iraleth: “Davil is not anywhere that I can see, but I have no access to the basement or the top floor.”

More essence flowed through, as if extensions of his nervous system. Otis continued to analyze the situation, watching the flow of student as he reorganized his viewing panels to construct a three-dimensional overview of the Iris Record in its entirety. The doors to the arena itself closed, then locked, a sealed fortress to keep out any annoyances, before more doors and bulkheads began to collapse upon the hallways and corridors of the first floor in a sequential manner. Students and guards were caught between the subdivisions, of course, but they ought to thank him for keeping Ciara away from them, really.

Grasping control of all arcane cameras upon the first floor, Otis altered the functionality with a flick of the wrist, and in the next moment? Light bloomed within the Iris Record. Not a blinding brilliance that would cast stark shadows, but a soft, diffused light to thin out the darkness until it was hardly perceptible.

And as the medium from which Ciara’s Ethos manifested from waned, as Iraleth neared in her vengeful pursuit, yet another voice joined the others in her head.

“Don’t bother with the entrance. Third door to your left is still open. Go inside, then break past the wall directly in front of you. Run 20 meters straight ahead within three seconds; you’ll barely make it past the bulkhead before it closes if you manage that. Stairs will be westward. Third floor has no cameras.”

As Iraleth continued in her pursuit, her Adapa pinged, and the Inheritor's helmet tilted slightly to read it even as she crashed through yet another doorway. Right. Davil. He'd been in the back of her mind still, and Iraleth did want to save him from whatever predicament he'd landed in. But...

Ciara's desperate flight was endangering so many more people. It would be downright immoral to concentrate on Davil at this time instead of her. Iraleth murmured a quick prayer for forgiveness under her breath, hoping that Davil would survive whatever what he was going through until she could make it to him. Her shield hand scrawled a quick response on her own Adapa, sending the message out as quickly as she could.

"Aid Davil if you can. I will handle Ciara. Thank you."

Iraleth caught up to Ciara just in time to see her drain Ozhiah and Hildegunde, teleporting away not a moment after.

"Damn her!" She howled in fury, stopping just long enough to throw enough healing to stabilize the two of them (mostly Hildegunde, really) before continuing in her pursuit, sending a second message on her Adapa as she did so.

"Hildegunde and one of Leuvalt's worthless parasites are downed. Ciara's work. Send medical aid."

Ciara may have been able to teleport, but she'd hit rebound faster before Iraleth did. Shifting through space had to be more taxing on the body than maintaining her Ethos, and when Iraleth caught up...

@ERode @Sifr

@AThousandCurses

IRIS RECORD, 2F, SOUTHWESTERN STAIRCASE

Amidst the chaos, it was trivial for Chunji to bypass the cautious gazes of the guards. His Adapa had put on a convincing show of things, and combined with the notion that the last thing tower security would focus on at this moment would be a rodent, it wasn't long before he had moved away from the worst of things. As guards stormed past him without so much as a glance, Chunji would be able to find the southwestern staircase and ascend to the second floor of the tower.

Upon scanning with his Ethos, Chunji would see much of what could be expected - guards either rushing towards the descending staircases or fortifying positions, and students either rushing to their rooms or peering out to inspect the emergency before being sternly instructed to lock themselves in their rooms by passing security. Lastly, Valen and a number of his followers appeared to be walking away from the northeastern staircase, presumably towards their rooms.

Were Chunji to look further up the staircase he was on, leading to the third floor, he would trails of black mist gently wafting down the stairs. Moreover, were Ciara to make it to the second floor by this point, Chunji would additionally see her emerging from the northwestern staircase.

---

@Sifr@Estylwen@Psyker Landshark@ERode

IRIS RECORD, 1F, MISCELLANEOUS

"Grrrr... despicable...!"

Ozhiah stumbled against the nearby wall, desperately and promptly forming a Personal Barrier to divide himself from the essence drain; he would further defend himself by drawing in and incorporating the electric essence from the hall's lighting to shock away the shadows, making his barrier a danger to approach. The violent thrashing of lightning and wind held off the draining better due to how lively it crackled and raged, its aggressive desire to exist clashing against decay itself. He held off like this the best he could, relying on the fact that Ciara couldn't afford to stay around and do more than briefly repel her attackers. When the girl fled, Ozhiah leaned against the wall, out of breath and slumped over beneath the now flickering lights of the hallway. The cameras in his vicinity and up to the northeastern staircase on the first floor would malfunction and shut down from this, though the effect such absorption had on the boy's body would leave him clamoring to catch his breath by the time Iraleth had arrived.

"Apologies..." That was all Ozhiah could muster as Iraleth took off, a level of regret plain as day on his face that he was caught off guard in such a state.

Bulkheads in the hallways would indeed begin to close, cutting off the pursuit of guards. To Iraleth, these bulkheads would be durable enough to slow her pursuit - they were made of thick reinforced steel, and undoubtedly further enhanced with essence manipulation or magic. This would additionally be met with the frustrated cusses of tower guards that were also halted by these security measures, implying that it was not something they were informed of. It would seem possible to break through with Iraleth's armor, but it would take multiple focused strikes per door, rather than the hurried, casual breaking of walls seen prior. Amidst all this, the lighting of the halls would begin to shift as well, and shadows would gradually begin to dissipate along the ground and walls.

The changes to the tower's halls would be perceivable and immediately apparent to Ciara as well, who, were she to follow the instructions of the new voice, would eventually find herself at the northwestern staircase leading to the second floor.

Iris Record, First Floor Eastern Halls -> Third Floor
@Nanaya, @ERode, @AThousandCurses

---

“Don’t bother with the entrance. Third door to your left is still open.”

“So you mean to trap me within this god forsaken tower. Is that it?” Ciara thought back bitterly, turning away from Hildegunde's pathway, her eyes falling on the third door. Quickly, she darted in, throwing down a smoke bomb to block out the diffusing light. It stung her eyes, but it was enough to manifest a hefty black fist, shattering the wall in a couple swings.

Hand pressed against the bullet wound in her abdomen, Ciara half-hobbled, half-desperately ran, the bulkhead closing behind her, snagging her robe-like jacket. She tore the fabric free, leaning against the shut bulkhead for a brief moment, feeling the lightheadedness catching up with her. A few breaths, ignoring the lethargy sinking into her muscles.

Growling, she pushed off, hobbling down the hallway, westward.

The loss of blood in her system scattered stars across her squinted vision, but she saw it. Otis had spoken truthfully. The stairs. She could see them. She couldn't teleport to them like normal; the diffused light made shadows near imperceptible.

Otis’ doing?

It didn't matter. She had no way of getting back. No way of making it to the entrance. She had to continue her ascension upward. Perhaps her salvation was upward, with Davil.

Ciara dragged herself up the stairs, one at a time, stopping briefly to catch her breath. When she reached the top, however, an unexpected sight stopped her.

Upon the second floor of the Iris Record, in front of the stairwell to the third floor, was a rat.

Ciara stared at the rat for a moment, thoroughly perplexed. The Iris Record had some of the best security, didn't it? Perhaps even more than the government buildings in the big cities.

So how did a rat end up all the way up here?

There wasn't much time to deliberate it, as Ciara could still imagine an angry Iraleth still hot on her tail.

With the camera still emitting their cursed light, Ciara was forced to hobble on her feet all the way across the floor, leaving a trail of spotted blood behind her, to the stairwell to the third floor. She still had her eyes on the rat, wholly expecting it to run from her presence. Alas, rats were a common occurance in Vaal Kastrix, and she wasn't entirely bothered by it.

No, what was more pressing was surviving the next few minutes. The next few hours.

Leaning against the edge of the upwards stairwell, Ciara tore at her loose sleeve, wholly separating it from the rest of the robe. With her teeth, she tore the fabric into stripes, and fashioned a makeshift bandage that she wrapped around her waist, covering the bullet wound on both sides.

Something that would slow down the bleeding, hopefully.

With that done, she slowly hobbled up the staircase to the third floor, eyes alert for any sign of Davil.

Any sign of escape.

Traveling as a rat was difficult in many cases. Condensing the body and essence of a person into the shape of a rat took precision and good essence control to achieve, though that did not change the fact the original form was human. Regardless, Chunji was adaptable to changes and made his way up the staircase. However, However, there was a slight delay when an intruding presence arrived.

Ciara.

But on all accounts, the berserked student should have headed outside based on what he had seen with his Ethos. Now, she was running past him and heading up to the third floor. Was she being guided by something? How did she instinctively know that something was occurring on the third floor? She wasn't an occultist; Chunji could tell just by judging her behaviors and essences from previous encounters. Was Otis guiding her? Chunji couldn't contemplate as he realized the implications of her appearance. There was no doubt that every soldier and Iraleth was heading in this direction right now. Chunji highly doubted he could maintain his transformation while being stampeded on.

However, that left him with a conundrum. Should he associate with Ciara now? Based on a rampage in the Iris Record, their spat during orientation, and arguments during the exercise with Alto, Chunji was hesitant to involve himself with her. It was practically a curse to walk up and speak to her. Or was it a hidden blessing instead?

"Ciara." Chunji would emerge as if he had been following Ciara this entire time. Coming around the corner and up the stairs, Chunji looked up to his wounded peer. Chunji didn't close the distance as he wasn't aware the mental state the Ciara was currently in. "Seeing that you are here, I'm assuming that you have come to rescue Davil. I will assist you." With that, he took a few steps forward. His expression was ever expressionless even in the midst of the storm.

"You will be needing my sight as I can see past this veil of darkness. Additionally, I will heal the wounds you have accumulated that you have received on your journey here." Chunji slowly ascended the steps with the intention of reaching the third floor. "If you refuse, I will proceed without you, even if it means dealing with the potential Umbralist by myself. They are of no mere foe as they can control multiple leylines and teleported themselves into the Iris Record." With that, Chunji stopped on the step that Ciara was on. He turned to regard her.

"Will you accept my help?" He offered out his hand to the wounded girl. If she were, Chunji would cast the 'Heal' spell he had learned from the library. It was a rudimentary spell but efficient on the current essence amount he had. The spell would heal her wounds, pushing out the bullet that lodged in her. Oddly enough, this process wouldn't hurt as she would heal. Chunji would then take her hand and guide her through the darkness to the other side of the floor. If not, he would proceed without her and head down to reach the Southwestern Hallway to cover the entire floor.

His eyes could reach through the north and east of him. Account of the rooms within this field of vision meant that the room that may contain Davil would be in the Southwestern hallway. That was his current best bet at the moment as he made his way through the darkness.

Iris Record, Stairwell to the Third Floor
@Nanaya, @AThousandCurses

---

“Seeing that you are here, I'm assuming that you have come to rescue Davil. I will assist you.”

Ciara flinched, turning abruptly despite the pain lancing through her body. The most unlikeliest sight: Chunji. Her half-delusional mind thought Iraleth had already caught up with her, but this?

Her eyes narrowed, sweat dampening her forehead. The entire Iris Record knew about her. Especially how the Head Advisor had so poetically labeled her an Umbralist. The guards were mobilizing, Iraleth was in a rage, likely Hidegunde too if she could move.

The world had it out for her.

Chunji had to know. He had to know she was considered an enemy of the state at this moment. So why? Why wasn't he automatically trying to detain her?

“You will be needing my sight as I can see past this veil of darkness. Additionally, I will heal the wounds you have accumulated that you have received on your journey here."

Ciara glanced momentarily at the upper floor, seen at the end of the stairs. It was, indeed, pitch black. Like a heavy, scratchy blanket.

Her gaze quickly returned to Chunji, watching him for any sudden movements. He said he'd heal her, but could she trust that. Could she trust him?

"If you refuse, I will proceed without you, even if it means dealing with the potential Umbralist by myself. They are of no mere foe as they can control multiple leylines and teleported themselves into the Iris Record."

Ciara's brows knitted in confusion, and a muffled groan escaped her, her emotions fluctuating between fight or flight causing pressure on her bullet wound.

Chunji didn't know she was the umbralist? The labeled one, at least. The one everyone in the building was after. There was no way Chunji couldn't know. There was no way she could afford to believe he was speaking the truth.

Was he lying to make her feel more secure, to drop her guard? To capture her eventually?

"Will you accept my help?"

Ciara stared for a long moment, silent, her gaze caught between him and the hand offered to her.

Help. Help was what she needed, what she was desperate for. But what was the cost of accepting help from Chunji? Could she really put her faith in him, even for a moment?

“You're dying, little Hunger. Accept their help, find a way out, and betray them for a moment of being free.”

“That's not good business.” Ciara half-chuckled weakly, the loss of blood truly making her delirious.

“Drop your guard and be captured. And don't cry to us when it happens.” The Voices admitted coldly.

A sigh. Eyes refocusing on Chunji, momentary tension, hesitation… Before, her grip on her bullet wound loosened, and she accepted Chunji's hand.

“Yes…” Ciara said, sucking a pained breath through her teeth.

The healing magic was quick and painless. Ciara blinked in surprise; she had no idea Chinju could do this. As she felt her senses return to herself, strength returning to her, she undid the bandage wrapped around her waist. A bullet hit the floor, rolling down the staircase. The bloodstained bandage too, fell to the floor. Ciara ran her fingers over the hole in her jacket; the skin underneath was fully mended.

Amazing.

“...Thank you.” Ciara said, before her hand reached out for Chunji's, and allowed herself to be guided through the darkness.

For now, she would play along, and find Davil. There was no going back now, anyway.

As they moved, shadowy tendrils like fingers seeped out from Ciara's feet, feeling the ground, the walls. Nothing would, or could, catch her by surprise here. She wouldn't allow it.

Find Davil. Find her salvation. And avoid being captured.

These were her three desperate tenants, in this moment.

So, it still wasn’t able to bypass a Personal Barrier.

Otis wondered briefly what exactly the boy had been expecting when he confronted Ciara in such a situation, but the more concerning thing was the pocket of darkness that it created. She didn’t continue the assault, however, and despite her grievances towards him (entirely misplaced; the shadow-witch had dug her own grave), Otis was pleased to see her scramble away in the direction she informed her of. She had even responded to Chunji, who seemed to see the state she was in and moved to assist instead.

Troublesome. Did he know he was damning himself by becoming her accomplice?

Chunji, so you are aware, Ciara is currently wanted by the guards of the Iris Record on suspicions of being an Umbralist.

A quick message via his Adapa and there, now he knew.

With that 'itch' scratched, Otis resumed his work.

The chaos in the first floor was beginning to settle down. Otis reached into the arcmage’s Adapa through the connection she had granted, sending a message over to the guards of the Tower:

I will now begin to incrementally remove the bulkheads. Note that Ciara has regained some of her strength after draining two more students, and that she will likely continue to do so. Anyone without the ability to manipulate light essence and form a Personal Barrier should stay back to reinforce the exits, rather than risk becoming fuel for her. Currently, she is in the northwestern staircase, heading upwards.

He paused for a moment, beginning to raise up the bulkheads and allowing grounds of isolated tower guards to gather or separate.

The cameras on the third floor are non-functioning, so she will likely take advantage of that; I doubt she will go further up into the fourth floor. Proceed with caution and keep communications active. She may have taken other students hostage during her ascent, and will likely act irrationally, so do not engage unless you are certain you have a clear shot.

Another manipulation of essence through his Adapa, as he drew closed the bulkheads on the fourth floor. A barricade against any further ascent, just in case she did choose to throw away the advantages present in the third. Ideally, the guards themselves would slow down their chase too, get their equipment prepared and their last wills written. Give Ciara a breather, give Chunji some time to investigate the situation. Reduce the pace at which the situation devolved, so that Otis himself could continue running his own programs in the background. He rummaged through one of his pocket-pouches, unwrapping a ball of hardened syrup and popping it into his mouth. Leaning back against his comfortable seat, he gnawed against the hard candy as he turned his attention onto the arcmage who served as Principal Raja’s expy in this situation, tracking her movements.

Surely, an exhausted Iraleth could not surpass her in speed. What then, was she planning on doing?

The Inheritor rammed shield-and-shoulder first into the bulkhead that got in her way, leaving a sizeable dent. But not one that could be broken through without more focused effort. And with several others past that...this was a waste of her time. Who was in charge of the security system?! Otis? Didn't he realize Ciara could teleport? This would do nothing but aid her and inhibit-

He wouldn't. Even for someone who'd presented as untrustworthy as him, that was insanity. What was his game? No, that was only if Otis was behind the controls at this moment. Something to deal with later. For now, Iraleth would have to take care of this herself.

She ran through her available options in her head with all the speed of a combat veteran, thinking of and discarding various methods until she had the Essence codewords she'd needed. The transfigured paladin slammed her weapons down into the floor, holding her hands palm out as she bent her knees to brace herself.

Light, burning bright, formed between her palms. Iraleth focused her magic, shaping it with the proper codewords until her power reached its apex. She thrust her hands forward, vocalizing the Essence words to give her spell greater strength.

"Radiance unrelenting!" Iraleth bellowed as a focused beam of light shot forth, drilling through the first bulkhead and not stopping as it sought to punch an opening through as many as possible in the paladin's path. This wouldn't stop her. Ciara would face justice today, or Iraleth would die trying.

The darkness is getting thicker. It was a thought Chunji had as he waded through the darkness that became like the sea. He had the benefit of peering through the darkness, which was not the same for Ciara. If he had to imagine, it would be like holding onto a plank of wood in the middle of the vast sea. A horizon of darkness with no land in sight. Though Chunji could see it, they were nearing the destination.

Off to the distance, he could hear the distant sound of similar to a drill driving itself through a wall. Chunji didn't want to turn his head around. It was only an eventuality that the arresting force would come for the both of them. The mental pings of his Adapa, from Otis was assumed, were echoed in his head. Whatever the case, all of it did matter. He shared the same goal as Ciara. They must rescue Davil no matter what.

"Ciara. We are nearing the source of the darkness." Chunji notified the student-criminal. "I will say this once: the enemy may be unlike any we have fought before. If there is a scenario where I can rescue Davil, I will take him and abandon you at that moment." Then, without a pause, he continued. "You should do the same. As long as one of us rescues Davil, I would count that as a success."

The circumstances and logic were quite simple. Chunji was low on essence, and Ciara had expended a lot of energy during her fight with Alto and Iraleth and her getaway. The chances of them taking down the potential Umbralist were, to begin with, and the limitation of facing the faculty of the Iris Record was bad enough as is. Some mental calculations were made as they made it near the center.

"The root of this corruption is now straight ahead. I will go in first to survey the situation." Withdrawing his hand from Ciara, Chunji produced a scalpel from his pocket. A straight red line was cut from his arm as he ran the scalpel down his dominant arm. "I assume you know what to do, Ventura." The blood began to coagulate and harden.

"来自花的深谷..." (From The Deep Valley of Flowers) Chunji began saying foreign language. He breached the center and assessed the situation quickly. The moment he identified a threat, Chunji thrust his hand out. Seemingly, hundreds of snakes burst out of his arm, blood splattering around his surroundings. They all hissed and darted towards Chunji's potential target.

@AThousandCurses@Estylwen

IRIS RECORD, 3F

The dark of the third floor was beyond restricting in sight, but also in movement. Even simply moving through it felt as if it were like slogging through water near the shore, and this was notably paired with distorted noise - as if the footsteps of the duo rushing through the halls were somewhat muted, the echoes of pitter-pattering nowhere near as loud as they should be. That being said, it was nothing that would keep the truly determined from moving on, even if with more physical exertion than normally necessary for something as basic as putting one foot in front of the other. The sounds of struggle and calls of command below faded away as the third floor's muted shadows took hold, leaving the two in a place in which forward and back and up and down would begin, perhaps, to become more like vague concepts.

That is, of course, before factoring in Chunji's vision. With his Ethos, the idea of a linear structure could remain in his mind - dark hallways in a tower was, in the end, all this was when given the eyes to continue to perceive it as such. He could see, and by extension guide Ciara, towards the place where the shadows receded. It was almost like a light at the end of a tunnel as they rounded the final corner towards the central hall of the floor. What was beyond it was still blocked even from Chunji's vision, but it was clear that it was the end of this oppressive void. With a bit of grit, sweat and determination, he would make it to the other side...

Shiiing.

Right as Chunji crossed over, two things were made apparent immediately. On one hand, it was almost like a church was dropped overtop the tower, and where there would otherwise be intersecting halls leading to the rest of the floor and other staircases, there was instead an entire cathedral that they had entered into. Sunlight poured in through colorful stained glass overhead, a faint organ trailed off somewhere in the distance to an unknown melody, and church pews were scattered about and broken all over the floor.

...The other thing instantly made known to him was the crossbow bolt made of pure shadow, lodged into the wall next to him, clearly intending to act as a warning shot. Because as he looked ahead, he would see a figure in black robes with runic patterns lined in gold along it - the figure not facing him, but with their left arm outstretched towards him with a hand crossbow conjured from shadowy essence pointed at him. Writhing and twisting around from underneath the cloak was a mangled pile of what could only be described as fleshy lizards coated in ink, choking and biting each other endlessly. They would immediately cease their squabbles, however, upon seeing Chunji's snakes approach, and in a blink, would move at blinding speeds to try to devour them whole.

As this was all taken in, there would be one final thing to note afterwards: Davil was slumped against the altar at the opposite side of the room atop some steps, bleeding out from his stomach as he squinted to look up and towards Chunji. A frail, defeated smile lingered on the boy's face as he slowly lifted a hand to wave towards his classmate. "Hey, man... not me at my best, huh?"

"Interference won't be tolerated, so you'd best turn around now," the cloaked figure would state in a guttural growl as if that of an old man, another hand crossbow conjuring in his right hand and pointing towards Davil, each of the two crossbows once more reloading with a bolt conjured from darkness and pointing towards Chunji and Davil respectively. "I'm exterminating a future problem, so it's for the best that kids don't interfere."

The writhing pile of shadowy lizards would react violently to threats thrown the man's way, clawing and biting, and the man would react with a crossbow bolt fired towards either Chunji should he try to remain here, or Ciara should she follow after him - as well as a bolt fired towards Davil should anything be attempted.

---

@Psyker Landshark@ERode

IRIS RECORD, 1F, MISCELLANEOUS

The bulkheads would give way one after another as Iraleth's attack pierced through. As she continued on her way, guards would hurriedly roll and tumble away from the center of the halls, cursing and yelling in shock at the surge of essence blasting through door after door. It would still be slower than the prior pursuit through brick walls up to that point, but at her current pace, the paladin would catch up sooner rather than later if she proceeded accordingly. It was at that moment she would receive a 'ping' from her Adapa, and if she were to open it up to read as she continued this warpath through the halls, she would see a brief text from Nicole. It would read, "Ventura is currently ascending upwards from the northwestern staircase, and likely intends to find her means of escape on the third floor somewhere. From what I hear, magical darkness has overtaken that floor - and not hers."

As Otis focused cameras towards Nicole, he would find her sprinting towards the southeastern staircase with various levitating light-screens around her, which appeared to be a leylight from the capital. Her hands were typing on two separate screens as she dashed, and seemed to phase through the bulkheads as she approached each one. As she passed by guards in the hall, each one would briefly be surrounded by a wisp of blue light as she muttered something under her breath - some manner of enchantment. The guards would seem to relax their postures and check over their gear, before taking up stronger defensive lines throughout the first floor, securing potential entrances and exits with renewed vigor and itchy trigger fingers. The undermage would ascend to the second floor while maintaining this focus of screens, eyes still closed, clearly knowing the way regardless as she spared not even a moment before continuing to the third floor. Just before cameras would cut off entirely as she ascended the staircase, a long oaken staff would seem to materialize in her right hand, seemingly popping out of one of the screens of her leylight.

Chunji didn't flinch as the crossbow bolt introduced itself to the wall beside him. His snakes were viciously consumed by the reptiles that were made into the man's coat. The magical darkness didn't serve to obscure but to transport instead. The leylines within the Iris Record must have been utilized for such a process. This was the first time he had seen such a wide-scale teleportation, making him question its type. Was it fueled by Ethos or crafted by magic? Chunji had assumed the latter due to the wide-scale use of Leylines, but he would need more information to confirm.

He shot Davil a glare at his witty response before looking back at the Umbralist. "I am afraid that is not possible," Was all Chunji got out before immediately rolling out of the attack. His eyes darted towards the second crossbow that was aimed towards Davil. He needed to protect Davil before he got skewered by that bolt. Chunji couldn't close the distance in time nor cast a spell to protect it to block it from this range.

However, the Chunji had already made the first move in the battle. One should never commit a primordial sin against a follower of the Lotus Serpent.

Thinking quickly, Chunji chanted a spell to rectify the situation. If he couldn't protect Davil in time, Chunji would have to make due eliminating the need to protect him. "那双贪婪的眼睛过度沉溺于欲望" (Those greedy eyes are overindulging in desire). Chunji's eyes snapped back open, revealing bloodied eyes and surging with essence. One of many curses of the Great Lotus Serpents was bestowed upon its followers. The conditions were simple. Chunji and his target must be aware of other's presence. As long as Chunji's eyes were 'perceived,' the effect would occur. Chunji must sacrifice 10% of his blood to cast this curse.

What did the curse do? It was simple, really.

The man cloaked in reptiles would feel the overwhelming urge to attack Chunji, to consume the student's flesh. Any thought of attacking Davil was secondary, as the Umbralist's eyes were flooded with stimuli to attack Chunji instead. That meant Chunji faced the problem of taking on the full brunt of an Umbralist assault.

Chunji's Personal Barrier went up as he narrowly dodged another bolt aimed at his head. After that, Chunji found it hard to dodge the next bolts. Drawing out his sword, he'd try his best to minimize the damage inflicted upon him. Deflecting bolts with his sword, maneuvering himself out of harm's way, and taking hits to his Personal Barrier was the best he could do at the moment.

Now, all he needed was for Ciara to come in quickly while the man was under his curse and rescue Davil.

Iris Record, Third Floor, Mysterious Cathedral
@Nanaya, @AThousandCurses

---

---

---

---

The flowing black cloak.

The dark crossbolt.

It couldn't be…

An actual Umbralist.

”It's dark! Pitch! It delights me so!”

”Finally! Ah, doesn't it smell wonderful?”

”After all this time, a joyous day arrives!”

The Voices were all in an uproar, hollering and cackling like maniacs, deafening her own thoughts in her head. Ciara's eyes screwed up, trying to focus, to block out the joy that threatened to creep out in a sick smile on her face.

Instead, she tried to focus on the Umbralist, the crossbow in his hand, the color of his aura, his taste. And it was indeed black, blacker than black, as the Voices were so gleeful for. Black like Valen.

It was… fascinating. To be so close to so much darkness. She had no doubt that the man before them would kill them if given the chance.

But, looking behind him, to the altar, to Davil. There was little choice. Chunji’s eyes had led true, and now it was time to reap their rewards: rescuing Davil.

Her eyes drifted to the windows briefly. Could she smash through them, and escape? They clearly were no longer in the tower. Perhaps this was where she could stage her escape.

But, looking at Davil, slowly bleeding out at the foot of the altar… How could she do that? How could she abandon a friend, one so weak as Davil? How could she betray him like that?

No, getting Davil to safety was more important.

The moment after Chunji casted his spell, she disappeared into a puff of darkness, reappearing in the shadow of the altar, aiming to kick the crossbow away from Davil. Then, eyes never leaving the Umbralist, she scooped up Davil in her arms, thanking the fates she had been healed.

Summoning tentacle-like shadow appendages from her shadow, she raised them high in a defensive position, ready to knock away any attack that the Umbralist might try to throw their way if Chunji's magic didn't work. And, she began running, head on a pivot, back towards the entrance of the cathedral. Back towards Chunji.

The reptiles, as they came nipping on her heels, trying to get in her way, the tentacles immediatly would wrap around them, constricting them with enough force to snap spines, whatever they were made of.

She just had to hold on...

Hang in there, Davil!

Iraleth smashed through the bulkheads, taking care to not bowl over any guards in the way. As she flew through, however, her Adapa pinged. She read.

Northwest, on the third floor. At least she hadn't burned through that much Essence on nothing, then. Iraleth was already in the northwestern quadrant of the Iris Record, by her reckoning. The ceilings weren't as reinforced as the bulkheads were. And this talk of a magical darkness that wasn't Ciara's? What, did she have a collaborator-

The imp.

Her eyes narrowed beneath her Ethos's helm. Damn it all, every single one of Iraleth's mistakes was just coming back to haunt her today, weren't they? She raised her shield above her head, stretched her wings of light out, and took off straight upwards, smashing through the ceiling once, and then again.

The Inheritor emerged directly in the midst of the fight, light Essence already forming on the tips of her wings as she took a second to survey the situation. And it was one of the longest of her life.

Davil, half dead and with a crossbow pointed at him. Chunji, with Ciara in tow. Ciara, fleeing from the other source of darkness, trying to rescue Davil. And the shrouded figure itself...

Memories of that one night a decade ago came back unbidden. Ciara's magics had tipped Iraleth's suspicions. But this...? This was Umbralism. In an instant, Iraleth shifted her aim from Ciara to the mystery man. Magic bolts surged forth from the tips of her wings of light, aiming to scythe through the shadowy lizards as Iraleth raised her sword and shield.

"Keep moving!" She barked down towards Ciara. "We'll settle our affairs later!" Iraleth charged full bore towards the Umbralist, brimming with radiance.

Was this a mistake? Should she have finished Ciara off when she'd had the chance? Maybe. But the darkness in front of her couldn't be ignored or set aside for even a moment. This was what she'd trained over half her life for. Light surged around her sword.

"Ignite! Intensify! Purge!"

The light surged into radiant flame, and she swung, sending the shockwave out horizontally in an attempt to catch both the Umbralist and his remaining shadow lizards in the same arc.

@AThousandCurses@Estylwen@Psyker Landshark

IRIS RECORD, 3F, CATHEDRAL

As the bolt launched towards Davil was deflected, the Umbralist immediately craned his head towards Chunji. The left crossbow had disappeared, and instead, a small patterned circle hovered in his palm. In that same moment, a much larger circle of the same pattern appeared beneath Chunji. The man would then fire off a bolt with his other hand, aiming for Chunji's right, and a small portion of the writhing reptilian mass shifted to charge towards Chunji's left. A half-second after the circle had appeared in the hand of the cloaked villain, the circle beneath Chunji would disappear, and instead, a portal would begin to open on the ground with the maw of some incomprehensible shadow-horror rising to attempt to swallow the boy whole, following him even if he were to make an attempt to flee.

As the lizards became bound by Ciara's tentacles, it became apparent soon that something about their biology was far beyond normal for their appearance. The moment that enough pressure was applied to begin to crush the bones of an ordinary creature, it was as if the consistency of their flesh would turn to jelly, bending around and even beginning to absorb the tentacles. The lizards would quickly adapt to this attempt to bind them, pursuing Ciara with even further malice. It may have been an instinctual feeling to Ciara, because their behavior was familiar - they craved food, and their savagery had only intensified like this upon witnessing Ciara's magic. The Umbralist seemed to be under Chunji's curse, but these beasts operated on a more animalistic level. "T-They're gonna eat us! Look at that! Look at thaaaat!" Davil would scream this while being carried, some life returning to his eyes upon realizing he actually might not die here. "I'll do anything not to go out from the teeth on those things, winds push us!"

When the light appeared, however, all would change. The assault on Chunji would have occurred, but the abyssal maw that pursued him would dissipate. Such potent light was something that the Umbralist, even under the effects of a curse, could not ignore. Its radiance woke him from his brief state of mental confusion, and he turned on a full pivot towards Iraleth as she attacked. "Astra's light... that of the impersonator must not be glorified! Servant of the wench of stars, begone from this place!"

The organ that played in the distance would gradually begin to grow in volume, and the single shadow that had been cast upon the Umbralist - his own shadow, by right - seemed to split evenly into six that now circled him. The lizards were being dispatched handily by Iraleth's light, but as the flame hurtled towards the villain, he lowered his arms. His remaining crossbow had dissipated, and he stood there as the wave overcame him.

...And a moment later, the flames that had surrounded him seemed to be sucked into one of the shadows that circled him, noted by the fiery glow that it now emanated with. "Astra's powers are a sham! Your god's might is second-rate, that of Kazaar's leftovers."

Raising his hand towards Iraleth, the shadow that had taken in her flames disappeared, and in the next?

Iraleth would see the full force of her own attack, exiting the man's hand and flying back towards her with the same power she had shot towards him. As this happened, a mass was forming behind the Umbralist. It seemed that the destroyed lizards were reforming, a flesh puddle tethered from underneath his cloak beginning to fan out in all directions behind him.

She glowered beneath her conjured helm. Heresy. A relic of the past that should have stayed buried. Iraleth's ire grew as the man continued to spout blasphemy before reflecting her very own attack back at her. Grandiose displays of Essence weren't going to decide this battle, it seemed. Then she was just going to stab him instead. Just as well. She was approaching rebound as it was. Melee combat would be far more efficient in terms of stamina.

"Handle the reinforcements!" Iraleth shouted back in Chunji's direction before spreading her wings and surging forward. Her blade swung out, absorbing the reflected power back into it. This time, Iraleth kept the accumulated Essence in her sword as she charged, screaming.

"You claim Kazaar's might to be greater, yet he is not the one that stood victorious in the end! Justify your butchery all you like, Umbralist! You will fall this day, as you should have with the rest of your misbegotten cult!"

The Inheritor closed into melee and made to swing, but feinted and pulled her blow back at the last minute, instead slamming her shield towards the Umbralist's head before dashing to his side and striking out with her flaming blade at his flank.

"Tch." The student found himself in a troublesome position as soon as the Umbralist snapped his head back at Chunji. The shadowy reptile had swarmed to devour his left arm while a bolt was aimed to pierce his right. A sudden concentration of essence gathered below him, and Chunji reacted quickly. Essence gathered inside his legs, strengthening the tendons, and with a spring, Chunji jumped back into the air to dodge. The space he had occupied was taken up by an emerging summon. Barely avoiding the beast's maw, Chunji barely had time to raise his arms as the creature slammed its head against him after it failed to hit.

The doctor was sent flying across the room and slammed against the wall. Whatever was left of his Personal Barrier was shattered once he fell onto the ground. Chunji hissed and began fueling his legs once more with essence to get up and roll out of the next beast's attacks. His body was starting to feel sluggish. It would not take long before he would collapse from hypoxia, but he still needed to get Davil out of there. Ciara had managed to get Davil; now all they needed to do was-

Blinding light shined into the room. Iraleth. Chunji covered his eyes as the shadow creature that pursued him dissipated into nothing. He could hear the light aspirant and the follower of the dark scream stuff at each other before another light eclipsed the room. It was a much-needed disturbance that allowed Chunji to grab his breath. He called his classmate, "Ciara, get out of here. Davil needs medical attention immediately and tells the doctor that he's consumed several potions today. I will stay behind." To help Iraleth, it didn't need to be said as he looked back at the fight.

Retreat was an option that needed to be taken. Chunji could feel himself nearing his limit, and if he was, then Iraleth would be doubly so. The Umbralist was too strong of an opponent in their current condition, but Iraleth's zeal would kill her if she kept this up. There was little point in trying to convince Iraleth of this course of action; he could only plan on their retreat.

Chunji scowled at Iraleth's command but decided to help. Even if it came at his future expense, he had hoped that his essence devoured by the reptiles would circulate a bit more, but it seemed they had little time. Guilt soon swelled into Chunji's mind as he closed his eyes. "Damn you, Iraleth," Chunji muttered under his name as he cursed the woman out.

"原谅这个罪人吧，大八瓣蛇." (Forgive this sinner, Great Lotus Serpent)

At that moment, Chunji tapped into his contract. An innocent promise and a sentence of sin that was born millennia ago. His skin hardened, his flesh underneath turning frigid by the second. The hunger he once cursed upon the cultist manifested in itself. However, this hunger was real. The vagrant smell of his own Chunji incited his brain to consume his own body to satiate this hunger. If he were to eat himself, maybe this hunger would be sated, his sin forgiven.

Chunji opened his eyes again. He looked over towards the reptiles that began to reform in front of him. Essence from a foreign being swelled into him and replenished his reserves. A prayer.

"让我成长." (Let me grow)

Chunji pointed at the mound of darkness in front of him. Those who have ignorantly consumed the descendant of the Great Lotus Serpent would be punished for their transgression. Words spoken came out as unintelligible yet understandable at the same time, and a look foreign to humans grew on Chunji's face.

"Grow, propagate, and return to the earth."

In that moment, that shadowy mass that once consumed essence gluttonously would soon begin to contort. Out of their bodies, what looked to be roots would sprout out from them. Looking for nutrients, the roots would continuously extract the essence from the body of shadows at a terrifying rate. As the second went by, a tree would start growing at a proportional rate.

There was more Chunji could do, but he didn't. He had already taken enough from his ancestral spirit.

"Iraleth, the location we found ourselves in is akin to a leyline, although weaker. It is a physical construct that has melded into the Iris Record's third floor. Continued combat is ill-advised, and I would suggest retreating." This man wasn't Alto; he wouldn't hold himself back from exploiting an available power source. "From this point onward, I have no intentions of helping in your foolish battle." The words were dripped in venom as Chunji emphasized his displeasure. "And you will pay for this."

With that, Chunji would begin backing away from the fight.

Iris Record, Third Floor, Mysterious Cathedral
@Nanaya, @AThousandCurses

---

“Keep moving! We'll settle our affairs later!"

Ciara's eyes widened at Iraleth. Wholly understanding the implications of her words, Ciara merely gritted her teeth and kept moving back towards the entrance.

Yes, they'd deal with this, with her, after.

"Ciara, get out of here. Davil needs medical attention immediately and tell the doctor that he's consumed several potions today. I will stay behind.”

”Got it!” Ciara shouted, gripping Davil closer in her arms. He was heavy, but she couldn't stop here.

The lizards were frustrating. Ravenous, just like her. But out of the two of them, Ciara was co winced she was the one with the more voracious appetite.

So, while they tried to crowd her and squirm out of their restraints, Ciara opened her mouth. As she ran, she inhaled the essence of the lizards as much as possible, hoping to dissolve them into nothing but a puddle of black.

On top of that, she pushed harder in her steps, feet slamming against the cathedral floor. It was only a few steps away, the entrance. As she closed in, her tentacles changed to blade tips, slicing any lizard that was in the way, too close, or was slow in being consumed.

And as she was a step away from the black of the entrance, a fleck of a cut struck across her cheek. The beginnings of rebound…

Chunji and Ciara disappeared.

Then did Iraleth.

The mage followed after, phasing through bulkheads even as Otis raised them up once the danger presented by Ciara had passed. Curious magics were involved, of course, ones that he’d have liked to look into further, but for the time being, there was the problem of the third floor to solve. The Strigidae student didn’t feel the need to appear in person, not when there were so many volatile individuals present, not when he was comfortable building up an understanding of the tower’s own capabilities.

But it was slightly bothersome too, to be stuck doing nothing but watching things through cameras built and positioned by others.
So he went back at it.

In this period of slight calm, the Strigidae sent a quick message via Adapa to the referee-mage that had given him permissions to begin with, simply inquiring about the situation on the third floor, while simultaneously pulling out a variety of tools and materials from his various pouches. Gears, screws, brass plates, oils, tinctures, springs, all the tools of a craftsman. Designing a flying variation would be too much effort for the amount of time that he may have left, while the rolling creature he had created to stalk Principal Raja wouldn’t manage the stairs, so in this particular case, Otis’s design was that of a clockwork leech: an elongated creation with two ends that could grasp onto surfaces, a spring-like main body that could flex and swing, and a bundle of essence meant for silencing its movements and pinging its location back to his Adapa.

A rushed job that likely wouldn’t last too long, but it’d do.

He placed it on the floor, made it traverse a few simple obstacles to confirm that everything functioned properly, finetuned its structure and essence-makeup, before allowing it to walk through the Door.

A moment later, the Door reopened in the second-floor staircase well, and an unassuming slinky-metal-thing plopped out to begin its own journey into the unknown.

Back in the trial grounds that had become his temporary office, Otis reclined back against his seat, awaiting further changes and results.