All 29.0 - Sealing the First Rift

The following day, the group convened to discuss their plan for sealing the rift. As they were talking, Sienna walked in. In her blunt manner, she said that she was there to find out if they were going to ‘kill Percy’, and was finding out for him if he could join, as he wanted to help if they were going to accept his assistance. The group agreed that it was fine; they were angry at him, but certainly not enough to attack him or cast him out, when the All were still the most pressing problem.
Sienna left to report, and shortly after she returned with her summoner. Lucca gave him the dirtiest of looks, and many of the others were notedly cold, but they managed to continue discussing their plans without incident. It was determined that Bastion would conduct the ritual while the others protected her from any All that might attack them. The ones without ascendant power, Victor, Virgil and Tarragon, would have to evacuate to a safe distance. After considering their relative strengths, Pierce was selected to accompany them in order to keep them safe in case the All targeted them.
Pierce left with many a murderous look from Lucca. Bastion took her position on the third floor of the manor; the remaining defenders, Clover, Ryuji, Lucca, Cress, Cohen, Xander and Sienna, spread out through the building to watch for All.
When the ritual began, it seemed to alert the All in some fashion: Completes and Coupled began to appear throughout the building, rushing towards where Bastion was casting, though they would stop and engage anyone they crossed. The defenders realized that they had made a tactical error in spreading out, and began to retreat in order to focus all of their resources on Bastion’s room.
Unable to effectively pass the blockaded stairs, the All ripped a hole in the ceiling, creating a second route to Bastion. More and more All appeared, being held back only by the retaliation of the Materians. Monstrous Abundances appeared, heralding the desperation of the invaders. By the time Bastion moved into the final stages of the ritual, Xander, Clover and Sienna had been forced to retreat from their wounds. Cress, Ryuji, Cohen and Lucca were left.
An intense pounding sound had begun to dominate the area. Suddenly, a huge rift opened, allowing a three-story tall creature entrance: a floating orb comprised of 7-foot tall expressionless, flat faces with spindly clawed arms jutting out from between them. It manifested in the central courtyard, but was too large; its appearance destroyed all of the building’s walls facing the yard. It was Absolute.
Absolute began to move towards Bastion. Its overpowering telepathic voices compelled people to approach it as it reached out with its arms. The defenders continued to repel the smaller All that remained, praying that Bastion could finish the last few seconds of the spell before the Absolute overwhelmed them. Lucca and Cress were with Bastion, while Cohen and Ryuji were stranded in another hallway, cut off from them.
Lucca fell under its spell and began to walk towards it. The arms grabbed him and began maneuvering him into one of its giant mouths. It pressed inexorably forwards, the building shattering from the force of its weight. Cress worked to pull Lucca back while Ryuji flew across the space to join them. Cohen was forced to run through the majority of the ruined upper floor to rejoin the group. They managed to pull Lucca back as Cohen entered the room.
Bastion completed the ritual, preventing any more All from manifesting in the area. The Absolute, however, remained. The group formed up so that Bastion could teleport them away. As they were about to leave, the Absolute disappeared suddenly, without a trace. This did not interest them enough to pause their escape.
They found themselves at the designated meeting spot some distance outside of Duvallon. Victor, Virgil and Tarragon greeted them, but Pierce seemed to be missing. Virgil explained that he had said that he needed to go help, and he’d be right back.
Clover joined them shortly, having walked from Duvallon. Tarragon rushed to her and explained what had happened.
A while after that, Sienna and Pierce returned. He explained that, since he could see and hear through Sienna, and because she hadn’t abandoned the field when she could no longer fight, he had seen Absolute appear. He had learned Unsummon a short while ago, and so teleported there and banished the invader. He had also stayed behind and banished a few more of the larger remaining All.
As they discussed this, Harlequin and Gemini appeared. Harlequin looked furious; Gemini explained calmly that a very large All had appeared in Etheria, and they were all rather upset about it. Harlequin grabbed Pierce’s ear and shifted them both into Etheria, where the man could recast the spell properly and send the creature to its own plane like he was supposed to. Gemini looked at itself and shrugged; they weren’t entirely certain what they were there for. Harlequin had found a lead to someone who might be able to help, but it was he who had the details. They were just there to help with teleporting.
Everyone had to wait for Harlequin and Pierce to return. Thanks to the time delay between planes, the wait was three days. Everyone returned to Duvallon for this period, resting and clearing out the last of the All, leaving the city free for Xander and his undead legion. Bastion was set up nicely in a house in town, where she needed to stay and keep the ritual stable.Category:Advent of the All