Partay in the jungle! [open!]

[Nix]

Sureya hadn't really heard what Ziya said. He simply shook his head because he didn't understand what was going on, and looked around again for where his father had went. Suri wasn't sure what was going but he sure felt small and helpless, unlike the naiad next to him who seemed so big and strong in comparison.

The beautiful man didn't even seem scared by any of this. Suri was. He wished Charik could stay with them, or that his father hadn't disappeared. He was scared and confused. He scooted over to the naiad hoping the other's bravery would rub off on him, but it was just a silly thought.

[Aeytrious]

Shit! Armors!

Ritousaey called up a ball of fire in his left hand and drew his sword with his right. But before he could take action, the armors were dispatched.

Well that saves me the effort.

Rit simply let the fire dissipate and returned his sword to his hip. Charik turned to Darnoc as he placed a hand on his hip. "We believe you owe us an explanation," he said frowning, "What are your people doing and how do we stop it? Mostly, how do we stop it. We already know they want to use our blood to destroy the world, though we can't fathom why."

Rit spoke up then, "I can tell you why. Because Mad Cultists are craaaaaaaazy. Why are they always crazy? Can't we have some logical intelligent cultists once in a while?"

[Rhindeer]

Charik flashed Rit a puzzled look. "Is this a common occurrence where you come from?"

[Aeytrious]

"Errrrrrrr........"

How to explain. Rit counted the walls. One. Two. Three. All four were there, and totally intact. Best not tread there. No need to talk about tentacle beasts, Professor Angell, or mythos. Tentacle beasts. That thought led to Mr'latipla. Killing that beast wasn't long before this event in local time. Or was it? That happened near here in fact, or would. The black tower that he created might be in view outside. He wondered if the people here had discovered that tower yet. It was huge and could be seen for miles, surely they had noticed it. Maybe they weren't as close to it as he thought, it was hard to tell when he was mortal. And the hot springs with the beautiful Axieva statue. Axieva. He smiled remembering her. That was so long ago, but not long ago at all, or maybe it hadn't happened yet, the tower and statue wouldn't be there then. He easily lost track of these things. Good thing his brain moved like lightning, or his thoughts getting away from him like this would have made him look a buffoon.

"I'm actually really really old, and extremely well traveled. I've seen so many strange things, they're no longer strange. I'm often the strange thing now."

[Winters-Feather]

OOC: It's Zahra :P
IC:

Sha-Razi stood rigid as she watched the two suits of armor become destroyed, but eased when she saw Darnoc. She listened quietly as Charik questioned Rit. The magician's answers made her  raise her brow slightly, her lips pressed tightly together. Mad cultists she could believe,  though there was obviously more to the situation than he was letting on.
"How many more suits of armor do we have in the temple?" Razi asked to no one in particular as she leaned against a wall for support. She didn't know how many more surprises she could take.

"Will they just  continue to appear as this one has?," Razi challenged. "If magic brought them here, perhaps there is a spell that can cut off from the source. That is the most important thing for now."
She turned towards Rit.
"You said you are old and know much. Is what I ask possible?" she asked.

[Aeytrious]

"Honestly, the safest way for everyone would be simply to destroy them one at a time. The first thing I thought of was a spell that would separate the souls from the armor. But it would separate all souls in the area from their vessels. So basically the armors would die, but so would everyone else." Rit made an odd grimace at that idea."If I had more time I could figure something out I'm sure, but I'm mortal at the moment, so it's not so easy."

[Winters-Feather]

OOC: no one's posted in a long long while sooo

How convenient, Sha-Razi thought dryly. The sound of footsteps became heavier and louder.
More are coming.
"How big of an area do you need?" she asked, her voice ever so slightly quivering.
"If we could lure them all into one area. But how..."
Sha-Razi looked up at at Charik, her eyes brightening.
"A decoy!" she exclaimed.

[Rhindeer]

A spell that would separate souls from their bodies? Now that sounded a terrible idea! And that was something he wouldn't risk! Charik opened his mouth, about to shoot down that idea, but then Razi spoke up.

"A decoy...?" he repeated, blinking owlishly.

The footsteps were even louder now, their vibration traveling through the stone floor. Charik shifted uncomfortably, the sensation traveling clear through the scales of his sensitive belly. They didn't have long.

"What kind of a decoy? Who? We will not risk our subjects' lives, Razi!"

[Zane]

Darnoc shrugged, "so don't risk your citizen's lives. I'll do it. At worst you lose a suit of armor. At best you save your nation."

[Winters-Feather]

Razi shook her head anxiously at Charik's words before resting a hand against her head.  Her vision momentarily spun.
"No, my lord," she protest, "I would never suggest something as cruel as that, only but a mirror image of you. A doll."
She turned towards the magician.
"You can do that," she said slowly. "Are you knowledgeable in the art of illusion? Surely if we used a decoy to gather them all into one room, we can safely be rid of them without a soul getting hurt. Can it be done?"

[Rhindeer]

Charik eyed Razi worriedly as she put her hand to her head, reminded  to go easy on her, because she had just recovered from an almost-death. For a moment, he wanted to scoop her close and carry her, or order her to bed--but she was safer with them than without, and he didn't want to make her feel helpless.

Nodding at her correction, he relaxed. "Our apologies, love. Of course you could never mean that. We are just...slightly overwhelmed at the moment, but nothing a god cannot handle! Why, that is indeed why these people are here, after all!" And, with a tired smile, he turned to the strange new man.

"Can you do what she mentioned?"

[Aeytrious]

Illusion magic wasn't very hard at all. Rit could create some decent ones without even using his blood as a catalyst. This situation seemed to call for something a bit stronger. To make a really good one, that could live up to heavy scrutiny, and wouldn't be destroyed upon physical contact, Rit would use a few drops of his blood. He would also need something personal of the subject. Either hair or skin, or even saliva. That would be the final ingredient to add to the concoction.

Rit pricked his finger and let the blood run into his hand. Into his palm with the blood he put a smear of bat guano, a dried leaf of thistle weed, a pinch of bone meal, and the desiccated tail of a lizard. He clenched his hand tightly and began the somatic and verbal components to the spell. The song and dance he used were not important, it was more the intent that he kept in mind.

"I'm a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle, here is my spout. When I get all steamed up, hear me shout! Just tip me over and pour me out!" As he completed the tipping motion of the dance, Rit opened his hand and a crystalline fluid poured from it to form into the vague shape and size of Charik.

"Well all you need to do is spit on it and it will become a duplicate of you. It'll even think and feel like you. But it will know that it's a copy and it will desire only to do what is best to protect you and your subjects." Rit grinned in a bit of satisfaction. Never had that song and dance had such a useful purpose. Preschool teachers everywhere would be proud.

[Winters-Feather]

Razi only blinked as Rit performed his spell.  She wasn't even sure if this was a proper ritual ceremony.
What child's play is this? she thought, but gasped when a fluid, seemingly like water, poured from his hand and turned into what seemed like a wax statue of Charik. The detail was impeccable!
"Amazing," Razi muttered as she hugged herself. Its likeness  almost scared her.

[Rhindeer]

Charik watched in dumbfounded shock as Rit performed his ritual--which appeared to be utter nonsense! He didn't say a word throughout it, though, only stared blankly in morbid curiosity. Perhaps the man had gone mad...if he wasn't mad to begin with. This was a rather maddening day, after all. Perhaps he had gone mad, too, and didn't know it.

But when water poured from the man's hand and turned into a watery reflection of himself--his shape, his size, his features, if colorless and in liquid form...

Charik let out a surprised screech and reared back away from his likeness, body coiling like a snake prepared to strike--which he was! "What! What?! What is this sorcery?!" he blurted, for when Rit had mentioned a decoy, this wasn't what he had expected! But the copy just sat there lifelessly, and as the panic began to die down with Rit's explanation, replaced with mild curiosity, Charik leaned forward and pressed a finger against the duplicate's nose, watching the water ripple under his finger.

"How fascinating...ah...and there is no risk of us becoming confused or mixed up?" he asked, hesitating.

Except the chaos from beyond was growing louder, closer, and there was no time to dawdle. "Never mind! Fine!" With a frustrated hiss, Charik worked some saliva into his mouth and then leaned forward and...

Spat on himself. Or rather, his reflection.

This had to be the strangest thing he had ever done.

[Aeytrious]

Color spread across the image of Charick from the POS or 'Point of Spit', as Rit liked to call it, like a drop of ink into water. In a few quick moments Charik was standing facing Charik.

"He is you, in every way that you are you," Rit told Charik. "But he knows he's a duplicate, and he knows that he will only last as long as you will it. If you die, he dies with your will. He is driven with the sole purpose of protecting you, and will follow your every command."

Rit gestured to the duplicate with a sweep of his arm and a nod of his head.

"Command him as you please. He is yours."

[Winters-Feather]

"Excellent," Razi hastily complimented the magician.
She turned towards Charik.
"One of the nearby outdoor courtyards might work," she suggested. "My Lord, we must leave."

The sound of  armor became deafeningly loud. Razi gasped as two of the many in the temple turned around the corner, both armed with swords. At the sight of the party, they charged, their armor glistening eerily in the candlelight.

[Rhindeer]

Oh dear him, this was so strange! Charik leaned in and tilted this way and that, looking  his replica up and down, as his replica matched his movements. So weird!

"I suppose the first order of business is--stop copying us!" Charik said, and the replica held still. Yikes. The royal we had taken on an entirely new meaning now! Charik poked at the replica's face, and the replica reacted with the same sort of shocked offense that he would have reacted with--and even went so far as to bat his hand away! Charik gave an affronted gasp.

"How dare you!" Pause. "How dare us? Ugh! We do not slap ourselves! We are a god, we behave much better than--"

Sha-Razi spoke, and at that moment the armor came charging around the corner. With a surprised gasp, Charik pointed at his imposter. "You! Us? Ahh! Never mind, just go that way! Go!"

And, true to Rit's word, the fake-Charik obeyed and slithered off through a door to the left  while Charik scooped Sha-Razi into his arms and slithered to the right, heading for the hall that would lead outdoors.

Conflicted, the armor split, one chasing the imposter, the other barreling after them.

Though it probably should have been easy to figure out who was real. Only the real Charik would be hauling Sha-Razi along with him.

[Winters-Feather]

"Whoa!"
Sha-Razi shrieked as Charik swooped her up in his arms, an arm flung around his neck. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked up in bafflement at her God-King before glancing behind him.
The plan was working.. partially.
She rested her head against Charik as she hung on for her life.

A few moments later they would find themselves in the empty, lush gardens of the temple. The flowers from the trees and bushes were bright and in full bloom. Even from here could Razi hear the echoes of the chaos that was occurring inside the temple.

[Rhindeer]

Out in the gardens, Charik still maintained a protective grip on Razi. The decoy had worked--but now that they were here, in the relative peace of the gardens...

Charik found he actually didn't know where to go from here.

There was chaos inside, where his siblings still were--where his harem and guard still were--and he hoped they'd locked themselves in their rooms and made it to safety, and hoped that Darnoc had gone in to clean up the mess.

Still...what now? Just wait? Charik had never been good with patience.

"Our siblings are still inside," he said, the tip of his tail twitching like a viper's.