Tales of Magik: Imus ad Infernum circle 5

[xp_eriment]

The party finally arrives at Illyana's garden, but they face one final trial.


A freezing, howling gust of wind heralded the party's arrival at Illyana's garden. They had suffered three days of journeying through the frigid, barren, perilous wasteland that is Limbo and it often seemed like no end was in sight. Even now, just steps away from their destination, the hellish world seemed intent on crippling them. But when they pushed through and crossed the threshold, it was like a shield sprung up to defend them. Snow did not fall here and the dirt ground was mostly bare, save the plant detritus strewn around. Even the air was warmer.

"Yo, this place needs a landscaper," Miles quipped, planting the giant sword he was still lugging around into the ground. He looked around at the dead and dying plants; bushes and trees and flowers that had lost most of their greenery. The tallest tree still seemed to be thriving, though, a tall oak that stood in one corner, the ground underneath its branches littered with fallen acorns. And, Miles noticed, a small cross-shaped marker made of twigs that was planted into the dirt.

Topaz tilted her head, looking around. It felt... different here. Calmer. Nice. Which was probably a horrible thing to say about a clearly dying garden. But the magic was still good. She blew out a long breath she hadn't realized she was holding and closed her eyes, letting herself relax for the first time since stepping foot in this damn place.

They were still in Limbo, though, and that wasn't a long-term indulgence. She opened her eyes again, looking around. "What makes this place so different?" She asked Illyana curiously. How did an oasis of peace exist in the middle of Hell itself?

"This was Wanda's garden," Illyana said simply, not looking at anyone; she let her fingers trail over some browning leaves. Even the wind seemed quieter here, calmer, not so harsh. It had barely changed, but it hurt to see that nothing new was growing. "Not - not your Wanda. There are other dimensions, I guess, and she got trapped here too. She took care of me. But she tried to get us out." Her fingers twisted at the cuff of her sleeve, but her voice stayed too-steady, matter-of-fact. "It didn't work."

Rahne's eyes went slightly wide as Illyana talked and she glanced over at what was clearly now a grave. Honestly, while she was grateful that there had been something kind in 'Yana's life during her time here, it broke her heart that it had all ended so horribly. She wanted to say something, anything, even if it was just 'I'm my God, I'm so sorry' but nothing seemed ... good enough. She wasn't sure if there ever would be words that could convey what she wanted to say.

Amadeus had nothing to add. The poor boy looked like hell, there were dark circles under his eyes the color of bruises, and he was stumbling with the effort of keeping upright. Whatever internal power had been driving him before had gone with the strangeness in his personality. Still he surveyed the landscape as always, storing and sorting and cataloging information for later. And then closed his eyes, looking like the human embodiment of pure exhaustion.

It had been a long time since Gabriel had the impulse to cross himself, but Limbo was pushing his limits. Not that he made any gesture toward religion, but years of Catholic education were clearly fighting to their way to the surface.

In any event, they'd all been silent for what Gabriel felt was too long now, and he felt compelled to say something. "I'm sorry." His eyes followed Rahne's toward the makeshift grave, and in spite of the general stillness in this particular spot, he felt a pang of deep sorrow. "And now everything here is dying. What does that mean for us?"

"It's not dead yet," Illyana said, almost snapped, then looked - not ashamed, but regretful, like she hadn't thought. "It's not dead yet," she said again, more calmly. "There's enough here to get us home." And when they left, it would be all but dust, completely drained. "It'll take me a while, though. I need to - I don't know. Um. What's the word for kind of sitting and concentrating and talking to your old garden?"

"Praying?" Miles suggested as he knelt to look closely at a solitary flower struggling to keep its vivid violet petals. "If anything can even hear us down here."

"Meditation is a more neutral word with no religious connotations." Warren cleared his throat. "So basically, you'll be completely vulnerable, and need us to literally watch your back.". He gave a quick nod, and tapped his rolling pin on his palm. "If this will get us home, I won't leave your side."

"Yeah. Meditation," Illyana said quickly, seizing on that. "Nobody pray to any gods, okay? Just . . . don't. " She inhaled, then let it out, wishing she had a clearer mind for this. But back here, back here, it was all she could do to stay standing, to keep her voice from betraying her; every breath of damp air brought something back. A word, a touch, the final, brutal give of a blade breaking skin. "It's going to take a little time," she said. Her voice sounded tinny in her own ears, small. "You can talk or whatever, if you want. It's just going to - take a little time." She took a step, paused, and looked around, but there wasn't an obvious place, so after a moment she sank down on her knees underneath a big tree. The ground here was padded with fallen leaves and mostly dry, and the makeshift grave wasn't in her direct line of sight. Good enough.

Topaz had been prepared to wander the garden, explore, anything to get away from everyone for a few minutes. Her ears were ringing and she was exhausted. She'd just turned away when an odd shudder ran through her, like a stone dropping into water, creating ripples. "Oi, I hate to be cliche, but-"

I think something's coming didn't quite manage to finish the the statement as what appeared to be red and black ooze burst out of the ground. Topaz' first wild thought, weirdly, was. Fucking Slendermen as the thing began to take shape.

The roiling mass resolved itself into a vaguely humanoid shape. Two legs, two arms, a torso, and a head. But its proportions were all wrong. Its legs and abdomen were so slim and spindly, they did not look like they could support the monster's bulky upper torso and long, gorilla-like arms that ended in long-clawed hands big enough to hold a watermelon. Its large, white, dinner plate–sized eyes surveyed the party, ending on Illyana, and it opened its too-wide mouth, revealing dozens of long, sharp teeth oozing with the same red and black sludge that made up the rest of its body. Under its banshee shriek, the party could make out one word:

"Carnage."

The word was like a bullet to Miles's brain. He fell to one knee, clutching the sides of his head, fighting to see through the agony of his spider-sense that was blaring at him with an intensity he had never felt before. He could have been Daniel Kaluuya, for all his instincts were telling him to get out get out get out. He punched the ground, snarling, refusing to give in. "Protect Illyana," he rasped. "Warren, Rahne, Deus. Me and Gabo and Topaz got this."

Amadeus rolled his eyes. "Miles, I love with the pure unadulterated love of puppies and kittens and fried shrimp, but fuck all the way off." He took up position next to Miles, fists and knife at the ready, already searching for the monster's weakest point.

"Not the time," Gabriel chided gently, though he didn't entirely disagree with Amadeus. He glanced toward Illyana, unable to help feeling the least bit protective for reasons that escaped him, then tightened his grip on the axe he'd still managed to carry. His muscles twitched; he was exhausted, and he'd been overexerting. But the threats kept coming, and it wasn't like he had much of a choice but to fight.

"God, that thing's disgusting," he muttered, his eyes now on the creature.

Rahne was, by nature, a modest (prudish) person who just happened to saddled with a power that required her to get naked or to ruin her clothes. She'd gotten really good at managing to run and take off her clothes someplace no one could see her. But in the middle of a dying garden being confronted by a giant goo monster, she didn't have the luxury of things like modesty or saving most of her clothes.

Yanking her shirt over her head and kicking off her shoes, Rahne morphed and shook off the remaining tatters of her clothes. In full wolf form, she snarled at the creature as she walked to stand directly in front of Illyana. She had no idea if they could defeat it but she was not going to let it get to her friend without a fight.

Topaz' eyes shifted from the monster, to the people around her, to Illyana and Warren, then back again to the thing looming over them. "Right." Power flared to life around her hand, encircling it like ringlets. "This is going to suck."

And with that declaration she released the ringlets, which grew as they flew the air, wrapping around the monster and burning into its gooey form.

Warren gave the biggest, loudest, most dejected sigh he could possibly muster. This was not only going to suck, but it was going to ruin his hair. He was already planning a good week-long spa in Switzerland, and was starting to think he'd have to take on a week in France too. His life was hard. Well, he thought to himself, standing up straight. At least this would look good on his obituary. "Warren Worthington the III -- died while selflessly protecting an orphan." Much better than what he'd always thought it would say "Warren Worthington the III -- died while high on cocaine, choking himself to orgasm" No suspicious circumstances for him.

~*~

Warren and Rahne protect Illyana as she prepares her ritual.


Small red and black globules filtered up through the fissures in the dirt, like sewage backing up from the pipes. The globules shivered, and like the monster battling Miles, Topaz, Gabriel, and Amadeus a few yards away, resolved into vaguely humanoid shape, all claws and teeth and tongue and giant white eyes. They bellowed their challenge and charged for the young girl sitting on the ground, the only source of light in this world of darkness.

Rahne returned the little monsters battle cry with an echoing growl. There was fear in her, the fear that had been there since they arrived and new fear of the creatures they were facing. But she and Warren were the only things standing in front of Illyana. This place had taken <i>so</i> much from her friend - they wouldn't get a chance to take anything else, not if Rahne had anything to do with it.

She jumped at the first one that came near and landed on it with her front paws. Her rough plan had been to land and bite but it <i>exploded</i> under the impact. Startled, she didn't see the second one and her yelp of pain was loud as it latched on to her back.

Warren's eyes widened in horror as he saw these strange bulbous characters start to come towards them. He was even more disgusted when he saw it explode on Rahne, but there was no real time to think. Divide and conquer, protect Illyana, go home. Simple, simple. Right?

Putting his entire strength into it, the first one he literally obliterated, which startled him. Testing it slightly, the next few he used less and less of his strength, noting that they still died, and still exploded, but he was less tired. Finally, he just kicked one out of the way, and when it inevitably died, he gave his first smile. "Rahne," he called out over the noise. "They barely have any substance. You could probably sneeze on them and they'll die. So just ...keep moving. Kick, scratch, whatever, just keep them away."

In her panic at having a small, biting thing on her back, the only reason Rahne heard Warren was thanks to her enhanced senses. Grunting, she tried to turn her head around to bite at it but the angle was wrong and her teeth landed on nothing. Snarling, she flopped over and rolled frantically - that did the trick. Shuddering at the feeling of it exploding under her, she got back to her feet.

The black ooze stuck to her fur even after she tried to shake it off but there were bigger issues at hand. Ignoring the ichor and blood, she launched forward towards the horde.

Swing, hit, splash. Swing, hit, splash. It was surprisingly easy to get into a rhythm and if it wasn't for the disgusting aftermath, he would actually be enjoying himself. As is, his hands were soon black and sticky, and there was a gnawing itch that was growing and growing. Stopping for a moment to try to rub the liquid off his hands, he was surprised to see the redness underneath. "This is not the exfoliating I wanted," he grumbled to himself, wondering if his beautiful body would survive or not. With a swift kick, he killed off another five of the creatures and tried to look around. This 'oasis' was lacking water, and he had to resign himself to the fact that he would not be able to clean this poison ooze off of him. Trying to ignore the itch, he continued forward.

Sitting on her heels, Illyana couldn't help but glance up from time to time. The little tendrils of light, running from the ground up through her wrists, slowed whenever she did so, her concentration split, and once or twice she almost lifted her hands to try to help, but the knowledge that there were worse things here kept her still, and lowered her gaze back down to the bed of dry leaves covering the ground. Hurry, she almost-thought, trying to breathe deeply. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but faster. She wasn't sure if she was talking to the garden, to Wanda, or just to herself, but her brows knit together and she forced herself to close her eyes and shut everything else out.

Behind Illyana, Rahne suddenly hacked and spat as much as she could - her main weapon, her teeth, was not good in this fight. There was simply not enough mouthwash in the world to get that weird, greasy flavor out of her mouth. So she busied herself by leaping on them like some sort of whack-a-demon and ignored the stuff clinging to her fur.

At first, Warren was somewhat enjoying himself. After several minutes of the same damn thing, he was getting bored. After another few minutes, he realized that one misstep, and he would be easily overrun by this horrible creatures. Peeking behind him, he gave an inward sigh as he perceived no great different in Illyana's stance. Mind you, he had no real idea what he would even be looking for, but he was sure he wasn't seeing anything and that was frustrating. Taking his attention off these little acid pimples was a mistake though -- within a second of turning his face back to the action, he felt a burning on his cheek.

Without intending to, he let out a high-pitched shriek and batted it away. In a panic, he reached down to his shirt and ripped it, trying his best to clean off the goop and poison and whatever else before it left a mark (or worse -- a SCAR) on his perfect face. This was honestly the worst trip ever.

Rahne was comfortably naive about a lot of things in the world but she wasn't blind. The sight of a shirtless Warren flailing about arrested her attention for a moment or, well, several. Had she been in her human form, there would have been a lot of blushing but probably just as much staring. Unfortunately for her, the creatures took advantage and she yelped as a small horde jumped on her. In an instant, she was completely covered.

The sudden yipe caught Warren's attention. He may not like the little wolfgirl, but he didn't think she deserved to be covered in disgusting creatures either. Swinging his rolling pin around -- the satisfying pops informing him of when he made contact -- he came up to her and brushed the creatures off, first with just the pin, and then with both hands as he realized how overwhelmed her little body was.

He tried really hard not to gag as his hands touched the creatures, and he wished that he had more than two hands, just to keep up with the onslaught. Illyana better hurry, he thought, glancing around. There seemed to be no end in sight as these things just kept spawning and spawning.

Finally, Warren batted the one wrapped around Rahne's head and muzzle, and she could see, hear and breath again. Though it was going to take a lot of showers for her to ever be able to smell anything other than rancid demon. She scrambled to her feet as he knocked the little creature away, making it explode, because there was another horde coming straight for Warren's back.

Snarling, she jumped past him, jaws open to close on the nearest one except it dropped straight to the ground. The sudden change caused her to stumble and nearly faceplant herself. Righting herself, she realized that all of the creatures had suddenly just - stopped. They lay in large piles scattered around them.

A noise caught her attention and she turned to look in the direction where Miles and the others were. The others were slowly coming to a stop and she could see they were breathing hard but what she could also see was that the big thing they had been fighting was absolutely not getting back up any time soon.

She gave a bark and sat with a thud. Maybe they could actually go home soon.

~*~

Miles, Topaz, Gabriel, and Amadeus take on the final boss directly, and Topaz executes a last-ditch effort to save them.


Miles knew he shouldn't be humming the Final Fantasy X battle theme. It was awfully inappropriate. This confrontation could very well be life or death. But he had been stuck in caves and dungeons, fighting monsters and solving puzzles for three days now, and now the BBEG was here. It felt right.

This Carnage abomination roared its challenge again, the force of its bellow shaking loose some of the last few leaves on the trees. Its long arms quivered and transformed into slender blades that looked like they could cleanly cut through the tree trunks.

"Oh, so it's a Terminator, too," Miles lamented. He disappeared, his camo mode blending him into his surroundings, and dashed forward. Only incredible reflexes saved him from being skewered as Carnage swiped out with both sword-arms, and Miles reappeared several feet to Carnage's left. His ragged t-shirt was nearly sliced in half.

"Jesus Christ!" Gabriel darted to what he assumed was the right side of the creature, to the extent he was able to discern where the thing's right side was. "Hand-to-hand's clearly not going to cut it." Which was frustrating, given the advantage his agility might have given him, had this thing not apparently also had insane reflexes. A tentacle of sorts lashed toward him; Gabriel's powers kicked in just in time for him to relocate a few feet away. "Do we flank it, or what?"

A quick, messy shield went up in front of Topaz that was almost immediately taken out when the extended blade hit it. Better the shield than her head. "Flank it and step in," she called, raising her hands. It took a longer moment than she was happy with for a spark of fire to light in her hands, and it was accompanied by a twinge in her head. She was almost spent. She looked back at Illyana, grimacing. Sorry.. She pressed her hand to the ground, and a ring of fire wound around the group, enclosing them with the monster. "Might get a bit hot," she called unnecessarily. The creature howled as it tried to step away from the heat, only to step right into the flame behind it.

Amadeus slid in behind the creature, gritting his teeth at heat from the the wall of fire. He flipped the knife around in his hand, fingers moving clumsily as his body was running low on resources (ceffiene, sugar, enegry, lack of sleep, FOOD) and then-- as his mind to him where a jumble of cords at the base of the creature's neck told him was a pressure point--- hee stabbed.

Carnaged howled and bucked, slapping Amadeus away and flinging the knife free. Amadeus was able to turn his fall to a roll, and then he bit back a mild scream as he batted at his sleeve, having set part of it on fire.

Topaz's defensive perimeter was already starting to sputter out, giving Carnage the chance to regain its lost footing. Miles slipped into its range again, calling its attention to him so Amadeus could get back out. Carnage swiped again with its blade, and Miles dropped to the ground and kicked up. He was rewarded with a satisfying crack when his foot made contact with the monster's arm. But even if he had succeeded in breaking the thing's bones, it showed no care as it attacked again. Miles had to roll to the side to avoid becoming a pin cushion.

Gabriel took advantage of the distraction Miles had created to land a powers-aided swing of his axe on what he supposed was one of the beast's limbs. It connected and seemed to leave a kind of gash, and for a moment, as black fluid oozed out of the creature's body, Gabriel was triumphant — and a little relieved.

Then, what he assumed was the creature's blood rose up and took shape, little clones sprouting up. Gabriel's eyes widened as one pair of oversized eyes stared him down, followed by a second, and a third. They made a ghastly sound, baring their teeth as they circled him. "Fuck," he muttered as he tightened his grip on the axe, trying to ignore the speed at which his heart was now pounding. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." His satisfaction was gone, now, and terror began to overtake him.

The fire sputtered out as Topaz collapsed to her knees, trying to fight off the pounding headache. She was out. She was completely out. The thing shrieked when it noticed the weakened target, and Topaz didn't quite manage to get out of the way before the blade sliced her arm. She hit the ground hard and rolled out of range, struggling to pick herself up. She wasn't going to do anyone any good like this. The monster found her again, and Topaz made a split second decision, grabbing the first bit of emotions she could find close by and pulling, paying no mind to who it was. It didn't matter.

As soon the energy clicked, Topaz threw her hands out, and a stream of fire hit the creature head on. It shrieked again, this time in pain, stumbling back, and Topaz blew out a long breath, squeezing her eyes shut. Fuck.

Gabriel noticed his heartbeat slowing before anything else hit him. He couldn't feel each beat of his pulse; the cold sweat on his neck started to feel alien. As a fourth demon clone appeared, his breath had steadied, and he didn't think he was scared anymore. He looked at the creature coldly as it bared its teeth.

Everything was gone. His body felt tired, but he no longer felt exhausted. And he knew that, because he'd felt exhausted for years. At least since Clint died. Maybe longer. Something acute was missing. Or maybe he had an acute sense something was missing.

The world was sharper. As one thing blurred, another came into focus. His reflexes took over, and he tightened his grip on the axe. Using his powers, he struck one of the dupes with force, barely flinching as its body exploded around him. Then he turned his attention to the others.

One punch from Miles decapitated another of the dupes, its fallen head bursting like a water balloon when it hit the ground. The body lingered on its feet a moment longer before collapsing and melting back into ooze, which this time did not stir and rise up again. But Miles had no time to revel in his victory. His spider sense alerted him to avoid another dupe's attack, but it left him wide open to the prime Carnage who, looking a little crisp and unstable from Topaz's offensive, vented its frustration on Miles, wrapping its long clawed fingers around his neck and slamming his face into the hard ground, like a child frustrated with a toy. Miles cried out at the impact, but Carnage's grip was too strong to escape.

Amadeus, having recover his knife and finally put himself out, looked up just in time to see Miles go down. He swore in frustration, but was blocked by one of Carnage's dupes. He blew his sweaty, dirty hair out of his eyes and gave out what sounded like a war cry, and slammed the thing down into the ground, tip of the knife driving right into the very center of the creature's central nervous system. It exploded with a very wet, messy pop.

The luxury of stopping to recover wasn't one Topaz had. She pushed herself up, swaying a bit drunkenly, and moved in closer to help Miles. "Come on, come on, come on," she mumbled as she ran, trying summon up enough magic for fire. Her head violently protested every attempt. Topaz ignored it. A couple of tiny clones came at her, trying to stop her, and she summoned up a shield horizontally above them, bringing them down and squashing them. Okay, that would do, she thought, aiming the shield and sending it flying like a frisbee to cut the arm holding Miles down.

Carnage cried in pain, a shrill, hoarse shriek of anguish more akin to a fox in heat than a brawling demon. Amputation did not keep it out for long, though. Still howling its painful battle cry, its remaining arm elongated and curved, transforming into a massive scythe that would give the Grim Reaper a run for its money. It turned its attention to Topaz and swung.

Topaz disappeared before the creature was able to connect. She resurfaced a few yards away in Gabriel's arms. Fueled on survival instinct, he'd dropped the axe and swooped in to get her out of harm's way. As he set her down, he grunted from the weight. He barely looked at her, his expression cold, before turning his gaze to the monster that almost killed her.

Carnage's arm struck the ground, and the creature emitted some cross between a roar and a growl. Then the thing raised its scythe again.

If these moves were intended to be menacing, they failed, at least where Gabriel was concerned. Faintly aware of some lack of sensation, he took advantage of the seconds his powers afforded him to make some calculations. He darted back to where he'd been standing moments before to grab his weapon. Reappearing in real-time, he pivoted, making what he assumed was eye-contact with the creature. He waited a few seconds, standing still as Carnage adjusted its aim. As the scythe approached him, Gabriel sprung into action, using his powers to move to the side. As Carnage's arm moved toward the ground, Gabriel began hacking away at the limb. He flickered in and out, a blur of sorts as his powers intermittently activated. He was hardly fazed by this and just continued chopping.

Blood pouring from his nose, eyes nearly swollen shut from his injuries, Miles beat down the urge to stay where he was, and instead fought his way back to his feet. The pain wracking his body, not to mention Carnage's never-ending screech, muffled the incessant blaring of his spider-sense and paradoxically gave him the opportunity to think. Spotting his appropriated sword planted in the ground a few feet away, he dragged himself to it and pulled it out like he was the destined king of England.

Bracing himself, he yelled: "Gabo, move!" He could not be sure if the blur he saw was his friend following his order or just a hallucination, but he prayed for the former and put all the energy he had left into his legs and arms, charging forward and raising the massive weapon above his head. He brought it down on the monster, blowing up a huge cloud of dust when the blade struck the ground. When it cleared, he saw the two oozing, twitching halves of Carnage lying on the ground. Pulsating tendrils crawled up the blade like vines for a moment, and then dissolved. Miles leaned against the sword embedded in the ground again and let out a harsh laugh.

"Man, fuck you."

~*~

Carnage is not through with them yet, but all bosses have a hidden weakness to exploit.


The earth trembled. The fallen foliage and detritus, drained of their color and vitality by Illyana's ongoing ritual to empower herself with this garden's remnants of magic, scuttled across the ground to Carnage's bisected corpse. The body itself melted into the ground, staining it the dark red of oxidized blood. All was calm for a moment until the ground burst and a tumorous mess bloomed from the rift, congealing into what appeared to be Carnage's head, but giant, with massive tentacles writhing on the top like Medusa's hair.

"Oh." Miles looked up at the monstrosity and swallowed. "Why, though?"

Topaz couldn't even be surprised. Or slightly annoyed. She just looked up at the massive monster, tilting her head like a curious monster examining something. "Could we just.... I dunno." She waved a hand. "Let it eat us? Or at least me?"

"No." Gabriel's response came out almost curt and imperious. His face was hard; his demeanor almost stoic as he looked toward Topaz, staring at her perhaps a little too intensely. "Don't be ridiculous." It didn't sound annoyed; he sounded almost callous and unfeeling. "You still have some magic in you, I presume?"

Topaz looked back at him wearily. Ah. That was who she had hit. Better than Warren, she supposed. "I can dig some up." Despite her previous words, her voice was serious, if not exhausted. "I suppose we don't actually need to kill it. Just stay alive long enough for Illyana to get us the hell out of here."

"Oh no," Gabriel replied quickly, his tone cold as he looked back at the creature. "We should certainly kill it."

Part of Rahne heard the back and forth between Gabriel and Topaz but the rest of her didn't care. She stared up and up and up at the creature, a slight whimper in her throat. Running away seemed like a really good idea, if only because the entire group looked exhausted (except for Gabriel who just looked ... off) and this thing was too much. Too big. Too much of a monster.

Ears flat against her skull, she started to back away but even as she moved away from the creature, she knew that if they ran from this place, they'd never get home not. But she was so small in comparison to it and while her wolf form had been able to easily deal with the other creatures, it was no match for this. But...

Rahne dropped her head and sighed with the realization. As she looked back up again, decision made, she had already started to change. Her form grew quickly, both up and out, and bones, ligaments and everything else shifted in mere moments. Her snout grew and so did her limbs - but along with that came sharper, longer teeth and longer, more wicked claws. Snarling, she shook her body and stepped forward again, for the first time embracing the part of herself that she had feared for so long.

"Aye, we fight," she said thickly.

Briefly, if the others looked they would see Amadeus taking his much-abused bread knife and aiming it squarely at his solar plexus, frowning thoughtfully, then sighing and shaking his head.

"I died, right? I actually died and went to hell and y'all just forgot to tell me because you hate me," he muttered.

Warren fought back his initial response of "Yes." Instead, he gave the world's most infuriated sigh. A sigh filled with so many emotions, he actually felt this odd sense of peace . Why wouldn't this continue to happen? Why would anything make sense here? Standing up straighter, brushing off some of the residual sludge from the pimple creatures, he waited. Let's do this. Again. And however many times necessary.

Miles glanced over his shoulder at Illyana, still deep in her trance. No telling how much more time she needed, but he promised himself he would secure it for her. He drew his sword and held it protectively in front of him. "I cut you up once. I can do it again, cabron. Come on!" He took the lead and charged, raising the sword in time to deflect one of the head tentacles that came for him. He batted it away with the large flat end of the blade, using the momentum to spin in a circle and slice a gash through another one. The giant head screeched again, baring stalagmites and stalactites of teeth in its cavernous mouth.

Gabriel felt others around him shudder at the noise, but he stood, observing the creature for a second. "I think we can buy you some time," he said, turning to Topaz. "But we'll need something." A pause as he considered her. "If there's anything left, you can have it," he said, his voice devoid of almost all affect. He didn't bother to hide what she'd done. His empathy for any potential shame had been sucked out of him.

Then he turned toward the creature. "Rahne," he said, ignoring the tightness in his shoulders that came from wielding an axe on little fuel for however many days, "I'll try to hop around and get its attention. Maybe that'll get some of those tentacles out of the way so you can do some damage." He didn't wait for an answer; he just nodded and ran toward the beast.

Taking a deep breath, Rahne surged forward. She ran in a long, lopping run - still on on all fours but with the elongated limbs, she moved faster and covered far more ground than she would have in either of her other forms. A tentacle lashed out at her though it slammed into the ground where she was as she lept up and over it. Turning as she landed, she raked her claws along the underside of it. The skin was tough but not tough enough as she cut deep.

"Right," Topaz muttered, falling back and preparing herself. Tomorrow was going to suck. If they lived to see it. There was some ambient magic in the area - she wasn't Amanda, she didn't draw from places, but it gave her a little strength, at least. She needed energy. She needed emotions. She'd already done enough damage. A small twinge of guilt pulled at her mind, and she felt a spark between her fingers. That was good. She had something left. She dug deep, trying to find something, anything that would spark enough of a negative emotion for her to get a flame going. Her mind settled, of course, on Taboo. She took a deep breath, the heat gathering in her hands, and flame spread out in long, fiery ropes, wrapping around the creature and forming something of a net. It screamed and flailed, tentacles moving wildly, and Topaz winced, kneeling down to try and soften her inevitable collapse.

"If anyone has an idea for killing it, now would be a great time to break that out!" She called, her voice tight. "I'm not going to be able to hold this for long!"

The fire burned into Carnage's flesh, which steamed and bubbled like a simmering sauce. An really gross visual, but damn, it reminded Miles how hungry he was after three days of almost no food. Better to think about meals he had missed than his impending doom, though.

Dropping his sword, he dove through the uncontrollably swinging tentacles and pressed his hands against Carnage's gooey head, avoiding Topaz's rope trap. Normally, just a little tap would zap his targets into submission. This was not normal, and Gabriel and Rahne needed all the help they could get while taking this thing head on. He poured every amp he could generate through his hands into the monster. It shuddered and seized, its limbs freezing in place . . . except for its tongue, long and massive and tapered, that struck him like a baseball bat and flung him clear across the garden, where he smashed into the dying oak tree.

The amperature caused a high-pitched frequency that made the creature shudder... along with the writhing from the fire...

Amadeus's exhausted brain made a connection, and he rallied all of his remaining strength. "Fire!" he yelled. "It hates fire and high-pitched noises! I think that's what's going to kill it!" He grabbed one of the remaining branches, set it alight, and then drove the burning stake into the Carnage-creature, which screamed in response.

Gabriel, who'd been darting around, appearing and disappearing in the hopes of grabbing the monster's attention, resurfaced in real-time next to one of the creature's tentacles. Even without emotions, he knew he was exhausted. His muscles ached, but he tried to put his full force into his arms as he lifted the axe over his head and hacked at the beast's tentacles. Fire and sound weren't things he could help with.

So, instead he provided brute force, swinging at the creature's bubbling body, withdrawing, and immediately relocating elsewhere. It was a remarkably efficient system. Strike, remove, repeat. He only wished he found the actions more satisfying.

Stepping a bit closer to Illyana, he reminded himself that this annoying little thing was the only way he was getting home. If she fell, he was stuck there forever in the same outfit, with no access to hygiene supplies or new socks or a chemical peel to fix his horrible skin. That was completely unacceptable. Brandishing his now well-used rolling pin (and he would never skimp on the marble again. If it'd been wooden, it would've broken ages ago), he watched as Gabriel got right in the middle of it. Warren knew that he could attack from above though, but that would leave Illyana alone. With a sigh, he turned towards her. "Will you die if I jump in?"

Illyana could barely hear him; light was beginning to bleed off her, shimmering like heatwaves and dissipating into the darkness. "Just a second," she said, digging her fingers into the ground in front of her. Glowing tendrils climbed her arms, almost like vines, wrapping around her wrists. "I just need . . . "

The only reason Rahne hadn't been knocked flying by angry tentacles was luck and very fast reflexes. She was a blur of fur and jagged teeth underneath the monster as it flailed ... but she was growing tired. It would have been exhausting fighting a giant tentacle monster from hell even if they hadn't been stuck in Limbo for days. But they had and she was starting to flag. Snapping her teeth, she bit off a smaller tentacle before leaping back for a second to catch her breath.

As she moved away, the creature screamed at her, a piercing noise that hurt the ears of those even without enhanced hearing. Rahne was brought to her knees, hands clasped tightly over her years. It hurt so much it actually felt like all of her senses were on fire.

Throwing her head back, she let out a howl of pain that rivaled the screams of the creature. And it shrank away from her in shock.

"I could do this all day," Miles proclaimed, spitting out some blood and leaning against the tree for support. "I'll give you some more of this, motherf . . ."

The sound was like water hitting a hot pan, a hiss releasing heat, but so loud it drowned everything else out; the Soulsword wrenched upward through the mutated monster, flaring brilliant white, and cut across again before Carnage could even react.

In the silence, a gust of wind howled, and with a curious creak the garden began to disintegrate. When the wind settled again a moment later, pieces of dust - or maybe ash - floated around them, backlit by the Soulsword until the small blonde girl came back to herself with a start and let it slip back to where it came from. Even then, a faint light still bled from her fingers and eyes, the outline of her hands. "Is everyone here?" she asked finally, looking at Miles. She wasn't quite able to say, Is anyone dead.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so." Miles counted everyone still standing around the smoking pile that was Carnage. He dragged himself to rejoin the group, grunting as he lifted his sword that suddenly felt ten times heavier. "Are you . . . everything good?"

"I think so," she said. "Come on, come in close. I don't want to have to come back for anyone." She couldn't help a last look around, just while everyone positioned themselves; her eyes were dry, but they lingered on the last thing left in what had once been a garden - the cross she had made with numb, bleeding fingers, to mark Wanda's grave. "Sorry," she said, not to anyone there, and light flared steadily beneath their feet.

When their eyes adjusted, they were in the mansion's kitchen, and Illyana caught herself on a clean, cool marble counter before her knees could buckle.

Miles's first thought upon reappearing exactly where they had been just a couple days before was a blessing to air conditioning. They were gone from the extreme otherworldly climate, back to mid-spring in New York. He almost laughed, he was so relieved. "Illyana, you did it!"

“Yep.” Gabriel didn’t sound particularly congratulatory. Or pleased. Or anything. It was clear that whatever had affected him in Limbo wasn’t a condition of his being there. “We’re back.” An obvious observation, but the only one he was capable of. In the midst of an emotional void, he still felt the physical fatigue that came from using his powers. He felt as if he’d gone a week without sleeping.

“Good job everyone,” he said without much conviction. Then he rather summarily left the room without so much as a word.

Topaz had made no attempt at grace or dignity - she had collapsed as soon as her feet had touched the floor, staring dazedly at the ceiling, her head feeling like sharp knives were being driven through her skull. She lifted her head slightly to watch Gabriel go, and sighed faintly. She'd talk to him when the emotions were back. No point before that. For now....

"Is this a good place to leave me to die?" she groaned, gently dropping her head back to the kitchen floor.

Amadeus opened the refrigerator, heedless of the grime and gore he was currently encrusted with, popped open the nearest take-out container and began shoving cold noodles in his mouth.

"Well, that sucked," he said, mouth full.

Unlike Amadeus, Rahne could not ignore the filth clinging to her fur. It felt like every inch was covered in black slime. “Shower,” she growled, turning towards the door. Shower, then food, then sleep. Then a good old fashioned freak out.

Warren felt oddly detached. They'd left and come back and he had no idea what day it was or how many people cried over his apparent death/disappearance. It better have been a buttload.

"I want it to be known that I still dislike all of you with the exception of Miles." Stalking out of the kitchen, he already had the world's longest shower in mind.

Illyana stayed where she was for what felt like a long time, fighting nausea and something deeper that she didn't have a name for - something that made the mansion itself feel unreal, like it was the impossible place, rather than the real world. She'd done it - they were home, and nobody had died - but, just like last time, it felt like a stay of execution, not a victory. That last sorry lingered, and she finally shook her head. "Let me know if any of you turn into anything gross," she said finally, and left, unsteadily.