025. "I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS CONSPIRACY AGAINST ME!"

[Corwin]

[20:03] <Kotono> Morning. There's nothing too remarkable about it on first glance. The cafeteria is full of people eating and talking. The general din of dozens of conversations mixing in the air joins the occasional clatter of silerware on plates and duels with the smells of freshly magiced up foods. Willim, Ithea, Afina and Jaela are all enjoying an unremarkable breakfast. That is naturally when Elena appears, "Ithea! Jaela! Everyone!"
[20:04] <Jaela> "Hey," Jaela greets Elena. "Did you ever think about trying to cook?"
[20:05] * Willim glances at Elena briefly before going back to his meal.
[20:05] <Ithea> "Morning, Elena," Ithea greets before returning her focus to the food until Elena says something important.
[20:05] * Afina likewise waits attentively for the news.
[20:05] <Kotono> "Outside!" She splurts and blurts out, "Baleruk! Big metal creatures! Lots of them!" Taking a breath, "They just appeared outside and swarmed around Baleruk!"
[20:06] <Afina> "Inside the courtyard?" Afina blurts out herself, shooting up and zipping towards the nearest portal, drawing her blade as she goes!
[20:06] <Kotono> "No, outside, where he flies around Aurora," Elena calls, as Afina dashes off.
[20:07] <Jaela> They're under attack! Jaela gives chase!
[20:09] * Willim snags one last piece of meat as he heads outside, hopefully for a good fight!
[20:14] * Ithea abandons her food as she follows after the others.
[20:14] <Kotono> Racing outside with all haste, the party is able to see above as they reach the courtyard. Outside of Aurora's bubble you see dozens of them. Dozens of metal men, surrounding Baleruk. Around them are dozens of air elementals and Drena, a stand off!  Eye to eye with Drena is a humanoid creature of gold, silver and platinum. It is as large as Drena, body gears and swirling spheres of stars, a sun
[20:14] <Kotono> and planets. Its eyes burn with constantly exploding and expanding light. As you come out, "-NOT ACCEPT THIS!" Baleruk roars, loud enough to rattle the foundations of Aurora.
[20:14] <Afina> With Jaela and the others right behind her, Afina exercises swiftness as is customary and dimension doors the four of them to the confrontation!
[20:15] <Jaela> "Not a fight after all?" Jaela mutters, but that doesn't stop her from flying up to Drena's side once Afina deposits them in the thick of things. "What's going on?" she demands loudly.
[20:17] <Kotono> As the four appear via Afina's magic, the creature of gears and orbs turns its head towards Jaela. The whirl of turning metal and gears is heard, "I am Varakhut 19. The dragon Baleruk is to be taken for crimes against the natural order."
[20:17] <Jaela> "Unacceptable. Under whose fucking authority?"
[20:17] <Afina> "Denied," Afina retorts flatly. "On what authority does a metal contraption pretend to speak for the natural order?"
[20:18] <Kotono> "You DARE?!" Baleruk roars, "I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS CONSPIRACY AGAINST ME!"
[20:19] * Ithea watches from the courtyard, observing and listening in while the others fly up closer to the problem.
[20:19] <Kotono> "Under the authority of the natural laws of Creation and The Primus," The Varakhut's voice is passionless, emotionless. "Resistance is futile and unacceptable. Surrender and accept your day of judgment."
[20:20] <Jaela> "Baleruk's condition is the will of the slaad lord Renbuu," Jaela notes casually, eyeing the mechanical thing. "Even Bahamut and Tiamat thought better than picking a fight against him. If you value your order so much, are you going to drag him into a fight that'll mess up the planes?"
[20:22] <Afina> "It's Bahamut and Tiamat that sent these things here," Afina interjects scornfully. "All the more obstacles to throw in our way and weaken us for their revenge. Is Primus a pawn in the scheme of dragons?" she chooses to fix on that since arguing over their utter lack of authority for the natural order would fall on deaf ears and she lacks the needed pull with the Seelie to properly put them in
[20:22] <Afina> their place.
[20:23] <Kotono> "Renbuu is irrelevant. Your concerns are irrelevant. Bahamut and Tiamat are irrelevant. Surrender." Valakhut repeats.
[20:23] <Kotono> Drena merely stares, tense and ready to act on a moment's notice.
[20:23] <Afina> "We will not surrender one of our own to your dubious laws. Withdraw or suffer the consequences," Afina warns.
[20:23] <Jaela> "Your gold, silver and platinum will pay for fresh swords to our soldiers if you don't get the fuck back home like a good little servant. I'll count to three," Jaela adds, making the threat explicit.
[20:24] * Willim pops his knuckles.
[20:26] <Kotono> "You're outnumbered, flatly," Drena finally speaks, "All your men of iron are nothing to a dragon, and this is only the first tip of our forces.  Is inevitable failure irrelevant?"
[20:28] <Jaela> "One. If you do bolt, make sure not to come back until there's enough of you to matter."
[20:37] <Kotono> "So be it." The whirling of gears sounds loud, "You spread chaos in defiance of reason and sense." Slowly the metal men blink and vanish away, "You have resisted arrest. You shall reap the consequences." The Valakhut vanishes last, gone with those words.
[20:38] <Afina> With them all gone, Afina turns and gives Baleruk a look. "You are a very troublesome dragon, do you know that?"
[20:38] <Jaela> "It's annoying that even their minions can all plane shift," Jaela mutters, judging the matter closed and floating back down to the courtyard.
[20:39] <Kotono> Drena exhales, a deep, literally windy sigh. Meanwhile Baleruk roars, "Run cowards!" Thereafter he turns his gaze at Afina, utterly unamused. "I am not any trouble. These pathetic FOOLS THAT WOULD OPPOSE MY GROWING MAJESTY ARE!"
[20:39] <Kotono> "Jaela, a moment," Drena calls after, flying down after her.
[20:39] <Jaela> "Hmm?" She does pause obligingly.
[20:40] * Willim looks disappointed and heads back to his meal.
[20:40] <Ithea> "Well, as long as you're ready to fry them when they come back with reinforcements," Ithea comments to the dragon.
[20:40] <Afina> "It seems there are more such fools every day, instead of less as sense would dictate," the fairy responds, reaching up to steady her hat which almost blew off at all his roaring. "No matter. We'll protect you regardless."
[20:41] <Kotono> "Advice from someone who's seen Inevitable diplomacy before: Don't use slaads to justify or defend anything to them."
[20:41] * Jaela shrugs. "I was just hoping he'd go and bother Renbuu instead."