Firewalk (Jaela)

[Anastasia]

The frown on the woman's face grows as she sniffs the air. "I smell celestial," she growls, "Done exploring all the warm bodies in the Inner Planes?"

Canderella scoffs, tossing her hair and glaring at Jaela. She makes a gesture, a slash across her throat. "Magama," she says slowly, "I summoned you for a task, one you will be compensated well for. All it takes is a trip to the Positive Energy Plane, which I know you can manage safely."

"Oh, you know?" Magama tilts her head to the side, eyes still closed. "Ten thousand gold coins, succubus. Nothing less."

[Corwin]

If these are her friends, Jaela wonders about Canderella's enemies. Still, she apparently wants to handle it herself so there's no need to intervene.

[Anastasia]

"Done," Canderella says, "You'll get your payment from Tepen, tell him I'll reimburse Aurora once we get back." Now she turns to Jaela, "Jaela, what's the message?"

[Corwin]

"Take a look at the magic on all three of us, Magama," Jaela requests. "I need you to tell Tepen that Lixer, that pale-faced motherfucker, somehow mixed it in the Crypt's explosion. Tell him that Mei went first, then Adrian and Hanna, then us. And if Mirajane isn't there with Moonlight and Mirima, it likely happened to them as well, even though I sent them ahead." She pauses briefly in thought. "Took us about two minutes to break Lixer's shit and kill two of his Nessians. He did send lots of ghosts out into Vacuum for some reason."

Jaela shrugs. "Anyway, I tried to break this stupid curse myself but it didn't go well. I think I'm close, though, so if he doesn't have a better idea I'll try the same tomorrow. And we haven't received any Sendings or the sort, so if he's been trying to get in touch this stuff must be getting in the way."

She glances over at Canderella. "Tell Magama what you saw on your end of how the vortex started? I think that'd be it, aside from telling Tepen exactly where we are." She tilts her head. "You'll bring us his answer, right?"

[Anastasia]

"We were fighting Necrolytes - Lixer's cornugon necromancers - and a pit fiend in a cathedral of Asmodeus. We were winning until the prick of a pit fiend had the Necrolytes kill themselves to power a spell. It created a vortex that soon expanded to fill the cathedral and then the entire crypt." Canderella says.

"Done," Magama replies shortly, "He will be told. Is there anything else?"

[Corwin]

"I think we're good. If you ever feel like traveling across the planes in the best demiplane in existence and beating up asshole devils, look us up?"

[Anastasia]

"Hmph." Like that, Magama is gone with a clap of thunder and flash of lightning.

Canderella takes a seat after, "She's a bitch, but she knows how to get things done with the tools she has. She's so arrogant that she hasn't changed a lick in a thousand years."

"Yes. The wisest thing to do seemed to be slient," Vivantha admits, "But ten thousand gold for a safe task? She gouged you."

[Corwin]

"It's about how much the guaranteed completion of the task is worth to us, than how risky it is for her," Jaela muses. "She's not running a charity. So long she does this right, we're good."

[Anastasia]

"Yes, that. It wasn't worth fighting with her and her choosing to resist," Canderella said, "She knew I needed her help and wouldn't say no, unless she went to absurd lengths. Besides, it's how the game works. You get called and you make as much as you care to off of it. Maybe it's gold, maybe it's deeds, maybe it's something else." She then leans back onto her elbows, lying back with her wings wrapped around her body. "I made a lot of money through planar ally spells. Either of you ever have the pleasure?"

Vivantha sits down as well, "I can't say as I have," she admits, "Not to extent."

[Corwin]

"I'm just a half. Three quarters, now, maybe. I doubt I could even be called up like this, but I definitely couldn't as a teen on Lifasa before everything went to shit," Jaela says, storing her armor away and resting on one of the beds. Canderella has the right idea, as far as she's concerned. "Want to try it later?"

[Anastasia]

"It can be done, but spirits like us usually need a specially developed spell," Canderella says. "It's even possible to summon a deity, or so I've heard. Mirima mentioned something about Kossuth in a place you visited?"

Vivantha curls up, her own wings around her. She rests against the side of a bed, her eyes closed. "Really? What happened?"

[Corwin]

"Kossuth and his dudes are pretty hardcore. Like, training for them is being flayed alive by lava, except unlike with devils they volunteer for that shit. I did run across this guy from Lifasa who served Kossuth, but he was a giant pussy and didn't feel like leaving his safe place in Kossuth's realm." Jaela snorts. "I guess it takes all kinds."

[Anastasia]

"That doesn't sound like them," Canderella says, "But maybe it does." She twirls a bit of her hair and considers a time, "We have to capture Lixer." She just says it casually, "I don't think any less of a bargaining chip will do."

Vivantha glances over and smles - a sad, small thing. "I think so, too. That's the only way to free them, isn't it?"

"That or force them off Lifasa without a final crusade." The succubus looks away at nothing at all, "But I think it's the only way to save them, while we can force the devils off Lifasa through strength of arms."

[Corwin]

"I don't think it's happening so long as we can't even casually break Lixer's spells," Jaela muses. "But hey, maybe we're really close to that?"

[Anastasia]

"Maybe." Canderella murmurs, "But I fear we won't ever get the chance. It's a rather vexing problem, for if we're strong enough to attack Nessus and capture him, we're strong enough to destroy him outright."