The Hearts of Men (1x1 with Eternal Chronicler)

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Isobel*********************************
*************************Mierien

The age of men is over,
And the hour of Hell is at hand.

Isobel shrugged and looked to Calypso who herself was torn between grief, anger, and helplessness. "Seems fine by me. I wonder though, how will the goddess fare with losing her daughter?" Isobel asked with a chuckle. "What was the saying? Something of the host must survive?" She walked forward leisurely a few steps before stopping. "You see, this is but a body. You should be happy I prefer the forms of others, otherwise you might get bored,"

Isobel vanished and appeared behind Ilyia, a wave of disruptive energy erupting from her before she vanished again, this time behind Mr. Porter as he struggled to stand. She watched with a corrupt smile.

Hell itself shall claim back the realms
[OutrageousObliviousCats:---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_Ilyia Nerian_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_

I may be the hand of Mystriel...

I may be her instrument of justice.

I realize I am forever her servant.

I will still stand for what I believe.

If there are those who will oppose her,

They must stand against me.

I will not give in.

Ilyia lurched forward slightly and closed her fist, but upon sweeping it out again an arcing ray shot out at every inch, angling about to the heads of each phantasmal assailant threatening the crew. With a sudden spin Ilyia's blade seemed to enlarge and lash out between Isobel and Mr. Porter such to provoke her to get away. She turned to Jack for a moment.
"Jack, get them to safety if you can," she said quickly, "they needn't be harmed."
A sudden realization struck her however, and her eyes involuntarily wandered to Calypso with a silent worry.
"You had another...?"

Order Of Chaos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Isobel*********************************
*************************Mierien

The age of men is over,
And the hour of Hell is at hand.

The specters turned as one and vanished, along with the crew. Isobel smiled with satisfaction and laughed coldly. She herself vanished, only to reappear a few feet from where she had been standing.

Calypso's eyes were downcast, and her person shook slightly, a visible tremble. "Yes, not...not by choice," She said quietly.

"Oh please mother-"

"Don't call me that," Calypso hissed, cutting Isobel's statement short, her eyes igniting with anger, her body becoming rigid. Isobel laughed.

"Very well. I propose a challenge, a game if you will. Defeat me, and you will receive the crew back. Lose, and surrender Jack Cortez to me," She said, watching Jack's eyes harden. "Do not think I did not forget what you have done to me dear," She said with a scowl.

Hell itself shall claim back the realms
[OutrageousObliviousCats:---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_Ilyia Nerian_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_

I may be the hand of Mystriel...

I may be her instrument of justice.

I realize I am forever her servant.

I will still stand for what I believe.

If there are those who will oppose her,

They must stand against me.

I will not give in.

Ilyia's face hardened, and she lowered her blade slightly. It seemed to her as though Calypso's relation to this creature was not of its own accord, and with a quick look to Erathis and an indicative movement of her head towards Jack and the cabin, she turned her full attention back to Isobel.
"I accept your challenge, then." She said firmly.
With the closing again of her hand, a silver glow appeared about the Divine Creation and the cackling about her body slowed to a halt.
"Come on," she said casually, "let's see your mettle."

Order Of Chaos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Isobel*********************************
*************************Mierien

The age of men is over,
And the hour of Hell is at hand.

Isobel giggled, childishly. Jack disappeared into the cabin, trembling with rage. Choatic energy massed around her before dispelling into a shockwave, rippling through the air as a clear wave, bouncing off the deck and reflecting into black sparks that scattered while the main mass traveled on to Ilyia. Isobel herself tilted her head, darkness swirling around her feet lazily.

Hell itself shall claim back the realms
[OutrageousObliviousCats:---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_Ilyia Nerian_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_

I may be the hand of Mystriel...

I may be her instrument of justice.

I realize I am forever her servant.

I will still stand for what I believe.

If there are those who will oppose her,

They must stand against me.

I will not give in.

Ilyia remained motionless as a barrier of silver light wove about her, the sound of metal on metal erupting at each connection as the defensive held intact from the assault. The Creation lowered her arm and appeared to split into seven illusory images of herself, each growing in distance from the central point either way of two opposing linear paths from her original standpoint. After a moment in which all seven stood lined up, they each smiled faintly.
"Is that all you've got?"
Suddenly they all raised their blade-arms, but only the second forward of the original swung, and they each vanished as the blade grew extensively in length as Ilyia pulled back on her strike. A brief flash of light followed her blade forward to strike out in its wake however.

Order Of Chaos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Isobel*********************************
*************************Mierien

The age of men is over,
And the hour of Hell is at hand.

Isobel dispersed into black energy, easily disrupted by the light. She reformed behind Ilyia with a smile, slashing out with her steel claws at the woman's neck, black trails following the move as if she was ripping a hole in the material world. She spun away as she completed the move and moved into a low crouch, her left leg extended, her claws touching the deck. She tilted her head and furrowed her brow as she felt a heartbeat from below. Widening her smile, she drummed her fingers on the wood.

Hell itself shall claim back the realms
[OutrageousObliviousCats:---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_Ilyia Nerian_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_

I may be the hand of Mystriel...

I may be her instrument of justice.

I realize I am forever her servant.

I will still stand for what I believe.

If there are those who will oppose her,

They must stand against me.

I will not give in.

Ilyia somersaulted forward at seeing Isobel's frame vanish in her strike of light, and with a small smile she leaned back in her landing onto one leg and dropped her blade, which as it fell lost the vast majority of its length to merely a dagger, but she held both hands out to her sides and smiled as a double-layered barrier formed about her.
"Getteyenas..." she whispered.
The word however, seemed to echo in an ambiance across the winds, and as if commanded a small light appeared in the skies overhead. The Creation closed her eyes.

Order Of Chaos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Isobel*********************************
*************************Mierien

The age of men is over,
And the hour of Hell is at hand.

"As unfavorable as the wretched sun may be, a little light is not going to threaten me," Isobel laughed. A cloak of darkness covered her before it slid away, duplicating herself for a moment. This second form drifted below deck before Isobel stood up, her steel claws sliding off each other in a metallic ring, shedding screw-like things of darkness. These sprang up and as if ravenous leeches, speed towards Ilyia, attacking her barrier, swarming around it.

Hell itself shall claim back the realms
[OutrageousObliviousCats:---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_Ilyia Nerian_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_

I may be the hand of Mystriel...

I may be her instrument of justice.

I realize I am forever her servant.

I will still stand for what I believe.

If there are those who will oppose her,

They must stand against me.

I will not give in.

Ilyia did not even appear to have heard Isobel's words, and instead focused on the workings of her magic, though she did appear slightly strained as the outer barrier began to fade against the onslaught of darkness against it.
"...Tsedos..."
The light overhead split into a dozen identical manifestations in the sky and to each a beam of silver shot down into the waters about the boat. They each quickly began to rotate about the vessel, half one way and the other half opposing it, to create an impassible obstacle as another light shone brighter directly overhead.

Order Of Chaos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Isobel*********************************
*************************Mierien

The age of men is over,
And the hour of Hell is at hand.

Isobel's eyes squinted against the light and her anger steadily rose. She let off a hoarse laugh and outstretched her hands, two rays of darkness headed directly towards Ilyia, accompanied by a glare that was just as deadly as the darkness, while the screw-like things accelerated speed vainly. "I do not lose," Isobel muttered under her breath angrily, concentration peaking.

Hell itself shall claim back the realms
[OutrageousObliviousCats:---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_Ilyia Nerian_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_

I may be the hand of Mystriel...

I may be her instrument of justice.

I realize I am forever her servant.

I will still stand for what I believe.

If there are those who will oppose her,

They must stand against me.

I will not give in.

"...Ocenora!"
Ilyia quickly raised one hand, to which both her outer barrier faded and the lights surrounding the ship melded into a wall, and while her second defensive fell quickly to the repeated offensive, so too did her raised hand, and the seamless blast of Light down upon the combatants. The brief sound of electricity blasting out about Ilyia's body amid the light accompanied her brief cry of pain as in fact her second barrier had not done so well as she had hoped, and she quickly crouched down to retrieve her blade and give it its length again, but she remained low for the time being while the light continued its assault for several seconds, then faded entirely.

Order Of Chaos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Isobel*********************************
*************************Mierien

The age of men is over,
And the hour of Hell is at hand.

When the light faded, the girl's body was laying on the deck, but whether or not she was still possessed was yet to be seen. Below deck, the black version of Isobel flickered before fading into the prisoner still in the brig, his eyes tightly shut. He too faded away, his eyes gleaming scarlet for a moment as he opened them before he disappeared.

Outside, the sky brightened to normal and the girl's chest heaved painfully, blood seeping from beneath her clothes, but she did not open her eyes. Calypso ran across the deck and folded the girl into her arms, pain in her eyes as she attempted to heal the girl. As result of her turmoiling emotions, she could hardly control herself to control the waters around them, the shakiness of her connection with the sea causing a difficult time for her. The crew then appeared, confused, a few sporting bewildered faces as they looked around.

Hell itself shall claim back the realms
[OutrageousObliviousCats:---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_Ilyia Nerian_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_

I may be the hand of Mystriel...

I may be her instrument of justice.

I realize I am forever her servant.

I will still stand for what I believe.

If there are those who will oppose her,

They must stand against me.

I will not give in.

Ilyia crashed down to a knee and found herself immensely troubled for breathing, the cackling energies about her nearly blocking view of the Creation entirely at its worst moments, but she caught her breath and slowly rose to her feet. Looking over to Calypso and the girl she realized that not only had her incantation worked, but she had somehow managed to save the body as well. At least she hoped as much. Replacing the dagger at her side and clutching her right arm she slowly made her way over to the goddess and fell to her knees, only barely relieved of the blinding flashes across her vision.
"Will she make it?" she asked between breaths.

Order Of Chaos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

"I don't know," Calypso said quietly as she finally managed to patch over the wound with ice. It was as if the girl had a mask slipped off her, the corruption of the demon uncontorting her features, leaving her an innocent and beautiful look. Her skin grew darker, matching a shade a few shades lighter than Calypso's, the sun caressing her skin. A tear slipped from the goddess' eye and she wiped it away hastily. "Her spirit is weak, and her body broken," She said after a moment before falling silent for a great many more moments. "Thank you," She said shakily, looking to Ilyia with gratitude in her eyes, before that melted away to concern. "Are you alright?"

Jack stepped out of the cabin again, looking around at his crew, his gaze falling icily onto the girl's body. He avoided Calypso as he crossed the deck, and talked to Mr. Porter, helping the poor man up