Katerina was shocked at the dispy of the host, such a wanton ck of self-preservation could only be seen in materials, yet it is of no doubt that it strengthened her greatly in bat. What's even more surprising is that the host wasn't lying when she offered an alliance. Even now, Katerina's presence seeps through the nervous system of the host, aided by her blood. She doesn't try to pull trol from the nerves, instead merely supports them while being merged. The host has dispyed excellent skills that do not need improvement, o attempt to wrestle for trol. Although by the end of it she did require some... 'aid' to remain standing. Katerina did her best to attend to the internals of the wounded host, while the shoggoth atteo her externals.
Cathy had to ask Sofia to carry Esstrey for a while, who only mao point a fi the sgged avatar of Belluzoar. Cathy deducted that Esstrey wahe glorified tainer of god-blood for some reason, and brought it along while tending to Esstrey to the best of her ability. Using a generous amount of healing potions, she mao piece Esstrey together somewhat, but the blowback from the potion-based heali her incapacitated on Sofia for a while longer. She would stand by Esstrey's side until the end of time if need be, interdimensionals should stick together.
As Sofia held the surprisingly light Esstrey in a bed of metal, she found herself w what was actually going on in her mind. She was somehow given a memory tempte of her by her, something whially requires someone's brai Esstrey doesn't look too lobotomized. What was somewhat surprising was the choiake Sofia a metal slime, something which is paying dividends now, but clearly had cost a lot since Sofia could only reveal her true form onough metal of good quality was gathered. The shoggoth was kind enough to assist in this, it seems that with the both of them being slime-like beings she could uand some of Sofia's hardships. Not to mention that Cathy is really helpful when she wants to be.
For Esstrey this was a plete victory, albeit a close-cut one. Now she drags along the corpse of the proxy of the pretender god, a mouthful if she ever had some of those. She left behind orders with the captain that the spearhead of the operation was destroyed, and he was to do his best to use this information to dey the main army for as long as possible. Once he would no longer be able to dey them, he was to be recalled baalencia for an 'emergency situation'. Something that would no doubt politically hurt the duchess, but dell has been of great help so far, it wouldn't do for him to get caught in the crossfire.
In front of Esstrey is a monastery, one crawling with demons. The demo Esstrey aloer the battle with the Hero's party, having been informed by their leader of her arrival. Esstrey opens the massive door, and is greeted by the sight of demons hard at work. Kly'zar sits at the le, having drawn aremely intricate and ever-growing portal. Every few seds, the portal spits out another demon.
"I see you made it here safely, and with tribute no less. The carcass of a God-finger will be of great use." Kly'zar doesn't waste any time, aures for Esstrey to get closer, which she does.
"That it would, but the main army will notice. With the spearhead scattered you should put the army under siege to pin it down, if you take down that army it will take months before a relevant force be anized against you." Esstrey gestures to the demons around the monastery, implying that they won't be useful here.
"I suppose so, Zha'klos did mention you a few times, said you had a military background. I was never one for military movements when the priority is to have fun, but staying here isn't that fun for my boys either." He gestures at the demons flying about, who all immediately leave to 'go have fun'.
Esstrey waits a moment, watg the st demons leave, and then looks Kly'zar, she then grabs his horned head in her cw, grasping it firmly.
"Sorry, I got my own pns." Esstrey sms Kly'zar into the le, destroying it and disrupting the summoning ritual. She theedly smashes his head into the rock floor while he's too dazed to do anything. She keeps going until his skull finally breaks uhe punishment, and his brains lie scattered across the floor.
"Cathy, prepare a summoning ritual for Zha'klos. Sofia, I want you to start preparing the 'bloodstrike' ritual." Cathy gives a curt bow at the order, while Sofia begins carving into the floor. It doesn't take long for Cathy to finish the simple demon summoning ritual, and it is powered up.
Zha'klos appears in the church, initially a bit miffed that she was being called over to the site of her rival's success, only to see his head being scattered across the floor.
"What the fu-"
"Zha'klos, I he stro force multiplier the demons have, I'm doing a bloodstrike ritual against a god." Zha'klos looks around a little dazed, but quickly catches on.
Magic is a fually ceptual force, there isn't any magic more ected to the self than bloodmagic is. To have blood is to have power, to have someone else's blood is to have their power, this means that blood requires some form of e to the inal. This is where the bloodstrike ritual es into py, a way to use blood as a route to strike at the inal. Letting a bloodmage have your blood is like giving a watermage water, or ahmage rocks. You are putting your life in their hands.
"I-I think I know what you need." Zha'klos doesn't care about Esstrey having turned Kly'zar into a mosaic, she was summoned for a deal, then she will make a deal. Not that she's pnning to ask for payment, this all seems like so much fun.
As Esstrey is p her blood into the ritual formation carved out by Sofia to fuel it, Zha'klos returns with a shard of some gold-like metal. A [Fragment of [Judgement]].
"This piece was somehow retrieved by some scouts, [Judgement] was an angry seraphim who cared not for power, but their sins. She was a corrupted being who hated sin so much that it practically became a power for her. The perfect catalyst for striking Belluzoar with. If this doesn't make him hurt, I don't know what will." Zha'klos smiles brightly at Esstrey, clearly being joyous as she speaks of the angel.
The fragmes ied into the ritual, and begins to light up the room. Katerina and Cathy sense something powerful traversing dimensions, before ing to a stop at a specific location.
"Well... that's the end of that, back to-"
[
"Esstrey.... what's that? What did you do?" Zha'klos looks to Esstrey, who is just as fused as she is.
"I-I don't know?"
[
"What do you mean you 'don't know' you made the ritual!"
"This wasn't supposed to happen! It should have merely exploded some of the bastard's blood! How powerful is that fragment you gave me!?"
[DIMENSIONAL MERGE IMMI, 2 UNKNOWN TACTS MERGING...]
"It's VERY powerful, especially against that rotten war-god, why the hell is there a dimensional merge? Do you know how dangerous that is?"
Zha'klos barely hold in her anger, she barely hold herself in pce as [The Veil] weakens her e to this realm. The ground begins to violently shake as the entire p seems to lur respoo the catastrophe.
"It appears that the gods have [died/perished/ended] from the attack, gratutions on aplishing your objective in one fell swoop midy." Cathy is better ected to dimensional affairs than most, and her assessment seems accurate.
"The servant speaks in truths, the ohat held power in this world while being in another had it severed at the source, this dimension has grown weak with their destru." Esstrey's mouth moves, but the words are not hers.
[The world of [Brynya] is now known as [Brynya, The Amalgamation].]
"Enough dawdling! Cathy you get us out of here?" Cathy gives a curt bow firmirey's order, and begins to prepare a teleportation circle targeted at Jake.
"Where do you think yoing!? You 't just rip apart the dimensional barrier keeping us retively safe and run away!" For a demon, Zha'klos seems rather ed with dimensional iy
"Yes I ! e on dies, GO GO GO!" Esstrey ushers Cathy and Sofia into the portal, and leaves for somewhere a bit further away from ground zero, leaving Zha'klos behind for the army to find, or more specifically something that isn't her.
Prickly