Papyrus
Instead of feeling in awe or welcome at the familiar voice and scenery, Papyrus was instead struck with unease and guilt. They had made it back to the forest that he and Angela had found themselves in-right down to the woodsy bridge that lead to where they'd first accepted their quest. It was as though nothing had changed.

Lady Cosmos was as serene and elegant as Papyrus had remembered her being when he'd first laid eyes on her. That first encounter seemed like it had been months ago, rather then a few hours. 

All the questions and doubts that had been building up within his mind had suddenly grown intensely and unexpectedly quiet. Papyrus had many questions-he knew he did-but now that he was staring at her he was intimidated, and couldn't recall the larger chunk of them no matter how hard he tried. It was like suddenly being given a test at school-no matter how hard you studied, getting ready to do it was an entirely different challenge. 

"H-hello again, Lady Cosmos." Papyrus mustered up a greeting as he turned around to face her. She'd addressed them, after all. It'd be more then rude to leave a person of such status waiting. 

He'd managed to ruin one of the crystals that she'd entrusted them to gather. Papyrus knew that he'd be better off just admitting his mistake and showing her the evidence sooner rather then later, but his nerves had quickly gotten the best of him. How would she react upon seeing the crystal as dull as a lump of coal? 

Would she punish him?

So finally, they were back where they started. Angela could recognize the place, with the little wooden bridge standing out among the green scenery. Yet somehow, even though they had succeeded, even though all of this was finally coming to an end, there was this nagging sense of uneasiness that she could not explain. Despite all the hardships, here they were, finally. She should be happy about that, no? Excited, even? Relieved?

But she did not feel any of that. Not yet. Perhaps after they met with Cosmos, she would finally be more at ease.

And there she was, standing right in front of the very same tree, where they had first met her. Angela smiled uncertainly as she greeted them, and glanced towards Garland as she inquired whether they had explained the whole deal to him. He would definitely have so many questions - Angela and the others had attempted to brief him in, but it's not like they understood the details so well, themselves. This whole thing felt so unworldly.

So Angela was quite surprised with Garland's brief response. "We have? I-- I mean, we have!" she declared awkwardly. Even Papyrus, who was usually far more inquisitive and excited, had offered nothing more than a weak greeting. She would have thought that he would have flooded Cosmos with his questions by now, but perhaps this mission had taken a toll on him, understandably.

Perhaps they were both tired. Perhaps all they wanted to do was finish this and go back home, and any questions would only delay things further. Angela decided to remain silent too, and looked back towards Cosmos, wondering what she would have to say herself.

~Narrative~

Cosmos nodded at Garland's reply. "Very well. Then, it is finally time to put an end to all this," she spoke out loud.

"As I had informed you at the beginning, those special crystals that you have gone through so much to collect, hold significant divine power. They are our only hope; once you have unleashed the energy of all five crystals, this realm will be purified by their holy energy and Chaos' power will be pushed back into balance."

She paused momentarily, as to allow the trio to take in the information. "I sense that you have already released the power of three of the crystals. You've done well, already. That means there are two left. Papyrus, Garland," she continued, looking at each of them in turn, sensing the power of the crystals emanating from them. "Now it is time to release the energy of the two remaining crystals. When you do so, the purification will be complete, and you will be able to return to your worlds which will be safe from Chaos' corruption thanks to your own efforts."

Garland - ???

Garland produced the blue crystal, beginning to focus his thoughts towards calling out to the gem's latent power and letting it purify the strange realmm he was visiting. A nagging query kept surfacing in his mind, as much as he tried to keep his attention upon his present task. Would it even matter where he was, if completing this one mission permitted him to return home and get his other pressing affairs in order?

He was too curious to let this opportunity pass up.

"Lady Cosmos, might I ask you a question?"  Garland suddenly spoke up, thinking on the events that led him into the company of Angela, Papyrus, Samus, and Lightning. While fortunate to have met each of the brave souls, he was mildly annoyed at how some unknown entity had, in his perception, stopped the flow of time altogether and whisked him away to the vacant dungeon. Though he attempted to put on a pleasant demeanor in the phrasing of his question, it was strained by his distaste for the experience and his general condition of fatigue.

"When I first woke up in this realm, I was in a forest. I don't remember all of its details, just that it was a forest, and that there was a bridge. Not long afterward, I was caught in some form of spell - and then found myself in a castle dungeon in the next moment. Who was responsible for that?"

~Narrative~

"Oh, of course", the woman addressed Garland's query with a serene smile.

"Is that so...?" she remarked as the winged mage raised the matter that had puzzled him. "Indeed, it was rather concerning that you had decided not to show yourself with the rest of the group, back then, but I understand now. That was most likely time-stopping magic... It must have been Chaos' doing; separating you from your allies would reduce your combined strength and severely reduce your chances of success in your quest. It was very fortunate that you managed to promptly meet up with them, despite his interference."

"Would that be all?" she inquired once she finished, her gaze fixated at the two active-crystal-bearing warriors. "Though rest assured, we could discuss as much as you would like once the purification is complete."

Papyrus
The first words out of his mouth were those of disbelief:

"So I didn't break it?"

In the mere seconds it took for Cosmos to respond to the group-Papyrus had already begun to imagine all kinds of horrible things that Lady Cosmos could have bestowed upon him. Each had become more terrifying then the last, and he was ready to throw himself at her feet, shaking and begging for mercy. 

Thankfully, it seemed it wouldn't come to that, though Papyrus found himself with extra questions. She'd mentioned that three of the crystals-Papyrus' included-had been purified, yet he had no memory of it. Unless, of course, having each of them lose their beautiful glow counted as purification. But that hardly made any sense. Purification usually makes things beautiful and clean, doesn't it? 

"I, Um, don't know how to do that." Papyrus stated as she gave the order for him and Garland to cleanse the crystals. "I don't even know what actually happened to the Orange one. "

That much was true-of course Papyrus had no clue what caused the Orange one to respond to him during that long, final battle. How would he even begin to replicate it?

The goddess of harmony went straight to the point; looks like all they had to do now was to release the energy from the two remaining crystals, and their mission would come to a successful end. This would purify the realm, apparently...

How odd. Honestly, the realm does not look any different than what it looked like before Angela and Papyrus used the first three crystals; even if inadvertently. So now, all of a sudden, activating the last two is magically gonna solve all their problems? Without even having to combine the power of all five or something?

Well, thinking this through much longer would probably make her head hurt. And either way, it was now up to Papyrus and Garland, considering she had already gone and utilized the two crystals she carried with her. No reason to question how things work here.

Before Garland performed the requested action, however, he chose to pose a question to the woman standing in front of them. It was a reasonable one, too; if they were all summoned by Cosmos, how come he wasn't there when they all met at the beginning? According to Cosmos, Chaos was responsible for that. That revelation sent a shiver down her spine; it was a good thing that he hadn't chosen to dispose of Garland more differently or permanently...

How come he didn't, anyway?

Papyrus then spoke up, admitting that he can no clue about how to activate that strange crystal, which relieved Angela to a degree. She had no idea how she had done it either, in the first place; if it had been that natural to those two, it would not have reflected particularly good on her. Without having anything else to add, she simply waited for the woman's response.

~Narrative~

"Not to worry, Papyrus," Cosmos addressed the skeletal warrior next as he acknowledged that he did not quite grasp how to put the crystal's mystic energy to use. "In fact, it is quite more simple than you may think," she continued. "All that you have to do is focus on the present crystal and the task at hand. Just try calling out to its power, and it will respond to your call in turn, releasing its sacred power upon the realm. This must have happened to the orange one that you mention, after all," she added after a brief moment of consideration. "It likely reacted to a cry for help or a dire situation."

Garland - ???

Hearing the goddess explain to Garland what happened was a strange answer, though a reasonable explanation. In terms of cold logical pragmatism, there had to be something that stopped Chaos from simply attacking the veteran spellsword when he was at his most vulnerable moment. Otherwise, how else would he have been simply permitted to meet the other champions of Cosmos? That was another nagging question which called for an answer, but it could wait at least until the crystal's purifying aether had been released to mend their respective realities.

Garland listened closely to Cosmos as she explained how the crystals could be triggered, clasping the blue gem within his hands and closing his eyes. All he needed to do was call out, and it should respond.. but was he going to need to make a vocalization? For a fleeting moment, the thought of him calling out loudly made him feel like an amateur actor whose performance was best remembered with flippant laugher and copious amounts of liquor. He decided to try something more heartfelt, concentrating on wording his feelings into an appropriate message with the (admittedly idealistic) assumption that the crystal would hear and resonate with his thoughts.

Uh.. I don't really know how to approach this, but if you can hear me, I need your help. Most of the time I prefer to solve problems on my own, but recently, my troubles have grown beyond me in scope and have required support from my closest friends. This moment in time is no different.

Please, help me return things to the way they are intended to be.

~Narrative~

Quote :

As Garland concentrated on the task at hand, pleading to the crystal he currently holds, its soft blue light began to intensify in response, until eventually exploding outwards and completely engulfing the group in its brilliance.

The divine power makes the party feel refreshed!

A heal to Angela! (+4.5)
A heal to Papyrus! (+5)
A heal to Garland! (+5)
Nothing happened to Cosmos.

~

Garland's Arcane Savant!

Owing to his thorough education in the arcane, Garland senses the aura of a magic spell cast from Cosmos' direction, in conjunction with the release of the crystal's power. He perceives its nature to be protective or reflective, its effect appearing to surround Cosmos...

'Just one more...' the woman thought, glancing towards Papyrus expectantly.

Papyrus
Papyrus was in awe, to say the least, as he stared at the darkened crystal in his hands. It had somehow responded to Papyrus' himself, rather then to an incantation-activating itself and releasing all the power it had to help them in their dire hour of need. If it hadn't showered everyone in a healing light when it did, there was no doubt in his mind that the outcome of the battle would have been very, very different. 

He cradled the crystal gently, mumbling a quiet "Thank you" as he gently placed it on the ground. No armor meant no pockets, and he'd likely need both hands to release the power of the green one. A brilliant blue light cradled him and healed the wounds he'd received not that long ago. 

It seemed Garland had done his job, and now it was Papyrus' job to do his. Standing straight up, he poised his legs apart from each other, holding the green crystal in both hands, ready to begin.

"Oh, Magic Crystal-"

Following the woman's explanation, Garland proceeded to make an attempt with his own crystal, which they collected after the harrowing events of the tower in Asvas. Angela wondered how he would try to go about it. Would he try to just concentrate and hope for the best? Would he call out to it out loud? The thought of it brought a smirk to Angela's face; that would probably be quite amusing, actually.

But without the vocalization of any words, the crystal appeared to react. She had no idea what he thought in order to make this happen, but it was successful nonetheless, as the crystal's light began to get brighter and brighter, in a familiar manner by now. Eventually, it engulfed Angela alongside her allies. She could feel the wounds from the battle in Asvas actively healing, the fatigue leaving her body. Truly, those crystals carry wondrous power indeed.

In any case, the realm still did not look any more purified to her, but again, she didn't really know how things work around here. She looked over at Papyrus, who decided to try chatting with the crystal instead; oh, how amusing indeed! The smirk returned on her face, which she tried to hide by bringing her hand over her lips.

Garland - ???

Huh? Was somebody casting another spell?

An immediate wave of relief swept through Garland's body as the gentle blue radiance of his crystal grew and grew into a sudden surge of refreshing light. It felt surprisingly good to be free of those wounds. Well, most of them, anyway; all but the worst aches and pains had faded away, with the remaining ailments being diminished to minor throbbing that came from stubbing one's toe or bumping one's elbow in just the wrong way.

For a moment, he thought someone was lurking behind camouflage, prepared to attack. He had even sensed a spell, seemingly coming from Cosmos's direction - which very well could have also come from behind her, if Chaos was actively going to try and halt their releases of the crystals' power. But nothing further seemed to materialize from that way, likely the product of a hyperactive imagination.

Garland was smiling in relief, breathing in like he had just woken from a full day's worth of rest. He briefly glanced down at what remained of the crystal in his hands, then towards Angela, blinking somewhat at her bemused expression. Given everything they had experienced together, there were precious few 'happy' moments the mage could immediately name, except for the way they shared personal details of their lives - Papyrus included. Whether she was smirking or just stifling a giggle, the princess certainly did have a pretty smile.

The guildmaster then glanced towards Papyrus and Cosmos, initially finding the goddess also had her attention upon the other crystal bearer. He had mumbled something to the darkened crystal that seemingly reacted to an earlier plea, setting it gently upon the ground so that he could fully address the last crystal which still retained its shine.

Something registered in Garland's vision. Something curious, indeed, and it seemed to be near Cosmos. When the mage turned to see what had drawn his eyes towards her, he blinked rapidly. Wait, what is this? A reflective ward? Oh no. If Papyrus were to finish his plea to the crystal, something awful might happen in its wake. Once Garland realized that he needed to act quickly, he stepped adjacent to his comrade, placing one hand on the crystal and another on one of the guardsman's wrists.

"Papyrus, wait a moment. Something doesn't seem right."

Papyrus
Papyrus found his would-be pray to the crystal interrupted. Garland had approached him and grabbed the crystal with one hand and his wrist with the other. He blinked, confused and a bit startled with the sudden interaction. 

"What do you mean?" He asked, starting to lower his arms. "She said we had to release the crystals, right?"

The urgency Garland had reacted with was concerning. If this had been hours ago, Papyrus would have simply shrugged it off. Yet, with all the time he'd had been fighting at their sides, he knew Garland was not a fool. Unless they were both over-reacting due to all the battles? He knew he'd become quite guarded because of his experiences, perhaps Garland had become that way as well.

Just as Papyrus was ready to continue with his plea to the crystal, and as Angela was impatiently waiting to see if he would attempt to shower it with compliments and whatnot in order to get it to work, Garland stepped towards their mutual companion and put a halt to this action.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Angela asked simply as she approached them both, as well. Why did he stop him? Right when they were so close to the end, too. He certainly must have had a good reason for choosing to do so, all of a sudden, right after he had released the energy from his own crystal with no further questions asked. But what was it?

~Narrative~

"Oh? What is the matter, Garland?" the woman spoke up in surprise.

Garland - ???

Garland had not expected his intervention to simply be accepted without some question, and it was good that both Papyrus and Angela were prompting him for an explanation. They were willing to hear him out, sure, but there was still a need to describe his sudden feeling of apprehension.

From where he was standing, Garland briefly gestured with his one free hand towards Cosmos, then to Angela in turn. "She did say that, Papyrus, but I'm starting to wonder just why Chaos would have allowed me to meet with you and Angela if his goal was to prevent us from locating the crystals. After all, I would have been an easy target from an ambush."

For a moment, Garland's expression of relief turned into one of severe contemplation. "Rocbouquet, Sunset Shimmer, and Buggy all proved that they were willing to seize an awaiting opportunity. Why wouldn't their patron have done the same?"

The winged mage exhaled, then turned towards the tall woman amongst their group. Raising his empty hand to his mouth, he coughed once to clear his throat. "Lady Cosmos, your earlier explanation of who put me into the castle dungeon makes sense at first, but I'm starting to wonder.. what if Chaos had wanted us to take possession of these crystals all along? What if he stands to benefit from releasing their energy?"

~Narrative~

"What?" the woman blurted out in disbelief, her gaze leaving Papyrus, before she recomposed herself. "Oh, you poor thing... All those exhausting battles have left you seeing enemies everywhere, haven't they?" she trailed off, pausing for a moment.

---
'Oh, that's just great. Of course he'd be the questioning type. Just like the others. Why can't those stupid little pawns ever do as commanded and obey orders without having to question everything? Ugh, how tiring. Perhaps that dimwitted seductress and those ridiculous powers of hers would have been useful to have around right now. See if he had more questions to ask, after she performed her tricks. Then again, she was far too unreliable; no huge loss there. Oh well...'
---

"You have seen the effect of those crystals, after all," she finally began to reply, "and the healing effect on your bodies. What would Chaos have to gain from the release of such holy energy? That's just nonsense," she concluded dismissively.

"Now, Papyrus... please continue. You must hurry; I just hope we're not too late already..." she finally added, with her attention returned on him.

Papyrus
Papyrus gulped as his arms rose back up to their original position. Even with the reassurance that he wouldn't be punished, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that he truly would. Garlands' stern questioning had only increased his anxiety-and Lady Cosmos had started to speak differently ever so slightly before she addressed him. 

The air was tense, to say the least. The last time there was such quiet intensity, the focus being all on him, he'd ended up without his head. 


Papyrus neck became oddly warm with warning, and he lowered his arms to rub at it-his doubts about Cosmos that had popped up in his mind all throughout this journey buzzing back to the surface. However-instead of voicing his returning concerns, the only thing to come out of his mouth was a simple:

"I donno..."

Just what exactly was going on?

Garland suggested that perhaps releasing the energy from the crystals was exactly what Chaos wanted. But what made him think so? Angela glanced at Cosmos; honestly, she did not appreciate the condescending tone she used to address their ally's concerns, but what if she was right? What if Garland's claims were unwarranted and they were losing precious time?

She turned back to Garland. What if his claims were actually fully substantiated, though? Perhaps he had picked on something, which he did not want to reveal in front of Cosmos? Angela turned her attention back to the goddess of harmony. Even if Garland was right, what should they do? She is a goddess after all, and their only ticket at going home. Was it smart to get on her nerves? But what if they were falling straight into a trap, making things even worse in the process? But what if Cosmos was actually right, she considered as she turned to Garland again. This mission had caused all of them to constantly be alert. Perhaps he was imagining things? But he had a point, just as she had considered herself; why had Chaos not disposed of him when he had the chance?

This was leading her nowhere. "Garland...?" Angela only managed to speak up weakly, the distress and confusion evident in her face and tone. At this point, the only thing she could do was trust his judgment.

Garland - ???

How could Garland exactly respond to a goddess? Her tone left a few things to be desired, though it certainly could have been a case of his own paranoia getting the better of him. He breathed out heavily, reflecting on the question of whether or not his own mother had been this patronizing. He kept a flat expression for the moment, but made no effort to hide the dissatisfaction with Cosmos's answer.

Papyrus appeared to be rattled by the tension of Garland's questions running contrary to the edict of Cosmos. A soft voice, which he recognized after a moment, next drew the angelic mage's attention to the confusion and bewilderment plaguing the fair princess. Angela might have been far more energetic in demanding an explanation, but this demure pleading was unlike anything he had seen.

The guildmaster raised a hand, signaling that he was prepared to speak again, as well as flashing a private smile to each of his friends. This wasn't a joking matter, and he trusted they would let him speak his mind freely. Now that he found the words he wanted, it was time to present his own knowledge to the goddess.

"Yes, I felt the release of the crystals with every fiber of my being. I can't recall when I last felt this kind of relief.." Garland drew the upraised hand towards his head, spinning a finger in a sort of universal suggestion that he was addled from all the fighting done for the sake of the crystals. Punch drunk, rather than plain ordinary drunk that usually involved kegs or prized bottles. That was definitely the more exciting of the two.

"I can be a little thick with my understanding, so please spell it out for me. Why is there a magical ward around your being? I sensed it when the blue crystal released its energies." Garland's eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression hardened as he reached out to Cosmos with an open palm. He just might have more work to handle here before he could think of going home.

"If that energy is meant to heal and purify the realm, why are you trying to shield yourself from it?"

~Narrative~

Cosmos clenched her left fist, the fingers of her right hand pressing against her forehead in exasperation. "You 'donno'??" she repeated angrily, glaring straight at Papyrus, as her eyes were beginning to twitch. "Seriously??"

"Blah blah blah", she only mocked Garland with an accompanying hand gesture, completely ignoring his request for an explanation. "Oh, forget this," she stated more calmly, as she snapped her fingers.

Quote :

At the woman's command, the black crystal which the party had used to teleport across the realm now rejects Garland's ownership! It repels the entire trio with a violent force of dark power! The crystal then floats away, straight into the hands of its rightful owner...

Devastating hit to the holder / Garland! (-2)
Critical hit to Angela! (-1.5)
Critical hit to Papyrus! (-1.5)

As the trio is launched backwards, they lose their grip on the divine crystals! They end up dropping a short distance to the front of the three heroes, landing in a near-perfect circle.

The tiniest hint of green strings of light begin to be emitted from the last charged crystal, directed to the other four...

"Now, shall we try this one more time? Release the power of that green crystal, at once."

Battle Info:

Papyrus
Papyrus couldn't contain his scream as the dark magic flashed through his body. This attack was more painful then others like it-he didn't have any armor to take some of the blow for him. It took an effort to push himself up as he gazed about the scene in a terrified disbelief. 

She attacked them. 

Lady Cosmos-the serene, elegant, holy queen that had summoned him-as well as the rest of the team-from their homes to embark on their quest to save the world. The one who had told them that they were specially chosen, gave them the teleportation spell. The very reason they'd all fought so hard in a myriad of locations against the unimaginable of creatures. The very reason they'd faced death itself. 

She attacked them. 


Pure unfiltered horror was more then readable on Papyrus' face as she glowered down at him, demanding that he release the power of the green crystal. All of his mental accusations were more then confirmed-they were decimated. None of the doubts he'd had  would have ever lead to this conclusion-not in his wildest of nightmares. Shaking like a leaf, Papyrus thrust out his palm, and a wave of bones appeared steadfast around the trio. 


Papyrus had made his decision without saying a word.

OOC:

"A magical ward?" Angela repeated out loud, considering the implications of Garland's revelation. He had a point; why was Cosmos shielding herself from the healing power of the crystals?

"W-- what..." Angela stuttered, but she did not have time to continue before Cosmos completely dismissed Garland's questions, and the black crystal that she had handed them at the beginning of their adventure zapped all three of them painfully, pushing her backwards and forcing her to land on the ground.

"What is the meaning of this? What are you doing??" she demanded an explanation as she stood back up, her staff at the ready yet one more time. Papyrus also had quick thinking and raised his shield of bones, though Angela wondered if they would stand against her fury, if she continued to press further.

Garland - ???

Garland was prepared to laugh at the utter absurdity of what he had just witnessed, if not for the wrenching pain that coursed through his body when the black crystal tore itself free from his possession. Landing in an unceremonious heap aside Angela and Papyrus, the winged mage climbed to his feet while silently counting the number of his wounds that were still sore or freshly opened from the immense surge of dark magic.

"I smell a fraud.. or worse."

He didn't dare to let his mind run away with the imagined possibilities of a corrupted goddess. After all, 'Cosmos' as he knew her had just brazenly attacked the mage and his companions without provocation. They'd likely be fighting for their own lives very soon, and he needed to be prepared for whatever trickery was looming in their near future. To deal with that, they'd need every possible advantage, indcluding anything that he could coax out of the flows of time and space.

OOC:

~Narrative~

"What am I doing? I am giving you a simple order. Follow it, or die. I'm done asking nicely," the woman replied in a cold tone, before snapping her fingers one more time.

Quote :

The effect of the illusion spell fades away! Instantaneously, blue-dyed water begins to give way to bubbling lava, lush green trees replaced with dull, dead ones, and where the elegant goddess of harmony once stood, a beastly four-handed fiend can be seen; Chaos. The surrounding scenery largely resembles the one that the three heroes had witnessed when they collected their final crystal...

"A shield of bones? How cute. Let's see how it fares against this," Chaos taunted.

Quote :

Papyrus uses Bone Shield on himself, Angela and Garland!

Total defensive bonus of 500 roll points for Angela, Papyrus and Garland!

~

Garland uses Haste on Angela, Papyrus and himself!

Boost magic! Angela, Papyrus and Garland are not defending against Haste.
Low accuracy: -250 roll penalty

Garland (offense): 614 364
Angela (defense): 0
Papyrus (defense): 0
Garland (defense): 0

It hit!

Angela, Papyrus and Garland can attack twice in succession for 2 rounds!

~

Chaos uses Meltdown!

Powerful scorching wind starts blowing, blasting everything in its path with severe force...

Unavoidable attack! Meltdown affects all characters in the area. Roll will determine impact only.
Ultimate attack! +500 offensive roll bonus.
Chaos absorbs fire-based magic! He does not defend against Meltdown.
Bone Shield roll protection is split among those protected by it.

Chaos (offense): 383 883
Angela (defense): 495 745
It hit! (-1)
Papyrus (defense): 980 882
A minor hit! (-0.5)
Garland (defense): 539 789
A minor hit! (-0.5)
Chaos (defense): 0
Critical heal! (+0)

Papyrus' Bone Shield dissipates!

Battle Info:

Papyrus
Papyrus couldn't believe what he was seeing. The forest, the mountains, the river-all of it gone in an instant. What was left was what one can only describe as hell-and a familiar one at that. It was exactly like the area where they'd found the green crystal.

But it wasn't just the land that had changed. Lady Cosmos had changed as well. Just as Papyrus felt the swirl of Garlands' magic flow over him, her facade had melted away. Her flowing blonde hair was replaced with towering horns; her porcelain skin turning a murky brown. Her gold-adorned dress warped into a crude suit of light-armor, and an additional pair of arms had grown from her sides, a pair of dark wings emerging from her back as well. 

The bone shield vanished in an instant, taking the brunt of the burning winds before "Cosmos" repeated her order again. 

Release it or die.

And Papyrus really didn't want to die. 

But what were to happen if he did? It felt as though the pressure of the world, no-the universe, rested on his decision and his decision alone. If he made a mistake, he'd lose more then just his life. He'd risk the lives of his allies as well; and quite possibly the safety of everyone's' family and friends back at their respective homes. The thought alone was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat. 

Papyrus launched as many bone missiles as he could, erecting another bone shield in the process-knowing full well it'd be broken. If only it could stay up and numb the pain long enough for him to think of the proper course of action!

ooc:

"No..." That was all Angela managed to let out in a soft whisper, taking in the scene unfolding around her. This can't be happening. Everything around them was changing dramatically. This beautiful forest was rapidly turning into a hellish nightmare. And the self-proclaimed goddess of harmony was no longer standing among them. Instead, Angela could only see a winged beast now in her place. "C-- Chaos?" she questioned weakly.

They had been walking right into Chaos' trap all along? And he sure did mean business; seconds later, powerful scorching winds blasted Angela and her allies. She cried out in pain as she could feel the skin on her body burn by the flaming air currents.

However, her allies' resolve was stronger than ever, or so it seemed. She could also feel the effect of Garland's familiar speed-up magic kick in, and Papyrus went on the offensive as well.

That's right. God or no god, they will not be defeated. Together, they would make him regret his decision to toy with them like that! Together, they can certainly strike against him!

On cue with Papyrus' bones, Angela sent a couple more spells his way; he seemed to hold well against fire, so they would just have to see how he liked an icy and electrifying retort.

Action:

Garland - ???

If Garland had to be honest with himself, he wasn't really all that bothered by the sudden scenery change from a lush verdant forest into a blasted, dying wasteland. It wasn't all that removed from his experiences from the Iron Dominion, except most of his dealings in that infernal kingdom were surprisingly above board.  Chaos used more than a few dirty tricks to get after their crystals, the sneaky bastard! He almost would've been able to succeed in his plan, had Garland not started to bombard him with questions.

A violent blast of hellfire and wind blasted past his body, stinging the guildmaster's exposed skin and threatening to char the threads of his stylish blue tunic. He wasn't exactly sure what happened aside of some deeply powerful magic spell, but Papyrus's bone shield seemed to offer some amount of protection from Chaos's attempt to burn the three defiant warriors into slag.

"There! It wasn't hard to be honest, now was it?" Garland called out, determined not to let himself get angry or upset in spite of the suffering that Chaos had wrought upon him and his friends. As he wasn't certain on how to approach the tyrant's formidable defenses, Garland would simply have to probe with an attack while baiting out a response. Though he missed the illusion of Cosmos, this time the winged wizard would be prepared to intercept further hostile magic.

Thrusting one hand forward, Garland unleashed an explosive spread of heat and ballistic shrapnel. It was now the demon's turn to be bombarded with something a little more forceful than questions.

OOC:

~Narrative~

Chaos sighed. "So is it death you choose? Suit yourselves..." he merely stated as he extended one arm outward, attempting to reinstate his reflective ward.

Quote :

Garland readies Dispel!

He has a chance to Dispel Chaos' next magic spell!

Chaos uses Reflect!
Garland's Dispel! Garland attempts to nullify the spell.

Chaos (control): 494
Garland (dispel): 522

Garland successfully manages to dispel Chaos' Reflect!

~

Papyrus uses Bone projectiles on Chaos!
Rapid fire! 4 strike attempts for minor hits against Chaos.

Strike 1
Papyrus (offense): 456
Chaos (defense): 444
Strike 2
Papyrus (offense): 579
Chaos (defense): 439
Strike 3
Papyrus (offense): 866
Chaos (defense): 259
Strike 4
Papyrus (offense): 639
Chaos (defense): 517

Hit 4 times! (-2)

~

Papyrus uses Bone Shield on himself, Angela and Garland!

Total defensive bonus of 500 roll points for Angela, Papyrus and Garland!

~

Angela uses Ice Smash on Chaos!

Angela (offense): 98
Chaos (defense): 1189

It missed!

~

Angela uses Thunderstorm on Chaos!

Angela (offense): 376
Chaos (defense): 991

It missed!

~

Garland uses Grapeshot on Chaos!
Penetrative power! +100 offensive roll bonus

Garland (offense): 263 363
Chaos (defense): 788

It missed!

Battle Info:

Papyrus
Papyrus' barrage struck straight and true-all of them hit their mark, harming Chaos considerably. That's what Angela had called her after all, granted the new form did not look much like a female. it's not like Papyrus had the time and the energy to question this beings' overall identity, either. 

All he knew was that he was summoned from his home to go on a quest to gather crystals with other people that were also summoned. This was in order to keep the universe in balance, otherwise all of their worlds would be in danger. So Papyrus had fought tooth and nail in an increasingly perilous journey and he and his comrades were successful in retrieving them all. 

Only to find out it was all, a lie, and the fate of everything he knew and everything he didn't was in the balance. 

Desperation pounded at Papyrus' nerves as the winged beast was able to evade his allies attacks. The shield was still up, and Angela and Garland were still in the fight. They still had a chance to survive this battle, if they ended it quick enough. He launched his bone missiles twice in succession this time. All of them had managed to hit mere moments ago, perhaps they'd all strike again. 

OOC: