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Jean and ecto-ilk, a couple of shadows over from the fight, watch Benedict and his line wrestle with Erica for a while. Eventually, Erica collapses.
There's some discussion of whether or Erica is allergic to pattern. Neville, elsewhere, reports that there's no liquid pattern or anything to put into her system to drive it out. If she can't walk it, it's not clear to him how to get the evil out.
Jean asks Benedict to use Janus's sword to test whether Erica is allergic to pattern. Benedict can't quite figure out why he would do that - we won, after all? Johann takes the sword and stabs Erica's left sole - and smoke pours out to the accompanyment of sizzling.
Cagliostro assures people that she's doped up. Amaranth says "It *went* somewhere! It's *here* somewhere!" A tentacle goes up, Gil steps on it - and it grabs her instead of being stepped on. Johann dives in, pattern-blade first.
[Elsewhere, Ilk saturates the shadow with variable pattern. A small chunk is resistant - but that chunk isn't Erica.]
A boil of tentacles surfaces, with signs of Johann, a pattern blade, and an occasional 'yee-ha!'. He yells "Ride 'em, cowboy - oh, wait, tell me I didn't say that." A familiar donkey arrives.
The donkey is of the opinion that Johann has forsaken it for a new mount, and attacks in a jealous frenzy.
[Hell hath no fury like a donkey scorned.]
"Do you suppose the donkey will eat the former head of the mage's guild, or the former head of the mage's guild will move into the donkey?"
Ilk expresses surprise that the donkey arrived - which made it an Old Lord. Jean discusses the donkey with the Dancer's Guild, who have no record of the donkey other than from Jean.
Jean warns Natasha about the donkey and its history with the reality it ate.
Gil borrows Martin's sword, drops a few more scones, and starts wailing on its back.
Amaranth grounds very nasty magic (the orb of Aldur?) and asks Jean to dump it someplace. Jean suggests holding onto it until the situation resolves, since the sucking thing is in the middle of the battle.
The cuisinart also makes a pass on Erica, sucking little things out.
Benedict has a bit of a sit down.
[Ilk is preparing the thank-you note to the Serpent for the cuisinart.]
Johann asks Ilk to check in on him every so often on his ride back.
Erica is revived, and the group at large - including Jean - help fill her in on what happened since she left the castle.
Janus is slowly pulling himself up the edge of the glass. "Must... help... family..." Cagliostro moves the lid, but does not otherwise help.
There is a concentration of magic - the unconscious Amaranth revives. "No high-handed, sword-wielding bitch is going to to take away what I worked so fard on". The magic no longer flows
Cagliostro asks for power, and Amaranth offers all he wants. He grabs a huge chunk, and creates a new guard. Amaranth borrows the new guard and instructs him on where to hold him.
Amaranth reverses the tap, and starts feeding Cagliostro all the power he wants. (Various magic detectors on Cagliostro's person quietly explode.) Cagliostro finds Benedict's mystic inertia much easier to stabilize, and starts dumping mystic inertia into people.
Janus makes it partially out - Cagliostro drops his old eyes, starts working on new ones. Janus starts looking for his eyes, and Cagliostro tries to explain why he doesn't need them. Janus says he doesn't need eyes, but wants his lungs fixed - Cagliostro explains that's what the water was doing.
Janus asks how they're doing - the group has grapped Erica, and it's not clear how Janus would try to fit in.
The grappling group has dragged Erica completely onto ground that has been dried out by the scones. Gil takes a break every so often to go stomp on a tentacle. Natasha has a drink that should never be drunk. Cagliostro conjures sharks to distract whatever those tentacles are, since the area is -very- marshy.
Eventually, Erica goes limp and unconscious. Lots of "What now?" from the younger generation; Benedict is of the opinion that we won. (Not very creative.)
A tentacled beast attacks, and Johann takes Janus's blade and dives in after it. A donkey arrives, and charges into the battle.
Amaranth absorbs a nasty magical attack, and opines that the magic is sufficiently evil to be unredeemable. A lump of something shoots out and eats the orb of nasty magic.
Benedict has taken a sit down; Cagliostro can tell he doesn't seem to be getting any better or worse. Caglistro inquires about Erica; the presence says she's fine to revive, so Cagliostro adds her to the list of what he's doing.
Cagliostro can tell the donkey is more mysticially inert than anything else - even Benedict. The group (minus Johann and the donkey, who are walking back) take the piece of ground to Castle Cobalt.
People plan a victory feast, after a shower and maybe a nap. Natasha suggests the Dworkins to keep an eye on Erica for her reviving. Caglistro deconjures the sedative cocktail and endorphins. Erica recovers, and is filled in on what she missed. Cagliostro makes a point to mention that he had heard that Aurelia is missing.
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