[Job] Curiosity Kills the Cat (Francois Prideheart/Lily Ambrosia/RF007)

Rotwang had been waiting patiently with F.R.E.I.A. by his side for the signal to come from Lily to make his next move, specifically locking on to the current coordinates of the location of the severely weakened enemy army general and subsequently teleporting said entity and the little girl being possessed by him to where Lily and Basin were awaiting their arrival for the final phase of the job's action plan, the exorcism of the enemy general from said human vessel. It was then that he heard Lily contacting him through the avatar of F.R.E.I.A.

"You are very welcome, Ms. Ambrosia, for the maintenance and restoration of the pristine status quo of this exquisite place...is also an equally deep concern of mine just as it is yours."

Rotwang spoke in his usual convincingly cordial and benevolent voice in response to Lily and then fell silent to listen when he noticed that she had more to say

"Indeed, F.R.E.I.A. has located the general for me...and said enemy and the young vessel being possessed by him are both visible to me near Mr. Morgan...and now that you are en route to the location of the purification, it is time for me to do my part as well...for now the dome...has gone down at last...Enemy general will now be rerouted to your location, so please stay tuned for that."

With that said, Rotwang turned to F.R.E.I.A. and instructed her to prepare for the teleportation of the enemy general to the designated drop point where Lily and Basin were waiting with their preparations ready to go

"F.R.E.I.A., please lock on to the enemy genera;'s coordinates so that you can quickly deliver my teleportation spell onto said target. Alert me when your preparations are complete."

To that, Rotwang heard F.R.E.I.A. acknowledge his instructions before commencing her preparation to lock on the enemy general

"Command input received successfully, Master Stein...Now commencing the target lock-on protocol...The protocol has been completed successfully...The enemy general is now within range of your spells."

Rotwang heard F.R.E.I.A. report to him again after she finished locking on to the enemy general, this being evidenced by the electric blue aura that surrounded said general. So, he commenced his respective preparations to hand off the enemy general to Lily and Basin by channeling his mana and activating his parasitic takeover spell first to capture the general

"Ophiomancy Art: Parasitic Snake."

This spell caused Rotwang to spew out the same sort of sentient, parasitic snakeskin that he had utilized earlier to control one of the Demons of War to rebel against its comrades, only this time, it was transported by F.R.E.I.A. onto the enemy general where it then burrowed in and hijacked control of the general's body and transferred it to Rotwang who then commanded the general to become compliant to his will



"Obey me now. Do not resist any longer."

In response, Rotwang felt the enemy general come under his command and quickly freeze up like a motionless statue, thus preparing him nicely for the teleport spell which he activated next upon said general via F.R.E.I.A., again uttering its name for performance sake

"Medicosurgical Art: Xenosomectomy."

With that, Rotwang delivered his spell through F.R.E.I.A. onto the severely weakened and currently psychosomatically enslaved enemy general in an instant, causing him to disappear from next to Francois and reappear instantly in front of Lily and Basin who waiting for him to purify him from his vessel per the client's original request to them for this job. Then, Rotwang contacted Lily through F.R.E.I.A

"Capture and transport process of target enemy general is now complete, Ms. Ambrosia...You should be able to have a clear visual of the enemy target for your purification ritual...Furthermore, the general has been brought under my psychosomatic control via another of my spells, so there is no danger of him interrupting your ritual...Now proceeding with the treatment and restoration of Mr. Morgan per your request...Rotwang, contact out."

With that, Rotwang fell silent and let Lily and Basin proceed with their purification ritual while he teleported to where Francois was awaiting treatment. Upon arrival, he used another of his spells to assess the man's status quickly

"Medicosurgical Skill – Physician's Sight."

This spell caused Rotwang to awaken his special ocular powers which manifested in the form of his normally rust-red eyes becoming lavender and a third eye with a crimson red iris to open on his forehead as a physical embodiment of the spell's effect.



This allowed him to visualize the vital signs and other relevant status data of his current patient, namely Francois Morgan. With that done, Rotwang knelt beside him and informed him of his intended actions

"Mr. Morgan, Lily has requested that I tend to your wounds and restore your vitality to a pristine state again. Now commencing with the administration of medical care as prescribed by my analysis of your body's current status."

With that said, Rotwang activated his next spell which was calibrated to completely heal the various injuries that Francois had suffered in his battle with the general as well as restore his mana levels to full

"Medicosurgical Skill – Healing Hands."

This allowed Rotwang to channel his mana into his hands and transform it into a muted green aura which he then applied to Francois to gradually heal all of his injuries completely and also to restore his mana levels to what they were normally.



"Your treatment has now been completed successfully, Mr. Morgan. Please try to arise for me and see if all of your systems are green."

With that done, Rotwang fell silent and waited for whatever was going to happen in the situation next.

---

OOC:

WC Tallies:

• Post WC: 942
  
  
• Total Personal WC: 9402
  

Lily wasn't entirely sure what to expect of Rotwang's transformation magic. She herself could move between trees, but that was something fairly unique to the children of the forest. The scientist was clearly a resourceful man, but that didn't mean he would just happen to possess such an ability, or even know about it...

Such idle musings kept her occupied while she waited for the general, and the poor youngling the spectre was using as a host, to be deposited in front of her so she could finish this unpleasant conflict for good. Basin remained motionless, ready to react but otherwise as patient as the mountains which ze resembled so much. The dryad was a bit more fidgety, her attention turning towards where Francois had engaged the general on his own before she caught herself and returned her focus to the spot right in front of her.

She had no reason to doubt any of their allies, so she just had to be prepared to do her part. And while she was certainly feeling a tad anxious, she was prepared.

So when Rotwang finished incapacitating the general (and his host) and teleported him into the deep marsh Lily had created the dryad only blinked as the human scientist quickly explained what he'd done, not only moving the general to her location but also using some ability to control him and render him unable to fight back. Indeed, even as the vines and submerged plants inside the sunken field lashed onto Varsi neither she nor her possessor reacted much, their limbs quickly bound while their feet began to sink into the mud.

"Varsi's here yes. Thank you Rotwang."

Unfamiliar with protocol she kept her response at that, instead turning her full attention towards Varsi. The girl was clearly Nivari's twin: aside from the different clothes, the scrapes and the filth that clung to her possessed form she looked almost identical to the sorrowful girl waiting in the village for her sister to return.

The general's baleful aura clung to Varsi's body like miasma, currently rendered harmless by Rotwang's magic and Francois's stunning display of power. The general's twisted desire to conquer and destroy was so strong that Lily could almost smell it, the dryad's gaze turning colder while Basin reached out and firmly took hold of Varsi's body. The size difference was big enough that only her head poked out from the elemental's stony grip, the general's miasma feebly crawling across Basin's hands but finding no purchase.

At the end of the day the general had still been a human, no matter how twisted and vile he had become, and even if he hadn't been weakened and paralysed by Francois and Rotwang his spirit didn't know what to do with Basin's completely alien form, unable to seize it or even penetrate the outer layer of zirs soul, massive and immutable like a mountain.

"Sorry for taking so long Varsi. We'll have you back home with Nivari before the sun's down."

Lily smiled at the poor girl, ignoring the general's presence for a moment before her green gaze returned to the cat attached to the crown of Varsi's head, where the general's miasma was thickest and his presence gazed back at her. Francois had done a wonderful job weakening him to a point where he couldn't break free from Basin's grasp, and Rotwang's esoteric magic was keeping him from rebuilding his strength, but his dreadful desire to slaughter and conquer was so strong that neither of those things would keep him contained forever.

Leaping down from Basin's back Lily landed on one of zirs arms, walking down the length until she was right in front of Varsi's bound form. Kneeling down the leaf-clad female placed her hands on the sides of the human's head, a green glow emanating from her golden-brown skin which pushed the miasma away.

She'd told Francois and Rotwang that healing magic wasn't necessarily effective against the ethereal undead if their presence in the world of the living wasn't because of a curse but because of their own will. However, this possession was anything but natural: the general had forced himself inside Varsi's body, using his superior willpower to seize control and try to smother her soul.

Usually Lily focused on the physical more than the spiritual, but this was definitely something she could take care of.

Despite the general's best attempts the soul wasn't so easily destroyed: Varsi's had been buried deep inside, where she could barely even tell what was going on unless the general allowed her to surface. But it was still there, and Lily's magic could reach it. Bolster it. Nurture it. The general's malicious presence tried to interfere, separate the connection, but with Lily so close and the general so weak there was nothing the spectral possessor could do as his host's soul was infused with the dryad's regenerative powers.

As if awakening from slumber Varsi's soul began to swell and push outwards, making a renewed attempt at fighting off the general's intrusion. The general fought back, but Rotwang's magic left his resistance feeble. The green glow which flowed from Lily's arms into Varsi's head expanded to cover her entire body, the general's miasma thinning as it was practically burned away. In a final push the general's presence was ejected from Varsi's being, the girl's expression turning peaceful while all that miasma returned to where it came from: the cat.

Which promptly leapt and tried to climb onto Lily's head.

Before the dryad could respond one of the stone hands which now held Varsi's limp body grabbed the cat as well, the tiny critter invisible inside of the elemental's grip. The miasma, unable to touch something as inhuman as Basin, was trapped inside there as well, mere wisps escaping between the cracks while the possessed cat hissed and squirmed.

Lily blinked and looked at Basin's fist, then sighed and smiled at her partner.

"Thanks Basin!"

The elemental nodded, zirs gaze locked onto the fist which held the general's feline host. The dryad looked from the fist to Varsi, the human youngling now fast asleep. A simple motion convinced the plants in the marsh to let go of the girl, allowing Basin to lift Varsi out of the water and hold her aloft with much more consideration than the cat general.

After another deep breath she called out to the sky, trying to connect to Rotwang once more.

"Rotwang? Freia? Varsi's safe. We'll need a bit longer to make sure the ghost is gone for good, but we'll return to the village with Varsi before the sun is down."

She'd still have to remove the general from the cat to make him leave the world of the living for the final time, but she figured that the two human mages could already declare their success and head home if they wanted.

Lily Ambrosia:

Basin:

Nepo:

WC: 1,146
PWC: 11,737
TWC: 32,779/14,000

@Francois Prideheart@RF007

Rotwang continued to monitor Francois for any signs of unexpected rejection of his healing magic or anything else that may catch them all unawares, but fortunately, there were no such signs or symptoms to be detected after the administration of his treatment. Just then, F.R.E.I.A. drew his attention to her with the report that she received from her avatar which he had sent to help Lily out with efficient communication

"Master Stein...it is done...Lily, and Basin have successfully finished their role in concluding this rescue operation to set that little girl, Varsi, free of her possessor...namely that undead general with the strange feline avatar."

Rotwang nodded to F.R.E.I.A., signaling that he had received the message from her successfully, and then spoke to Lily through her

"Excellent news, Ms. Ambrosia and company! You all must be truly exhausted after completing that purification ritual, so what say we all meet back up at the client's place so that we may call this job complete and receive our respective rewards from the said client for undertaking this job for her? Of course, since Mr. Morgan has just been healed, he should be moving quite yet per my orders as his acting physician...So, I shall be transporting him as well as myself to the client's abode and shall wait there for your arrival before we close the book on this rescue operation. It has been a great pleasure and honor to work alongside both of you to complete this monumental task, so you both have my most heartfelt gratitude, and I do hope we get to meet again during another such job or perhaps under more sociable circumstances...Rotwang, over and out."

With that done, Rotwang cut the communication and left Lily and her companions to head over to the home of the client, specifically the older sister of Varsi, who had been the subject of the rescue operation that he, Francois, and Lily had just finished successfully for formally closing out this job for bookkeeping sake as well as for receiving their respective rewards. After that, he assisted Francois in arising from his position and teleported both of them to the client's home where he would wait for Lily's arrival in the company of her friends.

---

OOC:

WC Tallies:

• Post WC: 373
  
• Total Personal WC: 9775
  

(ROTWANG'S EXIT)

---

@Lily Ambrosia @Francois Prideheart