[center][h3][color=92278f]Anna[/color][/h3][/center]

Anna fumed as other Guardians had the audacity to do anything other than grovel beneath her Lord. They should be busy climbing over each other to serve Him rather than pondering and lamenting their home. Goodbye and good riddance. Those hypocritical, backstabbing bastards deserved their fates. A Supreme Being, her Creator, still existed to lead them and they should feel blessed rather than dismayed. At this point, they should be blessed Lord Volaris hadn't yet whipped them within an inch of their lives! This situation may be beyond their frail understanding but nothing could escape the wisdom of the Supremes. Lord Volaris certainly had a plan. All they had to do was bring it to fruition. 

[color=92278f]“As you wish, Lord Volaris.”[/color] The woman crooned as teleported both Rule and herself back to the main hall. She stepped back to her tower, casting layers of illusions and glamorous over the Cathedral and the surrounding area, replacing it with an image of the forest and heavier than usual undergrowth.


[center][h3][color=39b54a]Rule[/color][/h3][/center]

Rule slipped through the door after the talkative Guardian. The ooze rarely left the tower, content with the squishy and screamy preys his Lord always provided. And as much as it would prefer to stay somewhere it could feel everything, it was an order from a Supreme Being and Rule wasn’t about to disrespect the Lord. Rule only existed as it did because of its Lord and Rule would not pay back that kindness with ingratitude. Rule settled at the bottom of the cathedral steps and focused on feeling the area. 

The ooze was slammed with sensory information. The twitch of hundreds of things on the ground, the long movements of things above, tinier things scuttling about beneath the other hundreds of things, the cool sensation of the wind, the other Guardian flailing about and chattering incessantly, stronger vibrations suddenly swelling- it all cascaded over the ooze and Rule was frozen, malleable form barely twitching as it attempted to process. Irritation bubbled, literally, on the outside of the ooze as it sorted and acclimated. Jack’s incessant prattling didn’t help.

[color=39b54a]“You… much… Know as…”[/color] The words, normally issued from an artificial orifice the ooze created, came out sharp as they burst from individual bubbles. Rule didn’t have the mental capacity at the moment to keep a mouth in shape. [color=39b54a]“Distrac… Attackers while… Kill you… I bait…”[/color] The outside was a bad place, Rule decided quickly. Why any of the Guardians ever wanted to leave the Cathedral was beyond it.  

[center][h3][color=ed1c24]Volaris[/color][/h3][/center]

Volaris wanted to run a hand over his face as more of the Guardians made their way in. It almost felt like he was back at his old job, his employees up just after morning meetings were concluded. He needed to get out more or something if his subconscious was twisting his escape into a mockery of the real world.   

[color=ed1c24]“I expect those of you arriving late while strive not to do so again.”[/color] Volaris’ said cooly as he address the latecomers. [color=ed1c24]“There are many lessons to be learned from failure but tardiness teaches the least. In light of the severity of our current condition howver I will overlook this issue once. I recommend it not happen again.”[/color] 

[color=ed1c24]“Skout. While your forward thinking is appreciated, make sure you check in with myself or Baron before investigating new or unusual phenomena. If you were to be injured or compromised, we would have never known and you could have put your other Guardians at risk.”[/color] Volaris let his tone return to neutral as he continued. [color=ed1c24]“Since you have some knowledge of what lays outside, you will be acting as an intermediary between the three scouting parties sent out. Helena, Samael, and Morningstar and Garlock are searching the East, South, and West respectively. You will be their point of contact and communication between them. Magical communications are forbidden until I understand more about this world.  Inform the others as you meet with them.” [/color]

[color=ed1c24]“Baron, bring Kat with you to find Anna once she has completed her task. The three of you will investigate the Akashic records for anything that may have caused this. Legends, rumors, items, spells. If it is even mentioned within the realm of possibility, bring me the source information as quickly as possible.”[/color] He nodded at Baron and Kat briefly before moving on. [color=ed1c24]“Xirphi and Sagi, you two will stay in the Grand Dome Room. If anyone other than a Guardian walks through the Cathedral doors, destroy the way further into the Cathedral and then kill the intruders.”[/color] 

He took a second to contemplate Ladata’s youngest creation and sighed inwardly. Children were alway a struggle for him. Questions and curiosity he could handle. Poor judgement skills combined with an unreasonable amount of energy not so much. Adults understood hierarchy and logical progression, following orders most of the time. But children were a natural disaster, difficult to control and intent on bring hell on earth. Volaris’ mouths frowned as a realization came to him. Not only Lexicon but Elizabeth, Tatter, and Kat, who was technically an adult but Frankly Volaris failed to see him as one, were all children. So four children locked in a horrifying building, two of them twisted beyond belief. When he wakes up, maybe he’ll try to hunt these people down and offer to pay for proper therapy. 

[color=ed1c24]“Lexicon will be staying with me for the time being.”[/color] Given they knew nothing about their current predicament, Volaris intended to find out the extent to which magic worked here and if the rules of Yggdrasil still applied. With Tatter and Lexicon working together, he felt they were the best chance not only to illuminate the rules of this world but bend and push at them until they could get exactly what he wanted. The specter only hoped he wouldn’t have to put his foot down, so to speak, too often with the pair.