The Dragon's Fire: Book 3, Chapter 5

By this point I was getting used to the rhythm. 

Sononn 17-28

Sota City

Legion manages to take over a number of the prostitutes, who throw themselves into the gigantic pit into the Below City, said to lead to the Apocalypse Ship. They fall without a sound. The soldiers managed to stop many of them, but were forced to kill some when they suddenly grew claws and lunged. A few of the soldiers proposed to their favorite whores... and somehow it worked?  At least for the ones who say "Yes!" They're married by the priests, quickly and then those soldiers were released from duty for the rest of the week. 

Raphael

Raphael watches it all with his jaw tight and his patience thinner by the second.

He leans on his spear, eyes flicking from the pit to the soldiers to the weddings, brows knitting. "I leave the city alone for five minutes," he mutters, voice dry as dust, "And Legion starts throwing brides and demons into the same problem."

When one of the possessed lunges and gets put down, Raphael exhales through his nose- annoyed, not surprised. But then he noticed the copules actually working, preists scramling, rings slapped on fingers, he tilts curiously. "... that shouldn't work," he says, flatly. A beat. "I mean, good for them but still. That's not how possession usually responds to romance.

He straightens, rolling his shoulders, eyes narrowing at the pit. "Alright, Legion," he calls out under this breath, sassy edge creeping in. "But if you think I'm letting this turn into a city-wide speed-marriage apocalypse, you're about to be very disappointed."

The Undermaze, Sota Cluster

The remaining bulls go out to fight the queenslings, who now have an army again. They have to bring the Solidified Flame in to break holds over the bulls who haven't died.  That kills many of them, just outright. The queenslings are driven away, but the losses are bad.

Alistair

The best offence is a good defense. I work wit hthe minotaur leadership to set up a heated "funnel". Because of the size and inreasing frequency of attacks, we strategized   a plan to collapse tunnels and set up murder holes  to redirect and slow attacks as best we can. We will clog the labyrinth with their corpses- if we must.

The Undermaze Proper

King Melny is... adopted.. by a large insectoid thing, who won't let him leave, but won't let anyone else harm him. For those two weeks the thing feeds Melny, regurgitating stuff full of squirming... somethings... into Melny's mouth. Is Melny hallucinating that? Who knows? But he has to eat something.

The insectoid thing loses its head to a mate. And she chases King Melny further into the depths.

King Melny

Mel would continue to find his way out. After escaping the last creature, he would carefully trace his way through the caverns. I would at times try and see if Junior (a creature King Melny had summoned and has a mystical connection with)  could be contacted through our bond to see if I could trace my way up.

He never comes.

Chapter 5, Kaksusa 1

Cal's internet was still out, and Jesse was MIA (turns out he accidentally fell asleep), so we ran with Tasha again! And it was awesome!

Reflections

There's cracks showing up for me, but I can't put my finger on them. This is fine, but there's a spark missing, and I don't know what it is yet. Time to wait and see it play out some more!