Welcome to Gaia! ::

The shove was unexpected, the strength behind it even more so. Especially with this Mort so smiling, his tone one of amusement. The dhampire stumbled backwards, for once barely maintaining his balance, arms spreading to each side, daggers clenched tight in his fists.

Okay. Okayokayokay. He was like, super strong. How was he supposed to get through this alive right now?

"I..yes! Yes, my King you see...I did have far too much to drink upon my return. I'm afraid that...when I become inebriated, my..emotions get the better of me. I am, jealous, of your relationship with Belladonna." This was the most ridiculous conversation he'd ever partaken in, but maybe if he just talked to him, distract him, then the ghouls would have a better chance.

"And Belladonna, she...I think she just worries that I am too much competition for her to handle. I told her it is not so, that you would love her regardless if I were to tell you aout my true feelings."

So ridiculous. So so ridiculous.

"So, what's it to be then. Me, or her?"

On the inside, he just died. Dead. Completely out.

She had followed and she had listened and the whole thing was absolutely ridiculous. She felt for Bells and she shot her a look that said as much. And then she felt for herself and having to hear her brother talk of such things. It was.. awkward and incredibly uncomfortable. When they got out of this she was going to need a lot of therapy; a lot of brainwashing and maybe even a lobotomy. Perhaps fate would be kind and they wouldn't remember. She almost laughed. When was that ever the case when it came to the suffering they'd endured so far? Unfortunately; she'd remember all of this. She shuddered.

The sound of screaming met her ears and for a second she almost ran to Mort to protect him. But she remembered it wasn't real and she recognised the voice as Sin's and felt a pang of pity for Julian. This was hard on him, too, she realised. She only hoped that everyone would understand why they did what they did. That they had no choice lest they wanted to be stuck here forever; some of them to never return. They weren't really killing them. Just versions of them that existed in this world. Versions of them that were pawns and nothing more.

That's what she told herself over and over again when she turned the corner in time to see the backstabbing had already begun. He wasn't real. This wasn't Mort; someone that had become like a brother to her. A part of their little family. Here they were attacking him and there he was.. acting so cavalier. So.. happy.

He wasn't real. He wasn't real.

"You're not real!"

But she couldn't convince herself just yet. The fist that was aimed for his chest was quickly diverted and she stumbled forward with the momentum. For a moment, she clouched there; gasping. "Please understand, Mort. Please forgive us."

[Exiting]

Tori bowed to her King as she would what was right for her king and kingdom and fight for the glory for them all. The half-blood left for the battlefield at once to where she wouldn't be useless and be useful even if she died. In the back he mind, Tori felt that she might not be coming back home but while she breathed she was going to learn all that she could. It was also good that she had left before the fighting happened against there king as Tori would defend her king with her life as she was very loyal to him.

Sin grit her teeth as Julian's claws stayed locked into her flesh drawing bloody furrows where leather split apart and left her skin exposed. Julian didn't look too good either, but she knew her lifeblood was spilling out with every passing second and her King was in danger. His voice echoed in her ears and her head rang 'Protect the king....Sin you must protect the king!'

She shoved away from Julian and tried not to stagger, but she did and landed on one knee hard enough to make her wince.

She looked up at Mort her chest heaving as she struggled past the pain for sweet air. Her chest felt tight as she spoke, but she managed to force the words out.

"My King...Om...you....you are betrayed..."

Alex stared at Belladonna in dismay. Stared and stared and stared and silently pleaded with her to understand that he had only done it to try and well..confuse Mort enough to keep him from attacking them just a little longer.

And...somehow it had worked? Still didn't make what he'd said any easier, though.

"Sophie..." He reached out to her when she arrived, tried to warn her that telling him that he wasn't real, that this was all fake? It was not going to do any good. They had been told that before they'd come here. Still, he understood her need to say it, to give their betrayal a reason. This figure looked so very much like Alex's zombro, talked like him.....

But it wasn't him. No, they had to destroy him, and then they could find the real Mort, and bring him home, and end this nightmare.

He would give no explanations. At this point they were useless. With a sad look on his face, all he could do was dart forward and slash with one of his daggers at the King once more, following quickly behind Belladonna's petal attack.

The word paralyzed him in place and yet also failed to be fully realized. Power Word Stun more like. He could think the word as hard as he could, but it didn't make its mark. It wasn't believable, it was...

Flower petals and daggers and sad looks and proclamations, all of it was -

Betrayal.

The king stood aghast, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the lot of them. "What...?" Not at the fact that they thought it was a dream, not that they called him fake - no, Mort was horrified to realize at long last that his friends were attacking him. The people he had chosen for their bravery, strength, leadership, ingenuity...They had been his champions, his soldiers, his friends.

And now they wished to be king killers.

His heart stopped cold as a shiver ran through him. And as if the the land felt his mood, gray began to creep down from the ceiling of the great hall, cracks forming through master stonework like insidious little snakes. Worse, the more he stared at them, the more he noticed their forms flicker and fade. They...They weren't even of this world anymore! Glitches! Bugs! They were destroying his beautiful land and trying to corrupt Sin along with them -

His gaze hardened as his hand found the hilt of his sword. Not even Belladonna escaped it when his eyes turned to her, though there was a great deal more of pain in them. "Have you gone mad?" he growled, pulling his sword out of its sheath with an audible shing. "You'll kill everyone!"

But if they were fading with the world, then...! "You are the ones who are fake! Mort proclaimed, swinging his sword and releasing energy to throw back Alex and Julian. "You are but half formed thoughts who've stolen the lives of my friends. Begone!"

It couldn't be, it just...

Oh, there it was. That look of betrayal mixed with stark understanding. Those eyes that doubted and that stance that only now realized what was happening, defensive and getting worse. Belladonna had not been looking forward to that, not one bit and even though this was fake, it still hurt deeply. This was fake, it wasn't real, but jackdamn she could have been fooled. Even if his coloring was off, that was still Mort's face and his voice, but thank Hecate it wasn't how he always talked. The witch would have been undone completely at that, but as it were, she was distracted momentarily from his betrayed look with an odd noise overhead.
With a gasp she looked up, saw the beautiful emerald ceiling cracking into grey. Or was it silver? Whatever it was, it was bad. The faerie took a step back, frightened for a moment. What would happen if they didn't hurry? What would happen if the world crumbled before they could destroy him? What about the copies? What about them?
Belladonna looked to Alexander, Sophie and Julian, eyebrows drawn down in worry. What would happen to her friends? Would they be stuck too? And what about everyone else? She'd seen Lifen, Gene, Amrita and more in that tent, so they too were fighting their own kings. But that meant they too were in danger.
With a growl, she gripped her staff all the tighter and swung her gaze back to the King. An equally determined and angry face found her and even though she was momentarily wounded with that additionally painful quirk, she was not swayed. There was more than just Mort at stake, which was enough on its own to spur her on. But the others were important too, mostly because they just wanted to help. And oh, she knew the call to help all too well. So if she had any say in it, the witch would not let this end in disaster.

The energy blast shoved Alexander and Julian back, but she was out of its range. It would mean she had to get closer, but that was a risk Belladonna was willing to take.
"We are half formed thoughts and frankly I am appalled at the roles you gave to us!" She shouted as she lunged forward and swung the staff at him. "You could have made us at least bosses! But no, we were simple townfolk!" Maybe arguing with his delusional self about said delusions wasn't the best thing, but it was all she had, really. "And you kept me a secret?!" Also yes that was a sore point. The witch was nothing if not horribly touchy about her own vanity.

The pain was intense now, she collapsed backwards as Julian tackled her and she coughed her nails weakly grabbing at him at first in an attempt to push him off but slowly it turned into an embrace. No more hurting, she couldn't bring herself to do it, she wished it didn't have to be like this...they could have fought together for Om, for their King. She coughed again her lips turning red as she felt the end coming.

She moved her arm up weakly and touched Morts leg her fingers straining to press against him. Her hand flickered green for a split second as she tried to chat the words for a Barkskin spell, but the healing was minimal, a trickle of assistance even while her own life trickled away.

"Forgive me my King....I...I have...failed you...failed...Om."

Her eyes twisted towards Belladonna even as her fingers slowly stroked Julian's hair in a gesture that felt oddly comforting. Her eyes pleaded with the red head. Please...protect our king. She tried to open her mouth to say the words, but words were so hard to force out now. The sky looked dark, or was it just her? Was Om dying at the same time? The thought was more painful than her wounds. Belladonna's words were like a knife in her, she had betrayed them too...