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Sophie would like it on the record that, when she accepted the job, she didn't know that the Librarian had to do so much bloody politics. She could be out healing the sick, like Natan in his day. She would love to be out healing the sick. Instead, she's in one of the innumerable studies of Hush House, searching for a book for Hokobald, even though she wishes dearly that she could toss him out on his shiny arse. She doesn't mind helping out Yvette, or Arun, or really most of the others. It's just Hokobald in particular who should really go fuck himself. But it is her duty to remain strictly neutral, and she takes that duty seriously. So she'll find his damned book, and watch like a hawk while he reads it. And should he happen to violate that neutrality himself, well, she might have a few things in her pockets to introduce him to. (Swaddled Thunder isn't casual to make, nor the Rubywise Ruin in case of violence. But she's made them enough to feel they're replaceable, at least.)
Luto bounces to her feet right away and heads towards Ridaya, grabbing her katana on the way. "Got it."
(...she recognizes Ridaya's "I think maybe we can win this actually, please just trust me and do exactly what I say, no time to explain" voice. She rarely uses it - she loves taking the time to explain - but when she does, almost never wrong.)
If she'd asked then she'd have gotten talked down, because this was and is a stupid idea.
"Yes. It will be over quickly."
Ridaya pulls the bag off her head. She's holding what Sophie knows is probably a wand, two scrolls of parchment, and a medium-sized pearl.
She grabs the pearl and focuses on it - there's no obvious visual effect, but it clearly does what she wanted it to, because she relaxes before she tosses it back in the bag.
"Sophie, I'm going to cast some spells on you to give you a temporary edge. Mostly to your reaction speed, but some other general stuff as well. Then I'm going to use the wand to make us all invisible, cast one more spell for speed on all 3 of us, and then teleport. It will take about half a minute all in all. Ready?"
(Celestial makes it clear when Ridaya is saying the name of an arcane spell.)
(Luto is already here, one hand on Ridaya's shoulder to steady her nerves and for the Teleport, when it comes, the other hand gripping her katana.)
"Give me your hand. And when you feel the magic of the spells, let it in." She unrolls one of the scrolls with one hand and reaches out for Sophie's with the other.
Heroism.
It makes her feel... not, necessarily, like everything will be alright. But it makes her feel like she can win this. Not just getting through the extremely short (one way or another) battle ahead, but making good, getting out, finding a way to make things work.
It's a heady feeling.
She doesn't use a scroll for this next one, just moves her free arm rapidly and chants.
Anticipate Peril.
She starts the wand-boops. They disappear, one by one; Ridaya, then Luto, and finally Sophie.
"Teleport in two moments. Luto, count it down off from here, I have to cast."
She feels Luto's hand squeeze her shoulder in acknowledgement. She casts Haste, from the scroll.
"Teleport in one."
Luto lets her power flow through the coin weaved into the hand on Ridaya's shoulder, and she feels her nervous system adjust to the magic flowing out of it.
Her mind is perfectly empty of worry or fear. She is flowing water, a clockwork mechanism of grace and beauty and deadly sharpness. Protect Sophie.
Casting Teleport (any fifth-circle spell, really, but especially Teleport) is an incredible feeling. For one perfect moment, Ridaya is conducting an incredible amount of arcane power, the simultaneous culminations of millennia of arcane tradition, the years of her life spent on hard study and dangerous important fieldwork, and two minutes of incredibly difficult math this morning.
She holds the dragon's lair in her mind as she says the words and makes the hand motions, completing open loops of the spell. Here, she tells reality. Take us here.
Kaxalaroth has had an exciting day. Earlier, a group of foreign adventurers appeared in His private lair, which is the type of thing that a Dragon in the second century of His life has learned to be very aware of, if He wants to live to see a third.
However, these adventurers were not here to fight. They were, as a point of fact, just as surprised to see Him as He was to see them. And He was faster, of course.
Two of them got away, barely, which is extremely irritating; He feels it as an itch at the back of His mind, a loose thread. They intruded, and for that they must die. (They might already be dead; He did manage to cast a Dispel as the Teleport went off, which caused a magical reaction unlike any He's seen before. But He still has to check.)
For now, though, He's got loot to sort. Most of the big stuff is done, but the pretty one had a big pile of scrolls for Him to work through - all divine magic, so not especially useful to Him.
He snaps to attention, eyes scanning the area. Who dares -
He can't see anything - He starts casting See Invisibility -
Three words at once. All the same, in a way, and completely different in another.
Kaxalaroth might, in the coming moment, have the chance to feel the pain, as his body shreds away into rust and snow.
He doesn't have enough time to wonder how, in the moment He dies, this could possibly be happening. (It isn't impossible, necessarily, because enough arcane or divine power, few things are truly impossible. But - He had no archmage enemies, He was careful about that, He wasn't stupid -)
He does have enough time to feel pain, enough pain that when oblivion comes, even knowing where His soul is headed, it's almost a relief.
He might think he knows where his soul's headed. But even the best-trod path can be so... unreliable.
(Especially when traveling at night.)