9137/Demon War and VHS Tapes and a Puppy too

Demon War and VHS Tapes and a Puppy too
Date of Scene:	09 September 2019
Location:	Limbo, Earth-1813
Synopsis:	Illyana recruits Rogue to aide her with a demon rebellion in Limbo. It goes pretty well, as far as such a thing can go!
Cast of Characters:	Rogue, Magik

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Rogue has posed:
Rogue just so happens to be in the X-Men hangar this afternoon. She'd told Forge she was going to help him do some heavy lifting for repairs on the Blackbird. This means taking the engines out of their housing and mounting them on their special racks where he can more easily get to all the inner works of the alien-tech that is so expertly molded into the earth-tech.

What this means is that Rogue has been just hoisting around heavy massive engines like they were no big deal. In her green and gold jumpsuit, with it unzipped and rolled down off her arms to be bunched up around her waist, a green tanktop on beneath it and her leather flight jacket on over that, Rogue is in fairly casual mode... mechanic mode.

Her phone is resting on the edge of a work table not far away and its playing some radical tunes from the 80s, classic rock stuff. She's just casually humming along to it as she gets the parts in order, while Forge has run off to get some different tools that apparently ended up over in the Danger Room.

Magik has posed:
Like all stories about Hell, it doesn't start at the beginning. Usually they start at the end...

'I died.. and now I'm in hell..'

But this is only a version of Hell, so it can start literally anywhere... Like the hangar of the x-mansion. What is usual, of all the unusual, is that Illyana rarely knocks and almost never phones ahead. Where she appears, she just appears, but she's learned the good practice of clearing her throat now.

Just a little cough over the sound of (WHAT IN MY HEAD) is Warrent 'Cherry Pie'. Just so she doesn't get punched into the stratosphere. It probably wouldn't kill her, but it would be a huge pain. "Rogue." The dull voice of the Russian Witch-Queen follows, several steps back from where the green/yellow clad X-Man is carrying around alien tech parts.

Rogue has posed:
And that singular spoken word is just enough to make Rogue jump, jive and juke around to face where it had come from. With her pale green eyes all huge and laser focused right in onto Illyana's face where the Demon Queen is suddenly now standing in a space where mere moments ago nothing had been!

"Good, great, grandmas green apples..." Rogue says as she reaches her right gloved hand up to place it over her heart just beneath the lapel of her leather jacket on that side of her chest. She huffs out a pair of heavy breaths.

Then? She just smiles at Illyana. "Whats up...?" She asks all sly and cool-like, regaining her composure. "Ya just done popped right up outta no where again. Hell'va a skill, ya know? Pun intended." Rogue shows a big honest mischievous grin at Illy as she steps over to the table to turn the music down with a depress of the button on the corner of the phone's slim edge. "Hows things shakin, Surprise Queen?" She then asks of her friend.

Magik has posed:
Illyana is always very singular, watching things too intently, or staring openly without blinking for far longer than anyone has any right to. Like right now. She has Rogue fixed with pale blue eyes, with only the occational glance off to the side at this shadow or that one... but they focus returns to green after only the most subtle of turns of her head, "I have been gone from Limbo too long." What's up.

She stands there with her arms hanging down at her sides, her shoulders back, and her posture straight enough to use for drafting, but there's an unusual tension to her that betrays her usual supernatural like calm. "Some of detractors are sending killers to find me here, which they should not be able to do.." How things are shaking.

"I have to go back, but I am expecting a less than warm welcome.. you say you want to help? Is rebellion in hell... you are wanting to come kill many demons?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue isn't versed on this Limbo stuff quite yet enough to realize that when Illyana does glance this and that that she's probably staring at something terrible just outside of Rogue's own peripheral vision. At least not right and quick, she does remember their last interaction though...

So when she turns around to talk to Illyana and show her a grin. "I'd be more than happy t'help ya out, Lady Friend." She says then. "But, can ya promise that if we leave, we don't come back and like... I'm in a completely different timeline? That time passing stuff ya talked about last time was a little freaky t'think a---" Rogue cuts herself off as she remember sthe shadows.

She quickly looks to one of them that she thought Illyana just glanced at and she turns around to back up to stand beside Illyana on her right. "They... uh... they're not 'here' are they?" She asks then. "That'll set off the whole darn base alarms if a fight breaks out in here, ya know?" She glance sover to Illyana beside her then. "But yeah, if ya need help, ya can count on me, Sugah."

Magik has posed:
Illyana doesn't seem on edge, at least not at the moment, but it would be truly unsettling anything that really raised the Witch-Queen's hackles. She's still tense though, so the realities of what could happen are still fairly obvious... she's expecting something and is thusfar pleasantly relieved that it hasn't found her hear.

There is a surprising lack of Floyd in the shadows, though.

Likely doing what Floyd does... relaying information from hell for his Queen.

"Nyet, not here. I have many of my own forces protecting Heart oF Limbo.. I have control for now. I also know where they are hiding.. lidery rnga.. ones who are organizing." Unsure of the exact word for it, eyes down a moment. "Cannot promise this. Probably will return in same time line, just do not knowing where on time line. Could be now, tomorrow, or sometime last week, but when we are back.. will still be..." Her hands wave forward with her palms out, "Here. Generally here. Sometime here."

Right hand drops to her side, the left comes up and swipes across her body to the oposite shoulder. There's the faintest disorienting swirl light and the Hangar is replaced by the vast wastelands of Limbo spread out from the peak of a raised rocky outcropping. Here in her home, Illyana does not look the same... at least not when this close to the Heart. Her demonic half is more previlant: Huge black horns curl up from her forehead and her clothes are replaced with a black version of her Eldritch armor. Leather black wings descend down from her back like a cloak, but twitch periodically just to remind the viewer that they are flesh as she kneels down and stares at the thousands of Demons already engaged in combat.

Magic flies, things are exploding, and entire sections of the landscape is reshaped almost on a whim.. horrible beings wield massive weapons that look to have been crafted from an unnatural element or, in some cases, flesh and bone.

"There." Pointing out towards a small building, it looks different no matter who is looking at it, could be a castle... could be a convenience store.. nothing in Limbo follows any set rules other than Illyana's when she's full control. "This where we are going."

Rogue has posed:
"Well, I guess that sounds... acceptable." Rogue comments back about the time differences. "Actually, goin' back t'last week wouldn't be that objectionable, I could pick up some lotto tickets and---Ah hell, I don't even know what the winnin' numbers are anymore. Forgot already." She sighs then wistfully.

When the scene suddenly shifts and they've made that sudden jump TO Limbo, Rogue's expression scrunches up some at first cause, well. "Dayum." She states. "Holy dayum." She corrects herself. She starts to step to the edge to look at the battle going on and it just makes her dark eyebrows raise up closer toward the whites of her bangs framing her face that are being blown about over her youthful human features. She is fixated on the fighting, watching the gore and bloodshed just continue in wanton displays of nastiness down there.

"All right then." Rogue says as she starts to take her leather jacket off, then sets it down in front of her. She then starts to peal her uniform up, rulling it back up her body and onto her arms, wiggling herself into it before she starts to seal it up the front to her neck...

As Rogue turns to look back at Illyana, she's tying her green headband around her forehead the whites and brown locks of her wild hair. "So, we gonna fly over there? Do we need to feck up some'a these bitches in the fight first? Cause I'm prepared t'do that."

Once her suit is on, her headband is tied beneath her hair, she pulls her leather jacket on and starts to saunter over to a massive rock formation that she just wraps her arms around and starts to lift it up, holding it up above her as it rains rock and debris down around her. "Just tell me where t'throw this, and who t'crush with it!" And Rogue takes to the sky!

Magik has posed:
Illyana watches Rogue replace her own 'armor' with eyes as black as pitch. The Witch-Queen's features are far more suitable to this place than Earth, now, as if the disguise has been removed to show the inner self waiting just beneath the surface. Her usually pale-blue eyes are an abyss, black veins run down across her pearl white features around the socks like an infection. Every angle of her face is sharper, greater relief, and there's a quiet chittering sound like thousands of cicadas all singing at once when she speaks. It's distant and hard to hear at first, but the longer she's here, drenched in the power of Limbo, the more pronounced it becomes.

This is only half Illyana. This is the Darkchylde.

The true ruler of Hell.

"Da." Jutting her chin outward towards the mass of warring demons with a twitch of her black lips showing hints of dark teeth jigsawed together, "A message. Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me." Her hand snaps out and the massive SoulSword appears in her grasp, glowing with some light that is neither white nor dark, just different, and creating shadows rather than radiance as if it's eating light rather than casting it.

A black clawed finger points out towards a massive Pit Fiend lashing out with a barbed bone whip, "Him. Yogslath. Treaturous. Crush him." Then she jumps off the ledge, not really flying so much as using her wings to descend down into the chaos gracefully. Left fist pulling up chunks of earth to hurl sideways through the throng of demons, ally and foe alike, clearing a path for herself through the battlefield.

Anyone who gets too close, no matter their alligence, dies beneath the swing of her sword. Leaving behind a drained husk of leathery, twitch, flesh.

Rogue has posed:
With that big and huge rock held over her head, Rogue is up off of the ground and floating in mid air with her right leg bent at the knee and her left pointed toe-first toward the ground. She stares at Illyana in her new form and she cannot help herself but grin at it. "Badass." She sums her thoguhts and feelings up on the girl's new look with just that simple chosen singular word.

Illyana, in her Queen-form, goes first into the fray, down to cut her swath through the madness... And it takes just a few seconds before Rogue's effect comes to present itself in the form of that Pit Fiend's head rolling across the battle field after Rogue had flown right over him and kicked him right square in the jaw!

Her second major effect is the sudden slamming down of that building-sized spire of rock, it landing on its end and tipping forward to its pointed top where it smashes down and onto more of the demonic forces fighting amongst the armies.

Its then that the green and gold Southern Belle swoops down out of the sky and just flies right into them! In her wake is a cloud of tumbling, screaming, roaring, bodies of horrendous monsters of all shapes and sizes, hurtling over the Belle's body as she's turned herself into a flying nearly-invulnerable human battering ram! Illyana will surely see the carnage she's wrought upon the field, in the form of the demons just flying through the air in Rogue's wake!

Until she emerges on the other side and slams down onto the ground, her booted feet digging into Hell's dirt, her body sliiiiiding to a halt wher eshe spins around to look back at the battle... she's more than a little covered in filth and grime now. "Woooo! Those boys are smelly!" She says then, loudly, following it up with a literal gleeful cackle as she rarely gets to go that crazy with death and destruction, but these things are monsters right? Nightmares...

No remorse? No fucks given?

Magik has posed:
Illyana leaps up as the rock smashes down to earth a few dozen feet infront of her and stabs the tip of the Soulsword down into the huge chunk of building sizes earth as she lands. Kneeling slightly, both clawed hands turn upwards and rise up as if under some great effort with an unseen weight bared down upon her palms... a sickly green glow immenating from between her fingers, spilling out across her forearms as she draws on the innate horrible magic at her beckon call here in this Hellish domain.

Where on Earth she's no slouch of a sorcerer, rarely has she ever demonstrated the great untapped potential of her magic, hesitant to bring that terrible power to Earth with her... here in Limbo? She has no fears, she cannot possibly make this place worse and so she lets loose.

The landscape shudders, cracks, and tears with a rumbling sound like an Earthquake rocking directly through a major metropolitan area as a scar forms amidst the warring forces. A slash in the earth that grows wider the further apart her hands are moved until a fissure appears to swallow hundreds of demons into a gout of black/green fire errupting up from deep within the belly of this planet.

Sword retaken with a hiss and chink as it's pulled from the rock, the Darkchylde looks to Rogue, covered in gore, and grins in a way that Illyana never has. A humored... even pleased.. expression on her twisted visage seeing the Belle let loose.

Her massive swings uncurl from her back and flare out as she leaps, a single flap bringing her up high above the carnage, and then letting her fall back down amidst them with the blade pointing downward. It neednt hit any of them to create a huge shockwave out from the epicenter where she crashes, scores of demons thrown out away from her as she again begins stalking towards that building growing larger in the distance.

Rogue has posed:
As the tearing of ground into a fissure begins, Rogue has joined Illyana near to where she's put herself. "Wow." Rogue says when watching it start to spread open and the creatures that all start to tumble into it. She has to reach up with a hand to pull her wild white bangs out of her face in the winds that are whipping across the battlefield. "Its almost unfair." Rogue says then as she looks over to see Illyana grinning at her, which makes her return the grin in-kind, though... Illy's is likely a lot more intimidating in her new form than Rogue is in her blood and muck covered one.

Its when the Demon Queen launches herself off again that Rogue does as well and as she's been trained by the Avengers and the X-Men, Rogue is doing her best to work in tandem with the team leader on the mission. How does she interpret that in this fight?

By heft up giant boulders of rock and dirt and throwing them at the demons that are struggling not to fall into the void of the fissure!

One after another, huge tumbling rocks are hurled at the creatures that are formed up in lines near to the crack in the earth and she's sending them right on over by slamming the massive chunks of rock down onto the ground. Some of them roll right on through and down into the chasm as well!

Rogue's onslaught of thrown boulders ceases when Illyana slams down again and causes that massive shock wave. Its then that the Belle is back behind cover, letting it pass over her, her hair and clothing quite filthy now. She clamps her eyes shut and eventually comes up to peer over the edge after the aftermath!

Magik has posed:
Illyana's chest heaves with each breath as she stands up from her demonic (IT ISNT HEROIC AT ALL) landing. None of the demonic forces seem inclined to engage her, not even those that are fighting to overthrow her seem that insane. It was one thing entirely when she was absent, but quite another now that she's right there infront of them... They're terrified. Rightly so.. There is nothing Illyana /can't/ do here. Reshape the landscape, change the passage of time.. destroy it entirely if she desired, with all the horrible eventualities that follow 'that' decision should it ever come to pass.

Black eyes score across the landscape as she walks, forces kneeling down before her, regardless of previous allegence, to take a knee to their Queen with not but a glance of her black eyes upon them. From every motion of her body the sound of cicadas is like thousands of the insects come to devour a harvest in the silence that's settled over the chaotic battlefield.

All of the demons, save one... one and his entourage, anyways.

A massive behemouth of a thing that looks every bit as dark as the Darkchylde shambles into view before her and defiantly fixes his red eyes upon the smaller figure of the Witch-Queen. There's nothing said between them as they stare at one another. The quartet of demons half circled behind him fan out as if to surround Illyana, likely unaware of the gore splattered figure in their midsts watching from cover or just assuming she's yet another of the demons precisely BECAUSE she's covered in grime.

These beasts are likely the source of the horrible magics that were being used earlier. Each of the four looks powerful in their own right... Ancient, creatures with centuries of arcania knowledge at their disposal. "You are bringing children." The Witch-Queen says up to the target of her stare. "I am bringing a Rogue."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is behind the cover as things seemingly start to settle down and the chaos that has torn the land asunder seems to be reaching a unified level of understanding... that the Queen has Returned and that everyone better fall in line.

The Belle side steps down her cover with her dirty gloved hands gently touching the sides of the rock as she changes and adjusts the angle at which she watches this ceremony of sorts unfold across the distance from her....

She's worried for Illyana's safety though, so in a flick of dirt and grime up into the air... Rogue takes to flight again, an otherwise nearly silent physical motion. Once there, now gone, the Belle soars through the darkened skies.

Just as Illyana speaks of bringing a Rogue, its then that she conveniently drops down out of said sky and lands on Illyana's left, and slightly behind her. She looks over to the woman and shows her a big grin before she places her hands onto her hips and just sways her weight from one leg to the other as she scans the demonic monsters that are staring upon them.

"Ya'll really know how t'throw a party, I gotta say." She chimes in, having no idea if anyone(thing?) but Illyana can even understand her spoken words. All the same, she still seems chipper, even in her battle-dirtied form, with only a few tears on her uniform around her thighs and hips, one across her stomach that looks like a claw tried to rip her guts out, but only found invulnerable skin beneath the suit and thin shirt beneath it.

Magik has posed:
The qurtet of demons take a measured step back away from the pair of Illyana and Rogue, but it would have to be the latter since they seem entirely unafraid of the Witch-Queen. How terrible must this gore covered woman be if it's /her/ that their Queen brought to assist in this coupe attempt? It was a gamble, certainly, but clearly a successful one on Illyana's part.

For her part, Illyana twists her head down from side to side, popping her neck several times in each direction as the dust settles around them following Rogue's landing. "Last chance to take knee." She murmurs to the ringleader standing directly ahead of her who was turning red eyes towards the woman with Darkchylde until he's addressed. His reply is a snort.

The other four close in, albeit hesitantly, towards the duo, each with a different form of weaponry. One swings a massive sword made of some black stone, another with a whip not unlike the Pit fiend Rogue dispatched earlier, whirling it around in a tight concentric circle and then out towards the White banged X-Man. A third's fists are both bathed in hellfire, brought up as if to collect it all into a single glob to hurl in Rogue's direction, while the fourth sprouts vicious claws from each fingertip that look nastily like razors as it descends upon Illyana.

The Demonic Woman turns and hurls her sword at the creature, impaling him, but not stopping him from colliding with her. Clawed fingers linked together as they slide across the black blood covered ground beneath the force of the attempted tackle. All for the amusement of the Massive Boss watching with his arms crossed, disgustingly satisfied grin on his huge fanged maw.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's tongue is moving around inside of her mouth, pushing out a little dimple on the left side of her face behind her cheek, then it appears on the other side as she glances from the big bad monsters that need to take a knee, then to Illyana... She then flashes the Queen a big grin before she looks back to the monsters...

Rogue's right hand leaves her flared-out hip and she points suggestively at the ground in front of Illyana and mouths the words out. 'On your knees.' to all of the brutish beasts, in a true display of willful bravado from the otherwise diminutive looking girl from Mississippi roots.

They don't seem convinced by this suggestion from Rogue, or the last chance offered by Illyana, and as they come at them... Rogue just reaches a hand up to let the whip collide with forearm and whap over and over around it. She then grasps its coiled length and launches into the air right as her danger sense tells her to avoid that glob of burning hellfire sent flung her way!

With her arm wrapped up in the whip from the other big beasty, Rogue goes right at him! She lunges through the air and lands solidly against his chest to wrap her legs around his waist and look him right in his grizzled and grotesquely featured face. "You look like you got a terrible case'a the Mondays, Big Fella." Rogue says. "Here, I'll help ya take a little stress off your shoulders." And with that said in her smoky flirty voice, Rogue ascends the creature, her agile and nimble body climging him quickly and wraping the whip around his own throat.

She keeps wrapping and squeezing, as her legs come down around his neck and she rides him like a mighty steed while strangling him with his own whip, intending to strangle the life right out of him or pop his head off with the tangled woven weapon!

While together, the two of them turn to face the one hurling globs of fire, with one just smacking the big beast Rogue is riding right in his demonic family jewels!

Magik has posed:
Illyana's teeth, all of them, are bared at the creature to whom she's linked in the struggle of strength. He's definitely the size advantage, but she's in her home turf and the ruler besides, and easily moves him in the path of the massive sword being swung at her from the last of the four demons. The blade cuts deep and gives her the leverage to hurl him out of her path. Hand back towards him to call the Soulsword into her palm just in time to block a second blow with a deflecting strike that has the black bladed weapon digging deep into the ground.

One of her own massive claws strikes out in a side swipe across the wielders face, four deep gashes cut into the flesh, and a spray of black ichor washing across her own pale features as she rends him nearly to the bone through an eye and cleanly through his nose.

Her foot slams forward to send him tumbling away from her, a cloud of dust radiating out like a smoke screen. The silhouette of her standing is like a shadow, wings uncurled to beat forward and clear the area around her with the wind it creates.

The demon upon which Rogue is saddled stumbles about beneath the control of her legs and the whip about its neck. Flailing as the air is strangled out of him, trying to grab her frantically even as he gores right into his companions marbles with comically decisive results. Wide eyed and agonized, the demon falls backwards holding his loins, but he's not yet out of this fight either.

He can still throw hellfire from his back, it seems.

The Ringleader isn't so smug now. Not seeing his guard being dispatched by the two women.. even if one of them is the Queen of Limbo and the other an omni-powered Mutant of Mississippi origins. He's fidgeting a little, tension mounting, soon he'll have to face them both alone.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's attention stays fixated on choking out the big beasty with the whip, and once she gets him down onto the ground she places her booted feet behind the big monster's shoulders against where she presumes a spine to be and she SHOVES HIM up into the air, sending him hurtling toward the sky on an arching flight path... that'll send him right down and into the chasm that Illyana had torn open in the ground!

As Rogue hops right back up to her feet though she's clipped by one of those flaming globs and it bounces off of her left thigh and sends flames up across her body making her stumble just a little to get away from the destructive heat... hot that it'll damage her, but. "Hey, mind the threads!" She shouts in an angered tone. "This jacket ain't cheap t'keep getting fixed all the time ya know!"

The Southern Belle turns then and aims toward the fire-thrower. She shoots across the ground in a low-flying charge that sends a wave of rock and filth up in her wake! With her fists clenched (One glove is long gone, ripped apart only leaving the cuff around her wrist) she collides right into the creature and tries to shove him down and go full punch punch punch mode on his face, hoping to just cave it in!

So there she sits, about an hour ago she was humming to classic rock piped in from her phone in the X-Men hangar, working on the Blackbird with Forge... Now, she's in Hell, pounding a Demon's face into pulp.

Her phone is still there, resting on the table, playing an ironically appropriately badass song from a bygone era of Earth culture.

Magik has posed:
Probably AC/DC 'Hells Bells.

Illyana stalks out of the dust as the last of the chims rings on Rogue's phone back in the hangar, stalking from the remaining dust cloud as the drums kick in. She leaps up in the air, reverses the Soulsword in her grip, and comes down to stab the point clean through the sword wielding demon. Pinned to the ground, she stomps a booted foot down upon the grotesque mug until filth sprays out beneath it.

I'm gonna getcha... Satan getcha.

Hell's bells.

The demon upon which Rogue is pummeling stops moving... he stops twitching... there's not much left to pummel, really. They weren't designed for taking Rogue-level punishment. At least not once their magical shields break beneath her fists.

The Witch-Queen takes in a massive breath, rolls her shoulders back beneath the leathery wings flexing off from them to fling dust away like drops of water from a dogs coat. The last remaining Demon, the Boss, turns red eyes from one woman to the other, jaw working slowly as if speaking something or trying to determine the best course of action set before him.

Illyana turns a little, glancing back over at him over her shoulder, black eyes fixed upon him, horns creating a savage shadow in the limited light cast upon her from the fiery sword held aloft in her hand to point in his direction.

Rogue has posed:
Once Rogue is sure that the beast has been felled beneath her fists, she stops her onslaught of thunderous punches and just sits there atop of its chest and above where its head used to be. She releases a heavy and strong gusting exhale, with blood and gunk all around her... and she stands up.

As she turns her eyes go to that Big Boss, then to Illyana and with another leaping lunge Rogue lands beside her friend and she once more puts her hands upon her hips. Her body even more covered in gunk and her suit even more battle damaged. But she just grins, again, her hair is all manner of a mess and the whites of her bangs are no where near clean and pretty as snow as they usually are, being gray-ed out now by soot and dirt and worse.

"Well all right then. Lots less knees havin' t'kneel now..." Rogue says then as she looks to the one big guy still remaining, the one she assumes is the ring leader of all of this revolution. "I still see one set that needs t'kiss the ground though..." She says, directly to him with a continued arrogance on her visage that might veyr well anger the demonic beast even more.

"So what'll it be, twinkle toes?" Rogue asks on Illyana's behalf.

Magik has posed:
Illyana turns to stand facing the same direction as Rogue, sword up and laying along the back of her shoulders just ahead of her leathery wings which are just now settling down upon her back to resumble a cloak of some unnatural make. She doesn't say anything, Rogue is saying plenty enough to get beneath the Demon Leaders tough skin. He fidgets a little more and takes a step backwards away from the pair, measuring them with eyes shifting back and forth until some decision is reached.

Likely the smart one.

He falls down upon his knee and bows his head forward in deference to the Witch-Queen and her gore covered Dark Knight Champion. "That was very wise of you, Belagoth.." The Darkchyldes voice is cicada. A thousand of the insects chittering to form words that are spoken without her mouth moving. With him down upon his knee, she takes a step towards him to lay a hand upon the back of his horned head, claws 'tic-tic-ticing' down against the tough flesh as she looks across the vast field of demons all universally staring at one of either Illy or Rogue with aghast horror mixed with deferent respect/loyalty.

Then she steps away, looking up at Rogue, "Kill him." Jutting her head back at Belagoth.

Rogue has posed:
Truth be told, Rogue has a darkside, and a temper. Even though this massive Belagoth has seemingly surrendered to the Witch Queen, she realizes that the traditions and customs of this place are not the same as that of Earth's and what Rogue is used to. Belagoth likely knows what his fate is, that his entire act of trying to usurp Illyana's throne would only lead to his death or victory and his death had been sealed after they'd just slaughtered his generals and at least half his army, if not more.

So when the order is given, Rogue exchanges a glances with Illyana to show that it does give her some moral pause... but this is 'their world' and its 'their rules'. No one here would understand sparring this creature and showing it mercy, there is no mercy in this Cobra Kai Dojo...

Rogue starts to walk toward Belagoth, her hands swaying at her sides as her hips work back and forth. She stops beside him, and she touches the back of his head as well... But a moment later and she's wrapping an arm around his neck to squeeze it, with all her strength, she tries to choke the monster out who challenged Illyana for rule of this realm!

Magik has posed:
Belagoth may have suspected this was going to be his fate, but he likely didn't expect it at the hands of an outsider. His eyes light up with fury, but every demon on the field turns to stare at him, ready to assail him with vicious repraisal if he dares to defy their Queen not just once, but twice. Illyana gives him no more mind, she's climbing stairs forming beneath her feet from the bones and bodies of the deceased, rising up above the battlefield before their eyes.

Like Rogue sauntering over towards a kneeling demonic fiend glaring daggers at her, but unwilling to risk far worse torment, eternal in some cases, at the Witch-Queens hands rather than succumb to the punishment he's earned for himself with his actions. When her arm wraps about his throat, a hand comes up like any creatures would, but fall back to earth. Eyes bulging as the pressure increases until, with a sickening crunch, his head gives way to Rogue's strength and his body goes limp against her arm. All manner of disgusting substances running down her forearm from fissures in his skull.

At that crunch, Illyana turns and drops down into at throne errect of skulls and lays her palms atop the eyes of two Beholder Beasts, staring out across the bloody battlefield.

"Hail your Dark Champion." She speaks quietly, but is still easily heard. A whisper against the back of the neck. All the demons turn towards Rogue... hundreds.. thousands of eyes upon her. All of them slowly lower as one onto a single knee.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue just entirely believes that this is what Illyana needs to keep being herself, to stay safe and sound and securely her. She's apart of the X-Men and the X-Men are a team, a family. So with the gunk and gore flowing over her arm from the beast's shattered skull, Rogue just lets it's body drop to the ground with a wet thud and she turns to look at Illyana. Its when those words are said and the whole of the battlefield is looking at her and reacting to those words that Rogue just raises her other hand up to pull some of her wildly strewn hair out of her face. "Wow." She quietly says then. Its an impressive sight, to say the least...

The Belle takes the sight in for several moments before she just walks over to that staircase that Illyana had created with her mind, and just walks up one or two of them, then turns and places her right foot up onto the step up while her left remains on one step down. Her right hand goes to her thigh and she just stands there, grinning at the crowd, and then grinning up at the Queen herself.

"Well... that was a thing." Rogue says to Illyana. "We got more t'do, or did we send'em enough of'a message, ya think?" She glances down at herself, all battle worn and filthy. "Ya know, this might be the most intense fight I've ever been in, and I fought Frost Giants attacking New York last summer..."

Magik has posed:
There doesn't seem to be much more discontent amongst the demons. Even once they rise from their reverence of Rogue, the amble away in all direction like ants off to do whatever it is they do on a daily basis.. whatever horrible thing fancies them. Illyana watches them with empty black sockets until Rogue steps upwards towards her and asks if the fighting is done, the question earns a clipped nod. "They are having their resolve crushed." The voice is more inline with Illyana's rather than the Darkchylde, her appearance shifting and manipulating into something more human as she stands from her makeshift throne to step down near to her friend.

"Spasiba." Standing upon the higher step of the two upon which Rogue is standing with her arms folding across her tanktop now that her armor has shifted away, "I can take us from this place if you are wanting." The veins slide upwards towards the black holes where eyes should be, devoured in darkness until it wisps away to leave her pale-blue stare slipping across the battlefield still smoking from the fissure she tore in the ground. The massive rock initially hurled by Rogue slowly tips, crashes down, and then falls over the edge with a splash of liquid fire spraying upwards into the sky. It only adds to the darkness as soot blocks out nearly every bit of ambiant light.

"It does not come with celebration.. none that is very pleasant, anyways." Looking to Rogue with a smile that isn't at all pleasant, almost sad really. "I am never wanting anyone to seeing this place or me.. in this way.." The wings wrap around her legs, fold down after detaching from her back with a pop of bone, and form into her tight black jeans and boots.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's green eyes look out over the field as she watches the monsters, creatures, demons just disperse and start to go back to whatever passes as lives for them to lead. "Far out..." She quietly says then. But its Illyana's approaching voice that gets Rogue to look back to her friend as she descends the stairs.

Rogue is just grinning at her as she does this too. She motions up at her with her uncovered right hand, the glove on it having long been torn away. "Hey." She starts. "Don't act like this is something not to be heralded as truly astoundin'. What ya did out there." She motions to the gorge sliced through the 'earth' and at the lava splashing up out of it. "That was amazin' stuff. You should be proud, happy even. I mean, this place... its important t'ya, yeah?" Rogue's hand goes back to tuck some of her crazy hair back behind an ear.

"Its important t'ya and we just kept it from getting even more wickedly wild than it already is. We stomped some severe ass here t'day, 'Queen'." Rogue shows a big grin then and there. "So yeah... I'm proud've our work. You should be too."

She looks down at herself again and then back up at Illyana. "That being said, if'n we do hop back to the school. Ya might wanna tryin' aim straight for my room, so we don't freak anyone out. But..."

Rogue looks out over the battlefield and the landscape. "I mean, I'd stick around and ask for a tour, but I get the sense there's not a lotta touristy things t'see around here?"

Magik has posed:
Illyana doesn't often bring anyone to Limbo, for obvious reasons. She becomes tainted by it simply by being here and is putting in great effort not to look like some hellish mistress ruler of this terrible place. This is hardly her natural Limbo form. Even as Rogue speaks of it, the Russian is looking out over it with a clipped nod, "Da. I am." She sounds it... reserved, possibly from using so much magic and the darkness that comes with doing so.

Her pale blue eyes fix on Rogue beside her, looking over the torn uniform and gore with a shifting up-down turn of her eyes until a blink have them returned to the X-Man's face. "Is not very much to see.. everything is being like this, mostly." Motioning out over the field with an extended hand, "But.." Pointing, wiggling a finger as she turns to look off in the distance.

"One thing. Is one thing."

That's the only warning.

Illyana works in absolutes. The field is gone in the blink of an eye and they're standing in what looks kind of like a typical Russian home circa 2025ish. More than anything it looks like a time capsule for 1980 from the VCR and television with rows of VHS tapes, to posters of American and Russian Stars from that bygone era.

"This is where I am staying when I am staying here long... not often." Obviously, everything is covered in dust.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is a mess, she'd expect just about anyone to stare at her all kinds of aghast at what has become of her after that fight. But it just makes her grin in amusement when she sees Illyana do it, its her fault after all. She drug her into this spur of the moment battle!

Rogue was about to say something when the scenery shifted and they're in a brand new location. A cozy, if a bit poorly maintained room. A few steps are taken, a lot of looking around is had and Rogue does a full turn around to take it all in. "Well shit." She says then. "Is this outta your head, or is this like an old memory from your childhood that you've turned inta like a safe space? Sorta like that... uh..." Rogue snaps her fingers a pair of times then points at Illyana. "That movie, uh, shit... Ready Player." One. She forgot the One part.

"I saw that movie when I was a kid. I loved it." Rogue steps over to where the VHS tapes are and she picks one of them up with the cleanest parts of her left hand. "Spaceballs. Really?" She asks as she glances back over her shoulder and grins at Illyana. "You strike me more as a Blazin' Saddles type." She jests of course. Her green eyes look around the room then as she sets the tape down again. "Here I figured you stayed in some huge obsidian palace, or somethin'..."

Magik has posed:
Illyana glances up and turns in a small circle, taking in the whole room, "Kind of, da." Answering the question without specifying which answer was right, at least not at first. "I created it from my memory.. This is Piotr's room.. as I remember it when I am nine." A sad expression on her face hidden partially by a smile when Rogue moves over to the VHS tapes, blue eyes follow her and then Illy steps over to join with her hands hanging down at her sides. "I do not know what that is." Blazin' Saddles, "These are Piotr's.." Nodding to the tapes, the VHS, most of the posters.

"Obsidian palace is not safe.. a good channel for dark magics." She explains as if she doesn't understand the inherent joke of Rogue saying it in the first place, "Would be like sleeping in conduit for electricity when every person around you is made of electricity." All matter of fact, grin still in place with a hand coming up to brush blonde hair back behind an ear.

She never lets her ears be shown, that's the whole POINT of a princess cut, to cover the ears.

"It is only place I feel human in this place.. I miss Piotr very much." The fact that one hasn't come around is a CONSTANT source of angst. As if Illyana isn't active enough for them. LA. Freakin'. Sigh. "Do not mean to making very emotional." She kneels then to slide one of the VHS tapes out and hold it in both hands in Rogue's direction.

It's Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back. "This is my favorite."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue pulls her left glove off now and she tucks it into the pocket of her leather jacket though she'll probably just throw it away once they get back to Xavier's anyway. She glances around the room while Illyana speaks and then up to and over to her when she says this was Piotr's room. Its been awhile since she saw Piotr, he seemed to ditch out after he'f found out Kitty was in a relationship with someone else... but maybe she read that all wrong and it was other reasons entirely.

"I'm sorry he's not around, Illy." Rogue says softly to her. "I think he'll come back eventually. He's probably just out there workin' construction somewhere and givin' everyone morality speeches." She tries to make a little joke to lighten the witch Queen's spirits on that subject.

When Empire is brandished at her, Rogue steps over to it and grins down at it. "I knwo that movie." She says then as she looks back up at the ruler of this realm. "Its way better than bein' electrocuted. My favorite part is Chewbacca... Just growlin' and rip people's arms outta their sockets. Thats my kinda man." Rogue holds her grin then to the other. "You wanna grab Kitty sometime and watch it together, like we did last time?" She can't even remember which movie they watched back then, cause they'd talked the whole way through it as a group.

Magik has posed:
"We watching Rogue One last time." Illyana perks up at the idea of watching another movie, likely betraying exactly how lonely she has to get. People don't go seeking Illyana out for nights on the town, afterall. She's not exactly the most approachable person who has ever set foot in the mansion... sometimes that suits her, but not always. She's a very strange woman.

"I would like this." She doesn't speak of Piotr anymore, it clearly bothers her that he's not tried to find her. The concept that he may have run because of Kitty being with someone else and abandoning 'her'... She can't think about that. It makes her angry. Anger does her no good here in Limbo, even a small pocket of Limbo that could almost be considered normal.

"When I am young..." She draws her fingers across the cardboard sleeve of the VHS tape reverently, "I picture I am Princess Leia." Explaning with a muted smile, looking down at the cartooned picture of the heroes, "She is always strong, even when all of the galaxy is trying to kill her. That is strength I immulate until I find my own strength. In way.. she is how I am becoming who I am. How I am able to topple great evils to sit on throne now." Nodding at... well nowhere.. but presumably the metaphorical throne she mentioned. There is no real throne, unless she creates one.

"Also she is 'badass bitch'. Like me." Grinning a little more, blue eyes up on Rogue.

Rogue has posed:
Then Southern Belle stands there in the center of this recreation of Piotr's old room and she listens to Illyana closely, she's covered in filth, drying demon blood and wearing the tattered remains of her standard X-Men uniform, but her focus is on that of the Witch Queen and the ruler of this realm.

"Leia, huh?" Rogue says with a sly grin. "I can see that. She was the tough as nails kinda girl, that still had a soft side that came out with those she trusted most. I like that comparison and there's probably no better role model t'take out of movies. Though, I gotta get ya t'watch Aliens someday, if ya haven't already seen it." Rogue glances over to the movie collection. "Its about the same age as Empire, I think... I'm not as good at this stuff as Kitty is... I didn't even have a tv in my house until I was 14 and livin' with Mystique."

With a sigh, Rogue turns back toward Illyana then and tips her chin toward her. "So I'm gonna get ya a Princess Leia costume for Halloween now, ya know that right? We're gonna have t'put your hair up in those cinamon buns on the side'a your head too." She just grins at the Russian gal.

Magik has posed:
"I am not having seen Aliens." Illyana confirms, shaking her head as she kneels back down to replace the VHS into the empty slot between the two movies that accompany it. She couldn't tell you any other movies on that rack, but those three have been watched quite a few times. Standing now with her hands fixed down at her sides, the gore barely even registering with the Russian, at least on Rogue.. there's not even a drop of it on Illyana.

Something something magic armor.

"You are knowing that it will lead to someone having their face slapped when they are making fun of me." Teasing, quietly, maybe... she's very deadpan. "Worthing it. I will wear it." Bobbing her head in a singular nod, "If you are wearing chewbacca outfit Kitty is having for Psylocke's birthday." She wont call her Betsy and she says the name like just another person in the crowd, probably deliberately distancing herself from it.

"I would like seeing that."

Rogue has posed:
"Psssh..." Rogue says about the lacking of having seen Aliens. "You're gonna be a big damn Ellen Ripley fan after ya watch some Aliens, lemme tell ya." She holds the light grin then before she glances down at herself again. "Yeah, I'd take even that Chewbacca suit Kitty had on right now over this stuff. I'm gonn have.. t'get a new set made up, I think. I don't think this one's gonna get repaired. Forge'd probably just stare at me like I was outta my mind if I asked for a 'patch job' on this kinda damage." She states then as she gives another look around the room.

"So I'll ask Kitty if she still has it, she probably does. I imagine it came off and got stuffed inta the back'a her closet." Rogue reaches up then to take her leather jacket off and turn it around to hold it up so she can survey its damage. "I'll be Roguebacca." She quips in her southern flavored voice while frowning at seeing the damage to her jacket. "Shoulders are all ripped open... blah. Ah man, they clawed my back?" She sees three claw marks right down the back and then glances over her shoulder, but can't quite see that far so she reaches a hand back behind her to feel around.

"Jeeze, those things were savage out there. I can see why you worry about them formin' up t'tryin take ya down now."

Magik has posed:
Illyana kneels down to look at Rogue through the gouges in her jacket, then pokes a finger through one of them and wiggles it a little, "Sorry about your jacket." It's easy to get kind of dismissive of clothing when she just summons up whatever she wants anyways, but Illyana tends to wear generally the same thing anyways. She's a creature of habit.

Watching Rogue now from the corner of her eyes, straightening a little, "Da." Said quietly, stiffening a little and rubbing the back of her neck to loosen the tension she usually keeps fairly well hidden beneath layer upon layer of human self control. Difficult now, here in this safe haven. Some of the onion is peeled away. It's like being near her brother.

"I do not fear them. They cannot really hurt me, but they can start coming to earth and hurting people there... this I do not want." Murmuring, glancing off to a shadow where Floyd is crouched, watching them both. "I am concerned maybe that is already happening. The longer I am there. Sometimes I am thinking maybe I should not go back to Earth.. Before I leave, the apartment was..." Narrowing her eyes.

"It was like Limbo. Things could get through easily..."

She snorts out a sigh and looks back to Rogue, "If you are ready, I can take you back. Is nothing else here to show. At least nothing you are wanting to see."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue lowers her jacket down to her side and lets it slap against her left thigh that has a big open gash in her suit there, down to her thigh high boot that is so dirty you can barely tell its even yellow anymore. "Nah, its just a coat. I'll get it fixed." She states about the garment before her eyes trace over to where Floyd is and she just grins at him. "I remember that one." She states then, raising her free hand up she wiggles her fingers at him in a teasing sort've way. "Heya, Tiny." She says to the faithful informant of Illyana's kingdom.

A glance back to the blond then and Rogue nods once to her. "Yeah, better get back. I'll ned t'get cleaned up and then run down and help Forge put the engines back in the--- if... we even get back t'the same point in time." She shows a quick smirk then. "Forgot about that part."

Her hand comes up then and she motions to Illyana. "Hey, if ya ever need more help, just lemme know. If they do start gettin' inta Earth, well, I'll be there t'help ya stop'em, yeah? Team work, yo!" She's smiling now, dirty smudged face but still pearly white perfect teeth behind that smile.

Magik has posed:
Illyana smiles, a tight expression on her too white face. Piotr's room disappears and they're in Rogue's room, by the clock, in so far as people know the passage of time, it's only been a few seconds since they originally left. Almost like they simply teleported from the Hangar to Rogue's room, rather than spending the last few hours fighting against Demons in Limbo.

"I will. They know you now, though." Illyana says to Rogue, glancing over at her friend with the smile fading. "I warning you only because the fighting is over there, but the coupe is not. Is always someone to step up and take command... and whoever is that someone can find you. I doubt you will be afraid, probably you should not, but... is good to know." Glancing at the shadows around the room, rubbing at the back of her neck beneath the long threads of her white blonde hair. "Probably is something I should have been telling you before you come to help me, maybe."

That's an understatement.

Rogue has posed:
Once they're back inside of Rogue's room, she exhales softly and shakes her head. "That is crazy... that power. But I guess I get told that a lot too by people who don't have the ones I have." She walks over to the puppy kennel in the corner to let Jester out of it and the little Labrador Retriever puppy stretches and then hops out of the kennel with a tail that is already going a million miles per hour.

As Rogue straightens up again she glances back to Illyana. "Well, if any'a them think they can handle me, they're gonna be sorely mistaken." She syas with a big grin for the blond. She starts to walk past her and gives Illyana's arm a light pat over the covered part just incase she might accidently absorb the other.

"I'm gonna get cleaned up then... looks like we're back on the right timeline, everything is how I left it before I went downstairs." She heads for the doorway into her private washroom and glances back over her shoulder. "That was fun though, we should do it again sometime." She says, grinning, clearly joking and not joking at the same time!

Jester runs past Illyana's ankles and falls over her feet, slobbers on her ankles and then wildly bounds after Rogue into the bathroom where his food and water is kept.

Magik has posed:
Illyana watches Rogue release Jester with her head tilting slightly in an awkward sort of manner, clearly finding the whole human/pet diachotomy rather intriguing. She doesn't comment on the excitement clear in the retreiver upon being released, at least that part she can understand. Run free little puppers.

"Da. I was confident I had not mess with time too much." She assures Rogue, glancing up with a clipped nod, standing like a small Russian doll in the center of the room as if unsure where a person is suppose to stand. "I can go anywhere I can imagine... always goes through Limbo, so is not always certain when we will wind up, but always certain where." She assures with a half a smile that fades quickly.

At least until the pat on her covered arm.

Half her armor slides up her wrist so she can pat the hand upon her arm without fear of being drained, though it does so only at the very last second, and then vanishes just as quickly. "I have no fear they will be able to doing your harm." Of that she's certain enough, nodding with finality as Jester stumbles over her feet, drawing her attention down to him... then around as he rushes off towards the bathroom where food and water await.

"Seeing you soon, I am hoping." Where once there was an Illyana, now there is nothing but empty space. Leaving behind only the lingering creepy presence until that too has faded into the ether.