"...okay. Nervewracking, but not mission-relevant."

Onward.

As they ascend to the third floor, the damage to the wardstone comes into view. It looks like an angry red blotch on the otherwise golden object, when no such coloration was visible yesterday. There are barricades set up around the stone to allow a smaller force to hold it against attackers, but they seem to be currently unmanned.

Paper scraps whisper forward across the floor to see if there's anybody invisible in there.

The paper will go right through the area as though there's nothing there!

Correction, her eyes will tell her that the paper goes straight through. Her domain sense, on the other hand, insists that actually her paper is brushing up against a number of bodies as it passes through the room, and that her eyes are playing tricks on her. If she tries to find the outline of the discontinuities, there is apparently a large force of demons in the room with her, but they aren't reacting like you might expect them to to being covered with paper.

"There's some invisible demons there, illusioned," she whispers, "though they're not reacting to the paper."

"From my perspective, it looks like your papers are moving through empty air, but I can't think of any effect that would make you think there are demons there when there's absolutely nothing going on, that doesn't happen by accident. I'm also not seeing anything with detect magic but I wouldn't be, not for something strong enough to hit us through a magic circle that cared to hide it."

"I can feel the paper. I see what you're saying you see, but I feel it stopping around demon shapes."

"If there is an illusion affecting us, Desna's blessing of freedom isn't enough to let me break it in two tries while under a heroism, guidance, and a magic circle, which until just now I would have said I expected to be categorically sufficient against anything a Lilitu could do. I could try again after a prayer, but I'm not sure there's any reason to think it's just barely sufficient to get me, which is concerning. Dispel evil ought to be able to free one person a cast if it's affecting us and not the world around us; do you have a guess as to which it could be? The other point of confusion I have is why they wouldn't have attacked us already if they could; you outlining them in paper ought to give the game away and demons are not known for their impulse control. I'm half tempted to say we should buff up and just walk past them down the side of the room, and see how far we get before they react; the only other thought I have is seeing if you can outline them in paper at enough of a distance I can see it but close enough I can use Desna's gift to put them to sleep, on the theory that this is why I have it."

"I have no idea why they're not reacting. It's like we mutually don't exist except that my scraps of paper are fetching up at their ankles. Sneaking past them might just straightforwardly work."

"If we can get by without fighting them, I think that would be a really good thing. We'd probably have to kill a lot of them before they ran away, and I think it would be pretty noticeable. The fact that it works through a magic circle is also probably a good sign, since it either means whoever is doing it is strong enough that they can hurt us if they want to anyway or they aren't evil. We should be ready for if they do notice us, though."

"Yeah. Let's go, but - keep an eye on that general area."

None of the demons appear to notice them, even as they finish making their way past the barricades. According to her paper sense, the area around the wardstone itself is clear of anyone except them.

"Anyone have a reason I shouldn't head straight for it right now?" she asks, once her scraps have checked the surroundings.

Nobody can think of anything, so Camellia and Ramien will stand guard against the demons suddenly snapping out of whatever is going on while Ember readies herself to supply healing if needed.

And onward she strides, taking soft but long steps, dagger in hand.

As soon as her knife makes contact with the wardstone, there's a feeling like the vision from when she first picked up Lariel's sword. This time, instead of inhabiting the experiences of an angel, she finds her perspective changing. From this angle, the wardstone appears to be a cage - both of the demons inside the barrier, and of the angels inside the wardstone itself. Within this enclosure, a war is being fought, with angels on both sides.

One of the armies still shines with golden light, and speaks to Kybele of duty and sacrifice. This, they say, is the truth of the wardstones; angels that volunteered to seal themselves away, so that the demons might also be contained. They do not resent their lot, nor do they ask for respite from their imprisonment; were the call to come again, for them to descend from heaven to help mortals, even knowing it might well be to their own death and suffering because heaven cannot spare the strength to win, they would choose it again. They warn Kybele of Deskari's plan to corrupt the angels within, and transform the artifact from a link in the chain guarding the world to a demonic beacon, and ask that she eliminate the poison and any who have fallen to it.

The other army glows an angry, crimson red, and speaks of suffering and disillusionment. The truth that maintains the wardstones is the suffering of the angels within, and any injury dealt with it is painful to those trapped. The poison that currently infests it is merely the worst they have experienced, and is beyond their ability to bear. Even now the pain is driving them insane, and the promises of duty and salvation feel like naught more than a burden that chains them down. Some beg for freedom, an end to their suffering in the world of mortals and a return to heaven to heal, while others ask only that the poison be removed, that their torment simply be easier to bear. By far the most common refrain, though, is begging for death; oblivion, they say, is better than continuing as they are, and even were they freed they have no guarentee that it would not come again, for they have no hope that the wound in the world would be closed.

Throughout it all, Kybele can feel within her and the dagger an immense, thrumming power. She could shatter the wardstone, freeing those held within, or slay those experiencing torment, or simply eradicate the poison, had she a way to ensure that this did not mean the fight merely continued. And beyond that, it whispers to her of freedom to chart her own choices, that she could pick some other option if only she saw what-

- ah. Can she tell if killing the ones who want to die will render the wardstone otherwise nonfunctional.

From this perspective, it's obvious that this wouldn't happen. The wardstone would be a bit weaker than it was at its peak, due to there being fewer angels to maintain it, but as things stand much of its strength is devoted to suppressing the spread of corruption - her removing the source of the damage would greatly strengthen it from its current state.

Okay. In that case she wants to pull a simultaneous mercy kill and corruption purge.

The dagger will oblige her! Some of the red warriors remaining collapse, sobbing in relief, and the crimson covering their bodies begins to fade, while others continue to fight but find themselves vastly outmatched. The golden warriors thank her for her aid, and when she returns to her body the wardstone is glowing brightly. It releases a pillar of golden light into the sky, blowing the roof of the garrison and shattering the knife in her hands, but a portion of the power flows through Kybele and her companions, empowering them.

Yay! A job well done.

Has the wardstone cleared up the remaining demon infestation or do they need to go rout the demons.

Whatever illusion covered the demons before is dispelled by the sheer energy flowing through the room, and their locations are revealed. In the chamber with them is Minagho, and with her are a dozen vrocks and incubi, as well as easily thrice that number in lesser demons.

"What are you doing here? No, how are you here?"

Her voice shakes with wrath, and her eyeless face takes on a rictus of rage. Whatever aura of terror she possessed at their last encounter redoubles, but with the power now coursing through them it feels strangely muted, as though the very thought of someone like this being able to affect her is a bad joke.

"A trick from your pathetic goddess, is it? So even the gods themselves will resort to tricks when cornered. But she didn't go far enough - you're still trapped in here with me, and I absolutely will not let you escape a second time! You're already wounded, pathetic mortal!"

The wound in Kybele's chest is indeed open, but unlike previous occasions, there's no pain, and it's already beginning to close again before her eyes. The Lilitu's laughter turns a more than a little unhinged upon seeing it, and she begins to gather power in her hands.

Ky can't actually see her chest injury, since she is sensibly armored up, but she will send a flock of paper at the demons, slicing them up where possible and covering their eyes and wrapping their limbs.

The demons' flesh, formerly all but impenetrable to her papers, parts readily before her attacks. They'll attempt to escape their bindings, but somehow preventing them from doing so isn't any kind of struggle at all.

Camellia's rapier will flash like a thunderbolt, and produce blasts of sound that hit nearby enemies whenever she scores a blow. She's also laughing now, but in delight.