"Which we would need to build, and thus source materials for, and at that point we'd probably have as much accumulated danger and more time spent than just going through the square would be." 

Nenio seems a bit disappointed, but she agrees to skip building any siege weapons for the moment.

The area near the defender's heart remains largely clear of cultists and demons, but as they pass near the crevasse once more they start running into more of the giant insects that have become an increasingly common sight in the city. It's still mostly flies and centipedes, but there's also the occasional giant spider or beetle as well.

Luzai would rather have to fight giant bugs than demons any day. 

Mostly because the giant bugs are easier to deal with, what with not having resistances to spells or energy types, but also because when you kill a demon you are, you know, terminating a person's existence. 

Whereas the bugs probably continue to not be people. Whether due to people avoiding the insects or the gaping hole in the ground, their route alongside it is largely clear of people and they only need to route around the burnt down cinders of a collapsed building a few times. The mandibles and limbs of insects also seem to struggle a lot with getting through Seelah's armor, but she does have one unfortunate encounter with a centipede that ends in her getting some acid scoring on her legs.

Hmmm. 

"Hey, Nenio, do you have any little glass vials on you? If it's possible I'd like to collect a sample of centipede acid for science." 

What do you take her for? Of course Nenio has a number of glass vials and stoppers, carefully packed to avoid breakage when running away relocating to a safe observation distance.

Hey, for all she knew they broke in an experiment that blew up and hadn't been replaced yet. It rarely hurts to check instead of assuming. 

Probably the giant centipede's venom isn't anything special and Seelah just got got because of bad luck. But now they can find out, later! 

Speaking of bad luck! Someone's must have absolutely terrible, since up ahead there's a blond man in purple robes surrounded by three armed and hostile soldiers who he does not appear to be successfully talking down.

Ah, crap. 

Assuming anyone involved is a cultist, it's not immediately obvious which side.

"Seelah? Who's evil?"

"None of them - and I don't recognize the man in purple, but I think that's the Prelate!"

"Enough deflections! Tell me where they are, and turn yourself in."

Oh. 

Him. 

Well, Seshka supposed she couldn't avoid ever encountering him. And it'd explain why he's hounding a man who also doesn't read evil, while the city is full of demons. 

Part of her wants to turn tail and run, to continue her streak of Hulrun Shappok not knowing she exists. That part of her isn't enough to overpower the part of her that wants to immediately stick her nose in in defense of the Inquisitor's quarry, but it is enough to slow her down, to turn to Villibor before doing something stupid. 

"Please do not pick a fight with the prelate," he hisses. 

"I was thinking less picking a fight and more causing a distraction," she murmurs back. 

"--Please be careful not to do anything he'd think was incriminating," he sighs, resigned. 

"I'll try." 

She raises her chin, puts her shoulders back, and strides forward with a confidence she doesn't entirely feel. 

"Prelate!" 

"Who's there!"

He doesn't move his sword, but his eyes flick in her direction.

This is probably the best chance he's going to get, with the Prelate in the mood he is.

Expeditious Retreat.

Anger and frustration flash across his face at Ramien's escape, and he turns to look at their group.

"You cultists get bolder by the day, I see. Two demonspawn, a necromancer, a criminal illusionist... I should have known the Voyager was working with your sort!"

What. 

What???

Villabor don't you dare blame her for this she literally just called him by title. 

"Sir, I was just going to tell you that Irabeth Tirabade is gathering people at the Defender's Heart to continue to protect the city. What are you talking about?" Sure, Villibor is a necromancer, but he doesn't dress the part or anything, so how does Hulrun know??? Demonspawn, what, nobody here is a tiefling--wait. Wait. Is he talking about Lann and Wenduag??? That's...dumb...but people who don't suck don't become Hulrun Fucking Shappok, so. 

Criminal Illusionist is probably a fair cop, although it's sort of dismaying to realize that Nenio's already caught Hulrun's attention. 

"A likely story, I bet you've got the most demonic connections of the lot! You may be hiding your alignments, but I wasn't born yesterday."

Okay, so it is TECHNICALLY true that she does have one hell of a demonic connection, but she's still on the side of the angels, here!!!

It's SO ANNOYING that Hulrun happens by coincidence to be correct in his totally invalid assumption. 

"Seelah, come be a paladin at the prelate so he doesn't try to kill me?" 

She could have hardly have picked a more suspicious way to say that, every inch the cultist enchantress commanding her enslaved paladin to her defense. Or perhaps that's just what she wants him to think; the minion in question may detect as moderately Lawful Good, but there are ways to fool that, just as they could have done to hide the enchantment aura from his sight. Even misdirection might suffice, though it's been a while since the last time a cultist or Shachath managed to effect him with one. He'll try to get her out of the way without killing her, but not if it means permitting the cultists to escape; he continues forward unhurriedly, so as to get as close as he can before they inevitably bolt.

Ugh, this is a disaster. Sure, Lann and Wenduag might look a little odd - and the latter might give her the creeps - but they aren't evil, or demonspawn, or anything of the sort. And Luzai is a good person, despite her past; she wouldn't even think about working with the demons!

"Prelate, this is a mistake! We really were sent here by commander Tirabade!"