"Minagho?* The one who--be careful," she calls out to the rest of the watch plus add-ons. "She's one of the deadliest creatures in the whole demon horde. She was once responsible for a massacre in this city. She must be back to finish what she started." 

*(derogatory)

Tsk, tsk. "Aww, that's not nice," Minago drawls. "Is it my fault that you mortals are so easy to rile up?"

...Nobody is attacking. 

Lusilla can understand that Minagho would be inclined to monologue, to taunt, to toy with them as a cat toys with a cornered mouse. 

But Irabeth--Lusilla supposes that she doesn't know Irabeth that well, yet. But it seems unlikely that she has similar motives, between the fact that, in stories, heroes usually don't, combined with the fact that all Irabeth has said is to be careful because Minagho is really dangerous. 

The last really dangerous demon Lusilla encountered was Deskari, who slew Terendelev. Unless Savamelekh counts, but Lusilla really doesn't remember much of their encounter. 

She makes her way forward, through the Eagle Watch members, and whispers to Anevia, "How fucked are we?"

"Pretty fucked," Anevia whispers back. 

Innnnnteresting. 

"Got something to say, little one?" Minagho asks innocently.*

*No

"Me?" 

"No, the stonework. Yes, you." 

"Oh. Well," she doesn't actually have a better idea than the truth, "it's just I only just learned the Worldwound existed today, and I was wondering how strong you were, on a scale from, like," not a dretch, obviously she's way stronger than a dretch, "Savamelekh, to Deskari." 

W...hat.

Minago wouldn't say she had specific expectations of what the (monster-posing-as-a-)girl would say, but she was... not expecting that. 

"Comparing me to Deskari? I'm flattered." 

Also, she hadn't heard of the Worldwound yesterday, and she knows Savamelekh by name? Pull the other one. What's more surprising is that the paladins seem to be buying it. What is going on?

"I really cannot emphasize enough how many points of reference I don't have. What's a relatively powerful kind of demon?" 

"Vrolikai. Vavakia. Gallu." 

"Right, see, I don't know anything about any of those, so if I asked you how you rated next to them, I wouldn't really have a use for the answer." 

...

She...doesn't know what a vrolikai is...but she asked about Savamelekh...

The obvious solution is that the creature is lying. Minagho has to admit, assuming that's true, that her skill in lying is laudable. 

Minagho does not like being this confused; confusion is antithetical to control. 

But even more disempowering than confusion is being seen to be confused. So that will not happen. 

"Staunton, darling, you should have told me you had made such charming friends!"

"I don't know her." He's seen her in action, and observed her tacit approval from Irabeth as an extension of Anevia seeming to trust her, but that doesn't mean he has the faintest idea what's actually up with her. "And I wouldn't tell you how to piss into the wind, you bitch." 

"Staunton, I'm hurt! Doesn't our time together mean anything to you? How I've missed the time spent in your arms...our clandestine trysts...having you beg to be allowed to see me again. I was so hoping we could reconcile...I'd rather like to see you again like that... for a very, very long time." 

She smirks. 

"I'll kill you!!!" 

Cackling, Minagho teleports away, leaving them to deal with the demonic minions she brought with her. 

As soon as Minagho is gone, Lusilla successfully startles the minions--none of whom, unlike their mistress, have True Seeing--by assuming her true form. Several of the demons--oh, and there are some cultists, too, in the back, she hadn't seen them before--react by targeting her, which works for her under the circumstances, especially since she's only going to be in her current location for one round. 

After the combat is over--a process that involves a judicious application of "bop into melee range of the archers and casters"--Lusilla asks, "Does anyone need healing? I have a little left." 

Seelah grimaces. "I'm not doing too hot, yeah." Inconvenient how this is happening within a few hours of, uh, everything else. 

None of the other paladins need any they can't do themselves, but one of the Eagle Watch's archers is also pretty banged up. 

Lusilla changes back into human form and uses one of her two remaining Cure Light Wounds on Seelah and the other on the archer. Seelah doesn't, quite, also need the scroll of Cure Moderate. 

"Do we press on, or retreat?" Anevia asks Irabeth quietly. 

Irabeth grimaces. "If Minagho doesn't come back, we might have a chance. And we need to take the Wardstone."

"But Minagho knows that as well as we do. On the other hand, if we try to escape, what're the odds Minagho just lets us go." 

Irabeth grimaces. "Onwards, then." 

Lusilla moves some rubble out of the way that had been blocking their path--not nearly as bad as the rubble splitting the blood hall, but still enough to seriously impede their path. 

The Wardstone is--Lusilla has never felt anything like it. She's not a demon, but she can still feel its power in the air, pressing down on her. She seems to hear something, in it--but a moment later, her head clears, and whatever it is is gone. 

And Minagho is there. 

Hm. Well. Not unexpected, and yet: fuck.