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Post by Kyt on Apr 3, 2023 9:06:25 GMT
"All good, Metzli!" Yuki was fine playing keep away while Metzli and Gren tried to bash the thing. She started, stumbling panickedly for a moment at Avatar/Nexus' announcement. "Evacuate where?!" She too, looked to the gash of the ship, immediately trying to figure out how they could possibly accomplish that safely. They didn't have enough fliers...
"Will the dampeners go down with it?" She asked over comms. She couldn't activate her connection, but she started mentally preparing, trying to calm herself down even as she kept an eye on the eggpawn fire.
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Post by Kokinyu on Apr 4, 2023 18:16:22 GMT
Grenadine looked about wild eyed, the fury of this entire bullshit situation causing her focus to funnel into a tight little funnel. She didn't notice Elyas approach until The Announcement- at which point the shock pulled her free.
Think, you idiot. You don't belong up her.
With the flailing bot set to go down, she kicked off of its back and landed on her feet- albeit ungracefully. She looked about and called out. "We know what happenss if this continuess- Magic breakss and the world diess with it!" She looked over the railing to Kapp and Mei on the floor level, then toward Yuki and Metzli.
Think. Think.
Her hand went to the shoulder of the slack golem prosthetic, numb and tingling. "We're dampened but not out of options. Damien- you can glide- you can carry two people at thiss height. You won't clear the Caldera, but there'ss bound to be ledges and fissures." She looked about toward Yuki and Metzli. "Resonance and Elyas, that's three. Kapp, Mei, You two and myself-" She then paused and glanced back. "...Mike..." She shook her head.
"If this thing blowss up in the air and the dampener sstopss, we'll have a chance. If we hold on and spread out our drag will buy us a few ssecondss- It might be enough. It hass to be enough. I've got one sspell- it will work, we'll make it work."
------
Kapp clawed his way closer, pushing with his feet while acting like an anchor and a foothold for Mei. The panic was subsiding and the shock of the announcement was setting in. "Oh cool, so we get to be friends right before we bite it. Freaking great- You know you guys suck, right?" He glowered at Mike.
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Post by Kokinyu on Apr 4, 2023 18:25:48 GMT
The bulldog grunted and clasped Mei's hand, locking the two kids into relative security even as Kapp started complaining. He called back, wheezing as a bit of bloody spittle flecked out of his jowly lips. "Hey, who the hell told you to come up here and blow up the engines?" He grunted,"Don't you pin this on me- you coulda sat this out, you coulda stayed on the ground, now shut up and-" He then began coughing again, wet hoarse and bloody.
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Post by Aidan on Apr 8, 2023 13:41:50 GMT
In the nanoseconds it took for Nexus and Avatar to communicate, the younger girl could feel a smile. <<I sense you might understand what we’re doing more than the others… and yet you’ve chosen a path so different to ours. Yes… I would have liked to know you better… Valerie.>>
“Move,” she said out loud, the screen flickering through more system reroutes and diversions. The ship couldn’t rise - it was taking everything they had just to buy the Raiders the precious few seconds they needed to escape. “I can buy you seconds - Get. OUT.”
In the back of their linked neural network, Nexus began searching for something, a part of her reaching out into the network of the ship.
Anastasia lay pinned beneath Resonance, her staff knocked free, hands unable to weave any spells. Insult to injury, Damien was there, biting in her wrist - drinking her demon-tainted blood.
Anastasia’s snarl twisted into an ugly smirk.
“Fine… I surrender. But it looks like neither of us are very long for this world. I don’t mind losing - so long as you don’t win.”
Damien bit, and drank, and the blood burned going down. He could also feel something… else. Like tendrils of burning heat stretching into him, igniting his nerves, enflaming his mind. It wasn’t like Rage - Anastasia’s blood wasn’t demonic. But she contained within her something else, a creature that rippled beneath the surface of the tattooed binding sigils on her skin.
In biting Anastasia and drinking her blood, Damien had created a hole in the spell, and the demon within surged toward it, seeking to escape.
((Damien Wisdom Save with Disadvantage due to blood link: 2))
Inky blackness began to swim across Damien’s sclera. The tendrils of fury wrapped around his muscles, seizing them, an angry intelligence creeping into Damien’s mind. It hadn’t seized control yet - Damien had time to realize that something was trying to escape from Anastasia and seize him instead.
Metzli, aided by Elyas and Grenadine throwing the egg pawn off balance, was able to twist and bring the robot down, the machine stumbling as it pitched backwards - and into the gap Damien had carved through the gantryway earlier.
On the plus side, metal screeched against metal, and the robot was wedged into place.
On the down side, one arm dangled through the gap in the gantry, and its eyes tracked Kapp, Mei, and Mike on the level below. It raised its dangling arm, lascannons spinning up as it prepared to fire against the helpless Raiders below.
“Oh for -” Elyas’ curse was cut off as he leapt onto the back of the eggpawn, drawing his sidearm again and shoving it down into the line between body and headplate, firing lasblast after lasblast in point blank range.
“Resonance, Damien - get her moving! We gotta go!”
Through the glass floor of the bottom deck, the light of the ship’s beams cutting into the mountain and pulling up the Twilight Crystal abruptly changed color. The energy beams were drowned out by a blindingly bright, golden-white light radiating off of a meteor that rose upward and slammed up into the bottom of the ship, sending a tremor throughout the entire structure and cracks through the reinforced glass beneath Mike, Metzli, and Mei.
A moment later, the Raiders’ stomachs twisted as they felt the ship begin to rise.
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Post by Resonance on Apr 13, 2023 20:18:20 GMT
Everything was going crazy, the ship was about to crash, the engine was going to explode, but Reson still smiled. As the ship lifted, she shouted, "Elyas, we've got an assist!" Damien seemed to have Ana well in hand (or mouth) so she retrieved the staff she was using. Like hell she'd let that thing out of her sight. "We can get out through the hole!"
"Hold on!" Mei shouted to Mike, more about his health than his grip. She pulled herself far enough away that she could no longer feel the wind attempting to pull her out and let go of Mike's hand. She continued to pull on Kapp only to almost lose her grip when the ship was slammed into by the bright light. "What the hell was that?!" She did not like the cracks forming in the glass around them and she tried to hurry with getting herself, Kapp, and Mike on their feet so they could evacuate. (But where were they supposed to go?) Demandred would have to be carried by someone. What the heck was lifting the ship, anyway? She tried to get a better look through the glass.
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Post by Uberwulf X on Apr 15, 2023 14:03:58 GMT
There was the briefest bit of surprise at Nexus calling her by her name, rather than her call sign, but Avatar didn't react otherwise as she was setting her efforts on the mission. The fox knew that she was not displeased, though.
Gods damn it. Why in the hells did he think that was a good idea at all? It was something else he'd actually give people permission to chide him for after all this was all done, if they survived. For his part, Damien growled and began spitting, trying to get the physical and mental taint of Anastasia's blood out of his mouth. For it, his following Elyas' orders were stalled precious seconds, but he would be heard continuing to hock and spit as he hefted Anastasia over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and made his way out, posthaste.
While he had his suspicions on the nature of the light considering the rising ship and the fact that Aidan hadn't been visible for a few seconds, he couldn't be sure. Until then, he tried to keep his footing and prisoner steady, eyes ever on the way out. Gren had a good
A glance was spared to Nexus, but the lady seemed intent on staying on the ship to see them out to safety. She ran over to Yuki, stumbling into the poor girl once the ship lurched and started--rising?
"Crapcrapcrap, okay-- sorry!" She looked down to see that in stopping herself from actually crashing into Yuki, Metzli had scooped one arm around her and had pretty effortlessly lifted her a couple inches from the ground, letting Metzli slide to a stop. Still, this was advantageous for if there was any need at all to free-fall after the glass ground crumbled--and assuming they were out of the dampener range, if the thing was still up-- Metzli could shadowstep herself, Yuki, and Gren out of the way of the gaping maw of the volcano.
"Good idea," she called out to Gren, "but if you have to pick on a group to get out, get Mei and the others! I'll make sure you get clear!"
Part of her wanted to wait and see. She could feel this energy, this light, was good. However, she knew it wasn't meant for her, so she put Yuki under her arm, and moved to do the same to Gren-- assuming neither of her friends started protesting because being held thus would mess up their spellcasting.
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Post by Kyt on Apr 19, 2023 5:49:58 GMT
Yuki nodded along with Gren, having already run through the same numbers. "Group up, stay together. I have a thing too-! She started at getting picked up by Metzli, stiffening and then snorting in nervous laughter. Now was not the best time to get the giggles, but it was better than panic, at least.
"Gren, I'm guessing a cushion?" She continued through comms, not waiting for an answer. "I can slow our descent once we're out, but Kapp, if you can give us a surface to gather around when we're falling, I can turn us into a glider."
She had hopes of what the energy was, but they couldn't rely on it, and still had to get the hell off of the ship.
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Post by Kokinyu on Apr 20, 2023 13:01:16 GMT
Kapp was momentarily distracted from his panic at the sudden light from below. Even as cracks formed and he scooted closer to Mei, there was some levity - perhaps forced- in his voice, "Glowing- glowing golden bullshit is good, right? Right?"
They were talking escape. He saw only two options- the gaping hole in the baking glass or the blast doors that they came from- now sealed. He steadied himself as the air equalized within the interior and the vacuum was no longer threatening to pull them free. Calling up to the others, he seemed... Oddly optimistic. "A platform above a volcano- right, sure. Assuming the dampener goes down I'll make a miracle happen. Just tell me where we're dropping, girls!"
-----
As Grenadine was lifted she was a bit less giggly about it. She was no less squirmy though, and swiftly repositioned herself as she was no stranger to elevation and clinging bigger creatures. "Not quite a cusshion- Alasstair desscribed the spell as a way to confusse how the world handless surface area- it makess you lighter for a short time. With the conssiderable updraft from the caldera, I believe I can get at leasst a few of uss to... well...glide."
She prepared herself, noting their possible exits. "Before we enact any plan, we need to... Take the plunge and get out." There was the briefest of pauses. "... Regardless of what happenss next, it hass been a pleasure working with all of you."
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Post by Aidan on Apr 23, 2023 14:46:49 GMT
The shipped rocked as a distant explosion echoed through the halls beyond the Ascension Engine. The power overload that Nexus and Avatar had been working through was starting to take its toll - the cascading surges were overloading the ship’s secondary systems en route to the engines.
Avatar felt satisfaction as Nexus found what she was looking for - an accessway that had previously been locked off from the core network, accessible only by code buried deep in Nexus’ neural network. It was a link to… another network?
<<There are many evils in this world… but don’t ever let that convince you the world is evil. I think… I think that’s where we went wrong.>>
Before Avatar could answer, Nexus went on the attack - the entirety of her attention and focus slammed into Avatar. It wasn’t painful, Nexus wasn’t trying to hurt her - instead, the cyborg fox had brought all of her power against Avatar to shove her through that new network path, and sever the link once she had passed through to the other side.
Resonance grabbed Anastasia's staff while Damien scooped up Anastasia herself, who squeaked in protest as she was slung over his shoulder and he rushed out of the control deck, after Resonance. Inside, he could feel that burning, furious presence dig into his mind, latching itself onto his soul…
Yesss, hissed a sibilant, female voice in Damien's mind. You've freed me from my prison... given me a new place to reside... open your mind to me boy, and I will show you such delights... Submit to me... give in to meee...
That dark fire spread through Damien's limbs, sinking in, working with him rather than against him - Damien was the only way out, and the demon did not wish to oppose the will to live.
Metzli moved forward, scooping up Yuki and Grenadine at the edge of the gantry. Below them, they could see Mei and Kapp scrambling to their feet, Mike conscious and offering some assistance, Demandred lying unconscious nearby. The room was bathed in golden lights, the cracks in the glass below spiderwebbing more and more, the massive hole Damien had blown through the viewport floor the only visible escape.
The egg pawn finally spasmed and ceased firing, the lights in its eye lenses going dark as Elyas finally managed to damage its systems enough to stop the damn thing. Panting, he tossed the overheated pistol away and lunged away, joining the others on the gantry.
“Combat evac!” he shouted, flinging himself over the railing and quickly lowering himself down into a dangling position before dropping down near Kapp. It was his first time seeing the light, and he squinted down through the viewport, momentarily confused. A sharp intake of breath later, and a small, adrenaline-fueled grin touched his muzzle.
“Let’s move! Everyone down and out!” Staying on tasking, he moved forward to heft up Demandred’s unconscious body, although the wolf was much larger than the porcupine. “Need a hand here!”
Below the ship, in the midst of the golden light, was a solitary figure, one hand braced against the underside of the reinforced glass viewport, the other on the Ascension Engine’s stalk extending from the center of the space beneath the ship. Brow furrowed in intense concentration, Aidan was pressing up against the ship, pushing it upwards, further and faster with every moment.
His fur had gone golden-white, his quills upturned, his spines lifting slightly. The colors of his clothing had changed, the Raiders field uniform turned white, trimmed in black, with gray at the shoulders. When his father spoke of channeling the Twilight Crystal’s power directly, he had spoken of being clad in monochromatic armor etched in ancient Tolarian sigils. For Aidan, the armor was the clothing he had always respected - the outfit worn by the Raiders.
From his back, where his wings would normally be, were two flowing bands of spiritual energy. They spilled from his shoulders and spread into the air around him, filling the space with spiritual power. Behind and below him rose the Twilight Crystal, bound to Aidan by a tether of light. The crystal itself, normally a shifting blend of light and shadow, had taken on additional colors that shimmered and flickered across its multifaceted surface, pulsing regularly.
Inside the ship, the heavy blanket of dampening energy felt as strong as ever, however those standing on the viewport felt something… different. They could feel the edges of their power again, as though that smothering blanket were fraying at the edges…
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Post by Resonance on Apr 25, 2023 20:10:16 GMT
Mei heard Elyas's order and crouched beside Mike, putting her arm around him, "hey, we've got you, hang in there. Hold on to us if you can. Kapp! Let's get him out of here."
Reson ran quickly to join Elyas in hefting up the unconscious Demandred. "I'm here, let's get the hell out of this tin can."
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Post by Uberwulf X on Apr 26, 2023 17:39:10 GMT
Avatar was actually about to respond, pleased with the idea of the trope of dialogue during danger, as they had the luxury of long-form communication at the speed of thought. However, Nexus' shove was met with confusion more than anything, as they were suddenly locked on separate sides of the wall.
<<You cannot be serious,>> hissed Avatar as she kicked the virtual wall now separating the two.
Nothing for it, then, they were escaping an ship with an engine about to go critical, and there was only so much crisis they could fit into the moment. "Reson, I'm pretty sure I'm getting possessed," he called out hurriedly as he remained on her heels. "Whatever was in her, is in me. We'll deal with it later, but-- if I do something else bad, I'm so sorry."
"Y'know, don't make me bite you, Gren," Metzli snapped at her passenger, before vaulting over the railing and dropping next to Elyas with a stumbling squat, being sure that Gren and Yuki weren't tossed with the effort of Metzli staying upright.
"WHY ARE WE STILL IN HERE?!" Metzli gauged that Yuki was the smaller of the two, so it was she that who was released beside Elyas, right before she all but yanked Demandred off Elyas' shoulder and placed him opposite Grenadine. With that matter settled, Metzli dropped down to the hole.
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Post by Resonance on Apr 27, 2023 18:02:47 GMT
((Reaction))
"You're what?!" Reson turned her head around to Damien, clearly worried. "Alright, I'm with you. If you turn, I'll be right there. We only need to be able to glide, can you carry us both?"
Then she growled to Anna, "and if whatever was in you takes over him, I'll make sure YOU are the one that gets dropped into the volcano!"
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Post by Kyt on Apr 30, 2023 18:23:19 GMT
Yuki flinched as they dropped, trusting Metzli but still not used to being hauled around. As Metzli let her go to pick up Demandred (an action that caused a frown and grit teeth, but no comment), Yuki used the moment to take one last assessment of the area. Seemed like everyone was mobile and out or on their way.
Welp. Now or never. With a bit of an exasperated grin, she ran towards the hole and jumped, screaming her way through the fear an adrenaline rush.
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Post by Kokinyu on May 3, 2023 15:20:40 GMT
Kapp's head on a swivel, he turned about to see Demandred get hefted, then Metzli grab the wolf. right. They were the good guys. As much as he hated the idea of letting the kidnapper live. He turned to Mike. Blue collar crime- that left a less sour taste in his mouth, "Yeah- Yeah, hold on old timer." He moved to the other side of Mei, grabbed a shoulder, and heaved, following Mei with the old bulldog toward..
Good god,they were going to jump, weren't they. He only passed a glance at Aidan. "Of course. Of course he's alive and doing some Mystical Tolarian bullshit. Get it, man, get it!"
He awaited to take the plunge.
------------------
Grenadine let out a hoarse 'oof' of a noise as riding Metzli wasn't entirely what she imagined it would feel like. She winced slightly as Demandred was heaved across from her onto Metzli's other shoulder, grimacing. "Oh- sso we're- okay, we're- OH SSSshhhiiii-" She screamed as Metzli leapt from the view port and toward the caldera below. Metzli could feel comparitively tiny claws grappling for purchase as Grenadine anchored herself, reached for the scribing needle, and drove it into the clay of her prosthetic shoulder- hastily carving the necessary rune. The rails were now in Station Square, far, far away from where the plan had been in her mind.
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Post by Kokinyu on May 3, 2023 15:20:56 GMT
Mike, for his part, coughed and complied, grumbling beneath his jowls.
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