BZPB

[ Krustallos, Crystalline Wilderness: ]

Olarcha: *Raises one hand, fingers loosely folded* Gandr.

Barthomeloi: *Blocks with one gauntlet, causing a sudden burst of dark energy to seethe off of her palm* So be it.

Pastelle: Sincerity, we can't win with that mana-killer. I guarantee we'll meet Olarcha again - But we can't let ourselves be killed before completing our mission.

Barthomeloi: ... *Snarls* Very well. *Raises gauntlets, channeling all that remains of her mana*

*This turns out to be an immense amount, and with a blazing light, she and her troops disappear*

Olarcha: Hmph. Pastelle Riesbyfe...The only woman I've ever seen talk sense into anyone of the Barthomeloi Family.

*While Nasus is still distant, she casts a healing spell on herself*

~ ~ ~

[ Hei Fon 4, Conquistadores Guildhouse: ]

Namah: *Has found two individuals already at the supposed entrance to the "Third Floor"*

*They are Gazille, and the darkskinned, blondhaired girl in the orange critter hat who helped repulse the attack by the Summer Pillars earlier*

Namah: Hey, Gazille. *Looks at the other girl* Your name's Hammit, right?

Hammit: C.C. Hammit, yes. Mr. Redfox is letting me train with him. *Turns to Gazille* Thank you again, sir.

Gazille: *Facepalm* God. Hammit, stop calling me "Mister" and "Sir," please.

Namah: Well, do you have room for one more? I've been interested by this place, as well.

Gazille: Sure. Thing is, for today's challenge, you need a team of five. Everyone else is either asleep this time of the morning, busy in the Guildhouse, or out on a mission.

???: Then perhaps the two of us could tag along with you?

*The three turn to look, and see Mia and Elk approaching from up the hall*

Namah: Well...You're not official members of the Guild...Eh. I don't see why it couldn't work.

Gazille: Alright. Are you ready to head in there, Hammit?

Hammit: Yep. *Removes a dark green crystal orb from a pocket on vest*

Mia: Stay where it's safest once we enter, Elk. There'll likely be serious dangers in here.

Elk: I promise I'll be careful, Mia!

*With a glow, the staircase's top is illuminated by a blue glow that draws the five in*

*A soft male voice speaks as they're all warped away*

???: Accessing: Fourth Chimeric Lunar Sea.

~ ~ ~

[ A Forgotten Place: ]

*On a hot stone floor, Terezi awakens*

Terezi: ...UGH. WH4T H4PP3N3D H3R3?

Dave: *Leans down over her* You got knocked out. We took turns keeping the local time frozen until you could wake up. Glad to see you took a nice, long nap.

Terezi: *Shoves him out of the way and looks around herself*

*Surrounded by a dome of scarlet energy, maintained by Aradia, the huge Rust Gigas can be seen at a distance beyond*

Dave: You ready to finish this lard---, Terezi?

Terezi: H33H33H33H33H33!! 4LW4YS >:]

Aradia: Alright! Dr0pping the time dist0rti0n!

*As the scarlet dome fades, the Gigas begins moving again*

*The trio prepare to continue combat*

Blue: *she scarfs down the meat* Eh? Really? I coulda sworn I'd eaten it before and been fine...think the one that caused paralysis had finer leaves and a stronger smell. I'm a type of feline demon, but I'm not evil or nothin'. I'm here 'cuz of a stupid cheating sorceress with stupid creepy fleshpuppets. Now I'm sorta wondering where she sent my friends. Seems strange she didn't kill 'em. Well the one girl makes sense. Other two? Not soooo much.

*Shield-Man Jones grunts, and punches back at Mink*

*Abneris jumps in, and pushes them away from each other*

Abneris: "That'll be all!"

*D-Klak puts handcuffs on Shield Man, who coughs in pain*

SMJ: "Well hell."

DK: "Who else is tied with you?"

SMJ: "Why do you expect me to talk, mate?"

DK: "I could let Mink jump on you again."

SMJ: "....Fine.....Caged Pills, Seither, the one you took to that other prison, and some other maniac."

DK: "You heard him. Abneris, take DM Helryx and the rest of the ladies with you. I'll take this idiot to the prison."

*D-Klak walks away*

---

*Caiaphus smiles, and walks up to Olarcha*

Caiaphus: "She was willing to sacrifice her entire platoon over you. Had you not made a deal they would have all perished under my blade. Reminds me of my own apprentices. Except I usually do not chase backstabbers......I am one. That beast, Olarcha. Beautiful. And so are you. You will be of use to me in the near future. But you must be stronger."

*he walks towards Nasus*

Caiaphus: "That shall be all, Nasus. Where can I take you? I assume you want to be as far away from these heretical parlor tricksters as possible?"

---

*the shadow clones that are being attacked by the zombies disappear, and 20 more charge at the zombies, kicking them*

*12 other shadow clones break through the cordon. They begin walking slowly towards Osseron Tyrok, each holding a small shank*

*Nadle uses a power scream to knock Seither into the wall*

*Seither gets back up, then shoots Nadle with a taser*

*Nadle is shocked as the volts pulse through him, but he stands once more, and continues fighting*

---

*Caged Pills smiles at Jortenn and Klak*

Me: Why do you have us captured here?

Caged Pills: "You took my PILLS man! You and the guards! PILLS! GIMME MAH PILLS!"

Jortenn: "We don't know what you're talking about."

Me: Jortenn, get us out of here.

*Jortenn force pushes the sides of the cage, but they do not break*

Jortenn: "It's tough. We'll have to find a different way out."

---

*James Stormer approaches the crash site, and looks into it*

*Ultron floats out of it*

Ultron: "Subject scanned as James Stormer. Spokesman for the Hero Factory in the Makuhero Cluster, and veteran of the Battle of Savage Planet. You were quite difficult to track down. Only possible outcome is death."

*James runs through the fields as Ultron chases him*

San II: So there are other like you here? I have not seen anyone else. Also the this herb has the paralysis in the root. I take the who plant because the top is editable. Its something you have to look closely at. Also Its hard to find this one. Its grows far from here. You can tell it by tasting the roots for these. If its sweet then it can be extracted the water. I use it as a mild pain killer. I can help you find your friends.

*San II bites off another piece of the meat she was eating and hands Blue another chunk. She switches arms because her arm was falling asleep but she keeps walking through the valley. She knows in what general direction the house is in but not that sure. As she walks by a few trees she plucks a few of the leaves noticing they are sweet gun. A very sweet leaf that you can lick the sap and its as sweet as honey. She goes into the basket and tries not to move Blue as she pulls out a tree wadge and collects some of the sap.*

Mink: If anyone won't talk give 'em to me! I'm good at interrogations : D *she seems oblivious to the black eye Shield-Man gave her.*

Ferret: Mink your version of an interrogation is to forgo getting any information in favor of causing the most pain possible.

Mink: And I'm very good at that. C:

Diru: RIGHT. Abneris, whereto next? Anyone specific we should be looking for?

Kithlara: ...um...I think I hear something over there... *She points to a collapsed hallway that's shaking.* you know, if you guys think it might be anything.

--

Blue: *Scarfs down the other piece of meat* Oh, around. If you see us you probably wouldn't even notice because we can all look like normal cats. In some places we come out more but- *Her ears perk up as she leaps out of the basket* There's someone over there! *She sprints into a nearby cave.*

San II: Blue where are you going? Whats wrong?

*She runs after blue wanting to know where she is going and What she is going after. She makes sure the herbs she collected does not come out of her basket as she run by covering them the the cloth that Blue was on, while in her basket. She approaches the cave wondering whats in there. She places one of her hand in the basket as a precaution if, by chance, something springs out that could harm them.*

[ Cave: ]

*Blue has found a Mysterious Man Taking a Nap!*

???: Uuuuugh. *Flops around tiredly* Alright, troops, you found me. We'll head back to - ... *Actually opens eyes to look at San II and Blue*

*He's a Ctarl-Ctarl, the same race as Aisha - He has deep tan skin, and long, messy black hair tied back in a loose ponytail that hangs down his back. His elongated, feline ears are pale gray, speckled with deep brown spots, and he has a lithe, lean frame, like a track runner*

???: Uh. *Looks outside* Huh. Guess they weren't kidding when they said they'd leave me. *Stands up to his impressive height, brushing scraps of moss off of his clothes*

*He yawns tiredly, holding a fist over his mouth in a semblance of manners*

???: The name's Dario Nethneth. Who, if I may ask, are you?

~ ~ ~

[ Krustallos, Crystalline Wilderness: ]

Olarcha: *Thumbing through the Grimoire* Don't mind me.

*She periodically licks her fingertip to turn a page*

Blue: Nethie? You're a sea monster with a lisp? I'm Blue Nethie! An evil sorceress cursed me, and if you help I will give you riches! The kid is San. WTF crazy area did witchbrain drop me off in I swear.

*She stays right next to blue. She has never seen anything like Nethie. At first she does not move her hand from her basket because she does not truly know who Nethie is. She Stays next to Blue unsure what she is going to do next.*

San II: Hello.

-Prison Ruins-

*Osseron Tyrok looks at the clones that made it through and grins*

OT:"Well, your quite good, but can you beat this?"

*He suddenly teleports next to Nadle (on the other side of the zombie wall) with a small *Pop!* and casts a spell. A giant ball of ice forms at the tip of the walking-stick. OT grabs the stick like a bat and swings it around, launching the sphere at Seither's direction.*

OT:"Surprise!"

*However, he overshoots and instead hits a piece of rubble above Seither. When the iceball hits the rocks, it suddenly turns to water, giving the ex-prisoner a sudden cold shower*

OT:"Dang, not quite what I expected...been too long since I was last in a serious fight..."

*He starts casting another spell in a native tongue, the walking-stick starting to glow with a sickly green light as OT continues his incantation*

-Krustallos, Crystalline Wilderness-

*Nasus tilts her head, then states*

Nasus:"I shall accompany you for now. I have not yet picked up Fleshman's trace, and You are very mistaken. I do want to be as close to these rule-breakers as possible, in order to keep them from doing so. The amount of magic here is alarmingly high..."

*She pulls out a journal, and starts flipping though some pages, occasionally muttering a curse in a tribal tongue as she reads from her calculations*

Nasus:" I'll also have to replace my witch-hunter drones, seeing as they were unable to cross. That or find another dimensional fold for them to pass through, much work was put into their creation after all."

*DM Helryx and Abneris approach the crumbled hallway with caution*

DMH: "Keep an eye out, everyone. We don't know what we're dealing with here."

*Raziel walks out of the shadows*

Raziel: "No, you do not."

Abneris: "You are familiar!"

OOS: For those of you who don't know who Raziel is/don't remember him, check out the Apprentices of Caiaphus wiki page, and this picture: http://www.gamersbin.com/attachments/f137/9582d1312473570-raziel-legacy-kain-%5Blok%5D-defiance-wallpaper-raziel-wallpaper-raziel.jpg

---

*Caiaphus nods*

Caiaphus: "Very well. You don't seem to be someone suited for Pirate minions, or shades. What is the location of your drones? I will open a portal for them."

---

*Nadle nods at Osseron Tyrok*

Nadle: "Keep it up!"

Seither: "I...HATE GETTING WET!"

*he charges at Tyrok, about to throw him a punch, until Nadle shoots Seither away with a blast of plasma*

Nadle: "You pressed the berserk button of an extremist. Nicely done. *smiles, and runs up to Seither, punching him a few more times*"

---

*James Stormer leaps into his house*

*there is silence outside, has he lost Ultron?*

*he opens a cellar, and grabs two large weapons*

James Stormer: "Quaza shooters. Best weapons I've ever had."

*he walks out quietly, searching for the automaton assassin*

---

*Klak repels part of the cage*

Me: Darn it. It would take us an hour to get out of here on our own. Unless we....

Jortenn: "Work together? I like the sound of that."

*Klak repels one side of the cage with his Kanohi Crast, and Jortenn force pushes the other side*

*the cage explodes, and they fall out*

*the bottom part falls onto Caged Pills, who screams*

*Klak looks at Caged Pills, who is now injured*

Me: You're under arrest.

Caged Pills: "No way man!"

*he pushes the cage off of him, and runs away, shooting at the heroes*

*a bullet grazes Jortenn's shoulder*

Jortenn: "Gah! That shouldn't have hurt so much."

Me: Stay here, I've got him.

*Klak runs after Caged Pills*

[ Cave: ]

Dario: ... *Rubs at face, obviously confused*

*He opens his eyes again, looking between the two of them*

Dario: Nice to meet you both. I was in command of a Ctarl-Ctarl Empire ship, but it would appear I have acquired a sudden case of castaway. So...Is it okay if I tag along with you two, until I can get in touch with Ctarl?

*He obviously looks worried about asking too much*

~ ~ ~

[ Hei Fon 4, Conquistadores Guildhouse, Third Floor (4th Chimeric Lunar Sea): ]

*When the light fades, the group find themselves in a very strange environment*

*The floor is a shimmering whitish-blue, with incorporeal chunks of ice floating across like bergs*

*Glassy walls of light have formed a labyrinth around them, while in the distance, some kind of castle can be seen rising up from the waters*

Gazille: Be careful. This place trashed me the other day. We need to stay together.

*Nodding, the group makes their way down a long passage between two glassy walls*

*As they emerge into a wide "room", three magical circles appear on the floor ahead of them*

*From them rise up softly glowing, crystal-blue suits of demonic armor*

*Each one has a broad torso that is separated into jaws, with the upper half floating right above the lower half and its short, stout legs; curved bull horns of enourmous size protrude from the top of the helm, which contains a single wisp of white flame for an eye, while either arm is ended by an oversized axe*

Gazille: *Instantly coats arms in Iron Dragon Scales* Bring it!! *Pounces on one*

Armor 1: *Blocks with its axe blades, and though it fails to pierce the armor appearing on his chest, it manages to throw Gazille clear into the far wall*

Namah: Hammit, what kind of magic do you specialize in?

Hammit: I store up wandering ghosts in Jewels, and use them to cast charms and curses. *Looks down at the smooth, round, dark green stone* This Emerald is my strongest Jewel, and I don't think its curses would stand a chance...

Namah: ... *Smirk* I think I have an idea. *Pink halo flickers to life* Mia, Elk, I need you two to keep those Crystal Armors busy as long as possible.

Mia & Elk: *Together* Right! *Move in to prevent the Crystal Armors from approaching*

*While Elk casts a spell to boost her speed, summons her shield and a new sword to her hands; the new sword is great in size, very broad, with a guard that slopes up to almost perfectly fit against the green-tinged blade's profile*

Namah: *Holds hands out towards Hammit* Crystal Armors are very weak to certain curses. If I provide you with some extra mana, do you think you can take one, maybe two out?

Hammit: If it's you, then I think I can do anything, Ms. Calah. *Smiles up at her* I've always wanted to fight by your side.

Namah: *Smiles softly, giving the faintest, most imperceptible blush* Thanks.

Mia: *Leaps high in the air, knocking an armor down with an overhead slash* We can't keep this up very long, Namah!

Namah: Right. *Forms a series of magical circles around arms* I'm giving you 3% of my mana, Hammit. It's not going to appreciate leaving my body, so you'll have to cast quickly.

Hammit: Right! *Holds out the Emerald so that pink energy can flow into it* Incredible...! Right! Engage Curse! Elijah Munh, your work is done,/with my rhyme be free for all time!/But before you depart, I beseech you impart/a curse of demise upon the foes I despise!

*As her "curse" draws to a close, at last, the pink energy leaves - Carried in the hands of a cheering ghost that rockets out of the orb with such force that Hammit is knocked back a few feet to land on her backside*

*The ghost absorbs Namah's mana, turning into a rocket of pale pink flame that curves to pass through one, two, then the third and final Crystal Armor, before returning to his previous form and ascending with a final whoop of triumph into a ray of heavenly light*

*Each of the Crystal Armors shudder violently, before they crumble with a serious of loud cracks, and then dissolve into streamers of pale light*

Hammit: *Pants, noticing a tiny crack on the orb of Emerald* Wow...If I had released him a second too late...The orb would have exploded...I really have to work on some way to shorten my incantations. *Siiigh*

Namah: *Pulls her suddenly to her feet* Impressive. With a little training, I can see you becoming ready for serious Marks. Then again, that is why we're here.

Hammit: *Blush* Th-thank you...That means a lot, Ms. Calah.

Namah: Call me Namah. By the way, did you think of that incantation yourself?

Hammit: Yes. For my magic to work, it has to be set to rhyme and invoke a ghost's name.

Namah: Why don't I see if I can help you tie spells to Command Words?

Hammit: *Gasp* You'd do that!? For me!!?

Namah: Of course! But I think we should get moving forward.

Elk: *Lifts staff away from Gazille* All done with the healing spell, Gazille!

Gazille: Thanks, kid. *Looks at the group* Let's get going.

*The group moves further into the area*

~ ~ ~

[ LOHAC Dungeon: ]

Rust Gigas: *Stomps on the ground, sending a shockwave outward*

Dave: *Levitates over, and ages a couple of flying boulders into dust*

Aradia: *Has lifted Terezi up by the hands, hovering* Get ready, Terezi! *Giggle*

Terezi: WH4T 4R3 YOU UP TO, M1SS R4SPB3RRY BL4ST? >:?

Aradia: *Begins spinning around* Allez 0up! *Throws Terezi with impressive strength towards the Rust Gigas's face*

Terezi: WH3333333333!!! *Slashes with her dual caneblades as she passes by*

*However, the Rust Gigas is surrounded by a glowing orange aura that protects it*

Dave: I hate Bosses with abilities like that.

Aradia: Me t00.

[center]Forge of Hephaestus, Boss: Rust Gigas
3,994/???? HP
466/???? Pulchritude
????/???? Atrocity

-Prison Ruin-

*Osseron Tyrok smiles weakly*

OT:"I tend to get lots of attention like that...and this too!"

*He casts the Death Visions spell on Seither, and the sends another icy-sphere spell at him, once again hitting higher than expected*

OT:"Dang it! still too high!"

-Krustallos, Crystalline Wilderness-

*Nasus rolls her eyes at Caiaphus*

Nasus: "Do I seem like a frequent inter-dimensional traveler? I would not be surprised if my original homeworld wasn't yet connected or found by this plane. All I know is when the eddies of the space-time continuum might lead back to my world, or a certain death."

*She continues thumbing through her journal, and ignoring Caiaphus walks towards Olarcha. After looking around a second she taps the floor with her walking-stick and once again the dust begins forming the two pillars*

Nasus:"If the tunnel hasn't decayed completely, I should be able to at least bring the XV-25 suit..."

Ferret: Well is there anything else in there? *she peers around the corner* Mink got to do all the pummeling.

Mink: Aww, you mad?

Ferret: YES. EXTENDED TIME IN YOUR COMPANY IS MAKING ME WANT TO HIT THINGS.

Mink: el oh el!

*A hulking brute makes his way out of the rubble.*

Brute: Greetings ladies. If you don't mind-

Ferret: YOU.

Brute: YOU.

Ferret: YOU DIE. *she jumps at him and they collapse in a heap of punching and kicking at each other*

Mink: Aww, she never introduces me to her friends :C

Kithlara: Err...should we help?

Mink: Pft, naw. She'd whine for hours if we broke her toy. Besides this is the most fun she's had in centuries I'll bet!

Kithlara: ...okay...

*Ferret and the brute roll out of sight*

Mink: Soooo... *turns to Raziel* What's your deal? You're another prisoner right?

--

Blue: Tch, I GUESS you can tag along as long as you don't get in our way. We're pretty boss and you look pretty lame so I guess I can forgive you for a bit of stumbling. Not like you'd be able to help it. *she paces around tail and wings a-twitch muttering* guh, technically i'd be best off going to find dad, but asking for help...*side eyes new companions and speaks up again* ALRIGHT. We're on the look out for a crazy sorceress chick with a penchant for red and hair that looks like it go caught in a lightning strike. Failing that a stupid werewolf with a tacky dye job, a vampire who hasn't gotten over that the 1960s are dead, or an elf in serious need of Prozac. Any kind of magic breaking spring, artefact, or whatever would also prove useful. I think I know where one is though, so that part shouldn't be too hard. Questions?

*Seither sees images in his mind of him drowning*

*his mind is tormented, and he falls to the floor in agony*

Nadle: "Well done."

*several shadow clones disappear*

*Seither suddenly holds back the visions with willpower*

Seither: "Did...uh....you really think.....I've never been hit with that before?"

Nadle: "Doubted it, but I guarantee you have never been hit by this."

*a swarm of insects burst from behind Seither*

*he leaps back, and forgets about holding back the visions*

*while the harmless Malchiorian ants swarm him, Seither reels into a fetal position*

Nadle: "*turns to Osseron Tyrok* Bug summoning powers. *waves his hand, and the ants leave* Let us take him to the prison."

*Nadle grabs Seither, and lifts him into the air, carrying him and walking towards the tunnel's exit*


---

Caiaphus: "You will find that things work very differently here, Nasus. *opens a portal next to her* But suit yourself. *he closes it, and walks towards the cave*"

---

*Raziel shakes his head*

Raziel: "I am not a prisoner, though some would say that my very existence is a prison."

*he summons the Soul Reaver*

Abneris: "Stay back! That blade can dig into your very soul!"

DM Helryx: "Who are you, and why are you here?"

Raziel: "This prison break was never supposed to happen. Time has been altered. It is what was necessary......Must I do all of F-Klak's bidding?"

DMH: "F-Klak?"

Abneris: "Long story, madam."

---

*James Stormer has not found Ultron*

James: "It's gone....thank goodness."

*Suddenly, something stabs into his chest, breaking his hero core*

James: "GUUUH!!! *looks behind him, seeing Ultron holding a digital copy of the Keyblade* No....No! *falls and dies*"

Ultron: "James Stormer has been terminated. The fate of all Uterio War combatants."

*he shoots a heat ray at James's house, melting it, and flies away*

---

*Klak drags Caged Pills to the tree, where Coro and Jortenn await*

Jortenn: "What took you so long? I ran back to tell Coro."

Me: I softened him up a bit.

*Caged Pills cries a bit, Louis style*

Coro: "This is enough. Let us take all of these prisoners back."

*they each grab one of the 3 prisoners, taking them towards the prison*

*she says nothing as she fixes the cloth in her basket. She then walks over to Blue and places her back in the basket then scratches behind her ear like the first time they met. She pulls out another leave from her basket of sweet gun (the tree leave)and places the broken stem end in her mouth and chews on it. She smiles lightly as she speaks softly.*

San II: I understand some of that. So who are we going to look for first.

-Prison Ruins-

*Osseron Tyrok shrugs, tells the zombies to get into formation, and follows Nadle*

OT:"Well then, lets just say I only had to cast the visions, okay? No need to let everyone know I missed a cast at just 3-4 meters~"

*The Zombies meanwhile moan and groan as the drag/shuffle/walk themselves down the hall*

-Krustallos, Crystalline Wilderness-

*The second gate complete, Nasus watches as A giant robot armed with 4 gatling guns walks through. After its passage, however, the gate collapses once again.*

Nasus: "Well, at the very least I got one of the arguably better droids through. I'll have to double check later to see that it is undamaged." *turning towards Caiaphus* "Now where to?"

*The droid meanwhile, observes everyone quietly, keeping its guns passively trained on Olarcha*

[ Cave: ]

Dario: *Has been typing into a PDA for a while*

*Once he's done, he tucks it into a pouch on his vest*

Dario: Do you have anything which would have a scent article? A sock, a necklace, something that would be with them for prolonged periods of time?

*His ears twitch slightly*

Mink: Your existence is a prison? Well that's melodramatic of you. As for the sword? ...I've seen both more and less compensational weaponry. Almost impressive.

Kithlara: ...what like compensating for something??:? What does that have to do with a weapon???

Mink: Think about it for a moment dear.

Kithlara: ...huh? *comprehension dawns* Ooooooh.

Diru: : | You better not be corrupting her.

MinkL *Drapes an arm over Diru's shoulders* But, darling haven't you heard? I'm Mink C Oolong, and that is what I DO.

*The scuffling finally stops and Ferret emerges covered in gore, and missing an arm. She wipes off some of the blood and glares at it as if personally offended.*

Ferret: Why do I always run into that guy. I think he's down for now anyway.

Kithlara: :0 Your arm!

Ferret: It'll grow back.

--

Blue: *ears twitch slightly* Yes. I am a huge creeper who holds on to my friends' dirty socks. OF COURSE I DON'T WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. 'Sides I have my own nose don't I? I just need some stooge with thumbs to do the heavy lifting.
*Sniffing her contempt at Nethie she leans back into San's scratching before leaping on a low tree branch outside of the cave* The first matter, anyway, is to find that curse breaker spring. It should be...*She sniffs the air for a moment trying to catch the charged scent of fresh magical water* That way! *She points with a wing nearly falling off the branch in the process.* Follow my lead noble soldiers! For victory goes to the righteous!

Nadle: "*smiles* No, no, we'll just say you made sure the criminal was properly cooled in case he was hot while digging the tunnels. A nice little favor. It sounds nicer than missing and accidentally angering an extremist, doesn't it?"

*Nadle laughs heartily*

*Seither mumbles to himself*

*several guards run up to Nadle and co. once they leave the tunnel*

Guard 1: "Sir! You have a prisoner!"

Nadle: "Yes, and Ado Edem has more. Some were sadly killed in the crossfire."

Guard 1: "How did you get them?"

Nadle: "*grins and looks at Tyrok* Teamwork."

*the guards take Seither, and Nadle (and hopefully Osseron Tyrok and Ado Edem) follows*

Nadle: "The prison is repairing itself! Wonderful! It almost looks like new!"

Guard 2: "Repair drones are fascinating. Our investigators have already looked at the site of the explosion, and they have many suspicions, but they have ruled it out as a prison break or a bomb. The escape was consequential. The blast was directed at a prisoner, a commander of the Uterio War or something. He's a goner. I wonder who would risk killing a bunch of prisoners and innocent guards for a guy like that. Can't even be human."

Nadle: "Might even be a machine."

*Coro, Jortenn, and Klak walk up to Nadle*

Jortenn: "We've caught three. One of the people in charge of the prison informed me that local police squadrons are on the lookout in case any more have escaped, but I think we've done well."

Me: Where are the others?

Jortenn: "I sense a disturbance."

*Coro's eyes widen, and he, Klak, and Jortenn run towards where DM Helryx and co. are*

*D-Klak walks up to Nadle*

DK: "What happened? More prisoners are escaping?"

Nadle: "Trouble. Let's go!"

---

Caiaphus: "Fascinating machine! *approaches it, eyes widened* Well....how trained are you in psionics? Better yet, how trained is the person you seek? I could make an attempt to find him the easy way, or we track him down physically. I have an inkling he's in a place I abhor."

---

DM Helryx: "*facepalms* How could he be compensating for anything? He's a ghost! *turns to Ferret* You alright?"

Raziel: "Former vampire, current wraith and the blade itself, actually. And yes, very melodramatic. You have not an inkling of what the word means. Must I quench my hunger with you all to end this planet's torment, and my own?"

Abneris: "As long as these criminals are free, sir, this planet will be tormented."

Raziel: "So be it. *charges at Abneris, swinging the reaver blade*"

*DM Helryx blasts Raziel away with water*

DMH: "Hit him while he's tangible!"

OOS: Yeah, Legacy of Kain's dialogue can be described as awesome, poetic, Shakespearean, Gothic, and melodramatic. Just trying to imitate the style here.

---

((I'm not missing anyone, am I?))

San II: Okay. Also be careful Blue, you could get hurt.

*She picks up Blue in her arms and starts to walk in the direction she pointed.She has her basket on her forearm. She keeps up a fast pace so she can help Blue. As she spits out the sweet gun from her mouth. She holds Blue tight to keep her from falling and smiles as she hums a soft tune. She does not know how far away this body of magic water is but she knows if Blue says a direction she can turn that way to get to it. While she walks besides from humming she is scratching Blue's ear.*

Malchior IV

Ferret: Why does no one believe me when I say I'm fine...you know what? No I'M NOT. I HAVE THIS? THESE? WEIRD HIVE MINDY REGENERATOR MUTANTS WHO ARE JEALOUS OF ME FOR STUPID REASONS AND NO MATTER HOW MANY I DISASSEMBLE THERE ARE ALWAYS MORE AND IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING. GAHHHHH. *While screeching in frustration she pulls a wad of shadows out shapes them and attaches them to her arm stub* THERE. THAT SHOULD STOP ANY MORE QUESTIONS WHILE IT GROWS BACK.

Mink: Melodramatic? Pft, Mel-o-dra-matic. *Paces around gesturing* I'm an abomination a totally unnatural mutant freak. I was dumped off in an orphanage presumably because whoever my parents were they were smart enough to not want to deal with a pair of little monsters. I've had vile experiments done on me, and I'm not sure if I even qualify as vaguely human anymore if I ever did. I'm cursed to wander forever with all who dare befriend me meeting terrible fates. *She rolls her eyes and points to Ferret* Or at least that's what this chick says, and more when she's drunk. Don't lecture me on melodramatic until you've seen Ferret on a bender.

Ferret: OH RIGHT. AND THEN THERE'S THIS DOUCHEBAG WHO'S MY ONLY KNOWN BIOLOGICAL RELATION. TELL ME, WHY HAVEN'T I MADE A REAL EFFORT TO KILL YOU YET?

Mink: Because you lovvvve me. : D

Ferret: =.=

Mink: You tried, you just couldn't do it hard enough 8D

Ferret: Yesss, it all comes back to me.

*Kithlara and Diru exchange a look*

Diru: Have I ever told you how glad I am you're sane?

Kithlara: I know whatcha mean.

*All four of them scatter as Raziel charges. Kithlara throws up a shield around herself and Diru. Diru charges the barrier with an electric shock. Ferret flings a bunch of jagged blades formed from the shadows at Raziel. Mink pulls out her own sword and lights it and her own aura on fire and charges to meet him*

Ferret: IS MEETING THE SOUL LEECH BLADE IN MELEE REALLY THE BEST PLAN!?

Mink: YOLO dear sister!

Kithlara: ...why doesn't he just help recapture prisoners if he wants to end the torment...I don't understand...

---
Drackovack

Blue: Ha! I am a mighty and powerful demon! Like such a thing could hurt me! Ooh..While I appreciate your attentions, could you stroke down my back a bit? You're starting to rub the fur off. Turn left a bit, yes down that deer path...

*Before they know it they're at the source of a small cheerfully babbling spring*

Blue: Ah! A magic spring! *She wriggles out of San's grasp and runs toward it.* Ooh, Thumbs I MISSED YOU!

-Prison un-Ruining-Ruin-

*Osseron Tyrok starts jogging after them, a spell at the ready*

OT:"What trouble? Also, what was that 'uterio war' you mentioned?"

*The zombies struggle to keep up*

-Krustallos, Crystalline Wilderness-

*Nasus tilts her head, thinking for abit*

Nasus:"Well I know he constantly has a spell which guards his mind, as well as warns him of hostile intent ahead of time...but in psionics I do not believe he is trained at all."

*She opens a hatch on the droid's back and deposits some of the dust floating near her into it. Waiting a moment for the dust to begin its work, she nods to herself and closes the hatch*

Nasus: "The spell might keep his thoughts guarded, but I imagine you could get a general location off it. No harm in trying."

-Drackovack-

*Blue, San II, and Dario suddenly hear a chuckle from all around the forest*

???: You've meet with a Terrible Fate, haven't you, Blue one?

*The group begins to hear a piano playing a song playing from somewhere out of sight, behind a large pile of rocks near the spring. As the groups comes around the pile, they see a red-haired, asian man playing the song from an impossibly large organ-piano.*

???: *looking at San with squinted eyes while playing, He holds a smile on his face* "That Curse that has befallen your friend...I shall remove it for her, but you must let me accompany you in your travels in repayment, yes?"

*As the song continues, Blue suddenly feels the curse flowing through her body until it is all concentrated in her face. With a flash the curse becomes a simple blue neko mask, which falls off, revealing Blue to be back in her normal form.*

???: "Hohoho~ Such a simple curse with simple feelings would of course make such a simple mask, yet every one has a place for me."

*He stands up, and walks over to Blue, taking the mask from the ground and putting it on a hook on the giant back-pack that has suddenly replaced the Organ-Piano against the pile of rocks*

???:*Turning to the group, he is smiling that same smile* "Please, do feel free to introduce yourselves~"

*The back-pack that was on the ground is suddenly on his back, again without a trace of the stranger having moved to pick it up.*

-Drackovack-

Blue: *Now in her more familiar anthro kitty form she blinks and stares at the mask. Striding over she snatches it and dissolves it in a burst of pink flame.* It's no good leaving chunks of my soul lying around where just anybody can find them wouldn't you agree wanderer? Now, a contract made with no agreement from the other party is hardly binding under any system I know of legal or deific, but...*she drags her foot through the spring* You seem to have saved me a bit of time so I suppose you can come along. I am Blue, a demon cat.

[ Drackovack?: ]

Dario: *Has followed along in silence*

*Strangely, he doesn't seem to mind anything Blue has said to him*

*Even now, with the new member of their group, he says nothing*

*However, taking a notebook out of his travel bag, he begins to write*

Dario: ... *Looks around, then keeps writing* ...

~ ~ ~

[ Krustallos, Near Caiaphus: ]

Olarcha: *Has taken out a small book, and is presently reading*

*The Grimoire is, for the time being, tucked inside her robes, away from view*

*She periodically raises her head, but never says a word*

---

[ Elsewhere on the Planet: ]

*Sat on a rock, Barthomeloi gives a foul stare over the wasteland*

*Even with how abruptly the other figure sits beside her, the gauntlet-wearing young woman doesn't even bat an eyelash*

Barthomeloi: I hope you're not here to try and console me, Riesbyfe, because it's not working.

Pastelle: Nah, I came here to rib you while you feel like s###, like I've never done. Brace yourself, you're getting consoled.

Barthomeloi: That backstabbing heretic must pay for her crimes...And I feel...As if no one else treats it with the priority I do.

Pastelle: Trust me, they do. It's just that Olarcha isn't active enough for them to declare her a target. She knows that so long as she doesn't raise too much hell, the Mage's Association's own rules prevent them from pursuing her again.

*She takes out a flask of water and hands it to Barthomeloi; the younger woman tries not to guzzle it*

Pastelle: And since she's already taken her punishment for her heresy, they can't use that to speed up the issue. The entire Mage's Association wants her head - That's why, though they'd never admit it, they're backing you all the way.

Barthomeloi: *Finishes drinking* ...Thank you, Pastelle. For...Being there for me. Hmph. *Hands her back the flask and walks off*

Pastelle: *Smiles after the younger woman for a while, but frowns as she goes for a drink from the cantine* Bone-dry. Man, that girl gets thirsty fast.

*She tucks it back into her pouch and heads back to camp, as well*

~ ~ ~

[ Hei Fon 4, Conquistadores Guildhouse, Third Floor (4th Chimeric Lunar Sea): ]

*By now, the group has gotten about two-thirds of the way to the castle at the far side of the area*

*Currently, they're fighting against six tall, lean, cobalt blue-skinned creatures with silver claws, anklets and bracelets, and caps over their severed necks*

Namah: *Knocks two into the wall with her Ether Tendrils, halo ablaze* So, Hammit. What else do you have besides Emerald?

Hammit: Um...Two pieces of amethyst, a piece of topaz, three pieces of bloodstone, a piece of crystal quartz, and a piece of lapis lazuli.

Namah: ...Do you - ? Nevermind. Take out the pieces of lapis lazuli and crystal quartz.

Hammit: *Jumps, doing so* O-Okay, now what?

Namah: Use the crystal quartz to enhance the lapis lazuli, to cast a supportive Charm on Mia.

Hammit: Alright... *Holds out the two stones in either hand* Atalthee, I set you free/To send off your soul from this world so cold!/Before we say good bye and you head to the sky,/Give Mia a Charm to protect her from harm!

*The lapis lazuli glows a brilliant blue, before its aura grows in strength due to streams of pale energy from the crystal quartz in Hammit's other hand*

*A swift ghost darts wildly from the gem, making nary a sound, before doing a rapid series of whirling turns around Mia*

Mia: *Finds herself surrounded by a protective blue glow* Impressive!

*As the ghost departs, she easily blocks a strike from a monster's claws with her shield, before piercing her sword into its chest*

Gazille: *Turns arm into a steel club, punching a headless demon in the gut so hard that its body forms glowing cracks* Good work, Hammit! *Knocks the demon away with a fierce blow that causes it to start disappearing as it hits the floor*

*Soon, only two of the demons are left; Namah has brought Hammit forward from the others*

Namah: Now. Bring out a piece of topaz with the crystal quartz, and try to cast an Exorcism under your own power.

Hammit: B, but, I've only ever practiced Curses and Charms! How do you even know demons from the World of Illusion can be Exorcised!?

Namah: Mistgun taught me a few things about the World of Illusion. Namely, he taught me that certain rules can be completely rewritten, here. I want you to use the Command Word "On" to Exorcise both demons at once.

Hammit: Alright... *Holds the two gemstones out* On!! *Injects as much mana and prana as she dares into them*

*The topaz forms a weak golden aura, which the crystal quartz steadily causes to grow*

*In a sudden burst, the golden energy is shot in a condensed sphere towards one headless demon*

*It tries to avoid, but the shot extends a number of thin arms that drags it in*

*Though only one demon has been struck, it disappears in a column of light*

Hammit: *Falls to her knees, panting heavily* Hff, hff, hff...!

Headless Demon: *The one that survived tries to bullrush her*

*However, it finds itself bashed into Mia's shield, and knocked back*

Elk: Or Vak Rom! *Causes a glowing red magical circle to appear above the fallen demon*

*Before it can even rise, a massive sphere of fire crashes down and impacts it*

*It's completely incinerated by the flames, which then disappear*

Hammit: Hff, hff, hff... *Siiigh* I'm sorry, Namah...I trie - Oomph!

Namah: *Has picked her up on her feet again* Be proud of yourself. Jewelcraft is almost impossible to cast without relying on the energy of the Jewels themselves - Only masters are able to pull off something like a mass demon exorcism.

Hammit: Really!? I, I only use a mix of Jewelcraft and Shamanism, though...It's a style I invented myself.

Namah: That's hardly the point. You just pulled off a spell the level of an Adept Jewelcraft mage.

Hammit: Oh!? Ooooooh!! *Hops around in glee* Yay!! Yay yay yay!!

Gazille: *Watches awkwardly* ...We still have to defeat the Castle Guardian to beat this area.

Namah: Well, I think I can still teach Hammit more on the way there. By the way, Hammit - Do you have one ghost in particular who's close to you? One you respect, and vice versa?

Hammit: ... *Nods* Yes. He's sealed in the lapis lazuli. He was a very wise monk who refused to let his own spirit pass on to Nirvana until he had saved every human life from suffering, be it attaining Enlightenment and reaching Nirvana, or going to a pleasant eternity. He's always there for me, and even when I try to release him from the stone, he refuses to leave permanently.

Namah: That's very, very good. The lapis lazuli is a stone of enlightenment. This monk must see great potential in you to not leave from your side. Why don't you let me talk to him in our final battle of this area?

Hammit: Sure! *Follows the group as they move on*

San II: I am San. This is Dario. Its nice to meet you.

*She points to Dario. She looks at Blue in human form. She is slightly shocked because she thought Blue was a cat. She just looks at Everyone and noticed the two of them grew into four. She smiles as she holds her basket on her arm. She smiles and walks closer to Blue surprised but slowly getting over it.*

*Raziel jumps away from the shadow blasts, and rushes up to Mink*

*he swings his blade towards Mink's, blocking it*

Raziel: "My mere existence is a paradox that I have yet to know the meaning of."

*Klak and co. rush in*

Me: RAZIEL!

Coro, Jortenn, DM Helryx, Abneris: "Who?"

Me: Vampire hunting human killed by his future self, turned into a vampire, then turned into a wraith after nearly dying. He worked for Caiaphus, and is now messing everything up in this world!

Raziel: "*kicks Minx* I am simply finishing what YOU started!"

Jortenn: "Klak....what is he talking about?"

Me: I...I don't know!

*Nadle, D-Klak, and hopefully Osseron Tyrok arrive*

Nadle: "Raziel! Former vampire turned wraith, and former apprentice of Caiaphus. What are you doing here?"

*Raziel looks at Nadle*

Raziel: "Following orders!"

*he jumps at Klak, who summons his Keyblade and fights with Raziel*

DK: "Stay back, that sword could cost us something."

Raziel: "I...must...feed!"

DM Helryx: "What do we do?"

Abneris: "Stay on guard. The moment Klak may lose, we attack!"

DK: "Why not surround the guy and get this over with?"

Nadle: "We must protect Klak's honor. *turns to Osseron Tyrok* The Uterio War was a universal crisis where a warlord was given power by the Great Beings, a complex, powerful, and advanced species, to take over the multiverse. We were part of the forces that fought back and successfully repelled the invasion, and defeated the warlord named Uterio di Armechio. I assume news of it has not yet reached your universe, and the forces had not yet reached you."

DK: "Hey, where's that Ado Edem guy? And why do I get the feeling that this will get excessively complex in a similar manner to a certain webcomic that the Users read?"

---

*Caiaphus nods*

Caiaphus: "No harm in trying. If he has a spell that blocks the effects, we might be able to get only a general location. It will be good enough."

*Caiaphus sends a telepathic ping towards the Malchiorian System*

((Lemme now how you want it to turn out))

---

*Lexaeus drags Xonyt in front of Agrabah*

Lexaeus: "Now kill those heartless."

OOS: Hope I'm not missing anyone.

[Agrabah]

Xonyt: Well, at least it's a simple mission.

*Xonyt draws his Keyblade and begins felling the Heartless in front of him*

Xonyt: And 1, and 2, and 3, and 4...

*Xonyt begins an intricate ballet of twirls and leaps, releasing the hearts of the heartless with each move*

Xonyt: Twirl and duck and stab and twirl and....umph

*The land shakes and Xonyt falls on his rump*

Xonyt: The Bloody 'ell was zat?

OOC: For the mind-probe, exact location and surface thoughts at most, seeing as it's psionic->magic we're dealing with.

-Malchior IV Prison-

*Osseron Tyrok watches the fight, leaning on his walking-stick as the fight continues*

OT:"That's interesting. Probably no-one was interested in the backwater desert world where I was holed up, probably why I never heard of it...you know, this reminds me of those times, watching nobles beat each other's brains out and then resurrecting the loser. Personally I find that whole 'honor' thing foolish."

-Krustallos, Crystalline Wilderness-

*Nasus is too busy checking the drone's power feed and sensor systems to give more than a grunt of acknowledgement*

-Drackovack-

*Blue suddenly feels the stranger's smile just ever-so-slightly become more sinister. *

???:"Do you have the rupees to pay for that young one? It may have been a simple mask but I would have easily gotten 20 Rupees for that mask from a desperate thief."

*The regular smile suddenly replaces the sinister smile, and he continues in his sing-song voice*

???:"Oh well, I guess that mask housed a terrible fate for its owner..."

*He turns to San, holding his hands together*

???:"It is a pleasure to meet you, and in fact I must say I have been following you for some time already. See, I am a trader of masks and stories, and the makings of an interesting tale indeed."

*He rubs his hands together, as if relishing the chance to acquire new merchandise, one way or the other*

San II: Um Who might you be sir?

*She keeps her distance from the man that appears and broke the curse. She has a weird feeling about him and does not want to be close to him. She has a bad feeling as she walks over to the water's edge and looks at the water. She kneels down and rest her knees and takes a small bottle from her basket. She thinks it would be best to keep some with them in case it is needed. She puts a cork in the small bottle and puts it back in her basket. She stands up and brushes what might be on her knees off.*

Malchior IV, Prison

Mink: *Hisses as the kick connects with her skin making her stagger back. The flames burn Raziel a bit assuming he can be burned. She jumps into the melee between Klak and Raziel.* Don't you just ignore me!

Ferret: *Attempts to blind Raziel by directing shadows over his eyes.*

*Kithlara and Diru are staying out of it, and notice Tyrok's return*

Diru: ...for once I agree with you. Honor is for making rich fops feel better about themselves.

Drackovack, Valley of Kerodan

Blue: *Smiles sweetly and blinks cutely* Oh that? I could have sworn you were the thief here. Offering undesired help, and then thinking that gives you any claim to something that belongs to me.
*Notices San's antics* Hm, I'm not sure what exactly the water does. Now that I get a better look I think the one I wanted was somewhere else. I think it may be a spring of healing or something.
*Pacing around she narrows her eyes* Now I'm not sure if we should check if my other friends are dead or not or go searching...*Her eyes widen and she gets a wide grin* Oooor, we could check in with an oracle! I know a good one! The best oracle!

((OoC: Sorry, forgot to post this on the last post...so everyone's on the same page, Blue's current appearance: Blue more Blue))

*A massive Heartless floats out*



*Lexeus grunts*

---

*Nadle looks at Diru, with a hint of annoyance in his eyes*

Nadle: "I am not a rich "fop", child."

*Raziel quicky absorbs the fire into his Reaver blade, then directs it at Ferret*

*he is temporarily blinded by the shadow, but regains his vision right before Klak is about to upper cut him*

*Raziel blocks the attack, and stabs Klak*

Me: It will take more than a silly little sword to bring me down!

Raziel: "Likewise, Keyblade user."

*they continue dueling*

*Osseron Tyrok, and almost anyone with any sort of psionic sense feels a ping in their mind. Those who have no experience in the field probably dismiss it as a random beeping noise*

DK: "What....what was that?"

Jortenn: "You heard it too? Some sort of ping."

Coro: "A psionic ping. Someone is looking for us."

---

*Caiaphus turns to Nasus*

Caiaphus: "Osseron Tyrok. Thinking about a battle he is watching with Klak and....Raziel....so the wraith lives. They are on Malchior IV, several parsecs from here. What a coincidence. SM Treveya was going there just now."

*he disappears, and reappears next to SMT's transport*

Caiaphus: "Change of plans. You stay here. I am going with Nasus and Keichi."

SMT: "Who's Nasus, and why?"

Caiaphus: "Nasus is one of the two women I met over there. She could dampen your abilities. As such, you will not be near her. Make sure everything is in order. Keichi."

Keichi: "Where are you going?"

Caiaphus: "Malchior IV."

Keichi: "If I get to shoot that rat Klak, then count me in."

*Keichi grabs two large weapons, and gets onto the transport*

SMT: "*whispers* You can't trust either of them. You're leaving another newb with us?"

Caiaphus: "Please. I have never worked with someone I can trust."

SMT: "If you say so, Lord Caiaphus. *walks away*"

*Caiaphus gets in the transport*

*Xonyt puts on an expression of being very unamused, staring straight at the Heartless, his back to Lexaeus*

Xonyt: Lex, buddy, you know how much I love you right? How I know you'd never leave me to fight this thing alone.

*Silence*

Xonyt: Come on, man, say something...

*He turns to see a Corridor of Darkness closing and Lex gone*

Xonyt: Well screw you too, then.

*Xonyt is sent flying into a conveniently empty vendor stall, out of which he climbs*

Xonyt: Aren't you supposed to be in Hollow Bastion?

*The Heartless bobs up and down ignorant of Xonyt's words, then cocks his sword back to smash him again, Xonyt rolls out of the way*

Xonyt: Mindless Heartless. YAH!

*He begins a volley of sword slashes into the beast, most of which don't even make the Heartless flinch*

Xonyt: WHY WONT YOU DIE!?!?!?

*The Heartless Cocks his sword back and slams Xonyt through a house, revealing a man pulling a chicken out of his fridge*

Richard: This brings to mind the amusing story of the time I murdered my father...

*The Heartless follows Xonyt through the house and sees the man named Richard*

Richard: You may Pass. And I apologize for my previous rudeness...

*The Heartless continues through the house, ignoring Richard*

[ Drackovack, Valley of Kerodan: ]

Dario: *Looks up briefly at the mention of an oracle*

*However, he quickly goes back to writing in his notebook at a rapid pace*

*Satisfied with what he's written, he tucks the pencil into the binding rings and places the closed notebook into his travel pouch*

Dario: *Keeps off to the side of the group*

~ ~ ~

[ Krustallos, Crystalline Wilderness: ]

Olarcha: *To herself, more than anyone* And so, it would appear we part ways, for now.

*She runs her hand along some kind of crystallized tree*

~ ~ ~

[ LOHAC Dungeon: ]

*Now without its protective field, the Rust Gigas is on a stomping rampage*

Dave: We need something big to finish this thing off. I'm open to any suggestions, right about now, so all applicants can start filing.

Aradia: Hmmm...0h! Idea! *Goes fluttering off into the fray*

*Though Dave goes to stop her, Terezi holds him back with her cane*

Aradia: *Deploys some kind of Sylladex, de-Captchaloguing three large items*

*They are a pair of oversized, serrated axes, and an equally menacing sword of great mass*

*As the Rust Gigas notices the comparitively tiny figure floating before it, Aradia exerts her telepathic powers to levitate the weapons*

*With a mad whirling, she sends the weapons slashing and hacking into the Gigas*

*From behind her, Dave and Terezi leap in to slash, as well

*As Aradia gently levitates them all to the ground and re-Captchalogues the weapons, the Rust Gigas gives a loud bellow*

*With a flash, it crumbles into a rain of massive chunks of Grist*

*Squealing ecstatically, Terezi darts about to collect it*

*Meanwhile, Dave and Aradia hang back*

~ ~ ~

[ Hei Fon 4, Conquistadores Guildhouse, Third Floor (4th Chimeric Lunar Sea): ]

*At last, the group has reached the castle gates*

*Gazille has walked off by himself to wolf down some salted pork before they start in, while Mia and Elk are admiring some flowers they picked in a meadow*

*Just out of earshot of the others, Namah and Hammit stand; Hammit has the lapis lazuli held reverently in her hand*

Namah: Now, why don't you let me talk to this monk, Hammit?

Hammit: Yes, of course! *Holds the lapis lazuli close to her and whispers* Please, come out to meet Namah, A'asamani.

*The stone glows faintly, as the spirit begins to form hovering beside the two of them*

*Before them appears a man who seemed to have died in his mid- to late thirties, with fair skin, eyes of the most stunning blue, but an appearance that must have once been quite handsome, but now is marred by an emaciated kind of physique*

*Though his hairline has receded very far, most of his long, flowing black mane remains, though streaked with gray and, judging from its scruffiness, must have grown without much care given to it; on his forehead are six glowing, pale blue points of light, arranged in a hexagon, while he wears only a set of threadbare robes - Covering his legs and with part of it wrapped up over his left shoulder - And a simple, unadorned, cobalt blue sash*

A'asamani: Hello. *Bows head to Namah* I am A'asamani. How may I help a friend of Hammit?

Namah: *Bows head in reply* My name is Namah Calah. It is an honor to meet you.

Hammit: Oh? Do you know who A'asamani is, Namah?

Namah: I read of him in a book, once, in the Guildhouse library. He is as esteemed on this planet as the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama is on the planet Earth. A'asamani was once a mighty general, before a poisoned arrow nearly took his life. Once he recovered, he meditated for ten days and ten nights, without food and only drinking water that collected as dew in a clay bowl beside him, until he found a purpose for the life he had so nearly lost. When he saw a young girl crying on the eleventh day, scared for the handsome young man who was starving himself, he found his purpose: To save others from fear and sadness. Only then did he accept food from her family. Unfortunately, it was too late.

A'asamani: You know my story well. Yes, despite the generous meal her family gave me, or perhaps because of it, my physical body could not go on, and I gave up the ghost on the eleventh night. However, I would not go to Nirvana or any other realm until I had saved every single life of every race on my planet from suffering. Humans, Silgrians, Corbanites, Ctarl-Ctarl, even Lorgans and Sidh - I walked this planet, imparting mantra of assistance in secret where I was needed. I have saved 2,097 lives from despair and pain. I think of it as a modest start.

Hammit: *Has been unable to speak while the two conversed, until now* Wh-wh-why didn't you ever tell me, A'asamani? And why did you stay with me, when you could accomplish so much good by travelling Hei Fon 4!?

A'asamani: Because I feel that, by your side and assisting your Guild, I can accomplish much more good for this world, and all other worlds.

Hammit: ...Thank you, A'asamani. *Smiles up at him* I'll try to help you.

Gazille: *Calls out* Hey! We're all ready to go! What about you two?

A'asamani: I will assist here if I can. *Condenses into a brilliant blue hitodama*

Namah: We're coming, Gazille. Keep your pants on.

*She and Hammit follow the group into the castle*

-Malchior IV, prison-

Diru: If you say so buddy.

Ferret: *Ignores the fire and throws more shadow 'ink' at Raziel.* Oh, ow my sister's fire hurts so much. Ow.

Mink: YOU DON'T HAVE TO RUB IN THAT IT DOESN'T EFFECT YOU =.= IT'S VERY ANNOYIN- *She loses her balance from the ping. Automatically she goes to cover her ears which is a bit awkward since she's still holding a y'know sword. Also it's useless since the sound is in her head, but hey* Ow! What the eff‽

Ferret: Ow.

Diru: THE HECK?

Kithlara: ...is that an alarm clock. Please tell me that's not a psychic alarm clock. I had a bad experience with one of those.

-Drackovack, Valley of Kerodan-

Blue: *Seeing Nethie's reaction* Yes! The BEST oracle! So amazingly awesome if you have ANY QUESTIONS you can ask him. Any at all! We just need to...um...hang on.
*She sends up a burst of pink light* ...head due East. Alright! *She bounds forward a bit ahead of the group before yelling back* Guys. Guys, there's a huge rock fall in the way.

*She stands in front of a crevasse that's part of the path out of the valley. It is blocked by a whole bunch of rocks that have fallen. There is no way around beyond flying over. Climbing over it would most likely cause the rocks to slip and would require great skill.*

((OoC-The crevasse looks kinda like this http://www.nps.gov/brca/parknews/images/rockfall.jpg.JPG ))

San II: Let me see. Blue stand clear and When i make the path please throw up the rope from my basket.

*she runs up and catches up to Blue and sets her basket away from the pile of rocks. She looks at the rock pile and walks up to it. She takes a deep breath and climes to the top and starts to dig through the rock fast. She tries to have the rocks hit the side wall or away from Blue. With the steel-metal aloide places in her arms she can lift the rubble without the fear of braking her arms. She is digging fast making sure only stable rocks are set so when they need to cross they have stable land to walk. She feels the weight on her arms of all the rocks she moves. She is fast at it and stronger then what meets the eye. She finishes making the path as she sits on the very top waiting for Blue to throw the rope to her from where she is sitting. She now has scrapes and cuts on her hands and cheek from throwing the rocks and making the path.*

*SM Treveya walks up to Olarcha, along with Quick Billy and Treskis*

SMT: "My name's Treveya. You?"

*the transport with Caiaphus and Nasus in it leaves*

OOS: Since Sarge is taking a break, this transport will take a while to reach Malchior IV. Also, I will assume Osseron Tyrok has followed.

---

*Raziel goes intangible, allowing the ink to pass through him*

*he returns to tangibility, then tries to stab Ferret with his blade*

*Klak repels him using his Kanohi Crast*

Me: Enough of this, Raziel. Explain yourself!

Raziel: "Your future self depends on the plague. These prisoners will each be infected, and will assimilate to society. They will also create the movement on this planet against you."

Me: That doesn't make any sense!

Raziel: "It will, in time."

*Raziel teleports away*

Me: *hears the pinging noise once more* What the heck is that?

DK: "You heard it too?"

Nadle: "It was....an annoying ping."

Abneris: "Everyone seems to have felt it, sir."

Coro: "It's a psychic ping. But...where could it come from?"

Me: Someone wants to know where we are.

Nadle: "Knowing the future, they don't want to have a tea party, do they?"

DK: "I'm a wanted man. It could be anyone."

DM Helryx: "Guess we'll have to wait and see. Round up the prisoners, everyone."

---

OOS: Hope I'm not missing anyone.

[ Drackovack, Valley of Kerodan: ]

Dario: *Has pensively watched San II dig through the rubble*

*He takes out a metal bottle from his travel pouch, and shows it to San up on her perch*

Dario: Soothing ointment. Would you like some for those cuts?

~ ~ ~

[ Datrio, West City: ]

*In the warehouse base, a small group has gathered in a room with an oversized screen*

*Sat at a bar are Indi and Digo, colored pale pink and magenta with inverted patterns of narrow stripes; they're turned to face the rest of the room, however*

*Also in the room are Vi, Jet Black, Spike Spiegel, and someone who's been missing from the RPG for far too long*

Scinter: So, a mage and his Servant of such power are terrorizing Datrio...Hmph. I should have posted more of our personnel on this planet. No offense, Indigo.

Indi?: None taken. Unfortunately, we still haven't found the Technician.

Digo?: Until we've got them pinned down, all of our other objectives have to be put on hold.

Scinter: I agree. Although, I'm also going to need you to work overtime to tighten the net on intel. Ravat should have never been able to make it so close to one of the Troika's bases.

Vi: I'm not happy he was here, either, but it wasn't the Twins' fault. Even now, we don't know what all abilities the Malagni Anointment has given him. Every single dreamkeeper posted here by us, and even the largest two Streetclans, would recognize that b-----d in a heartbeat. He had to have used some way to sneak his way closer, and prepare for whatever operation accidentally got sabotaged.

Jet: Keep in mind, though: Ravat isn't just some everyday brute Dark Dreamkeeper with Nightmare gifts. He knows how to manipulate people when it takes finesse, not raw destruction.

Spike: *Takes a drag on his cigarette* Yeah. It wouldn't be the first time he coerced someone into letting him infiltrate security. *Frown seems to deepen*

Scinter: Regardless, I want every free informant posted on this planet, and I want those two Streetclans made allies. I also want a platoon of Troika placed under the command of Lieutenant Viriathus until we can secure the Technician. This mission has been protracted for too long, and even with Igrath smoothing out the wrinkles, officials being manipulated by the enemy can only be made to turn a blind eye for so long.

Indi?: Really, Scinter? Really?

Digo?: Mierda, you have the worst timing with wise-cracks.

Scinter: I don't see why his blind jokes are gut-busters and my blind jokes display an absence of sensitivity.

Vi: One, Scinter, what even is "sensitivity" to you? Two, Igrath is the blind one.

Indi?: Not to mention that he's the funny one.

Digo: Si, and the handsome one!

Indi?: Aaand the -

Scinter: Not the time, Marrallang. Also, have the Franklin girl see if she can track down Raregroove and Namah. They hold the legendary Spirits of Fire and Earth, and they decide to just up and disappear and not report back for months on end. Unbelievable.

Vi: Don't get your tail in knots, Scinter. Zev and Namah are, by combat ability alone, the two strongest agents we have; unofficial or not. Plus, Namah knows how to keep Zev out of trouble.

Scinter: Still, I prefer to keep all of my ducks in a row. Are all of our matters sorted?

*Noddings and murmurings of agreement go around the room*

Scinter: Good. I'll oversee matters here for a time longer.

~ ~ ~

[ Protected Server: ]

Three Users are Online!
IC-14-DISCOVERY-HSM COORD K05C0114092 (DC)
IC-8-ONSLAUGHT-HSM COORD F73D08776092 (OS)
IC-4-DOUBLE THORN-HSM COORD B87E90390445 (2T) (IDLE)
Guest 3 has logged on!
Guest 3 has changed their name to Bizen!

CS: EXCUSE ME?
DC: ARE YOU REGISTERED HERE? ONLY HELMSMEN SHOULD BE ABLE TO OPERATE LIKE THAT.
OS: Dammit, DS, don't talk to new users until they've gotten acclimated.
Bizen: ((report_biosystems taken over))
Bizen: ((report_complete override of controls))
Bizen: ((report_cannot find connection))

DC: OH GOD HE'S A BATTERY.
OS: No. Look. That name isn't what the Empire uses.
OS: I don't think he's an Empire pilot.
DC: HEY. "BIZEN." WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?
Bizen: ((report_::23&*>33((:;"^))
Bizen: ((report_stop))
Bizen: ((report_please stop))
DC: CRAP. LISTEN, TALK TO US, WE'LL HELP YOU OUT.
Bizen: ((report_i'm sorry))
Bizen: ((report_she's taken control of every th#i&@ng78&**^4%^)))
Bizen: ((report_forgive me tsunami))
Bizen: ((report_i never meant to do all of this))

OS: Wait one [Freaking] minute.
OS: Did he just say "Tsunami"? Why does that sound familiar?
DC: RANDOM THOUGHT - MAYBE WE SHOULD FOCUS ON CALMING HIM DOWN BEFORE HE SHORTCIRCUITS HIMSELF?
OS: I'm searching my files for Tsunami
OS: Oh [Crap]. [Heck] no. No, no, no, we have to get this guy off the subnet.
Bizen: ((report_no stop it hurts no no nononono3456&*%^&&I*&^))

Bizen has changed their name to deicideDreamscape
DD: Hmph. It seems the tree still has some of its consciousness left, protected by the Hyperlink.
DD: I'll simply have to discourage future misbehavior.
OS: Who in the hell are you? A hacker? A spy?
DD: Of course not.
DD: I'm the genius who's going to turn the Universe on its head.
DD: Now, if you will excuse me...

deicideDreamscape Has Been Disconnected: Terminal Destroyed
DC: WELL DAMN.

-Malchior IV, prison-

Ferret: *Backpedals to avoid the blade.* ...For some reason I have the feeling a tea party would be a bad idea. The idea sends a chill up my spine.

Mink: Sis, I didn't think it was possible, but you may have become even more wack.

Ferret: *Flips Mink off.*

Mink: GUYS. She's being mean to me! ;A;

K'theenya: *Bounds back in, shifting to her human form as she skids to a stop.* Hi guys! What'd I miss??

Diru: ...nothing interesting.

-Drackovack, mountain path-

Blue: *She shoves Nethie out of the way and takes San's hand in her own. The abrasions disappear in a flash of pink light.* Such things are nothing to a magician of my caliber! *Delicately she steps across the cleared path not dislodging a thing until the end where she trips and slides down*
I'm okay! *A thumbs up is seen from the other end before she jumps up and dusts herself off.* The way looks fairly clear. Still, this seems suspicious somehow.

San II: How so? I do think its weird there was no shaking of the ground nor loud sound. Also Blue did you forget the rope?

*She stays on the perch and looks down at them. She Jumps from step to. She step and go into her basket and pulls out the rope. She holds her basket and starts to climb the pile and sits at her perch and throws the rope down so If someone slips, as Blue did, she can help pull them up. She smiles as she waits on the top.*

Me: *to K'Theenya* Drama. Any discoveries on the breakout?

Nadle: "So far, this was orchestrated between a few prisoners, including a man named Seither."

DK: "They were planning on leaving in a week, but the explosion came at an opportune time. It seems whoever caused the explosion had no idea what they were doing."

Coro: "Or they were incapable of caring."

DM Helryx: "What makes you think it was a machine?"

Coro: "Look at me. I know all about machines."

Jortenn: "*chuckles* He's got you there, kid."

Me: I want to know more. How could Raziel plot with prisoners? I'm going to interrogate one of them.

Coro: "Respect his liberty, Klak."

Me: I will try. But no promises.

Coro: "*silently looks at Klak as he leaves*"

Nadle: "I presume we shall stay here for the time being. What could that pinging noise have been for?"

DK: "Which one of you has a vend-okay all of us have vendettas. Anyone could be looking for us."

Abneris: "If I may sir, they must be someone who does not know your present location. So it could be ZFT, or someone entirely different."

Jortenn: "That doesn't exactly narrow it down. Could it be Cadmus? They might be looking for me."

Nadle: "Weren't they the ones that cloned you? Didn't they sanction your escape?"

Jortenn: "I assumed, seeing as I was allowed to leave the facility after fighting the zombies."

DK: "Then it must be someone else.....any ideas, ladies? Tyrok? *turns to K'theenya and co*"

*DM Helryx mumbles something under her breath*

---

*Shield Man is now in his cell*

*Klak teleports inside*

Shield Man: "Who...who are you? Get away from me! GUARDS! GUARDS!"

*Klak grabs Shield Man by the neck*

Me: Tell. Me. Everything. Now.


OOS: Just to move things a bit.

[ Drackovack, Valley of Kerodan: ]

Dario: *Takes the rope, and quickly climbs his way up*

*Once he's there, he waits for Blue's next course of action*

~ ~ ~

[ Malchior IV, Above the Prison: ]

*Ado and the remains of his Ether Liner crew hover high above*

Ether Liner 1: Sir...Don't you think they could use our help with this?

Ado Edem: They could. But time for our mission runs short.

*The finality in his voice silences any further discussion*

~ ~ ~

[ Hei Fon 4, Conquistadores Guildhouse, Third Floor (4th Chimeric Lunar Sea): ]

*The group has found themselves in a gigantic temple, lit by torches of pale blue flame*

*Suddenly, from the central altar rises up a shining pillar of crystal blue light; it makes it almost impossible to see anything for a while*

*When the light fades, it has left a strange creature - Formed entirely of shimmering white crystal, it bears an elliptical head and tail, no eyes, and spindly "wings" that resemble snowflakes and do nothing to support its hovering form*

*As a network of azure runes light up across its form, six Crystal Armors appear*

Namah: Remember what I told you, Hammit. *Turns to face the first two Crystal Armors*

*As Gazille and Mia split up to take one on each and Elk hangs back to lend support, Namah forms three rings of runes around her right forearm*

Namah: On. Katarssi. Bwillo. Utarna. Katarssi. Inash. *Lowers arm towards the two Crystal Armors, eyes aglow and halo lit up* Cower, you pale dogs of Rodanini. Look upon yourselves in horror as your bodies fade to dust.

*Both of the Crystal Armors shudder, and their bodies indeed begin to collapse - However, it is not enough to stop them*

*As the other two Crystal Armors join them in charging Namah, she easily flips over them*

Namah: Now, Hammit! Try to form an OverSoul!

*Though Mia and Gazille are shocked, they can't afford to turn and look*

Hammit: Right! *Gently takes ahold of both A'asamani's hitodama form and the lapis lazuli* A'asamani, into the Jewel!

*She brings them together, and several ribbons of blue crystal wrap around her torso*

*The crystal forms into a waistcoat with spherical spaulders, as well as a pair of poofy shorts; meanwhile, her orange critterhat has turned deep blue, has grown much longer straps, and now has a pair of elongated fangs*

Hammit: O.S.: Azure Wisdom. *Eyes glow a bright crystal blue*

*The four Crystal Armors turn their attention to her, attempting to charge her*

Hammit: *Folds hand, pointing towards them* Blue Mandala.

*The four are stopped as a glowing blue square appears on the ground, trapping them*

*From a circle that appears rises up a platform, then four vaguely T-shaped gates that surround the group of Crystal Armors*

*As Hammit brings her hands apart, the four gates draw most of the Crystal Armors' energy out*

*The effect fades, as streams of furyoku flow into Hammit's upraised hands*

*Both Gazille and Mia have defeated their respective Crystal Armors, and now watch; Gazille shocked, Mia fascinated*

Hammit: *Clasps hands together, still surrounded by furyoku* Blue Vajra. *Brings them apart again, showing a small weapon with two points and a spherical grip between them*

*She holds her hands close, levitating the vajra so that it points towards the four wounded Crystal Armors and the beast behind them*

Hammit: *Releases the vajra, as her OverSoul abruptly disappears and she slumps*

*In an instant, the vajra's flight has obliderated the Crystal Armors and bored a hole through the central creature's side*

*It tries to retaliate, but cracks spread across the rest of its body, and it disappears*

*The entire area dimly glows, then becomes warped streaks*

*With a pop!, the entire group is deposited outside of the staircase they entered from*

Elk: *Holds his staff over Hammit, gently moving it across her prone form* Huh. She seems perfectly fine, just tired.

Mia: That was very interesting! I'm glad I came along for this. However, Elk and I have to go - We promised to show Jim and Gene to a mission bulletin board we found. Seeya!

*She and Elk abruptly gate out, leaving Namah to sigh and Gazille to scratch his head*

Namah: I swear, Mia can be the most helpful woman and the most obstreperous jackass I've ever met, in the span of two hours.

Gazille: Are we going to talk about Hammit forming an Armor-Type OverSoul?

Namah: Maybe. Let's visit Touko first, though - She might have something interesting for us.

Gazille: *Gently lifts Hammit* If by interesting you mean her usual überb---h attitude...

Namah: That's the trial you have to face to get to the interesting wares.

*The two of them head downstairs*

OOC: Sorry for absense, I'll try to keep posting ^^;

-Malichor IV-

*Osseron Tyrok feels the ping and fingers his staff, his face has dropped the smile it had on it before*

OT: "I can imagine who's behind the person that pinged us...if that's the case then it might be time for me to move on out of this universe..."

- Krustallos, Crystalline Wilderness-

*Nasus grins with a predatory air, a hunter who has re-gained the scent of its prey*

Nasus: "Yes, that is the one. Let us go then."

*She begins making her way towards the transport*

-Drackovack, mountain path-

*The mask Salesman is suddenly standing next to Blue, somehow having been present, but unnoticed by everyone until he spoke*

HMS:"Hohoho~ that is truly truly a correct assessment. It may just be that someone is waiting for us."

*He is holding a mask in his hands, it seems to have been designed to impersonate a plain stone, being so unremarkable that everyone's eyes seems to slide off it or get drawn from it easily*

Malchior IV, Prison

K'theenya: Aww, I missed a show? Pity.

Ferret: ...don't you idiots have cell phones or something. That's way less likely to give everyone a headache.

Mink: Hm...well it's not him because you guys wouldn't hear it. *Notices Helryx* What, lady? See something you like? ;D

*Kithlara & Diru shrug*
Kithlara: *She chewed on her lip. We don't have anyone not present who'd give us a warning if they were looking for us.

Drackovack, Kerodan Pass

Blue: *Shakes her head* No, not that. The fall was recent, but not THAT recent. More...it's an obstacle. And, it just...seems off. Like...like something contrived that'd happen in a story. I'm worried we're being played. Heck even our party is weird. Me, the heroic leader. The mysterious waif. The lost warrior. And...whatever the creepy mask guy is. *She counts on her fingers and frowns.* But, that's four. Heroes never travel in groups of four. Ugh! This doesn't make sense! *Absently she leaped up and flapped her way into an evergreen and began shredding the bough.* Four...there was something about four that was important...*Her eyes pop* OH SWEET TIGRESS WE'RE THE BAD GUYS. ...wait that doesn't fit our apparent roles at all! *She let go of the branch and landed on her feet arms akimbo. Well either we'll be getting a 5th member of our merry little band soon, or we are all going to die. I hope that sits well with you guys. *Whistling a bit she strolls along a path covered in purple flowers which have fallen from great fern-like trees.*

OOS: No problem and no worries, Sarge!

Shield Man Jones: "He just talked to Seither and he planned the whole thing, I swear! That's bloody it!"

Me: Is it?

Shield Man Jones: "....I wet my bed until I was 14!"

Me: *smiles* That's everything. Thanks. *teleports out of the cell*

---

*the transport leaves*

*SMT waits for Olarcha to answer her introduction*

---

*DM Helryx sneers*

DMH: "Not at all."

DK: "Wait, wait, random banter and cell-phone lampshade hanging aside, what?"

*everyone turns to Osseron Tyrok*

DK: "Whatever gave us the ping scared a necromancer. Something's coming, everyone."

Nadle: "We can arrange a transport for you, Tyrok. The rest of us will face your enemy proudly to protect you."

DK: "I know places where it will seem like you disappeared, but they're out of this dimension."

*Klak returns*

Me: Got information from one of the prisoners. Raziel was orchestrating the escape so long as the escaped prisoners followed his orders. Criminals would do anything.

Jortenn: "Klak, we have a problem. Tyrok has suspicions about whatever's behind that ping, and it's bad news."

Me: Most likely, yes. Could there be a way to trace it?

Coro: "Trace the signal back to its origin...YES!"

Nadle: "I shall do so. *checks*"

Me: Meanwhile, how is everything holding up? *turns to K'Theenya and co.*

Jortenn: "We should prepare a transport for Tyrok. A group of us guard him, while the rest remain on alert with any military forces if the threat gets out of hand."

OOS: Hope I'm not missing anyone. Caiaphus will arrive in a post or two.

Malchior IV, Prison

Mink: *To DMH* Then, babe stop actin' so concerned with what gets in my pants.

K'theenya: So...we go where? I'm just here for shiggles really.

Diru: We're stuck following you...

K'theenya: Not actually my problem.

Ferret: Blar, I guess my zombies can act as a wall or some similar skullduggery. I;m keeping the smart one outta it though.

Mink: I'm with stupid 8D *points at Ferret*

[ Drackovack, Valley of Kerodan: ]

*Somewhere, not too far off, a howl can be heard*

*However, something about its guttural qualities suggest it's not a wolf*

Dario: I'm getting a very bad feeling. *Ears twitch*

~ ~ ~

[ Krustallos, Crystalline Wilderness: ]

*Parting with the group, Olarcha is examining some kind of crystallized skeleton*

*She gently runs her fingers along the rib cage*

~ ~ ~

[ Malchior IV: ]

*Descending, Ado Edem approaches Nadle*

Ado: Do you have any new orders for my squadron?

~ ~ ~

[ Datrio, Mountains Outside West City: ]

*A number of dreamkeepers, widely-varied in shape and size, have gathered along the ridges of a canyon*

*They all wear furlined leather clothing, marked somewhere with the three-part circular insignia of the Troika; they're also equipped with various kinds of goggles*

*Standing within a cave that's been turned into a command room are Vi and a canine/piscine fellow with sleek white fur, aquamarine markings, and matching hair, as well as a whiplike, finned tail*

Vi: Evzen, I need a report. How far are the unknown enemy group from our position?

Evzen: It's hard to pin them down, without mainstream tech in their possession, but they should be here within the hour.

Vi: I want every one of our forces on the cliffs. Turrets, bombs, snipers - Don't meet these rats on the ground level.

Evzen: Should we take prisoners? We could interrogate them to find the identity of Acquired Goods.

Vi: I doubt even they know. I want you to - *Is cut off by raid sirens* Guess they're here early.

*Halo blazing to life, Vi lifts a cannon with upper-mounted handles and heads out*

*Down below, an even more ragtag bunch of misfits is already under fire*

*However, suddenly, a few turrets explode with their gunners and topple into the canyon*

*The assailants are a group of winged, semi-draconic girls, most wielding bows and arrows; led by a female with wild, fiery red hair, and several of what appear to be poorly-healed burn scars on the right side of her face*

*This leader swings a falchion with one arm - Her sheer brute strength hacks through a turret and disembowels its gunner*

*Down below, several small cannons have been set up, and are hurling inaccurate mortars upwards and towards Vi's forces*

*However, with a terrific explosion, several of their number are sent flying through the air - Scorched and instantly killed*

Vi: *Goggles over eyes, charges her cannon up again* Evzen, are the Spotter Drones ready?

Evzen: *Nods, goggles over his eyes as a spherical drone hovers over his shoulder* Mine's the last one. Preparing to fire. *Lowers to the ground, taking aim with a huge sniper rifle*

*He takes aim, calms his breathing, and fires - Before his face splits into a toothy grin at the sight of an enemy's bloody, punctured helm flying off his head in pieces*

*Several more sniper rounds cut the enemy force in half, before exploding arrows pepper the canyon walls*

*Flying high above, the sun forms a sort of aura around their redhaired leader, before she swings her blade downward with both hands*

*The blinding wave of energy splits down its own lateral line, blocking any fire from the canyon faces*

*When it finally fades, the enemy forces are nowhere to be seen*

Vi: *Sighs, but takes out a radio* We're going down to collect the dead. Regroup. Commander Foxtrot out.

*She heads off, Evzen close behind*

San II: Mr. Mask man hurry up.

*She follows Blue in silent. She ties the rope around her shoulder and keeps an eye out. She pulls an item out of her basket and keeps it in her hand. She keeps it out of everyone's view because its about the size of her hand as well as its something she keeps with her no matter what. She rolls up her sleeves because is a little humid.*

Drackovack, Kerodan Pass

*While walking on the jacaranda tree lined path they came across a small cottage with a clear pond in front and a particularly large tree growing out of the middle.*

Blue: It's alright guys, we're basically there.

*A scruffy anthro wolf wearing a loincloth jumps out of the foliage to meet them.*

Blue: Hi Elric!

Elric: *He looks around.* Blue, I saw you and your...companions coming here. But, get inside quickly! Danger comes.

*The interior of the cottage has little furniture. Several cushions surround a low table where a woman with green hair sits sipping tea. She has purple flowers in her hair, and leans against the trunk of the tree whose branches entertwine with the roof of the cottage.*

-Prison-

*Osseron Tyrok nodds*

OT:"Normally I hate running, but against that person I do believe I must withdraw for now...one day I'll get this over with once and for all. Here, I'll slave the zombies I've raised to yours Ferret."

*He modifies the spell, and then turns back to the group*

OT:"Now lets go shall we?"

-Drackovack, Kerodan Pass-

*The Happy Mask Salesman follows the group inside*

HMS:" What a lovely home you have, lovely indeed. Hohoho~"