Guild Wars III Roleplay (Rated T)

[Rikku]

((Sorry for the double post, it felt like the two needed to be separated somehow.))

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Rikku stirred, yawned, tried to stretch and found that she couldn’t. She tugged fruitlessly at her bonds for a little while, then realised that that was hardly the most dignified look to have, and lounged against … whatever she was lounging against. She opened her eyes lazily and looked around.

Sarn was there, looking all bedraggled and catatonic, his eyes open but glazed like a sleeping fish. Except elegant, of course.

By a little wriggling she could look out. They were in a … well, it was flying, definitely flying, and the ground was quite a distance below them. Interestingly, the ground was patchworked with expanses of black, growing larger all the time. The landscape changed as the rippling wave of black passed it, almost as though …

“It’s turning into stone,” Rikku observed. “How … petrifying.”

She grinned hopefully for a few moments. Making a horrible pun like that ... It was almost like her old self, except for the tendrils of shadow that curled around her mind, whispering, and the ragged feeling of power.

The Knight and the … Brassporter? Brassportian? ‘Porter? That sounded more like someone who carried luggage around than the denizen of a technologically advanced city. Porter it was, then. Because these were enemies, and Rikku wasn’t exactly about to go out of their way to bestow good titles upon them. The Knight and the ‘Porter were flying the strangely elegant craft, and they were headed to … She perked up her ears. Mage Manor.

Well. That changed things.

She leaned forward and said chattily, “Taking us home! Very nice of you. Very kind of you. Very … unwise of you, but then again, it’s not like you have that much choice. While we’re here, I don’t suppose you have any food? At least some water? I’m starving. And it feels like I was dropped by a giant bird or something.”

All the while she was talking, she was aware of her wand at the corner of her eye. The Knight had it. Problematic, but nothing she couldn’t handle.

[Deleted]

<<Skies over NTWF>> -Asta-

“It’s turning into stone. How … petrifying.”

Asta bristled at the voice behind her. Now that they had time to speak and think, she was starting to sort out things inside her mind. New world. Mages. Black...ooze stuff. And...this person. Even without the whole attacking-Brassport thing, that was a really stupid pun.

“Taking us home! Very nice of you. Very kind of you. Very … unwise of you, but then again, it’s not like you have that much choice. While we’re here, I don’t suppose you have any food? At least some water? I’m starving. And it feels like I was dropped by a giant bird or something.”

The alchemist pressed a hand to her head, grimacing slightly as it started throbbing. Dangit. "You'll live," she said shortly, steering. "And you owe your intact spine to that knight by you."

"Sarn," Ro corrected. Asta glanced over her shoulder and saw the knight glaring at Rikku, one hand carefully placed against her sheath. The other gripped the shortsword, its point towards Rikku's face. "I know a little about magic and the Manor. Would its defense let you in as you are?"

Defense? Asta was curious to know exactly what Ro was talking about, but decided that interrupting the knight was probably a bad idea and kept her mouth shut. Dang. If only they had aspirin or something here. Maybe tea. Tea would be nice.

"Ahora. Who are you, and what do you know of what is happening?"

<<Ninja Dojo Mountain>>

The sound of a bell splashed down the mountainside, raining amongst the trees and rocks and ground. Aly jerked her head up at the sound, ears perked as she tried to locate the sound. She sighed as it faded, and sat back down. She was proud of her sharp hearing, but the sound was chaotic and unfocused. Clever ninjas, srahaste.

...Huh. That black slime was creeping closer and closer to her spot...ominously. She stood immediately and picked up a stick from her side. It was weird, and definitely not good...not with how it changed the ground stretched out behind it. Time to experiment a little.

The stick caught at the ooze's edge immediately, and began slowly crawling up its length. She hacked at it quickly with dagger, taking the remnants and snapping it over her knee. The stub of stick was hopelessly stuck, and she left one end to fall onto the ground. The other piece, she threw over into the area of black. It was swallowed within a few seconds. Sra... Aly grinned to herself, more out of anxiety and anger than anything feeling of mirth. This is some scary stuff. Definitely nothing she wanted to touch.

Well, one last thing to try...she let a small bit of the dark-rust fire bloom on a patch of black, backing away from it with measured steps. Another sigh. Nothing.

So, it's you.

The mage jerked back a step, startled. "The hell?"

You wield two powers, and you have killed...and yet you fear your own power. I can help you control that.

Funny. She hadn't heard this voice, not even this type of voice, and yet it felt familiar...Mage Manor.

You are correct. Many are already working as messengers for me. This world will soon be mine.

"You're just as bad as that stupid king," Aly smirked. "Both of them. Mentally tormenting me, even just that little bit, and then expecting me to...work for you, or something. What the hell are you, anyway?"

I am something far above you. But I can grant you anything you want. Control over your darkness. Power. Healing.

Celestial...Rikku... Did those two face this when they were dragged into that darkness? "Tell me what I want, then."

Silence. Simply name it.

"Hey, it's not like I know what I want. Never have."

A pause. To Aly, it sounded like gnashing teeth. The mage smirked, her confidence growing ever so slightly. "You can tell what I'm feeling, but you can't sort it out any more than me, can you. A wanderer without goals, only looking for the next fight. I may hate dark magic, but I hate losing control of myself even more. And you can't offer me anything that doesn't contradict that." She stepped backwards, and turned, starting into a run. Kiddo would have to wait for another time. This was dangerous, and she couldn't stay. Better to go...well, she'd head where the others went, to anywhere that was free of this black slime, and try to steer clear of people and potential enemies. The dark flame dissipated.

Your dark magic won't fade.

The mage grimaced, and ran all the faster.

And you'll break soon enough.

[Deleted]

Stolen Airship en route to Mage Manor

Swishing noises … the beat of giant wings. Sarn was in the air, flying high above the ocean with something large and solid between his legs. An eagle flew below him, supporting him as it glided along just below the clouds. But why was he not flying himself? He had hated birds ever since his childhood and would never have consented to ride one.

Languidly, he stretched his flight muscles, intending to extend his wings. Nothing happened. He reached a hand behind his back and felt nothing but smooth, unblemished alabaster skin. His heart leaped into his throat. What was he? Why did he not have wings?

Suddenly afraid of the height for the first time since growing into his wings, Sarn clung tightly to the great bird of prey, burying his face into the thick downy feathers at the nape of its neck. The bird screeched loudly in protest and dipped alarmingly. Sarn gripped tighter, fear clouding his senses, but the bird only twisted in midair, tossing him about like a rag doll. Desperation made him clench his fists in the bristling feathers and with that single act, the eagle had had enough if it’s passenger.

With an easy flick of the wing, Sarn’s legs were dislodged from their safe hold. He made one last effort to grab a hold of the bird’s leg but he missed, instead grasping at thin air.

A piercing scream ripped from his mouth as he felt his body falling … falling … gaining momentum … coming closer to the surface of the waves … as hard as stone …

Impact.

He woke with a start, sitting bolt upright and screaming as his eyes saw the ocean crashing into him, ripping his body apart. The image faded slowly and the Feberi sat curled in a tight ball, panting and shaking with intense fear. He gasped and reached around to feel for his wings and let out a tiny sob of gratitude as his fingers caressed the soft golden feathers. He ran his hand over them just to be sure and then looked around him.

There were three others. Rikku, Lady Ro and one of the women from Brassport. They were apparently on an airship, though he couldn’t see out to know where they were. Sarn felt the beginnings of shame as he realized how loudly he had cried out. He hoped no one would ask him about it and he hoped that dream was just that. A dream.

Rikku was awake. Sarn shuffled slightly and uncurled himself from his protective ball, lifting himself to his feet. He shook himself to loosen his tight muscles and approached Ro and the other woman cautiously.

“M’lady?” he said quietly, alerting the other knight to his presence, though doubtless she already knew. “What happened? Are we taking Rikku back to Mage Manor?”

Somewhere you’ve never heard of

He woke with a start, his body jerking awkwardly as he lifted his head from the soft warmth below him. He had only been asleep for a few minutes and his companion knew it.

”Go back to sleep. It will be a few more hours until we’re there.”

He shrugged as if to say “it doesn’t matter” but consented to lean forward again. His legs tightened instinctively around the shoulders of his companion, his arms tucked neatly under his friend’s neck. Tenderly, he stroked a hand up to his steed’s head and then snuggled down into the soft feathers, his eyes closing and his mind drifting.

The eagle flew on.

[Nasuella NLI]

Shuttle -> Crashed Shuttle


Nasue didn't offer any resistance when two people helped her up and into a seat. She was still shaking and whimpering, tears somehow managing to not get lost in her fur. Though her eyes were glowing and her voice had a strange, otherworldly quality, she wasn't anything other than a distraught and broken wreck.

Then the blackness came into the ship, and then everything went black.

*

You're not dying, Nasuella.

You'll survive because I want you to survive.

*

With a groan, the coati opened her eyes - slowly at first, then they shot open. She could barely see a thing. There seemed to be a faint yellow glow, but the ceiling seemed to have collapsed, shrapnel was everywhere...

She felt something touch her head. Nasue quickly looked up to see some of the blackness. She sharply drew back. For some reason, the blackness did so, too, making an odd hissing noise. The thing on her head seemed to be fading, also - it was dissolving.

Sitting there in the seat, she gazed around. So this was it.

Or was it? There was a voice - the speaker system was still working. The coati's ear twitched, and after a few seconds she took a breath and called out, her voice hoarse.

"W-who is that?"

And otherworldly.

(NOTE: Nasue's actually glowing yellow at the moment. Apparently the "blackness" (Underdeep) does not like that yellow glow for some reason. And yes, she survived because I wanted her to survive. Yay for semi-seriously breaking the fourth wall!

I'm going to make a separate post for D-Man and Kovaran, by the way.)

[Omni]

((I know what you mean, Celes. :/))

Mage Manor - Somewhere -> Foyer

"How's it going?"

Fola looked up at the chimera Mage. "We've gathered more than half of the Mages. A few don't want to do it, but not that many. Others are just looking for items you could use before they come here."

Omni looked over the room, checking out the size of the crowd. "That's good. The sooner we get a lot of Mages gathered, the better."

Fola looked to the side, almost sadly. "Are you sure we shouldn't teleport? It would be a lot faster."

Omni sighed. "I know. But actually, while it would be good to get this done, we need to conserve energy while we're at it. Sure, one teleportation doesn't take much. But there are a lot of Mages here. If they all teleported to get here, who knows how much-"

Omni's ears twitched. "Hold on a minute... I'll be right back. Keep bringing people here."

She ran down the halls - making sure she didn't teleport - to where she thought the sound had come from. It took longer than usual, granted, but she got there while interesting things were still happening.

"...It seems whatever this is has been affecting the Mercenaries, as well. I think whatever we do, we're going to need to do it fast... and with a lot of people."

She knew that voice... she had heard correctly.

"Oh, and we might need a healer or something, too...?"

It was around then that Omni jumped into the room, wrapping her arms, and wings, around a certain Ninja. "PFA!" she shouted happily. "What are you doing here?"

Then she heard another familiar voice. "We have medics, just wish for the Manor to take you to the infirmary and it will."

Omni turned to Celestial and the ranger-guy. "I wouldn't do that unless you really need to get there right now. I can heal injuries, though, if that helps."

*****

Spacefleet - Medical Bay

Ethan's eyes fluttered open, and in his face was a certain red-headed nurse.

"Are you okay, Ethan?" Nurse Friedman asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," he replied, sounding irritable.

"Are you sure? You collapsed on Fraze's bike on the way to the spaceport."

Ethan sat up. "My life signs are normal, aren't they?"

"Well yeah, but-"

"Then I'm fine," he told her. He spoke up again before she had a chance to. "Are things still chaotic?"

"Yeah. They've been evacuating people as fast as they can."

"Then I need to get to them." Ethan hopped off the bed, heading for the door. "Thanks, Friedman."

As Ethan headed for the door and Friedman raised an eyebrow, Siber followed after his owner, whining softly.

"Quiet, Siber. Just heel," Ethan commanded. He knew that if they were evacuating people to the base, those people would be in the commons area. That's where he was headed.

[Deleted]

Outside Mage Manor


D-Man had to admit, Mage Manor was quite something. He'd heard of the place a few times, mostly from people who either had to work with mages regularly. (There was that one guy who used to be in the guild but got thrown out for some reason, but he was a bit violent.) To actually see it for himself was... well, it was something else.

Nonetheless, the dragon did notice that Cop-Out seemed to be nervous. Why was that? The horse seemed to be able to ignore the ooze.

"You can't stay here too long," he whispered, as though he'd just read the other's mind. "Not sure why, but... you'll die if you do."

Well, that was comforting. D-Man climbed off the horse and walked up to the Manor doors, where a redheaded human was apparently talking to someone inside. A quick look saw that the "someone" was another human, and that she was accompanied by a third human - wait, was that a human? - a large bird, and... what the heck was that?

That had to be the least mage-like being he'd ever seen: an enormous, grotesquely muscular lizard in a military uniform. And was that a giant sword on his back?!

D-Man's "why the fail state" (for lack of a better term) was quickly cut short when a bright orange blur hugged the human girl. This blur turned out to be another being, who said that she could heal injuries if anyone needed it. (There was also a loud chuckle which turned out to be coming from the enormous lizard. The dragon backed away very slowly.) Well, he didn't; he just needed some sleep. But if anyone else was injured, well...

They could just ask him, right?

*

Just inside Mage Manor


PFA had spoken some thoughts aloud when there was a knock to the door. Kovaran watched as she went over, opened it, and spoke to an orange-haired human who she clearly recognised. Clearly, he was in need of assistance; also, he was seemingly a mercenary, as PFA confirmed to the others.

Whatever needed to be done, she mentioned, it would have to be done soon. The komodo dragon nodded his head in agreement, but also in thought. Where did this start? ...in the water? No, they also saw this ooze... unless mayhaps they were near a river? Or a large pond? ... Was there a body of water near the mercenaries' land? Perhaps, yes; how else could they have gotten water?

Is this a threat from the water?

His chain of linked thoughts was interrupted when a brightly coloured being called PFA's name and ran over to hug her. Kovaran blinked, then chuckled - which, coming from him, would be loud enough to be heard from outside. Afterwards he turned back to face Ikkin and Sev.

[PFA]

((Mage Manor entrance))

"PFA!" exclaimed Omni, giving the ninja her second glomp in the past fifteen minutes. "What are you doing here?"

"Omni," PFA said, a pleasantly surprised smile on her face. The smile soon faded, though, as she heard the chimera's question. "...Something is going on outside. This strange black ooze was forming all around the Dojo, turning water to stone. That's why Sev brought us here." She paused to think. "...You can sense auras, right? I wonder if perhaps the ooze is of demonic origins."

Jernath glanced back at Celestial, then at Omni, considering what the both of them had said. "Well, one of our guys was injured in a helicopter accident..." He paused briefly, realizing that probably sounded weird. Oh well. "...And I think a couple other guys were hurt on the way back... and I think they need something better than torn sheet bandages. If... you could help, that'd be great. I mean... if you want to..."

Listening to the conversation about the ooze, Jernath added, "I think I saw some of that on the way here... but there was also all that other stuff that showed up after that Commander guy back at the exploded hospital said something about world domination."

PFA glanced over at Jernath, confused. "...Exploded hospital? Commander guy?"

"Oh, and something about the Underdeep, too..." Jernath scratched his head awkwardly. "...It's hard to make sense of all the stuff that's happened today. Though now that I'm thinking about it, I don't suppose you Mage types know what the Underdeep is?"

[Ian Wolf-Park]

"Help? Yes we can use help. I sent a couple members of my party to the manor for help. We have injured people, I'm about to work on this vehicle, and this crazy world of yours is becoming stone!"

Lupehunter could sense a bit of sarcasm within Gil's voice.

"Just to let you know, good sir, I know quite a few healing spells. Just give me information on the whereabouts of the injured and I will do my best to tend to them."

Oh and there was this one guy with a strange voice, he declared himself commander of the world."

Lupehunter overheard that part of the conversation, so he decide to cut in and provide those people with some more information.

"I guess that person that you mentioned is the same person responsible for creating this black ooze, according to one of my sources, a dragon mage," he told them.

[Huntress]

((Zagora's little shop of horrors))

Zagora was the kind of person who wasn't easily bothered by small things like wars, natural disasters and the end of the world. Sure, they made business slow, but they allowed her to focus on other things she needed to get done. She was leafing through a deck of tarot cards with a somewhat confused scowl on her face when Fraze entered the shop.

"Excuse me, miss. Zagora, I believe? A number of months ago, a man came here asking you to put an Underdeep-repelling enchantment on a garment. How much would it cost to get that enchantment in bulk?" he asked. The witch looked up and smiled that little smile that in terms of working voodoo witches can mean 'I'm being mysterious and unpredictable' just as much as 'I'm about to rip you off good'.

"Ze vorld as you know it has come to an end," she said, getting up. "Ze Four Great Ones are riding out as ve speak. And still you try? You still believe you can zhange somezheenk?"

A calculative look appeared in her eyes. "I remember zat enchantment, yes. It vas eight hundred zhousand zhinees, and vould have been more if he hadn't provided ze basics for ze spell. Bulk discounts are fifteen per cent, zhough, provided you buy more zan at leest ten, and an additional five per cent for each hundred after five hundred. Except I zheenk I only have immediate supplies for maybe zhree hundred spells, after zat I vill have to go and gather more. Or you could buy some of zees."

She sidled over to the window where the black dreamcatcher hung. Some of the feathers in it were singed.

"Zhree hundred zhousand zhinees apiece, same bulk prices," she said, "except zees vould zen hang off ze chests of ze vearer. Zey vork just as vell, but zey are mostly vood and zhread, so physically zey are far more fragile."

[Celestial]

((Mage Manor))

"I wouldn't do that unless you really need to get there right now. I can heal injuries, though, if that helps." Omni said, approaching the group. Celestial nodded at her, silently asking that she does heal those who need it out of the Mercenary group.

Omni and one of the ninjas seemed to know each other. Celestial stood back and listened to their conversation, waiting to provide exposition when necessary.

"Oh, and something about the Underdeep, too...it's hard to make sense of all the stuff that's happened today. Though now that I'm thinking about it, I don't suppose you Mage types know what the Underdeep is?" the red-headed mercenary stepped into the conversation.

"The Underdeep is...something. It has always been here and it balances out the world but lately it has grown out of balance. It shows you your worst fear and takes over you if it needs to. The ooze however, is part of the problem. Somebody from Spacefleet got themselves posessed by the Underdeep and is working with it for the gains of the 'Fleet, no matter what the cost is to us," she said, growling at the last part.

"We must fight back, no matter what. I can help you with that, I can help you restore the land to what it was"

Yes, play them along. He will be pleased and so will I.

((Former Dropship))

"W-who is that?" something that looked like a glowing yellow coati called out. The Author would have raised an eyebrow if she was prejected. Oh how strange the minds of forumers are. No wodner this place is called insane.

"I'm the Author. And why are you impersonating a radioactive lemom?" she replied snarkliy through the speaker. "Also, why is the great Eldritch Abomination that can do all this damage afraid of yellow? Is it Green Lantern?"

[Zylaa]

((Mage Manor))


At last, at last the Manor was in sight! Still untouched by the spreading ooze, it stood like a lighthouse by a stormy sea.

Well, not exactly, since Lighthouses are meant to warn people away.

But it was a pretty mental image all the same, and Kassandra Amethyst Moonbeam loved those.

She had sustained just the right amount of wear and tear during the trip; her hair hung in limp, defeated, still-elegant clumps; the layer of dust and grime was just thick enough to make her brilliant eyes stand out even more, in all their torture and misery.

At the end of the ooze, right next to a statue of... was that a zombie holding a banjo? ... Deus stopped, posing.

"This is where I leave you," he said. "May you have luck in all your journeys." He hesitated in saying this, though, as he looked at her. "Gentle Lady, war brings only grief to all involved."

"But war can be necessary," Kassandra said. "Thank you, noble stallion." She dismounted elegantly, landing on the first blades of grass. She turned to face the manor as Deus galloped off into the woods.

So much fear! So many confused people, and-- she tensed-- something in here was already trying to build a story. Oh, a weak and paltry story, nothing compared to her powers, but... she listened and smiled, a smile that looked out of place on her angelic face. It was her story, or at least a story that could serve her purposes. She barely had to warp reality at all.

After all, they had hurt the poor innocent girl, exposed to life's cruelties by the vicious invading pirates, twice evicted from her home, now mourning the loss of the planet she had loved...

She staggered in the open door and said, in a voice quavering with determination to overcome her own grief, which threatened to drown her like a wave, "Could I speak to all of the mages? I have some information they should know. It's about how the Underdeep escaped."

((Spacefleet IN SPACE))

Zylaa reflected that she was going for a record number of times she could be keelhauled, or at least thwacked, for insubordination in one day, and resolved that this was one record she really didn't want to push. So after receiving the marching orders, she obtained something mildly alcoholic, and started skulking around a corner out of sight waiting for inspiration to strike.

Fortunately, inspiration struck at least one of the crew.

"Hunty, Hunty, you need to tell Fraze. The reason the Underdeep... please understand what I mean when I say... it's becoming human!"

Zylaa thought about this and reached conclusions at about the speed Hunty did. A vulnerable Underdeep. The desire to blow things up. That sort of thing.

Bloody Mary was always realistic, which Zylaa didn't much care for, and so she felt a rush of somewhat maniacal joy as the captain grinned. It was the grin of impending doom, or at least impending explosions.

"Okay guys, let's go and commandeer something small, fast and built entirely of lasers."

"Amen to that!" Zylaa cheered, downing the last of her beverage. A good thing Fraze is on the planet. But this is the 'Fleet... "We'll have to do this carefully, don't want anyone communicating this to Fraze. If the small craft docking bays aren't separate from the one where they're bringing all the refugees in, I'm thinking a Bavarian Fire Drill is our best bet."

She turned to the weasels, who were still gazing raptly at the walls, floor, ceiling, and all other metal, and got their short-term attention with a wave of the spoon. Hm, this'll take a while... better grab them fast.

"So who wants a shiny ship of their very own?" Every single weasel sat straight up at attention. "Alright. We may just get one, but we need to be careful about it. Well, in a manner of speaking." She turned to Hunty. "Cap'n, I say we go for refuge in audacity. I send my weasels bounding and frolicking all over the fleet. Anyone who sees a docking bay notes the number of guards and reports back. It's not the most stealthy by a long shot, but 'Fleeters don't know I have... some sort of control over the weasels, so they'll just assume they've run rampant. Or I'm lax."

[Omni]

Mage Manor - entrance

"...Something is going on outside. This strange black ooze was forming all around the Dojo, turning water to stone. That's why Sev brought us here."

Omni's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You mean it's not just here?! I thought it might've been because of the Underdeep in the basement, but I guess not."

"...You can sense auras, right? I wonder if perhaps the ooze is of demonic origins."

"I can sense auras, but I'm not so well trained to identify magic. I mean, I can sense the general element, if it has one, but I can't tell a charm from a general-purpose spell. Similar elements are confusing, too. That and different styles of the same element. But yeah, I could try getting close and seeing if it's at least dark."

"Well, one of our guys was injured in a helicopter accident... And I think a couple other guys were hurt on the way back... and I think they need something better than torn sheet bandages. If... you could help, that'd be great. I mean... if you want to..."

"Bring them in here... if you can. I should heal any broken bones where they are, though, assuming there's time. If there isn't... bring them in anyway."

She listened as exploded hospitals were brought up. "Yup, sounds like a busy day."

"Oh, and something about the Underdeep, too..." The ranger scratched his head. "...It's hard to make sense of all the stuff that's happened today. Though now that I'm thinking about it, I don't suppose you Mage types know what the Underdeep is?"

"The Underdeep is...something. It has always been here and it balances out the world but lately it has grown out of balance. It shows you your worst fear and takes over you if it needs to. The ooze however, is part of the problem. Somebody from Spacefleet got themselves posessed by the Underdeep and is working with it for the gains of the 'Fleet, no matter what the cost is to us."

Omni lowered an eyebrow, both for something that was mentioned and for Celes' extra enthusiasm. "Yeah, so far as I know it's always been there, but I haven't heard about the balance bit. It reads your subconscious mind to show your fears, and you should never say your fears out loud in it. I heard creatures escaped from it before, before the entrance was sealed. Poisonous lizards... real deadly..."

It was about then that a - Omni was tempted to use 'melodious' - voice spoke up. "Could I speak to all of the mages? I have some information they should know. It's about how the Underdeep escaped."

Omni looked at her. "Good luck with that. I've actually been trying to gather all the Mages and not all of them are coming - there are quite a few here. However, most of them should be gathered now, and I'll return to them in a bit. You could probably tell me and I'll tell the others."

[Huntress]

((Fleet HQ))

"We'll have to do this carefully, don't want anyone communicating this to Fraze. If the small craft docking bays aren't separate from the one where they're bringing all the refugees in, I'm thinking a Bavarian Fire Drill is our best bet."

Hunty bit her lip and nodded, cooling down a bit. "He'll find out sooner or later. I'd just, you know, much rather have it be later."

"Feeling guilty?" Bloody Mary asked, glancing at her face and raising an eyebrow.

"You bet I'm feeling guilty. Why wouldn't I feel guilty?"

"See!" the meepit said sharply. "Called it. I knew it'd come to this. It's a sad day when a pirate starts feeling guilty for commandeering a ship. And this one's for a greater cause, no less."

Hunty made a grimace. "I thought you were against it."

"I'm against it because it's reckless and dangerous and could get us all shot," Bloody Mary retorted. "Not because I'm afraid that your muffinpie might get upset."

"Funny thing," Hunty said, pointedly ignoring the muffinpie bit, "because I distinctly remember you saying just now-"

"Yes, and what I meant was it's reckless and dangerous and could get us shot." The meepit looked up, listening to Zylaa's proposition of a battle plan, and scowled. "'course, I'm not at all convinced that any of these guys here will shoot an unauthorized vehicle if they know you're on it."

The captain grinned. "And if they think that I have all the right to be on it. Okay, Zylaa, I like that plan. Tell them to find a bay where the guards look incredibly busy. On a day like this, with all these new people pouring in, I don't think any of them will be too interested in extra paperwork. We just might be able to bluff our way through."

[Kiddo]

Ninja HQ

Figures moved about in Kiddo's dreams. It whirled through time, back to the past, when the world was small and the gray mist eddied in currents about their feet. She heard the booming of the door as it shut, louder than the alarm gong. She saw the brilliant lines of power trace along the wards before falling into restful darkness. The Underdeep's major passageway had been sealed. It was sealed. Done with. She tossed fitfully, crying softly in her sleep. The doors opening, spitting forth a semblance of an intelligence. Phoenix fire at dawn. And always, always her fear of that place and what resided in her own mind. And then... a scorched and blackened spot of earth where the last of the phoenix within had been expended, leaving behind only a spear. There was a circle... and everything beyond that was stone. Someone was pointing to it, a lean figure she could not discern at first, a woman... just... an ordinary woman.

She woke, gasping. Looked at herself. Still had fur, tail, claws. Just a dream. She couldn't go back to being human.

The courtyard was empty.

"FINE!" she cried, "I don't have a great fate! I don't have a great destiny! All I have is fear..."

She growled.

"And I know how to fight alongside fear. There is ninja enough left in this heart to defend what is mine. I led here once! I'll die here if I have to!"

And she stood, unsheathing the katana. Walked through the halls of the dojo while all the others gathered at the Mage Manor, and stepped out into the open air to stare at the approaching ooze. Then, with a banshee howl, she ran. All the fear she had felt since this had started, the doubt, the uncertainty, wrapped about her stomach like a noose. But she continued her charge. This was hers! This charge, this little bit of defiance, this determination to protect her old home - it was hers and nothing would take it away.

She hit the ooze and her momentum carried her fully into it before she stopped and brought her katana down with all her strength.

((I have no idea what that is going to do.))

[Deleted]

An ex-dropship


The author? Radioactive... what? Eldritch what? What?!

A bewildered Nasue stared in the direction that the voice had come from. What the hell was she talking about?! Everything had happened too quickly, there was too much going on, she just wanted it to end... but how would it end? Why was everything turning to stone? What did they want?

Why?

"Wh-what's going on? I just--the dock--the lab--the Underdeep--here--"

There she was, clutching her head and whimpering once more. Then the coati covered her eyes with her hands. She didn't have to see this. Just pretend nothing's there - nothing but the seat and the yellow... glow?

Nasue quickly moved her hands and looked at them. Despite their natural blue colour, they were glowing yellow - wasn't there a yellow glow with which she could see, right now?

Was she causing it. Yes. It had to be. She lifted her hand up, her fingers faintly illuminating a piece of ceiling that had come very close to her. Metal.

Uh, would the Author kindly snap Nasue out of it? She kinda needs to get going.

[Small change of plans - either the latter "half" of the post will be edited in later, or it'll be in its own post, and this partly depends on length.]