2017-05-20: Starfall Saloon Hustle
- Log: Starfall Saloon Hustle
- Cast: Lunata Croze, Bart Fatima, Lily Keil, Jacqueline Barber, Ethius Hesiod, Noeline, Maya Schrodinger
- Where: Adlehyde City
- Date: 5/20/2017
- Summary: Lunata is in trouble, and a group of (mostly) Drifters band together to search for her in the chaos of the battle.
DG: A party led by Jacqueline Barber is now entering The Battle of Adelhyde. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
====================<* CHALLENGE - The Demons are Here! *>==================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Metal Demon attack on Adelhyde has left the city in chaos. The Demons and Adelhyde's troops are fighting everywhere, with the ebb and flow of battle changing what parts of the city are safe and which are battlefields by the hour. There are thousands of civilians trapped here, as well as a number of Drifters who were visiting the city for the festival. The party may simply have been at the wrong place, at the wrong time; they might also have returned to the city in an effort to save those trapped within. Chaos erupts immediately as a group of civilians being chased by a large number of Metal Demon troops lead by a particularly large and spike covered warrior comes around a corner, and heads right towards the party! There's no way to avoid this fight - within moments the Demons spot the party and come right towards them. There's no choice but to fight, and perhaps save some of the people being chased. =Dungeon Conditions: Suffer===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
It's-- it's all-- it's too much-- aaaahh!!
Mother! Mommy... Noooo!!
Everything's dark... Please, answer me...
It hurts... help me...! I don't want... to die...
The first signs of the invasion were sharp and harrowing in Lunata's mind -- there was a flash of insight, and then the echoes came in droves; the screams of those that were injured, those that were to be courted towards the stream of life whose end Ge Ramtos presides over... Their emotions course through her spirit, her mind, trying to claw and grasp at her, as if begging for salvation. She sees vague and horrifying images, as Metal Demon blades stab through weak and exposed flesh, as the march of boots tear down through the alleyways and leave no quarter, even to those begging.
Lunata shakes with a weak hand helpless jitter, but then a hand pulls her up-- it's Heather, Jacqueline's other employee, trying desperately to get her to her feet. "Come on, Luna, we can't stay here... look--"
She screams in fright as a duo of Metal Demon foot soldiers tear through a nearby barricade, marching down with gleaming, menacing eyes towards them. "R-run!"
The two girls abandon the stand immediately and head back towards the town, not knowing that the situation may yet be worse. "S-someone, someone, please... help!" Lunata cries weakly, her eyes unfocused, her head threatening to tear her apart with the echoes of the dead swarming her from all directions.
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
Unfortunately, Bart had not managed to make it back to the castle after Cecilia, Lily, and Leon had headed out that way. He had needed to send a signal to the Yggdrasil that he was in one piece and to maybe get his giant stompy robot out here so he could deal with some of these larger Metal Demons directly.
Unfortunately that had turned into an lot of running around followed by a brief stop where he had paused to rest and recuperate. And then he had decided to go check on Lunata, since the waitress has been kind enough to look after them at the Starfall Saloon. Which was where he had run into Lily. The two had rapidly compared notes and then did the sneaky thing (which was in fact impressively sneaky) and headed out towards the fairground, figuring they can find the young waitress out at her stall in the fairgrounds.
It seems that they arrive at the fairgrounds just in time, because the Demons are obviously rampaging everywhere. Bart looks around for a moment, and pulls out his whip. And then reaches behind his back and pulls out a handgun as well. "We need to get in there, Lily!" he calls out. There's a lot of civilians, but amidst all of the fighting he can also see Lunata running from the Metal Demons rampaging across the once peaceful grounds.
No time to hold back, especially with this many around here. Bart pulls out a small bottle from his jacket - he'd taken the time to recharge the cologne with enough Ether that it would provide another combat boost - and tosses a spray into the air. The released energies helps the people fighting against the Demons to strike even harder, and hopefully drive the damn things back enough that they can organize some sort of escape.
After that, there's nothing for it but to lay into the attacking monsters. Bart lashes out with his whip, before turning and firing a couple shots from the revolver he is carrying. He glances at his dark clad companion and shouts, "Don't think we can hold back - let em have it!"
DG: Bart Fatima has used his Tool White Cologne toward his party's challenge, The Demons are Here!.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily Keil has been moving carefully through the city on her way, searching obvious locales as she goes. For the most part she has thus far evaded combat, which may make it seem less reckless for her to have ventured out into the warzone on her own.
As a matter of fact, alone is what she intended for a reason.
Dressed from head to toe in black, it's difficult to mistake this woman for anything but a soldier; dark clothes, solid boots, thick gloves, with a gunbelt about her hips and a knife at her calf. Her hair is tied back in a ribbon, the fatigue in her experession masked by the focus in her gold eyes. She is in fact lightly armored. And her footsteps have been entirely silent.
It's lucky for her that the Metal Demons in the city don't sense the faint aura of Malevolence tht clings to her like smoke.
She could swear that she could feel the horror rather than only see and smell and hear and taste it, the echoes of screams ringing in her ears. But she has a mission.
And now, that mission sees her with Bart again. She was pleased at least by how well Bart could keep silent. The idea of the fairground is their next best shot after the saloon itself.
Her remaining belongings will have to be left.
The cologne gets to her and Lily nods. "I'll clear us a path," she says. Lifting her hands with a burst of red-orange magic, she starts conjuring fireballs and hurling them one at a time out towards the Metal Demons chasing them, focusing hardest around Lunata and Heather.
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Demons are Here!.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Adlehyde was burning.
Jacqueline had been afraid of this. The events of the exhibition, particularly due to Ethius's actions, had made her realize something dire. Unfortunately...too late, as it would happen.
It was as if the sky had been ripped open, and her greatest nightmares were pouring into the city.
At the moment, Jacqueline was dashing through the city at a bit of a run. There were people here she needed to find. And then, she hears them - familiar voices.
Heather and Lunata.
Jacqueline's eyes open wide and fear and concern. She draws a Crest and summons a pillar of earth beneath her with enough force to launch her the rest of the way. It's painful, but she needs the extra boost if she hopes to get there in time.
"Don't you touch them!" She shouts, rare anger in her voice. She is blind to all except for two of the most important people in her world and the Demons who were threatening them.
As she flies she draws a bottle of black liquid from her bags and another Crest.
She uses them together in a combination attack others may have seen before -
The bottle is hurled towards her enemies, then struck in mid-air with a bolt of lightning to send a hail of flaming liquid and molten glass towards them - once she's certain it's clear of Heather and Lunata, that is.
She didn't think the repellant alone would be alone to stop them.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Reliable Repellant toward her party's challenge, The Demons are Here!.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
To use the term 'out of nowhere' at all is to miss the spirit of the current predicament. Everything is a toss-up, now. What's coming around the corner to kill everyone next? What structure is about to collapse? What avenue of escape will be cut off? Every event is sudden, and out of nowhere.
Nonetheless, what comes next is yet another surprising development as a new, thick cloud of dust covers the air between the path of the oncoming horde (at least, from that direction) with only a discarded satchel to show that such a cloud of smoke was ever released into a sky already darkened by the fog of war, and the smoke from flames.
A six-foot tall figure can be seen just a ways above on top of a presently intact shack. A face half-hidden by a yellow bandanna, a distinctive poncho whose gradients go from maroon to ash...
This man looks like he matches the description of someone wanted for sabotaging a priceless exhibit at a high-profile presentation. Setting foot here when tensions were already starting to run high after some of the antics that happened... actually, if he's already in here this deep, he's already been risking capture and interrogation even shortly before the attack.
What was it all about, then...?
He says nothing, if anyone casts him a look or any questions - only using his current higher vantage point to determine the situation, beyond the supportive smoke screen.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Powder Grenade toward his party's challenge, The Demons are Here!.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline, ever eloquent, slips through the Adlehyde Fairground with almost supernatural stealth and speed and thinks: 'well, shit'.
The thing with doing your best to not think about an impending problem is that someday you have to face it regardless. So it is with the 'Crimson Noble': the first instant she catches wind of the attack is the moment her heart sinks a little in her chest. The threat of a second Arctica - of the Metal Demon forces once again going against the dream of a new world to simply slaughter everyone in their way, combatant or non-combatant alike - isn't exactly a pleasant one.
Still... it's not as if she didn't know this was coming. She's a professional, she's made preparations, her day is suddenly booked up, and it's not like she has time to curl up in an armchair and mope about it anyway. Save as many noncombatants as you can. Protect your cover, so that you can build a rapport. Guard the Tainted in their attack on the fairgrounds once the they ground. Not exactly the most compatible set of goals - but then, she's got a lot of practice in juggling loyalties.
Still, she has to hesitate for a split-second when she catches Lunata's cry for help, recognizing it instantly and suddenly forced to weigh the decision in her mind - reveal herself, and risk the Metal Demons recognizing her? Stay in the shadows, and let whatever will happen happen? Fortunately, there's something that could roughly be considered an Option 3.
As the battle joins, the shadows suddenly come alive with a barrage of ARMs laser fire from one of her pods, neatly tucked away in a forgotten cart, that aims to distract and disorient the pair of incoming demons and drag their attention away from the rest of the incoming threats. From another angle entirely - the famed double blindside - there's suddenly a whirl of skirts and a particularly vicious slash of a crimson scythe. For anyone else, it might kill - for a metal demon, it's more of a disabling strike. Noeline isn't all that picky, right now.
"Keep your head down!" she snaps in the midst of it.
DG: Noeline has used her Tool Trouble toward her party's challenge, The Demons are Here!.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.
Even before the festival had gone to hell along with the rest of Adlehyde, it didn't hold much joy for Maya -- everything felt as if the volume had been put on mute, and the event she'd journeyed across the continent to take part in no longer piqued her interest. Malevolence had come and turned her world upside-down, time and time again, and stolen her dearest friend from her.
So when the first explosions rocked the Castle City, the small blonde girl in the cardigan and the giant spectacles barely glanced up from the poster she feigned interest in. Fireworks did nothing for her. But the roar and heat of the blasts grew hotter and more intense than any festival firework, and shook her to the core, and--
--in her place, the transformation lost amidst the panic and the shouts, stood the tall blonde in the orange dress that people knew as the Ace Drifter, the head of the Schrodinger family. Mask in place, the fear in her heart quelled instantly. "The pace... everything's going mad..." she murmurs, perfectly still amidst the falling debris and blizzard of sparks.
"Hey, asshole, why don't you pick a fight with me instead?"
That's the two-second warning one of the Metal Demon shock troops bearing down on Lunata and Heather receives before Maya emerges from an alleyway behind them into the midst of the column, in perfect timing with everyone else. When she pulls the trigger, the resulting flame is white-hot with the indignant anger of the Gunslinging Heroine.
Unlike Noeline, of course, she aims to put these unfamiliar figures down for good.
DG: Maya Schrodinger has used her Tool Tankbuster Cartridge toward her party's challenge, The Demons are Here!. DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 30 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata and Heather are afforded a little breather as Lily and Bart spring into the scene; the former's fireballs wreathe a cascading arc of flame that drives the Metal Demon soldiers back, forcing them to recalculate their path as their shining red eyes scan for them, judging them to be higher-priority targets. At the same time, Bart's etheric wave boosts the effects of the combatants fighting them, and a cadre of Guards from their flank push through and greatly reduce the numbers the Drifters have to deal with.
"M-Miss Lily?! Mister Bart...!" Lunata sounds relieved, and an almost familiar, welcome rupture of earth joins them soon enough. She looks up at the air where Jacqueline is flying, aloft on a bed of adrenaline as she hurls of concoction that explodes and joins Lily's flames and surrounds Ilmr batallion's vanguard in flames that drop them to their knees.
"Jay!!" Lunata's tears couldn't be held back, as she sees her friend safe and sound -- and saving her too. Heather exclaims, "Miss Jay!" in turn, before nodding and pulling Lunata to the side -- just in time for a powder grenade to hide their momentary escape. Was that Mister Ethius?
Lunata was bothered by something above all else, above even the death-echoes, which she'd become so used to. She couldn't... she couldn't sense a thing about these invaders. She was horrified. It was like they-- it was like they were perpetually in some blind spot of hers...
For someone who's sensed life-presence all her life to the point where she doesn't even think about it, a metallic being that exudes none... certainly forces them to see things in the perspective of others.
"The town-- I feel.. a lot of echoes from the town... where do we go?" Lunata queries, sobbing. "I-- what about Aunt Hilda? Or Uncle Tom? Are they safe?"
"Keep your head down!"
Heather exclaims, "D-duck, Lunata!" Fortunately, Trouble and Strife's barrage of lasers take care of the need to do any more evading, as Noeline comes up on the other side and carves through them, followed by Maya finishing up with that flare swarming through the troops' ranks, blasting them apart.
"Miss Schrodinger... Miss Noeline..."
"Don't get distracted, just run!" Heather begs Lunata, and she nods as she heads onwards. "Thank you, everyone!"
DG: Ethius Hesiod has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================================<* CHALLENGE - A Wall of Debris *>=========================================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | -----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------------------------- The party turns the corner only to discover a massive pile of debris. It might be a building that has been knocked down, a number of wagons and other random objects thrown into a pile, or a mass of Demon and human bodies that have been left over from an earlier battle, with a larger than normal Metal Demon forming the bulk of the blockage. None the less, there's nothing to do but clear a path through this blockage - and the party needs to hurry, before the fighting catches up to them once more. =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata and Heather barely make it a block further before another tear and collapse catch their attention, and the waitress grabs hold of the apothecary employee and says, "S-stay clear!" There's a resounding 'wham!!' as the massive Metal Demon, clearly dead and burning from what suspiciously might look like an aerial strike from a missile from the Yggdrasil, blocks their path. That there were already other bodies, the collapsed better part of a wagon and two, along with half of the front wall of a tavern doesn't make it easier.
"W-we're stuck..." Lunata gasps, turning around, but they can already hear footsteps marching in on their position. "We can't climb up... Jay, anyone, what do we do?"
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
It seems like they had a better time clearing out the attacking Demons with more people helping - and wasn't that a hell of a thing? Then again, Cecilia had picked quite a large battle to involve herself in last night, and they had ended up running into a lot of opposition on the way...
Bart looks Lunata over for a moment, and then at the others who had come to join them. He grins, and reaches over to pat the young woman on the shoulder. "This looks bad, but we're not in a bad spot here. Where there's a Bart, there's a way," the pirate reassures her and her friend. And then he looks at Lily, and reaches over to grab some chunks of debris from the wreckage in front of them. "Everyone! Pull this crap aside, Lily's got some explosives and we can blast this crap out of the way!"
He pauses, and glance at Lily. "You DID bring those explosives along this time, right?" Please let her have brought those explosives, 'cause this will really, really suck if she didn't.
There's just too many Demons out here to stay still for long, and Bart does what he does best. Improvise. "Anyone else has anything that might help dislodge this mess, it would really help!" he growls, pulling out anything he can that might be moved via mere human muscle. He looks at the familiar face - hey Jaquie! - as well as the newcomers.
And keeps pulling and tossing. Pulling and tossing.
DG: Bart Fatima has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, A Wall of Debris.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
As Lily does her level best to crash through Metal Demons, she hears familiar voices--thankfully not just screaming in pain. Some she doesn't know even so, but some she does.
"Lunata! Be careful!" Lily calls it out as she keeps blasting away, albeit a smaller set of blasts than usual in order to accomodate what they have to do.
She looks to Jay a moment and nods, in some approval. She doesn't have time right now to completely conceal what she can do; she focuses on the war around them, including unusual ARMs. But Lunata is crying, and asking questions...
"I don't know," Lily admits to her. "But they'll want you safe."
When they see that they're stuck, she doesn't speak up immediately. Lily steps up immediately, opening her satchel as she walks. "Get clear," she says to Lunata as she pulls out an explosive charge with a short fuse, studying breifly the location of the bodies as she counts up each of the ones that she'll need. "I brought as many as I could carry without blowing myself up," Lily answers Bart, shaking her head. "Leave it to me." She'll use her knife from her calf to lever things out of the way and cram them loose... And doesn't know how she might make Lunata uncomfortable just passing by her.
Only once they're set does she say, "All right, get clear and I'll blow the charges!"
3...2...1. With a snap of her fingers, each fuse is lit at once and the charges explode.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Explosive Charges toward her party's challenge, A Wall of Debris.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
The adrenaline begins to fade somewhat as Heather and Lunata are rescued safely - at least for now. She had actually injured herself more than the Demons had, and she's feeling it now. Jacqueline has to take a moment to breathe. During this time, she takes a moment to assess the people surrounding her. Maya, Noeline(a surprising factor, but she'd worry about that later) , Ethius, Lily, and Bart.
"Thanks." She says with a nod. Unfortunately, there wasn't time for pleasantries. They needed to move. Undoubtedly there'd be more demons on the way.
"Just stay close to me, alright? We'll keep you safe!" Jacqueline says, sending Lunata and Heather the most reassuring smile she could muster. Which probably wasn't very, considering the situation, but she was doing her best.
"I'll do what I can!" She says at Bart's orders, drawing forth another Crest.
She attempts to shift as much rubble aside as possible, so that Lily's explosives would have less work to do.
Or, alternatively, attempts to shift any rubble aside that had been left over.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A Wall of Debris.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"--really, what kind of customer would I be if I didn't do this much to repay you?" Noeline huffs softly as she swings the oversize crimson scythe up across her shoulders as easily as if it were a twig, reaching down with her other hand to help the waitress up to her feet in a single tug then begin propelling her forwards. For all that people might not believe her on the Crimson Noble thing, she certainly looks the part right now.
Her tone of voice can't really match the words, though, her attention too divided and split as she watches for threats. The urge to skulk to safety is almost palpable, rolling off her in waves for a moment before she heaves out a breath. The barricade does help in at least one respect - she has a brief instant of thought to gather herself again, enough to pause and recentre herself.
"You need to get somewhere defensible," she pipes up as they come to a halt, dropping any thought of joking. "Are your parents safe? The Saloon is probably big enough-- at least, for the time being. I'd rather see you out of the city entirely, but I'm not convinced there's time yet."
Were this a kinder, more peaceful event, Noeline might be expected to balk at the idea of moving bodies around. Here, though, she joins in without complaint, heaving a number of the bodies out of the way along with the one-eyed man to provide enough space to set an explosive - and then whirling away to shield Lunata from the ensuing charge. After all, getting showered with shrapnel and Metal Demon chunks kind of sucks for anyone involved.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A Wall of Debris.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.
It's in a swirl of skirts that Maya aggressively scythes through her portion of the Metal Demon advance, the numbers of this little fireteam thinned by sorcery, sword, and gunfire. No sitting back and sniping here, she dances from soldier to soldier with the fangs of her hand-cannon biting deeper than any sword in her hands could hope. There's no time to stop and make sure they're down for the count, either, the Drifter returning the weapon to its holster and bursting forward for Lunata and Heather at a speed that seems unreasonable for one so heavily-dressed.
Now, Maya's not familiar with the handsomely-scented man at Lunata's side, but suspects the reassuring motions and his readiness to join battle mark him as an ally. A buddy, even. And she has good news for the pirate, having overheard his request. "I've got something for this," she pipes up, pulling a comically large satchel charge from the pouch at her waist and strolling straight into the chaos with Lily. With her guidance, it's fast work, anyway. "What the hell is going on, anyway? Where did all these freaks come from?"
The blonde is quick to egress from the blast zone, with Jacqueline and Lunata. "... plug your ears." is her advice after a few moments consideration, with a terse smile.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
The white-haired stranger passes the Crimson Noble a look as this large group of unfortunate souls all seem to coalesce over some shared goal involving the safety of those trapped by the all-encompassing destruction. 'Passes the Crimson Noble a look' is, as defined, largely 'head tilting that direction,' in wake of their recent assistance. His eyes ought to be on what goes on just ahead, and above, but even that gaze doesn't sharply snap back to the deafening collapse that represents the next blockade to their safety.
In accordance to Bart's suggestions and directions, this new face to the infamous pirate appears to comply without any special input on their part. A chunk of some indeterminate part of the nearby building is rolled aside. With Bart's assistance, he's able to get a support beam out of the way. More chillingly, he doesn't pause at trying to drag out the human remains. No pause to check and see if they might be wounded but alive - they are moved aside like any other obstruction.
He backs away as Lily sets the charges - a hand to his forehead as he stands a ways off to her right. Is he exhausted, or---
There's no time to dwell on that.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, A Wall of Debris. DG: Maya Schrodinger has used her Tool Schrodinger Special toward her party's challenge, A Wall of Debris. DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 41 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Where there's a Bart, there's a way.
Lunata opens her mouth to try to ask what that even means, before-- realising this isn't really the time. She watches as the prince (really, she knows two royalty now and doesn't even realise it) starts pulling away at the wreckage, wondering if there was anything she could do to help... but then others join in, Ethius, Noeline, Jacqueline as well!
She couldn't help but look at Lily -- her breath seizes for a moment, as she feels a very familiar sensation coming from within the dark-haired woman. But fortunately, Lily and Maya are both here to make things not suck, in Bart's esteemable estimation, and the explosive charges and the satchel only direly known as 'the Schrodinger Special' go down. Heather and Lunata take cover behind some other pieces of debris, saying, "Y-yes!"
Lunata sees that smile of Jay's, and even when the situation is dire, she believes in that smile! Before Noeline covers her, and the explosives go up with a deafening bang.
"Are your parents safe?"
ELSEWHERE
Meredin Croze whirls around as she manipulates the little crest-earrings that are typically draped around her ears, sizzling a Metal Demon soldier after her. Beside her, her husband Atheron Croze whips around in a whirlwind of acrobatic fire, ARMs strapped to his feet as he thrustkicks one away and springs into a breakdancing roll with a 'whoo-hoooooo!'
The two square off and press their backs against each other. "Do you think Lunata is safe, dear?"
"Jay's with her, she'll be fine."
"I miss this."
"Wanna start shooting at each other, like old times?"
"You really know how to turn me on, honey."
The feral grins on both their faces are inscapable, and even the Demons are afraid!!
HERE
"... y-yes, they'll be fine," Lunata mumbles, already having a headache.
DG: Maya Schrodinger has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* CHALLENGE - The Floor is Lava *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The floor is not really lava, but the Demons have left a number of caltrop style spikes here to slow anyone who wants to pass through the area and ambush them from behind. The Demon squad is too big to fight before the party is swarmed, and there's no time to try and clear the traps - the party needs to make progress through here as fast as possible before the Demons ahead realize that someone is trying to slip behind them. =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"A-aah!"
Lunata stops where Heather has suddenly dropped to her knees, holding her up. "Heather?!" She looks just in front of her, and in the midst of the confusion has nearly missed the traps set along the ground -- large, menacing spikes that... definitely will outpace the cute ankle boots Lunata has on.
She tries to shuffle through slowly, but bites her lip nervously as she says, "It's no use... they'll catch us at this point..."
Indeed, the wake of the demons marching behind the party's backs is inexorable at this point, but where there's a Bart, there's a way, after all.
Ack, let that not be the norm!!
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
Wooo, that blast... that...
"THAT WAS AWESOMEEEEE!" Bart shouts, probably a little too loudly. "Great work everyone!" The debris wall was completely blown apart, and it seemed like they had a clear path ahead. Hah, well he had tried playing it cool there, but it seems this time it completely paid off as well.
But he does skid to a stop as they encounter what appears to be the same sort of mess that his group had run into last night. Was this the same place? "...ugh, I'm not sure if we had bad luck or whatever Demon is dropping this crap is working this section of the city, but at least I know how to deal with this mess!"
The pirate pulls out his whip, and snaps it around so it wraps onto a nearby street light. "Use this to try and walk up the wall on the side!" he points out. "Use the whip to support you, and don't put your full weight down until you're sure of your footing!"
And then Bart looks at Lunata, and her friend. "We're almost out of here - hang in there," he offers to Heather, and then looks at the others. "Anyone have any extra rope? We can try and rig something in case other civilians come through here, hopefully they'll see the trap and be able to get around it."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily spots Maya's big charge and nods in obvious approval. Maybe they don't have time to talk about it at the moment, but Lily knows a good bomb when she sees it, and works to accomodate it too. She doesn't now its exact payload, but...
"I don't know," she answers Maya. "But they haven't taken the castle; I was there until I left to look for Lunata."
She might prefer not to say much, but information outweighs preference. She spots Ethius moving, but tht's probly just reasonable.
She spotted Lunata freeze looking at her, too, and when that happens Lily finds herself not looking at Lunata. Is the woman from Kislev hiding something?
Bart shouts and Lily lifts her eyebrows. "Bart. Volume."
But then, "What?" As they're talking Lily stops short too, only to see Lunata on the ground beside Heather and to quickly gather waht's going on. The black-haired woman scowls. "More of these damned traps..."
Lily doesn't go first, but she does go, using Bart's attempt to get them through here. "No rope for me," she says as she starts up, and tries to go about as quickly sa she can. She focuses hard, without even talking.
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Floor is Lava. DG: Bart Fatima has used his Tool Bart's Whip toward his party's challenge, The Floor is Lava.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline tenses for an instant as they round the next corner, scanning the street in front of their path. "--as if they're interested in simply catching anyone," she mutters darkly to herself with a quick shake of her head, almost childish in the way she sounds angry and disapproving. Her head immediately - instinctively - snaps upwards: Adlehyde has no end of low rooftops and awnings and buttresses to make use of, after all, even if some of them are starting to look distinctly ruined.
"--I have her," she says curtly to the waitress, tilting her head in the direction of a nearly porch that seems low enough to offer the first few steps up to the rooftops. "Everyone else, go high." Fortunately, Bart's way ahead of her; she has to pause again with a grim little smile, as impressed as always at how quickly humans - Drifters, especially - can manage to recover their wits and rise to a challenge.
Then she's moving, doubling back the few strides that it takes to reach Heather's side. "This will be surprising," she mutters urgently. "Don't cry out, or we risk being spotted." The act of scooping the girl up against her is made to look ridiculously easy, Noeline quickly hoisting the girl up and over one shoulder in a distinctly untrained and backwards version of a fireman's lift. It ought to be unwieldy, but the Crimson Noble is instantly back on her feet - and then lifting into the air like the most gothic lolita of Mary Poppins', clung onto the handle of another of those odd metal spheres that are apparently her ARMs.
DG: Noeline has used her Tool Strife toward her party's challenge, The Floor is Lava.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius doesn't even look at the explosion. His eardrums ring violently as... something fills in his head. The strange shapes of inexplicable lights, far above-- he shakes his head, and the vision fades as he finds his gaze following Lily's movement forward.
He can't put a finger on the growing discomfort. Something that stabs far past the skin, far past the innards. He is only of the presence of mind, however much he currently has, that this is not how he conducts himself.
He takes up the rear as the last to move after the lot of them from the cleared (completely exploded) obstructions en route to their next problem - a trapped road meant to limit movement and ability to flank forces.
The Technology Hunter, at first, considers the possibility and merit of melting the caltrops into the equivalent of a bumpy road... but time would not be so kind to them, and it'd change the manner of how dangerous it would be for them to traverse. (If only he'd put such thoughts into his known penchant for solving door-like obstruction problems as 'I would offer to melt it'!)
Ethius instead prefaces their next challenge by Symbologically casting a spray of granular particle matter behind himself - an attempt to try and blindside the advance with clogging dust against some of their ranged weapons, if enough finds purchase.
This is more to lower the possibility of everyone getting shot down while Bart sets up their next escape route. The stranger still offers virtually zero spoken word of acknowledgement or advice as he takes up the rope route.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, The Floor is Lava.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.
There's still dust in the air from the thunderous explosion that cleared the gang's path, but no doubt, such a blast also drew a hell of a lot of attention. With no time to find a safe path, Maya scowls cutely and discharges her weapon several times at a dazed and confused-looking Demon scout as she flees through the shattered wall with the rest. "Naturally, it did the trick." she quips Bart's way as his triumphant roar rattles her eardrums, but it's hard to deny the grim smile on her face from the adrenaline-pumping thud of the explosion sure beats the alternative.
Alas, there's no time for Maya and Lily to talk turkey about the younger Schrodinger brother's handiwork. For a homemade explosive, uh, well, the results were clear. Kid has an eye for compounds, let's just say that. "The castle's still standing, huh? Sure hope their sorcerers have something up their sleeve, this whole city got caught napping..."
And with that, the blonde Drifter sort of follows Noeline's lead on the matter, except with Lunata. She sweeps the waitress into a princess carry, far superior and less practical to the fireman carry. "We've gotta hustle. Sorry, kiddo!" and springs with an absurdly dextrous touch for the tenuous, makeshift crossing stabilized by Bart's positively Belmontian whip-fu.
"Don't get left behind, pal!" Maya crows in Ethius's direction, having spotted him working cover for the rest of the gang. She sounds appreciative, to be certain, but also worried.
DG: Maya Schrodinger has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Floor is Lava.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Spikes. Of course there'd be spikes.
"Heather, are you alright?" Jacqueline asks, concerned. Fortunately it looked as if she was being taken care of.
"Miss Carver...thank you." Jacqueline says with a nod. Maybe she was wrong about her? She had to be.
Her employee was safe, but there was still Lunata. However, Jacqueline had a plan for this.
"Do you remember the manor, Lunata? Let's do this like-" She says, drawing a bottle of pale-green liquid and downing it.
Well, it looked as if Maya already had the same idea. Well, as long as someone was taking care of her, she didn't mind. She makes too follow up using Bart's rope, but she draws a bottle of black liquid from her bags on the way.
"I don't have rope, but maybe I could lay some repellant down or something?" She suggests.
That scent was potent enough that anyone could smell it, even here. That'd definitely get their attention...hopefully.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Invigoration Elixir toward her party's challenge, The Floor is Lava. DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 26 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
There's a little flinch from Lunata, but then she nods as she looks towards Bart's whip and looks towards Jacqueline. "Just-- just like the manor, huh?" That crazy haunted manor with the swinging chandeliers...
Lily does give Lunata a bit more pause, but she-- still expresses, "Thank you, Miss Lily-- ah?" She looks surprised as the dark-haired woman moves, without the assistance of rope! Is this confidence, experience, foolhardiness, a mix of all three?! Nonetheless, the trained lady of Kislev's forces presses through with a gusto that lesser women and men would buckle at, at the same time Heather's eyes widen as she's pulled close and up with Noeline! "W-whoa..."
Lunata is no less surprised as Noeline springs through, and-- Maya then sweeps her up in a more dramatic carry as the Schrodinger no doubt attempts to make up for the lack of a certain Ginny in her life to carry. "W-wah! Miss Schrodinger..."
She looks to Jay as she nods, and then the two spring by safely and get to the other side, with Ethius' cover buying them just enough time that their pursuers only find their own traps slowing them down. A great effort from the team!
DG: Bart Fatima has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* CHALLENGE - An Escape! Oh Yeah! *>====================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- One of Adelhyde's gates is in sight - once beyond the party and anyone accompanying them will be in the clear, as those holding the line against the Metal Demons outside the city will be able to cover them! However there are several carts which have been overturned in front of the gate, keeping anyone from easily exiting. They've been set on fire at some point and look weak and flimsy. The Demons are closing from behind, and there's no choice but to break through this barrier and reach safety. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
The team of Drifters swiftly slip through the watchful eyes of the Hymir team, and make enough headway past the back alleys that Jacqueline remembers taking -- enough for Lunata to be able to point out, "The Saloon's just up ahead!"
The situation was indeed dire -- and Lunata gasps as she sees that a metal ball had just nearly shaved off the rooftop and the attic of the Saloon. But the hardy Starfall Saloon has not stood this long only on the merits of peace alone, it has done so through the thickest and thinnest of Adlehyde's times; the windows had been boarded up, and the door is barricaded.
The ground shakes for a moment, and a familiar female roar of 'URYAHH!' follows a poor Metal Demon getting tetsuzanko'ed out of the kitchen window with a scream of, "Impossibleeeeeee--!!" Ah, Aunt Hilda, at least, is safe and sound.
There's no time to knock and yell for her attention, however -- the group's got to get through the barricade of upturned tables and chairs in order to get through to safety!
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
As they get back to the saloon, it seems like everything is more or less intact. Bart's glad to see it, since he can get some of his stuff out of here at least. But then a demon is ejected from the premises and the pirate looks at Lunata for a moment. "Remind me to NEVER try and skip on paying my check here, kid," he states quietly as they reach the barricade that has been thrown up.
Nothing to be done but trying to pull things out of the way. "Hey Lily, while I know that the chances of this place still standing when this invasion is over are pretty low, we maaaayyyybe shouldn't blow up all the furniture-"
He pauses as a particularly hard pull removes the leg off of a stuck bar stool. Bart looks at it for a moment and tosses it back over his shoulder. "Right. Whatever. So much for trying not to break people's stuff. Just blast it to smithereens"
A glance back at Maya, the strange girl, the other strange guy who has not even talked the entire time, and Jay, and Bart grins for a moment, "Well, drinks are on me if there's anything that's not been smashed or guzzled already!" he declares. Nothing like optimism to try and keep people's hopes up, even in the middle of this horrible nightmare.
DG: Bart Fatima has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, An Escape! Oh Yeah!.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"They're keeping the gates open as long as possible for people to make it in. ...But I don't know what the sorcerers are up to; I was busy in the infirmary when I wasn't planning my next move." She doesn't bother mentioning resting. It's not as if she spent time doing that.
"...Your compounds are really something," Lily says to Jay. But she says back to Lunata after all, "Don't worry." It's tight words, as... Well, Lily's willingness to put herself in danger is a mix of confidence, experience, and sheer disregard for her own personal safety. So maybe foolhardiness is right. Regardless she keeps going until she reaches the end, regardless of the tiring approach.
Lunata points out the Saloon and Lily sees it, too. "Mm."
Lily wouldn't have stepped out in her bills, anyway. Though maybe her belongings are still intact upstairs. Lily glances to Bart as he starts making his suggestion. As he starts suggesting to him that she not blow something up. The tall woman looks blankly at him for a few moments, before Bart... relents.
"Probably most of it will be scattered rather than destroyed," She points out. "And they can buy more. I'll help them put up a real barricade inside if they need it."
With that, she sets down charges from what angles she can, shoving a few things out of her way with a shoulder.
As she does, doing math in her head to account for the right locations, Lily offers, "You'd regret making me that offer if I didn't have to get back into the city after this."
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Explosive Charges toward her party's challenge, An Escape! Oh Yeah!.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Landing on the rooftops, Noeline allows herself a triumphant little moment to pause and huff in Jacqueline's direction. "... don't thank me yet," she chides quietly. "Not until we are somewhere safe, at least, and even then I do not exactly feel like the Saloon counts. ... still, I felt I had to do something," she adds rather ruefully. That much is easy to claim - it is, after all, a completely truthful and genuine statement, which are the ones that always make the best lies in the end.
The pause lets her make sure that Heather remains secure on her shoulder as she starts to hop rooftops, the landings occasionally a little rough as some of the wood and stone threatens to buckle under her. The sight of the damaged saloon successfully diverts her attention, for long enough to slip on the next as an entire corner of damaged tile breaks under her, sending her careening to the ground in a sudden burst of swearing - but she quickly emerges from the small cloud of stonedust that ensues, looking a little the worse for wear but still moving quickly.
"--Lunata is here!" she calls over the din to the occupants, figuring that an appeal to the parents is probably the best way to get inside the Saloon quickly at this point, and then huffs again - this time, towards Bart. "Speak for yourself," she retorts, allowing herself a smirk without a great deal of humour in it. "My work's only just begun. There are plenty of others stuck out in the city, after all."
Again... not quite a lie. But not quite a truth. Life's hard when you're the strangest sort of double agent.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, An Escape! Oh Yeah!.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Sounds like Aunt Hilda's having fun." Jacqueline comments in an attempt to help keep up morale as a demon goes flying out of the building. Heather and Lunata were almost to safety, they couldn't give up yet!
Unfortunately, they'd have to get through the barricade first.
"I can help you with that, Lily. So, in other words, folks - do what you have to do!" Jacqueline says, moving in to help shift the debris aside.
It would mean a lot of earth pillars, but hopefully that would be enough. It wasn't as if some mid-boss-type Demon was going to come here to cause trouble, right?
That'd be silly.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, An Escape! Oh Yeah!.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.
Is there more to the story than that, or has Lunata's narration successfully guessed it? Does the ever-stalwart Maya Schrodinger feel a pang of guilt at not having been there for Virginia when she needed guidance most? Does she carry the smaller girl in those strong arms because she refuses to leave it to chance?
(Yes.)
It's not like it goes on forever, anyway, but it gives Lunata a pretty cool sense of flying as the gunslinger leaps adroitly along the wall and trampolines off of Bart's whip to safety, where she can finally set her down on the ground again, even if they're all hurried along at a hell of a pace. She pats her on the back, briefly, perhaps some kind of apology for the rough handling.
"Of course you had to do something," Maya snorts at Noeline as she pulls another present from her pouch. Judging from last time, uh, perhaps it's best if she doesn't put another one of Al's bombs in the doorway to the Starfall. "You'd have to be a real heartless Demon to stand by and watch in this warzone."
Zing.
Anyway, that's not ridiculous. What's ridiculous is the gigantic green cylinder that Maya produces from behind her back that she wads the explosive into the barrel of. It must have just been there the entire... time...? Unless someone like Ethius was standing behind her and noticed it coalesce into form from literally nothing. Hoo boy. That'd be awkward.
"I'm gonna shut down that alleyway they're pouring in from and buy us some time. Uh--don't stand behind me!"
And with a *FWOOSH*, that's how Maya Schrodinger fired a thermobaric RPG inside of Adelhyde Castle City. I'm sorry, Cecilia.
(No I'm not.)
DG: Maya Schrodinger has used her Tool Schrodinger Special toward her party's challenge, An Escape! Oh Yeah!.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius once again falls behind as he ascends the alternate path laid out by the most bodacious and awesome of one-eyed sand pirates. His eyes close tight. People are running around him. He could hear his name being shouted by another youngster. Many of them, as some yet kneel pentiently on the ground before the--
No, it's just him, as one of the last to clear the route. All that's behind him are enemy soldiers trying to catch up. He shakes his head, that unsettling near-featureless gaze sweeping out towards people of interest. Lily's impressive feats of agility and confidence. Noeline's assisted flight.
Silently, he finishes the ascent, and manages to catch up with the rest at the saloon.
As they all assemble to be able to get themselves through to relative safety... he should say something to Jacqueline. He did not tell her of his intents when he went and stole a sample of the supposed Metal Demon blood. He was not able to meet with her before all this began. He is in a prime position to speak now - he stands a ways off to her left. Anything he says now, she would be able to hear. There's less ambient noise even with the clatter of wood and who knows what is going on outside.
He continues exercising maddening, unexplainable silence.
Those eyes of his say nothing. There is no reassuring hand to reach out and comfort her as she - like so many others - must be approaching their limit. That Ethius Hesiod, however well he could ever be read, seems to be content to only exist in a place and spot of need for whatever job, for whatever goal, that drives him - in some ways, he seems even less a person than that Metal Demon that just got thrust out the window.
Just another pair of hands.
As he moves aside a table, something says that he must immediately discuss the situation with...
More than one person?
He brings a hand to his head as his effort to move a chair is stymied by another thought, something lodged deep in his throat. That something like this came to pass, that means he, then--
...He what?
His gaze sweeps out to the gathered, wordlessly taking in everyone else and their actions, their statements. The floor underneath him is wooden, and can firmly hold his weight... but something feels like he sinks further into a field of ash, as colors and sounds dance forever behind his gaze - never able to be seen again.
...
To the outside world, this man appears either disinterested, or hesitant, to go much faster. What is his deal?
DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, An Escape! Oh Yeah!. DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has successfully explored The Battle of Adelhyde!
=====================<* CHALLENGE - It's Over - For Now *>====================== |Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Discovery |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The party has made it out of the city, along with any civilians who were traveling with them. Outside of the city, the line is being held by parts of the Adelhyde Guard, the Yggdrasil Pirates and their Gears, as well as a number of Drifters who have set up defensive positions and safe areas for civilians to rest and prepare to move away from the city. For those who have escaped to Adelhyde castle, the fighting at the walls continues, but food and shelter can still be obtained. However, the fighting continues, and there are more people yet trapped inside Adelhyde City... =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Indeed, the devious trap of chairs and tables don't appear to have been haphazardly organised so much as... arrayed in such a way that's hard to pull apart. Is this some of the work of Uncle Tom, veteran of a thousand barfights?! Fortunately, Lily's on hand with more of the explosives, shaping them in such a way as to not blow everything away, at least.
Heather bows to Noeline with a dizzied expression on her face, but the Crampire's quick thinking has prevented her from receiving the worst. "This is the craziest day of my life..."
"Ehhh?!" the voice comes from the other hand. It's definitely Uncle Tom's. "Lune, what're you even doin' outside! Ugh, this barricade's built to last and Hilda's doin' the noogie on those weird soldiers back there!" No, Noeline, Lunata's parents won't be anywhere near as sensible as a barricaded saloon. They probably have taken to shooting at each other at this point.
The cry of 'Wachaaaaa--!!' can be heard as several Metal Demons get a face full of Saucery Globe for their troubles in this invasion. Protocuisine?!
Fortunately, the mix of explosives and Jay's earth pillars soon crush through Tom's devious barrier, at the same time Maya lobs a ludicrous canister that probably rightfully read 'WARNING: NUCULEAR' with a goofy cartoon bomb in the direction of the Demons, not so much exploding them as nigh-vaporising them. They're clear for the time being!
Lunata gasps and hurries inside, throwing her arms around Uncle Tom, who's got a shotgun cocked at the ready along with some of the other patrons -- they've taken in a great number of refugees and injured, and are clearly holing it up in hopes of riding out the wave of destruction. "Geez, Lune, of all the crazy things you'd do, I didn't think running through a city full o' these freaks would be one of 'em!"
Lunata looks towards the group. "It's because of everyone -- Jay, Miss Noeline, Miss Schrodinger, Mister Bart, Miss Lily, Mister Ethius..." she's nearly out of breath. "W-where's mom? Where's dad?"
Uncle Tom looks unimpressed. "Ran out sayin' they wouldn't miss this bloodbath for even a moment."
Lunata puts her hands to her face again. "... I knew it..."
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S!
This mission is complete!
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"It's Crimson Noble, thank you very much," Noeline grumbles towards Maya as they manage to burst through the barricade and into the relative safety of the Saloon, her feathers obviously ruffled - because even in a situation like this, some things never change. "The real demons are out there, don't you think?"
Fortunately, the response is so instinctive and automatic it also gives her time to work through the sudden jolt of uncertainty - is it just unfortunate wording, or has Maya made an educated guess as to her identity?
... that said, it's not as if Noeline could change or do anything different at this point, her course firmly set for at least the duration of the attack. One heeled foot hooks a chair, dragging it over to butt up against a second and provide enough of a seat for her to lower the girl on her shoulder carefully down onto it.
"... well... that is that. Stay safe and stay indoors - and counter to any expectations, I would not recommend throwing up flares or anything of the sort, even if you begin to encounter trouble. There appear to be enough aerial foes around that they'd surely spot it, and from the look of their movements I'd suggest they're smart enough to treat it as a target. When you can, you should really set up a second leg to try to escape the city entirely," she adds solemnly, planting a hand on her hip as she turns to the ground as a whole. "As much as I would love to stay and chat about this and that, I'm in good enough shape I think it's best if I head back out, hm?"
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
They're safe... for the time being.
Bart looks around at the group for a moment, and then he watches as Lunata is crushed by the realization that her parents aren't actually here. He looks around at the others, and then to the young waitress. "I know it's not what you want to hear, Lunata, but things aren't safe here in the city. Your parents can take care of themselves, but you need to try and get your friend out of the city."
He looks at Maya, Noeline, Jay, and Ethius. Two of them he's pretty sure can take care of themselves, and the mysterious Noeline seems to be doing a decent job. Ethius... the guy seems shell shocked for the time being.
"Can you guys try and get her out of the city?" he asks, checking his gear. "I need to get back to the castle - there's more civilians out in the city that need to get to safety, and Ceci is probably going to do something silly at some point, and I should be there when she does."
Another look, and Bart gives Lunata's shoulder a squeeze. "There should be a camp for people outside the city - when you get there, there should be an old guy called Maison making sure people get food and medicine. I bet he could really use your help."
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
The thanks given to the strange, quiet man - it seems like his name is Ethius, by process of elimination, as the only unnamed 'Mister' among the group that wouldn't have known it prior - seems to hardly register as he appears to straddle the line between a living, human being and something of a statue. No sighs of relief, no thanks given to the rest for their assistance for his own well-being...
Noeline's advice is left unchallenged, unanswered, for how reasonable it all sounds as he looks to the self-identified Crimson Noble. His gaze continues to be perplexingly unreadable.
The two outer fingers of his right hand curl inward as his head tilts to just over his left shoulder. Relative to everyone else, that could be just about anyone. Is something wro--
Before that thought could be finished, he goes to the apothecary merchant while the Yggdrasil commander Bart gives the run-down about his own thoughts and plans. Ethius thrusts something that could fit inside one's hands towards Jay - a small, cyllindrical thing? He says nothing, explaining little, other than trying to close her hands around whatever it is tightly. His hands attempt to tighten around them a second time.
His head shakes to either side twice - a no, to something?
He begins to walk away from the lot of them - is he leaving? What does he intend to accomplish? What exactly is his stake in all of this?
There's enough going on that maybe there's no time to ask questions in the face of more immediate things to be asking.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"...You're a Crimson Noble?" Lily asks Noeline after the explosion, turning to look at her with something of a raised eyebrow. She stares a little longer before she looks away, just enough to listen. Noeline has a lot to say that is very tactically sound to Lily's mind, and the black-haired medic inclines her head. ...Lily's been reading a lot of old stories lately.
"...Noeline," she says, unaware of the connection she has to the Noble. "If you find yourself injured, find me at the castle. I'll be going back out into the city often as well."
Only then does she look back, walking inside to check on Lunata and hear what she's hearing already. Her name is one of them. "...Good," she says, looking around over the patrons and refugees. It's more than she expected to find, but it gives her that much more information.
Lily looks over the others, and then back to Uncle Tom. "I'll be gone soon, but first... Do you have medical assistance? If not, let me take a look at your wounded before I leave." A glance back to Bart, "We can make our own ways back to the castle. If you see Leon, tell him I'm fine."
She watches Ethius go... but not for long; she looks back to Tom.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Once they're safely inside, Jacqueline detaches one of the bags scattered across her person and sets it somewhere safe.
"Here, take these. I'll have enough to last myself." She says.
It's clear from the sound of her voice that Jacqueline intends to go out into the streets again, despite everything that was going on - at least, once all the barricades have been re-created.
She is about to move towards Heather and Lunata when Ethius pauses, grabbing one of her hands and placing something into it.
Her eyes meet his and...she nods.
Without opening her hands, the thing is deposited into one of her bags. At the moment, all's she could do is trust him.
With that done, she walks up to Lunata and Heather, and sweeps them both up into a hug.
"Stay safe, alright? Listen to Uncle Tom and Aunt Hilda. There are...there are more people out in the city that might need my help." She says, releasing them and taking a few steps back.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.
Luckily, nobody is toasted in the RPG's backblast, in part because this is a role-playing game and not ARMA 3, but it's fortunate all the same. Maya tosses the spent tube to one side, where when nobody is paying it any attention a few minutes later, it will fade from this world without the anchoring influence of its owner nearby. She dusts her hands as she retreats into the safety of the saloon with the others, alongside Noeline. Judging from the way she carries herself, surely, it must have just been a coinkydink with words.
Lunata's gratitude--and the fact the girl is safe, instead of another forgotten casualty on the street--is enough for Maya. For now. "I'm headed back into the city with the rest of my family." she declares with one hand on her hips and an eye on Bart, whose ludicrous strength and infectious optimism has not gone unnoticed. "There's a whole damn army out there, but hell," she grins with a prominent canine, "A heroine's work is never done!"
Comically, with that, Maya flails her hand at the silently departing Ethius. "Hey, waitasec--it's dangerous! Aren't you gonna make for..." she trails off with puffed-out cheeks. "... damnit, he's gone. I didn't even say thanks! Bwah!"
The Gunslinging Heroine stomps her foot in adorable frustration, arms folded. A good mask to hide behind, certainly.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's only initial response towards Lily is a light bow, and an amused and pleased smile - despite the situation, despite the uncertainty of the attack, she can still take a little pleasure in the reactions she causes. "At your service," she adds to the open air, meeting Ethius' gaze with raised eyebrows but not a great deal of comment.
"And-- that's certainly something of a plan, though plans at the moment tend to need changing at the last moment. It will depend on how heavily it comes under attack - and whether I can catch wind of anyone else who needs leading to safety," she lets out a breath, continuing the litany of general advice as she glances at Lily for a moment. "At least I know one or two places to actually take them now, at least."
She huffs, flicking out one twintail of hair as Ethius slips away. "... really, what a bother. Not that I think the attack has anything to do with retaliation for that farce at the exhibition, but you'd think he could at least offer a few concilatory words," she snorts to herself, and then shakes her head as she looks back to the others. "... do take care, yes? Buildings and cities can be rebuilt. Your life, not so much." The rather pithy comment is delivered with a rather fanged grin.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata looks rather disheartened still, though she nods as she looks up towards Noeline. "Please be careful, Miss Noeline... I'd really hate to see something happen to you or -- or Miss Riese."
Oh, that's going to be a very awkward thing shortly, isn't it?
She turns towards Bart with a slow nod, whimpering softly as he reassures her. "Maison... o-okay. I'll see if we can't make a break when the situation changes, with Aunt Hilda and Uncle Tom," she looks towards the barman, who cocks his shotgun with a little laugh and a tip of his hat. "Be safe, now." He turns towards Lily and says, "A few first-aid, but could use a dedicated medic. Had to pull whatever poor saps in before the pressure got too hard to handle."
The waitress looks at her usual place of work -- no, it's more than just a place of work, it's practically her home. To have all this happen... but they'll recover from this, she knows it. And she'll do everything she can... she nods and gives Jacqueline a hug, as does Heather. "M-Miss Jacqueline, you'd best come back in one piece..."
Lunata gasps and suddenly drops to her knees again, as she feels another echo incoming. "...ahh--" she twitches just a moment, shivering. She holds her hands to her head, clutching it tightly. "I can hear their cries..."
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Lunata's going to be in any condition to move at the moment. Uncle Tom frowns and goes, "Darnit Lune, not now! Ugh-- you hero-types go out there and do some good, we'll take care of her and make sure she gets outta here in one piece! Meredin's not the kinda woman I'd want to tick off, y'got my word!"
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
"I dunno, he might misunderstand if I'm expressing my opnion of your looks like that-hey, joking, joking!" Bart states as Lily probably starts giving him a bad look. But he nods to Tom, and ducks out into the city, and back into the chaos once more.