2018-09-01: Wolves in a Flood

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DG: A party led by Leon Albus is now entering The Flooded Ruins.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
============================<* The Flooded Ruins *>=============================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Duplicator-Sealed Door *>====================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The terrifying rumbling from above gives some idea of what lay on the         
 streets of Azado. Whatever brought the tidal wave with it has not stopped,    
 and the occasional horrible groan of wood and shattering of stone indicates   
 that not all is safe in the city. The sewers, too, rumble and shake as you    
 move through them.                                                            
                                                                               
 But there are deeper things hidden within these sewers, and you come across   
 one of several entrances... guarded by a sealed door. There are runes upon    
 it, glowing softly. Those with experience on Filgaia may recognize the runes  
 as Elw. The door has several sliding tiles, with images carved into them.     
 Slide them in the right direction, and the door will open.                    
                                                                               
 Or, spend awhile breaking it down.                                            
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Tire===========================================
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

The Fereshte landed in the hole cut into the city of Azado. 'Landed' may be a generous term.

It took a little while for people to come to. In time, though, they had to set out. There were two tunnels for the Black Wolves to investigate. One led left; one led right. The team led by Leon Albus went right. Now, the Captain of the Black Wolves leads the way. He is wearing a white button-up shirt, trousers, and boots. Goggles are pushed up onto his forehead; Argent Divider is at his side.

His brow is creased. Lily was hurt, badly. That thought weighs heavy on his mind. "I have no idea what we'll find," he says, quietly. "A way out, maybe. Perhaps--look ahead." He does. Two things are waiting for them. One is the form of Princess Cecilia Adlehyde, washed or otherwise brought here. He tenses.

Then, ahead, is a sight familiar and confusing: a large door, aglow with soft blue-lit runes. A door with Elw writing, sealed by a Duplicator. Leon's eyes widen, for a moment. "...is that--"

The ground above rumbles, violently. "That creature's work..."

DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Duplicator-Sealed Door.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Elly van Houten had felt misery and pain in the aftermath of Vierge's forced landing that could only really be called a landing because the Gear is probably reparable. Probably.

She survived it, held in strong arms. Bruised, shaking, but alive, she is here, now. And there is little but stone and soil between them and a creature that has shrugged off everything they had. Elly does not want to think about how even a fully operational Gebler task-force would fare against Sin, right now. And if that could not prevail...

What else is there?

But... "It doesn't matter," Elly says. She is stumbling some and has complained of back pain quietly, but an emergency application of topical aquasol probably means the injury won't be permanent, unless she dies with it of course.

Her statement was to Leon. "Anything is better than this. A creature like that... I..."

She looks at the door.

"I don't recognize any of it," she says, which she doesn't feel is entirely completely true, but may be. "That's an Elw script, though, isn't it? How..."

Elly's wonder is her main contribution to this problem.

DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Duplicator-Sealed Door.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia, as per usual, managed to put herself in a situation that should have gotten her seriously hurt, yet managed to come out of it relatively okay. While certain others who came to help her did not. That's not a great feeling. She really wanted to do something to help Lily after that, but... what could she do? Lily told her to go on ahead, do what she could to help the others, and so she joined the team that was in good enough shape to start investigating right away.

It's plain to tell that she's not going into this her usual self. Because she's quiet. That's definitely not normal for her. One can assume she doesn't feel great about having to run instead of fight, that's not like her at all. This time, she's not even said much of anything to Fei, when she normally takes advantage of any excuse to talk his ear off. Of course given her reaction to what he said to her shortly before the Fereshte's crash landing, there might be a particular reason for that.

But then, there's that door, sealed with some kind of puzzle. With a heavy sigh, Xantia reaches into one of her traveling cloak's inner pockets, and withdraws the Guide to Dungeoneering for any advice on this particular type. But she stops looking rather quickly, settling on a more generic statement on puzzles. "Not every puzzle is intended to be solved. Some are in place to test your limits. Others are, in fact, not puzzles at all."

She closes the book, calmly puts it away, and notes her takeaway from that. "So we should just smash it."

That's her answer to everything! Sometimes it's like she only uses that guidebook to reinforce what she already believed in the first place.

DG: Xantia has used her Tool Guide to Dungeoneering toward her party's challenge, Duplicator-Sealed Door.
<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia had been waiting in the tunnels - escaped there, when the beast above first began attacking. But exploring deeper had led to getting separated from Claude, when the waters turned against them and the battle above grew even more chaotic than it already was. When the tide ebbed, she was soaked through and here, in a chamber with a DANG DOOR.

When this crew comes upon her, Cecilia is burning some things with Moor Gault's medium to dry herself out a little. Her traveling vest-jacket is off and sitting by the fire toward that purpose. She looks up. "Oh--Leon!" she yelps. "What's happening above?" she says, with worry in her face. "I...I hear terrible fear from the Guardians, but I haven't been able to make much sense of it."

She stands up, glancing toward the door. "It's a tile puzzle. Those are Elw runes, too. I tried much on the pattern, yet. I got, uhm, separated from the others..."

She shivers as Leon brings up 'that creature'. "If it can teleport an entire Elw ruin complex down here then we're in a bit more trouble than I know how to think about," she murmurs.

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Duplicator-Sealed Door.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei crawled into the Vierge, expecting to die to the giant whale which, let's face it, would be one of their weirder deaths.

But instead, when all is said and done, they're alive. Fei said some things that he said because he thought he was going to become a corpse, but now that he's alive it's kind of awkward. It would've been way more convenient for everyone involved.

But instead they're alive. Fei looks over to Xantia as she studies the door but then just kind of looks down and rubs at his arm awkwardly.

She's alive, he thinks, she can hate him if she wants but at least she's alive but... He didn't think he'd hurt her. He thought it would just bounce off as usual, honestly, or maybe even help her.

"Cecilia." Fei manages a small smile. "It's strange to think there are things even the Guardians fear to such an extent, but it at least feels quiet now." He must be talking about the situation they're in. "We uh. The Fereshte took heavy damage. Again. And uh, we probably want to find a way out that doesn't put us any closer to it. I don't think we can stop it."

Xantia tries smashing door. You know Fei is a little out of sorts because he doesn't try to stop her, but assuming that doesn't work, he looks at his own notepad and tries fiddling with it himself to get things into position.

"How're Jack and Rudy?" He asks.

DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Artist's Toolkit toward his party's challenge, Duplicator-Sealed Door.
============================<* The Flooded Ruins *>=============================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Duplicator-Sealed Door *>====================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The terrifying rumbling from above gives some idea of what lay on the         
 streets of Azado. Whatever brought the tidal wave with it has not stopped,    
 and the occasional horrible groan of wood and shattering of stone indicates   
 that not all is safe in the city. The sewers, too, rumble and shake as you    
 move through them.                                                            
                                                                               
 But there are deeper things hidden within these sewers, and you come across   
 one of several entrances... guarded by a sealed door. There are runes upon    
 it, glowing softly. Those with experience on Filgaia may recognize the runes  
 as Elw. The door has several sliding tiles, with images carved into them.     
 Slide them in the right direction, and the door will open.                    
                                                                               
 Or, spend awhile breaking it down.                                            
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Tire===========================================
=======================<* The Flooded Ruins - Round 1 *>========================
======================< Results - Duplicator-Sealed Door >======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus                          0 --(3)--> 3                   Fail
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xantia                              0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Guide to Dungeoneering              1   Wits    Effects: Rally and Stalwart   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fei Fong Wong                       0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Artist's Toolkit                    2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elhaym van Houten                   0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cecilia Adlehyde                    0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Leon Albus                  0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Reckless(2)|Tire(2)
Effects: Enlighten(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Leon Albus has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 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> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

(meanwhile, a hundred or so yards down, increasing by the second)

Claude: "JUST HIT ALL THE BUTTONS"

Jack: "AAAAAAAAAAH"

Rudy: *knife stabbing noises*

HANPAN: *sighs*

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"I don't know how we stop something like that," Leon answers Elly. Concern crosses his expression and his brow furrows.

He looks back at Cecilia, then. His expression softens, slightly; it isn't out of kindness, but trying to soften the fact that he has bad news. "The... thing up there," he says, "has destroyed the city. I'm sorry, your highness. I think a lot of people have died, and we were unable to do a thing against it."

He looks at Xantia, raising an eyebrow at her estimation. "Well--"

Thankfully, between Cecilia's observation and Fei's artist's notes, the combination isn't so hard. The last tile slides in place. There is a click -- and then the door swings open, into the chamber beyond. "...It is Elw," Leon says. "This... I wonder if this could lead to safety."

DG: Fei Fong Wong has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* The Flooded Ruins *>============================
==================<* CHALLENGE - Batten Down the Hatches *>===================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The tidal wave and the ensuing destruction have caused no small amount of     
 flooding in Azado, and that water has to go somewhere. Parts of the ruins     
 have always been prone to flooding. When you enter this room, this proves     
 true. A gout of water comes bursting through an open doorway, and begins to   
 fill the room. If you don't move quickly to, somehow, barricade the           
 entrance, then you may find yourselves swiftly underwater.                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous, Injure======================================
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

"I wonder," Fei says, considering Leon's words. "Why it came to Azado. Was it trying to stop Lucia...?" Fei seems to be presuming Sin has some kind of will here beyond that of random malevolent (the not purple kind) destruction. He shakes his head and says, "...Leon, it's Elw. It's probably just going to lead to--"

He glances at Xantia one last time and cuts his own cynicism short. "... Yeah. Could be."

Of course maybe he should've voiced that cynicism anyway because suddenly, as they enter a new hall with a few doors there's a rumbling as one of the doors on the left suddenly bursts open and starts spewing water into the room they're in.

"Shit...!" Fei says, running to another door and pressing his ear to it. He swings it open and it leads to another area. "Quick! This way!" He says before stepping on through. Of course going there won't be enough. The water is coming fast enough they'll have to ensure that door REMAINS shut once everybody's inside.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

"There's always a way. Everything's weak to something." That's all Xantia's got on the matter of stopping that creature up there. She may be a bit out of sorts, not sounding as cheerful about it as she usually does, but that doesn't mean she's lost her optimism. Of course she still thinks it's possible to fight the giant death whale. They just haven't figured out the right way to do it yet. She's not going to get stuck thinking about today's failure, she's going to look forward to tomorrow's success. That's just the way she is.

If only it was that easy to get past certain other mental hangups. Fei may have meant well when he said what he did, but those words were effectively shutting down her greater purpose, the main driving force behind everything she does. If the search for her memories didn't mean anything, is there even any reason for her to be here?

Looks like they've picked up another companion. In her current state, it's one of the very rare times where Xantia has to actually force a smile. She doesn't know Cecilia very well, but it's not an unfamiliar face, at least. "Right now, we first have to find a way out of here, then we'll have a chance to do something about it." Still trying to be optimistic about that much, for other people's sake.

Soon, the puzzle is solved, and Xantia doesn't have to get her hands dirty. Which isn't actually what she preferred, but it's alright, she'll probably get a chance to do that soon enough. Case in point, the very next room...

"I've got it!" Xantia shouts after passing through the door, immediately going for the biggest loose boulder she can find on the other side, intending to use it to block the entrance once everyone's through. With all that physical strength she's got, that, at least, is something she can do.

DG: Xantia has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Batten Down the Hatches.
<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia's eyes turn down. Her face is largely unreadable. Yet another city ruined - laid waste by something so horrid the very Guardians of the world can do little more than wail. If she'd had the Teardrop...would that have saved anyone? Even one life?

Rather than hate herself out loud for it, she murmurs, "The Guardians are the power that sustains the world. Anything that can scare them like this must by its nature be something that threatens the entire natural order." She slowly draws in a breath, forcing her shoulders to fill back out as she looks up to Leon with watery eyes. She sets her jaw and tries to find the strength. "Something that can destroy the whole world." Something else that can.

She edges the tears from her eyes with a knuckle and forces herself to turn. "We have no choice but to continue, then," she murmurs. Marches on into the depths and OH FOR THE LOVE OF--

Cecilia clicks her Medium case open and thrusts a hand forward, staff appearing in the other in a burst of light. The Mountain medium blazes, the ground rumbling beneath them for reasons other than a hateful gravity whale. The ground ruptures up, slabs of stone knotting together to try and block off the entrance and stop up the flooding, but... "That won't hold!" she calls, chasing after Fei. "We have to keep moving!"

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Batten Down the Hatches.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Batten Down the Hatches.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"I'm not sure. I am not... really the sort who has spiritual awareness. Lily and the rest of you tend to handle that for me," Leon says. "But... it may be that it was a monster--a beast, with no reasoning nor direction. I..." Leon looks down. "...The truth is, I'm grasping at straws to guess. But I fear the implications, if you're correct, your highness."

He turns his head, when he hears the collapse of the wall -- and sees the gout of water bursting through the door. His eyes widen a little at the water; he draws in a sharp gasp, and then he rushes in with Xantia. He slams his shoulder into the door, trying to bar it in place. "Maybe we can buy just a little time, then!"

DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Batten Down the Hatches.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
"... It's some kind of mega-creature," Elly tells Cecilia. "Gebler detected its energy signature. They - I will be honest that they were trying to leave the area." It had nothing to do with the Fereshte, this time.

Elly takes a few moments to breathe as Xantia and Leon addres the door. Why is it Elw? she wonders.

Then behind them a hatch is opened and she can feel the air moving and the water pushing and Elly feels her abdomen lurch as she half-turns around and raises one hand. There is a subtle and heavy shift in the Ether as the space behind them is filled, with no gaps, with ice. It won't last long, but it stalls things.

Turning forwards, Elly says to the others, "I doubt it's impossible to defeat, but it might be impractical. Like... becoming a king, versus eating the Sun, you know?" She rummages then in the sack of odds and ends she had brought with her from Vierge, finally drawing out a tube of... what? The writing on it makes no sense.

"Put it in the gaps," she says, "of the hatch. When it gets wet it'll melt the metal parts together."

DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Inventory Clutter toward her party's challenge, Batten Down the Hatches.
===========================<* The Flooded Ruins *>============================
==================<* CHALLENGE - Batten Down the Hatches *>===================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The tidal wave and the ensuing destruction have caused no small amount of     
 flooding in Azado, and that water has to go somewhere. Parts of the ruins     
 have always been prone to flooding. When you enter this room, this proves     
 true. A gout of water comes bursting through an open doorway, and begins to   
 fill the room. If you don't move quickly to, somehow, barricade the           
 entrance, then you may find yourselves swiftly underwater.                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous, Injure======================================
======================<* The Flooded Ruins - Round 2 *>=======================
====================< Results - Batten Down the Hatches >=====================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus                          3 --(15)--> 18                 Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xantia                              0 --(15)--> 15                 Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fei Fong Wong                       0 --(20)--> 20                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elhaym van Houten                   0 --(15)--> 15                 Pass
Inventory Clutter                   1   Brute   Effects: Cleanse              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cecilia Adlehyde                    0 --(20)--> 20                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Leon Albus                  20 --(10)--> 30                Fail
Conditions: Injure(2)|Overzealous(2)|Reckless(1)|Tire(1)
Effects: Cleanse
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Leon Albus has failed this challenge! The party gained 10 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> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei says, "It had to have been deterred somehow before," thoughtfully. "But it clearly didn't finish the job."

He gives another look to Xantia. In fact is concern over her is kind of making him not every effective at not getting everybody killed and despite his best attempts to help barricade the door, it turns out that Cecilia has the right of it. Already, in spite of everybody's efforts, water is starting to poke through holes through the barricade, even Cecilia's stone.

"Shit, gotta find another path, quick..!" Fei says, ruhsing along with little chance to catch his breath.

Without Vierge, would they have all been--no he better not think like that.

DG: Xantia has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* The Flooded Ruins *>============================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Rusted Treasure Chest *>====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 In a recess in this corridor, you find an ancient lockbox. The Elw-made       
 lockbox is not locked, but it seems that the outside of it has rusted shut.   
 It will need some elbow grease to open it -- but too much force risks         
 destroying the contents. Which could be anything! Why, it could even be       
 treasure!                                                                     
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire, Treasure===========================================
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Clearly the right call at this point is to keep running. But Xantia isn't ready to give up so quickly. It may not be until the rest of the group gets to another room up ahead that they notice she's taking a while to catch up. She's still back there, stubbornly trying to wedge that boulder into the doorway just so to block the most water that it possibly can. Even if it's not going to hold permanently, she figures it's worth buying a little extra time. Because that's something she can do right now. She needs to feel useful.

She takes just long enough to make people worry. Then she comes running, the water behind slowed to a trickle, but it won't be for long. When she makes it into the room, she quickly slams the door shut behind her. "Phew... I think we're alright for now." There seems to be something under her arm, some kind of rusty metal box. Now that they have a moment, Xantia holds it out to present it to the others. "Look what I found back there! It's probably got something good inside!"

And then she violently tosses it to the ground. Looks like somebody attended the Secret of Mana school of treasure chest opening. She frowns when this doesn't open it right away. "Should I try again?"

A moment later, while others busy themselves with the chest, Xantia takes a moment to approach Fei, suddenly asking out of the blue, "Fei... is it okay if I disagree with you?" Not waiting for an answer, she directs a serious look to him. "Getting my memory back will make me happy. I know you don't think so. But I have to believe that, Fei. I have to. Don't tell me it won't. Don't tell me everything I've done so far didn't mean anything. Please."

DG: Xantia has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Rusted Treasure Chest.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Xantia - is Xantia really going to--, Elly thinks with horror. She runs off. Elly wonders if it is the last time she will see Xantia - or worse, the last time she will see Xantia alive --

Thank the Emperor on his throne, it is not. And she brought a metal box. Elly slow blinks before she unslings her bag and starts to dig in it. "I can tell you that whatever that creature is, or was... it isn't a Hellion," she answers Leon, before telling Fei, "Try this" and handing him a still-mud-caked key that she must have found...

Somewhere?

It does look to be kind of the right size at least. She is silent on the topic of Xantia's question.

DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Inventory Clutter toward her party's challenge, Rusted Treasure Chest.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Far be it from Leon to complain about running. He sprints after Xantia; he proves to be a much faster runner than good at pushing things into place. He slows to a stop, though, and takes a few deep breaths. He looks up at Xantia, and nods his head once. "I think so," he says, before he pauses. He looks at the box.

He opens his mouth, before she throws it.

"Well," he says, "that is one way to handle it. But--ah. Maybe, we should be careful? It could be trapped--oh. Er. We're sharing important revelations. Right, then."

Leon, instead, walks up and kicks the chest once.

It does not make it open alone.

DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Rusted Treasure Chest.
<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

"I don't know anything about it," Cecilia admits, quietly. "The Guardians are frightened. And it extinguished a burning city like it was nothing. That's all I know."

What else is there to say, really? She doesn't know Xantia terribly well, even if she's seen her about. Something seems off, but not off enough to make her think anything particularly dire is afoot...Fei says to run and Cecilia agrees.

She was once a noodle-limbed caster but the wasteland and Wild ARMs run cycle animations have been kind to her so she keeps up well enough, even if she probably wouldn't have been able to catch up the way Xantia does.

And then, chest.

"It wasn't?" Cecilia says, with some amount of surprise, to Elly's interjection. "I don't--"

Ah, yes, they are doing that thing Leon said.

She steps over and examines the lock for a few seconds, then smacks the thing with her staff. The staff vibrates more than the chest. "Owww...."

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Rusted Treasure Chest.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei is so worried about Xantia's MENTAL health that he, you know, totally forgets to think about the fact that she might be crushed by water pressure and drown. It isn't until he's turning around to check heads that he realizes Xantia's gone but before he cna have a proper freakout...Xantia's right there.

He finds himself breathing a sigh of relief.

He nods to Elly and takes the muddy key as he ducks down to investigate the check. Because of all the mud, it's a little difficult to just slide it in normally like a key normally would. He ends up scraping the mud off with his finger when Xantia asks that question. She asks it in such a way that it feels most agonizing.

Fei wants to say 'of course you can disagree' and just leave it at that. 'do what you want, Xantia, we're our own people' but his fear for Xantia is way more than just Xantia being dissapointed at what she does find out. He can tell that Leon is feeling a little awkward about the timing too.

Instead of just saying 'do what you want, Xantia, we're our own people' he says, "Xantia, you are of course welcome to believe what you want to believe and to disagree with me. I'm sorry I made you feel otherwise." He looks down. "...Honestly, I wish I could disagree with myself more but--"

He is quiet. Leon kicks a chest. Fei reaches into his pocket with a spare hand, closes his eyes tightly, then exhales.

"But because you need it so much, that's what makes me worried." He focuses on the task at hand. "If the truth dissapoints you, I wouldn't want that to make you give up on what you have now."

He either hears a click or fucks the whole thing up before he looks to Cecilia. "It's a pretty sturdy chest...but maybe it knocked some of the mud off."

DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Mother's Cross toward his party's challenge, Rusted Treasure Chest.
===========================<* The Flooded Ruins *>============================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Rusted Treasure Chest *>====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 In a recess in this corridor, you find an ancient lockbox. The Elw-made       
 lockbox is not locked, but it seems that the outside of it has rusted shut.   
 It will need some elbow grease to open it -- but too much force risks         
 destroying the contents. Which could be anything! Why, it could even be       
 treasure!                                                                     
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire, Treasure===========================================
======================<* The Flooded Ruins - Round 3 *>=======================
=====================< Results - Rusted Treasure Chest >======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus                          18 --(5)--> 23                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xantia                              15 --(5)--> 20                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fei Fong Wong                       20 --(0)--> 20                 Pass
Mother's Cross                      4   Brute   Effects: None                 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elhaym van Houten                   15 --(0)--> 15                 Pass
Inventory Clutter                   1   Brute   Effects: Cleanse              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cecilia Adlehyde                    20 --(0)--> 20                 Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Leon Albus                  30 --(25)--> 55                Pass
Conditions: Overzealous(1)|Tire(2)|Treasure(1)
Effects: Cleanse
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Leon Albus has passed this challenge! The party gained 25 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> Xantia has posed.

Xantia doesn't immediately respond to Fei. It's difficult to tell how she feels about his words, which is unusual, she usually makes that pretty obvious. But first, the matter of the chest.

In the end, after Cecilia helps to clear off some of the rust and dirt that was clogging the lock, it's the key that ends up opening the chest. Clearly, violence was not the answer to this riddle. Is it any wonder Xantia is questioning her worldview right now?

Inside was... a collection of various colored potions. One blue, one red, one green. Their corked containers look like they're made of glass, so it's either a miracle all the violence didn't break them, or the Elw knew how to make some dang solid bottles.

Xantia's reaction is, "Oh, those look useful!" But it's not like there's any labels, so not even knowing how to read Elw would help to determine what these actually do. No harm in taking them along, though. Is anybody feeling lucky...?

Only then does she react to what Fei said to her before. "It's okay to be worried, and I'm happy you care so much, but... I think that if I stopped believing what I do now, I'd worry you a lot more." That's about the best way she can summarize her feelings.

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* The Flooded Ruins *>============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Golem Arm *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The Elw created a number of golems to defend their ruins. However these       
 ruins ended up on Lunar, it seems that their guardians remain. Much like the  
 ruins, though, they have taken considerable damage. In this case, it is only  
 a disembodied stone arm that crawls down the hallway to stop you. Then,       
 however, it lifts into the air -- balls up one great, rocky fist -- and       
 flies out to punch you!                                                       
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia brightens a bit when some Gunk flakes off from her hit. "Ah, that worked!" she chimes, brightening. She leans over Fei as the chest opens. "Oh, excellent," she murmurs. She has no earthly idea what these do. But that's what magic guilds are f---right. Shit.

Nonetheless, she tucks however many she gets to take into her Inventory Case and then leads the way in. "We should hurry," she notes. "This whole place seems to be coming in..."

Scccccrape. Ggggggrrrrriiinnnddd......

Cecilia blinks, staff flipping up into forward-facing combat stance as she hears the noises down the hall. "Enemies," she murmurs. "Or a trap, maybe..."

...golems are sort of a weird in-between in that venn diagram, huh? She blinks at the dismembered hand inching toward them. "Should...be fine if we just skip past it...?" she ventures.

Then it leaps into the air and attempts to punch her head clean off. "Why do I say things!" she yells at nobody, projecting a magic barrier to ward off the first attack. Then, she grabs for her Crest case and rips a crest free, thrusting it forward. Black magic. Muse and Fray. "BLAST!"

A shockwave of untyped magic blasts away from her, sending the arm tumbling away.

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has used her Tool Crest Graph Case toward her party's challenge, Golem Arm.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Leon glances, sideways, at Xantia. The potions do look useful. But...

"Xantia," he says. "Your past could be anything, but it will be something. The future, however, is far less defined. I wouldn't let your desire for your memories make the future as constrained as whatever your history ends up being."

He steps out into the hallway, again, and then he looks sideways towards Cecilia. He nods. "The creature up there created... some sort of swirling vortex that lifts things up into it. It could rip the city apart."

He pauses at the scraping of the golem arm. His eyes narrow, for a moment. "Well--" It flies at them like a rocket. He jumps back to the side, and then turns his head; he stares at the floating golem arm. Then, he reaches to his belt, and pulls off a small, flat, fin-shaped plate. He taps a couple of buttons on it. "Now," he says, "I've been working on this for weeks, so it would be a very lovely time to function."

The ARM from Ash Hare, to his immense surprise, do. The fin's plates unfurl -- into a trio of triangle shapes, which float up in the air between them, protectively. The next hit flies in--

--and smashes into a solid wall of golden energy projected between the three triangles. The triangles shudder, but they hold against the golem arm.

DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Raid Funnel toward his party's challenge, Golem Arm.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei manages a sheepish smile at Xantia. "Yeah, you're probably right about that." It almost even reaches his eyes.

But he does seem faintly relieved all the same when Leon says his peace. He was starting to worry he might've been going a little crazy there and yes, sure, maybe he was but he still had a point and that honestly does make him feel better. He smiles at Leon, for a moment, but isn't so gauche as to thank him right now.

"I wonder if they're still good. That chest was pretty sealed, but if it's an Elw chest it's gotta be thousands of years. I don't know if potions last that long. Maybe something to ask Jay about later."

And then, well, something armed is coming their way.

No wait, something arm is coming their way. Fei blinks a few times. He walks up to the giant stone arm, maybe actually wondering if it's Avril's golem arm before he experimentally holds out one hand and--

"Rock Paper Scissors!"

He throws out scissors as his challenge! It's a giant hand, of course he was going to try this.

I mean obviously.

DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool RPS Badge toward his party's challenge, Golem Arm.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Elly looks at Xantia, focusing with a little effort. She says to her, even as she reaches forwards - strangely enough for the blue potion, to weigh it - "Leon is right. Just do not forget... whatever came before... You have been the person who came after, too! They're the same."

That feels right to Elly. She glances at Fei as if to say: That goes for you too.

(Elly has sometimes wondered what was up with Fei before he came to Lahan. Physically he did not closely resemble the natives. The best guess is someone from Aquvy, but that was a wide space, and is, of course, academic, because they are going to die in this ruin when Sin floods it. Oh well...)

A stone fist comes right towards her. "!!!"

Elly suddenly shoots a reflexive fireball straight ahead, almost without thought. It is not the strongest, but perhaps it will deter the thing or bounce the fist back enough for others to foil it more decisively.

DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Golem Arm.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Despite her remark, Xantia isn't actually that interested in taking the potions, so she doesn't. She is a little confused by Leon's initial statement, because well, of course her past will be something, what a weird thing to say. She thinks she gets the gist of it between Leon and Elly's words, though. "I know... I just don't feel like I can make any good decisions like this. What I want now is important, but what I used to want is important too."

Maybe it's a little more complicated than just that, but it took her long enough to figure out how to put this much into words. It isn't even easy for herself to fully understand the way she feels.

With that matter settled well enough for her liking - Fei didn't seem upset by the end of it, which was really the main thing she was worried about - a genuine smile returns more naturally. She visibly feels more relaxed again, a lot more like her usual self. Even though - no, especially because she's feeling relaxed in a situation That's not exactly the most appropriate to feel relaxed in.

Of course, that's right around the time when they're accosted by... a giant arm?! Honestly, if it had come at her open-handed, Xantia might have been tempted to turn this into an arm wrestling match. As it is, it might be better to fight arm with ARM. Not that she's really thinking about that when she whips her right arm forward, and instead of meeting the enormous appendage with her fists, activates her bracer, pushing back against or possibly lancing straight through the stone with a giant crimson energy blade that suddenly springs into existence. All pure impulse. Because Xantia's impulses in the face of violence consist solely of more violence. But she's still smiling. Because violence is also fun.

DG: Xantia has used her Tool ARM Blade toward her party's challenge, Golem Arm.
===========================<* The Flooded Ruins *>============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Golem Arm *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The Elw created a number of golems to defend their ruins. However these       
 ruins ended up on Lunar, it seems that their guardians remain. Much like the  
 ruins, though, they have taken considerable damage. In this case, it is only  
 a disembodied stone arm that crawls down the hallway to stop you. Then,       
 however, it lifts into the air -- balls up one great, rocky fist -- and       
 flies out to punch you!                                                       
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
======================<* The Flooded Ruins - Round 4 *>=======================
===========================< Results - Golem Arm >============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus                          23 --(0)--> 23                 Pass
Raid Funnel                         3   Combat  Effects: Fanfare              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xantia                              20 --(0)--> 20                 Pass
ARM Blade                           2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fei Fong Wong                       20 --(0)--> 20                 Pass
RPS Badge                           3   Combat  Effects: Rally                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elhaym van Houten                   15 --(0)--> 15                 Pass
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cecilia Adlehyde                    20 --(0)--> 20                 Pass
Crest Graph Case                    2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Leon Albus                  55 --(20)--> 75                Pass
Conditions: Wound(2)
Effects: Embolden(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Leon Albus has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 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> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Perhaps rather like Leon, Cecilia feels somewhat out of the loop on the conversation of memories. The luxury to not know the path you're on...seems kind of nice...

The stone arm reels from Cecilia's Blast spell, and then gets blasted again, this time by Elly. It shakes its fist as if shaking out its head, presumably because the other one is absent, and then lunges for Leon!

Who blocks it with an ARM shield! "Ooo," Cecilia says, because that thing's cool.

Then Fei challenges it to sacred contest, and the thing whips its fist around, into...A KNIFE-HAND CHOP

Wait no maybe that's paper!?

It doesn't matter what it is because Xantia cuts it in half and it falls to the ground, unmoving. Cecilia watches it for a few seconds to be sure.

Then she looks up again. "We should keep moving," she declares. Her eyes fall to Leon. "Especially if that thing is as powerful as you say." She pauses, briefly. "...do you mean could or did," she murmurs.

DG: Elhaym van Houten has drawn a new Challenge.
============================<* The Flooded Ruins *>=============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - The Water Level *>========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 In the depths of these flooded ruins, you find salvation. Those who were at   
 the Pleasing Garden recognize, instantly: a circular room, with a             
 crystalline structure in the center. A teleportation station, which will      
 activate a wide-area teleportation for smaller people. Those in Azado could   
 be whisked away from the thing destroying their city.                         
                                                                               
 However, there is a problem.                                                  
                                                                               
 You have entered on the third level of a three-tiered room -- and it is       
 flooded. You will need to swim down, and swim past some fences and rails      
 that pose obstacles, to activate the teleporter. The activation is a simple   
 matter of pressing the crystal into the receptacle. And, of course, you will  
 need to hope enough others can do the same...                                 
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Fortunately, behind the arm there is no Foot or Leg or (Censored) to contend with. The stone structure collapses and forwards is a place of relative stillness. The water is leaking in, here, or perhaps more accurately the air is escaping, but only through a crack in the domed roof, made by a long-forgotten and ancient but insistent tree. The tree itself is gone, and the root-cracks were tiny.

Even so, the water is dripping in, muddy. More is coming in from above. The mud isn't enough to conceal what is down at the bottom.

Elly breathes out.

She then - giggles? It's a squeaky sort of noise. "Fei - Leon - that's - That's what I think it might be, isn't it?"

Elly crouches down to start unfastening her boots. As she does this, she looks towards Cecilia.

"... Princess," she says to her.

"I'm - I'm sorry, this is kind of abrupt, I know. I... I used to be with people - no. I was a member of the Gebler ground forces."

Elly puts her boots in the bag. She starts sealing it up. This is motion that makes no sense to anybody because the bag has a zip-pressure seal made out of the wonder-material, plastic. "... For my contributions to everything -"

The bag goes back over her shoulders as she rises up, and then dips into a deep, almost-kneeling curtsey to Cecilia. "I'm sorry."

She doesn't leap into the water yet. Perhaps she's intending to bring up the rear. Someone may end up interfering with that....

DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Expedition Boots toward her party's challenge, The Water Level.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"Did," Leon answers Cecilia. "There were several ships in there. Most were in pieces." His eyes narrow, a moment, as he looks at the raid funnels. He reaches a finger out and pokes them. "Hmm. Seems like they're stable. Wish I knew exactly how they worked, but..."

The raid funnels fold up -- and reconnect, into the plate on Leon's belt. He keeps walking -- and then sees the water dripping down. His eyes widen for a moment, as he looks up -- and then he looks towards Elly. She shakes his head once. "...It's fine," he says. "You didn't cause this. And... a lot of us have been involved in things we've later regretted."

He hesitates, before he looks down at the water. Then, he unspools his climbing rope. He attaches it to his belt -- and then loops it about a piece of rock. "Use this," he says. "If you get disoriented."

Then, he leaps into the water.

DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Climbing Rope toward his party's challenge, The Water Level.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia's weapon vanishes as quickly as it appears, and she cheerfully announces, "That's more like it! Now we're having fun!" Yes you are, she has unanimously decided this for everybody. And really, isn't it really satisfying to take down a threat through a group effort? She thinks so. Never mind that that didn't work with Sin, it worked now, that's what matters. "I've never seen that before," she enthusiastically remarks as she turns to Leon and his new... shiny thing, whatever it is. "That's really neat!" is what it is.

If it looked like her mood was improved before, that's nothing compared to the sheer -elation- when Xantia sees what's waiting for them up ahead. Of course she recognizes that, how could she not? It's what she been wanting to actively search for all this time, if she had any clues at all where to look. And now here it is all of a sudden, right in front of her! Though she doesn't know where she's actually from, the way she feels about Filgaia makes it completely natural for her to say, "Home... we can go home!"

As radiant as Xantia looks regarding this discovery, one might wonder at this point... does Xantia even know how to swim? This has never come up before. At least hesitation may be expected.

If that was the case, then the expected doesn't happen. She jumps into the water fully clothed, and does perfectly fine swimming underwater. One could never tell that she isn't used to it, might be a muscle memory thing that's managed to stick around. The problem is moreso in navigating her way through that mess underwater. She's definitely going to need that rope of Leon's... if she can manage to keep track of it in all her excitement to get down there, and get back home, as soon as she possibly can.

DG: Xantia has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Water Level.
<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia sighs at Leon's report. "I suspected as much, but...I dared to hope..." ...shakes her head.

The raid funnels are neat but saying 'well it's not like anyone knows how ARMs work' out loud seems unproductive.

They emerge into a new chamber. Cecilia, comma, a person who is soaked to the bone already, flattens her lips down into an unhappy grimace, and sighs. "Down we go, I guess? What even is this? It's a little familiar..."

    FRIENDLY REMINDER: When a similar device revealed itself at Pleasing Garden, Cecilia was about 97% dead owing to Berserk punching her so hard it fractured her skeleton. Like, all of it.

She looks over to Elly, as the ginger drops to a profound curtsey...and admits something terrible. "I remember," Cecilia says. "We ran into each other at Bledavik." Her fingers tighten on her staff just the same. "Where Lily and I suffered greatly. Yes. I do remember. And I'd as soon cast that viper Shakhan and his entire throng into the sand if I had the chance."

Something sparking in her stomach. But it's not as bad as the poisonous knot she feels every time someone tells her how great a person Riesenlied is, at least. She half-turns. "You are forgiven. ...but I cannot guarantee kindness for the people of Gebler. Shakhan is an enemy of Adlehyde and Gebler is an enemy of I myself. They've told me as much that they consider my quest foolish. If they try to stop me..." ...

Sigh. "Well, perhaps we'll be lucky and they'll have a chance to," she murmurs. Xantia's cries earn a look. "I--eh?" she stammers, looking down. "Is that what this thing does!?"

She suddenly seems a lot more interested in getting in the water.

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Water Level.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei hears Elly tell Cecilia the truth. The funny thing about keeping up a web of lies, of course, is that sometimes you forget who knows the truth and who doesn't and it seems like Cecilia, in this case, already knows the truth. Fei lets out a breath he didn't know he wash olding.

"Yes. I remember how to activate it. We just need to press that crystal...assuming it isn't broken like the other one was."

That's a mighty big if, revelation that Fei helped send everybody to Lunar in the first place notwithstanding.

Fei smiles at Xantia for a moment as starts swimming downward. She approaches the edge and hesitates.

Is this what you want? This might be our only chance to escape our destiny and our eternal torment

Fei closes his eyes for a moment. It just looks like jitters, most likely, but ultimately it's not as hard of a choice as he expected. Filgaia was a dire place, a dark place, but sometimes, it seems, the prison became a home. Even if it means closing the bars around himself, there's no escape for him.

On some level he knows it's his fault. On some level he knows it, but cell it may be but with the people here, it's hardly a torment at all.

He didn't forget Lombardia. He never will. The wrongs of Lacan and Grahf must be made right. He's the guy with the spooky visions, so it might as well be him.

Fei dives into the water, filled with determination but not a high agility score.

DG: Fei Fong Wong has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, The Water Level.
============================<* The Flooded Ruins *>=============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - The Water Level *>========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 In the depths of these flooded ruins, you find salvation. Those who were at   
 the Pleasing Garden recognize, instantly: a circular room, with a             
 crystalline structure in the center. A teleportation station, which will      
 activate a wide-area teleportation for smaller people. Those in Azado could   
 be whisked away from the thing destroying their city.                         
                                                                               
 However, there is a problem.                                                  
                                                                               
 You have entered on the third level of a three-tiered room -- and it is       
 flooded. You will need to swim down, and swim past some fences and rails      
 that pose obstacles, to activate the teleporter. The activation is a simple   
 matter of pressing the crystal into the receptacle. And, of course, you will  
 need to hope enough others can do the same...                                 
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate=================================================
=======================<* The Flooded Ruins - Round 5 *>========================
=========================< Results - The Water Level >==========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus                          23 --(0)--> 23                 Pass
Climbing Rope                       2   Agility Effects: Quicken              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xantia                              20 --(0)--> 20                 Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fei Fong Wong                       20 --(0)--> 20                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elhaym van Houten                   15 --(0)--> 15                 Pass
Expedition Boots                    2   Agility Effects: Stalwart             
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cecilia Adlehyde                    20 --(0)--> 20                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Leon Albus                  75 --(35)--> 110               Pass
Conditions: Hesitate(2)|Wound(1)
Effects: Quicken(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Leon Albus has successfully explored The Flooded Ruins!
============================<* The Flooded Ruins *>=============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Teleporter Activated *>=====================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 You swim down into the depths of the teleportation room. It is hard, but you  
 manage to press the crystal into the activation chamber. There is a moment    
 to wait -- perhaps to swim back up -- as other groups must also press in      
 their crystals. When you look around, you realize: this room is similar       
 enough to the one in the Pleasing Garden that it must be part of a network.   
                                                                               
 Then, however, the room rumbles. There is a flash, as all of you are whisked  
 away.                                                                         
                                                                               
 You have returned to Filgaia.                                                 
=Dungeon Conditions: Secret===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
oh no, Elly thinks. but that was -

No Elly, that was not a past life. It was actually just less than a year ago. Believe it.

"... I understand," Elly says to Cecilia. Her eyes follow the raid funnels back to Leon for a moment, and she smiles at Leon then, gently. It isn't anxious, at least. There's that at least.

Looking back at the water, Elly says to Cecilia, "If you had to -" But the philosophical question is overridden by Cecilia realizing what this room is. "Um," she says, then, "it is, yes. Here - I'll help you if you want."

She doesn't force the matter and -- well, unlike SOME people present, Elly had swimming lessons, so this is not super hard for her other than the need to do a few quick breaths and then use the guide rope to pull herself downwards. Her baggage helps here - even if it's been sealed up watertight, it's still a few kilograms of dead weight and a precious two small cans of Soylent-brand spiced meat spread.

Down... down...

There is a flash of light:

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Leon looks, briefly, in Cecilia's direction before he jumps in. He can appreciate the resolve that she shows. Then, he looks down at the water. He swims downward, lower and lower. He doesn't recognize the teleporter directly -- only from descriptions he read later, of those who saw the one that Lucia and her crew operated during the battle with the Lord of Calamity. He swims down nonetheless.

His hand is one of those to push in on the crystal. He bites his lip, trying to keep his breath in. His eyes widen.

The crystal clicks into place.

Leon's eyes meet Elly's; then, Xantia's.

There is a flash, then. It shoots upward -- it rolls outward, washing out with the others over the whole of the ruin, and out beyond into Azado. Leon's breath burns in his lungs--

And then he is gone, with all the others.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

It takes reaching the very bottom for Xantia to realize that she swam down with absolutely no clue about what to actually do when she got there. She casts panicked eyes towards the others when they arrive. Thankfully, they do know what to do with this device to make it activate. Also thankfully, she turns out to be pretty capable of holding her breath for a long period of time. How embarassing would it have been to be the first one down, only to need a do-over?

Even so, she doesn't actively help with it, since, well, she doesn't know what she's doing, and she'd hate to mess this up somehow. She's fine with placing her trust in the others to handle the activation of the device properly. Considering that going back to Filgaia is what she wanted more than anything, that means a lot.

In the end, her trust and patience is rewarded. She doesn't panic, perfectly calm when the rumbling begins. Home... they're going home. There's a flash, and...

...just like last time, Xantia once again reappears somewhere completed seperated from everyone else. Oops. Well, at least she knows Filgaia better than she knows Lunar, maybe she'll manage to find her way around on her own this time...

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Elly and Cecilia can talk about the philosophy of setting yourself against a power like Gebler later. Cecilia is suddenly much more excited. "I--yes, please. I haven't had a great deal of swimming practice." In her KINGDOM OF DUST.

Down, down...it's a strange, confused feeling. Sickness and horror about what's going on above, sure. But also...this is a teleporter?! What they've been waiting for, hunting for, a chance to go home. She'd been silently putting away against the return to Filgaia, wanting to check in on Adlehyde, worried about the state of things back home...!

She doesn't know how she feels. But she continues, because her warring heart agrees on that. She helps get the crystal in place - she'll have to return before most of the others, unathletic as she is. She breaches; flops wetly against the stone. Breathes, once, twice, feeling the air beginning to fill with power--

A flash of light. This, she remembers.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei has had a great deal of practice jumping into wells. He is confident.

Maybe he shouldn't be because he ends up cornered by some debris befor he gets too far down and is forced to rise back up to the surface while the others reach for the button to push. He takes in several deep breaths, but he smiles because he can see the flash starting. They made it. They're going home.

It's funny, Fei thinks, that an entire 'planet' can be home, but it feels right. It fits.

And honestly he's largely just grateful that Elly and Cecilia seem to be getting along. Cecilia is one of his closest friends, and Elly, well, Elly is Elly.

He closes his eyes as the light envelops everyone, looking like a great weight has been lifted from his mind.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

As the light envelops everyone, so does it envelope The Fereshte. Amber stares ahead for a moment. Even though she was warned, it's still something full of shock and awe. She pulls one little last bit of debris onto the Fereshte, securing it so that it may be used for future repairs.

"I can't believe it..." Amber murmurs. "Tadpole...take care of things for me. I'll be back..." Her falcon screeches its agreement.

But... Below decks.

Hammer has been quiet and unhelpful since being forced away from the wheel (however gently) to keep the Fereshte from flying right on out of town. He wonders how Miss Riesenlied and Miss Elly are doing, and even bro and the captain. He assumes Lily's fine.

But more than that he wonders at this strange crowd he's fallen in with. They fought a giant death whale that made even the bloody Guardians terrified and survived. That was incredible. That was amazing! People who could do that could do anything.

But as incredible and amazing as his friends were, it was clear as day that it wasn't enough. It was SO not enough that the creature only seemed to get angrier rather than wounded in any kind of way.

The creature made his friends look like nothing. And if his friends looked like nothing, what did that make him? He left Kislev to be free of D Block and of a dead-end life that would go nowhere...

...but nothing has really changed for him. He does repairs and provides supplies and gathers information. Different office, same job.

The flash comes and he thinks 'they did it, we're going to live' and normally that would fill him with passionate joy but it does not come to him. He has seen the gaps between himself, his friends, and the dangers that they face and he knows simply escaping this one means finding another later. They would face it bravely, but he could imagine that fear returning to him, he knew he could not avoid it. What made them so different, he wondered, was it all just tragedy and horror? He had his share of that too.

No, Hammer thought, he knew the difference. He knew what they had and he did not. A single word answers this haunting question as the light envelops him.

Power